#Sonic Adventure tie-in

[julie-sufan]

The In-Depth Look at Julie-Su Part 9: Sonic the Hedgehog Issues 80, 81, 82, 84 and Sonic Super Special #14

After the Knuckles comic ended, he and the other side characters from his series were regulated to short backups in the Archie ongoing Sonic comic. Unfortunately this lead to a drop in quality as the stories went from 22 pages to around 5-7 each month. Which made the overall storylines progress much slower then before.

Since the Chaotix would not get reintroduced in the game's series canon until after the Dreamcast era (And Julie-Su only existing in the comic.) They're on their own for a while as Knuckles is in his own story based off of his path from Sonic Adventure 1.

They get kidnapped by some cat people who were made for the comic and are not part of Sonic Adventure's game storyline.

Locke shows up so the story can focus on some echidna lore which includes Pachacamac from the ancient echidna tribe from SA1.

Sometime after that (Off panel I assume) the Chaotix are freed and are reunited with Knuckles following the SA related events from issue #84.

With the game canon story over Penders is now set to resume his lingering plot threads from the Knuckles comic in Sonic Super Special #14 which for the most part feels like the actual ending the ongoing series should have gotten.

The story starts off with Knuckles and Julie-Su together at Knux's Mom wedding to her boyfriend Wynmacher.

It's kinda odd that no one got dressed up for the wedding.

The Chaotix all ride on those evil looking horses to search a abandoned Dark Legion complex.

Enjoy seeing the Chaotix while you can because they won't be in the story much longer.

I've always hated how easily she gets kidnapped in this part. I would think why didn't she bring her gun but then again they did just get back from a wedding.

I'm so glad Lien-Da did not stick to wearing yellow. It makes her look way too similar to Lara-Le. Note I believe this is the first time that Julie-Su interacts with Lien-Da face to face.

Throw in the garbage and discarded that's a apt metaphor for her role in this story and for upcoming issues. Spoiler coming up is the Green Knuckles saga (Sonic 92-118) and it is truly the epitome of meandering.

[sonic7ischaos]

So annoying when Sonic fans say "There is no definitive Sonic because everyone has a different jumping on point", like Sonic 1 had in series competition when it came out.

We've actually had the definitive Sonic from the beginning, liking Unleashed or Prime or whatever more doesn't make them the more authentic to Sonic's core artistic vision than Sonic 1 and the things that iterated directly on it. You make those things without Sonic 1 coming first and you'd NEVER come up with stuff like loops and rolling and the specific crossover between rubber hose animation and shounen battle/adventure anime stylistic sensibilities.

Everything that came after is either a remix of Sonic 1, or it isn't, and the ones that AREN'T are fundamentally less Sonic than the ones that are.

I've talked about this before, but the reason every Mario game or Mario side thing, like the movie, always feels like Mario is because it's all built on the foundation established in Super Mario Bros. Actually, it's why MOST Nintendo properties always feel like they belong to the same series, everything that they are, all the ideas they execute are built on the foundation established in their first game, with all iteration being additive to that foundation. This applies to EVERYTHING, game mechanics, musical composition, sound design, art direction, EVERYTHING. Super Mario Bros.' core gameplay is built around the way he runs and the specific inertial mechanics of that run, and the way he jumps, and the specific mechanics of his jump arcs, the way he interacts with game objects like blocks and shells. Those core run and jump mechanics can be found in every single mainline Mario game, and even a lot of the spinoffs use those 2 run and jump mechanics as a jumping on point for their own.

Take Zelda, which is built on free exploration, sword swinging, and item use to find secrets and open doors. From Zelda 1 to Breath of the Wild (haven't played Tears of the Kingdom yet), this has been at the core of what Zelda IS and so aesthetically it's only tied down in a few ways. Zelda can essentially take place in an entirely new world each and every time because its core elements are so consistent it doesn't even matter when it goes from a classic, grand, epic quest in a medieval fantasy kingdom to the cartoony, cel-shaded ocean world of Wind Waker to the Peter Jacksonian semi-grounded fantasy realism of Twilight Princess. It's always Zelda. And yes, until BoTW (or arguably Link Between Worlds, but that's another topic), that meant that there was a serious problem of stagnation, of repeating the same gameplay loop in every game (a problem Pokemon struggles with even harder, though Legends Arceus is more evidence to my point, since Pokemon is more about catching party members and the fantasy of building a team of favorites in the wild), but they MADE Breath of the Wild and by building it directly on the foundation of Zelda 1, it still felt like Zelda at its core.

I think it's a failing of language to some extent. People hear someone saying "it's LESS SONIC" and think they're saying it's worse, or bad. But Mario RPG is less Mario than Super Mario World, and it's not because it's classified as a spinoff. It's the reverse actually, it's classified as a spinoff BECAUSE it's so different, so much less of what Mario is on a gameplay level that it can't be anything BUT a spinoff. It still manages to feel like Mario in its own ways, the aesthetics, music, and mechanical references, that it doesn't catch any flack for being so fundamentally different (nor should it), but that's the thing, it's still not the definitive take on Mario, because one has already been established.

Sonic's problem is that it takes things that should've made spinoffs and keeps them in the same category of things as the main series, so now Sonic isn't about rolling and abusing the physics of inertia to platform, but now it's about boosting reaction challenges. It's not a series of semi-connected stories with an impatient delinquent with a heart of gold as its lead, but disconnected episodic stories with a self aware cartoon character as the lead. Even Frontiers, which is the first 3D game in the series I've loved since Heroes (because Mania exists) inherits some of these problems. As good as Sonic feels to control now, he's still not based on building inertia using running and rolling on slopes, which, good or not, is LESS Sonic. He still has the problem of missing his impatient, abrasive anime delinquency and disrespect for authority. The core art direction is still very disconnected from his origins, which feels less like the sort of intentional disconnect of Mario's aesthetics in New Donk City, and more like a consequence of carelessness about it. Frontiers didn't make the islands and cyberspace look like that to fulfill a creative vision that was consistent with Sonic, they did it because that sort of realism is cheaper and easier for modern 3D artists to make, because the industry prioritized it in developing the techniques and workflows for that sort of realism.

And yes. All this means that a lot of the Sonic stuff the fanbase has become invested in, Prime, the movies, even a lot of the games, from Unleashed to Frontiers I'd argue, and Heroes to 06 to a lesser extent, is LESS Sonic than the stuff that came before. It has less to do with the ideas that defined Sonic to begin with, and doesn't justify those deviations by making them explicitly not jumping off points for the main series. People jumping into the games expecting movie Sonic or Prime Sonic are not getting what they came for, because those things are so disconnected from Sonic's core ideas, and the people going from one era of the games to the next are disappointed for the EXACT SAME REASON.

And all this is coming from someone with more hope for Sonic than I've had since the leadup to Sonic 06, before THAT hammer came down and crushed everything in its wake. Sonic is course correcting, and it's closer than it's been in decades to that original vision. But it's not there

[sconesfortea]

Blue & Red in Doctor Who: part 1 [part 2 here]

So I noticed that 15's Sonic was red in Rogue, and that sent me fully down the rabbit hole. So this is part 1 of some rambly connections.

In S1 (2005) the time vortex was blue for journeys into the past and red for journeys to the future.

In S2, 10 usually wears a brown tie with a white/light shirt in the present/future, and a blue shirt with no tie in the past.

In S4, 10 usually wears his blue suit in the future and keeps the brown for past adventures.

In S5/6, 11 wears a blue bowtie, braces, & shirt details when they're in the past, which are all red when they're in the future.

In S11/12, 13's tshirt is usually red/burgundy in the past and blue in the future.

[fandomtrumpshate]

Unlisted Fandoms Challenge

Welcome to the LAST update on write-in fandoms for FTH 2025 (only one day left to sign up! go Do The Thing!)!! We have a LONG list of fandoms for you - TWO HUNDRED EIGHTY ONE write-in fandoms this year. So far!

And there's been some movement near the top of the list. Jeff Satur, with 10 signups, still holds the lead, but in second place we now have a TIE. Control (Remedy Game) gained *four* new signups to match Zhen Hun / Guardian's 9 signups. Cabin Pressure has also moved up the rankings, with three new signups bringing it to a total of 7 to claim third place. Whew! Just below them we have:

a four-way tie for fourth place with 6 signups includes-

6 Alien Stage 6 Carry On 6 Dimension 20 6 Dungeon Meshi / Delicious In Dungeon

two fandoms with 5 signups each, in fifth place are-

5 BBC Ghosts 5 White Collar

which brings us to an eight-way tie for sixth place with 4 signups each-

4 Detective Conan 4 Fire Emblem Awakening 4 It - Stephen King 4 Pathologic 4 Roswell New Mexico 4 Schitt's Creek 4 The X-Files 4 Transformers 4 Voltron: Legendary Defender

and with 3 signups each, an 11-way tie for seventh place-

3 Dungeons and Daddies (Podcast) 3 Fields of Mistria 3 Fire Emblem Fates 3 Inception 3 Iron Widow 3 MotoGP RPF 3 Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint 3 Rusty Lake/Cube Escape 3 Stand By Me/The Body by Stephen King 3 The Goblin Emperor Series - Katherine Addison 3 Zhen Hun / Guardian (drama) RPF

Below the cut are 56 fandoms with 2 signups each, and 195 fandoms with a single write-in.

2 Animorphs 2 Attack on Titan 2 Avatar Legend of Korra 2 Beyond Evil 2 Biggles Series — W. E. Johns 2 Binan Koukou Chikyuu Boueibu (Cute High Earth Defense Club) franchise 2 Black Sails 2 Bridgerton (TV) 2 Britpop RPF 2 Castlevania (All Media Types) 2 Challengers 2 Cherry Magic 2 Conclave (2024) 2 Dan and Phil (rpf) 2 Dangan Ronpa 2 Dead Boy Detectives RPF 2 Digimon 2 Dishonored 2 Dr. Stone 2 Due South 2 Dune (Villeneuve) 2 Five Nights at Freddy's - All Media 2 Fruits Basket 2 Grantchester (TV) 2 Gravity Falls 2 IndyCar RPF 2 Jeeves and Wooster 2 Kingdom Hearts 2 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 2 Link Click (Shiguang Dailiren) 2 Lovecraft Mythos 2 Lucifer (tv) 2 MAS*H 2 Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury 2 Nirvana in Fire (琅琊榜) 2 Oasis 2 Princess Tutu 2 Sailor Moon 2 She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) 2 Slow Horses 2 Sonic the Hedgehog (Games) 2 Team Fortress 2 2 The Blue Wolves of Mibu 2 The Empyrean - Rebecca Yarros 2 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (TV series) 2 The Poppy War 2 The Stanley Parable 2 Tiger & Bunny 2 Tower of God 2 Universal Century Gundam 2 Valdemar Series by Mercedes Lackey 2 What We Do In The Shadows 2 When the Third Wheel Strikes Back 2 Word of Honor 2 Yu-Gi-Oh! 2 ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 / JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken / JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

1 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) 1 A Court of Thorns and Roses 1 Akatsuki No Yona 1 Among Us 1 Ancient Greece 1 Arctic Monkeys/The Last shadow Puppets 1 Arknights 1 Around the World in 80 Days (TV 2021) 1 Babylon 5 1 Back to the Future 1 Baseball RPF 1 BBC’s Musketeers 1 Bendy and the Ink Machine 1 Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei Bu Love/Happy Kiss 1 Black Doves 1 Black Jewels 1 Bob's Burgers 1 Books of the Raksura - Martha Wells 1 Boygenius (Band)(RPF) 1 Brilliant Minds 1 Brokeback Mountain 1 Buddy Daddies 1 Bullet train 1 Canji Baojun De Zhangxin Yu Chong (The disabled tyrant's pet palm fish) 1 Cassette Beasts 1 Castle 1 Charmed (1998) 1 Countryhumans 1 Criminal Minds 1 Cyberpunk 2077 1 Danger Force (TV) 1 Dark Deception 1 Dark Rise 1 Dead by Daylight 1 Death Note 1 Descendants 1 Destiny 2 1 Dexter 1 Dexter: Original Sin 1 Divergent (Movies) 1 Dominion of the Fallen - Aliette de Bodard 1 Downton Abbey 1 Dragon Ball Z 1 Dragonball 1 Dragonlance 1 Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey 1 Emma - Jane Austen 1 Ensemble Stars! 1 Etta Invincible 1 Fairy tale 1 Fangs of Fortune 1 Farscape 1 Fear & Hunger: Termina 1 Finder no Hyouteki / Finder Series 1 Flight Rising 1 Formula 2/3 RPF 1 Frieren 1 Game Changers Universe (Rachel Reid) 1 Gangsta (Anime & Manga) 1 Generation Loss (Web Series) 1 Gilmore Girls 1 Giselle 1 Grimm 1 Hatoful Boyfriend 1 Haven (TV) 1 Helluva Boss 1 Henry Danger (TV) 1 High School Musical (Movies) 1 Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu 1 Hikaru no Go 1 HLVRAI - Half-life VR But the AI is Self-Aware 1 Holby City 1 Homer's Epics, Ancient Greece Religion and Lore, Epic The Musical 1 House MD 1 I Am Nobody (CDrama) 1 In Other Lands 1 In Stars And Time 1 Infinity Train 1 Initial D 1 It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia 1 Jet Lag The Game RPF 1 Jurassic Park (Extended Universe) 1 Kamen Rider Gotchard 1 Kane and Feels 1 Kuroko no Basuke / Kuroko's Basketball 1 Kushiel's Legacy 1 La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) 1 Law & Order 1 Lays of the Hearth-Fire Series - Victoria Goddard 1 Lies of P 1 Life is Strange 1 Live A Live 1 Lord Seventh/Qi Ye 1 Malory Towers 1 Mass Effect 1, 2 or 3 1 Metaphor: Refantazio 1 Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries 1 Mononoke (2007 series and 2024 movie) 1 My Time at Sandrock 1 Mystic Messenger 1 Mythology 1 Nancy Drew (TV 2019) 1 NBA RPF 1 Nerdy Prudes Must Die 1 Norah Grant Bruce's Billabong books 1 October Daye series - Seanan McGuire 1 Oh No! Here Comes Trouble 1 Once Upon A Time 1 Order of the Stick 1 Outlast games 1 Over the Garden Wall 1 Pacific Rim 1 Paradise Of Thorns 1 Peaky Blinders 1 Person of Interest 1 Persuasion - Jane Austen 1 Pirates of the Caribbean 1 Power Rangers (2017 movie) 1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 1 Prodigal Son 1 Project Sekai 1 Project Zero/Fatal Frame 1 Psych (2006) 1 Puella Magi Madoka Magica 1 Qiang Jin Jiu (Ballad of Sword and Wine) 1 Quantum Break 1 Ranma 1/2 1 Resident Alien 1 Resident Evil 1 Rise of the Guardians 1 Riyria Revelations 1 S.C.I Mystery 1 S.W.A.T. (2017 show) 1 Saint Seiya 1 Sanders Sides 1 Saw franchise 1 Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated (2010) 1 Shipwrecked Comedy 1 Skulduggery Pleasant 1 Sleeping Beauty (1959) 1 Slenderverse 1 Sonic The Hedgehog (movies) 1 South Park 1 Spinning Silver (Novik) 1 Spirited 1 Squid Game 1 Starkid Musicals (no hp) 1 Static Shock 1 Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical 1 Super Sentai 1 Tales of Arise 1 Tales of Series 1 Tatort Saarbrücken 1 That 70s Show 1 The A Team (either the 2010 movie or the 1980s series) 1 The Coffin of Andy and Leyley 1 The Devil Judge 1 The Glass Scientists 1 The Good Place 1 The Hands of the Emperor - Victoria Goddard 1 The Librarians 1 The Masquerade Series 1 The OC 1 The Pairing - Casey McQuiston 1 The Paradise of Thorns 1 The Radiant Emperor 1 The Silt Verses 1 The Umbrella Academy 1 the vampire diaries universe 1 The Venture Maidens 1 The Walking Dead 1 The West Wing 1 Thousand Autumns 1 Thunderbirds are Go 1 Tokusatsu 1 Tron 1 Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles 1 Turning 1 Under The Skin (Cdrama) 1 video games by Arkane Studios 1 Wander Over Yonder

1 Warriors / Warrior Cats 1 Watcher Entertainment/BuzzFeed Unsolved RPF 1 Weak Hero Class 1 1 Wind Breaker 1 WNBA RPF 1 Wonka 1 World Trigger 1 Xenoblade Chronicles series 1 Yellowjackets 1 Young Wizards (Diane Duane) 1 Yuwu (Remnants of Filth) 1 Zatch Bell 1 Zombieland Saga 1 บ้านหลอน ON SALE / Peaceful Property (TV)

[skojukebox]

IDW Sonic 76: Tying Knots

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Lots of spoilers for Issue 76, don't read this if you haven't read that yet!

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The entire Mimic-Duo plotline was something I was content with for a long time because, for most of it, it seemed so easy and obvious what they were doing with it: you were taking a group of characters who were still attempting to ground themselves and learn to get along, and introducing someone who plays on distrust into the mix. Lanolin, who is having a rocky time with the perils of being a leader, is bamboozled. That is the obvious part of things that people pick up on in this story. 

Something that perplexingly falls to the wayside on surface level reading, particularly by younger readers for whatever reason, is Whisper’s side of this as a character with an arc revolving around relearning to tolerate and trust others. It’s part of what makes Mimic such a perfect villain for her; she is being confronted with a character who literally makes trusting anyone a dicey proposition. The Diamond Cutters as a narrative device for her is less about “Whisper relearns how to make friends” and more “Whisper learns how to trust again”. It’s kind of powerful, even a little daring for a silly comic about funny cartoon animals going on adventures. I think it’s what ultimately made her one of my favorite characters. Whisper got me back into Sonic because of this!

The Mimic infiltration seemed like a perfect plot point for both of these two goals. It’s basically like, the ultimate team building exercise. A deceitful bad guy plays a new leader desperate to prove herself and a tough lady with deep trust issues against each other. It worsens and becomes even more interesting with the Clean Sweep sweepstakes because Whisper actively begins to lie to Lanolin in order to lone wolf things. She even takes Tangle along for the ride! It actually got spicy there for a second. But even with that, this stuff is like… Super basic? Yes. It’s the kind of situation you would see in a Friendship is Magic episode, which would end with a gentle reminder to be good to each other and talk things out with your friends. That was what I was expecting.

 But as the Sweepstakes plotline went along, problems kept mounting. For several arcs now the comics have felt like it was laying out plot points with a fair degree of intricacy and foreshadowing. But in the back half of the arc, a lot of things started to mount which I would call at best snap decisions and at worst “tying knots”

“Tying knots” is a very understandable urge a storyteller gets while putting out a serialized tale with a lot of moving pieces. People become impatient, or lose focus, and your carefully laid plans start to look more daunting to pursue. There is an impetus to just patch things up as quickly as possible, especially when stuff is not being immediately received well. So rather than continuing onwards to an inevitably satisfying conclusion, you just tie off those plot threads into a messy little knot of an early ending and go “good enough.” There were several things that reeked of this at the tail end of the arc (looking at you “Clutch knows things about Surge”), but for the sake of brevity, the worst one was Duo being revealed as Mimic.

The reveal itself is bad. Like, it’s funny! That’s undeniable! But it’s still really bad. It was a plotline that IDW was running for literal months across multiple arcs, and they had it end with a throwaway gag of him accidentally having his phone on speaker. This was a clear case of hole-filling; they had run up against a wall where they either didn’t know where to take it anymore or no longer felt comfortable stretching it out, and they just pruned the plotline. They cared so little they made the reveal a preview page, which pissed me off pretty bad when I just got it randomly tweeted to me by the official account as a spoiler, but that’s beside the point.

That was dumb and definitely the most flagrant case of going “fuck it lets get this over with,” but I honestly think the character who was failed the most by the plotline was Lanolin, because this plot does not end with a message about characters realizing they need to communicate better, or that teamwork makes the dreamwork, or really… Any discernible message or moral?

It ends with Lanolin prostrating herself and announcing that she sucks ass for two issues, profusely apologizing, and none of the characters she is apologizing to even reacting to anything. She apologizes for being fooled by the character who also fooled everyone else for like a year. She apologizes for being lied to by Tangle and Whisper. In response to this, Tangle makes fun of her capability to do something, and Whisper ignores her and says she wants to shoot Mimic in the face because she… Learned nothing from this, and I guess was right all along. You can’t trust anyone except Tangle. She’s just right back to her static state of “I want revenge, I'm a badass.” Like… What was the point of anything she’s done over the past year of comics at all? 

I don’t really care about the Diamond Cutters being broken up. Okay, I do, it’s sad and I liked them! It might be temporary, who knows. It’s a comic book, stuff comes and stuff goes eternally. But like… Holy hell, what a failure on multiple levels for that subplot. It makes Lanolin look like a sadsack, it makes Whisper actively unlikable and regresses her character, makes the message of the whole thing such winning ideas as “it’s okay to lie to your friends” and “you better not ever fuck up”. and makes me feel like I just wasted months being invested in the original cast of this comic at all.  

It feels like a truncated and confused ending to an arc if I am being generous, but less charitably like a panic redirect, or even editorial interference. After aaaaall those months of carefully set up, deliberate pacing and foreshadowing, it just kind of gets wound off into nothing and we merrily jaunt off to something else. This is a very, very good example of why if you set out to play the long game for something, you should keep your patience intact, because I guarantee trying to put a slapdash taped on conclusion to it because it’s not quite as well-received as you might have initially hoped will just make a mess of things.

I’m not usually too critical of IDW. In fact, I liked some of the other stuff going on in this issue and will continue to follow the glacial pace of my current favorite comic! But… In summary: bad taped together conclusion with an even worse moral. The bad guy basically won, which is not only very un-sonic-y, it’s also treated with zero gravity. Very poor, slapdash, and left a bad taste in my mouth. Do better, guys!

[egg-emperor]

Do you have examples of eggman being gay in the games ???

Yeah I've posted them a bunch of times but now is another good time to bring them back in the tags, now that the long awaited rise of gay Eggman in fandom is finally happening. So while I could link the old post I'll do it again

There's actually a good amount of things in games, tie-ins, and spin offs that serve as reasonable basis to have the headcanon, which can't be said for most other sexuality hcs- the most solid ones are ones that have at least something in the media to point to

Earliest example is Sonic Adventure, where he has a hallway full of these statues of the torsos of the toned muscular male form in interesting poses. Better yet, they're located in HOT Shelter lol

This doesn't have any heterosexual explanation because Eggman is known for either completely replacing existing statues with statues of himself or defacing and slapping his face onto others.

When he completely makes them himself/replaces them entirely like the former, he also always gives them his accurate body shape, he embraces his fat and doesn't depict himself as buff. The only time this doesn't apply is when they're already existing statues he has defaced

Either way, the way these don't have his face or share absolutely any of his visage, especially when his logo and face is already all over the rest of the Egg Carrier too- including around the very area of the statues, tells us he really just wanted these statues of men that aren't himself... 🤨🏳️‍🌈

There's also this beautiful art from Sonic Channel which is ran by Sonic Team/Sega Japan as the actual creators and owners of the character, depicting him doing something you could just as easily see him doing at a pride parade, if he weren't preferably chilling in the comfort of his own luxurious pool room instead

Of course people who get real defensive and mad at rainbows being gay say "omg it's nooot you don't own rainbows waaa" but Sega of Japan are VERY vocal supporters of Tokyo rainbow pride and LGBT acceptance and support and not just in June for points. It wouldn't be far fetched for Sonic Team JP to do a nod towards it. But regardless of intention, I think lounging back shirtless with a giant rainbow shaved ice is pretty gay lol

And while they're spin offs and involve Mario/Nintendo so they can't be canon to the main games, he's also very gay in the Olympics too and they count as examples of him being gay in at least some kind of games too XD

Really just getting outright flirty with the men very blatantly

Him saying someone else has dashingly good looks alongside himself is especially gay and significant, coming from his extremely egotistical ass that would usually never say someone else looks good in any capacity. He could've just said only himself in his true self centered fashion

Agreeing to go on a literal sightseeing date with Bowser, saying it's a worthy way to spend his time, and strolling along happily with him

So yeah there were always signs and things that could be used as pretty solid basis for it. I honestly feel game Eggman had way more of a reasonable basis for it than jimbotnik for a long time since 1998 with Adventure, since Stobotnik honestly seemed pretty one sided for a while to me

I'm glad the movies are making more people start to consider gay Eggman but now all I wanna ask is for y'all to see how game Eggman was doing it long before it was recognized and considered cool! XD

[lovehotelreservation]

chapter four: i've been lookin' at you puttin' holes in your head summary: worldwide fame and a political tie or two has you--one of the biggest pop stars around--in dire need of reliable protection. thankfully you have four ex-military retirees to entrust your wellbeing to. but what happens when that protection turns possessive? rating: pg-13 (rating will increase across certain chapters) story pairing: f!reader/task force 141 | chapter pairing: f!reader/ghost previous chapter | next chapter

i say this lovingly but every time i see ghost's tattoos i end up getting "live and learn" from sonic adventure 2 stuck in my head 😩😩

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“Prepare to be haunted today, lass.”

Or so Johnny told you during breakfast at the Shangri-La’s signature restaurant with wiggling fingers and a ghoulish reverb to his voice, just before his crystal blue eyes shifted to the side to cast a wink to the lumbering presence standing behind you.

The look on his face had Johnny snickering albeit stepping away slowly with hands raised up.

Simon was on guard duty today. He was to escort you to BBC Radio 1’s studios for an interview and a special performance at their Live Lounge–the first of many stops for your pre-world tour promotional campaign.

Being out in the general public more often was certainly a change of pace, though old habits–especially at his growing age–were hard to outright eliminate. When he wasn’t skulking around in a skull balaclava while spending time alone or out with the guys, he opted to wear a black face mask whenever he was hovering by your side.

Though, as of now, he was standing in the main production room of the BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge studio, his arms folded over his chest as observed the going-ons within the main performance space on the screen: he watched you continued on with mic check, the studio band fine-tuning their instruments, production staff all around. 

As Pearl left to take a step outside for a call and a smoke, he wasn’t sure what to fully make of this newfound role. He saw his current duties as merely a job, a task. While Johnny was clearly more of a fanboy, Kyle made more efforts to be personable, and that twinkling gleam in Price’s eye spoke of a plot he’d rather not poke his head into, he was there to just make sure you didn’t come to harm.

Again.

For all the campaigns he had undergone, Glastonbury stood out the most–for good reason, as it definitely wasn’t every day he had to brave the tempests of terror at a music festival. The last time he stepped foot onto the beloved festival was when he, Tommy, and a few mates from secondary school landed on the beer bottle-strewn glass after hopping a fence to catch the Chemical Brothers spin some deep cuts in the depths of night.

But now, he was rushing through the festival grounds, evacuation a chaotic frenzy all around with local police and even some of the assigned military personnel he arrived with helping with getting all civilians–whether attendee, staff, vendor, or artist–to clear the space and get to safety.

The whole day was a hazy memory by this point, but he could and would never forget one moment in particular:

Kicking at the door of a dressing room trailer, his arms full with a sniffling mess of running make-up and silk, the breathless sobs of “Is everyone okay?” by his ear, a soft lock of delicate limbs wrapped around his neck.

A special package that needed to be delivered to safety.

The blur of forests, bright tents, and grand stages followed as he rushed over to a nearby safety point.

The quicker he went, the faster he could return to his mission.

Upon arrival, his goodbye was quick.

“Stay safe now, you ‘ear?”

But before he could depart, a hand reached for his sleeve.

His head snapped back with his brow raised.

Fragile, shaky, your tearful eyes gazed directly into his as you breathlessly uttered out,

“Thank you.”

Who knew that would be the foundations to a future mission briefing?

Simon closed his eyes.

Job.

This was a job now.

He opened his eyes.

Before him, once the object of his mission, now the star of his day-to-day routine: you stood by the mic, your expression curiously peering around the space. Tech check just wrapped so now you were waiting for the production crew to start filming.

While you carried an air of calm and composure, the way you kept fiddling with the mic and how you kept shifting here and there from side to side showcased the anxiety that was simmering underneath your smile.

It was understandable.

Today’s recording was to be one of your first performances since the Glastonbury incident, as you took a hiatus to emotionally recover from the ordeal. He heard from Kyle that you’ve apparently been buzzing with energy, which only made him rather curious how this acoustic performance would play out since he expected for you to be still.

And with the call of “Rolling!” from the production lead and the subsequent lulling strum of acoustic guitars and soft synths from a keyboard, the answer would soon be presented to him.

The first few notes had him recall the song that Johnny played off of his phone just moments before your first true introduction together. Whereas that song was the absolute epitome of bubblegum pop with sticky beats, the new arrangement was much calmer, stripped down to feel more like a hot cup of tea on a chilly autumn day.

It aligned more with his taste in music.

Regardless though, there was something captivating in the way you performed, and this moment was no exception.

Despite being stationed right by the mic stand, you were still grooving around, whatever anxiousness he previously noticed now gone–or at the very least, buried six feet below, hidden perfectly with a sweet smile on your lips. Without such immense layers of production, being able to actually hear your voice as pristine and clean as possible was a delight.

He looked forward to further opportunities to hear you sing.

Your performance concluded moments later, marked by you giggling out “Thanks for having me, Radio 1!” with a wink to the camera.

And as filming wrapped, the bubbly look on your face soon softened, your demeanor back to being shy and bashful.

Pearl still looked to be busy with whatever call she mumbled about having to take–it really did feel like she was there on behalf of the label’s needs rather than yours.

Hence why he was the one to escort you back to your dressing room so you could be prepped for your imminent interview segment.

As your cheeks were dusted with blush, his eyes were trained on you, replaying that switch in your expression over and over.

His fingers found their way up to his face mask.

Dollface and you.

Ghost and Simon.

He snorted to himself. 

To think he could actually draw parallels with a goddamn pop star.

The very same pop star who soon called out to him once hair and make-up left, leaving just the both of you alone together.

“Simon?”

His attention turned towards you, finding your gaze focused solely on him.

“Yes?”

You stared at him a moment longer, right into his eyes.

A smile soon broke out on your lips as one hand fell to your mouth, your eyes becoming wide, shining like glass.

As you approached where he stood, you looked as though you were about to cry, matched by the breathless whisper in your voice as you gasped, “I thought I was going crazy after we first met, but as I look at you–I know it was you.”

He tilted his head to the side, his brow raised. “Care to clarify?”

A hand over your heart, you continued on with sheer elation. “I knew I recognized those eyes! And with your voice too–I think it’s the mask…!”

Before you could elaborate further, a knock on the door from a production assistant signaled that you were to head to the recording room.

He prepared to escort you out, were it not for you quickly turning on your heel around to stand on your tiptoes–elevated further thanks to the platform heels of your shoes; necessary given the height disparity between you both–your lips found their way to his ear as you whispered,

“Thank you again for Glastonbury.”

Rare was the occurrence for Ghost to be taken unawares, and yet Simon couldn’t help but allow his eyes to widen ever so slightly at your remark–a sight made even more apparent thanks to his face mask.

As he felt as though decades of carefully maintained anonymity was getting steamrolled by the push of a level by a meticulously manicured and moisturized hand, reason thankfully put a stop to a conspiratorial spiral–you did once mention that Ambassador Miller briefed you on some basic info regarding your newly appointed bodyguards. And knowing Price, he likely painted a fancy tale too to regale your fancy and perhaps have you sit on his lap while he was at it.

His demeanor set at ease and mirth filling his eyes, Simon nodded towards you while resting a hand on your shoulder for a reassuring squeeze.

“Just glad you’re safe, Doll.”

He watched your face light up once more, that bubbly cheer returning, one born from pure joy rather than practiced professionalism.

With this, he reached for the door to the dressing room, opening it before featuring for you to step ahead.

Simon followed in tow, trailing behind akin to a shadow, his eyes trained on your back: the bounce of your hair, the swish of your dress, the grace of your step.

The thanks he received back then, to the thanks he received just now.

No longer a mission, not just a job.

You would be his life’s work. 

-----------------

i may or may not have been thinking about paramore's cover of "passionfruit" while thinking of the performance scene owo

also the bat for lashes cover of "we found love" is immaculate if u were looking for other fun radio 1 covers !!!

thank you all once again for reading!!! all your kind and sweet comments truly mean so much to me and i appreciate you all for taking the time to read this 🥹💖

with that said, here's a peek at the next chapter's title:

guess I'm a mess and play the role

if price, gaz, and now ghost have had their turn as focuses, then that means-- 😳😳

[woodchipp]

Maria, Shadow and Gerald in Sonic 3: how small changes in lore lead up to disaster

It's a fact that an adaptation of any particular work is going to change some of the original's aspects around to fit the new medium it's being adapted into. However, a considerable chunk of the changes the third Sonic movie makes to Sonic Adventure 2's plot, seemingly innocuous or even major improvements according to some, actually result in the movie falling apart, both as an adaptation and as its own story.

SPOILERS AHEAD.

The terminal illness Maria had is omitted.

This change significantly affects all three of the characters:

Maria had to stay at the top-secret research facility Gerald worked at, Space Colony ARK, because her illness could only be managed in that facility’s specific conditions. The movie doesn’t explain what its iteration of Maria, who is healthy, was doing at the military base Shadow was being studied at in the first place.

Gerald agreed to head the government’s Project Shadow, the aim of which was to achieve immortality and which ultimately led to Shadow’s creation, only because he hoped to use the results of the project as a way to find a cure for his granddaughter’s illness. In the movie, Shadow fell out of the sky one day, and Gerald just so happened to be the scientist who discovered him.

Shadow was created to cure Maria’s illness. This means his purpose in life was intrinsically tied to her. His movie counterpart, on the other hand, bonded with her purely because she was nice to him and played with him sometimes before dying, which makes his obsession with avenging her death come across as wildly disproportionate and unintentionally laughable.

Point is, Maria’s illness is the thematic “glue” connecting those three characters. Removing it without replacing it with anything equally meaningful to both Shadow and Gerald’s lives makes Maria’s relevance to the story more incidental than integral - you could replace her with any other kid at the base, and the outcome would still have been largely the same. 

Now, with all of this in mind…

GUN’s decision to raid Gerald’s lab makes no sense.

Supplemental material for SA2 and Gerald's diary entries in Sonic Battle paint a clear picture of the lead-up to the ARK raid - GUN's top brass, who already had an axe to grind against Gerald and his research project, got word of how unstable the Biolizard was and jumped at the opportunity to use that as an excuse for a purge of the entire facility. Gerald, for his part, wasn't willing to allow them to stop his research because Maria’s life was at stake.

None of this is present in the movie. The military doesn't hate Gerald, there's no Project Shadow-related incident they could use as pretext for ordering the purge, and Gerald himself seems to have been cooperative - which means that if they feared Shadow’s powers, they could've terminated the project simply by confiscating Shadow while he was in stasis and laying off the personnel. Basically, they decided to kill everyone for no reason, which leads me into my next point.

Maria’s death is an accident.

In the games, Maria died due to a GUN soldier intentionally shooting her to tie up a loose end. In the movie, a rogue soldier from the contingent helmed by then-Captain Walters tried to shoot at Maria and Shadow as they were escaping the base, but misfired after Walters tried to wrestle the gun out of his hands and hit a storage tank with Shadow’s Chaos Energy, which caused an explosion that claimed Maria’s life. 

The hilarity of a US soldier pulling his conscience out of his ass to go “NO WAIT WE SHOULDN’T KILL CHILDREN” because he’s besties with that particular child aside, the other soldiers inexplicably don’t take the chance to shoot their targets while their captain’s in the middle of a fit either. Furthermore, the explosion that claimed Maria’s life somehow claimed only Maria’s life, even though Walters himself, Gerald and every other human present at that facility should’ve died from it as well.

Finally, the movie itself seems to have this strange framing problem where, despite Maria’s death being a freak accident, it’s treated as if Shadow actually saw her get shot down. He believes that "GUN took everything from [him and Gerald]" and angsts that he spent 50 years "reliving what [GUN] did to her” even though he should be able to recall Walters trying to stop the soldier if he was able to recall the cause of her death clearly enough to know GUN had to do with it. It makes little sense.

By the way, speaking of Walters.

The movie’s Commander was already under GUN’s employ by the time of the raid.

Shadow’s eponymous 2005 game - which, incidentally, director Jeff Fowler had worked on - shows the Commander was also a kid around the time it occurred, even younger than Maria.

With this, ShTH tied the character into Shadow's backstory while also neatly explaining why he didn't factor into the raid's events. The movie does factor him into the raid's events via Walters' sudden outburst of morality, which doesn't make sense for the reasons described in the point above and, realistically, would've gotten him discharged (if he survived that explosion, that is)

Maria has no last words for Shadow.

In SA2, Maria’s last words are a poignant testament to her character, as she chose to use her last breath to request Shadow to make people happy. They also speak volumes of her relationship with Shadow - namely, her trust in him and her capacity to see good in him. Compared to this, her movie’s counterpart’s quick death comes across as rather cheap. The absence of her last words also leads into yet another negative change.

Gerald didn’t tamper with Shadow’s memories.

Shadow spends most of SA2 convinced that Maria wanted him to avenge her death due to Gerald modifying his recollection of her last words while working on Project Shadow under GUN’s supervision after his imprisonment.

It’s only after Amy reaches out to him that he finally remembers what Maria really wanted and rushes to make up for his part in Gerald’s plan.

In the movie, however, Shadow was separated from Gerald immediately, and the latter had nothing to modify. This means the movie’s Shadow willingly chose to go along with Gerald’s genocidal plans, all because the girl who was nice to him died in an accident, even though he knew for a fact the girl herself would never want that. Whereas SA2 showed Shadow’s capacity for kindness even before his redemption via his decision to save Rouge from certain death, the movie’s Shadow only feels guilty after hurting Tom but decides to double down instead, and whereas the games’ Shadow was selflessly devoted to Maria’s wish (which was twisted by Gerald), the movie’s Shadow selfishly lashes out at the world due to his inability to stop marinating in his pain - exactly like the movie’s Gerald.

Another consequence of this is that Shadow is depicted as little else than a lost, pained child, implied to only want to die during the battle against Sonic. He has no plan, he has no morals (neither evil nor good), he is not particularly cunning - he is, as he himself admits, fully defined by his pain. A pain that, as detailed earlier, is more hollow than in the games, as Maria to him was nothing more than a playmate.

The aforementioned parallel with Gerald wouldn't be necessarily bad on its own. But there's a problem with how the movie handles it.

Gerald is depicted as irredeemable.

In Sonic Adventure 2, Gerald Robotnik is only seen in the Last Story, but his tragic tale leaves a strong impression. He was once a kind scientist, ready to use his genius for the good of the world and his beloved granddaughter, Maria (recent material implies that Eggman wasn’t born until after his arrest). He took extreme measures to finish his project, such as accepting a deal with an alien warlord, but he always meant well. 

The raid, and learning about Maria’s death, shattered his psyche. He admitted to himself to be scared of his own vengeful thoughts, until he could no longer control them. 

From there, he came up with his terrible plan of crashing the ARK into Earth to take vengeance against the humanity who destroyed his life, and using Shadow, whom he used to see as his own son, as a tool to carry out the plan long after his death. The story wants you to pity Gerald without exonerating him; we get to see his disturbing descent into madness, and future games such as Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic Battle and Shadow Generations better show him the goodhearted person he used to be, making his ultimate fate all the more tragic.

None of this complexity is present in the movie’s Gerald. There is not a single scene of him bonding with his own granddaughter - all we’re told is that she was his reason for living. He studied Shadow just because he believed his power could be useful, and not because he had any serious personal stake in the research. Maria’s death was an accident, depriving it of the callousness of the game’s version of the events and therefore cheapening Gerald’s world-destroying despair. He marinated in his thoughts of revenge for 50 years without doubting himself once. And, while still carrying with him the trademark Jim Carrey goofiness, he’s overall presented as a more competent, bitter antagonist than his own grandson, spending most of his time manipulating him and the more child-like Shadow.

It is notable, and jarring, that despite the movie’s message being that you always have a choice and you can always right your wrongs, Gerald is never given a chance to falter in his plan. While Shadow and Robotnik are given grand redemptive moments, he is given the most undignified death possible, his body disintegrating in a mass of Chaos Energy with the sound of a mosquito being zapped. He was never worth sympathizing with.

Given the aforementioned parallel with Shadow, the movie's different treatment of them is all the more noticeable. Shadow is a tragic villain whose grief over losing a loved one clouded his judgement, who gets to talk about his pain the most and who gets to recognize the error of his ways. Gerald, however, has his grief conveyed mostly through his insane plan, is nothing more than a rabid dog, and gets put down like one in the end. Shadow's anguish over his playmate gets more focus than Gerald's sorrow over his granddaughter.

What's worse, this doesn’t only reflect on them.

Robotnik was warped OOC for the sake of becoming more sympathetic.

Robotnik in the first two movies had a very clear arc. While always a difficult person to work with due to his unchecked ego, Robotnik started off as a government contractor, eccentric but reliable in his own way. Multiple defeats at Sonic’s hands, including being stranded on an alien planet, made him veer off the deep end, growing increasingly more unhinged and power-hungry, culminating in him taking the Master Emerald for himself to pilot his giant Death Egg Robot. On top of this, ever since the first movie, Robotnik was written to be highly misanthropic, allegedly due to a difficult childhood, making him prefer the company of his own robots over people; however, he was still intelligent and cunning enough to manipulate Knuckles into thinking he’s his friend, only to betray him at the last second and rub it in his face.

Agent Stone has always been the only exception to his misanthropy, but only because the man is that competent and sycophantic. The fun of their dynamic was the contrast of Robotnik’s utter disregard of his lackey with Stone’s eager loyalty.

With all of this in mind, a Robotnik that has always been bitter over having grown up as an orphan wouldn’t immediately bow down and literally kiss the feet of a long-lost grandfather.

Robotnik in the third movie is a shadow of his former self. While still somewhat arrogant, and still expressing his desire to rule the world, he attaches himself to Gerald with a frankly childish display of need for love. The moment Gerald reveals to have been the one hacking into his creations, which by all means should have sent him into a rage, Robotnik does nothing but meekly follow his grandfather along for his plan, simply happy to have found his “family”, without a trace of resentment and immediately assuming that this man, a stranger to him, would love and care for him. He is genuinely hurt when Gerald sneers to him that he doesn’t care about anyone that isn’t his Maria (much like Knuckles was when Robotnik himself tricked him), and from there, the movie puts him in the position of a hero willing to do the right thing and sacrifice himself for the sake of his lackey - which is a gross misunderstanding of what actually happens in SA2, where Eggman only helps the heroes because, well, how can he conquer the planet if there is no planet?

And, to cap it all off, he sends a heartfelt goodbye message to Stone, where he finally calls him his friend, because he was his real family all along.

Now, compare the Robotniks in those two videos. Like day and night, huh?

(yes, Eggman in SA2 highly respected his grandfather, and seemed to be disappointed to learn that he wanted to destroy the planet. But contrary to popular belief, his respect for him was purely from an intellectual standpoint, if not a deeply self-absorbed one - Gerald being a genius reflects well on Eggman’s own genius. This isn’t even getting into the fact that Eggman is the one who kickstarted SA2’s entire plot, by looking into Gerald’s research, breaking into Prison Island and awakening Shadow: Robotnik in the movie, as detailed above, completely lacks agency until the very end.)

All in all, the handling of Shadow's backstory in the movie really feels like the filmmakers just lifted a bunch of ideas from the original story without trying to understand what made those ideas work, and their own story suffered as a result.

[littlesunshine1223]

Dating The Tenth Doctor Headcanons

- *slaps roof of car* this sassy goofball loves to make you flustered whenever you’re adventuring with him

- you’re the only one he lets wear his clothes whenever you want

- wanna make him blush brighter than ever and also tease him a bit? Pull him into a kiss by his tie while he’s stressing about something

- if you have pets and love giving them attention then he’ll get jealous and want some of your love too

- he’d do anything to protect you and keep you safe no matter what

- he loves to tease your thighs with the sonic screwdriver while whispering into your ear

- he loves taking you on dates throughout space and time

- he only sleeps if you’re in bed cuddling him while both of you are wrapped in blankets

[pixelrushiguess]

Given how you post a lot about Sally, I assume you’re a Sonally shipper, right? But you also seem to really like Amy as well.

So, I’m curious, what exactly is your stance on SonAmy?

(I personally am more of a SonAmy type, but not one of those crazy guys who demonize Sonally in response. Those people are the worst…)

I wouldn't really say I'm much of a shipper, not in a serious sense or anything.

Sonamy is weird, because it's kind of what got me into the series to begin with, yet I don't really want Sonic and Amy to be an actual couple. Now official sources have said that Sonic does feel the same way about Amy which I think is fine as long as that's where it stops. Sonic and Amy are fun to watch because of their dynamic, the fun is in the chase. Sonic will always be on the move, looking for the next adventure and Amy will follow him to the ends of the Earth. When you actually commit to them as a couple and have them get together, I think you ruin what makes them fun.

Sonic's character depends on him being a free spirit and Amy's character depends on her pursuit for Sonic. If you tie Sonic down and give Amy everything she wants, there's not really much else you could do with them.

Sonic and Sally are a couple that work in specific circumstances. It's hard to make a relationship like that work if you want to be accurate to the games because both Archie and SatAM take a ton of liberties from what the games establish.

[hiswrlds]

Ok so I needed to write this out at some point & with how the rpc is growing I need to specify some things about my portrayal, I was hoping I wouldn't need to do this cuz I'm really bad at explaining themes & stuff but it'd help anyone new get a vibe of things instead of just hoping they'd get it from checking out my blog ( my bad for that ), so here goes vibes & how it affects interactions . tw : l o n g & subjective to updates !

My writing for Sonic adopts years as silent killers, it focuses on passage of time as I hc the events of the games to have spanned over 8-10 years, with Sonic being 24 in his main current verse here . My writing also takes Everything seriously . And I tend to rewrite half the canon events in my head in a way that suits me ( & you, ultimately ) . "Forces" specifically is very important to my portrayal, as Sonic survives his 6 months of hell w/ Eggman & Infinite, just not unaltered . And then there is the whole war . Though reserved, warm & compassionate as he could ever be, Sonic's grown from a careless punk of a teenager into a refined, mellow adventurer who's much more genuine & wise about life how he handles a lot of situations . There are parts of him that won't ever change, but that doesn't mean he just comes out continuously unaltered after every adventure he's been through . He carries stories, loneliness & a lot of bittersweet memories, and darker ones too, but it's his steadfast resolve to remain kind & composed that keeps things together .

If your muse is games canon, especially part of the main cast, then it means they've been by Sonic's side since long & witnessed just as much along the way, that's why I prefer plotting & creating dynamics on our own a lot more than sticking to whatever Sega is doing . Please don't walk into my blog expecting a blue insufferable nuisance & I mean that in a derogatory way . My writing for him does not tie to any canon material besides the ones written on my page, Sonic can & will always be a bastard but he's not childish or "annoying", he's aloof, chill & 90% of the time he's off doing fuck all in god's knows where by himself . Threads & memes that just repeat the same theme of Oh Sonic is stupid or Oh Sonic is annoying make me feel so discouraged & unmotivated to write, he's a very nuanced & interesting character to write, don't force the fandom's or sega's picture of him onto my portrayal, they've mostly forgotten how to write him by now .

Don't get me wrong, your muse is allowed to call Sonic names however they please as long as it's properly in character for them to have such a perspective, I'm not going to get mad about such things . I just don't want these characteristics to be the focus of the dynamics between our muses when there are many, many other good things we can explore .

tldr ; learn about Sonic from me and not from canon media, don't baby or nerf him ( emotionally, mentally ), plot with me, form something special, I'm holding your hand .

[welcome-to-green-hills]

Ideas for a potential shadow spin off

- We of course need background on why Maria was living on the base. Did she have no other relatives and had to move there so her Grandfather could be her guardian? Was she extremely lonely moving there and being the only kid? Is that why she so badly wanted to befriend Shadow, because she quite literally had no one just like he had no one?

- As a throw back to the first movie, Maria also had a bucket list of things she wanted to do with shadow when they grew up (😭) and Shadow sets out to complete it

- This includes things like visiting famous locations, swimming in the ocean, learning a new instrument (which they had already started on with guitar), and going on an adventure together

- Shadow struggling with his identity now that he’s on his own. If he’s not Maria’s friend then who is he? This could really tie into the themes of his game, as well as a good opportunity for “I am all of me”

- Shadow checks on the wachowskis from a distance but dares not intrude. Of course Sonic ends up finding him and they have another heart to heart, letting him know that if he ever needs a friend that he’ll be there

Ooh, my heart ❤️🥺❤️

These are very good ideas! I’d especially love the idea of Maria having a bucket list and including Shadow to be a part of her dream!

[fancoloredglasses]

SilverHawks (Thundercats IN SPAAAAAACE!!!!!!)

[All images are owned by Rankin/Bass Warner Bros-Discovery and Kenner Hasbro. Still too poor to sue]

(Thanks to Warner Bros. Entertainment)

Following the success of Thundercats’s first season, Rankin-Bass decided to do a second series. This one would be set in deep space. They brought most of the voice cast from Thundercats to do the voices for the new show.

Stop me if this sounds familiar: A group of warriors travel millions of light years from their home world. In their new home, they battle a group of semi-competent aliens led by a powerful shape-changing overlord.

The SilverHawks all became cyborgs (the tagline for the series and action figure line (because you KNOW they had to tie toys into this somehow) is “Partly metal, Partly real” Isn’t metal real? What exactly is the part that’s imaginary?) to withstand the stress of traveling millions of light years (and the ability to survive in space without any sort of pressurized suit or breathing apparatus) to their base (HawkHaven) in the Galaxy of Limbo.

The SilverHawks’ commander is known as Stargazer, who is a grizzled veteran basically counting the days until retirement. He rarely leaves HawkHaven, preferring to let the younger SilverHawks do the dangerous stuff.

Stargazer’s field commander is Quicksilver, a former special forces commander who is a skilled tactician.

Bluegrass Is second in command and the only field agent who doesn’t have underarm foils and boot jets that allow the SilverHawks to fly without a ship. However, he is the chief pilot of their ship, the Miraj.

Obviously, he fancies himself a country musician. His guitar is also a sonic weapon.

Twins Steelheart (left) and Steelwill are the powerhouses of the team and have an empathic bond.

Finally, we have the Copper Kidd, the only non-human of the team. Originating from the Planet of the Mimes, the Kidd can only speak in chirps and whistles, though he has been known to use a voice synthesizer at times.

That’s the main roster of SilverHawks (there are others, but they aren’t around for more than a handful of episodes) Now on to the group the SilverHawks traveled millions of light years to deal with: the Mob.

[NOTE: The Mob has no issue surviving in deep space without environment suits or breathable air as well. It’s almost as if the writers and/or animators had no idea how the vacuum of space works]

The leader of the Mob is Mon*Star, who escaped a penal colony at the beginning of the series (which was why Stargazer requested the SilverHawks in the first place)

When bathed in the light of the Moon*Star, his size and strength increases and he gains armor plating.

His minions include…

Every evil leader needs a toadie, and Mon*Star’s is Yes-Man (a rather appropriate name) He pretty much exists to tell Mon*Star what a great leader he is.

Hardware is the Mob’s weapon specialist and a mechanical savant when it comes to things that go bang, zap, or boom.

Melodia (the only female in the Mob) is the Mob’s answer to Bluegrass (each sold separately) and carries a combat key-tar she calls her “boom box” (Yeah, this was definitely made in the 80s)

Windhammer has the ability to control weather (even in space, where there’s no atmosphere. See my earlier comment about the animators and writers)

Mo-Lec-U-Lar is a shapeshifter that serves as the Mob’s infiltration specialist. He is able to change his structure to mimic the appearance of anyone, or even turn invisible.

Buzz-Saw is a killer robot that can use the many saw blades covering its body as projectiles.

The plots are fairly standard weekday afternoon “See how cool the show is? Tell your parents to buy the toys and have your own adventures!” fare: Mon*Star and his Mob cause trouble, and it’s up to the SilverHawks to stop them!

At the end of each episode, in lieu of a moral (because children's programming needed to have some educational value), the Copper Kidd is learning to be a pilot from Bluegrass. They never seem to do any actual flying, but Bluegrass constantly grills the Kidd about the bodies of Earth’s solar system (why? They’re in the Limbo Galaxy millions of light years from Earth!)

If you would like to see an episode reviewed, let me know!

[fizzy-tizzy]

Okay hear me out potential idea for a hypothetical skylanders game

It’s kind of an anthology of sorts. There are a bunch of different stories and every figure belongs to one- sometimes these are retellings/expansions of a skylanders backstory (like freeze blade helping blast zone) or previously unseen events that may or may not have been alluded to (the doom raiders coming to be, Kaos and Flynn’s implied rivalry, etc)

Each character provides a different pov of each story, though gameplay may not differ much in some of them.

Idk man I just think it would be a good reason to actually have and use multiple figures rather than just using the strongest and/or your favs. Also it would expand on the downright bonkers lore of skylanders, and give opportunities to tie stories together. Like, the wizard that created Doom Stone was also the one who cursed Sonic Boom. Thumpback was part of the pirate crew that blew Dive-Clops’ wings off. Spy Rise helps Sprocket find her uncle. Kaos and Star Strike interacting before she leaves to join the skylanders.

Hell, even adventure/expansion packs could serve a purpose. Sunscraper Spire unlocks a story for Knight Light about how he imprisoned Luminous. Empire of Ice gives us a more in-depth backstory for Chill. Darklight Crypt shows us Ghost Roaster’s backstory. Tower of Time gives us backstory for Deja Vu.

We don’t need new figures or a new gimmick- Toys for Bob spent so long fleshing out this world and these characters- why not just build upon that?

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Between Sonic and Tails, who do you think would end up confessing their feelings first?

Good question. Definitely depends upon the iteration and context, but for the most part (at least in my head) getting either of them to confess (and in some cases even ruminate on their feelings and admit to themselves the nature of them) is hard

Like, for example, I personally think that game!Sonic (and post sgw Archie Sonic and IDW Sonic) kind of take Tails' presence for granted in a way. To them, it will always be the two of them (Sonic and Tails). The ideal future is that they keep on hanging out and still fight side by side sometimes and that even if Sonic goes it alone he can always come back from his adventures to chill with Tails or crash at his place. In other words, in Sonic's fantasies of the future, things like getting married or raising families or anything like that are just kind of tacked on as something that will just kind of be true at best and ignored at worst. If he even considers a future where things are a bit different because Tails is together™ with someone, to him it's only natural that Tails would be in his life the same way and nothing would really change. And so to that end, even if Sonic DOES realize his own feelings, he probably wouldn't see any good reason to confess. It would make things more complicated, especially if Tails doesn't share those feelings, and he doesn't have to worry anyways because Tails will always prioritize the two of them and be at his side, right?

And then it's even worse for versions of Sonic more akin to, say, pre sgw Archie Sonic. This is because in addition to the already existing unwillingness to change things and the assumption that he doesn't ever have to worry about no longer being the center of Tails' world (or a major figure in it at least), there is some palpable internalized homophobia within that hedgehog with an added complexity. For Archie Sonic in particular, I think even if he realized that he wanted to even be with Tails forever in a strictly non brothers fashion, he would feel mixed feelings about that (perhaps that coming out about it would ruin things or make things weird, or that getting together with Tails at any point would deprive him of "normalcy", or that he'd pressured Tails into it, or even just weird or a bit creepy).

As for Tails, I actually think that most iterations of him have figured their feelings out by this point. In all honesty, there's only so long you can go on fixating on someone and admiring them, and structuring your life around them before you realize your "I want to be with them" isn't just about simply admiring them. It's just that Tails' main obstacle to me is the avoidance of ruining anything.

On one hand, there's Sonic's avoidance to being tied down. We've seen time and time again Sonic rejecting people who pursue him openly or looking uncomfortable with them. Archie Sonic in particular made it clear that this version of Sonic couldn't stand the idea of not being able to freely be himself or adventure. He couldn't stand the idea of having to tie himself down and taking on extra responsibilities and expectations simply because he's with someone. I can see Tails being afraid that by confessing, he could scare Sonic away. If he happened to confess and Sonic thought Tails meant to stifle him or Sonic felt uncomfortable by that open expression, wouldn't that risk their relationship? Even if Sonic wouldn't go so far as to drop him as a best friend (which he never would do that for the record), there's still real fear in making things weird or different between himself and Sonic.

And that feeds right into the other hand. On the other hand, Sonic probably doesn't see him that way, right? Though Sonic is special to him and Sonic also cares for him back, at best Sonic has never thought about it and never will, or he just wouldn't feel the same (in Tails' eyes). With Archie Tails in particular, even if Tails gets over his own interlized homophobia about it and recognizes his feelings for what they are, he probably feels that there's no way to be anything different than a brother to Sonic, and thus confessing would be a terrible move. If Tails confesses and Sonic doesn't feel the same, it also runs the risk of making things weird between them or (in Tails' eyes) ruining it.

All this to say that my general opinion is that as long as things stay exactly the way they are forever, even if they start spending even more time together, I find it hard to believe either of the two will opt into confessing on purpose

But, with that being said, a confession is not an impossibility. I don't think either of the two are immune to being put in a position where they finally confess (and no, with the state of things for them, simply saying "I love you" will not count as a confession). And if we barred situations where like. They're literally about to die or one can do anything they like without the other (or themselves) remembering the outcome, I actually can give you an answer

And honestly, if one of them had to confess eventually, I believe it would probably end up being Sonic.

Why? Well, out of the two, Tails actually sits back and thinks about his emotions more often than not. I think even before he figured out the exact nature of his feelings he knew he felt very strongly for Sonic. But, no matter which media you're touching upon, I feel as if Tails fits into that archetype of "person who has been in love with their best friend since literally forever, but knows their best friend will never feel the same". The longer Tails ruminates on these feelings, the stronger he feels them, the more he watches Sonic (especially as someone who cares about plenty of people other than him), the more time he spends with Sonic, the less incentivized he feels to actually confess. Especially if Sonic would never feel the same, the best Tails can hope for is that things stay the same between them and Sonic never replaces his role.

Or in short, Tails is so in his head about it at this point, it's very hard to convince him that confessing is ever a good idea or necessary.

But while Tails is more obviously attached to Sonic, Sonic is much less obviously attached to Tails and other people as a whole. With him being "free as the wind" and the kind of figure he is, he kind of benefits from having the persona of a guy who doesn't need his friends but (nevertheless) can be assisted by them. He probably seems cool for being so strong and independent while equally caring that people live. But this doesn't mean Sonic doesn't have attachments (far from it). Rather, for Sonic, his attachments to others seem to naturally grow. And the more time he spends with them, the more he grows used to their presence. And especially with someone like Tails, who has been around as his companion the longest, he doesn't sit around long enough to consider that Tails would ever leave his side. Once he grows used to that person, he doesn't have to recognize his attachment or even think about the nature of his own feelings because it is and always has been whatever it is. So, in other words, even if he becomes more and more reliant on the fact that Tails will always be around or that Tails will always assist him, he doesn't have to admit more than "This is what our best friendship is. This is what it's like"

All of this is to say that while my idea of present Tails would be trying to do anything in his power to stay with Sonic (as long as Sonic is willing of course), even if that means never confessing the exact nature of his feelings for the hedgehog, Sonic isn't already thinking about these things. This means that while Tails has very few pathways to confession, Sonic has plenty!...if you scare him well enough.

For example, Idw Sonic has been more clearly spending more time with Tails (even baseline just. Crashing at his place more often) after the metal virus arc. Couple this with post neo metal incident 2 electric boogaloo idw Sonic who just wants to have a break and live peacefully for a minute, this is a Sonic who has become scared enough to want to indulge in spending more time with Tails. I also think that post Sonic Prime Sonic is also a version of him who would start to spend more time with Tails than before after having already lost him and having to deal with the Tails shaped hole in his life once.

So, if you got a Sonic to the point where he'd fully accepted his feelings and he felt like confessing them would be necessary to secure the future he wants, then he'd confess. Honestly, the easiest way I'd see this going about would be a story where Tails is framed as leaving him to go do something or be somewhere else, away for Sonic, possibly indefinitely, or if Sonic actually has to spend enough time without Tails after initially telling himself his own feelings wouldn't matter so long as Tails is happy wherever he is. But, if it came down to confessing being something that might actually bring Sonic to his desired future (especially if Tails rejecting him is no different from prolonging the separation they already have if he says nothing), then I think he could work up the courage to do it.

And in the end...I think it has to be Sonic. Although I on occasion enjoy fantasizing about moments where Tails can't take it anymore and confesses, only for Sonic to realize his own feelings in the process, I think that Sonic would have to be the one who confesses his feelings/wishes for the future for Tails to even believe that his pipe dreams are a possibility. I think it's Sonic who would need to pull Tails out of his head, because the probability that Tails works up the courage to confess is more unlikely.

So...yeah. In my head, Sonic is driven to a point where he confesses and pulls Tails out of his head about it.

[pico-digital-studios]

Into, Across and Beyond!: Happy 1st Anniversary!

(Anyone new here, please go check out the webcomic yourself! There's a link to its Master Post on my account's Master Post!)

It's honestly hard to believe that it's been a whole year since I got Sonic: Into, Across and Beyond! going here on Tumblr, but I'm absolutely proud of where I've come with the project! It's not been easy plotting everything out, but it's definitely in a great state so far!

Of course, I haven't gotten this far on my own. I'd also like to thank some other individuals for helping me reach this point, as well.

@becdoesthings: for having helped with some writing, alongside some mockup work!

@mcgamejolter: for not only contributing here and there to the story, but also for bringing Mr. Needlemouse into IAB!!

SFG1235: for bringing his own little contribution to IAB!, alongside doing a fantastic job with the Mobiverse AU!

@robovoidfrog: It's been great seeing how Funkinverse could evenly tie in with IAB! without intruding on the experiences of both. You're doing well out there, dude!

@trocyte: for helping me keep on top of any important FNF tidbits for the Funkinverse side-story!

Anybody who has contributed a question to the Q&A for the project. I know it's not a load of questions as it stands, but thanks regardless!

The numerous great creators, both SEGA and the fans, that have helped shape the Sonic franchise into the diverse playground for creativity it is today!

So, then, what's next for the project going forward? Well, let's see...

Continuing to Write Any Absent Scenes

There are still several scenes in the project that don't have their writing all sorted out yet, but I promise I will get down to them when I get the time to do so! Next up in line will be the second major fight in More than One Universe, involving both Talrareth and AVA!Corrupt, like in No Way Home.

I'll also ensure that each piece of the story is interconnected between posts to let you view the stories at your own pleasure. Considering a Tumblr post can only handle so many links, I might need to split some of the stuff up here and there, but we'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

A Journey into History

In some other little news, there's a project that my friend, Nickbear/SonicFan50002 has in the works. I won't say anything major about it until he drops any personal announcement, but I can confirm that IAB!'s version of OMT!Tails is going to be amongst the game's playable characters!

Taking place between Across All Worlds and Many More Heroes, OMT!Robotnik had picked up some data revolving around an unnatural structure that showed up in another dimension, so Tails has decided to investigate the abandoned Death Egg solo to help build up his independence. Of course, the anomalies behind said structure have brought a certain old foe back to get revenge on him... one last time.

I hope you'll look forward to it when it's properly announced by Nick! It'll definitely be a change from the usual EXE formulas you've grown used to!

A Missive from 50 Years Ago

At one stage, I'll be documenting the journey of Errorverse Shadow, the Ultimate Lifeform from 6 dimensions over. You'll find he's a tad less reclusive and moody than he usually is, considering he had a bit longer of a trip after Metal Overlord was overpowered.

I plan to cover the events of his beginnings, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic '06, Shadow Generations, Sonic Forces and any other events leading up to his present day, and how much he came to grow into his own person instead of abiding to the status quo of other Shadows, and how he isn't quite alone with his wish to just have a future with someone close by his side.

I'll just say this; while he sympathises with Boom Shadow for being the only serious villain amongst all the comedic ones in his dimension, he seriously dislikes how ruthless and uncaring Boom Shadow is about positive values in life.

Museum of Memory (named after a remark in AC:NH's DLC)

The project's definitely come a long way since its inception. What you see above is one of the earlier mockups designed for the project, depicting an early battle in the storyline. The other mockups shown below are of earlier variations of the story's work before I nailed it down to a definitive version. Here's the stuff for you to see:

(OMT!Tails and CR!Sonic running through Green Hill; old One More Hero work when the sprite choices weren't finalised)

(The first depiction of the bridge fight between OMT!Tails and Shalian in More than One Universe; again, both sprite styles have changed since then)

(An earlier depiction of the early-entry Blur Gang members laughing at the name of SoniKiller; as can be seen, Mini Sonic's sprites were once the chibi Sonic sprites from CD)

(An early version of the arrival of the multiversal heroes; the older sprite choices for OMT!Knux, OMT!Amy and OMT!Cream can be seen, alongside an early draft of Nitro's then-recent redesign)

You'll notice that these four mockups are in a widescreen style compared to the Genesis resolution that I ultimately decided to stick with when I began to share IAB! on Tumblr. I'm honestly glad I decided to take those creative changes before I got started, since I'm prouder of the project that way.

A Potential New Logo?

Nickbear had considered the possibility of designing a new logo for IAB!. As of writing this post, it isn't ready just yet, but once it is, you'll see it front and centre on both the project's Master Post AND on the TV Tropes article for IAB!. Considering he designed the logo for what would've been Sonic.EXE Phantom Saga +, I can guarantee he's a master at this stuff!

Footnote

And that should be all I'm covering for now. In the meantime, while you're waiting for new stuff, be sure to check these creators out!:

@akanemnon: Hijinks ensue when the protagonists of Undertale and Deltarune cross paths.

@cultofgalaxy: Kinoko's in-progress game of origin, featuring a Metroidvania approach and many unique planets!

@itscruiseelroy: Developer of the awesome arcade-inspired indie title, Annalynn!

@piink-rose: She makes such adorable Sonic art pieces!

@robovoidfrog: Check out the work he's done for Funkinverse! He's more active on Reddit, of course.

@son1c: Designed some sweet Shatterverse AU stuff to expand on what we were shown in Sonic Prime!

NotSoDevy: A small game dev in his own right! He is currently working on his own FNF mod and a semi-official game adaptation of Sonic.EXE 2.

@emistations: Does some cute Sonic art herself, and is a designer for the Black Knight Amy AU that's a part of IAB!. (I swear, Harmony Rose is just adorable! >w<)

JoeDoughBoi: The current co-owner of Sonic.exe, currently working on SonicPC and the Soulless Sonic series.

And be sure to support other little creators in the community as well! And if I'll give you one piece of advice, hold on tightly to any physical copies of media (video games, books, DVDs, etc.) that you own, since companies can't delist physical stuff from storefronts compared to digital stuff.

Well, that should be all from me for now. Catch you guys in the next post!

Oh, and have this art of Nitro and Kyuzi (once again by @mcgamejolter)!