#anyways Eggman’s death is also fate !!

[timetravellingfox]

Is the world in any immediate peril because of Sonic’s absence?

“No. Usually Robotnik dies a few days— if not the same day— later. Plus we still do our jobs. Well not me, but… others…”

“Not that I care. Half of Sonic’s deaths are his fault. Tch.”

[idw-sonic-fan-blog]

So if they can't be redeemed what do you believe Surge and Kit's fate to be? Just show up as recurring villains with the same "I reject the world" shtick or death like Starline?

I am sorry that I am late in answering this.

It's simple: Be nihilistic villains.

They do not have to die or be "redeemed."

Look, in all of Sonic's rogues galley, we have characters like Blaze, Shadow, Knuckles, Jet the Hawk, and Metal Sonic. Knuckles was misled and now fervently on the side of the good guys, but you'd be lying if you said the character did not lose his appeal when he made that transition to merely disliking or tolerating Sonic. Metal Sonic can't verbalize and even when it does, it's just Eggman as Sonic anyway. shadow literally is what Surge would become if turned good and thus would be redundant. Jet is already the cocky Sonic but actually a criminal thing going on, but not as evil as Eggman or Zavok. And Blaze already fills the niche of an alternatively good Sonic in her own dimension and the cast. Sorry, Surge and Kit must stay antagonists and actually bad guys because that is their lane that makes them different from anyone else. They don't want to conquer the world. They want to destroy everything. In between villain characters that are world conquerors like Eggman and the Zeti and kingpin-esque characters like Clutch or straight up criminals like Rough and Tumble, that is a great niche to have,

Part of the appeal of Surge is that she is evil or in the case of Surge, she is an sympathetic but nonetheless a villian. Venom of Spider-Man was haphazardly redeemed as an anti-hero and as a Spider-Man fan, I can tell you that took a lot of the edge away from Eddie Brock. His best work was when he directly antagonized Peter Parker and redeeming him via excusing that the reason he was after Peter Parker in the first place was because Daredevil with Spider-Man correctly identified a serial killer vigilante in hold-up while Eddie tried to lie and withhold the identity of the serial killer for clout which the serial killer that Eddie turned in was just a copy cat. Eddie was at his best when he was villain. When he was up in Peter's shit. Another example is Harley Quinn. Part of her appeal aside from her design and concept was that she was evil like Joker, but writers hammed up the domestic abuse angle and that is now her identity. That is all she is known for aside from being in a throuple with Poison Ivy(who is also redeemed but time and overall view of politics redeemed her so that is different).

As much you want to redeem characters like Surge, that is the point. You want to redeem her, but you can't. That is Arcane's and LoL's Jinx. That is Juri Han from Street Fighter. You are supposed to look at characters like Surge who have something off about them and think, "Okay, how can I make her worse?"

Surge puts on the most visually engaging fights with the titular character since the fight with Neo-Metal Sonic. She is the one character outside of Metal Sonic who will throw hands with anyone without the slightest provocation. And it is always with malintent. Not some misunderstanding or whatever cop-out to just make her one of Sonic's friends. She wants to kill them and dammit she won't stop until they are dead. If Surge sees Blaze, we are going to have a fight. If Surge sees Knuckles, we are going to have a fight. If Surge sees Cream, best believe she will throw hands with the rabbit and her Chao.

Why make her like everyone else when she can be her own thing? She destroys cities, burns down forests, damn near killed Sonic, and her justification for it all is society let her down.

Y'all look at this and think, " Let's save her."

She don't wanna be saved. Same with Kit. They made their stance clear. It's not because Starline conditioned them to do it(Surge actively gives herself her own purpose to hate Sonic when Starline failed to provide for her and Kit does the same with the bonus of hating Eggman). It's not because she and Kit don't know who they are before Starline. They don't care. It's the fact that it happened to them in the first place that makes them so angry and they believe the heroes and Eggman only care about them to only fortify their own ideological positions. This is deeper than Mecha Sonic or Metal Sonic. This is deeper than Shadow's memory and past directly his enmity because it's their lack of past and the lack of connection to anyone that cares for them prior to those horrific experiments that drives them. It's the fact that she and Kit were specifically made to be Sonic's and Tails' doppelgangers and that eats at them and unlike Meta and Mecha, these are people. Can you imagine the existential grief of knowing that you had your life ruined to validate the existence of another person. That is different from cloning. That is different from being created to be evil. You were altered to be more like someone else. These are characters that Sonic can't make amends with. And that is what makes it great. Because for once, Sonic and the fanbase that likes this comic are on the same page. You want to redeem her and Surge and Kit don't want to be and any attempt to do so only makes it worse.

[sonic-adventure-3]

okay what the fuck IS lost impact? the stage from shth05 takes place in the past, yet has two branching missions that lead to different stages. what gives? this is me trying to make sense of it. plus the routes that come after it:

after death ruins hero or mad matrix hero, shadow gets teleported to what looks like iron jungle where sonic meets him with a spaceship.

sonic tells him the black creatures are headed to space

“we” inclusive of at least sonic, tails, vector, and presumably literally everyone else, are headed to the ark

so “we” inclusive of sonic and shadow are going to the ark too

on the ship, shadow steals the chaos emerald powering the ship (rude), and alarms sound

shadow has a flashback to alarms sounding on the ark, and maria pleading with him to help her. to help the professor, and those aboard the ark. geralds experiments with artificial chaos have gone horribly wrong

shadow swears he’ll do whatever he can for the ark and the professor

lost impact time:

artificial chaos are wreaking havoc on the very much still functional and habituated ark of 50 years ago

the hero mission is to take out every single artificial chaos at maria’s request (deeply annoying mission btw), and the neutral mission is to get to gerald’s laboratory because shadow is worried about him

something interesting about all this, is that in idle dialogue shows that he’s at least partially aware he’s in a memory. meaning this isn’t something he’s just remembering having happened (which would make no sense with the branching paths), he’s actively re-experiencing everything.

this distinction is important cause it means the conflict of having a level set in the past have two endings is solved. there’s no finite account of what happened, he’s back there, making that choice again.

what changes based on the route you take is what shadow remembers, and what happens next, but the reality of what happened 50 years ago isn’t changed by his choice.

anyway. what happens next after the lost impact hero mission:

shadow remembers maria’s final wish, the promise he made, and being ejected in the escape pod

when he comes to, he’s running with sonic on the ark (for the life of me i could not recognize that environment at all until now, but comparing it to other “present” ark stages, im pretty sure its the ark), and the black comet passes by, final haunt hero time.

after final haunting all over the place, shadow faces black doom and says he’s going to fulfill his promise to maria and save the world she loved so much

“i am shadow the hedgehog, and i made a promise i intend to keep. with the power of these emeralds, black doom and his army are finished. this is who i am”

this is the pure hero end. yippee

rewinding a bit, this is what happens after lost impact neutral:

(listen ok, i’m gonna gloss over how incredibly stupid everything about gun is in this game, and also i’m doing a little work to make things make sense. some of the logic in this route is complete bullshit but i think what it’s trying to do is really interesting so i’m giving it the best chance, ok?)

shadow doesn’t remember the promise he made with maria, nor her saving him. he’s still confused about why he was created and what happened on the ark

when he comes to, he’s on the ark, and the commander of gun is pointing a gun at his head

the commander tells him that he saw shadow being created by black doom and the professor. he says that shadow was responsible for the ark tragedy and maria’s death.

the commander tries to shoot shadow to serve justice for what he believes happened, but shadow dodges. he says he’ll respectfully accept his fate when it comes time if what the commander says is true, but first he has to find out the truth of what really happened.

cosmic fall time:

cosmic fall takes place on the dilapidated and actively exploding ruins of the ark in the present.

if you do the dark mission and just get to the end, then eggman shows up to take the 6 chaos emeralds shadow has collected up til now. he says various stuff about how it was his grandfather who created shadow but honestly doesn’t do much.

“i am shadow the hedgehog, the ultimate life form born and raised aboard the ark. i shall live on… i am the protector of the ark… i am living proof of the ultimate life form. this is who i am”

shadow tells eggman to leave immediately, he won’t allow anyone to defile the sacred ark. this is the semi-hero dark end

rewinding a bit:

if in cosmic fall you find the computer room with vector for the hero mission, then shadow asks black doom if it’s true, if he’s a monster responsible for the ark and was created by him.

black doom says it’s true, and shadow resolves himself to avenging the victims of the ark tragedy. black doom says thats stupid and tries to kill him so shadow defeats him, saying it’s what he must do as his atonement

“i am shadow the hedgehog, a research experiment gone deadly wrong. i’ve caused so much destruction… i never should have been created. this is who i am”

then shadow presumably kills himself. this is the semi-hero hero end

thanks for reading. i love this fucking game

[helpful-hardware]

forces au time wheeeee

ill add onto this with more details as i think it out but ANYWAY

Gadget's backstory:

gadget is trans girl (hey now custom hero is perfect for some self projection)

she had transphobic parents (i didnt), and seeks out someone online that might be supportive

unlucky for her that someone is Zer0 (infinite before the ruby), an edgy pricc who seems nice enough at first

but soon enough revealed himself to be a canine supremacist fascist

shortly after that her parents somehow found out about gadget's online life and, well, ill spare the details there.

the war starts soon after and gadget is on the run, and feeling isolated

Sonic:

sega are fuckin cowards.. when yall say he were tortured for 6 months actually DO SOMETHIN WITH IT

anyway infinite psychologically tortured sonic with illusions. being drowned, crushed, you name it, he did it the bastard

worst part were seeing his friends die in gruesome ways, and developing massive guilt over being caught in the first place and letting them all down.

after being busted out he sees "oh shit, its actually a hellscape out there like in that teaser trailer"

determination to fight and to keep his emotions from being seen.

eventually we arrive at a final battle of sorts, sonic panics over the idea of friends dying for real.. combine that with chaos energy from the emeralds and

dark sonic emerges, no mercy for infinite or eggman

in fact he beats the latter to DEATH, shocking everyone including himself when the power dissipates

everyone gets a glimpse of how sonic really felt all this time and it aint pretty

after being looked over by the med team sonic isolates himself in a resistance dorm room

a few days after, shadow visits to check in on the poor boi

sonic spills it all out.. HE SAW THEM DIE-- HE LET THEM DOWN

shadow is understandably shaken, but does not hesitate to be there to comfort

oh and tails prolly distressed that his bro will never be the same again.. a fate worse than death? he aint sure but he isnt doin well either. no one is

After the war, with Gadget:

gadget found companionship in tails during the last few weeks of the war, but hasnt really opened up much

an offhand mention of having known infinite leads shadow to question gadget about it

that is all covered in this audio drama i made:

but tl;dw its war trauma on top of childhood abuse and betrayal and she cant really cope that well

shadow does his best (we love him for it) but its not an easy road to recovery for the wolf

oh and gadgets also sensitive to everyone else being ✨TRAUMATIZED✨ gahh she needs a hug..

surprise robo angst!:

okay this may just be inspired heavily by @wonderinc-sonic and their cyber virus au but anyway

eggman during the war sends out a virus to disable all eggtech, since he got word of some civilians hacking it

this means that omega, metal, etc will fuckin DIE unless they are out of those bodies

using pieces of some stolen scrapped tech relating to a "roboticizer" and a chaos emerald, the resistance is able to give our robo friends new organic bodies!

this is something none of them take well

omega takes a massive hit to her self esteem as her greatest trait, firepower, is forever gone

and metal... poor thing has been bottling up some feelings that let loose with the whole being a mobian thing

oh yeah both omega and metal are trans, and we got some metamy yuri as well

now back to shadow and sonic

shadow has ended up taking after sonic a bit in trying to be there for absolutely everyone even when there isnt much he can do

it takes such a heavy toll and team dark encourage him to reconnect with his old therapist because of it...

speaking of therapy! sonic.

his mental health has been absolutely shattered.. unfortunately to the point where he's been hurting himself

so his friends and shadow make frequent check ins while making sure that he is seeing a therapist for well, everything.....

it will be difficult as hecc but eventually everyone will (somewhat) adjust to this new era of mobius

after some time sonic actually starts feeling okay enough to move back into tails workshop

shadow comes by to check in and thats this other audio drama

the mental issues wont ever fully go away, but everyone is there for each other, and theyll find new ways to live

[shirubae]

Silvaze ‘06: Part 3 - A Life or The World

Previously: Silver and Blaze arrived in the past, though separated.

Silver continues his mission with Amy. They finally stumble upon Sonic with Elise in Soleanna Castle Town. Silver ambushes him for the sake of the future.

Vs. Sonic

You know Sonic’s infamously unfair (“It’s no use!”) boss fight with Silver? Well in Silver Episode it’s still a curbstomp, only now the player gets to say the line. Realistically, there’s no way for Sonic to overpower Silver when he’s so bloodthirsty. His psychokinesis is just too much for the blue blur.

Interestingly, in Sonic’s story he manages to briefly beat Silver. The way Silver gets up and strikes back is very reminiscent of a move that Mephiles pulls on Shadow after their fight in the future. Parallels, babey! You’re working for a villain, Silver!

Silver is confused by how easily he can defeat Sonic, having assumed he was just as monstrous as Iblis. How could such a fool doom the world? He also allows Dr. Eggman to kidnap Elise, ironically further endangering his future.

Sonic turns his back to pursue Elise, infuriating Silver; he can’t see why Sonic cares so much about that girl with the fate of the world at stake. If Silver can’t afford to look aside for his friend, then neither should Sonic.

This is where we see just how obsessed Silver is with his mission, and how his impulsive immaturity makes him so dangerous. This is what happens when Silver “runs wild” as Blaze put it. He does not hesitate to kill someone he’s never met at the mere notion that it could solve his problems. He welcomes it as “[his] mission”, taking pride in being a time-traveling assassin. He wants the death of Sonic the Hedgehog to define him.

Then Amy steps in. Silver may be a freak, but he's not so violent that he'd turn on an ally so quickly. She checks his insane moral compass and hits him with the big line: “Even if that was true, if I had to choose between the world and Sonic, I would choose Sonic!”

This shakes Silver’s blind obedience to Mephiles. He begins to actually consider what it means to trade a life to save the world. More importantly, Silver is amazed by the faith and trust that Amy puts in Sonic; even when faced with such a dark prophecy, she sticks to what she knows and who she trusts. To quote resident Sonamy extraordinaire, @molinaskies :

"[Amy]’s choosing Sonic because she knows that, even if Sonic’s actions are devastating (which, remember, she outright doubts), his actions are for the greater good because objectively, Sonic has a good heart and is always on the right path.” - MolinaSkies

As the camera flies over the despondent Silver, we hear the first few notes of “You Are My Companion”, a song that represents Silver and Blaze’s devotion to each other. Silver compares Amy’s faith in Sonic to his own faith in Blaze. He accepts that he’s been neglecting her, and chooses to stay in one place instead of running off and making things worse. He chooses to wait for Blaze, the person he trusts most in this world.

Speculation: It's hard to say, since we know very little about Silver's life before this game, but I now wonder why Silver wants so badly to save his future. It can't just be that he wants to have a normal life, he's such an extraordinary person and is so freakishly dedicated to his goals that it must be deeper than that. Is it a self-imposed mission to give himself purpose in life? Is it to improve his own life, or the lives of others too? Does he have someone else to fight for? Regardless, his connection to Blaze was stronger than he thinks, and now he's starting to see it.

Reunion with Blaze

And she shows up! Blaze tells Silver she’s been looking for him (too bad he hasn’t been looking for you). He’s so ashamed he doesn’t even respond, merely glancing her way. But he does request her advice again, asking her opinion on taking one life to save the world.

Anyway. Silver is the one who proposes their next move to investigate Eggman’s White Acropolis. Now he’s seeking context, rather than simply biting at the Iblis Trigger’s heels. It also shows that he did have a plan of action in mind, but he chose to wait for Blaze this time. They’re still misguided, but at least Silver’s letting Blaze help.

Blaze calls him naive (or 青い "blue" if you will) for his latest unanswerable question. Instead, she reasons that there is no way to determine the consequences for one’s actions and that we can only act on our beliefs and hope for the best. It gives Silver a simple creed that he can hold onto for now. But it’s now clear that Blaze never believed Mephiles the way Silver does - rather, she’s so desperate she’s risking it all for a chance at peace. Blaze is no paragon of optimism, but at least her realistic perspective helps ground Silver in this mess he’s gotten himself into. (Note: the music for this reunion, “Is It Right”, uses the same leitmotif as “You’re My Companion”)

This scene is one of the two times Blaze calls Silver naive. Fans have really latched onto this adjective as a descriptor for Silver, but it can make him come off as more innocent and childish than he really is. Silver is not naive in a childlike way, but in an optimistic way. He believes that he can save the world by accomplishing a mission (defeating Iblis/Sonic), even though things are not that simple. Blaze will later come to realize that Silver's stubborn insistence on hope is what makes him so special, but for now she seems exasperated by it instead.

Next up: finding a Chaos Emerald and continuing the manhunt!

[Back to the masterpost]

[kokocharm]

HEY OP? I'M STARING AT YOU AFTER SEEING THAT HOLLOW KNIGHT AND SONIC CROSSOVER POST. STARING INTENTLY

I would LOVE to hear you talk about it

MY MY MY DEAR ANON, HOW I LOVE YOU FOR THIS QUESTION!!!!

This is an rp with my partner that we called "Ghost is an Evil Henchman" as a placeholder name, before it stuck. (Henchman in a gender neutral type of way, all the vessels are genderless)

The RP mainly follows Quirrel and Hornet after they crashland on the beach. The rp is set in strictly the Sonic Boom universe, since thats the only one i watched and i think at the time the one my partner liked the most. This rp is based around a LOT of my fanon so if you want an explanation on that, you know where to ask ^_^ !

Sonic and Sticks finds the two of them. Quirrel and Tails IMMEDIATELY become bffs and make silly inventions together i love them. Meanwhile Hornet is having a lot of anger issues, especially directed at Quirrel. Shes pissed because shes crazily worried about her only living siblings (which will be Ghost, the mc of the game, Hollow, and Lost, whos been reanimated by lifeblood). But her anger at Quirrel also runs way deeper, from a LOONg time ago

(Hornet and Quirrel had an argument about the Dreamers. Quirrel told her that the sacrifices are for nothing, that even Monomon agreed, and Hornet has been furious about it ever since. She doesnt want to think that her mothers death was for nothing.)

Eggman attacks and they have to stop Hornet from literally beheading him which i think its rlly funny

Anyways, wheres Ghost??

Freaking the fuck out. Because they are in a cage. Instead of appearing with their sister and Quirrel, they instead popped into Eggmans lair

Now. I dont think me or mel ever talked about HOW they got there. Quirrel and Tails tried to question it, but never got rlly far and were just focused on how to get back.

So anyways. Ghost has a lot of issues that they cover up because they are "the Savior of Hallownest" and their sister needs help as the new queen with the survivors of the infection to build from the ground up again

Eggman, unintentionally, pushes on Ghosts insecurities that their sister doesnt truly like them. So they work for Eggman. And that almost spells out Sonics fate because its nearly canon that there is no enemy too powerful for Ghost. They are literally a God.

From what I remember, a bit happens after that. Quirrel finally breaks after Hornet yells at him again, calling her out because "You're not the only one who lost everything. You're not the only one who has had to kill your family. You are not the only survivor of the infection." My Quirrel fanon (aka, singed!quirrel) is one of my favorite side stories of mine. It has to do with his antennas, getting burned, almost assassinated.. yeah theres a lot

We kind of faded out of this rp, the last response to it was a hell of a while ago. We had plans such as meeting Hollow and Lost, and even having a fight between Shadow and Ghost where Shadow gets his ass handed to him and is like "okay, this is a problem." We had a scene planned where Ghost actually managed to stab Sonic, which finally made him realize Ghost was a genuine threat. I even secretly had an idea where Quirrel and Tails get kidnapped and Quirrel is trying to convince Ghost that Hornet still does love them and will not, in fact, murder them on sight (he is not successful)

In a new rp called Reflecting the Light, where both Hollow Knight and Sonic characters are present, we do occasionally get a conversation between Shadow and some of the vessels. Im pretty sure Shadow and The Hollow Knight talked at one point, but im not entirely sure.

All in all, Hollow Knight is a beautiful yet heartbreaking game. It's really hard, I still havent done the Path of Pain vecause i spent 5 hours on the White Palace and i am not emotionally ready to suffer through PoP. I havent even beaten NKG. But i hope this helps ^_^ if you like hollow knight and/or sonic PLEASE let me know and ill talk about them in reflecting the light!!! I love that rp from the bottom of my heart

Anyways. Its 11pm, I have school tomorrow. Leo, out (⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠³⁠˘⁠)💛🌙

[zippityzap]

Sonic Tarot Card Project: explanations for character picks

Recently I completed a summer-long project where I created Sonic themed versions of the tarot major acana. I put a lot of research and thought into what characters to assign to which cards, and I wanted to explain my rationale behind each one! (Everything’s under the read more cut because this is a very long post!)

To start off, let me explain why I did this project in the first place. This summer I watched Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure for the first time, and in Part 3, Stardust Crusaders, the majority of the stand abilities are named after the tarot major arcana. Thanks to cultural osmosis I vaguely knew the meanings of a few of the cards and I realised that one of the characters suited his assigned card pretty well. I was curious if this matched anyone else and so once I finished watching that part, I did research on tarot and found that yeah, a lot of them do match! That got me interested in tarot and since I like combining things I’m interested in, I decided to make Sonic versions of the cards.

I do want to note that while Jojo did inspire this project in a lot of ways, I tried not to let my character picks be influenced by Stardust Crusader characters, although there did end up being some picks that did coincidentally happen to match nicely anyway. Also, I’m not gonna lie, ever since picking these card choices I’ve been highly tempted to draw Sonic as Polnareff.

Anyway, on to my explanations for character choices!

0: The Fool (Charmy Bee)

The Fool represents innocence, spontaneity and recklessness. I believe Charmy’s happy and carefree nature, along with the simple fact that he’s essentially just a little kid who likes to have fun makes him a great fit for this card

1: The Magician (Infinite)

The Magician represents creation and strength, but also manipulation and narcissism, a good match for Infinite and the powers of the phantom ruby. (I was also very pleased to notice that the traditional art for the card has an infinity symbol- everything lined up very well!)

The Rider Waite version of the card also depicts a sword, a wand, a cup and a pentacle; the suits of the minor arcana. I have attempted to depict these with various objects from the Sonic series, namely Infinite’s sword from the IDW Forces prequel comic, the sceptre of darkness from '06, a chaos emerald, and a ring respectively.

2: The High Priestess (Princess Elise)

The High Priestess represents secrets, repression, and the unknown, which I believe fits with Elise’s initial desire to control her emotions and her sadness. (Admittedly this is one of the looser character/card connections for this project, but my two other picks for this card I felt were better suited to different cards)

3: The Empress (Vanilla the Rabbit)

The Empress represents nurturing, fertility and childbirth, all traits that I believe make this card a good pick for a kind, caring mother like Vanilla

4: The Emperor (Dr Eggman)

A card fitting for the leader of the Eggman Empire! The Emperor represents authority, power, and tyranny, all traits Dr Robotnik desires, if not possesses in many continuities.

5: The Hierophant (Espio the Chameleon)

The Hierophant represents wisdom and tradition, and in both upright and reversed forms it has large connections to the concept of social conformity. Perhaps I’m drawing more from the various comic versions of Espio, but he comes across to me as someone who is hyper-aware about how he presents himself.

Fun fact: a hierophant is essentially another word for a religious leader, although I’ve never seen it used outside the context of tarot. I assume the religious connection is the reason why in the OST of the Jojo part 3 anime, Kakyoin’s theme is called Noble Pope.

6: The Lovers (Amy Rose)

The Lovers represents love, communication, and passion; and Amy is certainly a character who wears her heart on her sleeve! She’s a good example of a character who I feel fits a number of different cards, however there are no other characters who suited The Lovers quite as much as her.

7: The Chariot (Sonic the Hedgehog)

The Chariot represents journeys, wanderlust as well as the ambition and willpower to achieve your goals, which I believe is the perfect match for Sonic’s adventurous and heroic spirit. This was one of the first cards I decided on and it’s probably the one I’d defend my interpretation of the most.

If you’re wondering why there’s dark and hero chao in the artwork too, it’s because the original card art depicts the titular chariot being pulled by black and white sphinxes, and this is my way of calling back to that.

8: Strength (Maria Robotnik)

This card pick might seem unusual at first if you take the word ‘strength’ at face value, however considering the original card art depicts a maiden peacefully taming a lion, perhaps the Strength card represents inner strength, courage and determination rather than physical strength. These are traits that I believe Maria possesses.

9: The Hermit (Knuckles the Echidna)

The Hermit signifies awareness and independence but when reversed can mean isolation and resignation, traits that parallel well with Knuckles and his duty to be the protector of the Master Emerald

10: The Wheel of Fortune (Big the Cat)

The Wheel of Fortune represents fate, karma and luck! This is admittedly a bit of a cheeky dig at myself since I’m awful at the Big fishing levels in SA1 and mostly got through them through luck. But that’s not to say the card doesn’t apply to Big himself! His frequent cameos do have a bit of a fate/destiny vibe to them and in IDW Big is lucky enough to manage to avoid the metal virus for quite a long time.

11: Justice (Vector the Crocodile)

The meaning of the Justice cards is… pretty much what it says on the tin: fairness and clarity. Of course the Team Chaotix detective agency represents this as a whole, but that trait especially shines through with Vector himself. He may be a little money oriented, but doing what is morally right always takes priority.

12: The Hanged Man (Shadow the Hedgehog)

The thing about Shadow is that he’s a fairly complex character which means there are a number of cards in the Major Arcana that match him well, but I knew early on when tackling this project that I wanted to assign Shadow to The Hanged Man. This card represents change, release and sacrifice, which all align well with the character arc that Shadow goes through during the course of SA2 and beyond.

13: Death (Tikal the Echidna and Chaos)

Despite the morbid name of the card, (and the admittedly macabre scene I’ve depicted) the Death card is not an inherently negative card to draw. Yes, it can mean endings and grief, but it can also mean letting go and new beginnings. The story that Tikal and Chaos go through in SA1, their anguish and how they later find peace, is something that I think pairs well with this particular card.

Fun fact: this is the only card in this project that has two significant characters on it rather than just one. I felt I needed both of them to be on the card in order to fully represent its meaning

14: Temperance (Blaze the Cat)

The Temperance card signifies balance, harmony and patience, which matches Blaze’s very poised and graceful demeanour. Admittedly I had a little bit of trouble deciding on a card for Blaze since the High Priestess and the Hierophant are also good matches for her.

15: The Devil (Rouge the Bat)

The Devil card represents temptation, seduction, and materialism and well… look, Rouge is one of my favourite Sonic characters, I’d be one of the first people to tell you that there’s a lot more to her than what initially appears, she is so much more complex than just sex appeal and a gemstone obsession. However, I felt there was no other character that matched the traits of this specific card better than Rouge, and so my choice was decided by that.

16: The Tower (E-123 Omega)

The Tower card represents a number of things; disruption, disasters, sudden changes etc, however the trait that made me believe that Omega would be the best selection for the card was violence.

17: The Star (Miles ‘Tails’ Prower)

Tails’ character arcs normally centre around him gaining independence and self-confidence and learning to believe in himself. He is also largely characterised by his unyielding faith and trust in Sonic. These traits are the reason why I believe The Star card represents him well, as it symbolises hope and faith.

18: The Moon (Shade the Echidna)

The Moon card symbolises mysteries and the unknown, and when Shade is first introduced in Chronicles, she and the rest of the Nocturnus Clan are certainly presented as mysterious. The Moon can also represent misconception, which fits well with how Shade was initially unaware of the true nature of Ix’s plans.

19: The Sun (Cream the Rabbit)

The Sun, when drawn in an upright position, has a lot of positive meanings! Freedom, fun, happiness, good luck etc. Cream’s cheerful and optimistic disposition makes her a good match for this card

20: Judgement (E-102 Gamma)

The Judgement card symbolises liberation, awakening, redemption and second chances, all of which I believe represent Gamma and his character arc in SA1 well

21: The World (Metal Sonic)

In the upright position, The World card symbolises triumph, completion, strength and happiness while in reversed position can mean failure, anxiety, lack of self-confidence etc. I had both positioning of the card in mind when connecting it to Metal Sonic; he is devoted to the tasks given to him and is self-assured in his belief that he is the true/superior ‘sonic’ yet he repeatedly finds himself at the hands of failure. But he doesn’t let previous failures hold him back, thus starting the cycle anew. (Another connection to the World card as it also symbolises cycles)

[beevean]

Expanding on the endings of Shadow The Hedgehog

Because this games has too many endings and it’s clear they were written in 5 minutes, but in some cases I really want to know what would happen next.

Pure Dark-Dark: Shadow has been consumed by grief and rage, to the point that he doesn’t care about Black Doom’s real plan of enslaving humanity: he wants to exterminate them and destroy the damn planet. If he succedes, probably by using the fully powered Eclipse Cannon, he’ll live the rest of eternity on the ARK, maybe contented at first for fulfilling his purpose, but then feeling empty and alone. But what about Black Doom, who’s seeing his new puppet ruining his plans? Maybe he gets killed along with the humans...

Pure Dark-Hero: Shadow is only slightly less cruel in this ending. Yes, he turns his back to Black Doom to help his best friend, but it’s only to get the Emeralds for himself, too far gone to actually care about their old friendship. WIth a god complex the size of a galaxy, he decides on a whim to conquer the universe (or in the Japanese version, just the Earth, which is a more feasible plan), possibly replacing Black Doom. And considering he still thinks his mission is to “ensure peace and justice amongst all of mankind”, things aren’t looking so well for humanity... So it’s very similar to the consequences of the previous ending, but the people on Earth may be kept alive, ruled by an unjust, resentful dictator.

Semi Dark-Dark: Self-explainatory, this is the ending where Shadow pledges his loyalty to Black Doom. After the victory of the Black Arms, he becomes the overlord’s right hand, helping him to enslave humanity and other planets. This can’t be a good fate for Shadow, though - Black Doom doesn’t care about anything or anyone, not even his offspring, so who knows how he’d treat Shadow now that he has given him what he wanted... it’s not like he has any other place left to go anyway.

Semi Dark-Hero: This is the equivalent of Knuckles’ ending in Sonic Adventure (funny as he is the last person he helps here): Shadow gains literally nothing from his journey, simply reaching the conclusion that he doesn’t need anyone’s help, and he doesn’t need to help anyone. He stops fighting in the war, but the Black Arms will likely win in the end thanks to Shadow’s previous help. Also, Eggman is killed, but in this ending it barely matters. Shadow’s selfishness at the very last second dooms humanity regardless.

Neutral-Dark: This ending is the most ambiguous. Shadow betrays Eggman at the last minute to vow to surpass the “original” Shadow. How does he plan to do so is uncertain. With Shadow refusing to join the war (or having helped both G.U.N. and Black Doom equally), there’s no way to predict the winner. On top of that, Eggman is dead, which is a good thing in the grand scheme of things as he’s a persistent terrorist, but he was helping the heroes fight the Black Arms off... and I can’t imagine Sonic being too happy that Shadow of all people uncerimoniously killed his archenemy. This ending has Shadow living a lie, with no one to tell him that he’s completely off-base.

Neutral-Hero: Shadow, with Omega’s help, vows to topple Eggman and create a robot empire (wonder if they’ll include Metal Sonic in the gang). Interesting at first, but the fact that Shadow is not one of them has to come out sooner or later... Of course, what I just said about the war’s fate being uncertain and Eggman’s death applies here as well. In the end this ending is almost identical to the previous one, but at least he has an ally here... an ally who’s probably more concerned about destroying the last Eggman’s robots that to set Shadow straight.

Semi Hero-Dark: Another ending that can be equated to Knuckles’ fate, for some reason. Shadow decides to be the ARK’s guardian to atone for his perceived sins, and for once he spares Eggman. He stops fighting in the war, but G.U.N. will likely win in the end thanks to Shadow’s previous help... and also because Black Doom will now have to go through Shadow to use the Eclipse Cannon, and it’s likely he’ll fail. All is well, but it’s implied that Shadow will never see his old friends again, completely alone up in the ARK, and Eggman has no reason to tell anyone else where he is.

Semi Hero-Hero: Another self-explainatory ending. It’s heavily implied Shadow commits suicide due to the sheer guilt over being created (there’s even a path that’s called “Shadow’s Second Death...?”). Sure, G.U.N. will eventually win against the Black Arms, but at what cost? Sonic, Rouge and everyone else will experience grief for Shadow for the second time in a short span of time.

Pure Hero-Dark: This ending is the most random, with Shadow betraying Sonic at the last minute simply to prove himself the strongest hedgehog... but realistically spekaing, Shadow refused to help Sonic, and instead helped Black Doom protect the Black Comet from G.U.N.’s attacks, therefore delaying the victory against them, and fought the Commander and his Diablon, for extremely selfish and petty reasons.  His actions make no sense and he just proved himself to be an unstable, untrustworthy ally, and even after G.U.N.’s victory, they’re not going to forgive him any time soon.

Pure Hero-Hero: This ending directly continues into The Last Story and the rest of the series, as this is the only canonical ending. Not much to add here.

[sally-mun]

Unsurprisingly on my mind due to TKP's blog going through it, I've been meaning to ask (if just to clarify) about if any details from the "Enerjak Reborn" saga ever slip into your universe, even if clearly can't happen due to the characters' relationships. A part of me assumes that the idea you mentioned of Locke becoming the threat he prophesized sounded like the most likely direct replacement for that, but I wonder if any other ideas end up still mimicking it?

First of all, I fucking love your username and as far as I’m concerned you DID decide on a good one.

Anyway, this is an interesting bit of the storyline because it’s in that nebulous place where my partner and I agree that it happened, but we’ve never actually hammered out exactly what happened. For the most part, the bullet points of Finitevus tricking Knuckles into getting hexed and Locke sacrificing himself to release him are agreed to have been in the RP’s backstory, but given the version of Locke that I wrote for the Brotherhood, I’m sure the tone of the situation was very different. I can only imagine what the situation looked like through Locke’s eyes, honestly. In some ways you could argue that Knuckles becoming Enerjak IS the realization of everything Locke worked for, so that begs the question of whether or not he would see that as his premonition coming true. It’s hard to say given that there’s so many other events that have happened leading up to this point that would’ve also gone differently based on the new circumstances, and some that probably didn’t happen all together.

However, here’s my immediate hunch:

1) The events of S3&K definitely happened in the RP’s backstory, although again I’m sure several events played out in different ways. The great point to this is that, as WE all know, this was the fulfillment of the mural that Locke saw on the wall in Hidden Palace, which unknowingly inspired his recurring dream. Locke, however, would’ve taken the arrival of Eggman and the Death Egg with a lot more confusion. Obviously this is the level of threat his premonition insisted upon, but Knuckles wasn’t the one to ultimately defeat it! Some ground-dwelling heathen actually took care of it!!! So no matter how much the situation would seem to fulfill the slot of the Great Evil, it obviously can’t be because Knuckles did not ascend to become the Savior in order to stop it.

2) It’s probably safe to say this cycle happened a few others times, because let’s face it, Angel Island has seen some shit. I don’t think the others probably ever compared to S3&K arc, though, both in terms of the impact it made on the situation (and Locke’s psyche) and the fact that the enemy just plain looks like the figure in Locke’s dreams.

3) This would probably mean that an already paranoid Locke is getting jumpier and jumpier every time a new threat arises, because by now there’ve been so many BIG bad events that he’s probably constantly worrying, “Is this the Great Evil?? IS THIS THE GREAT EVIL??” and his already frayed nerves are probably completely shot.

4) So imagine, then, when Knuckles -- Locke’s only pride and joy, for whom he sacrificed absolutely everything in his life and has been banking on saving everyone’s lives -- seems to have become the Great Evil himself. It’s not enough that he’s powerful on an otherworldly scale and seems to have gone mad with said power; the bigger shock is that Knuckles does, indeed, seem to be fulfilling the criteria of his premonitions. He’s not just terrorizing the rest of the world (which, let’s be honest, Locke probably doesn’t even care about), he’s also terrorizing echidnas. He left Echidnaopolis in ruins by forcibly removing the entire population, and he’s destroying a lot of lives by changing their bodies against their will. The entire echidna species is terrified of what he has become, and what else he might do. Maybe the fact that the Great Evil was enormous in Locke’s dream wasn’t about literal physical scale, but rather, a representation of the enormity of the threat that’s posed.

5) In a perfect world, I’d really like to imagine that this finally, FINALLY, brings Locke a desperately needed moment of clarity. Locke got to the state he ends up in because he’s so afraid of some ambiguous and unidentifiable threat, so maybe the fact that he now CAN identify the threat could be enough to raise that fog. Maybe seeing Knuckles as the evil they need to be protected from will finally be enough to jolt Locke back to reality, and allow him to see just how bad his decisions have been and how Knuckles’ state is, honestly, a very logical conclusion to the chain of events that came before it. Knuckles becoming the Great Evil was always a possibility all along, but Locke was so convinced of the contrary that he just literally couldn’t see it. Now he can see it. Now he can grasp how, no matter how well-intentioned he was, he absolutely, 100%, undeniably caused his son to become the one thing he’s feared all along.

6) If Locke is able to have that moment, and think completely clearly again for even a brief time, then I have no doubt whatsoever that Locke would make that sacrifice to save him. No attempts to find an alternative, no hemming and hawing, no attempts to get everyone to kill Knuckles like in the comic, NONE of that shit. If Locke, the REAL Locke that’s been lost inside the madness all this time is able to wake up for just a few moments, emerges again and learns that the only way to save his boy from the fate he himself unwittingly doomed him to is for someone to give up their own life, Locke would make that sacrifice in a heartbeat. He said back on the day he activated the chaos bath that he wished he could take Knuckles’ burdens away and put himself in his place. This would be one way to do exactly that, to give Knuckles a shot at a real, normal life again, and to atone for the enormous mistakes he made that caused this tragedy.

I think if the situation arose under those sorts of circumstances, it would just make Locke’s sacrifice all the more meaningful. Allowing him to not only realize that he’s the one that ultimately caused all this, but to fully admit to it AND take responsibility without being harangued into doing so completely changes the tone of what he does. It’s not a situation where Locke sees sacrificing himself as something that has to be done, but something that should be done, to atone for his wrongdoings and save the one person he loves more than anyone or anything else in this world.

I don’t see the Locke of the comics as someone who would die for his child without the slightest hesitation, even after more skillful writers get a hold of him; I don’t see the fact that he does so unrealistic, but I honestly think the only reason he does it is because he can’t think of a way out of it. I mean, for fuck’s sake, shortly before doing so he was campaigning TO HAVE KNUCKLES KILLED. I think canon!Locke loves Knuckles in his own weird way, but I think his love for Knuckles comes second to his love for himself, and it always has. Canon!Locke is just simply too arrogant to think of someone else first, even his own child.

Locke the way I write him, however, was always ready to die so that Knuckles could live. It used to be because he felt Knuckles was too important to their people and needed to live to save them, but when all that baggage is lifted, Locke would still die for him simply because he loves him. He would die for him to make his life better, to free him from the prisons he’s been confined to both physically and mentally, to allow him to fully live. He’d die to save his son because he wants him to finally have the life he deserves -- that he always deserved. If the price of Knuckles being happy, healthy, and free is Locke giving up his life, there’d be no force on Mobius that could’ve kept him away from the Master Emerald to do it.

I don’t know if this is quite the sort of answer you were looking for, but again, this was the first impulse that came into my brain. It feels right to me, and probably would be worth exploring in a story sometime. Maybe someone could commission me for it or something, who knows. In the meantime, I hope this paints the picture as well as I’m seeing in my head.

[latin-dr-robotnik]

6 and 12 from the fandom ask meme :]

6. do you read fanfiction? If so, do you have any favorite authors or fics?

Oh! I stopped frequenting fanfics around the time I started writing, but in the years before creating this blog I used to check all sorts of Sonic fanfics. Nowadays I read some drabbles and prompts here and there, but not with the same dedication of staying up till very late reading entire chapters. Also, some of them are actually private reads shared by friends/mutuals, so there’s a lot I’ve seen behind the scenes and I couldn’t really talk about it :P

So, favorites? There are lots of cutegirlmayra’s prompts that made my imagination F L Y for entire weeks, but I’d say my favorite works from her were the ones prior to Sonic Forces, back when all of us were trying to piece together the world and story (which ended up biting me in the ass when the actual game came out.) I remember looking forward to the very first chapters of Dark Sonic Forces, but I never finished that fic (I guess I should return, now that I’ve heard it’s finished, right?)

(Also, if I can plug some of my own works, I’d say both Stay a little longer and Of knights and hammers are some of my favorites, I’m actually really happy I wrote them, regardless of how they turned up in the end.)

12. if you could change one ending to a book/show/game/etc, what would you change about it?

Since we’re on the topic already... I never liked how Sonic Forces dealt its climax. It’s strangely ambiguous regarding Infinite’s fate (the implications seem grim though), and the fact Eggman doesn’t even talk during the final boss made a lot of us suspect something else was up (before IDW Sonic came and elaborated on that, but I’m not considering it here.) But this is Sonic Team we’re talking about, so it’ll probably be nothing and those questions will be left unanswered... which is what I’d like to change.

It’s no secret that I dislike Forces’ plot and world building so much the first fic I wrote was an attempt to make the beginning more interesting. I actually had plans for continuing my efforts, and I did draft a second part rewriting stuff like Amy’s reaction to Sonic’s return, and the fact he put his life at risk again going on a couple of missions after just returning from space. I guess if I stuck with my guns I would’ve probably tackled the climax differently; at least make Infinite fight till the bitter end or something, his Phantom Ruby starts cracking (showing how much he’s pushing it), Eggman yelling really pissed at Infinite’s stubborness instead of falling back and regrouping at the Mega Death Egg Robot. Something more epic, y’know?

Anyways, I rambled enough. Thanks for asking! c:

[mobius-prime]

291. Sonic Universe #13

Journey to the East (Part 1 of 4): Endless Reach of Fate

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Tracy Yardley Colors: Jason Jensen

We open in media res at the start of this SU arc, with Sonic fighting a spider ninja and retreating into the Temple of the Golden Lotus in Stormtop Village with Li Yuen. If this sounds like a lot to take in at once, don't worry. If you'll remember, Li Yuen is the lion who acts as the village elder, and the Temple of the Golden Lotus was… uh… originally located in Kar Leung, actually. I'm not sure exactly what to make of this inconsistency, whether Stormtop Village is Kar Leung renamed (the village at the base of Mount Stormtop was never technically named during its only appearance), or whether the temple was rebuilt or relocated considering it was blown the hell up last time we saw it, or even whether this is an entirely separate temple that also just happens to be named the Temple of the Golden Lotus. Either way, it doesn't really matter to the story, as Li Yuen and Sonic take shelter in the temple for now to get away from the attack from the Gossamer Clan, one of the three clans still stationed here in the Dragon Kingdom. Sonic recalls how a few hours ago, his party had arrived and Li Yuen had given them the tour of the place, including telling the story of how apparently, the Dragon Kingdom is so named because it was literally the birthplace of all Mobius' dragons.

In the end, the dragons left a statue behind - a very large, golden statue of a monkey king who just so happens to be the spitting image of one Ken Khan. Sonic, looking at it now, has to admit that the prophecy probably has some merit to it. Li Yuen informs him that unfortunately his friends have been taken hostage by the Gossamer Clan, and speaking of the devil, two members immediately enter the temple through the window. Li Yuen is outraged that they would bring violence into a peaceful temple, so Sonic grabs one and pushes him against a wall for a "friendly chat," noting that they haven't used half the amount of force they're capable of.

Yeah, Sonic's just like that, Li Yuen. If I didn't know better, I'd say he enjoys walking directly into and springing traps, just for fun. But that's ridiculous! The ninjas take him to the Gossamer Clan's base, where his friends are being held, and he agrees to meet the bride without a fuss if they let the others go. Tails is just happy to see Sonic having come to their rescue, Khan is furious about being captured at all, but Sally is quiet and near tears. Khan ushers Sonic into the building so he can talk to her alone, and though Sonic is a bit put out, he takes Tails inside. When Khan tries to talk to Sally, she blows up, crying and saying that she's been failing for a long time now, starting with not arresting Eggman right off the bat when the war ended, then losing New Mobotropolis, and now being captured when they're on an important mission. She feels she's fallen too far from who she used to be, as a young teenager leading a successful war campaign against a global tyrant. Khan initially doesn't know what to say, but then grabs her and launches into the best pep talk he can muster.

Hey, Sally, if it worked, it's not that lousy, is it? At least she's feeling better. The group enters the main chamber and meets with the Bride of Endless Reach, with Sally and Khan introducing themselves formally while Sonic and Tails are rather casual and borderline flippant. Sally is mortified, but Endless Reach doesn't seem to care, instead immediately asking Sally to tell her what happened to Uma Arachnis. Sally is surprised to learn Uma was part of this clan, but like, Sally? You did see that every single spider ninja we've encountered so far looks and is dressed exactly like her, right? Sally tells the truth about her working for Naugus, her change of heart and her eventual demise, and explains the incident with her children and how she initially gave up the Sword of Acorns to them before they were killed and the sword was destroyed. She's apologetic about all their fates, but Endless Reach doesn't seem bothered at all - in fact, she seems strangely pleased, announcing that Uma and her children fulfilled their duties to protect the Source of All from evil as told by their Web of Fate. This does seem to suggest that in the end, Uma was only ever allied with Naugus and Kodos specifically to fulfill her exact role, and I do like this interpretation, as by the time of her death Uma seemed like a genuinely cool but tragic character. It would also seem to explain why she decided to lay a clutch of eggs in the middle of all the chaos, to ensure that her children would be able to carry on her duties even after she was gone. But anyway, what is this whole Web of Fate business?

And now we're reminded why Khan is still working on his hot-headedness. He angrily asks Endless Reach why, if she can read the future, she had been fighting the other clans and leaving the free people of the Dragon Kingdom to suffer. She retorts that the web is theirs alone, that it can only see the broad strokes of the future and not the details, and that he'd better watch his tone when speaking to a clan bride. Things are looking bad for diplomacy, but Sally steps in to suggest that if there are many paths that the future could take, then surely there's one that will lead to peace. Endless Reach agrees she has a point, but demands that if they take this path the King of the Free People must honor her clan's holdings and independence, to which Khan gives his word of honor. Endless Reach consults the web, and after a few tense moments, comes to her conclusion.

Hey, look what happens when you actually talk things out instead of fighting, Khan! Granted, Sonic could learn that lesson as well, but it's a start, at least. That evening, the group celebrates in Li Yuen and Li Moon's house, discussing how things must be going back home with Nicole secretly keeping things stable for them, and though Sonic is still a bit unhappy about the attention Sally is giving Khan it doesn't spoil his good mood. However, tea and dinner is interrupted by a kunai flying through the window with a note attached. Everyone thinks they must be under attack, but Sally knows better.

Oh, boy. Didn't think we'd be dealing with the Yagyu so soon, especially since the majority of them are still stationed in New Mobotropolis. Who's leading them, anyway, with the Bride of Rich Nights gone? Well, guess we'll be finding out…

[aftermathdb]

DEATH BATTLE Review: Wally West vs. Archie Sonic

Time to find out who deserves to have their picture next to the definition of speed in the dictionary!

Wally′s Preview.

The story opens on the most iconic feat of the Flash: Saving the multiverse. But as it cost him his life, the world was left without a Scarlet Speedster. So, who better to take up the mantle than his protégé, Wally West?

The hosts note the sheer number of coincidences that led to Barry getting his powers, only to then segway into how Wally got his.

The guy literally got the exact same scenario as Barry had. Why?- Because Speed Force.

First off: That last line about Lex Luthor having no idea who he is made me laugh a bit more than was probably intended. Second: The hosts then go over Wally’s feats and powers.

They’re pretty much the same as Barry’s, so a lot of scaling can be done.

They also note that pulling this off requires Wally to be smart.

(Wiz lets slip that he spiked Boomstick’s beer with some cosmic whatchamacallit, and that kinda ends the gag).

They go over more of Wally’s powers, and to be honest, I’m surprised that I haven’t accidentally put “Barry” In place of “Wally.” Their names aren’t that far off from each other.

Anyways, Infinite Mass Punch Physics!

Anyways, Wally has pulled off some pretty crazy feats of… ignoring reality.

Like manipulating energies not native to his own universe,

outrunning the speed force,

outracing DEATH ITSELF! To the point that DEATH DIED!

And outracing instantaneous teleportation!

In a race against the previous Scarlet Speedster, The sheer amount of speed the two were giving off managed to nearly break not just the universe, but the MULTIVERSE!

At some point, you gotta wonder: What DC Writer failed Physics so hard that he made a hero that just broke all laws of physics? Also, Wally is still somehow still considered to be human.

And thankfully, Wally’s family has kept him tethered to this plane of existence, so it’s hard to disrupt him or paradox him out.

But the most impressive feat that Wally did?- Proving to himself that he was worthy to carry on the mantle of the Flash… Aaah!

(I remember this episode. This was one of my favorite episodes ever).

A!Sonic′s Preview.

For reference, I will be referring to this version of Sonic as A!Sonic. Just to keep things consistent. I think I missed it in one area, but I don’t think that matters.

So, a brief history on the Archie Sonic universe… The hosts are quick to emphasize that Archie!Sonic is much much different than game Sonic.

Anyways, after a brief backstory on the Hedgehog, the hosts go over his absurd powerset.

And when I say absurd, let’s just say that that’s putting it lightly.

The comic even states that Sonic’s speed is incalculable.

In a missed moment, this is all thanks to the Chaos Force. Which is very similar to the Speed Force, so I’m a tad disappointed that they didn’t bring that up.

In a nutshell: The Chaos Force is infinite energy that fuels all living beings on Mobius… or something… It takes physical form as rings or emeralds.

Sonic has collected so many of these rings, that he now has a permanent force field that keeps him protected at all times.

But, much like the games, Sonic has a super form. Super Sonic. A form that could stop this guy

from ripping him apart molecule by molecule.

Wiz notes that it still has a time limit, much like in the games, but that that limit is pretty long. But it’s overpowered by Ultra Sonic.

The Chaos Force is so absurd, that it can rearrange molecules. And that’s not just limited to non-organic beings, as shown by Boomstick:

DUMMI gets set on fire after this. It’s a niche gag.

Then they go on to list how crazy stuff that the Chaos Force can do.

Like grant wishes.

However, Sonic and Eggman are kinda… Two sides of the same coin.  And Sonic’s thirst for adventure and action means that he can’t really get rid of him.

Even still, Sonic’s feats are impressive.

In fact, this Sonic is so absurdly powerful, that the only way to really beat him would be to just wait until he dies. As he is essentially an embodiment of chaos.

The Battle Itself.

Luis and Zack are heading this animation, Wally West will be voiced by Joshua Waters and Archie Sonic will be voiced by Nicholas Andrew Louie. Way Past Flash by Brandon Yates. Audio led by Chris Kokkinos.

So the fight opens up on Flash and Sonic having a race.

Typical trash talk and stuff, Sonic eats a Chili Dog, and Flash steals it, and they trash talk a bit more.

At this rate, the season finale is going to start because the two combatants are both racing to the last cinnamon roll in a mall or something.

Anyways, it takes a while, but Wally eventually steals Sonic’s speed.

Sonic notices an Emerald, and he’s back in the race.

Anyways, after a while, the two are now in a different part of the multiverse.

Wally apparently has pushed Sonic to the point that the Hedgehog needs to use Ultra Sonic to keep up.

And, credit where it’s due: This does trip up Flash a bit. But not by enough. Flash manages to get in a good kick on Sonic.

So, yeah.

Finishing Blow in

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

Verdict + Explanation.

This part got a bit glitchy on Tumblr. So if it’s blank, that’s why.

Now for starters, the two combatants are so absurd that it’s hard to determine where to start.

Speed is essentially a non-factor due to how absurdly fast the two are. So that alone wasn’t enough to net a win.

That Black Hole implosion wasn’t as impressive as you might think. Sonic’s been knocked out by far less, Black Holes are already imploding (so it’s not that special), and there’s some snow that survived the whole thing. Plus, even if it’s taken literally, the Infinite Mass Punch is still stronger than a Black Hole.

Base Sonic is essentially a pushover. He has no real defenses against Wally’s powerset, and it would be easy for him to net a win. But that’s not interesting, so they go over what would happen if Sonic could get his Super Forms, which change things up. Between invincibility and wish powers, it would be hard to get around it.

So why could Wally?

Well, Wally has more absurd speed feats than Sonic, so he’s got an experience advantage.

Sonic’s powers have limits that Wally can manipulate, Wally has the endurance advantage, and Sonic has no real defenses against Time-Travel shenanigans.

If push came to shove, Wally could wait out the timer and then just beat Sonic then.

And Sonic couldn’t bend fate to off Wally for him because fate is essentially Wally’s bitch. Like the time when he outraced death, and killed him.

And molecular manipulation was off the table, as Wally has perfect control over all of his.

Wiz’s experiment kicks in about here.

Overall impression.

Okay, this part got deleted a few times. So I’ll make it quick: The rundowns are awesome. The hosts trying to comprehend the absurdity of these characters was really great, and added a lot to the episode as a whole.

The researchers deserve far more credit than they usually get, not just for this episode, but for all of them in general, and it was their hard work that made this possible.

The animation is gorgeous. And I really like how they managed to show how each of the powers would interact with one another.

9.5/10

Next Time…

I hope these guys are alright. It must be hard getting work in these conditions…

But by the GODS! I am excited for this fight!

Is there a fight that you want me to review? - Send an ask/request, and I’ll look into it!

Do you want to read my fanfic based around DEATH BATTLE itself? click here!

Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you next time for…

Fallen Heroes Risen (OOh! Track title idea!)

[crusherthedoctor]

Sonic Villains: Sweet or Shite? - Part 10: INFINITE

There are some villains I like. And there are some villains I don’t like. But why do I feel about them the way I do? That’s where this comes in.

This is a series of mine in which I go into slightly more detail about my thoughts on the villains in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, and why I think they either work well, or fall flat (or somewhere in-between). I’ll be giving my stance on their designs, their personalities, and what they had to show for themselves in the game(s) they featured in. Keep in mind that these are just my own personal thoughts. Whether you agree or disagree, feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions! I don’t bite. :>

Anyhow, for today’s installment, we’ll be sharpening our blades and resisting the pain as we discuss what it takes to be the right-hand henchman of Sonic Forces: Infinite.

The Gist: Dr. Eggman was minding his evildoing business when one day, from thin air emerged a particularly strange jewel that seemed to be drawn to him. Realising this was no mere Chaos Emerald, due to both its peculiar shape and its bizarre reality-distorting effects, Eggman immediately contemplated how he could effectively utilise this new gemstone for his purposes.

Suddenly, jackals!

“Go forth, Red Shirts!”

Eggman's base was under attack by the imaginatively titled Jackal Squad, a group of thieving mercenaries who figured they could profit from the theft of the doctor's equipment. Unfortunately for them, Eggman had Main Character Immunity, so their efforts to kill him send him to the Shadow Realm fell flat. Despite nearly getting killed by them, Eggman knew an opportunity when he saw one, and he offered the role of apprenticeship to the squad's heterochromia-inflicted leader. His fellow jackals insisted not to take up the offer, because even they knew the risks, but the leader signed up immediately, because he's not all right in the head if you know what I'm saying.

In a cruel twist of fate, Eggman's first request for his new stooges was for them to take care of Shadow the Hedgehog. That Shadow the Hedgehog. Ultimate Lifeform Shadow the Hedgehog. Fast, immortal, capable of stopping time, drops his bracelets to grow even stronger Shadow the Hedgehog. They had to defeat that Shadow the Hedgehog.

They did not succeed.

BOOOONESAAAAAW’S READYYYYYYYY

After metaphorically and literally murdering the rest of the already forgotten squad, Shadow gave some parting words to their defeated leader, and those parting words were responsible for what happened next, and everything after. As someone who prided himself on being the ultimate mercenary, Mr. Jackal was bloody well peeved off about coming to terms with his physical shortcomings, and thus decided to give himself an upgrade in the form of sticking a gem on his chest, putting on a mask worthy of a heavy metal cover, and rechristening himself as... Infinite. Infinite power. Infinite possibilities. Infinite memes.

The upgrade paid off. With the aid of the gem, known to us as the Phantom Ruby, Eggman's latest minion was able to distort the environment, summon past foes, and do what no other villain not retconned out of existence had ever managed to achieve: defeat Sonic the Hedgehog.

Eggman was delighted. The past foes were delighted too, as evidenced by how they stood there to take it all in.

This is a very sentimental moment for them.

With Sonic out of the way, Eggman was able to take over 99% of the planet, because Sonic's friends were tragically all on holiday at the same time. During the subsequent six months of suffering and strife, Infinite relished in the doctor's conquest, but not as much as he relished in killing and terrorizing innocents. One incident in particular involved him leaving behind a scared youngster for the sake of letting them know fear. This would turn out to be a big mistake on his part, when - with the ever reliable power of friendship - said youngster would go on to oppose him as part of the Resistance. (This franchise isn't known for creative group names.)

“L’Oreal: Because I’m not weak.”

The formerly incapacitated Sonic also managed to eventually break free from his captivity, and proceeded to do what he does best alongside his new friend. Infinite was having none of this, and so he made absolutely certain to... leave him alive. Despite Eggman's insistence that a freed Sonic could cause as much trouble as a freed Sonic could in every other situation since 1991, Infinite remained confident that he couldn't be beaten. Three guesses for how that turned out. The first two don't count.

He was serious about crushing the Resistance though, and together with Eggman, not only did they summon a whole army of clones, they also summoned an artificial sun that, upon reaching the ground, would ensure the Resistance would meet a terrible fate. Good always triumphs however, and the clones were fought, the sun was vanquished, and Infinite himself was defeated once and for all.

It was at this point that Eggman decided to reveal that Infinite was a sham, a distraction, a red herring. For all his power, Infinite was little more than a glorified mook the whole time. Infinite was never the doctor's endgame. He was. Infinite didn't even have true mastery over the Phantom Ruby... but he did.

Death Chad Robot.

In just a few minutes, Eggman tapped into the power of the Ruby more than Infinite ever did, and overclocked it to turn his Doc Ock-looking mech into a beast. But through thick and thin (and a second Nega-Wisp Armor), Sonic and his ambiguously named friend teamed up to take the madman down, because we're Sonic Heroes.

The world was saved from further tyranny, and Eggman went on to either lose his memory or shrug it off to take part in racing spinoffs depending on the continuity. But Infinite - or rather, the jackal who called himself Infinite - remains absent. He could be alive. He could be dead. He could finally get a haircut. His fate is a mystery that we may never know the answer to. Maybe he's spending his retirement climbing the tallest of mountains.

The Design: Careful you don't cut yourself with all this edge.

You could have gotten yourself an eyepatch for half the price.

Demonic eyes, dark colours, anime hair... he's a villain alright. Infinite's design is unashamed of itself. It knows it's ridiculous, and it goes all out with it, which - let's be frank - matches the character in general pretty reasonably. Funnily enough, I don't have much else to say about it. It's not my favourite character design in the world, but I can credit them for pioneering loudspeaker ears. And at least he's not a hedgehog. Or an echidna.

If you listen carefully, you can hear Shadow sighing in relief under the knowledge that he's no longer the edgiest guy in the room.

The Personality: What's an easy way to make a villain a villain? By making them pointlessly sadistic, of course.

"You may call this the Sonic Chronicles soundtrack... in the brief moments that remain to your eardrums."

And I don't speak lightly when I say pointless. Infinite's penchant for sadism is actually treated as a character flaw, as it contributes heavily to his ultimate downfall. He wastes time by drawing out his kills, and his decision to leave his greatest foes alive because they're supposedly "not worth killing" bites him in the ass on more than one occasion. Even Eggman calls him out on his shitty decisions.

"Don't get cocky with me, son. This ain't the Adventure Era anymore.”

And this ties in with how he is in general. Infinite, for all his delusions of grandeur and nihilistic waxing, is a bit of a fuck up. Him and his squad combined couldn't even take on Eggman on his own (albeit with a Phantom Ruby in his possession), and when the mask comes on, it becomes clear that he only defeated Sonic through the element of unfamiliarity. Once Sonic starts to know about him and fights him for real, Infinite doesn't rely on the Phantom Ruby nearly as well as he could. He has a jewel that can do all sorts of distortions, and all he can think to do with it is use basic lasers and blasts for the most part. He's a thug at the end of the day. A powerful thug, but a thug all the same.

Despite this, though it's only hinted here and there, it seems that he has an Inferiority Superiority Complex. His passionate response to Shadow calling him pathetic (ironically, he never actually said he was weak) goes without saying, but then there's his dramatic speeches about having no hope, and how you can't count on anyone, and blah blah blah eat a Snickers already.

The Execution: Much like Erazor Djinn, you may have gathered that this character has a lot in common with everyone's favourite Ice Age antique, Mephiles the Dark. Like Erazor, Infinite is a better (albeit flawed) take on Mephiles' schtick, but whereas Erazor better emulates the success that Mephiles tried to go for, Infinite better represents the failure that Mephiles actually is... right down to showing how Silver would react if he had actual brain cells.

Above: Character development.

Hell, they both share the fate of getting swatted by Omega.

Not bitter at all.

Anyway, to explain this requires some elaboration. I'm aware that a lot of what I've said about Infinite sounds negative, and that's not entirely untrue, since I'll be the first to admit that he could have been handled a little better, and fleshed out a bit more, especially with all the pre-release hype and attention he was given. At the same time however, he's still leagues above the likes of Mephiles, for one simple reason that we discussed previously: his incompetence is intentional.

Maybe not fully - the pre-Infinite breakdown probably wasn't meant to be as comedic as it ended up being - but you can't tell me his setbacks weren't there on purpose. Eggman lost the war because Infinite left his enemies alive and free. Eggman lost the war because Infinite clumsily left a Phantom Ruby replica behind. Eggman lost the war because Infinite kept messing around when he had better things to do, didn't know what to do other than blindly attack when the chips were down, and got disposed of with little fanfare by the doctor after having failed him enough times. Compare all this to Eggman himself in the same game, who despite being known for his childishness and occasional shortsightedness, had a lot of genuine foresight to share around, and went from backup plan to backup plan like it was nothing.

In other words, Infinite could be seen as a well-needed deconstruction of villains like Mephiles, and why they're not as great as they look at first glance. And in that respect, he's kind of a genius concept.

“Ugh, MORE shitty friends...”

Infinite is a very divisive character, and I can see why. Alongside his far from perfect execution, many fans were expecting and hoping for a straight example of late 00's Sonic villains, in part because that's what the marketing and his infamous theme song set him up as and partly because '06 is now considered better than everything afterwards because Baldy McNosehair is literally oppressing all Sonic fans across the world. If you're like me on the other hand, and don't have the slightest unironic interest in those kind of villains, you can probably respect Infinite a little more for addressing the elephant in the room. And even though he is indeed flawed, I think most of that has to do with the wasted potential of the plot itself rather than anything inherently to do with Infinite's own character.

He's no Eggman, Erazor, Metal Sonic, or Hard-Boiled Heavies. But he's above Mephiles, Black Doom, Eggman Nega, and so many others who blend together after a while. Still, maybe someone should assist Shadow the next time he decides to insult somebody.

Crusher Gives Infinite a: Thumbs Sideways!

[kattimariias]

infodumping my infinite theories bc why not

Let’s started off with the unknown, deeper parts of his backstory, since I think there’s things Forces does not tell us.

Canonically, we already know that he was a mercenary that led a squad of other jackals, and harbored extreme hatred towards the world. I know he says that he’s grown bored of it, but I think that’s just saying it lightly. He wants it to be empty and destroyed, as visualized by the Phantom Ruby.

This is what motivates him into working with Eggman (despite protests from other members), which leads to his squad getting “destroyed” and his defeat done by Shadow. He breaks down, changes who he is, and then the events of Forces happening.

And this is where the questions come in. Why is he so bitter towards the world? Does actually care about his squad? What made him hate the thought of ever showing/being weak?

I think the first and last questions tie in with each other, and there’s evidence of this.

We know that he is a leader. A leader of a team that has to go through a lot of shit. Mercenaries basically risk their lives working for people, as there’s a strong chance they’ll be back stabbed themselves. 

In order to thrive, Infinite likely things he needs to succeed and never back down, or else they’ll be screwed. And such a thought process definitely has gone long enough to the point where he thinks that he is, well, ultimate. Better than the half-alien-chaos-powers-wielding-occasional gun agent.

Not showing weakness is a survival tactic that went too deep into his head. So when he is defeated by someone, probably for the first time in a long while, it basically breaks him, who he used to be.

Infinite is a lot less calm in both the tie-in comic and Episode Shadow. He lacks the elegant way he talks, and is outwardly aggressive; cutting straight into the action as fast as possible. This behavior is dropped as soon as he puts the mask and ruby on, and I think that’s because he tied it with weakness.

If he didn’t take the time to mock, if he sounded more subdued and less reckless-then maybe he won’t be weak anymore. He can change himself, and become better.

Not the better that the world needs.

His leader role also likely effected the way he views the world. Like I said before, being a mercenary often leads to danger. It can potentially show the worst parts of the world. Perhaps Infinite’s upbringing wasn’t terrible, but as soon as he needed to retreat to taking services from complete strangers, his viewpoint changed.

He couldn’t do much to escape from said viewpoint, so things became muddled. He objected to the poor treatment of others once before, but eventually he realized that this is the way things are in the world, and there’s not much that he could do about it. Least in his position.

Because I highly doubt he thinks hes worthy of redemption, but that’s for another time.

Also, note some of the lyrics in his theme song:

“I was born in this pain, it only hurts if you let it.”

“Only scars remain of who I was.”

“This pain, persists, I can’t resist, but that’s what it takes to be Infinite.”

I think it switches between his defeat, and what he feels internally on a general level.

He suppresses the pain inside, from losing what he thought he was, to the immense struggles of leading his squad, and the things he has seen that has changed his perspective. But he can’t fully resist, nor escape from it. He knows this by now, and it’s basically a part of him.

The scars are a representation of who he was in the past. Scars from battles, particularly the last one he had as his old self, are what’s left of those times.

Now onto the squad question. Are they related, or do they just happen to resemble him? Does he really care about them? Are they alive?

I personally believe that they are indeed related. Jackals in real life work as family units, and they can be kinda big. From what I can gather on that one panel from Rise of Infinite (the part where we first see Infinite), there seems to be six of them. There’s probably more we haven’t even seen, but I digress.

Which makes this next part kiiinda f/ucked up.

Infinite used to care about them. But the intense need to survive and improve himself as a leader led to him becoming selfish, and it came to a point where he just did what he wants and forced his siblings to follow suit. Hell, they became less of a family in his eyes and more like a squad. (they functioned as both, but more on the lines of family)

That’s what also makes me doubt they aren’t related/he never cared. If he never did, then they likely would’ve abandoned each other already. The reason why they stuck with Infinite is because he was apart of their family.

I also believe the theory that Shadow merely defeated the squad, and Eggman lied about them dying. Simply because it’s out of character as hell for Shadow to kill people after already experiencing familial death himself.

But I think Infinite becoming, well, Infinite, led to them no longer wanting to do with him. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was obvious that the Infinite they knew was gone. There wasn’t much they could do anyways, he’s much more powerful than them now.

Does Infinite care about their supposed death? Deep down inside, yes. But he doesn’t recognize these feelings anymore, due to pushing himself to becoming near emotionless. I’m not even sure if he understands emotions like fear and grief, because he seemed...confused? Seeing himself shake after his fight with Shadow.

One last thing is something more meta, but what does SEGA have in plan for Infinite?

His fate in Forces is pretty ambiguous (andistillcannotwatchthatcutscenewithouttearinguprip), and he hasn’t appeared in much since then.

Since Forces was a mixed bag reception wise, leaning towards more negative, SEGA probably wants to throw everything about that game away. But considering how characters from other mixed/badly received games (06 with Silver, Lost World with Zavok and Zazz) made appearances after, I’m not sure if this is a factor in it.

Even though the fandom does have a mixed opinion on Infinite, you can’t really deny he does has a lot of fans. Said fans that have been kinda begging to see him again. I think SEGA might be aware of this, social media accounts can help with getting reception from fanbases.

Infinite can’t be in IDW, and he hasn’t even appeared in any spinoff titles. But it seems like companies can make merch of him? Which is something Mephiles and Eggman Nega barely even have.

With those things in mind, I think it’s possible that SEGA isn’t getting rid of Infinite. There’s something they have planned for him, and honestly? I’m not sure what other than a major role in the next mainline game. Hell, they could even be secretly making an Infinite spinoff game...but that’s just wishful speaking lol.

[schizoideh]

So, I turned out to be in a great need of a reference on my boye just right now and I had no choice but finally make it. So, here he is! The veteran of a war which happened in Sonic Forces. I'll try to duplicate the reference data here, and maybe extend it. PHYSICAL TRAITS: Gender: Male Species: Mobian Hedgehog Age: 37 yrs Height: 156 cm (remember how Vanilla was much taller than the other characters) Weight: ???? (who cares?) ABILITIES: Modular body: Becker can changer his body parts to literal weapon, like power claws or a small gun, aybe even some armor. Semi-immoratlity: Of course he isn't immortal, machnes are weak but flesh is weaker. By being half a machine his survivability increased much which is being proven by numerous wounds a fully fleshed creature coudn't withstand. OCCUPATION: Metropolis, police\national guardsman META I have some kind of an AU where Sonic Forces events were actually a war rathter than a kindergarten that was in game, so, you know, people really were dying here, both soldiers and civilians. So, Becker is fractured physically, but not mentally, all thanks to his amazing daughter, not biological one though, but as important as his wife and son were once... STORY CAREFUL, A TEXT WALL AHEAD! CLICK ON YOUR OWN RISK! (also some trigger warnings for injuries)

The story of this hedgehog as who he is nowdays... It has began not so long ago before the first sirens announced the beginning of the long and merciless war. Trying to protect his wife and the small son, he joined the army to fight against Dr. Eggman, to prevent his evil plans, but alas, his wife didn't want to lose him either, being totally against it. During his duty, this led to more and more argues which pressed on Becker, along with the fear to lose the family and the fear of death - who will take care of of his beloved ones then? Sadly, nightmares have the ability to come true, the ones he cherished the most got hit first - a sudden attack was performed with multiple clones right in the very rear, the place where nobody would expect such an enemy to appear, as there were only egg robots on front before. That's when the sirens actually cried for the first time. Although Becker was in the squad, the help came too late. He witnessed his town, his street in ruins and blood with fire, few to zero survivors around. And his own house was no more, as well as his family. His boy's toy on the floor, torn apart, and her phone, broken... But through the chaos and dead bodies around him, through his own internal weeping he heard a shrill cry, even more desperate than his own, which made him get up quickly and run to the source of sound somewhere on the other side of the road. There, the sound brought him to a body of a sheep. Becker barely knew the woman who was looking right through him with these dead eyes - she moved here not so long ago, was timid and not talkative at all. He never actually talked to her even though he'd like to ask her what bring her here all alone but pregnant. She truly was a dark and mysterious horse for him. He remembered this sheep like that when she was alive, but the time passed on since... Becker finally turned the cold body away, exposing a crying baby lamb. There she was safe all this time, covered by the corpse of her mother from the death itself. This cry echoed in hedgehog's head in full volume, piercing it with the flashbacks of his son's first cry. He had no doubt that both their lives were bound by fate. The first serious strike took away their families, but maybe it was a sign to unite now. Even if it's not, he couldn't leave her alone anyway. So, later when Becker's battle brothers found him in the house, he introduced the girl to them as the daughter. --- Becker gave her the name Bonnie, or just Bon. To keep her close as a camp follower, her actual origin was kept as a secret from everybody else. She turned out to be a really fighty and smart girl, with the special love for engineering. Time has passed but the war was still there. Though, it became a routine. Constant fights, rescue operations and sabotage didn't seem to be much of a problem as Becker granted a lot of experience during his war career, but becoming more careless was his first dreadful mistake during another mission, which later turned into a giant snowball. So... Long story shot, he lost his arm by making the robot detonate too close to himself, but fell unconscious. Bon was next to Becker when he woke up - she was extremely happy to see him again, alive, but Becker was... After taking a glance deep into death's eyes, he was shocked, shellshocked and heavily depressed, because there was an ugly stump instead of his main hand and operating with his left hand was pretty mediocre. Seeing his suffering, Bon decided to help him and later she returned to him with a prosthetic arm, a crudely made one but she couldn't do better during these times. It gave him some ability to complete simple everyday tasks and literally gave him the will to live. Bon played a really important role by pulling him out of the depression pit like that, since that moment she started improving her skills in geometrical progression, also fixing and enhancing the augments which were installed later, making Becker faster, better and stronger. Everything seems to get better. --- Nowdays. Eggman's position was pushed back far away back to where he belongs - right to his base. But there's still a lot of dangers left in the world. Bon has achieved the great heights with her skills and now works for a laboratory while the hedgehog himself is working for police. Now he's is having much less flesh than he had back into the days of war, but he's more than just okay with that. He's got used to the feeling of being an indestructible battle machine and gets heavy damage from time to time so Bon have to save him by replace his inwards with more augments... Watching how less humane he becomes and being afraid that one day there'll will be no organics left in his body, which will turn him into a robot with no actual feelings and emotions but just the data flows of ones and zeros. He realizes it too, he knows that it makes her sad but it's too late for him to stop - he doesn't feel the pain and can't tell if he's severely damaged or not.

[jouska-the-deer]

Denial

(Alright, I’m gonna actually put the warnings up front this time instead of just in the tags like I do for most of my fics. 

This fic contains mentions of torture, but nothing is stated explicitly. It also contains descriptions of destroyed populated areas and violence near the beginning. If you know these kinds of subject matter make you uncomfortable, please do not read this fic. I really don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings...

Also, spoilers for Sonic Forces.

Anyway, I hope the people who do read this enjoy.)

The wind howled as Shadow skated up the large hill, dodging charred trees and destroyed robots along the way.

This area had been terribly affected by Eggman’s presence. Had Sonic not stopped him a couple days ago, the burnt landscape would have become a construction site for whatever Eggman desired. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. Less thankfully, the area still reeked of smoldering plants and stagnant water from a nearby collapsed town. At least the fires were dead now.

As Shadow reached the top of the hill, the town now coming into view, he finally saw the person he was sent all this way for. It was sheer luck that he was even here, considering how long ago he was sighted and how quickly he usually travels.

Angered screams and loud thuds rang all throughout the area, the source emanating from Sonic. He charged from tree to tree, spin dashing into their trunks and bouncing off, leaping to the next in a blue flash. Occasionally, he would stop to land a few punches and kicks to the charred wood, blackening his already dirty gloves and shoes even further.

It did not appear that he noticed Shadow’s arrival, which Shadow didn’t particularly care about. He was fine with allowing him to have his outburst since there was nothing else he had to do at the moment. Plus, he figured Sonic would find a reason to fight him if he was still in this state, which would be a huge waste of time. So, Shadow stood with crossed arms as Sonic continued with his little rampage.

Charging up a dash, Sonic launched himself at a tree, taking it down with a loud crack. He rebounded off and watched it fall, a black cloud of dust rising from its impact. Then, in a flash, he was at the side of the summit overlooking the destroyed town.

Everything was in shambles. Buildings crumbled to their foundations, roads cracked and covered with toppled power lines and trees, pools and ponds filled with disgusting murky water that would never be safe to touch. This wasn’t the only town like this. This was all the cities, towns, and villages that Eggman had got to. That Sonic couldn’t stop him from destroying.

Another scream erupted from his lungs as Sonic pulled his quills and fell to his knees. With a long whine, Sonic planted his hands on the ground in front of him, allowing some of his weight to shift to his arms. His limbs trembled as he gave into his worsening exhaustion, ready to lay there on the singed grass for as long as it took for his body and mind to stop screaming at him.

“Ahem.”

Sonic jolted upward, turning on his heel and facing Shadow with a cheery smile, or at least an attempt at one. Within a half second, he was standing a few feet from him.

“Hey, Shadow! You need something?”

Soot covered most of Sonic’s fur, his gloves and socks an ashy grey. And not only were his quills covered in dust like the rest of his body, but they were also splayed and covered in debris. The fact that Sonic could possibly think that he could get away with acting fine in this state annoyed Shadow, but he ignored it.

“I’ve been sent here by GUN to inform you that they have a number of available therapists to see should you decide you need to talk to one. All of the expenses would be covered by GUN. I suggest that you go.”

Sonic took a step back, his face contorted in discomfort.

“Yeah uh, no thanks. I’m alright.”

“Sure you are,” Shadow scoffed.

“You think I’m lying?!”

As his body tensed for a hypothetical fight, Sonic attempted an intimidating look. Shadow was not phased whatsoever.

“Would you consider what you were just doing as, ‘alright’?”

Letting out a huff, Sonic took a few steps away and crossed his arms.

“I was was a little mad about being stuck on that stupid Death Egg for a while, but I’m all good now.”

Shadow kept his voice soft and controlled.

“You spent six months alone in a cell, with records saying were tortured.”

Sonic jumped, his quills raising a small amount. However, he soon turned around, speaking in an annoyed manner with his arms gesturing wildly.

“You got that right! The food was so bland that burnt toast would have tasted better! And the whole place was a snore fest. Every day was a fight against relentless boredom. They didn’t even have TV!”

“And, there was nothing else that could have bothered you?”

Blue ears flicked as Sonic crossed his arms again.

“What? No. Nothing else happened. It was just really boring.”

A hint of concern was seen in Shadow’s expression.

“Are you sure?”

Sonic’s tone became noticeably stern.”

“Yes. Nothing happened.”

“Hmm…”

Shadow’s gaze shifted away, going silent for a moment.

“What?!” Sonic impatiently questioned.

Looking back at him, Shadow let a bit more of his concern make itself visible.

“Rouge recently found security footage of your time on the Death E-”

“-It wasn’t as bad as it looked! Okay?!”

His rushed words were filled with fear, rather than anger. While Shadow hated the fact that Sonic interrupted him, he let it slide, for now.

“I didn’t see the footage,” he calmly informed.

“Oh.”

Sonic cleared his throat, smoothing his quills back and trying to look composed.

“Well uh, yeah. Nothing really happened.”

Shadow let out a tired sigh.

“Rouge requested that I give you a hug for her.”

Sonic snerked.

“What?” he chuckled.

“She was very distraught from the footage and wanted to give you a hug, but she’s too busy to do it herself.”

“Sorry, but I’m not all that into hugs.”

“And you think I am?”

“You can just tell her you gave me one if you need to.”

“She’ll know that I didn’t.”

This was beginning to feel annoying.

“How?”

“She just can.”

That’s a dumb explanation. Sonic huffed.

“Well, then tell her I just didn’t want one.”

“She won’t be satisfied with that answer.”

Sonic was feeling thoroughly angered. Shadow had to go. Now.

“Why don’t you think for yourself instead of having her tell you what to do!? I know you don’t want to give me a hug, so just leave already!”

Shadow sharply inhaled, rightfully angered by that insult. But, he slowly let his breath out, trying to keep himself relaxed.

“I agreed with her that a hug may be helpful to you.”

Sonic groaned, his ears going back and his teeth flaring.

“I don’t need any help! I’m fine! Nothing happened to me!”

The air went silent, Sonic standing his ground and Shadow pausing in thought. Then, Shadow turned around, his air shoes lighting up.

“You know how to get ahold of GUN if you need anything.”

He was about to go when Sonic stopped him.

“Wait.”

Shadow looked over his shoulder.

“If you’re actually worried Rouge will know you didn’t give me a hug, you can give me a quick one just so you can say you did without lying.”

His air shoes dimmed and Shadow turned around, stepping forward and pulling Sonic into a hug.

A second passed.

“Alright, Shadow. I’m sure that’s good.”

Sonic tried stepping away, out of Shadow’s arms, but he maintained his grip. Blue ears went back, Sonic’s tone slightly annoyed.

“Shadow?”

He tried again, but he was locked in.

“Shadow? What are you doing?”

Not a word. He just stood there, his arms locked in place. Even statues weren’t this still and ungiving.

At that point, Sonic just huffed, accepting his fate until Shadow finally let go. Normally, being trapped like this would make him extremely uncomfortable, but he was just too tired to care anymore. The last couple days were tiring, well, more accurately, the last six months- ‘Don’t think about that.'

Besides, if he was being honest, Sonic would admit that it was kind of comfy. Shadow wasn’t constricting him, just holding tight enough to make it so he couldn’t slip away. It wasn’t like the rib-crushing hugs Amy used to give, and it wasn’t as awkward either. Of course, it was still awkward. Sonic wasn’t lying when he said he wasn’t into hugs. But still, it was nice to finally have contact with another person after- ‘Don’t think about that.’

Well, he did get a hug from Tails shortly after getting back. It was a little shorter than he would have liked, though. Maybe after he’s done checking in on the damage and pitching in on the effort to rebuild everything, he’ll go see him. That is if Shadow would let him go eventually! Seriously, what’s he doing?!

“How long are you gonna hold me hostage?! You’ve been hugging me forever now!”

No response, as expected.

Sonic sighed. He was too tired to fight his way out, the hug actually didn’t feel too terrible, and he was done helping out for the day. Other than getting back his personal space, there wasn’t really a reason to try and get away. But it was getting harder to think of things to occupy his mind while the time passed. Things other than-

Okay, maybe looking around would help. Except, there wasn’t really much to look at. Just burnt trees, singed hills, and what was left of the sunset. The sky was pretty much just a dull reddish purple, and he wasn’t going to see any stars anytime soon. There was so much smoke in the sky that stargazing was nearly impossible in some places. At least there was more to look at now than when he was-

Maybe thinking about friends would help. They always cheer him up! Well, except when they’re Shadow and STILL WON’T LET GO! Anyway, it was nice to see them all again. Tails apparently wasn’t feeling too great for a while, but he was definitely doing better now. Amy was distraught when he was first gone, but used her feelings as motivation to keep fighting. A little cheesy, but also pretty cool of her. What Sonic found most surprising was Knuckles leading the whole resistance, with a lot of help from Amy of course. Apparently, Silver showed up to warn Knuckles of all the bad stuff that was going to happen, and Knuckles just assumed the role as commander of the resistance. Speaking of Silver, it was nice to see him again.

See, that isn’t too hard. What was Sonic worried about? This would be easy! Just think about his awesome friends until Shadow gets bored and lets go. He had a million friends to think about too! Like Vector and Espio and Charmy and Cream and Vanilla and Big and Rouge- uh, maybe not think about her. She was sort of the person who got him into this mess. Though, it was doubtful that she wanted Shadow to give him this ridiculously long of a hug. Unless she really did feel that awful about- ‘Don’t think about that.’

About what she saw on the security footage. ‘Stop thinking about it.’ Everything that happened. ‘Nothing Happened.’ For an entire six months. ‘It was just really boring.’ While Eggman took over. ‘Stop.’ Leaving him in a cell. ‘It didn’t happen.’ Alone with nobody to talk to. ‘I wasn’t too lonely.’ Except when his robots would show up. ‘It wasn’t that bad.’ Show up to- ‘It’s over! I’m fine now!’ To- ‘Why am I still thinking about this...’ To- ‘...To make my life a nightmare…’

The sky was almost completely dark now. It was getting cold, but the wind had died down a lot. Silence took over until it was broken by a short sniff.

Sonic’s eyes burned, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. His breath was shaky and harsh, his body trembling. A tear slid down his cheek, alerting Sonic of his current situation. He was crying. He was crying and Shadow was right there. This is embarrassing. Have to get away now.

He pushed back against Shadow’s grip. It didn’t do anything. Shadow was too strong, and Sonic too tired.

Sonic gave up, falling forward and wrapping his arms around Shadow for support. More tears rolled down his cheeks as he began to cry openly, his sobs louder and breaths heavier. Even if he could back away, there wasn’t a point anymore. He let himself cry since he couldn’t stop it anyway.

After a while, his sobs softened and tears stopped falling. Sonic wiped his eyes and nose with his dirty glove, probably leaving gross black marks on his face, but he didn’t care. He was too tired to care.

Once again, he tried backing away, this time without much effort put into it. Finally, Shadow let him free, and Sonic took a few sluggish steps away. Without much thought, he let himself fall to the ground, his quills absorbing most of the shock. Most, not all, as the sudden stop did make him grunt with mild pain. He laid there, staring up at the greyish purple sky until he heard something. Wait, did Shadow just sit down?

He pushed himself up and into a sitting position, noticing that yes, Shadow did sit down a few feet from him. Sonic huffed in annoyance.

“Seriously. What are you doing?”

“The same thing Rouge did for me.”

Oh, so now he can talk? Took him long enough. Well, while he was finally speaking, might as well try and figure out what was going on.

“And what did she do?”

“Help me feel better.”

Sonic rolled his eyes.

“You aren’t exactly Mr. Sunshine and Rainbows you know.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“Okay, sure. What are you gonna do, hug me again?”

“I’m going to sit here until you decide to do what you need to feel better.”

He rolled his eyes again, huffing with annoyance. Shadow retained his neutral expression.

“You could get up and leave at any moment,” Shadow stated. “I’m not stopping you.”

Silence, then a groan followed by Sonic turning away from him.

It was completely dark now. While the stars and moon did add a small amount of light, it was heavily diluted by the smoke in the sky. At least Sonic was able to see fairly well in the dark, and Shadow had near perfect night vision. Not that it mattered all too much in the moment, as they were currently sitting on the hill with nothing to look at.

Sonic thought about leaving. If Shadow wasn’t lying, he really could just get up and leave… Though, for some reason, he did really want to. Maybe it was the fatigue. Maybe he just felt lazy. Or maybe he knew that he needed help. ‘I don’t need any help. I’m fine.’

He glanced over at Shadow.

Neutral expression. Arms crossed. Doing nothing. Of course.

By now, Sonic’s anger had mostly cooled down. But boredom was starting to set in, and Sonic definitely didn’t want to deal with feeling bored. Okay, time to say something, anything, just to push the boredom away. He did have a question about the whole situation, and Shadow did seem more open to answering stuff now.

“So, is this really what Rouge did? Just sit there and wait for you to do something?”

“Yes.”

“And it worked.”

“Mmm hmm.”

Sonic let out an annoyed sigh.

“Well, I’m not you. What makes you think that what you’re trying will work the same on me?”

“I know you want to feel better, but you’re too stubborn to admit that you need help. I just have to wait until you stop denying it.”

“I don’t need any help!” Sonic growled. “Nothing’s wrong! I’m fine!”

“Hmm…”

Shadow simply continued to sit there in silence, with Sonic doing the same.

Boredom started to set in again. While Sonic definitely didn’t want to talk to Shadow more, there wasn’t much else for him to do. That is unless he decided to leave, but he knew he needed help- ‘I don’t need any help.’

“So uh, what did you do?”

“Hmm?”

He briefly considered not repeating himself. But, might as well clarify and continue talking, otherwise, he’d just be left with his thoughts again.

“If this is what Rouge did with you, what did you end up doing?”

“I went to a therapist like she asked.”

“Oh.”

Sonic briefly looked away, thinking for a moment, then looked back.

“You don’t exactly seem like someone that’d just go to therapy.”

“I wasn’t. But I needed to go, and it helped ease some of my stress.”

It was so odd. Seeing Shadow talking about anything that could make him look like less than the perfect being. Talking about how he needed to see a therapist, and how it actually helped. It was sort of comforting. Knowing that even Shadow could admit that he couldn’t deal with his feelings on his own. But…

“Can’t I just try to get over what happened? I’m sure I will eventually.”

“You don’t ‘just get over’ things like that.” He sighed, looking off into the distance. “You can choose to let your experiences affect your actions, but you have no control over how they affect your thoughts. No matter how much you try to stop thinking about what you’ve been through, it’ll stick with you forever.”

Shadow stood up, looking down at Sonic, who had his eyes locked on him.

“So you keep pretending everything is fine, or you can accept the help that’s being offered to you.”

Slowly, Sonic’s gaze lowered to the ground.

Shadow did have a point. ‘No he doesn’t.’ Sonic could already tell that he wasn’t going to stop thinking about what happened anytime soon. ‘I will eventually.’ And maybe talking to a professional about everything might help. ‘It might not.’

He looked back up at Shadow.

“What if the therapist I see doesn’t help?”

“Then you can find a new one. GUN has multiple, and it’s doubtful that all of them would fail to do their job.”

“I…”

“I could also see if the therapist I had is available to you.”

“...”

His eyes were on the ground again.

This could finally help. ‘I don’t need help.’ Not only with what happened on the Death Egg, but with all the other things he’s gone through as well. ‘I’ll get over all that eventually.’ It could help with the stress. ‘I’m not that stressed.’ It could help with the constant fear. ‘I have every right to worry about my friends!’ It could help with the nightmares. ‘They aren’t that bad.’ It could help make dealing with everything a little easier. ‘I don’t need help…” It could help with all the guilt. ‘I…’ It could help. ‘I… I need help.’

Sonic let out a long, shaky breath, pushing himself off the ground and standing up. He paused for a moment, then looked up at Shadow.

“Alright… I’ll go.”

The corner of Shadow’s mouth lifted into a soft smile.

“I’ll make some calls to see when everyone is available.”

As Shadow lifted his communicator, Sonic released a short relieved sigh. He too softly smiled, feeling a small amount of relief.

“Thanks.”