#because shadow calls himself a hedgehog and looks pretty hedgehog shaped

[starryeyesstarryskies]

probably dumb idea: sonic having some amount of actual hedgehog instincts/behaviors, and assuming that shadow also does because he's also a hedgehog, and thinking that they're on the same wavelength in that regard.

but they aren't, and shadow doesn't. for all intents and purposes, he isn't actually a hedgehog, he was just created to look like one. but his dna is from black doom so he has his own weird alien behaviors.

this obviously leads to confusion and maybe frustration because shadow doesn't pick up on the subtle implications of sonic's social behaviors, and sonic doesn't understand why and misinterprets shadow's behaviors in turn.

it's like an allegory for autism, except shadow also just actually has literal autism so really either way these social cues are going way over his head

[knowlessman]

okay, if every episode is 20-odd minutes, then I should have about 2 hours and change left of this arc. …I'm gonna end up making it at least 4 aren't I. bnha s6e20-25

"My Villain Academia." "okay class, say hi to Mr Rotten, he'll be subbing in for this one" saxophones start up

I remember hearing about a song from this show called You Say Run. …Was that one of the other openings? …shit, looks like it was and I didn't even notice. plays song I… don't really recognize it? : / Like, it's good, just… generic. Maybe it's been playing throughout the show whenever stuff gets real and I just kind of didn't take notice of it cuz it seems to be an instrumental.

Merry-Go-Round does go pretty hard tho

don't you have hedgehogs to plot against?

Tomura: "I'll burn it all down. The most beautiful horizon you've ever seen!" Toga: "except for Deku, right?" Tomura, prolly already killing her in his mind: "of cooourse"

okay so that weird duck-dog thing controls the puke-teleport quirk ig

"his body gets bigger during combat. he attacks every three hours. he finds shigaraki no matter where he hides" okay so, you get a million dollars, but there's this giant snail…

"a voice changer?" I mean, the principal of UA is a capybara or whatnot, why couldn't Twice's contact be a chipmunk?

Tomura: "You're right, Meta Liberation Army, I can't beat you." pointing over his shoulder at All for One's number one fan "But he can."

ah, it's not the little red book of commulism. it's the little red book of libertarianism.

buh? oh right, I forgot about Captain A-Pose 'XD guess it makes sense that a guy who looks so much like Mr Incredible would be a libertarian. : /

"they won't release the nomus. you don't have any; the last ones you had were weak; and you tried to get the last one you released back." Mr Green here making lots of assumptions. eh, or maybe he's just saying stuff hoping the hostage will accidentally tell him something

(toga's villain origin) so, yeah, more or less what you'd expect

oh, yeah, I guess we have seen this Giran guy before. dint recognize him without his glasses and cigarette

"I've been trying not to get hurt because I was worried that I was a clone!" huh. twice dun oops'd himself into a breakthrough. good for him, I guess? -- "so as I pray… Unlimited Shadow Clone Works" -- "what about your trauma?" "love and courage fixed everything!" 'XD love, courage, and crucially, the opponent accidentally unlocking your power because he didn't fully understand why you weren't using it

oh yeah, and Spinner's here too. completely forgot about him. …and about whether he even has a quirk.

♪ they were looking kind of dumb with their fingers and their thumbs in the shape of an L on their foreheads… ♪ (been thinking this since the first time Mr Green did it)

"show the world that everyone is a hero, and no one is!" ohai syndrome, you got a very different gameplan this time around. heck, OG syndrome thought he was a commulist.

"I'm sure he will touch the tower. It's what I would do." …Twice's clones of other people can not only think, but know themselves well enough to predict what their originators will do. Twice makes smart zombies, like in Return of the Living Dead. Kinda hated that movie tbph; the zombies were OP. …Twice is OP, but in the cool way where you can still write a story around him. -- This also means that Twice is even more of a horror story than I thought; not only did he think he might be a clone, but the clones that he does make are entire people. It's like that one arc of Schlock Mercenary. … : / Or Mr Meeseeks I guess.

somebody skipped… uh, head day? okay, not so sure about that one tbh

-- yeah this… okay no I did forget his name completely. Mr Green, then, has been reminding me of Mosquito from Soul Eater with the suit and the limb embiggening -- and the nose, come to think of it

"that means you have big guts!"

"re-destro! it's coming your way!" 'XD I completely forgot about godzilla. on the one hand, it's starting to look like they won't need him, but on the other, they also might be able to handle him now, since the Liberation Army keep accidentally powering them up

full pants? and they're PINSTRIPED? dude, Bruce Banner and Ben Grimm are BOTH laughing at your fit

(tenko villain origin) …well I guess this is easier to understand than Stain's gibberish, at least. oh joy, and there's a part 2. part 1 had him killing his dog, let's see if this gets darker than that

aye, bystander effect.

the sheer… accidental appropriateness of that episode being followed up by the OP coming in with "whoa, whoa, it's alright, everything will be alright" 'XD

(pajama sam's the new president of liberty city) …yup. absolutes about freedom tend to just become the freedom to oppress. the strong/rich get more freedom than anyone else, which in practice means they're the only ones who get any at all. -- "these nine people are my lieutenants. other than that, we do what we want!" no rules, but there's a chain of command, but no rules. -- also hang on, I thought Tomura said he'd split up the League after that fight during his epiphany? he said "after this, the rest of the League can do what they want"?

"Feel Good Inc"? Feel Good Inc? "Now watch me as I navigate, ha-ha-ha-ha-ha"

I must be hella shallow, Laserguts can turn his lasers into a sword now and I'm like "okay, maybe I could get to like him" 'XD yeah tho, gawd this random feelgood stuff with the UA kids is needed after all that heavy shit

"I never thought I'd be able to talk… normally? With Kacchan" Have better goals Deku, jesus. …The whole entire rest of this mess, well okay most of it, is stuff that more or less makes sense. Why is Bakugo? WHY is he?

"Tsukauchi wants you to postpone your meeting with Stain" !!!??? I thought the fucker was dead! …Gawddammit, I didn't want another chance to attempt parsing whatevertf his whole deal was. 'XD

"We all have an expeditionary assignment on the same day?" is it another tournament arc

…exactly. four. hours. maybe like ten minutes short of it. …well, que sera or whatever.

[teamxdark]

The sun beat down from overhead, and the scent of salt carried over as the breeze guided the waves to the shore. Below his feet, the captain felt the soft rocking of the ship sway him from side to side, back and forth, a sensation so familiar that he had to concentrate if he ever wanted to notice it.

And, well... He wanted to notice it right then. Anything to keep his troubled thoughts at bay.

Shadow was no captain. He had never considered himself good for the role. He could govern himself just fine, but when it came to a group, the weight of responsibility for others pushed him to his worst.

The problem was that no one noticed it.

The hedgehog lifted his head, keeping a hand on his hat to prevent it from flying away, and looked up at the clear skies, dotted by a few seagulls gliding on the currents up above. A perfect day to set sail, as the navigator had told him; Knuckles had an exceptional sense of direction and the strength of body to carry out duties as the helmsman or at the rudder, even when weathering a storm.

Even though he still sometimes drank himself to sleep to handle the guilt of refusing to accompany her.

A flash of yellow swooped by his periphery, and the captain turned to see Tails hard at work, checking the rigging and assessing the sails. The lad was young but brave, and had exceptional knowledge about the structural integrity of the ship. He could spot issues that most would gloss over, even with years of experience. A prodigy, an asset, an invaluable member of the crew.

Shadow still saw the boy's hands shake as he retied the knots, and he knew he still slept in the same hammock as his brother, worried that he might meet the same fate as her.

"Here you go, Captain!"

Amy's cheerful voice interrupted Shadow's brooding, and she pressed a large sandwich into his hand. "It's the last day we can have bread, unsalted meat and fresh vegetables, so I decided to make everyone something special."

The cook was her own force of nature, with a bright and friendly disposition that made those around her feel calmer and happier, and she made meals so good, even with a limited pantry, that the crew swore she was capable of magic. Yet, Shadow had seen her at the cannons, firing mercilessly at those who threatened them. She never missed a shot.

She still cried into their stew, sometimes.

Amy carried on, bringing the next sandwich to Silver, who thanked her with a kind smile. The cabin boy was the newest addition, a stowaway-turned-crewmate that they couldn't manage to turn away. He was an odd one, optimistic and thoughtful, yet impulsive and filled with a rage that brought the worst storms to shame. His telekinetic abilities helped him keep the ship spick and span all over, and when obstacles couldn't be avoided, it was often he who held the ship together... quite literally.

Shadow knew she would have found him to be priceless.

"Ready to set sail, Captain?"

Shadow held back a sigh and looked over to his first mate. Sonic was leaning over the side of the ship, feeling the breeze hit his face, his eyes serenely closed as he noticeably avoided looking at the water. For someone who didn't know how to swim, Sonic still fit in the crew like a hand in a glove tailor made for it. A jack of all trades, he was quick, decisive, courageous, fearless...

She should have picked him.

Shadow's hand rose to his chest, feeling the bumps and indents of the necklace hidden underneath his shirt, until it stopped over his heart, where the jewel lied.

Pink. Heart-shaped. Not worth much by a jeweller's appraisal, but absolutely priceless to any and everyone on that ship. The true symbol of the captain.

"Sometimes you have to make the value yourself," she had told him as she slipped the stone back under her shirt, safe from view.

"Just about," he finally responded to Sonic, noticing how the other hedgehog's ear dropped a tad before lifting back up.

"Sorry Cap, but it doesn't really sound like it."

Shadow hated that he was right. He hated that he still didn't feel ready. He hated that he had such a fantastic crew that he didn't feel worthy of inheriting.

When he was only responsible for himself, it was one story, but he didn't know if he could stand being responsible for anything that could happen to the rest of them. Shadow knew himself; after so many years of following her orders, so many instances of breaking away from her plans because he needed to figure out something for himself, he had come to a conclusion:

He was selfish, self-centred, and unfit to be the one calling the shots for people who needed someone with a strong mind and a constant focus on the big picture.

Why did you give this to me, Rouge?

Any of them could do a better job. Sonic, though he seemed carefree, commanded attention and loyalty and inspired trust and morale. Amy was a natural leader, responsible and resourceful. Even Knuckles, who still fell for Sonic's dumb pranks, had shown that he could step up to the plate and lead when he needed to.

Shadow had been the wildcard, a mix of a lone wolf and a follower, a gun to be aimed and fired by someone with enough clarity of mind to know what she needed to shoot for in the long run.

Rouge had been the perfect captain, except for one thing.

For some reason, she had named Shadow as her second in command.

"Still comparing yourself to her?"

Shadow's hand fell from his chest. He refused to respond.

Sonic leaned back from the railing, opening his eyes to the sky. "I guess I get it. Big shoes to fill and all that. But no one's a perfect captain, you know. Captain Rouge might have been one of the best there was, but the instant she saw a pretty gem..."

"... we'd get sidetracked," Shadow finished, pressing his lips together. It was true; as great as Rouge had been, she had a weakness, and that weakness was why she wasn't with them now.

"I just wish she had told us where she was going..."

It was a question the crew often asked themselves. Why had their captain run off to find a treasure reputed to have a curse so terrible that the map was torn apart and scattered. Why they had spent the better part of a year sailing around to find the pieces. Why Rouge had put together the map in secret and left to find it alone, leaving Shadow her necklace with the announcement that he was in charge. Why she hadn't taken anyone with her, save for the joking offer to Knuckles to accompany her, which the echidna still managed to convince himself was a true offer as a way to find something concrete to blame for the guilt and fear that he felt. That they all felt.

Shadow had nothing like that. He envied Knuckles in a way for it.

"Think of it this way," Sonic said, once again pulling Shadow from his thoughts. "It's an adventure of our own, and the prize is finding her again."

Shadow clenched his fists, crushing his sandwich in the process. "If she's still alive," he muttered, saying what so many of them were afraid to even think about.

"Hey now, come on--"

"Six months!" Shadow snapped. "It's been half a year and there's been no sign of her at any of the rendezvous points!"

You left us. You left me here, with your crew, and now I have to do what I could never do.

"And that's why we're looking for her, right?" Sonic asked, remaining calm even as Shadow felt his world split apart, yet again, as it did far too frequently when he was left with his thoughts. "That's why you ordered this search. Because you know that giving up on her when there's still a chance is the worst thing you could do for her."

Shadow breathed in heavily through his nose, forcing his hands to unclench. Sonic was right. There was a stupid, dumb, idiotic, pathetic part of him that couldn't accept what he knew should be the truth.

Rouge, if we find you and you're still alive, I'm throwing you overboard myself.

"We set off in two minutes," he ordered, stuffing what was left of his sandwich into his mouth. Next to him, Sonic grinned and gave him a salute.

"Aye aye, Captain."

With that, he was off, no doubt relaying Shadow's order to the rest of them. Shadow, meanwhile, walked to the bow of the ship, looking out to the horizon as he drew the necklace out from under his shirt.

They had no leads. They had a great many countries and vessels after them thanks to their history of heists. The odds of finding anything helpful were so astronomically slim that they might as well be sailing to their deaths.

But if any crew could do it, it was this one.

And Shadow, no matter how little he believed in himself, no matter how much fear he held, had to lead them.

"Sit tight, Captain," he whispered to the necklace's heart-shaped gem. Behind him, he heard the sound of Silver raising the anchor and Knuckles calling out directions to Tails at the helm while he pushed the rudder.

It was time to begin their adventure.

[originalwinnercheesecake]

First Impressions and predictions based on the coven Leaders

After a full first season their fame adorning the banners and walls, who they are being hailed, yet they themselves being kept in the shadows we now get first looks (and throughout 2a will meet) the emperors top dogs: The coven leaders. I will not lie as a group... these guys dissappoint me. Making the majority of them very human in appearance for me is a big no. Compare this group to the many colorful and fantastical creatures that are shown teaching at hexside and the hexside teachers are far more creative, unique, and fun. Maybe the artists decided to make the coven leaders look more like normal people so the audience would have an easier time understanding their expressions and body language. Maybe the more humanoid whitches are a higher class and have a easier time climbing higher than the more beast and demon like residence.? We will have to wait and see. 

Seperate this group into individuals (like how we will hopefully meet them) and most of them become far more interesting, So below lets take a look at each coven leader individually, where the artists may have taken inspriation, and what  What kind of characters they could maybe turn out to be.

The Beast keeping coven Leader: One of the only two that are not humanoids. What type of animal is he? At first I was sure he was a hedgehog, but maybe he could also be like a chipmunk or a squirrel. I get the feeling he might be partially inspired by Sonic from Sega. I was really into Sonic back in middle school. I liked the cartoons and read through the archie’s old comic series. But I kinda out grew him since then. I know from helping to take care of kids though that he is still popular with the younger generation. That’s kinda how I thin the Beast Keeping Coven leader will be: less interesting for older viewers, but a real fun charcter for kids.

The Healing coven leader: Now this guy looks like fun villain all around. Is some kind of witch docotor? a Dark Priest? The size the purple Grin, he looks like the phantom boss from those horror films where you get trapped in nightmares. Tell me he has scary theme song music and talks in a very high pitched voice. I’ve heard some people wonder if he could be Selena (oracle girl from hexside)’s dad. I don’t thinks so, the macaroni crescent shape n his head looks more like a fancy cowl than part of his actual head. Also him having a daughter in Luz’s class could be used as a reason for him to change sides, I want this guy to stay as a villian/antagonist. We all know that with this size group some will stay with the emperor and some will defect to Luz’s side (possibility a couple will die, we haven’t seen yet just how dark Dana is willing to go). Personally my view with redemption arcs and if a character “deserves them” is it depends on what it will do for the story/character afterwards? IF redeeming them opens more doors for the characters and directions the story can take, do it. IF it closes doors leave them as they are. I absolutely hate when clever and well written bad guys get “redeemed” in to boring, plot useless, weebs. The only reason I could see having this guy change sides is for him to “cure” Eda and Lilith’s curse, and I would much rather see the two of them gain control over their forms than be “cured” of them.

The Illusion coven leader: Another fun looking antagonist. My third favorite of these nine. If the healer guy is horror movie based. This guy is Disney based all around. Looks like one of those Vegas suave showmen styled character. Love it. I guarantee you he does not actually look that young or slicked back, but is using illusion magic to make himself more pretty. Not sure if he will stay with the emperor or not. Illusion is Gus’s track and I could see Dana having the leaders of Luz’s friends tracks be the ones to stand by them. If so I am fine with that (in the case of the abomination leader I will beg for it). Gaining the respect of someone as high up as a coven leader could be really great for Gus’s character. Just as long as I get plenty of laughs from Gus and this guy both along the way.

The Potion coven leader: My second favorite and in my opinion the most creative idea of the whole bunch. A mosquito that works in potions! Does he suck them up with his nose and carry them in.. whatever it is mosquitos store blood in. Also he looks angry. Like everyone else is either amused or board. This guy is fed up and ready to do something about it. Not sure if it is the Emperor, the other leaders, or the owl gang he is mad at, but it should be a worthwhile show down.

The Abomination coven leader: Yes this is my favorite design. Yes it is because he is such a beautiful man. Would never have expected someone who creates mucks (the pokemon) with legs would be so fine. Its more than that though. He looks the most kind. Their is no malice or guise in his smile and his green eyes are bright and relaxed. I wondered what the purpose of the Abomination track was and why it had “more opportunity” all last season. Well slight spoilers if you haven’t seen episode 2x02 it is the industrialist field. When you learn about Industrialization usually the idea is that it is done to help the human race reach its full potential, and it is up to each individual to decide what to do with that potential. Whether you call that the passion of a creative mind or the carelessness of a fool would also be up to you. But I really don’t want this guy to be all bad. If for no other reason that more spoilers for episode 2 * with the interest/caution the emperor is showing the blights I expect this guy to show up to their house, probably meet Amity, and we really do not need another not so nice adult in her life. She has had enough.

The Oracle coven leader: What is this? He’s got nails/caws at the ends of dread thingys like Kikimore, so is this her father? Does he have anything to do with her being in the Emporor’s coven? But this is my least favorite. Like what was the inspiration behind this guy? With so many legendary oracles in mythology and we get this guy who mostly looks saggy, washed out, tierd, and just Blah. Hope thier is more to him, but here is one who I am not holding my breath for an episode on.

The Plant coven leader: based on her banner I was expecting something like the Swamp Giant from ALTA. Instead they went in the direction of a very traditional witch desgine: An old women with a wrinkled face and really messy hair, who probably lives alone in the woods, with maybe the exception of a cat, and dances around a fire at night. Okay. She is definitely going to become an ally of the owl gang. This is the only female of the group,and it is neither in Dana’s message nor would it be popular with her target audience to make a villain or even an antagonist out of a women who managed to climb the later into a male dominated success level. I am actually looking forward to seeing her, because it will probably be in a Willow based episode, and after 2x02 (which I personally feel should not have been a luminaty episode but rather a Willow and Amity one finishing up their reconciliation arc), Willow deserves an episode with potential centered around her. An episode where she goes against the Plant track Leader would be that. This witches Grin isn’t exactly friendly, but its more mischievous than wicked. She gives off vibes as one of those people who like to test the mains, and if you pass her tests than you earn her respect. I have no doubt Willow could win at her little games, and doing so would be a huge boost the confidence she has spent the show building.

The Construction coven leader: Oh joy here’s the other one I am unimpressed with. Unlike with the Oracle guy I know where they got his design. To everyone saying that we first saw him at the convention, your not backing far enough up. If you have ever seen any cartoon ever where the main character wanders past or onto a construction sight you have seen this man. Every trio of workers sitting on a iron frame eating from a lunchbox. Every pig that makes a catcall at a disgusted women. Every exhausted worker who watches as your slapstick mains chase each other past at quitting time... they all looked EXACTLY like this guy. This is really the character leading the track Dana herself has said she would pick to join? They could have done a Golem made of brick an stone that resembles a palace. They could have done some kind of humanoid ant with super strength. They could have done a wizard with shapes and mathematics on his robe who carried a scroll everywhere that he compulsively scribbled blueprints onto. But instead we get Mr. Generic here.

The Bard coven Leader: This is R, Eda’s old friend from her hexside days. Did I save R for last because of this connection? Partially. I am also unsure what R’s pronouns are. To me R looks physically male. I have seen other posters use “she” when posting about R. One person posted that Dana had confirmed R uses “they” and if so awesome, I would really like to see that tweet. What ever R’s pronouns though their appearance in the show will be tied with Eda, er past, and what she had to give up in order to live free. I look forward to this new insight onto her character

[beevean]

3 years of Sonic Forces, the biggest love-hate relationship of the series

[note: this is the translation of @latin-dr-robotnik​’s article]

Today is an almost special day, today it’s the anniversary of a rather peculiar game in this series.

On this day 3 years ago, the (to this day) newest game of Sonic Team was released: Sonic Forces. After waiting a year and a half since its announcement (and four years since Sonic Lost World’s release), it was finally time to see what the last chapter of the main series had in store for us, and the results were… okay.

There were so many warning signs in the months before the release: a marketing campaign that was noticeably absent until the very last month, opting to focus more on Mania (let’s not forget that we still get videos about Mania even after the game’s release, not so much about Forces), which added to the uncertainty caused by the footage already available at the time, which ended up being confirmed a few days before the release, when some people managed to get the game early and streamed a good chunk of the game. While one of the leakers was just a bad player, the quality of the game itself was put into question…

A harsh reality

I’m not going to soften up my words here: for being the latest Sonic game, in a post-Generations and post-Boom era, Sonic Forces fell short of everything it tried to do (if it tried). Anything positive comes from the roots of something negative, and in the context of this anniversary, after 3 years without knowing a thing about the next game, it only emphasizes the frustration and the disappointment it caused.

Sonic Forces promised a world devastated by Eggman, an epic battle to save the world and win against a powerful enemy. However, of so many promises, not even the first one, the most basic one, was kept: it was an empty takeover, explained poorly (because they didn’t even show it, they told it through text) and developed even worse. All the potential of such an exciting world was thrown away as soon as the game didn’t even try to explain some of its most important questions (like why Green Hill was in the process of desertification); to this day we still don’t know what the fuck does the Phantom Ruby do, in Mania it has some powers, in Forces it has different powers, and it’s not clear where does it come from or if it’s more powerful than the Chaos Emeralds. It is disappointing to not be able to discover all this untapped potential, and it is so disappointing that one of the oldest works on my blog was an attempt to rewrite the beginning of the game, give it more context and a better footing to start the adventure.

This old leak dates back to 2016, when the game was barely announced, and surprisingly it ended up being real, very very real. Even the title “Sonic Wars” is true, and if you don’t believe me you can open the game’s folder and read the names that appear. Source.

The confusion and disappointment don’t end here. If you have read the mess of opinions and emotions that is my analysis of the game [translator’s note: the link is in Spanish], you may have noticed that one of the biggest questions never answered was, what’s up with the order of the levels and why is it so confusing? Between 2016 and 2017, there were some leaks and statements going around places like Sonic Stadium that confirmed that the game went through numerous changes, not just in the plot, but in the levels as well. Right now I can’t find these old posts (I’m surprised that the fandom didn’t archive them), but it was said that the original idea for Forces, then still called Sonic Wars, was to shine the spotlight even more on the Avatar, or Buddy as it was called; the decision was unanimously rejected by SEGA of America and Europe, forcing SEGA of Japan to order that the game was modified. In fact, I remember that the leak that mentioned this meeting between the SEGA branches was rather bad, with a very tense atmosphere and lots of disagreements.

This is the closest thing to a confirmation of the scrapped plot that I could find. At least it’s proof that I’m not crazy and that Forces was indeed more focused on the Avatar. Source.

The mess that is the order of the levels, the questionable presence of characters like Classic Sonic, and some of the details of one of the leaked scrapped scripts such as that apparently they considered to reintroduce Mephiles – all of this shapes the network of a mediocre game, created under the premise of “from the creators of Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations�� but taking all the wrong parts of those two games, using an engine that has been proven to be less efficient than Unleashed’s and Generations (and I’m not talking about the Hedgehog Engine, which is the graphical engine – I’m talking about the game and physics engine of Lost World), and with short levels and… polarizing bosses, to say the least.

The result is a game that shows a lot of potential, but in practice it doesn’t live up to it at all, be it for its own limitations (being rushed like hell) or for a noticeable lack of attention to details; it didn’t succeed in creating a cohesive and coherent world, with levels that could be worthy of what has been learned in these years. This is the reality of Sonic Forces.

And yet...

Despite everything I’ve just said, despite all the unacceptable errors that Forces made, and despite all the terribly wasted potential… we still talk about this game.

There are many reasons. On one hand, Forces and Mania have been the latest Sonic games for 3 years now, which is tragic in on itself (Team Sonic Racing disappeared from the face of the Earth); on the other, we still talk about Forces because there is something that still attracts us to it.

It’s not the same attraction we feel for Sonic ‘06, though. Forces is not a complete, almost-franchise-killing disaster like ‘06 was, it’s not a giant meme that spread from the fandom to popular circles and internet figures such as the Game Grumps. People have been trying to fix Forces’ mistakes, but not on the same scale as projects that tries to completely recreate ‘06 with a radically different engine, or fix each and every bug in the original version. Forces is nowhere near as infamous, and so the discussion goes in different directions.

Episode Shadow is still one of the most entertaining parts of the game, and one of the most important as well, as Shadow himself hadn’t been a playable character since… well, Sonic ‘06.

On one hand, there is a cult surrounding Infinite, one that I personally don’t agree with, and I don’t know if it’s bigger than Mephiles’ 15 years ago, but I do know that it exists and it’s still present. One of the ways Sonic Team tried to “go back to its roots” was to introduce a character like Infinite in a plot that was supposed to be “more serious”. Final results notwithstanding, Infinite managed to win the heart of a sizeable portion of the fandom, which still wishes for his return and development.

On the other hand, there is the Avatar, our personal OC with an impressive customization system, which allows us complete freedom, to the point that we could recreate characters introduced in Sonic IDW like Whisper the Wolf. What at first looked like a questionable idea, nothing more than a source of memes, ended up becoming the smartest idea Forces had, with a gameplay style that, in my opinion, retains a little of the old Adventure spirit, and even had some of the most fun levels in the game. While Classic Sonic ruined one third of the game, and Sonic was somewhat mediocre compared to his past feats, the Avatar’s gameplay style manages to keep its quality throughout the game, despite the fact that the plot keeps revolving around their presence instead of focusing on the other aspects of saving the world, which is... well, a little unfortunate.

Even I, who I’m not really into Sonic OCs, had a lot of fun recreating some of the characters.

And finally we get to the best part of the entire game: the music.

Even after three years my opinions haven’t changed much. Forces’ music isn’t perfect, it has its low moments (I feel like I’m the only one who doesn’t like Light of Hope) and some disasters (F*ded H*lls lol), but overall it has good intentions and it has some pretty good highlights.

The use of synths, as overdone and criticized as it is, was an honest attempt to follow a trend present in older games, like Sonic Unleashed, where this instrument symbolized Eggman’s influence. An interesting touch that, while wasn’t completely successful, is appreciated.

I still say that Fighting Onward is one of the best themes of the entire game, and Spaceport as the level benefits from having it.

Then there’s the best part of the entire soundtrack: the return of vocal themes, such as the main theme, the villain theme, and some of the level themes. I cannot explain with enough words how much fans were waiting for this, and it was brilliantly handled by the advertising campaign: a preview of the instrumental version of Fist Bump, a short peek of the Avatar themes, and finally the reveal of some of the major themes. It’s not surprising that it became one of the most appreciated parts by the fans. From the iconic intro of Fading World to the subtle nod to Green Hill in Set In Motion, every theme has something that makes it stand out from the rest of the game.

But even so, the rest of the music in the game has redeemable points as well. Forces in general distances itself from the music styles previously used in the series, especially from the variety of incredible sounds of Unleashed or even Lost World; but from time to time it still recognizably Sonic, like in the half-Megaman, half-Runners Network Terminal, in the extremely epic and underrated Last Judgement, or in the always-mentioned Ghost Town (not the only “good” Classic theme in my opinion, but the first one that comes to mind). Even the remixed Zavok theme sound better in Forces than in its original version.

A love-hate relationship

At the end of the day, the only thing left I could say is that Forces is still one of the most polarizing games in the series. 3 years aren’t enough to heal some of the wounds left by the 4-year hiatus, plus the disappointment of the time, but at the same time these 3 years kept alive the memory of its best moment, the discussions about the music and the uncountable groups of fans reunited to share OCs like the fandom has always done.

In this anniversary, I thought it would be interesting to revisit a bit the peculiar relationship I have with this game, as we wait for a new hype cycle for the next game. And maybe, just maybe, that will be the moment Forces will fade from our collective memory, at least for a decade, until new fans will look back to the good and bad this game has done. And I hope that, in the future, the situation of the franchise will also be different from what it has been these last years, in a good way of course.

This is all we have left of Forces today, a game that did not manage to capitalize on its opportunities, and a game that shames the legacy of the Unleashed-Colors-Generations era; but also a game that had some genuine, interesting ideas, and a different musical direction, one that (with some exceptions) was what the fans wanted. It’s a polarizing game, it’s a love-hate relationship.

[purplecatghostposts]

Jumbled AU Character Information Time!

What’s the Jumbled AU? Another Roleswap except it’s less swap between two characters and more... Jumbled! Created for fun of course!

I ended up tweaking it all up a bit and I’m pretty happy with it now!

Meet The Crew:

FORZEN-

“No, I’m right there with you. Black Mesa is the worst.”

- Takes Gordon’s role as Team Leader

- Graduated from MIT and was recently hired by Black Mesa. He’s been there less than a year and he’s already regretting it.

- Gets stuck in a HEV Suit and would very much like out of it, thank you very much.

- Originally wanted time be a streamer but his mother talked him into going into Science like everyone else in the family did. Forzen and his family have a rocky relationship and this is one of the reasons why.

- Hates his job and is miserable but he does it anyways because he’s good at it and it makes him money.

- A lot smarter than he looks or acts.

- Very protective over his team and is quite the shot. Prides himself a little on his good aim.

- Carries around a ‘Lucky Bayblade’ wherever he goes. Insists it’s kept him safe as a kid and as long as he has it, he will make it through alright.

- Is a single father as his partner left as soon as the kid was born. Forzen is determined to be a good father because of this. His kid’s full name is Scythe Kronos (Yes, that’s all their first name) but Forzen also calls them Scye for short. Forzen will do anything to make it back to his kid. He doesn’t want them to end up orphaned.

- Loses his right eye in the betrayal. Without his depth perception, his aim is worse than ever and he struggles to protect his team.

- Gets a robotic eye from the Cybernetics Department later that gives him better aim than before.

TOMMY-

“Get- get out of my way or I’ll make you.”

- Takes the place of Benrey as inhuman antagonist.

- Is a Shapeshifting alien who takes the shape of a human to blend in for his mission. Has a lot of power but never got to properly learn how to use it as he was separated from his father when he was young.

- Sunkist is his alien pet who takes the shape of a golden retriever to do the same. She fights alongside him.

- Initially takes on Earthly Interests such as Beyblades, soda, and certain TV shows as a way to blend in but actually starts to like them.

- Takes on a job at Black Mesa as a security guard so that he can search for his dad. Doesn’t actually find him until the Resonance Cascade.

- Tampers with the experiment and causes the Resonance Cascade in order to lower Black Mesa’s defenses so he and his dad can make their escape.

- Makes a deal with the military that if he sells Forzen out, they’ll leave everyone else alone. However, the military double crosses Tommy once they realize that his dad is a valuable experiment to Black Mesa. Tommy is not happy about this.

- Eventually comes to the conclusion that his dad will never be safe as long as Black Mesa is around. Goes to Xen with the others, keeps his cover the entire time, and once they reach Xen’s power source, Tommy takes it for himself and tries to destroy Black Mesa and everyone in it.

- It’s all for family. Step aside or you’ll just get hurt.

GORDON-

“There’s absolutely no way that’s up to code... You guys seeing this?”

- Takes the place of Tommy as Main Support.

- Has worked for Black Mesa for a while now but isn’t entirely fond of it. He’s aware it’s morally gray at best (And that’s sugar coating it) but he can’t quit because he’s bound by contract to stay there for a certain amount of years. At least it pays well, right?

- Lost his arm in a lab accident a few years ago. Luckily, cybernetics fitted him with a robotic prosthetic. The one who made him the arm also outfitted him with a gun-arm he can put on. Gordon didn’t understand why he would need it but after the Resonance Cascade happened, he’s glad he has it.

- One hell of a shot, especially when he’s freaking out a bit (“Gordon going ham!” @ himself).

- Has been a bit obsessed with safety regulations since he lost his arm (But honestly who wouldn’t be?) and is constantly baffled by Black Mesa’s OSHA Violations.

- Has a son back home, Joshua, who he would very much like to make it back to. Forzen and Gordon swap telling stories about their kids sometimes.

- Helps Forzen out after he’s lost his eye and tells him that he can get help from Cybernetics given Gordon knows a guy from the department.

- Is pretty good friends with Tommy and while he does try to stop him from destroying Black Mesa- he hates the place too but there’s a lot of scientists there who are bound by contract just like he is- Tommy spares him from his attacks.

- Seems to be fairly good friends with the mysterious being who keeps popping up, Bubby. Apparently Gordon has helped hide him away more than a few times when he gets stuck so he owes him.

DARNOLD-

“Uh oh... That might be one of my evil clones...”

- Takes the role of Dr. Coomer as the enhanced scientist with clones.

- Has biological enhancements such as built in rocket boots and extendo arms but they were all given to him when Darnold tested his own potions. He mostly uses these to get the group out of trouble.

- In the same situation as Gordon when it comes to being bound by contract. Neither are very thrilled about it but at least Darnold has been in Black Mesa long enough that he can influence change.

- Head of the Mixology Department but took interest in Xen for a while and oversaw the experiment that caused the Resonance Cascade.

- Signed onto the cloning experiment and now has a lot of clones that help around Black Mesa. Darnold is pretty friendly with them and tries to help some escape when the Resonance Cascade. Unfortunately a lot of them die, which gets to Darnold.

- A few clones drank his Evil Powerade and went rogue a while ago. Fortunately, they’re version of ‘Evil’ is essentially a cartoon mad scientist/supervillain. Unfortunately, they’re still a bit of a nuisance and the gang has to look out for tripwire traps and a few of their minions.

- Carries around a lot of potions to help. Has a strength potion that is particularly helpful in a pinch. Also has a special Forbidden Potion that he uses in the final battle.

- One of the few people that treated G-Man like a person rather than an experiment and thus, has his favor.

- Introduces Tommy to Earthly things and customs. Doesn’t piece it together that he’s an alien until later.

- Tried to help in the betrayal but Tommy held him back, saying it was for the best. Runs as soon as he realizes he’s in danger and hides away from the rest of the team. Actively avoids Forzen and Gordon for a while out of stress but eventually has to step in when one of his Evil Clones captures them.

G-MAN-

“Oh believe me, I am just as... Eager to get out of Black Mesa as the rest of you.”

- Takes the role of Bubby as Black Mesa’s favorite experiment

- If Bubby is like Shadow the Hedgehog, then G-Man is like Mewtwo.

- Is an alien that has been alive much longer than Black Mesa itself. A powerful one at that.

- Black Mesa started hunting him down as soon as they learned of his existence. G-Man had just created Tommy not too long ago and was weak when they came. Managed to protect Tommy but was captured as a result and imprisioned in Black Mesa.

- Nicknamed Project Goodman as Black Mesa wished to one day use his powers for their own benefit. The nickname ‘G-Man’ came later and stuck.

- Has a lot of powers relating to the mind (I.E. Levitation, telekinesis, telepathy, etc.) but Black Mesa keeps power dampeners on him so he can’t escape, no matter how much he may try. G-Man and Tommy search for a way to get these off of him, but little do they know that Black Mesa has other ways of ensuring he can’t go rogue...

- Started acting polite and professional a while back and keeps up the facade as it keeps him out of trouble and gets him more freedom. He now works as a scientist to ‘Help’ Black Mesa but is just biding his time until he can make his escape.

- Absolutely despises being in his tube and tends to get aggressive when in small spaces because of this.

- Has very few scientists he actually likes. Darnold is on this short list as he is kind to him.

- Finally reunited with his son after so long and wants nothing more than to escape together.

- They were so close...

BENREY-

“Oh yo, what happened to your eye, dude? Psh, no worries, I got a cybernetic eye for ya that’s gonna look sick as fuck!”

- Takes the role of Darnold as the guy who has a solution to a certain missing body part.

- Is one of the best in the Cybernetics Department and was the one who made Gordon his arm and gun-arm when he lost it in the accident.

- Became weird friends with Gordon after he helped him out. Benrey may or may not send cryptic messages and cat photos at 4AM to Gordon, who is very concerned for his health.

- The Cybernetics Department was originally supposed to be laid off due to budget cuts and the Mixology Department was going to expand and take over the lab but Benrey refused to leave his lab like everyone else and hacked the doors so nobody could get in. They would’ve dealt with it but soon after, the Resonance Cascade happened and Black Mesa has bigger worries than a rogue cybernetics scientist so Benrey just kinda. Stayed. He’s the only remaining member of the Cybernetics Team.

- A good mechanic and a master hacker. He ends up hacking into the security cameras and the VOX to watch the team as they go. He speaks via the VOX- and never tells them who he is- but as soon as they reach his lab, Benrey greets them like old friends.

- While he does like to mess with the team a little, he’s pretty helpful for the most part. He opens up a few locked doors and gives a few heads up every once in a while.

- “ROCKET. LAUNCH. GOOD.” Yeah that was Benrey. Gordon actually hits himself once he realizes it’s Benrey because everything suddenly makes sense.

- Gives Forzen a cybernetic eye that actually gives him better aim than before. Said eye also “May or may not have other sick features.”

- Benrey refuses to elaborate on this.

COOMER-

“OH HO HO HO, BAD MOVE! TIME FOR ME TO GO IN FOR THE KILL!”

- Takes the role of Forzen as minor antagonist.

- Joined the military because of his Ex-Wife’s pressuring to do so. They’re both still in the military but they don’t talk anymore.

- Volunteered to test out a new serum that would genetically enhance him to be an one man army due to his love for Science. He didn’t expect for it to work like it did.

- The serum gave him superhuman abilities such as strength, high leaping power, endurance, regeneration, and other such. However, there was a side effect to the serum as it also gave him a bit of a bloodlust. “I crave violence” is very literal now.

- Very powerful but unfortunately a bit of a loose cannon. They only send him in if they’re getting desperate since he causes a lot of collateral damage.

- Can calm down and have regular conversations but it takes a lot of effort. The serum screwed with his head a lot.

- Is sent to take down the Science Team. 90% of the time, they have to run from him and shake him off their trail other than fight him as he’s a lot stronger than the rest of them.

- Kidnaps Gordon rather than Sunkist at one point and holds him hostage. The Science Team has to work together to take him back.

- Saved Bubby’s life once and now whenever Coomer gets into real danger, Bubby teleports him away. Bubby is one of the few people who can calm Coomer down for long periods of time and Coomer is very fond of Bubby.

BUBBY-

“Who I am is none of your goddamn business.”

- Takes the role of G-Man as a powerful being who keeps showing up.

- Originally was created by Black Mesa and worked for them but in an experiment gone horribly wrong, Bubby abruptly disappeared with no trace.

- The accident gave Bubby dimensional powers over Time and Space but unfortunately, Bubby struggles to figure them out and they’re rather unstable at first.

- Because of their instability, Bubby sometimes randomly will teleport and get stuck in places he doesn’t want to be in. This happens far too frequently in Black Mesa but luckily, Gordon knows him and starts hiding him from Black Mesa whenever he gets stuck.

- This also happened once when Bubby ended up in the middle of an active battlefield and nearly got killed had Coomer not saw him get teleported in and rescued him.

- Bubby has taken a certain fondness for both of them and watches over them from the shadows as his own way of saying ‘Thank You’.

- Black Mesa is vaguely aware that Bubby is still out there but he’s become a bit of a cryptid to them. There’s some security footage of him teleporting in but all security footage gets really staticy and stops working after he appears in it.

- Bubby absolutely despises Black Mesa.

- If he wants something changed, he will change it, by force if necessary.

- Starts watching the team closely after the Resonance Cascade. At first thinks that some of them are aligned with Black Mesa and actively tries to stop them until he figures out that they’ve all fallen victim to it as well and becomes somewhat of an ally.

Anddd that’s the team!

That took a LONG time to type out but hopefully it’s interesting! I’m having a lot of thoughts about this AU currently so if you’re curious at all, send me an ask and I can talk about it more!

[crusherthedoctor]

When taking Lutrudis as a concept into account, it could be argued that the decision to have her live in a big, fairytale-like castle would be an unwise idea, maybe even counterintuitive, since a place so extravagant might undermine her intended loneliness and yearning for a more fulfilling life, adventure, and all that jazz before Sonic and company entered the picture. The last thing I’d want with Trudy would be to remind people of Chris “woe is me” Thorndyke and his rich kid mansion lifestyle. Not to mention that since some of the townspeople in Lime Shores can act rather ignorant (and in some cases, antagonistic) towards her, a lavish castle might also undermine the underdog nature of that particular setup.

Despite these concerns however, I felt confident with my plan, and I figured that as long as I knew what I was doing, readers would understand what I had in mind. I’ve explained in the past that a castle would better accommodate someone with her EDS, so right off the bat, you already have a practical justification for it. It also helps that whereas the accursed Thorndyke had his parents, friends, grandad, butler, etc etc etc etc... Trudy genuinely had no one to turn to before the heroes arrived for their intended vacation. So with that said, let’s examine this particular building for a bit, complete with pics for comparison’s sake, as well as a certain cavern full of Ethereal goodness that happens to be nearby...

Creating the Residence: Trudy’s Castle

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: The outside environment is not too subtly inspired by Autumn Plains from Spyro 2, better known to non-Spyro fans as my blog background.

A serene yet lonely autumnal forest backdrop, with a big stone castle smack dab in the center. It’s not one-to-one the same of course - instead of a pool, the front area boasts a lovely garden full of different flowers, and there’s also a lake nearby - but the mood is more or less what you see here.

However, this partly serves to contrast with what’s behind closed doors. As acknowledged in Beyond the Stars proper, the interior of the castle instead goes for a different and grander, yet equally inviting atmosphere when you take that first step inside. Instead of stone, you see marble and wood, and instead of grey and green, you have reds, creams, maroons, and golds (with a few complimentary blues and purples thanks to the flags hovering above).

As the lady herself mentions, Trudy discovered that the interior was in a state of disarray when she obtained it, and she was of the belief that a castle as beautiful and rich in history as this one deserved better than to be forgotten and wither away in the coming generations. The least she felt she could do was give it a modern, yet respectful redecoration, and give the old building a second, loving life in the process.

Yes, that means every spot of detail inside this castle was done single-handedly. Entirely on her lonesome. It took ages to complete, especially when taking her EDS into account, but she was determined to give the place its due, and lo and behold, the effort more than paid off. (You know, such levels of determination bring a blue hedgehog to mind...)

And that’s just the intended vision for the main hallway! We haven’t touched the other rooms yet! (Since a castle would have quite a lot of rooms, it goes without saying that for the sake of keeping this post from going even longer, we won’t be covering literally every single room... just the most important and/or most noteworthy ones. :o)

The bathroom can be described as a mix between the two examples below, combining the semi-medieval build of the former with the sky blue palette and general relaxing style of the latter.

Though that said, while the bath remains there for any guests to use, Trudy personally uses a shower since it’s more convenient for someone with her condition.

The kitchen (or as Sonic likes to call it, “the palace of chili dog magic”) mostly comes in cool browns and blacks, and its intended appearance is probably one of the more obvious combinations of old-timey and modern. It also has a slightly country aesthetic compared to the other rooms, because ha ha, horses, geddit.

The greenhouse at the back brings back the heavy amounts of green (well duh, the clue’s in the name, isn’t it?), while also providing contrast with the whiteness of the structure and architecture. Complete with giant arched windows, because of course.

And the segue point between the greenhouse and the rest of the castle looks something along these lines, at least with the way the building itself connects.

Even the chambers underneath the castle manage to look classy and clean. And just as well, since it’s where Tails parks the Tornado for the remainder of his time in Viridonia, once he FINALLY remembers to get it off the Lime Shore beach...

You know another benefit of such a spacious area? You get to turn it into a makeshift workshop for all your gadget needs, Tornado-related or otherwise. I’m sure that won’t come in handy at some point...

The guest bedroom is one of the most curious rooms of the lot, because even though it’s as nice and tidy as you’d expect, it’s also rather... muted compared to everywhere else. Perhaps Trudy felt no need to modify it further in any specific way, since no one had ever bothered to stop by anyway... until you-know-who and the gang.

And we can’t forget to mention our fair equine’s OWN bedroom now, can we? Her bedroom opts for darker colours, yet no less therapeutic, which includes the canopy bed that she rests in. You can actually see the general idea with the bedroom (and the outside of the castle for that matter) for yourself, in the Dame of the Daisy mini-comic, courtesy of my awesome friend @benignmilitancy​.

Likewise, although this shot is currently incomplete (don’t worry, Benign is fine with me using it :P), meaning some details haven’t been added yet, you can also get a basic idea of how the balcony is supposed to look here, along with the complimentary view of Viridonia’s oceans.

So what kind of music would befit Trudy’s castle, you may ask? Well, taking every detail into account, we would need something that goes for that perfect mix of adventure, wonder, warmth... and a faint hint of sadness lurking beneath. Something that gets all four across, but not in a generic, run-of-the-mill orchestra sort of way. Something a little more ambient and down-to-earth, with a more unique and specific kind of intimacy. Something like...

This would apply for when you’re inside, mind you. Outside the castle, the surrounding forest would have a theme of its own, though it would share that similar combination of melancholic friendliness. So for the outside, we would go with something more like...

Overall, the idea behind Trudy’s castle - aside from being her residence and looking enviously pretty - is to add to Trudy’s own character. It’s said that one’s home can say a lot about a person, and I made sure that every room shared a consistent narrative when reading between the lines. They may differ in shape, and they may even differ in colour, but the story is kept consistent at all times. We know that our girl is elegant, we know that our girl has slightly antiquated tastes... and we know that until the arrival of Sonic and Co, our girl was extremely lonely, and isolated by her peers, to the point of staving off said loneliness and isolation by making the place as lavishly detailed as it is in the first place. And just as the stony exterior hides the more fanciful interior, so too is there more to Trudy herself than at first glance.

Besides, not counting Eggman’s endless list of tributes to himself, we don’t often see the characters’ homes in the games, do we? We’ve seen Angel Island for Knuckles, the Space Colony A.R.K. for Shadow, that shack belonging to the Chaotix in Heroes, a few pads of varying consistency depending on the game (Tails’ workship in SA1 VS his house in Battle)... but not much more than that. And what better contrast to Sonic being something of a nomad, than by Trudy living a place like this?

But we’re not done just yet. Last but not least, we can’t forget that mysterious cave hiding down below, where countless amounts of Ethereal Crystals can be found undisturbed... You can bet that such a place would be suitably attention grabbing.

Since the crystals themselves come in practically every shade of the rainbow and then some, the resulting combination - specifically their reflecting shine - ends up painting the cavern walls with just as much colour.

It may feel a tad surreal and almost alien, to the point of being a little intimidating for some, arguably. But you know in your heart of hearts that as long as Eggman isn’t in the equation, there is no need to be fearful. After all, Trudy knows it better than anyone else, and although the crystals and their properties may hail from unknown, possibly uncomfortable origins, the horse herself continues to use them for wholly benevolent purposes.

Such a cavern would deserve a theme of its own, no? We’ll need something that drives home the point that the power within has no inherent morality, and can only be as good or as evil as the person using them. So although Trudy’s own intentions are firmly on the side of good, we’ll also need an added touch of minor eeriness lingering in the background, to represent the overarching threat and subsequent implications of Eggman dipping his own hands into the metaphorical Ethereal well, on top of its already unexplained otherworldliness...

So yes, it’s quite a pleasant castle that Trudy has, eh?

But this isn’t the only castle that can be found in Viridonia...

Well, it used to be the only one of its kind on the island... until a certain doctor stopped by, decided to beat the horse at her own game, and create his own, darker counterpart in response... But we’ll get to that when we get to that, ho ho ho.

[sonicringbond]

Sonic Ring Bond: The Journey: Scene 35

Welcome to the second half of the series’ first 2-parter. A shame I don’t really have anything very witty to open with for this one. Perhaps it’s because I find it a pretty light scene🤔 Regardless, I’ll let you decide for yourself after you read...

    Draw was a talented child all things considered. Though a child far from adulthood, he lived his life as a golem hunter and was generally successful. With the speed granted to him by Mote, it was likely he could best any number of golems and easily live a life dedicated to his occupation. However, his reliance on bow and arrow meant he was limited in how much damage he could do to a large number of golems in a short amount of time. If he were by himself this would be far from a problem as he was quite adept at making his own arrows, and they were frequently reusable. The only problem was retrieving them. A simple task with Sonic like speed, but it meant in this case leaving Rosy’s side.

    “Get away from her you stone dummies!”

    Trying his best to shoo away any golems that floated up over the ravine with his bow, Draw was pushed to his limits trying to collect his arrows. Challenging his efforts was an army of golems that covered the ruins and mountainside. The most troublesome however were the ones that drifted through the air, stone eyes that could fire beams of light at Draw more easily than he could return fire.

    “Why did you have to get sick now of all times, you weirdo girl!” Draw cried out in anguish as he gave up trying to do too much at once. Picking Rosy up as best as he could, he ran for all he was worth. “You’re way to heavy!”

    Had Rosy heard the complaint, she might have had a choice comment or two for the struggling koala, but her mind was far from her surroundings. The fevered sleep that held her fast from consciousness assured she would remain oblivious. Though it perhaps heightened other senses as her fever dreams provided her a unique opportunity, she was not quite sure how to handle.

    ~I’ve dabbled in so many different types of fortune telling because of how fun it is, but reading dreams is always kind of tricky. When people tell me about their dreams there’s always something missing to complete the picture. It’s not their fault of course, it’s hard to remember your dreams. It’s why reading my own are so hard too. Bu~t, hee-hee! Well, I’ve never had a dream like the one on these mountains.~

    “Hello?” Rosy asked the rolling fog before her in hopes that someone might have hid within. It did not answer her naturally, but a soft blue glow within caught her attention and she walked towards it.

    The fog swirled around Rosy as she walked, the blue glow seeming to stay just beyond her reach. “Maybe it’s moving away from me?”

    Lifting her head from where she had tilted it so that her finger pressed into her cheek, Rosy upped her pace. As she still failed to catch up, she puffed her cheeks up in frustration and pushed herself even harder. Still the glow eluded her, and she closed her eyes for a moment to touch on that golden glow within her. That semi-tangible representation of her Ring Bond with Sonic.

    Her intentions were to touch the source of her speed and bolt forward as fast as she possibly could, but as she opened her eyes, she instead had to dodge an attack.

    “Wah~!”

    The entity that attacked her was no larger than Sonic, but it had massive arch forming arms and a trail of light for a body. Had the blue glowing entity possessed a green gem where its arms met Rosy would have presumed it a golem. It had the same shape as one, bar a lack of legs making it resemble an anchor more than a biped.

    “What’s your problem!” Rosy asked it as she jumped back from another attack. A crackling of electricity behind her warned her of another attack from behind and she dove out of the way.

    “I didn’t do anything! No reason to be so mean!”

    Her frustrations served to redouble her efforts, and after rising to a three-point runner’s stance, Rosy shot forward for all she was worth. Her rapid acceleration created a vacuum in her wake and the fog was pulled into the space behind her.

    “Woah! It’s beautiful!”

    There was little time to marvel as more of the glowing anchor golems moved to intercept her, but with the fog behind her Rosy could plan a path forward. The shadowy mountain landscape seemed unreachable though, save the aroura-like road of light marked by columns of unending lightning. Covered in golems it was far from an idea choice, but Rosy could at least see herself making progress as she sped along the road.

    Higher and higher she climbed, and Rosy soon realized the mountains were beneath her. “This is weird. Am I dreaming?”

    A bolt of lightning tore through the heavens in the moment of her question and Rosy froze in place as she felt her life was clearly in danger.

    “Maybe this isn’t a dream… But I was with Sonic, Draw, and Mote. They’re not here, so this has to be–”

    “Come on big guy! Is that all you’ve got!”

    Sonic’s voice cut Rosy off and she turned to call out to him from wherever it was he was running.

    “Sonic!”

    Her voice was cheerful, but Rosy’s smile soon fell as she could not see Sonic anywhere.

    “Sonic?” Rosy questioned her surroundings and studied the darkness for any signs of Sonic. “Where are you!”

    Starting to run again, Rosy tried to wipe away the shadows and reach out to Sonic. As she feared though, the darkness was impenetrable, by herself at least.

    “Yeek!”

    A bolt of lightning descended from the shimmering blue aurora above her and for a moment she saw Sonic and the ruins he traversed. The motes of golden light that marked where Rings had been, and Sonic’s own transparency marked his signature Light Speed Dash, and she knew she missed actually seeing him. Before she could determine where he went however, the darkness flooded back in.

    “Hey! Don’t come back now! Sonic!”

    Turning to and fro, Rosy sought out any signs of him in the darkness but none could be found. “Come on! I just want to see Sonic!”

    Turning pleading eyes to the aurora above, Rosy’s silent prayer allowed her to see the shimmering figure of blue light that towered over the mountains. Instinctually she raised her hands to protect herself. She was not the skeletal giant’s target however and the next bolt of lightning it cast down from the aurora again illuminated Sonic.

    As it turned out, Sonic was not faster than light and he was tossed through the air by the impact of the lightning bolt. He was left unharmed for the most part however as the Rings he carried scattered about having absorbed the damage meant for Sonic.

    “Sonic!” Rosy yelled out and covered her mouth. But the darkness took him from view again and he was nowhere to be seen. Upon the aurora road it was only her, the golems that still floated up in pursuit of her, and the towering skeletal figure of light. As that was who summoned the lightning…

    “Hey! Leave Sonic alone!”

    With courage she always had to protect her friends, Rosy wasted no more time and sprinted full speed towards the towering entity. “You better not hurt him! I won’t forgive you if you do!”

    “The medium?” the entity asked and surprised Rosy as it turned to look down at her with eyes so much bluer and brighter than its body of light. Intense as they were, they did not obscure the wonder of the crystal rose held within the gyroscopic, clockwork device in its chest. “So weak a medium, yet you would manage to see me from your slumber, and with no catalyst.”

    “I don’t care about any of that!” Rosy yelled at the entity. “Just leave Sonic alone! You better to! I really won’t forgive you if you hurt him!”

    Rosy’s shouting and arm flailing seemed to not reach the attention of the entity. Instead, it held a hand to the device in its chest and turned its gaze towards the heavens higher than it.

    “Or perhaps this is your doing, Yoluku.”

    “Yo-loo-coo?” Rosy tried to pronounce the odd name and came to a stop, her eyes tracing up the entity and towards the highest heavens. There, as though hung like a jewel from the perpetual red bolt of lightning that arced from horizon to horizon, the little planet that always watched her hung in the sky fixated on her.

    ~Even in my dreams I can’t escape that dreadful little planet. It’s why I haven’t been sleeping. I just can’t with it always watching me. It’s so creepy! I wouldn’t even want Sonic looking at me like that. Tee-hee~♥ Though I wouldn’t mind if Sonic looked at me all the time! Though I probably couldn’t sleep then either.

    ~But this dream was maybe more special than I realized at first. It wasn’t just weird, it actually had a name for that little planet. It’s kind of hard to say though, so I’ll just call it Yolk for now! Maybe I’ll practice saying it properly, but… Hee-hee! It still creeps me out. But with a name, I’m sure once Sonic and I catch up with Tails or Zooey that we’ll be able to look it up and learn all about it! Even then, just knowing it has a name means I can tell it to let me sleep!~

Scene 35 · CLEARED Sonic & Rosy, to be continued

-----

And there we go, Rosy has learned the name of the planet in the sky and has decided to just call it Yolk XD. She’s so mature XD. Perhaps this scene was a little more than light, but I guess action scenes are kind of like that. I just hope it was enjoyable and that everyone will look forward to next time! Thank you!

-----

Special Thanks to Cutegirlmayra Story by @JoshTarwater/SonicFanJ Inspiring Song – One Last Kiss – Hikaru Utada – From Neon Genesis Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time

Fair Use Disclaimer

Sonic the Hedgehog and all affiliated characters and logos are the express property and Copyright© of SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS used without permission under Title 17 U.S.C Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976 in which allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. “Fair use” is use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be considered copyright infringement. The Sonic Ring Bond: The Journey alternate universe (AU) consumer written work of fiction is a non-profit transformative work primarily for personal use and can and will be taken down without warning or prior notice at the request of the copyright holder(s) should it not be recognized under “fair use”.

*Sonic Ring Bond logo created by DEE Art – twitter.com/daryliscute.

Sonic Ring Bond AU and Sonic Ring Bond: The Journey are the creation of Joshua David Tarwater/ynymbus/sonicfanj/@Joshtarwater and is to be, including all contents herein considered for all legal purposes the property of the Sonic the Hedgehog intellectual property (IP) and copyright owners, SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS. All story contributors via prompt, suggestion, written scene, art, and all and every other contribution acknowledge that all contributed material is forfeit for legal purposes to SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS upon official request from SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS.

[woossexyponytail]

Shadow Born Chapter 1 The start of the End.

masterlist

My alarm rang loudly around the room, sighing I turned over looking at the time seeing that it was nine o'clock, I groaned hitting my head back in my pillow ignoring the horrible sound. A pillow hit me in the back of the head as I quickly turned around.

"Really Yunho!?" I yelled to my younger brother who was across the room in his own bed glearing at me.

"Turn that thing off" he told me turning around pulling his covers back over himself. I rolled my eyes at him leaning over to turn off the alarm.

"Wake up my lovelys it's time for breakfast" auntie yelled probably from the kitchen, I got up from my bed going over to my closet and picking up some clothes and walking in to the bathroom.

After getting changed I walked back in to my bedroom seeing my brother still in bed, I rolled my eyes grabbing the pillow that was still laying on the floor and throwing it back to Yunho.

"Get up you lazy bum, auntie made breakfast" I told him walking out the room, hearing him groan at the thought of getting up.

Getting to the kitchen auntie was standing by the stove making scrambled eggs and bacon, I walked over to the small table taking a seat.

"Oh good morning my lovely little dove, how did you sleep?" My auntie asked looking over at me, "Great auntie" I smiled as Stolas my cat familiar jumped up meowing at me.

I smiled at him remembering last year for my sixteenth birthday I had to summon a familiar.

*Flash Back*

I was sitting in the living room watching tv with Yunho while auntie was out shopping, the door unlocked as we heard auntie walking in to the apartment.

"You alright my little doves, oh Yn you need to pick a familiar before your dark baptism. The Council sent the registry." She said handing me a book then walked over to the kitchen.

"I've, uh, indicated a few suitable options. Now, there's a very handsome hedgehog, a noble-looking raven. Vinegar Tom would happily welcome another snake." Vinegar Tom hissed from his spot in the cage.

"About that, Auntie. Instead of picking a familiar out of a book, which is so, I don't know, dehumanizing-" I was interrupted by Yunho.

"I thought familiars are goblins who have taken on the shape of animals to better serve their shadow masters?" He asked, I ignored him and turned back to auntie.

"But I've been practicing a summoning spell I found in the Demonomicon, and what if I put it out there that I'm looking for a familiar, and see if anyone wants to volunteer?" I told her laying my head on the back of the sofa.

"Oh I think that's a charming idea." She said smiling putting the shopping away and giggled to herself.

❖ ── ✦ ──『✙』── ✦ ── ❖

I stood in the middle of the forest with a a bell and a candle, lighting the flame I slowly swang it around.

"Spirits of the forest, I pronounce my intentions to thee. Come forth and seek me, and equal we will be. Not master and servant, but familiar to familiar, to share our knowledge, our spirit, and our traits. And now, spirits, we will wait." I said blowing out the candle.

❖ ── ✦ ──『✙』── ✦ ── ❖

I was getting ready for bed, Yunho was sitting on his bed playing on his phone, soft music played from the tv in the living room.

In a second the peace was interrupted by the window slamming open and a gust of wind blew in.

"Oh, no. What now?" I said walking over to the window looking around outside, Yunho looked up from his phone. I closed the window, then the curtains.

"Yn" a rasping male voice said, I quickly turned around looking around the room but saw nothing, Yunho stood up panicked eyes searching for the person.

"Who Who are you?" Yunho's voice shaked nervous about what was happening, we heard rasping whispers around the room.

"Show yourself." I said sternly then a huge black shadow figure came out of it's hidding place from the closet door, Yunho screamed then dropped hidding behind his bed.

"I heard you calling in the woods. And I came." It said disappearing behind the door again, then out walked a black cat.

"Aw! Such a pretty kitty" I said picking the cat up and stroking him, the cat started purring as I placed him on my bed, Yunho got up from the floor staring at the cat with wide eyes.

"So that's why the register is normally used, terrifying" Yunho said dropping down on his bed rubbing his face. I just chuckled at him as I quickly turned the light off so we could get some sleep.

*End of Flash back*

"Good morning auntie" Yunho said walking in to the kitchen and taking a seat next to me, Salem Yunho's fox familiar jumped on his lap taking some food from the table.

"Oh good morning my second lovely little dove" she said walking over to put the food down on our plates.

"How did you sleep?" Auntie asked Yunho giving him some extra food for him, Yunho thanked her then sighed.

"I barely slept, auntie I can't believe summer vacation is almost over" he told auntie, I shock my head at him.

"Rabbit's feet, under your pillow tonight, you'll sleep like the dead" auntie told him sitting down herself.

"I've got some exciting news for you two" auntie said giggling as she started eating I looked at Yunho as he looked back confused.

"Uh auntie? The news?" Yunho asked looking at her, she put her fork down on to the table, folding her hands she leaned on them smiling brightly at us.

"Well, on Friday we're moving! How exciting!!!" She said clapping her hands together.

"Wait moving? Where?" I asked panicing noticing Yunho was as well, auntie frowned looking down.

"Uh well to a small town called Jeonju, you both were born there, I promised myself that once you both turn sixteen that we'll move back. And you can't deny living in this two bedroom apartment doesn't really fit for us anymore.

Don't you want your own rooms? Or look we've got four large families living here along with my spiders it's a bit crowded in here." She said.

"What about our life here, our friends?" Yunho asked getting upset, I rubbed his shoulder as he started to cry.

"Hey hey, it will be alright you will make new friends" auntie said I looked down at the table.

"Yeah, but be honest auntie, where can we find shadow born to date, leaving Seonghwa and Mingi we can't do that" I told her, she smiled sadly at me.

"You could always do long distance?" She suggests Yunho and I looked back at one another not really believing her.

"When are we going to move?" Yunho asked, auntie smiled standing up and taking her now empty plate to wash it up.

"Friday, so you have a couple of days left to say goodbye to your friends, now don't you have to meet your friends now? Go on have fun" she said shooing us out the door.

❖ ── ✦ ──『✙』── ✦ ── ❖

We were walking to the caffe both having earphones in not really wanting to talk about the news, I heard Yunho sigh so I pulled out one earphone looking over at him.

"Are you ok?" I asked as I slowed down Yunho stopped pulling both of his earphones out looking at the ground not saying anything for a little while.

"Not really, I don't want to move, why is auntie being so selfish?" He asked I sighed that seemed like the hundredth time, we started walking again.

"Auntie thinks it's best that we move back, and it was her home too she moved because of us, she must miss it" I told him getting near the coffeeshop.

We saw two tall guys standing infront of the building talking, turning around they looked at us Seonghwa smiled at me while Mingi waved his hands dramatically.

"Hey guys! How's your morning so far?" Mingi asked giving Yunho a peck on the cheek, Seonghwa put his arm around my shoulder kissing my forehead.

"Not so good, we've got some bad news" I told them as we walked in to the building, Seonghwa squeezed my shoulder.

"Auntie told us that we're moving on Friday we've got a couple of days left here" Yunho said, Seonghwa bit his lip pulling me in to a hug, while Mingi bear hugged Yunho.

We ordered and sat down together Seonghwa and I sat down talking about anything other then the whole moving ordeal.

❖ ── ✦ ──『✙』── ✦ ── ❖

I made my way to the mall walking around with Seonghwa hand in hand, Yunho and Mingi already left, satan knows where.

I told Seonghwa that I needed the toilet quickly, running to the bathroom. I was stopped by two girls that I really didn't want to see, Jennie and Rose.

Sighing not really wanting to deal with these two, trying to walk pass them they stood refusing me to enter.

"Do you two mind I need to go to the bathroom" I told them sighing not wanting to talk with them, they both looked at each other then to me giggling.

"A little birdie told us that your moving, we like to say good riddance" Jennie said laughing now, they walked up close to me putting their lips near my ears.

"Non auferetur tibi maledicam vos manducare salutem et sanitatem vestram" they both chanted then ran away, I watched them run off.

"What the heaven, damn Succub*tches" I whispered as I quickly ran to the bathroom hopping to wash the hex off of me.

"If truly I am cursed today, let water wash the hex away. If truly I am cursed today, let water wash the hex away." I repeat over and over hopping Seonghwa isn't bored waiting.

❖ ── ✦ ──『✙』── ✦ ── ❖

Yunho and Mingi finally found us after a few hours we walked out and decided to go back to the apartment.

Walking through the door we were greeted by auntie bubbly personality like always.

"Oh hello my darlings how was your today?" Auntie asked while she put her book down that she was reading.

"Jennie and Rose hex me today but I washed it off" I told Auntie as I shrugged, her eyes widened standing up and running to the kitchen and coming back with an egg an bowl.

"Naah not on my watch Break an egg, please, miss. Better safe than sorry." She told me handing the egg over, I sighed grabbing it and hitting it against the bowl. The egg was red, which meant a blood curse which means my wash didn't work.

"Oh. I was right. That is a blood curse. Oh, it's lingering. So, untreated, that is gonna eat slowly away at your health, your will, and your sanity. So, a regimen of salt water baths, reversing candles for a couple of weeks, and that will do the trick, I think. All right, off you go." She shooed me away as I walked to the bathroom.

❖ ── ✦ ──『✙』── ✦ ── ❖

Sadly it turned Friday I stood in my shared bedroom with Yunho both of us slowly packing up are last stuff in to the boxes, Seonghwa and Mingi both helping us out.

"So why are we packing like normal humans instead of clicking our fingers and magically pack?" Mingi asked as he was putting some books in to a box.

"Because auntie said once we are packed we are heading off, do you want to spend five minutes with me or a few more hours?" Yunho said looking over at Mingi who just pouted.

"You won't move on right away right?" He asked Yunho looking shyly at the ground, Yunho walked up to him and kissing him on the head.

"Of course not don't be stupid, stupid" they laughed and hugged each other, I looked over at Seonghwa while he smiled back at me.

"So you two decided what's happening with your relationship?" Mingi asked, I looked over at Seonghwa frowning, knowing I would have to tell him, now or never.

"Uh actually I was thinking we would break up" I whispered watching Seonghwa frown at me, Mingi's mouth hung open in shock Yunho grabbed his wrist mumbling something about snacks.

"You want to break up?" Seonghwa asked walking closer to me, I just nodded not wanting to look at him feeling guilty.

"It's alright Yn, we've been drifting apart for a few months now, it's fine" Seonghwa smiled sweetly at me grabbing my face and kissing my forehead.

"I'll miss you" he said rubbing my cheek then walked out of the bedroom, hearing the front door open and close knowing his gone for good, I felt guilty but it was mutual.

Yunho walked in to the room a sad smile on his face as he came up to me and pulled me in to a bear hug.

The boxes were placed in the moving vans and the car, I sat in the front seat auntie in the drivers seat and Yunho in the back.

"You two ready?" Auntie asked looking over at the both of us, I looked over at Yunho as he looked back at me, we nodded at each other then to auntie ready to start our new life.

[alpha-centari27]

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG Exclusive Interview With Star Lee Majdoub About Agent Stone And His Dream Superhero Role

We recently caught up with Sonic the Hedgehog star Lee Majdoub to discuss his breakout role as Dr. Robotnik's sidekick Agent Stone, while he also reveals which superhero he would love the chance to play...

Sonic the Hedgehog proved that the video game movie curse is officially dead as critics and fans alike loved it (you can read our review by clicking here). Throw in the fact that it was a box office hit, and it's fair to say that there's a lot of excitement surrounding the yet to be announced sequel.

After being made available EARLY on Digital platforms, the movie arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on May 19th, and to celebrate its release, we recently had the opportunity to catch up with star Lee Madjoub. He plays Agent Stone in Sonic the Hedgehog, and has been hailed as the breakout star (the character, meanwhile, has gained a devoted fan following online).

As the straight man to Jim Carrey's villainous Dr. Robotnik, Madjoub was responsible for many of the funniest exchanges in the film, and made a lasting impact after past memorable roles in TV shows like Supernatural, Zoo, and The 100.

In this interview, we delve into the Robotnik/Stone relationship, his experiences working with Carrey, and even hear a compelling argument for why he could be the Marvel Universe's next Wolverine!

It was great to talk to Lee about Sonic the Hedgehog, and we obviously want to extend a huge thank you to him for taking the time to do this interview happen with everything going on in the world right now. Agent Stone is clearly a role he's passionate about and, after reading this, we're pretty sure you'll also want to see him don those familiar claws...

Were you a fan of the Sonic the Hedgehog games before being cast and what did it mean for you as an actor to join such an iconic franchise?

Yeah, I actually did play Sonic on the SEGA Genesis when I was a kid. It was probably my favourite game growing up, and the SEGA Genesis was the first console I got to call my own. It was extremely surreal to get cast in the movie itself, and then when I found out Jim Carrey was playing Robotnik, and I was gonna be playing his right-hand man, it took it to the next level for me. I also grew up loving Ace Ventura, The Mask, and, well, all of Jim's stuff!

You're very much the straight man to Robotnik, but how do you keep a straight face when Jim Carrey is reeling off lines like the one about how Stone makes his lattes?

It was a challenge to keep a straight face at times, for sure. What was lovely about that set was that everybody was so positive, and having a good time was really welcomed. If we broke or laughed, you didn't feel like you were doing anything wrong, thank goodness! There were a few times, and the scene I remember was when Robotnik sticks the quill to his tongue and electrocutes himself...and then turns to me and offers it to me! I had such a tough time keeping a straight face, so I had to figure out ways to change my facial expression or not quite look at Jim in the eyes in order to get that scene done.

Did you get the opportunity to do much in the way of improv on set?

I did. Fortunately, working with Jim, improv comes with it. The looser he gets, and the more he's figuring out Robotnik, the more permission I had to feed off of whatever he was doing. That was really welcome, and it was amazing to be able to say, 'Oh my gosh, I'm getting to improvise with Jim Carrey, one of the greatest at it.' Some of the stuff didn't work with Agent Stone, but we got to flesh it out and have a lot of fun, nonetheless. Sometimes in the movie, you didn't get to see the improv, but then some of the improv does actually make it in there!

Did you find playing an original character without ties to the video game series freeing as there weren't any specific expectations from fans?

I think it was a little bit of both, to be honest. In the cartoons, he's got Orbot and Snively in certain versions, and when you're playing someone that already exists, you have a little bit of something to feed off. You go, 'Okay, this is what the character is like, so I can take some hints there.' With Agent Stone, there's also the element of freedom where there's nothing pre-established so you could do whatever works within the realm of the story after discussions with Jeff Fowler, who was our amazing director, and the writers and Jim. It was definitely fun not to be tied into anything and feed off Jim, for sure, and then what was on the page for us, was all you ended up seeing in the movie. Stone was, I wouldn't say last minute, but through the last few drafts, Stone was written in to give Jim someone to talk to. He was the straight man in the movie, but through discussions with Jim and Jeff and Toby [Ascher], our fantastic producer, we were able to flesh out the story a bit and figure out the relationships, and it turned into what you see now.

I feel like it's fair to say that you were the movie's breakout star, but were you surprised by the reaction fans have had to Agent Stone?

Yeah, I never ever imagined Agent Stone would have this much backing from the fans. Even before the movie came out, you'd see him once in a trailer, but people started to really stick by him. A lot of fans were like, 'We are Agent Stone, and he is us.' We've all had to work with that boss who doesn't appreciate you, and you get hired for one reason, but all they want you to do is make coffee! It was really surprising and it's still very surreal. There's a lot of engagement, and a lot of fan-art out there that I'm so appreciative of and it blows me away every time I see a new art piece come out. 

It seemed Robotnik hated everyone other than Stone, and he even finds a new Agent Stone on the mushroom planet, so I was wondering what you think it is that makes your character different to everyone else in Robotnik's life?

[Laughs] You know what, to me, I think Stone sees something in Robotnik that no one else does. There's this utter respect he has for Robotnik, and he lets him get away with a lot like the hand going into the mouth and the throat chop. Stone understands that this is Robotnik, and this is what he needs to do his thing. What I also love about Stone is that he judges Robotnik at times too, so I feel like there's a respect there, but I think Stone is unwavering and always there for him and it probably forces Robotnik to have to be okay with it.

Were you surprised to watch that mid-credits scene and see that Agent Stone had been replace with, well, a stone?

The day I wrapped on set was the day before I shot that scene. I was there when they were coming up with the ideas, and Jim was talking to them saying, 'What if he has another Agent Stone? Like a Wilson from Castaway?' It was so funny, and I saw them putting the moss beard on there. I laughed really hard. There's flattery there too as Robotnik needs Stone in some way, shape, or form in order to continue doing what he's doing. No matter how much he denies needing anybody, I think Robotnik kind of needs Stone there even though he's not willing to admit it.

Were there any scenes you shot which were particularly memorable for you that you didn't ultimately make the final cut?

Honestly, all of my major scenes made the cut. I'm so grateful for that. It's really hard to pick a favourite scene out of all that stuff as it was all with Jim, and there was always something to do and something memorable between the two characters in every scene we did. Even when he asks if I see anything on the screen and I'm like, 'Nothing at all,' and he responds with, 'That's right, it's because you weren't trained by the Native American shadow wolves!' Even in that moment, Agent Stone gives him this look, and there was always some fun to be had. Ultimately, I think the latte scene...the Austrian goat milk latte scene is my favourite just because that whole dance leads up to this one moment and it's the only time in this movie that Robotnik actually pays Stone a compliment even though it's berated and he yells at him.

You've spent some time in the Marvel Universe voicing Harry Osborn in the Absolute Carnage shorts, but would a live-action superhero movie role interest you, and do you have any characters in mind?

Ohh, that's a really good question! I grew up loving Wolverine. That's always been one of those childhood dreams of mine. If I get the chance...I don't know, there might be fan outcry or whatever, but you know, I'm a little bit hairy! I've got the bushy eyebrows! I'm Canadian! I qualify in certain ways. I'm shorter than Hugh Jackman! It's okay, we can pull it off...I'll put on the weight. I don't care! [Laughs] Wolverine, for sure. Ever since I was a child, I've wanted to play him. There are a few anime characters I've always wanted to play too if they were ever turned into live-action. There's an anime called Saint Seiya. Also, Venom. I love the anti-heroes for some reason growing up. As a kid I got picked on and I was never really in any groups and I never fit in, so I think the anti-heroes kind of had that little angry voice in me that I couldn't quite express.

Looking ahead to a possible Sonic the Hedgehog sequel, what would you like to see from Stone next if he gets to reunite with the new, unhinged Robotnik?

I would love a moment where we see why he's an actual agent. I feel like he could kick some butt. We haven't seen it yet, and I would love a moment with Robotnik as a damsel in distress and Stone shows up, saves Robotnik, and Robotnik won't admit that he's saved him!

You can find Lee on Twitter HERE, Instagram HERE, or Twitch HERE!

[a-whale-bone]

When I was fighting with the last chapter of darkness, moonrise I wrote a bunch more of my Chirrut/Baze backstory instead. This thing really has taken on a life of its own, so at some point I’ll probably finish it and tidy it up to post properly. 

The first bit is here.

Shyli settled when they were twelve, not long after both Chirrut and Baze had achieved the second duan. Chirrut had often wondered what settling would feel like, whether there would be an obvious sensation. Instead it was almost anti-climactic. They had been meditating, slowly getting better at sharing their senses, and when Chirrut had drifted back into his own body, blinking and sighing, Shyli had nudged him.

“Chirrut.”

“Mm?”

“I think this is it.”

He rubbed at his eyes to try and dissipate the almost permanent fog, a habit he knew he needed to break, and blinked down at her. “What’s it?”

She was in the form of a gecko, with blue-purple skin, golden stripes, and red eyes. He held a hand out to her and she crawled onto his palm. “This feels right,” she said.

He stared at her. “You’ve - you’ve settled? Just now?”

“I think so.”

He had expected it to happen soon enough; for the last few weeks Shyli had been oddly restless, flicking from form to form much more than usual. Nothing had felt comfortable, she’d tried to explain, like wearing clothes that didn’t fit properly. But part of him still hadn’t really believed that it would eventually come to pass - all dæmons settled, of course, but the idea of Shyli not changing was a strange one.

“Try and change?” he suggested. She closed her eyes for a moment, then shook her head.

“Nothing. Huh.” She twisted to inspect herself, flicking her tail. “So I guess we’re a gecko. Didn’t guess that one.”

“No.” He lifted her closer so he could inspect her properly. “You’re all sorts of colours. I like it.”

“And at least I’m not a bat,” she said.

“Yeah, or a deep sea fish, like Baze said.” Holding her gently, Chirrut scrambled to his feet, suddenly excited. “Let’s go show him!”

After calling at the library, the kitchen, and the creche, Chirrut eventually tracked Baze down in the garden, where he was crouched in the dirt checking some of the new plant shoots. Patience was not something that came easily to Chirrut, but Baze seemed to have it in spades. He could spend hours and hours reading books or working in the garden or painting, where Chirrut would get bored after twenty minutes and start to fidget.

“Baze!” he called, skidding to a halt in front of him. “Baze!”

Baze looked up, clearly a little startled. Zin, who had been dozing cat-formed in a sunbeam, leapt to her feet. “Are you alright?” Baze asked, concern on his face.

Chirrut fell to his knees and thrust out his hands, displaying Shyli. “We settled!”

Baze blinked, and Chirrut watched as he digested this information. “Since this morning?”

“Just now! We were meditating, and when we stopped she was like this.”

Baze stared at Shyli for a moment, and a big, slow smile spread over his face. “That’s amazing,” he said. It had taken so long for Baze to crack even the smallest smile when he’d first arrived at the Temple, it had been almost surprising to find out that his actual smile was so big and bright. Chirrut was always thrilled when he could make Baze look like that.

Zin nudged at Shyli with her cat nose, careful to avoid brushing Chirrut’s skin. “What did it feel like?” she asked, and Shyli cocked her head.

“It’s hard to explain,” she said. “It just felt like it fit, like nothing has for a long time. Do you ever feel like some shapes aren’t right?”

“Not really,” said Zin. “Only sometimes.” Baze was several months older than Chirrut, but people could settle at any age from ten to fifteen, so it was hardly unusual that Zin was still changing at almost thirteen.

“I like it,” Baze told Chirrut. “It suits your lizardy face.”

Chirrut shoved him in the shoulder, and Baze laughed. “She’s a gecko, Baze. You should know that, you’re meant to be the clever one.”

“Alright,” said Baze, still grinning. “It suits your gecko face then.”

The masters were thrilled when they found out. Shyli settling meant that they were ready to start preparing for the third duan. Master Hara spent an afternoon with them, doing all sorts of tests and measurements and taking photograms. They had done these a few times before, as had other Temple kids, and Chirrut knew it was to see how much Dust was around them, and if it was changing as they grew and learned more. Sometimes the masters would do similar tests and measurements during lessons, or meditations, to see what changed. Dust gathered more strongly around people whose dæmons had settled, so Master Hara wanted to measure to see how quickly or slowly that happened. She always processed the photograms in a special solution that showed Dust. Chirrut was excited to think that more of the beautiful, golden substance would be gathered around him now. He hoped that Baze would settle soon too, so he could have more Dust around him, and they could practice for the third duan together.

In the end, it was almost another year before Baze and Zin settled. Chirrut woke up one summer morning and lay with his eyes closed, counting down from thirty before he opened them. He knew one day he’d wake up to darkness, and he was always scared that this would be the day.

“Chirrut?” Baze’s voice sounded wavery and uncertain, in a way Chirrut hadn’t heard for a while. He abandoned his countdown and opened his eyes: the shadows still pressed in at the edges of his vision, but he could see Baze sitting cross-legged on the bed opposite. His hair was sticking up at the back, his ears glowing in the morning light, and it suddenly occurred to Chirrut how broad Baze’s shoulders had become recently. He blinked.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, voice thick with sleep.

“I think we settled.”

Chirrut sat up, and Shyli crawled to his knee. “What?”

“I woke up about an hour ago and couldn’t get back to sleep. We just felt really weird and jittery, and now—” He held up Zin.

“It’s like you said,” said the little hedgehog dæmon. “It feels right, like nothing else did.”

Chirrut stared at them. Baze’s eyes were filled with worry. “That’s great!” he said, grinning and hoping Baze would follow suit.

“I guess so,” he said slowly, looking down at his dæmon, stroking her long ears with one finger and frowning. Chirrut watched him in concern: Baze was always so serious and thought about things too much; if he was unhappy with Zin’s form he would feel it deeply. Chirrut pushed down his instinct to tease and clambered out of bed to sit next to Baze, slinging an arm around his shoulders.

“It is great,” he said reassuringly.

“You think so?” said Zin, the worry in her voice matching the expression on Baze’s face.

“Of course we do,” Shyli exclaimed. “Don’t you like it?”

“I do…” said Zin slowly. “I just… it’s not really a guardian form, is it?”

“Aw Baze, don’t,” said Chirrut, tightening his hold on Baze’s shoulders. His really very broad shoulders. “It doesn’t matter what your dæmon is, you can still be a guardian! You’re still the best student here, after all. Anyway, this just means you’re someone who knows how to protect themselves. And you’ll still be soppy old poetry-loving Baze underneath.”

That made Baze laugh his soft, rumbly laugh, and Chirrut beamed. “Thanks.”

“And now we both have nice, portable dæmons. Can you imagine if Zin was really big? She’d never be able to hide in your pocket.”

That made Baze laugh again. “That would be a disaster.”

“Yep. You’d have to have got new robes, with really big pockets.”

“I might need reinforced pockets now. She’s spiky.”

“I like the spikes,” said Zin. Baze put her down on the bed and Shyli went to inspect her, touching her quills with her nose. “And I don’t need to hide in pockets now, I can just do this—” She rolled herself up in a ball, and Shyli yelped as her nose was pricked. Chirrut winced, rubbing his own nose.

“See,” he said, “You’ll be a great guardian. Your dæmon is a weapon on her own.”

Baze and Zin seemed to get more comfortable with their new form over the next few weeks, which was a relief. Baze was smiling more, and he seemed to come out of his shell a little. He even beat Chirrut in sparring a few times, and Chirrut couldn’t even bring himself to care; he liked seeing Baze happy. He also didn’t especially mind Baze pinning him to the ground, which was something Chirrut tried not think about too much.

ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ  ੯ू❛ัू >

They were fifteen, and most of the other boys at the Temple had started to talk a lot about girls. The girls at the Temple had also started to talk a lot about boys, and to cluster in laughing groups while they did it. Chirrut had noticed a fair few girls sending newly appreciative glances at Baze, who had grown even more in the last few months and filled out across the chest and shoulders. Every time another girl looked Baze up and down Chirrut felt an uncomfortable squirming sensation in his chest. Baze was, apparently, oblivious.

“It’s because you don’t want him to start spending time with some girl,” Shyli said reasonably one evening when they were meant to be meditating. “It would change things.”

It would, and Chirrut didn’t want things to change. He and Baze had been best friends for years, and they knew everything about one another. The idea of that being interrupted by Baze being interested in a girl was horrible.

“We’re meant to be thinking about girls,” Chirrut muttered. “Everyone else is.”

“Maybe we’re just a bit later than other people,” she said. “Besides, you think some girls are pretty.”

“Yeah, pretty, but that’s not the same as what everyone else is talking about.”

“Not everyone! A lot of people, but not everyone. Not Baze.”

That was true. The girls would look at Baze, but he didn’t seem to look back in the same way. Chirrut felt a bit better. “He’s too shy. He’d probably explode if he had to talk to a girl he liked.”

Later, he and Shyli lay in agonised silence and listened to Baze falling asleep. Their room even smelled like Baze, of old library books, soap, and fresh soil from the garden. It was the most comforting smell Chirrut knew. He couldn’t shake the tight feeling in his stomach. Things were going to change, and he was not ready. He wanted to stay at the Temple with Baze forever, but one day Baze would meet someone and then Chirrut wouldn’t be the most important person in Baze’s life any more. Maybe Baze would leave the Temple.

“Stop it,” Shyli whispered fiercely, but he couldn’t stop it. He lay awake and fretted for hours before finally drifting into unsettled dreams.

ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ  ੯ू❛ัू >

Chirrut’s vision started to deteriorate even more rapidly, to the point that he eventually gave in and started using a cane to get around. It was more difficult than he’d anticipated, and he was often exhausted and frustrated. His sparring skills suffered, his classwork went downhill when he could barely read or write properly, and his head ached constantly. He was meant to be practicing for the fourth duan, meant to be studying anbaromagnetism, meant to be learning, creating, connecting, all of those wonderful things that generated precious Dust, but instead he was just miserable and frustrated. If there was such a thing as anti-Dust, that was what he was creating.

Baze had offered to spar with him as practice outside of the formal lessons, and he had agreed, which was something he sorely regretted very quickly. Baze was patient to a fault, and was clearly holding back his own speed and strength to account for Chirrut’s difficulties. It should have been reassuring, but instead Chirrut felt frustrated and patronised.

“Just fight me!” he yelled eventually, giving up on proper technique and just shoving Baze in the chest as hard as he could. Baze stumbled back, and Chirrut felt a nasty little thrill.

“Chirrut—” Baze began, and his voice was gentle. Chirrut did not want him to be gentle.

“Stop it!” he snapped. “If you’re not going to do it properly then don’t bother!”

Baze was silent for several moments, and Chirrut wished he could see the expression on his face. He could just make out the shadow of Baze’s form, the way his broad shoulders were drawn and uncertain, but he couldn’t see his face at all. He imagined his downturned mouth, his sad eyes, and it made him angry.

“I’m sorry,” Baze said eventually. “I was just trying to help.”

“I don’t need help,” Chirrut said furiously. He knew he was indulging the anger rippling under his skin, knew that he should attempt to tame it the way the Masters taught, but right then he didn’t care. He turned away from Baze and stormed away, stopping only to scoop up Shyli and pick up his stupid cane. Part of him wanted Baze to call after him but he didn’t.

ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ  ੯ू❛ัू >

Baze stayed in the practice room after Chirrut had stormed out, feeling completely at sea. He knew he had hurt Chirrut, but he wasn’t sure how he had done it or how to fix it. Guilt sat like hot lead in his stomach, so he busied himself with tidying and sweeping until he felt a little less shaky. Zin curled up in his pocket, the way she always did when something was wrong.

Chirrut wasn’t in their room, or in the garden, or meditating. No one had seen him.

“Lost him, have you?” laughed Guardian Rena. “I thought you were practically his dæmon, Malbus.”

That was a common joke at the Temple, and Baze was never sure how to feel about it. Part of him, a part that he tried to keep locked up as tight as possible, was always a little pleased that people saw how close he and Chirrut were, how important Chirrut was to him. But it scared him a bit too, in ways he couldn’t quite describe.

Baze wasn’t stupid, or unobservant (people sometimes thought he was, mistaking being quiet and shy for being slow), and he knew that plenty of his classmates spent their time flirting with members of the opposite sex, sneaking away to kiss in hidden corners of the Temple and then bragging about it later. He also knew that a few girls had tried to flirt with him, that now they were older his height and breadth was appealing to some of them. “Strong and silent,” he’d heard one girl, Tana, laugh to her friend.

“Well, I don’t need him to speak,” her friend had said, tossing her hair and giving Baze a smile over her shoulder. Her cockatiel dæmon had preened his feathers, and Zin had curled up tighter in Baze’s pocket.

It all made his ears burn. Not because he liked it, particularly – he had never liked being the centre of attention – but because of how aware it made him of his own… deficiencies.

It wasn’t that he didn’t think about things like that, it was that it was all wrong for him. He knew, objectively, that Tana was very pretty, that her friend’s developing curves were subject to great admiration from other boys, but all he found himself dwelling on was the lean muscles of Chirrut’s arms and shoulders, his long, clever fingers, the brightness of his smile.

“We’re just muddled,” Zin had tried to reassure him. “Everyone’s all confused when they’re fifteen, you just can’t tell. It’s because we spend so much time with him.”

But Baze wanted to spend all his time with Chirrut. He wanted to be close to him all the time, and whenever they touched – which was often, even more often now that Chirrut was having to relearn how to navigate the world – it felt like someone had set a fire under his skin. He’d heard the way the others had talked about liking people, so how had he ended up so mixed up and wrong that he felt that way about Chirrut, and not a girl like normal?

Chirrut didn’t come to dinner. He wasn’t in the library, or in any of the workrooms. As darkness began to fall, Baze’s worry increased. Had Chirrut left the Temple? What if something had happened to him?

Normally Baze wouldn’t have been worried about anything happening to Chirrut – he could more than take care of himself, after all – but he had been so upset and angry lately, and struggling to adjust to his deteriorating eyesight. Baze had every faith that Chirrut would adapt in time, would once again be the fiercest and strongest in the whole Temple, but to see him fight against everything and everyone in the meantime was difficult.

“Looking for your shadow?” Guardian Tseng asked as Baze made yet another circuit of the Temple grounds, debating whether he should ask to go out into the city and look for Chirrut there.

“Have you seen him?”

The old guardian gave him an enigmatic smile and nodded towards the garden. “Look up,” he suggested.

The wall. Baze could have kicked himself for not checking the top of the wall. Chirrut had used to make him climb up there all the time when they were kids, even though Baze had been scared of heights and climbing had made him feel shaky and dizzy.

He wasn’t scared of heights any more, and he was strong enough to climb, but he still didn’t particularly like sitting on top of the wall with the great empty sky the only thing between you and the desert hundreds of feet below. With a sigh, Baze made his way to the gardens and yes, there was Chirrut, a small figure perched up on the wall looking out over the desert.

“What do you want?” Chirrut asked in a sullen voice, as Baze finally made it to the top of the wall to sit beside him. The wind was keen and cold up here, and Baze shivered.

“To talk to you.”

Chirrut didn’t say anything, just kicked his feet against the ancient stone. Shyli was perched on his head, staring out into the gathering darkness.

“I want to help,” Baze said helplessly. “But I don’t know how.”

“I don’t want help,” Chirrut said again, his voice low and angry. “I just want things to carry on as normal.”

“I want that too.” He did, so very badly. But things were changing anyway.

Chirrut wrapped his arms around himself, hunching over. “Just treat me the way you always do,” he said. “I hate it when you act like I’m going to break.”

“I don’t think you’re going to break.”

“Then why won’t you fight me properly?”

“Because – I just – Chirrut, you’ve always been better than me, we both know that! I didn’t want to take advantage when you’re getting used to – you know. And when you’re used to it you’ll knock me in the dirt again like always, I know you will.”

Chirrut snorted. “I didn’t ask you to do that. I’d rather you beat me in a fair fight than you let me win because you feel sorry for me.”

Privately Baze thought that it wasn’t a fair fight when he could see and Chirrut couldn’t, but he knew that would just make Chirrut angrier. “I don’t feel sorry for you.”

“Yes you do!”

“I’m sad that you’re dealing with something really hard, and I know I can’t understand it. I know you’re angry and you’re scared. But I don’t pity you. You’re still a smart-mouth who always thinks he knows best.”

A very faint smile touched the corner of Chirrut’s mouth at that. “When did you get so clever?”

“I’ve always been the clever one.”

“Hah.” Chirrut unwrapped his arms with a sigh, resting his hands on the top of the wall. “So you’ll fight me properly tomorrow?”

“If you want.”

“Good.”

“I am still going to stop you walking into walls, though.”

“I can still see walls, Baze.”

“Barely.”

Chirrut did laugh then, and Baze grinned. He rested his own hands on the wall so he could lean back a little to look up at the emerging stars, and the little finger of his right hand rested against Chirrut’s. He froze, even that tiny point of contact making his heart thunder in his ears. He told himself to move away, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He put his other hand in his pocket to touch Zin, found her half-curled up and nervous.

“What are the stars like tonight?” Chirrut asked.

“Bright,” Baze offered, and Chirrut sighed.

“No, describe them, Baze. You want to help? You need to get used to telling me what things look like.”

Baze tried again, tried to forget about the small point of warmth between Chirrut and himself. This was stupid, they touched all the time. He swallowed. “You can see the dragon’s tail, above those cliffs out there. The weaver girl is really bright tonight, she’s rising up over the desert now—”

Chirrut shuffled closer, leaning towards Baze’s voice. As he moved his fingers brushed over the back of Baze’s knuckles, and stayed there. Baze faltered for a moment, feeling his ears burning, before continuing on. He hoped his voice didn’t sound too shaky. He tightened his other hand around Zin, her sharp quills pricking his palm, and he tried to focus on that instead.

The next day, he couldn’t seem to shake off the feeling of Chirrut’s hand on his. He kept telling himself that it was stupid, but somehow it had felt different to every other time they’d touched, like Chirrut’s skin had branded him somehow. Chirrut didn’t appear to have noticed, so Baze tried to push it away and forget about it.

ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ  ੯ू❛ัू

Shyli is a cave gecko, and Zin is a long-eared hedgehog

[chaosbcrne]

TAGGED BY: @blue-pincushion​ thank youuu TAGGING: @brokenweapon​, @hcrwish​, @bouncepads​, @heartfelt-silver​, @last-fxstbump​

—    BASICS.

▸     IS    YOUR    MUSE    TALL    /    SHORT    /    AVERAGE ? ...he’s on the shorter side, though I guess not that far off average for mobians/hedgehogs. definitely short compared to humans though, and tiny for a Black Arms. he appears a bit taller than he actually is, though, because his shoes give him two inches. he’s 3′4″ with them on, 3′2″ without

▸      ARE    THEY    OKAY    WITH    THEIR    HEIGHT ?

yea. i mean i feel like he’s been enduring a bit more teasing than usual lately because of it, but it’s not something that bugs him past that. he spent several years on the ARK where everything was built for humans so he got very used to dealing with his smaller size, climbing on counters and shelves to reach stuff, looking up at people, things like that. his size definitely doesn’t feel like a problem in human environments, let alone mobians’

▸      WHAT’S    THEIR    HAIR FUR    LIKE ?

very versatile, much like his incessant quilling his fur is constantly adapting to change, mostly in temperature, growing longer when it’s cold, thicker when it’s rainy, shedding when it’s warm and so on. it always has a decent enough layer though, you can never see skin beneath his black fur unless it’s been ripped/burnt/cut off, so I guess in that sense its default state is considerably more furnished than that of the average hedgehog

his thicker white fur follows the same kind of behavior, it grows wider in winter to cover most of his upper body and throat and essentially serves as a natural scarf so he can breathe okay even when he’s dashing against sub-zero winds, and it sheds back down to a small patch that barely covers his chest in summer to reduce risks of overheating

▸     DO    THEY    SPEND    A    LOT    OF    TIME    ON    THEIR    HAIR     /    GROOMING ?

not... really ? I’d say he settles for a quick but thorough daily shower, he’s not one for grooming much past that because he already sheds like crazy and that would speed up the process even more ? if anything, he might pat down his white fur a bit because it really fluffs up when it air-dries

▸      DOES   YOUR   MUSE   CARE   ABOUT   THEIR   APPEARANCE   /   WHAT    OTHERS    THINK ?

he didn’t for a long time, but I think learning his color scheme was due to Black Arms genes may have changed that a little; he doesn’t like the idea of being seen as one of them, that’s why he avoids taking his gloves off around others or show off his teeth much or doesn’t like eating in public, i could go on for a while but basically he didn’t mind his black and red colors and his threatening complex until he learned he got that from man-eating aliens,

over the years i think he’s come to terms with it for the most part because black is real useful on stealth missions and for getting that extra warmth on sunny days and claws can come in real handy sometimes when you’re missing certain tools, but, yeah i think there’s probably still a bit of lingering self-consciousness there

—    PREFERENCES.

▸     INDOORS    OR    OUTDOORS ?

hmm I think he has a slight preference for outdoors just because it’s less confined and ever-changing, but he wouldn’t spit on indoors either you know sometimes you just need some place to take a break and where there’s a limited possibility of things that could happen

▸     RAIN    OR    SUNSHINE ? both. both are addictive when you spent your early life where you could experience neither of those, in fact i’d say those exact two things are responsible for shadow growing/shedding fur out of season because he’s the kind to just stand in the rain when it’s cold or in the sun when it’s hot just because the feeling of rain through his quills or sunshine in his fur will always be like a bit of a novelty to him ▸     FOREST    OR    BEACH ?   hhh f...f.....beach probably. both are fine but i feel like the beach is one of those cliche things maria especially wanted to experience and talked about all the time so he just have a slightly better preconceived idea of it ▸     PRECIOUS    METALS    OR    GEMS ?   im just gonna link you to the lucky charm post that should give you a clear idea ▸     FLOWERS    OR    PERFUMES ? flowers hands down. they’re colorful and pretty and smell good and are natural. maria would have loved them and also earlier this year rouge decorated the whole observatory in the ARK with them to surprise shadow and it was Good ok ▸     PERSONALITY    OR    APPEARANCE ?   personality. yeah people can be nice to look at but if that’s all they got going for them they’re not worth much ▸     BEING    ALONE    OR    BEING    IN    A    CROWD ?   alone. i don’t think i have much explaining to do here lmao he’s just not a people person. small groups can be okay and so are a good few people, like, he can deal with a crowd or otherwise large number of people in one place but he’s definitely not gonna enjoy it as much as just being alone ▸     ORDER    OR    ANARCHY ?   I think Gerald’s (and therefore his) idea of an ideal world was a place where they’re one and the same ? a world where people are free to do what makes them happy, to not be limited in any way shape or form but where such a freedom would lead to people being selfless and generous enough to not throw it all into chaos ? but given that’s not really something remotely feasible at this point order is probably the best options in his books given what he’s seen some people do once some of their restraints were removed ▸     PAINFUL    TRUTHS    OR    WHITE    LIES ? 

painful truths. unless it concerns him revealing stuff about himself that he just doesn’t want people to know about, he’s always gonna be blunt with people and he expects the same courtesy in return. shadow’s sick of all the lies and insincerity a lot of people go to for no good reason and he’d rather you just tell him the truth head-on

▸     SCIENCE    OR    MAGIC ?   chaos energy is where it’s at. i don’t know what it counts as, i’m assuming it’s something between the two ? gerald, tails, eggman and probably a whole lot of other people managed to harness it to create life or power machinery and such, so it can be useful in terms of science, but it’s also something so unstable and unquantifiable and tricky to control or even understand, and being able to do so is considered a power instead of knowledge - which makes it sound more like magic. either way, that’s what shadow believes in and relies on - not that i expect that to be a surprise to anyone, considering ▸     PEACE    OR    CONFLICT ?   he strives for peace but i don’t think he’d know what to do with himself if that was ever achieved tbh ▸     NIGHT    OR    DAY ?  

either. shadow’s not operating on a regular day/night cycle so the two are basically interchangeable to him, for better or worse. i wrote more about this over here

▸     DUSK    OR    DAWN ?

again, the two aren’t really different to him

▸     WARMTH    OR    COLD  ?

hmm warmth probably. he’s definitely built to tolerate cold more than warmth but the general concept of warmth is just associated with more pleasant feelings in general

▸     MANY   ACQUAINTANCES    OR    A    FEW    CLOSE    FRIENDS ?

im gonna say like the bbff, points at team dark

▸     READING    OR    PLAYING    A    GAME ?  

it really depends on the mood he’s in honestly. i’ve explained before(x) that shadow is actually quite fond of reading, but if he’s too restless for one reason or another some kind of game will be better for his nerves. or just, you know, if team dark is stuck on standby at HQ and they’re waiting around to be called in

—    QUESTIONNAIRE.

▸      WHAT    ARE    SOME    OF    YOUR    MUSE’S    BAD    HABITS ? - letting people provoke him very easily - always talking down on people at first - pushing people away 24/7 - not having an established eating or sleeping schedule he can keep track of - crossing his arms all the damn time

▸      HAS    YOUR    MUSE    LOST    ANYONE    CLOSE    TO    THEM ?      HOW    HAS    IT    AFFECTED    THEM ? 

hahahaha

oh boy

▸      WHAT    ARE    SOME    FOND    MEMORIES    YOUR    MUSE    HAS ?  

- the countless hours spent in the observatory with maria - early team dark times when he had good enough days to just focus on his goal and not worry about everything else, probably mostly around grand metropolis/casino park hours, when they were starting to be a proper team but things hadn’t gotten too serious/difficult yet - when a certain hedgehog came back to life and immediately turned to him and silver for additional help. i’ll go into this more some other time but let’s just say that meant a great deal to him - that crush 40 concert rouge took him and omega to - quite a few simple moments spent with his team that wouldn’t have looked like much to many others but that he remembers clearly feeling fulfilled and happy right then and there - a certain night when things felt Bad and a certain hedgehog showed up and made them feel good again - spraining zero’s wrist

▸     IS    IT    EASY    FOR    YOUR    MUSE    TO    KILL ?

if we’re talking physically, yes. if we’re talking emotionally,

not as much as he makes it look like honestly. death is something very permanent that has been the cause of possibly the biggest trauma he’s experienced in his life - he does not take that lightly and does not inflict it when he sees an alternative. episode shadow in forces can go suck a lemon

▸      WHAT’S    IT    LIKE    WHEN    YOUR    MUSE    BREAKS    DOWN ?

that’s happened once and that’s a drabble in the works so yall are just gonna have to be patient for this one

▸      IS    YOUR    MUSE    CAPABLE    OF    TRUSTING    SOMEONE    WITH    THEIR    LIFE ? 

hhh it’s. difficult. but it’s definitely something team dark has earned at this point. literally all three of them have explicitly proven that they would give up their lives for either of the others so it’s safe to say there’s absolute trust between them now

▸      WHAT’S    YOUR    MUSE    LIKE    WHEN    THEY’RE    IN    LOVE ?

oh boy it’s bad lmao

shadow is very unfamiliar with the concept of romantic love as a whole so he has no idea how he’s supposed to behave with the subject of his affection. remember that picture where he’s holding sonic’s hand and staring at it and presumably has been doing so for like ten minutes ? yeah

social norms aside what would come naturally to him is a very, very intense protectiveness - that’s his primary response when it comes to anyone he’s attached to and romantic ties would be no different. he would be very defensive of them verbally but also protective-bordering-on-possessive physically

he also pays very close attention, i’ve already said it countless times but he’s an amazing listener and whoever he’s smitten with would likely be someone he could watch and listen to intently for very long periods of time. he’ll never be the most talkative but don’t let that fool you into thinking he won’t enjoy engaging conversations with the person he’s interested in

aside from that i tend to think that shadow would be a very unintentional sap because, again, he’s not familiar with whatever’s considered normal in a relationship. so he’ll be the kind to let the other know he’s thinking of them in various ways or just show up and surprise them with something they might want, all completely shamelessly and like it’s no big deal because if it pleases them why should he hold back ? (of course that’s all in a hypothetical situation where it’s solely between him and his significant other-- if there’s other people involved he’s gonna be a lot more subtle/shy about it if he dares doing anything out of the ordinary at all)

his affection is hard to earn but once you have it he’ll be loyal to you for life honestly

[sunkiri]

Times in Between (1)

A/N: So, I cannot stop thinking about an AU where Knuckles and Shadow go to college, like I don’t know, I can’t get it out of my mind. I couldn’t make up my mind if I wanted it to be a human AU along with it, since humans are easier to describe, but I think I’ll stick with original design. This could have many chapters or not, I don’t know. Enjoy, I suppose! Des: Knuckles has started his fourth year at university, while Shadow is in his third year. On scholarship for basketball, Knuckles is trying to get through the semester and graduate to be free of this hell, but he gets distracted by an odd stranger that starts appearing everywhere he looks.  *                                                     *                                                     *

No matter what shape you tried to mold college into, not matter how much you forced it to fit into your small, close-minded space of perfect: it still would never fit. 

No matter what a great honor it was, or how much you thought you would please your parents, or how far you thought you’d get with an associate’s degree: college sucked. 

Sure, you could meet new people, have new experiences, but you’d be having all of those same experiences for a long time if you didn’t actually sit down and do the work and follow instructions. Those new faces would start to become irritating to look at, and you started to wish that you were someplace else where nothing walked the earth. 

Even with a degree within his grasp, Knuckles still loathed the long hallways and change of buildings that he had to go through every day. His own dorm room had even become bland and boring to him now. 

He placed his back against the door, watching the other students lag and drag their feet, an empty look in their eyes. It was all getting old. Knuckles felt trapped in this elongated time period, always feeling like it would never end.

“Just one more semester, Knuckles,” He whispered to himself. “Just one more.” 

“Knuckles!” A shrill voice called, causing him to pause. He could see those bright, pink quills from a mile away. The smaller hedgehog’s flannel that was tied around her waist was nearly dragging the floor. 

A small smile crept onto the echidna’s lips. “Hey, Amy.” 

“Last semester here, huh?” Amy’s eyes were wide and her tone enthusiastic as always. The thing about Amy was she always had a plan, and she always knew the way her plans would pan out. She was incrediably determined, organized, and a little ecstatic at times. 

Even though her cheerful and bright outlook would annoy most people, Knuckles loved her for it. Amy helped keep his sometimes gloomy outlook on life at bay, and their determination to succeed matched up well. Partners through thick and thin. 

“Yeah, I’m ready to get the hell out of here.” He adjusted his backpack, rolling his shoulder. 

“Well I’ll miss you, you monsterous dork.” Amy smiled, punching his arm playfully. 

“You’ve only got, what, two years left? You’ll be fine.” 

“That’s what you think. You and Blaze are the only solace I have in this place. What are you up to tonight?”

“Practice. Gotta get pumped up for the big game next week, ya know?” Knuckles rolled his eyes. He could feel his muscles already starting to get sore. 

“Boring. Guess I’ll go hit up Blaze.” Amy shrugged, spinning on her heel. 

“More like hit on Blaze.” He snickered, causing Amy to nearly snap her neck. 

“Shut up, you over-grown rodent!” Amy hissed, pushing against Knuckles. 

“Echidnas aren’t rodents-”

“I don’t care! Somebody could hear you, and I’m not in love with Blaze!” 

“Never accused you of being in love with her.” Knuckles sneered, opening his dorm door before Amy could slam him into it again.

“Knuckles!” Amy screeched, giving him an oppertunity to slam the door, laughing to himself. He threw his books on the floor, sighing as he flung himself on the bed. 

Knuckles wasn’t really into going out. He would rather spend his time on the court or some place where social interaction wasn’t required. It normally wasn’t hard for him to keep himself alone, though. Most people were intimidated by his power and his size too much to talk to him or even ask for help in class. It worked in his favor.

Glancing through the glass window, Knuckles watched the other students saunter on the campus, some laughing, some talking, some looking like they wished they were anywhere else. 

Knuckles felt like he could easily forget this place. Soon enough he would be out, hopefully playing for some big league basketball team. He wasn’t the greatest at academic work, but he had managed to barely pass his generals and kept up his grades enough to stay on the team for almost four years. 

He enjoyed playing on the court, or even in the field. Knuckles loved all types of sports and athletic activties, but basketball had always been his favorite. It was easier for him to play sports rather than hitting the books. Not as much thinking was required with basketball. 

He was startled by a pair of eyes looking back at him from across the court yard outside. He blinked, focusing on another hedgehog sitting out in the field. A girl sat next to him, her ears twitching and hands moving smoothly as if she were gloating about something, but the guy next to her didn’t seem to care. 

He was oddly colored: onyx black with red peaking through his quills. His leather jacket looked like it had been through hell, scuffs and scratches all along the sides. His black jeans almost blended in perfectly with his skin. Knuckles knew it was starting to get warm out, but the guy didn’t seem to care. 

Knuckles wasn’t really sure how long he had been keeping eye contact with the guy, and suddenly became aware of how he was checking him out from top to bottom. 

He blushed, turning away from the window. The echidna tried to glance back without being noticed, but the guy down below had raised an eyebrow at him, his expression still brooding. He wished he could tell the guy he was just freaked out because of how he was staring directly into his dorm window. 

Oh well, it’s a pretty big campus, he thought. I probably won’t see him again.

Without a second thought, Knuckles pulled back his quills with a hair band, and headed down to the basketball court. 

*                                                     *                                                       *

The next day, Amy and Blaze followed behind Knuckles as they walked to the cafe a block past Mobius University. 

“I can’t believe that professor gave me a ninety percent on my paper!” Amy’s exasperated tone could be heard half way down the street. 

“That’s still an A, Amy.” Blaze sighed, giving Knuckles a can you believe her look. 

“But not a high one!” Amy whined, holding onto Knuckle’s arm dramatically. 

“Amy, I’m lucky to have even gotten a D on my english papers.” Knuckles scoffed, eyeing the yellow building of the cafe up ahead. Amy would always blubber about how her grades were never good enough for her. She would have to achieve over an A plus before she could be even remotely satisfied with herself. 

He glanced down at Blaze who had an amused smile on her face. She always walked with her back straight, her eyes ahead of her at all times. She carried herself proudly, as if she always had something to prove. 

Blaze had entered his life after Amy. The young hedgehog had insisted on going to the drama club meeting one night, even though Knuckles would have rather eaten his own napkin at lunch that day. Blaze was the president of the club, and rightfully so. Her flare for the dramatic never ceased to annoy yet also amaze Knuckles. 

In other words, Knuckles had declined on the drama club invitation, but Blaze had accepted his to become one of his good friends. 

“Have you seen Sonic lately?” Amy asked suddenly, snapping Knuckles out his thoughts. 

He blinked, trying to remember what she was talking about. “He was out on the track last night, why?”

“Did you talk to him?” 

“No.”

“Oh. Alright.” Amy’s tone was too casual, causing Knuckles to stop before entering the cafe. 

“Why are you asking me that?”

“You haven’t talked about him much. He hasn’t been hanging out with us lately, either.” Amy pouted, flinging open the door and walking in first. 

Sonic was on the track team, but he always seemed to appear and disappear out of their social group. He always seemed like he had other things going on.

“You now how much Sonic likes his space,” Knuckles answered, grabbing a menu off of the metal rack on the table. “Just give him time, he’ll show back up again.”

“I think I’ll get breakfast today.” Blaze affirmed, smoothing out her napkin on the table. Knuckles snorted, grinning to himself.

“Careful, Blaze, isn’t that a little risky for you?” 

“Oh, hush. I like to try new things sometimes.” Blaze confirmed, smiling slyly. 

“You’ve been getting the veggie burger with a side of fries for like, years.”

Blaze had a very strict schedule with herself. Once she found something she enjoyed, or a niche where she fit, she would never change it again. She could be immensely stubborn, and sometimes acted like a know-it-all, but there was a calmness about her that was comforting to Knuckles. 

“I feel like I need something different. Today just feels like a good day to step out of my comfort zone.” 

“Can we talk about how I got a ninety percent on my paper?” Amy wailed, throwing down her menu in frustration. 

“I wonder how early they start serving alcohol here.” Blaze mused, causing Knuckles and her to laugh. 

A loud voice startled them from across the room, causing the three of them to glance over. 

Knuckles throat seemed to close up. There he was: the same guy he had made eye contact with out in the court yard yesterday. He choked on his water, coughing. 

“Hey, are you alright?” Amy asked, worry lacing her voice. She patted Knuckles on the back, trying to help him cough up the water. 

“No.” He strained, sitting up in his chair. 

Blaze was glaring across the table, the loudness of that girl’s voice still filling the cafe. “I hate that girl.” 

“Who? Rouge?” Amy asked, her fingers still lingering on Knuckles’ back. 

“Yes, she’s in my geology class. She’s a loud mouth.” Blaze assured, turning her head away in disdain. 

“Oh, I couldn’t tell.” Knuckles rolled his eyes sarcastically, finally able to breathe again. 

“I’ve seen her around before. She’s always with that guy.”

The mention of him made Knuckle’s eyes snap back up. This time, the hedgehog wasn’t glaring at him. He was staring unamused at his friend, a fry between his fingers as if it was a cigarette. 

He still wore that same scuffed up jacket, but his shirt said something that Knuckles’ couldn’t make out. 

“Do you know him?” Knuckles asked, his voice slightly too eager for his own liking. 

“Who?” They both said in unison, giving Knuckles a questioning look. 

“The guy that sits with Rouge all the time. Do you know who he is?” 

Amy frowned, tapping her chin. “I seen him at the greenhouse once, during passing. He’s never been in any of my classes.”

“He hasn’t been in any of mine either.” Blaze chimed in. 

“I know it’s a big university here, but I feel like I should have seen him before.” Knuckles mused, staring at the glare on his plastic menu cover. 

“Why the sudden interest?” Amy quizzed, raising her eyebrow. 

Knuckles shrugged, trying to resist the urge to look back up at him. “Seen him in the court yard yesterday. Just didn’t know if you guys knew him.”

“Mhmm.” Amy hummed to herself, a smile threatening the corners of her lips. 

“Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not true.” Knuckles growled, holding up his menu to try and attract the waiter. 

“Well, it seems like the guy has a big interest in you.” Blaze deadpanned, sipping on her drink. 

Knuckles looked up. The guy’s eyes were on him now, making Knuckles’ self-aware of himself. The hedgehog had the most bored, unamused expression on his face, which made it incredibly hard to read him. It annoyed the hell out of Knuckles. 

Knuckles sunk down in his seat, holding the menu up to cover his view of the guy. 

“Can we just fucking order our food already?” Knuckles grumbled. 

He could have sworn he heard Amy giggle, but she seemed immersed in her menu. 

[superemeralds]

my sonic characters: a masterpost

I’ll add more whenever i get new info on characters and so on sakjsak

I used to have more but i gave some of them away so i dont feel like i should mention them here (even if those designs are not in use anymore)

[edit 4/20/2019 (haha) added nexus and links to character tags]

1) Saph the hedgehog

This is Saph. He’s a 18/19 year old disaster gay trans boy.

I change his shoe design literally every single time i draw him. :)

I’ll go in depth about his past later.

Saph is pretty much all over the place and forgets to be considerate of other peoples feelings sometimes. He might come off as very egoistic of self centered, but he does actually care in his own kind of way (even when its. kinda bad bc he gives off wrong signals sometimes and ends up hurting people hes close to)

He’s looked up to Sonic ever since he was small and he collects all of the Sonic comics and video games. His dream is to meet Sonic and win against him in a fight.

Shadow is his big idol in many things so he tries to be edgy sometimes or act tough but he fails miserably most of the time and makes a fool of himself; which he doesn’t really mind because he can take a lot of things with humour (sometimes too much). He also uses white eye liner to imitate shadows marks, and he dyes some parts of his fur white to make the marks he already has extend to look more like shadows.

Shadow was the person that taught him how to control his chaos powers, because he’d always just weakened himself in the past, because he is super unstable. (If it wasnt for Shadow he probably would have died by now.) Shadow also was the one that told Saph to go to Tails for help with the buckles on his wrists and the rings on his ankles. They are made of a material similar to shadows rings (tails tried his best to replicate them) so they would help keep the energy in Saph balanced. Due to his strong affiliation to Chaos Energy, he could technically even turn super; but his body would be unable to hold the immense amount of energy and begin to literally burn down to ash within a few minutes.

He is very gay and in a relationship with Ezra.

He’s on T and has not yet had top op. (his bobbies smol its all muscle >:3€ )

Old pic of him and his bf as humans uwu

2) Red the hedgehog

Red is 25/26 years old and works at GUN as special agent. Sometimes he and Rouge get drunk in her club at night and joke about tearing that organization down (or maybe they are not joking)

he’s pansexual and horny 24/7. He has a girlfriend and is in an open relationship. hes polyam if you didnt guess it askdsajh

he’s blind in the right eye and has a tattoo of a star on his chest

(here’s his gijinka because i just. hes hot. he used to be the one character that had like 30 fangirls on deviantart and each of them would comment “nosebleed” every time i uploaded)

ANYWAYS

Saph and Red. They are brothers.

*WARNING: abusive parents, transphobia, homophobia, violence

When red was a young lad and Saph was still a baby their father snapped and beat Red up with an iron bar, making him blind on his right eye. Red took Saph and ran away from home.(Their mother died at saphs birth)

They lived and still live in a city a litte farther off Empire City.

Red decided to go to an orphanage because he could not possibly take care of an infant. (granted his dad couldnt either but it seemed the best possible solution)

They lived in the orphanage for a few years, but saph very soon showed sighns of being trans and got bullied by the other kids. they would call him gay and tr*nny and kick him until he fell silent to endure his “punishment”.

Red couldn’t take it and decided to run away with Saph again. They lived on the street for a while, but Red was caught by GUN for stealing. Once they found out he had a form of chaos powers (even if weak) they decided to let him slide and hire him as Special Agent.

Red accepted this and uses the money he ears to make sure Saph has a good life. This kinda spoiled Saph a little, but he also deserved it lets be real here.

Red made sure to enable saph to get education (which he totally refuses to acknowledge and take seriously) and physical transition.

*WARNING END*

3) Ellectra “Ellie” the tenrec

[ pardon me being inconsequent with the design omg ]

Ellie is a 20 year old functional asexual demiromantic lesbian who is not interested in dumb boys and would rather talk about science with a pretty girl.

She can manipulate electricity and is called “Daughter of Zeus” by the townsfolk in her home island called Coral Island, which is located near the windsmil isles in Apotos.

She studies archeology and gaia mythology/ancient history, which makes it very convenient that she lives nearby an actual gaia temple. (She wants to be like lara croft one day)

At the 2005 black arms invasion her mother got heavily wounded when she tried to protect the town from the aliens and died from the aftermath.

Ever since then Ellie hates Shadow with a burning passion and holds him responsible, because she believed the government propaganda (provided by GUN ofc) that Shadow is One Of The Aliens. If she was ever to meet him she would be FURIOUS and ready to murder (she knows he cant die though).

She tried not to focus too much on that and just. do her cool ancient stuff.

Here are her parents Chion and... the mother i had still not found a good name for.

5) Chion the tenrec

This gentleman is 40+ years old and proud father of Ellie.

Hes also a het ace.

Chion is greek for snow (as far as google translate goes) and he was named that bc of his white nose lmao. its like a snowflake on his black body.

He doesn’t have any elemental powers, but he is naturally very strong and will punch anyone who comes close to his family. He can also use swords and is a skilled swordsman.

He inherited an olive farm from his family and he does keep it going. He makes his money selling olive products he does make himself.

6) Athena the hedgehog

Athena was the daughter of the “major” of the island that the family lived on (coral island), so she was expected to become the new major once he had to retire.

Due to the location of the island and the geographical landmarks on it, many raiders (and also eggman) have great interest in the ruins and mythological places. Athena is not one to give in easily and defended her people and the island from many intruders.

She possessed a less particular (than Ellie), but still fierce power of lightning manipulation. Having used her powers excessively, she sustained severe damage to her arms which showed as lighting shaped scars. She showed them with pride, because they meant she had fought hard to get where she was now.

She was bisexual and married to a tenrec called Chion. She was a year older than him.

The rings Ellie wears on her wrists were her mom’s.

7) Frost the snow leopard

Frost is a 15 year old demiboy who really just wants to have a good time. He hasnt really given his sexuality much thought.

He lives in a small village in Holoska; hes actually even met the werehog. Well he saw him. but he was too afraid to talk to him because holy shit its Sonic The Hedgehog!!!!!!!

He has ice powers!!!!

His insides are like -18°C and he cant eat anything that is hot. He has to eat cooked meals when they are room temperature, or even cooled down to fridge temperatures ( about 6°C).

He basically lives off ice cream and dry meat (if they get fancy food from the city he gets frozen pizza) He thinks of going to the UF for college, but he doesnt really know what he wants to do with his life yet so hes just having fun snowboarding.

8) Mitzu the Cheetah

Mitzu is 22 years old and owns a flower shop/chao garden combo where she takes care of chao, while taking care of flowers and breeding them. Her hydrokinesis powers are very helpful in that!

She loves nature and the outdoors and feeling the grass under her feet, so she doesn’t wear shoes/socks. Ever.

She generally is very free spirited and optimistic!

Shes a big sapphic but shes also okay w being single atm.

Her chao are like children to her and she loves the chao that get left in the garden as much as her own. (ppl leave their chao there when they cant watch over them anymore or if they go for a vacation and cant take them with them or smth)

9) Dan the red panda*

Dan is 17 years old and a big homo.

He has no special powers, except being able to eat and sleep more than the average person.

He’s from a very rich family, but his parents insisted in him finding a wife to like. pass down the heritage but he aint having none of that so his punk ass ran away from home to be his gay self and study art. 

He lives in a tree house a little off a small village in a more rural area in east UF, near station square. let the depression boy be happy...

10) Yoshi the siamese cat

Yoshi is a 20 year old enby kitty who wants to make the world a gayer place!

They are studying fashion design in hope to one day open their own fashion store for queer people! The clothes are made with body differences in mind and they also want to offer a free customization service to fit clothes to every single body type.

They don’t have any special powers as of now but i kinda want to give them a power that could be helpful with their goal Im still thinking about it ...

11) Joel “Spirit” the Husky

Spirit is fresh ripe 14 years old and Sonic the hedgehog is his big big idol. He wants to be JUST like him when he grows up.

It has come to my attention that he is basically the sonic universe Deku and I may or may not be planning to write a fanfiction for that...........

He doesn’t have any special offensive powers, but he has orange blood and he has the ability to read the Chaos Signature of anything he encounters. (called: Chaos Vision)

This means he will immediately know if a person he meets has super powers and he will also know what that power is. He can also guess the emotions of people because they are tied to the kind of chaos energy that surrounds a person.

12) Aurora the Husky

Spirit’s Sister!

Her name is Aurora and she also has Chaos Vision!

She was born blind, but she’s been able to see with her power, so that’s just what the world looks like to her: Darkness with many many colorful lights.

Over time through hard training she was able to perfect her vision and be able to distinguish between a lot of things and even see things that only have very little chaos energy in them!

13) Axel the Axolotl*

I don’t really have much info on them I made them pretty random one day bc i thought. hey. .... what if... axolotl sonic character.

14) Azul the cat

Azul is my sonicsona kinda. He was pmuch my persona b4 i was kin w shadow. 

He’s an edgelord and i guess he’s still technically me; or rather what i want to be. 

He’s already on T and has has top op and he does not crumble away under social anxiety like i do askjdsakjd.

15) ( UNKNWOWN) the Pangolin*

Similar to Axel I didn’t think much about him yet......  

he’s aroace and kinda goofy but he cares for his friends. He can roll up and do spin dashes and homing attacks like sonic, but he obviously doesnt have his super sonic speed.

16) Coal the hedgehog

Coal is one of the newest of my characters; but he’s also one of my oldest. 

You see, Coal is a revamp of a very old crappy fanchild i had back in like 2012.

for reference thats him

New Coal is 27 years old and a gay mess. He can turn into a cloud of smoke and control it at will. He is completely immune to physical attacks. try to stab/shoot him and u ded. hes coming for u.

he steals, but only from rich ppl. hes chaotic neutral tho bc he keeps that shit for himself safhsaljfha he generally just wants to chill and have his peace. 

he loves being an edge lord though he just wants that image for himself, even though he is kinda a softie... hes good at keeping up an act in dangerous situations though and that sometimes scares attackers off (also his powers)

Some gijinka doodles that make his age more justice than sonic style aksjfhaskj

17, 18, 19) The Crew On ARK

old bad art but i never really drew them, i did write about them in my fic about shadows past! (im excluding the black guy from the list because i didnt write him yet and i guess hes not really established yet since i got literally nothing on him)

from left to right

Nia, (that dude), Hikari, (gerald), Theodor

Nia is the daughter of a shamaran professor and a woman who owns a boulongerie in spagonia. She joined the ARK program in hope to make the world a more accepting place.

Hikari is is from an island near chun-nan (japan) and she also joined the program in hope to be able to help make a change for the better. she also enjoys biology and genetics a lot.

Theodor joined purely because of his joy in working on genetics and robotics that immitate life. He’s innitially from the GUN team but was assigned to work with Gerald.

20) Commander Jonathan Williams

old art again sorry sakjfhsakj. He is the father of the current GUN commander! He’s 52 and a total douchebag. He’s kinda mad with power and genuinely believes that putting shadow under pressure to become the ultimate and strongest weapon (stronger than an atomic bomb) was necessary to end the war that was going on at that time.

I cannot spoil too much on what happened to each of these people as it’s spoilers for my fanfic. 

If you want to know more, read here -> http://archiveofourown.org/works/10992156/chapters/24482199

21) Sidus “Nova” the black panther (and 22 Badass the Chao)

You see. The thing with nova is that i recycled him as human/demon character for a story sjkhfkafhsakj but he has shadow powers where he can use all shadows as portals into a shadow dimension that is entirely his own. he can travel through that but it makes him very tired. he likes to store capri suns in there and just take em out whenever he wants. He has a Chao called Badass (pictured below)

his new human/demon design is below

23) Blossom the horned Frog

She is new and I don’t have much info other than that she’s from a jungle area; perhaps in adabat.

She secrets a poisonous slime from her body; yet her spit has healing accelerating properties.

A gene defect lets her never lose her tail.

24) Nexus the demonic sheep hound

nexus is a demonic sheep hound mix?? idk i just didnt want to draw hooves aksfsakhfa

they can manipulate metal and bend it in any shape they want

however they cant make it float n shit like youd think of metal powers like magneto jsfhsakjf they can literally just. shape it like play-doh but with their mind

they wear those gold rings so when theyre in a pinch they can just make a bunch of cool knifes of a sword n be like SURPRISE BITCH IM NOT JUST PRETTY. IM PRETTY DEADLY!

[crusherthedoctor]

Sonic & Tails: Beyond the Stars - Chapter 4-5 Interlude

The Will to Act

Ambience filled the air of a cold laboratory, filled to the brim with countless deranged experiments still in progress. A dark blue hue encompassed the facility, and only the beeping of computers and the flowing of liquids cancelled out the silence. That is, until the high-tech gate marking the entrance opened suddenly, and in walked Dr. Eggman. The lights immediately switched on, though the inherent darkness of the surroundings was still prevalent. He still had a grin on his face, and his swagger remained confident as he walked. His diminutive lackeys followed right behind their master.

"Sir, aren't you at least a LITTLE concerned that the Wraith failed to defeat them...?" Orbot asked, though he knew the doctor would brush him off before he even got his answer.

"Bah!" Eggman scoffed, as he walked up to a large metallic table with blueprint papers. "If you worry over every little setback, you'd never get anything done. That's something I've learned over the years. You gotta roll with the punches if you want the last laugh."

He then took out a single grey crystal, evidently one of the crystals from Zephyr Mountain he managed to get away with. He examined it closely... He seemed to be able to sense the power within just by holding it, as he let out a heavy exhale through gritted teeth.

"Oh yes..." he paused, before putting the crystal down onto the table. His body crouched slightly, perhaps overwhelmed by what he just experienced. "I can feel it... right through the course of my veins... It feels... amazing... This will be so good when everything's done."

"So uh, what do these pretty crystals do, exactly?" asked Cubot. "They for a Christmas tree or somethin'?"

Eggman wordlessly glared at the robot for his inadequate levels of awareness. "No... they have a much greater purpose." He pointed at one of his papers, which included a sketch of two crystals. One grey, the other fully colored.

"The crystals we have now can already achieve great things. They can power my creations to new heights, and give them amazing strength. But these ones... " He placed his finger on the drawing of the colored crystal. "...are twice as much. No, ten times as much. These crystals are the ones with the most remnants of the Ethereal Zone's power on this planet. With them, one can control the elements, and maybe even more..."

"But if that's true, why are you looking for the Ethereal Zone itself?" Orbot questioned, while Cubot scratched his cuboid cranium. "Surely the crystals would be enough to satisfy your proverbial hunger?"

"It's about climbing the scale, idiot," Eggman sneered arrogantly, complete with a clench of his fist. "With these crystals, we get those crystals, and with THOSE crystals, we get closer to finding the Zone."

"And what about the Chao?" the round robot asked again, as he mildly fidgeted.

"They're still a priority as well. I wouldn't waste time capturing them if they weren't." The doctor snapped his fingers, and pointed at both of his minions. "So I expect the two of you to investigate where Sonic and his annoying friends could have taken them, and where else there could be more Chao."

"You got it, boss!" Cubot gave a hearty salute, and pulled Orbot close to him, much to the latter's chagrin. "When you feel you're gonna sob, Orbot and Cubot are on the job!" With that, he dashed out of the laboratory in seconds, dragging a distressed Orbot by the hand all the while. The scientist stood there for a brief moment, before shrugging to himself in resigned annoyance.

"I'll do it myself later, they'll probably screw it up somehow. But first..."

He picked up the grey crystal again, and this time he walked over to a row of test tubes, all of which were filled with a mysterious green liquid. Silhouettes of different sizes and shapes could be seen in each of them, but one test tube in particular caught his attention. With a growing grin, he pressed one of the buttons on the panel beside the tube, and slowly, the liquid began to clear away. The silhouette from within was still obscured ever so slightly by the shadows, but even those who weren't the mad doctor himself would know straight away what was in that tube. Sonic certainly would.

"Wakey wakey," Eggman called out in a sinister sing-song voice. He showed the crystal, and shook it a little, like a parent interacting with their own baby. "I've got a little present for you, son. Fancy settling your little vendetta with the fake once and for all...?"

Immediately after he asked, a pair of red rings sprung to life where its eyes would be...

---

"So what do you think Eggman wants the crystals for?"

"Dunno. Maybe he wants them to give that monster more power... Or maybe they're for some other weapon, like a laser cannon or something."

"Oh, like the Eclipse Cannon?"

"Well, he's tried some things more than once before, hasn't he?" The hedgehog shrugged. "How many Death Eggs has he had again?"

Tails and Sonic continued to debate the motivations for Eggman's crystal hunt as they made their way back from Zephyr Valley to Lutrudis' castle. Lutrudis herself was walking beside them, with her hands behind her back, listening to her friends' chatter while she looked around at the beautiful scenery presented by the valley. Her mind appeared to be elsewhere...

"You ever think Eggman will give up some day?" Sonic asked half-jokingly.

"I think we already know that'll never happen," Tails answered with a light chuckle.

"But he's done everything to try and win!" Sonic pantomimed dramatically with his hands. "He's sicced Chaos! He's tore the planet apart! He's disrupted the flow of time and space! And he STILL can't beat us!" He grinned knowingly. "And you wanna know why?"

"Why?"

He suddenly brought Tails close to him and gave him a soft noogie. "Because he'll never be as awesome as us!"

"Aww, come on, not in front of Lutrudis!" Tails laughed sheepishly, trying his hardest to cease the noogie. Lutrudis herself let out a small giggle at the sight of Sonic's antics.

None of them noticed the top hat-donning robot hiding away through the trees. The robot's hands continued to move erratically, as it spied on the heroic trio walking through the display of vibrant vegetation.

"You may be certain about that for now," it whispered to itself in a feminine voice. "But in time, you will surely bow... ~hmm hmm hmm~..." It vanished in another puff of fancy smoke, leaving as quickly as it appeared once again.

"Listen, guys," Lutrudis spoke up, having decided to bring up what was on her mind. "I've... had an idea I've been going back and forth on. It's about the crystals."

"Oh?" Sonic let go of Tails, and the fox regained his composure. "What kind of idea are we talking about?" Sonic pondered.

The horse rubbed the back of her neck with one hand, and her eyes glanced over to the ground at her side. "It's probably a silly idea, but... Suppose we were to fight fire with fire..."

"You mean... to use the crystals ourselves?" Tails correctly sussed. His tails swished at the mention of this prospect.

"Heh, close. You guys are probably fine as it is. But I had an idea involving... well, myself." She pointed her thumb at her back, which her trusty bow was currently tied to.

Sonic raised an eyebrow at the implications, though he trusted that his friend knew what she planned on doing.

"Well, lead us the way, Trudy."

---

After having returned to the castle, they immediately went back to the cavern underneath it. While Sonic went down the rocky steps like the previous time, Tails was generous enough to simply fly Lutrudis down to the cave, having remembered her struggle with steep steps. When they went inside the cavern, it looked exactly as it did last time, as rustic yet radiant as ever. The crystals once again gleamed heavenly, in all their multitude of colours to choose from.

"So..." Sonic started, curious as to what the horse had in mind.

Lutrudis motioned with her finger to halt Sonic's words, indicating non-verbally that all will be explained. She walked up to a wall in the cavern, and with her other hand on her hip, she casually tapped it thrice with the back of her fist. Right on cue, a bunch of ropes came down from the roof, each of them holding onto what appeared to be plushies based on Eggman's Egg Pawns. Sonic and Tails looked at each other in surprise at this sight.

Then, Lutrudis looked at a selection of crystals beside her. Each of them were glowing, and pulsating with the mysterious power they still hadn't quite learned the full story of. Slowly, very slowly, after a brief moment of hesitance, she put her hand on a red crystal. She closed her eyes as she took a moment to exhale deeply through her nostrils, having felt its unexplained heat. Once she was ready, she opened her eyes once more, and gently plucked the crystal out of the ground.

Sonic's quills straightened up slightly, and he and Tails looked at their friend in concern, uncertain as to what she was about to do. Nonetheless, they let her continue, knowing she was far from careless.

Without a word, she pulled out one of her arrows, and slowly pulled the tip of it off. After a few seconds of her glancing between the now-incomplete arrow, and the crystal itself, she carefully placed the crystal where the tip of the arrow once was. It was inserted onto the arrow with little issue.

"Woah," Tails muttered in surprise.

Lutrudis grabbed her bow in one hand, with the new, specialised arrow in the other, and she turned her head in the direction of her two friends. She motioned towards the entrance to the cave, to which they understood immediately and backed up so they were further away. They clearly understood she wouldn't want there to be an arrow in someone's eye if something went wrong.

Still perfectly silent, she took her time to put herself into position, as she stared down one of the hanging Egg Pawn targets. She closed one eye, and got her bow and arrow ready. She could still feel the intense heat of the red crystal by being so close to it. A light bit of sweat went down her forehead. But she didn't budge. She was ready... She aimed...

The hedgehog and fox closed their eyes, and crouched in anticipation...

FWOOOOM

Sonic opened his eyes abruptly at the noise he just heard. He couldn't see any arrow through his body, much to his own relief. He nudged Tails with his elbow, to which the younger one opened his own eyes in response. When they looked at Lutrudis, they couldn't believe their eyes. She stared at the Egg Pawn plush... or what remained of it, as it had almost completely burned apart due to the crystal that remained stuck in its chest.

"Holy..." Sonic stopped himself, before Tails could hear. "That's some Blaze business right there..."

Lutrudis still said nothing. There was little emotion on her face as she looked at the burnt Pawn... but something was clicking in her eyes. She went to the closest selection of crystals again, and this time, she picked out a blue one. She repeated what she did last time. Took an arrow, pulled the tip off, replaced it with the crystal. Her body mildly shivered, as the coolness of this crystal was a palpable contrast to the warmth of the previous one. Once again, she prepared herself to aim at another hanging Pawn, and when she felt ready, she fired away.

CCCLLLIIISSSHHH

Another direct hit... but instead of burning up, this one was inexplicably frozen in an appropriately sized ice cube.

"Nice...!" Sonic muttered out loud, with an impressed grin on his face. Tails was similarly amazed by what he was seeing.

She decided to try out one more. She looked at yellow crystals, green crystals, among all colours upon colours... Her eyes stopped upon noticing a purple one. Its glow was significantly darker, more dimmer than the rest... and almost as black as the night itself. Despite showing even more hesitance than the previous two examples, she put her lingering fears aside and carefully plucked out the purple one, and repeated the process once more. This one didn't feel hot or cold. Instead, it felt... strange. She couldn't pinpoint what it made her feel. She aimed, braced herself...

But neither she nor her friends could have predicted what this one would do...

WWWHHHOOOOOOSSSHHH

Everyone's eyes were wide in complete and utter bafflement. Lutrudis in particular looked enormously dumbfounded. Did that Pawn just get... sucked into a void? She looked to her side at another purple crystal, and then looked back at where the Pawn once was. The look on her face remained the same. She was completely puzzled, and possibly aghast.

Sonic and his little bro went closer to the green equine, still full of shock themselves. All three of them had trouble getting a single word out of their mouths. Even for as much as they already knew, they had no idea the crystals were capable of that much power.

"Well..." Lutrudis tugged on her ponytail nervously, and let out an embarrassed chuckle. "This would be quite awkward if my aiming stunk."

"Trudy, this is... this is incredible! And kind of terrifying... We've GOT to show this to Amy and Cream!" Sonic looked again at where the Pawn was before it got whisked away by an actual, literal void. "No wonder Eggman's after these things!"

"But if nothing else, they sure do look as though they could come in helpful," Tails added. "Although, surely you'd run out of crystals eventu-"

Before Tails could even finish his spoken thought, a brand new red crystal popped out of the ground, exactly in the previous red crystal's place. Likewise, a new blue crystal emerged from the ground in its place, and a new purple one came to fill its own. Tails' jaw hanged low. Sonic simply whistled in amazement.

"Oh yeah, that's another thing," Lutrudis smiled coyly, as she tilted her head and swung her leg back and forth while leaning on the other. She clasped her hands. "It's not a finite resource. If you take one, another takes its place."

"Man..." Sonic stroked his left quill, still dazzled at what his friend could do with these abnormal jewels. He was far from a stranger to them. He's seen and used the Chaos Emeralds who knows how many times. He's seen the Sol Emeralds. He's seen the Master Emerald. He's seen the Time Stones. He's seen the Phantom Ruby.

But none of them were so prominently... multi-purpose in their specific capabilities. The rest would boost your power, distort time, create illusions, but these crystals had a whole slew of bells and whistles. And is it possible that they could stack up? If this was what they had to offer, what on earth could the Ethereal Zone itself be capable of...?

It was a scary thought for the Blue Blur. On one hand, he was glad he had a compadre who could use them effectively. On the other hand, Eggman would be able to do so much in so little time if he got his hands on them. And since it's an apparently limitless resource, he'd never run out of that power...

"So... was the sheer level of power why you were hesitant about this?" Tails asked while he rubbed his ear.

"Well, it's one of the reasons," Lutrudis sat down on the nearest rock, and put both of her hands to her sides. She crossed the ankles of her boots. "They say power corrupts and all, and I'd like to believe I'm more responsible than an entitled manchild with the nose to match."

"You already are," Sonic chuckled softly.

"But talking of Eggman... I've been a little morally conflicted about it," the horse admitted.

"How come?" Tails questioned.

Lutrudis glanced at the crystals all around her, before she looked at her friends' faces, visibly unsure of herself. "I want to do everything I can to help, and I really mean that. But... If I used the crystals this way... would that make me no different from the likes of him? You know, using a powerful natural resource for one's own benefit... would that not make me just as contemptible as him, and others like him...?"

"Trudy, pal, it's not the same thing at all, believe me." Sonic sat beside her, and put an arm around her back, much to the horse's surprise. "Eggman only cares about power, and nothing but power. That's all he ever wants... that and maybe my head on a pike. When he uses shiny magical doodads, it's for the purest of selfish reasons, to appeal to his own ego at the expense of others... Trudy, I may have not known you for long, but I already know you're not like that. Not one bit. Heck, unlike half of my other friends, we didn't even fight after an easily avoidable misunderstanding!"

"Your reasons for using these crystals are perfectly benevolent," Tails continued along, with a comforting smile. "You want to help protect our world, to give our fellow people peace and security, instead of taking it away from them... you and Eggman couldn't by any more different with your intentions."

Sonic pointed his thumb at himself, with the characteristic smirk to match. "I've used the Chaos Emeralds to fight big bad monsters and giant scrap piles for years. Don't see me going full Egghead, do you?"

Lutrudis looked at one of the crystals behind Sonic's position, before exchanging eyesight with him once more. Her demeanour relaxed. "No," she smiled tenderly. "I suppose not."

"Uh, sorry to interrupt the scene guys, but..."

The three of them were immediately alert at the sound of a new voice entering the scene. It didn't sound at all like Eggman, thankfully, but it was also too gruff to be Amy or Cream... and masculine.

"We would just like to talk with Sonic," another voice piped up. It sounded younger than the first voice, but it too was gruff, and definitely male. "Your friends told us you were down here."

"Those crystals are so PRETTY!!!!" a third voice shouted enthusiastically. The pitch was notably higher with this one. "Can we take one? Pleeeaaase???"

"Quiet already, sheesh!"

Sonic breathed a sigh of relief, as he soon recognised their identities before he even saw their shadowed figures. "Oh, it's just you guys, the... what are you guys called again?"

"The Chaotix Detective Agency," Vector the Crocodile announced with pride as he entered their field of vision. "At your service, sirs and madam!"

Sonic and Tails exchanged blank looks with each other. Lutrudis merely waved awkwardly at the newest face.

---

Back to Chapter 4...

To Chapter 5...

[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!