#but his actions have consequences and sonic is made up of so many of his consequences

[borrelia]

exit: sonic kintobor who knows that sonic has been a grown adult longer than kintobor was ever his 'guardian' if you can even call it that (adult who housed him and brought him books and didn't really take responsibility for him otherwise) and being a little too eager to treat sonic like just another capable colleague vs sonic still definitely seeing him as a father figure and wanting his praise and approval soooo so bad

[molinaskies]

Sonic Broke. What's Next? (IDW)

For those who might know, quite some time ago I wrote about Sonic’s next emotional arc in the IDW comics, where he won’t be so immediately trusting of new faces after what happened to Mr. Tinker. I analyzed how this new dynamic is characterized through his interactions with Belle and was justified by the events of the metal virus arc and, more specifically, the way in which everyone piles onto Sonic for his decision to keep Mr. Tinker alive.

Espio’s done it. Shadow’s done it. Zavok’s done it. Metal Sonic’s done it. Starline’s done it. Eggman’s done it. Sonic’s done it. So many people have put Sonic down for this one decision; this one decision has backfired in so many ways, but Sonic, ultimately, never lost faith, never lost hope, never lost his optimism for a better world where everyone has even a little bit of good in them. This optimism is one of Sonic’s key defining characteristics that shines through every single continuity of this franchise and every single iteration of this character.

But this is it. This. Is. It. Chekhov’s gun has fired, and Sonic has fucking broke.

This collapse hits Sonic in two waves, the first one being his first confrontation with Surge.

Surge says everything the others have said regarding Sonic’s “moral code,” but her specific language illustrates the key difference between her and everyone else—and why it hits Sonic so hard. Everyone else in Sonic’s life is adjacent to Eggman’s terrorism, but Surge is a victim of it. And what makes matters worse is that she’s only brought in this mess through a chain of command.

If Sonic ended Eggman, Starline wouldn’t have been able to bring Eggman back, nor experience the apprenticeship that turned him against Eggman and sent him on the path of creating enforcer cyborgs—which means that Kit and Surge would not exist in the state they do now, and they would be able to live happy lives. Even if after ending Eggman, Starline would have still surfaced on a track of “Eggman Avengement,” the same argument could be made, because Sonic would have directly spared Starline, too, and he knows it. If only for a second, something clicks.

The collapse finishes in one fell swoop in his third confrontation with Surge, where she spells it out for him further, and where a technical fault on Eggman’s Device, of all things, saves his life by almost surging hers.

Sonic has now, for the first clear and objective time, seen the true consequences of his decision, and for the first clear and objective time, he cannot fix it.

This isn’t the same as Metal Sonic, who, as a (sentient) robot, serves a purpose outside of replicating Sonic (he’s a protector, an attack robot, and a companion to Dr. Eggman). Surge once had a life of her own, one she no longer remembers because, through a sick and twisted train of events, Sonic has deprived her of those memories, that freedom. Surge isn’t a robot. Surge isn’t an android. Surge is a real, tangible person that Sonic’s decision has thoroughly fucked up, and Surge has just framed him—not his choices, HIM—as the key reason she’ll never be free. She will either kill him or die trying, and either way, Sonic cannot win.

In the first second he can breathe, let alone process everything that just happened, Sonic… can’t. He has nothing to say—not in front of Tails, at least, but maybe nothing, at all. Until this point, Sonic has wondered if he, specifically, was to blame for Eggman’s actions because he was the one to let Mr. Tinker go. However, this is the first time where Sonic seems to question whether he should have let Mr. Tinker go, at all.

When Eggman emerges from the rubble, Sonic isn’t smug. He’s not amused. He’s not even bemused. Sonic is gutted and disgusted by the fact that Eggman’s still alive. He might even feel guilty that he’s still alive.

Eggman doesn’t know sympathy, doesn’t know remorse—not in Sonic’s eyes, not anymore, and it shows, because when Eggman has the audacity to ask for another truce—

—Sonic could fucking kill him for it.

Sonic’s always hated Eggman, but he’s also always had faith in his ability to be good. However, what Sonic has learned from all this—what Sonic finally believes down to his core—is that Dr. Eggman is lower than the scum of the earth. Sonic finally understands why Eggman helped stop the arc, why Eggman worked with him to fight the Deadly Six, and why Eggman helped eradicate the metal virus. Sonic finally understands that he mistook Eggman’s ever-cunning, manipulative mind for a shred of benevolence.

Now, what does this mean?

Now that we’ve witnessed the breaking point, I think it will take a fair bit of effort to pull Sonic back from the brink of rage. He’s not going to give up on Surge—not at all—because if he did, he might truly fucking lose it, but there is no way that Sonic will be entirely unchanged by this. In the future, when he’s placed in another complicated situation and given a difficult choice to make—especially if it has to do with Eggman—we might not see even a shred of lenience.

I thoroughly believe that the primary narrative purpose of the IDW comics, as they currently stand, is to investigate Sonic’s tenant optimism and push it far beyond its limits. This story’s purpose is to interrogate and observe Sonic’s declining psychological state until it shatters. This story’s purpose is to stand by one of this franchise’s biggest arguments: Sonic’s big, big emotions cause problems, and his inability to cope with those emotions makes problems worse.

When Sonic’s happy, he’s ecstatic, when he’s confident, he’s cocky, when he’s sad, he’s depressed, and when he’s angry, he’s livid. And all of these emotions, without balance, can come crashing down around him.

We’re seeing this fact so prevalent in the movies, Sonic Frontiers and especially Sonic Prime (which takes the direction that the movies do and turns it up to eleven). However, in the same ways they weaken him, Sonic’s emotions give him strength. Without his optimism, Sonic would have fallen, long ago. Without his optimism, Surge will never have a chance to see a better future for herself. It’s all counterbalanced by how big his heart is and how much he evidently wants to be better and do right by others.

And if there’s anything he’d die trying to do, it’s that.

[sophfandoms53]

Finished the Knuckles Show and uhhhhhhhhhh it’s certainly a show.

There’s good stuff buried in every episode especially where Knuckles is concerned. They set up a very interesting arc for him and just didn’t really explore much with it. After the first episode Knuckles is shoved to the side CONSTANTLY and is made the B plot more often than he should be as the TITULAR character.

Every criticism that said Wade takes over the show is correct.

After episode 1, Wade takes over every A plot and Knuckles is only ever in the B plot that has either minimal time focused on him or he’s just straight up not around (episode 4 is the worst offender here but it’s an issue from eps2-6). They actively write Knuckles out of the plot constantly and it’s very frustrating.

If you like Wade and enjoy his personal journey about his family then this’ll be fine. I, for one, thought it was interesting on its own but 100% it has no reason to be here in a SONIC MOVIE KNUCKLES spin off show. This is not Knuckles’ show. It’s Wade’s and that’s the biggest let down.

Knuckles IS there but that’s it, he’s just THERE.

And it sucks because Movie!Knuckles himself is very well crafted and very entertaining and engaging to watch. The show is at its strongest when it’s about Knuckles and spending time with him. Episode 1 is the only episode that it feels like what it was advertised as - the Knuckles show.

Sonic, Tails, and Maddie only show up for the first episode and never come back. Which is wild because part of the plot is Maddie has grounded Knuckles and he sneaks out but there’s never any consequences shown once he gets home nor do we see how anyone reacted once they noticed Knuckles is gone. These three are just abandoned after episode 1.

Tails has like 6 or 7 lines, my boy deserves sm better LMAOO

A big highlight, however, I LOVED Sonic in this one episode. The way you can see and FEEL how he’s grown from movie to movie and in this first episode is very well done. He’s truly becoming the Sonic I know and when he and Knuckles had their conversation on the roof where he tries to help Knuckles see the beauty in Green Hills, his home - that entire scene was PURE Sonic’s golden heart on display. He does still have his jokes that remind you Ben Schwartz is his actor and that he’s a silly kid but he IS still Sonic at his core and I loved that. It made me very sad we didn’t get to see more of him but I appreciated seeing Sonic handled this way. It makes me very eager to see how movie 3 goes about him considering everything Shadow brings to the table and how different of a threat he’s gonna be for Sonic.

Episode 2 is alright but GOOD LORD episodes 3-5 are such a waste of time. There’s good sprinkled in them in isolation but as full blown episodes, a waste. You can skip most of what’s happened and be fine.

The big climax fight in the finale just HAPPENS. The plot armor literally comes bursting through the wall and yanks Knuckles out of the plot for way too long and we only get TRUE and INCREDIBLE Movie Knuckles action (his fire fists which were insane btw) in the last 5 minutes and it only lasted like 2 of those 5 minutes.

Overall, it’s not entirely unwatchable but it’s not worth a majority of people’s time. You don’t need this for movie 3 so if you wanna skip it - I’d recommend that. If you really watch though, I’d only say watch the first episode and the finale and just google the context for what’s in between bc eps 2-5 are total slogs after a while.

If you like silly dumb fun - this is the show for you. But it’s not the show many Sonic fans may have wanted or expected.

I’m not angry or anything like many people have been. It’s not worth getting angry over. I’m moreso just disappointed because I can see a good show about Knuckles hidden in there. They just opted to give more time into Wade for whatever reason.

Just an overall let down imo.

Knuckles deserved better❤️

[miss0atae]

Random thoughts about Pit Babe the series Ep 9:

This episode was packed with many information and twists. I'm never bored when I watch this series.

▪️ First of all, let's talk about Babe. I felt for him so much in this episode. The betrayal he had to feel when he learnt about Way being the Enigma, hiding his work for Tony and basically lying from the very beginning. Babe really saw Way as his best and most trusted friend. It was hard to watch. I have to admit, I never watched Pavel in another series before, but I admit he really know how to cry. He do it beautifully. It's weird to say it this way, but I hope it's understandable. It must be really hard when you can't trust anyone. I'm sad for Babe. He quoted all the people who betrayed him and Charlie is quite lucky that he didn't say his name. Even if I like them together and think they are a cute couple, Charlie took his sweet time to tell the truth to Babe. Thankfully, Babe really loves him and I don't doubt that Charlie loves him back but he hasn't been trustful from the beginning either.

▪️ Charlie had many opportunities to use Babe's gift in this episode. I like how he was the one who had to deal with the consequences before the race. He can now fully understand what Babe was living before. I also found that so sweet how Babe came to me and was so lovable with him. I appreciate all the fluff and domestic vibes they have together. However, I wish Charlie was better at learning from his past mistakes. He told Babe he would tell him the truth but he is still hiding things from him. I wanna talk about when Jeff told him about his vision and they made a plan together but they haven't told anyone else about it. It's again going to break Babe's heart and as much as I find Pavel pretty when he is crying, I think Babe had enough sorrow. He doesn't need to cry more.

▪️ Jeff and Alan... We got robbed again! Yes, they had their little cute moment and it seems that Alan understand now that he has feeling for Jeff (thanks to the love matchmakers that are Sonic and North, they may be bad at rescuing people but at least they are better at being love gurus). I melted a little bit when Jeff called himself "Alan's boy". I thought they would kiss right at that moment... but no! It's frustrating! You like each other, time to have some action.

▪️ I understand now why Pete called Kenta, Ken. It's because he is "buying/saving" all those kids. They may have met this way. It is not said in the series but I haven't found a better explanation. Babe learnt from him that he is actively trying to convict Tony. He also knows him (it seems almost every character is Tony's son now which hilarious) and is the second Enigma. I hope he'll succeeded in his mission but also that he will save Way.

▪️ Now, we need to say something about Way... Of course, he was the second Enigma and he also tried to sexually assaulted Babe. I never liked him but for the first time I felt pity for him. What he did was terrible and there is no excuses. However, I feel like he has a lot of self-loathing. He was threatened by Tony. Way is afraid of him and when you're living in such bad environment it's hard to act rightly. We also learnt that he was homeless before Tony took care of him. I don't know what is going to be his redemption arc but I hope he'll get it. He seems so miserable. Tony is just so toxic. I felt like it was a miracle that Babe, Charlie, Pete or Jeff are not more f****d up in the head because of it. I don't know, I feel like Way could have turned differently.

▪️ We got nothing from Kenta or Kim and I'm starting to think that it is not meant to be. Also, what is Kenta's deal?! He seems to not really be on board with what Tony is doing but at the same time he is doing his work. I need answers!

▪️ Dean is also back in the team? Can we really trust him? I'm not sure. Especially after seeing the trailer.

▪️ By the way, why is Charlie always loosing?! He got special ability and he was trained by Babe. You need to do better Charlie! I wish he won this race. I'm stressed now with what I saw on the trailer.

I can't wait to be next Friday.

[transmascsonicthehedgehog]

GOOOOOOOOD AFTERNOON TUMBLR I'M FINALLY UP AND AT 'EM (<- WAS LAYING IN BED). SEASON 3 THOUGHTS START NOW.

my biggest gripe with season 3 was the ending. you can really, really tell that this was supposed to be a much bigger series but it was literally cut in half due to corporate meddling. netflix is known for doing this so i wouldn't be shocked.

another gripe, A VERY SMALL ONE mind you is that i feel the battle on the grim dragged a bit too long but there was more than enough enjoyable moments between characters and pretty visuals to make up for this me thinks...

that being said, let's move on to my positive thoughts and get the biggest fish out of the water out of the way first;

SONIC AND SHADOW BEING SO WELL WRITTEN IT ACTUALLY FUCKING HURT. sonic realizing just how fucking deep the consequences of his actions were, sonic going back and forth between wanting to just play hero and tie/fix things up in a neat bow and slowly realizing the only true way of fixing the universe really was to accept what he had done and "give" himself up.

self sacrificial either way, but the end with him telling nine he was willing to risk dying to save the universe crumbling away into nothingness, with nothing but the purest intent of saving everybody and giving them a second chance while he, potentially, gets killed, actually made me fucking cry. sonics character arc throughout this series was probably the best i've seen in a LONG long ass time.

shadow on the other end of the coin... he was mad. justifiably mad throughout the run; sonic had destroyed everything and wasn't treating this as seriously as he should. but as the two spent more time together, he softened up. he realized just how much sonic was hurting and how he was this close to crumbling all together.

i never thought i'd get to see shadow trying to comfort sonic, reassuring him ( in his own ways of course ), protecting him from danger ( i.e s3ep1 ) and just being there for him in general. i NEVER thought we, canonically, would get a scene with shadow showing genuine worry for him.

as someone that goes absolutely fucking crazy over body language and expressions i literally fucking gasped. the way he held his breath, his arm and expression dropping, the way his eyes shrink. oh my fucking god. amplified by the fact that every time sonic would "glitch", that stoic mask would crack again.

he cares. shadow is a caring person, whether that's about sonic or not. he was created to match maria's heart and spirit and it really, really shows in certain scenes of this series, not just season 3.

THAT BEING SAID! shadow was much more closed off this season and i know why. it's because it wasn't just him and sonic anymore, they had an entire group of people with them.

i have so many thoughts about these two specifically but this is my thoughts on season 3 as a whole, so let's move on. my closing thoughts on them is that shadow had some of the best fucking writing since the 2000s here and i mean that.

THE AMYS!!!!!!!!!!! I KNEW THEY WOULD ALL COME TOGETHER AT THE END LIKE SISTERS!!!!!!!!!!!!! the way they bounced off of one another, the way they flowed together so smoothly and were receptive to each other was literally so touching. i loved every single fucking second they were on screen and i wish we could've had more, something i can say about the rouges, bigs and knuckles' 100%. to me, it felt like a part of their personalities coming together at the end despite their "original" selves being long gone by that point...

the way everybody bounced off each other whether negatively or positively was a fucking treat. i loved seeing the egg council interact with everybody, seeing them bicker amongst themselves and letting their shitty egos shine was HILARIOUS. i don't care what people say tbh dr. babble is hilarious. dr. deep and renegade knux were ESPECIALLY funny, what the hell was their beef with each other SPECIFICALLY???? HELP........

the grim big reveal scene was fucking hysterical. it was tense as hell but it was SOOOOOOOOOO fucking funny seeing sonic pound the ground and curse nine while everybody ran and panicked i DON'T CARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! speaking of which...

the tails'. oh my god. when they "died", i cried. i cried a lot watching this season actually. seeing sonics everything fall apart upon seeing them "die" made me fucking cry. he thought he lost them. i think a piece of him broke, and i don't blame him. if i saw my brother seemingly perish, i would've snapped too. i absolutely do not blame him. i got so stupidly emotional when they revealed they WERE okay.

like i said, my two gripes with the show were the ending and the battle on the grim. that was a half lie. my other gripe is that we never got to see much of rouge until the final few episodes, nor did we get much with her counterparts. yes, what we got was GOOD! but i wanted to see MORE of that. but that's not their fault, i'm blaming netflix entirely for why this felt so rushed and incomplete.

on a small note: the grims ability that was given to sonic is probably my absolute favorite out of the bunch, next to the boscage claws. it was fucking awesome and i won't hear anything else sorry. (JOKING)

now. let me talk about nine.

oh. my god. nine. where do i even begin with him.

season 3 has an opening involving sonic and tails cooperating and defeating eggman. together. then it cuts back to sonic and "tails", torn apart and distant. this tails felt as though he had nobody and for the longest time, he didn't. sonic didn't exist in new yoke. he was alone.

nobody saved him.

nine had to save and raise himself, for better or for worse. and we see this tough, apathetic, power hungry wall he puts up quickly turn to dust as the episodes go on. his pained expressions and looks of absolute fury were so painful. the brief fights between him and sonic were painful.

sonic didn't want to hurt him. i don't think nine wanted to either. but he felt as though he had no other choice.

and the moment with renegade knux beating his shield, trying to wear him down and wear him out, the look of stress and fear evident on his face coupled with sonic just watching. sonic watching and slowly realizing he didn't want this. all he could see was a horrified kid. a kid that needed to be talked through. a friend that he needed to save. i'd be lying if i said i didn't cry.

and i DEFINITELY cried when nine finally accepted sonic and hugged him.

i have. so so many thoughts. so many more thoughts that i want to put into words but i can't and it PAINS ME BUT OH MY GOD. I NEED MORE OF THIS SHOW. I NEED MORE. I NEED TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. i know this is within the game/comic canon, but please..... something. i'm so scared we're never going to get something this well written again. i love what we got, but the ending hurt me because that was... it. the fact that it ended so abruptly too felt so. unfair. i can't explain it.

is it perfect? no.

but it was great. it did its job and did it as well as they could with the limits they had. i love you sonic prime.

[the-sinful-voice-witch]

Time to be in love with Rouge the bat

The infamous mean Cruel bitch misinterpretation of her.😡😡

Well after I finally vented off about sexy characters being questioned their value in the other introduction first post is time we get to her personality and characterization cause just like Amy, Rouge had for a while a really mean interpretation of her, just like Amy was portrayed a lot as a whiny pushy sonic stalker Rouge has been portrayed as a... Mean bitch in the bad sense 🤦😑

It is true that in her debut she was like that at first: really selfish, unapologetically mean, thoughtless, irrational.... But those things changed right at the climax of the game and it proved that she learned to be mindful of the consequences of certain actions and that she can be influenced by the "good" and that she deep down was empathetic and caring.

So there was so many times I disliked a lot what they did with her personality in games and comics cause to me SHE ISN'T LIKE THAT!🤬🤬

Like for example, as greedy as she is i can't believe they would make her work with scourge and do things like seducing and kissing KNUCKLES FATHER 🤢 just what the fuck? I'm not putting that image cause... Just NO hell! Bit it's real guys for those who didn't know the only kiss scene that this bat girl ever had was with the fucking knuckles the echidna FATHER, was this some kind of mockery for Knuxrouge fans? Cause in this universe certain Julie su aka "knuckles soulmate cousin"🙄🙄 exists... Really Archie you did her dirty in your dark era...

But not only this, speaking about Julie su... (Ajjj fucking Ken penders and your reign of evil and your damn echidnas armie!) Remember in the Archie comics where Julie su exists she was used to make her look like a total evil asshole compared to Julie su cause apparently Julie herself wasn't good enough so they needed to make bitchy other loved character so she could always be seen as the best option for knuckles 🙄😑 Julie actually almost called her that 🤬 but at least Rouge put her in her place even if that made her look like the bad one.

Seriously 😒. Rouge is a mischievous flirt, but I don't see natural that her character would go this far! She is too confident and independent to be competing with other girls for a guy!! It doesn't matter she likes the guy, i bet if she sees she doesn't have a chance she will just tough it out and keep doing her life.

But they didn't only put her antagonizing Julie, they also made her be like the antagonist girl of a teenager movie group of girlfriends 😑🤦 Stop please STOP, (thank goodness it actually stopped 😌) really this 👇👇 was really awful cause I believe Rouge and Amy is a potential underrated friendship and putting them like this with Rouge underestimating and deceiving them like that AJJJJJJ what the hell? Are you trying to make me hate rouge? You won't succeed because I know that's not her true person!

But the worst part of this ☝️☝️ you see? She is with the team Dark complete, remember when I said Rouge worst attitude changed at SA2 climax? Well in her SH appearance she was absolutely friendly and caring with her team, the team she formed, the one she is often the voice of reason and the mother hen cause the other guys tend to be stubborn and impulsive... How much she cared about Shadow in that game and worried about him even though her goal was shallow and greedy she still genuinely wanted to help him and showed sadness thinking he might be a robot, the same sadness at the end of SA2 when sonic gave her his bracelet and she asked if he thought he was really made to be a weapon and sadly looking through the space ship window until knuckles talks to her like trying to comfort her...😭😭

It's not like i disliked this shadow and this omega but if you have to make rouge the cruel selfish jerk one purposely to make them shine something is really wrong because also I don't think shadow would like to team up with someone with this attitude.

Plus its unnecessary you know? Degrading a character to make look good others is a cheap writer move.

But it didn't happened only in the old comics, it also happens in some games like the cursed Sonic riders 3... She along with Amy and Shadow were total dicks! 🤬🤬 I also disliked her in Sonic battle (except for her interaction with shadow) and Sonic chronicles though fortunately that is not cannon anymore...

You see, when they do this to her it feels like is a complete shallow interpretation of her and is so unfair because her character is better than that! And can be used better... And you know I'm right cause things got better with time, see you in the next part talking about Rouge real good characteristics

Remember, she is not a bitch!

[cheri-translates]

[CN] Season 2 Summary (Volume 4: Ch 10 - 13)

🍒 Warning: Detailed spoilers from S2 🍒

Along with the update on 3 June 2021, the CN server released a “Plot Review” which contains bullet-point summaries of S2 :>

Volume 3 Summary: here

You receive a name list of people involved in the Evol assassinations, and realise that quite a number of them were participants in the Hunter Game. After considering the significance of this list, you decide to discuss the matter with Victor

With Victor’s prompting, you do a cost-benefit analysis and find that disclosing the document brings greater benefits than disadvantages. However, doing this will make LFG a target of the true mastermind behind the assassination incidents

“After all, he isn’t the only one with a trump card.”

As expected, disclosing the list results in heated debate from various segments of society

While leaving Souvenir one day, the brake of Victor’s car fails to work because someone tampered with it

The two of you have no choice but to speed around the city. Despite it being an incredibly dangerous situation, he remains composed, successfully resolving the issue before him. It’s the first time you realise how skilled Victor is in driving 

After the incident, you track down the person who tampered with Victor’s car, and find that he has been assassinated

Likely sensing your feelings, Victor invites you to the park after work. When you head to the park as arranged, you see his figure from afar as he waits for you

You deliberately send him a text, telling him that you’re still at work. He believes it at first, but reacts soon after. He scans his surroundings, then meets your eyes amongst the crowd

“Childish.”

While taking a stroll in the park, the both of you stop before a tree. A long time ago, Victor had coursed through time and entered the future in order to prove that the future could be changed. Back then, you had engraved your wish. This time, the same words are your source of determination. Next to you, Victor smiles and changes “May everyone be safe and healthy” to “Everyone will be safe and healthy”

When he takes you to the riverside, Victor finally tells you the true reason why he asked you to meet him. He’s currently acquiring businesses related to the “Small Syringes”. He needs this information to be publicly disclosed in order to lure the forces that are lying low to the surface voluntarily. Even though you’re worried, you choose to trust his decision. You volunteer to release this news as it can drum up a large volume of public opinion

Victor looks at you, his expression proud and gentle

"Here’s to a pleasant collaboration.”

After the news is made public, the reputation of LFG suffers a drastic decline as expected

On the surface, your interactions with LFG have lessened. At the entrance of LFG, Victor walks forward amid the remarks and hostility by passers-by. You want to defend him, but reason tells you to stay where you are, and not act impulsively

As your eyes gradually redden, you receive a message from him-

“The weather is pretty nice today.”

Victor’s plan progresses steadily. What you’ve done has also allowed the reputation of Black Swan to rise

Even though the two of you are walking in different directions, you are certain that you’re standing in the turbulent undercurrents together

The director of the hospital whom you once interviewed has discovered a reason for the pathological changes in Evolvers, and has invited you over to talk about it. Unfortunately, a group of Evolver gangsters has suddenly taken the hospital hostage

The STF rushes to the scene quickly. When you hear Gavin’s voice, your heart feels much more at ease

The main plotter, Yang Ping, has held normal civilians as hostages, and requests for a series of provisions to be made for Evolvers, so that Evolvers can have more “benefits”

Struck with an idea, you remain on the scene to assist Gavin at any moment. When he sees you, Gavin understands your intentions despite being worried

The STF receives an order from the higher ups to disregard the lives of the hostages, and go straight to quashing the situation. Gavin openly defies orders, choosing to safeguard the lives of everyone as a priority, and to negotiate with the gangsters

“I’ll take responsibility for all the consequences.”

During the confrontation with Yang Ping, Gavin uncovers Yang Ping’s true motive: to force the STF into harming someone in order to shatter the balance between civilians and Evolvers

Catching Gavin’s hint, you pretend that the negotiation went sour and that Yang Ping had injured you, turning the tides in your favour. After all, you’re simply an Evolver used as a chip in the negotiation. Yang Ping’s claim of “doing things with Evolvers in mind” no longer holds any weight

Because of this, the STF agents are given an opportunity to suppress the gangsters

Everything appears to be wrapped up smoothly, but the director is suddenly shot by a sniper. Yang Ping is also shot

Late at night, you spot Gavin standing below your house, braving the rain

Gavin seems to be experiencing complex emotions. To you, perhaps he was unable to fire every bullet for justice

Sensing that Gavin isn’t simply referring to the incident at the hospital, you tell him that you believe in his judgement

“I’ll find the truth behind this incident.”

Gavin also gives you an incredibly resolute response

A few days later, Gavin seems to have made up his mind. He tells you that he’s investigating an incident called “New Year’s Day Change”, and he needs your help

You agree immediately

Gavin has already contacted a key informant: an old ex-policeman. Because the forces behind the incident are incredibly complicated, he needs you to cooperate with him in putting on an act

“Miss Nox isn’t showing due respect by dampening one’s spirits the moment she enters.”

He needs those people who have been paying close attention to this incident to have a mistaken impression that he’s still searching for the old ex-policeman. In order to protect you, he needs you to leave his side

Gavin will be the target of scrutiny, while the eyes on you will slacken. You’ll use this opportunity to become the mode of communication between Gavin and his informants, safely assisting Gavin in advancing in his investigations

As the final step of this plan, Gavin pushes you off the top of a building

He appears determined in breaking off relations, while you're hesitant and powerless. But the both of you are clear that the plan is going as smoothly as imagined

“I’m the greatest danger.”

You know that Gavin is walking down his path resolutely. And you will naturally want to become the person standing beside him, walking down the same path

Through a report done by a member of Black Swan, you discover that the pathological changes in Evolvers are related to their Evol. You also realise that Helios seems to be investigating this matter

At the same time, Savin tells you that something has happened to Kiro, and he’s in the hospital. You immediately rush over, but you’re told that Kiro doesn’t want to see anybody

Across the door, you tell Kiro that you wish to see him. After a strange silence, he speaks slowly

“Thank you. You can go back.”

Behind the door, only Kiro knows the reason why he’s behaving strangely - due to a sonic bomb, he has lost his hearing

Kiro avoids you for many days, until he organises an exclusive “live concert” for you one evening. The next day, he’s finally willing to meet you. When you see that Kiro doesn't seem to have changed much, you relax a little, despite having many doubts

But in the evening, you receive a statement from him which says he’s “retiring from public life permanently”, and he vanishes

Knowing full well just how much he loves the stage, you decide to keep the matter hidden, attempting to look for him

Unexpectedly, you bump into Helios at the Black Swan building

“The person you’re looking for isn’t here.”

His cold attitude makes you understand that Kiro has turned himself into Helios. He’s hiding from you, and also himself

To have a better understanding of his actions, you look through the clues pertaining to him. When you investigate the Hunter Game again, a stone tablet with the symbol “8″ appears multiple times

In order to carry out a concrete investigation, you return to the forest where you had once participated in the Hunter Game, and search for that stone tablet

The moment you touch it, thorns and thistles grow on the stone tablet, cutting your hand and absorbing your blood. Before you can react, the ground underneath your feet opens. Just as you’re about to fall into the abyss, Helios saves you

Despite being faced with his icy attitude, you attempt to form a partnership with him to explore this place

In the dark, rays of light fluctuate into a message that neither of you can comprehend. 19, an artificial intelligence which remains here, enables you to understand that this place is a historical ruins left behind by the previous civilisation - “Lighthouse”

19 tells the both of you that their world was once as flourishing as it is right now, but it was destroyed. They left the “Lighthouse” behind in hopes of assisting the both of you in preventing the fated destruction

You and Helios also hear about the songs from that generation. Cultures and languages may not be the same, but music can cross barriers

When one song ends, Helios sings that melody in his own way, letting it echo in this time and space

"All of you still exist.”

After leaving the Lighthouse, you tell him that you’re going to continue with the investigations, and use your own method to tell Helios that you’re willing to face him, and would like to carrying out this operation with him. You hope that this time, he can walk towards you voluntarily

After returning, you receive a call from an unknown number

“It’s me.”

In order to investigate the Hunter Game further, you once again participate in the game as a punter

You do your best to search for the stone tablet in this game, but accidentally get targeted by two players. Just as you plan to fight with them, Shaw, whom you haven’t seen in several days, appears from behind you

The both of you cooperate, settling the score with the other two

“Tch. Not even one of you can fight.”

You tell him about the “Lighthouse”. Shaw, who has been researching on the historical ruins, guesses that the venue of the Hunter Game could be deliberately designed to be near the ruins. By using large amounts of Evol energy fluctuations, it could unseal the ruins

While the discussion has signs of a positive outcome, the two of you are still embroiled in the game

Shaw’s conspicuous ranking and high-key thunder and lightning have attracted numerous opponents to him. But with your cooperation, the enemies fail in succession

The metal chain around his neck notifies him that he has advanced into the next round, but he loses consciousness in your arms due to a fever

The youth who usually hangs around Joker appears before you. You use psychological tactics to goad him into sending Shaw to the hospital. On the other hand, you’re taken away by him for breaking the rules of the game repeatedly

When Shaw regains consciousness, he’s unable to contact you. He returns to the antique store, only to see that it has been swallowed up by an abnormal black flame

“Get lost!”

In spite of the firefighters’ obstructions, Shaw makes repeated trips into the shop, “rescuing” the calligraphy and paintings

By the time the fire is extinguished, the antique shop is already half scorched, as though it’s a warning

Based on the youth’s memories, you discover that Joker has once visited the former site of the BS research centre. In order to find out why, you hurry over

You inadvertently find that there’s someone in the archive room. Just as you're feeling tense, your phone suddenly rings - at 2.03pm, an unknown number calls you

The sound exposes you. Taking out a gun, you attempt to warn the person in the building

“I surrender.”

That person turns out to be Lucien, and he's holding a floppy disk in his hand

Lucien explains what he’s doing here, and even demonstrates how you can use the data in the floppy disk

A series of numbers flash on the screen before it turns dark

Having considered that this process of reading data is highly confidential, Lucien notes how they might have been watched earlier, and that it’s better to leave

However, you suddenly feel dizzy. In the next second, you find yourself in the corridor. The door to the archive room is shut tight, and you can’t see Lucien anyway

Even though you’ve clearly set your phone to silent mode, it rings again. The screen shows that it’s 2.03pm. It’s a missed call from an unknown number

Returning to the archive room, it’s as though Lucien didn’t meet you earlier

You surmise that you’re experiencing this for the second time, and Lucien believes you without hesitation, speculating that you might have been in a time loop

Just as he says, whenever a certain amount of time passes, everything returns to 2.03pm

Unexpectedly, but as a matter of course, Lucien believes you every single time. He analyses the situation with you, helping you escape from the time loop

After a few more time loops, Lucien figures out a way to escape

“This time, let me accompany you in jumping out of this looping time.”

Time requires an object of reference. You're at the centre of the time loop circle, and the compass drawing the circle is your phone

Because this phone is special, it doesn’t vanish when you leave it with Lucien. At the same time, in order to measure time, your phone reappears in your hand

Since one object cannot exist in two places at the same time, this results in a contradiction that causes time and space to collapse

The next day, you and Lucien meet along the corridor, and agree to go on a stroll outside

Even though many things are unclear, the radiance of spring before you makes everything seem as though they are going in a beautiful direction. You can’t help but mention the promise you once made with Lucien to fly kites

“Spring may not necessarily arrive at a fixed time.”

In a teasing manner, Lucien says that he isn’t late. You also think that perhaps many things can start afresh

All of a sudden, you feel a severe pain in your chest-

“Now, spring has just begun.”

The words Lucien just said have yet to disperse

At this moment, he’s holding your collapsed form. The only colour in his monochrome world is gradually fading

Volume 5 (Ch 14 - 17): here

More S2 content: here

A detailed translation of Gavin’s part is available here!

[solalunar-eclipse]

SYCS - 1 Year Anniversary

Chapter title: Set In Stone

Word count: about 4000 words

Next

Author’s Note: On July 26, 2020, I posted the first chapter of Scars You Can’t See. One year later, I’ve written five stories of varying lengths and am currently working on a sixth (wow)! My writing’s come a long way since then, and a lot of my improvement is thanks to everyone who encourages me to continue said writing, whether it’s through likes, reblogs, or comments. Thank you all so much for your support so far! :)

This is a rewrite of the very first chapter of SYCS, since the original could use a little fixing. Some important notes: I’ve edited a few parts of the story to be more in character, Chapter 2 starts in a different place after this updated version, and I’ve also fixed up chapter 13 because apparently I forgot to finish the motif I started?? Somehow??? At least I remembered eventually...

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the (revised) story!

Before, Shadow had always been able to just ignore what it meant to work for G.U.N.

He’d managed somehow to convince himself to brush aside the fact that the soldiers he worked with (had been coerced into working with) wore the same uniforms as those who killed Maria, his dear sister and first friend. To push away any idea that he couldn’t deal with serving the same organization that had once wanted him dead. (It was the only way to stay with his friends, of course he could deal.)

The same thing went for using guns during the Black Arms invasion- even though he’d had amnesia, he remembered enough that he’d needed to rely on adrenaline near constantly just to make it through those times. Despite this, he had still taken the better part of a month to recover afterwards.

His memories of that day were particularly fresh for a while.

Once the invasion had been successfully repelled, G.U.N. had hired him to work for them very rapidly, as a matter of fact. During the process, some of the people along the way strongly suggested that if the organization wasn’t able to keep an eye on him, then…well, then they’d be very displeased. 

Shadow knew all too well that you did not want G.U.N. displeased with you.

The hybrid felt nothing but exhausted as these thoughts whirled through his head for the hundredth time. They’d only become a major problem recently, ever since the military organization had begun to require him to resume using guns on his missions. Every single time he touched one, the cold steel left his palms slick inside his gloves and made his head swim with flashes of memories too often repressed. Still, he had to use them- he’d be taken off missions entirely if he refused, and Shadow would never leave Rouge and Omega in the lurch like that.

However, his mental health had been growing ever worse these past few weeks as a result. He thought (hoped) he’d done a good job of hiding it from Rouge and Omega, but Shadow had been sparring with Sonic noticeably less. The hybrid had struggled with the idea of inflicting more violence on others in his spare time, and the hero had asked him about it several times, trying to figure out the reason for his sudden change in behavior.

Shadow shook his head, pushing his doubts and worries away just as he always had before. He couldn’t allow himself to become distracted by his thoughts- they might spill over into missions if he wasn’t careful. Forcing himself to focus on his schedule for the day and nothing else, he walked out of his room to take on whatever might come his way.

…

He was skating through the halls of an old, decrepit building (currently being used as a hideout by Eggman) on a mission. A robot stepped into his path.

Shadow hadn’t used his weapon yet on this assignment. He remembered the thinly veiled threat after his first refusal- we may have to remove you from missions if you cannot handle this responsibility- and felt a cold sweat break out on the back of his neck.

He shut his eyes, whipped out the firearm, and pulled the trigger. Flinching at the sound out of instinct, he refused to open his eyes until the gun was away, when he didn’t have to see it anymore. The robot lay on the ground, a smoking hole in its center. He tried to ignore the lingering sensation of the G.U.N. logo embossed on the handgrip in his palm.

Shadow felt the floor tilt for a moment under him before he regained his bearings.

He refused to look at the machine as he rushed by.

…

The exhausted hedgehog curled up in bed at night, unable to keep himself from hearing gunshots over and over and over. He fought against the memories of that day, refused to let them spill over into his thoughts.

Yet despite his best efforts, he knew he’d dream of it again tonight. He knew that he’d wake up screaming with her name in his mouth and the sight of blood still burned into his eyes. It had happened every night since he’d received the weapon.

Shadow swallowed down his fearful apprehension over what would come next. He forced himself to breathe deeply, to close his eyes, even though he wished to do the exact opposite. Dreams were not real. He could not let them hold power over him.

But still, he shivered as he tried to fall asleep.

…

He and Omega were standing in the center of a courtyard, broken badnik scrap lying all around them. This mission was supposed to be easy, just a simple in-and-out. Take out the bots, grab the intel, and go.

Rouge had asked them to cover for her as she searched for information in the abandoned computers alone. Shadow hadn’t liked the idea of leaving her alone but agreed grudgingly anyway.

He looked down at the firearm he held in his hands and tried his hardest not to cringe.

Flashes of memories threatened to surface again, of escape pods and gunshots and too much blood-

“Shadow.”

He jumped, not expecting Omega’s loud voice so suddenly.

“Yes, what is it?”

“You have been distracted for nearly ten minutes. Are you unwell?”

Shadow sighed, projecting a relaxed attitude. “Everything is fine. I was simply thinking.”

“About what?” Omega asked curiously.

“Nothing much.”

Silence descended upon the two again for a minute. 

“Shadow.” the E-series robot repeated.

“What.” he snapped, sounding more irritated than he’d intended.

“Tell me what you were thinking about. You looked distressed.”

“I’m fine, alright?” Shadow insisted. “Just- forget it, Omega.”

Omega stepped closer. “Past experience has informed me that you tend to hide important thoughts from others. Therefore, I will assume that this is essential knowledge until proven otherwise.”

“It’s not important.”

The robot placed his hand on Shadow’s shoulder. The latter wouldn’t admit it, but the weight was comforting, in a way.

“This is not adequate proof. Do you not trust me, Shadow?”

He sighed. “I do trust you, Omega. You know that.”

“Then talk.” Omega’s processors whirred for a moment, before adding, “Please.”

The hybrid’s shoulders slumped- he knew his friend wouldn’t stop until he told the truth. “I was thinking, how weird is it, that I work for the same organization that ki-...caused my sister’s-” He paused on the word, fighting not to trip over his sentences. “-death and...attempted to cause mine. Among other things. And how now...I must use weapons like the ones that took her from me...to harm others.” He sighed, nearly worn out just from the effort of discussing that event’s existence.

Omega jerked away from him, startling Shadow. “G.U.N. is the organization that killed your sister?” he asked, sounding- if it were possible- shocked.

“And the one that locked me away in cryostasis for 50 years, yes.” Shadow said, feigning calm.

Omega made a staticky noise that sounded like a sharp exhale. “Shadow. Why did nobody tell me this before? And why in the name of Chaos do you still work here?”

Shadow looked away, hiding the bitterness in his expression. “Multiple reasons. One, the organization has somewhat cleaned up its act, as far as I can tell. Two, it wants to keep me under surveillance, since I am still ‘potentially dangerous’ to them...and consequences would be severe if I did not obey.”

He tapped his heel on the ground. “Also, it was one of the main avenues for us to become heroes. Unlike Sonic and his friends, we don’t have the luxury of fighting someone who wants us to know where they are. And you know we didn’t exactly have the best record with law enforcement beforehand.”

“Still.” Omega replied. “I am highly opposed to the concept of fighting in the name of such an organization. Have they at least apologized to you? Or admitted their wrongdoing?”

Shadow frowned, thinking. “No, actually, they never did.”

Why did he have to bring this up? There’s no point in talking about what’s past. Let’s just get over it and move on.

Omega looked down, his eyes dimming slightly. “Processing.”

He was still processing by the time Rouge arrived, and remained mostly silent for their exit, post-mission briefing and the entire ride home.

Once the three had gotten inside, Rouge faced the E-series robot. “Alright, what’s up with you? You’re never quiet, but you’ve barely said a word since I got back.”

“I am considering an important decision.” Omega said.

“Oh? And what might that be?” she asked, folding her arms.

“My potential resignation from the government organization known as G.U.N..”

“Wait, what?” Rouge gasped. 

Shadow shouted out from the other room simultaneously. “Omega, what are you thinking?!”

“Current logic process is as follows: G.U.N. hurt one of the few decent people on this planet and my friend fifty years ago by murdering Maria Robotnik and many others aboard the ARK, as well as imprisoning him for said fifty years against his will. It has not apologized or shown remorse for those actions. Therefore, this organization clearly has no respect for Shadow, and therefore I refuse to aid them one moment longer.”

Shadow appeared at the robot’s side, placing a hand on his arm. “Thank you, Omega, but you don’t need to do that for me. I’m alright with this.”

(He was lying, of course.)

“Hold on a minute here, Omega’s got a point.” Rouge said pensively. “I started working here so I wouldn’t go to jail for stealing, but I’ve served my ‘sentence’ ages ago. Honestly, I kind of hate it there anyway? Like, nobody even respects us and it’s got way too much bureaucracy and too many outdated ideas. It’d be much better if it was just the three of us doing our own thing away from them, wouldn’t it?”

“Besides, hon, you’ve got to start standing up against those guys. I know you were going through a major existential crisis a while back when this all started, and that was the main thing you had to deal with. But now that you’ve started to figure everything out, it’s time to stop letting people treat you this way! We don’t have to give G.U.N. anything. They never helped you at all.”

“Agreed.” Omega said. “This organization does not deserve you- or any of us. They have wronged you, and though forgiveness is supposedly a ‘virtue’, it is likely so only when it is deserved.”

Shadow stared at the two of them. “That was...actually kind of philosophical for a minute. And convincing.” He huffed, frustrated, his hands curling into fists. “I just…how would I even go about dealing with my grievances with an entire military organization? I would need proof...and I don’t want to damage my standing with the government. G.U.N. can easily claim that I have gone rogue.” 

He swallowed, trying to ignore the various insecurities at the corners of his mind. “I’m just...should I really be digging all of this up again? I’ve finally started to get over it…”

“Okay, so first of all, hon, you’d better not let G.U.N. walk all over you just because they can make up fake blackmail.” the bat insisted. “And second, you’re clearly not over it. Shadow...I can hear you when you wake up from your nightmares, you know. You deserve some kind of closure to help you, and if G.U.N. won’t give it to you, then you have to take it.

“Also, here’s another thing- how much worse would you feel if G.U.N. hurt someone else, and we had never said anything to warn anyone?”

Shadow stiffened, feeling ill again. The very idea was abhorrent. That another person’s Maria could be lost due to his silence...“That...that would be unimaginable….” he breathed.

“Exactly.” Rouge replied. “So, consider it.”

Shadow frowned. “I...I’ll keep it in mind. But we should at least see if they’ll do something first before we try to attack them. We might be able to convince them to make amends, after all. I mean, if we fight, we’ll be completely out of a job, and I don’t know if the funds from Club Rouge will be enough to keep us afloat- if we succeed. It’s too risky, at least for now.”

“If that’s what you want to do, then we can definitely stick with that to start.” the bat said. “I don’t know if I could’ve taken any of their apologies if it were me, but it’s not my life, it’s yours. So I’ll be right with you no matter what you decide to do, okay?”

“As will I.” Omega added, placing a hand on Shadow’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Rouge. Thanks, Omega.” the hybrid said, finally allowing relief to show on his face as he looked at his friends.

He couldn’t help but feel that with them by his side, everything would be alright.

…

They talked through most of the night about how to bring it up, what they would say, and even where they would sit to keep Shadow feeling as safe as he could. The hybrid had final veto power over anything the other two suggested, and he tried to keep the wording of the speech he’d give as controlled and polite as possible. 

However, he tried not to bring up the “maybe G.U.N. still thinks I’m a weapon to be stored and used, not a person” topic during his proposal. Those insecurities could wait for another day.

They fell asleep late at night, all three in the same room- Shadow made a blanket nest on the floor, Omega plugged himself into the wall, and Rouge was on her bed.

Pleasantly enough, Shadow didn’t have any nightmares that night.

…

“You want us to do what?” 

The head of the public relations department stood behind his desk, cutting a slightly dominating figure in front of the team in his room. Omega could easily detect an increased heart rate in Shadow. He was not betraying any nervousness externally, however, and the robot was impressed by his friend’s willpower.

The PR head sat down, and he gestured for Team Dark to do the same. However, since there were only two chairs in the room (as they had known), Omega remained standing. Among other things, it would allow him to more easily defend his friends should the talk go awry.

“I’m afraid we just can’t do that kind of thing...Shadow.” He said the last word like it was distasteful, like it didn’t belong in his mouth. (Or, perhaps, like he wanted to add a “Project” or “Experiment” to the front of it, but didn’t for fear of a missile to the face delivered by Omega.)

“Why not?” The hybrid asked. “Sir,” he forced himself to add politely. “Don’t you agree that it was wrong? That G.U.N.’s soldiers shouldn’t have done...what they did?”

“I am incredibly saddened that Miss Robotnik’s death occurred in the search for you, and that the head of G.U.N. at the time considered you unworthy of any basic living rights.” the PR leader said, sounding more than anything like he was reading a script off a teleprompter. “However, I am not going to make a public statement digging up something that happened fifty years ago.”

Rouge leaned forward in her chair furiously. “So you’re just going to pretend it never happened? What about the trauma Shadow experienced? What about the fact that this kind of thing could happen again?”

The leader looked at her coldly. “I can assure you that this is an isolated incident, and that such an occurrence has not happened before or since.”

“But you can't just-! Can’t we speak with the commander?” Rouge gasped, outraged.

“I can, and I will. And you know very well that the commander is taking a well-deserved vacation, and we are not to disturb him for any reason except an emergency. Now then. Did you have anything else you needed?” he said smugly.

Omega was so, so close to just arming the missile launcher anyway.

Shadow looked up at him carefully, clearly going over the words in his head. “Sir. May I respectfully ask why G.U.N. considered it necessary to arm me? I can apply lethal force if necessary in other manners.”

The PR head frowned. “Close quarters are not necessarily a safe space for you, Shadow. We need you alive, and if that means you’re farther back, then so be it.”

“But- me? Destroying with impunity? In such a cold, distant manner? That’s not what G.U.N. wants to see from me, I thought. And with my experiences, I really don’t think-”

The human folded his arms. “Don’t worry about thinking, just worry about completing your missions on time. And what’s past is past, right? Now then, I expect no more complaints from you three. This meeting is concluded.”

Shadow stood up stiffly. “Yes, sir.”

Rouge froze. “Wait, Shadow, you’re not just going to-”

“We’re leaving, Rouge. Now.” Shadow said firmly, but the two other members of Team Dark could hear the unsteadiness in his voice. Omega remained silent, but internally was playing a very nice simulation in which he repeatedly punched the head of the PR department.

Once they had exited the office and walked through the facility for a while, Shadow leaned heavily against a wall. “He’s not sorry at all.” he muttered. The robot didn’t need his sensors to tell that he was experiencing far too many negative feelings at once. It wasn’t healthy for organics to deal with all that all the time…

“Agreed.” Omega said. “I would not be surprised in the least if he was lying throughout all of it.”

Rouge sighed, before pulling an unresisting Shadow into a hug. “Honey, I’m...” She paused for a second. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that. You shouldn’t have to cope with people like that, ever.”

Shadow closed his eyes quietly and stood like that for a long time. Eventually, though, he spoke up. “.....I know what we have to do. I...I know we need to fight, like you said last night. I don’t feel ready, but just…it has to happen.”

Omega looked down at them both. “You two go out to the car. I will go and get your sister’s files myself while you take a few minutes, Shadow. I am bulletproof and the most likely to make it out unscathed, and if I need help I can call.”

Rouge rolled her shoulders briefly, her wings flexing. “Alright. I’ll be ready to get out of here the second you get in. Sound good?”

“Alright.” Omega agreed. “Let’s go.”

The robot marched down the halls, on a mission. He stopped first to gather everything from their office- or at least all of their personal items. They might need them later, after all. He placed them into his empty chest compartment (he hadn’t refilled on weaponry in a while) and moved on. 

The lower levels of the G.U.N. facility were darker and less well-maintained. This was most likely on purpose, to keep people from wanting to go down there. Omega, however, did not fear the dark. He had a flashlight, and a hulking five-foot robot was usually enough to scare most creatures.

Thankfully, the guards stationed throughout these levels knew him, and simply stepped aside to let Omega pass. Quite a few of them were honestly nervous down there themselves, and barely even noticed him.

He noticed a small door marked ‘Records Room- Classified’ and knew he was in the right place. The door did not give him access, but that was alright. Rouge had hacked the system a while back and given herself the highest clearance possible...and now Omega had her spare card.

Once he was inside, he scanned the cabinets methodically until he found the file marked ‘Maria Robotnik’. Inside were papers detailing her death and her life. Everything one could have wanted to know about her was inside. 

The red stamp on the front reading ‘Terminated’ was pretty ominous, and Omega briefly wondered if he would be able to remove it. He considered the possibility that Shadow would not be quite so pained upon seeing it if the stamp were gone.

It was unlikely, and so he moved on.

Omega exited the room, hoping that the guards in the security monitor room were slacking off. They often were, so he calculated at least a 70% chance of exiting the facility without incident. He placed the file inside his compartment and continued on.

Being a robot meant that he could not act nervous. Therefore, nobody questioned him as he walked through the halls and outside, where he saw Rouge talking to Shadow inside their black-and-red car.

The hybrid appeared to be rather panicked about the whole plan, so as Omega slid into the backseat, he placed his hand on his friend’s head for a brief moment. “Everything is going to be alright, Shadow. I promise you that.”

Shadow sighed and slumped back against the seat. “Let’s get out of here before someone notices what we did.”

Rouge pulled out of the parking lot with a screech of the tires and didn’t let the speedometer dip below fifty until they got home.

“Right.” she said, once they were all inside. “We’ll probably have G.U.N. beating down our door by tomorrow morning, so let’s make sure they don’t catch us still here by then. Omega, refill your weapons and pack us some clothes and stuff. Shadow, you just try and chill. I’m going to look over this file.”

As Rouge flipped through the pages, Shadow decided that he needed to see these for himself and walked over to stand behind her. Before long, though, he recoiled in shock upon seeing that when G.U.N. discussed Maria’s death, they justified it. Made it seem like Shadow was the villain. A monster. A weapon.

“Shadow?” the bat asked.

“...yes?”

“You know we can’t use this by itself, right? We need more proof. Like, video proof.” she said, sounding resigned.

“I know.” he said quietly, disappointed that so little had changed despite the fact that half a century and some new management had taken place. 

Omega cursed out G.U.N. from the other room in response and came over to them, his eyes in their ‘angry’ shape. “We need to stop them now. This revolting organization does not deserve to spend another minute active anywhere on the planet.”

“Let’s get them, then.” Rouge hissed, clearly furious as well. 

Shadow felt terribly apprehensive, but despite that, he agreed as well. “Then they won’t be able to hurt anyone else in the future.” he said, sounding more determined than he had in a while.

“You ready, guys?” the bat asked, holding out her hand in the midst of their little group.

Omega allowed his giant metal hand to hover over hers. “Always.”

Rouge looked at the hybrid. “You sure you’re up for this, hon?”

“Not entirely…” Shadow admitted, but took a deep breath and held out his hand too, allowing Rouge to guide his hand to Omega’s, just like she had so long ago. “...but I need to do it, and so I will.”

“Then we’ll expose them, Shadow.” she said confidently. “And we’ve totally got this, because we’re doing it together.”

And as they all clasped hands for a moment, before breaking off to head to the garage, Shadow felt like they really had a chance to succeed.

[archiesoniconline]

QnA: Zone Cop Briefing

Zally: Hello there everyone.  I’m Zally, Head of Communications for the Zone Cops.  Joining me today is our top officer Zonic...

Zonic: Hi there! Zally: And his protege, Zails. Zails: Uh, hello.  That’s a lot of people w-we’re talking too. Zally: The staff at Archie Sonic Online have received a lot of questions about Zones, Zone Travel, Time Travel, and several covering some combinations of these topics.  And so, they have asked us to give this briefing, to hopefully explain some of the basics about Zones and Time Travel, and with luck we’ll answer your questions as we do so. Just before we begin however, it’s important to say that, while what we will say today is the case for… hmm…. At least 9 out of 10 situations, there are several exceptions.  Zonic: Not to mention Nega and that Genesis Wave messing everything up… Zally: Ahem!  Going into all of them would take far too much time, so we’ll just say for now that ‘exceptions to these rules do exist’ and start the briefing. To begin, most Zones fall into two distinct types.  There are the True Zones, such as say the Prime Zone and the Sol Zone, complete universes in themselves.  Then there are the Pocket Zones, which have limited internal dimensions, can often be found within a True Zone, and can also be disrupted by tremendous emissions of energy.  The Special Zone, formally the Zone of Silence, was one such Zone, as was the Pocket Zone destroyed when Super Sonic and Hyper Knuckles from the Prime Zone fought. There are multiple ways that Pocket Zones can be created, natural and artificial.  But for True Zones, they are only created when a Triggering Event occurs in the Prime Zone.  Other Zones cannot split to form new Zones.  It might help to think of the Multiverse almost like a tree, with the Prime Zone as the trunk, and other Zones the branches growing from it. Triggering Events have a few requirements.  There has to be a number of likely possible outcomes.  And the different outcomes must have fundamentally different effects on the future of the Prime Zone.  For example, Prime Sonic choosing how many chilli-dogs to eat might have several different likely outcomes, but none would result in any fundamental change, so it would not be a Triggering Event.  In the opposite way, Prime Robotnik debating whether to use the Robotizer certainly had a massive effect on the events in the Prime Zone, but the chances of him choosing to not use the device were so slim, no new Zone was created. A Triggering Event need not be a single decision made by one person.  It could be several smaller decisions made by a group of people that nevertheless results in a different outcome.  It could even be the results of a natural occurrence.  When life was reforming after the Gene Bomb in the Prime Zone, there were so many different directions it could take, that this is where the vast majority of Zones were created.  Numerous Zones were also created when the Prime Zone first formed, some with wildly different laws of physics. When a new Zone is created, it is completely duplicated.  The entire timeline is copied, not just from the Triggering Event.  Though on that subject, the passage of time can be different between Zones.  Time runs faster in some Zones compared to the Prime Zone, such as the Zone Robo-Robotnik hailed from.  In some, it runs slower, such as in the Twilight Cage.  And in others, it can run at the same rate as the Prime Zone, but the point where the Prime Zone and the other Zone meets are at different points in their timelines. That covers the creation of Zones.  So moving onto Zone Cop operations, I’ll turn to Zonic. Zonic: Thanks Zal… uh, Zally.  As I’m sure most of you are aware, the Zone Cops monitor activity within the different Zones, as well as travel between the different Zones.  Different units of Cops have different roles, from general monitoring, to patrolling the Cosmic Interstate, to protecting against threats to the Multiverse.  For me, my job means I’m called in when direct action is required in another Zone. This is… a difficult job.  You could well ask why don’t we help out whenever something bad happens in the other Zone.  Truth is, that could cause a horrible imbalance, and lead to more disastrous consequences further down the line.  It’s not easy sitting on the sidelines, but sometimes we have to. But then, there are times we do need to act to make sure a greater threat doesn’t rise.  You’re likely aware of some of those times, as that’s when I’ve brought in Prime Sonic.  Why him?  Well, the Prime Zone is only a step away from all the other Zones, even wildly different ones like the Sol Zone.  And Prime Sonic is, in all honesty, one of the most capable Sonic’s in the multiverse, so I know it’s in good hands.  We could send in a squad of Zone Cops instead, but one Sonic can do, with very little disruption, what it would take several squads to accomplish. This has all gotten a lot harder recently, with Eggman Naga swarming over the Multiverse causing massive disruption, and the recent damage inflicted to Zone Jails. Alright, there’s a bit more to cover, but that’s for the end.  Right now, I’m gonna turn to Zails.  He’s still training to be a Zone Cop, but as one of his training projects, he’s done a Case Study on Silver the Hedgehog, so he’s here to talk about time travel.  Take it away Zails. Zails: Uh… Alright *deep breath* You can do this Zails.  Silver the Hedgehog is a time travelling Hedgehog… That’s redundant, isn’t it?  Uh… so… Silver has travelled through time, but there have also been incidents where he’s interacted with different Zones aside from the Prime Zone, known as Light Mobius and Dark Mobius. So, er, Time Travel and Zone Travel do share many similar principles.  Travelling between Zones is easy, as No-Zone and the Cosmic Highway connect all Zones.  Even travel that doesn’t use the Cosmic Interstate, such as Star Posts, tend to make use of that connection.  Time Travel is much harder, though it is easier to travel forwards, going with the flow of time, than backwards, working against it. This means it’s very easy, if you don’t know what you’re doing, to accidently move between Zones when Time Travelling.  Er… *checks notes* Jani-ca from Dark Mobius did this, accidentally travelling to the Prime Zone when she went back in time.  It’s easier to do when you are going back before the Triggering Event that created your Zone. And so, if you know how to Time Travel, it is much easier to travel to other Zones. Which leads us, uh, to the next question.  ‘Does time travel create new Zones?’  The answer is ‘it depends’.  Keep in mind, looking at Silver, given the chance it was unlikely he wouldn’t go back in time.  And when he found out about Mecha-Sally, also unlikely that he wouldn’t stop her.  So his actions changed the future, without creating a new Zone. On the other hand, King Sonic of Light Mobius.  Once, it was the future of the Prime Zone.  But when he went back in time, his actions created such wild changes, that Light Mobius became its own Zone, and the future of the Prime Zone was shifted away from it. Which then leads to a bigger question.  *takes a breath, checks notes*  ‘If you change the future, doesn’t that create a paradox where you wouldn’t have gone back to change the future?’  Okay, when someone goes back in time, they become part of the past, as if they always existed there.  So when they return to the future, they’ll still remember their old life, even if their actions have created massive changes.  We think.  This is partially theoretical, based on observing Silver.  There is one last question: ‘Why are some things from Light Mobius seen in Silver’s future?’  This is because of the way Light Mobius was created.  There is still a connection between Light Mobius and the Prime Zone.  Sometimes, things leak through.  Maybe just objects, but at some point, even Tikchaos, or part of her, was able to slip into the Prime Zone. *looks over notes* Uh… that’s everything from me, so, er, back to Zonic. Zonic: Thanks Zails, you did great. *gives thumbs up*  Our last topic is on Zone Numbering and Naming.  There are countless Zones, and each is given an ‘official numbering’, based on the date and exact time of its creation.  These numbers, as you might expect, are VERY long.  So instead, we usually refer to the ‘Case File’ Numbers.  These numbers, after the first 100, are based on when we start to take an interest in that Zone.  The first 100, well, we were trying to rate the Zone’s by importance.  We really messed that up! *chuckles*  For naming a Zone, that honour is given to the team who first open a Case File on a Zone.  *communicator beeps* Oh, that’s right!  Just one other thing to note.  We've heard rumours of another 'Sonic Prime'.  We don't know any details yet, but we're investigating.

Okay, I think that is everything.  Zally? Zally: Yes, we’ve just about covered everything.  I hope we’ve managed to answer most of your questions.  But before we leave, we’ve had numerous requests for knowing the name and designation of a number of Zones.  So we’ll leave those with you. Thank you so much for listening.  Now, here’s the list:

#001 – The Prime Zone – This is the zone where all others originate from, where Sonic and the heroes of Mobius fight against the tyranny of Dr. Eggman.

#017 – The Stealth Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius where the superhero Stealth the Hedgehog fights villains such as Professor Egg.

#059 - The Serene Zone - This Zone features a Mobius where Julian Kintobor never managed to gain control after the Great War, and the Kingdom of Acorn stood strong.

#100 – The No Zone – Our Zone, from here the Zone Cops organization strives to maintain order across the multiverse.

#109 – The Legal Zone – This zone features a Mobius with a city called Litigopolis where law and order are the way of the world.

#196 – The Freedom Zone – This zone features a planet Freedom which is divided into two realms – the Land of the Sky and the Land of Darkness.

#199 – The Underground Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius where Prince Sonic and his siblings, Manic and Sonia, seek to find their mother, Queen Aleena, and become the Council of Four to overthrow the dictator Dr. Robotnik.

#220 – The Lightning Zone – This zone features a planet Earth where Sonic has traveled and been adopted by a police officer named Tom and stops the plans of the overzealous scientist Dr. Robotnik.

#372 – The Anti Zone – This zone is a mirror reflection of the Prime Zone, where our heroes are bad and their villains are good.

#403 – The Earth X Zone – This zone features a planet Earth with a city called Station Square. It is the home of Chris Thorndyke and his friends and has been protected by Sonic the Hedgehog.

#492 – The Image Zone – This zone features a planet Earth that is protected by heroes such as Spawn, Savage Dragon, and The Maxx.

#496 – The Dark Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius nearly purged of life from a corrupted Knuckles the Echidna who became Enerjak.

#589 – The Discovery Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius resembling a gritty film noir.

#593 – The Boomer Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius where Sonic and the Freedom Fighters; Johnny Lightfoot, Porker Lewis, Tails, and Amy, face various foes including the evil Dr. Robotnik.

#623 – The Real Zone – This zone features a planet Earth where Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game character.

#905 – The Mobius X Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius where Sonic and his friends call home. Sonic and his friends have been transported off this planet into the X Earth Zone.

#1054 – The Kaiju Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius where Dr. J Kintobor uses a super sized mecha, Giant Robotno, to fight enlarged mutants.

#1072 – The Sentai Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius where Sonicman and the Chaos Ninja Team fight the villainous Sallactor.

#1084 – The Cyborg Zone – This zone is home to a planet Mobius that has been left a ruined wasteland thanks to it’s Dr. Robotnik. This is the zone from which Dr. Eggman hails.

#1100 – Maginary Zone – This zone is where the dreams of all other zones are born from. It is entered via the Precioustone and is guarded by the powerful Illumina.

#1103 – The Light Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius very similar to our heroes’ world. King Sonic and Queen Sally rule the Kingdom of Acorn in this zone.

#1105 – The Sol Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius where Blaze the Cat guards the Jewelled Sceptre and the Sol Emeralds.

#1114 – The Boom Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius where Sonic and his friends live on Bygone Island and deal with regular shenanigans from Dr. Eggman.

#1241 – The Archie Zone – This zone features a planet Earth with a town called Riverdale. It is the home of Archie Andrews, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Josie and the Pussycats amongst others.

#1291 – The Luna Zone – This zone features a Mobius that is protected by the pretty guardian Sally Moon and her crush Tuxedo Knux.

#4235 – The Galaxy Zone – This zone is the home of the Freedom Fighters of the Galaxy, a group that patrols their universe facing cosmic threats such as Robolactus.

[cutegirlmayra]

I'm a simple person with simple needs: angst, dark sonamyy, hurt/comfort. Please Mayra only you can do this (claps hands in prayer)

(NOT MY ART! Found here (x) Please support the artist!)

PROMPTS ARE ON SHUTDOWN, do not send me any! This also means Commissions are closed too. (I’ve got a waiting list, sorry!)

Asks that follow the Blog Rules are okay though (x)

Find this prompt discussed on Pajama Blogs (x 26:11)

Prompt:

Due to a Chaos Rift that shook the very fabric of space and time, the Master Emerald being severed in two and trying to attempt to mend it back into one again was Sonic.

Since he was the only one that had connected so many times to the power of Chaos, channeling it into his very core, it was almost like he was a being of pure, controlled chaos energy.

However, this was not the case.

As Knuckles performed the act of combining the Master Emerald’s power to link it to Sonic, which was whole at the time, it ended up reversing the effects...

Instead, once Sonic was perfectly linked to the Master Emerald, the Master Emerald didn’t combine it’s energy to match Sonic, but Sonic’s soul ended up matching the Master Emerald...

Two Sonic’s were created, one with a darker hue and the other with a much lighter hue than the original Sonic.

They both seemed off from Sonic, one possessing more of an anger and the other a quiet justice that sporadically meant being protective over his friends.

This meant that Darker Sonic, the one with anger, also was more emotionally unstable and his actions didn’t seem to make much sense other than lashing out.

Lighter Sonic, the one with a serious look always to his face, valued heroism almost to the point of excessivism. Although not as emotional as his dark brother/other half, he was almost stoic but deeply loyal and passionate to his idea of ‘right’ and extremely merciless in destroying what he considered ‘wrong’.

Unable to stand each other, the two would often fight unless separated. It was almost as though the two conflicting sides of Sonic’s personality and very being were constantly at odds with each other, resulting in Knuckles never being able to get them to work together to conjoin back into Sonic--and consequently--bring the Master Emerald back into a whole state of being as well.

Chaos, the God of Destruction, tried to fight the two Sonic’s into joining together again, shoving them up against the other and using his power to force a fuse, but Amy was the only one to hear Darker Sonic state that Lighter Sonic would never accept him, and therefore, never merge successfully back into what they once were.

She felt she had found a clue... but as they defeated Chaos in his weakened, torn state, they vanished...

As everyone tried to find the Lighter Sonic, Amy... went for the Darker.

She knew he was staying in an abandoned mansion somewhere in the woods, one he would talk about back when he was dealing with being a werehog... she had heard his ghost stories and about a camera flashing to help him fight, then his frustration and tearing through the home... but she wondered if that’s where his other self had run off too...

She wasn’t wrong...

Creaking open the door, after passing the gates, it was clear the ‘ghosts’ that used to live here were too afraid to re-enter the home. Unable to fully communicate to her, they played charades to retell the events that had occurred. In his emotional coldness, Darker Sonic must have gone into a fury and kicked the three out of the mansion, wanting to be alone...

Amy put a finger up to her mouth, worried about him... the Lighter Sonic seemed to be the hero-side of Sonic... but he also seemed crueler.

She didn’t want to believe that this Darker Sonic was apart of Sonic’s true self either... he seemed too unstable and emotional... but she’d rather try and reason with that than stoic stubbornness...

She wondered if the Chaos Rift had split and twisted Sonic’s personality traits... their was no way Sonic could be so torn between these parts of himself all the time... wouldn’t someone break under all that stress? Did he really, truly struggle with two sides of himself..?

Did he discipline himself to act one way, but truly desire another? Or have the tendency for it?

She shook her head from her thoughts as she passed the gate and had already walked through the door, peeking in to see what she could find.

It was once a lovely home... she could tell by the woodwork, the remains of the furniture... it could have been a very luxurious estate...

“...Sonic?” She called out quietly, seeing something turn it’s head in the dark.

Leaning rather relaxed but frighteningly still on a banister upon the large staircase that split into three,... was his shadowed self.

Sonic was too free-spirited to have internal conflicts this bad... right?

Was chaos energy promoting such division? Was the Chaos Rift more than just some attack Shadow used back then... did it actually continue to chip and crack away at the Master Emerald every time it was used to create... this?

Shadow was already fine with never using such an ability again, but everyone was convinced this Sonic was like the evil tendencies of man within Sonic,... but Amy couldn’t help and see some suffering in him...

Lighter Sonic had dismissed her in a cold way... and she knew that couldn’t be... exactly... her Sonic either...

Could she see... Sonic in this light?

She froze at the foot of the three-splitting stairway... her hand up by her chest as she scanned his form delicately... careful to try and read his body language and figure out what was going on.

“...Sonic?” she called again, but he didn’t respond, only huffed and quickly sped to the far right stairway, raising a hand to the rails.

“Amy Rose... I should have known you wouldn’t know better.” He mocked under his breath... But he turned his face away from her, suggesting that maybe he thought she was in danger of himself... it almost seemed like the mock was a double-edged sword cutting into his own pride.

“I’m here... to talk.” She narrowed her eyes, tilting her head and trying to see him in the light. There wasn’t much of it... but some open windows on the bottom floor made her seeable, so... if she could get him to come down...

“Talking only ever ends with someone being proved right.” Darker Sonic gestured out his arm, haphazardly. He took two powerful steps down the stairway, eyeing her as he moved to the center and let go of the rail. His shoulder pointed to her intimidatingly, as though a warning... “And I’m not here to be proven anything.”

The harsh growl to his voice made her realize he was still compromised, and she closed her eyes to inch away. “I know you’re not bad, Sonic... So I know you wouldn’t hurt me.” She tried to be brave, taking her shaking hand by her chest and gripping it strongly with her other one, but it made her look more afraid...

“If you are Sonic... then I know there’s no evil in you. Not even a little bit.”

She jumped back when he sped all the way down to her, standing directly to her face with a strong presence of critique.

“Of course you would say that... while everyone else follows like lapdogs after my other half... you would come to the unwanted side.” He smiled as he moved closer, but she immediately paced herself back and adverted her eyes.

He stopped then, standing tall. “...Are you afraid?”

She shook her head, “I could never be afraid of you...”

A smile crooked to the side of his muzzle, but disappeared quickly. He moved forward again, “Then why not try to convince me... that I should fuse with my other half... and not the other way around.” he reached out to her, and she looked at his hand to see what he’d do.

He smirked and suddenly gripped behind her neck, pulling her back as the door smashed through and Lighter Sonic walked bristly into the room, dusting himself off in a pompous way from the dust and debris.

“Give her back.” He stated without much tone or even emotion. “Kidnapping never was something I admired.” he joked, but it completely lacked Sonic’s charm.

Having Sonic’s charm, Darker Sonic lowered his eyes and held Amy out in front of him, “So like you to jump to conclusions... As though you actually care about her.” Darker Sonic then threw Amy over his shoulder, pointing accusingly to his Lighter Self. “Let’s end this! I won’t be repressed anymore!”

“...You’re so impish.” Lighter Sonic shook his head, “Rash, a real bore. Let her go and I’ll prove I’m the only Sonic that need remain.”

“Now you sound like Metal.” scoffed Darker Sonic, letting Amy roll off his shoulder and arm to land to the floor.

She wasn’t hurt, just spun up a bit as she landed on her hands and knees.

When that happened though, Lighter Sonic’s expression finally changed and he twitched to hold a hand out to her, “Can’t you let her down a little easier!?” he demanded, “She’s a girl, after all!”

“She’s taken worse tumbles.” Darker Sonic stood in front of Amy, as though showing he wouldn’t let Lighter Sonic play the hero this time. “All you see me as is a villain to control... A urge to suppress... You’re embarrassed by how you are!” he hunched himself down, “Well, I’m not gonna take the backseat this time... I’m you, smart-one! And you can’t get rid of me that easily!” he took off and rammed a fist into his blocking arm.

“You’re endangering my friends... you think that’s acceptable!?” Lighter Sonic threw a kick out that Darker Sonic flipped over and landed with a bit of style.

“I didn’t do anything...” Darker Sonic grumbled as Lighter Sonic disregarded him and headed over to Amy, looking at him from over his shoulders as he was still rearing to fight. “Don’t ignore me!” he shouted out, which was like a loud boom that caused Amy to plug her ears.

She had never heard Sonic’s voice with such ferocity before...

Lighter Sonic bent to a knee and took her arms, helping her up. “You should get out of here.” he checked to make sure she was fine, and then like before, completely turned away from her.

It was strange... though he seemed caring, he didn’t really express it well. The Darker Sonic...

She remembered him reaching out to her, then pulling her to him to get away from the door blasting open...

They both cared... but in different ways, expressed that they didn’t want to hurt her...

Then they clashed into each other, Chaos energy slashed through the air as they collided each time, cutting some wood in the mansion and making the ghosts cower and the girl shriek at her home being so torn up.

Amy emphasized but she didn’t know what she could do... She knew that Darker Sonic had taken the two pieces of the split Master Emerald with him... so she started up the stairs, bracing against each deadly beam of light that exploded from the two’s fighting.

She had already learned there was no way to reason with them to stop fighting... from the previous times they had clashed, it was just no use no matter what anyone did.

How did Lighter Sonic know to come here..? Was there still a sliver of connection between the two..?

That would mean...

As she tried to climb the stairs, Darker Sonic saw her and immediately rushed to stomp a foot down by her reaching hand.

She gasped, withdrawing her once reaching hand as the blasts got so forceful that they shoved her to the ground.

“Where are you going?” He seemed so angry... but there was hurt in his eyes. “You’ll find nothing up here!”

Lighter Sonic then tackled into him, rolling and crashing them through the already rotting wood railing as they and the splintered remains of that side of the stairway gave out.

“Sonic!” Amy cried out, seeing the stairway collapsing and rushed to jump to the edge as half of it came down.

She pulled herself up and breathed hard, looking down to see them throw off the rubble and continue pounding into each other in an alarmingly hostile rate.

She then wondered... could it be Sonic?

“You almost hurt her!” Lighter Sonic argued, getting a punch in before Darker Sonic returned the same.

“You know full well I wouldn’t do that!” He then shoved against him, and they were evenly matched as their arms gripped the other’s shoulders and tried to push them back.

They gritted their teeth, one looking overly justified and the other with unbridled rage.

“Sonic... your emotions... your ideals... they clash too often, don’t they?” She whispered to herself, realizing that Sonic was a good man, but one that was like the rest of humanity... constantly dueling the two sides to yin and yang. One with passionate cause and the other with selfish needs.

She quickly continued her climb, though she desperately wanted to fall down with them and unlock them from their deadly feuding, she knew she couldn’t match the chaos power they both wielded at the moment.

Darting from room to room, she threw the doors open, not bothering to close them as the Sonics naturally followed in their brawling, trying to reach her.

“No!” Darker Sonic reached out to her but was blocked off and hit back by Lighter Sonic.

“Amy, get out of here!” Lighter Sonic gestured a hand out that slashed across from his chest, “It isn’t safe!”

Darker Sonic actually took the initiative and bolted pass Lighter Sonic, attempting to grab her and take her out of the mansion and warzone himself, but Lighter Sonic quickly intercepted.

They brawled down the hallway in vicious rolls and slams against the sides of the wall as they continued to pursue Amy, both with a similar goal but different ways to go about it.

‘There’s Sonic...’ Amy felt her eyes get watery in her fright at the mansion not able to handle the two fighting Sonics powers, but another part of her was determined to put them back together again.

She finally found it, at the end of the hallway, she burst open two large doors that revealed the Master Emerald on a balcony... upon closer look... she marveled that there was still a small piece that was conjoined, not severed yet.

She nodded, realizing this meant that they were, both, Sonic.

She turned around and spread her arms out, seeing the Sonics tackle into the balcony room and used her hammer to separate them from their wrestling, childish squabble and threw each of the other to opposite sides.

“That’s enough!”

The two panted but got up from the ground.

“This doesn’t concern you...” Lighter Sonic went for a gentler approach, but there was still somewhat a condensing hint in his actions. “Just leave this to me.”

“Stop!” Amy shoved her hammer towards him, making him pause in his pursuit to her. “I’ll get to you in a minute.”

He was stunned to hear that, his eyes actually emoting the look of being talked back too.

She glared at him, “I’ve had enough of your self-righteousness for one day.” she then looked to Darker Sonic, who was holding his arm and spat out to the side of himself.

“My thoughts exactly..!”

“And you...” Amy stepped in-between the two, making sure she could only see one side of Sonic at a time. “I never thought I’d say this to Sonic... but you need to calm down.” held out her hand without the hammer in it, gently trying to appease him looking tenderly towards him. “You’re hurting... you don’t want to fail, but you hate not being the hero... even though at times, you’re just a boy, and you want to do things your way, not the heroic way that everyone idealizes you to be.”

He looked up as though confused how she knew that.

“You were happy... weren’t you? When I was the one to turn my attention to you instead of to him, right?”

He remained silent, as though ashamed as he calmed his breathing, and looked away.

His eyes were scanning the floor wildly... as though worried she could see right through him.

There was a gentleness to the Darker Sonic she hadn’t seen before... but after putting the two on different sides of her eyes... she could start seeing traits line up.

“You’re neither good nor bad, either of you!” She looked back to Lighter Sonic. “You are duty bound, that’s why you hate the selfish freedom the other desires to the point of not listening to reason, but enacting your own idealistic views only makes you suffer too.” She saw him pause and as though swallowing his pride, lower his head and stare intensely at her.

“You can’t pretend you know me...” He seemed to be letting the words bounce off of him, or trying too.

While Darker Sonic was taking it to heart.

Realizing she couldn’t get through to Lighter Sonic so quickly, she turned back to the vulnerable side, “You both admitted you didn’t want to hurt me, right? Is that the only thing you two have in common?”

She saw the piece that was still intact, way at the bottom of the emerald’s pointed center... she knew the real Sonic was still poking out somewhere... and she had to find it.

Otherwise... she didn’t want to imagine what would become of him.

“It’s not all reputation, is it?” Amy looked to Lighter Sonic, seeing Darker Sonic close his eyes to shut this all out, as though too shy to admit and ashamed to admit his jealousy over the praise and admiration his other self, a mask he put on to be adored, always seemed to receive. “And you, carefree and usually always up for an adventure... you’ve been angry too long.”

She was trying to comfort both, but the hurt between both sides was so immense... he had been playing both sides all his life... how could she mend something so incredibly torn and damaged?

“But if I know anything about Sonic... it’s that his natural self is a hero.”

The two turned back to her, their heads moving as though that hit something deep within them.

She closed her eyes, trusting they wouldn’t punch each other out for at least a few seconds while she spoke. “The Sonic I admire... is like the wind. He can be cold at times, but also warm and inviting... he races through the fields and enjoys every second of his life. There’s never a dull moment, and as long as you can keep up, he’ll carry you along for the ride... He’s kind, but he’s also a force to be reckoned with.” she gestured her hammer and hand out to each of them, then looked at her own hands. “One hand grips a powerful speed and anger...” she grasped her hammer, “The other one... can’t stand to hesitate and leave someone in need. It can’t help but want to save and lift others up.”

The two seemed to be stilled a moment... and behind Amy... the torn Master Emerald began to respond to Sonic’s soul... it began to fuse slowly it’s torn self into a glowing, invisible torch that was repairing itself.

Amy turned around to see it, and both Sonic’s instinctively raced to either one of her sides, holding a hand out as though defending her from the sudden heat and lighted sparks from the Master Emerald.

Looking at them, she smiled.

Looking at each other, a slow roll of their eyes, they parted immediately. Walking away, Lighter Sonic put one hand to his hip as though trying to remain cool, while the other folded his arms and tsk’ed to the side of himself, not wanting to play nice.

Amy sighed, seeing that they still were a bit different... but very much the same.

“Will you at least try and find a happy medium?” She moved towards them and took their hands.

Darker Sonic let her gently sink her hand into his folded arms and coax out, very gently, his hand...

Lighter Sonic pulled away, sharply, but seeing Amy’s hammer disappear from being pointed at him... and now her hand pleading for his approval... he looked away and lightly placed his hand to her own...

Lighter Sonic looked nervous and tried to distance himself from the emotional tension... but also the overwhelming love that Amy was showing to both conflicting sides as Darker Sonic used his other hand to flick his own nose, sniffling as though trying to not look dorkish either.

Amy giggled at their familiar responses, “I think I see you for who you truly are now, Sonic.” she liked this, not having him hide his emotions, but being unable to stop his two sides from revealing themselves. “There’s a saying.” She gripped both their hands in a loving embrace, jolting them down a bit in her newfound cheeriness at them not fighting anymore, but actually listening. “That there’s two wolves inside the heart... and the one you feed, will be the winner and devour your heart.” She put their hands together, “However... Some asked, why not starve the two wolves? And another few asked, why not feed both equally, keeping an equilibrium between the two...”

The two Sonic’s saw their hands glowing... much like the light from the Master Emerald, slowly healing.

They finally looked at the other one of them... and Amy saw a neutral expression in each of their eyes...

She smiled and looked to each of them before back down to their hands, placing her hands below and above them, making sure they stayed together.

“But you know what the chief said? Feed your heart... and it will be too large for the wolves to devour.”

The Sonics looked back to her.

“I heard a different tale.” The Darker Sonic stated, “One is good and the other is bad.”

“Yes, I’ve heard that too.” Amy nodded, “But in this case.” She raised her head, “I think the wolves are just our conflicting personalities. One side of me, for example, loves to stay at home and get some chores done. Strange, for you and maybe most, right?” She giggled, watching the mending of the Master Emerald slowly increase in speed, and noticed at the corner of her eyes the two Sonic’s delicately intrigued and hanging off every word she uttered, as though this was the missing meaning they had always longed for in their chaotic inner-life. It gave her courage to continue, hoping that her words would feed Sonic’s soul, and let it form as one again. “But I enjoy cleaning, tending my garden, or even going out to shop for little things I may need in the week.” She then clasped her hands more firmly, but with added love over the two’s hands, as they looked down to action.

One acted a bit surprised, but the other grew flustered and adverted his eyes at her newly adjusted strength for keeping them together.

“However, sometimes I don’t have the energy for staying indoors all day or going through sales racks... sometimes, I really want my life to be less boring, more exciting, and so I race along after you and the others, wanting to do my part to be... even a small change... in helping the world be a better, safer place to live in.”

The Sonics... together... smiled.

In a strange noise, their voices seemed to overlap each other when they chuckled at her words, and she knew by the look of the Master Emerald that if she just kept their hands together for a bit longer... the Master Emerald would fuse his heart together again.

“Those two wolves... don’t devour me.” Amy stated, “Neither one is bad, it’s just the one I choose to pamper that day.” She nodded to her words. “Sometimes I don’t want to do either of them, and that’s not bad either! It doesn’t mean I’m lazy, but lazy days aren’t a bad thing too.”

She watched as she removed her hands... and both Sonics kept their hands on or under the other... letting them remain together.

“You two aren’t wolves,” She put her hands up to her mouth as she giggled more prominently now, “You’re just stubborn hedgehogs that don’t know what to do with yourselves! One of you wants to be aloof and peaceful, while the other wants to fight bad guys and save the world with his friends. Neither is bad, and both of you... are the sides of Sonic’s heart.”

She placed her hands to her chest and closed her eyes as the two Sonics happily stepped in unison towards each other, and with the last light of the Master Emerald fusing itself together, Amy kept her eyes closed with the giant beam of light till it faded.

“...Amy..?”

Amy slowly opened her eyes, and looked up to see her beloved’s face again.

“Thank you.” He stated, earnestly, putting a hand to his hip and looking tenderly towards her. “I never knew I needed that... pep-talk... thing.” he admitted, but goofily moved his hand in a funny way.

She giggled again, and he chuckled to her laughter.

“Let’s let the others know it’s all good now.” He nodded in the direction that made most sense, but then also tilted his head as though changing gears. “I thought no one would accept the silent, selfish desires of my heart like that, Amy... but you’ve shown me that I’m not bad for wanting certain things... I just want them... at different times.” his gentle smile was the one she loved to see, his new humility and self-awareness made him open but complete again, and she was overwhelmed with her feelings once again.

“Ahh!” She squealed in delight, covering her face and twisting her body away from him, lifting her leg up slightly and letting the tip of her boot keep her somewhat balanced.

“H-huh?” He looked curiously confused at her behavior, and leaned towards her, turning his body left and right to try and see why she was acting this way. “What’s the matter? Amy?”

“You’re so handsome!” she cheered, then parted her hands to flirtatiously lean her nose up by his, but still watching him pull back and not daring to touch hers with his. He made a face but she found it funny, seeing him wincing his mouth back like that, “Especially when you’re thanking me~” she teased, and he looked away, groaning at her antics and then rubbing his nose slightly with a wink towards her.

“You would still be you, even split in two, wouldn’t you, Amy?”

“Oh, one part would definitely be all over you, that’s for sure.” Amy leaned back and put her hands behind her back as Sonic suddenly looked a bit frightful.

“O-oh?” He was definitely turning sheepish, starting to walk passed her as the Master Emerald and him were still linked, so it up and lifted itself into the air and floated after him. “You don’t have to tell me the rest of it.” He kept his head down and eyes closed as Amy trotted off after him.

“Well, actually, without my self-restraint, I’d have probably carried you tied to the chapel by now.”

He groaned again as she skipped after him.

“Hmm... Maybe I should split myself. But would that mean you’re only married to a part of me... or..?” as she thought teasingly out loud, he finally turned around and gave her a scolding look, shaking his head as though she was taking the joke too far as Amy then laughed at him.

He seemed to give up and throw his arms up, shrugging, “Remind me to make sure that never happens to you then...”

“If I’m ever linked to the Master Emerald... and Shadow breaks his promise--which I know he wouldn’t!--but if he did... would you... do what I did for you and help put me--and the Master Emerald, of course--back together again..?” she asked, cutely, as he stopped to think a second.

“Ah! Really! You have to think about it!?”

“No... not that.” Sonic mused as he suddenly grinned back to her, “Just thinking... is there even a part of you that wouldn’t be all over me?”

Amy blushed and held her tongue after that, as Sonic laughed and laughed while making it out of the mansion, apologizing in a deep, forward bow to the ghosts, and then taking Amy’s hand to help her keep up his fast pace as they made it back to Knuckles to cut off the link.

Amy wanted to ride the Master Emerald, so he helped her up on top of it, and although it did float a little closer to the ground, she was able to hang on as Sonic took off at lightning speeds...

Later, when Amy was dusting off some of her home, the doorbell sounded off.

Leaning on her home’s sign, Sonic jokingly pretended he was looking at his nails.

“Which part of your heart are you feeding today, Amy?” He acted as though uncaring, but Amy was already growing in excitement at seeing him there, at her home, unexpectedly. “The part that likes to clean all day... or the side that likes a little excitement every now and then.” He put his hands behind his head, smiled cheekily to the ground with his eyes closed, before turning his head to her with a proud look on his face as he opened one eye to a subtle ‘winky’ expression~

[davekatzdefensesquad]

shitposts i made on my phone for no reason but maybe they’d make a good song/chapter title or sentence starter

What the hell’s a gouda panini? 

These are the questions that haunt me

How’d you get so funny? more under the cut

please, please let me

actions have consequences? more likely than you think!

that’s how you get the rona

jesus christ on a pogo stick

perish

im not doing well but thanks for asking

autocorrect got me sent to the ER

i just stared down my dog for ten minutes straight so i think we’re on the same wavelength

as the old saying goes: ew, and also, no

all we are is dust in the bin

having an existential crisis on the toilet mid poop is all i’ve done this week by fall out boy

what if someone lived in my basement without me knowing?

can we stop pretending i’m ugly?

i know what i’m talking about! i’m in therapy.

how many calories are in childhood trauma? 

i won’t apologize for being so sad

you’re hotter than me but we’re identical twins

i’ve come to the conclusion that men aren’t funny 

i was thinking about asking if you wanted anything from the store but then i remembered i’m kind of awkward in public and didn’t want people thinking i ate healthy food

sorry i smoked all your weed

i wonder if there’s people turned on by pitchforks

someone ate my banana bread and i’m really about to lose my shit

hooked on sonic

too many flaws, not enough time to fix them

i love you more than i love finding money in coat pockets that i forgot i owned

etsy for men

i’m probably overreacting byt i’m not sure what to do about that mid freak-out, okay?

the moose is loose on the field

i have a talent for going to bed peacefully after a horror movie marathon

how did you get your mom to stop trying to hook you up with her boss’ son?

i didn’t spend nine years on tumblr just to talk about captain america’s butt

don’t talk to me if you’re gonna lie about all this sexual tension

hey, siri? how can i get my feelings out of my life?

i had a crush on my spanish teacher who kind of looked like a gopher

when i see a man using pinterest, i slow clap for about 45 seconds in his honor

when in doubt, pick c

not enough meth in the world to get me over him

i can’t poop in the woods! i’m shy!

i’m not allowed back at subway

i love ice cream but it doesn’t love me back

injured in a mosh pit? i can help!

i’m not really scared of being dead, i just don’t want it to hurt or be embarrassing, know what i mean?

how to fight off the advances of the ghost boy in my basement

i think about that guy who was killed by a turtle entirely too often to not be a descendant or something

i done fucked up: a mystery told in two parts

i wonder if all computer teachers escaped hell together

all those dryer settings and you chose to be stuck on permanently pressed

i wasn’t being rude, i was being extra

why does my poop smell like carrots

is this depression or food poisoning?

heaven is overrated

a redder shade of neck on a whiter shade of trash

[kitkatopinions]

I know you probably posted about Penny awhile ago, but I’d like to through some of my thoughts into the ring. I wasn’t personally hurt by her turning human, I was more just annoyed that they had an interesting premise because not even Ambrosius was sure what she’d be after that. flesh and blood? A soul made physical? A wireframe aura? A fourth thing? And then just. Kaput, she’s dead, there goes all that. Now watch Winter. The end. It wasn’t tragic. It was annoying.

So I have talked about Penny a lot, but... I can talk about it more.

I’ve talked before about how problematic it was and I’ve shared lots of posts from other people. It’s my opinion that even if people weren’t personally hurt themselves, it’s important to recognize the hurt other people have experienced over these choices. But even outside of the problematic way it was framed and the problematic undertones of it, it’s just not good writing. Let’s get into it.

Trigger warning for death and mentions of suicide

First problem: Ambrosius can’t break the rules, so he can’t break the rules in order to break the rules. So he can’t make a human body without a schematic, and he can’t create something and then have it not vanish when he makes something new. He can’t kill, but a flesh and blood body was not the only option he had and he shouldn’t have been able to make it without a schematic and have it stick around. And before anyone says it, the other conclusion we could come to is that Penny’s soul somehow conjured a physical flesh and blood body, and that is - in my opinion - plain stupid. We’ve never been told auras could even sort of do that, so... Yeah. The use of the magic system is incredibly lacking in either case, no matter what justification you can find for it. Plus, with no in universe explanation of how Penny’s body was made, fans are left scrambling for explanation. Point against their execution.

Now let’s talk about choice of framing. 

From having Penny - the robot body - clutch her head, to framing things from her point of view, to having her reach out, to showing you her perspective as her friends and the new, perfect, flesh Penny walk away and leave her behind to die... Idk how we’re meant to see this as an empty machine, rather than a person in pain, a person dying. But the narrative and the main characters treat this as something easily moved on from, as something that doesn’t matter at all, that they aren’t even really feeling anything about. Even Penny herself just looks mildly disturbed by the image of herself dying, and then is all smiles and joy immediately after. This literally made me wonder if the writers were intending to somehow resurrect the robotic version of Penny as a villain - except that she vanishes with the creation of the bridges. It’s clear they intended for us to see this as nothing more than an empty vessel, but animated the body to act like a person with a perspective that we see out of. That makes their insistence that the robotic body has no humanity incredibly hard to believe. Point against their execution, again.

And, as you point out, there are ways they could’ve made this transformation interesting that they didn’t do. For one, like I said before, it doesn’t make sense for Ambrosius to break his rules in order to avoid breaking his rules. He himself expressed interest over what would be left, so instead of just turning Penny into a flesh-human, they should’ve done something more interesting. The ideas I have for this are Penny being a bodiless spirit (like Tikal in Sonic Adventure,) having her soul have to take refuge in someone else’s heart, inaccessible, but alive (like Kairi in Kingdom Hearts 1,) or having her soul have to latch onto some other non-sentient robotic form like one of the robotic soldiers (like in Fullmetal Alchemist.) All of these things, I think, could be very interesting and leave Team RWBY with a strong consequence to their actions. Instead, the CRWBY writers chose to turn Penny into a flesh person, which not only had some bad connotations, but also was the most boring and pointless transformation. And they also did nothing interesting with it. As soon as I heard about this transformation, I thought ‘they better have her struggle now that she can’t do the things she used to’ but they just had her... Somehow have such complete mastery of the Maiden powers she got two days ago that she’s able to completely recreate the exact same abilities she had in her robotic form as a flesh-human maiden. No interest at all! What’s the point of turning her into a flesh human if it’s not going to provide any struggle or tension? Point against their execution, again. They chose the most boring path and then they didn’t do the only interesting thing they could’ve done with it.

Aaaand then onto the next point, the choice was totally pointless.

Why was her turning into a flesh human completely pointless? Because they could’ve killed her just as easily as a robot. I’m not kidding, this choice is maddening when you get into the various problems. Penny getting hacked contributed very little outside of fleshing out the season, her getting turned into a flesh human didn’t matter, because she just died two episodes later with zero challenge added due to her being human. The only thing her getting hacked did was force our mains to get off their butts, but they should’ve done that anyway and it makes them look selfish that several of them acted like they didn’t have to do anything to save anyone (after directly putting many of them in danger) until one of their own personal friends was in danger. But Cinder attacks Penny and wounds her, and then Penny decides for some reason that there’s no time to heal her, and in order to make sure the maiden powers go towards the girl who was just as bad as Ironwood in V7 and half of V8 her trusted friend Winter, who was slotted to receive the powers in V7 already, so Penny even getting the powers was pretty pointless.

Not to mention, Penny being alive again was treated by the show like it wasn’t that emotional and didn’t need to be gone into - with even Ruby, who was sobbing at the sight of Penny’s dead body in V3 and couldn’t even say ‘combat ready’ in volume 5 without having an emotional reaction

Didn’t really act emotional when Penny came back from the dead. So what was the point of Penny returning?

There’s nothing about Penny getting her new body that was done well. From how it was framed, to how it was executed, to how they chose to phrase things when the characters justified changing Penny’s body, to making Penny an unwilling participant (consent under threat of death isn’t consent,) to not properly setting up the rules, to breaking the rules they just announced, to not doing anything interesting with the transformation, to then making the transformation not matter at all in the end because they just killed Penny off two episodes later.

It’s honestly just bad. The whole thing is overall bad.

[inigollorentemartija]

Saitama and influence

When One Punch Man begins, Saitama is not only bored from not finding fights exciting anymore, but he is also bothered because he feels that, for all he has done, he has had no influence in the world. While this is not quite true, from his perspective there have been no changes to the world.

Then, finally, other people start seeing him in action. Individual after individual, his actions are building influence.

First is Genos.

He is the first to witness Saitama in action, and he inmeadeately decides that, for his objective, he must achieve this strenght (he has, at this point not yet realized the scale of Saitamas’ strenght, and he won’t until the spar. This will be common).

Genos has been the character most influenced by Saitama, and on that topic @gofancyninjaworld​ and @iwillgetridofyourangerforyou​ have written extensively.

Second is Genus

He is interested in Saitama, so he decides to kidnap him. Of course, he too has not yet understood the scale of Saitama, so his moves end up with his work destroyed. After carnage kabuto dies, he comes to understand the strenght, and decides to change his life. We won’t really know the consequences of Saitamas’ influence in him until Zombieman comes out of the basement, but humanity is better off due to it.

Third to witness Saitama and survive to see another day is armored gorilla, who just peacefully lives wiht Genus right know. His only action of note since meeting Saitama was to kill a monster, so he’s good.

Fourth is Hammerhead. Upon seing Saitama, he decides to turn a page in his life and live a proper life from now on. We will see what his actions are in the current arc.

Fifth is Sonic.

He inmeadeately decides to become Saitamas’ rival (if your aim is to be the fastest ever, surpassing Saitama is the right direction), but, like Genos and Genus, doesn’t quite see the scale. He might be coming to terms with it, but his pride has made it so that it takes many tries. How this influence will affect Sonic, and the consequences of that influence, have not been fully fleshed out yet.

Sixth is the hero association. Saitama breaks all the records for their phisical tests, by a huge margin, but being bad at writing essays made it so that the association didn’t even think of looking further into him. The most obvious case of not seing the scale. To see the influence Saitama might have, we depend on the Hero Name Vicims Association.

Seventh is Snek. After being told that Saitama broke the records of the phisical test, he did not understand the scale of Saitamas’ strenght. The consequences are well known.

Has Snek become a better hero after this? Maybe.

Eighth is Bang.

Once again, he doesn’t understand the scale. His first reaction is to try to recruit Saitama for his dojo, when martial art training is completely useless for Saitama.

He comes to respect Saitama as a master, due to the contrast between Genos and Garou. It has already resulted in a change to his teaching philosophy, though how much of that is due to Saitama remains to be seen.

Ninth is Mumen rider.

He is thankful to Saitama for saving his life, and many others. His reaction is to befriend Saitama, and be happy about a new good and strong hero showing up. We don’t know if he understood the scale of Saitamas’ strength but he is one of the only characters that doesn’t try to use Saitama in any way, so it doesn’t matter in his case.

Tenth is King.

He is a very special case. All of the actions of Saitama before meeting Genos, all of the huge monsters taken down, where attributed to him by accident. He is not only finding out about Saitamas’ strength, he is also understanding his own situation.

And what a situation. The reputation has turned him into the ultimate bluff. No one wants to confront him, and those who do do it with such caution, they devote so many resources to being vigilant of his every move, that they get hit on the side before they actually act.

For him, meeting Saitama has meant going from freeloader to actual hero, with nothing but his reputation as a weapon, and he has walked into the battlefield and actually saved lives, despite having no real power.

He continues to develop, and wants to fill the empty husk with some actual strength, but meeting Saitama has meant going from an empty husk to a husk with goodness and courage. Strength won’t come in the short term, but there are many things he can do with what he has right now, and the webcomic story is building towards a situation where he can be the most useful.

I think I’ll stop here for now. There are many other charactes influenced, and listing them all in one go would take too long.

[zippityzap]

My Top Ten Favourite Moments in Sonic Games

The past 30 years the Sonic series has had a lot of memorable moments, too many to list fully, so in celebration of my recent follower milestone, today I’ll be presenting and explaining my personal top ten favourite moments. I would like to emphasise that this list is very subject and is highly influenced by my personal experiences with the Sonic series. It’s not intended to be objective by any means, and I would love to hear what moments you guys would put on your own lists! Additionally, this list is only for things from the games, in the future I’ll make another list for other Sonic media

Without further ado, let’s get started!

10) City Escape’s GUN truck

Interesting set pieces and small scripted moments in levels have been a staple in the Sonic series since the beginning. Sure, they’re not always challenging from a game-play standpoint, but they’re always an entertaining spectacle. One of the most ionic of these moments (and one of my personal favourites) is being chased by the GUN truck. City Escape is already a highly memorable level from the get-go, but the truck sequence is the cherry on top. An additional shout-out to both of the Generations versions of the level for not only bringing it back but changing it up just enough to surprise you and keep you on your toes!

9) Escaping Null Space

Forces is one of those games that I would describe as a truly mixed bag. Yeah, there are a lot of things about the game that kinda sucked or were disappointing, but when it hit a high, BOY did it hit. While I agree with many people that having the Null Space portion of this level actually have gameplay in it would’ve made this moment impact a little harder, I’m just in love with that transition from the silence of null space to the bombastic chorus of Fist Bump. I thought it was a really exciting moment that hypes you up for the rest of the level.

8) Sonic Heroes’ opening cinematic

Heroes was my first 3D Sonic game, and consequently it was my introduction to a lot of things that are staples for the Sonic series. Vocal themes, an extended cast and their interpersonal relationships, story routes that connect to each other. These are some of my favourite things about the Sonic series, so even if some aspects of the game aren’t that great, I could never ever hate or even dislike Heroes. I feel like the opening cinematic to Heroes (the one with the theme song as the music) is the aspect of Heroes that really encapsulates those feelings best. I must’ve spent hours as a kid letting it play over and over again singing along to it.

7) Shadow the Hedgehog (2004) title screen cinematic

Before you laugh, here is where I must remind you that this list is extremely subjective and highly influenced by my personal experiences and memories. Ok now imagine this: you are a 7-8 year old kid, and your experience with media that isn’t mainstream radio or educational children’s tv shows is fairly limited. You’re getting deep into the Sonic series for the first time thanks to playing Heroes and seeing some of the cartoons and you’re interested to know more about the series. You visit Sonic Central, the official site at the time, and they have a music player with a variety of songs from the games. One of the songs it plays is I Am (All of Me). I won’t lie, I was a little blown away because I’d never really heard anything like it before, so I go to find out more about the game it’s from and I come across that opening cinematic.

I think it’s very, very, easy as an adult to laugh at the Shadow the Hedgehog game and it’s… direction, but adult me was not the target audience of that game, kid me was. Say what you want but the effect that game was going for I think is something that just hits best with sheltered little kids, and I’d be curious if anyone else had a similar experience.

6) The ending of Sonic and the Black Knight

I won’t go into too much detail on this one, since this is very much a fan favourite moment and many others have gone into detail about why it’s so great. Black Knight is certainly one of the games that captures Sonic’s character the best, and his words at the end of the game certainly encapsulate this. Followed by the amazing credits theme of Live Life, the ending of Black Knight is certainly one of the most emotional moments in the series.

5) Sonic Generation’s credits

Anniversary games can be a bit of a controversial subject for the Sonic fandom; 06 was one of the games released for the 15th anniversary while Forces is often considered to be a 25th anniversary game. I think Generations really achieved the feeling and the specialness of a celebratory event though. It’s one of my favourite Sonic games and the whole game is full of brilliant moments but I feel the credits really evoke the celebration vibe: a Sonic 1-esque music melody as the credits song, showing footage from the original games each stage is from, and the cherry on top: a ‘Happy Birthday’ message to Sonic recorded from fans who attended the 2011 Sonic Boom and Summer of Sonic conventions. It genuinely warms my heart every time I finish the game.

4) Metropolis Capital City level

Forces gets another representation on this list! Honestly, I believe the parts of Forces that were exciting, such as this, really demonstrate my opinion that Forces had a lot of potential to be a really good game. But I digress, this was my favourite level from Forces because it shows how fun of a villain Infinite could be. The way that Infinite follows you for most of the stage and uses illusions to fuck around with the stage itself? That’s really fun, and it’s not just stage gimmicks for the sake of having a gimmick, it ties into the powers of the villain and makes the player feel involved in a way because Infinite is messing around with you specifically and is having to make to think on your toes. Granted, part of makes this stage stand out so much in a good way is because it’s so different from the rest of the game and it takes you by surprise, so maybe the impact wouldn’t be as hard hitting if this sort of design was used more in the game, but c’mon when you have a villain who’s powers are illusion-based, the sky’s the limit!

3) Sonic Unleashed’s opening cutscene

Can you believe this game came out over a decade ago and the opening cutscene still looks this stunning?! Depending on who you ask, some might even argue that this cutscene has yet to be topped, and honestly, I’m in that camp. Not only is the rendering beautiful and the choreography of the action exciting, but this scene does a wonderful job of setting up for the viewer regardless of how much prior experience they have with the series who Sonic and Dr. Eggman are, as well as setting up the events of the game. I recall being very happy when I heard the animation team for this cutscene would also be handling the animation for the movie.

2) Beating Sonic Unleashed for the first time

So, this is another pretty personal one. I played Unleashed for the first time a few years ago and it is in my opinion, one of the most difficult Sonic games. Sometimes intentionally, sometimes for completely bullshit reasons. My first ever run of Eggmanland was around 40 minutes long and apparently that’s considered a pretty decent time for your first go, but christ it was a nightmare to finish (looking at you, that one section where you have to platform on pipes without a drop-shadow). The following boss sections weren’t much easier- I don’t rage much with video games, I tend to whisper swears under my breath at most but that part where you’re running on the Gaia Colossus had me screaming in anger every time I lost a life.

BUT when I finally beat the difficult sections? Felt like finally cracking your back after feeling stiff all day. Like taking the first sip of water after a walk on a hot day. The relief and satisfaction I felt was indescribable and slowly winding down while Dear My Friend plays as the credits theme was blissful. I don’t play difficult games that often so Unleashed is one of very few games that I have this sort of memory with.

1) Watching my dad get the good ending of Sonic 1

Here’s a small amount of backstory for this pick. My dad got his first job at 19 and he used his first pay-check to purchase the then newly released Sega Mega Drive. He had a lot of games for the console including Sonic the Hedgehog. He kept the console and games in good condition, and they were still perfectly playable by the time his first child was born (aka me!). Sonic 1 was the first video game I can remember playing at roughly 2-3 years old. I wasn’t good enough to get past Green Hill Act 3 but I loved watching my dad play through the game.

I’ll admit; his playstyle’s a little odd, he avoids speed when he can and instead, he likes to search for as many rings and extra lives as possible, but it was so enjoyable to watch nonetheless. The best bit was whenever he would manage to get all the chaos emeralds in a playthrough and be able to get the good ending. Sure, the only difference between the good and bad endings is just some flowers, but it was nice to see him be happy that he was able to achieve that ending.

And that’s the end of my list! Upon looking over it I realise most of it is either openings or endings to games…oops. I suppose they tend to be parts of games that get special attention during development since they bookend the journey. When I get around to making the second list, I’m sure it’ll have more variety, and as I said before, I’d be very interested in hearing what everyone else’s favourite moments are!

[thelittlesttimelord]

The Littlest Timelord: The Fall of the Eleventh Chapter 49

TITLE: The Littlest Timelord: The Fall of the Eleventh Chapter 49 PAIRING: No Pairing RATING: T CHAPTER: 49/? SUMMARY:    Elise Smith is now a teenaged Timelord. In addition to losing the Ponds,  the fields of Trenzalore are calling. But first they have to figure out  exactly who Clara Oswald is.

[A/N - Prepare to have your hearts broken in this one.]

“A question only I could answer. A truth field to make sure I'm not lying. If I give my name, they'll know they've found the right place and that it's safe to come through,” the Doctor said.

“The Time Lords? Okay, so what then? If you answer the question and they come back, what happens?” Clara asked.

“Hell,” Elise answered.

The Doctor handed Clara a small round object. “Ah, you need to take this to the Tardis and put it in the charger slot for the sonic.”

“Why?”

“Elise is right. Hell. All hell, that's what happens if the Time Lords come back. There's half a universe up there already, waiting to open fire. Now please, go to the TARDIS and just do as I say.”

Clara ran out of the room.

“You’re sending her home, right?” Elise asked.

“This is between the Timelords and me,” he said.

Elise took her hand in his. “The Timelords and us.”

The Doctor offered her a small smile.

The moment was shattered by Tasha’s voice. “Doctor. Speak with me. Doctor! Face me now! Doctor!”

The Doctor put his jacket back on and they made their way to the bell chamber.

Tasha’s face hung in the sky.

“Mother Superious, there is only one thing I need from you. This planet, what's it called?” the Doctor asked.

“Trenzalore.”

Elise’s hearts stopped in her chest.

This was the end.

“If you speak your name, the Time Lords will return,” Tasha said.

“If they return, they will come in peace,” the Doctor told her.

“It doesn't matter. They will be met with a war that will never end. The Time War will begin anew. You know that, Doctor.”

“They're asking for my help!”

“And if you give it, war will be the consequence. I will not let that happen, at any cost. Speak your name and this world will burn.”

“No, this planet is protected.” He soniced the bell and it started ringing.

The citizens started to gather outside the tower.

Elise and the Doctor stepped out of the tower.

“So, you lot, a quick word, thank you. Spot of news. Christmas has a new sheriff. Hello, everyone. I'm the Doctor. And this my daughter Elise.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

There were many attacks on the town, but the Doctor and his daughter defeated them every time. Elise herself was becoming quite a warrior in her own right.

But something else happened on Trenzalore.

She fell in love. He was human of course. With sandy brown hair and green eyes.

Joey.

Elise came home one day to find her father sitting in his chair, working on toys for the children. “Maybe you should just retire and make toys,” she teased him.

He rarely did anything else nowadays. He’d aged in the many years they’d been here, his old age finally catching up with him.

When she wasn’t fighting, Elise worked at the schoolhouse. Clara would have been proud of her.

Elise hung up her scarf. She didn’t really need it, being a Timelord, but it had been a gift from Joey’s mother.

Elise walked over to the Doctor. He hadn’t greeted her when she entered the tower. “Dad? Is something wrong?” she asked him.

He looked up at her, sadness in his green eyes. He held out a letter.

“What’s this?” she asked. She took it from him and realized it was in Joey’s handwriting. She ripped it open and started reading. He’d gone to the front lines without telling her. Elise collapsed to the ground.

“Did…is he…?”

Her father just nodded and Elise felt her hearts shatter in her chest. Her sadness quickly morphed into anger and she ripped the letter up, chucking it into the fire. She reached for her scarf, but she couldn’t bring herself to get rid of it. Instead, she stashed it deep in the chest where she kept her clothes.

She vowed she’d never love another man ever again. Elise pushed her lost love to the back of her mind and instead focused on the children. She loved the children and the children loved her and the Doctor.

They drew her and the Doctor pictures, which they hung up around their room in the tower.

It wasn’t as nice as her bedroom in the TARDIS, but it was home.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

One day, they heard the sound of the TARDIS engines.

“What is it? What's that noise?” Barnable, one of the children, asked.

“Well. Where have you been for three hundred years?” the Doctor yelled at the TARDIS.

Three hundred years? Was that how long they’d been here?

“What's that?”

“It's my ship.”

“Your what?”

“It's my TARDIS. That's how I got here in the first place.”

“Does this mean you're leaving?”

The TARDIS landed completely.

Clara was clutching onto the outside.

“What are you doing here?” the Doctor asked.

“I was in space.”

“Well, you were in the time vortex. She must have extended the force field. No wonder.” The Doctor pulled her off the TARDIS. “No wonder she's late, dragging you around.”

Clara turned to him with tears in her eyes. “You tricked me.”

“I saved you!”

“You didn't even say goodbye!”

“I'm furious with you!”

“Well, I am not even talking to you!”

They both started laughing and hugged.

They went inside the tower and Clara looked around. “Oh, Doctor. Fixing toys and fighting monsters.” She turned to Elise. “And what about you?”

“I teach,” Elise told her.

“The turkey isn't done yet,” the Doctor said, entering the room. He handed a few books to Elise. “TARDIS left these on the console.”

Elise smiled and ran her fingers down the spines. Her favorite books.

“Is it still asking the question?” Clara said, looking at the crack.

“Oh, never stops. Come upstairs. It's almost time.” The Doctor picked up Handles.

“What for?”

“Dawn. The light here lasts only a few minutes. You don't want to miss it.”

They went up to the bell chamber and the Doctor made a fire.

“Well, it's a standoff. They can't attack in case I unleash the Time Lords, and I can't run away, because they'll burn this planet to stop the Time Lords. Hey, after all these years, I've finally found somewhere that needs me to stick around. A town called Christmas. Could've been worse.” He adjusted Handles. “Right, there you go, buddy. Comfy?”

“Comfort is irrelevant,” Handles said.

He propped Handles up a bit more. “How's that, is that better?”

“Affirmative.”

“You just take it easy, buddy. He's getting old. I do my best for him, but I just can't get the parts, you know. Hey, I know the feeling.” The Doctor groaned as he tried to move.

“It’s fine. I’ll get it,” Elise told him. She reached over and handed him the bag of marshmallows.

“Where did you get those?” Clara asked.

“I have a supplier. The pink ones are best,” the Doctor told her.

“I have developed a fault,” Handles said.

“Hey, don't you worry, Handles. You're just dreaming. The sun's coming up very soon. You just hang on in there.”

“I have developed a fault. I…I have developed a fault.”

The Doctor picked Handles up. “Hey, Handles. Come on. Come on. One more dawn, you can do it. You've got it in you. Come on, just hang on in there.”

“Attention. Emergency. Attention.”

“Handles, what is it? What's wrong?”

“Urgent action required. You must patch the telephone device back through the console unit.” Handles’ lights faded out.

“Come back. Handles? Handles.” The Doctor sighed and Elise put a hand on his knee. “Thank you, Handles, and well done. Well done, mate.”

Handles was just one in a long line of people who had brought the Doctor comfort in these last few hundred years.

The sun rose between the mountains and the birds sung.

“What do you think of our new place?” the Doctor asked, “I come up here once a day for a few minutes, to remind myself of what it is I'm protecting.”

“It's beautiful. Why did you send me away?”

“Because if I hadn't, I'd have buried you a long time ago.”

“No, you wouldn't. I would never have let you get stuck here.”

“Everyone gets stuck somewhere eventually, Clara. Everything ends.”

“Except you.”

“Have you been paying attention? I'm an old man now.”

“But you don't die. You change. You pop right back up with a new face.”

“No, not for ever. I can change twelve times. Thirteen versions of me. Thirteen silly Doctors.”

“Okay, so you're number eleven, so...”

“Ha. Are we forgetting Captain Grumpy, eh? I didn't call myself the Doctor during the Time War, but it was still a regeneration.”

“Okay, so you're number twelve.”

“Well, number ten once regenerated and kept the same face. I had vanity issues at the time. Twelve regenerations, Clara. I can't ever do it again. This is where I end up. This face, this version of me. We saw this planet in the future, remember? All those graves, one of them mine.”

“What? No. No!”  Elise cried. She’d lost so much and now she was going to lose him. How much longer could he hold on?

“Hey, Ellie. It’ll be alright. You’ve grown so much. You don’t need me anymore.”

“I’ll always need you.” 

“We’ve had some good times, eh?”

The sun started to set.

“Change the future,” Clara told him.

“I can't.”

“You've got your TARDIS back.”

“Ha! You think I'm just going to fly away, abandon everyone?”

“Of course not. But you've been protecting this town for over three hundred years. Do you not think it's anybody else's go yet? Can’t Elise do it?”

“There is no one else to protect it. I’d never leave Elise to fight alone.”

“It's not going to be you forever. It'll end the same way, whatever you do.”

“Every life I save is a victory. Every single one.”

“What about your life? Just for once, after all this time, have you not earned the right to think about that?”

The Doctor looked at Clara.

“Sorry. Wrong thing to say. We shouldn't be having an argument.”

“Clara, I've been having that argument for the last three hundred years in my head.”

“But you didn't have your TARDIS.”

“Ah. Yes, well, that made it easier to stay. True.”

As the sun set, thunder rolled in.

“Doctor!” Tasha’s voice said.

“Ah. Look who's woken up.”

Tasha’s face appeared in the sky. “The Church of the Silence requests parlay. Your rights and safety are sanctified.”

“I'll be right up.”

“I'm sending a transporter.”

“Nah, don't bother. I've got me motor back.”

“It's gone dark,” Clara said.

“Yeah, well, the sun's gone down.”

“Already?”

“Everything ends, Clara. And sooner than you think.”

[disappointingyet]

Beat Street

Director Stan Lathan Stars Guy Davis, Rae Dawn Chong, Jon Chardiet, Robert Taylor USA 1984 Language English 1hr 45mins Colour 

Broadly competent breaking & DJing & graffiti movie

It’s both bizarre and wonderful how thoroughly hip-hop culture’s early/mid 1980s were captured in feature films – we get almost year-by-year snapshots. In Wild Style (released in 1982), the downtown hipster journalist has to make an odyssey to the Bronx in search of graffiti writers and rappers, and then brings a few of these people back across the river as trophies to a party. By 1984’s Beat Street, there was no need for Manhannites to leave the borough to see breaking and scratching and rhyming: the Bronx’s finest were in residence at The Roxy, a huge erstwhile roller disco in Chelsea. And Krush Groove (1985) shows hip-hop becoming an established part of the music industry. Wild Style played an important role in creating the idea of hip hop’s four elements (DJing, MCing, b-boying [breakdancing] and graffiti), Beat Street very much subscribed to it* but graffiti and breaking have no place in Krush Groove – we’re heading to a future of rap stars with DJs, hip hop’s original central figures, in the shadows.

The most significant difference between Beat Street and those other films is that it has a cast full of professional actors. Don’t get me wrong – it’s crammed with dancing, rapping and singing – but the Rock Steady Crew or Soul Sonic Force etc are not required to do any acting. I think the only person with a speaking role who plays themself is Kool Herc, the man who invented hip hop. Consequently, Beat Street at least feels like a more competent movie than Krush Groove – although maybe it’s less fun for that.

At its heart are three young men and a kid who put on dance parties in one of the many torched-for-insurance abandoned buildings in their South Bronx neighbourhood. They are Kenny aka Double K (Guy Davis), a DJ/producer/MC, graffiti artist Ramon (Jon Chardiet), aspiring entrepreneur Chollie (Leon W Grant) and Kenny’s breakdancer prodigy younger brother Lee (Robert Taylor). Along with the standard ‘finding their way towards the music biz’ stuff, there are two storylines. One is an across-class-lines romance between Kenny and Tracy (Rae Dawn Chong), who lives in one of those Manhattan apartment buildings with an awning and a doorman and who takes a cab when she goes to The Roxy (the others go by subway, obviously). Long walks soundtracked by sappy slowies alert! The other plotline, clumsily handled, is about Ramon trying to get it together enough to support his girlfriend and child. 

But although at least it’s clear that these people know their way around a script, and Chong does a decent job with a part that could be summed up as ‘privileged but sympathetic, nobody is really here for the drama. So what do we get? A lot of breaking, and it’s pretty good, if (to my eyes) a bit repetitive. Musically, this is the moment of the busy drum-machine-driven sound known as electro – Arthur Baker, electro’s central figure, is credited as music producer. We get performances by Us Girls (featuring Sha-Rock), Soul Sonic Force & Shango and Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five (as they were at this point). Best of all is a rather artily staged appearance by the Treacherous Three with guest star Doug E Fresh.    

Treacherous Three! Before I go, I think it’s worth mentioning the unlikely key player in this film – its producer (and music producer and composer) Harry Belafonte. Yes, that Harry Belafonte, Civil Rights icon, international calypso superstar and pioneering black Hollywood heartthrob. Not the kind of person you’d expect to be all over 1984’s hot pop trends, but there he was. And a film with a black producer, a black director and a relatively decent budget was a pretty rare thing back in those days. Also welcome is the lack of a central white character to guide ‘us’ through this all.

Beat Street’s reputation is that it’s the best-made of the flurry of hip-hop-related movies of the time, and although I’ve haven’t been able to revisit Breakin’, Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo and Rappin’ yet, I think that’s almost certainly true. But I don’t think it’s a good enough film for that to matter much:  the only reason to watch it in 2021 is to travel to The Roxy and Kool Herc’s Burning Spear club** and to watch the Rock Steady and the Treacherous Three in action. And that’s plenty.

*Michael Holman, one of the men – along with Wild Style director Charlie Ahearn and Fab 5 Freddy – who popularised/invented (delete depending on which you agree with) the four elements idea, is credited as an associate producer on this film.

**Was this a real club or one made up for the movie? This is part of my ‘Every girl should be given an electric guitar on her 16th birthday’ series of reviews about early/mid 1980s movies