#don’t the chaotix ‘live like this’

[artsyrosie]

LOVE to headcanon that Silver lives in the shed behind his garden. Great of this panel in the latest IDW Sonic issue to support my theory.

Also

[my-name-is-jefferooni]

I think it’s mostly because more than half the cast at this point is just a bunch of glorified vigilantes. Sonic just runs around stealing chilli dogs from closed stands at night, Amy is a member of the Restoration, Jewel runs the Restoration, the New Diamond Cutters are literally vigilantes, Eggman is a dick, Team Dark just kinda exists for when the plot demands it and they also have a track record of multiple war crimes on their belt, Vanilla and Cream live in a remote village where money is a foreign concept, and Silvaze ain’t even from here.

I could literally go on and on about how hilarious everyone’s situations are when it comes to money but I’ll refrain because then we’d be here all day lmao

its kinda funny that the chaotix are like the only characters who mention having to pay rent or buy food or whatever and theyll take any job that pays because theyre desperate for money but none of the other characters are struggling in this department at all even though most of them dont seem to have jobs. its like the concept of needing money to live exists for no one in the sonic universe EXCEPT for vector espio and charmy

[etaleah]

What Is the Appeal of Sonadow?

I have a lot of thoughts about this ship, what draws people to it, and why some of the criticisms of it are exaggerated or less than honest. Putting them under a cut because it’s gonna get long.

First of all, the critique of “Lol why do people ship them when they beat the shit out of each other whenever they disagree on something, they’re abusive!” is dishonest framing for two reasons. One is that it ignores the fact that Sonic and Shadow are allies far more often than they’re enemies, and even when they are enemies, it’s usually over something serious, not just a minor disagreement. The other is that it’s bad media criticism to apply real human standards to a cartoon animal universe.

When you watch the classic Looney Tunes short where Bugs and Daffy are arguing over whether it’s Rabbit Season or Duck Season and Bugs tricks Daffy into shooting himself, do you see Bugs as abusive and evil? Probably not, because the laws of physics don’t apply in cartoons and Daffy getting shot in the face doesn’t actually hurt him. He’s still completely fine afterwards because he’s a cartoon and is therefore invincible. The same is true for Sonic and Shadow. Have you ever seen either of them seriously injured after one of their fights? Has either one ever needed to go to the hospital because the other beat him up so badly? No, of course not. They groan in pain for about two seconds and then they’re fine. If the creators wanted to convey them being injured, they could show bruises or blood or have bones snapping and the characters limping, but they don’t. The fights are never meant to be taken that seriously. I find this criticism every bit as annoying and overzealous as people who insist that Pinky and the Brain are abusive because Brain bops Pinky on the head. They’re cartoons, y’all. They’re not realistic, were never meant to be realistic, and shouldn’t be treated as realistic. Different standards apply.

To the second point, Sonic and Shadow don’t actually fight that often. In all the interactions they’ve had together, it’s only been a handful of times. They’re allies in the Archie comics, Sonic ‘06, the canon ending of Shadow the Hedgehog (they’re only enemies in that game if the player wants them to be), Sonic Forces, Team Sonic Racing, The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, and most of the IDW comics, along with the endings of Sonic X, Sonic Adventure 2, and Sonic Heroes. They’re allies for much of Prime as well. But hey, let’s break down the times they do fight:

Sonic Adventure 2: Shadow’s memories have been tampered with and he and Sonic are literally fighting over the fate of the world.

Sonic X: Same thing for season 2, and in season 3, they’re fighting over whether Cosmo should live or die. Sonic says killing her is wrong, Shadow says stopping the Metarex is what’s most important and if that means little Cosmo has to die, well, them’s the breaks, pal.

Sonic Prime: Sonic has broken their world, Shadow is trying desperately to save it, and Sonic is valuing the Shatterverse inhabitants over Green Hill.

IDW: Shadow says Eggman is too dangerous to leave alive and if that means Mr. Tinker has to die too, well, them’s the breaks, pal. Sonic says killing anyone is wrong no matter the reason.

You see a pattern here? Most of the time what they fight over is literally life and death. They’re not going at each other’s throats over petty bullshit like who gets the last slice of pizza or who gets to pick the film for Movie Night. They fight over serious moral differences. I would argue that Amy and Knuckles have gotten angry at Sonic for way less than what Shadow does.

Now, there are a few instances where their fights are stupid, namely Sonic Boom and Sonic Heroes. But I think it’s pretty universally agreed that Shadow is out of character in Boom, and honestly, all of the fights in Sonic Heroes are very forced. There was no reason for Team Dark or Team Rose to fight Team Chaotix; their goals don’t contradict each other in any way and it’s clearly just manufactured conflict to give the player another boss fight. And these are the exception; most of their fights are over serious ideological divides.

Those serious ideological divides are exactly what makes Sonadow so interesting. I personally prefer ships where characters can learn and grow from each other, where their differences can clash until they learn to reconcile them. I don’t find a ship like, say, Sonamy nearly as interesting because I don’t think there’s many (if any) moral stances Sonic would have that Amy wouldn’t. They already agree on the important things. I’m not bashing anyone who likes that ship; if that’s your thing, good for you. It just doesn’t appeal to me because I think Sonic and Amy already having a lot in common morally means they can’t really grow and change from interacting with each other in the same way.

Sonic can bring out the best in Shadow, teach him to trust others and lighten up and learn how to live in the moment rather than being tethered to the past. Shadow can teach Sonic how to think before he acts, to view the world more realistically, and to consider the impact that his insistence on moral purity will have on others. That setup makes for some amazing stories.

Also? These guys love fighting each other. They’re both athletes and very competitive. Look at how much they smile when they fight:

Like…they love this. It’s so much fun for them. Sonic and Shadow are both competitive athletes who love pushing themselves, but in terms of speed, no one is any competition for them except each other. No one else can beat either of them in a race. Imagine spending your whole life winning so easily that there was no accomplishment in it, and then suddenly this guy comes along who’s actually as good as you or maybe even better. Finally you have a challenge and can really enjoy the feeling of being the best. That’d be amazing. They give each other something no one else can, and to me, that’s what good romances are made of.

And all of that is combined with the fact that Sonadow offers an Odd Couple setup, which is always fertile ground for fun, comedic situations that require opposite characters to work together. Plus the Enemies/Rivals to Lovers aspect, which adds a bit of “forbidden fruit” to the mix because we all know that the most tempting and appealing relationships are the ones that are Forbidden (TM). That’s literally the premise of Romeo and Juliet, people who aren’t supposed to be together but end up wanting to be anyway.

I wouldn’t want Sonadow to be canon, but I definitely enjoy exploring it in fandom. It’s a fun ship that offers a lot for a writer or artist to work with. And while I would never force it on anyone, I wish the criticisms of it weren’t quite so shallow and disingenuous.

[crim50n-r8er]

Hmm…I guess with myself talking about Sonic from my Fursona. I think I should let you all know about an AU I made for it while I was gone.

The AU is called “Blockbuster,” and no, it has nothing to deal with the Sonic movie, given that term is normally used for such things. No, Blockbuster is a roleswap AU. I’ll write down the premise of it in a new paragraph.

Blockbuster is a roleswap for all the Echidnas being swapped with the Hedgehogs (Sonic and Knuckles, Amy and Tikal, Silver with Shade, and Shadow with Imperator Ix) along with other swaps and some symbolism and inspiration over cults, religions, and mythologies

If you wish to know what I swapped with what. I shall post them under the cut.

Sonic 🔁 Knuckles

Everything’s the same for Knuckles, but he doesn’t have the aspects of his personality that were due to being reclusive all his life, that being a bit shy and socially awkward…at least I think that’s something that would be caused by being a recluse.

Sonic is the same, but due to being the ME Guardian, he can’t leave the island for adventure. So he explores every nook and cranny on Angel island until Towers arrives, meaning anything from the future games such as the Ancients with their cyberspace portals, he has knowledge of that from the get-go.

Eggman role = G.U.N. Commander Towers

G.U.N. Commander Towers Role = Maria Robotnik

Maria Robotnik Role: Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik

Commsnder Abraham Towers goes by Commander Noah and wants to be dictator of the world as he sees it as too corrupt and sinful.

Maria in this AU no longer has NIDS and is able to live to the age of 62 (yes, going by Sonic X ages, sue me). Maria is very caring for her troops, even with a militaristic discipline, and she would be smart enough not to blame Knuckles in the events of my SA2 adaption.

You see that correctly. Eggman is now the one with NIDS and is the one to hang aboard the ARK with his grandfather to find a cure through “The Chaos Cure Project” (I would acronym this, but I don’t think that would be wise as it could get confused with a…party of sorts.) He would also meet the same fate as Maria in canon, that being shot down by G.U.N. Agents while saving Ix, all at the age of 9 years old.

Tails 🔁 Ray

Ray: Ray is the sidekick to Knuckles, but he’s not a mechanic, so the two would meet by Ray finding Knuckles gliding across West-side Island and admiring his gliding skills.

Tails: Due to Ray going silent after SegaSonic and Knuckles Chaotix, I had to improvise with Tails, so I decided on him being a nurtured and/or brainwashed personal scientist and researcher for Commander Noah, giving him all his mechs, robots, and studies into ancient history.

Vector 🔁 Vanilla

I only swapped the two to have Vanilla simp for Vector like how the latter does to the former in Sonic X lol

Vanilla is a member of the “Chaotix Adventure Group” (the CAG for short) along with her daughter, Cream, and their leader, Mighty.

Vector is just a calm, cottagecore man living out in the wilderness with his found family younger daughter, Marine the Raccoon.

Espio 🔁 Mighty

Mighty: Due to not being trained in stealth like Espio, The Chaotix would now be the an exploration group instead of a detective agency. He would behave like normal as he adopts Knuckles’s hat from the OVA and uses a reusable warp ring that can duplicate itself for great blitzing in his ball form.

Espio: He will just be a normal dude on the sidelines until the events of Heroes where he gets killed by Neo Mecha Knuckles for his camouflage bio-data.

Amy Rose 🔁 Tikal

Tikal: A more mellow fan of Knuckles and his accomplishments as a hero, but still finds her way to Little Planet to be kidnapped by Mecha Knuckles. She has a crush on him as well but is a bit more mellow about it. She also wields a giant Kendama instead of Amy’s Piko-Piko Hammer

Amy is now the daughter of Pachacamac (yes he still exists. I just changed him from an echidna to a hedgehog) and is the one who guides Knuckles and friends through the events of my SA1 adaptation. She still keeps her personality, so things might get a bit hectic between her and her father, probably a fight, even.

Metal Sonic 🔁 Mecha Knuckles

I don’t think I need to explain this 😅

.

I’m not sure if I want to put ALLL of my swaps into one post, so I’ll split it into parts to make it more…digestible, I guess. So I’ll be back in a bit with a few more. I won’t say that it’ll be the rest of them, but it will be a significant portion.

Anyway. Have a good morning everyone!

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

[edgy-ella]

Ok so I still think that Fang the HuNTeR is a little silly and obviously they needed to consolidate Fang the Sniper/Nack the Weasel but upon rereading the online tie in comic for Superstars, this panel specifically, I have a huge newfound appreciation for the whole thing.

Fang is talking to Eggman here, or should I say, Robotnik. He never calls him Eggman at all in the comic, just “Doc” and “Egg-Mook,” the latter of which is consistent with how Fang calls Bean and Bark “Bomb-Mook” and “Scarf-Mook” in the IDW Classic Sonic special from a couple years ago. I don’t think he’s referring to the Eggman name here, he and Sonic just came up with more or less the same nickname (which considering that ‘ol Ivo has been flying around in the Egg Carrier since day one and built a giant space station called the Death Egg, isn’t surprising).

But that’s the cinch here. Nickname.

I think Fang may have helped inspire Robotnik here to start going by a nickname as his evil plans increased in scale. By the time he starts referring to himself as Eggman in Sonic Adventure 2, he’s blowing up moons and holding the entire world hostage. So, yeah, I think it’s safe to assume he’d be considered a criminal at that point. And Eggman knows this. So even though he’s obviously not fooling anyone, he decided to take a page out of Fang’s book and went by a new name (as well as one upping Sonic by owning the mocking nickname).

Considering their backgrounds, it also makes more sense why Fang would start doing this before Eggman despite Eggman’s supposed 300 IQ. While we don’t know anything about Fang’s backstory in the games, the vibe I get from him is that he’s been in the game for a while by the time he shows up for the first time in Triple Trouble. Like, he’s the kind of guy that was thrust into the criminal life at a very young age, maybe even as young as Tails. So he knows all the tricks to survive living a life like that.

Eggman isn’t like this. He’s a gifted little trustfund baby with at least one world renowned genius scientist in the family already, Gerald, and iirc Nega implies that the Robotnik family had tons of brilliant, respected members before Eggman showed up and tarnished the family name. He comes from a wealthy, book-smart background. He doesn’t know shit about being a criminal, whether as a bounty hunter like Fang or a terrorist like he would inevitably become. So he does the smart thing and looks to learn from the people around him.

I mean considering that Fang probably got his ass arrested sometime early in the modern era (likely before Heroes since Eggman goes to the Chaotix for help and not him), he probably should’ve found a better person to take inspiration from but y’know. Fuck it, we egg.

[my-name-is-jefferooni]

What I find so wonderful and authentic about the Chaotix isn’t just because of the fact they’re a close-knit found family and would do anything for each other and are also the silliest motherfuckers in the series, but…

They’re literally just that. That’s it. Yes, they have a detective business they run by themselves and Espio is literally a self-trained ninja, but those are just jobs/hobbies of theirs. The detective agency they run is something they only do so they can have the money they need to live in the city! If they didn’t live in the city, they’d probably still be detectives, but it’d be a much more laid back business and they’d probably have a little less advertisements.

Okay what I’m getting at here is that the Chaotix are basically just any run-of-the-mill everyday casual loving family. When they go on missions they fail to take it 100% seriously, they prioritize the money over the actual goal, they’re goofy as all hell, seem very immature and not up to the task, they set up schedules before they even get anything done… They’re not like. A professional business. They’re still just average everyday people just like every other random motherfucker in that city, and you can tell by how they fight!

Against Eggman, the three dance around each other and take down bots like it’s nothing! This is a song and dance they’ve listened to a million times over at this point, and when ur friends with Sonic you are bound to run into Eggman a ton! But when we see them up against literally anything else, like Mecha Sonic, (Or whatever the fuck kinda weird anime bullshit Metal was pulling in the first arc) the Zombots, or the Babylon Rogues, they’re pretty sloppy and overall are just a buncha goofballs! They’re all over the place and don’t really seem to know what they’re doing, and honestly? I adore that! It shows just how under level they are compared to everyone else and how they’re more used to covering menial tasks like tracking down a lost purse or turning some creep to the police station. They’re better equipped for everyday problems that any regular family would go through and it shows!

So if anyone asks why I adore the Chaotix, this is what I’ll show in response.

[sparkles-rule-4eva]

I’ve officially been a Sonic fan for a year!

And to celebrate, since my bestie @thewritingautisticat and I were first properly introduced to said fandom via the movies, I decided to post a big fat rant about how much I absolutely ADORE the movie universe. Right alongside every other aspect of this amazing franchise.

Here’s the thing. I’ve seen people claim to be the #1 SCU defenders/lovers/etc., and then I’d explore their blog and still find them complaining about the human characters, and still imply that the movie universe isn’t as good as the games because it’s different.

Me? Dudes and dudettes, I think I’m one of the only people who can truly claim to be the #1 SCU defender. Because I love the movies in ALL their differences and wackiness. I don’t just tolerate the presence of the human characters, I love them. Right alongside Sonic and the original cast. During those wedding scenes in the second movie, the parts where everyone seemed to complain that they were bored and just waiting for it to get back to Sonic? I was loving every second of it. I see the human characters to be just as much Sonic characters as Sonic himself, Knuckles, Tails, etc.

I love scenes with Tom because he’s Sonic’s adoptive father. I love scenes with Maddie because she’s Sonic’s adoptive mother. Rachel is his crazy, unhinged aunt. Jojo is his chill cousin. That’s his family right there. Right alongside Knuckles and Tails, his adoptive brothers in the cinematic universe. I love and accept them just as much. I’ve barely seen anyone else do the same.

I love that the movies give Sonic (and the others) the ability to do something that the games can never do: be a kid. They show him to be kind, compassionate, empathetic, energetic, fun-loving, adventurous, sassy, and heroic, just like his game counterpart. And then they give him more: they give him parents who love and support him. Who cheer him on from the sidelines as he’s off fighting giant robots. Who will give their lives for him without a second thought.

People complain that the first movie isn’t a good “Sonic” movie? I disagree there, too. Because it’s missing the other characters and the lore and all that? Is Sonic not Sonic if he’s separated from his friends and original home? No. The first movie didn’t focus on the lore. The first movie focused on Sonic, him as a character. They established the settings of this new, alternate world for Sonic. Gave him a backstory because the games never do. They let him be a hero and a kid at the same time.

Guys. Paramount found themselves with rights to make a Sonic movie. A movie with a version of Sonic who had zero mandates hanging over his head. Did you really think they were just going to make a story that we’d probably see as a game someday? No, they were not going to miss this opportunity. They rewrote his story in this alternate version. They let him be a few years younger. They let him be emotional. They even gave him extra epic powers linked to said emotions, and those powers have even impacted the games.

I love the voice actor they chose for Sonic. People complain he doesn’t sound like he does in the games. So? The people who casted the voices weren’t looking for a soundalike voice actor. They were looking for an energetic, optimistic voice. Because that’s how they saw Sonic. Is he not? He feels like the very embodiment of energy and optimism a lot of the time. So I love the choice of Ben Schwartz. He does amazingly.

And about him getting adopted by humans? Found family is not a new trope in the Sonic franchise. In the games, we have Sonic raising Tails as his little brother. We have the Chaotix, a team consisting of a grown dude, an angsty teenager, and a literal child who see each other as family. We have Amy being a big sister to Cream and Tails. We have Vanilla being a mother figure to half the cast. We have the ARK siblings. The list goes on. Is it really so “cringey” to let Sonic himself get adopted? Especially when he’s younger than the game version, and was properly given the chance to be a kid? To have fun with his brothers and parents outside of fighting Eggman? And by parents who accept him wholly for who he is, strive to take care of him where they can, and allow him to relax and enjoy the remainder of his childhood??

Not to mention, Tom and Maddie are literally the perfect parents for Sonic (and later Knuckles and Tails). For one, they’re a very healthy couple. They’ve loved and supported each other for years even before their marriage and before meeting Sonic. Green flag number one. For two, they understand Sonic, they see that he’s still a kid and they want to help him, they try to “steer him in the right direction,” and they don’t try to stifle him and his love of running and adventure. Tom is a cop, a very good cop I might add (I absolutely refuse to listen to any of the crappy hate I’ve seen towards Tom just because he’s a police officer), and he’s inclined to help people just like Sonic is. Maddie is a vet, she loves animals. Sonic is literally an anthropomorphic hedgehog. She knows better on how to take care of him; and even before she got to know him, she still tended to his needs when he was out of it, even being cautious in doing so because she didn’t yet know his physiology.

So yes, I love the SCU. I love seeing the Wachowski family doing mundane, everyday things just as much as I love seeing the boys in epic battle scenes. I loved watching Sonic and Tom have a father-son bonding moment on a fishing trip. I loved watching them play along with his airport setup the same way parents play along with their child’s imagination. I loved watching them ask for a hug goodbye, make sure he knew how to contact them in case of an emergency, blow him kisses as the ring closed. I loved that Tom kept calling and texting Sonic to check in on him just like any parent would while they were away. I loved seeing Tom express wishing that Sonic could have buddies like him. I loved seeing Maddie call him “their kid.” I most especially loved seeing Sonic finally call Tom “Dad.”

I loved seeing my favorite trio of alien boys ride in the back of a truck, even though none of them needed the transportation, bickering about the baseball game they just played as their parents drive them out for ice cream.

Does this mean I prefer the SCU over the games? No. I love the games just as much, and I could easily rant on everything I love about them as well. I’m just not planning to because it’s not necessary. They’re the mainline thing.

Even though I’m disappointed to have missed so many years in this amazing fandom, I think I like being a fresh fan. I constantly see people griping and complaining about this or that in some area of the franchise, and tbh it annoys me. I’ve been ruined for reading reviews because I find people hating on things I liked. I introduce “NO-HATE REVIEW!” Not complaining about what I didn’t like, because there’s not much. Just loving on what I loved. Sharing my excitement with others.

As a result, I’ll later post similar rambles about other parts of the franchise I want to defend. Such as the IDW comics. Sonic Prime. Sonic Frontiers. All the parts people are far too quick to judge.

Replies that are hateful or irrelevant will be deleted. 👌

(A little later I’m also going to make a celebratory post about how this franchise literally changed my life in a good way XD)

[whimsical-sonic]

i really do love how idw sonic has been consistently having his principles come into question because it gives us so much insight into his character. as firmly established in issue #50, one of sonic’s Core Beliefs is that everyone deserves a chance at freedom. it is because of this belief that sonic helps others to the best of his ability, even if the person he’s protecting has tried to kill him in the past. this often lands him in some hot water

this is going to be a relatively long post so for the sake of not leaving a wall of text on the dashboard i’m putting it under a readmore

it all starts with eggman, rather, mr. tinker.

upon discovering his whereabouts, team chaotix decides to bring sonic over as they aren’t sure what to do with the knowledge that eggman seemingly has no memory of his past life. it’s important to note that sonic was initially distrustful of mr. tinker, but grew conflicted over seeing how he interacted with the villagers. that said, he was hesitant upon bringing eggman to justice as mr. tinker was completely different from the doctor.

it was only after seeing how mr. tinker trembled in fear before his own robots that sonic doubled down. when shadow arrived, also seeking to bring eggman to justice, sonic argued in eggman’s favor. he’s ultimately able to break apart shadow’s argument and convince him to spare him.

that said, i don’t think this instance fully stems from his beliefs. i mean, it’s pretty convenient that eggman had full-blown amnesia. knowing that there were other characters willing to give eggman the second chance...not quite sure it fully counts. rather, the first time we see this statement of his beliefs is with metal in issue #12.

tails was hesitant to wake up metal, but sonic insisted, confident that metal would be eager to call a truce. he tells him that he’s free. eggman’s gone, he can start a new life. however, metal refuses the truce and flies off. sonic is clearly upset by this, but abides by his principles: he gave metal a choice, and he made it. that’s that.

this exchange would later be paralleled with surge in issue #56, but i’ll get to that in a bit

of course, his decision to spare eggman immediately came back to bite him with the beginning of the metal virus arc. the quick and unexpected worldwide catastrophe turned sonic into a scapegoat. he wanted to spare eggman, so obviously this had to be his fault.

he is told this directly by both shadow in issue #19

the first time we see his beliefs challenged is with dr. eggman himself in issue #23. sonic’s desperate in his argument, wanting his decision to spare the doctor to have been worth something. why would eggman abandon his newfound freedom as mr. tinker in favor of returning to his old life as dr. eggman?

i’ve more to say on this, too, but let’s continue. the second time we see his beliefs challenged is in issue #24:

again, i’m not counting his initial defense of mr. tinker as he was originally wary himself + it’s a bit different when the person you’re defending is an amnesiac. i consider this instance as a challenge because of sonic's principles coming into play when defending his decision. “so–what? we have to assume the worst about everyone and everything? show no mercy to anyone? no second chances?” 

to issue #26.

hmm...what was it sonic said back in issue #12? oh, right! “we gave him the choice to live how he wants to. we’ve got to honor his decision.” wow, that sure looks likes “honoring his decision” if i ever did see it.

despite everything, sonic is still clinging to the idea that eggman has good in him, and that he is capable of change. i mean, can you blame him? at this point in the arc, sonic genuinely believes that the metal virus his is fault. if he stopped arguing for eggman to change, what would that mean for everyone who’s suffered? just something to think about.

we actually don’t see his beliefs come into question again until issue #44, after he and tails stopped the zeti’s attack on restoration hq.

zavok’s words hit close to home for sonic as he’s reminded of how his decisions to spare others have, indeed, come back to bite him. this does visibly bother him, too! however, sonic once again chooses to double down, surprising zavok with his confidence. don’t have much else to say on this one atm!

now, issue #50. surge enters the picture. she drags sonic to a more secluded area where they can fight 1 on 1. it is here where sonic directly explains his beliefs:

sonic values freedom, believing that everyone deserves to have a chance to be free. this is also why he refuses to kill; he would be taking away others’ chance at freedom. he then further explains that he won’t allow for her to take away others’ freedom, either.

it is at the end of this fight where we see the first parallel to his exchange with metal:

what’s different here is that he’s lamenting surge’s choice.

“we gave him the choice to live how he wants to. we’ve got to honor his decision.” 

vs.

“that’s the real problem with giving people a choice. you can’t stop them from making the wrong ones.”

the parallel continues in issue #56 with a direct challenge from surge:

to metal: “it’s over, man. eggman is done, and you don’t owe him anything. you have a chance to live your own life now. be your own person.”

surge: “i don’t want your pity or your friendship...i want you gone!” sonic: “but why? starline’s not here to make you do anything! freedom is right there, waiting for you. just take it!”

so...what insight does this provide into his character? sonic values freedom, he wants everyone to have an opportunity to be free. but what does that mean, exactly?

well, let’s look at what surge said to him. “you don’t get it.” she’s right: he doesn’t get it! sonic didn’t understand why eggman refused to go back to the more peaceful life he led as mr. tinker. he didn’t understand why metal chose to go back to eggman. he didn’t understand why surge still wanted to kill him. sonic has such a defined sense of what freedom means to him, of what is the correct way to be free, that he has failed to consider what freedom is for another

eggman’s personal freedom lies in his schemes, in taking over the world. metal’s personal freedom lies with eggman, with becoming the real sonic. surge’s freedom lies with sonic’s death, to be free from the shadow she was created to live in. sonic has a noble goal in wanting a better life for everyone, but why does it have to be his idea of it?

with his perception on what freedom means, sonic comes across as being naive. it lowkey makes me wonder if he’s as free as he thinks he is...

this could lead to some very interesting conflicts

now, there is like No Way this is gonna happen, but i would think it’d be very interesting if there ever came a point in the comics where sonic almost goes against his principles as a result of all the struggles he’s faced via others making the “wrong” choice. we’ve seen that he has had doubts in the past, once in issue #24 in his talk with tangle and then again, although for a moment, when talking to zavok

between eggman, metal, zavok, and surge all making the “wrong” decision, i wouldn’t be surprised if he ever reaches a point where he doesn’t want to risk it, where he oversteps and makes the decision for someone else, and then has to be talked out of it by his friends, who help him regain confidence in his beliefs

again, i don’t think this would actually happen! but boy i just think it’d be neat :]

tldr; i love conflict, i love when a character’s core belief keeps being questioned, i love when a character is accidentally a bit of a hypocrite

[samobservessonic]

This is not just a double Nigel story, but a triple Nigel story, as it was written by both Nigel Kitching & Nigl Dobbyn, with Dobbyn doing the art. Given that Kitching also does art for StC, this had the potential to be a quadruple Nigel story if they’d shared art duties, but alas, it was not meant to be

Anyway, the Chaotix have proven popular enough that they now get their own stories instead of having to tag along on the Sonic or Knuckles stories. It’s kind of wild that this just happened to come about on my first issue, so for all I knew back then, these guys were a regular feature. Though honestly, without StC, I probably wouldn’t have heard of the Chaotix prior to Sonic Heroes, since they weren’t in any of the games I had or cartoons I watched

And just to drill in this point for the millionth time, while Charmy singing and being annoying enough that Vector boots him out the door might’ve seemed like a regular scene for them in the Sonic Heroes days, it really wasn’t how these two characters were portrayed outside of StC at the time. StC just doing their own thing and getting it right is amazing to me

Like damn, none of them are sympathetic to Charmy? That’s a bit harsh

This is also how I react when my neighbours knock a hole in my wall

Come on, you all know Hydran, Gravel, Squall and Flare, right? Those incredibly popular Sonic characters, the Fundamental Four? …No? Okay then, let’s introduce them!

As you might’ve guessed, these characters are parodies of Marvel’s Fantastic Four. If you didn’t guess that, then don’t worry, because I also had no idea until years later, since I knew jack shit about Marvel as a kid. Or really up until I had a housemate a few years ago who finally got me to watch a bunch of Marvel movies (I like Thor, Loki, Deadpool, Venom and a bunch of Spidermans and that’s about as far as I go into Marvel). But back on track, StC includes a bunch of parody characters from both other comics and British culture. Not all of them I’m going to catch, but this is one of the more direct ones. I could be wrong here, but I think all of the Marvel parody characters happen to live in the Special Zone as well?

So yeah. These guys are here and they’re the four elements. I am mostly here for Flare, since she is the girl one and I’m always foremost a fan of the girl characters in Sonic

But all that really matters is that they’re here to fight everyone’s favourite trio of guys who somehow have shared custody of looking after a bee child

I do like that each of them has their own stylised word bubbles! That’s something I’d love to see more of in comics in general

Elsewhere, the unsupervised Charmy is bored :( 

You’ve got to admire his optimism. Charmy also gives us a bit of context for who these four are, that they’re basically villains who’ve burst out of prison. We’ve seen the Chaotix track down Nack in StC previously, so instead of being detectives here they’re more like peacekeepers or their own branch of Freedom Fighters. Eh, it’s not exactly the same, but close enough

Off to the Hive he goes! I feel like this isn’t much of a spoiler, but the one thing that StC Charmy and Archie Charmy have in common is that they’re both princes. Which doesn’t seem to be the case in the games, but as far as the comics go, it’s a pretty standard direction to take a young bee character in, so I’m not surprised they went that route, even if both of their approaches to it are quite different

[rachelbethhines]

Archie Sonic Chronological Read Through Recap - 2nd Era

I’ve been re-reading old Archie Sonic Comics lately, and doing so in the recommend chronological order of events, except for flashbacks which are placed within their reveal.

First Era recap is here

The second era includes

Sonic Super Special 8: “Running on Empty”

Sonic & Knuckles

Sonic the Hedgehog: 26

Sonic Triple Trouble

Sonic the Hedgehog: 27 - 29

Tails Miniseries: 1-3

Sonic the Hedgehog: 30

Super Sonic v.s. Hyper Knuckles

Knuckles Chaotix

Sonic the Hedgehog: 31 - 36

Knuckles Miniseries: 1-3

Sonic the Hedgehog: 37 - 39

Sonic and Knuckles: Mecha Madness Special

Sonic the Hedgehog: 40-41

Sonic Quest: 1-3

Sonic the Hedgehog: 42

Sonic Live

Sonic the Hedgehog: 43-44

Sonic Blast

Sonic the Hedgehog: 45

Sonic Super Special 5: Sonic Kids: “Stop… Sonic Time!” (Sonic telling the story)

Sonic the Hedgehog: 113 (can take place at any point before StH#46)

Sonic the Hedgehog: 46

Sonic Super Special 1: Sonic v.s. Knuckles Battle Royal

Sonic the Hedgehog: 47-49

Sonic the Hedgehog: 50 (Non-Canon; Replaced) Sonic Super & Special 6: The Big 50 (Remake of Sonic the Hedgehog: 50)

Archie Sonic Story Ranking

(Stories with the same ranking are listed in reading order)

The Map - 9.5/10

Mecha Madness - 9/10

Sonic the Hedgehog Goes Hog Wild - 8.5/10

Endgame - 8.5/10

The Day Robotropolis Fell - 8/10

Court Martial - 8/10

Bunnie’s Worst Nightmare - 7.5/10

The Chaos Effect  - 7/10

Crash of the Titans - 7/10

Sonic Quest: The Death Egg Saga - 7/10

Way, Way Past Cool  - 6.5/10

Heart of Darkness - 6.5/10

Countdown to Armageddon - 6.5/10

Panic in the Sky - 6/10

The Southern Crossover - 6/10

The Return of Uncle Chuck - 6/10

Who Keeps Stealing My Chaos Emeralds? - 6/10

Tundra Road - 6/10

To ‘Bot or Not To ‘Bot - 6/10

The Rise of Robotropolis… The Fall of Sonic! - 6/10

The Dream Zone - 6/10

Sonic Blast - 6/10

Battle Royale - 6/10

Running On Empty - 5.5/10

Steel Belted Sally  - 5.5/10

…and One Shall Save Him - 5.5/10

In Every Kingdom There Must Exist a Little Chaos! - 5.5/10

Knuckles‘ Quest - 5.5/10

Stop... Sonic Time - 5.5/10

Fortified - 5/10

Tttriple Tttrouble  - 5/10

A Robot Rides the Rails - 5/10

Blast From the Past - 5/10

Rites of Passage - 5/10

Eel of Fortune - 5/10

Black and Blue and Red All Over - 5/10

Submersible Rehearsal - 4.5/10

Ring of Truth - 4.5/10

The T.U.F.F. Awards - 4.5/10

Fire Drill - 4/10

Let's Get Small! - 4/10

A Sense of History - 4/10

Don’t Let the Island Hit You on the Way Down - 4/10

The Substitute Freedom Fighters - 4/10

Bugged Bunny - 4/10

Guerrilla Thriller - 4/10

Lord of the Floating Island  - 3.5/10

Tag! You’re It! - 3.5/10

Sonic Shot - 3.5/10

Bedtime Tails - 3.5/10

First Contact - 3/10

A Chaotix Kidnapping - 3/10 

The Last Game Cartridge Hero - 3/10

Cry of the Wolf - 3/10

Coming Soon: Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble  - 2.5/10

Knuckles’ Chaotix Sneak Peak! - 2/10

When rounded up to the last decimal the Average for the era is 5.3.

Which is one point higher than the last era. Once again silly joke issues weighted things down somewhat. However, 6/10 wound up being the most common ranking for this round, so the quality is definitely going up.

Top Five Individual Stories

The Map (Antoine's only solo story!)

The Day Robotropolis Fell (Just a very well constructed stand alone story with lots of tension. Events here also impact the story later)

Court Martial (I just like how it basically showcases Antoine at his lowest, just so that his character development later on is more pronounced)

Bunnie’s Worst Nightmare (Bunnie's best story for the era)

The Chaos Effect ( A good intro for the Chaotix)

I also have to give Countdown to Armageddon an honorable mention for bringing Bunnie and Antoine together... it's just not as strong of an overall story as the above.

Worst Five Individual Stories

Knuckles’ Chaotix Sneak Peak! (It's just a single panel of foreshadowing for the upcoming Chaotix special. It barely qualifies as a story)

Coming Soon: Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble (a forth wall breaking advertisement for an upcoming video game promotional tie-in comic... long after you've expected the book to drop such silliness)

The Last Game Cartridge Hero (probably the most ego driven thing Penders ever wrote... with questionable art work and a middling story)

Cry of the Wolf (a lazy rip-off of a SatAM episode published far too long after it was relevant and features some of the worst art work that the book would ever publish)

First Contact (technically the start of the Knuckles mythos but it's far too vague and meandering to make much of an impact)

Best Story Arc

Mecha Madness

There's a lot of strong story arcs this era but Mecha Madness is iconic for a reason. Loads of fun with a lot of action and plenty of high stakes and emotion.

Worst Story Arc

A Chaotix Kidnapping

This arc goes on far too long and mostly just consists of Knuckles wondering around aimlessly waiting for his actual miniseries to start. After spinning its wheels for so long it fails to have an actual pay off and just kind of slides into a completely different arc talking about the floating island's history. Then when we finally resolve the conflict, it turns out to be a whole lot of nothing as the Chaotix were never in any danger to begin with.

Best Artist

Patrick Spaziante

It took me a long time to warm up to Spaz's style, but y'all were right all along. He is one of the series strongest artists.

[julie-su]

VOTE HERE!

Zara-Ra, who is entered into the @sonic-oc-showdown ! I saw the rest of the bumblefolks filling out this OC Q&A that dear @bunnymajo had brought to our attention - and I had to have a go ~

"Zara-Ra has Guardian blood flowing in their veins. Due to her granddfather Knuckles being subjected to a great dose of Chaos Energy in his egg many years prior, Zara-Ra has heightened chaos powers, worked through their lineage. With training from their mother, Lara-Su, they were able to get a small ammount of it under her control. Their name, which they chose for themself, is inspired by her ancestor, Sonji-Ra, who had transitioned in the same sense that Zara-Ra had."

Zara-Ra's Page on Toyhou.se

Q&A under the cut -

✨- How did you come up with the OC’s name? … Don’t laugh — I was lounging on the setee at my parents’ place, rolling names around in my head. My eldest sister was catching up on our favourite Soap Opera, BBC Doctors (.. No, not Doctor Who.) and lo and behold.. The character Zara Carmichael is the focus of this episode, I believe it’s about a resort, but I don’t much remember. Zara.. Zara-Ra. It just sort of, stuck. … I cannot stand Zara Carmichael.

🌼 - How old are they? (Or approximate age range) Zara-Ra is the same age as me - 23! And soon, he might be 24.

🌺- Do they have any love interest(s)? My partner’s character, Tara-Ka, was made at the same time for us to roleplay together - of course they are madly, deeply in love! -Cheesy- They live together in a small apartment in Echidnaopolis. They are deeply, madly in love!

🍕 - What is their favorite food? … Mobini Ants. Though, he’ll substitute for raisins. And grapes! Archimedes is alarmed; he’s told it’s only mobini ants, but he remembers the first time he met Zara’s grandfather.

💼 - What do they do for a living? Nothing; money doesn’t exist! Hey— HEY! WHAT’S ESPIO DOING WITH THOSE QUARTERS?! AIIIEEE!! … Zara-Ra is the current backup Guardian, though, it’s .. Unclear if he’s doing a good job. -thinks about Dark Mobius, sweats- I’m sure it’ll be FIIIIINE. Other than that, she keeps The Chaotix alive with Tara-Ka; Tara-Ka’s life-long obsession has always been the tales of the Chaotix. It was pure coincidence that their life partner would happen to be within such close proximity!

🎹 - Do they have any hobbies? Ant farmer… NO. I’M KIDDING! Zara-Ra has an extensive secret model city under the floorboards of her and Ed’s childhood bedroom, named ‘OuiOui Land’ - full of thousands of delicate models. He may not live there anymore, but he’s always in the area… They wonder what he’s doing all of the time. It’s OuiOui Land.

🎯 -What do they do best? He’s … Kind of a Rich Failson, without the ‘Rich’ part. A nepotism baby. Not for lack of trying - he was supposed to become the one to become a guardian, only to get cold feet. Ed tried to lead by example to encourage him, only to be lifted up as a ‘better choice’. The thing Zara-Ra does best, is… Be himself. He’s not disappointed in the missed oppertunities, and he’s happy that he is exactly where he needs to be.

He CAN do it all as Enerjak, where he's unimpeded by his thoughts and feelings - but he also… Well, loses everything that makes him… Him! He becomes this soulless machine line of output; all it really does is burn through his power and energy. And suddenly, everybody close to him realises that 'sometimes' being able to reach his full potential, is better than her reaching full potential all of the time - in the short bursts, he covers more ground than most others could do in the same time he spent sat around doing nothing. It's kind of frustrating for him sometimes when it comes in bursts like that, because it can be really close to the line… But after coming down from power like that, he realises that he just works differently to others.. And that's okay!

🥊 -What do they love to do? What do they hate to do? Zara-Ra’s absolute favourite thing in this world is any important outing that is done either alongside his brother, Ed, or alongside his partner, Tara-Ka. Ed will often take him out on excursions to do with protecting the island, whilst Tara-Ka will bring him along for any odd job that they can find under The Chaotix. As long as he’s got a purpose and a clear instruction, he’s having the time of his life.He hates any job that he has to do on his lonesome. He is not a leader-type, and cannot take charge. He over-stresses over every minute detail, ending up in an internal stalemate for even the simplest of tasks.

❤️ - What is one of your OC’s best memories? Meeting Tara-Ka. They met on the outskirts of New Albion; Zara-Ra was out scouring for leads; they had heard it from the grapevine that the Dark Presence was still in operation on the outskirts of the city, deep into the desert. Here, he ran into one lonesome Tara-Ka - an echidna with such cybernetic enhancements that had not been seen for decades. Sure, cosmetic and medical cybernetics had been adopted by the masses - but these were cybernetics built for violence.… Tara-Ka was a runaway from a branch of the Dark Presence deep in the desert, and -all- they wanted to know was… “Can you take me to The Chaotix? They’re all I’ve ever dreamed of meeting”.How could you not oblige?! They’re the buggers who had sent him out here in the first place!

✂️ - What is one of your OC’s worst memories? Becoming posessed by Enerjak… It was incredibly traumatic; though, he did not get violent; he had his mothers’ knack for resisting the dark whispers. He did, however, forfeit all emotions; the unlocking of ultimate power had driven it all out. What hurts the most, is that many people felt that this beast of apathy and pure drone work ethic is much prefferable to his usual state.

🧊 - Is their current design the first one? Nohoho. Zara-Ra’s first design is waaay different! For starters, he wasn’t even originally a guardian! Yes, he wasn’t created as Lara-Su and Argyle’s child.. That came later! I was on a long coach trip with a lot of paper, and no plug for my laptop.. Go figure.

🍀 - What originally inspired the OC? Archie Sonic.. I wanted an Archie echidna! I played around for a while, making an avatar in this game, hot pink… And I sort of, fell in love. His first iteration was of a zonehopper, to fit in with the game; but as he outgrew it, I worked him more and more into the Archie Sonic comics lore.

🌂 - What genre do they belong in? Probably.. Dark Comedy. Yup. That happens to be the tone of just about every single piece of prose that contains Zara-Ra!

💚 - What is your OC’s gender identity and sexuality? There are not enough words in any spoken or written language, alive or dead, to even begin to explain Zara-Ra’s connection to gender and sexuality. For whom it concerns… Zara-Ra was born ‘Jamie-Su’. He’s on testosterone, and has had top surgery; he has little tufts of sticky-uppy fur on either side of his chest. The planning to keep his guardian crest intact was a -nightmare-. This has -nothing- to do with gender identity, really; it’s moreso a medical history. But it felt as if it were fitting to put ^^

🙌 - How many sibling does your OC have? Just the one - Edmund II! Yes, -that- Edmund II. .. Why are you looking at me like that?! You know Ed! You don’t?! He’s that old codger from the Archie Sonic arc, Silver Saga - issues #25 to #28; son of Lara-Su and Argyle (well - if you read between the lines!)

🍎 - What is the OC’s relationship w/their parents like? Zara-Ra has an incredible relationship with her parents. The only point of contemption is Zara’s ant addiction. “It’s normal, we’re echidnas!” — “THAT IS NOT NORMAL!”

🧠 - What do you like most about the OC? Swag :3… I love the way he dresses, the way I style his hair -he’s based on me, down to the same glasses, to the little stupid puffer body jackets I wear. Bangles… I love making him wear outfits I do. Big baggy tripp/parachute pants… My self-insert, Puggle, also scratches this itch. I did, at one point, have my hair hot pink with black raccoon-tail stripes down the side, just like Zara :P

✏️ - How often do you draw/write about the OC? It’s got to be daily, at this point. If I’m not drawing, I’m roleplaying, or crafting the narrative! If you told me that I have one drawing for every day of the year, I would laugh, and wonder why it wasn’t two for every day XD

💎 - Do you ever see yourself killing off the OC? …. I hope not! O_O it would get awful boring around here!In all seriousness.. There is the fact that dear old Ed seems to be quite on his own, as the sole echidna.. Eeeee. Not lookin’ good for ole’ Zra.

💀 - Does your OC have any phobias? He’s terrified of forgetting things; he wakes up in a sweat in the middle of the night, after an in-depth dream where he had forgotten that his own brother had passed away, asking where he is. He sits up, now awake, and calls his brother; sighing in relief. It was all a dream… He wonders if he ever would forget something like that. It gnaws at his mind.

🍩 -Who is your OC’s arch-nemesis or rival? Antoine. He knows what he did. Old Bastard.

🎓 - How long have you had the OC? … I’ve lost track!

[pacifistcowboy]

this is me asking ab ur sol dimension characters :3c i want to hear ab them

MSJCJWJCJEF ohmy gosh thank you for asking that’s so nice sndjsjdjd uH so i’ve already made a post about my sol-shadow n sol-amy, but i have also made a sol-knuckles (she’s also a mix of sonic too since blaze herself is a mix of sonic n knuckles), a sol-silver, sol-chaotix, and sol-rouge!!! oH and i’m also in the beginning stage of makin’ a sol-cream and sol-big lmao AND and i have kind of an idea for a sol-eggman given that eggman-nega’s actually a descendant of eggman n not his sol dimension counterpart.

i have no idea where to even start so i’ll just give like a synopsis of them?? i’m sorry this is so long u don’t have to read it all

- sol-knuckles name is mittens and she’s a dog!! she is a nomad who’s super strong like knuckles n i’m thinking of giving her aerokinesis (air/wind powers) to match with blaze’s pyrokinesis n marine being water themed. she doesn’t know where she came from or why she’s so strong but she doesn’t want to know ‘cause she doesn’t want a past to live up to. she wants to wander the world and help people nonviolently but she tends to end up having to fight anyway.

- sol-silver’s name is sterling n i’m not sure what animal she is yet! she’s definitely gonna be a very fluffy animal, either a type of cat or an arctic fox. she isn’t from the future, but she gets visions of the future!! the visions are more like her consciousness gets transported into the future, where she she can interact with and be seen by the people there for a short time. i’m thinkin’ she probably gains the ability after some incident with a sol emerald, rather than just being born with the ability, n when she first gets them, the future she sees is a bad one. sterling tries to ignore the visions, convince herself they aren’t real or that she doesn’t care, and avoids other people because the visions causes problems with socialising in multiple ways. i’m thinkin’ once she hears about blaze’s adventures in another dimension, she thinks that blaze might possibly believe her about her visions since she’s already familiar with something as bizarre as alternate dimensions. sterling is awkward, cowardly, has no social skills, n assumes she isn’t valuable to anyone other than for her ability :(

- sol-vector doesn’t have a name yet, n i think she’ll be a tortoise! i don’t think the chaotix will still be detectives in the sol dimension, but idk what else they’d be yet, but i’d want them to work for the sol empire in some way. sol-vector’s a huge fan of classical music n she tries way too hard to be all serious and formal n calm at all times but fails a lot because of her associates n poor patience for them. she’s very organised and does everything all properly like a total square sjfjsjfjd she tends to get mocked for this or her efforts are simply ignored by sol-espio. she’s also so awkward with kids n has no idea how to be a parental figure, even though she kinda is one

- sol-espio also has no name yet but she’s a toad!! at first i had her be a sumo wrestler, but i’m starting to think in order for her fighting style to be similar to og-espio’s in terms of mostly using projectiles but also have her be something that’s kinda the opposite sentiment of a ninja, i think i might make her a cowboy! also i love cowboys so 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️ sol-espio is loud, overeager, constantly looking for any excuse to fight or do anything other than sitting around, and is typically sarcastic towards people out of pure fun. she never takes anything seriously, much to sol-vector’s dismay

- sol-charmy doesn’t have a name yet either and i’m leaning towards her being a spider. i’m currently deciding if i want her to be goth or emo, but i do know i want her to b something that’s typically about being introspective n emotional n deep, n i think both subcultures fit that. sol-charmy is quiet, insightful, n tends to wander off and away from people in her own comfortable world, which sol-vector tends to let her do unless it’s unsafe for her to go off on her own. she doesn’t really enjoy interacting with people except for sol-vector and sol-espio, n she’s always a lil on edge. she always has a notebook that she writes or draws in n doesn’t show anyone

- sol-rouge is a barn owl! i haven’t quite figured out what his ‘job’ is. he’s definitely a thief of some kind but idk if it’s like a robin hood situation or if he too just likes gems. i also dunno if he’ll have a secret agent thing going on like og-rouge? ‘cause his personality is the opposite of her, he’s completely and extremely honest at all times and does NOT like talking to people. he’s got no charisma, most people find him unpleasant since he doesn’t think twice about telling you things he doesn’t like about you or that he’d rather be anywhere else, which doesn’t really work if you wanna be a spy. however, he is extremely selfless and never really does anything in his own self interest.

- and lastly, sol-eggman! i haven’t drawn any sort of design for her yet nor have i really gotten around to figuring out her personality, but i think i want her to be some sorta monkey since that’s what humans are closest to, and i do know that her attempts at taking over the world would be much more stealthy compared to og-eggman who wants everyone to know that he’s attacking. she’s gonna have chlorokinesis (basically nature/plant powers which has a few different names) to match with the seemingly elemental theme blaze’s dimension seems to have, and also to be the opposite of og-eggman’s use of machinery n manmade objects. i also want her to be able to create plant creatures with sentience so i can make a sol-omega sjfjejfje

thank you for indulging me, i hope that made sense, i’m so sorry there’s so much words, and if you read all that you are incredible <3

[a-spacecadet]

It’s freezing out and their landlord sucks. How is Team Chaotix going to stay warm? Inspired by my self-indulgent drawing, tons of unnecessary fluff.

…

After restlessly tossing back and forth, trying to burrow into his blanket as much as possible, Vector gave up. He was freezing.

“That's it!” He bellowed, and rolling off the couch, he stormed over to the coat closet. It wasn't that late at night yet, and all his noise must have woken his coworkers because they showed up not long after in the living room as well. Vector looked over to see them standing with blankets wrapped over them also.

"Hey boss, are you going somewhere?" Charmy inquired with his teeth slightly chattering.

"Yeah, I'm giving our landlord a piece of my mind. He's either fixing our heater or he'll find himself without one as well." Vector angrily snorted, wrapping his neck in a scarf and a fluffy hat on his head.

"It may not be wise, the weather and temperature outside is dropping, and you know our landlord, he won't help." Espio, as always, tried to be the voice of reason, but unfortunately just the sight of him trying to warm himself made Vector even more resolute.

"Well I'm gonna make him." The crocodile opened the door, letting a cool wind come in, making the three of them shiver simultaneously. (Espio had been really trying not to shiver using his breathing techniques, but it was very cold).

"Wait, we'll go with you, just in case." Espio offered.

"Mee mee to too..." Charmy chattered his teeth. They didn’t like to think about it, but all of them knew that low temps could mean more than just frostbite to them. As cold-blooded animals, it could mean possible death.

Maybe if we do all go together we could keep an eye on each other, Vector thought. It's not like the house offers much more warmth than the outdoors at this point.

"Okay, get your coats, let's go." Vector gestured to the coat closet. The two of them obeyed.

They started their walk to their landlord's place, a few doors down. They came up to the front door, Vector in the lead. He knocked VERY loudly, to the point that he could have woken all the neighbors as well.

"Hey, I've got a bone to pick with you, open up!" After several minutes of harsh knocking, the landlord finally opened up his door.

"What in tarnation Vector, it's nearly midnight. And it's freezing."

“Precisely, you—“ he pointed to his landlord’s chest as he said this “—need to fix our heater or else! I don’t pay my rent every month for this sort of hogwash!”

“You *don’t* always pay your rent every month Vector. If I recall you have a record of being late on your payments. Now get out of here before I evict you bums.”

“Why you!” Vector nearly grabbed the man by his collar but Espio held him back, and then also tried to reason with the landlord.

“Listen, this isn’t a matter of personal discomfort, we need the heat. We apologize for waking you at this hour but it is crucial that the heater is repaired.” Espio was very good at speaking calmly without shivering, but it seemed to work against him, the landlord was oblivious to how cold he really was. Despite Espio’s appeal, the landlord just huffed.

“Well it sounds like that’s your problem. I told you it’d be repaired this week and it will be repaired this week. But for now I’m going back to sleep and you should too.” With that he slammed the door in their faces. Furious at his flippant attitude, Vector pulled back, ready to slam the door through.

“Boss, don’t. You’ll only make things worse!” Espio waved his hands up to Vector, who snarled but Espio was steady. “We will get evicted for sure, and what will we do then?”

Vector sighed.

“C’mon boys, let’s get out of here.”

Charmy, exhausted from flying in the cold, started to flit down, and Vector caught him in his arms. The little bee was shivering. It took everything inside Vector not to barge into his landlord’s house despite Espio’s warnings, but he refrained. He held the bee close, wishing that he had some heat to share with Charmy, but as a croc he had none to give.

Suddenly, he had an idea.

“Espio, c’mon, I know what I’m gonna do.” Vector picked up his speed walking back to their place, and Espio followed dutifully.

When they got back, Vector went straight to the bathroom. Inside was a small tub, and Vector turned on the faucet full blast. Espio watched as he did this with slight surprise.

“Uuh…boss, our water bill…” He stuttered as he watched the tub fill up slowly with water.

“It’s either the water bill or the electric bill. Not gonna let Charmy freeze.” He still had the bee tucked in his arms. “At least the water heater ain’t broke, am I right?” Espio wasn’t sure what to say in response, he just watched the tub fill with steamy hot water. Their little bathtub never looked more inviting.

Vector started to take off Charmy’s coat, then carefully removed his helmet. Already the bee was warming up by being next to the steam of the hot water.

“Ooh is it bathtime?” Charmy had perked up and was looking over Vector’s shoulder at the water below.

“It sure is. Now take your shoes and gloves off.” Vector set him down on the ground, then he began to do the same. He wouldn’t fit in the tub completely due to his size, but it was better than nothing.

“Okay!” Charmy happily complied. Espio watched, a bit jealous that Charmy got to go into the bath first, he thought of himself as too old to get in the bath with them. He tried to be content to patiently wait for his turn. He watched as Vector stepped in the tub, spilling water all over the floor, with his long reptilian tail hanging over the side. Charmy dove in without hesitation.

“Ah! I’m so warm! Wee wee wee! Hot water! Hot water!” Charmy was cheering, but also the water was very hot and he wasn’t quite used to it. Vector was laying stomach down, so Charmy crawled up on top of the ridges on his back. “Hot water!”

“Too hot Charmy?” Vector asked, concerned. Charmy paused, but then shook his head vehemently.

“No! I like it!” He smiled. “Espio, don’t you want to join?” He asked the chameleon, who hadn’t moved since Vector turned on the water.

“No that’s okay Charmy, I’ll wait.” He had his arms crossed, trying not to express how much he really wanted to go in. However, to his disadvantage, Vector was a very perceptive detective. He also cared for Epsio’s well-being.

“Espio there’s no need to wait. Get in and warm yourself. Look, I know I’m big, I’ll even get out.” Vector picked up Charmy and placed him in the tub to step out, which he did, dripping water all over the floor. He then turned on the faucet again for more hot water to fill what had spilled out. Espio still hesitated, so Vector pushed him towards the tub.

“I’ll dump you in there with your clothes.” Vector smiled a toothy, mischievous grin. A bit flustered, Espio then started to remove his gloves.

“Ah that won’t be necessary. I’ll get in.” Espio eyed the smiling croc warily, hoping he didn’t just push him in. As he stepped in, his body instantly began to de-tense and relax in the warm water. It felt sooo good. Charmy was beside him, playing with one of his bath toys. He was humming to himself some little tune. Espio got a little embarrassed, he wasn’t a little kid, he was 16 years old! However, the water felt way too nice for him to keep worrying about being embarrassed. He then felt slightly bad seeing Vector sitting outside the tub. His hands were covering his shoulders, but he was contentedly smiling watching his two boys finally warm and safe.

“Uh Vector, I’m sorry, you should get warm too.” Espio moved to the edge of the tub. “Charmy make room for Vector to fit as well.”

“Okay!” Charmy scooped up his toy and moved over as well. Vector was cold, especially after stepping out of the hot water and into the chilly air, so he didn’t protest.

“Thanks boys!” He happily got back into the tub, once again making a splash, but Charmy and Espio did not mind. The three of them happily relaxed, enjoying the warmth of the water and each other’s company.

[kyoswimm]

dunno where else to say it so. Kyo sonic au shit I’ve had rattling in my brain ;

- the eggman was created in a freak lab accident involving a chaos emerald; the radiation created a split personality in ivo robotnik, with the two struggling for control

- Metal sonic (prime) had a “good half” the ivo part installed- a conscience. Much like eggman, Metal sonic was plagued by contradicting directives… until, much like himself, eggman split metal in two

- sonic isn’t the Big Public Hero Number One. While he’s certainly heard of as the fastest thing alive (and Eggman’s archenemy), the freedom fighters get more recognition than him. Sonic doesn’t care but it drives eggman up the wall

- Angel island is still populated by echidnas, their Imperator being Ix. Knuckles fell from his home when he was young, and has been searching for a way back ever since

- the super special sonic search and smash squad is made up of Eggman’s three previous sonic robots; silver sonic, robo sonic, and led by mecha sonic. Though they have loyalties to eggman, they aren’t directly connected to the Eggnet like lesser badniks, only tuned into it like a radio station. It means they, most of the time, are off doing their own thing.

- sir Charles hedgehog takes in the good metal sonic after it flees from eggman, and helps repair him into shard. shard still has his combat functions, but would rather be part of rescue services like firefighters or extraction

- shadow is half-hedgehog, half-black arms. his power is unstable, and has to be held in check by his inhibitor belt. rouge is a former G.U.N. spy, and E-123 Omega is a violent cousin to robotnik’s E-Series robots. they answer to no authority, and help or harm whoever they want (though in the end, they’re ultimately a force of good)

- as I mentioned the e-series were built by robotnik (NOT eggman), and are instead learning robots meant to aid in research and sample gathering. Omega and Beta were both yoinked by eggman to create weapons, but only omega was able to escape his ultimate fate. Beta was robo-lobotomized. Gamma has learned to fight out of necessity, from Amy rose’ cousin Rob. He acts as a sniper instead of a front-liner.

- E-Merl is a lost echidna weapon that’s roamed the world for centuries. Despite being created with the capacity to destroy entire civilizations, E-Merl has a child-like personality and is easily roped into others’ schemes. The deception always ends in broken bones, however.

- G-Merl is an updated Gizoid designed by Shade. Like Gamma, he despises fighting- *unlike* gamma, he refuses to use any offensive weapons altogether. His most dangerous gadget is a taser.

- humans and anthro animals have been in contact for ages. The anthro animals (coined ‘mobians’) first called humans Overlanders, due to first contact being via crashing aircraft.

- the Black Arms are a roaming alien race, facing extinction. all they want is a home, but their way of life can be brutish and distressing. Shadow was created to be an envoy between the two worlds, but something happened to the Black Arms since then; they haven’t returned in 50 years. Shadow remains vigilant

- both shadow and Maria escaped the ark, but Maria’s disease caught up to her on earth. Shadow still holds his final promise to her. Due to being on earth for *much* longer than in canon, he’s come to understand both the good and evil in humanity. His greatest mission is to save the last living robotnik from his own alter ego.

- omega’s pissed all the time because eggman Fucked Up his reprogramming. Omega loves to make noise, be it from explosions or making actual music. He has more of a ‘bad boy’ persona than ‘DESTROY ALL EGGMAN ROBOTS’

- the chaotix are a much larger group, containing the duo of mighty and ray, alongside bomb and heavy. Knuckles is also an honorary member.

- if sonic could choose any adversary to keep personally, it’s the SSSSSS. mostly because they don’t really hate sonic, and their schemes and traps are always fun to evade.

- tails doesn’t know what pronouns are

[crows-home]

Agh, I feel bad that the next chapter of You are at your lowest, I am rising higher is taking me longer than I want, so here’s a 2k sneak peak of when everyone first gets word of Sonic’s death :’))

.

There’s an analogue clock on Amy’s wall.

It’s hung just above her fireplace, in her living room, black hands displaying the time- 10:35 P.M. At least, Silver thinks it’s somewhere around 10:35? Reading those things are difficult and he has little practice with them.

It’s old, Silver thinks, even for this time period. It’s a clock he’s only ever seen in ancient books and torn pictures unearthed in rubble. It’s shaped like a box, but crafted to look… fancy. A fancy box. Red paint peeling and chipping away to reveal the brown wood underneath.

It’s nice. Silver can admire the details and the fancy swooshes at the corners and the bronze swinging thing in the middle behind a glass barrier. Blaze would have better words to describe it; she’s always been the more knowledgeable about these types of things. Too bad she’s handling responsibilities in her own world right now.

Tick tick tick.

When he walks through the threshold, it’s the first thing his eyes go to. A nice clock, really, Silver isn’t one to criticize his friends’ furniture and home- but he could do without the subtle noise that it makes every second. Each second, the thin red hand moves, ticking and ticking in a way that gets under his skin after too long.

Silver cringes as he sits down on Amy’s couch, next to Knuckles. The scrapes on his elbows hurt and the back of his hands burn like they always do whenever he overexerts his powers.

[Amy’s called a meeting with everyone at her home at the edge of town. Knuckles, The Chaotix, Silver, even Sticks.

Well, almost everyone. Rouge and Omega have already been contacted, and Tails and Sonic are nowhere to be found. It’s deathly quiet when she sits them all down in her living room and passes out the first aid supplies. She hangs her head low, and Knuckles thinks the battle must have shaken her up more than usual.

She looks like she’s been crying.]

Silver hisses while applying an ice pack to his bruised leg.

“Have all the evacuees made it out of town?” Espio asks. Silver turns to look at him. He’s to the right, sitting down in front of the pink loveseat where Charmy and Vector are. Right in front of the fireplace, right below the clock.

Amy nods, putting the first aid kit on the coffee table in the middle of the room. She takes a seat in front of them, in a peach chair that looks like it needs serious upholstering.

“Good, we should focus on our next move,” Espio dabs antiseptic onto a scrape on Charmy’s knee. The bee whines. “Eggman’s not wasting any time.”

“Yeah,” Vector gripes. Silver sees him flinch when he presses an ice pack to a bump on his head. His headphones and gold chain have been tossed to the side. “And he’s got a real bad team with him this time. I mean, did you guys see that masked guy?”

They did. It was fast. Silver couldn’t get a hit in no matter how hard he tried, couldn’t even keep him still with his telekinesis. He’s still sour about that. He glares at the floor like Amy’s cream carpet will give him forgiveness.

Tick tick tick

Besides Silver, Knuckles removes his gloves roughly. Silver wisely chooses to tilt away from Knuckles before he elbows him without thinking. “Chaos was there,” Knuckles says while applying a heart patterned band-aid on his palm. He frowns ruefully at them. “But I don’t get how or why. He’s supposed to be on Angel Island.”

“What the heck was Zavok doing here, too?” Sticks calls from the floor somewhere to Silver’s left. “I thought Sonic took care of him and his goons months ago!”

Zavok isn’t someone Silver has any real personal experience with, but he was a formidable opponent.

“Metal Sonic was mean…” Charmy whines.

The ice pack he’s pressing on his knee doubles as a balm to his aching hand. It’s white and nothing much, but Silver frowns at it all the same.

Metal Sonic was his usual fast and unflinching robotic self. Was that other guy, the one with the mask, a robot too? They shared similar traits…

“…We saw Shadow as well,” Espio mumbles.

There’s a pause in the air- a tense silence that hangs and goes on for too long- almost overpowering.

Tick tick tick tick

Silver chances a glance around the room and sees that everyone else is looking at the floor, at the walls, at their own hands, like that will give them any sort of answer. No one really knows what to say about their friend who turned enemy again.

[Knuckles knows what he would say, but he’s been told he can’t say those words around Charmy.]

When Shadow had first teleported beside him in the middle of battle, Silver had expected assistance. He hadn’t even considered the possibility of Shadow being a threat! That’s why he was completely caught off guard when Shadow grabbed him by the quills and flung him meters away.

This isn’t his time period, he’s so out of his element again, he doesn’t know. It’s frustrating that he doesn’t. Frustrating that he hesitated before engaging in battle against a former ally. He would fist his hands in anger if they weren’t aching so much.

Silver flinches when Knuckles balls his fists and growls. The hearts on his palm bunch up and wrinkle.

“Forget this!” Knuckles says. “We don’t have time to wonder why Shadow’s bad again or why so many of our enemies are back. Whatever’s going on, it’s nothing some good old-fashioned force and teamwork can’t fix. I mean, how strong can they be? We’ve beaten them once already!”

[That has them lifting their heads a little bit. Knuckles sees Vector smile, and Silver sit up just a bit straighter. Good.]

Silver feels himself smile, despite everything. Right. They just need some time to reorganize, is all. Even after that rough battle and loss, Knuckles still looks tough; ready for the next fight. He’s a good person, Silver thinks. He’s grateful he has these people now. Grateful he has someone like Knuckles to rely on.

Tick tick tick.

[Amy still seems down though. Hm.]

Probably feeling bold, Knuckles smirks and raises a fist. “So they got the upper hand today. Big deal! Just some luck on their part that we’re a little rusty. I, for one, can’t wait to head back out there and show them that no matter how much muscle they bring, we’ll always be stronger.”

Sticks sits up. “Knuckles is right-”

[Heh, as always.]

“-for once-”

[Wait what?]

Sticks [rudely] ignores Knuckles’ indignant growls, and Silver has to hide his laugh behind a cough. Charmy doesn’t hide his at all. “-But we’re gonna hafta decide on a plan fast, because with Shadow on his team, there’s no telling how much time we’ve got! That guy will cover so much ground like nobody’s business!”

Speaking of fast…

Switching the ice pack from one hand to another, Silver looks at Amy, who’s sitting on her armchair and staring resolutely at her hands folded in her lap. “Were you able to track down Sonic and Tails?”

Amy’s muzzle moves with a thick swallow.

“I-” she begins, and then glances to one corner of the room. “I- found Tails. He’s, um- he’s in my room right now. Resting.”

Tick tick tick tick

Had Tails been a part of the battle without them realizing? Silver feels a pang of worry go through him thinking about young Tails, going into battle against such powerful foes, completely unprepared. At least Amy’s taken care of him now.

[She keeps blinking. She’s trying to keep her eyes from watering. Knuckles stops paying attention to everyone else in the room, focusses solely on her. His own heartbeat is loud in his ears.]

“What about Sonic?” Charmy’s high voice pipes up.

They need Sonic. Silver frowns and thinks. Where was Sonic during the battle? Taking care of Tails? He’s always been pretty protective of him.

Once they get Sonic and the rest of the team here, they can figure something out. Like Knuckles said. Nothing they haven’t done before. Silver lets himself feel a little bit of hope, lets the ball of anxiety in his chest turn into anticipation.

Keep a cool, level head. Just like Knuckles, who’s not saying anything and is looking at Amy. Looking for the next step.

[Knuckles doesn’t think anyone else is watching Amy as intently as he is, he feels like he’s the only one who sees how unnaturally stiff she’s become. Sees how she fiddles with the tassels of her throw pillow.]

“We didn’t see him anywhere!”

[Knuckles is suddenly struck with a familiar sensation. A stomach-dropping, time stopping one. He’s been here before.

Why? Why does he feel like this? Amy hasn’t even said anything, but he already feels like- like she’s told them-]

“He’s… Sonic is-”

Is what? Is he hurt? Silver blinks and tilts his head forward. Amy cares a lot about Sonic’s well-being. That must be what’s gotten her so bad.

Tick tick tick tick

[Amy takes in short, quivering breaths. Like she’s trying to keep herself together- like she’s seconds from falling apart.

Knuckles knows immediately where she’s going.]

Everyone’s looking at Amy now. No doubt wondering what’s got her pausing and why she looks so tense. Amy takes a deep breath brings her gaze up- not looking at anyone specifically, Silver thinks. She’s looking but- she’s not? How is that even possible?

[It’s familiar. It reminds Knuckles of the day he realized his tribe wasn’t coming back.

…Is that what it is? Maybe it’s something else entirely.]

What’s this déjà vu? Silver is struck by an image- fuzzy and almost a memory- that flashes in front of him. For a second, he thinks he sees Sonic. On the ground and surrounded by- by- something. Someone? A purple and black sky overhead, twisting and distorting, as he and his friends surround- something-

It’s gone. The memory- memory?- is gone a moment later, barely a whisper of a thought left when Silver tries to prod at it.

Amy sniffs, and Silver zeroes in again.

“Sonic is no longer with us.”

Tick.

What?

“…What?” He hears someone- Vector- ask.

Amy closes her eyes, and now Silver can see her clearly. Her jaw is stiff, her hands are shaking, and her back is so straight he thinks she must be in pain.

“What do you mean?”

Is it just him, or is everyone’s eyes too dry all of a sudden?

A ringing in his ear, sharp and growing, almost drowns out everyone’s words. Except for Amy’s. Amy’s words as she explains that- that Sonic was there. He was there before everyone else, along with Tails.

“…Tails saw it happen… -one with the mask- ended his life right in front of him-” Amy is saying, but Silver’s not really hearing. “Early this morning-”

Tick tick tick

He can’t hear because- because of the ringing in his ear. Subtle, but still there. And- and the clock. And- Has the light always been that bright? Have his lips always been this chapped? The room was warm before. A nice place to be during a cold night. Now it’s suffocating. His fur is uncomfortable. And blinking- it’s such a weird motion, isn’t it. He’s never thought about that before.

Amy’s still talking. “…found Tails in his room- scared- … neck was snapped-”

Breathing- breathing is weird too. He’s never noticed. He’s hyper aware of every breath and the way it fills his lungs because it will never fill Sonic’s ever again.

Tick tick tick

Has the clock always been that loud?

[There’s a strange air in the room. Like all of this is not quite real, but Knuckles is hyper-aware of every one of his senses. The bruises on his arms and legs and the way the bandages hug his injuries. The way his heart is thumping in his chest.

He’s aware of the way Silver’s become deathly still beside him. How Charmy’s cries sound and the shuffling noise Vector makes when he goes to hug the kid.

He doesn’t turn to look at any of them, but he can feel.]

[edgy-ella]

Sonic headcanons: Between the eras

(Link to my first set of sonic headcanons)

Classic Sonic is officially younger Modern Sonic again! This means that all the classic style games take place before Sonic Adventure (or Sonic 4/Pocket Adventure if you wanna feel spicy). The question remains, though—what happened to the classic characters that never made it to the modern games?

Here’s my headcanons:

Mighty ended up as a nature journalist, paralleling how the Chaotix became a detective agency. Ray is his assistant, of course. While they both still travel a lot, their line of work means that they don’t get many chances to interact with Sonic. They often have to stay put in one location for a long time, which is in stark opposition to Sonic blitzing from place to place as fast as he can. Their work occasionally leads them off the grid, which is why they get reported as “missing” like on the posters in Generations.

As a side to this; Sonic, Mighty, and Vector all grew up together (Vector is in concept art for Sonic 1 as a member of Sonic’s band, and I want to give Vector some kind of prior connection to Mighty and not Ray to explain why he’s in Knuckles’ Chaotix). Mighty and Vector had some kind of falling out between Knuckles’ Chaotix and Sonic Heroes, which is why he’s no longer in “the gang.” Whatever it was, they’re both pretty bitter about it, they don’t wanna talk about it, and no one else knows what it was. They will still work together if push comes to shove, but they’re not friendly with each other anymore.

Bean and Bark sold Fang out, the bounty on his head much higher than anything they were getting paid. They used their newfound wealth to anonymously purchase an entire island to themselves—one with an abandoned mine full of all the shinies Bean could ever ask for. Bark is just glad to be able to retire. They’re still wanted criminals, but they’re too busy living the good life to notice.

Fang ended up getting arrested and sent to a maximum security prison. He was initially placed in Prison Island, but escaped when Eggman raided it at the beginning of the Dark Story in SA2. He ended up getting caught by GUN soldiers in the White Jungle and moved to another location while Prison Island was undergoing repairs. Lucky him, because Eggman blew up the island like a day later. To this day he’s not sure if Eggman knew he’d been serving his sentence in Prison Island and wanted him to blow up along with it.

Trip is extremely introverted and simply hasn’t left the Northstar Islands. She’s still there, Amy occasionally comes down to visit, but the rest of the cast is just too busy to pop in and say hi. She’s that one friend you met at summer camp that you struggle to stay in touch with afterwards because she lives so far away.

Honey is still a fashion designer like in the Archie comics, but had to go incognito after being convicted of insider trading.

With all that being said, I think it’d be very funny if the reason the “classic” cast doesn’t show up in the modern games is because they all died offscreen and I totally think we should throw that reasoning at Sega until they put all of them in a modern Sonic game.