#endless summer spoilers

[queenbirbs]

alright, for my first playthrough of all three books I spent roughly ~1200 diamonds and almost 100%’d the third book (I think I was missing four or five clues)

I played all three endings and teared up at the ending that shall not be named, but I did still like the one everyone on the subreddit bitches about because it felt like a possible book four setup (from what I can find ES was always plotted to be a trilogy, but a girl can fantasize about another timeline where there were four books).

I’ll probably let the series simmer for a day or two, then restart the entire thing (esp since there’s a bonus diamond event going on through the 11th, so might as well snag the scenes I didn’t before)

[counterspelling]

Endless X-Men 97

[molinaskies]

Sonic and the Mirror of Trauma: Scrapnik Island

Scrapnik Island is by far the most intriguing and impressive IDW Sonic miniseries so far. Daniel Barnes wrote an excellent story about recovering from trauma, struggling to escape your past, and facing the setbacks that come with both of those, and Nathalie Fourdraine and Jack Lawrence produced some beautiful art.

On its surface, the story has the potential to be a cheeky, cliché one-off akin to a spooky Halloween story (that started in December… hehe). But, when you look deeper at the plot and some of the tropes, and once you remember that it takes place between issue 56 (which I’ve crucially discussed at length) and issue 57, it suddenly becomes so much more important.

Mecha Sonic is a version of Sonic who has been forced to address the pain of his life and dabble with the consequences, and he represents the moment that Sonic has to face his own trauma—and that scares him.

Scrapnik Island sets off with the Scrapniks pursuing Sonic to help him, but Sonic, of course, has missed the memo. Mecha Sonic is hottest on Sonic’s trail, which stands out to me as not only is Sonic visibly afraid of Mecha (both from his sudden presence and from his memories of their last encounter), but he’s actively running away from his trauma, his past, his fear.

Even after Sonic’s been set straight on the Scrapniks’ deal, he’s still put off by Mecha Sonic’s silent demeanour and their history. So, Sonic treats him coldly, and this animosity triggers something deep within Mecha that he fights to starve off.

There is lots of visual storytelling to indicate that Sonic and Mecha Sonic are meant to be literary foils, but below is my favourite example. A flashback of a decommissioned Mecha Sonic fades into a present shot of Sonic “taking it easy,” but more so getting fed up with his situation.

Sonic is also particularly distrustful (and afraid) of Mecha Sonic, compared to the other Scrapniks. However, as time runs on, Sonic comes to an initial understanding of Mecha’s changed ways and wants to make peace. However, right after this, Mecha Knuckles attacks, Mecha Sonic defends and, in a way, sacrifices himself for Sonic, and things fall apart from here.

After Mecha Sonic is triggered during his battle with Mecca Knuckles (after a forceful encounter with Mecha Sonic’s past that sends him down a path of relapse), Mecha Sonic loses his ability to starve off Eggman’s primary programming. He turns on Sonic once again, but instead of serving Eggman, he strives to serve himself. While Mecha is falling victim to his traumatic past and coping mechanisms, the unfortunate thing about this is how it all reads to Sonic: another betrayal of his trust. It all calls back to Mr. Tinker, Metal Sonic, and Surge.

Mecha Sonic’s plan is to swap bodies with Sonic so that Mecha can use Sonic’s speed to escape the island, but the Scrapniks attack before the transfer can complete. This leaves Mecha and Sonic in an in-between state where they hear each other thoughts and feel each other’s feelings.

Even though Sonic states that the anger and sadness in his head is not his own, he’s still clearly shown to be feeling those feelings. They don’t originate from him, but their presence mingles with his own emotions to produce something darker and more irritated. Their presence also acts as a gateway of sorts, where the latent anger and sadness that Sonic can’t suppress makes it harder for him to put away his own feelings. Couple that with his physical pain from his sprained ankle (on the same leg he busted up a few issues prior), and soon, Sonic snaps for the first time in the entire IDW comic’s run.

I love whenever Sonic’s anger is allowed to shine because he is never enraged for petty reasons. Sonic has an attitude that often leads him to cranky comments, but Sonic is genuinely angry here because it hurts him to see someone speak so lowly of themselves, to have been hurt by the world so poorly. Mecha Sonic is also yet another person who has been created by Eggman’s terror specific to oppose Sonic. It’s another example of Surge’s “I will kill you or die trying” with the added complexity of Mecha’s attempt at redemption being corrupted by the trauma of Eggman’s influence. This puts pressure on Sonic because these impositions put Mecha, Surge, Kit, and others like them in direct opposition to Sonic for reasons entirely of no fault of his own—and that angers him. All Sonic strives to do with his life and his gift is help people, and to have so many people come out of the woodworks to say that the only thing he can do to help them is to kill himself is absolutely devastating to him. Not only because he believes in the direct opposite—that the only person who can give one purpose is oneself—but because it threatens to strip his own purpose away from him whenever these notions are unearthed.

Sonic isn’t angry at Mecha, personally. He’s angry at the system created to hurt them both.

The most important thing to remember is that, unless I fully missed something*, that strange mind-link thing between Sonic and Mecha Sonic is never undone. After Sonic cries Mecha Sonic’s tears, the story cuts to Tails officially deprogramming Mecha Sonic and Mecha Knuckles from Eggman’s directives, but it’s never explicitly stated that Mecha Sonic’s and Sonic’s mental link was reversed.

It can be reasonably assumed that it occurs off-screen (off-page? Outside of what is shown to the reader) because that would make general sense, but then again, so did the reprogramming, and that was explicitly mentioned. Further, it’s a general rule in writing for media that if you want something to be known about your story, it needs to be shown to the audience if not alluded to or directly referred to having happened. So, this is either an oversight, or it’s entirely intentional.

* The only way I can imagine this being accounted for is that the machine that linked Sonic and Mecha’s brains, the Egg Noggin, is (obviously) an Eggman device. Thus, whenever Tails removed Eggman’s programming from Mecha Sonic and Mecha Knuckles, perhaps it also restored Sonic’s brain to normal. This, however, feels like a bit of a stretch because we never see or hear of Sonic needing or receiving any treatment, but I am willing to consider it to be a viable reason. Either way, I think the point I’m about to make still stands as either a physical change or an emotional change in Sonic’s character.

This experience, this sharing of minds in such an intimate way where they can both so clearly hear each other’s hearts, taught them something. I read this as some sort of floodgates being opened, where while Mecha Sonic can more easily feel compassion and listen to the good in his core, Sonic now more clearly feels his anger and has a harder time suppressing his emotions. Whether there is lasting physical damage left in Sonic or he’s simply reeling from the depth of his emotions felt in this adventure, there’s been a clear impact.

Even if Sonic isn’t fully delving into things just yet, he’s taken a lesson away from all of this.

(From the IDW Endless Summer One-Shot, set between issue 64 and issue 65 and after the 900th adventure one-shot)

If nothing else, Sonic clearly understands trauma better now. Sonic is absolutely traumatized by his experiences with Eggman and other high-stakes adventures, but again, due to his tendency to push away his darker emotions, he hasn’t processed much of this. Sonic puts all his sadness and rage and fear and confusion into box after box after box before shoving everything onto a big, cluttered shelf, never to be seen again… until now. With such a clear look into the mind of someone actively reeling through trauma, a trauma so like his own, that shelf has collapsed, and now everything is spilling onto the floor before Sonic, quick as can be, can stop it.

Sonic is finally starting to understand the bigger picture, but I don’t think he’s fully on the path of self-awareness. I think there’s more boiling under the surface, more than even he realizes. And if Sonic keeps taking these micro-risks (instead of his usual Hail-Marys) that are fueled by his anger, like storming the Eggperial City too soon, then something will have to give.

Scrapnik Island is incredibly important to the IDW storyline because it showcases not only Sonic learning the depths of his pain and the pain of others but also yet another nail in Eggman’s coffin.

[lostworldss]

Anyone else anxious about the Blades VIP chapter tomorrow? I’m going to assume it’s the series finale unless they say otherwise so I don’t get my hopes up. (Although it IS weird that they didn’t mention anything about it in their social media posts considering it would be the series finale for one of their most popular series…)

Tbh the thought of Blades ending tomorrow makes me sick and emotional thinking about it and so far I’ve been coping by pushing the thought from my mind.

[marmolady]

My three absolute favourite Choices Love Interests....

So. Apparently my type is 'DRAGON'.

More please.

[omegablue5009]

My favorite part of IDW Sonic Endless Summer

[danielnelsen]

never mind, that was easier than the first one

oh no, i don’t remember how to solve this one rip

[kindahoping4forever]

Michael @ The 5SOS Show Tour Rio de Janeiro - 23 July 2023

[sparkles-rule-4eva]

Not used to seeing Whisper act like this but honestly, give me more

[angelofdiamond]

IDW Endless Summer was a huge fresh air yesterday and there are so many cool one-shots that it is hard to choose buuuuuuuut...here the mine 😁

Same vibes people...same vibes 😏 (you don't notice that we're triplets 😏? )

"Please this cool (adorable) hedgehog is all vibes here 100% in all muscles"

At least he hasn't said: " lost it" 😂

~Extra~

" Are you in search of me ladies? Well, kudos you found this cool hedgehog"

[dislyteshack]

SPREADING THIS SO MY OOMFIE CAN PEEP THIS TOMORROW

MAJOR SPOILERS HERE

My theory is that she tried to save the town with a shield and that took so much out of her that she's effectively in an endless sleep/coma

And that timeloop dream is what she is experiencing in the coma

I think Lian has no time bending or world bending powers

So she retreated to her mind

[zhoras-bitch]

Somewhere out there, in the deep infinite void that precedes space and time, there’s a group counselling session for immortal eldritch beings, and ILW MC and ES MC are both in it.

[counterspelling]

Endless X-Men 97

[sonknuxadow]

I LITERALLY JUST SAID NOT TOO LONG AGO THAT SONIC WOULD LOVE SUMMER AND GOING TO THE BEACH WITH HIS FRIENDS AS LONG AS HES NOT EXPECTED TO GET IN THE WATER AND THEY JUST SHOWED THAT IN IDW SONIC. thank you idw for backing me up always

[taoofshigeru]

New S-tier ship dynamic: Jewel the Beetle x paid vacations

[blazingflareon]

the shadow ending has me bawling oml