#face claim : espio

[cervidae-demon]

Love how you play Husk and Al. You make Al very fun to watch be himself, while I love how you portray Husk with his issues over losing friends and potential PTSD.

There are still a lot of things that weren't said about my Al and Husk, even more so after the first season came out and I basically revamped the blog, a lot of my headcanons have changed!

[itz-pandora]

Any tips for drawing sonic characters? I really wanna draw my OC and Espio, but I'm shit at drawing them

Oh darling Espio is a nightmare to draw.... I still struggle with him...

Don't fret!! Still practice!

Here's a brief way I draw the faces! Using Sonic's face as a reference

1.) draw a circle. Circle can be as wobbly or uneven as you want, doesn't matter

2.) Add guidelines. I keep my horizontal guidelines pretty low because that's the snoot to eye+forehead ratio

3.) draw the muzzle. I start in the center and then the sides, then connect them with a dip in the eyes

4.) I draw the eyes, using connected ones as the example. I start at the center and then do the sides so they're somewhat even

5.) I decorate the face :)

6.) I add the ears

Here's some sketchy proportions

I'm definitely not the person who should teach, cuz some of the time I just freehand it

Just study and copy art that you like as practice. Dream Team, IDW, Archie, and you could also study some fanartists like Frontier or Emthim. Make sure to not claim the art of you're referencing stuff for practice. Try to break down the art into shapes and practice that way.

Also draw them a lot. Use rough sketches and don't be a perfectionist about it, you're learning

[hedgehog-university-au]

Things the characters have gotten write-ups/in trouble for:

Sonic:

Breaking curfew

Plastic-wrapping Dr Eggman's car

Graffiti

Tails:

Helping Sonic plastic-wrap Eggman's car

Performing dangerous experiments in his room

Blowing things up in the microwave

Knuckles:

Punching a hole in the wall

Breaking the TV in the lounge

Using the weight room after hours

Shadow:

Sneaking weapons on campus

Secretly keeping a cat in his room for two months

Rouge:

Breaking curfew

Stealing the other girls' clothes (she claims she was just borrowing and was going to give the stuff back)

Silver:

Punching Sonic in the face freshman year (Mephiles tricked him into doing it)

Tangle and Whisper:

Breaking into the dining hall after hours for snacks (Tangle's idea)

Vector:

The Incident™

Espio:

Climbing into weird places he shouldn't be

Infinite:

Locking Sonic in one of the basement storage rooms for 6 hours

Surge:

Blasting music over the school speakers

Hooking up electric cables to the doorknobs so people would get shocked when they touched them

[true-blue-sonic]

7-12-16-23 for Silver, Espio and Blaze? (that’s twelve questions I am so sorry)

No worries, I am currently ill at home and have gathered enough energy to tackle it ^-^

Silver:

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

Oh dear.😅 Oof, let's see here... I think that for a side character in a large extended cast, Silver is actually quite popular, and people are warming up to him more and more. At least, in polls that feature him and such he always seems to do quite well? And he's also got a lot of fanart and attention dedicated to him! So that is something that I like: the fact that he's generally well-liked. It's definitely a step up from 2006!

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

My very epic headcanon was that he is left-handed, but I seem to have disproven that myself, haha. Another one I have is that with every new season that rolls around, he claims it is his favourite: winter for the snow and cozy times, spring for the new life and pretty flowers, summer for the warm temperatures and long sunny days, and autumns for its colours and epic storms. He just can't make up his mind which one he likes best: he loves it all similarly.

16. What's your least favorite ship for this character?

I don't think I have one; there are many that I am not interested in, but those don't show up so much anyway and I don't have anything about them that I hate, so I just ignore them.

23. Favorite picture of this character?

I can't just pick one, come on!!

I'll take this one because I love the pastel-like colouring, but rest assured I like many more!

Espio:

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

I think people overall have a relatively good grasp on his "place" within the Chaotix: the "straight man" of the team who similarly still is equally silly as the others. I always like seeing that: it's funny because Espio treats it so seriously, haha.

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

He can be a bit of a mother hen, being the person most concerned with their finances, ensuring they have enough food, and raising Charmy into a responsible adult. Vector is the face of the Chaotix and the one Espio and Charmy follow, but behind the scenes Espio is the one who helps make sure everything runs smoothly and they're all cared for as best they can.

16. What's your least favorite ship for this character?

Same for Silver: none. It probably helps that I just concern myself most with Espilver and I don't do too much outside that, haha.

23. Favorite picture of this character?

Also here picking one is difficult😅

I'll go with this one because I think it very nicely shows the Chaotix household, and I also like seeing Espio write with a brush.

Blaze:

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

Hmm, I'm trying to think of something, but I don't engage so much with fan content about Blaze, to be quite honest. Though, people who like the Rush series and those who know of and appreciate how hilariously broken Blaze is in those games compared to Sonic when it comes to her jumping ability are always nice to see!

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

The reason she's so bad at cooking is because of her impatience: she can control the fire she uses to cook well, it's just that she deliberately makes them go too hard/quickly in order to be finished more quickly. But that usually just means things get burned instead. If she's got someone to help her out and distract her in the kitchen, it'll come out much better.

16. What's your least favorite ship for this character?

Also none ^-^

23. Favorite picture of this character?

This might perhaps be odd, but I adore some of her sprites from Rush!

I think they masterfully managed to capture Blaze's growth from closed-off and grumpy person who isolated herself her whole life into someone who knows that she can rely on others, and who appreciates her new friends. She's just so cute when she smiles! I love how Cream in Rush even deliberately draws attention to it. And the memories I have of the story around them makes seeing the sprites all the sweeter!

[kayakin-world]

Full name: Pau Medley Nickname(s): Pau-Pau Age: Young adult (canon) / Teenager (AU) Birthday: September 1 Birthplace: Mobius / Lunearis Gender: Nonbinary Pronouns: They/Them Voice claim: Amity Blight (Mae Whitman)

Species: Mobian Race: Amur hedgehog Skin: Light tan Eyes: Magenta Hair: Pastel jade green Face: Round Build: Thin Other details: N/A Height: 100cm / 3'3 Sexuality: Lesbian-oriented demiace Relationship status: Single

Zodiac sign: Virgo Favorite colour: Pink MBTI: ISTJ Region: Boreas (the north) Good traits: Honest, corteous, hospitable, analytical, responsible, bold, calm, independent Bad traits: Humorless, uncommunicative, resentful, inflexible, inhibited, stubborn, withdrawn, evasive Hobbies: Board games, caligraphy, candle making, puzzles, reading, magic, mushroom hunting

Occupation: Witch (oracle) Weapon: N/A Special ability: Intuitive precognition, chaos energy user Abilities: Spindash, super speed, good memory Weaknesses: Emotional turmoil, partial blindness Alignment: Good Team: Arcane (with Glacia and Cocoa) Type: Speed Status: Active - Alive

Relationships:

S/O - N/A

Family - Kaen (adoptive brother)

Close friends - Glacia, Cocoa, Knuckles, Espio, Sally

Allies - Team Atom, Team Riot, Team Hallow, Team Flow, Team Sonic, Team Rose, Team Dark, Team Chaotix, Freedom Fighters

Neutral - Everyone else

Enemies - Eggman Empire, Sunbreakers

Playlist:

Ellie Goulding - Lights

(TBA)

[lea-andres]

An Espnah oneshot/snippet thing no one wanted, yay~ I wrote this instead of finishing up the next chapter of WtDMtN, I'm sure everyone's thrilled, LMAO.

Although this does contain my lore's explanation for Smash Bros AND the Olympic Games games! Because those being canon amuses me. Along with Sonic knowing/being Santa.

Espio being a knight is not canon to my lore (...maybe... I'm tempted, tbh), it's a reference to SonicSong182. Iykyk, and if you don't you should remedy that. SS182's fucking great.

Dinah can't quite match I believe it was 17(!!!!) languages Espio apparently is fluent in according to MoStH, but she qualifies as multilingual. Latin and Japanese are the main two in here. I'm a dumbass American who only speaks one language, I cannot guarantee the 100% accuracy of anything ever.

Yes this is part of my plot to manifest Espio and Rouge as being 100% playable in the next Olympic Games game lmao. I want them, leave me alone.

"So… explain to me this whole Olympics thing again." Dinah requested, as she and Espio sat down on a bench by the rink entrance to pull on their ice skates.

"Where did I lose you?" Espio got his on first, and began doing some light stretches.

"Back at 'The Super Mario Bros are real'."

"You really struggle with the whole 'other dimensions and other planets' thing, don't you?" He teased, getting up and getting out onto the ice to do more stretches. Dinah finished lacing up her skates, and looked up at him to respond.

"Yes I do, because you know how often that comes up when I'm digging artifacts out of the ground?" Espio couldn't resist, forcing himself to keep a straight face, he locked eyes with Dinah, and said as evenly as he could manage.

"Ancient aliens."

"Adversus solem ne loquitor, you fucking moron!" She practically snarled back playfully. He burst out into laughter as he returned closer to the rink, holding out his hand to assist her. Dinah got up, a little wobbly in balancing on the blades, and took his hand as she made her way to him.

Once she got onto the ice, Espio launched out more toward the center, doing several tight spins and twirls before stopping sharply. The spaniel had stayed behind back at the wall, leaning against it as she watched him with an amused smirk. He blinked in confusion. Usually Dinah was all for jumping straight into an activity with him, eager to at least keep up if not try to top him. Why was she holding back now?

"Walk me through this multidimensional Olympics thing again. How did Sonic meet a video game character again?" She asked instead. He just nodded as he skated back toward her.

"Okay, so apparently Sonic got this letter in the mail. And when he opened it, it teleported him to this nexus where many great heroes across the multiverse were hanging out and having a low stakes fight club."

"Is this at all like Sonic's claim of going into that book and becoming King Arthur?" Espio smirked at that.

"I had been meaning to ask you for your professional opinion of that. Is Sonic the one true king?"

"Sonic gets points for sheer gall, but… I significantly doubt it." Dinah smirked back. Shifting so he was now gliding backwards away from her again, Espio continued.

"Anyway, Sonic met Mario there. Apparently WE'RE a game in the Mushroom Kingdom, so he was just as floored to learn about us as we were him."

"Are Sonic's games good?" Dinah raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Plus minusve," Espio waggled his hand, shifting again to now be sweeping straight toward her again, completing the large circle. "It's a… polarizing topic over there, even amongst the fans."

"Ouch." The spaniel shook her head with a laugh.

"So, they became friends, apparently Tails and the Mushroom Kingdoms' best scientists got to work on connecting our dimension and theirs, and Sonic's friends and Mario's friends get together for a friendly Olympics inspired competition."

"And you've competed?" She continued to watch him circle back and forth before her. 

"Not… officially. Typically I've been invited to compete in a single event as a Rival, but I'm hoping to make the cut this year-"

"Whomp whomp…" Dinah giggled. Espio pointed at her in mock irritation.

"Don't make fun of me, I've been busy! I've got ninjitsu training, cases that pop up, whatever bullshit YOU throw at me-"

"Your mysterious part time job you keep vanishing to?" She continued to smirk teasingly.

"Oh right, that's related to this! So, I met Princess Peach at these interdimensional get togethers, and-"

"Is she as hot as she is in the games?" Espio studied Dinah's face for a bit, trying to gauge why she was asking that.

He decided to cover all bases: "You're not going to try to pull my boss and I will NOT invite her to a threesome."

"Your boss?" Dinah repeated, adjusting her glasses. "I didn't realize the Mushroom Kingdom was in the market for Shinobi."

"They're not, to my knowledge. Princess Peach knighted me and I've been serving as a guard in her castle-"

"No you haven't!" The spaniel interrupted in amused disbelief.

"Why would I lie about that?" 

"I take back my professional opinion of Sonic's delusions of grandeur, that wasn't the most absurd thing I heard today." She continued teasingly.

"Come with me next time and I'll prove it!"

"So do you wear the mushroom hat and the diaper, or-" Dinah cracked up laughing at that, almost knocked herself over, then flailed to catch herself on the wall so she didn't wipe out on the ice. She adjusted her glasses and smiled nonchalantly, trying to play it off.

"I don't, I have proper armor." Espio narrowed his eyes at her slightly, noting what he just saw.

"Is the Princess still getting kidnapped by Bowser all the time?"

"It's been a bit since the last one, but… I guess?"

"You're a shit knight." Dinah teased.

"HEY-" Espio himself almost wiped out at that, letting out a shocked laugh.

"Can't stop one fire breathing turtle from kidnapping the princess?" She tsked playfully.

"You should stick to ninjitsu and detective work, Onmitsu."

"Just because you study knights of olden times in our world doesn't mean you're qualified to review my performance as one in another, Himawari!" He fired back playfully, snagging Dinah's arm as he skated past, pulling her away from the wall and along with him.

She lost her balance almost instantly, dropping backwards. Espio lunged to catch her, sliding across the ice on one knee, firmly cradling her head with one hand and gripping her waist with the other as he stopped her skull from cracking into the ice. She had flung her arms around his neck in her attempt to save herself, letting out a big gasp of relief when she didn't crash hard.

"Thanks, Onmitsu…" She breathed, a little dazed from the adrenaline rush.

"You… can't actually ice skate… can you?" He accused softly, giving her a look of suspicion.

"You never asked if I could, you just asked if I've been ice skating, which I have. Once." She pointed out, grinning mischievously.

"Dinah…"

"Is it a crime to want to ice skate with your Onmitsu?" She teased, one of her hands wandering up to stroke his cheek.

"It should be, if you're going to risk spilling your brains all over the rink to do so." He chastised, shifting his grip so he could scoop her up bridal style instead.

"I can make this work." He smirked, making sure he had a firm grip on her before beginning to skate forward.

"What work? What are you doing?" Dinah demanded anxiously, clinging to his neck and shoulders.

"Resistance training for speed skating events." He started picking up speed. Quickly adjusting her glasses before returning to tightly gripping his shoulders, she teased with a grin.

"Don't crash."

"I'm far less likely to than you are." She thumped his chest lightly for that, both of them laughing.

[fastfists]

knux & shade fankid? knux and shade fankid--

✧ If they had a kid ✧

Name: Vega

Gender: Genderfluid (he/him + she/her + they/them)

General Appearance: Echidna; Peach Rose (DDA794) fur with Pale Cream (FBEDE3) stripes and eye spots with hot pink eyes

Personality: A balance between both his parents; though he has a temper like his father and a sharp tongue like his mother. He can also be a bit quiet at times and is very observant - his stare can be seen as almost chilling at times.

Special Talents: Can harness and use Chaos Energy effectively; even transfer it into objects he touches for use.

Who they like better: Both; however he can be seen as a 'Mama's Boy/Girl' at times.

Who they take after more: Knuckles; but they have moments where Shade is more prominent.

Personal Head Canon: Has an affinity for cute things, likes ninja (idolizes Espio), and like to mess around with machines

Face Claim: N/A

[atangledfate]

Watching the Rematch from the TV in her room wasn't nearly as thrilling, but damn where did Carol get all those new moves? she guessed all that training was paying off. Still this spade guy was looked like a real piece of work, annoyin' little fucker wasn't he and what did he mean by old Job? She had alot of questions but didn't really think on it to hard. She was ready for that action! ready for that thrill! she wanted Carol to rip this fuckers face off and wear it as a trophy!---ok maybe that was to much!

" Kick his ass Carol!?! You got this shit! get him! bite his damn ears off! "

She shouted at the TV while shaking her fist up and down! She loved this show she really did. She got into it pretty hard, even kit was slurping his drink and enjoying the chaos! She kind wished she was there in person though, but Carol wanted to go alone she was fine with that.

Still watching them brutalize each other this time was crazy, some of those moves she was pulling off was wild. Stealth mode? after Images? not just raw speed either. This stuff was pretty wild, so she was like Espio almost only with some added features. But when Zao stopped the match and claimed she was cheating. She was fuming it made her wanna kick the dudes ass even more!

" This guy... needs a kick in the ass... i should have juts yeeted him into the nearest wood chipper for fuck sake... i bet he'd call my electricity cheatin' to... just cause his boy is gettin' trounced... "

[rkwritingprojects]

Cream's Biological Father

It is highly assumed that Cream's father is the head of team Chaotix, Vector. There is plenty of evidence to support this claim, via various means. From how often he visits Vanilla, to the way she still supports him and the team. He sends her money even at the cost of risking not making enough for bills, much to Espio's annoyance, and dotes on Cream when he does see her.

Everyone believes that he is the father, as it feels blatantly obvious. There is also a feeling of tension when someone brings up the other to either party, which makes the claim feel further supported.

However, this is not the case. How would a croc have a child with a rabbit, anyway?

The father of Cream is actually a Mobian that is unknown to anyone other than Vanilla herself. However, even she only knows the face of the other. She would recognize them if she saw them, but she refuses to look into such things.

She had been assaulted during a case where she had to go off on her own to be able to assist the other Chaotix members to be able to proceed further into an area. The woman had seen bringing it up to have been an issue at the time, so she had ended up putting it off to the point where it had never been talked about.

This had been the cause of her leaving the group, feeling guilty about the idea of forcing them to have to care for a child along with the rest of their tasks was too much for her. Vanilla has never admitted this to anyone, but Vector has always had a suspicion regarding what had happened.

[the-darkling-brothers-blog]

//Ok maybe I didn’t phrase that correctly, my bad. 😁 ; Have you made any friends since creating your blog? 

oh! sorry!! yes! i did a lot of friends here actually. like @fang-thesniper @shakencoyote and a lot more.

most of people around here are really funny, and it’s sad that we mostly hear about Tumblr because of all the dramas that happen here.

[tenebraevesper]

Sonic the Hedgehog Analyzer, Issue #44: Zeti Hunt (Part 4)

We are starting the final part of The Zeti Hunt! Arc, and I have a lot to say about this one, with a special focus being on the conversation between Sonic and Zavok, Belle’s backstory and Starline going full mad scientist.

We start off with Sonic talking to the Zeti, who are still disabled due to the Zeti Zappers, and telling them how they aren’t going to overpower Tails’ tech. Then, with the most smug grin on his expression, points at the rocket that Tails has delivered.

I said it before and I’m saying it now - I adore smug Sonic.

Zavok attempts to attack him, but gets zapped by the Zeti Zapper and steps back, with Sonic giving him an “Dude, are you serious?” look. Zavok just glares back, wondering what Sonic and Tails are planning to do with them. Sonic replies how they’re sending them home, surprising Zavok.

Tails walks up to them, explaining how the Zeti Launcher would carry them back to Lost Hex and the systems would self-destruct and the Zeti Zappers would deactivate. In short, they’ll be stranded on their own planet, making sure they’ll never bother anyone again. Sonic just waves at them, grinning, making quips and telling them how he really doesn’t give a damn what happens to them.

Zavok is genuinely stunned, noting how, after everything the Zeti had done (taking control of the Zombots and Chaos Emeralds, destroying a bunch of towns and attacking the Restoration HQ), Sonic is still willing to show them mercy.

Sonic responds how they have already won and humbled the Zeti, so that’s enough. Zavok... just laughs at him (and I assume that there are some readers out there who just face-palmed when they read Sonic’s response).

Yeah, we are back to that topic. Zavok tells Sonic how he’ll make him regret showing restraint and how this moment of compassion will be repaid tenfold in violence and misery. This is followed by showing us flashbacks to Sonic and Shadow’s argument over Tinker!Eggman at Sunset City, Espio saying how he shouldn’t have let Sonic convince him to leave Tinker!Eggman alone, Sonic meeting Metal Sonic again after the Neo Metal Sonic/Master Overlord battle, and Sonic confronting Eggman over the Metal Virus.

Now, I had gone over this stuff several times, I guess this bears repeating.

For starters, I had explained that I was both on Sonic and Shadow’s side during their argument regarding what they should do with Mr. Tinker. Yes, Shadow was absolutely right to be paranoid, but Sonic was also right since at the time, they had no clue about Starline’s existence and there were several witnesses to Mr. Tinker absolutely having none of Eggman’s evil personality in him.

Next, if Espio was so adamant that Sonic shouldn’t have convinced him to leave Mr. Tinker alone, why didn’t he or Vector or Charmy keep an eye on Mr. Tinker? Sonic only told him that they shouldn’t kill him, he didn’t say anything against supervision.

As for Metal Sonic, you can claim that this was on Sonic for letting him go, as he was the one who ultimately brought Eggman’s memories back, but don’t you dare deny that this wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for Starline kidnapping Tinker!Eggman and bringing him to the Egg Base, because Metal Sonic had no damn clue about where Eggman was and he was completely harmless without him.

Lastly, well... Sonic does see the good in people, and this was his desperate attempt to reform Eggman. It failed, for obvious reasons, but it was to illustrate that Sonic still has some hope for his arch-enemy.

Also, before any of you start coming at me with the “Sonic never suffers from consequences of his actions”, may I remind you that I just analyzed 40+ Issues worth of Sonic constantly having to save the day because a domino effect of all kinds of things happening (including his own decisions) forced him into a situation where he actually suffers form the consequences of his actions and even needed a miracle power-up and support from Silver to save the day.

...

I rest my case.

Sonic is clearly troubled, well-aware that if the Zeti indeed return, things will get even worse. However, he grins back, replying how he won’t sacrifice his principles out of fear and beat them up if they return again. Zavok admits that he can respect that, and I do to.

Yes, Sonic will give you a second chance if he believes that there is a way for you to reform, but you’re done for if you try to hurt anyone. It is a simple philosophy Sonic lives by, and one many probably don’t understand.

The Zeti then pile into the Zeti Launcher, with Zavok glaring back at Sonic as the door behind him closes.

Sonic and Tails observe as the rocket flies off, with the Zeti never to be seen again (I’ll address this down further) and they call Jewel if she had heard from the Chaotix, basically explaining why Sonic and Tails didn’t go searching for Belle after they were done with the Zeti. 

While they sent the Deadly Six back to Lost Hex, our trio of detectives was already searching high and low for Belle and Starline. Sonic assures a worried Jewel that the Chaotix are professionals and that they’ll find Belle. However, he also decides to go search for her. Tails warns him to be careful, as while the Zeti are gone, they still have Eggman and Starline to worry about.

Speaking of Starline, we’re met with a rather disturbing situation, something I can only describe as open brain surgery. Belle wakes up, strapped to an operating table, with Starline, who is wearing her hat, having opened her head to tinker with her brain and awaken her, commenting how she has the most obtuse start-up routine. I swear, if Belle were a real anthropomorphic animal just like Sonic and the others, this scene would have blood in it.

Belle is clearly freaked out, not understanding what is going on, while Starline tells her how her unorthodox design is precisely what he was searching for. Belle responds how she is nothing special and how she does repairs and stuff, messing things up... and I just want to give this poor girl a hug already. But we haven’t come to the worst part yet, as Starline tells her how there’s more to her than she thinks and they both know it.

Belle pleads with him to not disassemble her, which would mean certain death for her, but Starline tells her how he’d never do that, as he holds Eggman’s work in high esteem.

Cue Belle screaming how she wasn’t made by Eggman, but Starline responds how this is only true to an extent and how there is indeed a story behind it.

Starline explains how Eggman lost his memories after Sonic Forces and became Mr. Tinker, at least until Starline kidnapped him and attempted to “cure” him of that state of mind.

Huh, at least he’s crediting Metal Sonic with the help, as again, Metal was the trigger that snapped Eggman out of his amnesia.

Belle is shocked to learn that Starline turned Mr. Tinker back into Dr. Eggman, while Starline notes how the only loss is Mr. Tinker’s alternate design perspective. He keeps on talking how Belle’s unique design won’t be replicated so soon and that’s why he wants to study her, while Belle loses it, screaming how Starline took her father away from her.

If there are people who want to punch Starline, please give it a moment. You’ll soon have even more reasons for doing that.

There’s pinging coming from the computer, showing a screen Belle’s data and Starline being rather excited about it.

Starline marvels over Belle’s passion and raw emotion (you’re calling them simulation, I’m calling them real) and Belle yells at him for not even listening to her. Starline replies how he’s actually listening to her and that she should just let it out and tell him everything. Belle just screams at how he’s an insensitive jerk and that he ruined everything, but Starline turns the conversation back to her origins, looking quite smug and pleased.

Belle, clearly depressed, responds how this is Mr. Tinker they’re talking about, describing him as sweet, kind and funny, and she loved him very much. She loved her job fixing all the rides he made for the children and while the villagers were nervous when she was first introduced, they were still willing to give her a chance.

However, one night, he vanished and we already know that this is when Rough and Tumble kindapped him on Starline’s orders. Not long after, the Zombot fiasco happened and while Belle was safe, thanks to being a robot, she felt lonely and scared.

Once everyone was cured, they returned and blamed Belle, calling her an Eggman spy. It’s really heartbreaking, especially since Belle did nothing wrong, but lost everything thanks to Starline and ran off after she realized that the villagers hate her. She went to look for Mr. Tinker, or rather, Eggman, hoping she could talk some sense into him, and that’s when she was found by Sonic and Tails.

Considering how Belle was designed to fix things and didn’t even know what kind of person Mr. Tinker was before his amnesia episode, it isn’t surprising that she decided to search for him and talk to him.

As for Starline... yeah, he’s totally ignoring her, focusing only on the desired results. All he wants is the code needed for his own pet project. Belle realizes that he’s paying no attention to her story and that no one cares about her, only for her hand to get freed.

We see an invisible Espio, telling her to keep quiet and how he’s here to help her escape. Belle doesn’t take it well, backhanding Espio and screaming about ghosts... until she realizes that she just slapped Espio and alerted Starline. Gotta say, I love this moment; it’s pretty hilarious, all things considered.

Vector and Charmy, who were just hiding outside, barge in, telling Starline to give up and how they had surrounded him.

Starline just claps in response, seemingly impressed by the fact that Team Chaotix found him so quickly. Vector boasts about this being all part of being a good detective, while Charmy proudly announces how they found his evil lair.

Starline just laughs in response, questioning him whether they really think this is his HQ and Charmy is hit by the slow realization that, yeah it probably isn’t. I gotta give a point to Starline here; I may have called him an idiot in the past (mostly regarding the Zeti stuff), but he’s still smart for not dragging Belle to his actual base.

Vector notes how it doesn’t matter, as they’re raiding the files on the computer to learn what he’s up to, but Starline says how he already uploaded everything to his personal cloud server, so there is nothing for them here.

But, as a precaution, he then smashes the computer. Damn, another point for this move, Starline is on a roll today!

He then uses the Tricore to dodge Team Chaotix’s attacks, landing gracefully at the entrance.

After changing to the Speed Core, he zooms away, followed by Espio and Charmy, while Vector checks on Belle and... damn, this is so sad.

Vector asks her how she’s doing and Belle tells him, tears filling her eyes, that Starline broke her heart. At first, Vector wonders if she meant it literally, offering to take her to Tails to repair it, but Belle replies with a quiet “No...”

Vector enters Dad Mode again, consoling her, and I’m feeling so bad for Belle and for everything she had to go through.

Meanwhile, on Lost Hex, Tails’ rocket lands and the Zeti exit it. The rocket breaks apart and the Zeti Zappers deactivate. Zavok notes how Sonic and Tails were true to their word, but Zik calls it a weakness. Zeena and Zazz are bummed about being back and beaten.

Zavok is surprisingly optimistic. Despite their defeat, he tells them how they undertook a conquest far greater than any Zeti did before and how there’s knowledge in defeat. I have to say, I love how much depth Zavok gets here as a character, showing his cunning side and especially how his words had an effect on Starline.

Zavok then continues how Lost Hex won’t contain the Zeti forever and how they will make their return eventually, even more ruthless than before.

...

Okay, show of hands; how many of you guys believe the Zeti will return as the main antagonists once again?

*cricket noises*

Yeah, I don’t know how many of you voted for their return, but I’m fairly certain that this is the last we’ll ever see of them. For starters, the Zeti are stuck on Lost Hex and unless we get a character as idiotic as Starline, they have no technology or magic that would allow them to go back to Sonic’s world. They’re officially written out of the story (but, I guess they can be kept as back-up).

The other reason why I believe they won’t return is that, despite them being written well here... okay, despite Zavok being written well here, they aren’t just popular enough to be brought back, and if the grapevine is correct, they’re seen as one of the worst villains by the fandom. Admittedly, I also have a hard time imagining them next to villains such as Black Doom, Mephiles or Infinite, and I don’t think anyone wants them to steal Eggman’s spotlight as the main villain.

So yeah, these guys are not coming back (and color me surprised if they do).

With this, we end The Zeti Hunt! Arc. For next time, pack all of your gear, because we’re going on a camping trip!

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[cervidae-demon]

I think you're portrayals of Alastor and Husk are really good!

Aw thanks! it's always nice to know people enjoy them as much as I do

[shadamyheadcanons]

Headcanon #195

Amy loves swimming, so once she and Shadow started dating, she invited him on plenty of dates that involved water. She was disappointed with the results, though. She invited him to go to the pool with her, but he said he was going paintballing with Espio. She asked if he wanted to go to the beach later, but he claimed he had a mission that day.

When Amy asked Espio and Rouge how the activities went, though, they didn’t know what she was talking about.

Irritated with having been lied to, Amy confronted Shadow about it. He admitted to it immediately and claimed he just wasn’t fond of the locations. Amy squinted at him, and then her eyes widened in realization. She smiled and apologized for forgetting that he didn’t like crowded places, then told him he should just tell her next time he doesn’t feel comfortable going somewhere. She invited him to join her, Cream, and Big the next time they visited the secluded pond where Big likes to go fishing. He paused but nodded, looking nervous. She chalked it up to him still feeling guilty about lying.

When the day came, Shadow still looked anxious. After a while, Amy coaxed him into the water with her, but he was visibly nervous and wouldn’t go too deep. Even when Amy reassured him that Big was keeping an eye on them and could fish anyone out of the water in seconds, he still looked worried.

Then, Amy recognized the expression on his face, having seen it on Sonic’s face many times, and she figured it out. She took his hand and walked him to shore. They hung out there for a little while before leaving.

On the way back, Shadow saw how disappointed Amy looked, and he apologized for ruining the date. Amy shook her head and told him she wasn’t upset about the date, she was upset that he didn’t think he could trust her enough to tell her he couldn’t swim. They had a meaningful discussion about honesty, trust, and communication after that, and Shadow never hid anything else like that from her again.

It was also the first time he told her that he loved her.

--

((Sonic and Shadow have the same height and weight, so if the swimming problem is related to density, Shadow would struggle just as much as Sonic.))

[iamapoopmuffin]

Angst But It’s Team Chaotix

Fandom: Sonic The Hedgehog Genre: Angst (obvs) with a little bit of hurt/comfort Characters: Charmy Bee, Espio the Chameleon, Vector the Crocodile, Sonic the Hedgehog, Amy Rose, Miles ‘Tails’ Prower Trigger warnings: Kidnapping, trafficking, child abuse, descriptions of major injuries

Kidnappers in Seaside City set their sights on some rare specimens sure to net them a good price, and are none too happy when they try and make their escape. Team Chaotix are hot on the trail, with some back up from old friends, but time slips away all too quickly and with one of their own at risk, arriving just moments too late could have catastrophic consequences.

The world around him swam and blurred, hazing through various degrees of out of focus. Never quite in. He was face down on the ground. It was warm. He expected cold, but the ground was warm, like hot sand on a beach. And it hurt. His hand hurt, his head hurt, it really hurt. A sharp, throbbing pain, worse than anything he'd ever felt before. His instinct was to raise his hand, his good one, up to his head, to where it hurt, but he had to move first. Something dripped down the edge of his helmet and onto his face, and he squeezed his eyes shut, closing out the wavering, nauseating world.

Charmy lay still for several minutes, gritting his teeth, breathing in shattered sobs. He was crying. It hurt so much, he was crying. It took a lot of courage to get his good hand underneath him, to push himself up, and the movement made him feel very ill. He wanted to throw up. Scratch that, he was going to throw up.

"V-Vector...Espio?" Charmy tried to call out for them once he'd finished gagging, but it came out more as a whimper. His own voice sounded strange, like it was muffled, or through a filter. He managed to open his eyes, tried to look around. Couldn't see anyone. A long corridor stretched out in front of him. He raised his hand, feeling over his helmet, trying to work out why blood was on top of it. Because that was what was dripping down his face and onto his shoulders, it was blood. He was bleeding. His hand ghosted over his left antenna...or rather, where his left antenna should have been. He cried out again as a fresh wave of agony shot from the point of contact, and a panicked voice in his head managed to make itself heard. The antenna was gone. It just...wasn't there.

What were you supposed to do when you woke up somewhere weird, all by yourself, a part of your body missing and everything hurting, no memory of what happened beforehand, no clue who had hurt you or why? He knew when he'd grazed a knee or something, Vector would sometimes put a sticky plaster on it, one with smiley faces. Smiley faces would be nice right now. And Vector, if Vector was here it would be better. Or Espio. Or even Knuckles. Just anyone.

But when he called for them, there was no answer. No-one came to get him. So Charmy did the only sensible thing for a six year old to do in such a situation. He cried harder.

------

The whole thing started as a report of kidnappings in the area. It was two little girls playing together not too far from the docks, supervised by one of their mothers. The mother said someone had grabbed her from behind and held a funny smelling rag over her mouth and nose, and as she struggled and fell unconscious, another man grabbed the children. All she knew for sure was that it was a man with blue fur.

Team Chaotix hadn't been officially tasked with this particular case, it had been taken straight to the police. Still, with this happening so close to their detective office, keeping their eyes open for a clue that could help find these two girls couldn't hurt.

Things became a bit more personal when the same man with the blue fur grabbed Charmy as well.

Having witnessed the kidnapping and having been assaulted by the kidnapper's buddies, Vector and Espio had a much more solid lead to follow, and promised to rescue not just Charmy, but the two missing girls as well. Having been injured in the attack, when they narrowed down their search to the most likely place, they brought some back up in the form of some good friends used to playing the role of hero.

At this point, Charmy had been missing a little over a day, and the two girls for two and a half. The search party/investigation team arrived at a strange complex. The kidnapped girls were found locked in a room, unharmed but obviously frightened and greatly distressed. They revealed to their rescuers that the boy who had been with them had helped them try to escape, but the man with the blue fur had caught him again and had threatened to hurt him if the girls didn't do as told. They didn't see him after they were locked back in the room, but they were pretty sure he struggled and one said she saw him try and bite the man.

At around the same time, Sonic, who had accompanied the Chaotix on this particular venture, claimed to have found the kidnapper and two cohorts and to have apprehended them. The three refused to tell him where Charmy was, and further pressing from Vector and Espio only got the kidnapper to say he found the child incredibly annoying. One of the other two insisted their boss had taken the child downstairs, and that they weren't privy to the exact whereabouts. The second had cursed out his friend for spilling.

Tails and Amy took it upon themselves to escort the two girls home, and Sonic assured them he would be right back as soon as he'd deposited the criminals in a secure place. With that, Vector and Espio ventured into the lower levels to find Charmy.

The first clue they found was a telltale patch of blood on an old rickety staircase that creaked every time they so much as looked at it. The blood was dry to the touch, and led into a renovated basement level that now seemed to serve as a recreational room of some sort. Under a locked trap door beneath a lumpy carpet was a narrow corridor with more blood, a patch on the floor and a swathe on the wall made by a little hand. This blood wasn't completely dry, and so must have been less than an hour old. As unnerving as this trail was, they were on the right track. It seemed this area was used purely for storage of old and broken objects, possibly adjacent to a boiler room, and there were plenty of small, tight spaces to hide. They made sure to keep an eye out for him as they searched.

And there, tucked into a tight space in a cluttered corner, was Charmy. He was shivering violently and whimpering. Vector bolted to his side, kneeling close and trying to reach into that tight space. "Charmy, hey, Charmy, can you hear me?"

"Vec...Vector?" The bee shifted until Vector could see his eye, red from crying so hard.

"Yeah, kid, I'm here. Are you hurt?"

"Hhhh..." The sound was more of a breathy, shuddering moan than a proper reply. Vector shifted back, holding both arms out.

"Come here, Charmy, let me see."

"...It hurts..."

"I know. Come here, let me see."

With some hesitation, he managed to coax the child out of his hiding place, and felt his heart drop as he saw the damage. Charmy's left hand was clearly broken. It was swollen, and three of the fingers were at an unnatural angle. He had blood drying on his face and his left antenna wasn't visible. Vector gently tilted the boy's head, trying to get a better look. There was a crack across the helmet as well. A slight dent. There must have been one hell of an impact against the poor kid's head. This was not something Vector knew how to deal with, this was...this was bad. A look back at his company told him Espio wasn't sure how to manage this sort of damage either. He took a steadying breath and placed his hands on Charmy's cheeks, trying to get him to look him in the eye.

"Okay, Charmy, I...I'm going to take off your helmet to get a better look at your head, okay? I'll try and do it without hurting you, but it might hurt just a teeny, tiny bit, okay?"

"No! No, don't make it hurt! I don't want it to hurt any more! I want the hurt to stop!" He started to squirm and Vector pulled him in, getting a proper grip on him to prevent him scrabbling away.

"It will stop, I promise, but first I need to see why it hurts, okay?"

"I want to go home!"

"We're going home. We'll head home as soon as I'm done checking you over, okay?"

"I'm here too." Espio assured him, moving in closer, hiding his clenched fists from the child's view, not wanting to concern him. "We've apprehended the one who did this to you. You're safe now, and rest assured you did well. The other children are safe as well."

That seemed to calm him a little. He was still crying, still shaking, but he wasn't trying to escape or pull away. In fact, he rested his head against Vector's chest, seeking warmth and comfort. He held onto the larger figure, gripping tight as if scared his friends, his family, might disappear if he let them. Vector took this as his opportunity to remove the helmet, wincing when this caused Charmy to cry out again. He passed the helmet behind him, for Espio to hold, and took a close look at the damage. Around the area the helmet had cracked was a nasty-looking swelling, and a bloodied stump was all that remained of his antenna. The mere thought of someone doing this, of causing so much pain and damage to one of his boys, of leaving the kid to suffer...it made his blood boil. It made him angrier than he'd ever remembered feeling before, and it also scared him. He hadn't been there when Charmy had needed him, and this was the result. This would change the kid's entire life, his entire future, an injury this bad.

"Vector. We need to take him to a doctor."

"I know." He growled back. "How fast do you think you can get him to one?"

"On foot by myself to Seaside City? Two hours. One-forty-five if lucky."

"Not good enough. Get Sonic."

"Roger."

He disappeared back up the trap door, and Sonic soon took his place, promising to get Charmy to a hospital safe and sound. Tails would return in his plane to pick Vector and Espio up and take them to the same hospital, as it would be faster than having them make their own way back on injured feet. When the doctor overseeing Charmy's treatment spoke to Vector, she made a few things clear. The damage to his head likely would have killed him had he not been wearing a helmet at the time, the missing antenna would almost certainly result in permanent hearing loss on the affected side, there was a possibility the broken bones in his hand and fingers could require surgical intervention to heal properly and they were, of course, going to keep him in until they were absolutely sure he was good to go. The exact damage to his brain and what effects it would have in the long term was still uncertain, and he would have to be monitored in regards to that as well. Overall, far from the best outcome, but still not the worst. He wasn't in danger of dying, at least, but if only, he kept thinking...if only he could have stopped this, made it so Charmy never got hurt at all.

[true-blue-sonic]

Rando: Your love language is touch and your dating a hedgehog? It must be hard. I was friends 4 hedgehog and anytime I tried to touch them, my hands would turn into pin cushions, I can't imagine dating someone I'd need a stab-proof vest to hug.

Espio: *visibly confused since he just spent 3 hours napping with his face in Silver's quills*

(Hedgehog spike themselves up when threatened or uncomfortable and lay there quills down when safe. Espio makes Silver feel very safe but he didn't realise that until later.)

I figure Silver might not realise it either, haha! His quills in '06 do tend to be relaxed somewhat often in cutscenes, but the moment anything tense happens they're poofed right up again. (God, how I wish that detail got brought back in later games...) But it'd be very sweet if they are at their most relaxed whenever Silver's around Espio <3 Es for his part knows he should be careful around Silver's quills and that each is an individual little stabby murder weapon, and yet he has never, ever been hurt by one before. To the point he might indeed just feel entirely comfortable putting his whole face into Silver's mane, between the quills on his back!

I wonder what he's going to say to that person talking to him, though. Especially since Silver's quills are just a little bit raised around everyone otherwise, so Es' claims that they're entirely relaxed around him might be difficult to be believed! XD

[mobius-prime]

281. Sonic the Hedgehog #204

Heavy is the Head (Part Two): Iron Khan

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Steven Butler Colors: Matt Herms

Things have gone from bad to worse with Khan now under the Iron Queen's control. The Freedom Fighters are forced to scatter as he calls down a magical storm on them, and Sonic barely returns from taking Bunnie to safety in time to save even more helpless would-be victims.

Sally quickly explains what happened while he was gone, and Sonic eagerly races forward to fight Khan, despite Sally calling after him not to hurt him. Sonic tries to at first talk Khan out of it, telling him to fight back, but the Iron Queen gleefully reminds him of how extensive his cybernetics are, giving her total control. Snively, still holding onto Khan's power ring crown, snaps it in half while revealing that this was the only thing protecting him before… and then the Iron Queen drops the bomb that she'd in fact controlled Khan more recently than previously known, and used him to wipe out the Dragon Kingdom Freedom Fighters. That's right! Khan had his body seized by a tyrant and was forced to literally murder the local Freedom Fighter chapter, which is why they're no longer around to help. Considering everything else that's happened to him in his life, if that doesn't spell serious trauma, I don't know what does. However, all this does give Sonic an idea, and he asks everyone to stall Khan while he makes a quick stop at the Lake of Rings, which Antoine takes to with gusto.

I mean, as much as you do have a point, 'Twan, again, we're talking about a severely traumatized unwilling pawn here. Sally, Vector, and Mighty jump in to try to help, but Sally is easily swept aside as the two Chaotix grab hold of Khan. Sonic, meanwhile, paces impatiently next to the lake, while Nicole explains that the rings here are created artificially with the energy runoff from the radioactive ruins of Robotropolis, and thus she can only make them so fast. However, when they spot Vector and Mighty flying across the sky like two distant, lightning-fried meteorites, she changes her tune and diverts some more power to production, just as Khan makes a beeline for Sonic.

Man, good thing rings don't need to be forged into shape, huh? Just jam one onto your skull and it'll fit perfectly! Really, it's a wonder power ring circlets aren't in fashion across all of Mobius. Fortunately, Sonic's plan works and Khan comes back to his senses, drenched and depressed. To Snively's surprise, the Iron Queen happily sounds the retreat, content to have humiliated and demoralized Khan for now before her next planned assault. Sonic realizes that this is why Khan had his outburst of anger last issue, and Khan confirms it, blaming himself for everything that's happened here today. Antoine gets in his face and angrily agrees, clearly still worked up about Bunnie, but an unexpected trio interrupts him - Rory, Sasha, and Snaggle, now coming to Khan's defense.

Sally hugs him, Khan and Antoine apologize to one another, and it's really just a bunch of warm fuzzies all around. Seriously, though, something like this was much needed for Khan. In every prior appearance, he's been pretty two-dimensional, being mostly just an egotistical and slightly crazy magic monkey with no real personality. I mean, he originally spoke in third person, for crying out loud. Ian's done what he does best, and breathed some new life into an old, stale, and nearly forgotten character, making him into someone we can actually give a Renfield T. Rodent's ass about.

Back in the Eggdome, Snively pays a quick visit to his uncle, still wrapped up in a straightjacket and locked in his padded cell, to gloat about how well things are going without him, before becoming annoyed that gloating just isn't as fun when the person you're talking to is stuck in their own head. Eggman babbles on throughout the entire thing, but though his words may appear to be gibberish at first glance, nearly every single phrase has some kind of significance. He repeats "hate that hedgehog" several times for obvious reasons, and other phrases that seem nonsensical are actually very clever references to much, much older issues. Several more phrases seem to be made up of technobabble to some degree, suggesting he's not totally lost in there, but perhaps the most significant phrase, I find, is "They always loved Colin more." Colin, if you'll recall, is Robotnik's brother, whom Eggman killed just before Robotropolis went boom. This one little line immediately gives a lot more insight into just how Eggman - and the original Robotnik - came to be who they are today. It seems to suggest that, ultimately, a lot of his awful personality stems from jealousy of the attention his parents gave to his brother instead of him. We know precisely jack-all about Eggman and Colin's parents, mind you, and as far as I remember this isn't a plot point or anything, but it does get the imagination going, doesn't it? It's easy to imagine Colin as the golden child, the grand military general leading the Overlander race to glory, while poor, ugly, non-charismatic Julian gets neglected, fueling his feelings of resentment until he uses his natural talents as an inventor to get revenge and force the world to acknowledge his genius. I'm not trying to say that Robotnik is a sympathetic figure by any means, but many cruel, manipulative, domineering people do unfortunately get their start after facing rejection from authorities in their life.

Anyway, this is all just speculation - this little line never gets brought up again or expanded upon, so it's all left up to our imaginations. After Snively walks away, Eggman continues his ramblings, but there's one more significant phrase hidden in there…

Wh- I'm sorry, but what kind of a locking system is that?! Y'all are currently living in a base designed by a mega-genius who's life's work is in tech, and the best you can shell out for to keep him locked up is a simple slide lock like you'd find in a bathroom stall? Man, you guys are terrible at security. You basically deserve to have him escape at this point.

Friend in Deed (Part Two)

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Jamal Peppers Colors: Matt Herms

Oh, right, back to the whole situation with Espio dangling Knuckles over the edge of a cliff and whatnot. Knuckles asks in disbelief if Espio has really turned traitor and is actually willing to steal the emerald and hand it over to the Iron Queen, to which Espio hesitates and then asks to confirm if he would indeed need to kill Knuckles to take the emerald. Knuckles affirms this without hesitation, and then Espio pulls him back onto solid ground, saying that he then has conflicting orders. Knuckles is obviously confused and wants an explanation, so Espio says that the only way he can help him is if he breaks the Bride of Four Houses' hold over the clans.

Man, I take it back. Ian, you're allowed to be proud of your intricate worldbuilding, but this is like the fourth time you've explained to us how it works through the characters. Trust your audience, man! Espio cuts himself off in the middle of his explanation, claiming he's said too much, and runs away while turning invisible despite Knuckles calling for him to stay. Knuckles merely quietly wishes him luck under his breath, knowing now that Espio isn't doing this because he truly wants to.