#feel free to shoot me an ask!

[ultharequinox]

Figured I'd show my design for Unparalleled Innocence here! In my AU, UI ended up cutting their self off from everybody after finding out about the rot that Pebbles has.

Btw, iterator base is from here! Super useful :]

More Info on my version of UI under the more read! :]

They are naive like Pebbles, but after seeing the rot hey became a bit paranoid. Nobody has been able to get a hold of UI since after their final message containing the images. However, UI is okay! UI's can has been deteriorated, but the plant life around them has flourished. And they have taken in a large colony of slugcats in with them as their new citizens. These slugcats can be split up into three categories. Big cat, Normal, and Aquatic. The Big cats are taller than the normal slugcat, usually almost like a large dog. Meanwhile the aquatics are just the Rivulet! So these guys are basically where Rivulet's family comes from :]

I like to imagine that UI is absolutely OBSESSED with seeing life flourish. Compared to other iterators who want tot ascend, UI wants to see the world flourish with life, and live on their backup energy reserves for as long as they can.

UI DOESN'T want to ascend. In fact, they'd often shut up whenever the local group spoke about ascending. The Triple Affirmative completely scares UI, and UI hopes they never come into contact with it. Or else they'd do everything they could to not ascend. They'd rather let their energy reserves finally deteriorate and they see he stars for the last time.

In the meantime, they're happy to see how their slugcats advance. In a way, UI wants to pave the new era with Slugcats evolving to take the top. And develop into a civilization able to carry on UI's legacy.

Btw... This is all inspired by my friend who loved Grey Wind, and they suggested I RP an iterator and the only local iterator left was UI so... I might be getting attached to them :]

[machinecatgirl]

ELECTROCHEMISTRY

[occulee]

Im taking my shot at poking your Mind

Wonderful! Let's see what possible dangers may await *your* roll in th-

20?!

damn that was fast.. alright, I suppose the die has spoken! What will he do now?

He poked you back! Congratulations![?]

[narsh-poptarts]

Old Man* OC Poll

*"old man" being more of a vibe rather than any indication of gender

just wanted to do this for fun haha more info about these guys under the cut

Andromedus (he/she/they) - genderfluid wizard acting as (unwilling) mentor to Barnes, a young apprentice who would very much like to learn magic please. A grumpy misanthrope who loathes having to interact with other people and ESPECIALLY with other mages. She's an incredible stickler for rules and procedures surrounding magic, because they know a mistake can change the result into something unpredictable or even dangerous. Believes in the art of experimentation and doing it well. They dabble in all things potion, illusion, divination, and other Stereotypical Merlin-level Magic not specified. Despite a generally cold exterior, does have a heart of gold somewhere in there. Does genuinely care despite what most people might think, though the approach to this usually has a lack of compassion (except on rare occasions).

Belongs to my wizard+apprentice story I'm temporarily calling Cursed Apprentice (I'm so bad at titles)

Bartholemew "Art" Hykes (he/him) - chief forgemaster of the Carapace Knights, soldiers that don pieces of the large locusts and bugs that terrorize the land in an effort to fight back. The integration of these pieces into armor must be highly monitored to prevent a host take-over of the Knight, and Art is in charge of manufacturing these pieces to their perfection. Uses the nectar sourced from the Locusts to power the forges and after decades of work has gone blind from working so directly with it. A man of few words and fewer cares to give, can occasionally be found grumbling over the state of the world and how they're not ever in a position to be called "winning" against the locusts, but as long as he's got a job, there's not too much to complain about. Wishes the Carapace Knights would be a little less headstrong and worry more about how they're always at risk of being taken over by the Hive.

Belongs to my medieval dragon-slayer type story I'm temporarily calling Locust

Ulada Vertison (she/her) - one of the last remaining mechanics that has a fascination with tech from the old world and is willing to tinker with it along with the new. Was the one to repair the Robot and give it the ability to interact with the rest of the new world and sent it on its way. Has a penchant for stupid jokes and "positive attitudes", much to her assistant's chagrin. Approaches most things like a mad scientist with too much time on their hands and the soul of an old woman. (That is, diving head-first into experimental technology with a grin and emerging out the other side pinching the "experiment's" cheeks and checking to see if it eats enough). On the shorter side of stature, but that's okay, her large assistant has more than enough height for the two of them, he can be the one to fetch the stuff on the upper shelves (and the lower shelves, and the stuff from across the room, and hey also sweep the floor. She's got a bad back, don't you know!)

Belongs to my scifi post apocalyptic robot story I'm temporarily calling Mezzanine

[hawktims]

I can return it. I got the receipt. / I like it, Skippy. I like it.

FELLOW TRAVELERS (2023) 1.04 | YOUR NUTS ROASTING ON AN OPEN FIRE

[lionpawsdiary]

Did the cats who left our two protagonists get killed along their journey (possibly as some sort of divine retribution by Starclan for abandoning both an Elder and a Kit) or was that just a gameplay choice to explain why they never return or pop up again?

They were killed! In-game I just hit the auto-kill button for everyone who wasn't relevant and then spun the narrative. If I manage to keep these two alive, this blog should (hopefully) unravel the mystery of what killed them and why.

[mesetacadre]

Hello! I'm currently debating with a good friend of mine, a democratic socialist, on a few topics. Namely the function of a vanguard party, centralized state power in socialist nations, and the use of violence in a revolution. They're a very open minded person, and are engaging with me in good faith, but in my opinion, their ideas rest on a few idealist assumptions about liberal democracy, and misinformed views about "authoritarianism" in the Soviet Union and "Violent Revolution" rhetoric (used the French Revolution as an example :/). To clarify, we are both in the Imperial Core. I'm a Marxist-Leninist who is critical of the USSR in some respects but admire the progress they achieved as the first major Socialist project, and believe it was a more democratic and fair state than any bourgeois republic.

I'm already working on my response, I'm not looking for you to formulate by arguments for me, but I find your analyses of specifically historical socialist movements to be very compelling, and I'm wondering if you had any insights you'd be willing to share on the topic(s)? In particular, the idea that vanguard parties are uniquely susceptible to opportunism or autocratic consolidations of power, and the Bolsheviks' dismantling of the worker's councils and opposition to the Mensheviks. These subjects in particular I'm a bit less familiar with.

Thank you!

Hi, the Mensheviks (of which Trotsky was a part of until late summer of 1917!) emerged as a defined faction within the RSDLP in the 1903 Second Congress, with the divide only widening after the 1905 failed revolution and the outbreak of WW1. Mensheviks were closer to what demsocs are today than any kind of revolutionary marxist. They consistently showed no interest in the armed overthrow of tsarism and capitalism, something which became crystal clear after the February revolution of 1917, after which they joined the provisional government of the Cadets (liberal monarchists) joined with the Narodniks, abandoning any of the more "radical" demands they still had in the process, such as the seizure of land by the peasants. Of course the Bolsheviks opposed them, they were opportunists who only held revolutionary words in their mouths until they managed to grab some scraps of power in a capitalist and imperialist government.

About vanguardism. The class consciousness that emerges spontaneously among workers from their everyday exploitation is of a different definition and character than the class consciousness one acquires through praxis and theoretical work (by praxis meaning practical work for revolutionary politics, not a broader sense of activism). I've talked about this difference a lot on this blog, so I'll keep those brief strokes and not go into more detail. This is the main fact from which vanguardism emerges. The instinct that guides the greater part of the working mass is imperfect, it can be easily misguided or turn away from revolutionary politics on its own. So there should be an organization, such as a party, that is able to politically lead, like a vanguard, one step ahead, not two ahead or one behind, of the working class' mass. This is not a case of elitism or dirigisme, not by any measure:

Vanguard parties do not lead by decree, they never have. They consist of the most politically-educated (i.e. the workers whose non-spontaneous consciousness is most developed) members of the working class. These members exist in the core of the working class, they are supposed to become known coworkers and neighbors, people who can talk with the mass of workers, teach how to avoid the unavoidable mistakes that come with spontaneous consciousness or a developing non-spontaneous consciousness. It is from these interactions that the party members learn, pass on to the party itself, which is then able to combine all that information into decisions, concrete tactics, and to perfect its own activity. The members of a vanguard do not know more than the average worker about the general state of the working class as a whole, they both are individuals just the same. But what they do know are the frameworks most suited to analyze the bits of experience they receive, and an effective vanguard party is able to collectively analyze the state of the working class as a whole. Again, not because they know more than anybody else, but because the party members have set up an organization that can extract information from all walks of life. An effective vanguard party that is properly weaved with the working class is almost akin to a statistics institute collecting data to unify it and reach conclusions about the state of society.

That is how vanguardism works. It is wholly democratic because in the context of holding power, it is the most able to carry this out, and the entire working class actually participates in decision making. If your friend considers bourgeois democracies a good standard, where the participation of everyone is reduced to a single vote however many years, why would they consider a process through which the conditions of the working class are actively taken into account every single time a decision is taken? The CC of the Communist Party of Cuba knew more about the average sugar cane harvester in Matanzas of the 60s than Kennedy ever did about his neighbors in DC. The CC of the CPSU knew more about the average fisherman in Kamchatka than the European Commission knows about the people who clean their building. And I know these are not exaggerations because there is a clear and intentional bottom-up flow of information in a vanguard, leninist party, and there isn't in, say, the nordic social-democracies, which I think is pretty safe to assume your friend has a soft spot for. And what consolidation of power? The consolidation of power into the hands of the proletariat? The Communist Party is the unified party of the working class, much like the various parties that, in liberal democracies represents the interests of the capitalist class in the state administration. Through the democracy enabled by vanguardism, it is the entire working class that holds power. Not as the addition of all individual workers, but as a class. This is necessary in the transition to communism, it would be idealist, counterproductive and effectively counter-revolutionary to call for the total decentralization of power after a revolution, that would strip the proletariat of any hope at defending itself.

Now that I feel that is cleared up, the soviets/workers' councils. They were very relevant in the period of tsarism because they were the most advanced forms of mass workers' organizations, where the emerging russian proletariat would most effectively learn from its experience and gain trust in its own strength. The slogan "All Power to the Soviets!" was also adopted once the tsarist, semi-feudal state transformed into the seeds of a fully capitalist state, as the sudden destabilization of the Russian state following the February revolution left room for dual power to exist, simultaneously in the provisional government and the soviets. The context of that slogan was that of a working class that had only just begun to accelerate in its political consciousness, not as an absolute reclamation of workers' self-organization. Conditions changed rapidly and, with the joining of the provisional government by the mensheviks that I mentioned earlier, the many Soviets that the mensheviks had a hegemony in also turned into arms of the capitalist, imperialist government. Just as quickly as the Soviets had turned into the forefront of revolutionary development, they had also become mostly reactionary, and the slogan was dropped. Mass organizations in general, which the Soviets were, can become a tool for the advancement of the activity of the Communist Party. They are useful places where communists can more easily access already receptive workers. But the goal is not to get more workers organized in ideologically-deluded mass organizations under a capitalist state, it's to advance their consciousness by any means necessary. As soon as the conditions became such that the Soviets no longer represented that golden opportunity, it made no sense to continue to claim all power for the Soviets. Conditions changed, so strategies changed.

After the October revolution, Soviets still existed. They were not dissolved, rather the existing structure was incorporated into the new proletarian state, as its instance that's closest to the proletariat. Hence, the Soviet Union. They used the structure of the Soviets because soon the civil war of intervention began, and they could not afford to create another completely new structure. But still, it's not that the Soviets themselves should be independent and somehow make up a different source of authority than the Communist Party, an already completely democratic organ and more capable than any loose confederation of councils. They were, before the revolution, one of the main ways the bolsheviks reached the Russian proletariat. After the revolution, the formal organ at the factory or city level that made that democratic connection between the workers and the party.

[ruvviks]

The Dobrynin family is a corpo family through and through, rooted in Arasaka and Orbital Air going back by several generations; though their powerful position within the corporate world ends with the children of Nadya and Matvey Dobrynin. With Vitali and Daniil fired from Arasaka and Kang Tao respectively— the former indirectly getting his parents fired, too— and Roksana having refused to set foot within a megacorporation from the start, the family begins crumbling apart at the very seams when clashing interests lead to grudges, betrayal, and pointless acts of revenge. ↳ read the unrevised fic here if you're interested!

taglist (opt in/out)

@shellibisshe, @florbelles, @ncytiri, @roseeway, @stars-of-the-heart;

@lestatlioncunt, @katsigian, @radioactiveshitstorm, @estevnys, @adelaidedrubman;

@celticwoman, @rindemption, @carlosoliveiraa, @noirapocalypto, @dickytwister;

@killerspinal, @euryalex, @ri-a-rose, @velocitic, @thedeadthree;

@kanos, @swordcoasts, @ordinarymaine, @claudiawolf, @strafethesesinners

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

You always have good things to say in your essays, so I am curious what your overall thoughts are on the Sonic Movie 3 trailer?

Ah, well, thank you! I'm glad that you like what I have to say🥺❤️

So, I originally watched the trailer quickly before I had to go to work. I think at that time my general thoughts overall were basically:

Team Sonic!!🥺💖

Every new installment they surprise me with just how sad and wet Agent Stone's eyes can get in the presence of Robotnik

Pop pop?! Gerald?? He's alive??

Ough parallels between movie sonic and movie shadow

...What if Movie Shadow made a connection with Tails and Knuckles over their individual struggles in finding home despite their pasts?

Movie!Knuckles wants Movie!Shadow so bad it makes him look stupid. I love how excited he is to fight him. Like they just took Sonic's initial onesided fixation on fighting Shadow from SA2 and gave it to Knuckles and I'm not complaining

They should make Shadow and Tails implied friends like the Tailstubes did. For me 👉👈

Wooo fat movie Robotnik!

Ajsjsjjsq I love how he just ripped Stone's shirt off and kept it for himself

The juxtaposition between Sonic and Knuckles here is hilarious to me. Knuckles insulting Sonic when he sees Shadow, right in front of Sonic. Sonic trying to tell Knuckles they should be reasoning with Shadow and Knuckles is like "Nope can't hear you I need to fight him!"

I wonder just how much they're gonna tie in the Knuckles tv show. I kinda hope Wade and the flames of disaster make an appearance at least

ㅤ

I did, however, rewatch the trailer for this ask, so if you'd like to see some more in depth thoughts on the trailer, I've put them under the cut

ㅤ

"Sonic, you've finally found your family."

This line is interesting to me simply because Tom says it, but it only shows Knuckles and Tails onscreen.

Now, personally, I think this series is perfectly capable of presenting a version of "family" that doesn't 100% mean the nuclear family dynamics. In other words, especially since images of Maddie and Tom weren't put onscreen during Tom's line, I like to think that harkens back to the wish Tom and Maddie expressed for Sonic back in movie 2 to find his squad (his team of best friends and wingment to grow up with). In essence, I personally do not believe this line means "oh Knuckles and Tails are your siblings now", especially since it would contradict that sentiment in movie 2 and (while I don't think Knuckles finds them family in a nuclear family way either) would be weird paired up with Knuckles calling the Whipple family "home" in the Knuckles series.

So yes. Family because they're friends, wingmen, comrades who have each other's backs and work together, not because they're siblings unified under one particular household.

Woo! I see the flames of disaster!! Nice to see tidbits of things carrying over from the Knuckles series

I am very interested in the shot of Tom uncovering the picture Sonic drew of himself and Long Claw.

I suspected back after movie 2 that we wouldn't be done talking about Long Claw. Of course this is true by default if they want to touch on the Echidna/Owl war stuff any more, which they have in every installment thus far, but I mostly mean in terms of how Sonic's past.

Personally, especially with Knuckles turning out to be the Iblis trigger after the Knuckles series, and those lines from Long Claw about Sonic potentially being hunted for his power (even though we yet have no evidence the Echidnas were hunting Sonic for any purpose), I still think there's a possibility of the movie universe touching more on Sonic and Long Claw for bigger reveals into the past (quite possibly into Sonic's origins??)

But at baseline of course we will be getting parallels from Sonic's past to Shadow's. So I'd say that how much we touch on Long Claw and Sonic's past in this movie and the importance of it will remain to be seen.

"I know it's not easy, but you didn't change who you are in here." "Yeah. In my lungs." "Or your heart."

(The following is partially a joke) Tonhon Chonlatee reference making it's way into Sonic movie 3??

Okay, so it seems to be that someone is still going to free Shadow on Prison Island? The visuals kind of suggest he just broke out, but that line from Commander Walters can also still suggest that someone breached the security (Ala SA2 Eggman) to facilitate the freeing of Shadow. In this case, I'm highly curious as to who will be doing it, and whether they will be present when Shadow exits the pod. Personally, after Movie 2 I hoped it would be Agent Stone, but we'll get our answer when the movie comes out.

WOW that shot of Shadow punching through the glass of his stasis pod is freaking EPIC. Definitely a fav scene of him in this trailer for me

TEAM SONIC MENTIONED! (Team Sonic is my favorite team, so movies 2 and 3 are wins from me in seeing team dynamics with them)

THEM CRUMBS🥺💖

I am a shameless sontails shipper and lover of Tails so this shot is everything to me

Okay, so earlier in the trailer we saw Team Sonic separately in places all over the world. Here I think at least one of these is to show them looking for someone like Shadow with intent to stop him (or to stop another threat at baseline). Also in the trailer we see a short clip of Sonic searching in a room with a flashlight.

My first thought on this is that during the course of the movie, Team Sonic's secondary objective (either self imposed or given by GUN) is to find out more about Shadow and his past. So this scene could be related to that.

My second thought is that this scene could also be Sonic taking a look for clues on the arc, though I'm not sold on this interpretation.

Third, at baseline, this is clearly a scene of searching for someone or something. No matter who it is though, I suspect the reason or room is related to either Ivo or Gerald in some form. Plus the fact that Sonic is searching most likely means he entered the scene with intent to search rather than spontaneously deciding this.

Finally, though I don't have many thoughts here. A figure can be seen in the background in the right of this clip. Since they are not also searching with a flash light, this could be a scene where we see Sonic caught in the act of what he's doing.

Commander Walters talks about how similar Sonic and Shadow's stories are during the clip of Sonic searching, Shadow in the pod while Maria stands outside of it, both pressing their palms to the glass.

While not necessarily a confirmation, this is why I believe that scene of Sonic searching is related to Shadow's past or possibly Gerald.

Also, unrelated, I really love that clip of Shadow smiling in the pod at Maria while they press their palms together over the glass. I'm completely normal about it (sarcasm)

"But where you found family and friends"

This line from Commander Walters is overlayed over shots of Tails (during "family") and Knuckles (during "friends"), a line which (like the earlier family line) I'm sure the loudest Sonic fans are making 1k note posts about.

Anyhow, I have two interpretations of the intent of this clip in the trailer, especially since it's another scene where they neglected to show Tom and Maddie in the mini montage

1. Where the scenes are cut is meant to associate Knuckles more strongly with "friends" and Tails more strongly with "family". In this case, "family" will be used in a found family/found home manner that does not denote in nuclear family with/siblings to. In any case, while Knuckles and Tails are both his friends and undoubtedly part of his squad, it remains that Knuckles and Tails do not have the same relationship to Sonic. Despite all being friends, we see at the beginning of the Knuckles series that Tails is comfortable living with Sonic and his textual adoptive parents, and that he doesn't have the same problems as Knuckles fitting in as Sonic's roommate. Likewise, based upon Movie 2's attachment to Sonic in particular and love of being considered Sonic's friend (with those moments in movie 2), combined with what we see at the beginning of the Knuckles series, it's clear to me that Tails' home is with Sonic and Sonic in specific. Tails is Sonic's friend who considers him his home, but while Knuckles is also his friend, he goes on a journey in the Knuckles series which was meant for him to find his own home (which he finds in the Whipple family). In other words, I'm saying that one interpretation of this clip is to denote the difference in strength of bond to and relationship Sonic has to members of his squad. Tails is his family, his best friend, and Sonic is part of Tails' home. Knuckles is his friend, squad member, ally, but he does not find home in Sonic.

2. The downfall of interpretation 1 is that it contradicts what I said about Sonic considering them both his family, his best friends, his squad earlier with the other family line. So interpretation 2 asserts that the whole friends and family line is meant to be applied to team Sonic. Again, especially with the absence of Tom and Maddie, I believe this is not in a nuclear family way, but as in "they are my friends, my squad, my family". As in, Sonic feels connected to these two and feels that they are family to him in the sense that they are important to him and a big part of his life. The family one chooses to stay connected to.

For the record, I'm also biased towards this interpretation of the family lines (not just because I don't personally like the alternative), but because every main character thus far has avoided ever labeling his relationship to Tails or Knuckles as inherently sibling like. Sonic movie 2 even had Maddie and Tom at the very end saying Sonic had found his squad and best friends for growing up, and the beginning of the Knuckles series has Sonic call the two his roommates, while Maddie treats the two more like other kids that live in the house than necessarily *her* kids. Then there's also the Knuckles series ending, where Knuckles calls the Whipple family his home, but the series purposely chooses not to make it clear what his role would be in a nuclear family dynamic, only that he's a part of it. All of that juxtaposed with the fact that Tom and Maddie were explicitly confirmed as Sonic's parents in movie 2 (and combined with the fact that it's not taboo in Eng Sonic media to consider Sonic and Tails as bros or media in general to confirm characters of the same sex as basically adoptive siblings to each other) tells me that those involved in these movies purposely choose to consider these characters family to each other in a way that doesn't conform to nuclear family dynamics and friends to each other as well. In other words, they have had every available opportunity (especially if Sega wanted it or approved it) to confirm this sort of relationship outright (and might I mention that Sonic being given explicit adoptive parents is more big in terms of the past mandates than someone like Tails being a bro (which has been let into eng media on occasion in the past)), and have not done so. They have not given any indication they will do so. And I feel that at this point after showing us good examples of canonically platonic relationships that are important without necessarily being sibling/nuclear family dynamics, it would be a waste to just go "yeah they're siblings" and call it a day, ripping the complexity out of it.

But that's just me.

Right after the clip I just mentioned, we see Team Sonic race each other, with Tom and Maddie starting the race.

Now I've already seen postings about how this shot is confirmation about how Tails and Knuckles are so siblings to Sonic.

Since I have my own post here, I just want to say that at very baseline I think that reasoning is incorrect. This is because the Knuckles series, again, explicitly confirmed Knuckles' home to be with the Whipple family, in contrast to how the beginning hammers in how he doesn't fit in with the Wachowski family or feel quite at home with them. They literally cannot be canonically siblings to each other if they haven't referred to each other this way and if one of the characters involved in the scene doesn't even consider this family in question his home. At best to me the association of this clip and the words about friends and family beforehand implies that Sonic considers these 4 all parts of his family in different ways (again, not necessarily with all 4 fitting into nuclear family dynamics). I don't endeavor to say Sonic sees Knuckles and Tails as siblings to him (in a situation where the feelings aren't exactly the same both ways) because, again, Sonic outright avoids considering them this way, and considers them his friends and roommates explicitly in the first episode of the Knuckles series.

Anyways anyways. I digress. The point of this clip.

At this time I'm thinking either this is a friendly race they've asked Tom and Maddie to intervene for (possible), or this is the start of the journey earlier when we see the trio at different places all over the world. In other words, it's possible they started their separate journeys around the world with a race, intending to beat each other to doing something with a friendly contest.

"Shadow found only pain, and loss"

I know how people have been talking about this set of clips, but at this time I do not believe the fire (aftermath of possible explosion) we see is the original event on the Arc resulting in Maria's death. Yeah, sure, the movie universe isn't 1 to 1 with canon, but I really do not feel like that scene is depicting the arc. This instead reads as a scene to me where Gerald and Shadow are going through a painful moment of loss in the present and being cornered by GUN for capture. It seems more like a scene that occurs partway through the movie as an event that happens rather than a flashback.

Take that with a grain of salt though. That's just my interpretation, and there's not a lot of proof to find to back up any particular one.

We've also heard rumors of time travel being involved, so it's also possible there's a plot bit involving saving Maria and reversing the hurt that way and it tragically failing? Don't know.

Also love the shot of Shadow looking at the cracked glass👌

S sorry just them again looking at each other and Sonic turning to Tails for guidance 🥺🥺💖

This entire mini clip means quite possibly a bit too much to me for a mere trailer but I love their dynamic

I have talked about it before but damn. Knuckles "He is much more impressive than the hedgehog I fought previously"

We literally see a shot of Shadow revealing himself, and then Knuckles starts talking about how impressive he is.

I know there were a lot of jokes made in the last couple years that Sonic would see Shadow and instantly be enamored, but oh how the turntables! In the end, in this trailer at least, it's actually Knuckles who becomes instantly enamored. One look and he's calling him impressive. One look, and he's already ignoring any direction on Sonic's part to perhaps de-escalate the situation by talking to Shadow, because Knuckles wants to fight Shadow so badly it makes him look stupid.

The way the interaction is done reads to me that Knuckles wants to get a go at tussling with Shadow either more than the stakes of the plan at hand, or would want to despite reality. In other words, even if Shadow "switches sides" so to speak successfully here, Knuckles would still want to fight him for personal reasons.

Of course right after this we get the subject of a billion jokes about how Shadow hates Tails so much in specific that he goes out of his way to beat him up.

Where is that meme image of the guy looking out the window holding his cigarette, just tired? (Rhetorical question)

I did not think it would be need to said but here.

If you watch the scene, Shadow kicking Tails is not presented as more important or targeted than anything else. First of all, it is within a sequence where we see him take down the members of Team Sonic one by one in a single blow. Second of all, Tails' is actually the least focused on in the trailer. Knuckles punching Shadow only for Shadow to (presumably) break his wrist is shown as a big thing (especially as a call back to the first big clash between Sonic and Knuckles that was advertised a lot for movie 2). Shadow going for Tails is something he literally cuts behind Sonic to do, which quickly segues into him grabbing Sonic and using his air shoes to boost them high into the air so he can slam Sonic down into the ground. Tails being kicked here is presented like something he had to do to get to Sonic, not him going out of his way to beat up Tails. Seriously. How can that even be true when Knuckles and Sonic get flashier and longer beat downs?

Anyways, all that aside, this scene is very neat. It's very clearly to set up the disparity in power between Team Sonic and Shadow the same way it did between Sonic and Knuckles in movie 2, with the framing this time presenting Shadow as a powerhouse unlike anything anyone has ever faced. In other words, combatting Shadow will be more of an ordeal than combatting Knuckles was.

The scene where Tails says "this is a bad idea" and Sonic goes "when has that ever stopped me".

It would be completely fine and dandy if this does turn out to be about the crew looking for Robotnik and deciding to join with him. Personally, I think this is one of those cases where a line from a movie is cut in the trailer to show that it's about something when it really has to do with something else.

Besides the fact that we just don't know when or how everyone will learn Robotnik is alive (since it's pretty well considered by the main characters that he died at the end of movie 2), I think with Tails outright opposing this and Sonic looking angry, this scene is referring to something potentially more risky and dangerous than joining forces with Ivo Robotnik. Depending on how epic the scene is, this could predate a major moment

But I'm excited to see the context regardless of what it turns out to be!

Sorry I know I said it earlier but WHOO fat Robotnik. Hollywood fatphobia aside, I'm honestly glad that Jim Carrey has been winning his battle of moving his character closer visually to Robotnik's canon design.

It's pretty clear by the "we" have visitors that Stone has been with Robotnik taking care of him at some point since the ending of Movie 2. I remember a lot of us assumed the battle in movie 2 did kill Robotnik but that Movie 3 would involve Stone bringing him back somehow. Either way, though I know this was technically dependent on whether Jim Carrey would return to this movie, I do feel vindicated for saying "Robotnik isn't gone for good since we didn't see a body and GUN didn't find one at the end of movie 2".

Agent Stone and his sad wet eyes

So to go into a lot of detail would require a proper essay post, so I'm going to try to make this section as short as possible.

Now, as far as I've gathered since movie 2, Stone's sad wet eyes appear in 1 of 3 instances.

1. When he misses Robonik so so dearly (as seen in the beginning of Movie 2)

2. When he is jealous and fears being replaced by someone else Robotnik chooses to hang out with and go on his missions for the evil plan with (as seen during the scenes where Robotnik has Knuckles with him in the Mean Bean in movie 2)

3. When Robotnik continues to change from the exact kind of slick, collected, confident, and fashionable guy we see in movie 1 in ways which Agent Stone would percieve as him "getting worse" (As seen in movie 2 where Stone sees Robotnik again for the first time, remarking that he looks different, and in the annoyance he gets in movie 2 when Robotnik leaves him out of his plans and continues to include Knuckles rather than consult or use him (Stone))

Now, clearly it is not option 1, given that he is fully aware of Robotnik's location and has clearly been watching over him.

I also do not believe it is number 2, for two reasons.

1. The context clues imply Robotnik has likely only been around Stone all this time. There's no one already living in this space for Stone to be jealous of.

2. We see Stone and his bike blocking the path between Team Sonic and Robotnik, and it's Stone who brings Team Sonic inside to appeal to him. Since it's implied Stone chose to let them in and doesn't seem annoyed when he announces their presence, he does not have the sad wet eyes because he's jealous of their connection to Robotnik in any way.

So this leaves us with option 3: Robotnik is changing further in ways that are messing with Stone, and Stone sees it as Robotnik beginning to "fall from greatness" so to speak.

And I think this interpretation is actually pretty clear. We don't see evidence of a struggle on Stone, so it's unlikely he seriously fought Team Sonic. Rather, it seems to me that they told him they wanted to appeal to Robotnik to get him to help with protecting the world, and they convinced Stone to let them see Robotnik because Stone hopes their involvement (or such a mission) will get Robotnik out of whatever his current rut is (with the state of his hair and stache and the mess in the place he's staying in, it's pretty clear he's in a depressive rut). Stone is sad to see Robotnik this way and hopes Team Sonic can fix it.

We are not actually done with Stone's sad wet eyes though, as he still has them during the scene Robotnik retreats to the bathroom for an outfit change (yes, the scene where he rips off Stone's shirt). It's also worth noting here that Stone still sounds sad during this scene.

So, this is where I take the time to talk MORE about Agent Stone in relation to Ivo Robotnik (but again without going too in detail and doing too much outright essaying). This bit is connected to the previous part, but I wanted to give it its own section since this has to do with my prediction for the future.

My theory? Stone may be set up for an eventual Dr. Starline parallel.

Let me explain a bit.

So, if you don't know who Doctor Starline is, he origates in the IDW Sonic comic adaptation. He is a very intelligent (and fashionable) scientist who holds great admiration for Robotnik, and is obsessed with him. From the beginning he'd put Robotnik on a pedestal and had wanted not only to be like him, but to be vital to him. Starline wanted to be a great help Robotnik to take over the world, and essentially superimposed himself into the position of Robotnik's number 2 (a position comparable to Stone's in the Sonic Movies, Snively in SATAM and the Archie comics, and Grimer's in the Fleetway comics). Over the course of Starline's time together with Robotnik as his self imposed number two, the two start out fairly strong only to clash more and more often as Robotnik expects a lackey who only does what he says, and Starline expects a partner who will listen to his advice. Tensions grow, Starline becomes more disillusioned in the genius and superiority of his hero, and finally, Starline takes it upon himself to be insubordinate. Believing that Eggman's plans are short sighted and destined to fail, he takes it upon himself to "fix things" by going behind Robotnik's back and bringing in the Zeti as (assumed) pawns. It is after this act where Starline decides he needs to save his hero from himself that Eggman tosses him to the side and fires him.

Now, it's worth mentioning that Eggman so easily tosses him aside because there is one thing Starline does not have in common with the other examples of Eggman's number two in other media. This is that they have the advantage of time spent with Eggman, allowing him to become attached to them enough that even smaller acts of insubordination aren't enough for him to fire them completely.

But in any case, Robotnik didn't completely reject Starline after this. He was of the mind that he'd be willing to take Starline back if Starline begged at his feet and apologized. However, since Starline had too much pride, he did not do this. Rather, he begins to believe that Robotnik still is a grand genius, just that he's short sighted and can never take over the world with how he handles the threat of Sonic. So, Starline takes it upon himself to take over the world for Eggman (since he believes he himself is smart enough to do so without falling into Eggman's folly), and then dreams of doing such a good job that it's Eggman who begs to he at his side, since Starline is hung up on Eggman's rejection and wants him to choose him.

So, what does this have to do with Stone?

Well, I have no doubt that Stone was a smart man from the start given his position related to the US gov and that he's been able to perfectly Robotnik's assistant. But you can also take Eggman's word for it as well, courtesy of the prequill comic (which takes place between movies 1 and 2)

It is also by this very comic that we know that Stone was the only man Robotnik trusted to enact his plans in his absense, and perhaps the only man he had ever shared the secrets of his manifesto.

And it's how we know that Stone undoubtedly undergoes major changes by movie 2 compared to movie 1. Not only does he have it in his mind that he is Robotnik's number 2, a man personally responsible for doing what Robotnik cannot with the mission of personally rebuilding Robotnik's glory, but this entire experience contains the purpose of molding Stone to be more like Robotnik himself.

Stone by movie 2 is more cunning and calculating in the way Robotnik is. He was given a personal mission to rebuild his master's former glory, and he throws his entire self into it. It is not a stretch to assume that Stone is saddened upon meeting Robotnik again in movie 2 because it did not match his expectations.

All in all, especially since he'd given Robotnik the tools for a makeover, I think from Stone's end he was expecting for Robotnik to return to him a man who has gone through an ordeal but maintains his style and greatness (essentially, looking like he did before), as a man of who would congratulate Stone on his work in his absense (praise him even), and take him at his side as they work together to enact Robotnik's world takeover plan.

But Stone's expectations are dashed as Robotnik arrives in a new fit, with a new stache, seemingly more mentally unstable than before (keep in mind, Robotnik's thing in movie 1 was that he was more intelligent and thought differently than everyone else, not that he was unstable. He was the kind of "genius who is written off as unstable but sees what no one else does", but since his involvement with Sonic HAS been seemingly less cool and collected and more unstable), and with a space echidna at his side. In the span of one meeting, Stone had the means to feel replaced and to feel as if Robotnik was falling short of his glory/falling from greatness as he's changed.

And then over the course of movie 2, though there are people who do Movie Ivo character study who'd agree that Robotnik does genuinely care about Stone, just is bad at showing it or doesn’t show it conventionally, it's pretty clear that Stone himself doesn't really see it. He doesn't feel valued. He doesn't even get to be used by Robotnik as he was in movie 1, actively on the road trip with him. Nope. Robotnik leaves him at the Mean Bean most of the movie.

And this is why Stone doesn't seem happy most of the movie. This is why it excites him so that Robotnik accepts him at the end of the movie and makes room for him as a vital helper.

What I assert, in essence, is that after the prequill comic, Stone can no longer just be okay in his role as he was before with little praise/acknowledgement, nor can he even he even take solace in the fact that Robotnik will always keep him around because he needs him.

So here's where the Starline parallel comes in. Now that Stone sees himself as a much more important figure in Robotnik's life, with a mission given to him by a version of Ivo who Stone could possibly see as "at his most sane" to make sure he succeeds and attains his former glory, I think he sees his number two role as less of a guaranteed thing and something he must fight to keep (this means stuff like putting himself out there at the end of movie 2 and begging to go with Robotnik, or taking it upon himself to find Robotnik after the battle and support him). And so, I suspect (especially with those shots we got in the trailer, Stone being sad at presenting Robotnik's current state, his potentially angrier faces as he's finally allowed to groom Robotnik and shave his hair, his continued sadness even as Robotnik has moved out of his rut) that we're going to see Robotnik to continue to take Stone's presence as his "sycophant" for granted, while Stone continues to become disillusioned with his idol and master.

But in the end, this is just my theory. I do not yet know how much of this will actually come to pass, but I hope it's food for thought for you all.

I predict Stone will continue to become so disillusioned with Robotnik due to seeing him as a man falling from greatness and due to lack of acknowledgement and appreciation, that Stone will eventually turn on Robotnik. But not to stop him or to become better than him. No. I predict, Starline style, Stone will take it upon himself to restore Eggman to his former glory, to eventually go behind Eggman's back and enact his own plans, to attempt to take over the world for Robotnik, and to accomplish it all in such an amazing display that Robotnik has to express that he wants him around and to acknowledge him as a partner and to praise him.

At least, that could be the plan/setup. It would remain to be seen how these two characters resolve this event (essentially, in which ways this diverges from the parallel and the two inevitably come back together again). After all, no matter what ends up happening between Stone and Robotnik, I think something will need to give and change eventually, and the two will need to make their feelings/wishes...more clear to each other

By the way, I too love the Stobotnik scenes in this trailer. We are eating good👌👌👌 However, it really is hard not to see that scene where Ivo rips Stone's shirt off as another moment where Stone doesn't feel appreciated. Ivo over here ripping off a man's shirt (gay. Sorry. The people are right when they asked if it was gay for him to just rip it off and then choose to wear it during the movie), and it's entirely possible the man in question thinks that this is proof that Robotnik doesn't think much of him in this state (even if Stone is clearly not going to keep him from doing what he wants here)

"When we're done, there won't be anything left"

Cool, so Shadow is actively planning on destroying the world here. Potentially to satisfy revenge.

Interesting. So the scene with the Chao mascots also looks like an ambush is happening, with Team Sonic specifically being targeted with missiles

"What did you do?" "What I had to."

Movie Sonic has his classic extremely angry face here too, so Shadow must have done something major. It's either world ending, or it put the lives of his family and friends in HUGE jeopardy (or both).

AND FINALLY. Gerald reveal

I cannot express the surprise I felt here. This scene shows us that Gerald is here in the present, not just a man who died 50 years ago by execution. So, possible time travel shenanigans or not, the fact that he's involved in the present conflict (perhaps with Shadow personally) is highly interesting and I'm excited to see where this goes.

Also, based on the layout of the room here, it's potentially possible that either this is the same room Sonic is searching earlier in the trailer, or that Gerald had multiple lab like living spaces he was jumping between over the years to stay under the radar, and that Team Sonic and Team Robotnik ended up finding Gerald while looking into clues on Shadow

ㅤ

And...done. Whew. Wow. I had a lot of thoughts so uh. I hope my ask satisfied your curiosity, flashonetwo. I also hope for anyone that read this far that you enjoyed it at least a little bit, and that your mind is running with thoughts of your own.

I'm beyond excited for this movie, and I genuinely can't wait to see what happens next. So here's to seeing how much we get right in the future, and here's to enjoying what we get!😊❤️

[stupidlittlespirit]

you encouraged bothering so hiiiiii. pegging that old man while he calls you mommy goes brrrrr. y’know what? actually do you think ford has a mommy kink moreso in his research era/younger era or….. does the mommy kink stay pretty intact through the years? everything else changes but the mommy kink remains looool. does he actively think about his mommy kink actually 🤔 or is it something that slips out during the heat of the moment that surprises even himself….. I sound so horny, I swear I’m scientifically curious and that is all!

also: so excited for more of when it rains it spores, for the eventual dry humping and other purer developments!!!! your stuff is always so painfully well-written it drives me crazy!

*puts on lab coat* that's a great question!

I think it would be strongest in its purest form in his younger years. Probably between college and just before falling through the portal, imo. I definitely think that he'd be more inclined to actively think about it during that time period and it would come out much easier/be more obvious.

Post-Portal!Ford's kink would almost certainly change over time with his own maturation to become less 'mommy' focused in the outright kinky sense and more motherly in the caring sense? I imagine him to be very (secretly) into affection in private moments: being held, being touched absentmindedly, playing with his hair etc. Like he's so touch starved it's almost painful for him and the tiniest bit of physical attention and validation would have him melting.

He won't ever admit it and he'd actively protest to the contrary, but get him in the position to receive it and he'd be all for it.

For some reason, I have this strong picture in my mind of standing up between his legs whilst Ford is sitting in a chair, resting his forehead on your chest/solar plexus/wherever it reaches according to height, and you just carding your fingers through his hair. Literally massaging his scalp, soothing your fingers over the edge of the scar that's hidden in amongst his hair from his metal plate installation, raking your nails across his scalp gently, telling him he's good and he's okay and he's done well..... And Ford just totally being limp and breathless and all flushed because he's enjoying being cared for. He comes up for air and his hair is just sticking up all over the place, he's bright red and sleepy-eyed lmao

As for actual sex with Post-Portal!Ford in that sense, I do think it might just slip out if he was particularly overstimulated too.

And thank you for the kind words! Expect plenty of yearning and longing and all that good stuff haha

[i-may-be-an-emu]

hi im new to the SFTH fandom and would like to know their ages ! do you know it ? thank you :))

Hello!!! I do know their ages! plus their birthdays :))

Tom - 10th July 1989 - 35

Sam - 21st July 1989 - 35

Luke - 23rd October 1989  - 34 (turning 35)

AJ - 4th November 1991 - 32 (turning 33)

[artbyblastweave]

i dont know anything about fallout except its a wild west postnuclear survivor game and there’s a jaunty lil dude who’s always giving you a thumbsup? Anyway i would love to know your thoughts on water collection/distribution and/or the economy of mended stuff.

sorry your brain is on the brink

In the context of fallout? The post-nuclear Water economy is the backbone of three different games; the plot of the first involves you getting kicked out of your fancy underground Bunker City in order to find replacement parts for the water filtration system, and the rudimentary post-apocalyptic society you explore uses a currency backed on the water standard (in lieu of the Gold Standard- one bottlecap for one bottle of water.). Water Merchants (those with access to water towers, etc) are power players in the nascent political ecosystem. The (not-very-well-considered) plot of the third game involves trying to get a widespread water purification program working for the DC area. And the central conflict of New Vegas (sometimes referred to as "the really good one,") consists of the local powers brawling over control of the still-functional Hoover Dam due to the control it would provide over the regions freshwater and electricity supply.

I liked New Vegas's take on the scavenged-equipment economy the best. The setting shift to Nevada (previous games by the same writing team being in California) is in part meant to reflect that people back west have simply run out of old-world materials to scavenge, and are now back to living in actual cities that they build out of novel materials, eating food they grow and cook- which makes for a boring place to set a game, hence the shift to the "frontier" of Vegas, where you'll encounter neo-western "prospectors" (scavengers) looking for new claims to tap for pre-war resources to supplement what re-industrialized society can produce. Many of the weapons and armor-sets you use and fight against are encountered in a mad-max style environment, but many of them aren't implausibly-still-in-use antiques- they're being manufactured by a largely off-screen 21st-century-styled liberal-democratic society that's rebuilt enough to redevelop mass consumption and arms conglomerates, the negative externalities of which are spilling out to affect those on the frontier.

[kettle-bird]

A lineup/write up of my iteration of the green mean ninja team! These weirdo sewer punks are here to kick butt and cause mayhem

[smallsky]

Hiiii guess who’s been thinking about their au again for the first time in forever

So here’s SOS mothwing and hawkfrost!

Mothbriar is a respected warrior that was having a secret relationship with leafpool and has been missing for years. And Hawkscream is medicine cat that literally everyone’s scared of and is currently running Riverclan as cult.

[ryuki-draws]

As I'm putting together script for the next few parts of the Local Trains, I feel like I need to mention that from the next part on, I'll be working with near the end events of season 3/season 4 of Cyberverse, so if you haven't seen the show yet, just heads up for spoilers and possible further confusion if you'e not familiar with the show.

And also this is your sign to go watch it and not get discouraged by season 1, it's really good!

[vikingpoteto]

You wanted prompts for drabbles so may I suggest any hurt/comfort liulao scenario, this ship is underrated qwq

Kung Lao dismisses the young students, but he keeps his smile frozen in place even after the last of them is gone. He's supposed to be responsible for the newest Shaolin now. Just another title he's fought tooth and nail to earn and he keeps telling himself that he deserves it. This is just another step on the way to prove himself.

He feels a familiar presence behind him and old doubts make his insides cold. How long has he been there? Did Lao notice because of his own skill or because he let him?

"Can I help you, Liu?" he asks, as nonchalantly as he manages.

"I believe you helped as many people as you can today," Liu replies.

Kung Lao turns around to face him. Liu Kang smiles softly at him, and his lips are so beautiful, his eyes so soft and earnest in their affection, it hurts. Everything hurts. Even when Liu Kang approaches him and loops his arms around his waist. I don't deserve him, he thinks.

"One of these days, Raiden is going to walk in on us," he says, half joking, half honestly concerned.

"Both of us would notice Lord Raiden," Liu Kang says without missing a beat.

Unlike Kung Lao, Liu Kang thinks the world of him. Would burn down the world for him. Sometimes, when Liu Kang holds him, Kung Lao stops thinking about earning his place and thinks he belongs. He forgets about rankings and legacies. It makes him worry about one day waking up and finding out this has been all a dream.

"Actually, between the two of us," Liu Kang continues casually. "I'm sure we can sneak out. Both of us completed our duties for the day, yes? It's only fair."

He rubs circles with his thumb on Kung Lao's cheek, as if he wants to erase the fake smile and allow his partner to just relax. For a moment, Kung Lao lets him. He leans into the touch and hums.

"I suppose we could. But can you keep up with me?" he teases.

Liu Kang grins, mischievous, a side of him that almost no one except Lao knows, and Kung Lao decides that he'll enjoy this for as long as it lasts.

Whether he deserves it or not... Whether it's real or a dream... It is his.

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