#feel free to talk to me about any fandom except Sonic

[problamticsideanna]

This was SUPPOSED to be a multifandom side blog thing so here are more Red x Blue ships I like!

[sonysakura]

🚫 My Sonic Big Bang 2024 Experience

...Or how a few months of my life were severely negatively impacted by someone else's bad management. See for yourself.

Proof of the rule they're speaking about being actively hidden from the participants to this day: FAQ – archived link, screenshot with "Who can participate?" on top, screenshot with "explicit" word search, screenshot with "nsfw" word search; Master Guide – screenshot with "explicit" word search, screenshot with "nsfw" word search; server rules – long screenshots of General Server Rules and StH Big Bang Specific Rules: Mar 12 and Jul 01, screenshots of Strike Policy: Mar 12 and Jul 01, long screenshot of General Guidelines, long screenshot of Collaboration Thread Guidelines.

I feel like this is extremely unfair 😭 One moment I was participating in the event I dreamed about for years, and the next moment I'm thrown out into the cold when I did nothing wrong. I need to get it off my chest...

Below, more about my experience with the event, though it ended up a little vent-y, a detailed (and verified!) record of what exactly happened in private thread #48, the aftermath and some fun facts I discovered or want to share:

First things first! Yep, I signed up for Sonic BB as a Writer back in January. I didn't talk about it outside of my server 'cause I wanted it to be a surprise – when I roll out a lo-o-ong illustrated fic without a warning. I'll admit, I always wanted to participate in a Big Bang for this fandom, it was a dream of sorts. And still, before sending my form in, I carefully read all of the Master Guide and the FAQ both. Seeing as how for my neurodivergent brain the rules and regulations are important, that's what I usually do for events, and this one wasn't an exception. Confident that I understand what the event would require of me, I signed up.

First month of the event went well. My questions were answered (even though I wondered why some of the things I asked couldn't have been in the Master Guide from the beginning), I wrote my fic summary and submitted it without many problems, etc. There was a small hiccup at the very beginning of March when I noticed how strict the management seemed to be (no changes or adjustments allowed), and my anxiety got the best of me, so I asked the mods if there's a plan in case a collab team doesn't work out: screenshot of my message in #writers-info-and-questions, pulled from my Discord data; screenshot of my detailed explanation in DMs; screenshot of Mod Joy's reply. Here are the most important quotes from his reply:

I understand wanting to plan for the worst case scenarios, but I would caution you not to freak yourself out over what all could go wrong! There are some absolutely lovely artists in this event who are excited to work with the writers. Odds are, things will go off without a hitch.

We are highly encouraging that no one drops out after the assignments, especially writers, unless due to extenuating circumstances.

We want to make everything as fun and stress-free for everyone. Know that we will be around to moderate threads and dissolve any tensions that arise,..

In short, I was placated with reassurances of careful moderation, not dropping writers and ✨positivity✨. I decided to stay and challenge myself since originally BB is meant to be a challenge and all...

For those of you who haven't participated: the way it is supposed to go is that writers submit short summaries of their stories, these summaries are stripped of the writers' names and given to artists to pick through. The artists then have to list their Top 10 stories to illustrate during the claims period. After the claims, private collab threads are made for each writer and their artists with a couple of mods. So no one else could see what happens in these threads.

Now flashforward to March 11th and the threads being created. Obviously I don't have screenshots of that due to being kicked off the server without any warning and before any chance of communication, unable to delete my personal information or save anything that might be used against me which was a case of poor management at best and a deliberate move at worst, so I'm retelling as faithfully as possible. It also has been verified by [artist 1] and according to them, this is exactly what happened.

My fic was in the 4-8k range, and I got two artists. I was asleep when the thread opened, and they talked about how excited they are for my fic before I came in. Both of them are 18, young but adults. I’ll call them [artist 1] (they're cool), and the other one is [artist 2]. Both artists seemed to talk to me normally.

Oh, I have to point out that there were hmm, Mods Chaz, Joy, Summers and Frostios in my thread. I think only four of them, but I know for sure Mod Summers was reading our conversation at least in the beginning because I noticed my fic's Warnings saying "None" (the original summary I submitted had Warnings: Discussion of Homophobia, Slight Internalised Homophobia), and I pointed out that there are warnings, though I don't know if they were lost just now or weren't in the sheet available to the Artists either, and whether they were actually lost or mods didn't consider it a big enough warning to keep... I still don't know. Mod Summers just silently pinned my message.

I mentioned how I'm in one of the Asian timezones geographically, so I might be awake or asleep at unconventional times, and they told me their timezones (I didn't ask!), so I figured I can make a timebuddy chart for easy tracking what time it is for everyone. Made one, sent the link to the thread, Mod Summers asked me if I want it pinned, too, and then a couple of hours later (I think?) [artist 1] came and said it's very helpful. This is my evidence for at least Mod Summers probably reading the conversation that followed but also maybe not. I think all of the mods were online or at least visually online when it was happening.

This is where I reveal that the entire conversation happened in like... one afternoon 🥲 Roughly 7 pm to 2 am for me.

Back to the conversation itself. There were a few questions I had so I started with them, basically 1) if they've read my fics before (explained that I'm asking so I know whether I need to tell them about my writing style and Sonadow dynamics I write); 2) do they want me to send in scenes as I write them or they want a full draft; 3) if they have any immediate questions for me. Question 1) is what we need. Both of them said they've never read my stuff before, and that they don't have any questions now but they want art to be as close to text as possible, so they will ask in the future. This is how it went down after (as per my memory, artist rendition I guess):

[artist 1]: I haven't read your fics but I'd like to! Your Ao3 is the same as your handle? [no link]

Me: It isn't a requirement, you don't have to! But that's right. I have to warn you though that I usually rate my Ao3 profile as 18+ when I link it, though 33/36 of my Sonic fics are rated G and T, and I feel like a warning is in order anyway so people don't accidentally stumble upon something they don't want to see and know what to avoid/filter out. [I didn't post any links or encouraged the artists to read my profile, just made a warning to be cautious]

We go into discussion of how long I have been writing, [artist 1] shows no problems with knowing my Ao3 has 3 Mature fics, I describe what series my fic will be for [the series is completely SFW, and even then I didn't post the link to it] and go into details of how I write Sonadow dynamics in my fics without mentioning the NSFW ones obviously, we speak about Question 2).

[artist 2]: [replying to my warning about my Ao3] ooohh so you write gore sometimes?

Me: Nah, I don't actually, I'm pretty uncomfortable with it tbh, so no, I don't. Some blood and a quick description of Maria's dead body is the most I have ever done 😅 All the angst I make characters go through is emotional rather than physical!

[artist 2]: oh I shouldn't have assumed, sorry. It's just the first thing my mind went to

Me: It's okay! I've been a medical student at some point and I think I've just had enough of that - one of the main reasons I'm not a doctor but a linguist.

[artist 1] gets excited about this for some reason, and we chat about it for a moment.

Normal conversation continues like...

Me: Okay, where were we

[artist 2]: i wasn't paying attention errr

Me: Me neither! But it's Question 3)

I go into saying how them wanting to draw as close to the text is 💯 what I wanted to hear because for me my texts are an extension of my soul, I'm fragile about them, and I'd prefer the art to be exactly according to it blah-blah-blah, I describe my thoughts about a plan of work for us and how I'm going to share pieces of my fic according to their respective wishes.

[artist 1]: Sounds great!

[artist 2]: yeah, sounds good

[artist 1] says something else which I just react with an emoji to, and I start getting ready for sleep because it's almost 2 am, and I have to get up at 6 am.

Nothing else was said in the thread. That's it.

I got to bed and as most people nowadays I check my phone one last time. I see [artist 2] requesting a mod they can DM to, but I don't think much of it…

So 6 am. I wake up and again, as most people nowadays, I check my phone. I went to sleep in a good mood, seemingly in good relations with my artists, excited for the collab and having a solid plan everyone agreed to, so I eagerly open Discord to see if they wrote anything new in the thread. I see no Sonic Big Bang 2024 server.

I will not go into too much detail about my state, but I have an extremely acute reaction to stress very similar to a panic attack that lasts for hours. So with shaking fingers I open my DMs to see the message from that first screenshot I started my post with. The following exchange with me learning about the hidden rule happens the next day. Unfortunately, before that I still have to go to work for a full day in that very same mental state, oof. Plus I have no breaks on Tuesday... I go back and forth all day with my friends about how shitty this situation is, and one of them asks me how [artist 1] reacted. I say that I don't know, but they still follow me on Tumblr so I go and message them, and from what they tell me, it sounds like a mod pretended to them that I was removed because of an existing rule that's stated somewhere. They didn't argue with that, and that's understandable of course.

At home, I notice one of the event mods blocked me.

It is difficult to explain what's happening in my mind without going into details of what my [disorders] are, but things that are unfair, things that are injustice put my brain in a loop until all wrongs are righted. I'm ranting about it to friends, and I think about it day and night. On March 14th I vent about it in the tags of a related reblog, and this is the only instance of me talking about StH BB on my blog. Next morning I'm blocked by the event blog and over the next 2 weeks – by two more mods, while another mod speaks to me passively-aggressively in a shared Discord server. Then I'm shown a screenshot where one of the mods claims I offered my Ao3 to my artists (I didn't) and implies everyone who writes NSFW is dangerous. And then I receive a hate ask about the event, calling me "creepy"... All this time, my brain is still stuck in a loop, and let me tell you – it's not fun. It doesn't help that my first reaction to everything that makes me feel bad is always to assume I'm at fault for everything, and seeing how hostile people are to me, I'm drowning in self-blame. Without going into any more detail, it takes me 2 months and a lot of help to somewhat recover, so I finally send my reply to Headmod Chaz and receive one back:

If you got to this part, you know that half of Headmod Chaz's reply is simply untrue since there were no "multiple instances", and in any case I was never asked to keep quiet about my ban (and why should I?). I sent another reply a month later expressing my confusion and wondering when the messages will be removed (only my intro was removed). As of today, that reply is still ignored, and the messages aren't removed 🤷

And this is the entirety of my Sonic Big Bang 2024 experience. Now for some Q&A:

Why did you wait so long to make this post? I didn't want to put any participants under fire, particularly my friends because I'll admit, the mods seem like petty people. And also I was worried about throwing shade on other participants (people associating their works with this) or spoiling the event for people who were genuinely having fun with it. Thus, I waited until it was over!

Is this a callout post? According to definition as "public criticism or asking someone to explain their actions", I think it is – in terms of calling out bad management. It is definitely not a call for harassment. There is a reason I censored some names and left vague who reported me, blocked me, was hostile to me or spread rumours about me. Please don't bother anyone, and if the mods decide to engage with this, they can post their own statement.

Aside from the above reasons, why make a post at all? Two reasons: a personal one and an altruistic one. Firstly, I hope to get closure this way since I still feel like I was unjustly thrown away when I was just being a dutiful person. Secondly, while Headmod Chaz said they will be transparent about this rule next time they run an event, as you can see they fully ignored my suggestion of doing it now, and in general keeping a rule hidden to such an extent where you lie in your FAQ is pretty shady... I don't trust them not to do it again next year.

Is it okay to reblog the post/reply to it, what about sending an ask or a PM? Yes to all. I don't expect anyone to reblog, though if you think it's necessary, go on. I'm posting it to the event tags, so-o I think people who need to see it – will see it. If you decide to be negative or call me names, however, be prepared to be blocked by IP or username.

Finally, fun facts as promised 🔥

There are other participants out there who have had negative experiences with BB or were made uncomfortable by the way it was managed, but I'm not going to speak for them;

There was this whole thing with hypocrisy and possible favouritism;

Despite the mods insisting on ME being quiet about my ban, it's now known that they shared information about it outside the mod group;

Out of 6 mods: 5 have me blocked, 2 were passive-aggressive with 1 of them going as far as verbally lash out at me in DMs, and only 1 mod gave me a human apology (not pictured in screenshots);

I saw 3 NSFW writers and at least 2 NSFW artists participating in BB just by scrolling through my dash, without seeking them out, and this is not counting people I noticed in the server prior to me being banned;

Some people are posting Mature and Explicit extras and sequels/prequels to their BB stories already;

The artist who reported me seems to have dropped out anyway;

There's a joke reason why I'm making a post, too: I have to earn being blocked from the event blog since they said they did it because of multiple instances of me talking about my removal;

I'm actually grace and most of the time write my characters as aspec, and I'm exploring what sexuality and intimacy mean for me through writing, so this situation felt a little... like gatekeeping;

My fic was #48 under the title Chao Care 101, and I want you to give me a high five if you had it among your top choices 🖐

Originally, I wasn't going to complete my BB fic because it made me feel bad, but now I've decided I want to reclaim it, so I'm writing it now. Almost 8k words at the moment. It will be published. And it will be illustrated;

Meanwhile, what came out of this disaster is Sonic Supernova 2025, and I recommend you all to keep an eye out for this inclusive Big Bang-like event 🌟

[a-fantastic-time]

Guide to a Fantastic Time!

Hello everyone! Thank you for coming, I hope we have a grand old time. First things first, this is a 18+ Rp area, so I hope you please respect that we should do just fine. Rps do not need to go down that route, I am 100% down for SFW rps, but I mainly prefer NSFW. Just pointing that out now. Also I will absolutely will not do anything with anyone under age, characters or people.

Muses! Unfortunately I do not have a set listing for muses. I actually love to play as many characters as I can from different fandoms, or OCs that I have sorta made up and never really put them to pen and paper. So feel free to ask me about them, and I will gladly talk your ear off. Note that I do play any gender, be it Male/Female/Herms.

Fandoms! I will do my best to get as many of my favorite Fandoms/interest listed down, I will be editing this when I can, so if you ever have an interest, or show, or game that you like and you do not see it on my list. Please feel free to ask me about it, and maybe I can add it to the list.

List of Interests-

She-Ra The Dragon Prince Glitch Tech Transformers (series, not movies) TMNT(series, not movies) Steven Universe Big Hero 6 RWBY Marvel(Comics/Shows) DC(Comics/Shows) Halo Pokémon Digimon Mortal kombat Mass Effect Dragon age Final Fantasy (Any game/series) Boku no hero UnderTale DeltaRune Sonic(Series) Ben 10 Diablo League of Legends Wakfu Miraculous Ladybug Bleach D&D Yu-Gi-Oh Gargoyles Aliens(Franchise, and in general) Kaiju(Monsters in general, not just the franchises) Gundam (any series) Hazbin Hotel Helluva Boss Murder Drones Starwars Critical Role Destiny Warframe Panty & Stocking Resident Evil(all series)

RULES: More may be added at a later time. But for now please read and follow.

I absolutely do not "one line", I have told many people this and sometimes I do make exceptions depending on the situation like if you are tired and its late, or you are not feeling up to rp. If you continue to one-line after I give you a warning, After that, I will simply not reply.

I do not in any shape or form condone rape. I am ok with rough sex or maybe being dominate with my partner, but I will not participate in rape of any kind sorry.

I will do my best to message you first as soon as possible. If you do not get a message from me right away, its most likely because I thought I did or I forgot. So please let me know if I have yet to talk to you yet. I do not treat anyone as a number.

If you have a problem with the way I RP, then please let me know. I have no problems changing things to make the rp more pleasant for both parties. Whether it be either grammar, or possibly with how you prefer actions or talking to be placed in either ** or "". Please just let me know, and I will see how I can change it to make it more pleasing to you.

I am completely fine with rough to kinky sex, but I hate abusive sex. Examples: forcing me to suck, ride, fuck you when I do not want too. cussing me out while we fuck for the sake of demeaning someone during it to make yourself seem superior or saying you can do that just because your Dom/alpha is bullshit. If you do this I will tell you to quit it, but if you whine about not being allowed to be yourself you will be blocked enough said.

I enjoy futas/shemales/dickgirls as much as everyone else. But if you plan to stick anything in me, you will get the same treatment in return. Its how I see its fair. I do not care of your "DOM" or "Your only comfortable with giving". With that said, I do have a preferences towards woman, and futas.

Sorry guys, not into you! Especially not into fembois, sissies, or traps. With that stated, didn't think I would have to emphasis this, but I am not into Men. I will play them, but will not ship with them. So to make it clear. I do not do M/M, nor Futa/Male. Trans is questionable, and needs to be discussed with me.

AGAIN!!! I PLAY MALE MUSES, I DO NOT RP WITH THEM!! if you see on my page M/F, it means I am playing male. It does not mean you get to be reply with a male muse and expect me to play what ever muse you think I am playing.

[xox-b1te-m3-xox]

yo!! i'm hunter (im 20 yej), also known as lepus / leppy / lele, rev / revolver, uzi, moxie, calware / cal, hornet, freminet / fremmy / frem, or any of my other kin names. im gay and cosmoveric errorgender / libramasculine (he/they/neos), see my pronouns page for my neopronouns list & all the kin names i use!!!

professionally i use the names colt and orion !! i don't really use those names on this account though this is my hell fandom space lmfao

im also experimenting with the name dusk, so if you want to refer to me with that i don't mind!!

my primary kinshift atm is uzi doorman !! so rn i prefer being called uzi or revolver / rev, either works !!

IF YOU'RE COMING FROM MY PROFESSIONAL SOCIALS, ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE BECAUSE I AM NOT PROFESSIONAL HERE, SEE MY BSKY FOR PROFESSIONAL CONTENT

cringe culture is dead, so i'm gonna be cringe on main!!!!! im a border collie therian and a furry, so im ultra levels of cringe aren't i, bite me

this post is way too FUCKING long so feel free to read this intro and leave it at that idrc i wrote this for me anyways (/hj)

yes i format my page like a 15 year old so what?? i never mentally recovered past middle school anyways

im medically diagnosed with major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, borderline personality disorder, and bipolar 1 disorder........................... ya boi is fucked up god damn (im being medicated for bipolar disorder but we're workin on the rest trust me)

in other news, i publish books under the name hunter bunnyfields !!

theres tons of stuff under the cut including the fandoms im into, if my edit requests are open, my kin list, my tags, and my social media!

by the way fuck the algorithm tumblr can suck my metaphysical dick

if you want to you can send me asks about any of the fandoms im into or ships i like just be wary about sending spoiler content (like endings or other paths) unless i've explicitly posted about it before

i'm not gonna bother listing all my ships bc a lot of them are pretty obvious just bc of these post dividers (hunter route is best route fight me idgaf i speak the truth and im into blondes) but feel free to send me other ships (i will judge you harshly for them /silly)

so moving on, the fandoms im into include: sonic, danganronpa, stardew valley, cotl, fnaf, vocaloid/sekai, warrior cats, pokemon, hyv games (except tot), ninjago, cookie run, promare, my little pony, aphmau, yttd, undertale, space leaper, food fantasy, afterl!fe, mystic messenger, nimona, lackadaisy, murder drones, tadc, camp buddy, minecraft: story mode, professor layton, the legend of zelda, tof, fnf, bluey, afk journey, hollow knight, mystery skulls animated, p5, resident evil, steven universe, what lurks beneath, portal

feel free to ask me about any of them idrc i like talking!!!!!!!! i also forget that im in most of these fandoms half the time and i'm sure there's more i've forgotten to add im just stupid

yes im a kinnie no i don't care about doubles no i won't tell you my full kin list i'll just randomly drop the fact i kin characters sometimes (this is a lie; i have pretty much all of my kin names on my pronouns page, i've just got some of em as friends only lmao)

if you want a few of the characters i personally identify with, if it wasn't already obvious from my intro of this post, my mains are freminet from genshin impact, uzi from murder drones, moxie from the lonely wolf series, and hunter from camp buddy

some of my other major kins include wanderer, herrscher of sentience, vflower, ivypool, jayfeather, starlight glimmer, kokichi ouma, surge the tenrec, kieran (pkmn), and lio fotia

i kin more characters those are just the main ones, i'm the worst combination of all your least favourite character tropes!!!!

feel free to ask me about my kins if you want, or ask what kin shift im in idrc, i dont kin shift that much anymore but sometimes i do

i do edits and moodboards sometimes??? i guess?? sometimes i'll make icons or whatever, sometimes i do fancy dividers, hell did you guys know im an artist?? i do art sometimes too, occasionally i do sprite edits if i feel like it but i'm not that good at replicating artstyles so shrugs, mainly just do ur classic 2018 tumblr edits here

so uh if you want some icons or whatever the fuck else i listed

✨ Feel Free To Send Requests ✨

i don't have much of a blacklist other than don't be weird about ships (so no pr*sh*p stuff) and don't ask for nsfw/gorey stuff

but i do edits pretty rarely so don't expect a lot from me lmaooo

for some reason i also made tags for some of my bs ramblings so stuff usually tagged with .txt is miscellaneous bullshit i post (ocasionally some of my posts are funny, i think)

some, but not all of them, may include: legendary post archive.txt, the brainrot.txt, random.txt, art.txt, psa.txt, save.txt/saves.txt, asks.txt, fave.txt signal boost.txt, promo.txt, random.txt, textingronpa.txt, the journal.txt

most of my personal ramblings go under random.txt but occasionally i add other stuff, so if the tumblr search function allows you to peruse the tags go ahead idrc if you do

in particular my primary tag is 'the journal.txt', as this is where most of my rambling about my novel series go, i've been working on the series since 2015 so i don't like to shut the hell up about it lmfao

a lot of my posts are LONG POSTS, so if you don't wanna see long posts please blacklist the 'long post tw' tag bc that's what i normally tag them as!!! yes, i mean it, ill post them a lot

hey i have a shit ton of ✨ social media ✨ and ✨ miscellaneous bullshit websites ✨ if you wanna check em out, idk why you'd wanna do that tho all my cringeposting is already here

BLUESKY || TOYHOU.SE || MY OFFICIAL WEBSITE REDBUBBLE || FANDOM WIKIA || TWITCH || AO3 SQW || WATTPAD || DEVIANTART  || ARTFIGHT COMICFURY || MAIN YOUTUBE || GAMEJOLT PATREON || POKEFARM || FANDOM YOUTUBE

i've got some accs i'm only leaving up to ward off impersonators so i'm not linking them here but if you want to know what they are idrc if you just ask me through the askbox or whateve

[edgy-ella]

~~THE EDGY ELLA MASTERLIST~~

Hello! Welcome to my Tumblr. Yes, it is I, the great and powerful Edgy Ella. This is my personal blog, not dedicated to any one fandom, so I post all kinds of things on here. Below the cut are links to my socials, projects I’m working on, some of my biggest and/or favorite posts on here, etc.

Socials:

Twitter: Here

YouTube: Here

Archive of our Own: Here

Discord: Here (this is primarily a server for Iron Touch)

Ongoing Projects:

Iron Touch: A JoJo fanpart that takes place between Golden Wind and Stone Ocean starring Polnareff’s daughter as the lead. Don’t forget to leave comments and kudos!

Conversations With Mike: A FNAF rewrite meant to streamline the story while adding some new plot details in to keep things interesting. Written in collaboration with @allshaftsfall. Alternate link here.

Completed Fics:

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure:

Little Diamond: A short fic of Tomoko finding Josuke in the hospital after his battle with Kira. Completed on 6/18/2021.

Water Boiling on the Seafloor: While traveling via submarine to Egypt, Polnareff has a little chat with Avdol about the whole "faking his death" thing. Completed 5/27/2023.

Sonic the Hedgehog:

Unlike Mechs, I Can Grow: Being a teenager, Sonic was bound to hit his growth spurt at some point. His robot doppelganger wishes it could say the same. Completed 4/22/2022.

(All of my fics are rated either G or T on AO3. Don’t worry—there’s no smut to be found here.)

Side Blogs:

@iron-touch: A blog dedicated to my aforementioned fanpart, where I post chapter updates, author’s notes, and reblog any fanart of the fic I see

@futuresmashmemes: My smash bros meme blog where I post about stuff that could happen in Smash Bros (and some of it did!)

The Tumblr Archives:

Ella Essays: Wanna hear me ramble? These are my theories, analysis posts, and headcanons about anything and everything I wanna talk about.

Hall of Fame: Posts from this blog with 100 notes or more.

DNI List:

I’ve never been much of a blocker or “if you like this thing, don’t breathe in my general vicinity or I’ll chop your hands off” kind of a person, so anyone is free to interact with me if they want. However, there are types of people that I usually don’t get along with or feel uncomfortable talking to.

Proshippers: I’m not a shipping guy and stay out of ship discourse, but I don’t have a good track record with proshippers. If you can’t handle me dunking on your problematic ship, then we probably won’t get along.

NSFW/kink accounts: No thank you, not my thing. Not on main, anyways. I don’t mind if you post NSFW on a side account, though.

MAPs: Pedos can suck my big fat adult cock

Skinny shamers: Body shaming of any kind is incredibly rude, but for whatever reason people seem to think skinny shaming is the exception. If you unironically have a “fuck the skinny bitches” mentality, keep in mind that I am the skinny bitches in question.

[sharpilu]

me when i finally make a pinned post

anyways

i will post takes you hate. please get mad at me in my inbox it's funny

requests are: OPEN

request rules, basic into on referring to me, my fandoms and my tags will be under the cut.

me, the most important thing around here

HELLO i am Charlye Sharpilu but call me whatever. and i mean that. please just make shit up i love not having a consistent name i wanna be assigned one by the people

i use he/it pronouns but any neos are epic. she/her is also fine but like secondary to the rest. they/them pronouns can krill themselves or something

request rules

no ccs, only characters. even if it isn't shipping i dont wanna

i love shipping give me all the ships i am a big multishipper and am very easily infected with The Ship note: i am personally uncomfortable with drawing ships including characters of ccs who have stated they are uncomfortable with it. (+Pearl) i don't care if others do, i just dont wanna do it myself.

no NSFW i am a MINOR (suggestive stuff is fine though)

NSFW does not include gore please tell me to gore my blorbos

i do my requests in order of being sent them, though i may make some exceptions if i get motivation or an idea for a specific one

i do what i want fuck you

also if you request Scott DangThatsALongName Smajor you'll probably get something like this

fandom list (bold is hyperfix, italics is vague interest)

MCYT (HermitCraft, Empires, Traffic Life, Third Eye) technically also dsmp but i only care about a third of them anymore

Wandersong

Sonic the Hedgehog

Helluva Boss

Bittersweet Candy Bowl

Dandy's World

Dungeon Meshi

Rainworld

The Amazing Digital Circus

Hilda

Cuphead

Little Witch Academia

Hazbin Hotel

Cattails

Hollow Knight

Toilet Bound Hanako~Kun

OMORI

Cult of the Lamb

Pokemon

Wander Over Yonder

FNAF

Undertale/UTMV (+ UT Yellow)

Camp Camp

Warrior Cats, unfortunately

me tags

#hey look art > art tag. me art innit

#no art just talk > my art is not here i am just talking

#ask function being used > asks. also used for requests. for now. probably

and i tag tws as #tw [thing] and i use "tw" for all warnings, including content warnings. it's just easier. feel free to ask me to tag stuff. also i do say slurs but i also tag them. said tags are #tw t slur #tw f slur and #tw r slur.

[calithecretin]

(Updated as of August 2023)

Hello to whoever’s reading this!

I am a 19 year old female artist, AMV creator, and occasional fanfic writer (she/they). Drawing has always brought me immense comfort and is by far my favorite hobby. I am also queer (pan and demiromantic) and Christian. Any kind of support, from likes to revolve to follows to even just a nice comment, is super welcome!

MAIN INTERESTS: Superjail!, Postal, Clone High, DHMIS, FNAF, Deltarune, NITW, The Big Bang Theory, dinosaurs, cats, horror, the pink panther, rock music, US history from 1890s-1990s

SIDE FANDOMS/INTERESTS: TF2 (don’t play it anymore but I still love the characters),, The Owl House, Gravity Falls, Sonic, Smiling Friends, MLP:FIM, Undertale, some animes like MHA

DNI:

-Standard DNI criteria (racist, homophobic, n*zi, MAP, you get the idea)

-Proshippers/comshippers/anti-antis and their supporters🖕

-TERFs

-You regularly watch or enjoy liveleak or snuff films

-Younger than 13

-Fetish and strictly NSFW blogs (18+ blogs are ok)

-Furry haters. This is a big one as the furry community is a safe space for me and I don’t want that kind of hatred on my blog. Please DNI, thanks.

BYF:

-I may occasionally post/reblog artwork with mature themes, such as violence, suggestive content, horror, and (always censored) nudity. For this reason my account is generally rated 16+.

-If you don’t apply to my DNI list feel free to interact with me, just be aware that especially during spring and autumn I am busy with college stuff and may not respond immediately, I promise I’m not ignoring you :)

-Please, only ask for my Discord if you’re 16 or older. No offense, I just don’t feel comfortable with messaging people that young.

-I will NOT talk about NSFW topics with you if you are a minor, if you try to do that you will be blocked. No exceptions.

-l struggle with social cues, especially online. So tone tags are appreciated.

-I also have social anxiety, so I may ask for reassurance or over-apologize, please don’t take it personally.

-I AM NOT INTERESTED IN DRAMA. Please don’t rope me into it unless it’s genuinely important. Thank you.

Finally, OC boundaries since I share them quite a bit.

OK WITH ANY OF MY OCS: Fanart, especially interacting with canon/your characters! I love to see it :) also age-appropriate compliments

OK IF THEY’RE 18+: Compliments like “hot” or “sexy”, mildly suggestive art (please don’t go overboard with any of these)

ASK ME FIRST: Appearances in your fanfiction/comics (they can’t be main characters sorry), anything you’re unsure about

NOT OKAY WITH: Headcanons and self shipping with them, I totally support headcanoning and selfshippers but with my characters it just makes me uncomfy, sorry. Also, NEVER USE MY CHARACTERS FOR NSFW, FETISHES, OR SMUT.

And ofc with all of these credit me as the OG creator

Welp, that’s all! :)

[owlseeingchaos]

Welcome to the blog!

I'm Owlkhemy (she/they preferred, but no real issues with anything else)!

As I've stated back on my main @owlkhemy, I don't like to get too fandomy on main. So here's a non-main blog for me to fangirl in! Yay!

As with my other blogs, general warning here for the bucketloads of swearing I tend to do. Also a warning that some of my interests get a little... dark or heavy on occasion, so I'll do my best to tag them accordingly. If there's something I've forgotten, please let me know! I love tagging stuff properly.

A long, loooong list of all the stuff I'm a fan of is below the cut. I'll be updating it as I go along and inevitably add things I've forgotten. I'm willing to talk about any of these, so feel free to pop into my askbox!

(Anything with a blue asterisk is something I haven't actually read/played/watched all of, so please be patient with me if I get something wrong. In most of these cases, I've done a thing I like to call "consuming by proxy" - I've read a wiki extensively or watched a Let's Play or something.)

The "current fandom nonsense" indicator in my blog description is which one you're probably going to incessantly see for a while.

Queue is set to 4 posts a day. Initially I was going to say "hopefully it's enough", but more and more I've come to find that I actually don't do enough browsing on here to keep up with much more than that...

You will very quickly find out which characters are my favourite in everything. For the sake of your sanity, don't question why that might be too much in most cases...

The Long-Ass List of All My Interests!

Video Games:

Super Mario Bros. and its various subseries

Sonic the Hedgehog (I've only played the Genesis games, Heroes, Colors, Unleashed, and the "Storybook Series")

Crash Bandicoot, particularly the Radical games and Nitro-Fueled

Namco arcade games (my top four are Mappy, Sky Kid, Phozon, and Bosconian, so I'll probably focus on those)

Petz, especially Petz 5. I have a sideblog for my Petz nonsense, @hydrargyrykennelz .

I also like Petz Dogz/Catz 2. I had Petz Dogz 2, but they're literally identical except for dogs or cats.

Pac-Man, especially Pac-Man World (mostly PMW2, PMW3, and World Rally, which I've played more of than the first PMW)

Undertale* and Deltarune (and Undertale Yellow*)

Minecraft

Spyro the Dragon (I've played the demo of Ripto's Rage, most of Enter the Dragonfly, and quite a bit of A Hero's Tail)

Star Fox, probably mostly 64* (it's on the list! I Will be playing it at some point! I practically have to or else I'll die at this point /j)

Yume Nikki* (also on the list; done extensive wiki reading and watched the occasional gameplay clip)

Bejeweled, especially Bejeweled 3.

Kirby* (I've played a bit of 64)

The Legend of Zelda (I put 5-10 hours into my roomie's copy of Tears of the Kingdom and have plans to play Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask)

No Straight Roads* (also on the list; I've done a good amount of wiki reading)

Team Fortress 2* (also on the list, but not an urgent one; wiki reading)

Speedy Blupi/Eggbert, which I played constantly as a kid

Bendy and the Ink Machine* (did extensive wiki reading)

Cuphead* (wiki reading, plus i was really into Casino Cups)

Cult of the Lamb* (watched a playthrough)

Dislyte (I've long stopped playing but it's very interesting still)

Web Series:

ENA

Happy Tree Friends* (I've only seen a few episodes, but I did read the entire wiki at one point)

I have passing interest in analog horror, even though I'm both an absolute scaredy-cat and dysprosophobic

Webcomics:

Awful Hospital

I also used to be a pretty avid reader of Handplates

Other internet stuff:

I also have a passing interest in lost media

Other stuff in general:

I spend a lot of time on TV Tropes (unfortunately), mostly to absorb random facts

I am a furry (and, if you want to get more specific, also a scaly and a feathery)

Gravity Falls remains the only show I watched as a child that still has a bit of a grip on me, so the occasion content from that will pop up here.

Real life:

Science. I'm literally about to get my bachelor's. Emphasis on biology and chemistry, because physics and I have a mutual respectful hatred of each other.

Birds, especially owls (as my various usernames would suggest)

Insects and arachnids

Opossums

Really, just wildlife in general, actually?

Space.

Photography

Art

Music

Writing

I haven't read any books in a hot minute, but I like fantasy and sci-fi

[lycorisicecream]

This is basically a longer (and fancier) version of my pronouns.cc, you can go there if you want a short summary and my socials

❀DNI❀

❀ There is none, just don't be weird please

❀BYI❀

❀ My art motivation is quite random. Expect there to be times where I barely post art. Same thing goes for my writing motivation ❀ I will only do writing for my OCs, not fanfiction (I am afraid of writing characters OOC so I only trust myself with my OCs) ❀ I use the tag lycorisicecream when it comes down to my OCs, feel free to mute it if you're not interested in them ❀ Tone indicators are helpful for me, but you are free to not use them ❀ I am okay with playful teasing, kys jokes, and the like ❀ I am okay with slurs if they are being reclaimed ❀ I am not comfortable with being flirted with or having sexual comments made about me, joke or not ❀ I may make sexual jokes or suggestive jokes from time to time ❀ Credit me if you use my art anywhere ❀ Reposting of my art is okay with credit ❀ Please show me any fan art you potentially make of my OCs and my designs. It would make me very happy ❀ May be reblog heavy at times ❀ Bipolar, mood can swing ❀ Very forgetful and absent-minded. Don't get mad at me if I forget something or if I zone out

❀About❀

❀ My name is Lycoris (Cream works too). Feel free to call me any nicknames ❀ Artist and writer ❀ I use any pronouns, no preference ❀ I'm INTP 5w4 ❀ I am an adult ❀ I know English and English only. I will need to use a translator tool if you try to interact with me in another language ❀ My interests include but are not limited to fandoms, my OCs, flowers, plushies, and figures. ❀ I like reblogs, comments, messages, and asks. Try not to get too personal with asks though. You can use asks as art requests but keep in mind that I might not be able to do some due to my art skills, also keep in note that I won't do ships and that I am very unlikely to draw stuff outside of the fandoms I've listed below

❀Fandoms❀ ❀ Note that I will only be listing the fandoms that I will be posting/talking about. There are more, but I am unlikely to talk/post about them publicly (not enough of an interest in them on my end) so I do not see the point in mentioning them ❀ I am heavily multifandom, feel free to mute any tags that you don't want to see ❀ MARIKINonline ❀ Undertale/Deltarune and the AUs of the two ❀ Vocaloid and vocal synthesizers as a whole ❀ Project Moon ❀ The Binding of Isaac ❀ Touhou ❀ RPGMaker (vague ik but we'd be here for awhile if I listed out all of the RPGMaker games I'm into enough to talk about) ❀ Visual novels (vague yet again ik but we'd be here for awhile if I listed out all of the visual novels I'm into enough to talk about) ❀ Rain World ❀ Persona ❀ Magical girl stuff in general (there are some exceptions but you can simply ask me about it) ❀ Roblox ❀ Sonic ❀ Evangelion ❀ Shin Megami Tensei (including spin-offs in the series) ❀ Cult of the Lamb ❀ Chainsaw Man ❀ Arknights

[gummiix]

ᯓ★ intro ! (updated semi-regularly. ish)

Interests:

I’ve been fixated on Sonic the Hedgehog for a few years now, so that’s what you’ll (usually) see most on this main blog.

My other interests here include:

Splatoon, Gravity Falls, Spider-Verse, Kirby, My Little Pony (Gen 4), Super Mario, the Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, Dungeon Meshi, The Last of Us, Pokémon (mostly just Team Rocket,) and various other random console games.

All of these fandoms can be found in my featured tags. Meanwhile, sideblogs are usually shorter-term hyperfixes.

Side blogs (newest to oldest):

✩ detroit: become human -> @iheartandroids

✩ smiling friends -> @iheartsmilingays

✩ the amazing digital circus -> @iheartdigitalcircuses

✩ nimona (the movie) -> @iheartnimona

✩ rottmnt -> @iheartrise

✩ stim blog gifs, sounds/music, stim boards, web resources, etc -> @stimmii

Stuff to note (BYF section):

~ I curse. Some nsfw jokes might be reblogged as well; you can block these under the “#suggestive” tag.

~ Mass likes/reblogs don’t bother me, don’t worry babes

~ I may randomly spam-like/reblog other blogs though. It’s genuinely never personal, sometimes other people’s blogs are just more interesting than the dashboard lol

~ On my main, I reblog things relating to politics or light discourse, usually just some civil rights stuff. This includes approved Palestine GoFundMe’s. I often don’t tag these categorically.

~ I can talk a LOT in the tags. That said, a lot of times I don’t, but honestly I am Nottt very good at holding myself back whenever the moment strikes. So welcome to my mind if you feel like reading it

~ autism and adhd haver, I might be a lil off-putting. I reblog about struggles sometimes under “#nd things”

~ I use tone indicators for anything that I think might be confusing, but always spelt-out— like “/sarcastic” or “/light hearted”

~ I am very gay. I reblog gay things. Btw

~ My memory is faulty, meaning I may reblog the same thing multiple times without meaning to, or forget to respond to a message/ask. (more on that below . . .)

Moot-to-Moot Communication:

~ l am genderqueer and use they/she/he, in order of preference. (When I say “alternation preferred”, I mean that I would greatly appreciate if you alternate between multiple of these pronouns for me, rather than choose one set forever. thank youu mwa)

~ If we’re mutuals, feel free to strike up a conversation for any random reason!!

~ I might be a lil late to respond, but I promise no matter what I will see your message and be thinking about it. The Dysfunction sure does hit (as well as the anxiety or memory issues. lots of that too)

Drawn demonstration by user cuptoast on twitter:

~ feel free to just message me a lil reminder if I don’t get back to you after a day!! I prolly forgor. Just a little “yo” or whatever you want is great, it helps a lot.

~ However, I usually start conversations with an ask. (It’s a little silly, but it’s easier for me to keep track of and less intimidating that way.) If you’d prefer, you can just respond to it in messages.

~ I’m currently following 4000+ blogs 🥲 This means I never really see moots on the dashboard, which means I don’t really interact except for once in a while, when I might FLOOD your posts with likes + reblogs ,:]

~ In any potentially unclear messages, I would very much appreciate tone indicators (or any other form of clarification 👍) I may just ask for the tone if I’m confused.

~ Just let me know if you want me to tag something for filtering out, like spoilers but also literally anything else.

DNI:

In general, I block freely who I don’t want to interact with. However, here are my stances if it makes anyone more comfortable (or uncomfortable) to know.

- I stand completely with Palestinians for a ceasefire. I’m against genocide, displacement, Hamas, and the Israeli military. I reblog about Palestine news and history frequently, as well as verified Gofundme pages for Palestinian families seeking to evacuate.

- That said, I fully love and support my Jewish friends. This does NOT extend to Zionists, or anyone alright with war crimes in order to demolish an entire state or culture.

- I am against proshipping; meaning I am heavily against the fictional fetishization of children, rape, zoophilia, or incest.

𓆝 ⋆｡

° ‧⋆｡˚ 𖦹

✩ ⋆ ˳ ༄

THE END!!!! Thanks for reading!! pow bam blang hearts attack💥💥💕💘💗

[beevean]

Learning how to love Sonic Advance 3

[translator’s note: the original article was written in Spanish by @latin-dr-robotnik]

Today we’re going to return to a topic that we tackled previously, and we’re going to get deeper into the good and the bad of playing it nowadays.

A few weeks ago, we talked about the good, the bad and the ugly of the Sonic Advance trilogy: in the same article, we brought to the light a good amount of issues related to each game that, from my perspective and following the main Principles detailed in the article “Sonic and speed: are we misunderstanding them?”, improved or worsened the game experience. To sum it up, only one of the three games in the series got a considerably higher amount of praise: Sonic Advance 3 (followed by Advance 1).

The goal of this article is to repeat some of the good and bad parts of Advance 3 that I mentioned, and further develop the reasons my opinion on this game gets better and better. This article is also an experiment, as for the first time, we’re going to combine text and a video. The differences between both formats are minimal when it comes to content, so feel free to choose your own favorite way to engage with this article.

That being said, let’s talk a bit about Sonic Advance 3.

[translator’s note: the subtitles of the video above are a near 1:1 copy of the following article, but it has the added benefits of footage, music, and sarcastic comments]

Sonic Advance 3 in the fandom

The question “what is your favorite Sonic Advance game?” offers answers as varied as any other topic in the fandom (well, real topics, not dumb things like the length of Sonic’s quills or Sonic CD’s place in the timeline). As every game is different from each other, everyone ends up preferring one or another depending on what they like the most in a Sonic game. So, there are fans who prefer something more faithful to the Classics, those who prefer a more complex experience full of exploration and experimentation, and those who simply prefer a frantic, fast experience (although I personally am a little suspicious of the people who say Advance 2 is their favorite, same for Sonic 2!).

Advance 2 and Advance 3 are the two games that most often compete for the title of “the best one” of the trilogy, and it’s easy to find discussions and videos on the internet that defend one or the other… usually being rather passionate against the game they like the least. I’m not an exception, but after replaying the trilogy back to back for the previous retrospective, I noticed that, although the reasons people might prefer a game over another are different, the criticism towards both games tends to be similar, and it usually refers to the biggest problem of every Dimps game, what we called the ugly of this trilogy.

Advance 1 exists in its own little space, generally considered the very best or simply not being included in the conversation.

Personally, my history with Advance 3 began some years ago, when I became interested in the idea of playing with my favorite couple in a Green Hill clone, but it was very short-lived because of a problem we’ll touch upon in the next section. I picked up the game again only last year with the explicit purpose of writing about my experience with the whole series, taking into consideration past experiences, in particular Advance 2, and with the support of many friends of mine, including the residential expert of Advance 3, Beevean, who also collaborated a lot with me and translated many of my articles in English.

But as I just mentioned, there is something that acts as a barrier, an obstacle that needs to be overcome first if you want to learn how to love Sonic Advance 3, and this is one of the reasons (aside from personal taste) as to why more than a few people have run away from this game after only playing it for a few minutes.

A poor first impression

There’s no denying this: Sonic Advance 3 does not make a good first impression. The game introduces a ton of new mechanics all at once, unlike previous games which usually started with a menu screen and then went from one level to the next. Advance 3 introduces a hub where you can choose your team and a zone, another where you can see the Chao you’ve collected, and finally actual hub worlds for every zone, that include 3 acts, a boss, a Special Spring, and two minigames, all scattered around in the hub world. There is so much for the player to absorb at the very start, that the developers decided to put Omochao everywhere, even in the levels themselves, to explain what does what and to guide lost players in the right direction, in these hubs one more labyrinthine than the other.

This is already a lot to swallow, but the worst part is that Advance 3 doesn’t start with a good example of a first zone. While it is commendable that it breaks free from the stereotype of the first level set in a green hill, Route 99 isn’t very appealing to play. Unlike its predecessors, zones that were essentially a straight line with a couple of parallel alternative paths not unlike Emerald Hill from Sonic 2, Route 99 is a complex level, setting the stage for the typical level design of Advance 3. This is not a problem per se, but Dimps filled it to the brim with obstacles such as enemies with questionable placement and crushing blocks (and crush you they will, at least once).

It's interesting: the other two Advance games don’t showcase Dimps’ level design capital sins (precarious enemy placement, bottomless pits as beginner’s traps, and a masochistic tendency to put springs that lead directly into spikes) until later on in the game, usually around Zone 3 or 4. But Advance 3 has crushing blocks in the way of fast paths from the first level, and the second zone, the infamous Green Hill clone (that in all honesty I think it’s a brilliant idea), has plenty of bottomless pits without rhyme or reason. Both zones also rely on a (not so) healthy dose of enemies placed at the end of fast sections and after jumps. You could say that Advance 3 is honest from the get-go, and that it doesn’t betray the player’s trust like Advance 2 does when you get to Ice Paradise and you find leaps of faith and bottomless pits that can only be avoided if you immediately jump off a falling platform… But in reality, this doesn’t do the game any favors.

The first impression of Advance 3 does not improve later on. As I mentioned, the amount of things the player can and has to do in every hub is a little overwhelming at first, and as the player unlocks more zones, there are more acts to explore, with certain combinations, to find the 10 Chao hidden in every zone, and then they have to collect a Special Key to get the privilege to try the Special Stage one time per Key if they want to beat the extra boss. This complexity is not helped by the low quality of the bosses, going from the absurdly easy boss in Ocean Base, to the one in Toy Kingdom that is... rather boring and annoying, to the one in Twinkle Snow that is just a disaster, and one that could be fixed so easily as I explained the other time.

Advance 3 is still a fun game.

The level design in Advance 3 doesn’t abandon Dimps’ capital sins as the adventure progresses either. Notable examples are: the crushing blocks in Toy Kingdom (which stand out for their wonky collision, as they can crush you as you so much stand on the side of one when it descends); the perfectly fine underwater section of Twinkle Snow Act 3 being cut in half just so the developers could add one bottomless pit; confusing sections in Cyber Track (which is made worse by the antigravity gimmick, one that Dimps loves to use as a way to add traps in the way of the player: see S4E2); and finally Chaos Angel, with its many bottomless pits and a final act that, rather anticlimactically, is a 3-minute autoscroller on a tiny platform suspended on a bottomless pit, probably the worst combination in a Sonic game.

And yet, despite all of this, despite the bad first impression and its constant issues typical of Dimps or unique to this game…

Beyond the issues

Nevertheless, Sonic Advance 3 is a good game. While Advance 1 starts off in a great way to then fall off a cliff after Ice Mountain and hit rock bottom in Egg Rocket, and Advance 2 betrays the player’s trust from the fourth zone with some of the worst level design and bosses in the series, Advance 3 gets progressively better than its first impression, be it for its captivating audiovisual style or for how its playable mechanics are developed.

As I mentioned in the previous article, Advance 3 relies on beautiful, colorful, varied environments. This is the standard for the series as a whole, but here it looks and feels different, more colorful, more vibrant. The hubs, while confusing to navigate in some cases, give off a tranquil atmosphere, at times a little gloomy and apprehensive, but you can always relax and bask in the pretty colors. After you beat a boss, you get to enjoy a beautiful rainbow transition where you can take a breath and celebrate before pressing on. With some exceptions such as Route 99 and Ocean Base, almost every level in Sonic Advance 3 stands out for their vibrancy, from the chaotic mixture of hues of Chaos Angel to the brilliant idea of setting Green Hill during sunset.

Hideaki Kobayashi didn’t have any reason to compose such a frantic theme for an autoscroller set on a bottomless pit.

This is a good time to praise the music once again! After mentioning examples such as Sunset Hill Act 1 and Toy Kingdom Act 3, we can add Twinkle Snow Act 1, Altar Emerald (another Sonic Battle reference together with Nonaggression), and every version of Chaos Angel, including the ill-fitting theme of Act 3. The gaming experience might have its highs and lows, but the music manages to highlight the most attractive parts of the game, contributing to this process of growing appreciation that we’re discussing right now.

Advance 3 in one way or the other improves its presentation, but there is one particular moment, maybe even two, when the game really reaches the point of becoming something special. This is the moment the game finally clicked for me.

When everything clicks

An aspect of the game we haven’t mentioned yet, but was among the first of positives listed previously, is the most essential element to go beyond the issues of the game: the freedom offered by the team system in Advance 3. As the player goes through the game, unlocks new characters and backtracks to previous levels to collect the remaining Chao, naturally they’ll be inclined to experiment with all the combinations: like this, they’ll discover that different teams offer different benefits, depending on their speed, how vertical is the level, and how good the player is at platforming. This is when the game clicked with me, the two moments that solidified the experience for me: the level design and the innate replayability.

We criticized the first element a lot, thanks to Dimps’ capital sins. Nevertheless, it’s not all negative, and there are many details that perfectly complement the freedom offered by the ability to choose the combination to bring to every level. For example, in every act there are little nods, implicit signals that the developers left everywhere to let the player know that here, they’ll be rewarded with a Chao, a monitor or a shortcut. Save for very specific exceptions (in Cyber Track you find Chao as you walk along the main path), there is always a balcony, a platform, or a spring that will be barely noticed when playing normally, but will recompense you if you go out of your way to explore and you have the right team. It’s not infallible, and Dimps can still crush the player’s curiosity (often literally), but it works most of the time.

The second element comes back from a comment we made at the beginning of this article. We said that every game focuses on a different aspect of 2D Sonic, and that every player ends up preferring a game over the other because of these differences. Thus, Advance 1 plays on a balance between speed, platforming and exploration; while Advance 2 is much more focused on pure speed. Advance 3 takes the philosophy of the first game and expands on it, increasing the size of the levels and the variety of each zone: they can be more horizontal or more vertical, but their focus will always be on exploration and replayability. Sonic and Tails is an ideal combination for almost every level, but it’s not the only combination, and there are dozens of examples where a specific team works better for a particular act or boss.

But the click of this second element is not just “replayability” as a wide, nebulous concept. Every game of the trilogy offers extra modes, including Time Attack. In Advance 1 and 2, Time Attack is a quick way to replay levels, beat your previous records and have infinite tries without risking a game over. In Advance 3, Time Attack breathes new life into the game.

In the Time Attack mode of Advance 3, you don’t need to navigate hubs, find acts, or backtrack everytime you want to change team. In just a couple of quick menus, you can choose your combination and act, and immediately start to experiment with every route and every ability at your disposal. It’s an open process, and it opens a whole world of possibilities where you can optimize personal records, how a particularly “bad” team like Tails and Knuckles fares in a zone, or simply fail spectacularly. I always mention this, but my friend and collaborator Beevean wrote a whole article detailing the abilities of each and every team, with a ranking at the end from the worst to the best teams depending on the advantages and disadvantages they get. This post isn’t just a helpful guide, but it also became a reference for our friendly matches that we began to do a few weeks ago: we choose the level and team and we try to get the best time on Time Attack mode. The possibilities are endless when simply changing the order of characters allows you to access a different, possibly faster route: for example, Amy and Sonic is more suited for horizontal movement while Sonic and Amy is more suited for vertical movement. This loop of exploration and competition is what made us play this game for more time than we’d like to admit.

In short, the real fun of Advance 3 comes from the freedom that the game offers. By looking for secrets in every corner or experimenting with the teams, Advance 3 gives all the tools to the player and lets them do whatever they want. Would you like to play with Sonic and Cream in Twinkle Snow? Sure, enjoy your infinite air underwater. Knuckles and Tails? An excellent combination to explore every level and play in a more methodical level. You want a challenge? Try Amy and Sonic, a team without strong aerial moves, in Chaos Angel, a level that favors teams that can move vertically. The decision is fully yours, the player, and it’s an excellent system that hasn’t often been brought back since 2004.

Conclusions

At the risk of repeating the conclusion of my previous article, every day I’m more convinced that these games deserve to be remastered to be more similar to the Classics. There is a surprising amount of potential that is kept untapped in the library of GBA games, and I believe that bringing it back today would be a great way to pay tribute to the older fans and introduce this particular style of 2D Sonic to a new generation.

In fact, while I was writing this article, I found a video that gave me a basic idea of how a remastered Advance would look. The truth is that I was rather surprised.

Sadly I can’t play this mod for myself, as it hasn’t been updated in 4 years and it’s not supported on Sonic Mania Plus. It’s pretty much unplayable now, and it’s a shame.

Sonic Advance 3 is a peculiar case. As we said, the game starts off on the wrong foot, and despite all the problems it has and inherits, at the end of the day it still manages to be a good game, an example of what an open game where the player can express themselves could be. Advance 3 isn’t like other games where once you finish it with Sonic you can play again with another character: Sonic and his friends have complete prominence in the whole game, and the player can choose their favorite characters and their favorite way to navigate these unique environments. It takes a little longer to love this game, but I can safely say that it’s worth it.

As you may have noticed, this article was more of a personal reflection on the game. While concrete elements like the 3 Principles of Sonic are always present in the discussion, and while I had already talked about the good, the bad and the ugly of the Advance saga, the reality is that there has always been a story behind my experience, a process where at first I could only see the negatives and all the problems with this game… until something connected with me, something that allowed me to see beyond the flaws, and something that retroactively made me understand the love and hatred of the fandom for this game. This article was an experiment, to see how this format could be translated in video form. I’ll leave the verdict to you!

As always, I invite you to our Discord server if you want to join the conversation [translator’s note: the server is mainly Spanish-speaking], or if you just want to become part of our community – we always talk about Sonic and we play games live. This is all for now. See you next time!

[playfulandplatonictickles]

Since I’m still rather new around here, I’ll give you guys a bio about me so y’all can get to know me better! My blog is sfw, and I post both tickling and non-tickling stuff here. They shall be tagged accordingly! Also, feel free to send fic requests, headcanon ideas, and questions about the fandoms I like and its characters, media, etc! I also take tickle asks/roleplays, of course~.

I am quite busy in real life though, so please be patient with me! I work in retail part-time but I also have responsibilities at home that often make me distracted/slow.

Also, I do not take headcanons or requests for Ozzy/Thrax. I hate that ship with a passion because, in my opinion (which you don’t have to agree with.), it’s driven by lust/yaoi shippers who have mysogynistic views, and also because I had bad experiences with users who had shipped them. If you do, they will be deleted. This mama’s done with that trauma.

Name: Sissy.

Nicknames for me: Sis, dork, anything else you guys wanna come up with for me. Just don’t call me late for dinner lol. ;3

Age: 25.

Pronouns: She/Her!

Sexual alignment: Aromantic/Asexual! 🖤🤍💚💜

I’m also Autistic, and have ADHD/Generalized anxiety and slight depression. Which means I’m socially challenged at times. I implore you to communicate if you feel like I misinterpreted ANYTHING or you wish to talk about something that upsets you. I want everyone to feel safe and welcome here. I promise I won’t bite!

Personality: Quirky, energetic, out-going, nerdy, passionate, but pretty friendly and chill. I try to be kind to all I meet!

Likes: TV, video games, cartoons, reading, art/animation, comic books, music, (Specially rock, country, hip-hop, and of course Disney lol. If it’s good/got a beat, I’ll love it.) singing and voice impressions, movies, hot dogs, chimichangas, going on walks, exercising, art/animation, playful sarcasm, jokes and puns, comedy, smiles and laughter (Especially for others!) aaaand reading fanfics (I like fluff, sometimes angst, comfort fics, action, etc. Tickle ones too, lol. Mostly platonic ones but romance is nice too! Long as it ain’t nsfw. 🙏❤️), my dogs, hugs, and havin’ fun.

Dislikes: Bugs, seeing someone cry or upset, people who say cartoons are just for kids (It’s for adults too, bub. :p), loneliness (Sometimes. Gotta love anxiety and depression, hahaha...xD), politics, transphobes and racists and pedos (Oh my! XP), homophobes, and just overall people who are mean to others.

Acceptance and love is what I strive for here. I won’t judge anyone by anything except their character. If you’re a meanie, ya get blocked, ‘kay?

Fandoms: Osmosis Jones (Movie AND show. Both are gems and I shall die on that hill), Sonic the Hedgehog, The Owl House, Marvel, TMNT, The Mask (Cartoon mostly but I love the movie too!), Beetlejuice (I love both the show and movie buuut I’ll be doing the cartoon for fics and such. Beetlejuice/Lydia broship forever!!! Romantic shippers for them in the cartoon, please stay off this blog.), Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends, etc! I got too many, lol.

Tickle info: 70% Lee. 30% Ler! Mostly Lee, but can Switch every blue moon or if I’m tempted enough. ;3

Bullies, sexists, people who are phobic/hateful of ANY gender or race, and all around mean folks are not welcome here. Politics suck. Pedos, go burn. Autism Speaks is awful and those who support their methods need to be in jail.

Not a fetish/kink blog. Focused on the fluffy, safe, and silly side of tickles. If you send/try to do NSFW rps you will be blocked immediately.

Enjoy your stay here! 💖✌️

[bulgariansumo]

The Messy Relationship Between Sonic and Localization

Ask any Sonic fan and they’ll tell you that the fandom is one of the most fractured things to ever exist. It’s a miracle whenever we can all agree, and that usually comes from us collectively hating something (Sonic Movie’s original design, Ken Penders, etc.)--and even then, there’s a dedicated few who disagree. Many of us have such differing opinions on what the series “should” be, that satisfying all--or even a majority--of Sonic fans is next to impossible. How did it get this way? I think it has a lot to do with localization.

Classic Era

The 1990’s wasn’t the best decade when it came to localizing anything, especially not video games. Often, some creative liberties would be taken when adapting a source from Japanese to English.  The Sonic franchise was no exception to this. The first split comes from the game manuals. Me and @rontufox​ already made a post discussing this, but the Japanese manuals gave a little background info on the series’ lore and worldbuilding. The English versions gave a bare-bones description of the premise of each game, but that’s about it. There were no mentions of an apocalypse caused by people misusing the Chaos Emeralds, of Sonic finding the ring that would foreshadow Knuckles Chaotix, or of Knuckles thinking the Death Egg was a ‘Dragon’s Egg’ described in ancient legends. Sonic went to a bunch of colorful zones, beat up Dr. Robotnik, collected some magic stones, and maybe a new character or two would tag along, but there was nothing else to it. There was no dialogue and few cutscenes in the games at this time, so the English localizers could get away with this.

Since there wasn’t much to go on games-wise, English fans at the time got their perception of Sonic and his world from various comic and cartoon adaptations. The American-produced ones portrayed Sonic as an in-your-face smart aleck who was almost completely full of himself. The UK-produced Sonic the Comic starred Sonic as a self-described “cool guy” who cared little about the people around him, including friends. Whatever worldbuilding these adaptations had either didn’t exist or diverged completely from the games, because the writers, even if they did care, didn’t have much to go on. There also weren’t a lot of Japanese Sonic adaptations at the time, and the only one that got localized was Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie (aka Sonic OVA). To English-speaking fans, Sonic was an arrogant but funny hedgehog who despite everything, got the job done. Aside from Dr. Robotnik, other characters were an afterthought and could be replaced as needed.  

Adventure Era

Sonic Adventure released in 1998 with fully voice-acted cutscenes, and localization differences started catching up. Some things were easy to fix, such as Dr. Eggman (Robotnik’s name in Japanese) being a nickname for Dr. Robotnik. Other things weren’t that simple. For instance, some of those little things mentioned in the Japanese manuals started showing up again, specifically the apocalypse caused by people misusing the Chaos Emeralds. Sonic Adventure was a soft-reboot, where most previous characters and worldbuilding are still there, but some details are left behind so that newcomers have an easier time entering the series. There also might be changes in the series’ tone. For example, Sonic Adventure was somewhat more serious than previous games could be, but still overall lighthearted. This was also the first of many mainline games during this time to have an ensemble cast. Instead of just playing as Sonic, or maybe Tails and Knuckles, you were required to play all three of them plus other characters, with different stories and gameplay styles. This was a tall task, but these games pulled it off well enough to be very popular at the time. Themes of friendship became very prominent in the games around this time, and to further cement it, Sonic X, a Japanese-produced anime came out and got localized in the United States. Sonic was still a little cocky in English dubs of the games and anime, but he was also free-spirited and very supportive of his friends instead of being preoccupied with being the coolest person in the group. For the most part, his English and Japanese portrayals were nearly indistinguishable. Other characters also got more screentime and focus on their personalities, and popular new characters like Shadow and Rouge were introduced to the cast. All was going great.

Then 2006 came around. Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog (aka Sonic 06) came out, ushering in a period of very poorly received Sonic games, the latter being seen as a contender for the worst game of all time. Shadow the Hedgehog was an attempt at explaining why the titular character was alive after apparently being killed off Sonic Adventure 2, but the gritty and somewhat melodramatic tone was seen as ill-fitting for the Sonic franchise. The gameplay was also lacking, in part due to other characters tagging along with Shadow and repeatedly telling him hints and mission objectives. The problem of characters talking a lot mid-gameplay was present in Sonic Heroes, but the gameplay itself was passable enough that the game didn’t completely suffer for it. Shadow the Hedgehog tied up the last plot threads the Sonic Adventure series left behind, so the series had to go somewhere different. Sonic 06 was another soft-reboot, so that newcomers wouldn’t have to study up on the games from Sonic Adventure to Shadow the Hedgehog. Because the game was rushed for the holiday season, it was glitchy, didn’t feel good to play, and the writing was… very flawed. The game’s tone was slightly lighter than Shadow the Hedgehog, but still a little too melodramatic for most fans.

With all of these changes in mind, further splits in the English-speaking fandom occurred. Many vocal Classic fans were thrown off by the series being heavier on plot, worldbuilding, and Sonic’s friends. They wanted to go back to a time when none of that existed, and when Sonic was just an arrogant jokester--a time that only existed in 90’s US and UK. Newer, Adventure-era fans grew up with these new changes and loved them, though many of them were also not happy with Shadow the Hedgehog and subsequent games’s handling of these things. Because of Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic 06’s spectacular failure in handling different characters’ gameplay, one sentiment was repeatedly echoed--that only Sonic should be playable. Since then, with very few exceptions, only Sonic has been playable in mainline Sonic games. This still wasn’t enough to save the games. Games after Sonic 06 often had a core gimmick to them, many of which weren’t received well, and the ones that were got replaced by the next game. The writing had the same feeling to it, though. It shied away from the melodrama of the most hated entries, but still retained the sincerity of entries like Sonic Adventure.

Modern Era

That changed in 2011 with Sonic Colors. Instead of Sonic Team writing the games, they hired Ken Pontac and Warren Graff, two American writers known for working on Happy Tree Friends. Neither had much knowledge of the previous games’ characters, worldbuilding, or stories, but this was intentional. Sonic games sell less in Japan, so Sega probably wanted to put more focus into pleasing audiences in America and Europe. The two went off some basics about the characters and setting, and what little they knew previously. There is some supervision by Takeshi Iizuka, a longtime Sonic Team member who is currently the head of the series after creator Yuji Naka left in the mid-2000’s, but he is interested in the series going in a new direction. Sonic Colors was another soft reboot of the series, but because of the writer’s lack of knowledge about the series a lot more details were lost and changes made than in any of the previous ones. The writing is lighthearted, but most of the sincerity has been traded for attempts at comedy, which tend to be hit and miss. Sonic as a character retains his free spirit and some kindness towards his friends, but some of the self-importance of his English interpretation is making a comeback. Many of the characters from previous games make returns, but they’re written oddly (“Y’got this, Sssonic!” - Shadow, Sonic Generations (2011)) and the writers don’t quite know how to integrate them. Sonic Colors was well-received for its gameplay, and even the writing was praised at the time, but most subsequent games have middling reception. None are considered outright bad (except Sonic Boom, but that was a spinoff that Sega contracted a different company to do) or outright good (except Sonic Mania, which Sega contracted a team of fans to do.)

Conclusion

As it stands now, the Sonic franchise is a strange hybrid of the Japanese and English interpretations of Sonic. A lot of the Adventure Era fans are old enough to start noticing the changes in the writing in the Modern Era, and some aren’t big fans. Some are, though. Some of the Classic fans are satisfied with these changes, others aren’t impressed either preferring the Classic or even Adventure Era. Some people like the Classic Era, but not the English interpretations of the series. There are likely Modern fans who grew up with this version of the Sonic franchise and love it, but there may be ones that have seen previous iterations and prefer those better. There are many differing opinions and few can agree on what would be good for Sonic. Would things have been different if localization had been handled differently in the 90’s? Who can say? All we have to go by are ripples from the errors of the past.

[waveridden]

thoughts on every cw show you've watched (a dark history i think we both share)

lily i wish you could hear the noise i just made when i saw this. god. okay. i’m going in approximate chronological order here. also an important piece of context is my mom did not let us watch ~adult tv~ until approximately 2010 so even though i am theoretically old enough to remember, like, one tree hill, i did not watch it.

also i’m putting this under a cut not out of shame but because it’s stupidly long but i’m putting the one everyone wonders about at the top (coincidentally i think it’s also chronologically first)

supernatural: meant a whole awful lot to me when i was a teen! ruby supernatural is how i figured out i like girls! i think i said this at the time but dean/cas canon (or. “canon”) means a lot to me not because i think it’s Good but because it was 14yo me’s wildest dream and i think sometimes our wildest teenage dreams deserve to come true. it’s a shitshow don’t get me wrong but it’s one that wormed its way into my brain and that in some ways i still care a lot about. i think it did a lot for my love of stories about families and about choice and free will like it was definitely formative and i’m cool with that. there are definitely dumber things that were formative for me

arrow: watched s1 while it was airing and i think i watched 3-4 total seasons on netflix. hot fucking garbage show. i think they had some interesting ideas in the early seasons - i like malcolm merlyn as a villain, i LOVE roy harper in this, thea queen is one of my favorite characters ever, there are lots of little things i could be kind about - but oliver is just such an irredeemable fucking bastard that it made the show unwatchable. also they put a jewish woman in a gas chamber, which is something i think we as a society need to talk about more???? in conclusion laurel lance i miss you

smallville: when i was in high school i bought the first season of smallville on dvd. i watched about half of it and never finished it. i do think it’s a fun concept tho and i like that it got to serve as sort of like... a proto legends of tomorrow situation where they could just throw random comics characters at you

the vampire diaries: bonnie was hot. idk i watched half a season and got bored

the flash: i watched the first... three-ish seasons while it was airing i think? i have a lot of fondness bc the flash is my dad’s favorite superhero and i genuinely think s1 is a lot of fun but man it went downhill huh. cisco ramon and iris west i love you and you deserve to be in a better show. also dc adaptations stop just randomly doing flashpoint challenge

izombie: rahul kohli i think of you every day. ravi/major was good. i remember not actually enjoying the first season but still being excited when s2 started and then like... not watching it. wasn’t arthur from merlin in this???

the 100: DEEP BREATHS. OKAY. the 100 was very important to me for a very long time and in some ways it still is because the first long fic i ever actually outlined and completed was for the 100, and that matters to me even though the show no longer does. however jesus christ what a fall from grace. like they even went from typical cw racist to just batshit levels of all the isms and phobias you could think of. i genuinely don’t understand how clexa is still in the public discourse at ALL like i get that fandom is overwhelmingly white and decided that they could look past the brownface but the violent homophobia isn’t great! also lily i know you know this but Justice For Jasper Jordan. that’s all

also i used to play this game in seasons 6-7 where whenever i saw an episode recap i would read it and it made me feel insane. did you know that in season 7 they went to a different planet? everyone was cryogenically frozen for like thirty years except for monty and harper (who had a DAUGHTER) and they went to a new planet. i’m not making this up. literal insanity. i’m foaming at the mouth as we speak

legends of tomorrow: i have seen season one of legends of tomorrow approximately six times. my url is a legends of tomorrow reference. i actually haven’t watched since s3 tho like i didn’t have cable/netflix for a while there and just... never caught up. it is such a perfectly ridiculous show. “we need to go back in time to make george lucas make movies so our historian is inspired by indiana jones!” “what if elvis’s guitar did necromancy?” stop wasting my time with talking and show me 45 minutes of that. lots of insane shit. nate heywood i think of you every day maisie richardson-sellers please call me

supergirl: i watched the pilot (fine) and the musical episode of the flash (honestly? pretty fun) and feel absolutely no desire to watch any more

riverdale: i watched the first season of riverdale and the reason i stopped watching was not related to the show itself, it’s because the roommate i lived with at the time who watched with me started making aggressive comments about the show being reverse racist and i removed myself from the situation. i really really want to watch it but i think you need someone to do it With you instead of doing it alone and tam keeps SAYING NO WHEN I ASK so idk maybe one day

crazy ex girlfriend: i never actually watched this but my roommate did and sometimes i would watch with her. there was a very smug quality to this show that really annoyed me? idk how to explain it. would not watch the whole thing tbqh. music was alright tho. i have referenced this moment in this song in way too many conversations that did not call for it

black lightning: i watched season one while it was airing and it was REALLY well done. i hope the future seasons were also good. anissa/grace fucking ruled we love a lesbian/bi relationship AND an interracial relationship with zero white people in it

also some bonus content for people who actually made it this far:

i have the wikipedia page for the cw open right now and i’m looking at all the kids shows, so i want to throw out there that 1) sonic x is the first fandom i remember being in 2) i watched a LOT of yugioh as a kid and i don’t care what anyone says yugioh gx fucking ruled and so did 5ds they really just went “what if we did it ON MOTORCYCLES” and i respect that 3) i watched the legion of superheroes cartoon with my dad and in retrospect it’s just stunningly fucking ugly but i loved it a lot when i was a kid

[stardust-and-snickerdoodles]

I’m Sure They’ll Understand pt. 2

part 1

fandom: MCU

pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

summary: It’s been a couple months since the party and you’re officially free of HYDRA’s hold on you. The memories still remain, along with the guilt, but at least there’s no chance of reverting back to a murderous super soldier. Steve wants you to try to meet the Avengers once more, and despite your fear, you agree.

warnings: angst

word count: 2017

a/n: i got a little carried away... oops.

“You want to bring her on a mission? Did those seventy years in the ice freeze your braincells, too?” Tony glares at Steve across the conference room. The whole team is assembled to discuss an upcoming mission and Steve has just announced his decision to bring you along. “The party was one thing, but this is serious business.”

Steve meets his glare steadily. “Shuri said she’s clear for action. She managed to override all the programming that HYDRA implemented. Plus, Y/N’s not going to be doing any fighting. I just want her to have a chance to bond with you guys.”

Natasha clears her throat and sits up a little straighter. “Look, Steve, I want you to know that I support you and Y/N. But frankly, it’s not the best idea for her to be exposed to HYDRA so soon after deprogramming.”

“Even I couldn’t go on missions for a few months after I came out of cryo again,” Bucky cuts in, tapping his fingers on the table. “It’s nothing against Y/N, it’s just…”

“It’s just you don’t trust her,” Steve says accusingly, sweeping his across the whole room. His team members can’t meet his eyes. He continues, “Y/N deserves your trust. She’s been working so hard for the last year to get better. All the things that she did with HYDRA weren’t her fault.” Steve turns to look at Bucky again. “Buck, I expected some understanding from you at least. None of us hold you responsible for anything you did in the past.” Bucky looks down at his hands guiltily. “So why is it so different for Y/N?”

“Steve,” Natasha says gently. “We’re not trying to attack you or Y/N here. We’re trying to do what’s best for the team. And teaming up with someone who willingly joined HYDRA, not to mention injured you, doesn’t seem smart.” Natasha holds her hand up when Steve begins to interrupt. “I know she had no other choice. But she’s still a liability.”

The fight has died from Steve’s voice. “Just give her a chance. I’ll even stay in the quinjet with her during the mission. I’ll make sure she’s safe.”

“Not a chance, capsicle,” Tony interjects. “Fury wants you taking point on this one. If anyone’s going to stay with her, it’s the Manchurian Candidate over there.” He nods his head toward Bucky.

Bucky’s face is a mixture of disappointment and anger. “Why me?”

“Because you’re the only one who’s been through the same sort of thing Y/N has,” Natasha explains. “You can empathize with her situation.”

Bucky crosses his arms but doesn’t say anything else. The logic is sound, but that doesn’t mean he’s happy about it.

“So, she can come?” Steve asks, trying to keep from sounding like a giddy child.

There’s silence as the rest of the team exchange glances. Steve can hear his heart pounding in his ears. All he wants is for the team to accept you. No matter your past or the horrible things you were forced to do. He wants them to see you like he sees you – beautiful, intelligent, and worthy of love and compassion.

Tony sighs and drags a hand across his face, sighing. “As long as she stays in the jet.”

…

“I didn’t think we’d be going on a whole-ass mission, Stevie,” you murmur as you pull on one of your boots. The rest of the Avengers have been giving you a wide berth while you all get ready. You eye them all nervously, watching them prepare. The only one who has even spoken to you is, of course, Steve. “You said you just wanted me to hang out with them.”

He offers you a small, reassuring smile. “It’ll be okay, Y/N. It’s a small base; nothing out of the ordinary anyway.”

You tug your other boot on and stand. Even though you’re not going to be doing any fighting, you’re still suited up in a black and forest green bodysuit, along with your signature black hood. You’re not allowed any guns, but your preferred weapon is a bow so you don’t need them anyway. You do, however, have one small knife sheathed at each hip; it’s the most the team would let you have. Your quiver feels empty without any arrows in it, but you understand that the team’s safety is priority. And although there’s no chance of you reverting back to your brainwashed ways, you can tell the Avengers still don’t trust you.

You pat Steve on the shoulder and move closer to the doors of the prep room, hopping from one foot to another as nerves surge through you. You have your back to the rest of the team so you don’t have to deal with their worried glances any longer.

Bucky moves to stand next to Steve, who is adjusting one of the straps on his suit. Bucky sighs as he looks at you. “I still don’t think this is a good idea, Steve,” he says.

“And frankly, I don’t care,” Steve shoots back before walking toward you without another word. Bucky shakes his head and continues to get ready.

Steve places a gentle hand on your arm and you stop your anxious movement. “Ready?” he asks.

You nod and look at the waiting quinjet outside. “I just wish we’d get a move on. I don’t know how much longer I can stand here without throwing something.”

Steve looks at you with worry in his eyes as the rest of the team glances around nervously.

You roll your eyes. “I’m kidding,” you say a little louder, trying to set everyone at ease.

A few moments later, Tony claps his hands together and announces that it’s time to leave. You mumble a quick “thank God” and head out the doors to the jet.

You sit close to the back, leaving a seat for Steve to join you if he wants to. Everyone else takes seats toward the front and you try not to be offended by the amount of space they leave between you and them. Steve sits down next to you though and you flash him a grateful smile.

The ride to the HYDRA base is nearly silent, the tension thick in the air. The team’s thoughts are preoccupied with both the mission and your possible actions. Meanwhile, you attempt to lighten your own mood by playing Sticks with Steve. He’s much better at it than you are but it’s a good distraction. Your soft giggles and words float up to the front of the jet where everyone else is sitting.

“Ten bucks says they’re making out by the end of the mission,” Sam whispers, his own attempt at an icebreaker.

Nat snorts. “I say by the time we get to the base.”

“Deal.” Sam smirks and they shake hands. A bit of the tension lifts and a conversation starts up between the rest of the team members.

You’re half-paying attention to their voices when you hear your name. It’s Nat, trying to get your attention. “Y/N! Clint wants to know what kind of arrows you prefer.”

You blink slowly, trying to register the words. Someone wants to know about you? Your Sticks game forgotten, you fidget nervously with the hilt of one of your knives. “Um,” you start, clearing your throat, “I use smoke bomb arrows a lot. Good for cover when you’re trying to get through a place that’s heavily crowded with hostiles. Sonic arrows are good for distractions.”

Clint nods and takes a few arrows from his quiver. He hands them to Nat, who passes them down the line of chairs to you. You take them hesitantly, noticing that they’re a mix of the two types of arrows you mentioned.

Tony frowns and says to Clint, “I thought we said no weapons.”

Clint rolls his eyes. “They’re barely weapons. They don’t do any damage besides stunning, at the most. Besides, I’m considering it a welcome gift.”

“A welcome gift? For what?” Tony asks, incredulous.

“The Avengers, obviously. It doesn’t look like she’s going anywhere anytime soon.”

The two guys look over at you and Steve. The two of you are now holding hands lightly. As they watch, Steve brushes a strand of hair out of your face and you blush.

Tony hums lightly but doesn’t say anything else.

You can’t help but notice that the rest of the team seems a little more at ease since Clint’s peace offering. A few times, some of the other members ask simple questions but it doesn’t often branch into a longer conversation. Still, you’re happy that they seem to be learning to accept you.

Once you arrive at the base, Steve stands and briefly explains the mission, reiterating once again that you will remain in the jet with Bucky. Things move quickly from there, with Steve handing you an earpiece and instructing you on how to use it before leading the rest of the team out of the jet. You watch them leave, sending up a quick prayer that everyone returns safely.

Once it’s just you and Bucky, you glance around the jet. Bucky hasn’t moved except to take a knife from its sheath and begin to flip it absentmindedly. The tension from before is back, even stronger now.

You can hear the team talking through the earpiece but you barely pay any attention. It’s mostly Tony making jokes and Steve instructing the others on where to go. Eventually, the silence inside the jet gets to you and you have to say something. You clear your throat and Bucky turns to look at you, his face unreadable. “So… is your specialty knives?” You immediately feel dumb for asking such a ridiculous question but can’t do anything about it now.

Bucky shrugs and flips his knife again. “Don’t really have much of a specialty. Used to be a sniper. HYDRA trained me in everything though.”

You nod and silence settles in the air again. Bucky seems to be closed off, which is why it surprises you when he speaks once more, “I remember you from… then. When we were with HYDRA.”

The way he says “when we” makes it sound like some sort of pact. Like some shared trauma that ties you together. You force your mouth to not smile and meet his eyes. “I remember you, too.”

“They called you Ranger, right?”

A tingle goes down your spine at the old name. “Yeah. I don’t use that anymore, though. Too many bad associations.”

Bucky nods, and you think you see a little empathy on his face. “It’s the same with me and the Winter Soldier.” He pauses and there’s hesitation in his voice when he says, “I don’t… I don’t hate you, you know.”

Your eyes widen a bit. “God, Bucky, I never thought that. I know how hard it must be to trust me, though.” You run the edge of your fingernail along your thumb unconsciously, one of those little tics that you do when you’re nervous. You laugh quickly, “Hell, sometimes I don’t even trust myself. So I get it. I don’t expect you to-”

Suddenly, you hear a flurry of gunshots through your earpiece. There are shouts and bangs, all assaulting you at once. You try to focus on one sound, one voice, but everyone is talking over each other. Bucky sits up a little straighter and presses a finger against his earpiece. “What’s going on?” he demands.

“Barnes!” Tony’s voice comes through finally, louder than the rest of the commotion. “We need backup in here; the base is larger than we thought.”

Bucky immediately stands and you start to follow suit, preparing to fight. But Bucky stops you with one hand held out. “What about Y/N?”

There’s no response for a little bit. Finally, Tony again, “Bring her in.”

As you gear up, Bucky shows you where Clint’s extra arrows are and you begin to load them into your quiver. The earpiece is once again only filled with the sounds of gunfire. That is, until Sam’s voice breaks through with three words that shatter your heart.

“Rogers is down!”

>>>

part 3

tags: @aspie-allie​ @ashwarren32​

[crusherthedoctor]

In defense of the Sonic fandom.

Yes, I realise this is going to sound rich coming from someone who is arguably one of its harshest critics. I've never made it a secret that there are many aspects of the fandom that, to put it elegantly, annoy the fuck out of me. Likewise, I have never been quiet about my disdain towards the fans who take their “passion” a bit too far and start getting violent over the aspects they don't like, among other fans of the sort and what have you.

However, I've also never been blind to the spots of good in the fandom. And in light of the media trying its absolute hardest to paint us as bad guys for Sonic's redesign in the upcoming movie, I feel now is as good of a time as ever to speak up for us, heavily flawed though our community may be.

Every fandom has their shitty side. Some may be more prominent than others, but they all have them, no exceptions. I could very easily name a large number of certain fandoms who have their own laundry list of shitty behaviour, and outright disgusting hijinks... although that said, I WON'T do that in this post, because my defense is not in fact limited to “this fandom's worse, make fun of that one instead”. I don't need to shit on other fandoms to defend this one. I'm just pointing out that ultimately, the Sonic fandom is not worse than the rest of them, and as every other fandom has a yin to their yang, so too does Sonic's.

There are far more level-headed, rational, and easygoing people in the Sonic community than you're led to believe. Are the assholes and the idiots loud and vocal? Yes, very much so, and regrettably so. But if you actually bother to look deeper into the community, rather than glance at the surface for a minute, you'll find that for every particularly vocal bad apple, there's a lot more fans who just want to enjoy what they enjoy in peace.

Content creators in the fandom also do not deserve to be thrown under the same bus. There are artists, musicians, writers, game developers, and so much more who have brought just as much happiness to people as the official Sonic content has. Poe's Law is no excuse to dismiss the entire working community, and if you wouldn't do it with any other fandom, why would you do it with Sonic?

People have closely bonded over their shared love for this franchise. I have made pretty much all of my friends through Sonic, and I know there are numerous other fans who share the same story. I'm not just talking casual acquaintances either. I'm talking about the people who you wouldn't trade for the world. @greenyvertekins @darklightheart @benignmilitancy @beevean @aawesomepenguin are just a few of my own, and I'm sure many of you have your own examples, of which you're more than free to mention.

These points may not be all that groundbreaking. I'm basically just saying “hey, there's good AND bad”. But I don't need to make a groundbreaking point... I need to make a simple point to the people who refuse to know better. However irritating it may get at times, the Sonic fandom - as a collective - does not deserve to be singled out the way it often is on the internet. Not when it's given us art to fawn over. Not when it's given us stories to immerse ourselves with. Not when it's given us the most treasured friendships one could ask for.

Fandoms, when all is said and done, are made up of people.

It's time to treat them like such.