#sonic. shadow never said they weren't real

[daydreamz618]

Yeah you don't come back from a slip of the tongue like that man. Sorry dude, you're just kind of in the wrong.

[ihaznoclue]

May I request Shadow the Hedgehog, Maybe that the reader is very close to shadow as well as Maria because the reader and Maria were siblings so the reader knew shadow

But since Shadow was sealed for 50 years the reader thought they lost both their sibling and a friend

But later on, maybe the reader and shadow reunite as reader runs to shadow and shadow doesn't believe it until the reader hugs him making him believe that the reader were alive and real

HE NEEDS A HUG MY POOR BBY

He does! Like My poor baby suffered enough :(

Pairings -> Shadow the Hedgehog x Reader

Warnings -> Past Trauma, Loss of a loved one

Note -> Reader is beginning to think they lost their sibling and their friend but they reunit with shadow after so many years of guilt

Genre -> Angst to Fluff

This might be a long story as I thought of writing something like this!

Shadow the Hedgehog

In the past years of living by yourself, you felt guilty for not being able to be there for them and to say a final goodbye.

In the past, you lost both your sister and your very best friend in a blow out at the G.U.N base, they simply wanted shadow to be gone but Maria didn't seem to let him go.

Sadly you were pulled out of the room where you are Maria and shadow who were just simply having a good time until the alarms went off, Gerald coming into the room to get them before it was to late.

One of the Gun men decided to shoot from getting 'orders from someone' as Walter tried to stop them causing them to miss but hit the tubes of orange stuff that caused them to explode.

That result in Maria dying and you weren't there to help her or say goodbye.

But you didn't know if Shadow was alive or not, simply thinking about it every single day to the point, it was like a big missing piece of your heart.

But to this very day you still think about them..

"Name! Come on, we are going camping!" Tom yelled out to you where you were sitting on kitchen table trying to write some stuff, you completely forget that you were going camping with the others.

That sort of helped you lighten up, you were willing to be happy for them. Tom and Maddie were like your parents but not really, you loved them dearly as they helped you in and gave you shelter. A home and a Family.

"Coming!" You shouted back as you quickly put on your shoes on as you tripped a little bit and ran outside closing the door behind you. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles were already in the back of the car.

"Oh Hun, your shoe laces" Maddie then kneeled down to do them for you. "Oh Thank you" You said waiting for her to finish with both of your shoes, she then patted your shoes to let you know she finished doing them.

She smiled at you and you smiled back as she pulled you in by wrapping a arm on your shoulder "You excited?" She asked

You nodded "I've never really went camping before"

"Well you are going to love it!" Maddie said as she shook you gently then walked to the car

You were going to have fun and you know it

"Come one Name! We are going Camping~" Sonic sang as he did a little dance, you chuckled as you opened the door at the back, putting your seatbelt on as you were ready to go.

The camping site wasn't too far away, it was in the bush where the lake was, it looks beautiful. The water sparkled from the sunlight, the bushes greener than ever. You never knew that the outside was this gorgeous.

When you were younger, you always looked out for Maria and stayed with her, she couldn't leave the base as her sickness became worse, only the time was when you and her got shadow to look at the stars.

-Flashback-

You were simply in the room trying to sleep but couldn't, shadow was sleeping peacefully beside you as you turned around to see if Maria was asleep but she wasn't there.

You lifted your head up to look around the room, suddenly the door slide open as Maria was smiling brightly

"Maria? What are you doing?" You asked but she shushed you, she then walked over to shadow as she gently woke him up as well causing him to look confused while being sleepy.

You tried not to laugh as you got out of the pillow fort, shadow following you as he held your hand as you two followed Maria to a lift

"Wait, Where are we going?" You asked, Maria simply such smile as she spoke

"you'll see~" She winked then pulled the lever of the lift when you and shadow were on it

The lift then stopped at the very top as a opening opened revealing such a gorgeous sight of so many stars, you stepped off the lift as you looked around to see so many white flowers on the ground of grass

"Oh wow" You were amazed

"This can be our very spot" She smiled once more, you loved her smile, very bright and happy even though she was suffering with a illness

You guys were all sitting down looking at the stars, shadow was sleeping on your lap, gently petting his head. You and Maria talked until you felt tired yourself as you yawned then leaned your head down on her shoulder

You missed those days..

But everything can't be the same as it use to be...

-End of flashback-

You and The Wachowski family were standing by as Sonic, Tails and Knuckles went to race, apparently sonic fell for it as he raced the holograms that Tails created

You ruffled his yellow soft fur as a good job as you all now started to prepare something special for sonic. His Bearthday birthday.

Now you were all having a fun time roasting marshmallows, this wasn't so bad. Camping was fun, spending with the right people, your family.

Thattsss until a helicopter came in, making everything blow away as sonic, tails and knuckles knew who these people were. But you..

Once you saw the word G.U.N you instantly was sent to the past on what happened to Maria and Shadow...

But you didn't say a word as you didn't want to ruin anything. Sonic, Tail and Knuckles was asked to go to Tokyo to save the people there from something so they agreed, leaving you, Tom and Maddie together.

You hoped they were going to be okay, they were like your younger brothers but.. aliens? Animals?

Either way you still hoped they were going to be okay, as the helicopter left. You, Tom and Maddie decided to go back home.

It's been a while since you heard from sonic, you were just resting on the couch along side with Tom and Maddie as they did some hobbies that they haven't done before.

They seemed bored and you were bored as well, you couldn't blame them as Sonic, Tails and Knuckles were the fun around the house, keeping everyone happy and charged up for some fun time.

You were laying on to the single couch, legs hanging from the arm rest while your head was on the other side of the arm rest. Sighing every time while Tom and Maddie did their stuff to entertain themselves.

You then heard a little noise as you look over to see a golden ring being opened, Tom and Maddie instantly stood up, you quickly sat up as you notice a familiar red colour

It was knuckles, a chaina round him and a pole behind him, you could also see a blue and yellow colour behind him

"Tom, Maddie, Name, we need your help on a super..." sonic paused, "Knuckles do you mind?"

"Oh excuse me" Knuckles said as he woddled around to show sonic as he then continued "Tom, Maddie, Name. We need your help on a super mission!" He shouted

Maddie and Tom just looked at each other "We're In!" They said together

Then everyone looked at you as you raised a hand up "Same here" You said as you smiled at sonic which caused him to be all excited for this mission

London, this is where the G.U.N base is and all you need to do is go with Maddie and Tom to put the USB that we got from tails to plug it in the device system

Sounds easy enough... except there are so many guards but luckily Tails is way ahead as he gave you guys holograms to change yourself into other people

While Tails is somewhere else, sonic on the bridge to be ready at any moment while knuckles was on the big clock to break glass.. for emergencies only

You, Maddie and Tom switched as you guys went into the base up to the front which caused Maddie to go into character a little bit too much

Now you guys were in the device system to plug into the USB so Tails could get into the system itself but unfortunately there was another one that look like

Eggman's?

"Eggman is here?" You asked as you looked at Tom as he told tails there was another USB already plugged into the thing

Now everything went very bad, Eggman was maybe already up the key, Tom told you to hide somewhere as he heard people coming so you quickly hid as you saw Maddie and Tom get caught as they walked out of the room that you were hiding in

"Damn it.." You then crouched and then fully stood up walking to the door as you looked out to see no-one so you went out and tried to find Tom and Maddie

A lot of chaos happened in one go as you heard a crash on the building above you, might of been knuckles which meant that something was happening because he was meant to break glass in case of emergencies

Now you were lost

"This base is a maze" You whined as you ran every corner until you were met with..

A hedgehog?

You then looked down to see a familiar face, realizing it was..

"TOM!" You shouted out causing the hedgehog ears to flick at the suddenly shout as you ran to Tom

"Tom? Tom.." You shook him to see if he was going to wake up, you felt like crying at that moment at he didn't seem to flinch or move at all

He seriously hurt

Your brows furrow as you looked at the culprit to only see a familiar hedgehog in your eyes

Your breath hitched, it had also seem that shadow noticed you as well as you two stared at each other

You heard him say your name in a soft voice, your tears started to swell up in your eyes

"Shadow..."

The you heard sonics voice shout out for Tom that caused Shadow to grab you and then teleport both of you out of that spot causing to look confused for a moment

You were now in a quiet and empty room, the lights dim as if this room was no longer needed for anything

You noticed that you sitting down, you then started to look around the room to see if you could spot shadow anywhere

You eventually did as he was a couple steps in front of you, you could see his crimson eyes looking at you

Looking at your every move that you did

"Shadow.. Is it really you?"

You heard a little huff meaning that was yes

Your body now moving on its own as you started to stand up as if you were really happy to see him again

Shadow noticed as he didn't move a muscle, seeing your tired and sad face made him knew that you missed him dearly then he saw you running to him causing him to widen his eyes at the suddenly movement

You run at him and then hugged him causing him to fall over, your face on his chest fur as you were now crying, tightening your arms around him

Shadow didn't believe it at first if you were real or not but he now knows that you were here with him at this very moment

You then felt furry arms wrap around you, a hand holding on the back of your head as the other was on your back, feeling that shadow was trembling as he heard you sob

As you two held each other for the very first time in forever..

I got lazy at the end :P

-A<3

[egg-emperor]

Why I love how Eggman talks about Maria in the Shadow 101 + the connection that can be made to his feelings on Shadow:

I love this part so much and I wanna go into way too much detail and depth to explain why lol

The things this could imply are things I've thought about for a long time and to keep getting new official things that align with my theories on how he feels about Maria lately with Frontiers and now this is awesome!

First of all, I wouldn't say him taking Maria's death personally is an example of him having good standards or implying genuine moral goodness above G.U.N, considering he was cool with pointing a gun at Amy's head, who is around the same age as his cousin was who died via bullet, aboard the very place she died on.

He really didn't care about how he would've been no better than the soldier that killed his similarly aged cousin, with the same weapon, in the same place!

With the harshness of his threats and how he gets increasingly pissed during Crazy Gadget like "Sonic, if you don't come here, she WILL die!" and how he already tried to kill Tails and tried to kill Sonic and Tails again after this, his threats weren't empty.

So I'm seeing it as him taking it personally on the basis that she's a member of the family, the Robotnik family name, so an attack on a family member makes them a threat and enemy to him too.

Think about it, there's a conflict you're not a part of at all, you're just an observer but then two members of your family/your people/community etc become a target- that's when you go "oh this just got personal" because they're related to you, of your blood, and it means you're now a part of it too with your connection to them.

It's like that, except with Eggman's selfish nature, he's looking at it for how it poses as a threat to himself personally for his connection. They killed his grandfather and cousin in their slimy shady operations and they don't want to stop at them, that's when it became personal and a threat to him too and they have tried to directly take him out since multiple times in SA2 and Shadow 05.

Plus he's making Maria's tragedy all about himself with that in true Eggman fashion too, which we'll also get into.

And I want to note the very interesting difference in how Eggman acts on the subject of Maria when in private all alone to himself with his private memos, where he seemed to express absolutely no care about her tragedy and only expressed jealousy and resentment for how he feels he should've got all the attention instead.

He didn't expect anyone to ever hear these memos, he said many private things he'd never say to anyone else in them, a real intimate glimpse into his thoughts and feelings and that's what makes them so cool. He can express his bitterness and jealousy and resentment towards Maria to his heart's content.

Then compare that to how he talks about her in the Shadow 101- which isn't a private memo, it's a data log that he can present to someone else, us, the viewers. Which is why he talks like he's actually talking to someone else (Ex: The "treat him as extremely dangerous" part)

It's certainly very interesting difference to how he talks about her when people aren't supposed to hear at all in the memos huh 👀 After how much he heard "everyone" talking about her like she was so special, he knows what others want to hear.

And what comes right after this? Eggman's rant about how he was the one that released Shadow and he had to go ahead and be such an ingrate. This is very important to note because it works as him attempting to convince the viewer that Shadow not being on his side is this horrible disservice to him “after all he did for Shadow” and how he “cared so much about Shadow's only friend, my cousin” and he clearly actually finds the former amusing and scoffs at, by the way!

Two key things here, he's establishing Maria's importance to Shadow with her being his "only friend" and he's stating his own connection to Maria in being related to her as his cousin.

While he literally couldn't help but scoff at Shadow just wanting to live in peace with his only friend Maria, he still recognizes how he can use that in his attempted manipulation and argument for why Shadow should be on his side- and use the way that she's his cousin.

I'm related to his only friend Maria, I recognize how tragic her death was (because he heard everyone talk about her like she was special instead of giving him the attention he wants! He's putting it to use, eh 👀), I found and released him- these are all reasons he can feel and argue that he's entitled to owning Shadow

I'm also reminded of how Flynn said Eggman can be an unreliable narrator, which he specifically said when asked about implications to his past with the Egg Memo about Maria.

He's extremely biased and unreliable in his intended to be kept private memos, of course he's not going to be entirely truthful in his data logs and presentations too!

And his usual manipulative streak is very important to consider, especially on the subject of Shadow with his entitlement to him. It's his whole deal in the story of Shadow the Hedgehog 2005 which I've done extensive analysis of.

This 101 history video gave us yet another example of his "I'm entitled to him as a member of the family, I did so much for him, he's so ungrateful" attitude that he's always had towards Shadow. Behold, the entitlement compilation lol:

The first few examples are when he's saying how dare Shadow disobey him because he "made him" in lies and gaslighting. But in the route where Shadow knows the truth, even then he pulls the "it was MY grandfather who created you" card to express his entitlement. Literal emphasis on the MY:

He has always felt entitlement based on family connection, he can use both Gerald and Maria for this.

So he's still using a combination of that and now the way he was the one who found and released him as the reasons why he's still entitled to him now, creator or not.

And man the ME? ME! being the only word on his screen at the end of both sentences is perfect, really emphasizes how it's all me me me in his mind. Of course he's going to make everything about him, that's his whole mindset as the most egotistical self-centred narcissist of all time.

Of course he's gonna take it personally if something bad happens to a family member and he's gonna take even the smallest opportunity to make something about him. How can I make this thing about me, how does this affect me, how can this either benefit or harm me, etc. And whenever he can use it to his advantage, he will.

So yeah, I believe his words on the subject are very carefully chosen in this 101. He knows how to set up his case for why Shadow should be on his side, his weapon, his puppet, his property that he tried to trick and manipulate him into in Shadow 05 too. When lying about the origin of his creation with attempted gaslighting of him being an android doesn't work, he starts taking advantage of the truths.

I always theorized that Eggman would also try to use Maria's tragedy as a way to do so as well, if he were to actually mention her, many years prior to Frontiers. The way the only times he's cared to mention her was her name being the password in SA2, on the topic of his bitterness and jealousy in Frontiers, and as a precursor to his rant about Shadow- those are all under very interesting circumstances that are important to note. And boy do I like the implications hehe 💜

[starsfic]

Friendship Bracelets

This is based off a fun idea by @ldhedgehog, where Sonic and Shadow end up with a quill from each other and can use that to sense each other's emotions.

Fine. He was hedgehog to admit it.

Sonic had a bit of separation anxiety.

He and his parents chalked it up to the sudden loss of Longclaw and the ten years spent alone. Sonic had been so excited for his first day of school, with actual kids his age, but had spent most of the day deep in anxiety. What if being away from him was enough to convince Tom and Maddie that he didn't deserve to live with them? What if something happened to them? What if something happened to them and Sonic was all by himself again-

Sonic spent most of the day clinging to Tom when he got home.

It had gotten better. He had learned that Tom and Maddie were solid in their love for him. They texted each other during points in the day. Tails and Knuckles, once they were enveloped into the Wachowski fold, were also there, steadying him.

And then Shadow had come along and then was suddenly gone. There was still anger at him for hurting Tom, an anger that was only mollified by a bit when Tom admitted that he had spooked Shadow, but there was also grief.

Shadow had complemented him. It was like there was a piece of him missing that Sonic had never realized until he and Shadow were dancing in the stars, miniature shooting stars, and whispering of grief and loss on the moon. He loved Knuckles and Tails, of course, but neither could truly challenge him in speed, not until he met furious red eyes.

He had spent months convinced Shadow was dead.

And then Shadow was back, dragging Rouge the Bat with him and bursting into the scene like something out of an action movie, kicking a Metal Sonic away from Amy.

They hadn't had much time to talk, but Shadow's eyes lit up when they met, and he admitted that he had been grieving Sonic too, his hand tight around his. They weren't miniature shooting stars at the end, but they still could give one hell of an encore to their dance.

Then they had to separate again.

Shadow wasn't safe on Earth, not when GUN was around. Sonic understood, especially when Director Rockwell marched in and started screaming questions a few seconds after they shoved Shadow, Rouge, Amy, and that one robot they apparently stole from GUN through the ring portal. However, the minute they sat down in the truck, ready to head back to Green Hills where Shadow and the others would meet them, Sonic felt tears pricking at his eyes- not the normal tears he usually shed after a battle, but real, frantic tears.

What if he had just been a hallucination? What if something happened to him in the five minutes it took to set up a ring portal? What if something happened to him and Sonic was by himself again-

Panic attacks sucked. That was a fun fact that he learned. Maddie had decided, once he was back to himself, that they were all getting therapy. Nobody protested this.

Especially not Shadow, who spent the rest of the night- because his parents refused to let anyone go hungry, especially after a battle like that- hovering by his side. It took a lot of effort to convince him to let go of Sonic's hand at the end of dinner. Then Sonic had a nightmare in the middle of the night and had summoned a ring portal to Rouge's house, right as Shadow was crawling through his window to apparently check if Sonic was still breathing.

This started a pattern that was rapidly becoming an issue.

So when Maddie said she had a way to possibly help with their separation anxiety, Sonic honestly doubted her.

"It's a thing I noticed," she explained as she worked at the table, the two of them sitting across from her. "Shadow, you had one of Sonic's quills at one point, and you could tell Sonic was alive."

"Yes," Shadow said with a nod. "I think our mutual bond with the Chaos Emeralds may have infused our quills." Nobody mentioned that chaos energy was how Gerald Robotnik had lived way past his prime. The thought of Eggman possibly licking his quill made Sonic want to shiver out of his skin, he did not want to imagine what Shadow thought of his sort-of father figure licking his quill.

"Yeah!" his mom said brightly. "So, I did some research and poked at some of your quills, Sonic." She finished whatever she was doing, revealing two bracelets.

They looked like friendship bracelets, done with red and blue strings. However, when Sonic squinted, he realized that one had a lot more blue. The other had a familiar red tint to it.

"Hedgehog quills are actually hollow, making them flexible," Maddie explained as she held them out to them. "But your two's quills are way more flexible than I expected, more like human hair. I'm guessing that's because you guys aren't actually hedgehogs, but something resembling hedgehogs..." Sonic took the bracelet with more red and slid it on as Shadow slid the blue one on.

He twisted his wrist back and forth, studying the bracelet. It was close-fitting, meaning it wouldn't snag on anything, which was good. Sonic felt a burst of interest in his chest as Shadow's quills caught the light, turning a lighter shade of red.

Then he looked at Shadow, who was studying his own bracelet. The blue looked good on him. He looked nice with blue. He looked nice in general, but right now he looked cutely nice, kinda like a cat with how his ears flicked-

Shadow's ears flicked and Sonic had to resist the urge to squeal.

Shadow's head turned then.

"Did...did you just squeal in your head?" he said, sounding baffled. "I could feel that enough that I could hear it."

...oh. Maybe separation anxiety was better.

[dovahkiin796]

Shadow Generations

If the Fallen Angel motifs weren't obvious enough with Shadow's wings. This is the nail in the coffin. A biblical accurate Black Doom form of some kind. That thing looming over you in the White Space is going to be so creepy. Always watching you no matter where you go.

Looks like Black Doom still wants Shadow to be a part of his army. That honestly does makes sense. Black Doom was promised the Ultimate Lifeform to be the vanguard of his race, and he'll get what's his. I do think Black Doom unlocking Shadow's new Doom powers will allow him to create a deeper connection with the hedgehog. Making it easier for him to mind control Shadow.

Holy shit! This looks so very painful for Shadow. Am I the only one getting Symbiote vibes from this? Given the many comparisons that have been made between Shadow and Venom.

Damn! Black Doom look good in the updated graphics! In the upper right-hand corner, you can see the biblical accurate form. A while back a person by the name of cr1ms0nesp3ra-ac3 made a comment saying that Black Doom could be trying to possess Shadow's body.

I replied that in the previous trailers, we saw Doom's Eye, but I later stated that this does not definitively prove Black Doom has returned physically. His mind could still be trapped within the Eye. Alternatively, the new moon form in the White Space could be the new vessel for his consciousness, rather than the Eye. We'll have to wait and see. For all we know he could actually be back with his body. The new information provided in this latest trailer has led me to no longer believe in the possibility of body possession.

Seeing the volcano erupt in the background of the Chaos Island stage is a cool detail. To anyone who played Sonic Frontiers would know that the volcano only erupts after Sonic beats the pinball machine. After seeing this part of the trailer, I like to think Future-Sonic is on Chaos Island right now playing the pinball machine while Shadow is traversing the island.

Definitely won't happen but it would be awesome to see Super Sonic vs The Knight fight from the distance. It was said the Shadow's story would have crossover moments. Not sure what that means.

These two images go hard. In the background is the Doom Moon and it looks different here than it does in the White World. The sight of Shadow flying toward that thing is giving off a redeemed Lucifer vibe. You know? It's a good thing Eggman doesn't know about this. Eggman has a track record of pissing on moons.

Mother fucking Mephiles!!!!? I was completely blown away by this reveal! Mephiles has been pretty much a no zone for future stories after 06. Mainly because Sonic 06's story was erased from the timeline meaning him along with Iblis don't exist anymore. However, we know the real reason why Mephiles never made a return till now. His debut game in the franchise was and still is the worst one that nearly killed it. So, we can't blame for SEGA never wanting to acknowledge him again. I do hope he's done justice in Shadow's story. I am curious if Shadow will remember him. It will end the debate if Sonic is the only one who remembers the events of 06.

Such a cool scene! Shadow being a badass is always a treat to watch. Though his red eyes are concerning. Does that mean he's closer to falling into Black Doom's control the more Doom Powers he gets and taps into?

Maria Robotnik in the White Space. I would not have believed you if you told me during the early years of Youtube that Maria would come back in a game. But here she is, pulled into the White Space where Shadow is. I hope the reunion between the two is well written, acted, and animated.

[sonicjustbecause]

The Sonic 3 Trailer lacks of both spoiler and context, and that is about how a trailer should be. We already know what it is about. We only needed to see few scenes to make sure it might look good (or bad, it depends on what we except).

Now, I've seen a couple of crazy theories I've read and I believe both of them won't happen. I'll explain

Tom getting killed

Won't happens anything different to Tom that didn't happen before. he will be at worst knock out/neutralized and go off screen. Like in Sonic 1 (punched by Eggman) and Sonic 2 (encircled by flames)

Such happening would be the complete Shadow's assasination as character. We as fan won't forgive him and also this would push Shadow in the villains realm.

The past characterization.

Original Shadow (Adventure/Heroes/06) was very tame. There is a video on YT that analyze how Shadow behaves toward the world and underline the lack of destruction and violence in SA2, as opposite as we see in Sonic X and ShtH05.

in Sonic-X they changed slightly Shadow's personality, removing his intellectual and contemplative nature and replacing it with a more brash and violent personality. But even there, they prevented Shadow from killing Cosmo, making him acting like a cat who plays with his prey instead of being efficient (slow pace, talking, missing aim despite the short distance and when the thing failed just giving up on that). Shadow could have act smartly simply killing Cosmo in her sleep. As I say, I think they wanted to save his reputation.

In Sonic Force he indeed killed Infinite's squad. His first kill, most likely. Small fries, while leaving the boss alive, evil and stupid considering the aftermath. They saved Shadow's reputation by making Infinite lame and obnoxious and by not showing his gang at all (so we don't get attachted and we still cheer for Shadow). Sort of telling without actually showing anything.

Similar cases and why those characters have been tamed out.

Lupin III had a super rough star. His author got inspired by underground Western comics of the '60s and the original Lupin III was not a thief and a cheerful anti-hero. Lupin was originally a real godfather, a mafia boss, and despite he was mostly accompanied by Jigen and Goemon (who weren't really characterized back then) he had all underdogs, picciottos and so on under his rule. He did steal, but also he killed innocents, he raped women (includin Fujiko) and did several other hideous things.

Evil protagonists don't last long. They either get overhauled or they die like Light Yagami.

For this Lupin had to be tamed. Lupin killed less and less and more and more only with a reason and was more and more gentle with the innocents, including his main foe. And lastly he just virtually stopped to kill.

He's not the only one, many protagonists were born as unremedable villain and then they have been turned into antiheroes... or even heroes. Villanous protagonists never last long.

Shadow is beloved mostly because of his original personality. I noticed in most fan work, he is characterized the way he was in Sonic Adventure 2/Heroes/06 or Prime. Sometimes like in Sonic X and Shadow 05. Rarely like modern Shadow.

Back to Shadow

"What did you do?"

"What I had to!"

Those lines may be related to anything and everything. They might be related to Shadow's attempt to destroy the world like in SA2.

"I had to keep my promise!"

"What I had to do" suggest me something Shadow did not because he wanted to but for an external obiective. It might be world safety, keeping a promise, preventing the Sun going red giant, anything. Maybe even destroying Metal Sonic (if he appears like some rumor suggest) after Sonic convinced him to join the good side. Shadow has a long story dealing with living weapons.

Shadow stealing Stone's bike

Simply impossible. I already said Shadow's size is comparable to the size of a five years old child, about 1m tall. Stone is a 1,78m tall adult.

How Shadow would look on Stone's bike. It would be good material for the memes. And even if he would be able to ride an adult designed bike, he would be unable to do the Akira thing.

[comicmanstudioink]

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG BUT SUPER EVIL AND SCARY AND STUFF!!!

(SONIC.EXE PARODY)

By Oscar James.

(part 3)

The next zone came up, this zone's name was strange however, it was simply called “...” (*pfff* lame”) 

This time I was playing as Doctor Eggman for some reason, he wasn’t playable in any of the 2D games. Eggman himself looked a bit sad, he walked really slowly with a sombre expression on his face, probably aware of the horrors ahead. It looked like I was in some sort of basement, the ring counter read: “Nowhere to Run!”. The music of the zone wasn’t from any sonic game. It was a slow, sombre piano, it made me feel kinda uncomfortable honestly for just how slow and creepy it sounded. Anyway, I walked to the right for a bit and nothing really happened.

When suddenly:

The Evil Sonic appeared all of a sudden. He looked down, eyes blank, hands stiff, and hungry for blood. Eggman leaned back terrified at the sight of the evil sonic. Terrified, but aware of his fate, he knew that if knuckles couldn’t beat Evil Sonic, then no one can!

Evil Sonic picked up Eggman by the throat, Eggman's glasses fell off and Evil Sonic squeezed Eggman's side, Eggman started to cry out in pain, Evil Sonic then lifted Eggman over his head.

Ripping him in half! Eggman's guts came flying out and spilling every, Evil Sonic started to smile, then laugh, and he laughed harder, and harder, and harder, he couldn’t stop laughing. he laughed over and over and-

Wait… no sorry I wrote that wrong. What actually happened was:

Evil Sonic cracked Eggman in half, eating the egg that came out of him (raw I might add). Eggman's face went into a terrified expression as the Evil Sonic consumed his egg in one foul gulp. I couldn’t help but shed a tear at the loss of the great doctor. 

I had lost, I had let every character that I played get injured in horrible ways, or get killed. I wasn’t an EPIC GAMER!!!, I really was a noob after all.

The screen went black, but text didn’t appear this time.

The Evil Sonic did. Covered in shadow, he then said to me:

"You failed to save them Tom, you let them all fall under me, but you really never stood a chance against me did you? Would you like to know why? It’s not because I'm a blue blur. My name isn’t even Evil Sonic, the name you have been addressing me by. No, my name is Devin, Devin Devil."

He then fully revealed himself, and a red light lit behind him.

"I am far more than some Evil Sonic, Tom. and it's all for one reason. Because Tom, in this world, I…"

He then cleared his throat, and said those dreaded words that still haunt my dreams… 

I AM GOD!

His eyes went swirly, you could feel the madness within them. Devin went into a hysterical laughter, I froze, not knowing what to do or what to say, all I could do was watch this mental delinquent laugh, this was the most terrified I have ever been in my life. But the worst was yet to come…

The screen went black once more, and text appeared on screen for the final time. It read:

GAME OVER!

After that, the game closed itself. I just sat there, trying to comprehend what I had just witnessed. All the horror I had put the characters that I loved so dearly through, and the monstrosity that was Devin Devil, how was this possible? The supernatural weren't real! Ghosts and ghouls were just make believe, but this game proved otherwise.

As I contemplated to myself, I noticed something, my computer background, it had changed, investigated further, and this was the image it had changed to:

The horizon was on fire and the plant life dead, Eggman laid on the ground, only his top half was on screen, his face the same as it was when he was cracked in half, knuckles was in a coffin surrounded by pink flowers from the “mellow meadows” zone, he was next to a picture of himself in black and white. And tails stood next to him, bumps on his head and shedding a tear for his fallen comrade. And Devin devil, looking at me, wagging his finger and sticking his tongue out, taunting me. Then finally the words game over in the corner of the screen. This screen was a constant reminder of the fact…

That I lost…

As I was looking at the screen, something touched my shoulder. I looked at what touched me, it was a hand, a four fingered hand wearing a dirty yellow glove. I looked behind me, and it was him, Devin devil, out of the computer, in the real world, and he said two chilling words to me that I knew all too well.

GAME OVER!

I then blacked out.

When I next awoke, I was tied to a chair in a dark room. As I looked around trying to see where I was, and then I saw him, my good friend Kyle (you know, from earlier of the story) he was tied to a chair like I was, but something was up with Kyle, he was crying, Kyle was never usually like this, something must've happened to him, I tried to call out to him, but he just wouldn't listen. Suddenly, I heard footsteps, it was Devin, emerging from the shadows, smiling to himself.

“W-where am I? What did you do to Kyle?!”

“So Kyle is his name! Good to know, I didn't know if it was Kyle or Kam. Anyway, Kyle played my game, and he lost. So now he has to suffer the consequences of his failure, same as you Tom…”

After he said that, he pulled out an old CRt tv and vhs player, he then put a tape in the vhs player. As I looked closer at the television set, the tape that played shook me to my core…

“N-no, NO IT CAN’T BE! YOU MONSTER HOW COULD YOU!”

“THAT'S RIGHT BABY! WE’RE WATCHING SONIC UNDERGROUND!!!!!!!!!”

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

Now you may be thinking to yourself how in writing all of this when I'm damned to watch sonic underground for the rest of my life, you see fellow reader, I was able to escape!

I wrote this story to warn you, don’t play this game, no matter how enticing it may seem, don't play this game, you’ll be damned to watch old bad sonic cartoons for the rest of your life, so whatever you do...

DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME! DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME! DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME! DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME! DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME! DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME! DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME! DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME! DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME! DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME! DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME! DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME! DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME! DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME! DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME! DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME! DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME! DON’T PLAY THIS GAME!DON’T PLAY THIS GAME! DON-   *BONK*

Nice try Tom, but your gonna have to try harder than that to stop me��

>:)

THE END :D 

Ok folks stories over you can leave now.

part 1

part 2

[sophaeros]

julian casablancas for mojo magazine, november 2024 / issue 372 (x x)

Rock'n'roll Confidential: Julian Casablancas

The Strokes/Voidz mainman talks entitlement, respect and Arctic Monkeys

3AM (Pacific Coast Time) is an atypical hour to schedule an interview. But here's Julian Casablancas, zooming from Los Angeles, where the singer, for so long synonymous with the grit and glamour of New York City, has lived since 2020. He's a busy man: as well as fronting long-running garage rock classicists The Strokes - whose sixth album The New Abnormal won a Grammy in 2020 - he's found a refuge of sorts in his experimental, '80s synths-enabled group The Voidz, whose new LP Like All Before You is imminent. Talking to MOJO, Casablancas remains in shadow, his eyes occasionally reflecting dim light. "I can be a vampire," he promises. "You want a real rock star, bro? But I can be flexible and go into family mode too…"

What are you doing up at 3am, talking to MOJO? It's about the only time I have free. The rest of the time, it's videos and working with managers, going to concerts, social things… so l go all the way around, to crazy night hours.

The new album starts with Overture and ends with Walk Off - is there a concept lurking within? I guess a little. Maybe subconsciously. It hopefully hits if you have taken mushrooms. I had just watched Gone With The Wind, and they used to have overtures at the beginning of movies, and then we end the album with a synthesizer version. But it is not a rock opera story. If anything, the concept was going to be a one-word album title. At first, it was Zeal, then Perseverance.

How do you switch mindsets between Voidz and Strokes songwriting? Voidz songs are where my mind has been pushing me, and where I want to go, and where I am. But the ability or capability or muscle memory of writing Strokes-sequel stuff is just always going to be there. When those songs appear, it makes more sense to put them in each category, but it's not always that clear. But there's more 'no-limits' with The Voidz.

You recently said, "My current solution is to tour with The Strokes and then use the money to record with The Voidz." How did that happen? Years of drama and betrayals and horseshit (laughs). Honestly, l am cool with most of the dudes, and now we're more mature. It's not what I set out to do, but it's a fun, cool day job that I feel blessed to have. But let's just say I was only in a band called Zog, and whatever I worked on 10 years ago in Zog, I would not be interested in any more, I'm only interested in what I'm working on now. It's just the nature of music and creativity, you know?

What did you set out to do with The Strokes? I just wanted to challenge boundaries, and to have an ambitious collective of respectful teammates. Is that The Voidz? For me, yes.

The cliché about Strokes issues is that you were rich kids who weren't hungry enough. Any truth in that? Success affects people in different ways. I'd say there are some elements, probably from me as well, where you can be entitled… all kinds of bands have fallings outs and drama. It wasn't like, Oh, we don't need the money. I think it did take a lot of hunger to get there, but then after you've achieved something, when everyone is kissing each individual member's ass… OK, let's get back to work and do it again. It was like, Uh, no thanks. That's my assessment.

The Arctic Monkeys song Star Treatment starts out, "I just wanted to be one of The Strokes." What was your reaction? I thought, Be careful what you wish for. It was funny, and flattering. I have a lot of respect for Alex and those boys.

Tell us something you've never told an interviewer before. I've been trying to communicate with crows lately. I heard they have an intricate sonic language, but I haven't had any luck. It occurred to me that food would help, so I was trying to feed one M&M's earlier, but he wasn't having it. People can catch me making weird noises, trying to mimic the crow. I think the crows are more startled than the humans.

As told to Martin Aston

JULIAN, DOPE Five of Casablancas's crackers.

Brian Eno Burning Airlines Give You So Much More (ISLAND, 1974)

Benny Goodman Good-Bye (VICTOR, 1936)

Kate Bush Why Should I Love You? (EMI, 1993)

Max Richter Path 5 (Delta) (DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON, 2015)

BEAK> Secrets (INVADA, 2024)

[crusherthedoctor]

Hey Crush, Nick here again. Does that Freedom Fighter Defender Anon even realise that those characters weren't even relevant to a real degree outside of America? In the UK at the least, we got reruns of SatAM...and as far as I'm aware, that's about it. Why in the hell should any non US fan care about characters from some 90's cartoon that had little to do with the games they're supposedly based of...and whom very easily might never have watched or read anything they're even in?

Like a lot of people on the internet (mostly Twitter... like usual), SatAM/Archie fans have an unfortunate tendency to think the whole world is America. So I'm curious of how they'd react to Viridonia, since everyone there has a British accent, including the green horsie herself. :P

Back in primary school, when I first learned about Sonic courtesy of classmates talking about it, they'd discuss other characters all the time like Knuckles, Tails, Amy, "Robontik" (they all said it like that for some reason lmao), Shadow, Rouge, and I think Gamma and Metal Sonic were mentioned a couple of times as well. None of them said anything about Sally, or any of the other Freedom Fighters for that matter. So when I finally saw them for the first time via Mega Collection's comic section, I was extremely confused as to who they were and why no one said anything about them previously.

[darkjanet2]

Sonic Adventure 2: Sonadow

Chapter 25: Eggman Attacks

At the therapy, Sonic was talking to Dr. Lee about his depression and grieving about Shadow. His therapist, an Asian old man with a clean-shaven face and slick gray hair that had been neatly trimmed was leaning forward in his chair in interest. He looked like he was thinking about something important.

"I'm sorry to hear what happened," he said finally. "You were such a good friend. And you said you developed feelings for Shadow, right?" He glanced at Sonic who nodded. "And you started dating recently?"

"We weren't actually dating yet," Sonic said, rubbing his arm. "Shadow and I became enemies before we got together. And now, well…" He shrugged. "Now that I know how much Shadow cared for me, it feels like all the good times are gone. It's like I never knew him."

"And when did you meet him?" asked Dr. Lee, scribbling his notepad.

"That night, I met him at the street city where I was falsely accused of stealing Chaos Emerald from the bank. We started a battle against him one-on-one, but he warped everywhere. There was no way I could beat him, then he teleported until the cops arrived. And I was taken to Prison Island," Sonic continued. "2 days later, Amy found me there when I wasn't impressed. She always was looking for me and chasing me at all times," Sonic rolled his eyes.

Dr. Lee held his chin when he nodded, "Mm-hm. And what happened next?"

"When I was freed from the prison, get ready to fight Shadow again. I came back for round 2, we started to battle once again until we stopped fighting for a moment. Shadow walked to me and then he kissed me," said Sonic.

Dr. Lee stopped scribbling his notepad to look up curiously, staring into Sonic's emerald green eyes.

"Shadow kissed you?" he asked, incredulously.

"Um, yeah, I didn't know what was this about, but I felt kinda weird, and I didn't know if it was just because of his mind games or whatever." Sonic scratched his head.

"So, did he have feelings for you at any time during your relationship?" asked Dr. Lee, tilting his head slightly. "It may seem like he had feelings for you, but the real reason might be because he was trying to get close to you." His pencil tapping on his notepad, he leaned back in his chair.

Sonic looked down and twiddled his thumbs for a second. "Well, I thought he was going to kill me, but he kissed me. My very first kiss with Shadow," Sonic said. "I couldn't stop thinking about it afterward. He had so many different emotions at the time and I felt confused, like I really wanted to know him and loved him, but my brain still told me he was dangerous."

"And after that incident, you felt that way ever since? Did you see each other again?" Dr. Lee pushed his glasses further up on his nose.

"My team and I went to the Space Colony Ark, trying to stop Eggman from destroying the planet. And Shadow... he said he lost his friend Maria 50 years ago," said Sonic.

"Maria? A young girl? She died 50 years ago?" asked Dr. Lee.

Sonic nodded, "Yes. That happened 50 years ago, they were trying to escape from the G.U.N. army. Unfortunately, Shadow survived and Maria didn't make it. He was really devastated about her death. So that's how Shadow's story was sad."

"That's such a tragic story," sighed Dr. Lee.

"I felt bad for Shadow when he lost someone he loved. I understood how he felt. He became vengeful against humanity for taking away the one person he truly loved," Sonic said. "Shadow isn't evil. Just... complicated. But I understand why he acts the way he does." He looked up as Dr. Lee wrote in his notes.

"What else can you tell me about Shadow? Do you think he would ever hurt you? Would he ever try to destroy you?" asked Dr. Lee.

"No! No, of course not! He just lost it. He had a mental breakdown for a little bit after Maria died. It took us a while to fix things and calm him down," answered Sonic. "But he won't ever hurt me. Shadow was just an emotional hedgehog. I realized he was suffering from PTSD and depression after he lost Maria."

He looked down at his lap, frowning softly and chewing his lip. "I... I had always feelings for Shadow. Maybe it's just because Shadow is so lonely and depressed. And I was always there for him," said Sonic.

The therapist nodded, "Mm-hm, and what happened next?"

"Uh, well, it's embarrassing to say..." Sonic rubbed his arm nervously. "Shadow and I... started to have sex in the Space Colony when my team caught us making out and Eggman flipped out for wasting our time to save the planet."

Dr. Lee stopped scribbling his notepad once again and stared at Sonic with wide eyes. Sonic flushed red and averted his gaze. He was used to people laughing at him when he admitted his sexuality and feelings, but he'd hoped that Dr.Lee wouldn't react badly.

After a long silence, Dr. Lee asked, "And you're still attracted to Shadow?"

"Um, yeah, I guess... I'm still confused. I mean... I never stopped loving Shadow. It's just that lately, I've been wondering what we could have been if we had more time." Sonic said. "It's confusing to say that after all this time, I still love him. I love Shadow."

"And how did Shadow die?" he asked.

"I don't know how, exactly, but he just used too much power at that point, and he sacrificed himself by using the Chaos Emerald." Sonic shook his head sadly. "That was the last time I saw Shadow alive. Then, the next day, Shadow was gone. The only thing that remained of him was an empty shell. And I was left alone to deal with everything." Sonic frowned. "I missed Shadow so much."

The therapist tapped his pen onto his notepad and hummed. "And after that, how did you feel about Shadow after you realized you were still attracted to him?"

Sonic paused, thinking over how to respond. "It's hard to describe it. I loved Shadow, and he loved me… but when he was gone, I'd never felt so depressed before in my entire life. Everything hurt, and I was so mad at myself for not saving Shadow." He swallowed thickly, closing his eyes.

"Well, Sonic, you're attracted to Shadow that you are homosexual, and he was emotionally invested in you and you returned his affection," said Dr. Lee firmly, "and you know what? You don't regret it. Now that you are aware of the depth of your feelings, what do you want to do about them?"

Sonic opened his eyes and sat up straight, blinking at Dr. Lee. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"If you're gay, what do you want to do about your feelings?" asked the psychiatrist.

"Well... I wish Shadow was here..." mumbled Sonic.

"Hmm, well, I think that's enough for now," he said as he stopped writing his notepad and reached over to pick up his pen and write down some more information. "I'll set up the next appointment for next week. If you feel better at any point, please contact me."

"Okay," said Sonic as he stood up and headed towards the door. "Thank you so much, Dr. Lee."

"You're welcome," smiled the doctor as he waved goodbye to Sonic.

As he exited the doctor's office, he walked to 7-11 to buy a chili dog, Prime Hydrating Drink, and chili Fritos for himself. The cashier scanned the snack and placed it inside the plastic bag, leaving money on the counter. As he turned around to leave, he went to the park sat on the bench, and ate his chili dog while he watched cars zoom past the nearby streets and the kids were playing in the playground and sports. He was eating alone in the park which was nice since no one bothered him, but that also meant no one could interrupt him. He finished his chili dog while reading a book on his phone. He felt something rolling to his feet, it was a soccer ball. The kids ran toward the blue hedgehog and apologized for it.

"Heh, sorry, mister," said the boy with a short dreadlocks.

"It's okay. I wasn't paying attention to where I was looking," said Sonic, smiling up at the young kids. He scooped the ball up and gave it to him. "Here you go, kiddo,"

"Thanks," said the boy.

"Hey, you wanna play with us?" asked the boy with his hat backward.

"Huh? Me?" Sonic pointed to himself.

"Yeah!" he laughed. "We play soccer all the time, you can join if you want."

"Uh, sure, why not?" Sonic shrugged and began walking through the park with them. "Do you guys have names?" he asked.

"Yep! My name's Mike, and this is Luke," said the boy wearing the hat.

"Nice to meet you, Mike, and Luke. My name's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog. You two seem really nice," said Sonic.

"So let's play soccer!" exclaimed Mike, bouncing around excitedly.

They ran around the field, the kids were kicking soccer balls back and forth and screaming and shouting in excitement. They were having so much fun, and Sonic joined right along, feeling happy being able to play with children again after so long. Eventually, everyone ran out of breath, panting and smiling at each other.

"Wow, you guys must be really good at soccer!" grinned Sonic.

"Yeah, we are. We got pretty good at it during our summer camp when our coach made us take turns playing a game of soccer in the field every afternoon," said Mike.

"That sounds like fun. How about you, Luke? What sport do you play?" asked Sonic.

"I play soccer, as well. I'm kinda a good kicker. Like, good," said Luke.

"I see. I play baseball and rugby," said Sonic.

Mike looked at him curiously, "Are you a pitcher or a catcher? What's your favorite position?"

"I'm a batter, actually. I can hit a home run pretty fast," he replied with a smile.

"That's cool," said Mike.

Sonic stood up and stretched, yawning widely. "Well, I gotta get home now. Your parents must be worried about you," he said.

"Oh, yeah. Well, see you later, Sonic! We'll play again next time!" called Luke.

"See you around, Sonic!" added Mike.

With that, Sonic waved goodbye to Mike and Luke and then walked off home. The sun was starting to set, he ran through the city with a blue streak behind him. He was exhausted from playing soccer with the other kids. He had quite a lot of fun to help him to cure his depression, and make him forget about everything that had happened. He felt a little better.

'Oh, man. I felt a little better. That was really fun that I was playing soccer with them, and I haven't felt that good in months!' thought Sonic happily as he jogged the rest of the way home.

Sonic heard a scream in the distance, and he slowed down his jog, looking around. 'Huh? Who would scream like that in the middle of the night?' wondered Sonic. He then spotted the robots attacking the city. 'Those robot bastards again?! What is with these idiots attacking us?!' he growled angrily.

He ran off to defend the city, and he noticed more robots than usual patrolling the city. One of them grabbed Sonic's ankle, causing him to fall backward on the ground.

"Ah!" yelled Sonic. 'Ugh, these stupid things keep grabbing me.' he groaned, pushing away the robot and getting back up.

Sonic looked down the street to see if there was anything he could use to destroy the robots, but there weren't any convenient weapons lying around. He sighed and began running, hoping there was someone who needed his help.

"Hohohohoho!" an evil laughter echoed through the streets. He turned around where the evil laugh came from. Eggman lowered his Eggmobile and stood up, laughing evilly, "Well, well, well. If it isn't my old nemesis, Sonic the Hedgehog." he chuckled.

"Eggman!" Sonic growled. "What are you doing here?!" he demanded.

"This city is mine. I can come whenever I want without anyone stopping me," he replied smugly.

"Then why did you attack us?! You don't give up, do you?!" cried Sonic furiously.

"Because this city belongs to me, and I need a reason to attack a place," answered Eggman confidently. "Besides, you ruined my plans to kill you, so I figured it was only fair that I return the favor by taking care of your precious friends," he gestured to Sonic's friends who were trapped inside the glass bubble.

Sonic's eyes widened in horror. The team desperately tried to break free but it was useless. No matter how hard they struggled, there was nothing they could do. They were crying out for help.

"Guys!" He cried to his friend, then he angrily turned to Eggman. "Why are you doing this!? Let them go!" demanded Sonic, gritting his teeth.

Eggman chuckled, "You still don't understand, do you? This city belongs to me. I've been planning revenge ever since the moment I first laid eyes on you, Sonic the Hedgehog." he cackled maniacally. "It doesn't matter what kind of hero you are. All that matters is power. Power means power over the universe. And what you have given to me makes me very powerful."

"What're you gonna do to them?" demanded Sonic.

"Just watch," grinned Eggman, raised the remote to his hand, and pressed the button to electrify them, sending shocks through their bodies to paralyze them. They collapsed into helplessness.

Sonic gasped in shock and anger, tears coming to his eyes as the electricity continued to pulse through their bodies. After a few seconds, Eggman stopped pressing the remote. "There. Now you can stop interfering."

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! LET MY FRIENDS GO!!" he yelled in rage, his blue electricity surged through his body and his glowed blue with fury as he clenched his fist tightly. He charged at Eggman with rage yelling and ready to punch him.

[inkabelledesigns]

Hey so have I ever told you guys about the most ridiculous thing to happen to me online as a teenager? Yeah I got trolled and harassed by the same guy for so many years that I lost count. And it was all because I told him you shouldn't steal people's Sonic fan character sprite sheets. Here's the story.

So as a teenager, I was really into those SSS Sprite Show videos. It was a genre of Sonic content on YouTube that consisted of Sonic and Shadow with Sonic Advance style sprites, and Silver with a Genesis styled sprite, over realistic photo backgrounds, using Speakonia voices to talk. The humor was often pretty terribly written. The three would often live together, Shadow would beat the crap out of Silver, Sonic was obsessed with the Sex and the City Franchise, Amy was constantly written to be a horrible, obsessive antagonist which sucked, and so many people would recolor Sonic Advance sprites to be their fan characters, which would slowly take over the show and lead to more wacky adventures, becoming more about them than the canon cast. Some were pretty basic recolors, others put a lot of effort in. And as I said, this was a genre, as in, multiple people made sprite series with this setup, all using the same voices and formula, and they all lived in the mansion with the SSS. They were baaaaaaad, but y'know, the kids were having fun, and I used to know a lot of people in this community. I even tried my hand at spriting and got actively told to quit by one of my former boyfriends so I couldn't be better at it than him. Yeah he was a peach. This is sarcasm, he was a dick and incredibly sexist towards me. Hell the amount of sexism I faced from guys in this community was kind of ridiculous. The stuff I went through just for being a girl on the internet in the 2010s was something else. If this part of the sprite community somehow still exists, I hope people have gotten better about that.

Anyway, it was incredibly common for fan character sprite sheets to cross over into each other's series, but not everyone consented to people using your sheets. So often, you'd email people your sheet, and only people who had permission would use it. That is, until some assholes leaked them. One of my friends had their sheet leaked and given to someone else who abused the use of it so much, and then there was all this stuff with emailing where some confident lil shit decided to flaunt that he had all these sheets he wasn't supposed to have. We never found definitive evidence as to who leaked them, but I feel confident that I know who it was. But the person flaunting it, I and this other person called him out. He was not only flaunting the sheets under a false name and using them in hisain account videos (often turning my friend's character into a bitch to make them look bad), but he was also making fake accounts to troll himself to generate sympathy and get people's attention off of it. And when we called him on this, he proceeded to harass us for the better part of a decade. Impersonating me on YouTube to say things I would never say in grammar I would never use, hell, he did that to a lot of people that would go on to call him out. He'd make entire videos on his main account telling us we were awful and to stop harassing him when we weren't, he was the one actively harassing us. The drama was real, and this continued to happen for YEARS after all of us stopped interacting with him, on YouTube, DeviantArt, it was bad, and it bugged me. I would be on vacation with my family, completely unplugged, and then come back to hundreds of messages gumming up my DA inbox from him under fake accounts.

But like, at a certain point you learn to block it out. Like as a teenager, I was worried people would think his impersonation was actually me, and some people did! But anyone who like, actually knew me wasn't fooled, and if you're willing to believe that sort of thing on sight without questioning it in the slightest, maybe you're not someone I need in my life or should care about the opinions of. It was a valuable lesson that not everyone is someone you need to hold in high regard. Be respectful, but also know that not everyone respects you, and their opinions don't need to hold as much weight for you emotionally as someone who does.

The last time I logged into my old DeviantArt, I had like ten messages from deactivated accounts telling me to go fuck myself, from this guy, still impersonating someone else, the same way he had for all that time. It'd gotten a little less frequent while I was still active, but my account has been dead for years. I couldn't believe it, I haven't used my DA since I was what, finishing college? And the messages were recent, it was kind of pathetic.

Like, we just wanted him to stop stealing shit, and there he was, having learned nothing. Consent matters, if you have not been given permission to use someone's character in your creative work, you ask first, and if they say no, you respect that no. You don't get someone to send you their materials, abuse those materials, and then harass people for telling you to knock it off. Yeah, I probably could have been nicer in the way I handled things, I regret that, but knowing what I know now? Regardless of how I behaved, this guy had some unacceptable behavior. And I hope wherever he is now, he's grown up a little. Like, if I really lived rent free in your head for that long, all because I told you not to be a butt to my friend, to respect their boundaries, maybe I'm not the villain in this scenario. Trying to control my actions and obsessing over the fact that I thought you were doing something ugly, when I was an absolute nobody that no one took seriously anyway, isn't nearly as productive as working on bettering yourself. Like genuinely, I hope he's doing better. I felt no sympathy in the moment these things happened, but I do feel a little bad for him now. I've been there, in a place where I cared too much about people's views of me, and it left me wrecked and trying to people please far more than was reasonable. I changed all of who I was in an effort to be liked, and it didn't do me any favors, just made me miserable. It took me so long to learn that hey, you're likable and loveable just by being you, you're not a bad person or failing at being human, you just hadn't found the right people yet. And now you've found people who are in fact great people, and you're gonna be okay. (Yes I went through a character arc and changed as a person for the better, I am far from exactly the same person that I was as a teenager, I've grown. But I'd like to think that some of why people want me around and value me as a friend is because of things I've had inside me all along, things that are core parts of my character. As I often say, maybe being Kat isn't such a bad thing to be after all. Self love and self improvement is a process folks.)

Anyway another community's struggles came up on my feed today, and it reminded me of this story, that's why I'm telling it. To anyone out there that's had to deal with a troll, well, I can't say all experiences are equal, and the internet has changed quite a bit since this happened to me. There are some troll experiences that you can't ignore that will turn into something serious and bad, but there are others that you can brush off, because those trolls don't matter. And there are some that are a complex mix of it all. It's often not worth it to interact with someone that attacks you in bad faith. What I can say is that if someone makes it their life mission to take you down, without really knowing you? Think long and hard about how much time you really want to dedicate to that. Not everyone is going to like you, some people are going to hate you with no real basis or reason for it sometimes. Some people are going to believe things about you that aren't true. The best thing you can do is put your best foot forward, be kind, be courteous, be a thoughtful person, and surround yourself with people who are also kind and thoughtful. Of course, have some self reflection. If someone says your behavior is hurtful, really think about it and analyze yourself, work on yourself, we can always improve. But know that you're not gonna please everyone, and that in and of itself is not a moral failing. It's what you choose to do about it that matters.

The bottom line is this: You can't control how anyone feels about you or behaves, all you can do is control your own actions and make smart choices.

[blazehedgehog]

What was the internet fandom's reaction to Sonic Adventure 2 back in the early 2000s?

I can only speak to my personal perspective, which is that most of the people I know really liked it, but a select few of us (yes, including me) were upset because something was lost in the transition from SA1 to SA2.

Sonic Adventure is a much clearer continuation of the Sonic 3 storyline. Sonic Adventure 2 is, too, but it hides that fact maybe a little too well. Sonic Adventure 2 is also a lot more streamlined than Sonic Adventure -- no adventure fields, and each character's traits are much more pronounced. They feel much more specialized. Sonic is only good at running (through levels that were basically just Speed Highway on repeat). Knuckles is only good at hunting. Tails is only good at shooting. Things like that.

There was also a pretty significant debate over the story and characters. There was a large argument where our side proposed that Sonic Adventure 2 felt "soulless." It leaned a lot more heavily on science fiction and anime tropes.

I specifically remember comparing Shadow the Hedgehog to a trope you often see in characters like Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII. The tortured science experiment reflecting on the nature of their own existence. Rouge, too, was a generically sexy jewel thief.

Compared to Sonic Adventure's grand finale of The Angel Island Saga, it lacked the depth and impact of something like Perfect Chaos and Tikal. Sonic Adventure felt more like a Sonic game should, whereas Sonic Adventure 2 was something new, different, and decidedly more flavorless. Less a story than a collection of stereotypes and gimmicks.

Two things I remember very clearly during the long, ongoing debates this game spawned were specific replies to something a friend of mine said in response to me being utterly unfair to Sonic Adventure 2:

"So now you don't like playing it? Weren't you the guy who spent over 4 solid hours playing just City Escape in The Trial on the first day you had it?"

Which was in response to me complaining about how much more narrow and linear the stages were for Sonic now, and how that was inferior to Sonic Adventure's more evenly-paced level design. To further the point, I'd even paid money for the Sonic Adventure 2 Trial, ordering it for like $5 off of Ebay so I wouldn't have to spend full price on Phantasy Star Online. May have actually been the first thing I ever bought on Ebay.

"And who said you get to decide what Sonic the Hedgehog is? At least they're not just copying Super Mario 64 like everyone else."

Proving that perhaps some things never change with me, I guess. I had used the "Sonic Adventure 2 is soulless" argument to suggest it did not feel like a Sonic game anymore.

In retrospect, these were some pretty knock-down, drag-out arguments. I'm still friends with some (maybe even most) of those people, and I remember the context of some of these things getting pretty heated in ways I'd never dream of nowadays.

For the safety of my well being, I would like to point out that I have obviously come around on Sonic Adventure 2 more since those days. I would still consider my feelings "complicated", but I can, and do, enjoy the game much more now than I used to.

I'd, uh, "finished" school (in a matter of speaking) by the time Sonic Adventure 2 came out, so I don't really have any nuanced view on how the game was received in the real world, outside of the two main friend groups I was hanging with at the time. I think by the time previews were coming out and the cast kept getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger, there was some sneering -- Sonic's spotlight being "too crowded" was a major concern back then, and Sonic Adventure 2 only made it worse.

I was just talking about this with a friend, but Penny-Arcade used to do this Game of the Year thing called the "We're Right Awards." And for 2001 that year, Gabe gave Sonic Adventure 2 an award:

"Best Sonic Game Where You Do Not Play As Sonic"

I suppose it's fallen out of favor now, but there used to be a memetic shorthand for this and it was called "Sonic's Shitty Friends." Everybody called them that. When pressed, they'd say Tails and Knuckles were fine, but beyond that, the wider world at large didn't want to have anything to do with Amy, or Big, or Shadow, or Rouge, or Gamma, or Omega, or Vector, or Charmy, or Espio, or Cream, or Silver, or Blaze, so on and so forth. You get the idea.

Though it was a problem in Sonic Adventure, it really started to catalyze in Sonic Adventure 2. Every game people would complain about it, and every game the cast would just get bigger. Three playable characters. Six. Twelve.

And specifically for Sonic Adventure 2, most tended to agree that only really Sonic and Shadow were fun. The mechs were slow and clumsy, and the hunting stages were deliberately made significantly more tedious.

Then there was us, also saying the game simply felt soulless. It lacked the heart of Sonic Adventure, trading it for edgelord science fiction. A game that was, at one point, maybe even supposed to have swearing in it. A Sonic game! With swearing! It boggles the mind.

[beevean]

So!

Those first 3 episodes

What can I say?

The plot was written

The backstories were told

The characters were characterized

The social issues were commentated on

The pacing was....paced

100/10, best show ever

On a more serious note I'm genuinely impressed that they managed to make these 3 episodes feel even more rushed to fuck than Season 1, which in its 4 episodes was able to at least establish each of the main characters and the main villain, their respective motivations and you know was mostly just a testing season made to see if there was public interest plus it was made using the scraps of a cancelled movie from 10 years earlier

This shit right here is awful. Genuinely awful, just the most stereotypically fanficy writing I can think of, the pacing goes by so quickly it feels like they're speedrunning the whole thing and there's no way to properly establish each character without it feeling like a 5 minute digression at best and then on with the fight scenes!

And the social commentary is as subtle as a jack hammer of course, i'm treally curious to see if they'll explain how a vampire elite can control society from the shadows so fully when they souldn't even be able to make public appearences during the day. Are you really telling me the citizen of France are so dense they never thought to set the royal palace ablaze during the morning?

Oh and then there's Maria

Called it about her

I have a honest-to-god headache.

Where do I begin?

Well... Richter is fine, so far, although he didn't do much. He's pretty laidback without being too vulgar. That's honestly how I'd imagine the real Richter to be. I wish they advertised those moments instead of showing him crying. I have to wonder, though, why did he use to be a prominent ice magic user of all things. Are they going to say that he inherited Juste's magic? (also where is the morning star?)

But then... big oof.

The pacing is shit. That was painful to go through. These three episodes were full of flashbacks and fight scenes: the latter to shoehorn tragic backstories instead of organically weaving them in the story, and the latter to pad out time, because they were just "oh there are monsters now! Go smash them!"

also I didn't see a single enemy from the games. We're back to S1's generic monsters. Nice.

Also, what's with those backstories? Richter has a Dead Mom, Annette has a Dead Mom + Slavery, Tera is Russian has a Dead Sister... really? That's the best you can do? It's so fucking cheap!

And the show really deadass killed Edouard, a nobody just introduced, in the second episode, and then expected me to feel bad about him because Annette, another nobody, misses him and cries with the most narmtastic voice acting so far. This is literally the same thing they did with Cho, except at least we weren't meant to feel sorry for her.

Maria is insufferable. She's the rudest and crassest of them all, can't talk about anything that isn't "liberty, equality, fraternity" and she's terrible to Richter - why is NFCV's idea of friendship insulting each other? We don't even know how they know each other! At least NFCV showed us how the gang was formed!

(Annette is too bland as of now, but justifying her metalbending with "she descends from gods" is... something)

Can we talk about that worldbuilding? There are still Devil Forgemasters? Who are they? Did Hector and/or Isaac have descendants (good god i do not want to imagine n!isaac impregnating a woman), or it's yet another person, diminishing the uniqueness of the art? And they're using machines to turn humans into Night Creatures? MACHINES??????? What the fuck is this, Sonic SatAM??????

(also bullshit that Night Creatures are only made, not born. Hector said, and I'm quoting from S2E3, "Before the war, night creatures were simply a species in hiding. They either reproduced naturally or were created by acts of wild magic." bro c'mon I'm not even a fan and I remember your worldbuilding, why can't you guys)

But also. Man they didn't even try to be subtle with these vampires. They are the entire French elite, they are the "white slave owners". Wow, deep commentary right there. And tell me, how can they go out in the open and show themselves to humans like that? How can they walk in the sunlight, like Drolta is seen to be doing? I know the original show had vampire lords like Carmilla and Cho, but they're really saying "yep, all the evil nobility is made of vampires" now, and everyone is aware of it.

And fucking Drolta. What the fuck are those shoes. They look like horse hooves. Isaac was neutered to keep her stupid hair and boobs, and also Olrox sitting on the-guy-who-looks-like-agent-stone-from-the-sonic-movies' chest. Okay. I'm normal about it.

and speaking of sonic references, edouard singing at the bird's funeral is peak NANANANANANANANANAAAAA energy.

Don't know what else to add. It was extremely boring and rushed and while we're not hitting the peak of offensiveness of the original show, this is still so, so bad from a writing standpoint.

And, as expected, the only thing that connects it to CV is that Richter has a whip. The story so far looks like a shitty period drama fusing the French Revolution and that good ol' american slavery story. They haven't learned a thing.

How in the hell are they going to butcher SoTN...?

[starskeppy]

Writing a little bit of a Sonic Prime rant about the finale and the Sonic and 9 dynamic !!!

I knew this betrayal/falling out was coming from the first episode, but man did it still find a way to hurt. Sonic may have viewed 9 as just another Tails at first, but I do believe he genuinely saw him as his own person. He cared about 9 as his own character/person, but that didn't mean he wasn't still missing Tails, who 9 couldn't help but remind him of. With Sonic so so close to bringing back Tails and the others, he didn't think about how 9 would feel, but not because he didn't care or see 9 as his own person, but because he was just so focused on his goal and I believe actually seeing Tails just moments before messed with him. It definitely doesn't excuse what he said to 9, but I don't believe he didn't see him as real. He had earlier in the season, and even towards the climax, gotten defensive over 9, especially when Shadow claimed they weren't his real friends. Sonic just wanted to fix everything and wanted the ones he cared for most to all be happy together. He never failed to call each and every character in the shatterverse his friends, and he definitely didn't think about how his actions of restoring his reality would effect the others, in typical Sonic fashion. There's no way he would've made those promises to come back and help their worlds otherwise, even if he was distracted when it came to 9 talking about The Grim until he was forced to pay attention and see the way 9 viewed the situation. Season 3 is going to hurt with this divide between Sonic and 9 </3

[atangledfate]

The Ovis Tree? What a strange concept thought the Lemur as she had to stop and think about what Vix told her. A Tree that could birth a person? So couples unable to could have a child? That idea alone had many thoughts run through her head. She placed her hands behind her back and couldn't help but want to see such a magical thing. Her orientation being what it was, the idea made her smile. Not that she was in any rush to have a kid! but one day she thought she might! So this was heart warming to her, and rather moving.

" Ceremony Huh? Well i might...kinda has me all curious now... kinda fantastical really. So tree just---kind of...huh, that's... amazing really! "

The Chaos Emeralds Tangle knew less about, she knew individually they weren't that useful. Outside of Shadow she didn't know of anyone who could use a Chaos Emerald on its own. Only if you had all 7 did there power truly come to life. But even then most folks don't have the special something to use them. Amy said she had to avoid them entirely, and Tails said they didn't work for him at all. So she had to wonder what made them work for Sonic and Shadow? Would they work for her?

" Ah well maybe, but i think that's a question for Tails, or Amy. They handle all the details like that. I just punch what they point me at! just a grunt really i guess... they are the real important folks. "

She didn't lag to far behind as they made there way through the Castle, her bright eyes never missing a detail as they walked. She'd occasionally get distracted and do a cute little spin or, use her tail to look at something up high by sitting up on it. But she always quickly made the distance and caught up to Vix! by the time they reached the chamber she was pretty excited! Which was only compounded by one word---one single word made her eyes gleam like stars!

" DRAGON!?!?! "

The organ Glow made tangle pause look at her hand as it glowed and it reminded her a little of when the wisps would bond with Sonic. Speaking of she wondered if that would work with her? questions for later! She was quick to follow Vix inside, her eyes wandering about the strange chamber. It was so strange, but her eyes did light up at the sight of the Dragon! in all her days she'd never imagined she'd see something so fantastical! Tails yelling at her for stealing the ring was totally worth it! She'd take what ever was coming her way!

" OH MY GOSH IT IS A DRAGON! "

She barely noticed the flames she was to busy geeking out!

" Best....day of...my life..."

But just as quickly as the joy filled her it was KNOCKED out of her by the other Fennec's misunderstanding! Caused Tangle to do a double take and her face turned bright red! What dating? Well she was cute, but WAY WAY WAY out of Tangles League!? she was a queen and Tangle? was just a country girl lost in a strange world!

" HUH WHA... i dun...i mean... i'm not... we just... what she said! "

She was just gonna stand there ridged as a board turning more red as Twee seemed to be giving her the good ol' nudge nudge, wink wink routine!

" Puns...hehe... good taste...who...wh...who doesn't love a good pun! "

Nervous Lemur sounds came from the Lemur who had no clear idea how to handle this situation!

" So uhh....umm... Cool Dragon..."

"Sounds like a lovely time." Vix would also have to clear her schedule, though was sure she could get away with saying it was a diplomatic trip. The fennec did chuckle a bit at Tangle taking a guess at what the tree of life is. "The Ovis Tree's of Life were created by the God's and where our ancestors came from. While these days we do have natural births once a year couple's who are unable to conceive or can't due to being different race can offer a drop of their blood so the tree may beat them a Child of The Fruit. It is a most scared ceremony and one worth seeing with your own eyes." It was one of the few things the High Queen never grew tired of seeing.

Vix would listen closely as Tangle explained the Chaos Emeralds in more depth and they certainly did sound dangerous in the wrong hands. To the fennec it sound as though they could've been made by the Gods of their world, though she shouldn't assume every different world had Gods like them. "Well, perhaps I could send my sister Kit to have a look and see if perhaps she could create a special kind of seal that would only allow access to a select few should the need to use them arise." The High Queen also wouldn't mind as it would be an extra precaution to keep her world safe as well.

"I look forward to seeing your combat skills and maybe even learn something as well." Vix would have to pay close attention to how Tangle fought as she was sure there were many creative ways given how the other's tail had special properties to it. The fennec would lead the lemur through the castle with several turns showing that it could be a maze should you not know your way around. Soon the two came to a hallway with a rather large door halfway down it along with some guards standing in front of it. "Excuse me, is something the matter?" The High Queen asked as it wasn't normal for guards to be out here.

They were quick to stand in attention upon being spoken to by Vix. The guard who was a large boar spoke first. "General Twee is currently using the room in an attempt to train a dragon. She requested that no one enter besides yourself your Highness."

"My oh my, I was unaware Twee was already back and it seems she's picked up a new hobby." Vix would then turn to Tangle. "You are in for quite a treat, though first I shall cast a protection spell on us," the fennec said before holding out her hand, palm up as it glowed a bright orange. The lemur's body would have a bright orange outline for a moment before it disappeared. "That should protect us, now let's see how my little sister is doing." The High Queen motioned to the guards how opened the doors.

Inside was an extremely large room, way bigger on the inside than the outside, though what was more surprising was a large blue dragon thrashing around the room while breathing fire anywhere. Thankfully Vix's protection spell held up as any flames that came their way had zero effect on them. Suddenly the large beast was knocked to the ground as if something was hitting it and soon another fennec could be seen on its back while punching it.

This would go on for a few minutes with the dragon continuing going nuts in the room before finally falling down due to being worn down. The fennec would then jump off it, giving it a light pat on it's snout before turning her attention to Vix and Tangle. "Hey sis. Sorry I didn't tell you I was back. Nabbed this one during the mission and figured I'd tame her." She'd then turn her attention to the lemur who she had at leas a foot and a half one. "Man, step-pain must be pissed you're dating again. Still got a thing for country folk, huh?" It seemed Twee was making a lot of assumptions.

"Twee, this is simply my guest. Please don't make such rash assumptions like that. It's extremely rude." Vix personally didn't mind, though was unsure how Tangle would react to such an assumption.

"Seriously? Well, my bad then. Just assumed since she is your type." Twee did find it interesting Vix was always into country folk, though to each their own. The smaller fennec would then lean in close. "If you wanna hook up with my sister, she's a major fan of puns." This would earn her a chop to the head by the taller fennec causing her to rub her head. "Didn't need to do that, jeez."

[home-sweet-hive]

Transcript:

Sonic: *sitting by a tree, relaxing*

[A leaf falls on Sonic's lap]

Sonic: *looking up* Well would you look at that! Doctor Eggman's up to no good again, huh?

Sonic: *chasing Eggman, who is flying away in his Eggmobile* I guess I'll have to stop him then!

Sonic: *racing through a pathway surrounded by trees* Dammit... Why can't I catch up to him??

Sonic: *notices a vine hanging from one of the trees* Wait, I wonder if I...

[Sonic launches themself onto a tree branch, and grabs onto the vine]

Sonic: *swinging through the pathway from the vine at intense speeds* Don't think you can outrun ME, Eggman!

Sonic: WAHOO!

[Sonic looks over to their side and a shadow from an unknown object comes over them]

A flashback is shown with white lineart on a black background

[Sonic is smacked out of the air by a huge robotic hand, sending them into the large body of water to drown in]

"That incident shall never happen again"

[The flashback ends, and Sonic is standing on top of the robotic hand]

Eggman: What?!

[A dark gradient starts to form over Sonic]

Sonic: *smugly* Weren't expecting that, huh?

[The camera pans to Eggman]

Sonic: Can't fool me twice, Egghead!

[Camera pans back to Sonic, the gradient is getting darker]

Sonic: And 'cause of that... You have nowhere else to run.

[Sonic pauses for a second, their expression changing into one of anger as the gradient behind them becomes more and more intense]

Sonic: *grinning maliciously* And since you can't run away...

[Sonic's speech bubble starts to fade to black]

Sonic: Why don't I...

[Their speech bubbles change completely to black with red text, with a matching red glow being given to Sonic's eyes. The trees behind Sonic are beginning to turn black as well]

Sonic: Give you a taste of your own medicine?

[Shown in silhouette; Sonic breaks through the glass dome part of the Eggmobile]

Eggman: *Sonic's hands are wrapped around his throat* Why... you...

[Sonic smashes Eggman's head through the back end of the dome]

Sonic: *looking unhinged, with tears forming from their eyes. They're holding Eggman under the water* How does it feel?? How does it feel to be trapped with no escape??

[The red glow from Sonic's eyes go away, and their face changes to a mostly blank one, with a hint of confusion]

Eggman: Sonic, Wait-! Don't you see? This isn't real! This is a dream!

[The camera pans out, making Sonic look much smaller]

Eggman: If you do this... If you kill me here... You'll let it take over...

[The camera pans up, showing the whole world around them fading to black]

Eggman: You can stop this now, Sonic. You just need to wake up.

[The camera centers back on Sonic, and the gradient is less intensethan before.]

Sonic: *eyes closed, looking calm. Their speech bubbles are back to normal, but look glitchy* I see... I understand... I'll do it. I'll wake up from this.

[Sonic's face contorts into a wicked grin. The intense gradient and the red glow their eyes return]

Sonic: *their speech bubbles are back to being black and red* Well, after I'm done here with you, that is!

[The background is completely black, and Sonic is in a white silhouette. They're shown from the chest up, and seem at peace. There are bubbles surrounding them]

[Suddenly, Sonic's attention is grabbed by a voice that speaks in speech bubbles written in red text in red borders]

???: Sonic... Forgive me...

[It is revealed that the voice is Shadow]

Shadow: I didn't understand... I didn't know what I was-

[Sonic takes Shadow's hands, comforting her. Sonic's spedch bubbles are in the same style as Shadow's, but with green.]

Sonic: Hey. Don't be sorry.

Sonic: You were just helping, in your own special way.

Sonic: *speech bubble is now black with green text* And now I really am the Perfect Hero! Just like you said!

[Sonic is in a bed with an IV hooked up to them. They look very different than they usually do, having the appearance of a Black Arms rather than a Hedgehog Mobian. Where their ears once were has been replaced with horns, with their actual ears now being where you would find them on a human. They have three eyes now instead of two, with the original two being green with no visible irises, while the new third eye is green with a black iris. Their tail and quills are both longer than they were before. They are wearing a simple gown]

[Tails and Amy are standing at the foot of Sonic's bed, looking at them. Their expressions are unable to be seen, as both of them are facing away from the view of the camera. They're slightly blurred out, in order to focus on Sonic]

- THE END OF CASE 01 -

Is it literally 11pm? Yep!

Do we have school tomorrow? Yep!

Am I still gonna post this? HELL YEAH I AM!!

The Ultimate Solution #2 - The First Turning

I don't have the energy to make a transcript for it tho rn. Sorry