#right is robotropolis

[plutonify]

Just had an epiphany

[milolunde]

Triplets Born

Like most things, I started rewatching Sonic Underground for fun and nostalgia and ended up making a version of it for myself in my head. However, UNLIKE most things, I felt I needed to draw it immediately instead of keeping it in my head.

Welcome to the stage Sonic Subternion

There was a time when Robotroplis was beautiful, full of life and peace, a time when it was known as Mobotroplis. Mobians were free to take part in the glory the queendom had to offer. They were free to take charge of their future, build a home, explore the world. But, just after my children were born the evil Doctor Robotnik used his technology to turn our world into a place of terror. Capturing the great realm of Mobotroplis, Doctor Robotnik and his machines turned our paradise into a prison of concrete and metal. 

As the source of Robotnik’s wealth, the aristocrats were left to play their tea parties and lavish masquerades, dooming my people to mechanical graves of servitude. Refusing to bend to Robotnik’s terror, he stripped me of my right as Queen, placing a bounty on my head… and the heads of my infant babies. Imprisoned in my own home, unable to aid my beloved queendom, I was left with a choice: Submit and forfeit Mobotroplis, or forfeit the life of my family. When all hope was lost, the Oracle of Delphius revealed to me a prophecy…

You must give up your children, separate, hide them from the evil that seeks their demise. Someday, you will reunite and overthrow Robotnik as the Lost Council of Four. But you must not act too soon. Cement your place in this destiny, for revealing yourself too soon will plunge your world into catastrophe. 

To give up my babies, to leave my queendom to the hands of Robotnik, then stand idle for years while the prophecy became realized. The Oracle laid before me a destiny where my worst fears were set in stone. Without a choice, I took my babies, smuggled myself and them out of the prison that was meant to be our palace home, and left them on the doorsteps to their true destinies… then fled.

Sonia “Sophia” Windermere

On the steps of House Windermere, Queen Aleena hesitated. The Windermere family had been sponsoring Robotnik since he first began the siege of Mobotropolis. Was leaving her darling daughter in the palm that fed Robotnik truly what destiny demanded? Looking at the lush garden within the tall fence, Aleena stepped through the dead grass to the gate entrance and left her daughter, her beautiful Sophia, cradled in her crib, and ran, imagining herself running with her children through the lush court grass to the grand fountain at the center.

Sonic “Oliver” Oakcrest-Hedgehog

Stepping carefully through the poison oak and already-dead pine saplings, Queen Aleena carried her baby boy through the woods strapped to her chest, arms curled around him in protection from the low branches. Upon hearing the rush of a waterfall, she took a breath and looked down at her baby. Wryly, she smiled at Oliver, who stared up at the sunset sky through the dead tree branches in awe. Untying the woven cradle from her back, she placed the sky-blue hoglet in the blankets, swaddled him tight, and gave him a final kiss before knocking on the cabin door and running back into the trees, arms shielding her face from the pine and twigs in her way. As she ran, she listened as the waterfall hushed and wondered what it would have been like to teach Oliver to swim.

Manic “Maurice” Roach

Fearfully creeping through the ruin of her queendom, the new city of Robotropolis, Queen Aleena held on tight to the handle of her basket. Draped in a cloth, she hoped to disguise the cradle as an ordinary basket for carrying groceries. However, the ornate design of the cradle could not be completely covered, and the shape undoubtedly gave away that it was anything but an ordinary basket. Hoping the shadows and late hour, fifteen minutes before curfew, would keep her hidden, she tread towards her destination. It was a humble home, its front door blocked off and relocated to the narrow passage between the home and its neighbor. She loomed in the alley, hesitating for a moment as the green light flickered above her. Her realm did not have shadows before, but there she stood, skulking through her own queendom. Blinking, she set the cradle down and uncovered it, heart swimming when she laid eyes on Maurice. She brushed his quills, kissed him twice, then soothed her hand across his body, watching as he drifted to sleep with his medallion in his mouth. Finally standing, she covered the basket, rang the bell, and fled to hide for the night before curfew officially arrived. She ran with her eyes forward, knowing if she looked back she would gather her son into her arms in an instant. Tears stung her eyes and she wondered if fulfilling a cruel destiny felt much like being watched: Fingers numb and quills on end as it peered through the back of her throat.

=================

That's it as far as origins go... Sonic does still end up with Chuck a few years after living with the Oakcrest family, and Manic is still super kidnapped after Aleena leaves, but I thought that would lend better to another post. That is, if I have the motivation to make another post lol. I really enjoyed making this one. It's refreshing to get my ideas out somehow rather than just letting them stir in my head until I forget about it. WELL please let me know, of you read this far, if you liked it! I plan to do more with this "rewrite" or "AU" or whatever it is. Not sure what form it will take, but I already have how they all meet typed out somewhere and I look forward to sharing it!

[popculturebuffet]

Valentine's Comic Wedding Special IV: Archie''s Revenge: Bunnie and Antoine

Happy Valentine's Day all you Happy People! So for those new to this proud tradition, I love a good wedding episode, issue, what have you and so for the past 3 years i've had my patreons each pick one from the massive pile there is in comics, many of which I haven't read, and then you fine folks vote on the winner. In previous years it's been oops all superheroes, but this year I added a few non superhero weddings to the list my patreons, and yours truly could pick from. And this one, like last years Wally and Linda Wedding, was a landslide.

Yes by an overwhelming margin, WeirdKev's pick of Antoine and Bunnie won. It's honestly nice as it not only shows how strong the love for the Archie Sonic comics still is after nearly a decade out of print, beating out marvel, dc and the other archie option. On the bright side archie at least got a sponsorship deal on the wedding

I was pleased with these results: Antoine and Bunnie are some of archie's best characters and some of the main reasons i'm mad Sega won't let anyone what use them because their bitter lemons.

While the happy couple may not be superheroes they do have a history as vast, rich, weird and often exausting as them. Sonic's ongoing lasted for 24 years so it had plenty of time to build up as much continuity, good and chunky, as possible. A few years back I read through EVERY issue of Archie Sonic. It was.. truly exausting for reasons that will become clear as I dive into these two's history, but ultimately worth it. So join me for a deep dive into these two and their nuptials under the cut.

For starters Bunnie and Antoine actually debuted in SATAM, one of two sonic cartoons at the time each taking a diffrent approach. It's sister series Adventures was a wacky looney tunes style series where Sonic foiled Robotnik's wacky schemes and robotnik posed naked or near naked a few times, one of which my friend Mars proudly owns a cell of.

SATAM on the other hand took this shit seriously and took a turn that worked far better than it had any right: In the world of SATAM Robotnik isn't a goofy guy in various contraptions, but a cruel horrifying dictator voiced deftly by Jim Cummings. He still does schemes of the week at times, but instead of stuffing animals into cartoony robots he horrifyingly turns furries into milndless roboticized slaves. The only line between him and total world Domination are the freedom fighters, Sonic and his amazing friends who do daring raids on Robotnik's nightmare city of Robotropolis.

The Freedom Fighters exist because back then sonic's supporting cast was .. just Tails. There were sketches of characters, but with CD and Knuckles only on the horizon, early stuff had to get creative. Hence the freedom fighters: Leader, stratigest supreme, love intrest and princess Sally Acorn, Rotor the tech savy walrus (Tails hadn't picked up that trade yet), and of course Antoine and Bunnie. Bunnie was the muscle of the team, a rabbit who'd been partially roboticized but could use her cursed gift to help others. She wasn't in the show as much as she should've been but was well loved.

Antoine was more prominent.. and also an obnoxious asshat. Antoine was a self important twit who while deftly voiced by Rob Paulsen, pritoitsed trying to get into Sally's non existant pants over their life or death struggles and constantly resented sonic for having her affections and being cooler and actually doing his job. Antoine seemed to be only on the team because shut up. He was a coward, and while it's okay to have fear given the odds their against, he seemed really not cut out for this and given they had a villiage base, should've stayed there. Tails was protrayed as a tagalong kid here but he should've easily taken Antoine's spot as despite being greener, he had far more pasion and bravery than his older counterpart.

So while SATAM and Adventures were in development Archie Comics, they of the never ending love triangle that should really just be a polycule now, came a knockin. They TRIED to get the rights for adventures but instead got SATAM.. and being archie proceded to make a comic that had the premise of SATAM but stuck to their comedy wheelhouse. The comics would evolve past this as they went, largely thanks to MIcheal Gallagher (Who was still good with sticking in gags) and well.. Ken Penders

Who slowly grew to suck , but that's a story for another time.

Back on point the cast was transplanted as was. Antoine fit better here as being the douchey comedic foil works better in a comedy. He still had exactly no shot with Sally. For a while though he mostly stuck around as panicky comic relief and didn't really change much from SATAM, the only big change being he was less obnoxious... apart from his prosecuting sonic for treason, which he turned out to be innocent of. Again story for another time.

Bunnie however got fleshed out a bit. For starters she got a proper origin story, as rather than be with the team from day one with the initial mini or ongoing, she joined in issue 3. Sonic and Rotor got word of use of a portable robtocizer, via Rotor's Little Mermaid Camera, yes really, and found a rabbit farmer being captured by swat bots. Calling them a yankee did nothing and she was chucked in

Exausted for obvious reasons, Sonic ran Bunnie back, not carring if robotnik tracked them: saving someone in distress was more important. Sally agreed and Bunnie joined the team, proving to be an instant asset and the series break out star. While most of the focus was still on Sonic , as you'd expect, Bunnie got a consderable number of backup features. She never got a mini series like Tails and Sally, weirdly enough, but she still got more than enough spotlight to flesh her out and add a new dimension: While her robotic limbs made her super poewrful.. they felt like a curse. She wanted badly to be herself again and even had a nightmare one issue where robotnik hacked her cybernetics to slowly reoboticize her. It was the cornerstone of her character. And if you thinka southern accented hard hitting southren belle who has a tragic condition sounds familiar... your right. Bunnie was made more like Rogue from the x-men with time, even getting a leather jacket in the strips later years.. also a neat cowboy hat.

As the comic went on more twists turned, things got more serious, and as things escalated. And with all this Antoine's jealously MOSTLY disappeared, replaced as Sonic's rivarly by prized asshole and 19 year old Geoffery St John, because 19 was okay for a 15 year old back then as far as fiction was concerned.

Geoffery fucking hated sonic, partly out of jealously and partly because Sonic never gave the prick respect, constantly calling the freedom fighters "Ameturs" as he'd been fighting robotnik longer.. despite them having way more success. If he sounds punchable your extremley correct.. and it's someone acting on that that lead to Antoine's finest moment. After close to 50 issues, he got some character development when the freedom fighters, their allies the wolf pack and Geoffry all had a tense camp out.

Also present was Uncle Chuck, sonic's uncle who had been roboticized but got freed of it earlier in the comic and had since served as their spy on their inside, a kingsman who might let some things slide. Geoffery being nature's biggest dickhead, wasn't convinced Chuck was on the up and up, and figured he was a traitor. Sonic understandably popped the arrogant prick and certified pedophile one, and Geoffery less understandably prepared to kill sonic... till a hero emerged

Not only does Twan stand up to the asshole but he points out his DAD founded the underground Geoffery leads and accuses him of being a traitor. Sadly the skunk isn't but the issue does flesh out Twan considerably. He's revealed to be the son of King Acorn's most loyal soldier, wearing his father's uniform in his honor and actually starting as a hero, having apparnetly saved bunnie in backstory, a retcon I don't hate. His decline is blamed on his crush on Sally: his loyalty turned to love she never reciprocated and the depression over it broke him a little. But clearly seeing his dad's legacy coopted by this prized asshole relit his fire and from here on Antoine is a certified badass and master swordsman and all the better for it.

He's also no longer alone

It's not super sudden either: an earlierr backup had her protecting him when he did a solo missoin, showing off both his growing bravery and hinting at her crush on him. With this the two became a solid couple, the war soon ended and the comic... forgot about them.

The comic largely forgot about Bunnie, Antoine and also Rotor during it's post-robotnik era. Sally's father tried to get her to marry Antoine or give up her crown, yes really he was a right asshole, but when it came to the main plot the two were largely left out. It's a mixed bag: on the one hand seeing two of the series best characters benched, especially since Antoine had just hit his stride as one, is depressing. I didn't realize till writing this review just how little they did between robotnik's fall and the time skip. Their still on the team but Sonic, Sally and to a lesser extent Tails get all the focus.

There were two big developments: We found out what happened to Antoine's father Armand.. he became the evil high shierf while roboticized, terorizing Mercia, a small forest villiage protected by Rob O Hedge, amy's cousin. All stuff I didn't make up. They eventually got him back and eventually his mind was restored like all other robians.

The other was a bit more distressing: in a side story Bunnie found out her cybernetics were no longer working with her nervous system and had a choice: undergo upgrades, or die. She choose, with Antoine's support and love to go through with it. She'd never be free of her limbs, but she accepted them.

This also meant when some random ass aliens deroboticized almost everyone, Bunnie couldn't be, but it's something she accepted.

So yeah not much happened for the two. They were happy, they were stuck playing support in various nonsense overcomplicated plot lines I thankfully don't have to get into, things were good.

Sadly there IS a nonsense overcomplicated plot line I do have to get into. So Mobius what got invaded by starfish aliens and sonic seemingly died but instead spent what felt like a few months but ended up being a year to everyone else making his way back across the galaxy. This lead to a time skip. Which would be a great idea, I love a good time skip and after years of the status quo being kind of wobbly we were back to Eggman having the upper hand and our heroes on the backfoot, which could be seen as regressive but honestly worked.

The problem is most of Boller's other ideas.. didn't. He decided to shake up the main couples and had antoine don an eyepatch and break up with Bunnie, while Sally broke up with sonic because he woudln't stop fighting which she screamed at him for and slapped him.. despite the war being at it's worst again and badly NEEDING him and part of the deep shit they were in was due to his absence. It felt horribly selfish and out of character. Sally was the general for the rebellion previously. She knows the sacrifices needed. Sonic isn't doing this for the thrills like she thinks but because people need him and like a true hero he can't let good people get hurt.

This felt like an excuse to get Sonic and Bunnie which while sadly brief.. actually kinda worked. The two had chemistry before, it created tension and we could eventually find out WHY Antoine broke up with Bunnie. Instead this lasted maybe a second, and instead Bunnie ended up making out with Scourge, sonic's evil alternate universe counterpart who at the time looked just like him. If this sounds fucking gross it was. He made out with a bunch of people while pretending to be sonic. It's gross as it sounds and somehow gets more fucked up as he ended up kissing supporting character fiona fox.. who then started going out with sonic. Whose best friend tails had a crush on her and...

Eventually the comic imploded: Bollers left having trouble working for Ken Penders and Penders was fired for being impossible to work with and kinda nuts.

On his way out though he DID clear up the Bunnie and Antoine thing. And shockingly for Late Stage Ken Penders.. it was suprisingly simple. Antoine had been replaced by his Anti-Counterpart from the same evil universe as Scourge, who wanted the crown and started poisioning people: He poisned antoine's dad then poisoned Sally's dad so he could trick her into marrying him. Thankfulyl Antoine's dad had figured it out, Sonic stopped the wedding and got the real antoine back.

Thankfully after Ken and Karl... came Ian. Ian Flynn, as mentioned is a massive sonic fan, and already loving archie took a similar approach to superhero writers of the time: fix the mess he'd been left with while reminding people whyt hey loved these comics. He spent the first year largely playing clean up, tying up the various tangling threads left by the previous teams. He ended Sonic and Fiona with the whole "She was actually hot for Scourge thing", turned Scourge into scourge in the first place going from a greaser sonic to a real true evil counterpart, refocusing sally's character, and brought tails parents back from space. All mostly done by just.. writing a story around it instead of trying to hastily retcon all the stupid shit.

Naturally that ship writing included Antoine and Bunnie, who were back to being prominent and got a subplot leading to their nuptials. It was a small one and moved fast, but it was nice to give them something, and lead to a full honeymoon arc I already covered some time back . It also implied as hard as an all ages comic could they what did sex to each other

Which let's be fair here: their both hot , their both 18 and over respectively, why not? He knows the fanbase. Their both smokeshows. Let bunnie use those special attachments while Antoine shows off his swordplay. Before we get to the consumation of the marriage we had the marriage itself. The buildup started with a tragedy: Due to all the evil doppleganger shit, Armand died. The story is deeply touching, and seems to be pulled from Flynn's own pain as he dedicated it to his late mother. Armand tells his son how proud he is, not to be ashsamed or blame himself, and to hold onto bunnie. It's a truly wonderful story and a good way to send off the character.

This feels like the big push towards it... though earlier in the story he was already considering it before sonic told him to go to his father. The final push comes after Fiona's betrayal: with a bunch of their enemies loose, one of their own having betrayed them, and things getting more and more dire Antoine decides to do something about it..

After some talking with Sally, who put the two on a mission right away but really just wanted a chance ot talk with Bunnie and apologize for being so distant, the wedding is soon on the issue after the proposal. After all the whole reason he proposed was they don't know how much time they have left. Why wait?

So we've finally come to the actual wedding. Sonic is getting tuxed up in his house, happy to go STAGGGGG after the whole fiona debacle, and heading off to in his words "Go bug the groom". Never change man, never change.

Sonic is going with Tails, who isn't living with his surrogate brother as his parents, as I will never get tired of saying, came back from outer space something the little guy is overjoyed about. He actually likes thier fussing over him like Sonic's Mom does asking him not to run in his nice suit. Maam that's his thing and he has two genuises in his friend group and one for an uncle. If none of them could make fabric that won't roll around at the speed of sound that's on them.

Tails isn't all smiles though as he's still going through some stuff.

Now Fiona and Tails.. is a pretty sad tale all things considered. He fell in love with a robot copy of her.. but that copy was the same age as him. Tails is ten, fiona is 16 and never remotely took his crush seriously, brushing it off when he finds out about her and sonic and when betraying everybody, making sure to hit the poor kid in the face. This is also nice build up for later: Sonic just kinda brushes it off.. and that's part of the problem as Tails is still understandably feeling betrayed his big brother went out with his crush, and this all boils over soon in the excellent house of cards arc. Rather than just milk shit for drama, Ian milks shit for drama.. but couches it in the characters. Sonic SEEMS uncaring because he's laid back and chill and dosen't realize how hurt his friend is or how much tails has grown.

So they go to someone's basement where the Chaotix are trying to help Antoine's nerves.

Why Rotor is absent I have no clue. The Chaotix in this continuity were Knuckles best friends, allies and squad, all coming from angel island themselves.

It is kinda nice vector is trying to help as he's a bit of a playboy in these comics, while Charmy is indeed married. Or at least engaged. It also makes his words here tragic as after this he suffers severe brain damage to put him in line with his child counterpart from heroes.

Espio is absent as he's on a mission, sneaking into the Eggman Empire to find out what he's up to. We'll cut back and forth to him all issue and it's a ncie contrast: the truly happy day at the wedding with everyone in good spirits and reflecting on their own romantic troubles.... while Espio uncovers a terrifying secret: Eggman is gearing up for a massive assault complete with fresh body armor and easily incapacitates him. As our heroes have one of the best days of their lives.. one of the darkest is coming. Again though..

It's one I really want to cove ras the fight between Eggman and Sonic next issue is fucking brutal. Truly fantastic. I honestly might need to cover ian's run after giant days. May have to find someone to sponsor it.

For now though Sonic's bored and goes to the bride to bug them instead. Rosie, Sally's old baby sitter and mother figure while her mom was in a coma tube, decides to use another rose to deal with this

It's a fucking great gag. And yeah Amy at this point is still in her obessive fangirl mode. She's also 12, her body just got what aged up to a teenager. I ship her more with Tails for that reason and because it's always been a ship in my back pocket. NOt against Sonamy mind now she's stopped making stalker rooms or trying to force him into marriage, it just does not work in this continuity. She's too young and he's interested in someone else.

We get some really sweet interactions here as Sally brings up how in her first apperance Bunnie wanted to be her hair stylist. And she will be... it's just now as a side thing for her friend inbetween time with her husband and beating up badniks. They even have a giggle when Rosie and Bunnie tease Sally about Sonic. Sally, like her ex, is happy riding solo for now. Sure hope she dosen't get turned into a robot before anything happens and dosen't get freed because of rights issues> That'd really suck.

It's time for the Wedding as Sonic arrives with Knuckles and runs into Knuckles girlfriend, soulmate and sonic character I dearly miss Julie Su. Julie is a had scrable former soldier and that's why he loves her. She also hates formal wear and how she looks in it, though knuckles he er.. tries to make her feel better

I love this scene, the little banter and the fact neither really want or need to get married. It's neat for a sonic comic of all things to have such a progressive stance for it's time. It's also understandable from a character perspective; both are highly indepent and both's parents had... less than stellar marriages. Knuckles parents divorced while he thought they were dead, with his mom remarying and having another son Kneecaps, and Julie Su's birth parents abandoned her. Her foster parents are doing fine but I get maybe not wanting to get married with all that baggage.. or you know just because you don't want to.

So sonic arrives to meet the royal family. Max, the asshole I mentioned whose left in a wheel chair after the poison, his wife Alicia, and sally's long lost brother I mentiond Elias. I joked about that but while his introduction is needlessly convoluted Elias is a fascinating character and Ian will use him well. He never WANTED the crown, and in fact ran away, finding his wife Megan and soon marrying her and adopting her daughter. He only returned when the kingdom needed him to lead as things got worse with Max, but does a stellar job. He later gets to run my faviorite incarnation of the freedom fighters, the secret freedom fighters.

Despite all the lingering tension... Sonic and Sally still fall back into their old routines.. and the spark is still there.. even if both are.. not exactly ready to reignite it.

We get some omnious setup for a future arc as Tails dad Amedeaus talks about how it's an honor to serve Elias.. and then behind his back admits he soon won't have much more power anyway. This leads to the whole house of cards arc. Seriously while this issue is good it is very hard to talk about a single piece of Ian Flynn's sonic. Like Chris CLaremon'ts x-men it's really one big ongoing story nicely chonked up into arcs and what not.

And so the two are married in a touching ceremony as Espio nearly dies overlaid with it. And we end on.. er Eggman preparing to kill a whole lotta people. See what I mean?

This issue is decent. The sentiment is nice, the sally and bunnie scene are nice and I really do like the contrast between this very happy day.. and the impending doom awaiting our heroes. It's a solid issue with some good moments... but on re-read it's not nearly as good as it was the first time. On Re-Read I noticed just how.. little Antoine and Bunnie play into their own wedding issue: we get a really nice moment of Bunnie and sally.. but Antoine dosen't get anything like that with Sonic, just him being really sweaty while Vector and Charmy of all people try to calm him down. I get their not as close but you could still pull on their long rivarly and it was clear fromt he previous issue just how much Antoine had grown. Instead most of the focus is on Sonic's love tornado, tails depression and setup for later. The setup is damn good.. but it feels like this could've been two issues instead of one but Ian wanted to continue the tradition, upheld to this day, of every 25th issue of sonic being a big deal. A huge story turning point. The resulting story feels great but it rushes the wedding out as a result. There isn't reflection on how they got here, not enough hyjinks.. it just happens really fast and it's over and time for the horror show to start. It's easier to notice in isolation as before i'ts sandwitched betwene Fiona's brutal betryal and the big wham episode that's the next arc.

Thankfully the two would get more spotlight in a tails adventure adaptation of all things, because Ian unlike the writers before him gave a shit about these games and noticed they missed one. The marriage would mostly just be really happy and the two would get used more often.. until tragedy struck and Bunnie was deroboticzed while Antoine was left in a coma, both not resolved as Ken Penders and rights issues meant a reboot came.

Thankfully in the reboot both got plenty of stories, stayed married, and reflected on things, ending the second continuity happy. And we have fan comics to pick up the slack elsewhere. Still this was a nice milestone and with Sega being anti-relationship, I don't see the lemur and wolf wedding we all want and deserve coming anytime soon, so this may be the last sonic wedding. I mean there was that one in Sonic 2 but I don't think traps to catch our heroes count... I mean for these polls they do but we won't be doing that one. Thanks for reading , have a happy valentin'es day and remember, i'm pullin for you, we're all in this together and if you liked this consider checking out the Giant Days retrospective I did yesterday.

[azazel-the-eldritch]

As much as I'm super grateful for Jim Carrey coming out of his rest/retirement to finish this trilogy, I sometimes wonder if Agent Stone could carry as a villain in his own right. Like sure he isn't as much of a super genius as Robotnik, but still very much intelligent and savvy enough to operate Robotnik's systems. Certainly enough that Robotnik actually somewhat respects him as a human being and fellow intellectual. Like how interesting would it be to actually see Agent Stone picking up the pieces in a sort of "I'll never be as amazing as he was... but I can pick up where he left off."

In the Sonic 2 post credits scenes, they almost seem to play with that, having Stone show his face to the audience right as the GUN commander is being briefed on the resurfacing of Project: Shadow. Makes sense, considering that for all we knew, Jim Carrey was retiring. Stone was already keeping things maintained while Robotnik was missing from the end of 1.

Idk, I love a loyal butler/boyfriend/henchman as much as the next troglodyte, but I think it would be cool to see Agent Stone as his own villain. If even just for a movie or two. He'd probably still worship Robotnik, so what if all the "Eggmanland" casinos and amusement parks are built in his honor? Or maybe even Robotropolis??

[thecostofthecrown]

*Me and Thomas were playing a fun game of hide and seek using the forest as their playground. As they were playing their game, they eventually entered a pat of the forest that felt more....harder than the rest of it. in fact, the trees looked more metallic in appearance and feel. The two were so confused by this, so they decided to drop the game for now and explore further into the metallic woods, unaware of any potential danger they might be in.* @unknown-ultimates

@unknown-ultimates

"Another one?" Sally muttered to herself, remarking on just how many strange... creatures she had encountered lately. "Shit, they're heading into Robotropolis..."

Sally had to act fast. She knew that if she didn't get them back here, Robotnik would for sure roboticize them both, thus adding to his numbers and against their own. She knew she shouldn't. They were too far in, and she would risk getting spotted. And yet... she wasn't heartless enough to watch people march right to their own execution chambers without even knowing. Especially not ones so young.

So she ran at them, quickly pushing them both behind a rather thick tree and shoving them up against the wood, covering their mouths with a gloved hand. "Stay quiet. If we get seen, it's game over for all of us. Do you understand?"

[erictmason]

“BOUND FOR FREEDOM, YEAR SIX, DAY EIGHT (FINALE): “Fate”

“The Fate We Make"

“So you would still defy me.”

The Source of All spoke to Sally in her own voice…wearing her own face.  It was the same trick it had used the last time she and it had communed with each other in this vast white mind-scape.  Yet within that towering reflection, the princess could see all of the universe itself…could see stars and planets taking shape, suns burning out, comets riding along its inky blackness.  It was difficult to keep her thoughts focused when such incredible sights…such powerful sensations…were right there before her.

Difficult, but not impossible.

“Yes I will,” she answered, “just like I did before.  Just like I will always do, no matter how many times you intrude on my mind.”

A ripple seemed to spread across her cosmic counterpart.  It was subtle, light…but Sally could see it.  “But…why?”

She had to smile a bit at that.  “You mean the all-knowing all-powerful Source doesn’t already know?”

“The mind of our hosts only becomes open to us when we have bonded,” it said in a matter-of-fact tone.  “You are the first of your bloodline to keep yours closed.”

“And without that, you can’t think of an answer on your own?” Sally asked, folding her arms.  “I wonder…what do you think my reason is?”

The galactic images within its form faded away, replaced instead by a familiar vision…Sally saw herself and Sonic, both fully grown-up…both wearing the regalia of Royalty.  They were in the heart of Castle Acorn, yet it was being ravaged by fire and smoke…unseen enemies stalked its shadows.  It was a vision the Source had shown her before, of a terrible disaster that would supposedly come for her and her family in their future.  “Perhaps…you are afraid,” the Source said, though Sally could not help but notice a lighter tone to its voice.  “Afraid to confront the dangers our power could warn you of.”

The images shifted again, and this time it was a new vision.  Of her and Sonic…older than they were now, but younger than the King and Queen she had just seen.  He lay next to her in a lush grassy field, a gentle hand to her belly; she looked up at him with a contented smile.  “Perhaps you are too in love with your mortal peers, and fear that our power would separate you from them.”

And another shift, this time to a much younger Sonic and Sally, holding tight to each other as they looked out at the horizon…at the shadow of Robotropolis, the place that had once been their home, staring coldly right back at them.  “Perhaps you resent that we did not prevent the conquest of your Kingdom at the hands of Robotnik.”

And then the visions faded back into the vastness of space.  The Source looked at her with those glowing, starry versions of her own eyes, seemingly waiting to see how she’d respond.  “…you really don’t understand, do you?” she asked softly.

The Source did not answer; instead, Sally thought she saw another ripple pass through its form.  “My sadness…my anger…my love,” the princess continued, “those things are all part of why I will never accept you, but…they aren’t the whole answer.”

She heard familiar footsteps then, as a new vision emerged.  Not within the Source, but at her side.  Sally felt herself grow just a bit lighter as Sonic’s familiar form approached her.  “For all your power, you can only offer me one path forward,” she said.  “Your path.  But that goes against everything I value.”

She linked her arm to Sonic…took his hand in her hand.  “It may be my future will be like the one you’ve showed me…but maybe it won’t.  I will make that choice for myself.”

The two of them turned away from the Source.  “Because above and beyond anything else, the thing I most want…for myself and everyone else…is freedom.”

And together, they left the Source, alone in its void.

[cdecrisesblog]

I was working on how to properly include Team Dark in my Sonic Underground fanfic when I got the best idea of what Omega is doing against Eggman.

First, a little worldbuilding: in Robotropolis, if you want to show your contempt for Robotnik, you practice some art. It doesn't have to be something big, and you don't have to be good at it, but just the act of practicing art in this city is a big middle finger to the egghead.

That being said, we all know that Omega is a robot created by Eggman who later turned against him, but being petty as hell (and with the bad influence of Rouge) he decides that just hating him is not enough, he needs to show this to the whole world, and that's why he starts doing art.

That's right, Omega is doing art out of spite! Which art do you ask? EVERYTHING. He learned to play a bunch of instruments, paints, writes songs and modifies his voice to a point that is good to sing. Literally everything he can think of to constantly tell Robotnik to fuck off.

And I love him for that.

[askrobotnikempire]

Robotnik PSA 001

[A flash of red before the screen cuts to a large rotund man with a large red moustache and bald head, red flashy suit.]

Robotnik: "Citizens of Robotropolis, all surrounding areas, and the rest of the world! I have come to make an announcement! And that announcement? You are not safe. If I have done my job right, which I always do, everyone is nothing than a robot servant for me! But, something tells me that somewhere there are more people holding out."

[A short pointy nosed man walks up behind the egg-shaped man.]

Snively: "Uncle Robotnik, the new group of SWATbots has been fin-"

Robotnik: "SNIVELY! You sniveling oaf! I am on the air, and when robots can see, or even when they can't, you call me SIR!"

Snively: "Ye-Yes sir. But... you need to instill the new fear-of-you programming into the SWATbots, as you asked for..."

Robotnik: "Ah yes! Perfect! Did you remember to make the extra one?"

Snively: "Yes sir-"

Robotnik: "Omlettes!"

[A short robot shaped like an egg with a button on its head waddles over.]

Omlettes: "Yes boss?!"

[Robotnik slams down on the button with his fist, opening a capsule in the robot's chest and pulls out a staff with an 8-ball on end.]

Robotnik: "Thank you, Omlettes. It's always important that the robots know they are expendable!"

Snively: "Sir... you're still on the air."

Robotnik: "Oop- Um... You think I didn't know that! I want them ALL to know they are expendable! Now, if you have any questions for your wonderful and powerful leader, please send it to 1245 Garbage Dump Lane, Refuseville, Robotropolis! And remember, if you're not Robotic... you will deal with Robotnik! Mwahahah!!"

[The screen cuts to black and red words flash on the screen]

GET BACK TO WORK

[werewolf-cl4ws]

Sonsally Week 2024: Day 6 - Reflection

I did it again. Unfortunately there are themes in my AU.

So trigger warning again for minor body image themes. This also takes place in the current timeline of my AU, probably a bit after my entry for Sonally Week 2021 Day 4: Power. It's not required reading, it's just to give a timeline spot for it.

“Ah, dangit! I forgot mah mirror!”

The Freedom Fighters stood gathered in the junkyard that bordered Robotropolis, though the word bordered did a lot of heavy lifting considering most of Robotroplis could be considered a junkyard. But it was one of the few places in the city that had a space for them to gather while they worked through last minute preparations for their missions.

This is how Bunnie came across a slight hiccup in their current plan as she rifled through her backpack.

“Are you sure? Maybe it’s caught under something,” Sally offered.

Bunnie shook her head as she went through her bag one more time, before out of desperation she tipped it out onto the ground so she could get a clearer view of what she did have with her.

“Ah swear Ah had it on th’ last mission,” Bunnie explained as she went through her things, only to still come up empty.

Then her ears perked briefly in realisation, before flopping back with mild embarrassment.

“But then Ah did clear out mah bag ‘cause I got some muck in it last time, too,” Bunnie admitted sheepishly.

“Oh yeah, that stuff gets everywhere. You’re lucky you still got a backpack at all,” Sonic laughed.

“But Ah plume don’t have a mirror thanks to it,” Bunnie sighed. “Sugah-hog, c’n Ah borrow yers?”

Sally swore for a second Sonic looked like a deer caught a set of headlights, but the look was so brief that she wasn’t sure if she had seen it right as Sonic gave Bunnie an easy grin.

“Oh yeah, sure. Just a sec,” Sonic said.

He slipped off his backpack from his shoulders and rummaged through it, only to pause, his ears perking in obvious surprise.

“Uh, just a sec,” Sonic echoed, then rummaged through his backpack some more.

After a few moments he gave Bunnie an embarrassed look, his smile crooked.

“Sorry, Bunnie. I don’t have mine either,” Sonic apologised.

“Since when don’t you have your mirror?” Sally demanded. “You use it for everything but signalling.”

“Beats me. It must o’ slipped outta my pack on another mission,” Sonic shrugged as he slipped his backpack over his shoulders. “It’s cool, I’ll just get another one from Rote’ when we get back home.”

Sally sighed as she shook her head, before she reached into her pack and handed Bunnie her small mirror.

“Remind me to do an inventory check on everyone’s packs tomorrow,” Sally stated. “For now let’s move.”

Another night. Another mission.

This time Sonic was on signal duty and was perched up high on a ledge of a building that sat opposite of a storage unit in the middle of the city. Sally was on the ground, working with the security lock, so her back was constantly turned to the street as her focus was completely on the lock.

The best way to catch her attention for any approaching SWATbots or hoverunits was to catch some limited light and reflect it onto the wall just in her field of vision. It wasn’t the most foolproof, but the area was more prone to hoverunit patrols than SWATbots, and they were harder to catch from the ground. Hence Sonic’s position.

Sally was one number away from cracking the lock when a flinting circle of light caught her attention. Without hesitation she jumped for her hiding place, but not before taking a quick glance at the light that still danced on the wall’s surface. It was a little brighter than she expected it to be, considering how dingy the city was, and was a little impressed that Sonic got such a strong angle.

From her hiding place she looked up towards Sonic, then squinted when she realised he wasn’t using a mirror but his flashlight.

Sonic had assured her that he had a mirror this time before they left for the city.

She frowned, wondering if Sonic had gotten slack with his supplies again. She made a mental note to do an inventory check, scolding herself slightly for forgetting to do it after their last mission when she said she was going to. Then the hoverunit glided by, allowing Sally to get back to the lock.

Another night. Another mission.

About an hour or so before they were due to leave Sally made sure everyone had their supplies, including Sonic. When it was discovered he was still missing a mirror she had practically escorted him to Rotor’s workshop to ask the walrus for one. It had taken them nearly an hour to find one amongst the piles of junk and spare parts Rotor had accumulated over the years, mostly because when he opened his supply cupboard’s door everything came crashing down on him. Thankfully there was a pile of old mirrors scavenged from Robotropolis stashed away in a somewhat safe spot, so none had broken during the avalanche.

Sally had personally handed Sonic an old handheld mirror, one that she knew was very similar to the one he always used to carry, and watched him slip it into his backpack.

Somehow, between then and arriving in the city, Sonic had lost the mirror.

Sally couldn’t understand how one tiny bit of equipment kept being lost, and wondered if Bunnie misplacing hers had somehow caused a small epidemic. It wasn’t that having a mirror was vital, but it was a lightweight object that had always come in handy on their missions in the most unexpected ways. Mainly for signalling to one another when silence was the fine line between success and getting caught.

So it had become required gear for everyone to have in their packs at all times. With Sonic he would use his at the most frustrating times for its original purpose, and ironically enough Sally would be forced to confiscate it to make Sonic focus on the mission.

The thought made Sally pause a moment. Thinking about it now, when was the last time Sonic had done that? It used to be an almost once-per-mission deal, especially if they were paired up and Sonic wanted to rile her up. It would even sometimes happen when they were home.

Sally frowned at the thought.

The next morning Sally had briefed the Freedom Fighters their next mission plans at the War Alcove, giving everyone a chance to collaborate their ideas or concerns. The meeting had taken a couple of hours, but it had been quite productive as it gave Sally more ideas to mull over for the rest of the day.

“Sonic, can you hang back for a bit?” Sally asked when she had dismissed everyone, watching as Sonic’s ears perked with surprise.

“I only fell asleep once, c’mon!” Sonic complained.

“Twice, actually. But I’ll forgive the first time,” Sally clarified. “Just hang back please.”

Sonic rolled his eyes but obliged, barely giving the others a glance as they left the Alcove. It wasn’t really uncommon for the two to talk after a meeting, for a variety of reasons depending on how the meeting went in the first place.

“Can I just do an inventory check with you?” Sally asked.

Sonic barely bit back a groan, acting all the part of a toddler being told to take a bath after spending the day dive bombing mud puddles.

“Again wit’ th’ inventory checks, Sal? You already got me to do one, remember?” Sonic bit.

“Your inventory is more vital to our missions, and to yourself. So I just want to make sure everything is where it’s supposed to be,” Sally explained, before she pulled out a seemingly random piece of paper from the piles of other papers she had scattered across the table.

“I even made a list, so just humour me. Please?”

“Ugh, fine. But I ain’t doin’ it again,” Sonic muttered, before slipping off his backpack and flipping it open.

“First-aid kit?” Sally began.

Sonic dug through his pack and pulled out a small zip pouch. He took a moment to open it up so he could show Sally its contents, and when she gave a nod of approval he set it on the table.

“Your counter-agent kit?”

“I still hate th’ idea o’ havin’ to carry needles wit’ me, but sure,” Sonic stated as he yanked out another zip pouch. This one looked a little more durable because of the more delicate contents, but as far as Sally could tell it was holding up.

“Just remember to check with Bookshire that everything’s still good to use,” Sally reminded. “Power Ring?”

“Used it last night. But th’ next one’s due in another six hours,” Sonic explained, before he pulled down the cuff of his glove to reveal his watch and gave it a light tap. “Even got an alarm set for it ‘nd everythin’.”

“Look at you being so organised. I could get used to this,” Sally teased, smirking as Sonic stuck his tongue out at her. “Mirror?”

Sally caught Sonic hesitate for a split second, before he made a show of going through his backpack once more. He even pulled out other items from his pack so he could make his show more believable, which Sally had to give him some credit for.

“Ah, shoot. I must have lost that new one I got from Rotor yesterday,” Sonic winced, clawing at one of his ears in feign embarrassment. “I’ll swing by Rotor’s again ‘nd get another one.”

Wordlessly Sally reached into her inner vest pocket and pulled out a mirror with a short handle, which she set on the table next to Sonic’s things.

Sonic blinked at it, then gave Sally a crooked smile.

“Oh, cool! That was easy. Thanks, Sal,” Sonic said.

“You’re welcome. That’s all I had on my list, you can pack your things again,” Sally stated.

She watched him carefully as Sonic gathered his things again, taking note of what he picked up in what order. As she guessed, Sonic hesitated at the mirror, and surprisingly he looked away from it as he picked it up. He even took the extra step of twirling it in his hand by its handle so that it faced away from him as he made to put it away.

Before he got it into his backpack Sally reached over and took a hold of it, pulling it out of his grip and setting it back on the table, making sure that it was facing down. Sonic blinked again, then tilted his head at her, clear confusion on his face.

“Wha’ gives? You said I had to have one,” Sonic asked.

“I did, don’t worry,” Sally assured.

“I wasn’t worryin’. You’re just givin’ me mixed signals here...”

Sonic’s voice trailed off as Sally reached into her inner pocket again and offered him what he first thought was Nicole, as the object had a striking resemblance to the handheld computer. But as Sonic looked at it closer he realised it was a compact mirror, like what one would find in a makeup bag.   

“How about you try this one?” Sally offered.

Sonic turned it over in his hands, noting the black plastic that made up the mirror’s cover. He opened it, but still made the mirror face away from him as he tested out the hinge.

“Do I get a makeup kit t’go wit’ it?” Sonic asked.

“I’m afraid that’s not Freedom Fighter standard gear,” Sally laughed. “But if you’re keen on that I’m sure Bunnie would have one somewhere you could borrow.”

“Nah, I think I’m good,” Sonic smirked, then snapped the compact mirror shut before waggling it at Sally. “Smart move.”

“Just try to hold onto this one for more than an hour, please?” Sally asked. “You can give the other ones back to Rotor.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

He slipped the compact mirror into his backpack, this time with no hesitation, and even taking an extra step to make sure it was in a spot where it would be secure amongst his other items. He then pulled Sally into a hug, nuzzling his muzzle against her throat and neck.

“Thanks, Sal.”

Sally returned the hug, planting a soft kiss on Sonic’s cheek.

“Any time, Sonic. Just let me know if anything like this bothers you again, okay?”

“Now where’s the fun in that? I got so many mirrors out o’ th’ deal there,” Sonic teased, clicking his teeth at Sally as she gave him a playful swat.

[robotnik-apologist]

I'm not sure if you are currently taking requests. I absolutely love your work! This is very self indulgent request so feel free to ignore if you don't vibe with it. Currently I'm in the process of moving out from home for the first time, and it's hella scary and stressful. Could you please do a comfort one shot or head cannons for SatAM Robotnik comfort?

first of all, sorry that it took me a minute to respond to this - i saw it, but... errr, motivation is kinda at a low for me right now. anyway, thank you so much ^^ and yes, i'm still open for requests! i'm probablyyy gonna post something else about it, too, because this is the first request i've gotten in well over a month - but i know how niche the eggs can be, especially some of the older gen ones.

as far as this request goes, most of these headcanons will be a bit vague - applying more to the factor of 'change' itself. but i'll make sure to throw in some more specific ones, too!

oh, and if you meant, just like... general satAM comfort hc's, you can totally request those, too! i'm very sleepy right now and my reading skills suck when i'm tired

SatAM!Robotnik Change/Comfort HC's:

This may be a bit self-indulgent on my part to start this way, but I did make a post earlier about Robotnik and the traits of autism he shows. So, in vague regards to that:

Robotnik himself is NOT a fan of change.

Don't get me wrong, he's cunning as hell - he knows how to adapt.

This is a bit of a tangent, but I'd imagine he was a bit more confident about it before the (Knothole) Freedom Fighters thing started. Like him or hate him, Sonic had a big mental impact on the big guy in this specific media.

I mostly say that because Robotnik stays pretty cool and composed when dealing with anyone except a handful of people - Naugus, largely, but more pressing is Sonic. I forget which episode, but he literally risks crashing a damaged hoverpod by trying to launch a very illogical and unnecessary missile... which would very likely ensure his death in the process. Robotnik is a creature of logic, however, which makes this moment particularly intriguing - though, like I said, this is just a tangent.

Back on track, it doesn't take him long to pick up on the fact that you're stressed out. He knows you well enough by now to notice when something major is on your mind.

He doesn't mention it at first - SatAM!Robotnik is certainly not known for his outpouring compassion. Not that it doesn't concern him, of course - he's just hoping that it will sort itself out and that he won't have to intervene.

But moving is a lengthy process. After a few days of seeing you under such duress, he folds.

He isn't sure how to approach the subject, honestly; he's vaguely aware of what's causing you to feel the way you do, but there's seemingly no easy solution for him to pursue.

Don't count him out, though - he definitely tries his best. If you're away from him for longer periods of time, he makes sure to keep in touch, if only just to keep you from worrying about him or anything other than your current situation.

This is also really specific, so ignore it if you will, but I think this could also work well for a situation where you're moving in with him after being in a relationship with him for a while.

That is to say, he tries to help with some of the manual labor if he can, but he is very busy with his work - if you're not moving within/into Robotropolis, there's not much he's able to do. Not unless the fates so deign to give him a break - but God knows that's unlikely.

Still, I think he would possibly swing one or two visits if you're too busy to come to him. He's keeping in touch, of course, but there's a big difference between being with someone physically and being with someone through a screen.

And he'll never admit it aloud, but he starts to miss you dearly.

Regardless of the method of communication, though, you might also pick up on the way that he seems to be treading a bit... softer in your conversations. Maybe you two are fond of debates, maybe a bit of banter... regardless, he avoids any topics or particular mannerisms on his that might add onto your emotional duress.

Robotnik's way of providing comfort is subtle - he tries to ease the burden without directly acknowledging it. His own ego and bluster gets in the way of him directly comforting you, which is really just the way that Robotnik is.

Instinctively, he wants to ensure you're cared for. But, goodness, it would just wound his pride so terribly to ever speak of such a thing!

The only thing he's ever even remotely direct about is pretty regularly encouraging you to rest. Does he take this advice himself? Hell no. Will he repeat it to you until he's blue in the face? Absolutely. No booty-calls at 2 AM allowed, even if he was already awake for his own purposes. He will fuss at you until you finally go to bed.

All in all, he's constantly toeing the line between comforting you and ignoring the problem altogether, as strange as it sounds.

BUT!!!

If you need something specific, something explicitly stated, he's not going to deny you.

I mean, the big guy can hardly stand to say no to you when you're in good spirits, and it's infinitely harder for him to do so when you aren't.

If you need a shoulder to literally or figuratively lean on, he's there. He may not be good with tender words or touches, but he'll be damned if he denies you based on that alone. He'll provide nearly anything to ensure you stay in good health and spirits.

[greenhillorgohomeofficialpage]

FULL MAP OF MOBIUS- FINAL VERS.

List of Locations:

Freedom:

A chain of islands floating in the sky. Mostly human populated.

Led by Mayor Sara.

Island 1: Emerald Peninsula

Island 2: Island of NImbus

Island 3: Southwind Islan

Island 4: Cat's Cradle

Island 5: Anays

Island 6: Floating Island

Island 7: Dragon's Nest

Island 8: Capital

Mobotropolis:

The major city of Mobians. Once ruled by Eggman as Robotropolis- still recovering.

Led by President Sally Acorn.

Great Forest

Knothole

Canyonopolis

Thunder Plains

Great River

Lake of Rings

Maizia

Robo Remains

Forbidden Zone

Badlands

Hanging Gardens

Eggpire:

Eggman's conquered land, once including Robotropolis.

Eggman Land

Newtrogic High Zone

Eggman Island

Eggbro Island

Eggperial City

Mortar Canyon

Metropolis:

The human populated city.

Shamar:

The desert-covered country.

Island Chains:

South Island

Westside Island

Northstar Island

Eastwatch Island

Seaside Island

Bygone Island

Coco Island

Flicky Island

Mirage Island

Scrapnik Island

Rabiazorro:

A once desolate area formed out of remains of the Black Comet.

Populated by recovering Black Arms, attempting to build a new life.

Glyphic Canyon

Empire City:

Central City

Metal City

Holoska:

The freezing tundra.

The Owl tribe migrated from Babylon to here.

Babylon:

The ancient floating cities in the sky.

Native to the Bird tribes.

Chun-Nan:

The land below Babylon.

Misty and rocky.

Soleanna:

A kingdom in the sea.

Soon to be ruled by Princess Elise III.

Spagonia:

The beautiful country of architecture.

Rumored to be a bit haunted.

Apotos:

Land right against the water.

Mazuri:

Savannah covered land of sun.

Adabat:

Island chain surrounded by water and jungles.

Starfall Islands:

Ancient lands

Chaos Island

Ouranos Island

Rhea Island

Kronos Island

Ares Island

Little Planet:

A small planet that circles around the Mobius.

The Moon:

The shattered rock in the sky.

Out-of-this-World:

Aquarium Park

Asteroid Coaster

Planet Wisp

Planet Donpa

Sweet Mountain

Planet Mushroom

[tazienimp]

Working on something i started more than half a year ago, have this fucking ancient wip I'm reviving from the dead cause i wanna give my other timelines some more attention, cause, Neutral has like 50 pieces in it and my other timelines don't even have a fraction of that, some are lucky to even have more than two pieces to their name.

This is the Hopeless timeline, btw. A SATAM/Underground based timeline.

I don't have a lot of lore written for this timeline, but what i do have publicly available is on my Deviantart, in the Hopeless Timeline section. Here's a rundown though, from memory.

Basically, like, Julian's been ruling a lot longer than he's supposed to. What was supposed to happen was, Eggman was supposed to take his father's place. Julian had gotten too old and went senile (AOSTH), and then died right as Eggman was starting his shenanigans. But in this timeline, Eggman is never born and Julian has remained suspiciously in his prime since the days of Underground. The royal triplets are working with the Freedom Fighters, and Robotropolis seems to be impenetrable. The events of CD and onward do not happen. Metal never gets created, instead Mecha Crys takes his place.

I'll copy and paste that into the full post when it's done and elaborate more, but, this is just a teaser.

[robotnik-mun]

One of the more interesting things you see in the old Archie, from time to time, is how despite how long the series was around the multiple writers it acquired, writers who often had conflicting visions for the series, some points became consistent almost by accident.

Case in point? Illustrating why the Freedom Fighters were so successful against Robotnik and later Eggman. What am I talking about? Well, let me elaborate.

It begins with this guy, Armand D'Coolette, Antoine's dad.

Poor Armand. Try and imagine how everything looked from his perspective- during the Great War he witnessed the near ruinatin of the Kingdom of Acorn, and was (rightly) suspicious of Julian Kintobor from the start… only to watch as this man ascend to the rank of Warlord ahead of him, a general with years of service to the King… and yet, the traitor manages to save the Kingdom when Armand failed, and is vindicated. Only for it to turn out Armand was right the whole time…

But, enough pontificating on the sad fate of Armand. Let us get to the point- how is it that ARmand helps to illustrate why the Freedom Fighters were so effective against Robotnik? Well, one detail that emerged after Endgame was that in the past, Armand had an entire troop under his command and confronted Robotnik directly, only to seemingly fall in battle.

This detail would be elaborated upon years later as him having led a remnant of the Royal Army to try and retake Mobotropolis after the coup, only for the uprising to be crushed (with Rotor's father Sherman being among the casualties). For years though this detail would be little more than a footnote, an odd bit of backstory trivia. But it does establish a very important fact in the old Archie Sonic continuity, on that accidentally remains consistent throughout its time- confronting Robotnik/Eggman in a conventional war just doesn't work.

Much later, in issue #88, we are treated to a rather dramatic event- King Acorn leading an army into Robotropolis to rescue a captured Elias.

It's a very impressive display… but in the end, while the mission does succeed, it is clearly because of the advantage granted by SOnic and the Swore of Acorns rather than the numbers they have. The mission ends with King Acorn getting a bump on the noggin' that leaves him unable to use his legs, and you are left to realize that the Freedom Fighter guerilla techniques would've worked out a lot better. We don't see how many lives are lost openly confronting the Shadowbots, but in the end it's clear that the Freedom Fighters could've gotten the same results with a lot less damage and potential loss of life.

So, in short? Between Armand and this scene, it establishes that taking on these robot armies in the open, in a conventional manner, is an extremely bad idea. In an ideal world, the Swatbots first used by Robotnik would've been part of a robot army he used to defeat his own people during the GReat War, before using it to conquer the Kingdom of Acorn from within and then the rest of Mobius. Alas, this is not an ideal world… but still, all this does make it clear how Robotnik managed to conquer the Kingdom of Acorn and then the other nations of Mobius- against his robot armies, conventional warfare just doesn't work out.

And the effectiveness of Guerilla Tactics takes on a new context with the addition of a batch of characters, in issue 142…

The Original Freedom Fighters are a controversial addition to the book, and it's easy to see why. Getting aside from most of them having lackluster designs and names, as well as the cliche of the SNAKE being the traitor, there existence retcons the entire story and motivation of the Freedom Fighters- suddenly they are no longer War Orphans who led the way, but are acting in imitation to the 'original' heroes of Knothole, heroes who were unmentioned up until that point. Retroactively making new characters important in this way is one of those things that does a lot to sour people to characters, especially the way it can heavily re-contextualize a pillar of the series like this.

I do maintain however that while calling them the Original Freedom Fighters and making them as important as they were was a bad call, the notion of adults trying to fight Robotnik before Sonic and co came on the scene makes a great deal of sense. And in this case, Tig Stripe's crew all implicitly being former Royal Army personnel takes on an interesting light when you remember Armand's failed attempt to retake Mobotropolis. You have Tig Stripe here, a veteran of the Great War who is aware that the last remnant of the army he served failed to retake the capitol from Robotnik, and is now confronted with the fact it falls to him and the others to try and keep Knothole safe… and try to take the fight to Robotnik somehow.

The sole story they show up in states that it was Tig who first started the whole Guerilla warfare thing against Robotnik, and now we know why- having witnessed the conventional tactics of the royal army fail, Tig is forced to come up with new ways to fight, and in doing so manages to lay bare the weaknesses of Robotnik's army in fighting UN-conventional warfare. While Trey Scale's treachery does in the group, none the less it does demonstrate to Sally and Sonic and co that Robotnik CAN be fought, and how, and thus Sally goes forth to use Tig's tactics and refine them to the point where HER Freedom Fighters are even more successful against Robotnik.

There's more that could be said, but this has gone on long enough. I just find it neat how there's this weird consistent narrative resonance that sprang up, and in a way shows the evolution of this world and these characters… and it was almost entirely by accident rather than being through an act of narrative collaboration.

And I find that neat.

[thelediz]

This is just me seeing bits from your story and picking at them like threads, but it feels like there was supposed to be more plot relevance to Sonic’s adoptive family.

Sure there was the bit about Tails learning about Sonic’s adoptive parents from Cyrus, and that was more about robotocization than anything else… but what about Rouge learning about Uncle Chuck? The way you write the story implies that Sonic and Tails had met by that point so he would have been there, like Rouge was going to ask Tails if he knew anything because she was trying to piece together the backstory in full.

Other than that, do you think you’ll write the full backstory? Like Sonic and Cyrus learning the truth of how robotocization affects the people, Sonic leaving to the outer islands and meeting his friends, to deciding to go back to the mainland, and then your version of a reboot of Underground?

For those not playing along at home, Sonic's adoptive family are these two:

In the actual series, we don't actually know what happens to them. The last we see of them is when they tell Sonic to run as their house burns down around them. He lives with Uncle Chuck for the rest of his pre-Underground days.

I, for my sins, call them Red and Amber Rat (he looks like a rat to me...), and I actually have written the whole line of them in Wrong or Right. I fridged them, to help explain Sonic's anger and fear, and also why he goes a bit mute sometimes. Trauma, woo!

To detail it:

Red and Amber were on the sidelines of the Resistance, providing rest for traumatised victims and fighters, but they weren't actually fighters themselves. Robotnik did know about them, however.

After the honeymoon period of Robotnik's reign was over, people began questioning whether robotocisation was really the death sentence it seemed. So Robotnik decided to prove it really was as scary as he was making it out to be.

He captured Red and Amber, because they weren't fighters and they were vulnerable. He robotocised them, and manually removed their cyborg parts. It literally tears them apart. He filmed it.

For years after, whenever someone was captured to be robotocised, he would show them that film in the holding cells, so they knew there was no escape.

One day, Sonic and Cyrus were playing with hoverboards in the street when they got arrested. They saw the video. Sonic literally watched his parents get torn apart.

Sonic had a mental break. He tore apart the holding cell, and then just ran. He ran in a straight line. Eventually, he ran out of energy and fell face-down in some sand. This is where Mighty and Ray found him.

He hung out with them for a few months, just Not Dealing. He learned how to survive in the wild, he learned mechanics, he was just living on an island doing his own thing, until Robotnik appeared on the horizon and it all came flooding back.

NO ONE ELSE will ever have to go through what he did.

So Sonic's family IS a big thing in the Lost Prince. It's the basis of why he fights Robotnik. And all of the Resistance knows it. Red and Amber Rat are a driving force for a lot of people, and they think it's Sonic's full motivation.

But here's the thing: Sonic is more than that.

In The Lost Prince, the basic timeline is:

Sonic breaks out of the cell

Sonic the Hedgehog (the arcade game)

Sonic the Hedgehog (MegaDrive)

Sonic CD

Sonic 2

Sonic 3 & Knuckles

Sonic goes back to Robotropolis

Tails Adventure

Sonic and Robotnik leave Mobius

Sonic Adventure through to Sonic Colours

Sonia calls Sonic back to Mobius

Sonic's been through a lot, and has been quietly and internally processing a lot. What Rouge was discovering in her intel trip was that Sonic didn't just snap from one personality to another - he was DEALING. Somewhere around Sonic 2, Uncle Chuck found Sonic and tried to get him to come back, but Sonic WAS NOT READY. He was still hiding and panicking. Even after Sonic 3 & Knuckles, when he decided to return, he wasn't actually ready then, either. That's how Solar could take advantage of him. It took going back to Mobius, and realising he cared about more than just what had happened to him, that finally allowed him to process and grow beyond his trauma.

But it's all backstory. And Rouge knows a thing or two about growing beyond your tragic backstory.

So they're both just working with what they have in front of them, damn the past.

[unlackeyed]

A big gift bag sits at your desk. Inside contains the following: green mug, mint tea, a green oversized flannel throw, and chocolate covered toffee.

The tag reads, "From Secret Santa"

Nothing on Snively's body moves save his tautly extended hands, as he parses through the package. It's strange; strange because it's generous and it's caring and nothing has been demanded in exchange for it. He's lived on freeze-dried rations and slept on the most perfunctory and rock-hard of cots in a tight, breathless bunker of Robotropolis since he was a preteen and only recently has the wild, improbable dream of kindness become obtainable.

His hands shake as he carefully peels open one tea bag and more closely inspects the little sticks and pebbles of dried herbs that fall out. He takes a whiff with his oft-ridiculed nose. For all his ambition, he's never been truly self-aware, so he can't comprehend why he's so flustered.

"Right. what's the catch?" he finally drawls, pale eyes unblinking as he steals a second look around.

[duckapus]

If Mario Was in Sonic Heroes (...Sort Of)

We begin with what's left of the SMG4 Crew, Cubot, and Marcy already sneaking through the streets of Robotropolis, heading towards the overgrown Eggman Base that Metal Madness is attached to. Floating high above the metallic blue skyscrapers is the airship, shielded from view with an invisibility spell by Kamek and Sig.

Soon enough, they're in an alley only a street crossing away from the base, and Cubot starts looking for something on the wall, "Okay guys, there should be a side entrance just across from us, and with any luck Metal's been too out of his mind to bother changing the access codes. All we've gotta do is get past the guards."

At that, he points up at a nearby watchtower, where a mechanical Toad looks out over the dark streets. Another robot, this one a pink-and-white knight with a basketball-patterned faceplate, swoops down to address him for a moment before resuming his patrol.

4 winces, "good thing Toadsworth isn't here to see that."

Cubot manages to spot the entrance, and as soon as the group sees an opening they make a break for it. There's a brief scare when Mario accidentally kicks a can (why is there even litter when everyone is in a robot hivemind) and catches Mecha Franky's attention, but thankfully the side of the base has plenty of alcoves to hide in, and a few more "civilian" level robots happen to walk by at the same time.

As it turns out, Metal Sonic really didn't bother changing the access codes, so Cubot's current status as leader of the Eggman Empire gets them in without issue. When they get inside, 4 realizes something pretty important.

"Uh, do you have any idea where they'll be keeping the Seed? 'Cause this is a pretty big place and I really don't thing wandering aimlessly would be a good idea."

"Well, the base is pretty different from how it was the last time I was here, but based on the structure there's a few spots in particular that would make sense. Plus the scanner's still working," he waves the tablet a bit for emphasis.

With that out of the way, the group keeps going, doubling their efforts at stealth now that they're this deep into enemy territory...and also doing their best to keep the more chaotic members of the group from getting distracted by the various robot-related memes they encounter along the way.

As they're moving, Root notices Tari scratching at the elbow of her Meta Runner arm, "Are you okay Tari?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, my stump just started itching a bit. Haven't really had a chance to take my arm off in the past few days. I'll be fine."

"It comes off?"

"Yep! Just because I didn't get a prothesis the normal way doesn't mean I don't have to take care of it like everyone else."

"Oh, that makes sense. Just, make sure you tell somebody if it starts getting worse, alright?"

"Of course. Sorry if I made you worry."

As it turns out, she's not the only one having slight problems. Lil Coding's got a slight headache that's causing a bit of static on the edges of his hearing. Or...is the static causing the headache? Eh, either way it's probably not a big deal, so he doesn't bother to mention it.

Eventually they reach a dark room that seems as though it used to be a command center, with some sort of containment unit on the other side from the door.

"Well, according to the scanner this is the place. I'm betting the seed's in that thing."

"Mario's on it!" immediately he grabs Meggy by the legs (she's got a deadpan "oh not this shit again" expression but dutifully goes into a T-pose) runs at the container with intent to Smash, "Here we GOOOOO!!!!"

Unsurprisingly, this doesn't work, and he drops Meggy and shrugs, "Well, I've done all I can do."

The rest of the group just rolls their eyes, and Cubot floats over to the main console, "I'll handle it."

It takes a bit to find the right program, but soon enough he finds the controls for the containment unit and opens it, revealing a yellow Wonder Seed.

"Alright!" 4 walks over to grab it, "Just two more and-" Suddenly the room is bathed in red light, and the central monitor changes from Eggman's desktop to a mechanical-looking black-and-red eye.

"Did you really think it would be so easy to steal from me?"

The group quickly backs away from the monitor, 4 remembering to grab the still-accessible seed in the process.

"Fortunately for you, that trinket matters little to me. Still, you are intruders, and intruders must be either converted or destroyed."

While most of the group is shaking in fear, Marcy scoffs, "And how do you plan on doing that? There's no weapons in this room, and if your troops were close enough to catch us before we were ready and able to fight our way out they'd be here by now."

"You are correct...for a few more seconds, at least."

"What do you-" She's cut off by the rippling colors and chime of a wonder effect, and the group turns to a horrible sight, "no, not them..."

The mechanized Lil Coding points his claw at his stunned and horror-stricken father, "PRIORITY_1: ELIMINATE_INTRUDERS."

Mario pulls SMG4 out of the way just before Mecha Coding can hit him with a powerful energy blast, "RUN BITCH, RUUUUUN!"

And so the group books it back the way they came, their roboticized friends hot on their tail and Badniks and other conversion victims closing in around them, with Mario still having to drag 4 along.

Eventually they manage to get outside, where they see that the Airship, now in full view, is heading right towards them with pursuers of its own. They thankfully all manage to grab onto a hastily dropped ladder and climb up to help the crew fend off the robot army in their mad dash to the mercifully-nearby barrier between Robotropolis and the next Zone.

Unfortunately, their luck runs out, as Mecha Desmond appears high above them and uses his Galacta Knight powers to summon dozens of Heart Spears, which rain down and tear through the ship. It ends up crashing down just barely on the wrong side of the barrier, and the main group comes to in the flaming wreckage, robots closing in on all sides and the assorted minions and badniks all either unconscious, trashed, or beginning to convert themselves.

Desmond stands before them, eyes locked on Meggy's prone form because of course he'd be just cognizant enough to remember hating her, and in the blink of an eye lunges-

Only to be stopped short by Toadsworth's cane, the old toad shaking with the effort and half-metal already, but smirking up at his adopted grandson, "Come on my boy, I know you can move faster than that! This conversion nonsense really isn't doing your training any favors, is it?"

He looks back at what's left of the group, "Go on then, get out of here! We'll hold them off for as long as we're still ourselves!"

True to what he says, all the other half-converted characters jump into the fray, many fighting several full robots at once. Bomberto's among them, "Just like old times, eh?"

"If this is "just like old times," then you and I remember those times very differently, old friend."

Not wanting to squander this chance, the group follows Toadsworth's orders as soon as he gives them and runs for the barrier, which apparently when approached personally at ground level like this is opaque with a similar shifting rainbow color pattern to the unsprayed versions of the Super Mario Sunshine level portals.

They burst through with a bit of resistance, and then it's just SMG4, Mario, Meggy, Root, Marcy, Sig, Kamek and Cubot collapsing to the ground...and into deep snow, in the middle of the night, with a few errant bits of the ship half-buried nearby and the muffled sounds of the battle they just escaped behind them.