an-obligatory-blog

[an-obligatory-blog]

been playing hundred line lately, it's cool

so I wanna make a post about my 2 cents on something I've been thinking about: the whole "the game punishes you for killing ____" thing.

General spoilers for most routes past route 0 below.

I haven't finished the entire "kill Eito" branch, but aside from the immediate consequence of losing trust from your fellow SDU members, I don't think the intended message is something like "it's impossible/you don't deserve to attain happiness if you kill Eito" or anything like that.

In fact, I think the placement of where the Comedy route is kind of an acknowledgement of the "yes, killing Eito can help with making the next 100 days a smooth sailing ride" line of logic. As much as a tonal whiplash it is to land into that route over a choice that didn't telegraph that outcome, that route (and Romance for that matter) is a scenario where nearly no one is dead to haunt Takumi (Eito aside) and there is no instigator to cause any chaos. G'ie data is cleared, no timeline-hopping menaces, no Eito to worry about, and V'ehxness hadn't absorbed enough people to become a big enough threat. Sure, Takumi could comedically die in Comedy, but the safety of his classmates is generally assured.

Comedy is the outcome Takumi wanted to achieve by killing Eito on day 2: a smooth-sailing time where everyone except Eito and maybe himself lives, and the mission he once failed succeeds. You get an overabundance of FREE TIME because Takumi can afford to have it. It may not be satisfying to the player, but from post-Route 0 Takumi's perspective, isn't this as good as he can hope for if the worst thing he has to worry about is what? His crotch hot dog getting exposed?

If you know the truth, however, you know that this isn't a good outcome. That is, if you care about things outside of your own survival.

Time-hopping shenanigans aside, sparing Eito does lead to a lot of suffering, regardless of how much it was directly his fault. The path to the truth needs Eito alive and escape (see: how you don't learn anything in CoA and Retsnom) because as much as he's willing to kill humanity, nobody else is willing to question the mission without his influence (thanks to Takumi uniting everyone) and even if they did, that type of discourse would be shut down with Sirei around. Only an anomaly like Eito can counter Sirei's influence. Regardless of whether you choose to protect or abandon humanity, you're at least making an informed decision at that point.

I get that Comedy route comes off as a joke "what-if" and I'm sure that it technically is (imagine going into the lore implications of Super Smartass Syndrome lmfao), but the point is that I don't think it's placement on the flowchart is a coincidence. There's no gun pointing at Kodaka's head to put the Comedy route on the kill Eito branch-- there is an awareness that without G'ie/timeline hopping shenanigans, logically things wouldn't go down the depths of hell that it could go on the Kill Eito branch. However, the point isn't that without Eito, Takumi can't be happy or succeed in achieving what he set out to do by redoing things. Killing Eito may lurk on the back of his mind for the rest of his life, sure, but that's not the same thing as dooming yourself to a lifetime of misery and death.

No, what killing Eito does is to dismiss everything he says simply because "he's crazy, he's a danger, and I hate him". Even if it isn't Takumi's primary reason to spare Eito, the thought of "the truth Eito somehow learned" always comes up right after you spare him. It's your first defiance of Sirei's orders-- something that goes against humanity's best interests. It opens up the option to make the moral choice despite the self-sacrifice.

And that's the thing about this game-- a lot of parties are fighting for "survival". Humanity is fighting for survival, the Futurans are fighting for survival, the SDU is fighting for survival, and this fact isn't looked at with admonishment by the narrative but with sympathy. It's a very "human" cause and yet it's precisely because of that the cycle of violence continued for generations. It's a very human thing to hate and fight and not let go of hate in order to fight. An "understandable" reason deserves understanding, but it doesn't make it "right" necessarily.

To quote Kamyuhn from Rebellion route, hate is something that must be deliberately severed. Why would the consequences of hate not catch up to you if you don't do it yourself?

[an-obligatory-blog]

CHARACTER ASK GAME!!! 💫

Send a character + one or more of these question IN THE INBOX. Don't reply on the post!

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

6. What's something you have in common with this character?

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

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

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

10. Could you be best friends with this character?

11. Would you date this character?

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

13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.

15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)

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

17. What's a ship for this character you don't hate but it's not your favorite that you're fine with?

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

19. How about a relationship they have in canon that you don't like?

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to ths character? Something you don't like?

23. Favorite picture of this character?

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

26. What's something the character has done you can't get over? Be it something funny, bad, good, serious, whatever?

27. FREEBIE QUESTION!!

[an-obligatory-blog]

Infinite and his relationship with his squad

This was something I've been mulling about ever since I saw this poll.

Disclaimer: This post isn't about fanworks like art or fic nor is it about fan interpretations that are purposefully divergent from canon. This is strictly about how people view canon Infinite.

My first thought was "wow that's more lopsided than I thought". My second thought was "ok the wording/choices played a role in that".

Imagine if Infinite's feelings towards his squad can be measured on a scale from 0 to 100, 0 being "they are like the lint in his back pocket" and 100 being "basically found family". Between the three main categories shown on this poll (I wasn't sure how to interpret "other"), how would you divide that scale?

This is just my viewpoint, but "not at all" sounds like it can't be anything more than 10, "he did" is anything above a 60 or 50, and "mixed" being anything in-between. To me, the threshold to qualify as "caring for something" is much lower than saying that "you don't care at all" because you can put your parents, your abusive partner, your dog, and your old classmate next to each other and say "yeah, I care for all of them". There is no limit to how much you can care about something but saying that you don't at all is much more absolute.

I was satisfied with that conclusion because it made sense in my head, but I'm just one person and others will of course have different takes on that matter.

For example, I answered "it's complicated" in this poll because my personal HC is that he did, but he never wanted to admit it. I felt that he cared more about himself than anything and valued his strength as an individual, but whether he liked it or not, he did get a little attached and after their loss, he resented that fact. It became something he wanted to purge when he created his new identity. Now you could say that "oh, so if that's his reaction, then he didn't care for them that much since his ego is a higher priority." Or you could say "wow he cares about them but denies it, what a tsundere." There's a kernel of truth in each of them, hence "it's complicated", but it makes me wonder if I would categorize other people's takes if I had the opportunity to read them all.

At the end though, it was all personal interpretation and that is something all fans are entitled to. Yes, misinformation and lack of critical thinking can be a factor (it's true for all fandoms as infamous as the Sonic fandom is), but when it comes to a character like Infinite who isn't as fleshed out as he could have been, I feel that there is a lot of freedom in how you interpret him compared to other Sonic characters who have longer histories and larger presence. There isn't really a set-in-stone answer for a question like "did he care about his squad or not". I don't think anyone is stupid for believing in one answer over the other.

Which bring me to the main point of this post: Infinite's design as Forces' villain doesn't require him to be indifferent about his squad (past or present)-- it requires him to be self-absorbed. Those are not the same thing. A having greater value than B doesn't mean B has no value. It could, but maybe it isn't.

No, I don't think Infinite needs to be "Shadow 2.0 but swap out Maria with his squad" in order for Infinite to have "depth". In fact, I find that take to be rather shallow and contradictory to what's established of Infinite... but I also don't think he needs to be Mephiles 2.0 just for all the pieces to fit, if that makes sense.

Infinite was designed with keywords like "cruelty", "adherence to power", and "disbelief in bonds"-- the last one being important within the context of Forces because it's the primary reason on why him and the Avatar are foils (which I went on a whole thing in a different post). That, however, is only relevant when encapsulating Infinite's personality within the story of Forces. Whether or not he cared about his squad in the past is irrelevant because even if he did, he threw it away when he chose to be "reborn" as someone else. This can be interpreted as a form of denial, but the keywords "disbelief in bonds" would still apply since, well, it would be the source of his denial in that scenario.

Then, there is the Rise of Infinite comic where Eggman and Infinite meet for the first time and against his squad mate's advice, he agrees to team up with Eggman. Again, this says less about his opinion of his squad and more about his own desires, but I should also note this is also just one guy's opinion. We see the Jackal Squad as this monolith because they are background characters with little identity outside of being Infinite's past group, but realistically, they are individuals. Whether or not they agree with their boss, whether or not they view him as a friend, whether or not they were easily persuaded, whether or not they had ambitions outside the squad just like Infinite-- those are all open questions that don't have a single correct answer. There is no requirement for them to be these poor victims of their boss's selfishness; they could also be like-minded and rather than a traditional bond of friendship, they could have a form of mutual understanding/comradery between selfish mercenaries. (As if Infinite was lacking in reasons to be a considered a bad guy om)

The possibility of Infinite having some sort of care towards his old squad does not have to be a tool to excuse or soften his flaws; it has the potential to highlight it instead. It could be used to highlight how Infinite could've been like the Avatar in another universe and vice versa-- showing how Infinite deceived himself into finding hope in the wrong place. It could be used to contrast Shadow's purity, direct with his goals whether it was revenge or his friend's wish, to Infinite's impurity, clouded with ego and insecurity that caused him to compromise on something important just because he thought it was holding him back. Forces may have pushed a very simple "friendship is power" message, but simple themes can have nuance and even if Sonic Team is bound to its self-imposed restrictions, fans are not.

But yeah, that's about it. I hope this doesn't come off as accusatory, but I'm putting this out there because I feel like the conversation around this is a bit too black-and-white for my liking. There is nothing wrong in hc'ing that the Jackal Squad was nothing more than a posse to inflate Infinite's ego nor is there anything wrong with interpreting the Jackal Squad as a somewhat close-knit group that tragically fell and their leader giving in to his vices over his bonds and honor. I just wanted more people to understand that regardless how you would answer that poll from the start, there is no wrong answer as of the time I have posted this, and it will stay that way until Infinite's past is expanded on in canon.

I still don't get what "other" entails though lol.

[an-obligatory-blog]

ngl

i think it's kinda diabolical how not only is the "sonic was tortured during captivity" thing an EN invention (it's not present in JP script), but despite eggman being one being labeled as the one responsible in EN, it's always infinite who is doing the torture in fics

like i get it! the phantom ruby has that potential and we know that the zavok illusion was at least present but i swear eggman is always so passive when it happens when it happens and i find that kinda funny-- it's like as if the fandom realized something was off about (game) eggman torturing sonic for funsies so instead of concluding that EN did an oopsies we just ran with it and said "ok the new character did it" and it spread like wildfire

and also probably bc infinite is hotter, like an evil sadist should at least be hot right? /shot

[an-obligatory-blog]

Introduction + Masterlist

It's about time I made post like this, but uh, hi! I'm Hagen. Sometimes I draw, sometimes I write, and I am slow at both (ha). I'm most fond of angst and tragedy ouo)9

Below are ongoing or completed works that are relevant to my current interests. You can find fics for past fandoms under my account but just a head's up: it's mostly a graveyard of wips that honestly shouldn't have left the drafts lol.

Twisted Wonderland

heart eater - Rated: E (for violence) - ONGOING (3/5 done) A multi-chapter fic about Kalim's life before his arrival in NRC. It features warped, unreliable perspective that illustrates the source of Kalim's kindness despite his deceptively ruthless environment and... morally questionable parents. This setting features Jamikali.

inhuman prey - Rated: T(?) - IN PROGRESS A one-shot from Jamil's POV that takes place between heart eater's chapter 3 and 4. After a certain incident, Jamil is forced to confront something more terrifying the darkness lurking in the Asim mansion or the bugs haunting his nightmares: Kalim Al-Asim and his undeniable affection.

Sonic the Hedgehog

the wolf in sheep's clothing - Rated: M - ONGOING (1/4) A multi-chapter fic about Gadget (Avatar) and written in 1st person. Despite being known as the underdog hero of the Resistance, Gadget had a secret: this was his third life. In his first life, he was a tragic villain, dying with both pride and spite in his heart. In his second life, he was fodder, a mere side character who only existed to make the protagonists shine. Cursed to repeat life over and over, Gadget capitalizes on it to create the stories that he wants.... This setting features Infidget from the second chapter onwards.

yearning and fearing, the journey and absolution - Rated: Not Rated - COMPLETED A one-shot featuring Mephilver. After the events of the Metal Virus, Silver returns to a peaceful future where Mephiles, his long-time companion, was waiting for him. As they reminisce their first meeting and everything that had happened thus far, Mephiles tempts Silver into a proposal that would change their lives forever.

the sun, the moon, and the sea which reflects them - Rated: G - COMPLETED A short one-shot featuring Infidget within a fantasy setting. In a world where nations are split based on the god they worship; two childhood friends reunite with broken faith. (I may build on top of this concept, we'll see.)

Infinite the Jackal Doesn't Deserve to be Loved - Rated: E - COMPLETED A smut/angst one-shot featuring trans!Infinite. Despite his efforts to move on from the past, Infinite struggles to grapple between the person he wants to be and the person he was forced to be. This setting features Eggfinite.

[an-obligatory-blog]

I wrote my first proper explicit smut and it's eggfinite of all ship alsdfjalskfj

I say smut but it's more like a smut/angst combo ft. trans infinite bc we love trans infinite in this house

Please mind the tags ofc

[an-obligatory-blog]

had a vision that infinite's best chance of entering the movieverse is if stobotnik adopts a dog they named infinite and for tom and maddie to get a dog that looks like the rookie. while the movie plays out, there's a subplot of rookie dog and infinite dog biting each other in the background while the world is falling apart

like who cares if the god of time is ripping space-time apart and three whole ass hedgehogs need to go super to save it, these dogs have better priorities like determining who gets to chew on maria's bones or whatever

[an-obligatory-blog]

Is.

Is this a safe space for me to say that I don't like the trope of "Infinite thought his squad was killed by Shadow but in actuality it's a deception by Eggman"?

[an-obligatory-blog]

Thinking about this post I made again because the more I think about it, the more I am glad that Infinite was not in Shadow Generations and the more anxious I am when he finally does.

Because I have like, conjured this idea in my head of how I want Infinite to return-- something that retains what was established in Forces (including his "unlikable" aspects) while progressing his character in a way that is one 1) meaningful, 2) not a complete joke, and 3) gives incentive to use him again and not shelf him forever after one more appearance. But the more I'm convinced of my vision, the more I think "there's no way this is happening" because very often, attempts to "fix" the character comes with an inherent lack of respect to a character's current traits-- erasing instead of working with what they have. Think of past (and I guess current) sentiments of "fixing" Amy and all the discourse that was spawned from it. I feel like I have tunneled myself into future disappointment as an Infinite fan and the fandom would be less resistant to it than Amy because I feel like people are more likely to accept whatever as long it isn't carbon copy of Forces.

Which is a shame because the main flaw of Infinite in Forces, imo, isn't that he's a "fraud", but that his backstory is empty. If your definition of "fixing" Infinite is to establish an understandable reason for his breakdown and flesh out his relationship with his squad without changing any of the story beats, you did not write an AU where "Infinite but what if he's a good character". What you wrote is a legitimate interpretation of Infinite because Forces said nothing about why he had that reaction Shadow or really anything about his squad. Sonic Team could legitimately take that and not have to call it a retcon because of how little it contradicts anything since, again, the issue was that it's "empty" not "rotten". To begin with, assuming that "Infinite's motive is nothing more than a tantrum" is just as much of a presumption as someone's fic coming up the most tragic sob story for Infinite to justify the events of Forces; it just that the former is the simplest explanation to fill the holes that Forces' less than stellar writing left behind and thus, the impression he leaves on the public.

If what I described is enough to "fix" Infinite in your eyes, then you may not hate Infinite as a character as much as you may think you do. It's not like it contradicts hating Forces' writing.

And I know that's not everyone-- there are plenty of people who rather have literally anyone else as the villain, someone who isn't a "fraud" or someone who is more "badass/cool" or even someone that embraces "lameness" as a primary trait aka a joke character. The most common sentiment I find on Infinite is "he is a character with a lot of potential, so I would like to see him back with better execution", but what do you mean by "potential"? What does this "better execution" look like? It seems like an opinion that the Sonic fandom can unite under on the surface, but I think that the moment Infinite were to hypothetically return, the division between who is satisfied and who isn't will surface.

Or maybe it won't. Maybe Infinite isn't important enough worry about how much of his original self is preserved or what a natural progression with him looks like as long as its paired with writing that's more palatable to the audience. If people were to go online and fight for something more in-line with his characterization in Forces, would anyone care? Wouldn't be more likely that such sentiments are deemed stupid?

I am glad that Infinite didn't show up in Shadow Generations because he doesn't belong there. Mephiles, Black Doom, even Metal Madness-- you can argue that they represent something to Shadow, but not Infinite. It's /Shadow/ who represents something to Infinite the same way Sonic represents something to the Avatar but not the other way around. It's possible to progress Infinite in a way that changes that, but that's not happening in a story that centers Shadow and his past because Infinite has nothing to do with that. All people expected from a possible Infinite appearance is the "I don't remember you" treatment (which again, already happened in Forces) that Mephiles ended up getting-- he doesn't represent anything that Mephiles, a character who is meant to reflect Shadow down to his appearance, doesn't already.

But Infinite could always appear when SEGA feels like it-- frankly, it was harder to bring back Mephiles given that he was wiped from the timeline but look at him here now. If he comes back and his character is taken in a direction that I don't like, is that me being close-minded? His backstory is empty so his "potential" is "infinite", but is anyone, including myself, willing to accept what's outside of what we consider ideal? I'd like to imagine that my ideas for him would be something that would make us all happy, but is that even possible, much less true? Maybe those are useless questions. We can only evaluate things that exists.

Infinite isn't a character that belong to me nor do I have any semblance of authority over him but falling in love left me feeling possessive. I feel arrogant and hypocritical-- thinking that canonical material that wouldn't meet my standards is better off not existing while trying to appreciate controversial material that many would not miss. I keep doing it because if not me, who else is going to think the way I do-- hating the exact things I hate and liking the exact things I like? A lot of Sonic fans do this, I think, so at least I'm not special. It makes you feel based as hell.

late night infinite thoughts/hc/analysis

despite being clowned on for his Ls and "i'm not weak" scene, i don't think infinite particularly childish? or more specifically not in the specific brand of "pathetic sore loser" that's been memed on. like he doesn't feel like the type of character who would throw a tantrum/be visibly upset if he can help it (particularly in front of shadow since that's the guy he's pitted against).

it's not that i don't understand why he left that impression-- the way shadow dlc told his background would ofc lead ppl to feel that it was an overreaction for being kicked a couple of times, but the thing is, we saw how he reacted when he met shadow again and what he said after being told that the hedgehog didn't remember him.

(using screencaps of the jp script, but i'm p sure en is the same jist)

sure, infinite is gassing himself up in this scene because of his shiny new rock, but when i saw this scene, my immediate thought was "so you think you aren't someone worth remembering"? (which can also be extended to his squad mates who were also defeated and thus "weak", regardless if you think they are dead or not) he's not particularly angry in this scene-- if anything, he admits that shadow's words of him being a loser (and thus weak) is /fact/.

hence why i think that infinite hates himself more than he could ever hate shadow. he can hide it by saying "well that's just the old me, i've changed. look at my virtual reality of green hill" but that mask isn't just for show. past or present, he is still himself even if he pretends otherwise. he is insecure, that's true. it's also true that his ego is fragile and that it hangs on his ability to suppress others.

however, his ego isn't unshakable at the face of failure or incapable of self-reflection, even if he wishes it was. the denial phase doesn't last forever.

to put it in another way, he's not the type of sore loser who will go "the other guy must've cheated" or "it's not fair" and deny the other person of their achievement. he's the type of sore loser who becomes frustrated with himself, trains himself to exhaustion, maybe cheat himself if tempted (you'll have to convince him that it would be a meaningful victory if he does though, (re. his logic on relying on magic rock ok, but relying on friends is bad and fake, apparently)), and fall into despair if his efforts don't pay off. that's really what his "i'm not weak" breakdown really is to me-- falling into despair and eventually accepting that he is powerless.

with high ego, he may dismiss losses as a fluke, but that requires plausible deniability to be present to fall back on. my point is that his arrogance doesn't come across as stable, it's just that conquering 99% of the world would convince anyone that they are hot shit.

also, he's not bad at /hiding/ his insecurity. insecurity isn't an aspect that was just added to him in the dlc and thus "ruining" him-- he just hides it well when he started wearing the mask. he only showed a mote of desperation by the end of his final boss fight. before that, we had sonic and the avatar breaking out from null space in record time and while eggman was in shock, infinite just stared silently-- he retained a "mysterious" aura for most of the game despite multiple setbacks. his ability to hide his emotions without his mask is up to you, but at the very least, he would at least /try/ to cover up anything he deems "unsightly".

what i'm trying to say is, i think he'd be upset being called weak, but i don't think that specific "overreaction" he had in shadow dlc is just something that happens every time he's insulted, esp when his ego is in a more stable state.

why he's so fixated about strength and weakness is pure hc territory bc forces writing sure as hell didn't explain it, but i think it's safe to say that he wasn't stable before his encounter with shadow and no matter how many ppl think that his motives are "stupid", this was something that meant a great deal to infinite. why it took until shadow for the camel's back to be snapped, idk maybe something happened to him earlier or maybe not, but regardless, infinite appears to be someone who is very desperate to be proud of himself and he measures how much he is worthy of pride through "strength". those who are strong don't think of those weaker than them, to him. (re. him saying that it's fine that shadow didn't remember his past self, and following up with "you're nothing to me now" bc he believes that he is now stronger than him. also note his quirk in jp where he calls ppl "gomi" (in katakana)/trash, idk jp well i just think it's neat)

this "fraud" quality of infinite's is something i find appealing as his fan, and not in the "i think it's brilliant to have a joke character that parodies edgelords" kind of way (infinite isn't purposefully meant to be joke and i don't think he has to be in order to be "good" with his current backstory). to segway into a different conversation, i don't care of the take that "infinite should've been an artificial lifeform like shadow created by eggman" bc to be frank (and i apologize if this is too spicy of a take), i don't see the benefit to that other than to give infinite more "aura points" by erasing his backstory as a "fraud". (bc a villain that doesn't meet the "aura" threshold is bad, i guess.)

bc here's the thing, right-- there are a lot of things you can compare and contrast between shadow and infinite and create a meaningful analysis out of it, but remember that infinite is the main villain of sonic forces and that sonic forces... is not about shadow.

sonic forces, if anything, is the avatar's story. the avatar is infinite's primary foil.

shadow defeating infinite parallels infinite defeating the avatar (at the start of the game). infinite gains help from eggman and the phantom ruby while the avatar finds the Power of Friendship, Love, and Courage (tm) through sonic. infinite finding solace in "fake" power while the avatar finds "true" strength. infinite believing that he is the one who sees the reality as it is (re. his theme song lyrics), when it was the avatar who sees through his illusions.

and i really like that. idk if these are the right words, but i feel like they stand out because of how "human-like" and "relatable" compared to everyone else (esp the avatar bc they are literally an OC). with the exception of tails (who is instead offset by being a kid genius), the sonic cast is filled with characters that have stronger than average willpower, leaving the "outsiders", infinite and avatar, to play catch up in their quest to find strength. they are not unshakably confident like sonic or endlessly persistent like eggman-- they are, at their core, embody the insecurity and lack of confidence that the ordinary person is more likely to succumb to. infinite is like a bandit boss in a jrpg: has a reputation of being feared, has followers/lackeys, villain vibes, but at the end of the day, they are just the first boss the protagonist wipes at the tutorial. the avatar would be a background character in literally any story except forces. they both "extras" trying to take the spotlight that was meant for the leads.

that is why i genuinely think that his current backstory has more value narrative-wise than that hypothetical one and it's not just preference. i don't care if forces has bad writing-- infinite and the avatar starting off as "ordinary people" as a parallel is neat and i will die on that hill. (and imo this attribute makes infinite a unique villain in the sonic verse. like he's not explicitly sympathetic like merlina was or even overtly tragic like gerald, but he manages to have that pitiable, human-like quality, you know?)

but yeah this is really about him not showing up in sonadow gens. like don't get me wrong, i would've been very happy if had shown up and i did lowkey expect it when i saw sunset heights in the trailer, but i'm not mad that he didn't ngl. for the reasons listed above, i don't see infinite as a "shadow villain" like mephiles and black doom are.

[an-obligatory-blog]

heart eater chapter 3 is now up! (new chapter is about 14k words long)

tags have been updated so please refer to that

[an-obligatory-blog]

late night infinite thoughts/hc/analysis

despite being clowned on for his Ls and "i'm not weak" scene, i don't think infinite particularly childish? or more specifically not in the specific brand of "pathetic sore loser" that's been memed on. like he doesn't feel like the type of character who would throw a tantrum/be visibly upset if he can help it (particularly in front of shadow since that's the guy he's pitted against).

it's not that i don't understand why he left that impression-- the way shadow dlc told his background would ofc lead ppl to feel that it was an overreaction for being kicked a couple of times, but the thing is, we saw how he reacted when he met shadow again and what he said after being told that the hedgehog didn't remember him.

(using screencaps of the jp script, but i'm p sure en is the same jist)

sure, infinite is gassing himself up in this scene because of his shiny new rock, but when i saw this scene, my immediate thought was "so you think you aren't someone worth remembering"? (which can also be extended to his squad mates who were also defeated and thus "weak", regardless if you think they are dead or not) he's not particularly angry in this scene-- if anything, he admits that shadow's words of him being a loser (and thus weak) is /fact/.

hence why i think that infinite hates himself more than he could ever hate shadow. he can hide it by saying "well that's just the old me, i've changed. look at my virtual reality of green hill" but that mask isn't just for show. past or present, he is still himself even if he pretends otherwise. he is insecure, that's true. it's also true that his ego is fragile and that it hangs on his ability to suppress others.

however, his ego isn't unshakable at the face of failure or incapable of self-reflection, even if he wishes it was. the denial phase doesn't last forever.

to put it in another way, he's not the type of sore loser who will go "the other guy must've cheated" or "it's not fair" and deny the other person of their achievement. he's the type of sore loser who becomes frustrated with himself, trains himself to exhaustion, maybe cheat himself if tempted (you'll have to convince him that it would be a meaningful victory if he does though, (re. his logic on relying on magic rock ok, but relying on friends is bad and fake, apparently)), and fall into despair if his efforts don't pay off. that's really what his "i'm not weak" breakdown really is to me-- falling into despair and eventually accepting that he is powerless.

with high ego, he may dismiss losses as a fluke, but that requires plausible deniability to be present to fall back on. my point is that his arrogance doesn't come across as stable, it's just that conquering 99% of the world would convince anyone that they are hot shit.

also, he's not bad at /hiding/ his insecurity. insecurity isn't an aspect that was just added to him in the dlc and thus "ruining" him-- he just hides it well when he started wearing the mask. he only showed a mote of desperation by the end of his final boss fight. before that, we had sonic and the avatar breaking out from null space in record time and while eggman was in shock, infinite just stared silently-- he retained a "mysterious" aura for most of the game despite multiple setbacks. his ability to hide his emotions without his mask is up to you, but at the very least, he would at least /try/ to cover up anything he deems "unsightly".

what i'm trying to say is, i think he'd be upset being called weak, but i don't think that specific "overreaction" he had in shadow dlc is just something that happens every time he's insulted, esp when his ego is in a more stable state.

why he's so fixated about strength and weakness is pure hc territory bc forces writing sure as hell didn't explain it, but i think it's safe to say that he wasn't stable before his encounter with shadow and no matter how many ppl think that his motives are "stupid", this was something that meant a great deal to infinite. why it took until shadow for the camel's back to be snapped, idk maybe something happened to him earlier or maybe not, but regardless, infinite appears to be someone who is very desperate to be proud of himself and he measures how much he is worthy of pride through "strength". those who are strong don't think of those weaker than them, to him. (re. him saying that it's fine that shadow didn't remember his past self, and following up with "you're nothing to me now" bc he believes that he is now stronger than him. also note his quirk in jp where he calls ppl "gomi" (in katakana)/trash, idk jp well i just think it's neat)

this "fraud" quality of infinite's is something i find appealing as his fan, and not in the "i think it's brilliant to have a joke character that parodies edgelords" kind of way (infinite isn't purposefully meant to be joke and i don't think he has to be in order to be "good" with his current backstory). to segway into a different conversation, i don't care of the take that "infinite should've been an artificial lifeform like shadow created by eggman" bc to be frank (and i apologize if this is too spicy of a take), i don't see the benefit to that other than to give infinite more "aura points" by erasing his backstory as a "fraud". (bc a villain that doesn't meet the "aura" threshold is bad, i guess.)

bc here's the thing, right-- there are a lot of things you can compare and contrast between shadow and infinite and create a meaningful analysis out of it, but remember that infinite is the main villain of sonic forces and that sonic forces... is not about shadow.

sonic forces, if anything, is the avatar's story. the avatar is infinite's primary foil.

shadow defeating infinite parallels infinite defeating the avatar (at the start of the game). infinite gains help from eggman and the phantom ruby while the avatar finds the Power of Friendship, Love, and Courage (tm) through sonic. infinite finding solace in "fake" power while the avatar finds "true" strength. infinite believing that he is the one who sees the reality as it is (re. his theme song lyrics), when it was the avatar who sees through his illusions.

and i really like that. idk if these are the right words, but i feel like they stand out because of how "human-like" and "relatable" compared to everyone else (esp the avatar bc they are literally an OC). with the exception of tails (who is instead offset by being a kid genius), the sonic cast is filled with characters that have stronger than average willpower, leaving the "outsiders", infinite and avatar, to play catch up in their quest to find strength. they are not unshakably confident like sonic or endlessly persistent like eggman-- they are, at their core, embody the insecurity and lack of confidence that the ordinary person is more likely to succumb to. infinite is like a bandit boss in a jrpg: has a reputation of being feared, has followers/lackeys, villain vibes, but at the end of the day, they are just the first boss the protagonist wipes at the tutorial. the avatar would be a background character in literally any story except forces. they both "extras" trying to take the spotlight that was meant for the leads.

that is why i genuinely think that his current backstory has more value narrative-wise than that hypothetical one and it's not just preference. i don't care if forces has bad writing-- infinite and the avatar starting off as "ordinary people" as a parallel is neat and i will die on that hill. (and imo this attribute makes infinite a unique villain in the sonic verse. like he's not explicitly sympathetic like merlina was or even overtly tragic like gerald, but he manages to have that pitiable, human-like quality, you know?)

but yeah this is really about him not showing up in sonadow gens. like don't get me wrong, i would've been very happy if had shown up and i did lowkey expect it when i saw sunset heights in the trailer, but i'm not mad that he didn't ngl. for the reasons listed above, i don't see infinite as a "shadow villain" like mephiles and black doom are.

[an-obligatory-blog]

Infidget Week Day 1: Sun/Moon

4k one-shot fantasy AU about mage!gadget and knight!infinite/zero childhood friends

[an-obligatory-blog]

Rating: Not Rated

10k mephilver one-shot, hurt/comfort but twisted, "what if mephiles was still around" kind of premise, silver trauma angst, mephiles being his usual manipulative self, somehow they married, ambiguous ending

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

Synopsis:

From battling a mad scientist’s conquest to vanquishing the hellspawn of the undying flame, to say that Silver the Hedgehog has been through a lot would be an understatement. In a moment of respite, Silver thinks about his past, present, and future, musing on why even now, he can’t seem to relax. His closest ally and friend chimes in.

A story where within the span of a single conversation, it ends with Silver and Mephiles tying the knot.

[an-obligatory-blog]

look at me

[an-obligatory-blog]

theoretical post-forces infinite that caters to my specific tastes

i'm too lazy to render this, so just deal with my messy sketch and om level foreshortening

I've been mulling lately how I would want Infinite to return and although I can't see it actually happening (it assumes settings regarding Infinite's past that I basically made up, see: my jackal squad hcs), I do want to jot some these ideas down somewhere so here it is.

Me after several edits: ok uh a lot of yapping happened bc I have a lot of thoughts, but I'm going try to keep this as tl;dr as possible

Me after even MORE edits: holy shit it's still long

The premise is as follows (I wrote this messily, but I wanted to finish this thing asap):

After his defeat, Infinite was trapped inside the real Phantom Ruby in a space is akin to Null Space. Contemplating Sonic's words, who told him that his illusions cannot match the real deal (the power of friendship om), he attempts to create illusions with "souls" on a whim (he had nothing better to do), and only succeeded when he created imitations of the Jackal Squad, who he knew inside and out. Believing that breaking out was impossible and that his captivity was somewhat deserved anyways (for failing the Doctor), he grew complacent in this new fantasy, creating not only his squad, but their ideal world. He re-adopts the name "Zero", interpreting this space as the "afterlife" and thus had no issue of taking the name of a "dead man".

The Phantom Ruby was sent back in time with Classic Sonic (Mania Plus), but Zero still remained and continued to remain even as enough time had passed for it to be the Modern Timeline again. During those years, Zero doesn't age, living out in his ideal world with his squad, who evolved to become stronger than real counterparts. Unlike Chaos/Metal Sonic/Zavok/Shadow, who were created with the data Eggman provided, Zero put a lot of thought into the imitations of his squad, using his memory as the basis to nail down their strengths and weaknesses, their habits and personalities, and more. However, this doesn't last forever, as a piece of his subconscious manifested as "Infinite", who was unsatisfied with the current circumstances and wishes to break out.

Zero and Infinite eventually confront each other. Although Infinite is representative of his cruelty, he also represented his will to live. When Zero had his breakdown about weakness back when he lost to Shadow, he tried to reach out to his squad, who he thought were just out of commission, only to find them dead in a crater. They died because Shadow used Chaos Blast as at the time, it was the most efficient way to get rid of them and overcome their teamwork. He had no hatred nor malice for the Squad and was thus indifferent to whether they had lived or died. If they had lived from the initial blast, he had no reason to run back to check on them when there is a mission to complete. To put simply, they were scrapped as if they were Egg pawns and the only reason Zero lived was because such measures weren't necessary to take out one person. This power gap instilled despair within Zero, who desired to be on top of the world.

When Eggman offered him the Phantom Ruby, a gem that can turn his dreams into reality, it was like the light of hope to him. It wasn't just physical weakness he wanted to throw away-- he wanted to start fresh, abandoning his past attachment to his squad, which was causing him much pain (this also leads him to abandoning his hatred for Shadow, since someone who wasn't attached wouldn't hate). "Zero", in his mind, should've died with his squad as they were only separated by coincidence. Even though he knew the dangers of being attached in a profession seeped in death, the squad was everything to him. "Infinite", his new identity, will be the Empire's new weapon and it's through that newfound purpose will he repair his ego. Shadow was so self-assured with his power that he had the luxury of being indifferent to whether his enemies lived or died, and Infinite wanted power where he could do the same and avoid being on the other end. It's not an exaggeration to say that "Infinite" could not exist without the Ruby.

Back to the present, Infinite threatens to tear this space apart and to take back his place as the "real" one. Zero criticizes Infinite, saying that he couldn't back up his bravado even with the Ruby, failing to end the war despite everything being in his favor. It is proof that his (their) incompetence is insurmountable and that they are better off stay here (staying dead) instead of chasing dreams that can't come true.

Infinite retorts that at least he tried. Even among "trash", those who fight to the end are worth more than those who do nothing but cower, accepting death when their cushy lives are destroyed. As a mercenary, Zero heavily relied on teamwork to establish his squad's reputation to make up for his personal weakness, even going as far as "deluding himself" for finding pride in being "a good leader", which didn't mean anything at the face of Shadow's ultimate power. Even if it all ended in failure, he was only defeated by a hair's margin-- a single oversight that allowed one of the Ruby prototypes to land in the hands of the Rookie. They could try again.

The mention of "the Rookie" gave Zero a pause. Now that he thought about it, he too was in a similar position as his past self, and yet he came out on the winning end. Wasn't it just because he had friends like Sonic to hide behind? No, he remembered fighting him alone in Metropolis, and although the Rookie was nowhere close to defeating him at the time, he drastically changed from the anxious pup he first met. It doesn't matter if he credits Sonic's encouragement because at the end of the day, you can only fight with power that you own. The Rookie didn't die because he found strength, and it would be an insult to himself to assume otherwise.

As those thoughts sit in the back of his mind, Zero argues that the Resistance wouldn't fall for the same strategy twice. Infinite still had that attitude where he thinks he's insurmountably strong and that it would always stay that way even as his enemies grew stronger. That attitude led to complacency, his illusionary imitations being the stagnant set of data it always was. Even if he escaped, would he even keep the power that he enjoyed before? The link between their Ruby prototype and the power source was most certainly broken by now.

"But we don't need that. After merging with the real Ruby, you were still able to make all of this just fine, right?"

And yet, how can he be so certain that it'll stay that way when they get out? Between Zero's pessimism and Infinite's optimism, it seemed as though the fight would never end.

Then, they both heard a familiar voice from the distance. A small pack of jackals were calling them over.

"Your attachment to them is weakness. They would just hold you back."

The phantom pain of the past was something Zero didn't need to be reminded of, but once again, the face of that Rookie came to mind. Even if he credited the support of others, didn't he have to overcome loss with his own strength? On the other hand, Infinite continues to deny that the squad had nothing to do with him, as if their deaths wasn't one of the causes of his existence.

Yes, at the end of the day, he and Infinite were the same person. Infinite was created to keep him going after being broken down and the fact that he's back means it's the same thing all over again. It occurred to him that Zero wasn't satisfied with paradise anymore. It became stagnant like the world he hated and promised to shake from the ground up. The real Jackal Squad would've wanted to break out.

Infinite is right... but not completely. Zero tried a different approach.

"So what? Even if I made them disappear, I won't ever forget them. They are coming with us, like it or not. Maybe, they can even be our strength."

"You're making the same mistake as before. The power of others isn't you own."

"No. The real Jackal Squad is dead. These people belong to me-- they are mine."

They were clumsy imitations at first, based on nothing but vague recollections, but that's not the case anymore. "He wouldn't say that; she wouldn't do that." "He would do this; she would fight like this." "He would improve like so; I would teach her like this." Sentiments like that built up after years and years and it shaped them into. No matter how hard he tried to reject his connection to his Squad, vowing to evolve beyond them, he remembered all of their quirks by heart and even the kind of people they strived to be. This new Jackal Squad is his creation, through and through.

"You can call it fake all you want, but how is it any more real than what you were doing before? Relying on power given by someone else? Using data given by someone else? Even those huge snake things we made bore a mask that was made by someone else. But our memory of them, no matter how much we hate it, will always be real."

Infinite and Zero are the same person. No matter how much Infinite pretends that Zero is dead, he was always there, just dormant. If Infinite is going to surpass his limits, then he needed to break out of that close-minded illusion of strength.

"If you're going to leave this place, don't be so sure it's going to be easy. The world isn't kind to villains like us."

Evolution isn't effortless, but there is hope. Infinite's and Zero's shared pride cannot accept that they can't do what an ordinary wolf can.

"If you don't want to fail all over again, take all of us with you."

"If that's what you want, then don't let them go. I'll keep living with or without you."

Infinite/Zero's internal reconciliation led to him breaking paradise from the inside, tearing a hole into the false sky. It was the whole-hearted will of its master, after all. Infinite/Zero chases after the light and right behind him were the illusions.

In the middle of nowhere, Infinite woke up alone.

Infinite conjured his mask and puts it on. Even after accepting Zero, he felt more comfortable like this. He looks down and notices that the Ruby in his chest changed from red to magenta, the color of the real Phantom Ruby.

Knowing what he wants, he found his way back to Eggman. He doesn't hold a grudge against him for what he did because he knew about his "Plan B" ahead of time. At the time, he wanted to rectify the mistake he made (missing one prototype he didn't destroy) with his own hands, but it was him who agreed to be Eggman's weapon and gave him the right to do that should he fail. Plus, it's Eggman who knew the Ruby best and despite everything, their goals still aligned.

The doctor was of course surprised to see Infinite walking around and Infinite was surprised to see a little girl next to him when he returned. After relaying what happened to him, Eggman analyzed his body as he requested.

The real Phantom Ruby merged with him, so he doesn't need a power source to use a fuel, however his innate powers are limited. Instead of the overwhelming army he was able to make before, conjuring his 4 former squad mates and a sword was the best he can muster. He's certainly more powerful than average and he can now truly call his powers as his own, but it's very far from the heights he once reached. Knowing that he had less promise than before, Infinite had little confidence that the doctor would take it well, but before he sacrificed his pride....

"...But even this is fine. By losing abundance, you were pushed to become more efficient-- the data I'm getting from your illusions are far more complex than what you made before. They're extremely lifelike, and yet incomparable to their real counterparts... yes, I'd be a fool to not invest in this. I'd lose next to nothing." Infinite didn't know it, but the new illusions reminded Eggman of Sage.

"Is it really fine with my track record?" Infinite said that half-heartedly, but unexpectedly, Eggman took it seriously.

"If you're going to put yourself down for that, then what does it say about me, who has yet to succeed in world domination? There's a reason why I keep Metal Sonic around and scrapped the other models. There's a difference between the two."

"Honestly, who do you think I am? The type of person who lies to comfort someone who had failed me before? Bah! I have an empire to run and a world to conquer, so if I say that you have potential, then I mean it! With my intellect, there's no way I'm mistaken."

"So enough with that self-pity party because it doesn't suit you, Infinite. You have the confidence of the world's future ruler. Shouldn't you act like it as his general?"

Eggman's acceptance made him feel something he didn't think he was capable of feeling. Once more, for a third time, they came to an agreement. The enemy that Sonic and friends thought was long gone returned.

Uno's efficiency, Deux's patience, Trois's bravery, Quatre's ambition... Zero's sense of responsibility and Infinite's stubbornness... although they all referred to each other as numbers, their lives and potential were worth much more, and they will always last as long as Infinite lived to remember them.

If names determined one's destiny, that Sonic will always be the wind you can't catch and that Shadow will always be the darkness that points toward the light, then Infinite will always be the sum everything that came before him, their undying dreams pushing him forward, marching towards a future that never ends.

[an-obligatory-blog]

jackal squad hcs since i never shared it outside of discord

under the cut (it's long)

GENERAL SQUAD HCS

“Not the strongest, but not the weakest-- regardless of our reputation, that was what we were... and I was satisfied with that.”

They were formed after one particular mission: 5 independent mercenaries hired by the same client-- they thought it was funny how they all happened to be jackals even though it was sheer coincidence (hired anonymously).

They didn't form a permanent group right away (though Quatre followed Zero), but they kept in contact and over time they decided to stick together. (Unlike wolves, jackals don't normally form packs and instead hunt alone or in pairs, but small packs of jackals exist, so I'm going off of that!)

(added note: In my world, Infinite's original name was Zero and he changed it after the Jackal Squad was wiped)

Their names are actually codenames from their first mission (except for Zero, though they didn't know that until later). For one reason or another, none of them are attached to their real names and stuck to their number-based names when they are together.

None of them can agree on anything when it comes to food except for maybe one thing. Zero likes sweets. Uno insists that food presentation matters a lot and has a rather fancy palette due to upbringing (which looks really silly when they are camping out in the woods eating jerky). Deux likes booze a bit too much. Trois loves anything spicy (and not normal spicy, like "Carolina Reaper" spicy). Quatre isn't picky, but he kind of hates eating and only sees it as a means to get nutrients. They all like meat (or at least don't hate it) so they usually have that, but if they're somewhere where that isn't accessible, they settle who gets to choose with a fist fight. (Quatre just watches bc he doesn't care, but he always roots for Zero)

Zero was the only one with a significant reputation before they met (which is why he became leader, charisma aside), but he only became known as the Ultimate Mercenary until after the Jackal Squad was formed. It took awhile for Zero to accept this moniker-- his ego was something that was built over time through his squad's constant encouragement/envy

They're known as a group for their overpowering strength with all of them either adept or specializing in close combat, but in actuality, their work involves a lot of prep, aggressive strategy and teamwork, which gives the illusion of unmatched strength. However, this mindset mainly comes into play when they are actually hired for a mission. When they are just scavenging or hunting for something, they default to a normal formation.

Despite their synergy on the field, they aren't super close on a deep level due to all of their personal hang-ups. (Even though Deux and Quatre act as if they were, especially Deux) They are friends in the sense that "friends are people who you're comfortable with and can laugh with", but they're never fully honest with each other when it comes to their deep-seated issues due to their individualistic pride/fear of attachment in a job where death isn't exactly uncommon (and they never do bc they die LMAO, found family but what if they die before they become family amirite). "Comrades" is probably the most apt word with how they rely on each other. Also, none of them are exactly therapist material kek.

Their jobs aren't bound by a strong moral compass (/w some exceptions), which made them attractive for certain clients and facilitated their reputation as a ruthless bunch. To them, they were just following the money trail and when they reject jobs, risk to themselves is usually the reason (if not shitty pay). Jackal Squad didn't craft their rep purposefully, though Zero found it flattering even though he secretly didn't actually believe that they were the strongest mercenaries.

The desire to shake up the world with chaos is a shared sentiment between all of the jackals. After Zero accepted Eggman's offer, he was able to appeal to the rest of the crew successfully because of this

UNO HCS

"I'll watch your back, Zero. Keep your eyes forward."

Orange bandana around neck and muted yellow gloves. His voice is flat and about as deep as Zero. Wields throwing knives + dagger. Although all of the squad is capable of first aid, he is the closest thing to a designated "medic"

Stoned-faced stoic, but usually he's just awkward. Very observant.

Meticulous and cleanest of the group. "It reflects character", he says, though he isn't trying to prove that to anyone but himself.

Zero’s second in command since he is the most reliable of the group. If someone forgets something, Uno is usually the one who remembers.

Was raised in a relatively wealthy family (landowners in a desert town near an oasis) before their demise due to poor handling of assets (or whatever, idc how). Left to live on his own and eventually became a freelance/mercenary. Has no interest in restoring the house.

Complicated relationship with parents (though he wishes it was simpler), more negative than positive. They are the reason why his hidden desire is to be useful to someone.

Doesn't have the appearance of a rich kid, but some habits carry over even after years of mercenary work. Deux makes fun of him for this.

"Eats with his eyes" so to speak. The type who would arrange his hardtacks into an aesthetically pleasing composition, take a picture (for himself, not social media), and then eat it.

Least eager to kill in the Jackal Squad

A part of him wishes that he was invisible-- that he was more like a nameless ghost who helps the squad from the shadows rather than a real person who has achievements attached to his name. One of his fears is having a compliment be taken back after failure, so he finds praise difficult to digest-- so he deflects compliments because of that, not faux humbleness.

If he had one wish, it would be to see his parents again, allegedly to "give them what's what". In actuality, he hopes that he'll find them dead for reasons outside of his control. It would feel more like natural karma that way. He doesn't want to kill them.

DEUX HCS

"You should loosen up every once and awhile, Boss. You only live every moment once."

Orange beret, arms bandaged for aesthetic reasons, wields a tomahawk(?) idk that thing he's holding the rise of infinite comic

The most light-hearted and laidback of the group, a flirt, and encourages his squad mates to enjoy themselves more.

The best at espionage in the group-- is often the one doing the scouting and info gathering for the group

Possibly the most cynical of the group, but during discussion, he tends to take the optimistic Quatre's side to balance each side since Uno and Trois tend to favor realistic or safer solutions (unless Trois felt battle hungry that day, in which case he'll probably side with Uno since Trois and Quatre would be on the same side)

(added note: this would almost always lead Zero to be the tiebreaker, so every time an operation goes well, Zero is always the one credited for each decision despite everyone contributing. This is purposeful on Deux's part)

He used to be in a different squad/pack/group before a leadership dispute teared it apart. Forced to be a pawn by the group's traitors, Deux took advantage of his cheerful, disarming persona to play both sides until he escapes the bloodshed unscathed. It left an impression on him about the fragility of loyalty and how important and difficult it is to maintain harmony in a group

If Uno is a naturally observant person who uses his eyes to find anything that could be useful in a practical sense, then Deux is someone who deliberately trained his eyes to see the yellow/red flags and address them before they escalate. He is sensitive to changes of atmosphere

Has a very “it is what it is” sort of attitude, almost defeatist at times of crisis

He knows how to cook one thing and it's weed brownies. Zero is not amused.

Fond of alcohol, doesn't pressure Zero to drink (who hates anything that messes with his mind), but that doesn't stop him from teasing him for loving sweet, non-alcoholic mocktails like Shirley temple

If he had one wish, it would be for someone to both understand and love him without the condition of him returning those feelings. Not because he wants to manipulate/use/hurt them, but because he no longer thinks he is capable of it and would like to see evidence that he's deserving of it anyways.

TROIS HCS

“Cowards are the worst. If you fight to kill, you should be prepared to be killed.”

Green vest, fights with brass knuckles. Woman <3

Has a "hot" and a "cold" side. Usually, she is no-nonsense and frosty, but also the most empathetic in the squad even though she buries that part of herself. Her violent side comes out in the heat of battle and makes sure to keep it that way. She calls it "anger management"

If Deux is the type to force himself to be understanding of others to preserve the group, then Trois is the one who represses her understanding side to protect herself. She has to stop herself from helping others in order to preserve her cold persona.

Naturally strong (around… current Amy strength maybe?). There were a few incidents where she punches something too hard out of anger

Loves spicy food a lot, she likes the tingling fire breath pain that comes with the spice

She takes up close quarter combat for the thrill of hurting and being hurt. She tends to smile when she gets really into a fight and to the opponent, it looks really scary. She doesn't enjoy beating down robots as much as people

"If you receive, you should be prepared to give." This phrase was used as a chain to bind Trois down during her childhood. Even after she escapes after being used one too many times, she uses similar words to cast judgment onto her enemies who whine after defeat. Doesn't get enough therapy to question this.

She became a mercenary because she likes to fight and needs money after she left home, but she dislikes following orders, especially from arrogant clients who make unreasonable demands about things they don't understand.

Not particularly afraid of death for better or worse. Her recklessness and aggressive style makes her more prone to injuries out of all the members, but has been proven to be an irreplaceable asset time and time again. Uno tends to clean up after her

She and Zero have that wlw mlm solidarity thing going on lmao, she is probably the one who understands Zero best.

Her wish would be to eat the spiciest pepper on Earth raw. It's a simple wish, but she would be getting something for herself that can't be shared with others (since most would not want it). Unlike Uno and Deux who feel like something is missing in their lives, she feels "whole" despite her issues.

QUATRE HCS

"You are everything I want to be, Boss! I'll follow wherever you want to go!"

Green headband, scar on his muzzle above his nose, wields a green flame-bladed sword-- trains with Zero to learns his sword style from him

Straight-forward, optimistic, and hot-headed at times-- outwardly, he's reminiscent of a shounen protag

The least experienced mercenary of the group and also the youngest, he's kinda like everyone's cute kohai <3

admires Zero ever since their first mission together (not just for his raw skill, but for his perseverance that made it look possible for hard work to mean something)

The first one who voiced his hesitation to follow Eggman, mostly because of his concern for Zero. Was also the quickest to be convinced by Zero

When it comes to self-improvement, he is quite serious about it, especially since he knows that he is the weakest link in the group. Deux and Zero have to remind him to take a break sometimes.

Became a mercenary simply because it was his dream job-- strong, free, and violent

The most resentful of the world in the group aside from Zero, despite what his usual demeanor suggests. He is passionate about what he likes and what he hates no matter what it is

Dislikes eating, drinking, and sleeping on the basis that he can't do anything to change that he needs to do it to live. No one in the group gets it.

If it wasn't obvious, he has a crush on Zero hehe

His wish would be to live in a world where no one is above him. If that were to happen, Zero being his equal is a given in his mind.

ZERO/INFINITE HCS

(NOTE: These are new if you saw this list on discord) "There is only one sin that holds meaning to a mercenary: weakness."

The leader of the Jackal Squad who wields a red sword. The tactician behind the squad's success

An orphan who was raised by a retired mercenary of great repute. He was taught how to use the sword and was trained as way to cement the mercenary's legacy before he passed away. He disappeared when Zero's progress didn't live up to his expectations. Zero did not try to find him.

Took dangerous jobs at a young age alone for a while. He became infamous because whenever he was in a group, he would always come out as the lone survivor. Still, he still got hired for his high success rate, despite being labeled as "cursed"

The formation of the Jackal Squad was a turning point in his life, and he struggled to open up to them for a long time due to his history with teams, but the squad proved him otherwise. Over time, his mannerisms changed from lifeless and robotic to abrasive and blunt

Is actually kind of laid back for a leader but only because the Jackal Squad as a group is one with little friction

Doesn't believe that he is the "Ultimate Mercenary" but desperately tries to play that role lest he lose everything that he had gained (in his mind)

Better at making connections than he thinks he is

Weak to both praise and failure and tries to conceal it. Success with the squad fed into his fragile arrogance, but any mistake or failure on his part sends him into a spiral.

He loves sweets even though he isn't particularly honest about it. He dislikes things that mess with his mind like alcohol or drugs

Zero is a name he gave himself, not by his mercenary mentor, and to him, that name became intrinsically tied to his identity as the "Jackal Squad's leader". Zero is nothing without his squad. He is uncomfortable with this fact.

Infinite is also a name he gave himself

His attachment to his squad created a strong "us vs the world" mentality

His real talent lied not in his raw strength but analysis-- whether it be assessing the battlefield or assessing the talents of others

He has poor imagination. This carries over to how he uses the Phantom Ruby

After his squad died, he buried all of them with his own hands deep within the forest where no one can find them. He didn't make proper graves-- believing that they wouldn't want their humiliating deaths to be acknowledged and assumed that they'd rather look like they had disappeared. "Zero" is symbolically buried with them.

He hates himself more than he could ever hate Shadow

Infinite was created after Eggman proposed having the Phantom Ruby implemented in him; the capabilities of the Ruby gave him hope

"Zero" resents Shadow, but because "Infinite" is supposed to throw away his past as the Jackal Squad's leader, he (tries) to throw away his hatred towards Shadow as well, taking his insults as face value truths after his breakdown was over.

He wants Shadow alive for the same reason Eggman wants Sonic alive.

After becoming Infinite, he dislikes sharing meals with others

His goal as Infinite is to be the person he promised/wants to be

He doesn't care about being used by Eggman.

He never been to an amusement park before

The Avatar/Gadget reminds him of his past self

[an-obligatory-blog]

The doctor fulfilled his request.

"What do you think? Imposing enough for you?"

Truthfully, it could've been a clown mask and he still would've accepted it. As long as he could pass as anything besides himself, he would gladly put it on and introduce himself under a new name once Eggman's assault commenced. The metal was perfectly shaped to cover every inch of his face. That was all that he needed.

The jackal named Zero lied many times in his life-- so much so that at some point, he started to believe it. He promised riches and comfort for his followers, telling them that they could be on top of the world if they all just stuck together. He predicted them shaking up the world, toppling its hypocritical order with their chaos-stirring ways as they laugh into the sunset. He boasted that he had the power to make it all happen-- a leader deserving to be called the greatest mercenary, paving the way to their bright future. Only in the face of "ultimate power" did all of those sweet illusions dissolve. He is both grateful and resentful; bitter reality may be tough to swallow, but at the very least, Zero was not so weak to deny it forever. There's no use in blaming those who are stronger than you. My failure is my responsibility.

The doctor has yet to understand that this was not a mission of vengeance, but redemption. There's no sin greater than weakness and Zero had to die for that… but after? Perhaps, the Phantom Ruby can turn what's left of his "lies" into "reality". Maybe this is what it'll take to erase the shame I feel whenever I wake up in the morning….

The ruby glows with otherworldly power. This, which rests so near to my heart, will be Infinite's reason to live.

For even the flames of destruction can be a light in the dark….