#sonic cinematic universe defense

[sparkles-rule-4eva]

If I see one more post trashing on the Sonic movies just because they're not like the games and because of the human characters I'm going to explode and then punt the sun itself into their faces

GUUUYYYSSSSS. THERE'S THIS MAGIC THING CALLED A MULTIVERSE. THE SONIC MOVIES ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THE GAMES, THEY ARE IN AN ENTIRELY SEPARATE UNIVERSE. YOU SHOULD NOT BE JUDGING THEM BASED ON HOW WELL THEY FOLLOW THE GAME CANON, BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT THE GAMES. THE MOVIES AND THE GAMES CAN COEXIST AS SEPARATE UNIVERSES OF THE SAME CHARACTERS LIVING THEIR LIVES IN DIFFERENT WAYS, MKAY??

Once you accept this I can almost guarantee you'll be a much happier fan. I can testify. 😘

Sonic Wachowski ≠ Game!Sonic. Because they grew up in different environments and around different people in different circumstances, and that changed the way they turned out. I believe that if Wachowski grew up the same way Game! did, he would've turned out like Game! did. I also believe that if Game! grew up the same way Wachowski did, he would've turned out like Wachowski did. The core of this character is the same. In both the movies and the games, he's the fastest thing alive, he LOVES running, he loves his friends, he loves chili dogs, he loves living, and he will fight for what he believes is right. 💙

Just take into account the different worlds, the different lives, the different influences, and the fact that the movies are not trying to imitate the games (I thought this was obvious from day 1?) and it'll be a lot more fun in this fandom for you. In fact, you'll find you're a lot happier when you're actually taking time to love and appreciate the things you're interested in rather than just nitpicking about everything. 👌😜

And if you don't like the movies, you can kindly leave them be as well as all those of us who DO enjoy the movies. If you only like the games, stick to the games. 💙

[sage-nebula]

Sonic fandom, if we could muster enough energy to get Paramount to fix ugly Sonic for his crimes of being ugly, then we can muster that same energy to get them to fire James Marsden from all future Sonic Movie projects after 3 for his crimes of writing a letter defending a self-admitted child rapist and then not bothering to say as much as "I shouldn't have done that, my bad" almost a month after his defense of said child rapist was made public. We can do this. I believe in us.

[paulwalk9]

The Captain America Shield

The Captain America Shield is a fictional item that is featured in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is one of the most important pieces of equipment used by the hero in both offensive and defensive combat. The shield is considered a symbol of American culture. In this article, we will discuss the shield's triangular shape, ricochet effects, and sonic blast.

adamantium-vibranium alloy

The Captain America Shield is a super-strong and impenetrable metal alloy. It weighs about 12 pounds and is 2.5 feet across. It was created by American metallurgist Dr. Myron MacLain who was contracted by the United States government to create an impenetrable substance. However, he was unable to replicate the process or determine what the unknown factor was that allowed the material to be so strong. Hence, he created the Captain America Shield, which was awarded to him by the government several months after he began his career.

The Captain America Shield is made of an adamantium-vibranic alloy. It was created through melting and hammering. This metal is a perfect material for building super-strong objects. In the comics, it was used to create Captain America's iconic shield.

Adamantium is a dark gray, shiny metal. It is the densest metal known to man and can withstand nuclear blasts. Adamantium is also prone to high temperatures, but it is nearly indestructible. The degree of impermeability varies with the thickness of the Adamantium. A solid cylinder of True Adamantium will only be dented by a direct blow from Thor's hammer. An adamantium-vibranium alloy of sufficient mass would survive a nuclear weapon.

triangular shape

The Captain America Shield is triangular in shape and made of vibranium, which is one-third the weight of steel. This shield was used in World War II by Captain America and was rendered useless by the villain Johann Schmidt. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Captain America Shield is made of vibranium, which is almost indestructible.

The shield's triangular shape was originally the shield used by Captain America in his early comic book appearances. However, this design was soon replaced with a disc-shaped version after publisher MLJ complained that Cap's shield was too similar to that of another patriotic hero. Tony Stark, who designed the shield, changed the shape and added electronic components to it. This altered the balance of the weapon when thrown.

In the film Captain America, the shield was used to battle numerous enemies, including Loki and the Chitauri, a Skrull-like alien race. Its durability was also showcased as it absorbed Thor's hammer without getting damaged. Moreover, Captain America's shield has become a symbol of courage and strength. In fact, actor Trevor Slattery even has a tattoo of the Captain America Shield on his neck. This is a testament to the symbolism of the shield in many cultures.

ability to ricochet

Captain America's shield has many impressive physical properties. Its ability to absorb energy, bounce off surfaces, and ricochet back to Captain America makes it a formidable weapon in combat. It is bulletproof, and can break a fall when jumping out of a building. Its ricocheting and absorbing abilities make it nearly impossible for an enemy to take out Captain America.

As a result, it is capable of deflecting energy attacks, high-concentration bullets, and reflects the impact of the Mjolnir. Its durability makes it indispensable for Cap, who is rarely seen without the shield. The versatile nature of the shield allows Cap to use it for a variety of purposes and is an essential part of his fighting style.

A giant replica of the shield is currently being added to the Statue of Liberty, but the shield is only partially complete. The shield was partially destroyed in the event of a fight between the Spider-Men and Avengers. Afterwards, the Green Goblin attacked and killed the heroes. Fortunately, this did not lead to Wilson being captured, as he was able to use the shield to protect himself and save two groups of hostages.

sonic blast

Captain America's shield is made from vibranium, which is a form of energy and is used by the superhero to fight HYDRA. The shield can absorb the energy of a sonic blast and can also be recovered. When Captain America was frozen, Tony Stark tried to make his shield stronger, but ended up making it worse. Stark tried to control the shield by adding magnets and sub-miniature transistors to his glove. This made it controllable, but when the shield blew up, he removed the transistors and the magnets.

Captain America is the first Avenger, and has been the hero in many heroic adventures. The action figure includes flying shield strike action. The characters in the game include Steve Rogers, Black Widow, Falcon, and the mysterious Winter Soldier. While playing the game, you can also use the shield launchers to help you out during battle.

The Rattler has a tail that creates ultrasonic vibrations. The vibrations of the tail can knock someone unconscious, cause internal hemorrhaging, or even kill them. It is also a very powerful weapon. The tail of the Rattler can punch through two-inch steel plates.

[crusherthedoctor]

I also admit to feeling like a hypocrite, because I always said that I'd rather not Sonic copy the MCU due to my fatigue with everything and the kitchen sink being a cinematic universe these days... then they go and literally confirm the Sonic Cinematic Universe, right down to the name, and I'm hyped like a motherfucker. XD

In my defense, they seem to be making the effort to place their chess pieces carefully, which is more than can be said for the execution of most cinematic universes, which arguably includes the MCU itself nowadays (aside from the Spider-Man stuff maybe).

That said, I do stand by my preference for other SEGA properties and other video game movies to be left to their own devices. I'm fine with them having a cameo in Sonic's movies (or vice-versa), but I don't want the Sonic movies to become Smash movies, where everything gets ridiculously crowded and certain characters inevitably get the short end of the stick due to lack of focus.

Sonic's world is packed with opportunities as it is. No need to forget about it.

[animeman08]

Iron Man

Iron Man is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The character made his first appearance in Tales of Suspense #39 (cover dated March 1963), and received his own title in Iron Man #1 (May 1968). Also in 1963, the character founded the Avengers alongside Thor, Ant-Man, Wasp and the Hulk.

A wealthy American business magnate, playboy, philanthropist, inventor and ingenious scientist, Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark suffers a severe chest injury during a kidnapping. When his captors attempt to force him to build a weapon of mass destruction, he instead creates a mechanized suit of armor to save his life and escape captivity. Later, Stark develops his suit, adding weapons and other technological devices he designed through his company, Stark Industries. He uses the suit and successive versions to protect the world as Iron Man. Although at first concealing his true identity, Stark eventually publicly reveals himself to be Iron Man.

Initially, Iron Man was a vehicle for Stan Lee to explore Cold War themes, particularly the role of American technology and industry in the fight against communism. Subsequent re-imaginings of Iron Man have transitioned from Cold War motifs to contemporary matters of the time.

Throughout most of the character's publication history, Iron Man has been a founding member of the superhero team the Avengers and has been featured in several incarnations of his own various comic book series. Iron Man has been adapted for several animated TV shows and films. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the character was portrayed by Robert Downey Jr., appearing in the films Iron Man (2008), The Incredible Hulk (2008) in a cameo, Iron Man 2 (2010), The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). The character also appeared in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) and in the upcoming Black Widow (2021) through archive footage.

Iron Man was ranked 12th on IGN's "Top 100 Comic Book Heroes" in 2011 and third in their list of "The Top 50 Avengers" in 2012.

> Powers, abilities, and equipment

Armor

Iron Man possesses powered armor that gives him superhuman strength and durability, flight, and an array of weapons. The armor is invented and worn by Stark (with occasional short-term exceptions). Other people who have assumed the Iron Man identity include Stark's long-time partner and best friend James Rhodes; close associates Harold "Happy" Hogan; Eddie March; (briefly) Michael O'Brien and Riri Williams.

The weapons systems of the suit have changed over the years, but Iron Man's standard offensive weapons have always been the repulsor rays that are fired from the palms of his gauntlets. Other weapons built into various incarnations of the armor include: the uni-beam projector in its chest; pulse bolts (that pick up kinetic energy along the way; so the farther they travel, the harder they hit); an electromagnetic pulse generator; and a defensive energy shield that can be extended up to 360 degrees. Other capabilities include: generating ultra-freon (i.e., a freeze-beam); creating and manipulating magnetic fields; emitting sonic blasts; and projecting 3-dimensional holograms (to create decoys).

In addition to the general-purpose model he wears, Stark has developed several specialized suits for space travel, deep-sea diving, stealth, and other special purposes. Stark has modified suits, like the Hulkbuster heavy armor. The Hulkbuster armor is composed of add-ons to his so-called modular armor, designed to enhance its strength and durability enough to engage the Hulk in a fight. A later model, created with the help of Odin and the Asgardian metal Uru, is similar to the Destroyer. Stark develops an electronics pack during the Armor Wars that, when attached to armors that use Stark technologies, will burn out those components, rendering the suit useless. This pack is ineffective on later models. While it is typically associated with James Rhodes, the War Machine armor began as one of Stark's specialty armors.

The most recent models of Stark's armor, beginning with the Extremis armor, are now stored in the hollow portions of Stark's bones, and the personal area networking implement used to control it is implanted into his forearm, and connected directly to his central nervous system.

The Extremis has since been removed, and he now uses more conventional armors. Some armors still take a liquid form, but are not stored within his body. His Endo-Sym Armor incorporates a combination of the liquid smart-metal with the alien Venom symbiote, psionically controlled by Stark.

Post-Secret Wars, Stark uses a more streamlined suit of armor that uses nanotechnology to shape shift into other armors or weapons.

Powers

After being critically injured during a battle with the Extremis-enhanced Mallen, Stark injects his nervous system with modified techno-organic virus-like body restructuring machines (the Extremis process). By rewriting his own biology, Stark is able to save his life, gain an enhanced healing factor, and partially merge with the Iron Man armor, superseding the need for bulky, AI-controlled armors in favor of lighter designs, technopathically controlled by his own brain. His enhanced technopathy extends to every piece of technology, limitless and effortlessly due to his ability to interface with communication satellites and wireless connections to increase his "range". Some components of the armor-sheath are now stored in Tony's body, able to be recalled, and extruded from his own skin, at will.

During the "Secret Invasion" storyline the Extremis package is catastrophically shut down by a virus, forcing him again to rely on the previous iteration of his armor, and restoring his previous limitations. Furthermore, Osborn's takeover of most of the few remaining Starktech factories, with Ezekiel Stane systematically crippling the others, limits Tony to the use of lesser, older and weaker armors.

After being forced to "wipe out" his brain to prevent Norman Osborn from gaining his information, Tony Stark is forced to have a new arc reactor, of Rand design installed in his chest. The process greatly improves his strength, stamina and intellect. The procedure left him with virtually no autonomic functions: as his brain was stripped of every biological function, Tony is forced to rely on a digital backup of his memories (leaving him with severe gaps and lapses in his long-term memory) and on software routine in the arc reactor for basic stimuli reaction, such as blinking and breathing. The Bleeding Edge package of armor and physical enhancement is now equal in power, if not a more advanced, version of the old Extremis tech.

Skills

Tony Stark is an inventive genius whose expertise in the fields of mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computer science rivals that of Reed Richards, Hank Pym, and Bruce Banner, and his expertise in electrical engineering and mechanical engineering surpasses even theirs. He is regarded as one of the most intelligent characters in the Marvel Universe. He graduated with advanced degrees in physics and engineering at the age of 17 from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and further developed his knowledge ranging from artificial intelligence to quantum mechanics as time progressed. His expertise extends to his ingenuity in dealing with difficult situations, such as difficult foes and deathtraps, in which he is capable of using available tools, including his suit, in unorthodox but effective ways. For instance, in Stark's final confrontation with Obadiah Stane, the villain managed to have Stark's companions in an unconscious state in a room with motion sensors; when Stark entered the room, Stane warned him that the slightest move would trigger a fatal electrical current to his hostages, thus forcing Stark to stay still and slowly die of dehydration lest he wants his friends to die. However, while Stane was confident that such a trap was inescapable, Stark is able to outwit and defeat its mechanism in seconds, thus freeing the hostages and allowing him to continue the battle against Stane.

He is well respected in the business world, able to command people's attention when he speaks on economic matters, having over the years built up several multimillion-dollar companies from virtually nothing. He is noted for the loyalty he commands from and returns to those who work for him, as well as for his business ethics. Thus he immediately fired an employee who made profitable, but illegal, sales to Doctor Doom. He strives to be environmentally responsible in his businesses.

At a time when Stark was unable to use his armor for a period, he received some combat training from Captain America and has become physically formidable on his own when the situation demands it. In addition, Stark possesses great business and political acumen. On multiple occasions he reacquired control of his companies after losing them amid corporate takeovers.

Due to his membership in the Illuminati, Iron Man was given the Space Infinity Gem to safeguard. It allows the user to exist in any location (or all locations), move any object anywhere throughout the universe and warp or rearrange space.

[realityhelixcreates]

Lasabrjotr Chapter 68: The Huldra Stone

Chapters: 68/?

Fandom: Thor (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe

Rating: Mature Warnings:

Relationships: Loki x Reader (There We Go)

Characters: Loki (Marvel), Thor (Marvel)

Additional Tags: Post-Endgame: Best Possible Ending (Canon-Divergent), Loki Has A Bad Time, 

Summary:  Dancing, anxiety, compassion, mercy, the Huldra Stone

It wasn't that you were trying to avoid Loki, it was just that circumstances kept pulling you apart. He'd been called upon early in the morning, just after you had woken up, and so breakfast and bathing had been separate. Saldis had come by to see if you needed help dressing; you hadn't for a while now, but with your arm still so tender, you had welcomed the help.

She had acted almost in awe, and you quickly found out that the story of you, standing up to a Frost Giant in defense of Asgardian children had flown from one end of the city to the other with the speed of a sonic boom.

People in the halls inclined their heads to you, moved out of your path. Loki was somewhere in the palace complex, dealing with royal duties, and you walked the halls alone now. All the way back to the library, cleaned up now, and with a makeshift door, until a new one could be obtained.

The broken table was gone, and the shelves righted, though there were far fewer people here than usual. You headed to one of the smaller side rooms, where Saga and Lofn were waiting.

“The heroine arrives.” Lofn said without looking up from the harp she was tuning.

“So she has.” Saga said. “And still on time too. How is your arm?”

“Sensitive.” You said. “But it's not getting any worse. The medicine worked really well.”

“Good, because we're going over traditional Buridag music and dances today.”

Lofn strummed her strings.

And you danced.

                                                                           *****

Loki was moping again. He wasn't even trying to hide it, and though the human ambassadors of Iceland and the human encampments didn't seem to notice, Thor certainly did. He had seen this before, more often after the transplant of Asgard, but also all throughout their lives. The encounter with the Frost Giant was clearly taking an emotional toll on him. Like Thor, he probably thought that he would never cross paths with another Frost Giant again, but the Norns liked to tease sometimes.

With their Icelandic representatives, they had to discuss the disposal of a Frost Giant corpse. The humans were understandably upset at the discovery of unknown alien invaders, left over from a thousand year old war, hidden beneath their feet.

Thor did what he could to reassure them; that evidence gathered from the giants resting site indicated that there were no armies hidden away in the ice. In fact. Heimdall's keen gaze had detected only two more in the ice tunnels, in the entire world, actually.

This did not have the calming effect he had hoped.

“Two! Two hrimthurs still here?” One exclaimed. “One was enough to cause havoc in your city! What chance do we have, if they get out?”

“It was only because we were unprepared. Who would have expected such a thing to happen? However, the two still trapped in the ice are unlikely to cause us problems.” Thor explained. “They are both female, and one seems to be a child.”

He didn't mention the ferocious queen Skadi, who ruled Jotunheim before Laufey took the throne, nor the fact that Loki was child-sized, for a Frost Giant. Heimdall had only given sparse details: Women, no armor, a child. He'd seemed somewhat perturbed by it, and the way he'd looked at Loki had Thor curious. Loki hadn't seemed to notice.

Eventually they agreed to inter the unnamed Frost Giant in a stone barrow on Ok, the site of the destroyed Okjokull glacier. It would be another trip across the country, but Thor was insistent that the giant have a proper place. He hadn't known about the glacier, but the humans seemed to think it would be fitting, and to Thor's surprise, Loki pulled himself into the moment enough to agree.

Another plan to make for an already busy future. It was a good thing that Thor hated to be bored.

With the Trolerkaerhalla representatives he discussed the rules of the upcoming Buridag festivities; what was allowed, what was not, with emphatic warnings not to accept any Asgardian drinks whatsoever.

“Please. Burying so many people before the holiday is already an ill omen, do not fill our time of creation with more funerals.”

They agreed, but Thor decided to have all medics at the ready anyway. Human curiosity was notorious, and it was too likely someone might filch a drink, or that an Asgardian might think it funny to offer one.

After the meeting, he pulled Loki aside.

“You're not here.” He said. “We're going to need you in these next few weeks. You need to be here.”

“I know, I know.” Loki said, but his eyes held that wild and mournful quality Thor had grown to recognize.

“Do you need a few days?”

“It's just..._____ hasn't spoken to me all day, and Buridag is rushing up, and now there's funerals we have to see to. And Frost Giants. There's Frost Giants now, and we're going to dig them out, aren't we? There's a child. Thor, what are we going to do with a Frost giant child?”

“I...I don't know. Raise her?”

Loki grabbed him by the cross straps of his tunic, all mournfulness gone from his features, leaving only the wild.

Thor froze for a second, then grasped Loki's bracers and carefully pried him off.

“Ah.” He said. “Not like that. The woman that's with her must be her mother, or her caretaker. We aren't going to separate them, but we will have to accommodate them somehow. An extra tall apartment, perhaps? Mittens?”

“You cannot joke about this!” Loki exclaimed.

“I'm not. Obviously, we cannot just set them loose on this world. The humans are still coming to terms with us, and we look so similar to them. These Jotnar would seem so different, that there would be no safe place for them to go. Loki...”

His brother had stepped away and was pacing in short bursts.

“Loki. Loki.” Thor reached out to stop his pacing, and drew him into an embrace. “Find your center. You are beginning to spiral. I know. I understand, I do. But this is a good opportunity, isn't it? We can do something to help. I know you must be thinking about it.”

“But what if I mess it up?” Loki whimpered. Thor was glad they were alone here; Loki would have likely killed anyone who heard him like this. “What if I do it all wrong, and she ends up like me?”

“The child?” Thor asked. “Well...she's not an infant, so she probably has some idea of who she is. The circumstances are different here, Loki. And who said it had to be you, alone?”

“No one. But I know it would end up that way. Who of Asgard would want to care for Frost Giants?”

“Even among the giant's most implacable enemies were those who recognized the innocence of a child.”

Loki threw off Thor's arms. “Don't you try to defend him now-!”

“I was talking about Mother.”

“Oh.” Loki grew calm again. “There will never be another like her. I'm the only choice. I'm the only one who's...like them.”

“They're people, Loki, just like the humans. You've discovered a fondness for at least a few of them!”

“Humans aren't ten feet tall and deadly to the touch.” Loki griped. “The woman will try to kill us. She will be too frightened and desperate not to. I do not wish to be involved with that.”

“Then use that silver tongue, and prevent a tragedy.”

Loki breathed in deeply; a familiar sound of annoyance. “Thor...”

“Oh! That reminds me, there is something you should look at.” Thor said, before Loki could unleash his tirade. “Come with me. We probably shouldn't discuss this here.”

He led Loki back to his quarters, half-finished murals showing the barest hints of movement.

He retrieved the soldier's ancient diary, and handed it over. “I haven't read it all the way through. I realized it wasn't for me. Not before you.”

Loki took the book with cautious curiosity and opened it at Thor's huge desk.

                                                                        *****

I have been scouting this world for some years now. Midgard is vast, that much is very true, but other notes from our records are either wrong, or outdated. The ice that was said to cover great stretches of the globe is simply not there. Perhaps it was once; there is evidence for it. But now, the snows are seasonal, the years short, compared to ours. Permanent ice is found in only a few places. The huge beasts written of in the records are gone. And worse; a small beast has spread far and wide, changing the landscape and hunting the few large animals that are left.

The have not proven hard to kill, but they are very tenacious, and can organize quickly in large numbers.

Perhaps our king would be amenable to a change in plans?

                                                                        *****

Oh, plans were changed, certainly, but I cannot wholeheartedly agree with their new course. Great Laufey has chosen the route of total eradication. There are so many of these Midgardians that I think it impossible to totally wipe them out.

But Great Laufey has completely committed. He has brought every warrior. He has brought the Queen, even though she is with child. He has even brought the Casket! To bring the very spirit of our world to an entirely different realm seems very dangerous. Though, if it works it will change this world into one like our own, only with more space and resources. We are desperately low on both. Even though I am apprehensive of Great Laufey's decisions, I understand.

                                                                         *****

The Princess-In-Waiting is here, along with her caretaker. They remain with the Queen, and attend to her needs. I too, am with the Queen. It seems Great Laufey has caught wind of my thoughts on this invasion, and is displeased with me. He has removed me from battle, and tied me to the women. Other civilians will be coming soon. But the Midgardians still remain.

                                                                      *****

Asgard has come. We should have known. Odin abandoned this place long ago, but the Midgardians still pray, and they have finally decided to answer.

This bodes very ill.

                                                                          *****

All omens point to failure. All tragedy has occurred. The Queen's child is wrong. He will not survive. The Queen is beside herself with grief; Great Laufey is mad with it. The Princess-In-Waiting mourns her lost husband, lost before his first breath. The armies are routed; Great Laufey cannot lead them. Not like this.

The Queen had withdrawn to Jotunheim, to perform the most tragic of duties. She will offer the infant back to the stars, that he might return someday, in a form that will be able to live and grow tall and strong. But child the size of a Midgardian spawn would never live through a Jotunheim winter, and the Queen is far too kind a soul to put him through the heinous suffering of trying.

                                                                            *****

Stars receive our lost prince, and treat him kindly. Send him back to save us, for Great Laufey has doomed us all. The armies are gone. Laufey is gone. Asgard has chased everyone back home. The Casket is gone; I can no longer feel its song in the ice.

We received word that the Queen has passed to the stars. May she return to us in safer times. The Princess-In-Waiting and her caretaker are here with me. We are abandoned. We are trapped here, on this warming world.

May the stars receive us.

                                                                            *****

Tears streamed down Loki's face, as he read on and on. Thor had both his meaty hands on his shoulders, a powerful support that was the only thing keeping Loki from crumpling into a little heap on the floor.

“They wanted me.” It came out as a strangled sob. “They planned for me. None of them ever knew what I was; they all died without knowing. Laufey lost that war because of me. They thought I would return to save them! I returned, all right, but...Norns, what have I done? Will I always leave people in mourning?”

Wherever you go, there is war, ruin, and death!

They wanted him. They had staked hopes on him, on what should have been the joyous occasion of his birth. They mourned him, he could see it in the raised lines of thick ink, how they wavered. A soldier who couldn't protect his people. A mother who hadn't named him. A little girl he was supposed to love.

He had betrayed them all.

“What if that's what the Norns have decreed for me? My very birth brought death. I was supposed to die.”

“No, no. Loki, a child is at fault for nothing. Laufey chose to wage his war like that, and he chose to fight Asgard when he didn't have to. If he hadn't started slaughtering humans, he might even have succeeded in colonizing this world. But he didn't chose peace. That is not your fault. Odin taking the Casket was not your fault. The lies they told us were not your fault. What can a baby do?”

Thor squeezed his shoulders.

“You should take some time. Go see if _____ is ready for lunch.”

Loki closed the book. “I'm not sure she wants to see me. She didn't talk to me at all this morning.”

“Well, you did yell at her.”

His shoulders sagged. “I know. I wanted to apologize.”

“Then go apologize!” Thor shoved him towards the door.

                                                                                                                                                                  *****

You didn't know what you had really expected from traditional Asgardian court dances, but that amount of leaping hadn't been it. Big, graceful ballroom dancing, sure, and there was some of that: so close to a waltz, but not quite. Line dances that were like something you imagined your medieval ancestors might have done. And just so much leaping. Even at leisure, it seemed Asgardians had to show off their athleticism. You didn't know if you would have the energy to keep up.

Especially after all of the elaborate ceremonies you would have to perform in.

Normal Burigag celebrations did consist of a lot of dancing, and co-ordinated chants of ancient decrees all the way from Allfather Buri's time. They were in a form of the Asgardian language that was archaic even to them, and you didn't understand a word of it. Saga had finally just written the words out phonetically for you to pronounce, even though you didn't really know what they meant. You would just have to memorize the sounds they made.  

As a royal Seidkona, you would have a special drum to play, and you were learning how to do that too. You would never be a professional drummer, but you could hold the beats they gave you. There were songs you had to sing, along with the other Seidkonas of Asgard, and a dance you would have to perform with them, and your drum.

And then there were the other things; the things that seemed very old, and very magical, and more than a little worrisome to you.

There was a Buridag sacrifice, of a live ox, and you were not excited about that. You wouldn't be allowed to leave while this was happening; it was Thor and Loki's responsibility to make this sacrifice, and you would have to attend Loki. People would be looking at you, watching your actions and reactions.

They would sacrifice that ox, and you would have to endure, and then it would be cooked for the gathered crowd, along with all the other dishes. There would be toasts, and you would have to drink them all, but you had been promised that special wine, instead of Asgardian drinks, so you would survive.

Then there was the thing you were most uncomfortable with. As part of your Seidkona initiation, you would have to 'mix blood' with the person you were sworn to, and in this case, due to the station you would be stepping into, that included both Thor and Loki. All three of you would be cut, bleed into a bowl, that bowl would be spilled onto the ground...and that would mean something. Something profound. It would make you something different than what you were now. It would make you somehow more real.

There was something frightening about it, deep down. It felt like something cavemen might have done, something primal. If there was magic in it, it was beyond ancient.

There was so much to keep track of, and you were just hurtling towards it. You had to count on Loki to keep you steady and help you navigate.

“Well, I think that's enough for now.” Saga said, and you sagged in exhaustion. “It looks like it must be lunchtime, and a greater force than I has come to collect you.”

You turned to see Loki peeking in the doorway. You couldn't help but notice that though he was dressed in official finery, and held a picnic basket on one arm, he looked distressed.

“Lunch?” He asked, raising the basket.

“Go get.” Lofn whispered.

You trotted out the door, proud of the things you had learned so far that day, but wondering what the troubles might be.

“You seem worried.” You said, out in the hall.

“Yes, I suppose I am.” He said. “These new developments have got me...”

“Stressed?” You suggested. He sighed.

“Courtyard?”

“Actually, I was thinking the Huldra Stone.”

“Sounds good.”

The huldra's stone was a landmark now, set in front of what was going to become the Asgardian House of Justice, the building that was going to be communally constructed during the Buridag festivities. It was meant as a reminder that justice required mercy, thoughtfulness, and compassion. It wasn't enough to merely punish transgressors; sometimes you needed to put in the effort of fixing what had been broken.

There was a little patch of green surrounding the stone, and Loki set out your lunch on it, as you placed your hand on the stone and asked permission. The flowers here had faded much earlier than they would have back home, and you knew Autumn was in full swing, but this bit of green persisted.

“So.” You said, sitting next to him. The air was a little brisk, so you pulled his cape around yourself, and he made no move to stop you. “Still shook up over the giant?”

“Naturally.” He said wearily. “This is a terrible thing to happen so close to such an important holiday. It's the symbolism of the whole thing. Our new beginning, stained with tragedy from a generation ago. It's as if the past reached out to stab in spite at our future. I do not want my past coming back here.”

That last part was said so quietly, you weren't sure you'd caught it, but he continued on.

“Seven funerals to conduct. One almost all the way across the island. I'm afraid I have to drag you out onto the road again.”

“I can handle that.” You said.

“It's almost winter.” He countered. “You weathered summer travel fairly well, but this will be a much longer trip, and over rougher terrain. We will not always be on a road. There will be camping.”

“Yeah, but didn't we want to do that anyway?”

“Not until spring! And certainly not with an entire entourage, and most certainly not for a Frost Giant's funeral!”

“Well, we've got to bury the poor guy. I mean, we can't just...leave him.”

“No. But I do worry for your safety in all this.”

You patted his knee. “I'll be okay. People live here year round, after all. We've figured out how to survive.”

He sighed again. “About the giant...”

“Yeah. I know. I mean, I understand. But you get that I couldn't really have done anything different, right?”

“Yes. As much as I might wish otherwise, you were put into a situation where you had no good options.” He grabbed a cookie and a pot of thick cream. Scooping some up, he handed it to you. “I should not have berated you so. I became too overbearing in my panic.”

You graciously accepted the creamed cookie for the peace offering that it was.

“And I get it. I know you weren't really mad at me, just freaked out by the whole situation. Don't make a habit of it though. I'm not really into getting chewed out like I was still a little kid.”

“No, of course not. However...” He took a bite of his own cookie. “There has been another development that has left me very stressed. We discovered this morning that there are two more.”

“Giants?” You asked. “Still in the ice?”

Loki nodded. “I'm afraid so.”

“Damn. Well. Are we just gonna leave them there?”

“You are not the first person to suggest that. But no. My brother has decided to dig them out.” Loki sighed again, a little dramatically, like Thor's decisions were mere antics that he had to clean up after. “Their bodies may be what's generating the ice down there, but Thor is convinced that this 'Climate Change' thing is putting their slumber at risk.”

“Oh.” You said. “Yeah, that's a thing. Geez, we never had to think about that before. Normally, the only things that thaw out of glaciers are like, woolly mammoths and stuff like that. Now we gotta wonder if we're gonna be thawing out ancient battalions of giant mega-soldiers.”

“Indeed. What's a 'woolly mammoth'? Nevermind, I shall look it up another time. It seems that these two are not likely to be soldiers, however. Both are female, and though that doesn't exactly count them out as warriors, the fact that one is a child makes it unlikely.”

“A child?” You asked in surprise. “Why would anyone bring a child to a war zone?”

“The war was merely the front of a colonizing effort. They intended to put down roots here. We know now how poorly that attempt went, but they were optimistic at the time. Or obstinate. There's evidence for both.”

This must be what had him so shaken up. Loki was very unambiguous in his dislike for Frost Giants, specifically. To have Asgard attacked by one, just when they were getting back on their feet must have been terrifying. To have two more waiting, two that he definitely could not attack out of hand without becoming a total monster, must be nerve wracking.

“What are we going to do?” You asked.

He leaned back against the Huldra Stone, perhaps contemplating justice or mercy.

“What else can we do? We are going to adopt them.”

[dizzydennis]

10 Character for 10 People!

Nobody tagged me, but after talking with @beevean​, I really wanted to try this as well.

Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog) – My all-time favorite character. I think Sonic possesses the freedom and energy we all would love to have. He can be cocky and rude, but he has a good heart. I have said it hundreds of times already, but I love how there are two sides of Sonic. He’s very crude and carefree at most times, but when things seem dire that’s when Sonic buckles down and becomes a serious hero. I love that contrast and I just absolutely adore Sonic. Don’t forget how Sonic treats everybody as a friend even if they annoy him. Sonic isn’t the deepest character ever, but I still attest that he’s one of the very best!

Ranma Saotome (Ranma ½) – I love Ranma for a number of reasons. But I think the fact that while he is hot headed and has problems controlling his temper, in the end, he’s a really good person. He fights for his family and never puts good people in harms way…. Most of the time. Add in his curse to transform between genders and I feel like he/she speaks to me on a deep level that I certainly didn’t understand when I was younger. A classic character from the 1980s that taught me a whole lot about myself! Plus, it’s just great fun.

Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) – What I love about Leo is the fact that he is often thrusted into the leadership position. He’s diligent and hard working and yet he loves his family more than anything. I like the conflicts he has to overcome both physically and internally. Often times, when Master Splinter is gone, Leonardo has to take on the responsibility and he’s so admirable in how he tackles it. I am not very keen on how he has been changed for Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but it’s a minor gripe and I am glad it’s a new take on the character.

Phoenix Wright (Ace Attorney) – I’ve raved about why I love Phoenix before, but he’s just the definition of a good person. Yes, he’s incredibly snarky in his thoughts and will joke with his friends, but that makes him all the more likeable. His job as a defense attorney is not like real life, but it works because Phoenix is such a good person who believes in his clients. The way he fights not for his own satisfaction, but to find the truth is admirable. His many different relationships also help define him!

Sumire Kanzaki (Sakura Wars) – Sumire is kind of a jerk, but as you get to know her, you can understand that there’s a lot to her. She has a lot of pain and is doing her best. She doesn’t always show it, but she cares for the people around her. Her “cool beauty” attitude is more of a front to hide how lonely she really is. Her change throughout the Sakura Wars games is incredible and her role in the newest entry is amazing! Definitely a character the people can see themselves in.

Mikage Sakurai (Kitchen) – Mikage is a girl who has suffered so much loss. Yet from that loss, she is able to persevere. Her independence is strong, but her ability to allow herself to be dependent at times is so realistic that I love it. Again, she’s caring and hardworking. What more could you ask for? I believe her endurance is one of her most amazing traits. Also, her favorite food is katsudon which is my all-time favorite too!

Captain America (Marvel) – Specifically the Captain America from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He’s just a righteous man with so much self-sacrifice. I love how much strength he puts in others and doing the right thing. Selfless and bold; he’s truly a hero. I am so glad he got such a special ending to his story.

Chihaya Ayase (Chihayafuru) – This one is fairly straight forward. I find Chihaya’s passion and her excitement to share that passion to be so endearing. Chihaya isn’t the smartest girl, but she is trying her best. She’s so supportive of her teammates and puts so much work into her karuta career. Seeing her mature and yet not lose what made her special is such a treat and I feel inspired just reading about her. It’s great that she’s perfectly captured in the manga, anime, and films.

Julian Bashir (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) – The appeal for Julian is simply how human he is. In such a fantastical universe like Star Trek, it’d be easy to blend in. While in the earlier parts of the show, he definitely does, Julian was able to become my favorite thanks to the friendships he forged with his crewmates as well as the fact that he genuinely feels relatable. Yes, he’s work-focused and has a peculiar background, but that doesn’t change the fact that he feels like a true friend. His excursion with “Our Man Bashir” is enough to make anybody become a fan.

Superman (Superman) – This one is rather easy. Superman represents an ideal for us to all strive for. Some people complain that he is a boring boy scout, but they’re just not understanding the character. I do not like the darker versions of this character, but when he’s done right… I get this sense of pride. It makes me want to be a better person. Superman inspires hope and I definitely have been affected by him.

[fernandezjl]

METACHAOS from Alessandro Bavari on Vimeo.

Alessandro Bavari: Camera Tremula 1, Noise Melange, XYZ Ocula Depth Fulvio Sturniolo: Camera Tremula 2 Jeff Ensign aka Evolution Noise Slave: Sonic Harmonium

Format: Pal Widescreen 1050x576 Duration: 8:27 mins --------------------------------------------------------------- Prizes

- Golden Nica at Prix Ars Electronica 2011. - Special Award IED at Skepto International Film Festival. - Best Experimental Film at the 2nd Stortford Film Festival. - Best Direction Prize at the Cinemavvenire Video Festival. - 1° Prize Art Lab at the Festival Internazionale del Cinema d'Arte. - 1° Prize ex aequo at the Corto Dorico Short Film Festival + a Special Mention Prize. - Best Design Prize at the 13th Animation Film Festival Animated Dreams. - Finalist as Best Direction at the Animago Award. - Finalist at the Bolzano Short Film Festival.

alessandrobavari.com/ info@alessandrobavari.com --------------------------------------------------------------- SINOPSYS Metachaos, from Greek Meta (beyond) and Chaos (the abyss where the eternally-formless state of the universe hides), indicates a primordial shape of ameba, which lacks in precise morphology, and it is characterized by mutation and mitosis. In fact the bodies represented in METACHAOS, even though they are characterized by an apparently anthropomorphous appearance, in reality they are without identity and conscience. They exist confined in a spaceless and timeless state, an hostile and decadent hyperuranium where a fortress, in perpetual movement, dominates the landscape in defense of a supercelestial, harmonic but fragile parallel dimension. In its destructive instinct of violating the dimensional limbo, the mutant horde penetrates the intimacy of the fortress, laying siege like a virus. Similar to the balance of a philological continuum in human species, bringing the status of things back to the primordial broth.

STATEMENT METACHAOS is a multidisciplinary audio-visual project, articulated in a short film, a set of photography (alessandrobavari.com/english/Metachaos-photographies/gallery_Metachaos-photographic_series.htm) and mix-technique paintings. The purpose of the project is to represent the most tragic aspects of the human nature and of its motion, such as war, madness, social change and hate. An accretion of feelings that are metaphorically represented by specific visual forms, which are abstract conceptually, but concrete and tangible formally. The application of acid and monochromatic tints, besides the strong contrasts, makes everything intentionally more oppressive and tragic.

In order to obtain a more immersive and plausible version, the shot was taken adopting the camera live technique. The extreme and frenetic motion of the shoulder camera, similar to the subjective one, becomes a main constant, so that, along with the persisting cuts used to edit the video, create a bigger sense of instability and danger. In fact, thanks to the dissemination of Technology, it is possible to notice that the unconscious-esthetic potential of the shots available on Youtube, characterized by a pseudo-documentary and amateur approach, often offer an unexpected emotional involvement, which trigger an exhibitionistic-voyeuristic interchange between the author and the consumer.

The irrational gesture and action of the bodies, as if a collective form of madness controlled them, are inspired by artists like Bosch and Bruegel who, between the ‘400 and ‘500, produced an iconography where irrational images show sickly madness and pain.

The project has been realized using different techniques: live shots taken in discharged industrial sites, CGI animations, tracking and motion captures, besides various other analogical ones.

American Jeff Ensign, aka Evolution Noise Slave composed the original sound track, which has been progressively updated during the video production. The musical score was inspired by 6 separate pieces Jeff had previously created that were then combined into a hybrid. The composition was also based in part from a sonic interpretation of the ideas presented in Antonin Artaud’s the Theater and Cruelty overlaid on Bavari’s images.

JURY STATEMENT FROM PRIX ARS ELECTRONICA 2011.

Alessandro Bavari’s “Metachaos” is an impressive display of the amazing graphics that can be produced with leading-edge hardware and software. The 8-minute clip begins with a sequence of clear, geometric forms that suggest a serene world. But it doesn’t take long until it’s apparent that this was just the calm before the storm. Shadowy creatures and shockingly grotesque figures intrude into this domain rendered in black & white and sepia tones and rip it to pieces. Using the interplay of light and shadow, intentionally shaky camera movements and quick cuts, Bavari takes us on a tour de force through an unsettling imaginary cosmos that grips viewers and doesn’t let them loose. In addition to its extraordinary visuals, “Metachaos” features an impressive composed soundscape of incredibly concentrated intensity—noise elements paired with driving beats, panic-stricken screams, the rattling of bones and gale-force winds.

While some of as did not necessarily share the apocalyptic view of this film, we found that it left the most indelible impression. Narrowly passing through the first round, it grew on us, so that on repeated viewing it miraculously made its way to the top. What starts as a cinematic, kinetik, yet clean field of geometry and bodies, gradually evolves, or devolves, into the artist’s vision of a nightmarish black-and-white world created by a continual collision of the human and the architectural form. It finally culminates in a screaming dance among the ruins. In a impressive virtuoso tour de force, Alessandro Bavari creates a constant mêlée of grime, projectile muck and dust among collapsing spaces at the stage for metamorphosing human bodies with branching limbs that seem constantly to break the architectural environment apart. Zombies with missing limb sand decaying skin and faces sometimes stand around listlessly and other times appear to engage in orgasmic sex. The human forms become insect-like and multiply in hordes across the building forms. Dust particles and snakes of turbolent, ferrous liquid finally explode into an apocalyptic ocean of flotsam and sludge. Bavari’s few collaborators helped shape what the credit call “camera tremula” (shaky, documentary-style camera) and sound design. We commend his dedication to a singular artistic vision that is grounded in his practice as a photographer. This is a representation of a caustic end of the world, a world of a audible pain and hopeless destruction rendered with a disturbing reference to 80s-style computer-generated animation as well as 60s “actionism”.

[noise-eternal]

Khadavra - Interview

Hey Khadavra! Can you introduce yourselves for us?

Hello! We are Alex, Seb, Jón, Nils & Ole - Khadavra. A band started by Alex in Arvika, Värmland in the spring of 2012. Started as a doom metal band, but after regrouping in september we changed our path and started treading in the footsteps of Tool. Trying to make emotional, cinematic and complex music that could invoke the presence of the profound.

This were times when I, Alex, was very naive, pretentious and looked for meaning in my own way. Now, seven years, a move to Gothenburg and two albums later it's easier to just call us a progressive rock band with a shoegaze attitude and a post-rock state of mind.

How does it feel to have your new album out, are you pleased with the process and where did you record it?

Great. Incredibly relieving! Now all that music and emotional bagage has manifested in something that no longer burdens us. It is now free and not something that is kept alive by our imagination, it lives it's own little life, fed by the collective imagination.

As with our first album, Hypnagogia was conceived and recorded in Khadavergrottan, our rehearsal studio in Gothenburg (as all recordings with Alex and Seb's other projects: Enstam, Dimma GBG and She Sees). This is where all the drums were recorded in may 2017. Additionally all bass and almost all guitars and vocals were done there as well. Keyboards was recorded in Nils home studio.

We are very happy with the result! But the process.... well, let's not go there...recording on your own, without much production knowledge or experience and with no real budget, well there's a lot of backsides. But the tedious and frustrating process was worth it.

Who writes the lyrics and/or music in Khadavra?

Well, the creation of the music is a pure collaborative process. Usually Seb or Jón has ideas for riffs or melodies that make up the foundation for the songs, but those original ideas go through a long process of jamming that lets us all be an essential part of the shaping of the idea, and the creation of the rest of the song.

When it comes to lyrics it's same but different. The lyrics to Lucid Parasitosis I on our previous album was written by Jón, Down the Rabbithole was written by Alex and Seb, Nils and Jón collected the words to Tryptophan. We don't really have rules for this, It's all very intuitive.

Your first album were to me, frankly, a bit too sterile sounding for my liking. Do you agree or was this perhaps just a mistake with the production?

Wow. We find that really odd, and have a hard time agreeing with that statement actually. A big part of our first album was recorded live (bass and drums were recorded together on most of the tracks), with only like 6 shitty microphones in our rehearsal space, by Alex. Den första vilan, Den sista vilan, Lucid Parasitosis II, I sol itu and Födelsen was done with guitar, bass and drums recorded simultaneously in a few takes with keyboards done after.

We recorded it during 2 weeks, as we lived 4 people in Alex tiny cottage. We told Tobias Carlsson to do as little as possible to the songs in his mixing production, and he did it in only a couple of weeks. With that said, and having the sound of it in mind we don't really find that album sterile at all... if anything, Hypnagogia is the sterile sounding of the two. But as this statement of defense is made, we respect your opinion. And to answer the last part of your question: No real mistakes were made in the production of our first album. Some of the performances on the recordings could have been better... but it was a conscious decision to make everything as pure as possible at the time.

To me you sound like some sort of dreamy progressive rock, have you also taken any cues from bands from the swedish genre “progg”? Like Nationalteatern, Hoola Bandoola Band etc? Because I can somewhat sense that as well.

Well... even though we absolutely have listened to a lot of the good ol' "Progg" we wouldn't say that we have been taking cues or inspiration in a conscious or direct way. At least not in a melodically technical way. I think we've taken more of the attitude and the perception of music as a weapon that is found in the swedish "progg" scene in the early to mid 70's.

We take a lot more of direct creative inspiration and cues from other bands active in Sweden in the same time period as: Bo Hansson, Träd, Gräs och Stenar, Älgarnas Trädgård, Baby Grandmothers, Pärson Sound, Fläsket Brinner and Samla Mammas Manna.

If we’re talking inspiration/influences we have to mention: Tool, Anekdoten, Dungen, Slowdive, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and of course BLACK SABBATH!!!

You originally are from Arvika, Värmland. How has this affected the band? Are there any bands to talk of in Arvika?

Well, firstly: Värmland has really beautiful, wild and authentic landscapes of deep, narrow and dark woods. I cherish the fact that me (Alex) and my brother (Seb) always had the opportunity to explore and play in the woods as kids. When we make music together, most of the times it moves to some kind of spiritual forest-rock, I like to imagine that it has to do with our environment while growing up. I also think that the monotonous vibe integrated in Arvika's social nature had a big effect on us. Having the same friends from kindergarten until graduation, walking the same streets, meeting all the same people who only talk about past activities, always repeating routines - you grow up being bored. At least for me this was frustrating and made us seek some kind of outlet, something that could set some of those suppressed feelings in motions and to find our identity.

So the music, in a sense, came out of neccessity. That we wanted to do experimental and somewhat edgy music was because of the state of Arvika's music scene at the time. Nothing stimulating in it, at all. When you don't have anything inspirational around you to tap in to, you have to make it yourself - that was pretty much my take on that situation and period in my life.

The sound of the first album (written while still living in Arvika) is representative of my and Seb's experience of living there. Frustrated, angry and a bit lost in the newly found adulthood. There's a lot of factors that effect the way we make music and our sound.

Bands in Arvika? Well... Nephila is pretty cool. Feels like they have kept something we stirred up alive after we left. One of Sweden's best bands, Vulkan are almost from Arvika... they are always worth talking about.

I always like this one even though it’s a boring question one might argue, which (up to) three records have each of you had a hard on for lately?

Alex: Russian Circles - Memorial, Sonic Youth - The Eternal, Nirvana - In Utero

Seb: Catherine wheel - chrome, My Bloody Valentine - Isn't anything, Aphex twin - I care because you do

Jon: Black Sabbath - Technical ecstasy, Rainbow - Ritchie Blackmores Rainbow, Captain Beefheart - Safe as milk

Ole: Porcupine Tree - In Absentia, Björk - Utopia, John Frusciante - The Empyrian

Nils: Toby Driver - They are the Shield, All Traps on Earth - A Drop of Light, Steve Reich - Pulse/Quartet

Can you explain some of the albums’ themes and/or messages? If there are any.

Ok. Hypnagogia is the state between awake and dreaming. Sometimes, before falling into deep sleep you can enter this state of pure hallucination, reminicient of the kind you can experience on hallucinogenic drugs but different. In a segment of a lecture called "Dreaming Awake at the End of Times" Terence McKenna argues that we, as we are now in our time of civilization, are neither awake or asleep (like conspirationists saying that we are asleep and must wake up to see and acknowledge the truth), we are in an universal hypnagogic state. Hallucinating together.

I don't really remember the rest of the lecture, and what the real point is... but this is in a way a backdrop to the theme of the album. You need to sleep to wake up, and if we're not really sleeping or being awake... an interesting idea to linger on, but without much sense or hope of resolution. The album explores different sensations that are in one sense completely natural but at the same time it has a somewhat supernatural vibe to it. Maybe these sensations are a product of what could be deemed hypnagogia, not completely real or unreal, but a personal experience nevertheless.

But mostly the themes is a projection stemming in our personal experiences, individual and collective evolution and growth as human beings in this new urban environment in Gothenburg. If our first album was based on our perception about life in a town like Arvika, then this one is based on life in Gothenburg.

We wouldn't say the album holds any conceived and coherent messages though...

What’s up for Khadavra in the future. How come the long wait between the albums?

Just gonna take it as it comes for a while... we got some cool shows closing in, maybe got some more coming this fall. We have been given the chance of playing with musical heroes Gösta Berlings Saga in august and Vulkan in october. It's going to be amazing!

We've also completed the writing of two new songs! Both are featured on our setlist for the summer and we're planning on recording them both and releasing them separately, when the time comes...

At this moment we're not that keen on the idea of any new full length album though. Well, maybe if it comes naturally, but for now we got more of an urge to relearn and renew older songs and perfect our new ones for the shows ahead, because playing live is actually our main outlet and something we finally can put more energy and focus into.

Oh yeah! We got a new member, Ole, by the way. A lot of our time will be spent getting him in our unit and let him shine brightly in our sonic landscape. He provides vocals and a lot of guitar to our upcoming shows!

[sparkles-rule-4eva]

I’ve officially been a Sonic fan for a year!

And to celebrate, since my bestie @thewritingautisticat and I were first properly introduced to said fandom via the movies, I decided to post a big fat rant about how much I absolutely ADORE the movie universe. Right alongside every other aspect of this amazing franchise.

Here’s the thing. I’ve seen people claim to be the #1 SCU defenders/lovers/etc., and then I’d explore their blog and still find them complaining about the human characters, and still imply that the movie universe isn’t as good as the games because it’s different.

Me? Dudes and dudettes, I think I’m one of the only people who can truly claim to be the #1 SCU defender. Because I love the movies in ALL their differences and wackiness. I don’t just tolerate the presence of the human characters, I love them. Right alongside Sonic and the original cast. During those wedding scenes in the second movie, the parts where everyone seemed to complain that they were bored and just waiting for it to get back to Sonic? I was loving every second of it. I see the human characters to be just as much Sonic characters as Sonic himself, Knuckles, Tails, etc.

I love scenes with Tom because he’s Sonic’s adoptive father. I love scenes with Maddie because she’s Sonic’s adoptive mother. Rachel is his crazy, unhinged aunt. Jojo is his chill cousin. That’s his family right there. Right alongside Knuckles and Tails, his adoptive brothers in the cinematic universe. I love and accept them just as much. I’ve barely seen anyone else do the same.

I love that the movies give Sonic (and the others) the ability to do something that the games can never do: be a kid. They show him to be kind, compassionate, empathetic, energetic, fun-loving, adventurous, sassy, and heroic, just like his game counterpart. And then they give him more: they give him parents who love and support him. Who cheer him on from the sidelines as he’s off fighting giant robots. Who will give their lives for him without a second thought.

People complain that the first movie isn’t a good “Sonic” movie? I disagree there, too. Because it’s missing the other characters and the lore and all that? Is Sonic not Sonic if he’s separated from his friends and original home? No. The first movie didn’t focus on the lore. The first movie focused on Sonic, him as a character. They established the settings of this new, alternate world for Sonic. Gave him a backstory because the games never do. They let him be a hero and a kid at the same time.

Guys. Paramount found themselves with rights to make a Sonic movie. A movie with a version of Sonic who had zero mandates hanging over his head. Did you really think they were just going to make a story that we’d probably see as a game someday? No, they were not going to miss this opportunity. They rewrote his story in this alternate version. They let him be a few years younger. They let him be emotional. They even gave him extra epic powers linked to said emotions, and those powers have even impacted the games.

I love the voice actor they chose for Sonic. People complain he doesn’t sound like he does in the games. So? The people who casted the voices weren’t looking for a soundalike voice actor. They were looking for an energetic, optimistic voice. Because that’s how they saw Sonic. Is he not? He feels like the very embodiment of energy and optimism a lot of the time. So I love the choice of Ben Schwartz. He does amazingly.

And about him getting adopted by humans? Found family is not a new trope in the Sonic franchise. In the games, we have Sonic raising Tails as his little brother. We have the Chaotix, a team consisting of a grown dude, an angsty teenager, and a literal child who see each other as family. We have Amy being a big sister to Cream and Tails. We have Vanilla being a mother figure to half the cast. We have the ARK siblings. The list goes on. Is it really so “cringey” to let Sonic himself get adopted? Especially when he’s younger than the game version, and was properly given the chance to be a kid? To have fun with his brothers and parents outside of fighting Eggman? And by parents who accept him wholly for who he is, strive to take care of him where they can, and allow him to relax and enjoy the remainder of his childhood??

Not to mention, Tom and Maddie are literally the perfect parents for Sonic (and later Knuckles and Tails). For one, they’re a very healthy couple. They’ve loved and supported each other for years even before their marriage and before meeting Sonic. Green flag number one. For two, they understand Sonic, they see that he’s still a kid and they want to help him, they try to “steer him in the right direction,” and they don’t try to stifle him and his love of running and adventure. Tom is a cop, a very good cop I might add (I absolutely refuse to listen to any of the crappy hate I’ve seen towards Tom just because he’s a police officer), and he’s inclined to help people just like Sonic is. Maddie is a vet, she loves animals. Sonic is literally an anthropomorphic hedgehog. She knows better on how to take care of him; and even before she got to know him, she still tended to his needs when he was out of it, even being cautious in doing so because she didn’t yet know his physiology.

So yes, I love the SCU. I love seeing the Wachowski family doing mundane, everyday things just as much as I love seeing the boys in epic battle scenes. I loved watching Sonic and Tom have a father-son bonding moment on a fishing trip. I loved watching them play along with his airport setup the same way parents play along with their child’s imagination. I loved watching them ask for a hug goodbye, make sure he knew how to contact them in case of an emergency, blow him kisses as the ring closed. I loved that Tom kept calling and texting Sonic to check in on him just like any parent would while they were away. I loved seeing Tom express wishing that Sonic could have buddies like him. I loved seeing Maddie call him “their kid.” I most especially loved seeing Sonic finally call Tom “Dad.”

I loved seeing my favorite trio of alien boys ride in the back of a truck, even though none of them needed the transportation, bickering about the baseball game they just played as their parents drive them out for ice cream.

Does this mean I prefer the SCU over the games? No. I love the games just as much, and I could easily rant on everything I love about them as well. I’m just not planning to because it’s not necessary. They’re the mainline thing.

Even though I’m disappointed to have missed so many years in this amazing fandom, I think I like being a fresh fan. I constantly see people griping and complaining about this or that in some area of the franchise, and tbh it annoys me. I’ve been ruined for reading reviews because I find people hating on things I liked. I introduce “NO-HATE REVIEW!” Not complaining about what I didn’t like, because there’s not much. Just loving on what I loved. Sharing my excitement with others.

As a result, I’ll later post similar rambles about other parts of the franchise I want to defend. Such as the IDW comics. Sonic Prime. Sonic Frontiers. All the parts people are far too quick to judge.

Replies that are hateful or irrelevant will be deleted. 👌

(A little later I’m also going to make a celebratory post about how this franchise literally changed my life in a good way XD)