#this frontier needs heroes

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Still blows my mind the disparity between the Eng and the JP localization of Sonic Frontiers

So in the og English Tails expresses that he needs to part ways from Sonic so he can grow into a hero on his own, right? That he can't grow by being with him?

But like. The director of the game, who worked with Ian Flynn, worked on the JP localization and it's like. You're telling me that when they localized that scene for the Japanese audience

That it was about Tails learning that there are things only he can do? That instead of concluding that he needs to part ways from Sonic and become a hero, he just comes to realizes the ways in which he and Sonic fill each other's gaps? He learns that he already is on equal footing with Sonic. The two of them are just heroes who save people in different ways?

[dilfsonic]

Hot dads near u!!!

[perilegs]

i wish rook was a real character in game so someone else would compare him and wyll as foils of sorts. they're so good together agh

[datura-tea]

where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods? / where's the streetwise hercules to fight the rising odds? / isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed? / late at night, i toss and i turn and i dream of what i need / i need a hero

this song... very wyll-core. he's, of course, the hero here. strong and fast and fresh from a fight, sure and soon and larger than life; compared to a streetwise hercules and superman. there's his bravado, the folk hero fantasy that he builds every time he comes in to save the day. making himself into myth with each introduction as "the blade of frontiers" first and foremost, and not wyll ravengard, almost as if being the blade is all that he thinks he is, that it's all he's useful for. being a hero. being a weapon. he's all that and so much more, of course - but do the people see that? not really. all they see is the hero they've been holding out for

[sonic7ischaos]

The best description of Sonic the Hedgehog's character I've ever heard compared him to Yusuke Urameshi from Yu Yu Hakusho.

A punk kid with no respect for rules or authority, but a heart of gold. I've been comparing him to Goku, and a lot of that does still fit, he's a thrill seeker who's always up for a challenge and likes to show off his skills, but that's not the full picture. Goku's too nice, too approachable. Not that Sonic's mean, but he's abrasive, short tempered not quite like Knuckles, but more in the way of someone who generally lacks patience. He'll bail on you for leaving the controller still for too long, and doesn't like to wait on long winded explanations. He's sarcastic and a little full of himself, but not to the point of full arrogance, just a little smug on account of how cool he knows he is. That smug, brash confidence is a part of why he clashes so much with Knuckles, who is more a more mellow, thoughtful person, someone more careful and serious.

They're actually doing Knuckles pretty right lately, but Sonic needs some work. Still LEAGUES better than when it was Pontaff, but he's been softened up too much. The Sonic OVA is actually a pretty good representation of the character, but for Game Sonic, Adventure 2 and Heroes, as well as Battle for the GBA are pretty good places to look to see what I'm talking about. All relatively dialogue heavy games for Sonic that nail the unhinged thrill seeking, confrontational, cocky punk vibes to his character.

[icarus-fw]

Man I wish I could make friends who love digimon to talk about ghost game and my vital hero

[autisticcassandracain]

Reading Blue Beetle: Graduation Day and I have to ask. Since when does Jaime listen to the Justice League.

[sonicvillaindeathmatch]

When i saw this poll I knew I had to immediately promote infinite and mephiles. I would like to say thank you, host, for taking this role as the organiser, since I’ve wanted both of them to finally stand a chance in a sonic poll. I’m aware infinite will be knocked out first round, but mephiles has a very significant chance of making it to the finals and I will stand by him through this journey. I want to motivate all of you who are reading this to vote for him too. He is seriously the second, if not the number one best sonic villain ever. He brought out the good from shadow in ‘06 that I consider to be the best interpretation of shadow. What shadow has in that game is owed almost entirely to mephiles. Thank you for reading this.

- Mephiles and Infinite enthusiast

idk what the standing is rn but it's been really close between infinite and neo metal so there is a chance both can make it to round 2 !

[spiinsparks]

           SHADOW’S  STUBBORNNESS  RIVALED  EVEN  sonic’s  own.  not  that  it  was  a  contest.  okay.  maybe  SOMETIMES  it  was  a  contest.  but  sonic  had  been  adventuring  long  enough  to  know  when  to  accept  help  when  it  was  offered.  shadow though  -?  n o t  so  much.

             ❝  . . .   y’SURE  you  don’t  want  help?  it’d  take  a  second  , TOPS.  ❞

@tenebriism​ / for  shadow ! 

[fstbmp-a]

Hoo... think she’s gonna find a nice remote island to disappear to until she feels better. Hopefully this one’s more peaceful than the last few, too.

[huidol]

i am going to avoid so many spoilers for frontiers and that is a promise <333

[acoldsovereign]

"You have a new form?...That must have been what I felt in the reaches of space-time. Fine, let's test it out."

TO BECOME A 'SINNER', IN HIS WORDS, WAS THE ONLY NATURAL CONCLUSION. Not only had the hero failed to slay the dragon, he made the fatal mistake of falling for her-- of seeing the heart buried underneath thick layers of ice. Either party taking the status of engagement seriously, used to be an impossibility. A fantasy. Yet, here they were now, much more comfortable and accustomed to each other-- so much so they've shown each other secret aspects of themselves. Despite this, Maiz largely remained a difficult person; she enjoyed creating obstacles and challenges to throw in his face with little to no provocation. Her controlling ways and sadism still presented issues which cropped up daily, and her callousness with many things (of course it did), complicated things that shouldn't be.

Trunks himself carried a jealous streak, which rightfully so, confounded him. It didn't come out often, but she surmised it arose from the exhaustion of constantly losing things; his childhood, his innocence, his mentor, his mother, then finally his timeline and the adjacent multiverse connected to it. For all of the undue stress, agony and harm she's wrought against him (and in his words, "disproportionate violence and colonization" against other Races), the time-traveler made it clear she was worth spending every single moment with. In the beginning, this trait of his-- to see the good in most people flew over her head. It still does. In fact, she thought him a fool back then and tested him constantly. As he passed and failed in spectacular degrees, the supposed-to-be-slayed-dragon became engrossed within the web of who he was-- with the psychological makeup that informed his behavior and choices in life. In other words, obsession (read: falling for him) was inevitable on her side, too. Even if she showed it strangely, or more specifically in the manner only a Saiyan could express.

Before his voice registered in her eardrums, she felt his familiar ki signature. Whereas before she was crude and untrained in it, (everyone felt like different degrees of coldness), the refined details earned through the fruits of personal 'training sessions' told her Trunks' presence was a hot one-- even if he was warm on most days. Her head of tousled, sweat-drenched red hair turned heavenward to meet the visage of the one she affectionately called her 'champion'. Interesting how he decided to match her in looks. A subtle smirk crept onto Maiz's face. How romantic of him. During his excursion to the vacant space where his timeline used to be, he thought of her? He felt her? Even with something as life-changing and important as the attempt to bring his world back, he came running to her . . . ? It didn't matter if none of her assumptions were true; the fact her inflated ego and overwhelming sense of self could go in such a direction spoke volumes about his actions.

Both hands found exposed hips of curvature and muscles-- sticky and glistening from her earlier activity: training. "No hello? No kiss upon my face or 'darling'?" She teased with a neutral expression as her rounded, muscular shoulders shook from the amused laugh that left her. Planet Tun'l (one of Maiz's Twelve) was a dark, heavy world with 50 times more gravity than that of Planet Vegeta. Varying shades of brown and black decorated the planet, including the fauna, flora and wildlife. Maiz's ship (and her) were the most colorful things there standing out. While the Karoseanites, a ruby-red skinned, waif-like Race were further in the background working away on her ship, the woman in question (in a new outfit, no less), flew upward to meet her betrothed. She took a sitting position mid-air when she reached him.

"I don't mind showing you . . . But only if you force it out of me." The emphasis was purposeful. She adjusted herself so that she was properly hovering in the air, exposed arms outstretched on either side of her. Tun'l's backdrop complimented her akin to a shroud of darkness or a dark halo. "I will not make this easy on you," she continued, not-at-all-humbly-bragging (she couldn't, even if she tried).

"So, when you're on your back and I'm the dominant force once more, I want to hear you sing my praises. Loudly." (Because he was most beautiful to her when he was loud and noisy. When he was caught flat-footed. When he was angry with her. Confused. Flustered. Sad, even. Her depravity knew no bounds, but these deeper, darker secrets were kept within the confines of her proverbial bosom. He did not need to know she mapped out her entire day on the basis of picking him apart and stitching him back together in varying ways. He didn't need to know the reason for her new training clothing either-- to see if he could focus, even if she wore an provocative combo of a crop top and low-rise shorts).

[blackjackkent]

Down the parsed dialogue rabbit hole again, this time looking at Ethel's Vicious Mockery lines for all the characters, and goddamn, they are brutal.

ASTARION You're one thirsty night away from betraying everyone. Deep down, you like being leashed, don't you? Is there still rat stuck in your teeth, slave?

GALE I can smell what's under those bandages, wizard. You're all rot and ruin. Come to greet death early? You'll be a lovely spectacle. Who would be jealous of you, apprentice?

KARLACH Let's pull your strings, infernal puppet. Happy to sell everyone's soul but your own, aren't you? When I'm done, even the Hells won't want you.

LAE'ZEL Your people will never take you back - illithid scum. Do you miss kissing Vlaakith's feet, gith? A toad with a tadpole! How fitting.

MINSC How quaint! The hamster has a pet. Only evil here is what's inside you, ranger. Go rub your rat, soft-skull.

SHADOWHEART You're so far up Shar's cake you can't see straight. Pathetic. Why would Shar love you when no one else does? You're no complex puzzle. Just a sad little girl.

WYLL Do you think losing that eye made you a hero? Oh, look! It's daddy's regret. Fraud of the Frontiers!

DRAGONBORN Aww, where's your clan? Bet they'd exile you for that brainworm in a blink. Bet that honour of yours shatters easy as your scales. You foul-breathed little lizard!

DWARF No flabby dwarf's a threat to me. More beard than brains, the lot of you. Bet you'd trade your friends for a trinket or two, gold-eater!

DWARF (DUERGAR) Bow your head, slave. You remember how, don't you? Grey and useless as a stone comb. I'll squeeze that stone heart until it bleeds, dwarf. Need a new master, illithid lover?

ELF Fancy yourself immortal? We'll see how long that lasts. I'll show you what a true fey does, dearie. Elves are so pretty. Pretty worthless!

ELF (DROW - FEMALE) Filthy underscum! Just another of Lolth's pretty harlots. Slaver. Sadist. How dare you judge me?

ELF (DROW - MALE) Bare your throat, spider-bait. Kneel, boy. Just like the matriarchs taught you to. Bow to your betters, boy.

GNOME Disgusting burrow rat. Bet your clan's happy you're gone! Try laughing after I rip your throat out, gnome.

HALF-ELF I wonder which parent regrets you more, half-breed. How revolting. Another thin-blooded mongrel. Half-elf. Half-human. All useless.

HALF-ELF (DROW) Even the Underdark doesn't want you, half-breed. A half-drow? How grotesque. Surprised you show yourself in public, abomination.

HALF-ORC Come now, tusks-for-brains! Doesn't this make you angry? All that bloodlust. A little tap, and I bet you won't know friend from foe! Lumbering half-orc. Twice as ugly as your parents combined!

HALFLING Come closer, little softie. You'll be tender. A tiny, sweet morsel. Just for me.

HUMAN Another human rat infesting Faerûn. A human! So desperate to be special. Pity. That tadpole actually made you interesting.

TIEFLING I'll burn you alive and everyone will celebrate. You're everyone's punching bag and no one's favourite. I see the Hells spit out another tragic little tiefling.

[flightyalrighty]

FIRST | PREVIOUS | NEXT CH 1 PG 36

Infested will return on June 27th. --- Thank you to the following Ascended supporters: @chaogongoozles, @fiiresiidefrfr, @elizard4227, @grogar, Ezzoh, @susivoi, @calculuscacophony, Eros, @ivycorp, @summersdale @borrelia, @mizukiz, @sanicdetails, @combinegrunt-echo-1, Pica, @veeceear, @quackenburt, ItsmeMonarch, @memendoemori, @trans-girl-sonic, & savarsenic

Content Warnings | Store | Ko-Fi (Discord!) | Read On Comic Fury! DISCLAIMER: "Infested" is a horror comic ft. content not suitable for those under the age of 17.

A long-winded looking back on things below the cut:

The first few pages of Infested were uploaded to this blog on March 2nd, 2023 -- Over a whole year ago! I was so busy, too, that I completely missed its birthday (Sorry Infested). Looking even further back than that, the original story was was something I began writing on December 25th, 2022 (Merry Christmas).

It took two years to get to this point.

And hey, not to toot my own horn about it, but completing even one chapter of a webcomic is a big deal. Especially for me. My first webcomic, Fight/Flight, didn't get very far. I completed the prologue, started Chapter 1, and then had to drop it for a number of reasons (I didn't really agree with what baby-me had to say, politically, anymore).

This comic was born from a lot of intense feelings. The story, itself, too. Some good. Some bad.

I had been forced to move away from my hometown, and with that move, I lost the physical connection that I had to all of my friends. I lost the familiarity of a place I'd known for most of my life. I'm now stuck somewhere... Worse. It felt like a cage. Still does. Disconnected from the life I thought I would be living after college. I didn't have health insurance, either -- Got kicked off of it because of the move -- And as a result, I was off my antidepressants.

So there I was, at a pretty low point in my life. I miserable and lonely and every single day dragged on. And on. And on. And I felt so disappointed in myself. That disappointment became self-loathing, and it all kinda spiraled.

Have I mentioned that I'm a huge Sonic fan? I don't think I need to. I'd say it's pretty obvious. But for the sake of this story, I'll say it again: I'm a HUGE Sonic fan. I've been that way since 2003 with Sonic Heroes. The franchise has been in my life for over two decades. I had a monthly mail subscription to Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic the Hedgehog was something that I truly loved more than any other piece of media. It brought me endless joy. Until I didn't.

I had dropped Sonic after Lost World was... Itself. I had already felt pretty irritated with the Meta Era, and Lost World was the final straw. The last bit of hope that the series could recover was snuffed out when Forces was released. It was over. I was done. If Sonic was truly that embarrassed by itself, if they had truly lost touch with what made the series so great, then I wouldn't waste my time any longer. I was so sure that I had to just... Grieve and move on. My beloved childhood game series was dead. Long live the king or whatever. I'd just bitterly read IDW Sonic and think about what could've been. I was lucky to have that comic, at least. Archie had been canceled, too, after all. I was lucky to have my scraps.

Then Sonic Frontiers came out. And it changed everything.

And my god, it was everything. It was everything to me. Flaws be damned, it was everything. To. Me. The spectacle. The serious tone. The vastly improved writing. Kellin Fucking Quinn. It was FUN! It was actually FUN to PLAY. He was back. I was back. Sonic pulled me by my hand out of the ocean of misery I'd fallen into, and he looked me in my eye and he said;

"Hey. You're gonna be alright."

Metaphorically speaking. Sonic The Hedgehog didn't actually literally speak to me -- And sure, okay, maybe it's a little dramatic to describe a game as this great Depression Annihilator but I'm dead serious when I say that, for that time, before I was able to get back on my meds, I was self-medicating with Sonic.

Sonic was all I was thinking about. I reread the Unleashed arc in Archie Sonic, which got me sorta realizing something, and which led to my post where I said something along the lines of "Sonic would hide a zombie bite."

Archie Sonic would, at least. Because he basically did do that in the Unleashed arc of that comic. He let that problem fester until it became an even bigger problem because, ironically, he didn't want to be a problem.

So one thing led to another. I thought more about Sonic becoming a zombie. Bada-bing, bada-boom, Infested was born.

I didn't expect it to get the attention that it did. I felt lucky when the first page I drew Rouge on (Page 6 I think?) blew up. The right people saw it at the right time. I'm extremely grateful for that.

I'm extremely grateful for all of you.

So yeah, one chapter. Woo! Here's to many more.

[nysscientia]

okay but Wyll is like. a prodigy, actually. and I want to talk about that more

like he is a folk hero for a reason. it's not just because he's so nice to people. he is also an incredible adventurer.

when you meet him in the Grove, he is on a level with you—but dialogue makes it clear that's because the tadpole fucked with his capabilities. if you have him around and hear his little interparty exchanges and reactive lines, he talks about things he's done as the Blade of Frontiers, and they include wrestling a giant one-on-one, and fighting a dragon. by himself.

he fought a dragon by himself!!

like (spoilers for end of game), even when you fight a dragon in the finale, you're not doing it ALONE. you have 3 other party members and as many allies as you care to summon. WYLL WAS ALONE IN THE WOODS WITH WHATEVER SUPPLIES HE COULD SCRAPE TOGETHER AS A SOLO ADVENTURER. AND HE FOUGHT A DRAGON.

by all accounts, I think it's reasonable to guess that before the tadpole, he was more powerful than the level 12 cap that's built into the game. and sure, he's a warlock drawing power from a bond, but most D&D lore I've encountered build in the idea that warlocks need a certain amount of skill and prowess to handle the power offered to them by their patron—there's a reason warlocks and clerics still level up, rather than just shooting to the top of the ladder. PLUS, he had to know how to use that power effectively.

and then!! (spoilers for epilogue) if he does the Avernus version of his ending, he's become a ranger within the 6 months since you've last seen him. and not like, he took a level or two in ranger and he's working his way up to it. he tells you about devils he's killed that are on par with the dangers y'all faced in your adventures—and he's doing this either with only Karlach for company, or possibly even by himself (??? I've only ever had him go with Karlach, I can't stand it). so. he is ALSO now one of the most powerful RANGERS in the realms. IN 6 MONTHS.

which makes sense! he wouldn't lose all his adventuring knowledge and skills just because the pact is ended! but to master an entirely new discipline, magic and all, in such a short time??

WYLL RAVENGARD HERO OF THE REALMS. WYLL RAVENGARD GENIUS OF ADVENTURE. WYLL RAVENGARD CAN DO ANYTHING HE SETS HIS MIND TO

[autistichalsin]

Analysis of each character's final words in the new Dark Urge evil ending

If you are romanced to a character, you have the option, when taking the new version of the Sins of the Father ending, to kill your partner in front of the others in your party, killing them with one last kiss. They then give their last words and pass away. I love each and every one and feel they are incredible characterization moments.

So let's break these down!

Lae'zel:

I... I am glad it was you. No other blade would have sufficed.

This is something that hammers home that, Vlaakith or no, Lae'zel deeply believes in all the ideals of a Githyanki. Life is a privilege for the strong, and death is the price of weakness. Further, if romanced, Lae'zel will affectionately call you "the source of my bruises" many times. If she has to die, if she has finally found the one person stronger than herself, then she is "satisfied" that it is you- who she both loved and admired. The only one she would ever consider worthy of besting her.

Karlach:

Fuck you.

Short, simple, and to the point, just the way Karlach does everything else. She's already gone through all her stages of grief with her engine- well, almost all of them. Anger still remains. She burns hot until the end.

Wyll:

I... I forgive you.

This isn't just Wyll being a good guy. This is heartbreak, and guilt. Guilt for not saving you from Bhaal's influence when he was so sure he had. Heartbreak that after he gave his literal soul to save as many people as he could, he couldn't save you- and couldn't save others from you, either. All he sacrificed, negated in an instant by the person he loved and trusted most. Of all the characters here, Wyll (tied with Halsin) sounds the most obviously broken, and it's easy to see why, given that he is self-sacrificing to a fault.

There was a set of scenes datamined from the game, where at the Morphic Pool, the Netherbrain would have taunted the players, causing them to hallucinate things related to their fears and insecurities. Wyll's would have been a vision of himself talking about how he was never a hero, how the Blade of Frontiers was a farce all along. One can't help but think about that scene here, wondering just how much blame, bordering on self-loathing, he might feel here.

Dark Justiciar Shadowheart:

I... I'm coming to you, Lady Shar.

Another short and simple one. By becoming a Dark Justiciar, Shadowheart has fully embraced the nihilism of Shar's teachings. Why be saddened or angry at her own death when this is just what she's embraced with all her sacrifices?

(Sidenote: this does also answer a question I had, namely, what was going to happen to everyone Durge kills. Thankfully it seems they aren't actually going to be sacrificed to him as such, and will indeed end up in the realm of their deities. This makes Bhaal's plan even DUMBER, because deities in DND lore need worshippers to have enough power to exist. Killing everyone at once just guarantees that soon after Durge dies as the last person alive, so too will Bhaal fade from existence.)

Selunite Shadowheart:

I... I thought we were going to save each other...

This Shadowheart rejected everything she knew. She was scared to defy her goddess, but worked up the courage- thanks to you. She thought you would have a new life together. She believed in you. She thought she would get to return the favor, and help you turn the page on Bhaal, too.

She's not just heartbroken for herself; she's heartbroken for you, too. Heartbroken at the life you denied both her and yourself.

Gale:

You made me want to live...

From the moment the orb entered Gale's chest, he knew he was at risk of dying. Then Mystra all but marked him as a dead man walking. But despite that, he finds love with you- and for the first time thinks maybe there is a purpose for him beyond Mystra. That he isn't more useful to the world dead. More than that, he wants to live to be with you, to enjoy your company and companionship. And then you kill him, and do the one thing WORSE than what would have happened if he'd never been pulled from that rock.

It almost would have been kinder to just hack his hand off the first time you met him, though Gale may or may not agree.

Spawn Astarion:

I should have killed you when I had the chance...

The angriest, most bitter response out of all the romanced companions, a step beyond Karlach's "fuck you." This is beyond "fuck you" and even beyond "I hate you." It's "I regret every moment I spent with you." You made him believe he could have better. That he could recover from what Cazador did. You even convinced him to spare the 7,000 spawn and that he could be something better than Cazador.

And now you reveal it was all a lie. Astarion is probably thinking that you talked him out of completing the ritual solely so he'd be easier to kill right here and now. How many regrets are flashing through his mind, how many moments where he wonders if things could have been different if only he'd done this or that, even aside from killing you?

All he wanted was to live as a free person. And then the first time he thinks he has that at last, he loses it as the world ends.

Ascended Astarion:

No... no, this can't be... I can't- you can't- no...

In contrast to spawn Astarion, ascended isn't angry, because he doesn't have the clarity, the ability to process what's happening. Spawn Astarion could tell he'd been betrayed.

But Ascended? Ascended, who went through so much to become one of the most powerful beings in the world, only to STILL lose without fanfare? And by you, his own spawn who he thought he had under his control? It isn't betrayal, because he is bluescreening; he can't comprehend what happened or how or why. How could he have been killed, and by you of all people? Was all he went through killing Cazador really for nothing? How could it be when he was supposed to be the most powerful? Was power actually meaningless all along?

He doesn't say anything of substance because he can't understand what's happening here.

Halsin:

Thaniel... goodbye...

Halsin is the oldest of all the companions. He's experienced the most loss of anyone; his birth family, his fellow Druids, and, for a time, Thaniel. He has had more than enough time to contemplate his own mortality, because he's already lived multiple lifetimes.

So here, two things are happening. One, he isn't expressing anger or betrayal at his murder- because he is more than wise enough, and humble enough, to understand that there are worse things than what has been done to himself. Instead of himself, he is thinking of the world he's leaving behind that is about to fall- and most of all, of his most important person, the one who gave him a purpose, who was there when no one else was, who he failed once and only just got back. The closest thing to a child he'll ever have. In his last moments, instead of himself, Halsin is thinking of those he loves.

And second, it's an almost deliberate snubbing of Durge. He willingly walked into that kiss, knowing full well it would be the last thing he ever did. He gave you his death, he pleaded with his own god to forgive you and him both. He gave you everything he felt he owed you, and no more- no begging or sobbing. Instead, he comes as close as he ever gets to selfishness, and spends his last moments thinking about the thing that makes him the happiest- which could have been you, in another life, if you hadn't done this.

Minthara:

No... we were meant to do this together...

Heartbreak, disbelief, and betrayal. You spent so many nights planning this out. She had been cast aside by her people, her goddess, and she was going to get the last laugh. She was going to crush them personally under her heel and prove she was the best (or second best, behind you) of all of them. She's devastated she won't get to help you torture all those souls and take what she feels was owed to her. But interestingly enough... no anger. Probably because it was overshadowed by the sheer heartbreak, but also a sign that even in those moments, she still admires you for your ruthlessness.