#while making this. I kept thinking ‘Sonic unleashed’

[artfartt]

Ok…

What if…

@bbloveseevees chat what do we think?

(I know @/lillylunala did a comic on this a long while ago but it’s nice to bring it back)

[d3lly1000]

hi ✨:D

I have a question about your Sonamy hcs! (Sorta)

you said that the most affective places for Sonic to be affectionate and reciprocate love is his chest fur, his back quills, and behind his ears.

I like to imagine that those certain areas can get different results out of him. Like

I imagine that behind his ears will be similar to this but depending on how hard or how fast Amy is scratching him, he’ll be more like a happy giggly puddle.

For his back quills, I imagine that it’s more…. sensual if you know what I mean. I don’t want to get too out of hand or make people (and you) uncomfortable, but I’m thinking some moans, some blush, and him being clingy as he buries his face in Amy’s chest.

I honestly have no clue how to go about his chest fur other than Amy being flirty, and pushing him against a wall as he’s just continuing to get flustered and lose almost all manner of speaking.

I know theres supposed to be some purring involved (cause hedgehogs do actually purr) but in these specific scenarios, I can’t really fit it in. Probably should’ve gone with a more fluff approach tbh

idk. I just wanted to share, and see your thoughts on these! 😃

anyways, love ya mootie! ✨💖😘

(please don’t think I’m weird )

HELLOOOOOO!! ✨💖✨💖

First, you have no idea how much hearing HC's about them makes me happy, and yours always fill my heart with ideas XD So don't feel like you're bothering me, I love hearing about them!

Although it took me a while to come back here, I ended up making some illustrations about what I think and adding to these WONDERFUL HC'S that I’ve now made official in my AU muhahaha!!

To start with, I like to imagine that Sonic became much more sensitive to touch after turning into Werehog. Even after Unleashed, he still kept his body sensitive in those areas, giving him the best reactions to Amy’s touches XD That would perfectly match the idea of the ear scratch! He always tries to hold it in and not show too much of what he feels, but as soon as Amy starts, he loses his composure right away.

As for the back quills, I see it as something truly more intimate between the two of them. In my AU, Amy has a quill on her back, and Sonic usually holds it carefully while kissing her. Amy, after discovering that it's a sensitive area for Sonic, likes to caress it and see his unexpected reactions.

In the chest area, Amy has always enjoyed petting Sonic's fur, but after they actually became a couple, she takes the opportunity to be a bit flirtatious about it as well. (Every time, Sonic loses track of what he was about to say)

I also have an HC about Amy and her sensitive areas, but I haven’t had the chance to explore it much yet – since Sonic is already her weakness.

For me, they’re a mix of competition and bets with romance and passion. I usually see Sonic as much more reserved when it comes to feelings, but if Amy gets involved with her competitive and determined side... He ends up losing.

Thank you so much Mootie for sending me these HCs! I’m sorry for the delayed response, but I hope you like it! ✨💖

[crim50n-r8er]

Ay everyone! Been a while since I’ve last posted. Apologies for that. I’ve been trying to design another one of my Sonic fankids for my fankid AU. I do wish to share one of my older works, however, while you all wait for that.

Info about this artwork below

Anyway, here we have an ascended form of Sonic the Werehog I call “Dark Gaia Werehog.” What inspired me to make this design was a What If scenario where Sonic kept the Werehog form because of Eggman being Eggman and try to control a power beyond his control. In part 5 of this What If, the second half of the Sonic Generations adaptation, Sonic is trapped in White Space in a between state of himself and Werehog. To see if he could find an escape, he started running. He was fast, but not as fast as his normal self. After what felt like days for the blue blur, he starts feeling lonely but soon after finds solace in having Dark Gaia with him as company in the form of its essence in his being.

This. This was the moment that inspired me because it made me think. What if Sonic and Dark Gaia had a “Naruto and Kurama”-esque relationship with one another where Dark Gaia would lend its cosmic power to Sonic the Werehog which lets him access this form.

With design notes, I took inspiration from some concept art of Sonic the Werehog like the fiery forearms with elbow-protruding fur. I obviously took inspiration from Dark Gaia, but I also took inspiration from stuff like the mooks you fight in night stages of Unleashed, the Dark Gaia Spawn. Not only that but taking inspiration from Prisma Sonic from Sonic Prime, I had the quills have a gradient from a deep navy blue to a vibrant hot pink. I personally LOVE how the eyes came out with that radial gradient of green for the sclara, the pink gradient on the iris, and the pure white pupils with them having a gradient as well. It’s just a great design if I say so, myself.

(Now I would credit the content creator for the What If, but with a recent drama that sprouted up about them a couple months ago, I don’t think they deserve the credit. Apologies for those who wanna check out their content.)

Anyways. I hope you all enjoy this amazing design I made, and if you ever want to make fanart of this design, I do not mind whatsoever.

[gofancyninjaworld]

The Ninja Arc: Weighing up the Value of Experience

Thanks to trawling the archives for pictures of Gale Wind and Hellfire Flame, I had a look at one of the ideas that ONE has been wrestling with in the ninja arc, particularly when it comes to the difference between Flashy Flash and Sonic: experience.

ONE has been making a point that there is a difference between the skills honed through training and those gained through practice, but it's rarely one that has been made explicit. One place where it came through was in chapter 83 of the manga. If you weren't around in October 2017, then let me sketch out the atmosphere on r/onepunchman beforehand. There was a lot of anticipation for this fight but the consensus was that, good through Genos would be, it was going to go wrong for him. The chapter duly released, and we read, waiting to see when Garou would turn the tables on Genos, and... he didn't. He couldn't. It was he Bang's arrival bailed out, not Genos (like in the wc). Why? Not because Genos had that vastly superior a set of upgrades but because finally, all his painful experiences had started to distil out an effective battle sense. How to accurately size up an enemy, how to stay focused while staying alert of ambushes, even a rough fighting style, all of it Genos has acquired through trying, failing, and learning.

This was the first time we ever saw Genos gain an intimidating aura. May he grow ever more fearsome.

So, let's move onto the ninjas. The first version of the fight between Flash, Sonic, and the Tenninto saw Sonic utterly awed by Flash's refusal to kill the ninjas in favour of beating them down to show his superiority. He used what they saw as their most skilled technique against them and added insult to injury by calling it a basic idea that any actual battle experience would have naturally led to.

Training? No! Battle Experience- and the humility to learn from one's failures.

For Sonic, this was a revelation: the combination of speed and power that he'd been aiming for so long, and his impression was only strengthened by his witnessing how much more Flash could do when the latter challenged Empty Void.

A revelation

Sonic ended up determined to use Flash as his exemplar, one he could understand and outdo in time, unlike the enigmatic Saitama.

Sonic has a new goal, and it's good to see.

But then... ONE kept thinking, and along with Murata, came back.

The second go has Sonic and Flash on much more equal footing. Sonic reminded Flash that he taught him how to use a sword. They work together to kill all the ninjas and then snark at each other.

The squabbling of equals.

They're unamused when Void calls them a pair, with Sonic having the spirit but Flashy the skills. They're equals. We do see Sonic acknowledge that Flashy is much better than he'd expected him to be and wonder at what experiences he'd been through, but there is much less emphasis on the value of experience.

Battle experience here is turned into a secondary theme rather than the primary one.

More thinking ensued...

Currently, it seems that ONE is moving back towards his original view of making battle experience prominent. He's making it come out right away in the spar between Flash and Sonic, with Flash effortlessly parrying all of Sonic's moves, then unleashing his special move before Sonic can ready his own.

The difference in ability is clear from the outset.

So, to sum up, the first iteration saw Sonic see Flash as an inspiration and guide to his future development. The second saw them have to start to recognise themselves as equals with complementary strengths and a shared interest in establishing a better ninja world. Both have real merit for what they say about the characters and where they might go next. What the current iteration is going to say and how this is going to be developed further, I'm very interested in seeing.

[midnightshard06]

The Meeting Part 3 (Lost and Found AU)

First > Prev > Next(n/a)

Summary: Shadow tries to take in the situation he's found himself in.

Warnings: None

Word Count: ~1350 words

AN: Last part of this little proper start point for the au! This time we get a peek of what Shadow is thinking... Also if you feel so inclined go vote for Lost and Found in the @sonic-au-collision !

Despite the place he'd been given being comfortable, Shadow found that he couldn't sleep. The darkness of the room he was in was both familiar and foreign at the same time. He was used to being alone in a dark room but this time it felt... different. The hedgehog who'd found him treated him so differently than anyone but Maria and some of the Black Arms had ever treated him. Treated him like... a person. This hedgehog didn't know Shadow though. Didn't know what he was capable of. If he did Shadow doubted he'd be treated as kindly as he was being treated at the moment. 

That had to be it. The hedgehog just didn't know what he'd unleashed. Didn't know the danger he'd put himself in by bringing Shadow to his home. Yet... Shadow was in no rush to correct him. It was nice, and Maria had always wanted him to be treated like a person. Perhaps he could allow himself to indulge in this fantasy while it lasted. Who knew how long until the hedgehog realized Shadow's nature and treated him just like the scientists did. Perhaps if he was careful this could last long enough for him to get his bearings. It was both wonderful and overwhelming to finally be down on earth. Something Maria had always dreamed of.  Something Shadow deeply wished she'd got to see again...

He shook that thought from his head. As much as his heart longed to see her come through the door he stared quietly at, he knew it was impossible. Those soldiers had taken her from him. He growled under his breath as he flexed his claws. Black Doom hadn't kept his promise... He felt conflicted by that thought. Maybe Black Doom hadn't been able to. Maybe the soldiers had done something to prevent him from saving Maria. There were so many what ifs; none of which would satisfy Shadow's thoughts tonight. He thought of maybe getting up and leaving, or at least going outside to clear his head but he hesitated. How would the hedgehog react to him leaving where he'd been put? Sure the hedgehog had assured Shadow he was welcome to leave at any time but Shadow didn't trust it. It didn't make sense and yet he still felt the need to try. The room suddenly felt far too suffocating and he didn't feel tired in the slightest. He needed to get up, so he did.

As he reached out to open the door he hesitated. It would be better to stay here, to show the hedgehog he was capable of following commands but... With an odd sense of resolve he opened the door and wandered in the direction he believed the door was in. "Couldn't sleep?" The hedgehog, Sonic he reminded himself, asked. His voice was light but it had Shadow jumping all the same. "Whoa, sorry. Didn't mean to startle you." Sonic rubbed the back of his head, a sheepish smile on his face.

'It fine.' Shadow hesitantly signed. Thus far Sonic didn't seem upset with him, but Shadow knew he should tread carefully. Especially since he didn't really understand the situation. 'Go outside?' He wasn't too sure what compelled him to ask directly, perhaps his nerves at not understanding the rules of this situation.

Sonic's expression was unreadable for a moment before it softened. "Yeah you can go out. I like to get fresh air when I can't sleep too." He stood up. "Door is that way." He gestured in the direction Shadow had already been going. "Just try not to catch a cold. It is a little chilly out there."

Shadow nodded before resolutely walking past Sonic. He put a hand on the door that led outside before glancing back at Sonic one more time, just to make sure. Sonic gave him a reassuring smile and gestured for him to get moving. Silently, Shadow slid the door open and slipped outside. The cool air that hit him was reminiscent of the Ark but oh so different at the same time. It didn't feel stuffy or suffocating as it often did on the Ark. Shadow took a deep breath, taking in all the various smells around him. This place felt alive, unlike the cold metal hallways and rooms of the Ark. It was honestly everything Maria had told him it was. He glanced up at the stars. Something Maria had talked endlessly about; wishing she could show him the view from the Ark's observation windows. Shadow had always been content to wait to see the stars until the two of them were on earth. His hands clenched. Here he was, seeing the stars for the first time. Alone. Just as the scientists had always made him feel. 

He did his best to pick out the constellations that Maria had described to him. It was hard but he thought he did recognize a few. There were just so many stars though, it was hard to pick things out from something you'd never seen before. As he stood there his mind wandered to other things. The most pressing of these thoughts though? Just how long had it been? Sure he'd been in a mild sense of shock when Sonic had unintentionally released him from the capsule, but he did remember the state of the area they were in. Things were overgrown and the capsule itself seemed rusted and dare he say... old. He found it unlikely that anyone would know much of anything about the Ark. G.U.N. had been quite clear in their mission to destroy or capture all the evidence they could. That left him with no one to even ask though. No one who would know how long he'd been asleep for. Perhaps the worst part about the passage of time that had occurred was how the wounds from the raid still felt fresh. Even when the event likely happened years ago. For him? It had been less than a day.

After what was likely hours, Shadow decided to head back inside. As nice as it was to be out in the open like this there was a sense of guilt that kept gnawing at him. He felt like he didn't deserve this, so he slipped back inside to return to the dark room where he felt he belonged. Instead though he was greeted by a light. A light that illuminated Sonic, along with two steaming mugs. 

Sonic grinned at him and pushed a cup forwards. "Hot chocolate? Figured you might want something warm after being out there for a while." Shadow blinked. Sonic blinked back. "You must be wondering why I'm up huh?" Sonic sighed and took a sip of his own mug. Well that was certainly one question Shadow had... "I couldn't sleep either." He shrugged. "When big, exciting stuff happens I've always found it hard to keep my eyes closed long enough to actually get any sleep." He drummed his fingers on the table in front of him. "It's honestly a wonder I make it through some of my adventures with how little sleep I'm working with sometimes." He chuckled. "I guess I've just learned to make it work." 

As Sonic took another sip, Shadow crept forward and grabbed the other mug. He could feel the warmth of the drink inside through his gloves. There was something comforting about it. He wasn't sure he knew what hot chocolate was though. A quick sniff didn't really tell him anything, it was pleasant at least. Well best to just take a sip and get it over with. The warmth that seemed to travel down his body after the sip was nice, and it caused Shadow to realize how cold he'd been. It was hard to imagine he hadn't realized it before. Sonic held up a finger and sped off, but returned a second later with a blanket in hand. He hesitated for a moment before carefully, and swiftly, putting the blanket over Shadow's shoulders. Shadow sighed in relief at the sudden warmth and took another sip of his drink. The two stayed in comfortable silence, finishing their drinks. While Shadow was still confused by the treatment, he'd enjoy it while it lasted.

[hunniegl4zed]

Here’s another take for an ending that could happen with Scourge. It’s gonna be a heavy one, warning y’all now, but here it goes. 

Drained ending:

No choice. It’s all or nothing. Everyone is worn down, and Scourge is on the brink of destroying everything. A grim solution is made, where the group must get rid of the remaining anarchy beryl festering in his body. Even though they are well aware that Scourge will die once it’s been removed in his state. 

In his final moments, as the harmful energy gets drained, Scourge looks at Mayhem and Sonic, his bloodshot irises that were filled with hatred, fear, and pain eventually melt into the blue eyes they once knew. A resigned sadness at his fate but also immense relief that his terrible nightmare he’s been living in for so long is finally coming to an end. For a brief moment, he smiles at them as if to express gratitude.  

He shifts his gaze to the stars above him, whispering something, but by then, no one can hear him. His body then crumbles into dust.  

However, there’s a glowing core that remains behind. (Sonic universe Silver Saga issue 26, for reference and info.)

Turns out that Nazo (or anyone else that has profound experience with chaos powers) at the last second, manages to compress Scourge’s remaining life force into one. 

For a while Mayhem and the group are at a loss on what to do with this orb, so they turn to Zonic for answers. 

Zonic tells them that if they release Scourge’s core into a cosmic river, he’ll live out his next life as a new being immediately. Could be reborn as another version of Sonic, another hedgehog, or even as another species entirely. 

Maybe they’ll see him one day again, years and years later. But the group collectively agrees that it’s best that no one searches for him. Sonic gives Mayhem the similar advice of letting go of someone you love. Regardless of whichever zone he ends up in, to let him live out his life without any past ties. 

Sayonara, Scourge the Hedgehog. 

(….Okay, I don’t think endings are my strong suit, but I tried.)

THIS. THIS HAS HAD A HOLD ON ME FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS AND IM NOT MAD ABOUT IT 🔥🔥🔥

Think you have a culinary degree, cause YOU ARE COOKINGGGGGGG 👀❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

HIS EYES GOING BLUE AGAIN BEFORE HIS BODY TURNS INTO POWDERED SUGAR IS JUST *chef's kiss* SO FRIGGING GOOD 😭😭

I do think Nazo would have the capability to turns Scourge's core into the glowy orb. Having to have them go to Zonic all the way is putting even more weight to it. And when they are finally at the river, most of them are relieved and happy to give him another chance in life.

Mayhem would fall apart from having to let go of him. He's happy for Scourge to finally be rid of the pain and suffering, to have peace and a fresh restart. But it's almost like the cycle restarts again, leaving him on his own. Although Sonic and the others would be there to comfort him, it flipped a switch in his mind that; "Why even bother to make new connections or regain old ones, for it always ending to having to say goodbye or getting left alone?"

When weeks, months or maybe years pass, they could potentially cross paths again. It's both a blessing and a curse. Mayhem kept his mindset that way for the time being but, seeing Scourge, it would break down his mental walls and unleash the floodgates of emotions upon him. Should he interact, ask how he's doing, how's life doing? Hearing the words of the other play back in his mind, he's at a crossroads. It's a one life opportunity, hecc, they might never see each other again after this. But knowing what's at stake, deep down May knows that it would do Scourge more harm than good.

Those mere seconds of Scourge passing by, living out his deserved life, the both of them look at each other. Almost trying to talk to May, Scourge would see him walk away. Having a slight familiar feeling, he almost wanted to reach out to Mayhem, asking him if he knew the guy. Eventually, he wouldn't be able to reach him and shakes off the feeling a little. Shrugging, Scourge would resume his way as well.

[that-one-kiddo-in-the-back]

Okay so...

I was rewatching Sai's Lily's patron rant, and it got to the point of Lily talking about how you can get fired for the smallest shit which is true. Working customer service is hell, and if I could, I would become a streamer and/or youtuber.

So, hearing Lily complain about how hard her job is, and that reminded me of this one time I was working at Sonic.

So this happened like 3 years ago, and I was working at the drive-through, and this new girl (15) was taking orders. I was doing something else (I think I was making ice cream or just talking to someone), and I was called over because the girl was about to cry. I asked what was wrong, and she messed up on the order she couldn't hear the customer all that well (when I looked at the screen, there was like 60 or so orders of popcorn chicken) so I took the head set and tried to redo the whole order while apologizing but the damaged had been done.

The guy had completely lost it. Making death threats towards the 15 year old threatening to assault me. So I snapped.

The dude (he must be in his 40s) drove up to the window, and the yelling continued. He kept threatening to hurt the 15 year old. I yelled at him to shut up and to stop threatening us because we were still people.

Now I remember this pretty clearly because of how fucking funny this was. (It's funny now but not then)

Guy: I don't have to respect you look where your working at.

Me: Look where you're trying to eat at.

The yelled got even worse to the point he was about to get out of the car, but the girlfriend he had in the car kept him down he threw one last R-slur and I yelled for him to suck a cock and that I was gonna fuck his mother... I didn't get fired because we were really short staffed, and my manager was pretty chill. My manager did call and asked if I was okay and put me on leave for a bit.

[doomandgloomfromthetomb]

Sonic Youth - Fowler's Live, Adelaide, Australia, February 22, 2008

Starting in 2007, Sonic Youth started performing Daydream Nation from start-to-finish — and in early '08, the band took the whole thing down under. Though fans (and the band itself) may quibble, the 1988 LP had grown in stature over the years, earning a rep as the band's towering "masterpiece." My personal opinion changes from day to day as to whether it's their "best," exactly ... but my personal opinion is always that Daydream Nation is a fucking sweet album. Right?

In my interview with him a few years back, Steve Shelley talked a bit about how it all came together:

The ATP folks started this thing called Don’t Look Back, where bands would play classic albums live in their entirety. They asked us for a while, “Hey you want to do Daydream Nation?” And the answer was always like, “No thanks” [laughs]. But they kept offering a better and better payday and finally it was like “OK, we’ll do it.” But that meant we had to go back and learn it. The mix of that record is such a mesh of things that we had to remix it and put Thurston in the left side and Lee on the right side so they could learn their distinctive guitar parts. We really had to go back and figure out what exactly we did. It’s weird, but I enjoyed that that process a great deal.

So how does Daydream Nation hold up onstage almost 20 years after it was first unleashed upon the world? Very nicely. As Steve suggests, this is a faithful rendition of the album's 12 tracks; they're sticking to the script for the most part (they did not fly out Mike Watt to re-create his grouchy voicemail message on "Providence" though! That would've been cool.). But there's a certain magisterial quality to this Adelaide performance; less frantic and feral than it was back in the day, but with an added confidence and style. This is the band that also made Murray St. and Sonic Nurse — and you can sense that SY has figured out how to make Daydream's transitions ... not exactly smoother, but more elegant? Something like that. I like it, I think you'll like it, too.

Anyway, I was stuck in traffic around sunset listening to this recording recently and my mind started marveling at the weird collective energy and built-in trust that fuels a freeway. Hundreds, thousands of total strangers somehow in silent agreement (grudging, yes) that, yes, this is how it works, this is the direction we're headed in. A utopian interstate? Haha, sure. Of course, a traffic jam filled with pollution-spewing vehicles is far from a good thing. But that energy is worth considering, maybe. If we can make such an unlikely system work, imagine what else we could make work, something with far more positive vibrations. What does this have to do with Daydream Nation? No idea. But that was my own personal daydream.

Bandcamp | Merch | Concert Chronology

[beevean]

With the caveat that I can't comment on the actual gameplay because I sucked at it (yes, even in easy mode), I want you to know that the problem with Frontiers is most certainly NOT you. I liked Sage because I like most characters like Sage, but even if I enjoyed her scenes with Eggman, there were lots of moments where I kept putting down my Switch like "wait...would he ACTUALLY behave like this tho?" And if the doubts hit a kidfic fiend like me, I can't imagine what they did to a genuinely knowledgeable person like me (btw yes, the ending was VERY...boh?????)

"Boh" is ngl the perfect word to describe most things about Frontiers' story lmao, rip english we're built different :'D

IIRC Flynn said that the ending is like that because of time restraints. Which, okay, it's not uncommon for Sonic games to be rushed and it's not the writers' fault. But it says something that the ending focused so much on Eggman being saaaaad that his AI got destroyed (not long before recreating it perfectly in the golden ending, way to cheapen a supposedly emotional moment), while Sonic apparently doesn't give a single shit about her and her sacrifice. yeah. because sonic has always been always so flippant in the face of the death of others, am i right sa2, battle, unleashed :^)

I'm kind of the opposite and I find Sage's archetype too generic to be enjoyed in a vanilla state. I keep referencing Rei because Sage is so blatantly inspired from her that the Death Egg looks original by comparison, but Rei has not only a much sadder backstory and situation, she has a much more unique personality than Sage, mostly when she sasses back and displays an acute emotional intelligence. Sage... really doesn't have much other than her desire to be seen as a daughter by her creator. Apparently she told a joke off-screen? But it's such an odd inclusion that it nearly feels OOC rather than a way to give her depth.

And Gamma did the "Eggman's creation grows emotions" arc better, come at me.

Sonic was fine, to be fair. I can't really remember a moment of his that stood out as being OOC (aside from what I mentioned above lol), and I liked how he impressed Sage with his perseverance once his corruption hit a critical point: no snark, no arrogance, just a grin through gritted teeth. That's a good Sonic :)

Knuckles was also good! He had good chemistry with Sonic and his writing felt earnest overall. His arc is a little... I don't know, maybe the idea of him detatching himself from the ME is a little late now? But that's a nitpick.

But hey, still better than Amy and Tails, who deadass learn respectively how to "share love" (Amy???? the one who befriended Gamma and Shadow????? what's next, does Sonic have to learn to accept the help of his friends???????) and to not be wildly inconsistent break free from Sonic's shadow, which he already did in SA1, a game at this point older than most of the fanbase.

And Eggman is. Yeah. I think I said enough lol.

Anyway, thank you for coming forward to not make me feel insane lmao :'D

[maguro13-2]

KEIJO THE GAMBLING WATER SPORT FINALLY EXPLAINED!

[Sadness by Fumie Kumatani]

Nozomi : I don't understand. I don't how this happened? Why did my author abrupted my story? Why did they betray me? Has Japan decided that I did something wrong? Who's fault was it that destroyed a good sport for our reputation of Keijo?

Aoba : I hate Gecko endings.

Non : This did not turned out well.

Sayaka : Let's all pray that we deserved a better story for a better future of Keijo. Let's all just pray.

Nozomi : Agree, friend. I hope Keijo gets better sometime.

Omochao : *yelling while falling in a hot air balloon*

*CRASH!*

Nozomi : What the heck was that?

[Chao Kindergarten by Fumie Kumatani]

Omochao : *groans* Stupid hot air balloon! I don't know why I fell down just because I am a goner, this thing is useless! Didn't know why the chao used it in the special stages in the previous sonic game back at the end of 2003. Anyways, Girls of Keijo! I just got some exciting scoop!

Nozomi : Are you that announcer and reporter?

Omochao : Uhh, I think I am. Well, what do you expect? Anyway, why is the whole Keijo Stadium got quiet?

Nozomi : It was some troubles with the studio. When I was about to reach the true final chapter, the author who made my story abrupt in an end discovered we've been terminated because of the sales from that studio. I should never get my story adapted from that horrible studio that they did. They did Keijo dirty and never got to unleash the story's true full potential, so our author abandoned us and I felt like that I was betrayed.

Sayaka : Yeah, this is what we get for being adapted by idiots. Can't all of Japan do anything right for these mangas, these mangas to deserve attention and popularity.

Omochao : Did you get your into badminton?

Nozomi : But I did do some badminton and...Wha-? No I did not do badminton, I did surfing! I hate being a gymnast! Surfing was my thing and then I even had this!

*holds out the Blue Star Extreme Gear*

*Sonic And Knucles 1-UP jingle*

Omochao : SCHMOWZOW! That's Sonic's original Blue Star board! You kept it all along by yourself!?

Nozomi : It was a gift from a friend. I've known about him at a race! The race was all about sporting! I've feel like that Keijo would be a cool gambling sport. And all of the fans think that gambling in Japan's illegal.

Omochao : Gambling's illegal, you say? Well, say no more. That's how people addicted to these kind of sports, guess what and here's the truth. It turns out that this beloved contact sports for women was only a massive ploy by someone that is a dirty love for Keijo!

Nozomi : What's this about? What do you know about Keijo's fate?

Omochao : What I'm saying is that the beloved sport Keijo does not exist. Everyone knew that the fictional sport was a massive ploy orchestrated by people. Peach and recoome did all of this to make a fool out of you that and for the reason you were only a surfer when you were nine years old while having age progressively into the body of a 17-year old you.

Nozomi : Like what is that?

Sayaka : Are you telling me...

Nozomi : Wait, who's idea was it to make Keijo's story or something that made up.

Omochao : Ummm...

Nozomi : Well...?

Omochao : Both Princess Peach and your mother made the whole Keijo thing up, Nozomi.

Nozomi : You mean Keijo was a dreamy sport and story of mine that my mother and Princess Peach made it up? That's why my author betrayed me for something like that, because Keijo is literally all made up? Then what sport that I was into, Gambling?

Omochao : Listen to me, Nozomi Kaminashi. You were into Extreme Sports this whole time and you couldn't face the facts that you and your mother had been doing it for the past years. Your mother was actually hot surfer in Hawaii, but was a professional wrestler who was the world famous sports enthusiast that made up the story of Keijo, along with Princess Peach, and that it's so good it became a part of her life. But your dream was about being a surfer and a wrestler, she was the original ribbon girl and you were just a lonely outsider that doesn't even know about other sports that isn't gambling.

Aoba : All of this....All of this because of wrestling and surfing?! That means...

*clock ticking*

Nozomi : ALL OF THAT KEIJO STUFF WAS FOR NOTHING!?! PRINCESS PEACH HAD THE NERVES TO FLEECE ME!?!

Omochao : Technially, The idea for the Hip Whip Sumo girl was Princess Peach's idea that...Wait I sec, I think Miscalculated. I believe that you were also the one who made Keijo's story, you made it all up.

Nozomi : AND NOW YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT I WAS THE ONE WHO MADE UP KEIJO!?!

Omochao : Which is all nothing but a fantasy by you, your mother, and princess peach all this time.

Sayaka : I don't believe it. After all this time you, Nozomi Kaminashi, have played us all for fools! This entire Keijo story was all made up, you, your mother, and princess peach did it! Now I understand why did Shogakukan made our author betray us.

Non : The idiots at To Love Ru studio had been adapting on wrong information and decided to mess it all up with excluding the first of the manga's 20 chapters. Can you believe that? This sh** doesn't make any sense!

Aoba : Can't believe it was all for nothing!

Sayaka : It's all because of not just about wrestling and surfing, it's about the feminists! Yeah, this was all humanity's fault! I'm sorry that I thought Keijo would be cool and awesome and then ended with the geckos! That's what you really explained Keijo by all of us! All of this was nothing more than a fantasy and all of Shogakukan wanted us to get rid of Keijo for a Gecko ending? That's how it happened with Soul Eater and other shows that had a Gecko ending! What was Japan thinking about having good stories that give our selves the wasted potential!?

Nozomi : This is unacceptable! Now I felt like an idiot! I should've never had my story to be adapted by that stupid studio that made the animes of Mega Man. Oh wait, they did Shaman King and To Love Ru, big difference.

Non : I can't believe that Shogakukan gave us all the Middle finger. And now we're stuck in limbo with a wasted potential on Gecko Endings. This never happened before that is the same as Gainax endings and that's just stupid because Xebec gave us wasted potential from that stupid director!

Sayaka : I'm just clearly in deep sh** right now! I just don't know why the Anime/Manga industry was such in a harsh way to make good Shonen stories with the lowest and worst potentials ever to be adapted! I don't known if we could get ourselves a good reputation and a true full potential, would've had the true ending before To Love Ru studio messed up everything for us. Oh yeah, I know just a thing that we are gonna do for ourselves. Either we demanded to bring Keijo back to it's former roots and glory or I'm gonna kick both Sorayomi and Shogakukan's asses for giving us the downs with the Geckos!

Aoba : Woah, woah, woah! Hold the phone! My potential is to kick their asses! Yeah, I wanna beat the motherf***ing sh** out of their dumbass heads! That's my potential!

Omochao : Easy, girls! Easy! No need to go frustrated over the manga being Axed by the company. Shounen Stories like yours have quite the amount of potential. You all needed what you wanted for yourselves, right? You want potential that is needed for a story? I'll give you much potential there is to live up to your reputations. You'll have a peaceful future way ahead of yourselves and Keijo would never be messed up so that the future can be altered. Now then, Nozomi Kaminashi. If Keijo would like to comeback to the world of aquatic sports what would you do if you use Sonic's legendary Extreme Gear to make Keijo great again and not just a feminist's fantasy or something? What will it be?

Nozomi : Well, I could use a lot of potential on this Extreme Gear Board, then I'll have prove it to Mr. Sonic when I was in this body of a 17-year old being while I was nine years old in the year of 06. I got potential that I desperately needed to save this sport of mine that does not need gambling. The feeling that I need the potential that will never lay waste! Stories with Gecko endings like these are much a stupider way than Imagined! it's not the same to have a perfect ending. But first, I need some payback for all of industry. It's needs a true potential with a perfect potential and I know how give major paybacks to the author that made us and eventually those guys.

"meanwhile..."

Keijo Author (Sorayomi) : Look, Mr. Shogakukan president. You don't really have a choice, do you? I don't know why you wanted me to force Keijo to end the manga's story with a gecko. I mean, I was so close to making it to the true ending! It's not possible for to have my story to have all it's potential to be wasted! I mean it's got good potential, and you nearly just ruined my career! I don't know what the big fuss is about.

Shogakukan President : Listen here, Sorayomi! Your greatest story would not be perfect for to have a great story since the adaptation was a total bust and therefor it does not have great potential that it deserves a true happy ending! So the studio that adapted your manga has now with the latest and wasted potential that there is! So I am giving you a request that I am forbidding you to conitnue Keijo and axe it for newer mangas!

Keijo Author (Sorayomi) : But that's not fair! I worked my whole life for this, you can't just axe my greatest story! It's a masterpiece, fans loved it! Who says that you can't throw a perfectly good manga for a--WOAH!

*RUMBLING*

Shogakukan President : What is happening here!? You! Did I requested you to axe Keijo immediately?

Keijo Author (Sorayomi) : Hey! You told me that you forced me to give my story's ending the gecko and this what I've been telling you about.

*Master Core ABIS roaring*

Kagome : *screaming in terror* OH MY GOD!

Shinichiro/Conan : There's a giant robot attacking the company!

Shogakukan President : ...(looks at the author) I hope you know that you and your story are no longer welcoming here at Shogakukan. Also, I'm gonna have to ask you to resign from Shogakukan.

Nozomi : Hey, author! Remember me?

Keijo Author (Sorayomi) : Nozomi! But I...

Nozomi : I Told ya. This what happens when you throw you away with good potential from that horrible studio I was at. being by another studio was a stupid idea.

Sayaka : Hey, I was right. Extreme Gear was the kind of potential that we needed to bring Keijo back.

Keijo Author (Sorayomi) : But Nozomi! Why!?

Nozomi : Payback from 2016.

Keijo Author (Sorayomi) : Look! I'm sorry, okay!? I'm really sorry! Studio Xebec should've never adapted my story and was given with a wasted potential they would forced me to end the story with the Geckos! I promise that I would have my story to be adapted with that same studio again!

Nozomi : You promised that you would give me great potential?

Keijo Author (Sorayomi) : I promised! I promised to give you, your friends, and all of Keijo to have the true fullest potential you needed! I'll give as much potential you need! But please, don't hurt me! I'm just a simple man that needs a story with a greatest potential there was! Heck, even the fans wanted your story to have the full potential! I owned Keijo's story fair and square and all of that potential from Studio Xebec have been wasted! I'm really sorry that I screwed things up for you, Nozomi Kaminashi! Please, forgive me!

Nozomi : That's better now.

Non : You did great Nozomi, but there is a problem. our world of Keijo maybe gone forever, but we can never forgive one these people for letting us down with the Geckos. I'm sure there might be a way to give Keijo a better reputation if these people that does not wanted us to go down with the Geckos.

Sayaka : Yeah, I'm sure we'll live up to that, Nozomi. You'll be better without Keijo in spite of your dream of becoming prize queen. I don't if that Extreme Gear that this Blue Hedgehog back in 2006.

Nozomi : I think you're right about that, Sayaka. Sonic did gave this to me when I was at the race with around ten year ago before Studi Xebec could give me with the Geckos.

*DING!*

Nozomi : I have a better idea. (to her author) Starting with you.

Keijo Author (Sorayomi) : Oh no.

"meanwhile later..."

Amy : Hey, Sonic! Congratulations on saving your friend's dream! We're glad that Keijo is no longer a sport for gambling, Keijo is now a sport for everyone. How on earth did you smake Keijo a regular sport and this time, how did you let Nozomi able to reach her dream?

Sonic : Well, it happened around ten years ago. I did helped Nozomi Kaminashi to race with me on Extreme Gear. She told me that she would have the coolest potential that she needed to be unlocked. Extreme Gear was her truest and fullest potential to save that sport. But don't worry, Keijo's not going anyway!

Knuckles : Hey, guys! Come quick! The EX-World Grand Prix is about to begin!

Omochao : Welcome sports fans to the exciting extravaganza racing event of the EX World Grand Prix! I'm your host Omochao! And to this race, we have the return of the Legendary Blue Star and original Extreme Gear boards of the first Ex-World Grand Prix! We now go live with the participants of Blue Star's current and newest boarder, Nozomi Kaminashi! The girl who saved Keijo who saved a major sport that is officially now part of Extreme Gear history, along with her friends! So, Nozomi. How does it feel alive to have yourself back into the world of racing?

Nozomi being Interviewed : I just wanted to say that Keijo may have been my favorite sport, but I believe it is now part of Extreme Gear history, I thank the fans with all their help along with my friends a good reasoning that Keijo will be saved and preserved to be a part of this race! And I couldn't done it without their help especially you, Sonic the Hedgehog! Thanks for giving me your old Blue Star board! Congratulate on me for helping me save a contact sport that is not gambling anymore.

Tails : All thanks to you, Sonic. You finally made her reputation to live up to the Sonic Rider.

Sonic : It's called Sonic Riders that happened in the 06.

Tails : Exactly. Speaking of Keijo, I wonder where that rival yours anyay.

Sonic : Oh, I know exactly what he has been doing.

(scene changes)

Keijo Author now being crazed : [laughs manically] I'm going ahead like a potato! Need more potential! Can I even catch a break!

Jet : Faster! Faster! We don't got all day! Nozomi's reputation is on the line! We need her to win this race! The EX-World Gear isn't going it hold itself! Keep writing!

Keijo Author : I'm going Krazy for Keijo! I don't even why that I'm doing this!

Orbot : I got a bad feeling about this, Cubot.

Cubot : I don't even know what we're doing?

Eggman : Why that horrid hedgehog!

Nozomi seen on TV : Alright, everyone! Let's the show world what Keijo and Extreme Gear is all about! Winning from our buts with Keijo Style!

Omochao on TV : And there off!

Sonic : Hey! This looks really great! This is much better than gambling sports!

Amy : I know, right? This is a great for racing and combat material! This new and improved Keijo that looks nothing bad and it's so good!

Sonic : Sweet! I bet the World Aquatics will wait for a day to meet Keijo as a historic sporting each and for everyone! Now that's potential.

[Iris shot]

Kirby : (loses color, begs the animator for color)

Animator : Whoops. Sorry about that. *colors Kirby back in with pink*

Kirby : Poyo!

[Iris out]

~ TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH KEIJO ~

[glapplebloom]

The Final G4 IDW Comics (I’m counting the Reimagined Stuff as G5)...

It begins with Twilight experimenting on Minty (the G3 Pony) and Lickety-Split. It shows us how the Smooze affects them, how long it takes hold, and how to cure it. And since the combined might would kill them, Twilight figured how to fracture the Rainbow Power into more handable objects like a Mirror for Rarity and Rope for Applejack. So the plan is to unleash it at the Party to cure everyone at once.

Meanwhile our Witches are in Ponyville and enjoying the sights to see. But also seeing the negatives of their actions. A store for candies and cakes, where the patrons attack them. A place where there seemed to be fun games to play, that the building got demolished and the Arcades unusable. Rarity’s Boutique that is being confused for a different store that is for setting up Halloween Costumes, to be overrun by Snakes. 

As Belle and Shadow show their creators around, Violet Shiver is confronted by Pinkie Pie who loved the work she did with the decorations. This causes Violet to question her actions since she wants to do her job but doesn’t want to hurt them. This causes the Smooze to possess her, making her stronger. This leads to everyone heading towards the Party, including the Witches disguised as a single horse.

It seemed to be going alright, until Violet Shiver began the attack. Or should I say Smooze. It is attacking everyone and those capable of fighting it off try. Even Black Belle and Shadow Storm are helping keep the doors open to let others escape. Shadow Storm saves his masters while Black Belle saves her students. So what does Grackle, the one that is showing off magic, think about all this?

She doesn’t like it. She’s finally seeing what her actions have done and it made her question her mother. They want revenge for their defeat, so they forced their daughters to continue seeking that goal. Meanwhile, they berated them, kept them locked up in a Volcano while they tried to find their own magic, all the while not realizing they had a home to live in, daughters they should be proud of, and presumably somebody who loves them considering what usually is required to have kids.

So Grackle uses her magic, combined with the Friendship Magic, to defeat the Smooze out of the S'monies. They begin to fade, but their kindness shown (minus Shadow Storm) allows them to stay as legit ponies. And the series ends with the Witches saying they’re gonna travel and the G1 ponies staying to look around. Overall, this is a terrible crossover. 

The main selling point doesn’t show up till the final two issues, and they barely do anything to make themselves memorable or stand out. Imagine if there’s a Mario and Sonic Crossover and you only play as one of them in the final 2/5 of the game. Or a Marvel/DC Crossover where you don’t see the other side being referenced until near the final end. That only worked once.

But what about as a story of itself? It's quite similar to the G4 Movie: Ponies doing stuff, then villains interfere. Our heroes need to travel to find a way to stop it and everyone comes together at the end to stop it, including reforming the majority of the villains. The problem is imagine building the set up for 3/5 of the movie and then rushing to meet everyone and solve the problem in the final 2/5.

If it was streamlined more, it could have worked. Shorter build up. Fewer characters to focus on. Have more time with the crossover aspect. The idea of a Generation moving on is a good story. But while Grackle got most of the story bits as well as the display of power, Dyre doesn’t get as much. While Violet Shiver got a LOT of build up and Black Belle got a few bits, Shadow Storm didn’t have much until near the end for a convincing face turn. 

This had the same problems as their Season 10 Comics: they were more interested with their own concepts than working with what was established. So they focused on new characters so much that by the time it was made to wrap it up not all of them got fleshed out. Even with my lack of knowledge on pre-Generation 4, my rewrite used one issue to establish the past of the G1, set up the situation and have them go to other universes to team up, So that’s 4 issues of the Crossover Aspect. 

(SOURCE)

It's written in a way so vague, you can have any pony from any Generation be part of the story at any time, with only Twilight and Sunny being necessary. Yes, I included other generations beyond G1 and G4, including the Pony Tales Variant and G2, which didn’t have anything other than a PC Game. If IDW gets to do a G4/G5 Crossover, hopefully they’ll learn from their first attempt and focus on the things people want to see: the two Generations actually interacting with each other.

And with that, IDW is complete until I get to G5. But I got plenty of shorts, books, and Equestria Girls to go through before I Revisit that Generation. 

[latin-dr-robotnik]

I don’t know if it’s been discussed already, but something that really impressed me about Sonic 2 is how the set up Robotnik’s sheer brilliance from the very first minute.

I feel like Sonic 1 mainly showed how smart he is, always in control of the situation and with enough resources to shift the tide if things change. Sonic 2 in comparison focuses a lot on his sheer determination, how far he’s willing to push, to plan ahead and stick to it to the last consequences, to become a god among men and rule over them all. And it all started with “I’ll be home by Christmas!” at the end of the first movie and that incredibly complex trap he set up for the three scavengers and Knuckles at the start of this new movie. That’s a seriously impressive moment, by the way.

I brought this side of Eggman’s character up months ago when I noted his plan in Sonic 3 and how he did not let it go until the very last second of the game, and the second Sonic movie felt like I was watching exactly that. Ever since the minute he came back to Earth he didn’t treat Sonic with the same smart, professional attitude like in Sonic 1, this time he was out for blood because the hedgehog would stop his plans otherwise. He kept his witty comments, but he wasn’t playing games at all after being banished to the Mushroom Planet for so long. He literally set up a horror movie scene at Sonic’s house as his entrance, lol.

And while he may not have suceeded at first, he took control of the situation, executed his plan perfectly and when it was time to handle the betrayal, he waited for his chance, spoke in a low voice when he tried to backstab Knuckles until Sonic interrupted that. Then, a new opportunity arose: distract the fools, grab the Emerald, be untouchable. So clean and elegant.

A similar thing happens at the end, in a moment I was actually waiting to repeat Eggman’s “gotcha!” moment in Unleashed’s intro. As Super Sonic enters the scene and starts to tear the mech apart, he takes a step back and tries to reason with him, to reach a fake middle ground in an attempt to lure Sonic into a false sense of security before striking back. It didn’t work, of course, but we know that exact move has worked at least once in the game series before, and I think that’s what makes that moment in the movie so damn cool.

I may be rambling a bit by now since I’m still trying to piece together what I think of the movie overall, but that’s what impressed me the most of Robotnik in Sonic 2. Even at the end of the movie his fate is unclear, and while that may have to do with decisions outside of the movie itself, I like the idea Eggman will just vanish and leave everyone wondering if he’s really gone or not, while also setting up Stone as a future main threat. It’s like the mystery of Eggman’s fate at the end of Sonic Forces but, y’know, good.

tl;dr this is peak Robotnik

[8-bit-britt]

Thoughts on Sonic Frontiers?

Oh man where do I even begin.

The wait for this game was a roller-coaster of emotions for me. I wasn't too interested in it at first and had no means to play it anyway since I didn't have my PS4 yet. But the more that was revealed, the more excited I got. I've always wanted to run around as Sonic in an open world and Frontiers kept looking more and more promising. But with hype came anxiety too. Part of me feared that the first Sonic game I've been excited for in years was gonna flop horribly and that all my hype would be for nothing. It did not disappoint.

I love this game. It's moody and atmospheric. The way the game is first presented to you through the tutorial level is perfect. Sonic starting in a dark, closed off corridor with no direction but to go towards the blinding light up ahead, slowly revealing the world to you as your eyes adjust but only a small strip of the island to get the players comfortable. I loved the somber music and the rain, it really added to Sonic's feeling of loneliness in an unknown location. Then once you get out of that tutorial area, you get this huge pan view of the actual island and the real game starts.

The funnest part of the game for me is how it encourages you to find certain landmark puzzles in order to unlock more of the map. Until then, you're running around blindly and venturing wherever your little heart desires. I love how as you progress through the story, the island theme changes with it. It gives you a sense of progress and keeps the exploration engaging in a sense. I appreciate finally having a Sonic game that has both atmospheric music that's part of the actual gameplay while still having your typical Sonic jams in the cyberspace levels. Stillness and Motion is the perfect way to summarize the feeling this game gives, coming from the title of the ost, having both high octane fighting and speeding through levels while also having a lot of downtime to just soak in the surroundings.

The bosses, good LORD. Easily the best super Sonic fights we've had in years, this is peak power. I love seeing other people's reactions to the music because it goes HARD. Metal music in a Sonic game, we love to see it. There were moments in these fights that legit gave me chills with how cinematic they are. Incredible.

Lowest point is easily the cyberspace levels. I found myself putting them off until I had to do them, they just stopped interesting me after awhile. I would much rather explore the islands than do these really short and easy levels. They just felt kinda tacked on last minute. You would think that the levels being short would be a good thing since I don't feel like playing them much but it just further makes it feel like there wasn't much time and thought put into them. Could just be me being spoiled on having played Sonic Unleashed recently but who knows.

Finally, the story. The story is great! I was excited to hear from the start that comic writer Ian Flynn was on board and I got exactly what I wanted. Uncovering the mystery of the Starfall Islands and seeing how it all connects to previous mainline Sonic games and seeing the characters written in a way that makes them feel real and fit the overall tone. Character depth that had been missing from the cast for so long. The way Sonic interacts with his friends here felt so genuine, both with it's light-hearted segments and it's more serious ones. Sonic not only helped his friends by freeing them but also helped them discover something more about themselves along the journey. In the game where we play off of Sonic being stripped of any sort of community in a foreign place, he in turn helps them realize what journey of self discovery they want to pursue and Sonic supports their decision to go their separate ways. At least for a little while. There's something so beautiful and bittersweet about that. The story arc with Tails is the best example of this, how Sonic didn't anticipate for his lil bro to grow up so quickly and is a little hesitant on seeing Tails venture out to become his own hero, but Sonic fully supports him. It makes me so excited to see the future of this series and how we can see these bonds further develope.

Also THE MODEL EXPRESSIONS, HELLO??? THEY ANIMATED SONIC'S EARS!

To try to wrap this up, I overall thoroughly enjoyed Sonic Frontiers and recommend it to anyone looking for a more engaging story within the series. It's a fun, chill game with its intense and heartfelt moments when needed.

[ganymedesclock]

Ooh ooh ooh, how about your version of Sonic for the powers thing?

You see, Sonic is fast, because if he doesn't keep ahead of his problems, he'll have to actually think about them, and then he'll have a crisis.

This is partially a fun opener joke and it's also not. I'll let you decide how much of each it is. In the meantime, I'm going to talk about what my reads of various canons inspire in me, and how that informs Worlds AU, a bit more than talking about Worlds AU itself.

So Sonic in the initial game canon, started out with an extremely simple conceit. You can see this mirrored across all of the non-Amy classic characters: Sonic runs, that's his thing; Tails flies, Knuckles punches, Eggman makes robots and also problems, which sort of condenses into one thing considering the role robots have in the classic games.

(that damn caterkiller has cost me SO many attempts at a chaos emerald...)

This sort of got to be a problem as the games advanced. In particular, the Sonic game I started on was Sonic Adventure 2, which pitted Sonic very prominently off of Shadow. At this point, character concepts are no longer about simple capabilities, and every other member of the cast has grown up. (even Amy... though not too much. sorry Amy). Tails is now building robots to go with how his flight allows him to reach unconventional 'tricky' routes; Knuckles is now more of an adventurer, explorer, and even a mystic given his history and relationship with the emeralds. This earthly pugilist sense grounds him in a more versatile skill-set.

Sonic... basically his gimmick was remaining true to the classic formula- he was still the one going fast, popping those shuttle loops, and tumbling through a chaotic universe. Yes, they absolutely polished this and put flourishes on it- now he's grinding rails and flipping on poles, this sense of street-smart parkour that carries him cheekily through any environment...

But he's played off Shadow, where the thing about Shadow, especially in the first game, is Shadow is a person who suppresses most of his personality for his context. Not in an inorganic or badly written sense, mind- but he outright says to Rouge at one point that it doesn't matter if anything he remembers is fake- in essence, that it's more real than he is, and a dead person's wish is more important than his life.

Shadow is a soldier, is an alien, is a bioweapon, is a teleporter and he shoots lasers. We are beyond the days of simple conceits; if he was conceived in the classic era, he'd have probably been either only a jet-skater or a teleporter, and that one conceit about how he moved through the world would've been through everything.

Sonic picks up the chaos control from Shadow- in direct reaction to Shadow- and this is commented on. In this scene, Sonic not only rejects Shadow's unhealthy obsession with context- that where he came from was everything- but mirrors it with an attitude that, frankly, to me, rings just as unbalanced- Sonic basically denies having a backstory whatsoever.

"What you see is what you get!" he says.

And that flew in the classic era. We didn't really have a consistent or strongly-drawn backstory over why Sonic was fast. Most continuities around that era point it to either an accident or a happenstance synergy with an outside force. But we didn't really need a story over why Tails can fly or why Knuckles had spurs on his fists.

But in the modern era... there's context. Many characters have superpowers. And more and more, there was a sense that those superpowers had context and history, whether the outright spelled, like Shadow (he was engineered to be capable of this; if you look at him, he has most of the abilities you'd expect of a boss fight in Resident Evil, minus the squelchy, infectious sorts and the Black Arms imply he could well have those and just not use them)

...or the simply alluded, such as Blaze's ominous comment that her flames are the reason she was always alone.

Sonic... clearly has powers. He's been reframed to keep up with he setting as it changes. But that exchange between him and Shadow- where Shadow looks at what Sonic is capable of, looks at him, and asks, verbatim, "what are you," and Sonic delivers a non-answer so naked and so certain that there's not really anything to say to that.

To this end, while I think it's highly intuitive that they picked the wind as the motif to spice Sonic up to- with its sense of freedom, and with its association with speed- I think there's also something about air in general that connects to Sonic.

Air is... omnipresent. It has an extremely complex seething system high overhead. Enormous paths and belts and spirals of wind curl over us all the time, pushing clouds the size of entire states around like it's nothing. When you look at the sky, it looks stationary. But wait, squint- it's actually moving. It's actually moving really fast.

One of my absolute favorite characterizing moments of Sonic is in Archie Comics, specifically the post-reboot series. To keep context minimal, Tails confides in Sonic that he's losing his memory of a certain incident that affected both of them, and he's worried; Sonic reassures him, typical hero big brother best friend, and gives him a big hug. The scene is warmly lit.

The very next panel is literally in the shadows, over Tails' shoulder and behind his back. And Sonic's expression is... troubled. Telling. We immediately understand from that alone he just lied, and has no ability to 'just remember for Tails'.

Sonic is not a vacuous person. He's not empty, he's not innocent, and he's certainly not just your same good nostalgic friend who never changed or got complicated so you don't have to reevaluate all of those things- the guy you can always count on, just like the sky is always there- but he sure pretends to be all of those things, and tries to keep the stormy weather as far away from other people as possible.

This is given another heroic-sounding-but-actually-concerning context in Sonic Unleashed, one of several games in which Sonic shows a maybe suspicious but profound aptitude for darkness where he guzzles and serves as a very powerful conduit for the energy of Dark Gaia, who is strongly connoted with rage, despair, denial, and other states considered bad for your health.

Sonic asks Chip- who he's just found out is Dark Gaia's counterpart- if it was his protection that kept him from losing his mind the entire time. Chip denies this, and states instead it's that "you never let the darkness win."

The thing is... anger and sadness are actually pretty important to feel. And it's actually not true that Sonic as a character doesn't feel anger- there's a few rather notable scenes in which he really loses his cool, some of them within Sonic Unleashed itself (he actually scares Eggman at the culmination of the Egg Dragoon fight) and in the game Sonic and the Secret Rings he actually achieves a super form powered by negative emotions- and that game also ends on a surprisingly melancholy note, where Shahra, when leaving Sonic, specifically gives him a bunch of tissues, a nod to how they met, and specifically "So you can cry as much as you need to."

Sonic is a good person. But Sonic is also... kind of a liar. He has this powerful connection to these highly destructive and dangerous entities- Dark Gaia, Chaos- and this is a thing he, pointedly, doesn't wonder about. And it's not arrogance, or an inability to consider the possibilities- in Sonic Colors he is very real with himself that he can't outrun a black hole, but only admits that once Tails is out of earshot on the one safe ride away from it- and while gearing up to try to do so anyway.

Wind is a contradictory thing. In the sky, we consider the possibility of ultimate freedom; flight and wings are often depicted as symbols of enormous power and efficacy because the very notion of being able to go wherever you want to captivates us.

On the other hand, though, a state of freefall is terrifying. In the unparalleled freedom of the sky, absolutely nothing can catch you if you fall.

(you know, except Tails, if you're fighting Eggman in Marble Garden- I'll leave)

We can talk about a bolt from the blue, a sudden storm or a just-as-sudden clear blue sky... the mechanisms of the air around us are often very hard to perceive for their superficial simplicity. And on sunny days when the wind lazes slowly through the leaves, it's hard to think of it as capable of hurricane forces.

I guess the note I want to leave this on is, it's pretty interesting how Sonic genuinely likes running, but he also tends to either outrun or fight anything that stresses him out- and "what he is" and "what he's capable of" is something he really doesn't like talking about even if he's happy to show or compete it.

[oh-yeah-i-exist]

Molten Gold - Chapter 7

Synopsis: Druig & Nara - best friends, pen pals, and idiots too stubborn to admit each other’s feelings. She assumes he doesn’t care, he assumes she’s found someone else. For over 500 years, he’s kept her letters, while she resists the urge to send more. Hopefully, the end of the world might knock some sense into them both.

Chapter: 7/8 (Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6)

Pairing: Druig x OC!Fem!Eternal (named Nara)

Warnings: Major violence, angsty

Word count: ~1135

A/N: One more chapter (I think) to go, guys! This was my first ever fic, after years of casual reading and secret writing, so I really appreciate everyone's likes and comments! Thanks for sticking around for all these chapters! Enjoy~

The Domo’s hatch door slides open. The Eternals’ last moments of silence are put to an end by the ominous gurgling of an erupting volcano.

Nara’s armor hugs her body perfectly, even after centuries of disuse. Stark white, with red patterned trimmings. An inverse image of Druig’s.

“When this is all done,” the telepath gives her hand a slight squeeze, scanning the rugged terrain below. “I’ll take you back to that bar, if it still stands, and we’re going to dance until we drop.”

“Are you asking me out, Dru?” Nara smiles, her eyes sparkling with adoration.

“What do you say, m’darling?” Druig raises an eyebrow. He nudges her playfully with his shoulder, and their bracelets – golden bands that serve to connect them to the Uni-mind – clink.

“It’s a date then. You’d better not be late.”

The Domo glides over the beach. As soon as their feet touch the white sand, the Uni-mind is activated, with Druig as the central link. Spreading his arms, he lets the golden celestial energy lift him up. Power surges through his veins, and he can feel them all. Thena’s grief, Sersi’s determination, Makkari’s loyalty, Phastos’s devotion to his family. Nara’s love.

The ground quakes, the planet’s crust crumbling as the newborn Celestial emerges. Druig’s eyes take on a golden hue, and his mind makes a tenuous connection with Tiamut’s. The god-like being, still half buried in the ground, halts as he grapples with the unfathomable depths of its psyche.

He’s still suspended in the air when a searing pain in his back breaks his concentration. The impact throws him out of balance, and he plummets unceremoniously to the beach beneath.

Ikarus.

The traitor swoops down like a hawk on prey, pulling Druig up by his neck. The other Eternals, suddenly released from the Uni-mind, are nowhere near.

“I should have done this 500 years ago,” Ikarus groans, dragging his former comrade up into the air. Gaining more height until he finally decides to let go.

And there’s nothing Nara can do as Ikarus murders the love of her life – pummels him without mercy into the side of the volcano, burying him under six feet of rocks and lava.

She can hear Makkari’s gut-wrenching scream, but she herself cannot utter a single sound.

“It’s over,” Ikarus doubles back, as if to gloat. “Druig’s gone.”

Big mistake. Makkari moves too quickly for him to react, running endless circles around him, while Nara conjures up flames. A tornado of fire and sand. Suffocating the bastard.

But they both know it wouldn’t be so easy. Ikarus takes but a couple of moments to regain his composure, laser vision piercing through the women’s combined attack.

Makkari breaks off, unleashing a barrage of sonic booms to force Ikarus back. Grabbing him by the back of his neck and shoving him roughly against a cliffside.

When he manages to repel her, Nara immediately takes over. Double, triple jabs with her spear’s blazing blade. Relentless slashes, going for the throat. Or those wicked eyes.

The appearance of the Deviant responsible for Gilgamesh’s demise makes little difference, even as it draws Thena away from the fight.

Nara sees nothing but red. Her entire body coated with raging flames, pushing her muscles to the limit. Breaking through Ikarus’s parries with sheer ferocity. One misstep on his part, and the blond finds himself with cuts all over.

“Enough!” He fumes, rocketing off into the sky.

“Oh no, you don’t,” Phastos sneers, deploying contraption after contraption. Linking up the machines, creating an indestructible web in which he ensnares Ikarus.

“I’ve always wanted to clip your wings!” Shouts the inventor, bringing the strongest Eternal to his knees.

Makkari and Nara catch their breath, the latter still bristling with hate.

“It’s not going to hold,” Nara observes in a hushed tone. In the split second before he breaks out of his chains, she gets ready.

“They work…” Phastos stares in awe as the redhead leaps up after Ikarus. Under the soles of her feet are the wheels he’s crafted, spinning rapidly, little circles of fire.

The two warriors collide mid-flight. Going toe to toe. Nara brings one foot forward, fist extended all the way to the elbow. Body sinks downwards, gathering power in the upswing. Her fist makes contact with his chest plate. Ikarus recoils, grasp backward with left palm, hit straight with right fist. The blowback from their punches sends shockwaves through the surrounding area.

“I told you,” Ikarus glowers at her. His knuckles ram into her left cheek. His hands close around her neck. “I will kill you.”

“You’re pathetic,” she spits out.

“You’ll regret that,” Ikarus begins climbing higher and higher into the atmosphere. All the while his grip constricts around her throat. It’s getting harder to breathe. Impossible to speak.

But she’s not done yet. She’ll make him pay. Even if it means burning herself up.

火

It was a close call. The humans must have been spewing nonsense when they say your life flashes before your eyes when you’re about to die. Druig finds himself entertaining no such thoughts as he claws his way out of the rubble.

It wasn’t Ikarus’s intention, but that jerk has sent Druig straight to the source of the Emergence. The mouth of the volcano, oozing with lava.

The sun is a shock to his eyes once he’s back above ground, and his lungs are assaulted by the copious amounts of ash in the air. Worse for wear, but very much alive.

He can barely make out the outlines of Sersi’s armor through the smoke, but the green is unmistakeable. And standing near her is a smaller figure, clad in teal. He picks up his pace when he realizes Sprite has, quite literally, stabbed Sersi in the back.

All around, mirages appear. Mirror-images of the original volcano.

“It’s over now,” Sprite is giving a little speech, “We get to start anew, on another planet.”

Druig picks out a rock. Any rock, really. The first thing he can grab. And with years’ worth of annoyance, he hits the littlest Eternal over the head. Effectively laying her out.

“Well, that was very moving,” he mocks, discarding the rock and bending down to pull Sersi up.

“Thank you,” The new Prime takes care of Sprite’s knife by transforming it into liquid. Slightly shaken up by such a turn of events.

“I can’t do this,” Druig admits. “This is your fight now.”

Sersi nods affirmative. “What’s wrong?” She asks, as Druig stares off into the distance, a look of horror written all over his face. She turns to look in the same direction.

“Is that…?”

A streak of reddish-orange hurtling through the clouds. Like a comet crashing to Earth, heading straight for the ocean. But it’s too small to be a comet.

[larabar]

late to the game but tails for the character asks? :]

first impression: awww little guy !!

impression now: hes just like my little brother frfr

favorite moment: the end of sonic 2 (1992) when he catches sonic with the tornado >>

idea for a story: ik it's not really tails but there needs to be more content of his counterparts in the storybook games :D

unpopular opinion: i think it made sense for him to cower in that one unleashed cutscene. it'd take a while to explain but. idk it didn't seem out of character to me

favorite relationship: SONIC !!! don't even know where to start with them they're my Everything

favorite headcanon: (from a little story i have for the first time the tornado was totalled) he kept as much as he could from it, specifically making sure the part with 'sonic' painted on it stayed intact