#artificialchaoscola

[flightyalrighty]

This new page is just genius to me.

Of course Shadow would be immediately upset at the idea of keeping a secret like this. He fought so long and hard to uncover the secrets of his own past, to reclaim the memories of who he was. That journey let him finally put that trauma behind him, to decide for himself who he wanted to become without anyone dictating it. Because of that, he’s a deeply honest character at his core (which makes Rouge’s reaction here so brilliant. Her instinct to keep the secret says so much about both of them that, despite their closeness, they see information in completely different ways. That’s fantastic characterization. I love that contrast). And then Shadow’s hesitation once he realizes Sonic and Tails are siblings? Just chef’s kiss. As much as Shadow loathes himself for what happened to Maria, and no matter how much he may have wanted to blame himself, he wasn’t the one who physically pulled the trigger. Sonic, in contrast, was literally used to kill his own brother. He’s blameless, of course, but the weight of that knowledge… that’s unbearable. Maria’s death was horrifying, but Sonic’s trauma would be visceral. He’d have been standing there, covered in his brother’s blood and guts. And seeing his reflection earlier? That’s something no one walks away from unchanged. And that’s what makes this dynamic so tragic. Sonic’s always been the one to come out on top. Eggman could never beat him. Erazor Djinn couldn’t break him. Dark Gaia couldn’t corrupt him. He probably thought of himself as invincible to any influence… and I imagine his friends did too, to some extent. But now Shadow, who’s lived through his own grief and destruction, is the one standing there, knowing that telling Sonic the truth might shatter him in the same way Maria’s death shattered him (also if this is all after SatBK too, imagine Sonic telling Merlina that there's a beauty in things ending only to be slapped in the face with a grief such as this. It's PEAK). Anyways, that parallel is devastating. It’s so juicy and tragic and UGH I love this comic so much. If Shadow does decide to remain quiet, I look forward to him dealing with the guilt of keeping such a secret, and then I look even MORE forward to the day when he has to tell him. Future me will cry no matter what you decide to do~

Sorry for rambling, I just think this comic is brilliant! You’re writing these characters with such insight and care, and it’s going to destroy us all (in the best way). Please keep breaking our hearts, stay hydrated, and keep up the incredible work!

I like your long ask! I have nothing I can say about it, but just know I appreciate it! Have this sketch!

[flightyalrighty]

Hey Flighty! Hope your day has been good! :>

Two quick questions! First:

I just wanted to clarify if Sonic was able to smack the bug and squish it before it could burrow inside? If not, then... Geez, these things are fast, and that's another thing I get to freak out about while I'm reading this njkml (love Sonic's expressions as per usual btw you are a wizard at drawing him)

Secondly, when it comes to drawing blood and gore, is there a particular reference you use for accuracy? I’m trying to improve in that area, and I usually just pull from manga or shows I’ve seen, but I really love how you illustrate it, especially with the way it fits your comic’s style. I was curious if you have a specific method or go-to sources when creating those visuals.

Howdy! Yes, the bug got inside Sonic pretty quickly. She would've been halfway, and then Sonic's hand sent her all the way in.

I have not yet needed to draw any intense gore, but for blood I learned a whole lot from this tutorial specifically. When I do need to show some major gory injuries, I'll see how others depict it and look at your standard anatomical illustrations and whatnot to see what goes where.

[flightyalrighty]

I think part of the reason my gut is like "No, Tails can't be dead! Pfft! You're silly!" is that NOT ONLY would it be Sonic's (his brother's) fault, NOT ONLY is he just a kid, but also... Tails is just such a gem.

He's so smart, talented, and a hard-working individual. In most conflicts, Tails is a source of comfort for everyone else, rationalizing the chaos and giving them solutions to work towards. Like, who is Sonic supposed to turn to not only as a brother, but as someone who can help him figure out what's wrong before it's too late? Sonic relies on Tails so much and this Is just... aaaAAAAA-

I've been in such denial since I first saw the fur on Sonic's body and I want to say it's just brilliant to hang this in the air in front of us because of how important of a character Tails is in general. It's emotionally terrible + makes the threat in this story seem more unobtainable (I hope that makes sense) + I love it but I'm also crying. I'm going to keep coping forever ;.;

Tails is such an important character in the franchise, not just on a strategic "He's smart enough to Solve The Problem" level but on an emotional level as well, as you've stated.

He also wasn't done growing, and had so much he could've still done. So much he still should have been able to experience. That was a child. An eight-year-old boy. A hero, yes, but young, and mortal like the rest of us.

And to be cut down by his own brother. Someone he trusted, trusted more than anyone else.

What do you suppose those last moments were like for him? How do you think it all felt?

Was he scared?

Was he sad?

If his life flashed before his eyes in that single second before he was taken from the world, half of that life would've been filled with Sonic's smiling face.

[flightyalrighty]

Hi! I was the anon who sent you that message about the movie (idk why I put anon last night I goofed fr!) but THANK YOU AAAA you're absolutely reading my mind.

Sonic has almost always been the victim of weird critics. I think it's totally fine for people to enjoy the filmverse for what it is (I know I'm def hyped for Shadow, simply because he looks great!), but we can 100% enjoy what the franchise puts out while also being critical where it needs to be. ESPECIALLY in a movie that is inspired by the game that introduced us to concepts of propaganda, "authority as cruelty", etc. as children. So many younger people now could have gotten a taste of that from the movies, but... they just didn't do it. Maybe the third movie can fix some of that cracked foundation, but what came before is just... ugh. (The thing in the Knuckles show is a meme in my friend group because what the actual hell LMFAO)

Also the "enjoy the boys and stop complaining about the girls" is diabolical. Have we forgotten how much the women in Shadow's life have influenced him? Of course Maria is in the movie, as she will inspire him forever. But Amy? Who reminded him of Maria's wish? Rouge? Who has seen Shadow at his worst and will continue to be at his side no matter what? Like maybe I've just overanalyzed Shadow too much, but it's always felt so endearing to me how moved he's been by the positive lady-influences in his life. This isn't even going into what Rouge and Amy bring to the table on their own, like... gosh. It's not SA2 without them, and again I KNOW the movies are their own thing, but... what's the point? Ugh. UGH.

I'm so sorry to fill your inbox with a ramble again, but seriously it's refreshing to see someone who just gets it. Just... thank you! ❤️Drink lots of water and take breaks ❤️

👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆 To the people who insist this is all fine and try shutting down criticism by saying stuff like "Well the movies are different!" how different can the Sonic movies become until it's not a Sonic movie anymore? What can Paramount do that's finally the line crossed where people can say "okay that's not Sonic anymore."

Is there a line?

If Sonic's genre suddenly shifted into, like, The West Wing, all about the president (with a few minutes of Sonic) are people gonna say it's still a Sonic movie?

Anyway! I like what you've said here! I think there's a lot of muck with these movies and it only benefits us to actually point that stuff out! Ugh indeed!

Also I'm currently on my break to answer this! Not drinking water atm but I am drinking shasta tiki punch (zero sugar), and it's very nice :)

[flightyalrighty]

Oh gosh, the talk of Sonic being a bit meaner in this universe has me ready for the drama.

Imagine Sonic, in his grief and anger, finding out Shadow stumbling upon our Slay Queen bug is the reason this happened in the first place. It's not REALLY Shadow's fault, but Sonic might say it is anyway because he won't think about how his words will make others hurt.

And then imagine Shadow, who has probably only ever seen the nicer side of Sonic, being told it's HIS fault. All by the guy who tries to see the best in others. Like... ouch. So good. IT IS SO GOOD... BUT THE MERE IDEA HURTS... Do the bugs in their heads like angst? I feel like they like angst.

(Also off topic from this but I would do anything to see the best for Ivan and I get the feeling that's... NOT about to happen but I wanted that thought out there ❤️)

I'm gonna take your joke "Do the bugs in their heads like angst" question and answer it with 100% seriousness:

She doesn't. She doesn't want her host feeling sad. All she wants them to feel is angry and scared. The most angry and scared they've ever felt in their lives.

Now, that said, I don't know if Sonic would blame anyone but himself if he knew what happened -- And exactly how it happened. He's supposed to be strong. He's supposed to overcome things like this. He was TOLD how he was so strong and incapable of becoming corrupted.

And yet.

[flightyalrighty]

I hope this is Rouge and Tails reactions to seeing the hedgie boys again (yes they're BOTH alive let me cope)

you hope they'd react like that if alive? Mean. :(