choose your buddy!

CHOOSE YOUR BUDDY ! ! an independent and selective multimuse blog, featuring characters from sonic the hedgehog. penned by ame.

[teamselect]

     Been thinking about Shadow… having some thoughts… surprisingly.

     I’ve decided to take many creative liberties with Shadow on this blog — particularly, his “canon” / history. The most glaring change is that he and Maria never formed a bond.

     During their time aboard the ARK, Shadow and Maria were two ships passing in the night. Parallel but never intersecting. A combination of Maria’s illness and the scientists’ gruelling regiment for Shadow kept them apart. The only true interaction they had was before Shadow even first opened his eyes: the gift of a name. “But a shadow points you in the direction of the light…!”

     Gerald knew that Maria’s death was a certainty. A wise man knows how to read the writing on the wall — but a desperate man will turn away from it. Hope is what inspired Shadow, a living manifestation of the word. It wasn’t enough. Because of this, two things happened:

Shadow was modelled after Maria. More specifically, her soul. His heart, the very thing that makes Shadow who he is, is a monument to a little girl’s hopes and dreams. Her kindness. Her thirst for knowledge. Her laughter and snaggle toothed smile, full of light. It is one in the same with Emerl and the source of his “dangerous purity”.

Gerald implanted false memories of Maria into Shadow. This was a means to an end for his eventual revenge, yes, but it was also a way to ensure Maria’s living legacy. Gerald knew his death wasn’t far behind, as it comes for all. But he couldn’t stand the idea of his granddaughter being forgotten. She deserved to live. And if she couldn’t, then let her live in Shadow. Let Shadow touch the earth and feel the grass and let Maria feel it through him. Let him feel the rain and wind, taste snow on his tongue, all for her. Let her live.

     When Shadow confronts Black Doom on the comet, the video that plays during the climax of the story is different. Instead of Maria’s smiling face, it’s an extended cut of Gerald’s execution. In it, he reveals these truths — that Shadow is not a weapon, he is a beating, bleeding heart. But if G.U.N wants him to kill so badly, then that is what he will do. Just not for them. For Maria. Gerald asks for forgiveness before the guns fire.

     The weight of it all comes crashing onto Shadow. Learning that Maria was a real girl, but not the one he knew. That he actually didn’t know her at all. Her smile, so clear in his mind, reduced to ash.

     When Shadow destroys the comet and his father, he also destroys himself. He becomes something new. How horrifying. How freeing.

[sunhalf-a2]

@teamselect / blaze & mei!

"And THEN — then! The jerk didn't even TELL ME I was a vessel for universe - eviscerating fire powers, which lead to his evil ex or WHATEVER to force my buddy to awaken it in me, which hurt like a BITCH and took me over for, like, days!" She's ranting, forgive her. She's not even actually that mad anymore — there's just nobody else who understands. NOW THAT SHE HAS A NEW BESTIE WHO MIGHT, well, y'know how it is. WORD VOM. "Luckily I had this really cool friend who's also a fire guy who helped me figure out how to control it, and my bestie MK is cool and I've got a support system and all that, but, like — worse way to find out you've got evil fire powers in you, y'know!"

Wait. Actually.

"UNLESS — unless the way you found out was worse, in which case, not tryna steal the trauma crown from you, I prommy. I'd never. Sowwy." Why are you talking like that. Gods above.

[teamselect]

       Wow. This girl can talk.

     It's not a negative thing — quite the opposite, really. Blaze has always preferred those who can fill the void of conversation for her; listening is easier, and boy, there is a lot to listen to right now. She's been doing so, attentively, for the past... ten? Fifteen minutes? It's hard to say, but the story is interesting, as is Mei's enthusiasm (reminding her of someone else she knows).

     "That is... certainly a less than ideal way to find out, yes. I can only imagine your stress." Blaze replies. "Though, it's good to have those you can trust. I'm happy to hear your situation has improved." Her use of the word "prommy" makes for a raised brow, because what just happened to her mouth, but the point gets across. "I received my powers at a young age; more time has been spent with them than without." She lifts a hand at eye level, watching a small stroke of fire dance around her fingers. "Before me, they belonged to my mother. They're inherited by each reigning sovereign of my kingdom. It is..." a curse, she thinks, then: "A gift."

     A closed fist extinguishs the flame. "Tell me more about your abilities. There was brief mention of a dragon?"

[teamselect]

     Kicking things off with a post talking about Blaze and the Sol Empire.

     Blaze resides in the Sol Dimension — a universe than runs parallel to Sonic's world, a.k.a the Prime Dimension. While the two obviously have their differences, there are plenty of similarities as well; chaos emeralds vs sol emeralds being an example.

     The Kingdom of Sol, also known as the Sol Empire, is an extensive group of islands ruled over by the current acting monarch. It's been active for many years and carries a strong maritime tradition, due to the ocean that hugs their borders. With a powerful navy, bountiful resources, and a highly affluent economy, Sol is thriving.

     In recent years, Blaze had her coronation and is now the only sovereign of Sol. Her formal title is King; one she chose herself after a long family history of Queens. During her time as Princess, she would frequently carry out royal duties by herself; not much has changed, aside from the level of responsibility.

     But responsibility has never scared her, given the past she's endured.

     Blaze's lineage comes with a secret. It's followed her ancestors — specifically, reigning monarchs — for many, many years, and finally found it's way to her the day of her mother's death. The gift (a burden, she used to say) of flame. A soul covered in fire. The deity called Iblis.

     History tells the tale of two gods, equal halves, revered by all. Iblis the Radiant, god of the sun, and Mephiles the Dark, god of time; co-existing, never one without the other. They would maintain the harmony of this world for centuries... until one day, Mephiles went astray. Without it's other half, Iblis lost control and filled the land with a raging inferno. They brought about mass destruction, and the Sol Dimension was nearly lost.

     Thankfully, a hero rose up — the original Queen of Sol. A warrior with boundless courage, who led her kingdom to prosperity and faced their demise with no fear. Using her scepter and The Power of the Stars, she sealed Mephiles away inside it, nullifying all power. With no room left in the wand, she was forced to lock Iblis away elsewhere... inside her very soul. The two became one, and both gods were now in their eternal tombs. History would remember her as The Goddess of the Flames.

     Blaze doesn't remember much about her mother. She was only young when she passed, and her farewell gift was a ritual that bestowed her a god. But she remembers her sharing this story, and how proud she was of their history. It took a long time for her to even begin to understand that sentiment. On bad days, she still doesn't.

The events of Sonic Rush introduce us to the story of '06. With Sol and Prime being linked ("like the north and south poles of a magnet..."), colliding into one another, the stability between them starts to fray. It's when Blaze goes Burning Blaze, and Sonic into Super Sonic, that the dimensions finally merge, creating the stage for '06. The Sol Empire becomes Soleanna, Elise is sealed with Iblis, and the Jeweled Scepter becomes the Scepter of Darkness. Blaze is sent into the future during all of the chaos, where she meets Silver.

Blaze loses her memories during all of this and only retains her fire powers as some kind of fragmented anomaly of what once was. Her and Elise are twin flames /haha.

When Blaze seals Iblis inside herself, a part of the timeline "corrects" itself and she is sent back to the Sol Dimension. You can briefly see her turning into Burning Blaze, since she's returning to the point in time when everything broke.

Solaris is "gone" when Elise blows out the flame at the end of the game. The only version of Iblis remaining is with Blaze in the Sol Dimension, and the remnants of Mephiles turn into the Time Eater. Some things stick around, such as Soleanna, because time is weird like that. Whatever.

Shenanigans continue like normal.

[espilvers]

TIKAL (Hero Garden)

[teamselect]

not bothering with a proper promo or anything but We're In, Fellas

[teamselect]

too tired to keep working on this blog today but... multimuse soon

[teamselect]

parkouriac​:

         Shadow never made things easy, this much continued to be true. Finding his composure cracking ever so slightly, Sonic clears his throat and sits a hand on his hip, the other brushing his chin.

         “So. We’ve, uh, not exactly had much time to hang out. I gotta ask… How much do you remember?” There’s a pause, another brief gulp. “Y’know… Of everything. I still can’t quite believe y’er even stood in front of me.”

          The laugh that follows is faint, unsure – a far cry from the mood-lightener that he hoped it would be. It trails off quietly, replaced by a searching stare, eyes unmoving from Shadow’s as if it were an attempt to lock him down; keep him from fading away. Again.

     Shadow may as well be exempt from the weight of that unwavering stare, given the way he’s practically leering in return. He looks at — no, through — the other hedgehog, eyes unblinking. He doesn’t know what ‘hang out’ means, nor is he bothered enough to ask, so instead, he focuses on the latter half of Sonic’s question.

     ‘How much do you remember?’

     “… that’s vague,” he says, regarding him with a contemplative eye. “You’ll have to elaborate more than ‘everything’ if you want an answer.” 

     Silence follows and hangs between them for a few, awkward seconds.

     “Why are you asking?” And isn't it obvious? So painfully, horribly obvious that he doesn’t remember anything? He’d think it a cruel inquiry, if he wasn’t well-aware of Sonic’s character. 

[teamselect]

◜parkouriac: "hey, shads. you, uh... got a second?" his hands fidget that same nervous tick; fingers tugging at a glove cuff idly. "i've got a question for you."

     Shadow knows that it’s him before he’s even said anything; all too familiar with the sound of his footsteps, because sometimes, they’re the only thing he can remember. It’s been this way since... well, that he can’t recall — it’s always the small things. How frustrating. 

     “You’re already here, so I suppose that I do now.” He replies, finally turning to face the other hedgehog. It’s been a few weeks since they were last face to face, and Shadow finds it... surprising, how unscathed Sonic appears after such a fight. ‘Another one of the emeralds many gifts. Interesting.’

     “I may have an answer.”