You were successful in repelling the robots attacking the city, but you've been left with far too many questions. For once, Tails doesn't have any answers for you, and a gloomy uncertainty has fallen over your three allies. It probably doesn't help that everyone had a rough time of it last week. A win is a win, but it doesn't really feel like a win when you're not even sure who this unknown threat is...
Regardless, life goes on. Things are a bit different this week in Chicago, however.
THE CITY
You'll need to be careful now more than ever when heading out into the city. Though Eggman's usual robots are still present, their numbers have been cut drastically. Far fewer drones patrol the streets, with only the occasional tank or B33 to be seen. You can still find and fight them, and they will still call for backup, but it seems like you all really have destroyed a lot of them.
But there are the new additions to Eggman's forces. Unlike the white chrome versions, these are here to cause problems. You can find them patrolling sometimes... but usually you'll find them in the city proper, destroying whatever they can. Whenever they catch sight of you, they will stop at nothing to try to pursue you and destroy you.
The city itself is still undergoing changes, with more of that white chrome spreading throughout, as if infecting the structures themselves. The Badniks will still destroy even that, though; it's more like they're mindless machines than carrying out any precise orders.
But in a stroke of good luck, occasionally you'll find that some of the humans recognize the danger they're in. It's only when confronted with a robot - but you might hear a scream, or see them try to run away, and if you save them, you may even be able to get a few words in before they simply return to their monotonous lives. You won't be able to get any truly valuable information from them, but they will thank you repeatedly for helping. They don't seem to realize that they're being controlled by someone else, even if you ask them about it.
VISIONS
If you thought last week was a lot, get ready for the madness of week 4!
You may still have nightmares. You may still be pulled into each others' nightmares (same as last week, if you'd like to play out more of these). Or maybe you'll finally be able to catch a break and get some z's, but even if you are lucky enough for that, you'll still be dealing with everything else.
You may find yourself randomly teleported into the city. This happens at random, and can happen to multiple people at the same time. One minute you may be waking up, the next you'll find yourself surrounded by robots ready to kill you. And yeah, the robots are a feature, not a bug. No matter how it happens, you will always be facing down robots whenever you're brought into the city. Enjoy!
But maybe your luck holds out and you're unaffected by that. Well, there's still the visions to deal with!
There are two different kinds of visions that may happen.
The first are the more minor ones - where you may see the people closest to you (positive or negative). They will appear for others as well, and they will gladly speak with you - though they aren't exactly behaving in the way they should. They will torment you, reminding you of past failures and imperfections, and speaking as though everything is your fault. They will follow you wherever you go, and will only fade when someone else has helped you come to terms with the horrid things they're saying. These visions are a manifestation of a character's psyche and thus are based on their own perceptions of their friends/enemies and their own faults. They're incapable of interacting with the world or the characters, but they sure can insult you!
The second are much larger in scope. No matter where you were, you may find yourself pulled into friend's memory. These memories are one-for-one versions of what exactly happened, though now you're here! Are you playing the role of someone else, or are you just a bystander in all that's happening?
The character having the vision may or may not be aware of you initially, but once they're made aware of your presence, the vision will still play out as the memory would. The only way to stop it - aside from simply letting it play out in its entirety - is to drastically alter the memory in such a way that it cannot get itself back on track. Considering the trauma some of the people in this game have, it might be a good idea to help break them free of it.
Regardless of which happens to you (the nightmares, the teleportation, or the visions), your vision will turn bright red for a moment afterwards - it vanishes quickly enough, but it leaves you with the eerie feeling that you're being watched.
SHARDS
Your powers are growing, and you'll find you're able to defend yourself with your power in some way, even if yours is a power made for support. All characters are now able to fire off a blast of energy in their shard color to defend themselves - this attack will grow stronger in time, but at least everyone should be able to defend themselves (somewhat) now?
As you fight with your allies - particularly those you have a close bond with, positive or negative - you may feel the tug of something in the back of your head; it tells you that you can do more. Together, you can become more powerful. You can use your shards together. Doing so will grant you a new power, or strengthen the one you already have. The more you trust one another, the easier this power will be to use.
It might be good to experiment with these new powers; after all, you never know when you may need them.
TAILS' TASKS
Like last week, Sonic Team is still in need of rings. Rings are still annoying to get. You'll probably need help to get them, but they're worth collecting. So make sure to grab some for Tails!
You may also be tasked with tracking Chaos Energy. Like with tracking rings, Tails will give you a device that can pick up on the signature. You should be careful in approaching, especially if the signature is a large one, considering the three enemies you faced last weekend. Still, Chaos Energy may lead you to more of Eggman's fake Chaos Emeralds, which could prove useful...
Tracking the source down will lead you to one of the weekly enemies with a shard somewhere on its body. It will be much harder to kill than the regular versions of that enemy, and capable of some kind of special power (players' choice). Crushing the shard will weaken the enemy and bring it back down to its normal power level, making it fairly easy to defeat, but if you manage to defeat it without breaking the shard, you can bring it back to Tails for examination.
ENEMIES
Though you can still find the enemies from previous weeks in Chicago throughout the city, their numbers have thinned. Mostly, you'll be running into new faces - robots that don't look anything like Eggman's usuals. They are very rarely actually patrolling or idling, instead focused on destroying parts of the city or attacking any people unfortunate enough to get in their way.
Moto Bugs are... rather cute. They roll around on their singular wheel and can slash with their front claws, though primarily they deal damage by ramming into things at fairly high speeds. They're fairly weak, all things considered, especially by now. They're completely powerless when knocked over or onto their backs. Though one Moto Bug is weak, you will never find them alone - instead, you'll usually find at least 3-5 of them in a group.
Crabmeats are robotic crabs. Where does the meat come in? Unclear. Regardless, they're stronger than Moto Bugs and are capable of both bashing with their massive claws and snipping, and either way they are capable of a good deal of damage if you get hit. They're slower though, which means getting out of the way shouldn't be too hard. Like Moto Bugs, these usually are never alone, often working in pairs.
Buzzers are bees. Did you think we were done with bees? We are absolutely not done with bees. These bees function almost identically to the B33 models in that they're capable of firing lasers from their stingers, divebombing to try to sting, and generally be(e)ing a nuisance. Unlike the B33 models, they do not have a glaringly obvious weak point and are a bit harder to hit and destroy as a result. Though you may rarely encounter only one of these bees out in the wild, usually you'll run into groups of them and they will not be(e) happy to see you.
Well, this sure wasn't something Ed really expected. First of all, he's transported to the city. He hadn't really come on his own, ever, for obvious reasons, and unless he was with everyone else he refrained from venturing further than the immediate surroundings of the hideout. Now, though, here he is, trying to go unnoticed through the alleyways, to return to safety without an encounter.
Easier said than done, really. It's only matter of time before he's caught by one of the robots.
Behind him, there's a wombat. She's just following along, looking like she's really, really annoyed with Ed]
Blood and shale, is that all you're going to do? Try to go unnoticed? Haven't you had enough of that already? When are you going to stop hiding and try to face everything around you?!
Is easier when you can fight back. Ed is no fighter.
Then what are you going to do to fix that? Stop making excuses and do something!
[Well, truthfully, despite everything...Ed welcomes the vision, to some extent. It's nice to see someone who he has only known as a friendly face -- the only one he met in more than a decade -- even though that face is now berating him constantly ith things he knows are true. Still, if you're around, perhaps helping Ed return safely might be good. Who knows how much longer he can stay unnoticed.
Ed is there, face buried in his hands, greatly frustrated]
Why is world so determined to show Ed's bad past? Last week was bad enough, this week is worse. Is no end to this?
[Especially because last week any revelations from him ended badly for Ed. His fears of rejection from people knowing what he has done are a reality, and a likely possibility.
Not that he thinks it'd be undeserved. He knows it'd be]
[Turo stands stock-still in the vision, mortified to find himself here at all. The content is horrible enough, but more than that - he wasn't exactly invited. He barely knows this person! He'd have left quite a while ago, except he...does not know how to leave this space they find themselves in, honestly.]
[Ed groans. This is the worst. Why did things have to go this way?]
Is much to ask you forget everything? Things Ed would rather others not to see...Ed knows it is all as sinful as it looks like. Is well aware of that -- but even despite that, can Ed ask you to forget and...try not to think about it next time you see Ed?
[That's as much as he can wish for, really. He knows that all it takes to earn someone's disdain and hate is for them to know about this. Great! The nightmares from last week continue]
I...can. Though, I think...you are being very hard on yourself?
[It's difficult for him to make himself directly disagree with someone. Who isn't, you know, dead already. But he's thought a lot about his own inaction. If the Professor had not been killed in an accident, was Turo really just going to stand by and let him destroy Paldea...? He's afraid the answer is yes.]
[He sure disagrees! In his opinion, he's being as hard on himself as he should be]
Life is...only one try. One mistake can change everything. Is not easy, to take right decision every time, because sometimes is hard to see what the consequences will be.
But is not that Ed could not see consequences. Problem is that Ed did not even try. And because of that, he took wrong decision, many times. And not only Ed's own life was destroyed. Mate's life too. Maybe even little one's. [He doesn't know what happened to her. She's doing pretty well, but he doesn't know that at all] With how many got hurt because of bad choices, is onyl right to be hard with myself.
[Is it fair that he's guilting himself so much? Probably not, given Blood Eyes' madness also was exacerbated by a malicious third party who pretty much encouraged those delusions beyond any reasonable hope, and Ed knows that, but how fair it is doesn't change his opinion much.
He's had a looooot of time to think of what he should have done and didn't do, probably enough time that his opinion of himself is real harsh now]
[Turo considers as Ed speaks, arms folded behind his back. It - actually rankles, a little, to have life explained to him that way. He's not a child. But he's also not alive, is he? So it's fair.
He could have acted sooner and avoided it all, maybe. That's a reasonable argument. But he acts like he never did anything, when he clearly did.]
At least you did anything at all. You might have continued doing nothing. [.....] Besides which, you are hardly the only one who could have acted sooner. Many people were aware of the situation.
heavy visions cw blanket discussion about domestic violence for the thread
[ Speaking of those revelations that ended badly...
In the last week, Ashley has been too much of a coward to face Ed. She realized that she was wrong and she judged too soon, but the thought of facing him after such a grave error—it's too much. So she's stayed away and let him think she hates him, because it's easier, and she's hated herself the whole time, even whilst enjoying the blossoming of a new relationship.
That's the simple reality of their situation.
She doesn't know when she would face him on her own, had she not found herself stuck in this vision as well. Not once does she try to interrupt or intervene, not after last time. It provides...context. It's not exactly needed context, because the moment she learned what Ed's mate had been doing to him, in her eyes it excused everything. The rest of it, well...
It just reinforces that. It leaves her crying silently, until Ed— the Ed here and now — expresses his frustration at the state of things. ]
E- Ed, I- I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I was wrong.
[ He must not want to see her. He must not. But he has to know. She can't be a coward anymore. ]
[Truthfully, yeah, Ed had pretty much already assumed Ashley hated his guts, and he was fine with that even though it was a painful thought. It hit him hard enough for him to isolate himself somewhat, because he feared others would start hating him too. So yeah, when he noticed Ashley of all people saw this whole memory, he was really dreading Ashley's reactions. He had absolutely no doubt it'd be more kindling for the hate Ashley felt.
An apology from her wasn't what he expected at all. Ed isn't sure how to react at first]
...no. Not wrong. Ed is not trying to be pitiful. Is just the truth, that you were not wrong in reacting like that.
[The nightmare and the vision had a couple tonal differences -- perhaps more outstandingly was that the elders had been less supportive in his nightmare than they had been in reality, them being the ones to propose his banishment. That probably was Ed's guilt speaking, really, feeling he hadn't deserved the mercifulness he was being extended back then. So of course, he also believes he doesn't deserve any kind of benefit of doubt in the present either]
[Jinx wanders, as she often does, until she is stuck in a vision that doesn't belong to her.
She waits, and listens. There's a palpable dread that sneaks up on the story unfolding before her eyes. "Hers"? Someone is watching this, perhaps it wasn't her. Maybe it was Powder, climbed from the well to watch further destruction of the innocent. Twisting and deforming.
She doesn't quite know when to face Ed, or even what to say. He was a stranger to her, but... that was familiar. A bit too familiar for some part of Jinx to bear. It brings a twitch to her shoulder, dragging a hand there to squeeze. To feel something.]
[ They're out in the city. Maybe they were out and about, on the way to a certain store perhaps just to raid it for something or whatever, but then stumble across a scene like this. The blond's giving something like a little derisive huff at the sight. But, the words from this phantasm aren't too scathing, and don't seem to even need rebuffing...
Not that they particularly care about that sort of thing at the moment - these little nuisances are really starting to pile up. ]
What did you even come out here for?
[ Beat. ]
And who is that, anyway?
[ They definitely don't recognize that other animal; but, it is an idle ask. ]
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no subject
Well, this sure wasn't something Ed really expected. First of all, he's transported to the city. He hadn't really come on his own, ever, for obvious reasons, and unless he was with everyone else he refrained from venturing further than the immediate surroundings of the hideout. Now, though, here he is, trying to go unnoticed through the alleyways, to return to safety without an encounter.
Easier said than done, really. It's only matter of time before he's caught by one of the robots.
Behind him, there's a wombat. She's just following along, looking like she's really, really annoyed with Ed]
Blood and shale, is that all you're going to do? Try to go unnoticed? Haven't you had enough of that already? When are you going to stop hiding and try to face everything around you?!
Is easier when you can fight back. Ed is no fighter.
Then what are you going to do to fix that? Stop making excuses and do something!
[Well, truthfully, despite everything...Ed welcomes the vision, to some extent. It's nice to see someone who he has only known as a friendly face -- the only one he met in more than a decade -- even though that face is now berating him constantly ith things he knows are true. Still, if you're around, perhaps helping Ed return safely might be good. Who knows how much longer he can stay unnoticed.
Visions, Much Heavier
Content Warnings: Stillborn, Domestic Violence.
[Uf, good grief.
That sure is a whole lot.
Ed is there, face buried in his hands, greatly frustrated]
Why is world so determined to show Ed's bad past? Last week was bad enough, this week is worse. Is no end to this?
[Especially because last week any revelations from him ended badly for Ed. His fears of rejection from people knowing what he has done are a reality, and a likely possibility.
Not that he thinks it'd be undeserved. He knows it'd be]
heavy visions
I'm sorry, I - shouldn't be seeing this.
[How incredibly invasive?]
no subject
[Ed groans. This is the worst. Why did things have to go this way?]
Is much to ask you forget everything? Things Ed would rather others not to see...Ed knows it is all as sinful as it looks like. Is well aware of that -- but even despite that, can Ed ask you to forget and...try not to think about it next time you see Ed?
[That's as much as he can wish for, really. He knows that all it takes to earn someone's disdain and hate is for them to know about this. Great! The nightmares from last week continue]
no subject
I...can. Though, I think...you are being very hard on yourself?
[It's difficult for him to make himself directly disagree with someone. Who isn't, you know, dead already. But he's thought a lot about his own inaction. If the Professor had not been killed in an accident, was Turo really just going to stand by and let him destroy Paldea...? He's afraid the answer is yes.]
no subject
[He sure disagrees! In his opinion, he's being as hard on himself as he should be]
Life is...only one try. One mistake can change everything. Is not easy, to take right decision every time, because sometimes is hard to see what the consequences will be.
But is not that Ed could not see consequences. Problem is that Ed did not even try. And because of that, he took wrong decision, many times. And not only Ed's own life was destroyed. Mate's life too. Maybe even little one's. [He doesn't know what happened to her. She's doing pretty well, but he doesn't know that at all] With how many got hurt because of bad choices, is onyl right to be hard with myself.
[Is it fair that he's guilting himself so much? Probably not, given Blood Eyes' madness also was exacerbated by a malicious third party who pretty much encouraged those delusions beyond any reasonable hope, and Ed knows that, but how fair it is doesn't change his opinion much.
He's had a looooot of time to think of what he should have done and didn't do, probably enough time that his opinion of himself is real harsh now]
no subject
He could have acted sooner and avoided it all, maybe. That's a reasonable argument. But he acts like he never did anything, when he clearly did.]
At least you did anything at all. You might have continued doing nothing. [.....] Besides which, you are hardly the only one who could have acted sooner. Many people were aware of the situation.
heavy visions cw blanket discussion about domestic violence for the thread
In the last week, Ashley has been too much of a coward to face Ed. She realized that she was wrong and she judged too soon, but the thought of facing him after such a grave error—it's too much. So she's stayed away and let him think she hates him, because it's easier, and she's hated herself the whole time, even whilst enjoying the blossoming of a new relationship.
That's the simple reality of their situation.
She doesn't know when she would face him on her own, had she not found herself stuck in this vision as well. Not once does she try to interrupt or intervene, not after last time. It provides...context. It's not exactly needed context, because the moment she learned what Ed's mate had been doing to him, in her eyes it excused everything. The rest of it, well...
It just reinforces that. It leaves her crying silently, until Ed— the Ed here and now — expresses his frustration at the state of things. ]
E- Ed, I- I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I was wrong.
[ He must not want to see her. He must not. But he has to know. She can't be a coward anymore. ]
no subject
An apology from her wasn't what he expected at all. Ed isn't sure how to react at first]
...no. Not wrong. Ed is not trying to be pitiful. Is just the truth, that you were not wrong in reacting like that.
[The nightmare and the vision had a couple tonal differences -- perhaps more outstandingly was that the elders had been less supportive in his nightmare than they had been in reality, them being the ones to propose his banishment. That probably was Ed's guilt speaking, really, feeling he hadn't deserved the mercifulness he was being extended back then. So of course, he also believes he doesn't deserve any kind of benefit of doubt in the present either]
no subject
[ A sour taste overwhelms her. She feels a familiar cold spread across her skin. ]
You were- were being a- a determined parent, Ed, n-not a monster.
Heavy Visions, mention of mental illness
She waits, and listens. There's a palpable dread that sneaks up on the story unfolding before her eyes. "Hers"? Someone is watching this, perhaps it wasn't her. Maybe it was Powder, climbed from the well to watch further destruction of the innocent. Twisting and deforming.
She doesn't quite know when to face Ed, or even what to say. He was a stranger to her, but... that was familiar. A bit too familiar for some part of Jinx to bear. It brings a twitch to her shoulder, dragging a hand there to squeeze. To feel something.]
...Sure is easy... being this.
visions, lighter;
Not that they particularly care about that sort of thing at the moment - these little nuisances are really starting to pile up. ]
What did you even come out here for?
[ Beat. ]
And who is that, anyway?
[ They definitely don't recognize that other animal; but, it is an idle ask. ]