BUU! I'm a Ghostfromthevoid0

Alternative versions below!

You can treat it like the Christmas special

Metal Sonic can be found floating in a tube in Eggman’s base in the Mystic Ruins in Sonic Adventure. Here’s a look from inside the glass.

Sure we have seen them in TMOSTH, but come on.

So here is my overly complicated take on it! (Transferred from my Twitter, so formatting might be off)

(That also made me believe is why he supposedly runs away in the 84th issue)

Metal Sonic's disdain for Sage would have made perfect sense. Sage qualifies for his object of resentment. She got everything from the get-go, while he had to work hard for scraps. Eggman trusted her blindly, while Metal had to watch his every step. She could speak freely, even share her opinions, when he was robbed of his autonomy.

While we do know very little about how their relationship is canonically meant to be yet (especially seeing how the idea of them being family is being pushed nowadays)... we can for sure take a few clues we got from past issues and games.

Which is the fact that- all the robots that Eggman has build are competing.

Albeit for rewards (as mentioned in TMOSTH) or for simply optaining Eggman's favour in general.

And I can not imagine this kind of enviroment being very "fun" for "siblings".

Don't get me wrong, I love the Eggfamily (especially Metal) and I want all of them to be happy and to frolick on a virtual field and holding hands while singing kumbaya or whatever, but.. it doesn't really change the fact that them being a happy family was never thought of, when Metal Sonic was created initially. I doubt there was much thought put in at all, besides him being a rival/foil to Sonic.

The family aspect was tacked on later on, putting the writers in an oddly tragic spot, trying to make the silly father/son dynamics work...

...along with the master/robot slave dynamic they originally had. (picking one of the kinder examples here bwahah)

Sage has the writer's privilidge with being written as Eggman's daughter from the get-go. There is a clear divide in how these two "siblings" are getting treated, I mean.. look no further than the Crossworld rival interactions.

Which is why I believe, if Metal and Sage have anything resembling a "sibling" relationship, then it is probably the kind where you have a Golden Child VS The Scapegoat child.

The kind where Metal gets blamed for any shortcomings and Sage gets praised. The kind where Sage probably gets very harsh at times, telling him not to fail their father again, or else. The kind where Metal has to walk on eggshells all the time, because she might tattle.

And Metal of course, can't really say anything. Even if he could- who would listen?

But that's all Headcanon at best.

I really like where you referenced Belle in your post, Rykyowl. Metal and Belle have a mutual kind of respect (although, Belle does feel bad for Metal probably).

And Belle, other than Sage, does not want Eggman's approval. She sought the affection of her father, mr.tinker, who was her only family, but... yk, he is gone now.

It prolly won't happen, but I believe the "sibling" dynamic between Metal and Belle would be fun to explore, because they are both outcasts of the family. She wants to build Metal up and fix him (quite literally bwahah), instead of putting him down like the rest of their "family" does. She is a peach!

Belle WOULD listen! And Metal?

Well, that's a far more complicated conversation. There are many possibilities, yet restrictions for him. There is the Shard route he could take, if SEGA wants to be daring again, which I doubt for MANY reasons bwahah. Nah, SEGA buried that route for good.

He is absolutely staying with the family, me thinks... and things can only get more interesting from here. Where will the writers take this? The potential is endless! They just need to tap into it.

In conclusion;

I am hyped for anything that is to come with these fellas.

I am very hyped for IDW issue 84, man. If these covers are anything to go by... then ooooh, we will be having a field day!

These are some lowkey underrated tips I’ve seen floating around writing communities — the kind that don’t get flashy attention but seriously changed how I write.

1. Put “he/she/they” at the start of the sentence less often.

Try switching up your sentence rhythm. Instead of

“She walked to the window,”

try

“The window creaked open under her touch.”

Keeps it fresh and stops the paragraph from sounding like a checklist.

2. Don’t describe everything — describe what matters.

Instead of listing every detail in a room, pick 2–3 objects that say something.

“A half-drunk mug of tea and a knife on the table”

sets a way stronger tone than

“There was a wooden table, two chairs, and a shelf.”

3. Use beats instead of dialogue tags sometimes.

Instead of:

"I'm fine," she said.

Try:

"I'm fine." She wiped her hands on her skirt.

It helps shows emotion, and movement.

4. Write your first draft like no one will ever read it.

No pressure. No perfection. Just vibes. The point of draft one is to exist. Let it be messy and weird — future you will thank you for at least something to edit.

5. When stuck, ask: “What’s the most fun thing that could happen next?”

Not logical. Not realistic. FUN. It doesn’t have to stay — but chasing excitement can blast through writer’s block and give you ideas you actually want to write.

honourable mentions

(How your character defends their soft core and what could shatter it) Because protection becomes prison real fast.

Metal is the first villain that feels like a threat. He's not shown to be defective, except for needing to recharge. And, like, we know how powerful he is in in the canon timeline, and I don't see any reason to believe he's any different in Boom.

Knuckles punched him in the face over a dozen times (I lost count; I also couldn't seem to get a decent screenshot) and didn't even leave a dent. This tracks with Metal being made of some of Eggman's strongest alloys.

He fires this thing in almost every game, and it destroys whole buildings and roadways (not to mention, I've died to it a few times, myself).

So Knuckles was in real danger, here.

I know this episode was as much just for fun as the whole rest of the show. But I always have and always will see Metal as one of the best and most threatening villains of the franchise, and I'm very glad to see they maintained that even in this dopey AU.

Sure we have seen them in TMOSTH, but come on.

So here is my overly complicated take on it! (Transferred from my Twitter, so formatting might be off)

(That also made me believe is why he supposedly runs away in the 84th issue)

Metal Sonic's disdain for Sage would have made perfect sense. Sage qualifies for his object of resentment. She got everything from the get-go, while he had to work hard for scraps. Eggman trusted her blindly, while Metal had to watch his every step. She could speak freely, even share her opinions, when he was robbed of his autonomy.

Hello again! Last time I did an overview of Eggman Nega, so this time I chose a character even closer to Dr. Eggman himself: Metal Sonic. This post aims to be a short analysis of the character, his motivations and what makes him so interesting as a foil to Sonic's free spirit.

Purpose. Identity. Sonic.

Introduced in Sonic CD, Metal Sonic was built by Dr. Eggman and given one sole purpose: destroying Sonic. Operating under the twisted belief that he is the real, true Sonic, Metal constantly tries to prove his superiority to his "imperfect self" in contests of speed, coming back stronger each time.

Metal Sonic continues to analyze the situation as he runs after him. He has been unable to beat Sonic since the first match. He has the best performance and a tireless body of steel. There are plenty of factors that make him unbeatable. And yet, he can’t win. Why? Why can’t he beat a hedgehog that just runs fast… And then… A rustle of electrons rippled through this sea of AI cognitive threads. …Isn’t that because he’s “just fast”? (Translation by @browniestash!)

Metal Sonic occasionally shows some doubt or insecurity in his sole mission, but ultimately never gives up, analyzing gathered data to rethink his strategy and come back as more of a threat than ever. And Sonic is more than happy to take the challenge.

He’s already sent out a distress signal. Help will be arriving soon and he will be recovered at Eggman’s base. If he can connect to the base’s main computer and analyze today’s data, he should be able to win the next round. There will be room to rethink his inhibitory behavior and attack patterns, as well as to sharpen his focus on speed. He can still reach a higher dimension. There is someone with whom he must determine who is better in that dimension… (Translation by @browniestash!)

Stripped of free will

While Sonic is, most of the time, the only thing in Metal Sonic's mind, he does have another relationship of great importance to his character: the one with his master and creator, Dr. Eggman.

Regularly filling the role of Eggman's silent enforcer, Metal Sonic holds a much higher status than most Badniks in the Eggman Empire, being among his favorite creations. He is a tool, sure, but he's undoubtedly one of his best tools.

Though, of course, this has little effect on his treatment of the metal doppelganger. As a general trait of Eggman's, while he is very much capable of praising his robots in the event they succeed...

...The doctor will offer them less than humane treatment when met with failure.

Seeing fault in his boss' leadership, Metal Sonic would reach his breaking point in Sonic Heroes, modifying himself into Neo Metal Sonic and taking charge of the Eggman Empire. Perhaps he thought that, with him in charge, the empire would finally be able to wipe out its opposition. More specifically, to wipe out Sonic the Hedgehog. Curiously, Metal Sonic here also aims to take over the world, though this may be a consequence of his will being "attuned" to Dr. Eggman's.

This attempt at overtaking his creator's empire fails, and Eggman takes this opportunity to strip Metal Sonic of his free will and turn him into an obedient robot once more. Despite his attempts, it would seem Metal still has some remaining autonomy, seeing as he'd double-cross Eggman once more in the future.

Conclusion

That just made my belief that he's a selective mute run even deeper. In the archie comics he talks all the time (well not ALL the time) in his base form. But clearly more compared to the games and the idw comics.

Although the archie comics are not considered canon to the mainstream franchise, and many fans are against the concept of him talking at all (saying his moments and speeches will be less impactful...) I have to say that, I NEED him to speak. He deserves this. And I really hope that sega will do him justice soon bc wtf?!

The Sonic fandom keeps on slandering Metal, mostly for understandable reasons, since the games and especially the archie comics didn't do him any justice. But he will always be one of my favorite characters in the media. Wanna know why?

I got into the fandom fairly recently, after watching the Sonic 3 movie. And after my Shadow fangirling frenzy has subsided I craved more Sonic content, so I began my research. That's how I stumbled on Metal. And trust me, when I tell ya'll he's more complex than Shadow, then he's even MORE complex than Shadow.

Nevermind his identity crisis, he's a self-upgrading AI. And it's absolutely not thanks to Eggman (The guy literally said during Metal Virus saga that he not only wants to control everything and everyone, but also deprive everybody of any free will, and that Metal Virus was the key to achieve that, a world full of obedient, mindless, perfect slaves). Metal Sonic evolved to a point beyond logical thinking, he started to FEEL. And I'm not talking about the pre-programmed hate for Sonic, or even anger, or any other negative feelings Eggman approves of that he implanted in him. Metal Sonic, in that very scene mentioned above, feels lost as to why, despite his nearly perfectly executed plan and tactical advantage, he has failed, AGAIN. Afterwards he literally FAINTS and has to be carried like a damsel in distress because he can't take it. The neverending unfulfillment.

He gained consciousness all on his own, and Eggman had to literally unscrew that part from his programming because he shit himself at the realization of what he created (even though Metal has never hurt him, unless he was under some sort of influence). It wasn't something as simple as rebelliousness (that's why I think Metal Sonic is sentient in the idw comics but stays on the low in fear of what Eggman might do to him if he found out, and why he runs away after Sage is created, bc she would have access to his brain at all times). But I see why he would mistake it for rebellion, it happened to a lot of his robots before. Though honestly? Take a look at Mecha Sonic mk2, Belle, Orbot and Cubot, even Gemerl or Omega. Look at them, and tell me they don't have a soul.

But. . . I don't always agree with it.

I think Metal is a very precise person. When travelling at supersonic speeds, one tiny misstep can mean the difference between staying airborne or complete destruction. He's capable of calculating force and pressure loads in less than a tenth of a second. Furthermore, he was made to kill, so he has an exact idea of how much force it takes to pierce someone's skin.

If Metal hurts you, he absolutely intended to do so. And THAT is an angle I would love to see explored more.

Imagine Metal grabbing Amy's arm and pricking her slightly. He thinks nothing of it. The cuts are miniscule and will heal within a day or two, not disabling in the slightest, nothing like what would happen inside of combat. He doesn't understand why Amy is so upset by it until she explains that people aren't supposed to get hurt. Normal life doesn't have any injuries in it. Every injury matters, even if it's not a "disabling" one.

Not to overthink science-fiction, but I don’t buy the whole "Metal can calculate exactly how much force is needed to hurt something so he couldn’t hurt anyone on accident" thing. Granted I’m far from having consumed all Metal media, but Metal Sonic has been shown to be an impulsive hothead who takes risks much more than someone who respects and sticks to statistics. He indulges in excess more than he contents himself with the bare minimum for efficiency. The force needed to pierce skin varies from species to species and even from individual to individual. Metal Sonic was made to maim, but it is more a state of being rather than a calculation, and that is, as you implied yourself, the angle the trope goes for usually. Perhaps calculating pressure is something Metal does constantly and naturally as much as we do the same when we have to grip something, perhaps not. Personally I enjoy Metal Sonic being hyposensitive, as in not having much touch sensors; depending on his body’s functions maybe he doesn’t even have all the necessary data to calculate pressure from touch. He was made to kill from head to toe, what need is there to be precise when your aim is to kill and you are a knife?

Moreover, maybe I’m simply thinking of different fics than you, but often hurting Amy accidentally with his claws is done when he forgets himself. When he lets himself be a little too carefree, a little too happy, when he forgets about coding and purpose, and it’s particularly angsty because he hurts someone when he forgets about stats and how easy it is for him to hurt people. It’s a reminder that he’s not like everyone else, that he is, indeed a war machine, and that he should be in complete control of his every movement 24/7. It’s not only alienating but terrifying. It’s not that he’s not used to being mundane/intimate but it’s that he physically can’t be. Regardless of whether or not Metal is able to calculate precisely how much force is needed to hurt, Metal in the moment forgets about all of it, about how he is Metal Sonic the war machine, and allows himself to just be. And he is punished for that. The arc for Metal is often either redemption or needing to become less rigid and embracing crossing lines and freeing yourself from structure, so you can particularly see the existential horror of your body needing to be constantly kept in check or you’ll destroy everything good in your life.

- metal feels fear, as shown when he said that he no longer fears anything. by making his form so much bigger, not only does he finally feel big enough to overcome his fear, but he’s overcompensating for those deep-seated feelings of unworthiness and weakness. now he can look down on sonic, as sonic has looked down on him so many times after beating him.

- bold white markings, arrows that all point to himself. it’s all “look at me, look how big and intimidating i am, look at me as i finally sonic the hedgehog”, when inside he’s still the same little robot hog who never beat sonic. he wants everyone to see him finally win. it makes it more real if the world sees it, right?

- his emotions are so volatile and painful that he’s seeking an escape through literal flight.

- his overlord form is literally put together from scrap pieces, mirroring his shattered mental state. at this point he’s broken down and doesn’t really know who he is.

- self-hate, and lots of it. becoming a monster, as sonic calls him, reveals his emotional state. he thinks he’s worthless until he beats sonic for good, so he becomes the monster he feels that he is.

Metal Sonic is a highly traumatized and troubled child soldier that is miserable even at his highest level of power and social hierarchy and closest to his goal and he has npd and in this essay I will-

No but seriously people like to dumb down Metal’s monster transformation when like… It just showcases perfectly how much he’s self-destructing and how he has such little sense of self beyond the goal that he thinks will make him worthy of being someone and being seen. 

Which is why I so strongly associate him with The Living Tombstone’s song Animal & why I want to make a Metal Sonic animatic to it:

Have ya’ll my fellow Lilo & Stitch fans ever wondered how things would have turned out for Lilo if Stitch never menaged to escape the intergalactic cops? - meaning he would never get the chance to set his foot on earth? How would Lilo’s life roll on if she never found Stitch in that dog shelter when she was 5?

In short: In this AU the original course of events never takes place. Plus Lilo is officialy autistic. And Stitch is more humanoid (pls don’t hate me).

Thus meaning some of the most iconic moments of the movie such as:

And

And

Are not canon anymore. Well… maybe. But they’re different, i will also use some of the deleted scenes as source material.

Instead: - Lilo leaves the dog shelter without buying any dog telling Nani that it would run away from them anyway because of how weird she is.

And that is the moment Lilo decided she will try to be “normal”.

- Lilo is now 13 years old living a dull, boring and “normal” life, yet she still doesn’t have any friends, somewhat paying a requital to her community for the weird and unacceptable things she did as a child.

- She is the quiet kid now, doing her best not to be a nuissance to her older sister Nani which is always busy, busy enough to not see how sad, lonely and lost Lilo is.

- The temporarily stable life of Lilo and Nani turns into disaster back again when one day, while Lilo’s been home alone doing her homework in the kitchen, out of nowhere appears battered, confused also armed experiment 626 himself.

Here’s the doodle/ concept art of that moment:

(I’d like to point out that i’m still not sure how i’m going to draw them so nothing’s official.)

- He’s being chased by the intergalactic cops from the order of council woman. Gantu, Jumba and Pleakley are after him too. 626 broke out of his cell hundreds of times before, but this time’s different.

- He takes Lilo hostage and threatens her that if she doesn’t help him hide/“blend in” he will kill her and her family…in his weird native language of course, meaning she doesn’t know what danger she is in.

- 626 takes photo of her and sends it to the authorities including a message to leave him alone or he will kill people starting with Lilo.

- Lilo still doesn’t understand what’s going on, but soon she starts panicking because what’s happening is really weird, and she’s done being weird.

- At some point of the story Lilo will menage to make 626 a “good boy” without him realizing it.

I mean, despite all his cool chaos powers and being the Ultimate Lifeform, wasn't that one of the biggest reasons he was created? To cure Maria? But even though he couldn't cure her illness, he still seemed to have training on how to help someone who's sick or hurt. Exhibit A:

This is the most we've ever seen of Shadow truly taking care of Maria in reference to her illness. Still, you can see how attentive he was here. Even though they were standing a few feet apart, as soon as she started losing consciousness, he picked up on it and ran to catch her.

When she apologized and insisted that she'd just "pushed it a little," he gently scolded her by reminding her that her condition was only being kept in remission due to the low gravity on the ARK. Clearly, he was very knowledgeable on her illness and what she could and couldn't do, and he was always ready to take care of her if her condition suddenly dropped, or on her bad days (according to dialogue bits from the actual SXSG game).

And since Maria's been gone through the entire main timeline of the franchise, it seems we get so caught up in all of Shadow's coolness and powerful abilities and whatnot that we forget he's still trained— at least to some extent— in the medical and caretaking area.

That's where I'm glad we have something of an Exhibit B: the end of Sonic Prime.

I loved EVERYTHING about this whole group of scenes, but ESPECIALLY getting to see Shadow being so gentle and caring towards Sonic of all people. But to stay focused on the point of this post— even though Sonic's situation was more, shall we say, unique than Maria's, his health was still rapidly declining and he needed help for basically everything. Sure, they had a goal in mind, and all Shadow needed to do was take him to the Green Hill gateway. But knowing how violent Shadow can be (especially in context of the whole rest of the show), seeing the very gentle and clearly experienced way he assisted Sonic was both heartwarming and a strong reminder of his original purpose.

For one, in the above gif, the way he immediately went to support him the way one is supposed to with someone who can't really walk on their own, with no pause, like he'd done it before. And how he waited for a moment until Sonic was ready, monitoring his face, before starting to move forward. Then—

—Sonic got to a point of being unable to walk or stand at all, or even move very much. Shadow hesitated only for a split second, but he stayed relatively calm, picked him up, and kept going. Even though he didn't say much throughout all this, he was keeping a watchful eye on Sonic through this whole sequence, even before he took over the mission of bringing him home. He knew what he was doing. It wasn't extensive, sure, but knowing his past, we know this was not his first time taking care of someone who couldn't take care of themselves.