SATAM Ramblings

I got into the SATAM fandom back in 2019, discovering the show when I was browsing some live channels. It very quickly developed into a specific area of my special interest in the Sonic The Hedgehog franchise. I LOVE old Sonic media, everything from the old cartoons, to the old games, and to the comics. SATAM overall is my #1 favorite Sonic show, as I have a deep passion for the lore and characters.

Within the show, I specifically hyperfixate on Naugus and Snively. I kinda flip flop between the two being my absolute favorite character, but I'm genuinely fascinated with how each character is written. You'll see a lot of posts regarding these two, even some Robotnik since I like him as well.

If you want to reach out to me, you can DM me @astragene (just let me know you came from this blog). However I will not answer DMs from those under 18.

Minors are allowed to interact with the blog, WITH ONE EXCEPTION. This blog post may have NSFW content, which those posts will be rated 18+ accordingly with specific warnings. Despite being extremely difficult to age restrict content on the internet, if I see a minor interacting with NSFW posts, they will be blocked.

Other than that, I can guarantee that 90% of the content here is SFW! I'm not too keen on posting a lot of explicit content unless it's a fanfic request. I may thirst from time to time, but nothing explicit on that aspect. ^w^

Speaking of fanfic requests, I take those! I'll write any fanfic you want whether Canon x Reader or OC x Canon. HOWEVER, I will not write NSFW content of underage/Noncon situations, or aspects of NSFW that I'm uncomfortable with. Everyone has their kinks, so I'm not gonna judge if it involves consenting parties. But I still have my limits.

Next, I wanna point out that I do have autism. It can be difficult for me at times to understand tone or I might come off as rude from time to time, so please know that I don't mean any ill intention. Please point it out and I'll correct myself :3

Last thing is that while I don't mind going a bit off topic, I will not permit talks of politics or any sort of hatred on my blog (racism, homophobia, ableism, etc). This is a blog where I wanna vibe and gush about a cartoon. Overall, just don't be an asshole.

And with all that out of the way, here's some info about me!:

Age: 21

Birthday: August 12th

Favorite Color: Dark purple

Gender: Nonbinary

Pronouns: They/Them

Favorite food: Potstickers

Favorite Games genre: indie games that are simulations or story rich. (UnderTale, Stardew, Inscryption, etc.)

Favorite Movies/Show/Book genre: Psychological horrors, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Old cartoons

Hobbies: Playing Video Games, writing, drawing

CHAPTER 2

Ghost froze, looking like a deer in headlights as their eyes darted around the circle of barrels pointed at their head. The uniformed animals were equally stunned, yet they kept their weapons steady.

"Step out of ze vehicle, and put your hands up!" Armand barked, his voice was sharp and trained despite sharing his soldiers' reaction. It was loud enough for Snively and Robotnik to hear. Robotnik's eyes bulge and he flipped around to his nephew, who had squeaked a fearful noise.

"Get behind me, and don't do anything rash!" He snapped, his tone edged with panic. Snively wasted no time, scurrying behind his uncle as he climbed after Ghost. 

Ghost slid down from the pod and raised both arms above their head, their entire body trembling. After they made their way out, Robotnik stood in front of Ghost and Snively stood to their right. Snively's jaw dropped at the scene, a strangled noise stifled in his throat. Robotnik was just as baffled, despite his facial expression being one of calculated stoicism. 

"We come in peace!" Robotnik declared, showing his empty gloved hands, "We're unarmed!".

"Who are you?" Armand pressed, his gun now trained on Robotnik, "Where did you come from?"

"This may be hard to believe... But we come from a different world, among the stars." 

The soldiers' expression turn bewildered as they whispered among themselves. Armand buffered at Robotnik's answer, looking at him like he was insane.

"Ze stars? Like... Up above?" Armand pointed up to the sky in disbelief. Annoyance crept on the edges of his tone.

"Indeed." Robotnik nodded, "We come from a planet called Earth. My team and I were on a deep space expedition. Our ship sustained catastrophic damage, so we had no choice but to use this escape pod.

More whispers ensue, some soldiers lowered their guns a fraction, some higher out of uncertainty. Marie stepped forward, her gun still raised.

"Zat is a bold claim you make. How are we supposed to believe you without proof?" Her voice bristled, sharing her husband's skepticism.

Robotnik's lips pressed into a thin line.

"I understand your skepticism. But we mean you no harm. We simply seek safety."

Armand observed the scene. The two younger strangers shaking behind their leader, their lack of weapons, the scorched metal of the pod steaming behind them. Sir Charles stepped forward and placed a hand on his right shoulder.

"They certainly don't look like Warclaw Scouts to me, Commander..." Charles murmured.

Armand eased, his gun dipped by a fraction.

"Lower your weapons. But stay on guard." Armand hesitated. The soldiers do as they're told, keeping their guns pointed at the ground. 

"You are to come with us and speak with Their Majesties." He directed his voice at Robotnik once more, "Only zen we will decide to trust you."

"Understood." Robotnik inclined his head. 

He turned to Ghost and Snively, "Stay behind me, you two".

Ghost and Snively silently nodded, lowering their arms. Robotnik turned back to Armand. 

"Lead the way."

A huff escaped Armand's snout as he turned on his heel, prompting the humans to follow. Robotnik walked behind Armand with Snively and Madyson forming a single file line behind him. The other soldiers surrounded them, their guns still wielded in case of any sudden motion.

"I'll catch up with you guys later! I'm wanna take a look at this..." Sir Charles called out, eying the pod with curiosity. Marie nods briefly to acknowledge him as he walked over to the pod, beginning his investigation as they left.

Now Ghost had a chance to take in the environment and... It was beautiful here. 

The vegetation was lush and thriving. The sunlight filtered through the leaves, a scene they thought could only exist in their childhood memories. Flowers bloomed along the stumps of the trees that stretched proudly towards the sky. Birds sat upon the branches, bugs crawled up the bark of the trees. Ghost had to stop themselves from freezing once they reach the edge of the forest, the kingdom up ahead.

They hadn't seen a blue sky in so long, let alone one where the sunshine wasn't blocked by thick clouds and smog. This was a far cry from what Ghost remembered of civilization. The architecture was quaint, the streets paved with cobblestone and the buildings built with wood or smooth stone. While the scene was archaic, it was peaceful. So peaceful that Ghost felt like a fish out of water.

Not a single human was in sight, all the citizens being an animal species of some kind. They were all clothed and spoke English, albeit most of them stopped their conversations to openly stare at the human trio. Robotnik preened under their attention, while Snively and Ghost kept their eyes on the ground. They walked a little faster, both of them fidgeting with their hands as they leaned closer to Robotnik. Ghost for once felt envious of Snively's height. Being a full head taller than the surrounding soldiers made Ghost feel horribly exposed.

It wasn't long until they reached the castle, and Ghost couldn't believe their eyes. While castles did exist on Earth, this castle looked like it was straight out of a fantasy tale. It's smooth marble architecture glimmered in the sunlight, decorated with silver and gold. The front bared a red and gold crest with an acorn, banners and flags blowing in the wind. They pass through the castle gates, a guard baring the same uniform as the soldiers bowing his head at Armand and Marie as he allowed entrance.

It was far more grand on the inside. Royal paintings and decorum decked the halls, from suits of armor, historical weapons, to priceless vases and statues. The rug stretched across the floor almost endlessly, the hall filled with other hallways and doors. Servants busied themselves with their chores, only giving themself a brief moment of the expected disbelief as they continued following Armand. Ghost looked back at Snively, the shorter man's breath being taken away at the sight.

"My god, it's huge in here!" Snively whispered in astonishment, "It's like the castles back home..."

"What, like the Queen's castle?" Ghost whispered back their inquiry.

"Similar yes. Though only parts of her castles are open to visitors, so I wouldn't know for sure."

".... There's multiple castles?"

Snively shot them a no brainer look, "Well no duh, it's the Royal Family! Of course there's going to be multiple castles."

"Well I didn't know that! I thought it was just that one big castle in London!"

"You mean Buckingham Palace? Of course you'd only know that one..."

"Well my bad for not memorizing all Her Majesties' estates when I moved across the pond."

Robotnik doesn't offer any input into their bickering. Instead he rolled his eyes and kept them forward.

They soon arrive in front of two large ornate doors. Marie pushed them open, keeping it propped to allow everyone in. The Royal council and their Majesties look up at the sound and the chattering went silent. You could hear a pin drop, all of their expressions frozen in confusion surprise.

"Armand... Who are they?" The King pointed to the trio. 

"Ze vehicle zat crashed was inhabited, your Majesty. Zey claim they're from ze stars." Armand stood front and center, maintaining his disciplined stance. 

"I see..." The King narrowed his eyes in skepticism, "You hail from the stars?"

"Yes, your Majesty." Robotnik bowed, "We come from a planet called Earth. We were on a deep space expedition when we were forced to evacuate our vessel. We had no choice but to crash on your planet."

Despite being bewildered at this fantastical story, the Queen spoke up.

"What happened to your vessel?"

"Damage to the oxygen core, your Highness. We relied on the core to keep us from asphyxiating on our journey. We're not sure what happened, but I was ordered to evacuate my team."

"Ordered? There's more of you?" The King raised and eyebrow.

"Yes. But we haven't been able to contact them. Our signal was cut off after we evacuated."

"Hm...." The King tapped his finger on the table, deciding to humor him, "And... Pray tell was the reason why you were on an expedition in the first place?"

"Our planet suffered a world war that wiped most vegetation off the land." Robotnik's tone became solemn, "Our air became toxic, our water was poisoned... So we gathered what we could of our people and built a giant spacecraft, with the goal of finding another planet that was habitable."

"And what made you come here in your escape?"

Robotnik didn't flinch. Rather he kept his hands behind his back and maintained his poised demeanor.

"Our pod is designed to seek out the nearest planet with reasonable gravity and vegetation. When we went into hyperspace, the system locked onto your world."

Ghost looks up at their superior, their posture stiffened. They recognized his lie, yet kept quiet, unsure of his method. 

The King exchanged a look with the Queen, "So you intentionally landed on this planet?"

"Yes, we had no choice... Though we were surprised to see that the planet was inhabited, let alone the air being more than optimal for our lungs. To find a planet where life thrives as ours once did is... more then we dared hope for."

The Queen leaned forward, "You said your signal was cut off. Do you know if your vessel intact?"

"We're not sure," Robotnik lowered his gazed in a rehearsed show of grief, "The failure was catastrophic... If any of our other crew members survived, they would be drifting aimlessly. Our pods are not designed for long communication."

Armand frowned, studying Robotnik closely, "Zis craft iz like nothing like we've ever seen before. How can we believe zat you crossed ze heavens in such a machine?"

"It was only an escape pod..." Robotnik corrected gently, "Our main vessel was far more powerful... In fact, it dwarfs this entire kingdom."

More murmurs occur from the council, the members now impressed as much as they were suspicious.

"And what is your name?" The King continued, his brow furrowed in contemplation.

"I am Dr. Julian Robotnik," his voice rumbles with a bit of pride. 

"Doctor? Are you a scientist?"

"A rather talented one if I do say so." Robotnik straightened out his white jumpsuit, "I was in charge of developing the robotics for the vessel. Before we left Earth however, I was one of my military's top weapons engineer." 

"Is that so?" The King's eyes widened, a flicker of interest wavered in his eyes. He leaned to the side to get a better look at Snively and Ghost. "And who are the two behind you?"

"My team, your Highness." Robotnik gestured for the two of them to step out in front of him. Both of them stiffly walked around and stood in front of him.

"This here is my nephew, Snively, and my technician, Ghost." He introduces each of them.

Snively stood silently, his hands behind his back with nervous discipline. Ghost's gives the rulers a little wave, shyly greeting with "Hello." before their hands laid awkwardly at their sides again.

A brief moment of silence is shared between the King and Queen, intrigued by the younger humans.

"And what roles did they serve on your vessel?" The Queen folded her hands neatly on the table.

"Snively is studying to be my protégé in place of his schooling, as he was 14 when we left Earth. Ghost was assigned to me as my maintenance technician by my higher ups. They proved themselves to be my most competent candidate, so I brought them with me on the ship."

Ghost shifted on their weight, blushing a little from the praise. Snively remained straight backed, although a small smug smile curled at the corner of his lips.

"And how old are you two now?" She turned her attention to the two younger humans.

"16, your Majesty." Snively answered bluntly, smoothing out his hair for a moment.

"I'm 22." Ghost followed after. Their hands curled up in their habitual dino-stance, squeezing their hands open and closed.

The Queen's gaze softened with sympathy at the revelation of their ages. "You're both very young to have survived such a catastrophe. I imagine it must've been hard..."

"Indeed it was..." Snively nodded solemnly, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"I... Consider myself lucky... If I had not been working for Robotnik, I don't know where I'd be at...." Ghost hesitated, their mouth going dry. A tight sensation grips their chest, so they speak no further.

The King gazes also softened as their responses. At first he was very suspicious. But now he was unsure, seeing an mentor trying to protect his younger companions. He cleared his throat. "One moment, please."

He leaned over to the Queen, his voice lowered to a whisper, "They seem earnest... But their story is extraordinary. We cannot take this at face value."

As the rulers began to talk, Ghost tried their best to stay still. However they couldn't help but subtly stim in place, looking around as their hands give an occasional shake. They don't meet the eyes of any of any of the councilmen in the room. They either looked up at the intricate designs of the ceiling or the fancy carpeting on the floor.

"Their arrival does seem... Unbelievable. But they're unarmed. And the two younger ones look terrified. We shouldn't make any more enemies needlessly, especially at a time like this."

"I understand. But we need to tread carefully if we are to take them in."

"By all means, my dear. But didn't the large one say he was a weapons engineer? Maybe we negotiate with them..."

The King looked back at the humans briefly before his eyes shifted back to the Queen.

"Not a bad idea.... But I feel we should discuss this further. We have yet to hear back from Sir Charles."

The rulers turned back in their seats, facing the group fully again. 

"We will hold a discussion with the Royal Council regarding your situation. For now, we will extend our hospitality to you. You will be closely monitored until we come to a conclusion." The King's voice returned to normal, his hands steepled with his elbows on the table.

"Thank you, Your Majesties. We are truly grateful for your mercy." Robotnik bowed, now standing in between Snively and Ghost. Both of them bow as well to copy his courtesy.

"Marie, inform the servants to prepare rooms for them." The King turned to Marie, in turn she saluted and exited the room.

"Armand, You are to tour them around the castle, showing them where they're permitted. Guards will be posted at off limit areas."

Armand saluted the King as well, "Oui, your Majesty."

CHAPTER 1

"Sir?"

Robotnik had just set the pod on autopilot when he turned to his technician's voice. Ghost trembled with shock and confusion, the overhead light reflecting off of their glasses and facial piercings. Despite being cool headed most of the time, they could never completely conceal their emotions.

"What happened?"

Robotnik's eyes flicked over to his nephew, who was still in the process of calming himself down. Snively only briefly made contact with Robotnik before looking away. Without missing a beat, he answered in a cool tone.

"The ship had a major malfunction within the oxygen core. The Board gave orders to evacuate."

"The oxygen core? How did that happen?"

"The damage was too severe to properly assess."

Ghost frowned in dissatisfaction at the answer. It wasn't that it sounded wrong, it was how clipped his tone was.

"Where are we evacuating to?"

"Earth."

Ghost's breath hitched. Sure, it was the logical answer. They lost contact to the other vessels a while back and they hadn't found another habitable planet. But the thought of returning home still terrified them.

"But... Hundreds, if not thousands of years must've gone by for Earth. How do we know if Earth is even livable by now?" Ghost's voice faltered at Robotnik glowering gaze.

Robotnik paused, the silence feeling cold and calculated.

"It's a considerable risk." he replied, "But we have no other option. Unless you'd rather asphyxiate." 

Ghost looked down at their tremoring hands. Their mind flickered back to the flashing lights and screams. 

"Are we able to contact the other pods?" Ghost hesitated.

Robotnik too hesitated.

"....Not at the moment. No signals are registering."

Ghost reluctantly accepted his answers. Unease gnawed at them, but it was pointless to question further while cramped in a small pod. 

Instead they focused back to Snively. He had unraveled himself from his fetal position.

"Are you alright?" Ghost attempted to distract themselves by checking in on him.

"I-I'm fine." Snively answered quickly. He didn't elaborate, avoiding their eyes by focusing on his fidgeting hands. While social cues weren't Ghost's strong suit, they could tell he didn't want to talk further.

Instead, they opted to tuck their knees up to their chest, wrapping both arms around their legs. They remained like that for a while, ruminating over what had transpired. It was only when the alarms snapped them out of their daze some time later. The pod lurched and started trembling, making everyone stumble forward.

"Brace yourselves! We're in for a rough landing!" Robotnik's hands flew quickly over the console, engaging the pod's protective features. It only took him a few steps to reach the same seat as Snively. He buckled himself in with a seat belt as Ghost and Snively followed suit, the shaking having crescendoed.

Outside, a large honeycomb force field surrounded them, the tail end of the pod creating a streak of heat as the pod rapidly approached their home planet. The pod worked overtime to regulate the inner temperature to keep its occupants from burning alive. The planet's surface grew closer in the view of the front window.

As they braced for impact, down below was a clear, sunny day. Citizens milled about in the streets of their kingdom. What was seemingly just like any day was interrupted when their furry ears perked up at the sound of a low-frequency hum. Their heads snapped up to the sky, a strange metal object roaring by in the distance. Trees snapped as the pod hurled into the Great Forest, the distant crash startling the citizens. Panic filled the population, some running to Royal Guards to report what had just happened and others retreating to their homes. 

Royal Guards rushed to a large, pristine castle, relaying the message to their superiors. From there, it wasn't long before the King and Queen heard the news. They were conversing in the Acorn Castle's library when the captain of the Royal Guard, Armand Depardieu entered in a rush.

"Your Majesties! Please excuse me for the interruption, but you're needed in ze council room. It's urgent!" The light brown coyote informed. His French accent was thickened from his frantic tone. He wore a blue and red uniform with many honorary medals, signifying his status.

The King and Queen, a fox and squirrel, turned sharply at the captain's thick French accent. The Queen was sitting at a table with various textbooks and a dusty statuette, the King standing over her. Concern filled both of their expressions.

"We will be there right away, Armand." The brown fox king informed, speaking in a deep, posh tone.

Armand bowed and made his leave. The squirrel queen, having brown fur with long black hair, looked up at her husband with her blue eyes.

"Well... It appears we have more pressing matters." She sighed, disappointed that their conversation was interrupted. She rose from her seat, smoothing out her slacks.

"Worry not, my dear. We can speak of your findings after we handle this." The King reassured his wife, gently squeezing her hand. The two rulers made haste through the hallways, the servants' whispering bouncing off of walls filled royal paintings and memorabilia.

As they entered the room, they found it in chaos. Guards and councilmen and women were speaking urgently with each other at the round table. The council room was decorated in war plans and project schematics, in which they had already been pouring over before the crash happened. Marie Depardieu, the Royal Guard's second in command, addressed the King and Queen as soon as they entered the room.

"Thank goodness you're here! We just got word that a UFO has crashed in ze Great Forest!" Marie informed with a worried tone. She was a lighter brown coyote with long blond hair up in a ponytail, sharing the same thick French accent as her husband.

Both of the majesties were taken by what they heard. Their eyes widening in surprise as they froze.

"A UFO? You're certain of it?" The King repeated incredulously.

"Yes, your Majesty! Citizens reported a large object crashing into the forest from above." A royal guard reported, pointing up to the ceiling. His uniform was the same as his captains, albiet more basic with a few medals.

"Do we have a more detailed description of the object?" The Queen questioned, her and the King sitting in their spots at the head of the round table.

The Royal Guard continued to report, albeit more hesitant, "Not much, your Highness. We believe it must be a vehicle of some kind.

"A vehicle? What if it's an aircraft from the Warclaws?" A councilman shouted with panic.

The council room erupted in chaotic chatter as the King rose from his seat.

"Everyone, please calm down!" The King commanded, a hush washing over the room, "We need to investigate the crash site. If it is from the Warclaws, we will deal with it accordingly."

He looks over to the Royal Guards. "Marie, Armand, gather some of the guards and make haste to the crash site."

He then looks over to Sir Charles, an old light blue hedgehog with a white mustache.

"Sir Charles, you are to accompany them. Your expertise will be needed to identify the vehicle.

"I'm on it, your Majesty." Sir Charles rose from his seat. He gives the King and Queen a courteous bow and follows the Royal Guard out of the councilroom.

Meanwhile, smoke rose above the trees from the escape pod. The force field protected the trio from being injured in the crash, despite the impact causing structural damage. The group stirred in the darkness of the pod, the soft glow of the buttons on the console board providing illumination.

"Is anyone injured?" Robotnik's cybernetic eyes glowed in the dark, his voice gruff.

"No, sir"

"No, Uncle"

Snively and Ghost's voice answered in unison.

"Good...."

Robotnik observed the console board, typing in commands to perform diagnostic tests. A female AI voice spoke;

"Diagnostic Result: Critical damage to structural integrity. Frame compromised in multiple sectors. Continued operation not recommended."

Robotnik huffed in a sarcastic manner, "Well, that's to be expected." He typed in some more commands, his eyes fixated on the board.

"Scanning...." A brief moment of silence occurred before the computer continued.

"Scan concluded. External oxygen levels habitable. Proceed without supplemental equipment."

Robotnik grinned with satisfaction and turned to back to his younger subordinates, "Ghost, open the escape latch."

"Yes sir." Ghost got up. They fumbled through the dark, muttering before finding the latch. With a pull and twist of the handle, the latch opened with a hiss. As they pushed the latch up, sunlight streamed through the cracks before illuminated the inside of the pod. Ghost was taken aback by how bright it was outside.... It had been so long since they've seen actual sunlight.

SPECTER IN THE MACHINE ACT 1:

EPILOGUE

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP-

Ghost's weary eyes cracked open as their alarm blared its mechanical shriek. When they squint hard enough to get their vision to focus, they see the time.

6AM.

As much as they would rather snooze it and get some extra sleep, they knew they can't. They need the time to take a shower.

With a begrudging groan, they lifted themselves from their cocoon of blankets. Their hand reached out to their nightstand to grab their large, golden wired circular glasses. They take a moment to crack all their stiff joints with loud pops as they rise to their feet before stumbling their way to the light switch.

With the flick of the switch, Ghost covers their eyes from the abrupt change of the lighting in their sleek, minimalistic sleeping quarters. Metal covered every inch of their room, from their cubby bed to the dresser, desk, and bookshelves. The only thing they could hear was the soft hum of the ship's ventilation system.

Once their eyes fully adjusted, they gathered their uniform from their dresser and entered their bathroom. The bathroom was just as bleak as their room, only having a sink, cupboard, toilet, and single head shower. Their pajamas fall away from their pale, slender body and the glass door of the shower closes, the hot water filling the room with steam.

15 minutes pass and Ghost was now fully dressed, wearing their grey and white toned jumpsuit, the G.U.N. emblem patched on their right breast with the name "Ghost Tillman" embroidered underneath it. They finish braiding and tying up their long brown hair in a high bun, finding themselves staring at themselves in the mirror.

Two years they have spent doing the same routine. Wake up, get ready, work, eat, and sleep. Two years have gone by since the Atomic Annihilation of World War 3 consumed Earth, leaving it to be a hollow husk of itself riddled with radiation and anarchy. G.U.N gathered a small population of citizens to placed them under cryostasis. Ghost was one of the workers, serving as the maintenance technician of one of the lead scientists of the Space ARK, Dr. Julian Robotnik. They spent most of their day ensuring Robotnik's lab was functioning correctly.

A few minutes go by of them checking their appearance was adequate before they turned around. They grabbed their uniform jacket from the coat hanger and flipped the light switch down, bathing their quarters in darkness as the automatic door closes behind them with a hiss.

The other workers in their dorm hall were waking up as well, one by one they exited their respective quarters and marched their way to the direction of the cafeteria. Ghost followed suit, merging with the army of mismatched footsteps down the hall. The doors to the cafeteria slide open, the inside bustling with activity of people eating their genetically grown breakfast and chattering with their associates.

Ghost opted for their usual in the meal line; brown sugar oatmeal with strawberries, toast, and a cup of coffee. Having autopiloted to their usual table by themselves, they didn't even notice someone approached until they heard a small rapt on the tabletop.

Ghost jerked their head up at the sound and was met with a young face. They recognized those distinctive grayish-blue eyes and long, beak-like nose.

"Oh, morning Snively." Ghost greeted with a yawn, their voice softspoken and feminine.

"Good morning, Ghost." The young man greeted back in a nasally, high pitched British accent.

Snively proceeded to sit across from Ghost, having to climb up the seat due to his short stature. His small feet dangled a foot from the ground as he bit into his apple. Snively was the youngest of the entire crew, being 16 years old at the time. The only reason why he was here was because he was studying under his uncle, who also happened to be Dr. Robotnik. He was a smart kid, albeit annoying.

"Don't you usually eat with your uncle?" Ghost raised an eyebrow.

"Uncle Julian is working on something at the moment." Snively swallowed, wiping a bit of apple off of his mouth with a napkin, "So he's eating in the lab."

"Ohhh, I see..."

Ghost took a sip of their coffee, the strong flavor of creamer coating on their tongue.

"How did you sleep?" Ghost smacks their lips.

"Adequate enough. Yourself?"

Ghost paused, thinking about how to answer that.

"Like shit, to be real with you." A breathless laugh escapes Ghost's lips.

Snively smirked, finding amusement at them cursing. "Seems to be a trend for you these days."

"I mean, I've been having to work late, so yeah."

"Mm, I suppose that does the trick."

Snively took a sip of his own coffee as Ghost thought back to the answer of their question from earlier, "What's your uncle working on that has him spending the morning in the lab?"

"He didn't say. He just told me to go on ahead without him."

"Ah, alright."

The two spent the rest of breakfast in silence, the multiple other conversations occurring around them serving as background noise. When they finished, Ghost and Snively returned their trays and made their way to Robotnik's lab. The door slides open, revealing a state of the art research facility. Various machines, terminals, tools, and robotic projects were scattered about the room, an electrical hum filling the air with the subtle sound of metal clicking against metal.

Dr. Julian Robotnik was found working on some sort of robot in the corner of the lab with laser focus. His giant, yet dexterous hands maneuvered around the robot with careful precision as he used fine tools. Robotnik was an overweight, burly man, being nearly twice the height of Snively.

At the sound of the door opening, he pulled his goggles up, revealing his black and red cybernetic eyes. A long large mahogany mustache sat upon his upper lip and two circular metal devices replaced his ears. His large, rotund belly strained against his uniformed as he turned, the motion making his mustache bristle.

"Ah, good morning Ghost. I see Snively found you." His voice echoed across the lab, the sound deep and metallic as it reverberated in Ghost's ears.

"Yeah, he ate breakfast with me." Ghost nodded in a polite manner, walking further into the lab to approach their superior. Robotnik just simply nodded in response as he turned back around to continue tinkering with the robot.

Ghost looked around the doctor to get a closer look at it. It stood as tall as Robotnik, having dark plated armor with red visors for optical sensors.

"What's that?" Ghost pointed to the robot.

"A... prototype of the upgraded security bots." Robotnik took a moment to think of an answer.

"Oh... Did the other ones go out of date or?" Ghost inquired further, looking up at Robotnik's stoic expression.

"Precisely." Robotnik confirmed.

"Oh okay... So what's on the agenda today?"

"Just go through your normal tasks. I'll inform you if anything comes up." Robotnik waved, quickly dismissing them to their work.

"Alrighty." Ghost turns around and walks over to their work station, grabbing their PPE as Robotnik whispered something to Snively.

Ghost spent the day doing their job. Checking the machines for defects, running maintenance diagnostics on the terminals, occasionally aiding either of the men by grabbing a tool for them or holding something up. To their luck, they didn't have to do any late work, Robotnik ensuring them that he and Snively can handle it. Making the most of their unexpected time off, they were able to eat at dinner time and relax in their quarters with one of their Junji Ito books.

However, when they were just about to settle down for the night, their vision was filled with strobing red lights. An ear piercing wail of an alarm overwhelmed Ghost's ears, making them drop the pajamas they were about to change into. Powered by startled adrenaline, they yanked their boots on and nearly tripped out of their door.

The hall that was dull and monotonous this morning was now in full panic, workers dashing out of their quarters to find the nearest superior to find out what's going on. Of course, Ghost does the same, darting down the hall as fast as their feet could carry them. They would give a quick "'Scuse me, sorry!" as they zipped past people, their vision tunneling on their set path.

By coincidence, they run into Snively who was in a panic himself, his large eyes bugging out of his head. His small body shook as he ran over to them.

"Ghost, there you are! Come on, we don't have time!" He squawked, yanking on Ghost's arm to get them to follow him. As Ghost was too busy trying to keep themselves from freezing up to ask questions, running behind Snively as he leads the way.

Ghost had barely anytime to process anything by the time they arrive at the escape pods, Robotnik practically shoving the two of them into one of the pods and climbing in himself. Now was the time Ghost freezes, their heart hammered against their chest as they became aware of how numb their hands were. Robotnik closes the door behind them, working the controls with a look of urgency that not even Snively has seen on his face.

Within a couple minutes, the pod shook as it launched from the ship, shooting into the endless abyss of space. Ghost looked out the window and watches as the stars blur past them at lightyear speed. Ghost lets out a shaky breath as the pod stills, looking over at Robotnik's back as he piloted it.

Across from Ghost, Snively was curled up in a ball, muttering in a panicked tone that Ghost couldn't decipher. They look back out the window, focusing on the stars momentarily as they try to wrap their head around what just happened. The screams and alarms had fallen silent, yet they echoed in their mind along with a million questions. They adjusted their stiff posture and look back at their superior, now prepared to question him.

GENERAL CHARACTER BIO:

Full name: Ghost Ellias Tillman

AKA: Tillman (Professionally)

Age at First Appearance: 22 (Arrived Year 3316)

Age in Present Time: 40

Gender: Nonbinary (AFAB)

Pronouns: They/Them

Height: 5'5"

Weight: 136lbs

Eye Color: Brown

Hair: Long, thin brown hair.

Skin Color: Pale

Attire

General Attire:

For days they're not working, they tend to wear more darker tone, comfy and casual androgynous clothes. Think baggy T-shirts, sweatpants, hoodies, jeans, or even straight up pajamas. They are laid back with Their shoes of choice are either boots or whatever they have available that'll semi match their outfit. If they're in the castle, they'll go in slippers or be straight up barefoot with socks.

Work Attire:

When working, they wear a dark toned jumpsuit, resembling that of a mechanic's. They usually wear a white undershirt and always have their PPE gear, more depending on the task (hard hats, protective gloves with guards, steel toe boots, etc.). They also wear their hair up in a braided bun. They clean themselves up more for work for both safety and professional reasons. While they want to make a good impression on Robotnik professionally wise, Juniper is more worried about making sure that they won't have their appendages crushed or being caught on machinery.

Special Occasions:

They go for a nice, cleaned up yet business casual androgynous clothing, stuff like buttoned up shirts, ties, blouses, slacks, etc. But if they're feeling particularly pretty, they'll wear mid length gothic-esqe dresses.

Accessories:

They wear large, circular glasses with a thin, golden metal frame. These are prescription, used to correct their nearsightedness and lazy eye. For jewelry, they have earrings, snake bites, a septum piercing, and single piercing on their left nostril. All of their facial piercings are silver, small, and studded for professionality, but also because they're not comfortable with big, dangly piercings. They'll wear their studded earrings during work, but outside of work they'll experiment with 1 inch dangling earrings, their personal favorites being celestial themed.

OCCUPATION

Juniper serves as Dr. Robotnik's maintenance technician. While Robotnik is in charge of the creation and development of the inventions/projects with Snively studying under him, Juniper's job is to ensure the lab itself and the machines (both industrial and computer) is fully operational for those projects. They also aid Robotnik and Snively in the construction of those projects.

BACKSTORY

Born in Everett, WA, Ghost comes from a lower-middle class background. Their mother left when they were 4, leaving their father to raise them and their 2 younger sisters. Their father worked as a truck driver for a logging company, resulting in them and their sisters staying with their grandmother for a good chunk of their early childhood. They were diagnosed with AuDHD when they were 5. This with a combination of neglect from their biological mother before she left, they were nonverbal and developmentally delayed until they were 7. While they are a low support autistic person who mainly has trouble with social aspects of life now, they were a handful as a child, resulting in staying in behavioral classes until they were 11. From a few run ins they did have with their biological mom after she left and taking care of themselves in their teen years, they developed trauma surrounding abandonment and exposure to explicit content. To cope with this trauma and the difficulty they had making friends, they poured themselves into their education. This paid off, going from having an IEP in every aspect of their education to becoming a silver honor roll student. Due to their score in standardized testing, they were recruited into G.U.N after they graduated high school. They were put through rigorous vocational trainings that led them to be one of the organization's top CMRTs (Certified Maintenance and Reliability Technician. After gaining their certification and respect from their previous employers, they accepted an opportunity to work under Dr. Robotnik as his maintenance technician. During the height of WW3, Earth began to deteriorate from nuclear warfare. G.U.N. initiated Project A.R.K, where they selected a population of citizens to place under cryostasis while team of the most prestigious military and science personal, Robotnik being among them, to search for a new habitable planet. Ghost was brought onto the colony ship on Robotnik's personal request, as they proved themselves to be his most competent technician. After the colony ship's destruction, Ghost arrived on Mobius with their male counterparts. As of the Pre-Coup Era, they continued working under Robotnik, aiding in his efforts in the Great War and unknowingly aiding in his future tyranny...

PERSONAILITY

Intelligent:

Ghost is a quietly intelligent person, having a knack of analyzing and processing information in a highly detail-orientated manner. They prefer to look before they jump so to speak, observing and weighing all their options before answering to a problem.

This intelligence is the result of their neurodivergency. They're a curious person who strives to learn as much as they can in their craft.

But the downside to this is that it can take them a minute to learn something. Despite being a fast learner, their ADHD makes it to where they have trouble processing information right away. Once something is explained in a straight forward, step by step manner and they understand it, they'll remember it for good.

Their most preferred method is hands on learning. They know that if they read or listen to instructions when learning something new, they're just gonna zone out and ask the person to repeat themselves multiple times.

Strong Work Ethic:

In their work, Ghost is highly meticulous and perfectionistic. They often follow a schedule for their work day, having a routine for every daily task they perform. They're always looking to make their methods more efficient so they can complete these tasks as fast as possible.

They are organized in their work as well, often cleaning up as they go and double checking to ensure everything looks nice.

This however can borderline to micro-managing when working in a team setting. Say for example they have someone aiding them in a task and that person doesn't do it exactly how they would do it.

While Juniper tries their best to be patient and polite, they can become frustrated and eventually take over the task to ease their own mind.

Because of this, they work by themselves most of the time. They don't mind team work, they enjoy helping and guiding people when they can... Just not for too long. Their autism plays a heavy impact in their work, allowing them to see the smaller details in the bigger picture and problem solve using out of the box methods.

Nerdy:

Thanks to their AuDHD, Ghost is VERY hyperfixated on video games and manga. They got into video games as a child to occupy their time whenever they spent long periods by themselves.

They're a big fan of indie projects and games from the early 2000s. If given the chance, they will ramble about the collection of consoles they had back on Earth.

As for manga, they enjoy the horror genre, their favorite author being Junji Ito.

They used to watch anime a lot, but they don't have the attention span for it anymore because they end up pausing the episode multiple times to stim.

Non-Confrontational:

Due to encounters with their biological mother the few times they did see her, they get anxious at the thought of having to confront someone.

They have a freeze response for whenever they see someone is getting angry, which leads to them stonewalling them.

They're a calm and reasonable person, preferring to communicate with the person before fighting.

On rare occasions however, Ghost will get frustrated and snap if someone pushes them hard enough.

Introverted:

Ghost is a pretty reserved person. While they're friendly and outgoing, it can take them a while to warm up to someone.

As per their autism, they can also get overstimulated from large social settings. They prefer to chill with one or a few people, unless it's a party where they know nearly everyone there.

They just simply don't like interacting with a whole lot of people. They won't go out of their way to gain someone's favor in a casual social situation.

If you talk to them and you like them, sweet! If you give Ghost the vibe that you're not a good person or you just don't talk to them, they're not going to seek you out.

However, a small part of them has that fear of rejection. Spending a lot of their early childhood without friends left an ever lasting mark on their self esteem.

While they try to be "it is what it is", that small voice in the back of their head is always fretting over saying the wrong thing to someone because Ghost still craves social connection.

Empathetic:

While Ghost tends to be a pragmatic, logical person that perhaps is a little pessimistic, they still feel bad whenever someone is upset.

Sure, sometimes they don't know how to comfort someone because they don't fully understand what the other person is feeling. But they still lend a comforting shoulder if they want it.

From their experience with their biological mom and a friend they had in high school, while they will be there for support, they're aware that some things people need to work on themselves for.

Ghost HATES denying someone emotional support, but if they recognize that someone is leaning too heavily on them and trying to burden their problems on them, they'll eventually tell it as it is.

They'll even go as far as cutting contact if they feel the other person isn't respecting their boundaries.

Ghost may be empathetic, but they're also very protective of their boundaries emotionally. Never they will let someone emotionally manipulate them again, and they'll do whatever it takes to protect themselves.

And in the case where they can't escape a situation where someone is manipulating them, they'll keep their head down and do what they say until they can find a way out.

Androgynous:

Ghost has a complicated relationship with their gender. They don't mind having female bits, but identifying as a woman feels wrong.

They tend to dress more masculine, however identifying as a man feels wrong too.

Hence they changed their name to Ghost and now affirms their gender by just existing!

They like to look as androgynous as possible, and even gets gender euphoria when someone is confused about their gender.

On Earth they just told people they didn't know that they're female in case they were conservative (not a battle they wanna fight because people are set in their ways).

However on Mobius, they just tell people they're nonbinary and explain it. The Mobians seem more open minded and intrigued by their gender expression, plus Robotnik and Snively doesn't care.

I like the Ben Hurst take on Robotnik's (and Snively's!) backstory, specifically the one where they were previously a part of a deep space exploration project on a colony ship.

However, I would like to imagine that they went on the expedition during the nuclear war that inevitably wiped humanity out. The purpose of the deep space exploration project would've been to find a new habitable planet to restart society on.

Robotnik was among the staff of the colony ship, being one of their top scientists, if not THE top scientist.

I like to headcanon that the colony ship had regular citizens cryogenically frozen while they were looking for a new planet and Robotnik was among the scientists trying to find a new planet to colonize. Some inspiration from this post.

He definitely tried to overthrow the colony ship, but ended up destroying the colony ship due to a malfunction, so he and Snively had to flee.

They tried to go back to Earth to retreat... Only to find that it's not Earth anymore lol.

And from there he and Snively were taken in refuge by King Acorn to aid in the Great War, eventually becoming the War Minister and overthrowing the kingdom.

And now to the general headcanons!

To him, sleep is for the weak. This man will stay up for DAYS if he could.

He doesn't engage with leisurely hobbies, as he doesn't deem them as "productive". Unless you count tinkering as a leisure hobby.

While he dislikes animals, he does have a particular fondness for birds, particularly for those of the scavengers class. They're intelligent, efficient predators that adapt and live off of rot.

This fascination could've influenced Cluck's design (He does have some rooster aspects to him to play into Robotnik's egg theme, but to me he gives off more vulture/crow vibes).

Hence, this could explain why Robotnik seems more affectionate to Cluck in his own twisted way.

He's definitely autistic. This post makes me a firm believer.

He's very paranoid, but not irrationally so? Like, he knows that if he takes his eyes off of his empire for one second, the Freedom Fighters would JUMP to take advantage of it.

As the Freedom Fighters become more of a threat, it becomes a obsession to watch every aspect of his empire, but also his paranoia would've spiked higher after Naugus' near successful escape.

He hates silence. The whirring of his machines are like white noise to him. If it's silent, something is wrong.

Aside from how much I love this voice acting in this scene, I've been hyperfixating on it because he's making a reference to a story that's lost to time. Considering Earth's history is seemingly nonexistent on Mobius, I can imagine Sonic having no clue what the hell he's talking about, lol.

I dunno, I think it's really fun that the scene has a reference that's indirectly linked to Robotnik's past life being on Earth. A lot of stuff has been going down recently, so I've had like 2 asks sitting in my inbox for a couple months. 🫠

But don't worry, I'll get to them (eventually). I have a draft for one of them, so I'll try my best to finish that one up. Figured I'd break the writer's block with a small post.

Backstory Pt. 1: Origins

I really like the idea of Naugus and Lazaar being connected that the Sea3on Project infers.

The comic does a take from I interpret as them sharing a mentor-mentee relationship, Naugus previously being a student of Lazaar and eventually betraying Lazaar and leaving to pursue his own destiny.

While the comic hasn't specified more on Naugus' backstory (not yet hopefully), I headcanon that Naugus might be the result of magical experimentation/fusion, as Knuckles refers Naugus as a "cursed thing" and a magically gifted creature.

It's like he's a personified entity rather then a person. Given how bizarre his appearance is and the amount of mystery around his powers, I wouldn't think it's too far off to assume that he wasn't naturally born like this.

I think that Naugus is Lazaar's creation from before he fell into his slumber, most likely created to be an apprentice and carry out his legacy for when he dies (assuming Lazaar isn't immortal).

Backstory Pt. 2: Mobotropolis

Like in the Archie comics, Naugus was previously the Royal Wizard for the Acorn family.

He was the one that aided the King in arcane affairs, as well as the one who helped formed an alliance between Mobotropolis and the dragons (Using a previous script that stated he was an ally to the dragons).

However, when Robotnik and Snively arrived to Mobius and Robotnik started aiding the King in the Great War with his technology, the King stopped consulting Naugus as much, making Naugus jealous.

Naugus only started working with Robotnik to get something out of it, which is a portal to enter the Void. Naugus despises technology, but does recognize Robotnik's usefulness.

He knew he can get Robotnik to cooperate by intimidating him with his magic, as Robotnik seems to have a deep fear of the arcane, as it's something he can't fully understand or control it.

Naugus was researching the Void to find a way to harness its power in order to strengthen himself. I totally can see him using that power to overthrow the kingdom for himself so he could reshape it in his image, most likely to get back at the King for turning his back on him.

Now to the general headcanons (and the slightly silly ones):

He's very dramatic. Like to a theatrical degree. He definitely plays up the "shadowy villain" bit very well. From the way he talks to actions, he gives off the vibe that he enjoys being the puppet-master behind the scenes.

He's also very arrogant, especially about his abilities. I think the only good thing he took from the Void was that he was nearly omnipotent there. Like dude must've felt like a god there, but of course he was trapped in a crystal dimension with only 1-2 people, so it's just not the same.

He's very vain about his appearance. His outfit is a fashion statement (cuz he's fabulous) and he takes extra care of his beard. That shit is dragging across the ground AND it looks well groomed? That takes dedication.

Flattery will get you everywhere with him... to a certain extent. He will gladly accept compliments, but as a master of manipulation, he'll know if someone is trying to play him. That and he can't stand bootlickers (*cough cough* Snively).

He enjoys poetry. Like I'm talking deep, melodramatic, gothic poetry. Not in a sappy way, but in a way that screams despair and mystery. He's not ashamed of it, he would gladly read you some of his work and expect applause.

As a Will Wood fan, if i had to pick two songs that fit Naugus' vibe, it would be "Outliers and Hyppocrates" and "Red Moon".

If he was a Pokemon trainer, he would be a psychic type. His Pokemon buddy would be Hypno because they look similar and they both can hypnotize people.

Despite being the dark brooding type, Naugus actually enjoys nature. He heavily opposes Robotnik's vision of ruling over a metallic planet because it lacks chaos. To him, nature is the true embodiment of chaos and Naugus thrives off of chaos.

He gets annoyed with his tail. He can't move it, so it just drags behind him, making it hard for him to sit in most seats without sitting on top of it. There's the occasion where he'll accidentally trip on his tail if he's not careful, or if god forbid someone is careless enough to step on it. You will never hear the end of it if you step on his tail.

You have to be careful making deals with this guy. He's often speaks in double tongue and will take any means necessary to get what he wants. Robotnik definitely saw that because he's the same way, so he beat him to the punch. (Although Robotnik still shits his pants at the thought of Naugus getting out for real).

Errrr, I dunno what else to write so there's that lol. if you want some more headcanons about specific things or different characters, I would be more then happy to answer! Bye!