#[stagger]

I think Crane wanting the outside to match the inside is what finally made me realize the source of my SH.

Wanting the inside to match the outside.

Wanting to be as hurt and scarred on the outside as you are on the inside.

I think of crane putting his head in that water and it brings me a sense of peace. Despite the pain, the obvious reflection of his state of mind, and the self harm; he did it for himself.

it’s a common theme in the book that crane has a hard time existing without guidance, and him burning his face was a way to take back control.

Stagger is an obscure German space shooter developed by Oliver Kirwa (alias "Dr. Knox") for the Commodore 64 in 1990. In this arcade-style game, you pilot a spacecraft that bounces along the ground while defending against waves of alien enemies descending from above. The unique bouncing movement mechanic adds an extra layer of challenge to what might otherwise be a straightforward shooter.

The gameplay is admittedly repetitive, but there's something compelling about its simple mechanics that keeps you hooked - always pushing for that next high score. The core loop is classic arcade gaming: shoot everything that moves, avoid getting hit, and rack up points.

Adding to the challenge are special letter-shaped enemies that occasionally appear among the regular alien forces. These bonus letters are double-edged - if they hit you, they're just as deadly as any other enemy. But if you manage to shoot them down, you'll be rewarded with valuable power-ups like increased speed or improved weapons.

another Stagger thing

have fun looking at this on mobile lol

her name isn't going to be shade in this story because of kenpenderisms, but the idea of another echidna clan is taken directly from sonic chronicles for this.

also instead of having weird sci-fi armor, I'm making this echidna clan have a cultural style that parallels the knuckles clan style. which is Maori, because it's ocean based, and this game takes place in an underwater ruin, and it's criminal that the only bit of Polynesian culture is Jungle Joyride, considering how much the Sonic cast just finds little islands. (also I'm from New Zealand)

I think it parallels Knuckles well, with the Knuckles clan being the Mountains, and the (rename nocturnus) clan being the ocean

stagger | read on ao3

SUMMARY: Punz and Dream are in their unethical science arc! The rituals are not intricate. The rituals are brutal and unpleasant.

STATUS:  Incomplete, 4/6 (?) chapters, 23k words so far