#posted before episode 4

[cyjammy]

Vox and Valentino: A Display of Trust

VALENTINO AND VOX

Not going to lie, I was the most excited for this dynamic and it just barely beats out Vox and Alastor’s rivalry. For four years they were both the big unknowns only seen for about 30 seconds in the pilot.

There were theories about their dynamic that I hoped to god wouldn’t be true in the show.

Because they didn’t make sense, they looked friendly with each other when they hunkered down for the extermination. And there was no way one sinner (Val) could create an empire alone.

AND I’M SO HAPPY THAT DID NOT HAPPEN.

Valentino being hot headed and brash was not on my 2024 bingo card, but I’m here for it.

(Yes, he’s a bad person. So is everyone else in the show. Alastor hangs out with cannibals and most likely participates. It’s a show about Hell.)

I LOVE HIM. I love everything about him down to the voice, the fluctuating emotions, the drama, the possessiveness — ALL. OF. IT.

I love me some fucking drama and I was LIVING for the back and forth between him and Vox.

Valentino is in charge because of the power he has.

He’s not a words guy, he uses action. He refuses to change his ways because that’s what got him to the top. He’s ready to hunt down Angel just for moving out.

Mind you he still goes to work and fulfills his side of the contract, Valentino just can’t handle not having control.

Micromanaging Angel’s life down to the smallest of details. Controlling who he can talk to, what he can wear.

He wants his plaything back in his sight, he doesn’t want him getting defiant. He wants his leash short so he doesn’t get any ideas.

And the way he gaslights the fuck out of Angel hit hard. Getting away from an abuser and then having the distance you finally need to heal, but being forced to be in contact with them is so restricting that it hurts.

Jesus that was fucking with me.

You don’t necessarily have to be smart to manipulate people, and Val knows that. Val plays the part of the fool so people underestimate him.

He feigns impulsiveness.

When asked for strategic advice he plays dumb.

That’s calculated, and it may just be written off as idiotic, but that’s probably what he wants.

He has to be playing dumb, there is no way he has survived this long by pure luck.

Vox makes do with him by his side because Val can gain trust and place sinners under his spell.

That makes him a valuable asset. Vox supplies the equipment and Valentino supplies the merchandise.

Because that’s all he considers those who are under his employ.

They’re things to be sold to an audience.

But Vox might not see the subtle ways Val messes with him.

Val’s a bratty, unsympathetic, monster that will do anything to get his way. With the guidance of someone with a more grounded personality removed from his issues is when he is able to see reason.

And Velvet can’t even do that, only Vox.

That shows respect and trust.

Even when Vox was spelling it out for him slowly it wasn’t a slight against him, it was a reminder and it held no malice.

If it did, Vox would have lost his temper as he did with Alastor. He kept himself measured for Val and reigned himself back in.

He may know that it won’t get him anywhere after dealing with him for so long. If Vox didn’t see Valentino as a worthwhile investment, he wouldn’t even go through the effort.

Vox knows the best way to get Valentino to listen.

Valentino is extremely self centered. Vox speaks in a way that makes Val want to care, while still making sure it benefits him as well.

“OUR brand”

“Any idea what YOU would look like chasing random whores around town”

“OUR image”

Their partnership is of the upmost importance. Vox needs to make sure the empire remains, that the Vs have their power. That they’re on top.

And that’s a goal Valentino can get behind.

Valentino backs off with disappointment, because he enjoys violence. And he wanted there to be a show.

So instead he throws out something that could really get under Vox’s skin.

Alastor.

Val could have used this information to cripple Vox, make him vulnerable during a time where he needed to stay focused.

But instead, he uses it now.

Val was bored, he knew how Vox would react, and he wanted a show.

And a show he received. Pressing all the right buttons to see his partner go mad.

I want to see more of Valentino. So far his actions could be read as surface level — dumb and erratic — or strategic.

As of now, I’m assuming he knows what he’s doing.

Anger clouds your judgement and both Vox and Val were subject to that effect within a few minutes. That doesn’t necessarily mean Val is a fool and that Vox calls ALL of the shots.

Val acts idiotic around his colleagues because he knows they won’t take advantage of him. Until I see how he is around Angel Dust outside of those voicemails or around his other employees is when that can be settled.

I’m hoping this is a strategic play, because that would be an amazing use of misdirection. All the signs are there, and it could be so.

I also love how Vox is never fearful of Val and vice versa. They both would take steps toward each other that would be misconstrued as advancing toward violence.

Neither flinch. They look a bit surprised, sure, but never scared.

The respect is there and I love the relationship Val and Vox have.

#hazbin hotel #posted before episode 4 #on my twitter #@cyjammy #vox #valentino #i love their dynamic so much #The Vs #Overlords #attention wh0r3 #manipulation #playfulness

[egophiliac]

so we know you love diasomnia endlessly, but who is your favorite character from each of the other dorms

this is SO hard to answer, because so many of the characters are, like, those pet adoption ads that say "MUST STAY TOGETHER, CANNOT BE SEPARATED". it's all about the relationship dynamics! and I think everybody in the main cast is pretty neat, honestly; there isn't anyone who doesn't have something I really like about them. but if I haaaaad to choose...

Hearts - Trey, partly because I do like me a good Mom Friend™ character, and partly because he pretends like he's all sane and normal, right up until he does something to prove he's just as much of a dipshit as everyone else. you're not immune, sir.

Savana - BUFF 👏 TSUNDERE 👏 WEREWOLF 👏

Octa - this one took a lot of soul-searching, because I do feel like the Octatrio is at their very best when it's all three of them, especially when they're in full Ed Edd n Eddy mode. but in the end, Jade ekes out a win, because sometimes you get this Jade:

and then when he gets back from his nice mushroom-foraging hike, you get this Jade:

Scara - Kalim, my sweet little moron. such a good heart, so few braincells.

Pome - 90% of the time when Rook shows up, you know it's going to a be fun time watching a silly little man dance around and break into song for no reason and wax poetic about the beauty of, like, a chair. always a delight!

except every once in a while, he'll bust out something that is absolutely insane even by Twst standards:

this isn't a complaint, it's just. why is he like this. I want to study him under a microscope, except I'm afraid of what I might find.

Igni - MUST STAY TOGETHER! CANNOT BE SEPARATED! ...but I would probably go with Ortho, just because right now I'm pretty invested in his Learning Emotions story arc and looking forward to seeing it progress. he's a good boy who will post your cringe fanfic publicly if you annoy him

...and at this point I'm calling technicality because the ask says "other dorms", and I genuinely do not think I could choose between the Dia boys at this point. let's see how episode 7 goes first!

#art #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland spoilers #twisted wonderland episode 6 spoilers #long post #obligatory disclaimer that this is my own personal opinion et cetera #what it comes down to is that i'm going to love EVERYBODY and you can't stop me! #it REALLY is all about the dynamics though #i don't talk about them as much but i really do love the riddle-trey-cater and riddle-trey-che'nya friendships especially #and i KNOW i've talked about idia and lilia being unintentional bffs before #and i'm going to stop here before i just start listing off every possible character interaction and why i like it #what up it's a day ending in y which means i got feelings about anime characters again #sorry this is somehow even less coherent than usual #i was like 'i'll do a couple of drawings for this' and then looked up and it was 4 am somehow #this keeps happening dagnabbit

[bethanyactually]

Nancy Drew + text posts (40/?)

4.08 || The Crooked Banister (4/5)

thanks, @runaway-horses, for the assist with Iain Thomas! ♥︎

#nancydrewedit #naceedit #ndcwedit #nancy drew cw #the crooked banister #nancy drew text posts #ndcw408textposts #bethanyactuallyedit #nancy x ace #drew crew! <3 #I had hoped to finish this episode before the recent naceweek so I could at least participate on day 1 but alas #instead there is a week of 408 text posts #yeah you read that right: FIVE POSTS' worth of text post edits for this brilliant episode bc I have many Emotions about it #if you missed the first three just click on that 4/5 in the caption above #thanks as usual to kelsey and corissa and shelby ♥︎ #queue of themyscira

[soulmates-for-real]

Smallville S4 Ep 4

#Smallville S4 #Episode 4 #Jason Teague #Jensen Ackles #just some eye candy 🤷🏽‍♀️ #the second gif is hilarious they were kneeling on the floor before falling flat 🤣 #my post

[umblrspectrum]

alright fuck you if you haven’t seen the episode yet Thats On You its free on youtube why are you going on a murder drones blog why haven’t you w

#remember that old post about growing a dd arm in place of a regular one? #new idea #knife hands #(rad as hell) #anyways fun fact someone ended up tracing over that post so #i take that as confirmation that i'm a decent artist #am i doing the glare thingy right cause it looks wrong but i dont know how else to do it #i remember seeing an post with biological weapons uzi before ep 4 was released #seeing if i can go find it cause God Damn #it predicted where this episode was going #yea she chases people she doesnt like with it #this is a lot of tags #art #artwork #murder drones #murder drones uzi #murder drones uzi solver #not tagging lizzy cause shes lame

[aheathen-conceivably]

The preparations for the move were almost complete. Crates had been packed and suitcases filled until they were almost too full to shut. Josephine and Antoine had signed a deal with the New Orleans city government, selling their prized jazz club for only a fraction of what it had been worth a decade before.

The city planned to raze the whole area in what they were calling a “rejuvenation effort”. Antoine couldn’t bear to think of it, or he would lose his nerve for good. And he was excited, childishly, hopefully excited.

There was promise in the West, not only for himself but for his entire family, but if he thought of his mother or their beloved club he would falter. So he packed boxes and covered furniture looking only at Zelda, thinking only of her and Violette and not of the past.

Despite all of their preparations, only one thing was not prepared for the cross country journey: Violette. Ever since her parents had told her of the move she had become sullen and unresponsive, refusing to speak to anyone or pack any of her belongings.

Both Zelda and Antoine had tried speaking to her in their own ways, but her answer remained the same: I’m not leaving. Antoine promised more gifts, new dresses, and anything else he could think of, but the more he spoke the more sullen she became. What she refused to say was that the last time she had left home he wasn’t there, and that her young mind was convinced if she were to do so again it would be without him.

So only days before their train was scheduled to depart, they called Josephine to the house.

When Josephine entered the room Violette stared straight into her eyes angrily, only to turn away the moment that she sat on the bed. Jo looked around the unpacked room while the rest of the house was so empty. For a moment she was tempted to adopt the child’s stubborn posture and lock the door.

For she was no less shocked now than when her brother had originally approached her with his plan to contact Gio and move together to New Mexico. She had expected an argument, or at least some resistance to her idea of selling the club; she had never expected Antoine to be the one to suggest leaving first.

In truth, her own plans hadn’t spanned far beyond selling the club. While she had entertained some vague ideas of moving to Chicago or even California, she had never considered going back to Gio, to some farm where she would have to rely on him and only him for almost every aspect of her life. As much as she wanted to see him again, she didn’t know if she could bear the feeling.

But the hope in Antoine’s voice had all but convinced her; then, her remaining reservations had melted away once she saw the sale price of their property, barely enough to get them out of New Orleans together. But here, in her childhood bedroom, her memories seemed to matter more than any promise, her roots more than any future, and her nostalgia more than any security.

Then she caught sight of the music box on Violette’s dresser, the same one that her mother had once given to her and she had passed to Violette. She reached over and wound up the small brass handle so that the ballerina began to twirl and a lilted melody played hauntingly from the box.

“Lottie, do you know where your grand-mère bought this music box?”

The child still didn’t turn, but Jo noticed that her rigid posture had softened, so she continued, “When your grand-mère was only a teenager she ran away from home, all the way to New York to be a dancer. Her whole life everyone had told her that she was talented and beautiful enough to make it big, and perhaps she was. Only people here judged her for the way she looked, you see? So she went all the way to New York City to follow her dreams. Sometimes, my little love, we must go elsewhere to be who we want to become. And your Momma and Poppa know that. They know that you’ll be much happier somewhere you are allowed to be whoever you want to be.”

Violette’s demeanor changed notably, and she spoke to her aunt in a small voice, “You promise that you’re coming with me? That Poppa is coming and we’ll all be together?”

“Lottie, of course, my love. Your Momma, Poppa, and I will all be there with you.”

Finally Violette turned, her large eyes seemingly free of the rage they had held when Josephine first entered the room, “And if I go, can I be like her? Like the ballerina in the box?”

As she stared down at Violette, Josephine saw through time, to herself lying on her bed in that same room, watching the ballerina spin in the music box. It was her first night working at the brothel and she just kept watching her spin, and spin, and spin, ignoring her mother calling her name from the doorway.

Delphine sat on the bed next to her daughter, a blend of tender impatience in her face as she tried to soothe her fears, “Josephine, child, I know that you are nervous, but I can protect you here. This is our lot in this life, the fate that expectations and prejudice have placed upon us. Only we wield the power here, do you understand? We get to make the rules and reap the benefits, even if we must play along with things we do not desire. I promise that I will look after you no matter what, okay? I love you, my darling, it will all be alright.”

Josephine looked back at her niece, replacing the rage filling her with hope for the small child sitting in front of her. She brought her hand to her cheek and smiled, “Oh Lottie, I’ll make sure you can be whatever it is that you want, no matter what anyone else may tell you. I promise you that, my darling.”

#long post today my dears I do apologize! #it’s the penultimate episode so everyone has to have their moment before we go 🥺 #1929 #sims 4 historical #ts4 historical #ts4 decades challenge #sims 4 decades challenge #sims 4 legacy #ts4 legacy #sims 4 story #ts4 story #the darlingtons #1920s #antoine duplanchier #zelda darlington #josephine duplanchier #violette darlington

[marshmallowgoop]

What do I know? I'm a child Just trying to talk like a mother does

[Song link] [YouTube link]

#detective conan #case closed #ran mori #shinichi kudo #amv #my amvs #video #eye strain #since it was my birthday i really wanted to post a video again... #i've been working so hard on the hd english dub project and some collabs i can't share yet #so i haven't posted anything new for a while (but the collabs are really neat!!! can't wait to share them!!) #made this in a 24-hour period of time! didn't quite finish before my bday ended in my timezone #but here it is juuuust before it ends everywhere #song is 'child' by lights #felt relevant ^^; #sources are episodes 1 3 5 40 48 54 58 85 128 189 196 and 288 #and movies 1 3 and 4

[roychewtoy]

shots from simons flickr account

#i looooove when older media has in universe shit online. like this and the shadow of the colossus viral marketing campaign #[cant handle faces at the moment. cant handle eyes] SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMONNNNNNNN........ #oh barrys flickr account we're in it now... #also if anyone cares: the posts cover over season 1 only. i put the pics in order here #all 2009 obvs: nathans bone structure pic was uploaded [dec 2nd] a day before episode 4 aired #curtis pic was the day episode 5 aired [dec 10th]. curtis hit nathan hehelol #shoe pic was the day After episode 5 [dec 11th] so it corresponds with simon killing sally and that caption u know #kelly pic day before season finale [dec 16th]. her state in the caption is probably to do with her mourning nathans death #and alisha pic finale day [dec 17th]. thats also the final pic on the account #there are other pictures. just wanted to upload the ones of the gang. and the shoe shot waaaugh. its nathans shoes as well 😐 #if u wanna brooooowse literally just search: misfits simon flickr account. bosh first result #the fact that they did this for season 1 and season 1 is also the only season u can buy scripts for... hehehe😁best season #and the character twitters r fun too #🤔<-me thinking: surely opening the floodgates on misfits posting wont make me go 😀😃.. #misfits #simon bellamy #chewtoy

[guardian-angle22]

TK/Carlos + Looks

↳ 2.02 2100°

#911 lone star #tk strand #carlos reyes #tarlos #tk/carlos + looks #i have had this in the drafts since before season 4 aired and just never got around to posting #will i ever be over carlos looking at tk like THAT when talking about honeymoon periods?? the answer is probably no #also tk 'heart eyes' strand makes multiple appearances in this one scene imo #my gifs #episode: s02e02 2100°

[hybbat]

You know I've had a lot of posts on my dash about Lizzie including 3 fics... And all of them are about how she is ignored for the men.

I've not seen any of the content they're complaining about, and I've not seen any of the content they're asking for...

You know you can just... make content about Lizzie. Instead of content about the lack of content. You can just draw her or write about her or make headcanons and essays about her, instead of about how there isn't any.

We get it, nobody is talking about her. So, please just actually talk about her?

#id certainly love to see it but no ody is actually talking about her in favour of complaining that nobody is talking about her #its a really weird typw of irony #seriously the first thing i saw about lizzie on my dash like an hour after episode started dropping was someone already complaining #about it being made about jimmy before id even seen any posts about jimmy #secret life spoilers #traffic spoilers #but yeah just... make stuff? instead of souring the whole thing? #im also sick of hearing about the men lizzie is ignored for... and its these exact posts that are doing it and spreading it around #instead of being upset fans of jimmy are happy his 3 year 5 season long plot has concluded #posts ill def regret when i wake up but its 4 am and im so tired of not having any positive lizzie OR jimmy content on my dash #cause people are either complaining or too scared to be percieved as Part Of The Problem to make things for the characters they care about

[note-boom]

Kyouka: dramatically jumps off a train

Atsushi: dramatically jumps off a blimp and a boat

Dazai: dramatically jumps off buildings and bridges

Kunikida: dramatically jumps off a helicopter

Guys. Please stop dramatically jumping off things

#am i missing anyone from the ada because i feel like i am.... #ranpo started it by dramatically getting himself kidnapped and rescued btw #and yosano dramatically fell off her sanity and mental health but shes better now #anyway it'll be a week or so before i can get back to posting immediately #i still havent watched the episode actually but all i could think of... #anyway i love these dramatic weirdos #bsd #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd musings #humor #bsd kyouka #bsd atsushi #bsd dazai #bsd kunikida #bsd season 4 #bsd s4 spoilers #bsd spoilers #spitting nonsense

[gets-eeby-deebied]

ignore the awful shading and the fact that his eyes are the wrong color lmao, i drew this before watching the episode and i don’t feel like fixing it

#i drew this in 4 hours before episode 1071 dropped and then forgot to post it #one piece #monkey d luffy #strawhat luffy #one piece episode 1071 #gear 5th #one piece strawhats #straw hat pirates #one piece yonko #sun god nika #sun god luffy #gum gum fruit #devil fruit #hito hito no mi #op kaido #eiichiro oda

[lesbianashleywilliams]

文豪ストレイドッグス S3E1 - DAZAI, CHUUYA, AGE FIFTEEN

「 "So you're the King of the Sheep. The manipulator of gravity, Chuuya Nakahara."   "I'm not a king. I just happen to have a card up my sleeve." 」

#*posts #*bsdeps #bsdedit #hyeahbsd #Bungou Stray Dogs #anisource #flashing gif cw #usergojoana #useradrienne #my crap #we are in the home stretch now! will i be able to complete eleven more episodes before jan 4? stay tuned! #also this is me tellin u to read the fifteen light novel if you havent cause they left a looooot out of the tv adaptation

[seventh-fantasy]

trying out the questionable, unpopular cdrama which was still in my ptw despite the apparent red flags solely bc it has all my guilty pleasure tropes then it actually turns out watchable and has more decent writing than many other popular cdramas I've tried??????

#I LOVE YOU DIVORCE I LOVE YOU 先婚后爱 I LOVE YOU 职场都市言情 I LOVE YOU 破镜重圆!!!!!!! (and throw in 师生 toooo) #it has the exact flavour of old school romance dramas i always loved and perpetually crave for. WE'RE SO BACKKKKK #never revealing what drama this is in public or at least before i'm done #bc what if it turns around in the next 5 episodes to completely stab me in the back lmao #i'm only done with 4 episodes so far BUT I'M ALREADY LIVING #my posts #i cant rmb which cdrama reviewer i think low君 was the only one of them who talked abt this drama but it was with mixed feelings #so honestly. i really went in with nothing but negative expectations and a vague hope for smth trashy fun (it kinda is that)

[catboyolli]

Olli moments from Blind Channel: DOOMSDAY DIARIES vol. 5

#blind channel #olli matela #doomsday diaries #gif tag #hello hi hi hello guess who forgor about these 💀💀 #posting before the new episode comes out because idk why i didn't finish these back then??? #anyway. enjoy my blorbo doing stuff like taking things to his mouth 4 times out of 12💖

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Sonine Prime ... Part 5

Hi, everyone and welcome back to Sonine Prime! The part of the show when I come out and talk about Sonine (and a bit of Sontails) in Sonic Prime!

Last time we just barely started Episode 4, so we'll be starting right back up where we left off and seeing how much of the season we can get through before Part 6.

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<< Part 4 | Part 6 >>

(Essay/thoughts/analysis under the cut)

ㅤ

I lied!

A bit.

We'll pick up right where we left up in Episode 4 still, I promise. I just still wasn't over the ending of episode 3. So, I've decided to use my allotted video per tumblr post this time around to shove it in your faces because I need people to witness this ending. That I am still not over.

Do you get it do you get it do you get it?

Okay, back to the show.

ㅤ

It's a tiny thing that makes me laugh more than it's relevant, but the scene where Sonic meets Mangey is funny specifically because Sonic is so desperate to find Tails/a version of Tails to help him in each shatterspace up to this point. In a way, it proves to us just how lost Sonic feels without Tails specifically, and just how much the idea of losing him freaks him out.

Sonic is so incredibly freaked out when he catches Mangey (similar to how he was when he thought Mr. Dr. Eggman was going to kill Rebel, Renegade, and Rusty Rose).

"Tails...? TAILS!"

And yet, there's something a bit different about these scenes.

Let's put something into perspective for a moment.

Imagine being Sonic the Hedgehog. Raw talent, natural speed, badnik busting practice. You're aware that no matter what, everything always turns out fine, so you can afford to be cocky. And when things get too confusing for you and "winging it" won't cut it, you've always got your trusty fox best friend. Perhaps even you're a bit scared (whether you admit it or not), you feel lost, like nothing makes sense. But that's okay, because Tails is here. Tails is smart. You can trust him to comprehend what you cannot, to try to explain it to you. Whether you understand or not, at least Tails knows what's going on. And that's enough, because that means he can come up with a plan, and if he can come up with a plan, you just have to execute it. Simple. Easy. And even if he can't understand, can't come up with a plan, at least you have each other, right?

But Sonic woke up in New Yolk alone, has been struggling thus far to understand what's going on around him (one hedgehog with a spotty memory and not even 5% of the context the audience has). So he went to look for Tails first. Because everything is messed up and wrong and Eggman took over, and Sonic doesn’t know how. He doesn't know what happened. But if he can just find Tails, everything will be all okay. Tails can explain it, work out a plan, and Sonic can execute it. They can fix everything together.

But then "Tails" doesn't remember him, neither do his "other friends". He's lost and trying to understand what's happening because no one else can explain it to him.

Or in short, Sonic in Sonic Prime is just trying to seek out the familiar in the unfamiliar, find the one thing (or person, rather) that will make everything make sense, but he can't. Tails isn't around. He's not here (not in New Yolk, Boscage Maze, or No Place). But each time he seeks him out.

And after being ripped away from Nine, and remembering how he'd lost his all his friends before that, it just... Before he knows who Mangey is, when he sees Mangey falling, he moves without thinking, desperate to have Tails back. Desperate to make sure he (and his friends) never die.

"Am I glad to see you. The world is all blgdyblublu. You gotta figure out what's going–"

Even by this point, when he's realized that there are multiple alternate versions of Green Hill, he still tries to seek out Tails/a version of him, hoping someone can make sense of things for him.

But that's the thing. He never finds Tails. Nine and some of the other residents of the shatterverse are helpful, but Sonic has to spend much of the episodes working things out on his own while just wishing things made sense (or he could find Tails, so Tails could make things make sense)

You feel?

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Did anyone ask for more Sonic & versions of Tails and Sonic & versions of Amy parallels? Cool.

So I don't remember if I said this in a previous part, but here's my personal interpretation of Sonic Prime. In Season 1, Tails/Nine/Other Tails variants are paralleled to Amy/Amy variants in regards to Sonic, while in Season 2, Nine is paralleled to Shadow. Whatever your belief is on the relationships Sonic has to certain characters or how they feel about him (and vice versa) canonically, especially in Sonic prime, it remains that S0namy and Sonadow are two of the most popular Sonic the Hedgehog ships. And this is why these Amy/Tails parallels I've been mentioning since the first part matter to me (in terms of what they mean for each of the characters, AND what they mean for Sonic, as well as what the similarities and differences mean).

So. Let's take a look at Sonic's first meeting with Thorn vs his first meeting with Nine.

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Now, the very first difference. How the first meeting went about.

It's important to note that Sonic was purposely looking for Tails back in New Yolk. So when he saw Nine, thinking he was Tails, he followed him to his lab, excited to have found "Tails" and glad one thing (the code to "Tails'" lab) was the same as before. He'd turned Nine's "chair" as he'd done to Tails in the flashback, expecting, well, anything other than for who he thought to be Tails to be attacking him. The idea that "Tails" would attack him instantly throws him off, leaving him confused and sad. But for Thorn? Sonic went into this fight expecting to fight a "monster". For the first minute of the direct fight, he doesn't see more of Thorn aside from possibly her hammer. You can tell how afraid he his by how the camera switches from the hammer to Sonic's face, and shows him desperately trying to crawl away and break free of the thorns keeping him from running. So in opposition to Sonic seeing glimpses of Nine before he meets him proper (and then starts a fight with him), approaching this initially with peace in mind, Sonic doesn’t see Thorn at all until after being hit around a couple times, until after going into all this initially expecting a fight with a "monster".

"Yes! There's my two-tailed genius friend. Surprise~!"

vs

"Amy? You're the monster? Oh. Oh, those guys up above have really got it– Ughk. —wrong."

And then, after each of these, Nine and Thorn attack Sonic.

"Tails? It's me. Your best–"

"Tails, stop! We're buds—amigos! Best friends!"

vs

"Amy, stop! We're friends! You liked me!...to some extent."

Nine and Thorn continue to attack Sonic. Nine and Sonic have a continuous attack on the underground train in the scareport (where Sonic continues to reason with him, tries to remind him of all they've been through together). Thorn sends Sonic up past the trees with her hammer, intending to end the battle altogether.

Now, a couple things to note here. Except when defending himself, Sonic never intends to actually fight Nine back in episode one. In fact, he spends much of the fight dodging and trying to reason with him. And it's clear that Sonic also never expected "Tails" to fight him. The fact that Nine does fight him, treat him like a stranger, throws Sonic off. But with Thorn? Sure, he never intended to fight her in the first place, at least not knowingly. But now that he does know who the "monster" is, he speeds down the nearest tree with clear intent to hit Thorn back. It's only because he flashes back to Amy and this suddenly makes him feel like he'd be fighting a friend does he decide against dealing that heavy blow. And while it throws him off for "Amy" to be so antagonistic, it's clear to me from the "You liked me!...to some extent", and that his first reaction was to hit Thorn back (rather than try to reason with her like with Nine), that the idea of Amy attacking him in general doesn't throw Sonic off. I'd wager that Prime Sonic has likely been at the mercy of Amy's hammer before, in the same way he'd likely never been attacked by Tails.

Now, after deciding he can't just "smash" (as Sonic puts it) Thorn with a clear conscience, he begins to try to reason with her as he had with Nine.

"Quick recap. I'm not from around here. Violence never solves anything. And where I'm from, you and I are buds. So how about we put down your big hammer and just talk, Amy?"

"My name is Thorn Rose, and you are finished!"

vs

"What did you just call me"

"U-Uh...Tails?"

"The name's...NINE!"

...

"Snap out of it, we go way back! All of my best memories of Green Hill have you in 'em, and you're not punching me! Don't you wanna go home? Blue skies, sunny beaches...palm trees?"

"I don't know what kind of mind games you're playing, but it won't work!"

And here's what's interesting about Sonic's demeanor. While he's hurt, confused, and panicked during the fight with Nine (and this shows when he tries to reason with him), he's much calmer when reasoning with Thorn. You know, it's as if to him "Amy" just got angry/lost herself and it's up to him to de-escalate the situation.

With Nine, it's reminding him what Sonic means to him (means to Tails really), of home, of their adventures. With Thorn, it's reminding her of what Sonic means to her (means to Amy really), and, when that fails, trying to calm her down (as Amy herself might) to get her to just talk instead.

Now here's another interesting tidbit for these two fights. When Sonic and Nine enter the scareport, the two of them are on equal footing for the fight. Neither of them really gains the upper hand as Nine fights and Sonic dodges. However, the fight between Sonic and Thorn mostly consists of Thorn hitting Sonic around. Even when Sonic switches from fight mode to dodge and reason with mode, it's a pretty onesided fight, and it's one that Thorn pretty objectively wins. They're not at all on equal footing here.

Luckily for Sonic, though, he's able to successfully appeal to both Nine and Thorn in the end. He saves Nine from being hit by one of the underground trains, and he saves a flicky from drowning in mud. Nine's first impression of Sonic was of a stranger, a bully, intending to harm him and take from him. Thorn's first impression of Sonic is of a greedy scavenger, one of those who would intend to hurt the forest and drain it of its resources.

The tie in? It's that between both moments (saving Nine and saving the flicky), Sonic convinces Nine and Thorn that he's...an outlier of a person.

After Sonic saves Nine, surprising him, Nine finds who he believes to be the only person who would save someone (him) when there doesn't seem to be any immediately identifiable gain for doing so, the only person who may have protected and helped him back when he was young.

While Thorn isn't fully convinced that Sonic isn't one of the scavengers, those who destroyed the forest originally, it's clear that Sonic’s action of going out of his way to help the flickies surprises her. After all, she finally begrudgingly agrees to help Sonic find his way home.

Although, it is also worth noting that while Nine begins to treat Sonic more like a friend than he's ever treated anyone like a friend (when he fixes Sonic's little problem and goes out with him to get the paradox prism), Sonic is treated more like Thorn's captive in episode 4 (one that she'll release out of the forest when his business is finished).

Finally (I apologize for the length of this section of parallels) we get to the bit where Sonic and Thorn find the green shard. So, final things to note. Yes, Sonic spent more time with Nine over 3 episodes than the small portion of 1 episode with Thorn, but I feel it's also pertinent to recognize that neither were actually particularly long stretches of time in universe. Regardless though, for the sake of the parallel, I'm only noting here that Nine has become at least a bit attached to Sonic in a way Thorn has not. Sonic and Nine marvel over the prism together. In fact, it was Nine who'd asked Sonic to "grab the shard already" so they could escape the coucil's fortress together. However, after Sonic digs up the green shard in Boscage Maze, Thorn doesn't marvel over the green shard for too long before hitting Sonic in the face with her hammer, claiming the shard as hers.

But I suppose this also comes back to one big difference between Thorn and Nine.

Nine cares pretty much only about self preservation and staying away from the general public back in episode 1. Thorn, on the other hand, cares about the forest. Thorn was quick to push aside Sonic for the shard, similar to how Nine decided for leaving Rebel, Renegade, and Rusty behind so he'd have a higher chance of escaping with the shard. Only their goals matter. It's just that Nine very quicky integrated Sonic into his plans, while Thorn had not.

Interesting, no?

Okay okay I'll say the thing. Parallels between a Tails and Amy variant both meeting Sonic for the first time and pursing a shard with him: IIII

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So, Sonic goes for the green shard with a spin dash, yelling that he needs it, Thorn goes "as if I'd give the heart of my jungle to a stranger like you. You're a scavenger like the rest" and moves to attack, and so ends episode 4.

Putting the Sonine interactions from episodes 1-3 in comparison to all this with Thorn...really makes me embarassed on Nine's behalf for how telling his actions are😂

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And now for a moment you've (me) all been waiting for (because I didn't find anything in episode 5 I wanted to talk about)...

Sonic Prime Season 1 Episode 6: Situation: Grim!

I've been excited to touch on this episode since I started this little series about Sonine. Why? Because it's one of the season 1 episodes that gives me a lot of second hand embarrassment about Sonine (in a good way!), and it's just so fun to break down.

So, without further ado, let's return to New Yolk.

So, Sonic drops in, gets roped into the ensuing battle with the rebels versus the Eggforcers, and comments that New Yolk City isn't quite how he remembers it. Then, as he goes about explaining that he met "another you" (refering to Renegade), in another place, fighting another battle and the existence of other shards, he asks Renegade where Nine is.

"Anyway. Super stoked to be back to help with...whatever the heck's going on here. Where's Nine? I gotta pick his brain about this other shard I found."

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Later, after Renegade brings Sonic to Rebel and the resistance's base, Renegade "informs" Sonic that Nine left them (Renegade, Rebel, and Rusty) "high and dry" after getting the shard. Of course, similar to the scene in which Nine attacked him in their first meeting (while Sonic thought him to be Tails, this revelation seems to make Sonic...sad (a bit of an understatement, I know). Like he just can't believe Nine would do such a thing.

"I didn't steal the shard!"

"But your fox friend did, right before he left us high and dry."

"He...did?"

Rebel goes on to explain how she and everyone else had trusted them (Sonic and Nine) as a shortened version of the end of episode 3, as well as a continuation of the scene, play out. The audience watches Nine grab the shard, stop and consider saving Rebel, Renegade, and Rusty, before deciding to escape alone with the shard rather than risk losing it over trying to save the three (but it's important to note that Sonic doesn’t see this scene. All he knows is that Nine took the shard and left). Then, Rebel explains that after the event, the resistance grew "without you or that traitorous fox".

Now, how Sonic acts and what he says next tells us a lot about how he sees Nine (or rather how he wants to).

"If they get that energy crystal back, we're done for."

"Nine won't let that happen!"

After having his life threatened by Renegade and some of the resistance (which I may mention that Sonic never gives up anything he knows about Nine to save his own hide, such as the location of his base, even if it is true that he doesn’t know where Nine is currently), Rebel shows Sonic the palm tree. As of the Boscage Maze section, the palm tree has become a symbol to Sonic of what can be, and what he's lost. It's a symbol of the bonds he has with his friends, the memories he made with them, what he hadn't cherished properly before it was gone, and of hope for fhe future. Rebel showing it to him provides adequate motivation to help the rebels, showing him just what's at stake if they fall.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me...but I'm not a traitor and neither is Nine."

"Let me prove it to you. Let me fight by your side."

Sonic how does– how does you fighting with them also prove Nine isn’t a traitor Mr. "I don't want to believe Nine would leave someone to die"

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In any case, the battle between the Rebels, Sonic, and the Chaos Council begin, and Nine shows up just like Sonic always hoped he would.

"Sonic! Hang on!"

*In Unision* "Nine?!"

"You got a plane!...kinda."

In hindsight, we know Nine came to New Yolk to find Sonic and bring him back to The Grim with him. We know this is likely his intention, given how he yells Sonic's name immediately upon appearing in New Yolk, and then says "hang on!" when he sees him in danger.

Bit of a side note here, I actually almost wonder if Nine has the ability to track Sonic (perhaps through his regulators?). I say this because there is no proof, even by season 2, that Nine had gone looking for Sonic in any other shatterspaces and seen them before (in fact there's more proof he went to Boscage Maze and No Place for the very first time while he and Sonic were trying to make off with the shards towards the end of S2). If he was looking for Sonic specifically and just so happened to know not only what shatterspace he was in but also where he was, it makes sense that Nine would be able to portal to about exactly where Sonic was and to come out of the portal yelling his name.

As for Sonic, while Rebel and Renegade are (understandably) none too happy to see him, Sonic is just...so happy, man.

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Now, for the next bit where Nine participates in battling the Chaos Council, I think the intentions here are so interesting. Because Nine? He came here just to find Sonic and bring him back. He's battling the Council to free up Sonic and give him an opening to join him. We know this because Nine practically portals out New Yolk the moment Sonic is safe in the cockpit. Basically, Nine only "helped" so he could return to the Grim with Sonic.

But Sonic? He's just got done asserting that Nine would never betray anyone. He wants to believe that Nine cares for people and fighting for good like he does (and like he believes Tails does, but how Sonic sees Tails and how Tails actually is is an essay for another time). So when Nine shows up and starts blasting the council, Sonic believes not that Nine showed up just for him, but that Nine came to help. To Sonic, Nine showing up in their hour of need proves that he's not a traitor, proves that Nine cares about spreading good and peace to New Yolk like Sonic wants to believe.

Understanding their differing points of view and stances on everything is integral to understanding the miscommunications to come in this very episode, and in the future. And, so does understanding how each of them badly want to believe in a version of the other that wants everything that they want and is the way they think they should be.

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...And that will be it for part 5 of Sonine Prime, everybody! This was a long one, and it would have been longer if not for the tumblr photo limit, but no matter. Next time we'll be continuing Episode 6, and I'll probably mention a hundred more times how embarrassing Sonic and Nine are about each other (Mr. "I smile as soon as I see you again after time apart and wanted to see you again so bad" and Mr. "We barely knew each other for a day but I want to spend my life alone with you in a world of our own making").

See you in the next one!

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic prime #sonine prime #sonine #nine sonic prime #miles nine prower #nine the fox #thorn rose #thorn rose the hedgehog #thorn sonic prime #sontails #essay time #Random thing but sorry about having just. A long deal of text about episode 4 before returning with picture after picture for episode 6😂 #Honestly if I don't restrain myself picture wise #episode 6 could take more than a few parts to tackle. I'll do my best though. If I have to I'll make it up with a video #And also sorry this post took so long to make😂😅 #I had more to say than I thought I would about episode 6‚ and it took a minute to work myself up to watch ye old comfort show knowing I'd #spend energy and braincells picking it apart to write about instead of just watching for funsies #But yeah anyways. If you've already stuck with me this far I hope you enjoyed. And I hope you enjoy the next part as much as I will enjoy #watching the episode