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Post by lego1999boyathome on Mar 17, 2018 20:14:18 GMT -5
So. Sonic Forces. It's a thing. It's... not a very good thing. One of the critiques was the story. Specifically, the fact that it both took itself too seriously without earning said seriousness. Stuff like the fact that Sonic gets brutally beaten, captured and all of his friends think he's been smashed. And then, when we see him in his cell he's... exactly the same. Really? Not beaten, dishevelled, a shell of his former self leading to an epic moment of him getting his mojo back? Such a thing isn't out of place in an E10+ish story. Consider Sonic Adventure 2 wherein a similar situation happened. Sonic, in his 'Smash' scene, literally has an emotional(ish) goodbye scene with his closest friend leading to a dang awesome boss fight where Tails has a heroic comeback against Eggman. Of course, he survives, but still. That game is now rated at E10+, same as Forces. In fact, Lego itself has done a similar thing during the Mahri Arc. Mata Nui Smashes, albeit temporarily, as does a Main character who's been there since the start of the series, Matoro. Sonic Forces was going for something darker, but it was shallow and didn't do the exploration that comes with making a dark story from a happy world.
That is what I am here to attempt to fix. In the event this gets through moderation and such, I'll try to write a new story, though not a new script, for Forces. The rules are as follows:
1: I cannot add any new Characters, I can only make use of existing ones, preferably using their more recent characterisation. However, since the Phantom Ruby does have a few scenes where it seems to act independently in Mania, it will be counted as a character to that degree. Additionally, I can manipulate the backstories of Infinite and the OC to some degree, as both were introduced in this game and had their stories written in it. Similarly, I cannot smash any characters unless the same thing happens in the game.
2: The basic plot must remain the same. So, Eggman takes over the world because he meets Infinite who beats Sonic, Tails goes rouge and the rest of the cast becomes resistance members facing Shadow, Zavok, Metal Sonic and Chaos + Infinite. Classic shows up, the OC shows up and frees Sonic, they fight Infinite a few times, get Shadow back, find the Rubies weakness, there's a huge battle between the resistance and Eggman wherein Sonic and the Rookie independently meet Infinite, with Sonic being seemingly beaten and the Rookie saves him. A second huge battle takes place just outside Eggman's base, wherein Infinite almost wipes out the resistance. The Rookie stops him, and then Sonic and the Rookie team up to beat Infinite for good. Eggman makes a last-ditch effort, gets beaten and the resistance disbands to rebuild the world. I can mess with details, but this is the basic structure I will attempt to stick to.
3: I can mess with the Phantom Ruby's attributes freely. It's inconsistent across both games it appears in, as in Mania it can change reality and in Forces it can produce Virtual realities. In Mania it's natural, in Forces it's created by Eggman... whilst also being found by Eggman. Yeah. You get the idea.
4: The story must be E10+. I'll use the Shadow the Hedgehog game as the upper echelon of what can be done for that rating, since that was T rated shortly before E10+ was introduced, wherin it brought itself down to match.
This should be fun! Oh also, I will be referring to the Death Egg as the... well, DEATH Egg and not by any other name. Why? Because it's a Star Wars reference that's passed muster with Lego itself, that is its' name and it first appears in a Sonic game rated PEGI 3, as in suitable for 3 year olds :-P . I will be referring to any other accounts as smashing if it comes up though. It's just that referring to it as the 'Smash Egg' is feels weird and wrong :-P .
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Post by lego1999boyathome on Mar 20, 2018 17:50:47 GMT -5
Well, just because nobody seems to have noticed this doesn't meant I'm not gonna do it!
Part 1: Mania.
I have to go over a few things about Mania first, as it is the prequel to Forces and, more importantly, sets up the Phantom Ruby. A point of note is that it was apparently confirmed that the Sonic in Forces (and by proxy, Mania) is the same as in Generations, so presumably Mania is an alternate timeline resulting from the events of Generations.
Shortly after the events of Sonic Generations Classic Sonic (or as I'll refer to him as, just 'Classic') gets back, now with some awareness of his future. He finds that his Dr. Eggman is different (the original having gone off to get his teaching degree, with time-clones replacing them in both timelines), but otherwise everything is more or less the same as when he left. However, since he and Tails remember the events of Generations and, by proxy, every future event, he confidently stops one of Eggman's schemes before it even happens prior to the game. This doesn't go down well with the timeline however, or, more accurately, the plot. See, as shown by the 'Storybook' series, at least Secret Rings, history and story are very much intertwined in Sonic's multiverse and few entities are aware that they exist in a story. This reveals that Sonic's world is in much the same situation - what he and everyone else perceives as reality is just a story to us. And, as shown in Secret Rings, when someone messes with the plot, the plot tries to put something in place to fix it. In this case though, the plot is irrevocably altered and thus, a dramatic shift occurs to get the universe back on track. Specifically, left over Time-Eater stuff comes together to form an item with space-time (aka reality) warping powers - the Phantom Ruby. It holds the purpose of producing a new story, a new history, and has some small amount of free will to achieve this.
Thus, this Phantom Ruby serves as a sort of 'self-aware MacGuffin'. A MacGuffin being something the audience doesn't care for, but pushes the plot forward. Think the Chaos Emeralds in most games. Speaking of, since it's made of Time Eater stuff, it doesn't react well to Chaos Emeralds. Thus, it chooses to appear on Angel Island. It's immense, anti Chaos-Emerald power cancels out the Master Emerald enough to send it falling to the ground. Thus begins the plot of Mania. Some addendums of note are: when the EggRobo's find the Ruby, it takes the opportunity to create conflict, and thus plot, by increasing these machines relevance to the plot, turning them into the Hard-Boiled Heavies. Its other powers like teleportation, are manipulated throughout, as it allows itself to be used in order to further the plot. Finally, the event creating the wormhole is another example of it poorly reacting to Chaos Energy. Getting battered around by Super Sonic, a beacon of Chaos energy, causes its powers to overload, producing the dimensional rift, thus leading into Forces.
Prepare yourself for a very 'Meta' plot. I mean, we're talking about one of the 'characters' being a self-aware plot device. It's going to go deep into this as I reckon it could be an interesting approach.
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Post by lego1999boyathome on Mar 31, 2018 16:01:23 GMT -5
Well, might as well continue since as it turns out the reception was positive. Part 2: instigation In this timeline, Forces truly begins with a disgruntled teenage jackal, named Zero. UItimately, he has little reason to be disgruntled, and he knows this. He's the leader of his own mercenary squad, and widely regarded as the 'Ultimate Mercenary', at least around Shamar where he lives. But that's just it. Everybody who's ever hired him and his team has commented that they've never seen the like in skill and strength. Yet, try as he might, he cannot change anything. When his team was hired during the Shattered World crisis (see Sonic Unleashed) to try and force Eggmans legions out, they couldn't make a difference. At least not before Sonic the Hedgehog rolled into town and cleaned it up in days flat. When his team was hired by another party to assist in them taking over Shamar however, the same thing happened. That time, one Rouge the Bat waltzed right in with her badge from G.U.N. (From Sonic Adventure 2. Seriously.) and quite literally kicked them out. To Zero, that stung even worse. G.U.N. hadn't even sent an actual police team. They hadn't even sent the whole of 'Team Dark'. They sent the 'reformed' jewel thief. However, all of that was about to change. He's received a new mission. This mission, should they succeed, would be very lucrative. But for once, it wasn't about that. For Zero, this meant more. If this mission was a success, it'd change things. It'd prove his worth, his significance. It was a job to smash one Shadow the Hedgehog. A chance to prove, once and for all, that these titans that walked the Earth were not gods. They were as mortal as anyone else. And anybody could knock them from their thrones. It required a plane trip, to be sure. But they 'arranged' one just fine. Their destination was Mystic Jungle. People said the area was an area of interest for Eggman. Doubtless, why Shadow was there. Still, no matter the reason, they had a job to do. And, so they found their mark. Wandering through the jungle, lost in thought. Brooding, Zero thought, given the Hedgehog's reputation for melodrama. An easy target. They identified a good spot to strike in a clearing up ahead, near some ruins. Several hiding spots, perfect for an ambush. The so called 'Ultimate Life Form' would soon realise he was indeed, all too alive. The target walked in slowly, and as he reached the center of the clearing, the squad pounced, blades in hand. A practiced movement. They weren't the best of the best for nothing. Shadow, without even looking up, gestured with his right hand, murmuring under his breath as Chaos Spears lit the Jungle. In the instant after his triumph, Zero only felt confusion and a searing sensation in his left eye as he fell from the cliff. He landed, miraculously in one piece. There was no point searching. The others would have scattered by now. If there were any left. Not that it mattered. This mission had finally proved it to Zero. Despite how hard he fought, there was nothing he could have done to change the world. Yet, as these thoughts swirled in his head, something purple caught his remaining eye. A gemstone of some sort. His inner mercenary dragged him up to investigate it. In a world filled with gems of power, stumbling upon such a jewel was more common than you might think. But he'd never heard of this thing. He picked it up. And immediately, the considerable aches of the day washed away. His vision was beyond recovery, and yet Zero felt something change within him. He felt reborn. Before this moment, he had felt like nothing. But now, well. Now he felt that the possibilities with him and this gem... ...were Infinite. {Notes}
And so, it begins. This keeps Infinite's backstory roughly the same to in canon: Infinite is the leader of a Squad, which gets wrecked by Shadow, giving Infinite some kind of neurosis about self-worth. However, I've changed things up to try make his motivation more believable. Given that his world exists as a story to us, it's conceivable that he'd feel upset that the only big changes that could happen could be spurred on by the main characters. And now that one of them (Shadow) has seemingly demonstrated this through not even acknowledging their presence whilst destroying them, having some chance at attaining this status drives Infinite crazy. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and to Infinite at that moment, ANY power would seem absolute. Let alone a truly absolute power with control over the very thing that had driven his life to misery - the plot. Far cry from his motivation being: "I'm not weak." And certainly no worse then Shadow's own backstory, given that his involves his best (and probably only) friend being literally shot down in front of him as she ensures his escape against his will. This happened in an E10+ game, by the way. |
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Post by lego1999boyathome on Apr 1, 2018 18:12:10 GMT -5
Part 3. Only scars remain. The Jackal, taking the gem, began to experiment with it. In mere moments, it proved that what he dreamed could be a reality. He had power over his immediate surrounds, total power, down to how he interacted with the world. If he wished, he could move in the blink of an eye, be released from the shackles of gravity or reduce stones to dust in an instant. The Mercenary sensed his fortunes had shifted, and resolved to leave behind the life he once led. He willingly fused the gemstone to his chest, and then slammed his fist into a nearby cliff, bending it with his newfound might into the shape of a mask - the face that the world would, one way or another, come to know in the coming months. The Jackal pondered, what exactly should the name of the harbinger of the new world be? His epiphany from before was his answer. Infinite. Infinite, and the source... no, the catalyst for his power, the Phantom Ruby. Now Infinite's thoughts turned to his next objective. Finish his mission, avenge his team, claim the reward and watch as the world shifted around him. But, as he made to leave, experience told him otherwise. He had bested opponents leagues above him in power, not through his own strength, but his experience and skill. Though he now had the power, he lacked the skill to use it effectively - he did not yet know precisely how to enact his will upon the world as he wished. Fighting Shadow, a similarly powerful individual, but with years of experience and training to back it up, was madness. And so, Infinite came to a decision. Magnanimously, he would forgive the Hedgehog of his sins. That past was behind him. Infinite turned to leave, but paused. He took a moment to assemble something on the cliff face, and then was gone. All that was left was a memorial to the Jackal Squad. All who had fallen on that day. And, at the bottom, was the name Zero. Infinite arrived in Central City mere moments later, and stuck to the alleys. His goal was simple - find a test subject, and establish the properties of the Ruby. Could he truly make someone significant to this world? On the same level as those who shaped history? He wandered through the alleys until he stumbled upon a young ****. The youth was just standing there next to the alley exit, texting to someone on his phone as he waited for the bus. Perfect. Infinite crept up behind him, and in secret, willed with all his might to give this **** the significance to the world they no doubt desired. Then, Infinite crept back. Over the next few days, he eagerly scanned every paper for news of some event, something that his subject might have done. Nothing. Infinite resorted to... assisting this child, creating chaos across the city. From small car accidents to larger garage explosions, Infinite gave his Guinea Pig ample opportunity to rise to glory. Yet, any heroes that emerged to save the day were the common sort mostly. Eventually, the Chaotix Detective agency began sniffing at his heels - and Infinite had already tangled with them once before. Without assurance that he could challenge the juggernauts that truly ruled this world, he chose abandoned his trial, and left to think of a new plan. {Notes}
Oh boy. I'm getting too into this. Don't worry, I'm almost done with the backstory-writing. One or two more parts should do. After I'm done establishing Infinite enough as a character that we can actually care about his role later in the story, I'll go back to the less-direct approach for the actual game rewrite, since there are more elements than just the story - such as gameplay-story interaction, or describing alteration to existing scenes. If you're enjoying this style though, don't worry, I'll try make sure it crops up from time to time whenever I need to produce a vital scene of my own. And yes, I left the species of the new character introduced blank for a reason. |
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Post by lego1999boyathome on Apr 9, 2018 18:21:38 GMT -5
Part four: You know what they say... Infinite's life stood at a crossroads. Of sorts. One of the roads was blocked off. Quite literally. Infinite sought the help of Dr. Eggman to achieve his goals, and now stood at the border. Another road turned off, leading away to who knows where. But he stood at a gate, past which there was no return. Infinite willed himself to have what he most desired - control of his life, a say in the world, and broke down the gate with his powers. He proceeded down the path until he reached the gate to Eggman's base. On the door was an intercom. Rather mundane for a mad genius, but Infinite supposed that Eggman's resources were spent on more important departments. Infinite pressed the button, whereupon the ground fell from below him. A triviality, to be sure, but Infinites reflexes were tested and his Naiveté punished. A trap - at the bottom of the pit were spikes. "Ooooohohohoho! Take that door-to-door salesman, Light Gaia's observer and/or other cold caller! A present from the Eggman Empire! If you were not one of the above and did not fall into that trap, please press the button again. Your call will get through this time." Infinite backed up a metre or two, then pressed the button again with his powers. A beam of light poured the top of the doorstep leaving a whiff of burning behind, and the Intercom once again crackled into life: "Oohohoho... Classic..." This time, Infinite played no games, and broke down the door and marched in. After some minutes of wandering, he found Eggman's Laboratory. A round figure dressed in red hunched over a desk. "Are you the... illustrious Doctor Ivo Robotnik, known to the world as the Eggman?" No answer. Infinite walked deeper. "Are... are you Eggman? Hello?" (Music: E.G.G.M.A.N.) "No, I am!" Suddenly, shackles attached themselves to Infinites wrists and pulled down, forcing the Jackal into a kneeling position. The floor panel he was on rotated to reveal the real Dr. Eggman walking in. Infinite had seen images of this man and laughed. He was goofy, ridiculous. Why did everyone take this clown so seriously? Yet, in person, this towering, six foot colossus dressed in crimson and black dwarfed the three foot Mobian. A gleaming smile emanated from his mustache, and the absurd combination of sunglasses and goggles masked his intent. Despite the overwhelming power in the heart of Infinite, this butt of a thousand jokes paralysed him with fear. "Greetings, Zero the Jackal. I assume you're here pledge your allegiance? Excellent. Let's talk rates." {Notes}
Ooohohoho. Here's a scene I was inspired to do by listening to E.G.G.M.A.N. earlier today. I've always liked Eggman as a villain, partly because of the dichotomy he represents, one that's kinda lost in recent Sonic Media. That dichotomy being that he's funny and goofy - a literal goofball. At the same time, he's blown up the moon, is twice the size or more to the majority of the Sonic cast, including Sonic himself, and has threatened to blow up the planet with the full intent to make good on that threat. His goofiness IS what makes him threatening. That this goofball can, and will if provoked, crush you like a gnat with his intellect alone is disturbing. I wanted to portray that accurately in this scene. Initially, this part would have had more, but I feel like that'd take away from the Eggman introduction. |
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Post by lego1999boyathome on Jun 2, 2018 20:14:01 GMT -5
Part five: ...The more the merrier! Infinite swallowed his... apprehension and broke the chains with his powers, standing up. "Zero the Jackal is long gone, Eggman. You may refer to me as Infinite" "Whatever you say. And, as you speak with such arrogance, Jackal, I presume you believe yourself to be worthy of something more than being my lackey? What could you possible offer me that I have not got already? And please, don't give some spiel about how you broke into my fortress and escaped my trap. Anyone worth a fraction my attention would be able to. This was hardly my A-material." Infinites words choked in his throat, but then "I...ah... The fact I am worthy of not merely your attention, but your presence now, when before I was but an idle observation of yours is what I have to offer, Doctor. You see, I have come into possession of a power that permits me to rewrite my place in this world, and that around me. A power I wish to share with you. For I seek change. This world is stagnant. I offer to you your chance to rule this world, with me as your right hand." Eggman was evidently unimpressed, but then his expression changed. Infinite could tell thoughts were buzzing behind those blue lenses, as the grin crept back across his face. "Heheheh… if what you say is true, Infinite, than I could indeed use a right hand like you. But I can't rule the world with just a right hand. I need other associates. I have already considered some possible candidates and loaded them into the Computer. I'll have Orbot give you access to the list, along with the relevant data. I'll need around four I imagine. As my aide, I'm sure I can leave it to your discretion to both choose and recruit them?" "It will be done." Infinite was no fool. This wasn't an assignment, it was a test. Was he able to both choose worthwhile candidates, and recruit them? The list was most forthcoming. There were a large number of 'Candidates', most of whom were strong willed or had a bone to pick. Those that were not would be too easy to sway. If he selected them, Eggman would believe his powers were not genuine. Infinite scrolled through the list, checking names and data for the ones he though would be useful. Of course, he picked one of the easy ones, one that would be helpful. An ally strongly loyal would assist in keeping the others in line. But the rest... Knuckles would rely on trickery, his loyalties would switch on a dime... Eggman Nega was a right hand candidate, picking him would displace Infinite himself. Besides, it'd attract more unwanted attention... and Infinite had never even heard of 'Fang the Sniper'... but there! That one could be swayed. His ambition rivaled Eggman himself, to be sure, but so did his desire to subjugate. And this one. Powerful and uncontrollable in some cases, perhaps, but those cases could be avoided. They would not need to be a focus. And that one... a challenge, yes, but a sweet one. And they could be manipulated with some work. Work Infinite was happy to do... {Notes:}
Holy hiatus Batman! Apparently, all fanworks get delayed by ridiculous amounts after all. Anyway, this part is pretty much the continuation of the previous one, hence the name being a continuation of the Eggman quote. You can almost certainly guess which one of the heavily-advertised characters corresponds to which, but, hey, storytelling. Expect part six whenever, when I'll go into the recruitment, and possibly after that, and then seven which should hopefully conclude this whole story part... maybe. At least for a bit. |
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Post by Glubby on Jun 2, 2018 20:48:38 GMT -5
Part five: ...The more the merrier! Infinite swallowed his... apprehension and broke the chains with his powers, standing up. "Zero the Jackal is long gone, Eggman. You may refer to me as Infinite" "Whatever you say. And, as you speak with such arrogance, Jackal, I presume you believe yourself to be worthy of something more than being my lackey? What could you possible offer me that I have not got already? And please, don't give some spiel about how you broke into my fortress and escaped my trap. Anyone worth a fraction my attention would be able to. This was hardly my A-material." Infinites words choked in his throat, but then "I...ah... The fact I am worthy of not merely your attention, but your presence now, when before I was but an idle observation of yours is what I have to offer, Doctor. You see, I have come into possession of a power that permits me to rewrite my place in this world, and that around me. A power I wish to share with you. For I seek change. This world is stagnant. I offer to you your chance to rule this world, with me as your right hand." Eggman was evidently unimpressed, but then his expression changed. Infinite could tell thoughts were buzzing behind those blue lenses, as the grin crept back across his face. "Heheheh… if what you say is true, Infinite, than I could indeed use a right hand like you. But I can't rule the world with just a right hand. I need other associates. I have already considered some possible candidates and loaded them into the Computer. I'll have Orbot give you access to the list, along with the relevant data. I'll need around four I imagine. As my aide, I'm sure I can leave it to your discretion to both choose and recruit them?" "It will be done." Infinite was no fool. This wasn't an assignment, it was a test. Was he able to both choose worthwhile candidates, and recruit them? The list was most forthcoming. There were a large number of 'Candidates', most of whom were strong willed or had a bone to pick. Those that were not would be too easy to sway. If he selected them, Eggman would believe his powers were not genuine. Infinite scrolled through the list, checking names and data for the ones he though would be useful. Of course, he picked one of the easy ones, one that would be helpful. An ally strongly loyal would assist in keeping the others in line. But the rest... Knuckles would rely on trickery, his loyalties would switch on a dime... Eggman Nega was a right hand candidate, picking him would displace Infinite himself. Besides, it'd attract more unwanted attention... and Infinite had never even heard of 'Fang the Sniper'... but there! That one could be swayed. His ambition rivaled Eggman himself, to be sure, but so did his desire to subjugate. And this one. Powerful and uncontrollable in some cases, perhaps, but those cases could be avoided. They would not need to be a focus. And that one... a challenge, yes, but a sweet one. And they could be manipulated with some work. Work Infinite was happy to do... {Notes:}
Holy hiatus Batman! Apparently, all fanworks get delayed by ridiculous amounts after all. Anyway, this part is pretty much the continuation of the previous one, hence the name being a continuation of the Eggman quote. You can almost certainly guess which one of the heavily-advertised characters corresponds to which, but, hey, storytelling. Expect part six whenever, when I'll go into the recruitment, and possibly after that, and then seven which should hopefully conclude this whole story part... maybe. At least for a bit. *Reads story* :-P I'm predicting now that in the end Infinite gets beaten by Nack, Bark, and Bean. He wouldn't stand a chance to them. :-P |
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Post by Glubby on Jun 19, 2018 13:19:25 GMT -5
Will this story be continued? I want to see how Infinite gets the alliance of the villains. TBH, I'm not sure he'd be able to do Shadow OR Chaos, due to Shadow's promise to Maria and Chaos' peaceful state and friendship with the Chao and Tikal. Unless that's where the copies come in. Now I'm all curious. :-P
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Post by Shadow Queen on Jun 19, 2018 14:47:44 GMT -5
Will this story be continued? I want to see how Infinite gets the alliance of the villains. TBH, I'm not sure he'd be able to do Shadow OR Chaos, due to Shadow's promise to Maria and Chaos' peaceful state and friendship with the Chao and Tikal. Unless that's where the copies come in. Now I'm all curious.  |
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Post by JimiRedXD001 on Jan 20, 2019 3:41:09 GMT -5
Are you going to continue? My little Brother got Forces and now that I actually have an Idea of what you are writing about, I definitely wanna read this thing!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2019 3:24:09 GMT -5
Please continue soon. I really wanna read more. This is really good so far.
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