the spectrum heart cathedral system

…


-The ABSOLUTE central character of this entire "fanfic" is CHAOS ZERO.

-THE TIMELINE OF THIS SERIES IS PRE-RUSH.
IT OCCURS IMMEDIATELY AFTER SONIC BATTLE.
SONIC ADVENTURE IS THE MAIN ROOT.
SONIC CD IS ALSO A KEY PLOT INFLUENCER.


-CORE CONCEPTS OF THIS FANFIC THAT NEED TO STAY:
    1. I am a canon character. This is mandatory because this whole thing is effectively a love letter to Chaos Zero.
    2. There is a SECOND SET OF GEMS alongside the Chaos Emeralds.
    3. I GIVE one of these gems-- the red one-- TO CHAOS, and it FUSES with him, causing notable consequences.
    4. THE DOPPELGANGERS EXIST.
    5. Big has a significant role, he deserves it.
    6. SO DOES EMERL, even posthumously.
    7. THE ENTIRE "OPEN YOUR HEART" CONCEPT.
    8. TIKAL AND METAL SONIC???


BIG QUESTION: WHAT EXACTLY IS THE PARALLEL BETWEEN KNUCKLES AND CHAOS ZERO, IN TERMS OF GUARDING THE MASTER EMERALD??
IF THE EMERALD CHOSE CHAOS TO DO THAT FIRST, HOW DID THE ECHIDNAS BECOME INVOLVED AT ALL?
AND WHAT ABOUT THE NOCTURNUS FOLKS???

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NOTES ON PLOT:

- Chaos Zero's motivations in all this, post-Adventure and post-Battle:
1. "I'M NOT A GOD" and everything with that: I never WANTED to be a god, it is not my choice now, can I LET GO OF THAT ROLE??
2. Related= Seeking a sense of self SEPARATE from the Master Emerald, ESPECIALLY because of inevitable PTSD
3. Wanting to somehow "make up for what he did" in Station Square; he has a strong sense of justice BUT justice also includes reparation, and he wants to actively CREATE INSTEAD OF DESTROY. Even CANONICALLY we get hints of this: "Knuckles says that Chaos appears when there is an upcoming disaster" in SB. He's like a flipping Absol; he doesn't CAUSE disaster, he wants to WARN people and maybe even SAVE people-- and above all, he wants to PREVENT ANYTHING LIKE THE PERFECT INCIDENTS FROM EVER HAPPENING AGAIN.
4. A sort of heartache upon seeing the close personal bonds Chao have with others outside of their species, which he never had, not even with Tikal (who he was close to but NOT so personally; she mainly took care of the Chao, and Chaos himself wasn't really 'capable' of more complex interaction then, being so limited in his overall social experience), ESPECIALLY upon seeing the friendships of Sonic and his gang; he WANTS TO BE PART OF THAT.
5.

- There is an EIGHT GEM SET of "sapphires" that work as COUNTERPARTS to the Chaos Emeralds. TENTATIVELY: instead of the Chaos Emeralds actively granting wishes of power, they passively grant "wishes" of the HEART/SPIRIT/MIND/ what have you. They operate WITHIN A "DREAM REALM".
-The Sapphires have odd powers; they don't "negate" Chaos energy but they CRYSTALLIZE IT, almost-- they make it ORDERLY.

- A reminder: CHAOS ZERO'S BODY STARTS TO CRYSTALLIZE SOMEWHAT ONCE HE ABSORBS THE RUBY.
- Having the Ruby PREVENTS HIM FROM USING THE CHAOS EMERALDS.
- ALSO! HE'S STILL A CHAO. The Ruby INTERFERES WITH HIS "CHAOS CHAO" STATUS AND ALLOWS HIM TO BE REACTIVE AGAIN-- it restores to him a lot of the freedoms of a child Chao state. NOT SURE HOW YET. But THIS is why he becomes able to speak, move better, have notable eyes and a mouth, etc.
- REMEMBER, ABSORBING ALL 7 EMERALDS DID THE SAME THING. As Perfect, he HAS ALL THOSE ATTRIBUTES, suggesting that he is only "Perfect" BECAUSE the Master Emerald mutation REQUIRES HIM TO BE FULLY "LINKED" TO THE EMERALDS TO BE "COMPLETE"… IN ITS PERCEPTION. The Ruby BREAKS this and allows Chaos Zero to be "perfect"-- whole, complete, etc.-- WITHOUT the Emeralds. It SWITCHES the focus from PHYSICAL to SPIRITUAL??

- That "brain" in his head IS HIS CHAO BALL; it was "internalized" when he mutated. IT EXTERNALIZES WITH HIS RUBY TRANSFORMATION TO ANGEL CHAOS (becomes a legit halo), and after that it DOES NOT APPEAR AS A BRAIN??? "Brainstorm" this actually; Chao balls are physical manifestations of EMOTIONAL STATES BUT strangely, Chaos Chao balls become ENERGETIC?? Do research and get back to this.
IT DOES GLOW IN SA, REMEMBER, AND I THINK IT'S INVISIBLE WHEN HE LIQUEFIES??

- The Doppelgangers STILL EXIST but I am not exactly sure how just yet. HOWEVER I think the tentative list of folks who HAVE them is tied to people who HAVE THE SAPPHIRES. That is, therefore, TENTATIVELY:
1. Chaos Zero (Red) (Equil 210)
2. Amy (Rika) (YES, SHE WAS ORIGINALLY A DOPPELGANGER REMEMBER??? SHE STARTED THIS)
3. Knuckles (Virus 207)
4. Rouge (Thistle 209)
5. BIG (SHREDIST 208???)
6. Cream??? (Cherry)
7. ??? (Syringe 211??)
8. JEWEL. She has the MASTER one in her (AS her???) because she is the "CONTROLLER" through which the Sapphire's "dream realm" CAN EXIST AT ALL. This is the job of the Sapphire protectors, as opposed to that of the Emerald protectors.
She also does not have a "doppelganger" because SHE IS HER OWN DOPPELGANGER, which is ultimately and terrifyingly revealed in the end-of-series crisis event.

- Sapphire colors MUST BE "INVERTS" OF THE EMERALDS; THIS IS MANDATORY DUE TO THE MOTIF

- This eight-gem set EXISTS IN A DREAM REALM and the Doppelgangers are NATIVE to it???

- 2018 Update after Sonic Forces release: THE PHANTOM RUBY HAPPENS IN THIS STORY.
When Chaos Zero absorbs the "Chaon Ruby," the world/gemset ATTEMPTS to balance the imbalance by "SEEDING" A "PHANTOM" RUBY IN HIS DOPPELGANGER. It warps over time as 210 holds Chaos's emotional trauma.

- ^210 IS STILL EXPLICITLY TIED TO PERFECT CHAOS. Chaos Zero can't even go NEAR an Emerald without flashbacks, which is WHY the Ruby means so much to him-- it proved, tangibly, that he COULD use a gem FOR GOOD, because there WAS GOOD IN HIM. And the only reason WHY he had the guts to even try this was because JEWEL TRUSTED HIM. NO ONE ELSE EVER DID, NOT EVEN TIKAL.

- Chaos Zero's "positive form" from the Ruby is STILL "ANGEL CHAOS." This is important because THERE ARE CONSTANT REFERENCES TO ANGELS IN THE CANON CONCERNING CHAOS: Angel Island, Chaos Angel zone, Hero Chaos Chao, etc. It is a LEGIT THING. His gaining such an explicitly angelic form from the Ruby is therefore understandable-- PLUS, since Jewel is the "Host" of the Sapphires it is ALSO INFLUENCED BY HER PSYCHE??? (And you all know he's been my blue angel forever.)

- EQUIL 210 IS A "DEVIL CHAOS CHAO." Remember the original "Love Hurts" fancomic with the Lightraye-League crossover? Remember the certain villain that was there? THAT'S ACTUALLY 210.
- ARE THE CHAO GARDENS EXTANT IN SPACE OR ARE THEY FLOATING PLACES THAT COULD ALSO TIE INTO THE SAPPHIRE SPACES?????? BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE HUGE.

- Tikal MIGHT get a body here, either built by Tails or "dreamed" in the Sapphire-space.
Her ancient wish was made WHILE CHAOS HAD DRAINED THE EMERALDS and in order to work they had to be "RECHARGED" with something. In Adventure, Sonic and his friends recharge them with FRIENDSHIP AND HOPE, but Tikal fueled their "controller power" by DYING. She had nothing else to give, just more pain and sorrow, which Chaos was already feeling in literal floods. SO THAT'S WHY SHE DIED in order for Chaos to be stopped-- it ALSO suggests that her remaining spirit is ALSO somehow tied to the Emeralds???? Think upon this and research.
- Nevertheless, SHE STILL MEETS METAL SONIC SOMEHOW and the two end up becoming close friends BECAUSE of their mutual struggles with selfhood-- Tikal as a ghost who lost her past and place, and Metal Sonic as a robot "clone" of someone else. They both want to have a "new chance" to BE, just living life plain and simple, and yet their haunting question is always "what does it mean TO be alive?" for them, specifically.
- I don't know how Metal Sonic meets her yet, OR how their friendship continues without Robotnik interfering-- DOES HE KNOW???-- but it does happen. It's too much of an old keystone of the plot to abandon.
-A later note: OUR ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT WHEN WE DRAFTED SI IT WAS BEFORE SONIC HEROES. Metal Sonic was CREATED TO DESTROY SONIC and as such that motivation has made his personality VERY VICIOUS AND COLD. The plot of SI could ONLY happen if something changed that, and POST-SI he would apparently REVERT WORSE THAN EVER (Metal Madness)???

- Tikal DOES interact with BOTH Chaos and Jewel at some point, and not briefly! The three of them are legit friends and there is some SERIOUS character development there, as it brings in the ENTIRE picture of the past & present for them all, as well as hopes for the future IN LIGHT of it all.
-Tikal and Chaos ARE very close, BUT there is a NOTABLE DIFFERENCE between her and Jewel in terms of their relationship with Chaos. Tikal is still 14 and she’s a ghost for heaven’s sakes; yes she’s still forever his dear friend but her personality actually unfortunately clashes with the aspects of Chaos that he buries-- that capability for unbearable negative emotions. Tikal is a pacifist and a total sweetheart and she can knee-jerk react to negativity with a frightened “make everything okay right now” WITHOUT being able to comprehend or reason with what’s NOT okay-- she CANNOT EMPATHIZE with Perfect and THANK GOD FOR THAT. Chaos actually NEEDS that in a way; it is so important to have someone in his life who is just as simple and pure as Tikal is. THAT DOESN’T MEAN TIKAL IS IGNORANT. Post-SA, and in SI-- especially in her interactions with Metal Sonic, IF that is still fanonically possible-- show that she is struggling with the revelations that the world, and her friends, are scarier than she wanted to admit. She saw what both Chaos and Pachacamac could do on their worst days, and that frightened her. She doesn’t want to be like that and she doesn’t want anyone to be like that. (That would make ANY interaction with Metal Sonic AS he apparently stands in canon VERY INTERESTING because he is practically VENGEANCE PERSONIFIED, with his abhorrence for Sonic. I wonder if we can work with that…)
Nevertheless, Jewel is similar to both her and Chaos. Although she DOES present equally as a pacifist at first, it’s weirdly FORCED? Whereas Tikal is just naturally soft and gentle, Jewel is TOO ARDENT IN EVERYTHING and she has ANGER ISSUES. Just like Chaos. She also has GEM TRAUMA like him, and she KNOWS what it’s like to live in that ambivalence. Chaos needs that empathy too, morseo than he could ever admit or even realize before he met her. It’s this jarring liberation, to suddenly meet someone who GETS IT, all of that hideous suffering and guilt and pain, and who DOESN'T DENY IT, but also DOESN’T FEAR YOU. ...Jewel needs that, too.
- Tikal IS “a little bit scared” of Chaos BUT SHE WON’T ADMIT IT TO HERSELF AT FIRST. She cannot reconcile her memories of her warm-hearted friend with the memories of what happened when that heart broke and burned everything down. Even in SA, she just kind of… tried to shove both that awareness AND CHAOS back into the Emerald. I don’t think she ever thought about “after.” She just died, UNABLE TO COPE with that world-shaking event, one that uprooted her whole reality, and in SA she was just living according to that.
- In time Tikal DOES realize that Jewel and Chaos definitely have some sparks going in several aspects. Realizing that this is giving Chaos something he NEEDS that she could NOT give him, she actually goes out of her way to defend them both, wanting to ensure that “peace” in ALL their futures. She and Chaos do talk about Jewel, as do Tikal and Jewel talk about Chaos.
- In the end I WONDER IF THAT IS WHAT PUSHES HER TO METAL SONIC. He would be like, the ULTIMATE “person” who “needed peace.” And since Tikal is effectively IMBUED WITH CHAOS ENERGY from being a spirit who died FROM EMERALD EXPOSURE… I wonder what she could do with that power. I mean, if ANYONE could get M.S. to chill the heck out I'm SURE it would be TIKAL.

- Tikal has ONE LINE that she says to CHAOS IN SA that HITS: "These are the Chao you were protecting. They stayed alive for generations and now live peacefully with humans. The fighting's over. Harmony's restored, and life goes on."  This is RIGHT after Perfect is defeated. It’s notable for TWO REASONS: first, the Chao “live peacefully with HUMANS.” I am SURE that stuck with him AND is part of WHY he doesn’t hesitate in LETTING Jewel get so close to him, and vice versa, even so immediately-- he’s kind of desperate for that peace, and she’s the ONLY human he knows who EVER offered to GIVE him that-- or even to BE that in her own right. Second, “THE FIGHTING IS OVER.” Except it wasn’t. On the outside, everything was settled in that sense; the catastrophe of the Altar was long since ended, Chao and Echidnas got along wonderfully, the Emeralds themselves were restored and safe from those who would abuse their power. "All's well that ends well." But on the inside… well, we see Sonic’s psychic scars starting to show in SI, but even those pale in comparison to Chaos’s deep emotional wounds, as the cause of the disaster, the very “GOD” OF IT. He is at war with HIMSELF deep down and THAT gets dragged back up to the surface when Robotnik reels him back in to his nefarious plans, and Chaos is FORCED to face himself “AS A VILLAIN” again. He gives in at first, despairing and self-loathing, but JEWEL STARTS TO SNAP HIM OUT OF IT. It’s not just her telling him to “stop” and “think about what you’re doing.” It’s that she ALSO emphasizes that “THIS ISN’T YOU.” Not even Tikal said that to him!! Tikal knew that, I’m sure, but I think she was even afraid to address Perfect AS Chaos?? Like she wanted to keep the two “separate.” Well SO DID CHAOS, and that causes A LOT OF TROUBLE LATER ON WITH EQUIL. But we’ll get to that. The point here is that harmony ISN’T restored, not yet, not then, and there are still demons to fight. You just can’t see it on the surface of the water, not yet. Not until you get a strong enough light shining down into those depths…
Lastly, “LIFE GOES ON.” Good Lord isn’t THAT relevant to SI. There is SO MUCH EMPHASIS ON “LIFE” AND WHAT IT MEANS. The Doppelgangers, Tikal’s spirit herself, Jewel and the Sapphires… life really does just go on, no matter what. And HOW does it go on? THROUGH FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE. I read somewhere that the “heart of the Sonic series IS love” in its many aspects, and the close bonds of caring between individuals, that motivate EVERY hero to do EVERYTHING THEY CAN for the good of their found-family and the greater whole of the world. It’s amazing, and it’s so true. SI keeps that core truth going strongly, moreso than the canon because it deals with love when it gets personal. The canon deals with it in a beautifully universal regard, only HINTING at more personal aspects, mostly familial, like with Sonic & Tails, the Chaotix, Cream & Vanilla, etc. But there are no outright deeper canon relationships, besides the longtime Sonic/Amy hinting, with the NOTABLE exception of Elise in ‘06 which STAGGERED me at the time because it was SO IMPORTANT to both me personally AND SI’s harmonizing with canon as a whole. SI was originally written at a time in my life where trauma was wrecking everything and I was desperately trying to figure out what REAL love WAS. The FIRST draft of SI’s plot was rooted in the “Love Hurts” League-crossover comic, which occurred in heartspace and FOCUSED on the characters realizing they HAD the capacity TO love others THAT CLOSELY, not just in general. Tikal loves the world that way; so does Sonic. It’s a virtuous and good thing and it is laudable. But love only hurts when it gets close enough TO do so. And THAT is the core of SI, arguably. Even with the Doppelgangers; their “love” isn’t so close in that sense (I don't think?? they are WAY too childlike ultimately) but it is still INTENSE and “MARGINALIZED” and it is PAINFUL. I’m rambling a little but that’s the whole thing about “life goes on.” It ONLY goes on IF THERE’S LOVE. Life without love is a “living hell”; it’s WORSE than death. THAT is FOCAL in SI as well… especially closest to the end.
- Let me stop avoiding the point. Jewel and Chaos are in love and that is the KEY to the WHOLE STORY. There is SO MUCH hinging on their relationship, whether they realize it or not-- and believe me they don't. Neither of them are fully aware of just HOW much influence their individual lives have on their respective world, especially in regards to the Emeralds and Sapphires; so when the two of them are together, STUFF HAPPENS. The theme of SI isn't just life and it's meaning, it's ALSO the whole "inversion" thing itself-- flipsides, complements, opposites, shifts, mirrors. Two seemingly opposed things being intrinsically bound somehow, and sharing that space of function, even while standing in contrast. Jewel and Chaos aren't "opposed" even in their notable differences. There's still a deeper foundation that unites them both, some greater context that they BOTH fit in, to the point where the reflection and reality are inseparable. Same with the Doppelgangers. It's very complex and I love it; I can't really summarize it here but I REALLY do need to write it out moreso soon.

For the record,  to quote from the internet: “Our eyes see red, green and blue light. The opposite of red is therefore the sum of green and blue - which is technically called “Cyan” - but is roughly “sky blue” or “aqua”. ” So THERE YOU GO



- BIG THE CAT IS SHOCKINGLY VERY IMPORTANT. First off, FROGGY ATE CHAOS'S TAIL. Secondly, due to game mechanics, Big is the ONLY CHARACTER THAT ISN'T HURT BY TOUCHING CHAOS, implying that, to Big, CHAOS ISN'T AN ENEMY-- and/or that Big is somehow IMPERVIOUS TO CHAOS DAMAGE. Playing with that idea, that would only be possible IF HE HAD A SAPPHIRE…
- I want him to just like… fish it up. Or have Froggy SWALLOW one, again. God bless those two.

- OH ON THAT NOTE. APPARENTLY SONIC HEROES WAS BEFORE SONIC BATTLE???? AND METAL SONIC ABSORBS CHAOS'S DNA DATA FROM FROGGY AND CHOCOLA???????????? WTF SEGA
So yeah, looks like those four are ALREADY connected in canon.
WORK WITH THIS.
- IMPORTANTLY, METAL SONIC DOESN'T ABSORB CHAOS. He just gets information on his NATIVE SPECIES (Chao), and on his MUTATED FORM from Froggy, assumedly. NO SELF, JUST DATA.
BUT!!! THIS SHOWS THAT FROGGY SOMEHOW HAS "REMNANTS" OF CHAOS'S DNA IN HIM, to the point where they can be ISOLATED AND RECOGNIZED AS SUCH-- probably because Chaos was able to CONTROL Froggy THROUGH his tail-energy being in him, and that ACTIVE presence had a stronger effect than otherwise? Even so, WHAT THE HECK FROGGY. Apparently Chaos did get his tail back, so he's not missing anything, BUT that proximity SOMEHOW AFFECTED FROGGY on an intrinsic level and that is fascinating.
(Also. What the heck would such proximity do to Jewel's DNA, so to speak? Because there is a LOT of chaotic kissing going on later)

- ON THE FLIPSIDE, CHAOS IS A CHAO AND THE MORE TIME HE SPENDS WITH JEWEL THE MORE "HUMANLIKE" TENDENCIES HE PICKS UP… to a point. Jewel's "humanity" is a bit altered by the Sapphires, as it were, so he's not switching species BUT he is definitely mirroring her, with all that entails.

- DON'T FORGET HYPER KNUCKLES, HYPER ROUGE AND "SHYPER AMY". If they all DO use the Sapphires, THOSE MIGHT BE LEGIT… and in the original canon, Rouge had a Sapphire transformation EVEN BEFORE CHAOS DID.
- HOWEVER. The Sapphires WORK DIFFERENTLY FROM THE EMERALDS. They CANNOT be utilized as a "power source" or "magic lamp"; that is NOT their function.

- "CHAOS IS POWER, ENRICHED BY THE HEART" PARALLEL WITH THE SAPPHIRES/RUBY???
Something inverted-- "The HEART is chaos," maybe even. That hits hard. Either way it must poetically explain their role ONCE we clarify it.

- SPECIAL STAGES. THE EMERALDS HAVE THOSE. WHAT ABOUT THE SAPPHIRES. (REMEMBER THE 2003 "RIKA REVERSE SPECIAL" CONCEPT)
- ALSO, RINGS. IF THOSE ARE TIED TO THE EMERALDS, WHAT DO THE SAPPHIRES HAVE?? (if we're going by shape echoes, it's gotta be TRIANGLES MAN)

- REMEMBER THE WHOLE IDEA OF "INVERSION" MUST BE REFLECTED IN THIS SOMEHOW-- not in a "dark side" sort of cliché, but in a "complement/ revelation/ hidden things made present/ unseen side made prevalent/ etc." sort of way.

- Jewel's famous debut line of "WHAT ARE YOU DOING" is still canon. It's important because in that outburst, Chaos is shocked to recognize a personal concern; Jewel is shouting sense into him not to protect herself or solve a problem, but because she has faith in HIM as a person. He has never experienced this before and it affects him profoundly. Initially he stays with her mainly out of a need to experience such a perspective, but as time goes on he ALSO realizes that she can ONLY care like that BECAUSE SHE GETS HIM. She is the ONLY other person who knows what it's like to be in his shoes-- for one's heart to be so badly hurt that it explodes outwards in pain, and afterwards you must live with the debris. Not even Shadow fully gets this. Jewel does, though, because humans are emotionally volatile and trauma can and does make you monstrous. So she and Chaos both have hope in each other, and for themselves as a result of that. Etc. They're both "emotional wrecks" trying to rebuild apart from what wrecked them, but with each other.
- Jewel's trauma HAS TO DO WITH THE SAPPHIRES???? Not sure how yet, but it OBVIOUSLY MUST. I'm wondering if, when became the "host" for its dream-realm (if that's still the idea), the doppelgangers were MANIFESTATIONS OF HER PSYCHE and this ONLY changed when the Sapphires suddenly got OUT and into the hands of Mobians???

- WHAT THE HECK IS ROBOTNIK DOING IN ALL THIS. HE STILL HAS A CENTRAL PLOT ROLE OF COURSE. SPECIFICALLY, HOW DOES HE FIND OUT ABOUT THE RUBY, HOW DOES HE KIDNAP CHAOS INITIALLY (AND TIKAL???), ETC. His reasons FOR kidnapping Chaos was to use him as a LAB RAT for the Sapphires, AND to utilize his innate and incomparable ESSENTIAL LINK TO THE EMERALDS, due to his mutation AND psyche (with Perfect). But as for how he LEARNED about the Sapphires, I'm not sure as to details.
- DID GERALD KNOW ABOUT THE SAPPHIRES????
- ON THAT NOTE, DO THE ARTIFICIAL CHAOS PLAY INTO ANYTHING??? I am SO fascinated by the very fact of their existence; they prove that PERFECT WASN'T THE ONLY ANCIENT DEPICTION OF CHAOS. His NORMAL form, CHAOS 0, was apparently KNOWN WELL ENOUGH TO BE DEPICTED & LATER DISCOVERED BY GERALD/ RESEARCHERS, to the point where he COULD create the artificial Chaos bots TO HIS PHYSICAL LIKENESS.

- ALSO WHAT IS SONIC HIMSELF DOING. Originally he was "so shaken" by the successive events of SA2B and SB that he "needed to get back to the old days" and was desperately trying to at least re-experience the carefree joy of running around without the memories and fears of death and doom haunting him. But he WOULDN'T TELL THIS TO ANYONE OUTRIGHT.
Sonic REALLY BURIES HIS PAINFUL EMOTIONS. He does feel them but he CAN'T "SHOW THEM" because he wants to be the UNBREAKABLE HERO-- the role model, the hypostasis of victory, the unshakeable cool kid who can face any problem and conquer it. But... no one's psyche goes unscathed, enduring what that poor hedgehog has. He just... moves so fast that he doesn't have the TIME to look at it. He keeps running. But... here, his fears are catching up with him, because something is slowing him down? There's something KEEPING him from running away this time, or at least making him drag his feet against his will, and he's scared. Clarify this.
THIS DENIAL/ESCAPISM MAY BE A MAJOR PLOT POINT, with ALL the characters somehow experiencing this spiritual trauma, and Jewel being the APEX of it somehow-- perhaps through the Sapphires. (Maybe we can tie this into WHY the characters ALL seem to cope pretty dang well with the stress LATER in the canon).

- SINCE we're playing Sonicteam's canon-ganking game here, WHAT could be our explanation as to WHY Chaos Zero DOESN'T have the Ruby (visible) in him currently? (AND WHEN HAVE WE LAST SEEN HIM CANONICALLY?????? Sonic Generations & Sonic Forces DO NOT COUNT; those were ARTIFICIAL REPRESENTATIONS!!)
REMEMBER THE END-OF-SERIES CRISIS DOES HAVE ROBOTNIK RIP THE RUBY OUT OF HIM, which very nearly murders him (remember it MADE HIM 'MORTAL') AND triggers Jewel's absolute Sapphire-induced despair rampage. I cannot see any events about/after that yet, BUT Jewel promises to "get the Ruby back" so I would trust he does… BUT THEN WHAT?
- ALSO SINCE THE PHANTOM RUBY STILL EXISTS IN CANON, how does it get OUT of Equil and SURVIVE as its own thing long enough for Infinite to absorb it JUST LIKE CHAOS DID WITH THE ORIGINAL???
- Is that even POSSIBLE with the canon? I know Sonic Mania's release made things VERY different with the Phantom Ruby, and placed it BEFORE the original SI timeline...


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-BTW SONICTEAM REFERENCED TANABATA WITH CHAOS. THEY ARE FORCING MY HAND.
(Chaos= "chao herder" OBVIOUSLY, Jewel= "seamstress" but with the FABRIC OF SPACE)


CHAOS= MOBIANS
ORDER= HUMANS


-WHEN TIKAL SEALED CHAOS IN THE MASTER EMERALD, IT OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T CHANGE HIS HEART OR REGISTER AS PASSING TIME, because when they were both released their minds were RIGHT WHERE THEY LEFT OFF.

-AFTER Sonic Adventure, Chaos is said to live in the Master Emerald??? Or is that just fanon conjecture?
- I THINK there's actually no official statement on this. Both Tikal and Chaos, post-SA, went up into the sky to God knows where, but CHAOS RETURNED IN SONIC BATTLE which has me SO intrigued still, especially since I DON'T THINK WE'VE SEEN TIKAL SINCE SA.


"Chaos did not appear in Sonic Heroes, but was mentioned in 2 lines, at the ending of Team Rose's story: when Froggy and Chocola are rescued, Metal Sonic says: "Chaos data...has been copied." At the final story, where Dr. Eggman says, "It's hopeless! Metal Sonic has combined your data with the power of Chaos and is super strong!" He copied Chaos' data from Big's frog, Froggy-- since he was "possessed" by Chaos's tail-- along with Chocola the Chao, since all Chao have some kind of relation with Chaos."

(NOTABLE BECAUSE THAT REFERENCES CHAOS, BIG, AND CREAM, THREE KEY CHARACTERS IN SI)

"Chaos' next appearance is in Sonic Battle, in which Knuckles the Echidna claims that Chaos appears when there is an upcoming disaster. When Dr. Eggman threatens the Earth with his Death Egg in the final story, a nearby volcanic crater is flooded, and Chaos emerges. It can then be challenged by the player. Chaos is the strongest playable character in the game (minus Emerl as he is customizable), but also by far the slowest."

(...oh geez I just realized, Chaos's PRIMARY PRESENCE in this entire plot HERALDS LOOMING DISASTER whether he realizes it or not. Considering that the SPARK of said disaster is the human kid he ends up falling in love with... that constancy speaks volumes, because CHAOS ISN'T THE CAUSE OF DISASTERS. He SENSES them and appears to PROTECT from them. And whether he realizes it or not, he's subconsciously anchored to Jewel in that regard, as their two overarching functions are totally complementary and cyclical.)

(There is a HORRIBLE parallel in Chaos being called the "God of Destruction" as a result of his agony-fueled civilization-crushing meltdown in SA... and with Jewel's own trauma history. Again, it's still blurry, but whereas Chaos was ironically deified for destroying things outright, Jewel is "deified" as CREATING things??? what with the Sapphires and their "manifestation" powers. But destruction is VITAL TO LIFE. Think of apoptosis. TRUE, HEALTHY LIFE NEEDS THAT COMPLEMENT to function properly... and that's the horror. Jewel's curse is HYPERLIFE. When she unhinges it's CANCER. That's what happens when you use the SAPPHIRES wrong-- nothing can die, EVEN the infected things (HEY DOPPELGANGERS), and EVERYTHING becomes INFLAMED.)
(Jewel's "hyperlife + fire" aspect is OBVIOUS in her personality, especially at the beginning-- she is often foolhardy, recklessly frank, ambitiously idealistic, and obsessed with "repairing damage."
(Chaos is water and he floods everything, even though water is 100% mandatory for survival... but Jewel is arguably FIRE and she burns everything down instead of allowing for protection and warmth. The irony is so notable there: water is life and fire is destruction, BUT they EACH hold the OTHER'S attributes. And when either of them become so emotionally distraught that they LOSE SIGHT OF THEMSELVES, well. you get disaster, in every respect. ...That's where their relationship becomes salvific. Even when they forget themselves, their other half remembers. This is CLEARLY demonstrated in the final Equil/Perfect disaster as well.)
(Jewel's "element" might ACTUALLY be BLOOD??? to fit the "water" parallel AND the "life" association, plus she won't be confused with Elise (which confused me when the game was first released, haha)! Plus the symbolism there fits her MUCH better, to be honest...)


LASTLY...  IN THE BIBLE, notably in Revelation 4:3, there are THREE GEMS on Christ's throne? JASPER (CLEAR), SARDIUS (RED), AND EMERALD (GREEN).
THAT is super relevant to us because the Emerald is associated with the RAINBOW OF GOD-- and you all know what God says about rainbows and FLOODS. It's a sign of HOPE AFTER DESTRUCTION, of the PROMISE OF REBIRTH so to speak. "God will NEVER AGAIN DESTROY THE WORLD BY WATER." To Chaos 0, the rainbow is thus a HUGELY IMPORTANT personal motif.

 

SONIC INVERSION 

"LOVE IS PURE WATER, PURE BLOOD-- IT'S ALL ABOUT BLEEDING & MELTING INTO EVERYTHING"

 

(ALL OF THIS IS TENTATIVE (and like 6 years old)-- but the HEART of all this is STILL TRUE.)

 

· The Chaon Ruby was originally discovered by Amy Rose during a nostalgic visit to Never Lake. Sonic had begun to show noticeable signs of depression around that time, and Amy couldn’t help but think of the good old days when it was just Sonic vs Robotnik, and he enjoyed doing what he did. As a result, she went on a small personal vacation to Never Lake, the place where she first met Sonic.

· Robotnik got his hands on the Ruby through a deadly supervillain mix of hearsay, quiet research, and good planning (for once!).

· Starts off with Knux, Sonic and Tails having just returned from some huge adventure. They’re off to have a vacation, and are at an airport (going overseas and sonic hates water). However, Knuckles notices a bulletin on the news (televisions—in a lounge, perhaps?) that talks about the discovery and disappearance of the Chaon Ruby (although the name is not known at this time). Knuckles is intrigued for three reasons—1) it’s a mystical gem and it may be related to the Chaos Emeralds, 2) Robotnik is most likely after it, 3) Rouge is most likely after it. Knuckles decides he’s going to find it himself and tells Sonic of his plan. Sonic, however, brushes it off and says that he just needs a break, he can’t take so much at once anymore. Knuckles and Tails are visibly shocked by this, while Sonic looks visibly worn-down and tired. He wanders off towards the plane and Tails is torn between following Knux or following Sonic… but then he apologizes to Knux, telling him that he’s very worried about Sonic and doesn’t know what’s come over him, before running off after the blue hedgehog. Knuckles then returns to the city alone to begin researching this ruby.

· Rouge sneaks into a new building of Robotnik’s, as she suspects the ruby is being held there. However, upon doing so she bumps into a young human girl. They both hush the other, then realize that they aren’t the only ones sneaking in and immediately ask what the other is doing there. Rouge says ‘it’s none of your business,’ then says to the girl that she’s apparently far too young to be out her by herself, let alone sneaking into Eggman’s private buildings. The girl protests, saying that she regularly sneaks around like this, but she has a good reason for being here. She says that she loves gemstones, but this one really caught her interest. She did research on it but couldn’t find much… however, she, too, suspected a connection to the Chaos Emeralds and, knowing the sort of trouble they have caused in the past, decided to go out and stop Robotnik from getting a hold of the Ruby lest it be used for evil. Rouge laughs at this childlike audacity but she respects the heroic impulse, as it reminds her of Knuckles. The girl introduces herself as Jewel Lightraye, an admitted pseudonym. Rouge introduces herself and Jewel suddenly interjects that she’s heard of her—she’s a jewel thief! Rouge is flattered as she likes the idea that she is known for her work, but Jewel expressed concern that Rouge is going to steal the Ruby to sell it or wear it. Rouge asks why that should be of any concern to her, but Jewel insists that, if it truly is a dangerous and/or powerful item, that it should be treated carefully and properly so it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. She again reminds Rouge of what Robotnik has done in the past with the Emeralds, and Rouge reluctantly but seriously considers this for a minute before agreeing that fine, she wouldn’t steal it for her own, but she had to be able to see and hold it before it went off to wherever. Jewel agrees and the two head off inside the building together.

· Knuckles finds his way into the building not long after—he sneaks in more directly (no back entrances), but he does get in. He finds his way into a large central room, like a robot lab (SA), and begins to look around out of curiosity. Shortly after, though, Rouge and Jewel enter the same room. They are shocked to see each other, although Rouge and Knux are rather angry. Knuckles immediately tells Rouge that he won’t let her steal the gem, but Rouge tells him to settle down and informs him of her deal with Jewel. Knuckles agrees that it is a good plan, and asks Jewel who she is and why she’s involved in this. Jewel says it’s a very long story, but mentions that she just couldn’t stand by and let Robotnik get away with something huge when she knew about it and had a chance to stop it. [ELABORATE on WHY she is so certain of this] She then states that ‘after all, you guys are the same age as I am,’ and the two Mobians agree embarrassedly. Knuckles then gets back on topic and says that he wanted to find the Ruby in order to take it back to Angel Island where he could guard it, but Rouge interjects and says (ironically) that he had no right to take it if it wasn’t his. Knuckles begins to protest, saying that she was doing the same thing, but Jewel cuts in, saying that if need be then Knuckles could guard it-- he's experienced in that field-- but if there was a better option then they’d have to go with that. Knuckles is a little upset by this but agrees, and they are about to set off and look for it when Rouge more consciously notices the room they’re in. She becomes somewhat worried, making a half-joke that it looks like Robotnik’s building an army in here. Before anyone can do anything else, though, Knuckles shouts that there’s something behind her…

 

·…Rouge and Jewel whirl around just in time to see a shockwave of blue energy shoot towards them. It knocks them both down, Knuckles jumping out of the way just in time. The energy then re-forms close by as Chaos Zero. Knuckles is terrified, but Rouge only asks ‘what that thing is’. (SHE WASN'T IN SA) Knuckles says ‘have you ever heard of the God of Destruction? The monster that was once trapped inside the Master Emerald?” As Rouge is familiar with the gem’s backstory, she exclaims “you mean that thing came out of a gem???” as she understands then that Chaos is that monster [but focuses on the wrong point]. Almost immediately as she says this Chaos attacks again, but she gets out of the way. Jewel, meanwhile, remembers the fact that Chaos was under the influence of rage and Robotnik back in the past two catastrophes, and that Sonic’s positive influence got him out of it. [THIS MAY BE HER CONVICTION. If she's in this FOR Chaos, then she's banking on "POSITIVE INFLUENCE"]

She braces herself and runs over to the water being (who is facing the other way, watching the Mobians), grabs his shoulders and turns him around to face her. As soon as they make eye contact she shouts, “what in the world do you think you’re doing??” Rouge and Knuckles are taken aback by this bizarre plan of action and try to stop her [mainly by shouting], but Jewel keeps talking to Chaos. Dialogue goes something like this—“Don’t you even realize what you’re doing? Don’t you remember what happened the last time Robotnik had you under his control? You’re hurting innocent people that haven’t done anything to you! And why? Because he told you to? You’re better than that! You don’t have to be a monster, a god of destruction, just because—” But Jewel stops suddenly as she notices that Chaos’ eyes have changed. Originally they were a dull green, but now they’re visibly brighter and more ‘alive’, as if he snapped out of a trance (in truth, her confrontation with him forced him to honestly realize what he was doing, and this made his personality start to ‘awaken.’ This has happened before in the StH comic series, but not canonically; and I personally can attest to the phenomenon happening with me). They simply stare at each other for a few seconds, not knowing what to do, when Jewel finally lets go of him and apologizes, saying that she didn’t mean to get so carried away, she didn’t know if he would hear her or not. Chaos says nothing, and Jewel carefully asks if he can understand her. Chaos nods, and Jewel says ‘well, that’s good,’ before going back to wondering what to do next. However, Rouge and Knuckles run over just then. Rouge shouts ‘are you crazy, Jewel? You could have been killed!’ while Knuckles demands ‘what did you do to him? What just happened?’

-btw Jewel can do this because-- I think-- the Ruby is part of a set of gems that have the powers of ORDER and HARMONY as opposed to "chaos"??? And as a result she has a VERY SPECIAL RESONANCE WITH CHAOS HIMSELF as their soul-energies naturally complement each other.

-ALSO JEWEL IS LIKE THE ONLY PERSON TO HAVE TOUCHED HIM, AND CHAO ARE VERY REACTIVE TO PHYSICAL CONTACT. The reason why he doesn’t resist or attack is because he recognizes, viscerally, that this contact is COMPLETELY BENEVOLENT and he is absolutely STUNNED by that hitting out of nowhere. It also adds even more weight to her words, for him… plus, she's not just touching him, she's HOLDING him [albeit by the shoulders], which is one of the MAIN ways of showing affection to a Chao. She does not realize this and Chaos doesn't either, but subconsciously it hits!

· Later, Knuckles notices that Chaos can talk [as Chaos DOES end up speaking with Jewel, clumsily at first but he's trying] and asks him why he has never spoken before. Chaos says, effectively, that he has always had the potential ability for speech [ALL CHAO TALK] but just never had a chance or reason to use it until now. He adds that, when Robotnik had him under his control, he was exposed to both Robotnik’s constant speech and the speech of everyone he encountered in the cities. That fuller vocabulary exposure stuck with him, so he picked up their language and style, and is just now re-learning how to actually form the words and speak (again, he’s talking slowly and a little brokenly now, but he rapidly improves). That also explains why Chaos doesn’t have a crazy-formal manner of speech as so many people portray him with— the speech he was exposed to was much more modern and casual, which is why he talks that way instead.

[An affectionate note-- remember that Chaos actually SINGS better than he talks, because Chao do too.]

· After they find the Ruby [WHERE????] they are attacked by the earlier-encountered ‘army’ of robots. Panicking, the group is split up—Knux and Rouge one on side, Chaos and Jewel on another. As they aren’t very far apart at this point, and since Chaos and the Ruby near each other poses too much of a potential threat [AND he's likely having trauma triggered by it], Jewel shouts for Rouge to take the Ruby. Rouge flies by and grabs it, then runs off by herself down a nearby hallway. Knuckles shouts ‘that traitor!’ but Chaos states that ‘she’ll never make it out of here alone.’ The three fight the robots off as best they can and head after Rouge. Meanwhile, Rouge is running down the tunnel alone (the robots stayed with their attackers for now) with all intentions of ditching her teammates. However, she stops halfway down the tunnel and thinks. [RUBY INFLUENCE] She realizes that they might not survive the attack, and she might not either. She also remembers what Jewel said about the Ruby, and although Rouge’s own love of gems was a strong temptation, she wonders if maybe Jewel was right in saying that the Ruby should be kept somewhere safe and not used as personal property. Rouge is still battling with herself when she is suddenly ambushed by robots. Scared, she fights them off for a while but they quickly overpower her. She begins to panic and thinks she is going to die when she remembers that she has the Ruby with her. She thinks to herself, ‘I wonder…’ then kicks a small clearing in the robots and begins to run farther down into the tunnel, beginning to focus on the Ruby. Nothing happens at first, so she wonders ‘how did Sonic do it?’ Remembering that he used positive energy, she tries it, still trying to fight off the gaining robots as she does. She thinks ‘come on, work! I need to get out of here to keep this Ruby 'safe'… oh, and save the other three, too…’ but she’s being too selfish and isn’t considering everyone immediately. She keeps trying to refine her motives, but they just aren’t working; she's still "bargaining" with the gem, and the Ruby isn't fooled. Suddenly, she is ambushed by robots for the other direction, now surrounded completely. They begin charging their weapons and Rouge falls into a complete and total panic—but, in doing so, forgets herself. Her thoughts immediately change into a frightened, desperate stream of consciousness—“oh please I don’t want to die, I can’t die here what will happen to everyone else if he gets this Ruby, it’s all over and they’ll die and it will be all my fault for running away and leaving them alone and— oh, please, please do something!!” Immediately there is a huge surge of red light and power…

[NOTE. ROUGE WOULDN'T CARE IF SHE DIDN'T LOVE. In her last-second worried thoughts, she is FEELING the genuine care and affection she has for them as her friends-- and notably, for Knuckles, as more than just a friend. Her worries about "my fault for leaving them" sound self-based but I assure you she is focusing ON their aloneness, and her heart is breaking at the thought that she could have been with the people she cares for instead. THAT is what the Ruby is responding to.]

· …Outside the tunnel, the other three only see flying debris and a burst of red light. Fearing the worst, Knuckles screams ‘Rouge!!” and runs towards the tunnel. Chaos takes out a few more robots and they all run towards the tunnel when there is another explosion and, suddenly, Rouge appears. However, she is in her Hyper form. (talk about appearance and all, dialogue and explanation) Chaos then interjects, “but that’s impossible… it can’t be purely positive, can it?” (WHY does he assume this??? Is it because they all figured Rouge had no "positive motives" to cause a "super form" at the time??) They are considering this, because if the Ruby still has negative energy in it then Chaos needs to stay away from it at all costs due to the risk of a reaction… but while they are considering this, (???)

 

· Regardless of what actually happens here event-wise, at one point later on, Jewel gets the Ruby back and still ends up giving the Ruby to Chaos which is incredibly important. They’re completely split off from everyone else temporarily, and Jewel finally decides that Chaos should be the one with the Ruby, regardless of the risks. Fearing the worst, Chaos refuses it repeatedly, refusing to touch it, but Jewel literally puts it in his hands [with hers] and says “I’m giving it to you.” There's a HUGE pause here, as Chaos realizes he's not reacting-- arguably, with it being the Ruby he might even be feeling BENEVOLENCE from it-- and Jewel catches this emotional shift. She then sincerely continues: “Chaos, believe me, you could do more good with this gem than anyone else” because, if his namesake meant anything, then he “had just as much positive in him as negative—most likely twice as much” and so on. Either way, Chaos is still lingeringly paranoid that he’s going to screw up, and replies that no one else thought that; after all, the only reason he was there was because Robotnik wanted to use him to cause some catastrophic event again, and with the Ruby, no less. Jewel interrupts him with “I trust you! Doesn’t that mean anything? Even if I'm one against the world, I trust you. I don't care what anyone else thinks. They don’t know you. They don't want to know you. But I do. I do, and I know enough to know you are completely worthy of all my hope right now. If you can’t find anything else, then use that. Use everything you can. I trust you more than anyone else in this entire facility, myself included. I wouldn’t be giving this to you if I didn’t believe that.”

She breaks off and concludes “Chaos, please, show Robotnik that you’re not the monster he thinks you are. Show him that you’re better than that, because I know you are. Show everyone what I can see-- show them what your heart is really like.”

(TENTATIVE PARAGRAPH) I think Chaos hesitates, doubting himself yet hopeful, but Jewel is still holding his hands and looking at him. "You wouldn't be worried about hurting anyone if your heart wasn't kind. And it is. That's the real you, not the things that have happened to you."
He flinches, protesting "but those things changed me, Jewel--" and she immediately counters "they changed how you look. They didn't change who you are. The pain left scars on your heart but your heart is still there, and it's soft enough to hurt so much and if you can feel regret then that proves that you never would have chosen to do such a thing if you weren't in so much pain." She's tearing up; she understands. "But now… even if it still hurts, you can choose hope.
Yes, the past hurts. I won't deny that. But we can try again, now. We can do good now, and heal the wounds, and fix the damage, as much as we can. Maybe it's not much, but it's something. It's something, and that's a flower blooming in the ruins, and that's proof that nothing is ever beyond hope. No one is ever beyond hope. Even you. Even me."

"That's why I trust you with this Ruby, more than anyone else-- because I trust your heart." She presses the Ruby to it and concludes, "This is yours now, Chaos. If anyone can use it for good, it's you."

(MAKE SURE THIS DIALOGUE IS ALL CORRECT BECAUSE IT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. REFINE IT BUT KEEP ITS HEART.)

(In the original dialogue she uses the word "know" a LOT. that's notable because it erases doubt and also because it suggests this event isn't occurring on a five-minute relationship base. there's already something substantial here, even if it's mostly one-sided yet. remember, Jewel is fully aware of who Chaos is BEFORE she meets him in person, and I am sure she has expressed that TO him during their time in this facility.)

(OLD PLOT) Blissfully ignorant of the bizarre circumstances surrounding its current situation, Nack the Weasel was on the lookout for more treasures to hunt when he stumbled across word of the Chaon Ruby. The idea of such a large, rare, mysterious gemstone out there—unclaimed, even—was too much for the purple predator to resist. Packing his bags, he headed out to Never Lake. After searching the area for hours and finding nothing, he noticed a strange glimmer at the top of a nearby mountain (one of those small ones—not some huge thing!). Hopeful, he decided to check it out. Upon reaching the top, however, he saw nothing. He tried digging around, but was so exhausted that he couldn’t keep it up for long. Suddenly, Fang tripped—from an unlucky combination of fatigue and dug-up ground beneath his boots—and fell through the Inversion gate. Hitting grass instead of dirt, he knew something was wrong… and looked up to see the lights of Central City spread out below like a night sky. He had warped to a completely different area of Mobius in a split second. Panicked, Fang leapt up and turned to run… unaware that the gate was still there. He ended up running into the Inversion dimension itself, in a sandy, bleak area with no exit in sight. By this time, Fang was absolutely terrified, and nearly jumped out of his boots when someone behind him demanded why he was there. Spinning around again, pistol drawn, Fang came face-to-face with Rika Starz.

 

 

SUPER OLD PLOT NOTES =

Sometime later on in the story, I saw this one scene that will need to be fully touched up later (I’m in a hurry and don’t remember it all)… Chaos is looking for Sting (I assume), and finds him at some rowdy pub. Well, Chaos actually goes over to him and pins him to the wall by his collar. Sting asks him what the heck he’s doing, but Chaos won’t let him get a word in. He starts berating the bug, saying that he’s sick of watching him throwing away his life like this when he’s constantly talking about how much he wants a purpose in life. Chaos then asks ‘do you have any idea how old I am?’ Sting laughs slightly (the message hasn’t hit him yet) and says ‘I dunno, 23?’ Chaos then shouts something like ‘Do you know how long a century is? Take that and multiply it by about 50; that’s how many years I’ve seen! And you know what? For that entire time, I didn’t think I had a real purpose in life either! It wasn’t until that goddamned bristle-faced maniac turned me into a doomsday weapon that I realized there was more to life than what I’d been doing, and what I was being used for, and by that time it was almost too late! If I had spent my days drinking everything into oblivion like you do every night, I’d still be in the same place I was when Station Square fell, and God help me I’d do anything to forget that. But this--!!’ He picks up Sting’s drink and shoves it in his face, continuing ‘This is nothing but blind ignorance! I am not—’ he flings it to the floor then, but is cut of by the other bar-goers shouting out in protest. Chaos then turns around and shouts ‘Shut up; you know I could kill you all in an instant if I wanted to.’ Chaos then turns back to Sting, but this uncharacteristic threat has already gotten to him and his eyes quickly tear up as he continues with ‘I am not going to just stand here and watch you drown all of your chances in alcohol, NOT after all that I’ve been through. (more dialogue)’ [Ends like this; he’s walking out when he stops and adds ‘…And if your regrets are anything like mine, I’d walk the hell out of here and never look back.’]

(Chaos is PROJECTING HARD because he WAS running away from his problems and just refusing to feel or process anything about Perfect. He just buries it because he can't cope. FURTHERMORE, he feels TRAPPED with his ties TO the Emeralds and the Shrine, meaning that part of his subconscious is CONSTANTLY IN FLASHBACK MODE but he can't escape so he just numbs out. Now that he has found FREEDOM and HOPE, seeing anyone else repeating the same mistakes he did is too much for him to bear-- he feels that trauma ache as if it were his own all over again.)

 

It was terribly early.
3 AM, to be precise… too early for the sun to bleed, too late for the world to breathe.
That elusive hour of morning in which reality closed its eyes, waiting.
Waiting for the towns to bloom with life again. Waiting for the streets to shudder, black and broken, beneath the roaring blur of traffic.
Waiting to be called to life.
This morning it came with a scream.


“How could I have been so stupid??"
The unearthly sobs shuddered in the cold morning air, cracking, breaking.
“I was so blind… so stupidly blind!! How??”
The purple light reflected in the alien’s pink eyes, a sickened sob escaping his throat as he surveyed the room before him… cluttered with the ruins of so many failed plans, so many broken dreams.
“I could’ve conquered this world so easily by now, had I only seen--! I could’ve conquered it ten times over!” He rose to his feet, sick with forgotten glory. “A HUNDRED!!” He sobbed again.
“But no. I could never get my priorities straight. I could never see what was truly important… what power I truly had! I’m an Irken invader!!” The tearstained creature cried to the empty air. “I am ZIM!!”
He dissolved into sobs.
Invader Zim. Yes, that was his name… a name that deserved to live in glory for all time, which deserved to be honored for what its bearer had done.
And here he was, Zim, the one and only… wasting his life away on this filthy planet.
All because he had been so blind…!
“I’m supposed to be conquering this planet, not playing with it! Look at what I could have done!” His dark claws reached for the useless weapons before him. “Look at the destruction I could have wrought! Look at the doom I could have inflicted! And I was so stupid!!” His head fell into his remorseful hands. “All this power I have known… and instead of using it for victory, for the Irken Empire, I spent all my time chasing that foolish human boy… that big-headed boy who never told me a thing…”
Three years worth of burning misery finally exploded.
“…Diiiiib!!!”


Dib Membrane woke with a start.
His eyes snapped open, shocked, and he immediately sat upright. What was it? A nightmare?
Rubbing the sleep from his face, Dib took the glasses from his nightstand and yawned. Shivering once, he settled them upon his nose. Terribly cold, he thought distractedly as he blinked at the digital clock. Now what time was—?
He had to look twice.
Three A.M.??
The young investigator shook his head in disbelief. It couldn’t be…!
But the pale green numbers held no pity for him. 3:07 continued to smolder in their sickening glow, silent in their solemnity.
Wow, Dib thought simply, running a hand through his sparse black hair. That’s odd. I’m never up this early. In fact-- he remembered with a touch of amusement-- the only time I ever did wake up at this hour was in a dream… a dream fully choreographed by—
“DIB!!”
Immediately the young boy’s blood turned to ice.
That voice!
A sickening wave of fear swept through him. That was what had woke him up, he realized… His name. Screamed by that same hysteric voice.
He could never mistake that voice, not for as long as he lived.
Quickly he spun around to face the moonlight behind him. Dib caught a moment’s glimpse of his bedroom window, flung wide open, the icy air biting at his pale face… and suddenly all he could see was red.
No, not red…he realized. Pink.
Zim!
Dib gasped in shock as the alien grabbed his collar in a death grip, forcing him to stare into that familiar Irken face. But something was wrong, he suddenly realized. Something was terribly wrong…
“Why didn’t you tell me??”
The question echoed in silence. For an awful moment, Dib was afraid his father had heard, but the empty ringing in his ears remained unbroken. Not much of a relief, he thought anxiously. But what was Zim talking about?
“…Tell you what?” Dib nervously began, his voice barely audible. He had never seen Zim like this before.
The grip on his shirt tightened, Zim’s pink eyes now frighteningly close.
“That I was doing everything wrong!!”
Wrong?
Dib blinked. For a moment, his total confusion overrode all apprehension at this Irken being in his room. That sure wasn’t the question he had expected. Knowing Zim, Dib wouldn’t have been surprised if the invader had asked why he hadn’t told him about the water content of ice cream, or why you should always look both ways before crossing the street. Inane questions like that.
But this… what on earth was he talking about? What on earth was making him look so… different?
Dib swallowed hard, remembering his situation. “I- I don’t know what you—“
“You know what I mean!” Zim screamed over him. “Why every effort I made to conquer this planet turned out wrong!! Why I was always so stupid!!”
The Irken’s voice broke, and he let go, his breath hitching. His eyes were furious but he looked on the verge of tears.

(unfinished)