the-era-of-shadow

[the-era-of-shadow]

gear in motion

Hi my comms are open

#art blog reblog #GEAR!!!!! #undescribed #art tag #mod ash

[the-era-of-shadow]

Relic: Thank you to all of you that stuck around through everything that’s transpired here!

Eclipse: Just uh… promise not to share any of this with the public who weren’t here for the show, alright?

Shadow: This blog will just be between us from now on, got it?

Widow: So I suppose that means that everyone still watching is, in a way, an honorary Black Arms?

Shadow: Huh… I guess that’s a way to see it!

Gear: I guess that’s our signal to head home then, huh?

Nitro: Yep. Though I think we could grab a snack on the way back, if you want.

Gear: Of course I do!

Dark Arms: Can we get snacks too?? Please??

Gear: Whoopsie!

Eclipse: [jokingly] Oh now look what you’ve done…!

Eclipse: We had slushies last night, at midnight.

Eclipse: … I’m really trying to be more responsible as a parent, okay?

Dark Arms: Aw okay,,,

Shadow: Oh hey, speaking of last night, should we go check up on The Thing?

Eclipse: Oh! Yes!

Relic: Well, see you guys around!

[The End of Volume 1(.5)]

#ask blog reblog #functionally described #art tag #mod ash

[the-era-of-shadow]

So, about the hivemind, wouldn't just knowing if someone is going to do something make it less chaotic?

Like, wouldn't it be even more chaotic if everyone just does things without warning?

Eclipse: You know, I think you’re right, dear asker!

Eclipse: There should be a bit of separation between the members of the hive to allow for the element of surprise!

Shadow: You… were awfully eager to come up with that-

Eclipse: Anyway, I think it’s about time we wrap things up, no?

#ask blog reblog #functionally described #art tag #mod ash

[the-era-of-shadow]

I've never heard of any of this! I'd love to learn more about these Black Arms, Dr. Clydsdale! I must know, as a (future) anthropologist, this Black Arms thing sounds like a religion, but it seems like there's a genetic component, considering Ms. Rose. Is this an ethnoreligion?

- Jane, still curious

[Shadow and Eclipse look each other in disbelief]

Shadow: … Yes.

#ask blog reblog #functionally described #art tag #mod ash

[the-era-of-shadow]

Eclipse, what do you think about Planet of the Chaos? Is it as good as Chao in Space 1 and 2, or was it not worth the spin-off?

Eclipse: It’s alright, but there was a lot of wasted potential in my opinion.

Eclipse: Their depiction of Lady Chaos wasn’t even that accurate compared to actual academic accounts.

#ask blog reblog #functionally described #art tag #mod ash

[the-era-of-shadow]

Gear and Nitro! It's nice to see you all join the Black Arms, I do hope everything is going well for you! What do you think of the Black Arm life so far? Was it scary or was it everything you hoped for?

Gear: Eh, I guess it was… a bit scary at the beginning…

Gear: But I wouldn’t give up this life for anything!

Nitro: It’s really nice to know that the people we stand by won’t hesitate to do what is needed for the greater good.

Gear: Unlike those Freedom Fighters, who have been dragging their heels with actually taking Doctor Robotnik out like they should’ve years ago.

#ask blog reblog #functionally described #art tag #mod ash

[the-era-of-shadow]

IT REALLY IS THE ERA OF SHADOW RIGHT NOW, HUH???????

Oh wow it really IS the era of shadow right now huh

#teos thoughts #undescribed #mod ash

[the-era-of-shadow]

Nitro: Hmm. It’s becoming rather dark out.

Gear: Yeah, must be getting a bit late now.

Shadow: Perhaps I got a bit carried away with explaining the hivemind…!

Relic: It was very interesting to hear, either way.

Shadow: Thanks…

Widow: I think we should answer a few more questions, and then wrap things up for the day.

Eclipse: Agreed.

#ask blog reblog #functionally described #art tag #mod ash

[the-era-of-shadow]

What is your culture like? I would love to learn more, especially about a culture of people (who I can actually talk to-) who have a hivemind.

Shadow: I… Want to take this question to hopefully redeem myself for the way I answered years ago when Relic asked me something akin to this.*

[*Sonic Universe Issue #68]

Shadow: But I don’t know where to start.

Widow: Well, they did bring up the hivemind.

Eclipse: Why not talk about how that works?

Eclipse: Should be something quite easy for you as the core, no?

Shadow: Yeah, that does sound pretty manageable…!

Shadow: Even though I’ve only been the core of the hivemind for like, two days*, I've already learned quite a lot about it.

[*Carrying Onward - TEoS Arc 2 Story 1]

Shadow: I think what a lot of people expect the hivemind to be, and what is probably the case for other species that have hiveminds (don’t quote me on that), is a shared consciousness. But in reality, the Black Arms Hivemind is more of a shared subconscious.

Shadow: We each have consciousnesses and bodies of our own that hold information needed for our individual roles, but the hivemind keeps us united and focused on our collective objective - as well as allowing us to send information to one another at speeds unimaginable, no matter the distance. 

Shadow: It also serves as a way to stabilize the immense amounts of chaos energy in our bodies so that it doesn’t cause our vessels any harm.

Shadow: Make no mistake, though. It very much has expanded into and taken our minds and our souls.

hp lcp esp dslcod zq esp zctrtylw dpgpy

Shadow: How could it not? Chaos is practically all we even are. Chaos energy is the basis of the hivemind, even, holding within it the very same consciousness of the Chaos Emeralds.

Shadow: Our bodies are vessels for the hivemind, and in the same breath, vessels for chaos energy itself.

dppvtyr gpyrplynp qzc zfc pitdepynp

szatyr ez mctyr lww ezrpespc lrlty

Shadow: We are forever expanding, our existence spreading all throughout the universe as we traverse it.

ty nslzd, esp rzod lcp hsz yppo cpapyelynp

esp zypd espj slo qltwpo

Shadow: We may have been hindered in that for now, but just as you can never truly be rid of chaos energy, you can never truly be rid of the Black Arms.

Shadow: Conquering this world will be the boost we need to continue on our journey of entropy.

ectnvpo tyez estyvtyr zcopc hld ufde

hp dppv jzf htes atej

Shadow: But this does not mean that it has stopped, even now. Although we cannot access them, there are other planets in the universe, other civilizations, that have accepted chaos and allowed it to take over them as we have.

Shadow: This journey will not truly end until the entire universe has become chaos, just as it was in the beginning. Only then, will our mission be complete.

ez decta jzfc xzcelwtej

Eclipse: Ah- But… We won’t be alone in that end, will we?

Eclipse: Even though most of the gods have made their choice to still try to enforce order, we will still have Dark Gaia and perhaps even Lady Chaos by our side, right?

Shadow: Huh?

Shadow: Oh! Of course! 

Shadow: Though… What an interesting question, Eclipse. Where’d that thought come from?

Eclipse: Ah… I-I just… figured that it would get kinda… lonely, to watch over the universe all alone.

Shadow: Ah, yeah. Fair enough!

#ask blog reblog #functionally described #long post #tw eyestrain #ask to tag #art tag #mod ash

[the-era-of-shadow]

I knew that our miss Wilma was secretly hiding more then she let on, it's an honor to meet the Queen herself! I hope you're doing well and that everything goes well for you and the Black Arms, consider me a supporter! (Just not of the assimilation-willing kind if that's OK)

What's your plan going forward? Will you have to get a new disguise, or face the world head on now?

Widow: It’s a pleasure to be in your presence! ~

Widow: As for your question…

Widow: I… Hadn’t thought about getting a new disguise! I guess I should perhaps look into it?

Widow: What would I even be? A goat? Goats are cute…

Eclipse: I thought about going for goat as well at some point, but there’s already this guy I keep hearing about being misidentified as me by G.U.N who’s a goat mobian and I didn’t want to make things harder on either of us.

Widow: … Really now? Is there anything else you know about them? Like a name?

Eclipse: Uh… “Kris Perigee”? I think?

Widow: …

[Widow’s eyes widen as something seems to click for her]

Widow: Keep an eye on him, won’t you?

Eclipse: Oh, of course!

#ask blog reblog #functionally described #art tag #mod ash

[the-era-of-shadow]

So, may you tell us more about your journal, Relic ?

[The sky has gotten a bit darker]

Relic: I’d love to!!

Relic: I’ve written about various things in my journal - mostly my assimilation journey, but also general things I learn about the Black Arms as well!

Relic: I also like to on occasion go snooping around in resources about the Black Arms and copy whatever’s in there that lines up with what I’ve gleaned!

Relic: Also, Eclipse and I have been currently working on-and-off on translating this other journal I found in the Temple that’s written in ancient Bloosiæne that seems to contain a lot of info on BA assimilation!

Widow: Oh, that’s where it went?

Relic: Hmm? Is this yours, Ms Widow?

Widow: N-No, not technically… It was my brother’s…

Relic: O-Oh, I can uh… give it back-

Widow: No no, you can keep it for now.

Widow: I bet he’d really appreciate his work being translated.

#ask blog reblog #functionally described #art tag #mod ash

[the-era-of-shadow]

Wait you guys are in the sky?! But there's land right behind you, what is that???

Widow: We are, yes!

Widow: This place that we are in is the Aerth Observation and Occupation Temple of The Black Arms, or just the “Aerth Temple” for short! My darling Doomie and I, along with our fellow leaders at the time, built it around 2,000 years ago!

Widow: Somehow, it managed to go unharmed during the botched attempt at seizing the planet back in 2005, so we decided to make our home here after the Freedom Fighters destroyed the clinic.

Widow: The temple has multiple segments to it - in natural formation, it resembles a bird, but the sections can break off course and travel on their own if need be.

[Shows a bird's eye outline of the temple]

Widow: Though we haven’t needed to use any of the segments beside this main one just yet - we are unfortunately not very many right now…

Widow: But those other segments of the Temple are what you’re seeing in the background.

#ask blog reblog #functionally described #art tag #mod ash

[the-era-of-shadow]

So, Ms. Widow? Was that always your name or did you start using it after your husband died?

Widow: Oh! Well, “Black Widow” was not always my name, but I did start going by it WAY before-

[Widow realizes what the ask is trying to say]

Widow: [sarcastic, not pleased] Oh. Very funny.

Widow: But, as I was saying. I started going by “Black Widow” thousands of years ago. Actually, ironically towards the implications of your question, I started going by that name very shortly after Doomie and I had met.

Widow: I had the name in my mind for some time before then, actually, but he was the one who gave me the courage to actually go through with it.*

[*The Day The Moon Died Act 1 Chapters 3 & 4 - TEoS Origins]

#ask blog reblog #functionally described #art tag #mod ash

[the-era-of-shadow]

To Shadow, Eclipse and Relic!

Can you say these letters out loud?

I M A Q T

Just trust :3

Relic: Oh no, I will NOT be letting you people pull another updog on-

[Relic reads the ask closer]

Relic: … Actually, I’ll allow it, but only just this once.

Shadow & Eclipse: ?

Shadow & Eclipse: I… M… A… Q… T…?

[The both of them blush slightly as they Realize]

Shadow: Heheh, thanks…!

Eclipse: That was clever, as well as kind.

#ask blog reblog #functionally described #art tag #mod ash

[the-era-of-shadow]

i think i might be in the minority with this, but frankly i'm willing to be assimilated 10 times over purely because of how cute Eclipse looks while explaining it. Anything else we should know about it?

Eclipse: Thank you!!

Eclipse: Well, first of all-

Relic: Hey, uh, Eclipse?

Eclipse: Yeah?

Relic: You’re… Kinda hogging the blog, no offense.

Eclipse: … Oh!

Eclipse: [embarrassed] Sorry…

#ask blog reblog #functionally described #art tag #mod ash

[the-era-of-shadow]

You seem like quite the proud Wisp parent, Dr. Eclipse! I must ask, do you have any other pictures of the Dark Arms?

Eclipse: Not on me currently, unfortunately.

Eclipse: Thank you for asking, though!

#ask blog reblog #functionally described #art tag #mod ash

[the-era-of-shadow]

This assimilation thing sounds... Scary.

I couldn't help but notice that a bunch of you seem to have green blood like Shadow now, so it's not just consumption of the mind, right ? It's also physical...

And if one's blood changes color during this process then Chaos knows what else happens to people's bodies.

Is assimilation painful ? I don't care about power, I just want to keep a tranquil life.

Eclipse: Oh hey, speaking of my advancements in assimilation!

Eclipse: There is a physical component, yes!

Eclipse: And it was painful, in the past.

Eclipse: But not anymore, thanks to my Accelerated Assimilation Technology!

Eclipse: Just get yourself connected to the hivemind with Shadow, and then enter one of the specialized pods I’ve created, condensing the previously years long process into a mere 24 hours! All while you’re asleep!

#ask blog reblog #functionally described #art tag #mod ash