Farewell, My Friend💔😭
(PSA: Possible spoiler warnings for The Murder of Me by the Zielo Cave. Only a couple panels, but still...)
So, on Monday night, I was at work, and I checked my phone, mostly out of habit. (I don't recommend doing this, btw, it's a good way to get you written up or worse.) And I saw that I had a YouTube notification on my lock screen. So I open my phone and pull down my drop bar to have a look. And literally saw the absolute worst news.
TMOM is over from The Zielo Cave
Now for those of you that don't know: The Murder of Me, AKA TMOM, is a Sonic the Hedgehog fan comic that first debuted I think 15 or so years ago, give or take, and as much as I would love to claim that I've been a fan since the beginning, I only discovered TMOM about a year or so ago. (I have the worst luck when it comes to finding things; I'm always late to the party 🥺)
When I discovered TMOM I was in a terrible rut. I hadn't posted anything in YEARS, and the writing I had done I kept locked away in notebooks, never to see the light of day. I had no inspiration, no motivation to tell stories. It was a horrible place to be. (-10000/10 recommendation.) Then I was scrolling through Pinterest one day, and I saw a panel of this random comic.
You could probably imagine my reaction. It's so random. Then more cropped up:
My thoughts went HAYWIRE. "Why is Sonic fighting his mother? Why's he dressed like that? WHY IS HE DROWNING?? WHY ARE KNUX AND TAILS LETTING HIM DROWN??? WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING???" So I went hunting, and came across The Murder of Me by Gigi-D on DeviantArt.
I was HOOKED. The plot was so well thought out, the characterization was incredibly done, and as you can see, the art itself was BEAUTIFUL. I couldn't get enough. I flat out ignored life and read through 14 issues in one sitting. It took me all day but it was so worth it. AND THEN: I discovered the dubs on YouTube, and found that Gigi-D had decided to put together a creative team to produce the issues of The Murder of Me as episodic dubs, and I fell head over heels. The cast and editing was absolutely phenomenal, and The Murder of Me had my heart, hook, line, and sinker. What was even better was that they turned Issue 15 into an animatic episode.
Episode 15 Part 1: Purpose released on October 30th, 2022, and since then I have been anxiously awaiting the next episode by rewatching the series and all the prequels and bonus episodes I could get my mouse on. I even forced my best friend one night to binge the entire series with me, and she's not nearly as much of a Sonic fan as I am!
TMOM was more than a great watch or story for me. It was inspiration. I had an itch in my fingers that grew from writing a TMOM fanfiction that would stay hidden away into it's own complex project who's rough draft is now in production. (And could very well be released this summer if all goes well.) It was life breathed into my creativity. It was hope. For the first time in a very long time, I wanted to write. To tell a story like Gigi-D and the Zielo Cave.
And then that notification came. It was like a punch in the stomach. I was terrified and without watching it, I reacted and sent it to my best friend, wailing that once again, a story that I loved was being abandoned. That the writers were giving up. I was indignant. Screw that, I was angry and hurt.
Then I watched the video. I listened to Gigi's story, and immediately felt shamed by my own reaction. The Zielo Cave had been saying that Part Two was taking a while because of personal situations, and when Gigi revealed what had happened, that her inspiration was gone and couldn't bring herself to even sketch these characters that she loved so dearly...my heart shattered for her. While I might not really know or understand the pain of her personal situation, I do know what it is to completely lose the passion for your story. For the characters you still love, but can't bring yourself to engage with.
And while my heart of hearts aches, I know Gigi is doing the right thing. No one wants a story that it's writer is dragging their heels to share, can't bring themselves to write. God knows I've tried that, and trust me, it only hurts everyone. The writer, the fans, and the story itself. By ending TMOM here, she's protecting TMOM and its fans, and even though my heart breaks for TMOM's fate and (mostly) for her, I couldn't be more proud of her. The courage and strength it takes to walk away from such a huge part of your life in search of something more, something better?
Not only that, but honor the work and effort her team has given for Part Two and post it anyway, even though it's unfinished? To offer a written conclusion for the series for the fans that want to know what happens? I've never heard of any creator doing that, ever. All that I have seen would NEVER post any unfinished content, or unveil the unwritten plot and ending. And while I'm devastated for what that means, that TMOM is well and truly concluded and Gigi will probably NEVER return, as a fan of this series, I'm so grateful that what happens to these characters won't remain a mystery.
And to repeat what I said in the comment section of the announcement video: I pray a future that is bright and beautiful for you, and you discover what an amazing person you on this journey of healing. You're going to be magnificent because you are already an incredible person, Gigi. I can't express how important TMOM has been for me, how inspiring the story has been when I was down and unable to pursue my own creativity in my writing, and I just want to thank you for the years of dedication, passion, and love you and your team have given us through The Murder of Me. I bless all the paths you walk from this day forward, and all my love and support for you goes with you on your journeys for all the rest of your days.
The Murder of Me is over. I will always be a TMOM fan, and I will always love Gigi-D and the Zielo Cave for giving me inspiration, passion, and hope for my writing again. It's because of TMOM that The Three Sovereigns even made it to development and is now currently being written with the hope of release this summer, and The Three Sovereigns will always be a tribute to The Murder of Me and the hope this story has given me.
Thank you so much, Gigi-D, the Zielo Cave, and The Murder of Me, and fare thee well, my friend.
26 notes
·
View notes
Ivo strung the data cable over to the diagnostic table and patted the table surface.
“Up you go!”
Metal Sonic flicked his irises toward Sage. Sage responded by glancing to the diagnostic table.
“Sage, make your communications external. And tell me what he’s responding with, too, would you?”
“Yes Father. Brother is expressing trepidation at the thought of being erased.”
“I’m not erasing him. You don’t doubt my word, do you?”
Sage shook her head. “Of course not.”
Metal Sonic simply stared.
“Do you?” Ivo repeated to him.
He shook his head.
“Then get up here.”
---
Chapter 2 is up! I sure do love giving robots panic attacks.
55 notes
·
View notes
If you guys can create angst like making breakfast, then you guys must be starving as hell with some of the stuff I've seen you guys write out. /lh
Expecting to have a small English muffin with a coffee, but get a whole stack of pancakes with a fruit parfait and a smoothie instead and I'm not ready to eat all the good food in one go.
Man, idk, it's like we're drawn to the angst, it's calling out to us LOOOL. The thing is also, idk if it's too much for the receiver of said angst - so much as for yall to "not be ready to eat all the good food in one go" - but sometimes, it does get too much for us, especially with how many wips we share between us.
But, in case you are hungry, here's some good breakfast for you:
To Rearrange the Stars by @sage-nebula and @skimmingmilk (ao3)
Pandora au by @starrjoy (tumblr, first page of the comic)
Slipping Away by @phantomruby (ao3)
for you I would get beat to smithereens by yours truly (ao3)
radio silence under a yellow sky by @chaoxfix (ao3)
déjà vu by @gayemeralds (ao3)
The Chaos Emeralds Rate Their Users from 1 to 5 by @pidgetails (ao3)
against every odd by @neurotypical-sonic (ao3)
Of course, for more, you can check out other works from the same creators as well. I would have liked to link more but I guess that's enough for one day ;)
102 notes
·
View notes