Welcome to Project: Darkest Soul.
Mobius was once a land of prosperity and light. Fate, however, was cruel to it. Casting a shadow over the land, the King of Shadows swept over the land with his wicked power and tainted the once peaceful world of Mobius.
His only adversaries, the Freedom Fighters, stood little chance against his godly might. Sonic the Hedgehog, once a mighty and powerful warrior of peace was struck down and all that lies to honor his passing is a makeshift grave and flowers that cover the ground where he was buried. Hope became scarce and now only a single town in the entire span of the world feels no grasp of the King of Darkness' clutch.
The Freedom Fighters, though broken and scattered after the loss of the Blue Flash still stand against the King's rule. They fight a failing battle, however, and day after day ground is lost and more lives are sacrificed. But hope lies in the hearts of the faithful and times of light are prophesied to return. However...
...the darkness is coming. Will you be ready?
The Fates of the Heroes
And now, the fates of the original Sonic Crew. Any of the characters not on this list is pretty much explained in the visuals in the prologue.
The fates of the Heroes:
Sonic: Sonic lead the resistance in the battle now called the "Final Stand". He fought gallantly and hard but in the end he was killed by The King of Darkness, his blade puncturing Sonic's heart.
Tails: Tails was there when Sonic was killed and felt the loss of his best friend the most. After making a few more failed attempts upon The King of Darkness' life, he went into hiding and now is a hermit that does nothing but tinker with his contraptions and hope the world leaves him to his devices.
Knuckles: Knuckles was the first to lose hope. After finding out about the death of Sonic from Tails he went to Angel Island and raised it to the air once more. There he remains, untouched by the shadow that spreads across the land...and uncaring of the grizzly fate of his friends.
Shadow: Unlike Knuckles, Shadow did not believe that Sonic could die in such a way. Leaving as soon as he heard the news, he arrived at the gates of The King of Darkness' castle. The King of Darkness sensed the power that Shadow exuded and instantly attacked Shadow with his utterdark. Unable to foresee the attack, Shadow became the first of the heroes to become a Darktouched and now leads The King of Darkness' army.
Amy: Amy couldn't believe that Sonic could just die. Losing hope quickly, she slowly fell into a deep and lasting depression. One day, she went to visit Sonic's makeshift grave. She fell asleep carelessly atop it and awoke to the sight of Shadow, now a Darktouched. Shadow didn't hesitate in capturing Amy and he brought her back to The King of Darkness. She is now a Darktouched, one of the many lieutenants under Shadow in The King of Darkness' army.
Rouge: Being a lone wolf to begin with, Rouge never really got involved in the war. It wasn't until she learned of Shadow's betrayal did she take action. Taking up a dagger, she attempted to assassinate the traitorous hedgehog. Her attempt was fruitless, however, and her dagger wound up in Shadow's hand who quickly thrust it into her gut. Rouge died in Shadow's arms with a tear, her last wish fulfilled.
Dr. Eggman: Eggman, though not a hero, was key in the rise of The King of Darkness. It was from him that The King of Darkness obtained his original army and it was from his creations that The King of Darkness' castle was built. However, Eggman was not as willing to comply with The King of Darkness' initial demands and was dealt with, dying by a hand through his chest.
Vanilla and Cream: Both were left in the hands of a friend of Sonic before the war was truly in its throws. They never once witnessed the touch of battle or the violence that was destroying their land. Vanilla, however, came down with an illness that took her life. Cream dedicated her life to protecting her people and now is a valued member of the last true village on Mobius.
Blaze: Traveling to this world one day, Blaze was amazed to find that when she attempted to go home her power was ineffective. She later found out that this was dew to the King of Darkness and his control over Mobius. She joined with Sonic instantly and has served as a vital warrior in the struggles. She is now one of the last remaining heroes that still stand against the King of Darkness.
The Chaotix: The Chaotix joined the freedom fighters late. They had no interest in fights until they themselves were attacked blatantly. Vector, rather upset with the sudden attack, retaliated instantly. He foolishly attacked a group of Darktouched and was over taken. Charmy, in haste to save his friend, fell as well. Only Espio, the most reserved of the trio, remains. He occasionally aids the remaining freedom fighters but attempts to avoid conflict.
Bunny Rabbot: It never sat well with Bunny that Sonic went back to fighting against someone. She avoided the conflict as much as she could at first. It wasn't until Sally became a Darktouched did she begin to lose hope. Losing her best friend, Bunny swiftly joined with Sonic and company. Though her rally with them was short lived. Shortly after joining, Sonic was slain by the King of Darkness. Bunny slipped into a depression and hid out in Nivra, the last remaining untouched village of Mobius. She now fights with the few remaining freedom fighters, clenching to whatever hope there is left.
[ 0 ] Project "Darkest Soul"
Hello and welcome to Project "Darkest Soul". This is an author comic of epic proportions. However, this is something far different then your average author comic. You see, I've noticed something with author comics. They all have authors, and they all have comics...but none of them have an actual plot. At least they don't have MUCH of one. Each author submits a work separately and independently from the rest of the authors. This makes it very hard to actually make a good, even flowing comic. Project "Darkest Soul" plans to change that.
This author comic WILL have a story. Not just that, but it will be a (hopefully) developing story that is built by not only myself, but also the creative genius of a few other SJ authors. Each comic will build off of the last one. Think of it as a round robin but with comics and visuals instead of JUST writing. Now, I will be managing and roughly guiding the direction of the story (the bare bones skeleton plot is my own creation) but the developments, actions, and reactions of each author will be of their own make. Think of it as Dungeons and Dragons in comic form. While I determine the major plot, what ACTUALLY happens isn't solely up to me.
If you have interest in joining then send me a message saying so. I want this comic to blend visual beauty with creative story telling. If you think you have these two things...or even one but know how to fill the other using connections or favors, then drop me a line. This is a story that has been in my head for quite some time and its time I share it with the world.
There are some rules, however. If you want structure and a solid story, there always has to be rules. First off, while this IS an author comic, it is STILL my story. If I decide that, at any time, you do not hold true to the feel and nature of the comic, then I will delete whatever post you just made. I'm not too strict on this...I ENCOURAGE creative thinking...but something completely outlandish and unexplainable (or takes quite a few comics to actually explain) is not acceptable. That's just the basic end-all rule. Here is a list of the actual rules if you're an author for this comic.
1. Communication is key. If you have a hard time communicating with your fellow SJ comic makers then don't join, because there are a few things that you just HAVE to discuss before posting.
2. If you join this comic then you give full permissions to me and any other author in this comic to use any character you use in this comic. These permissions are FOR THIS COMIC ONLY! If I catch ANYONE using sprites they got from this comic without permission from the author then I will not only kick you off the comic without debate, but I will report you to a mod.
3. You also give all authors consent to use your character in the comics they make for this comic. I do ask that any author that does this to please run your ideas by the author that the character belongs to before using him/her so that the character remains in character. This is a story and staying in character is important.
4. I don't ask for a solid update schedule from anyone who joins. But if you do join then please don't post two comics one after the other. Give the other authors to post something first. This is a role-play style comic so how they react to what you just did in the comic may be pinnacle to the advancement of the story. Also, try to update at LEAST a couple times a month. I don't mind if there are days, or even weeks that no one updates, but I want this comic to have SOME semblance of life between posts.
5. DO NOT JOIN IF YOU JUST LIKE BEING IN AUTHOR COMICS! I will kick anyone who doesn't post at least once a month or gives some kind of reason via the news posts as to why they haven't posted AND kill off their character. Writer's block IS a viable excuse...but only for so long. This is a story, after all.
6. Everyone will be given permission to post news posts. I would like for you to use that as the primary method of communicating between each other, but in some cases, personal messages are better. This isn't really a rule, but its something that needed pointing out.
7. Have fun with it. If your character gets killed off, or you want a new character, or if you get into a fight in the comic with another author then be open about it. You can't win them all and for the most part, these fights WILL happen. I will act as a referee in extreme cases, but for the most part, I will assume that you are all mature enough to not godmod or be a sore loser.
8. Lastly, ALL characters must be run by myself upon entry. I want to know who you're going to be using right off the bat and what they are like power wise. Any overpowering characters will not be accepted. For the most part, the primary characters (the authors) are weaker then the average enemy. But for now, all you need to know is that spells, powerful abilities, and any other "super form" abilities are all scarce. Multiple characters are welcome...and encouraged. But I have to know about them before they hit the comic.
If you have no problems with these rules and you enjoy the premise of the story, then please, don't hesitate to join in the festivities. Not all authors will be accepted, however. If you aren't accepted then its not because I don't like you...it's because I don't think you have what it takes to bring this comic more flavor or to follow the rules. Don't take that personally...I know I wouldn't.
[added 3/11/09] Oh, and I should also add one more thing. As part of the application process, send me a PM saying you have interest in joining. Be sure and send a sprite example or two as well as a comic you've done in the past showing your skills in telling a story. If that impresses me then I'll send your wish to join along to all the other authors currently on the project. If they ALL give the thumbs up for you to join (majority doesn't rule, if one of us says no, then the answer is no) then welcome to the crew. Otherwise, well...see the end of the paragraph above.
The darkness is coming...will you be ready?
-Flantics out