So yeah. This chapter will pretty much destroy any sort of seriousness this had, which is to be expected at this point. This is generally some of the things I think associated with some of the characters in this story, in a funny way, of course. I had to even rush it halfway through as it was getting pretty damn long. So, enjoy.
Filler Saga: Chapter 69 – Behind the Scenes of Sonic Z
Somewhere very far away, on a regular peaceful morning, SA2 was walking towards a large building with a camera, speaking as he did so. "Today is a special edition episode, folks, as we'll be talking to a majority of the cast this morning. Let's get started." SA2 entered the large building, waved to several of the personnel which he walked by as he went through the various rooms, and soon approached Sonic's door by the start of a long hallway.
He entered and sat a bit away from Sonic, who greeted him as he entered as the name and subtitle appeared beside Sonic, "Sonic the Hedgehog – Main Character."
"So Sonic," SA2 began. "How do you find it working here?"
"It's pretty good, because I'm the star of the show after all. I get along with pretty much everyone around here, except the really stubborn people like Shadow, who's a lot more stubborn off the show, surprisingly."
"Even half the bad guys?"
"Yeah, besides Metal Sonic, I get along with them. Me and Eggman even went go-karting recently, it's a rivalry thing, you know. Because I get top billing, I'm allowed to change anything in my part of the script if I don't like the characterization of the scene, for myself and how others react to me."
"Even if they object?"
"Hey, I don't see their names in the title, do you?"
"Good point…"
SA2 quickly moved to Tails' dressing room, where he was working on a robot laid out in front of him as the words, "Miles "Tails" Prower – The Smart Guy." appeared.
"So Tails, how do you like your role on the show?" SA2 asked.
"It's pretty good. I've been known to play at least a small part in almost every saga starting from my own. I'm not sure whether a few of the writers took a liking to me, or if it was just a coincidence."
"Do you ever feel they aren't doing enough for you in terms of characterization?"
"Sonic mentioned that, right? Obviously, our close bond isn't fake, but he can be a little demanding when things aren't going his way. I think my character's portrayal is pretty good, being a high-tech genius who mainly uses his brain for battles and explains to such a high calibre that people tend to not listen, but that last part isn't used much. If it was used regularly, it'd probably involve Wikipedia. Oh, and the whole gay thing is entirely played for laughs…at least I hope so."
Once again, SA2 quickly moved on and found Knuckles in a gym nearby, punching a boxing bag while Shadow was on the other side lifting weights. As SA2 approached him, the words, "Knuckles the Echidna – Knucklehead." appeared.
"Hello there, Knuckles. This will take just a minute. How do you find the show in general?" SA2 asked.
"Well, when everyone works together and exchange ideas, allowing free speech and a bit of individuality, we get a lot done and everyone has a good time. It's fun to be around these guys because they're competent, but also want to have a little fun at the same time, which is why I don't mind being branded an easily frustrated hothead who is occasionally portrayed as a moron and tricked regularly."
"But you kinda are, and it's not that exaggerated on the show." SA2 pointed out.
"Oh, are you calling me stupid? You're trying to start a fight?" SA2 backed away and left as Knuckles turned to him. SA2 had lost sight of Shadow during his brief talk with Knuckles and soon found Blaze sitting at one table in a large room with a cup of coffee.
The words appeared again as SA2 took a seat, "Blaze the Cat – Oh god she's so kewl!" He cleared his throat before speaking, "Sorry to interrupt you during your break but do you have a minute?"
"I may."
"So Blaze, do you have anything to say about the show?"
"Well, the interpretation on my character is…amusing, in a sense."
"How so?"
"She seems to appear and vanish somewhat suddenly, and seems to mostly be serious, in a comical monotone way, which would come off deadpan or bizarre instead of jerkish. The concept of bringing me in, then adding an unneeded and illogical plot device to keep me on screen was a bit of a stretch, but it seemed fine, as I seem to be popular regardless of what I appear in nowadays. Fans always going on about how 'kewl' I am, and a few asking if they can stroke me, and that's when I call security."
SA2 got up and bowed. "Okay, thank you for your time, Blaze."
"It was my pleasure." She said as she sipped her coffee shortly before SA2 moved on and found Amy and Cream at a table near the exit. The titles appeared again, "Amy Rose – Stalker in Denial." And "Cream the Rabbit – May Cause Diabettus." They waved as he approached them and sat down.
"Okay, we'll start with you, Amy. How's your opinion of this place?" SA2 asked.
"Well, it's fine I guess, but some elements in the show have some unfortunate circumstances."
"Yeah!" Cream chipped in before Amy continued.
"First of all, the stalking thing. It should have really been resolved ages ago, and we all know if our genders were reserved, Sonic who have gotten arrested by now. Off the show, we're an actual couple…until we broke up, then got back together again, then broke up, then made up, then broke up, then made up, then-"
SA2 quirked an eyebrow while Cream nudged her. "Amy, you're going off-track."
"Oh right." She regained her composure, "And another thing, why is it that to be of any help, I had to get a boost in ability from Virus' weird thing?"
"Yeah! The same thing for my Supreme Ninja form! It's not super at all!" Cream chipped in again.
"It's basically saying we can't compete with half the other cast when it comes to serious business if we don't have some cheap power-up!"
"But that's kinda true…" SA2 pointed out.
"But that's not the point!"
"But Sonic has speed, Tails has flight and his brains, and Knuckles has power. What special ability do you have?"
After a few moments of silence, Cream then said, "She has a hammer."
"Enough!" Amy stood up. "I'll see you in court for being a douche!" She exclaimed as she left.
A bit later in one hallway, SA2 ran into Shadow and Rouge, standing outside Omega's room talking. The titles appeared once more, "Shadow the Hedgehog – Possibly a faker.", "Rouge the Bat – The less said, the better…"
"Hey guys, could we have a quick chat for a minute?" SA2 asked. They turned to him and waited for him to speak. "So, opinions on the show, and portrayals of yourselves."
Shadow started off. "Seeing how this goes for more of a comedy aspect, you'll notice I don't say a lot, because I'm generally not the type to spout lame jokes constantly like a certain other hedgehog. It can be hard to keep in character while trying to be funny, but I believe we do okay. We all try our best, so that makes the others tolerable at least."
Rouge went next. "I get even less lines than Shadow, probably due to my characterization being slightly harder to get right without making me sound like a wh-"
"Let's keep it clean, folks." SA2 quickly interrupted.
"Sorry. Anyway, that just means more free time, but a slightly less pay check…so I regularly borrow money from Shadow and Knuckles, and also Tails on occasions."
As Shadow glared at her, SA2 then asked, "Is Omega in there?"
"Yeah but he doesn't like people asking questions, it's best to move on." Shadow replied. SA2 did so, and soon walked past Team Chaotix, not stopping to talk to them. In a lounge area, Crystal, Amber, Sonny and Shade were playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl as Mads watched soon when SA2 entered and approached them. "Hey there, may I have a quick word."
They paused their game and turned to him, at which point the titles struck with the force of a thousand suns. "Sonny the Hedgehog – Shapeshifting Recolour?", "Shade the Hedgehog – What is he exactly?", "Crystal Clear – Your Mileage May Vary.", "Amber Salsar – Look up Crystal.", "Mads Andersen – People love that talkshow bit in Chapter 21."
"Okay, whenever you feel the need to say what you think, go ahead, because it's wearing me down…" SA2 said.
Mads began first. "Though I don't get as much screen time as Crystal and Amber, I'm still kinda likeable, but that seems to be mainly due to my talkshow skits, which are rather nonexistent now, but it's cool. I'm an easy going person, so I can get along with almost anyone and have a good time, and drinking would speed up that process.
Sonny went next. "Until recently, I was rarely ever seen, and that kinda sucks. I've barely done anything except to be just, there."
"I sympathize with the ice hedgehog." Shade added. "By the way, the reason we look like this is because we originally joined from somewhere else, but that's not important."
Amber spoke immediately afterwards. "Well, there isn't much to say, I act the same off set as I do on set, but less exaggerated. I think my character's actions are also quite immoral and partially offensive, in regards to a certain few moments, but it's played for laughs so it's sort of okay…except its not. Also, I'm fine with everyone, even Tails. If I could, I'd totally kidnap him and take him home." SA2 laughed for a few seconds before she shook her head. "I'm not kidding either."
Crystal was the last to speak. "I'm not as ditzy on the show as in real life, those who've seen my other appearances like some of the movies I've done probably know. Whether you see her as annoying or somewhat funny can vary, regularly. Half the time when playing her, I was just told to act aloof and somewhat childish, which is just a façade towards most people who know her. She's also quite honest gives out too much information on occasions, like the running gag of her giving out her measurements, which continue to make less sense as it goes on…and no, you won't get my real measurements. This was originally gonna be passed down to Ruby recently, but it was dropped."
"Okay, I'm going to go now, thank you for your time." SA2 said as he left while they waved goodbye. SA2 looked on his list and saw he still had some villains left and a few others who joined recently to do. He found Eggman's dressing room shortly, where Eggman and Eggman Nega were sitting in chairs opposite the door, obviously waiting for him. "Eggman – Let's not start the name debate, people…", "Eggman Nega – Feel free to use your own Negative joke here." As he took a seat, Eggman began.
"I feel I haven't gotten as much screen time as I should be, possibly due to focusing the villainy on Virus and his various companions. My character has undergone much badass decay and lost credibility over the years, which is why screen time is needed to boost it again. Right now my character is the villain on the sidelines while Virus is getting top billing! I shall protest for a plot twist to put me in the starring role!"
"Good for you, Eggman." SA2 replied.
"I don't even appear much anymore to take enough credit." Eggman Nega sighed. "During our villain team up I still didn't get much attention. It's a shame really."
SA2 nodded. "Yes, it is." He then left and visited Virus. Virus flew in from the wall as he entered the room and the title appeared, "Virus – Big Bad."
"So, Virus, tell me about your experiences as the main bad guy on this show." SA2 said.
"Well, when I signed up, I didn't know what he was like. They said to play a sophisticated evil being who could be taken seriously, but was still funny. As seen recently, I'm getting better, and a big percentage of his funniness seems to be unintentional on his part. Since being assigned to work with Rose and Lily, we've become good friends off the set and hang out often, and Shadow and I have as much of a rivalry off set as well. That's pretty much the gist of it."
Once again, SA2 waved goodbye and moved on fast, as this was beginning to get incredibly long. He met Lily in her room, who was eating a piece of cake and watching TV as he came in. She finished it and turned to him as the title struck with a vengeance, "Lily Locket – Unpopular Popular Character and Resident Fourth Wall Breaker."
"I don't really know where to begin…" SA2 said.
"I'll start it. When I started this, I was told the Lily was a devious type of character who was a light-hearted, plucky comic relief girl who acted that way to catch others off-guard. I took that character and went further with it, adding in any lines I could during filming. Some of these were good enough to add to the script, and eventually when the character was well received, they gave me a little more freedom to say funny lines and break the fourth wall often. She's like Deadpool's younger sister; at least if given complete freedom she would be…in a sense. I left for a short while to shoot a film so I asked them to kill me off, but I figured I'd still come back for a short bit, and since they had no plans for Inferno, they bonded my character with the organism, against her will anyway…or did they?"
"I honestly don't know." SA2 said, clearly bored.
"Me either. Lily is really a genius ditz though, that even though she has a high IQ nearing those like Tails and Eggman, she's not smart enough to compete directly with her own resources, but being observant and thinking ahead is one of her strengths. She's also too lazy to put in the effort like they do.
"Well thank you for the info, I'll be going now." SA2 said as he got up.
"Thanks for listening, also, Rose is down there just so you know." Lily said, pointing right.
SA2 followed the path right, which lead to a fountain where Rose was quieting watching the rushing water, and then waved as she saw SA2 get close by. "Rose Rivers – Defrosting Ice Assassin."
"Annnnnd go!" SA2 said as he stopped beside her.
"Well, the portrayal of me on the show and the actual me are entirely different, besides the politeness, that's pretty spot-on. I'm pretty outgoing just like Lily, and before you ask, yes, we are really best friends, but you probably knew."
"Yeah, I did. Does anyone ask about how you act differently in person?"
"A lot of people, but you can't expect people to act the same everywhere. With Rose she's just somewhat anti-social due to her line of business, because she's good at it. Obviously having someone around like Lily would frustrate her quite a lot. Because of this she practically comments on anything stupid or bizarre Lily says, which is around 80% of the time."
"Thank you, but now I gotta go, little time and all." SA2 took off as Rose waved goodbye. SA2 eventually spotted Mary Sue and Sally Sue by a vending machine and approached them. "Mary Sue – Gamebreaker Goddess.", "Sally Sue – Primary Mary Sue Parody."
"Hey guys, could you give me the rundown on your particular characters?" SA2 asked.
"Sure," Sally replied. "My character was as mentioned before, a primary parody of the Mary Sue concept, made to outline the bad quirks and make Sally look like a complete overpowered asshole. She was originally a very minor villain and only showed up occasionally until halfway through where she actually had an active role. She's basically the unfavorite of the family because of her attitude of being a jerk to almost everyone but her sisters, Mary in particular, which borders on Sister-Sister incest."
"Which makes our relationship even more disturbing." Mary added. "Obviously, my character is a direct parody of the character, even being named as such to classify it. Even before being introduced, she was talked about as if she was a god, and breaks the laws of physics just by existing. She's pretty much good at everything regardless if she's done it or not, and people regularly praise her for it, which she doesn't want. Even though she can beat almost anyone just by yawning and could break all of the Guinness world records within a day, she just wants to be left in peace to enjoy a normal life, so she's pretty much heroic neutral. Sure, she'll stop a bad guy, but only if he hurt someone she knew, or if there's no-one else to do so."
Once again, SA2 left and just further down the hallway he met Cherry, leaning on the wall and smoking a cigarette. "Cherry Apples – Deliberately Cute Ghost Girl." She moved her head right as she started walking, "We're gonna talk, right? Follow me." She offered SA2 a cigarette, but he hasty declined. "So yeah, I play the cute chick. I have to act like a little girl who's sweet and crap and says the word 'mean' in half her sentences. It's ridiculous how brain-dead the kid seems."
"Do you always smoke?" SA2 asked.
"Only when I'm stressed. I don't know what the hell I'm doing, man. I'm frickin' tripping balls, bro! I'm totally buzzing!" She said with a smirk. "Just don't be hating on how I wanna live my life. It's now or never, man, we ain't gonna live forever. I just wanna live while I'm alive."
"Now you're just secretly singing…"
As SA walked by them, Cherry smacked his ass and nodded. "Nice ass, man. Stop by my room later tonight if you're looking for a good time. You can be as mean as you want!" Cherry yelled as SA ran and jumped out a window. She shook her head in disappointment. "Honestly, what's up with half the guys around here? Do I have to choke a bi-"
"No!" SA2 shouted, interrupting her. "Language! Anyway, I have to go, take care." SA2 quickly took off. He finally met the Loli Rangers in a recording studio, with Loli Green and Blue rehearsing their lines as he entered. They each quickly took a seat form left to right: Loli Black, Yellow, Red, Blue and Green. Suddenly, titles! Five of them! "Badass-chan – Token Black Girl.", "Loli Yellow – Cute Mute…sort of.", "Loli Red – Designated Leader.", "Loli Blue – Happy Nutcase.", "Loli Green - …"
"So, I wanna make this one quick, so just lay down your thoughts, Tsundere-chan." SA2 said.
"Well, as said, we're the Loli Rangers, a group of five little girls who are an obvious parody of the Power Rangers as stereotyped figures, apart from Badass-chan's name which was made up for no apparent reason."
"Damn straight." Loli Black nodded.
"We all have our quirks, such as me being short-tempered and easily frustrated, Kuudere-chan being soft spoken, easily distracted and more observant, Yandere-chan being happy-go-lucky, yet a complete psychopath, Badass-chan being a typical black girl exaggerated to a high degree, and Dojikko-chan being Japanese and using a board to speak, as well as working as a maid and only occasionally tripping."
"I really can speak English though." Loli Yellow pointed out.
Loli Red continued. "The Loli Rangers aren't the only group around with that title, but they're the most well-known students from their academy, and they simply use the title to do jobs to earn money. They don't really care about good and evil, unlike most of the other cast; they'll simply work for anyone who hires them. Is that good enough?"
"That's perfect. Well take care, girls." SA2 waved goodbye as they did the same, and then began speaking as he left and headed for the exit. "So, that's all we have time for today, and I hope you enjoyed this. After witnessing this, there's only one thing I'm sure most people can agree on: In comparison to the actual story or just the premise, this is pretty ****ed up."
