BTS:
Another update done. This one I used a different mentioned to work. Hopefully, there least grammar and spelling mistakes. On topic on update, why did I update this Knuckles VN? Well, no reason other than I update the others. This is the only one with that reason. Her the funny thing about Knuckles TL, thought-out development of both versions of the VN, there are two girls that did not want to be in this VN. I ended up getting both. Guess who there are. Also, ONE OF THEM ISN’T AN EXTRA LOVE GIRL! Funny fact, remembers these rules mentioned in Tails Afterthoughts:
1. Girls must have a connection to a girl in Sonic's harem (basically be the Tails to their Sonic).
2. The ship must have existed before the VN creation.
3. I must like the ship.
I am a lot more looses with Knuckles’ ships than I am with Tails’ ships. If I wasn’t, then Knuckles harem won’t work. Every rule was broken at least once.
So, for the only cut girl… I am not sure how people would react. Also, there is a cut story idea that predates the original version.
About the Cast:
Knuckles: Knuckles is the second-easiest protagonist to write for. I made him better with women than Sonic and Tails (Not his fault that some of the women he deals with are problematic). Also, he has deep thoughts about his late father’s words. BTW, I don’t have a name for Knuckles’ dad. You can refer to him however you see fit.
Shade: Like with Amy for Sonic and Cream for Tails, Shade is the first pick. While she isn’t Amy’s Knuckles in the actual game canon, I see her like that. Still, since she is Amy’s Knuckles in this AU, I made her a treasure hunter of Echidna artifacts. Her armor is very important to her and her tribe. They are like the Mandalorians (minus the face rule). Not much change between how they act towards each other when dating. However, Amy gives her so much love advice.
Rouge: Rouge… she is one of the girls I did not want in this game, simply for one reason. I’m not a fan of Knuckles x Rouge. Still ain’t (but I respect the ship. I respect all ships.) So why did I add her?
1. To replace someone else.
2. Knuckles and Rouge have a unique dynamic.
Rouge just loves teasing Knuckles. That is basically how I write. She does love Knuckles, but she loves teasing him more. The reason I group Rouge with Blaze and Marine is because it is the only group she could have been in. Funny fact: Rouge's inclusion affects how I was going to write another character.
Jewel: Jewel was added because she was the only female IDW character available at the time, and she was treated as the 3rd member of Tangle and Whisper's group. Before the original VN, Knuckles x Jewel did not exist. I think I am the first person to do this ship. Unless there was some Knuckles x Jewel content before this date: January 24, 2023. I am surprised that not once has anyone asked “Why Jewel” or even questioned the ship. Jewel is organized, down to every second. But she can go off script when she wants a bit of a rush. She takes more risks when she is dating Knuckles. She has a lot of lewd thoughts.
Carol: The reason I picked Carol is Something Something Freedom Plant... Something Something Sonic x Lilac... Something Something Tails x Milla… What. Carol’s reason is the same as Milla BTS’ first paragraph; replace Tails and Milla with Knuckles and Carol. Funny Fact: She is the only girl in Knuckles harem that doesn’t break any of the 3 rules mentioned in the After Thoughts.
When writing for Carol, I focused on her fighter side. Originally, she was going to be written as a trickster. Knuckles was going to compare to Rouge. I don’t want 2 similar-looking characters with the same personality.
Tikal: Tikal is the second character I did not want in VN. But for different reasons from Rouge. I did not want any more echidna in Knuckles’ harem, a dropped story reason, and Tikal is complex to add. Knuckles’ story is that he is the last of his clan, and Tikal is a legendary figure. I must ignore those facts to use her the way I did in this AU (reminder: everyone is from the same time and dimension in this AU). So, if anyone asks if she is the same Tikal, I will just play coy.
Anyway, Tikal is playful and does not like being called a ghost; it makes her feel old despite being young. She tends to reference hints at her maybe being the Tikal of the past. She is fully aware of all the connections.
Relic: Relic is an interesting case. The reason I added her to harem is that I wanted to be an Archie girl and she is the only one to fit (I WILL GET TO HER NEXT). Knuckles ships are hard to make without them being an echidna, Rouge, and are a canon love interest. Relic is a mixture of Shade and Jewel minus her species, and its strength is in the middle of these two girls. Plus, she is British.
Cut Girls:
Julie-Su: Reason: Too many echidna and kind of dumb reason
Here, a character not only is cut but also isn’t likely to be in the AU. I did not want to have too many echidna in Knuckles harem. However, half of the good Knuckles ships are echidna. So, Julie is the one that gets cut. The second reason was well… the Julie-Su model I had at the time I finalized Knuckles’ harem lacked bottom wear. In this AU follows the modern rule about female characters being in clothes. I regretted not adding Julie at first. But the thing about Julie is closes related blood relative. Had I added Julie, she would have different kids than canon, and Shade would not get along with her. Shade will have a better relationship with Rouge than with Julie. (Don’t overthink this)
Angel Island Explained:
I mentioned it a few times, and Knuckles straight-up said that Angel Island is not floating in this AU. The BTS reason is to write Knuckles in the story without Angel Island being too important. In-universe reason... Who can say? It could be that it was commanded down. Or it force it way down. There are a lot of theories. Even though it's not floating, it's not easy to get to Angel Island. Special vehicles like the Tornado, Super Forms, Warp Ring, or lucky castaway could make it to the island. Here's a question: name one Sonic game where Angel Island is relevant to the plot, and it doesn't fall or has already fallen. No, being name-dropped doesn't count.
