Info Megathread - How-Tos, Script Bits, SegaSonic Lore

[Ian Flynn]

I. How Did You Get In? / How Do I Get In?
II. The Comic Creation Process
III. Script Bits!
IV. SegaSonic Clarification

I. HOW DID YOU GET IN? / HOW DO I GET IN?

I get asked this so often that I thought it best to put it in one easy, accessible place. There is no incredible, magical story to be told, but if you read on you might just learn something.

How Did You Get In?

I began applying to Archie Comics in late 2001. I produced an application that held:
- improvised scripts
- a letter of intent with contact information

This was a laughably bad attempt and was rightfully ignored. The scripts were rough and embarrassing in retrospect: material thrown together with little to no thought behind their creation, and no self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE).

Skipping 2002 (which was a bad year altogether), I made my second attempt in 2003. The previous year had seen some work on the application package, but 2003 saw a truly focused attempt. I studied the comic itself, and its competitors, to see what worked in telling a story. I applied the lessons of the English degree I was pursuing to how I approached my story telling. The scripts were revised or thrown out in favor of stronger material. A new application package was sent with the following:
- improvised scripts
- a letter of intent with contact information
- my SASE
- letters of recommendation from friends and professors

The last in the list, while nice, held very little merit. My friends were fellow college students, and my professors - while credible - couldn't speak towards my work experience in the field since I had none. While they may had held some sway, there were extra weight to the package and more reading to do. You do not want your prospective editor to have to read more than he or she needs to.

I continued to revise, peer-review, and tinker with my material. You will find the final results in Section III. With my final application package prepared, I sent it to the home office in Mamaroneck, New York. My timing just happened to align with a change in editors and a shuffling of the creative team. Editor Mike Pellerito saw some promise in my material (modesty will not permit me to repeat his glowing appraisal) and gave me my chance.

In October of 2004, I was contacted by Mr. Pellerito and offered early work helping to organize and clarify the internal documentation on the series. By 2005 of the year I was submitting scripts. By my debut in March of 2006, I was acting head writer of the series. The rest is history.

How Do I Get In?

"Great," you say with a polite smile, "but what about me?"

I've had a number of eager fans ask for help breaking in. I've also had a cheeky few tell me "I want your job" to my face. While I'm happy to give anyone a leg up on the process, keep in mind tact is essential. "Don't bite the hand that feeds you," as the saying goes.

FOR THE WRITER

You have the hardest job when it comes to making a lasting impression. Your scripts are not easy to glance at and approve, and an editor's time is a precious commodity. You must prove you ability and sell yourself quickly. Give too much and you'll take up too much time. Give too little and you won't leave an impression. You will want to submit the following:
- your resume
- sample material
- letter of intent with contact information
- SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope)

Your resume should list all previous professionally published work. Failing that, any columns or articles in your school paper or neighborhood circular will do. You will want to show you can work with an editor and as part of a team. My case was something of a fluke, and you cannot count on luck. Well, you can, but be ready to work on this for years.

Your sample material should be manuscripts. These will show the editor how you construct your stories, how you approach panel layout, communicate with the art team, and more. Some companies (i.e. Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics) have a specific format you must follow; others do not. The "Script Bits!" format shows my particular style. I highly recommend reading books on the subject - both comic books, and other media.

Your letter of intent introduces yourself to the editor and explains what you want to do on the comic. A brief overview of your experience is recommended. Lacking that, stress your eagerness to work with the team and grow as a professional.

The SASE is self-explanatory.

FOR THE ARTIST

Please note, I make no claims at being a professional comic book artist. I learned the hard way that I'm not cut out for that kind of world. You must be fast, you must be consistent, and you must be an insomniac. I kid, but you will on occasion be asked to go above and beyond the call of duty. Artists who deliver solid work without delay and rescue the occasional book get work. Simple as that. Your application should at least have:
- your resume
- sample material
- letter of intent with contact information
- SASE

Your sample material should illustrate your abilities as an artist. I will detail what I can and update this section as information comes to me.

Pencilers - you are bringing the story to life. Find a book of manuscripts or compose one of your own and draw it. Remember that you are telling the story along with the writer. If the images you produce do not tell the story alone, the writer's words will mean nothing. If someone can understand the story without dialogue, you've done your job.

Inkers - you are accentuating the penciler's work. You are adding shadow, depth and texture - defining the reality of the story. There is an artistry to the inking process that I am - woefully - poorly versed in.

Colorists - you are the last, pivotal part of bringing the visuals to completion. Comics are usually colored digitally in the CYMK format.

Letterers - you are the unsung heroes of comic books. Your choices in how the words are present can drastically affect each moment of the story and how we read the words presented to us. Lettering by hand and lettering by computer are both used within the industry, so I recommend learning both.

WHERE TO SEND YOUR MATERIAL TO

This is where I toss you into the deep end and say "swim." I will throw you in with a life vest, though. Part of this endeavor is yours to achieve, so you need to get your hands dirty and find the information. I'll give you some leads:
- the company's name is Archie Comics Publications, Ltd.
- the managing editor, and editor for STH, is Paul Kaminski
- the home office is in Mamaroneck, New York

With this information you should easily be able to find out how to mail in your material. You want this bad enough? Prove it and hunt down that mailing address. Good luck!

II. THE COMIC CREATION PROCESS

How a Sonic the Hedgehog comic book is born in a step-by-step manner.

1) The writer comes up with the concept for the story. (S)he prepares a springboard for the editor: a 1-2 paragraph synopsis of the story highlighting the key points.
(sometimes the editor will propose the initial concept)

2) With the springboard approved, the writer creates the breakdown - a page-by-page overview of the issue. Each page is described in a sentence, essentially keeping things to "one idea per page." This allows for easy review and restructuring if necessary.

3) With the breakdowns approved, the writer then produces the first draft of the manuscript. This details the setting, characters, action and dialogue for each panel on every page. The writer also writes in panel placement to set the pacing of the issue.

4) The manuscript is reviewed and revised until it meets editorial approval. It then must meet SEGA's approval.

5) With the manuscript fully approved, it moves on to the penciler. The penciler follows the directions from the script to produce the pages. These are sometimes scanned and emailed for approval before the pages are put in the mail.

6) With the penciled pages approved and finalized, the inker takes over. The inker puts down the final lines, the line weights, shadows and texture. These must meet editorial approval.

7) The letterer receives the inked pages and places the word balloons and text. Some of the sound effects are added at this stage, while some were drawn in by the penciler and inker. Once the dialogue is approved by the editor it moves on to . . .

8) . . . the colorist. The colorist follows the catalog of established colors to finish the images, adding shading and highlights for greater depth and appeal. The colors are run by the editor.

9) With the comic complete, it's sent to the printers. From there, it is distributed throughout North America.

III. SCRIPT BITS!

Back in May of 2006, I introduced a feature on the forum that gave an inside look into the comic. I offered write-ups explaining the thinking and planning in the creation of each story arc and roughly 45% of the manuscript for each issue. These would come out roughly 90 days after the issues saw print. To save myself the trouble of dodging spoilers, I started going by story arc. This increased wait time, but made writing the Script Bits easier - in theory.

Now I find myself without the time or the focus to go back over material that is upwards of a year old. So now I'll try an "Ask Ian" like format where you the reader can ask for specific details and selections from the issues per arc. I'll combine the write up into an easy-to-access document for download like the older Script Bits! The old editions will, of course, still be up for reading.

You will find the current feedback thread HERE.

[list]Road to Year One - The collected manuscripts of my successful application to Archie Comics with commentary.
Part One - The 5-Pagers
Part Two - The 6-Pagers
Part Three - The 11-Pagers

Sonic the Hedgehog

2006
STH#160 "Birthday Bash!" (1/2)
STH#161 "Birthday Bash!" (2/2)
STH#162 "The Darkest Storm" / "Ties that Bind" (1/3)
STH#163 "The Darkest Storm" / "Sonic Riders" (2/3) (1/2)
STH#164 "The Darkest Storm" / "Sonic Riders" (3/3) (2/2)
STH#165 "Leak" / "Call of Duty"
STH#166 "Mobius: 25 Years Later" (1/2)
STH#167 "Mobius: 25 Years Later" (2/2) - NOTE: Shares the same file
STH#168 "Order from Chaos" / "Courage and Honor" (1/2)
STH#169 "Order from Chaos" / "For a Friend" (2/2)

2007
STH#170 "Comings and Goings"
STH#171 "I Am"
STH#172 "Truth of the Heart" / "Worth the Effort"
STH#173 "Round-Up" / "See Ya Later, Chao!" (1/2)

Latter 2007 - Present
Series discontinued due to lack of time!

[Ian Flynn]

IV. SEGASONIC CLARIFICATION

Some of the finer points of the recent games have led to some confusion. This is entirely warranted. It does, however, lead to the almost cyclical thread derails.

In an effort to save everyone a headache, I've compiled this quick reference for some of the more confusing events, origins, and relationships of the recent games. These are compiled from what I've experienced myself, what I've gleaned from the Japanese material, and what I've seen behind-the-scenes.

Keep in mind, these are all PURELY SEGASONIC. And if you start asking questions without having gone through this first, you're going to look silly.

SA2B - Sonic Adventure 2 (Battle)
SH - Sonic Heroes
SHD - Shadow the Hedgehog
SRD - Sonic Riders
SRZG - Sonic Riders 2: Zero Gravity
SRV - Sonic Rivals
SRV2 - Sonic Rivals 2
SRU - Sonic Rush
SRA - Sonic Rush Adventure
S06 - Sonic the Hedgehog (aka Sonic06)
SCDS - Sonic Colors (DS version)

1.0 - Shadow the Hedgehog
2.0 - Silver the Hedgehog
3.0 - Blaze the Cat
4.0 - Dr. Eggman Nega
5.0 - The Babylon Rogues
6.0 - Sonic06

1.0 - Shadow the Hedgehog
(The Ultimate Hedge-alien-bioform)

Shadow is a genetically engineered creation by Prof. Gerald Robotnik. He was initially part of the greater "Project: Shadow" which was meant to create the ultimate lifeform, through which Prof. Gerald would find the cure for his granddaughter's disease. Gerald was contacted by the alien Black Doom and, with his help and genetic code, made the massive leap between the ponderous Biolizard prototype and Shadow. G.U.N. would then force Gerald to direct "Project: Shadow" towards making a living weapon.

Got all that? Let's review:
Gerald (initially) - wanted Shadow to be the perfect living thing and the source of Maria's cure
Gerald (after Black Doom) - wanted Shadow to protect the Earth from eventual invasion
Gerald (after G.U.N.) - gave up on everything and wanted Shadow to destroy the Earth
Black Doom - wanted Shadow to gather the Chaos Emeralds and herald the invasion fleet, ensure a swift conquest
G.U.N. - wanted a living weapon

The ARK was put under lock-down after a crisis occurred. This could've been the Biolizard getting unruly, the escape of early Artificial Chaoses, Emerl going berserk, or all of the above. The point is, G.U.N. used the event as a pretense to lock everything down and cover-up the weaponization of "Project: Shadow." Before his arrest and execution, Gerald managed to tinker with Shadow's memories and embedding the thirst for revenge.

SA2B sees Shadow's release after fifty years of stasis. He nearly fulfills Gerald's final wish but remembers his original purpose. As Super Shadow, he helps save the world from destruction and appears to fall to his death.

What happens next goes unseen and is explained only in a brief voice clip heard late into the final boss fight of SHD. Dr. Eggman managed to rescue the falling Shadow and put him back into stasis. From there, he began creating an army of clones.

In SH, Rouge finds the original Shadow. His memory is a mess, and in the company of so many clones, he doubts his authenticity. Efforts by the Chaotix and Omega saw to the destruction of most of the clones, but not all.

SHD brings the issue to a close. Black Doom reveals his hand in Shadow's origin and his expectations of him. Thanks to the Chaotix, Shadow hears a dated message from Gerald revealing his nobler purpose and takes on the mantle of the original, made-to-be-a-savior Shadow.

Something to note is that the neutral-oriented story path has Shadow confirmed as a clone. Depending on the path you take to the final boss encounter, either Shadow or Omega kills Dr. Eggman, which renders the Last Story impossible. Thus, this should be considered a "what-if" scenario. SHADOW IS NOT A CLONE.

2.0 - Silver the Hedgehog
(Because we keep wrecking the future)

Silver is a powerful psychic-powered hedgehog from 200 years in the future. His first appearance was in S06. His first canon appearance is SRV. I hear you fluster. Bear with me, or skip ahead to Section 6.0.

Silver's mission in SRV is to stop Dr. Nega from disrupting the past with his matter-grabbing camera. The mission is simple: with the past disrupted, things get wonky in the future. He succeeds in helping to restore everyone and everything to their rightful places.

Silver's second mission was in SRV2, again coming back in time to stop Dr. Nega's plan. The plan this time was to unleash the demon Ifrit from another dimension that would consume in the world in fire and cause other unpleasantness. The Ifrit fed on chao, and so Silver attempted to rescue them. He got side-tracked, but that's besides the point. Ifrit was sealed in its own dimension and the future was - for now - saved.

Note that Blaze isn't mentioned anywhere in there. As detailed in Section 6.0, Silver and Blaze have effectively never met before SCDS. There is no relation between them besides having both fought Dr. Nega at some point.

How Silver gets to and from the future isn't made clear.

3.0 - Blaze the Cat
(The one in the middle of it all)

Blaze the Cat is a princess from another dimension. On her home world she protects the Seven Sol Emeralds (square-ish Chaos Emeralds) and the Jeweled Scepter (talisman that connects her world to Sonic's). She controls powerful pryokenetic powers due to the curse of the Sol Emeralds. She has never met or known Silver before SCDS. For details, see Section 2.0 and 6.0.

Blaze's first appearance - literally and canonically - was in SRU. She came to Sonic's world hunting down Dr. Nega and the Sol Emeralds that he had stolen. With Sonic's help, she recovered the gems, fully embraced their power, and returned to her own world.

Blaze's next appearance would be in SRA. Sonic and Tails were brought to her world and assisted her in finding all of the Chaos and Sol Emeralds, as well as fighting off Captain Whisker's robot pirates. This brigands were sponsored by Dr. Robotnik and Dr. Nega, and they were ultimately after the Jeweled Scepter. The villains were sent packing and the balance between worlds was restored.

Note that Silver is not mentioned anywhere in there. She has never encountered Silver. Ever. Her only link to him is that they have both fought Dr. Nega at some point.

4.0 - Dr. Eggman Nega
(Because making your surname your given name is fun!)

Dr. Eggman Nega is Dr. Robotnik's descendant two hundreds year in an alternate future. No, stop. Read that again. He's from another dimension and two hundred years in the future. He's so far removed from the current chronology it borders on ludicrous, but as long as we're on the same page here, we're fine. But to be perfectly clear: Dr. Nega comes from one future - a possible future that exists 200 years later in an alternate dimension. He just travels a lot.

Dr. Nega is characterized as being more sinister, better presented, and all-around more competent that his forefather. He's also infinitely more malicious, opting for global or spacial annihilation than face defeat. He dresses funny, too. The doctor has made four bids for power:

SRU - He conspires with Dr. Robotnik to use both sets of Emeralds to reshape both dimensions to their suiting. He and Robotnik are defeated in tandem by Super Sonic and Burning Blaze.

SRA - He orchestrates a plan to nab the Jeweled Scepter and - once again - reshape both realities to his liking. He nearly destroys all of Creation in a fit of hysterics, but is defeated by Super Sonic and Burning Blaze after a timely distraction by Marine's Unexplainable Hadoken.

SRV - He reveals that the name of "Eggman" has been so tarnished by Robotnik's career that, even two hundred years down the line, it brings shame. Nega returns to the past in the guise of Dr. Robotnik and attempts to conquer the world. He's exposed and defeated by independent efforts by Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow and Silver.

SRV2 - He again disguises himself as Dr. Robotnik to throw the heroes off his trail, but is ultimately exposed for a fraud by Dr. Robotnik (to Shadow) and by Silver (to Espio). His plan to epically destroy the world by summoning the Ifrit is foiled, and he is left to die in the Ifrit's dimension, half-buried in rubble.

Dr. Nega is, at most, a bit player. He is also the only cross-over between Blaze and Silver.

5.0 - The Babylon Rogues
(I know why the air-board-riding bird sings)

The Babylon Rogues are a trio of thieves that use flying surfboards and ride around in a giant blimp. That's the easy part. Their history is perhaps the most outlandish of all, so I'll address it as it occurred chronologically. Hold on to something - this'll be a bumpy ride.

Some untold amount of time in the past, the Rogues' ancestors came to Earth. For lack of a better term, we will call them the Babylonians. The Babylonians were a race of space-faring genies who traveled the cosmos in their flying city of Babylon Garden. They did this by utilizing black holes, regulated by five Arks of the Cosmos - high-tech stone ring thingies. The power proved too much to control, however, and they were forced to settle on Earth. To prevent the power within the city's core from going out of control again, they launched the five Arks into orbit.

Still with me?

Some time later, Jet the Hawk is the leader of the Babylon Rogues and seeks the truth (and the greatest treasure) of his lost civilization. By conspiring with Dr. Robotnik and staging the World Gran Prix, they gather the seven Chaos Emeralds and summon Babylon Garden from its burried resting place in the desert. There they confront the guardian of the ruins - a giant, possibly holographic genie. The greatest treasure turns out ot be a flying carpet. Jet then announces that he and his compatriots are descended from genies. Everyone accepts this at face value.

Not long after, one of the Arks falls to Earth and is seized by Dr. Robotnik to be used as a power source for his factory. The activated Ark draws the other four to it, which are found between Sonic, his friends and the Babylon Rogues. The Arks are reintroduced to Babylon Garden's core reactor and the world is nearly consumed by a black hole. The core is destroyed, the Arks made powerless, and Jet declares he and his kin are descended from aliens. Everyone accepts this.

Therefore: the Babylon Rogues are descended from space-genies.

6.0 - Sonic06
(Two years old and still causing pain)

"Sonic the Hedgehog" for the X-Box 360 and Playstation 3, more commonly referred to as "Sonic06," was meant to be the beginning of a new era in Sonic games. Instead it was the climax in a spiral of poor game design. Over-zealous goals, promoting a new mascot, and a brutally short development time to meet the holiday release sealed its fate from the beginning. But while the casual gamer was punished by unwieldy controls and ludicrous load times, the Sonic faithful was further pained with the story that is the primary basis for this write-up.

As with the Babylon Rogues (Section 5.0), it's probably best to tackle this chronologically. Ah, but the catch is, which timeline! Don't worry, I'll keep this as clear and concise as I can.

10 Years Ago - The Duke of Soleanna, attempting to meddle with Solaris' power, causes it to explode and split into the fiery Iblis and shadowy Mephiles. Both are sealed away: Iblis into the soul of the duke's daughter (Elise), and Mephiles into a relic called the Scepter of Darkness. How this happens this time is unclear.

Present - Dr. Robotnik kidnaps Elise, trying to unlock the secret of the Flames of Disaster and knowing only the princess is the key. Sonic and his friends fail to save her.

Present + 1 Day - A mission by Shadow and Rouge runs afoul, destroying the Scepter of Darkness and freeing Mephiles.

Present + 2 Days - The Egg Carrier crashes, killing Elise. Presumably she cries during this, releasing Iblis.

One Year Later - The Flames of Disaster are ravaging the world. Shadow is blamed for the nightmare and hunted down by Omega, then put into stasis forever.

200 Years Later - Iblis and its Flames of Disaster have ravaged the world. Silver and Blaze combat Iblis, but to no avail. They are met by Mephiles, who has endured the century, waiting to set his plan of reunion into motion.

Synopsis: everything falls to pieces horribly.

10 Years Ago - Same as before: Solaris is split, the duke mortally wounded. This time, however, Shadow and Silver arrive from the Present + 2. Shadow, with the Scepter of Darkness, seals Mephiles for the first time. Silver witnesses the duke using a Chaos Emerald to bind Iblis to Elise. Silver leaves a Chaos Emerald with the young Elise, and the two return to the Present + 2.

Present - Dr. Robotnik and Sonic fight over the princess. Ultimately Sonic, Knuckles and Tails are trapped by Robotnik and sent to 200 Years Later. Silver and Blaze arrive in the Present, the former getting side-tracked by Amy.

Present + 1 Day - A mission by Shadow and Rouge goes runs afoul, the Scepter of Darkness is shattered, and Mephiles released. He sends Shadow and Rouge to 200 Years Later.

Present + 2 Days - Sonic, Tails and Knuckles return with precious little time to save the doomed princess. Sonic is confronted by / rescued from Silver, twice, and arrives too late to save Elise. Paradoxically, he travels back in time a few hours to do the damage that crashes the Egg Carrier and rescues Elise.

Rouge returns from 200 Years Later and finds Omega. She gives him a Chaos Emerald and tasks him with saving Shadow in the future.

Omega and Shadow return from 200 Years Later and hunt down Mephiles, leading to their final major confrontation.

Silver blunders about, hops back to 10 Years Ago, and finally realizes he's in the wrong. After helping Sonic to make his short jump into the past, he and Blaze go to 200 Years Later.

Present + 3 Days - Mephiles shanks Sonic, Elise cries, and Iblis is released.

One Year Later - The Flames of Disaster are ravaging the world. Shadow is blamed for the nightmare and hunted down by Omega, then put into stasis forever. Omega goes into stand-by mode and has the Chaos Emerald.

200 Years Later - Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow and Rouge arrive in the dystopian future and learn that Elise is destined to die. They find some Chaos Emeralds and return to Present + 2 - except Shadow. Shadow stays to fight Mephiles and is rescued by Omega. As Mephiles retreats through time, they use his portal to go to Present + 2.

Silver, meanwhile, attempts to bind Iblis to himself. Failing, Blaze takes it upon herself since she already is affected by a fire-curse. She vanishes, and the future brightens.

Synopsis: Silver's future gets fixed, but everyone else still gets wrecked. This is where the real confusion sets in for Blaze's story. We'll address that in a bit.

10 Years Ago - Solaris goes boom, Shadow and Silver play clean-up - we've seen this.

Present (General) - The time-hopping of Timeline #2 goes on as it did before. This time, Mephiles has managed to gather the Chaos Emeralds.

Present + 3 Days - Mephiles shanks Sonic. Elise, in her grief, weeps and unleashes Iblis. Using the Emeralds, Mephiles rejoins with its fiery half and becomes Solaris once more.

End of Time - Solaris begins to consume and destroy time, making it nebulous. Past, Present and Future exist at the same time, and thus Silver rejoins the cast. Note that Blaze does not appear.* The heroes travel throughout the nightmare world to re-gather the Chaos Emeralds. Elise uses them to revive Sonic. Now Super Sonic, he gives Shadow and Silver a boost, and together they nullify Solaris.

Sonic and Elise topple backwards in time.

Synopsis: This is the game, basically, all the way through the Last Story. Now to make all this frustratingly moot.

11 Years Ago (or so) - Sonic and Elise find Solaris when it was a meager flame. Elise snuffs it out, preventing its division into Mephiles and Iblis.

Present - Elise celebrates and Sonic runs by, passingly interested in the festival. Dr. Robotnik doesn't even show - there's no fabled Flames of Disaster to know of, let alone find.

200 Years Later - Things start messing up because Dr. Nega stole a camera, but we already covered that.

Synopsis: It never happened!

That's how it looks to be, anyway. There is no reference in either of Silver or Blaze's Japanese profiles of their partnership or parts played in this story. Neither acknowledge the events occurred. It would appear Sega itself is turning a blind eye to the mess and pretending it never happened.

But how to deal with Blaze?

Option #1 - Ignore it. The story literally never happened thanks to Timeline #4. No matter what, it's a moot point, so why worry?

Option #2 - Blaze moved from S06 to some point before SRU or in between SRU and SRA. Since she was absent from the End of Time*, one might infer that she was removed from the normal timeline and into her own dimension's. This doesn't hold entirely since Timeline #3 & 4 would pre-empt her exit, but it's the best I can come up with working with what's been presented.

Her placement in the "Rush" series would be further complicated. In S06, she shows signs of being passingly familiar with the notion of Sonic**, but nothing concrete is stated. By the end of her role in the game, she knew fully of Sonic, but in SRU they're both strangers to each other.

Blaze being able to seal Iblis within herself is a non-issue since she has endured the Sol Emeralds' curse both before and after meeting Sonic.

Ultimately, I think we're better off with going with Option #1.

I hope this has proven illuminating for you.

**EDIT: This may be disproven. Toby Barret provides some insight into Blaze's moment:

From what I've read, a few think that the entire deal with Rush/06/Adventure is to do with a massive, massive translator screw-up due to a cultural element. And here's why:

The Japanese word for the colour blue (adjective) is aoi (青い). The Japanese word for the adjective naive is ALSO aoi (青いor 蒼い).

So if we look at the scene again where Mephiles shows Silver the "Iblis Trigger", Silver says, "Mieta. Kono aoi harinezumi ga Iburiisu Torigaa... [I see it. This blue hedgehog's the Iblis Trigger...]"

But Blaze, who -- critically -- doesn't see this vision, only hears what Silver says verbatim. And as Blaze uses "aoi" to mean both 'blue' and 'naive', we have a specific problem in translation – the fact that “aoi” means both. When she goes looking for Silver, she says “aoi harinezumi” and of course the translation is correct in it meaning ‘blue hedgehog’ – but this could have been a critical piece of information that is utterly untranslatable. When she finds him at the beach, and when she seals Iblis, she says “aoi”, meaning that Silver is naïve - in effect, when talking to him, she says, "Oh, you're so blue".

In short, Blaze had no memory of any blue hedgehog from Sonic Rush, she was merely going from what Silver said -- and clueless as to whether or not the "blue" hedgehog meant a "naive" hedgehog. Either way, she looking for an “aoi” hedgehog – the naïve hedgehog is going to be where the blue hedgehog is.