| “ | SPEAK OF THE DEVIL, AND HE DOTH APPEAR | „ | |
| ― X |
X, also known as XERXES, ATBT-XXXX, and rarely RATKING, was created by Habit Blackberry for his rewrite/overhaul of the original Sonic.EXE story from 2011. X resides in an elusive early build of the original Sonic The Hedgehog game that was later put onto a disk as an EXE file. The full story can be listened to here or read here.
The Viral Tormentor[]
X is a master manipulator skilled in the art of mental warfare. Surprisingly, he doesn't really "kill" people directly. At the moment, it's unknown whether or not he CAN kill. He enjoys toying with his unknowing victims for upwards of multiple years, and almost every death he's caused has been a suicide. He has the ability to limitlessly manipulate whatever device his game is installed on, and he can exist in multiple copies at once. He has the ability to manipulate different video games and other various PC programs, even websites. In his own game, he has access to mountains of unused SEGA Genesis Sonic content, including (but not limited to) cut stages like Genocide City from Sonic 2.
Interestingly enough, he also has the ability to appear in people's dreams and even create unique dreamscapes to torment his victims in while they sleep. It is unknown to what extent he can exist in people's minds, but it's implied that he has the subtle ability to enhance his victims' innate sense of curiosity.
His origin remains mostly unknown, other than being banished to the 3rd dimension by his creator.
Appearance[]
When in his own game, X can take one of three forms; a palette-swapped version of Sonic with blacked out skin & sclera with no pupils, red gloves, and black shoes with red shoe stripes known as ATBT-XXXX or just "X" for short, and an almost fully black hedgehog with spikey red hair known as RATKING. Outside of his game, he can be anyone or anything he wants. In his victims' dreams, he usually chooses to use a tall, dark, almost skeletal black-and-red form known as his BEAST form.
Unlike the X you may be familiar with, he doesn't bleed from the eyes, and the only time he spawns his glowing red pupils is when he's in his beast form. His simple design is inspired by old SEGA Genesis color palette glitches.
The Tale[]
In September of 2008, 4chan users discovered what they believed to be an unseen beta ROM of Sonic the Hedgehog from 1990. One of these users had unknowingly awakened X by using a Game Genie on the ROM. After plugging in the code "ATBT-XXXX", a second, uncontrollable Sonic was spawned in, with a glitched-out color palette. Ever since his awakening in 2008, he hunts for new victims by stalking message boards, specifically ones talking about his game. X's origins before 2008 are currently unknown.
The victim we see in his debut story is Tom, a forum user turned blogger in 2011 who is gaslit and tormented by X to the point where he starts questioning his own reality, which ultimately causes him to commit suicide. After Tom is dead, X temporarily masquerades as him online to post a download link to his game, spreading his influence tenfold.
In a teaser video for what seems to be a rewrite of 'Round 2: the Sonic.exe Sequel', it's confirmed that both the game and the blog had gained traction after Tom's death, and has even birthed an internet phenomena similar to the real-world impact the original Sonic.EXE story had. In the teaser video, we also get glimpses of various news stories that report on droves of teenagers going through the same things that Tom had gone through. Journalists assume that the mass deaths of these teens are tied to a suicide cult revolving around Sonic.EXE (similar to real-world internet incidents like the Blue Whale Challenge and the Slender Man stabbing), but it's also likely that X is just doing what he did to Tom on a larger scale.
Personality[]
His motivations are completely unknown, but you can tell that he really enjoys psychologically torturing his victims. He'll build flat levels where you just walk forward for minutes upon minutes, he's not afraid to put annoying jumpscares in his game, etc.
X inherits some of Sonic's cocky traits, but with a dark spin on them. He'll laugh at his victims' pain, and pester them when they refuse to play along. He knows that his victims will likely underestimate him at first, and he'll even play into it. Those who haven't taken their own lives because of him will live the rest of their lives fearing him, and he loves that.
Combat Potential[]
- Psychological Hazard: He is unstoppable when it comes to the mind. Your brain is his playground.
- Super-Virus: Once he's in your PC, can do whatever he wants with it. He can also manipulate the internet to his liking as well.
Trivia[]
- This version of X is inspired by multiple different famous EXEs and real life Sonic trivia. During the YouTube premiere, Habit mentions that the story takes inspiration from the infamous 'Sonic Gather Battle' malware. X's design also pulls inspiration from Sonic 3's 'Cyborg Sonic' glitch.
- X made his first appearance in an MS Paint doodle, which calls him "Sonic E". Said doodle is no longer canon.
- X's full name is XERXES, and in his true form, he bares some resemblance to Lucifer from the Bible.
- His previous relations to both Hero and Ratprince are no longer fully canon.
Gallery[]
