ꕶᵗ𝙪ᶜ𝙺 𝟂𝓲ᵗ𝐡 𝞛𝘦

Alan Rowper is one of the victims trapped within X's world, but his existence there is far different from that of the other victims. After becoming trapped, Alan ended up sharing a single body with X, a monstrous Void entity that torments the other victims. The body they share is a modern Sonic vessel, with Alan normally maintaining control of it while X remains inside, constantly present and capable of taking over.

Because the vessel is also X's body, Alan is largely isolated from the other victims. Most of them know that Alan is still conscious somewhere inside, but they are understandably uncomfortable around him because they associate the vessel with X. Alan cannot blame them for being afraid, but their avoidance leaves him increasingly lonely. He is a victim just like them, yet he is forced to exist alongside the very creature tormenting them.

X's treatment of Alan is different from its treatment of the other victims. Rather than simply subjecting Alan to the same physical torment, X focuses on wearing him down mentally and emotionally. It deliberately keeps Alan exhausted, frightened, guilty, and uncertain of himself, slowly pushing him toward the edge of his sanity. X knows that Alan's greatest weakness is his empathy, and it uses that against him.

Whenever X takes control of the vessel, Alan remains completely conscious. He can see and hear what X does while trapped inside the body, but he has little ability to interfere. Alan is forced to witness the suffering of the other victims while knowing that the body carrying it out is also his own. Over time, this begins to destroy him emotionally.

Alan eventually starts blaming himself for things X does, despite knowing that he isn't the one responsible. He thinks that he should have been able to stop X, or that the others are suffering because he failed to take control back. X encourages these thoughts, deliberately twisting Alan's guilt until Alan begins carrying the weight of actions he never chose to commit.

The vessel normally appears as a modern Sonic, with Alan being the usual presence behind its movements and expressions. When Alan is in control, the vessel behaves naturally and reflects his personality.

When X decides to take control, however, the change is unmistakable.

The vessel's head can rotate completely around, smoothly and effortlessly, without cracking, straining, or showing any physical damage. Once the head completes its rotation and turns forward again, X has taken control. The eyes change into the dark, unsettling appearance associated with X, with black surrounding the intense red of its eyes, resembling its older appearance.

The rest of the vessel does not necessarily transform. That is part of what makes X's presence so unsettling. It is still the same modern Sonic body, but the expressions, movements, posture, and eyes make it immediately clear that Alan is no longer the one controlling it.

X moves the vessel with a confidence and unnaturalness that Alan doesn't possess. It can manipulate the body in ways that feel deliberately wrong, treating its physical form as though normal limitations simply do not apply.

Alan's Control

Alan is capable of taking control back from X, but doing so is difficult. If X willingly gives the vessel back, Alan can regain control normally. When X resists, Alan has to fight for control while already being mentally and emotionally exhausted.

Even after succeeding, Alan isn't truly free. X remains inside the vessel, meaning it can attempt to take control again at any moment.

This creates a constant struggle between them. Alan owns the vessel, but X has proven that it can steal it from him whenever it wants.

Alan's greatest source of suffering is therefore not simply being trapped in X's world. He is trapped inside the same body as the Void entity responsible for tormenting everyone else, forced to remain conscious while X takes control, witness what happens, and then live with the guilt afterward.

To the other victims, the vessel is X.

To Alan, it is the only body he has left.

When X takes control of the modern Sonic vessel, its appearance becomes a distorted reflection of 2011X's recognizable design, while still retaining the underlying modern Sonic body. X has dark, almost black eye sockets surrounding red-and-white eyes, giving its gaze a distinctly unnatural appearance. The eyes don't look like Alan's anymore; they become visibly associated with X, even if Alan is still partially fighting for control.

When X is trying to take over while Alan is still resisting, the change can happen incompletely. Alan's normal eyes may suddenly darken into X's black sockets, with the red-and-white eyes appearing through them, before flickering or returning to normal as Alan manages to regain control. His expressions can become strained or unnatural during these moments, reflecting the fact that both consciousnesses are fighting over the same body.

The most obvious sign of a full takeover is still the head rotation. X can smoothly rotate the vessel's head completely around and then return it to its normal position, with the black sockets and red-and-white eyes remaining afterward. At that point, Alan has been pushed into the background and X is fully controlling the vessel.

The important distinction is that X isn't simply changing Alan's appearance. The Void entity is imposing its own presence onto the vessel. The Sonic body remains recognizable, but X's eyes, expressions, and unnatural movements make it obvious that the creature inside has surfaced.

When X begins forcing its way into control while Alan is still resisting, Alan can start crying automatically. If the vessel has already begun changing toward X's appearance, the tears can become black, almost like the Void influence is affecting the body's normal response. If Alan is still mostly in his own form, they can remain ordinary tears.

The crying is a physical reaction to the distress and strain of fighting X for control. Alan can be terrified, overwhelmed, and in pain while desperately trying to keep the vessel as his own. His eyes may flicker between his normal appearance and X's black sockets with red-and-white eyes, sometimes changing for only a moment before Alan manages to push X back.

It also makes the transformation more disturbing because Alan's emotions remain visible even when X is beginning to surface. The vessel might have X's eyes while Alan is still crying, showing that Alan hasn't simply disappeared. He's still conscious and fighting from inside.

If X successfully takes control, Alan remains conscious behind it all. The tears may stop being visible once X has full control, but Alan himself hasn't gone anywhere. He's still trapped inside the vessel, distressed by what is happening and unable to simply shut himself off from it.

Alan and X's appearance doesn't always match whoever is controlling the vessel. Alan can randomly develop X's 2011X-like face, with the black sockets and red-and-white eyes, while still being completely in control, and the appearance can remain that way until it eventually changes back. Likewise, X can take control without immediately changing the vessel's appearance, allowing it to keep Alan's normal face if it wants. When X takes control, its "faker form" is different from the 2011X-like appearance, as X tries to imitate Sonic as closely as possible, though the result is noticeably duller and more lifeless than the real thing. Because of this, the face alone isn't always enough to tell who is in control; Alan can have X's face, while X can make the vessel look like a dull imitation of Sonic. The full head rotation is a much clearer indication that X has taken over, especially when the vessel's head turns completely around before returning to face forward.