Okay, so. Let's talk, for a moment, about the demonstrable fact that Ian Flynn is not a world-builder. He is a plot-constructor, and these two things are not, in fact, the same.

Now, the popular narrative among his defenders is that he is the great architect of the modern Sonic lore. But this is patently, provably false. Let's look at the facts. The fact of the matter is, Ian Flynn is fundamentally uninterested in any world-building that doesn't serve as a setup for some grandiose, future-altering reveal. He has no time for texture, only for plot mechanics.

Let's take a very simple example. The stone heads. You know the ones. The ones with the vaguely human faces that shoot arrows at you. We see them on Angel Island. We also see them in Sylvania Castle. Now, a writer who is actually interested in *building a world* would see this repetition across two geographically and historically distinct locations and his intellectual curiosity would be piqued. Who built these? Why are they here? Is there a common ancient civilization that predates both the Echidnas and whatever kingdom Sylvania belonged to? This is basic, foundational world-building. It's a question begging to be answered.

But Flynn will never, ever answer this. And let's be intellectually honest about why. It's not because of some arcane SEGA mandate. It's because the answer, whatever it might be, is irrelevant to his "Grand purpose." Answering it doesn't introduce a new villain for a four-issue arc. It doesn't give Surge a new trauma to angst over. It doesn't lead to a shocking character betrayal. Therefore, in the mind of a writer like Flynn, it is pointless. It is flavor, and he is only interested in the main course of his pre-planned, by-the-numbers narrative.