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latin-dr-robotnik · 3 years

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You mentioned western localizations messing with Amy. Can you elaborate if you don't mind?

Of course!

I think the first thing to keep in mind throughout all of this is that I was referring to the old notion of “Amy is a psycho girl chasing after someone who isn’t remotely interested in her”. This is the big impression Sonic games (and I guess to some extent Archie Sonic, but I don’t want to get in there) left on fans during the 2000′s, and it comes mostly due to two main reasons:

The differences in western culture versus japanese culture (how we see relationships in general, the actual tropes surrounding Amy, etc.)

How the actual localization process was handled for each game, like the way Amy acts toward Sonic and other characters, how the games play said acts (cute vs annoying) and the way Sonic reacts to her presence.

It’s no secret that localization works during that era were spotty at best (that’s why you hear Ryan’s Sonic yelling “teriaaaa!” in SA2, or the general weirdness surrounding SA1), and while I personally don’t blame the people that worked on localizing the games (after all, the overall quality of videogame storytelling was pretty shaky back in the early 2000′s), I can’t ignore just how damaging those works ended up being for the canon. For example, cutegirlmayra talked about the differences between japanese and western Sonic for years now, take this quote from her post, a quote that I believe nails this whole thing on the head:

America treats Sonamy much like they do their franchise, a meme or joke to be poked fun of. Whereas, with a much more refined atmosphere, Japan treats Sonamy as an endearing and lovely couple. Though both resign to say they can’t really see Sonic ever ‘settling down’ or really being focused on romance. And,… that makes since to me. Knowing who Sonic is. But even that doesn’t mean he can’t have a crush XD (The heart wants what the heart wants, lol!)

More recently, stuff like “Unfortunately, I’m not inconvenient for my girlfriend” came to light, and that’s one of many examples where japanese Sonic was way ahead of its western self. This particular quote is from Sonic Battle and in the english version you don’t get anything remotely similar to that, instead Amy is left to look like she’s a crazy stalker, or that Sonic doesn’t accept her advances to a degree (that’s one major problem, how western Sonic tends to feel like he’s actually rejecting Amy while she keeps on trying.) It’s not coincidence that Sonic Battle is regarded as one of the worst portrayals of Amy in a Sonic game.

If you start digging on what the creators actually intended for Amy, you'll find lots of good intentions toward her and the framing of her dynamic with Sonic (which isn’t the only aspect of Amy, mind you, but my claims about western localization originally came from a SonAmy post so I naturally focused on that, sorry haha.)

For example, last year I looked into how Sonic Unleashed handled SonAmy, and while my initial research was pretty sweet (the english version of Unleashed!Amy is really good if you spend time talking to her), the real kicker came as soon as we (me and cutegirlmayra) started looking into interviews with ex-Sonic Team writer Shiro Maekawa and cross-referencing information regarding the actual writers that were involved during that 2000′s era. The result? There was an entire council at SEGA of Japan dedicated to approve the way Sonic characters were presented in all official media, and they approved all of the key SonAmy moments back then, even more that western audiences didn’t get to see (more on that below.) Most if not all the japanese Sonic writers involved in that era (Maekawa was both a writer and part of said council) left around the end of the decade, after Sonic Unleashed (2008) and Sonic and the Black Knight (2009), and ever since that most of the problems shifted from “this is how SEGA of America is localizing Sonic games” to “this is the very poor state of Sonic writing in general”, so, dead end for now.

Then you have situations like with Sonic X, a show handled by Sonic Team and the official Sonic writers of that era working in some of the most iconic episodes... just to see their work censored by 4kids in America and the subsequent dubs that used that version as a basis (from what I’ve heard not all dubs are censored, though.) That’s why you’ll see fans imploring you to watch Sonic X in japanese instead of the english dub, since the series was a lot more involved with the pairing and the general simbolism of some of its touching moments (they used actual love songs for them, for crying out loud), which led to some funny facts, like how the Latin American Spanish and the French dub both ignored the mandate about muting Sonic’s words to Amy in Episode 52, leading to moments like Sonic promising Amy he won’t leave her again (LatAm) or just straight up telling he loves her (the french were on fire with that one.) Sonic X was the one true vision of Sonic Team, and the way it was butchered for western audiences is still baffling to this day.

So, what’s the deal with Amy then? In theory she’s a cheerful, happy-go-lucky girl with a very strong sense of justice, super-determined to help anyone in need (even enemies like Metal Sonic) and, depending on the situation, pretty impulsive. She’s particularly loyal to her friends, and she acts like the emotional support of the group. You’ll see her filling that role regardless of how good or bad the localization is (SA2 Amy helped Shadow realize his true purpose, Heroes Amy is the beating heart of her whole team, Unleashed Amy is the only one who doesn’t lose hope on Sonic when Perfect Dark Gaia rises); yet the ways by which these traits were shown in the games varied a lot, and that’s how we reached a point where a good chunk of the fandom thinks Amy is a stalker. Japan portrayed her acts as cute, as very respectable traits of a great female character; the west portrayed her mostly as a nuisance the gang had to carry around, even to the point of misinterpreting some of her quotes that aren’t actually bad (for example: “If I had to choose between the world and Sonic, I would choose Sonic!“ in Sonic ‘06.) And while this is no longer the case, nowadays there’s a whole different discussion surrounding making Amy better by making her “more mature” (which is also another topic raised here in the west, like, this whole discussion never ends! haha)

I feel like I got lost and came back several times while writing this reply. At the end of the day, it’s a long topic to tackle and I think the best I can do right now is forward you some more information. My friend beev did some great work translating my own Spanish articles tackling the Japan vs Western differences (it’s pretty much most of this reply.) And then there’s @skull001, he’s very vocal about the ways Amy’s character was messed with (including stuff like Amy being missing from the back of Advance 1′s box, the Sonic X english dub or the fact SEGA is still reluctant to count her as part of Team Sonic), and if there’s someone I’d listen when it comes to knowing pretty much everything about Amy, it’s gotta be him... and cutegirlmayra, of course. I hope this helped, though!

#ask latin dr robotnik #sonic the hedgehog #amy rose #sonamy #sega #hannahcbrown #i'm sorry this took way too long to write haha

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simplydenisetravels · 7 years

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Crazy challenges, Teen Choice Awards, and jawlines that can literally cut through our souls; Ethan and Grayson Dolan, known widely as the Dolan Twins, have achieved so much at their young age of 17.

Hailing from New Jersey, the twins began gaining attention through videos they posted on late social media app, Vine. And since then, have been posting every Tuesday on YouTube on their channel, Dolan Twins, that amassed over 4.5 million subscribers in 3 years.

With their original content and continuous love for their fans, the twins quickly rose to fame as they embarked on their first tour, 4OU Tour, in 2016 and several television appearances. They also released a mixtape in the same year, Tunesdays, which includes their favorite songs that relates to their own personalities.

We got to talk to some of their loyal fans on how the Dolan Twins changed their lives and their love for the twins. We talked to Ashley (17, USA), Georgie (16, England), Melanie (Denmark), and Shifa (19, USA).

Q1: What is the first thing that pops into your head when you hear “Dolan Twins”?

Ashley: The first thing that pops into my head when I hear “Dolan Twins” is the most kind and caring goofs I know. They care about their fans so much unlike others who don’t do anything for their fans, this is why I stan them, even though they are known everywhere and they are famous, they still think about their fans. I believe that them becoming famous has humbled them and they are really grateful for what they have. Georgie: Honestly, not much. But I always smile because no matter what, the twins are always able to put a smile on my face. Melanie: The first thing that pops into my head when I hear the Dolan Twins is, two goofy boys who loves to make others smile; the two are very creative and down to earth guys who have inspired many people to be positive & happy. Shifa: When I hear the words “Dolan Twins”, my first thought is two 17-year-old mature, young, and amazing teens who have come so far. They had a rough childhood, because of bullying, so to see them succeeding in everything their doing now is really breathtaking and heart warming. I really am proud of them and what their doing.

Q2: Do you remember when you first discovered the Dolan Twins? What did you think of them and their channels before?

Ashley: Yes! Oh my gosh! I remember downloading the Episode app when I got my new phone in February of this year. When I opened the app, the first story I saw was in big letters “Falling for the Dolan Twins” and you know what I did next I clicked on it and went through the story line. I figured out that they were actually YouTubers and they made vines before they got big. I started out by just following them on Instagram. I kept procrastinating on looking up their channel and I finally did. And I didn’t regret it. I never knew who they were before Episode, but I’m glad I found them. Georgie: I discovered the twins in 2013, on vine. I’m an OG fan. I remember showing all of my friends their Instagram’s when they had 80k followers. It’s insane to think how far they’ve come in such a short time and its cool that I was there for it all. There channel is dope, to be frank. They have both funny and serious videos and I think it’s important for content creators nowadays to be able to show both sides to their supporters. Melanie: I remember the day very clearly. One of my friends had showed me a video of theirs back in 2015 and it’s actually quite funny because I expected them to be the stereotypical, good looking, male social media influencers, or two very cringe guys whose only reason to be on YouTube was to show off their good looks to get girls, but when I actually watched the video and found out that they’re nothing like my first instinct, I was shocked and immediately got pulled in by their humor & positive vibes. I watched all of their videos in one night. Shifa: When I first discovered the Dolan Twins, I was in high school. My younger sister actually showed me them, and I watched one video and couldn’t stop watching. Their videos really made me feel motivated to become a better person. I also laughed a lot which made my stress level decrease. At first, I though their channel was going to be like every other typical YouTuber’s channel, but when I started to watch I saw that they had unique personalities. They were much different then the others. The twins are very positive and I got a really good vibe from them when I discovered them and I still do until now.

Q3: What is your all-time favorite video of theirs and why?

Ashley: Picking a favorite video of the twins is like trying to pick your favorite song, it’s almost impossible. But if I had to pick one would be “Types of YouTubers” because it is funny how the twins depict each every category. Also, because it was throwing indirect shade at certain YouTubers. The Click-Baiter was my favorite part of the whole video. Georgie: This is a terrible question for me, because I say one and then I start listing them all. But, I’ll have to say that at the moment it’s either the 4ou video or either of the wisdom teeth videos. Melanie: My absolute favorite video of theirs is the “Extreme Laughing Challenge”, because it made me crack multiple laughs. The way they kept throwing up from the milk was hilarious and the sentences they made Siri say out loud was so randomly weird & funny that I couldn’t stop laughing. Shifa: My favorite video of the Dolan Twins is “You’re Not Alone”. It had a huge impact on me. I’m glad they made this video for any one suffering from depression or anything else. They can watch it and know that they have someone who cares about them and is there for them. This is a very important video, because not many YouTubers address this issue, but they did because their teenagers just like us and also go through problems like depression or anxiety.

Q4: What was that one thing that made you love the twins and their channel?

Ashley: One thing that made me love the twins was that they aren’t afraid to be themselves in their videos. They can be crazy and goofy and all of that and it makes me laugh and smile even when I’m having a bad day. Georgie: I think I was drawn to the twins because my – at the time – twelve year old self saw two good looking, American twins. But after watching a few of their vines, I was laughing my head off and their personalities and humor is honestly what makes me come back every week – their faces are just bonuses. Melanie: What made me love them is definitely their love for all and the fact that they see everyone as equal. I also love how they preach that you shouldn’t change a thing about yourself as long as you’re happy with who you are, they’re very true to themselves and their fans. Shifa: One thing that made me love the twins and their channel was the originality. They don’t just follow the trend. They have their own ideas, pranks, and challenges which makes it more exciting to watch. When they come up with their ideas, they make sure it’s something us “bromieomies” would enjoy watching and also something no one else has done. Their videos always have a twist which makes it so much more interesting, because throughout the video your wondering what’s going to happen.

Q5: How did they affect your life: in terms of social and personal perspective?

Ashley: When I joined Twitter in March, I thought it was going to be hard to fit in to this close-knit fandom. But it wasn’t, I was welcome with open arms and kindness. I started to gain a lot of followers and started to become known in this fandom. I have many mutuals and I love all of them. Even though it was a positive upbringing, little did I know, a lot of drama happens in this fandom, doesn’t every fandom have drama? But, in this fandom it’s worse, if jealously could kill, a lot would be dead. It may sound like I’m joking, but I’m not some of these fans can get really jealous and protective over the twins. And sometimes it gets out of control. The twins see the s**t that goes down too, it may seem like it they don’t give a crap, but they pretty much see everything. Even though you don’t get the notification that they liked the tweet, they still probably see it. Overall, my experience it positive. I have my ups and downs sometimes though. I’ve had to take a break due to the drama, it was overwhelming to me. Georgie: I’m quite a closed off person. I generally find it hard to talk to and meet new people. The main thing would definitely have to be how this fan account has changed all of that. I’m still not the most confident person in the world, but being part of this family where everyone has each other’s backs, it’s really uplifting. Melanie: They have had a HUGE impact on my life. I suffer from multiple illnesses & they have helped me see past the bad and focus on the good, there’s no point in letting the bad affect you when you have tons of positive things in life that you can spend your time focusing on, you just have to find them. They also made me open up and see the beauty in life. I used to hate everything in my life. I never appreciated anything around me until now, they basically showed me that there’s good in life and that things do get better eventually. Their videos and channel helps me when I’m sad or when I have a bad day, I look up my favorite videos & i immediately feel better after watching them. Shifa: They affected my life, because I wasn’t very social until I started to watch their videos. I started to communicate with people without being afraid that I’m going to be judged by someone. Now, every time I talk to someone I don’t know I’m not afraid to speak. I say what I want and I make people laugh and smile just like the twins.

Q6: What did you feel about being in the fandom and connecting with your fellow fans and the twins at first? How do you feel now?

Ashley: I love the many friends I made since being in this fandom. They are very supportive and encourage you to “upload that drawing” or “post your edit of the twins” or “upload those Tuesday selfies” because they are really supportive and they uplift you. They want you to do your best and show your talent to the world and this fandom because they really care about your well-being. If you had a bad day they are the ones that cheer you up and make you smile, even if it’s just a small joke. The twins’ videos help when I am having a bad day. They make me smile and laugh, even when I don’t really feel like it. And I love how the twins tweet about things they are doing and keeping us informed on what’s going on, even if it’s random. I still feel the same about the friends I have made, but I do think we have grown apart in the past months due to school and activities that keep us busy. Georgie: I’ve made quite a few friends through the fandom. I will admit, there are some people that can be a bit… off. But that happens in every group or fandom. I don’t know, that’s probably only because I’m extremely socially awkward and I can’t hold a conversation to save my life. Melanie: The fandom is very welcoming and sweet, I immediately found friends in the fandom when I joined. I also felt very close to the twins because they shared everything they did on Snapchat and Twitter throughout their day. I also found my best friend through the twins. I’m forever thankful for everything they’ve done for me, especially finding me a best friend who’s my closest friend that I talk to everyday. It’s amazing and mind-blowing that two guys can bring so many people together! Even though the twins don’t share as much anymore like they used to, perhaps it’s because of their busy schedule and I understand that, I couldn’t be happier for them and everything they’ve achieved in such short time! Shifa: At first, when I joined the fandom I was very lost and confused. It was hard for me to make new friends, because I didn’t know if anyone would like me. When I first tried to communicate with the twins, I was noticed by Grayson which made me happy that I’m in this fandom. Now, I have so many friends in the fandom, and everyone is so nice to me. I love all the love and support I get from just my friends in the fandom it’s so amazing how loving they are.

Q7: Have you ever met the twins? Take us through your experience!

Ashley: No, I have not met the twins but I wish I have though. I’ve heard they give the best hugs ever. I really want one. I hope they go on tour again, I would definitely go and get one of those hugs after the show. Georgie: Unfortunately no, but I did go to the 4OU London show. It was amazing. It was also the day I started my fan account. Struggling to believe that show was nearly a whole year ago. Melanie: Sadly I have not, but I would absolutely love to. I really wanted to meet them on the 4OU tour, but they didn’t come to Denmark and I didn’t have the money to travel to another country to see them. Hopefully, they’ll go on another tour in the future. Shifa: I have never met the twins, but I recently have been to TRL. It’s a show on MTV that the twins get featured on every week. I had seen them in person and they’re even better. When Ethan and Grayson were going through the crowd, they went by me and I almost died! They both gave me a high five and I was so happy, because they’re my idols, even though they’re younger than me. I appreciate what they do. Seeing them made my day, I will never forget especially cause it was my first time ever.

Q8: Are there any video ideas that you wish they would do?

Ashley: I wish they would talk to fans undercover again and keep up the challenge videos. I love seeing the twins being competitive. Georgie: I think they’ve done quite a lot already. The aesthetic blogs are really good. They should definitely do one in London so I can bump into them accidentally-on-purpose. Melanie: I’m probably the least creative person when it comes to video ideas, I would love to see them do another prank on each other and maybe a Halloween themed video where they dress up as something scary and do some challenges in the warehouse. Shifa: I wish they would start vlogging, because I would love to see more of them every week instead of just Tuesday. It would be interesting seeing what they do on a daily life basis. I would be excited every day knowing that I get to see them more often and it would be something to look forward to.

Q9: What would you say to them if you met them?

Ashley: I would ask them to give me their number and “Add me back on Snapchat, so we can start a streak” and if they aren’t already following me on Twitter or Instagram, I would ask them to follow me back and complete the mutual. Georgie: If I met them, I would just treat them like a normal human. I’ve seen videos and heard all the drama when fans have said cringe-worthy, inappropriate things and I would never have the courage to do it. Part of me is glad that I psychically couldn’t, but the other part of me would love to see their reaction in person. Melanie: I would probably just ask them how their day has been and talk about random stuff. I don’t want them to feel awkward and I would just talk to them as if they were two normal guys. But I would obviously thank them for everything they’ve done for me. Shifa: If I ever meet the twins, I would tell them how much they impacted my life and how they changed me into a better person. I would also tell them how they changed me into a better person than I was in the past years. I think I would love to have a deep conversation with the twins about anything at all. The twins are the type to just talk to you and actually appreciate what your saying. I would also tell them how their videos are amazing and how much they make me laugh. I want to tell them something that would motivate them to keep doing what their doing.

No matter where the fans are, not only is there love for Ethan and Grayson vibrant through their constant support on their videos, on social media and even in person, but also the friendships that they’ve made is exceptional. And, they make amazing fan art!

@rabidolan

@omggrayyy

@Ddolanthrills

@GoodOneDolan

@grethanwolfhard

@MaxxDolan

@christina_b56

@embarrassedolan

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FANDOM SEASON: Fans on How They Fell in Love with the Dolan Twins Crazy challenges, Teen Choice Awards, and jawlines that can literally cut through our souls; Ethan and…

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