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#i already do it with sonic characters like who cares
sage-nebula · 1 day
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I'm thinking about Knuckles, and how little we know of him, and how what little we know of him informs what we do know of him, and how that makes some of the writing around him (in various canon materials and adaptations) feel . . . kind of disrespectful, at times?
What we know of Knuckles' backstory is this: he is the last of the echidnas, and specifically a descendant of the Knuckles clan. The Knuckles clan was an empire under the rule of Chief Pachacamac, and when they tried to take the Master Emerald and Chaos Emeralds for the sake of their nation's power, Chaos went on a rampage and wiped most of them out. Pachacamac's daughter, Tikal, sealed Chaos into the Master Emerald along with her own spirit (sacrificing her body in the process), and those that remained enshrined the Master Emerald on a chunk of land that they hefted into the sky to become Angel Island. It's there that they vowed to protect the Master Emerald, but because there were so few of them already, now Knuckles himself is the only one who remains.
What we don't know is: how the remaining echidnas on Angel Island died out, and whether Knuckles' parents were around when he was born or not.
We don't know this, because echidnas hatch from eggs at least in real life, and we don't know that they don't in the Sonic universe. And we also don't know how long it would take for those eggs to hatch . . . essentially, we don't know if Knuckles was born alone on Angel Island, with only the little animals and the Chao there to keep him company. We don't know if perhaps he named himself Knuckles, after a clan he never knew, to try to feel some connection to his heritage. We do know that he doesn't know all there is to know about Angel Island, that he doesn't know the meanings behind a lot of the murals (which is how Eggman was able to trick him back when they first met), which would lead me to believe that if his parents were around, they weren't around for long enough to teach him about his culture or their sacred duty. That perhaps they weren't around long enough to give him a name of his own, rather than just taking the clan name.
All of this is to say, if Knuckles was born alone (or if his parents died when he was too young to remember them), and he's just had to piece together what little he knows about his people and his culture from what there is on his island . . .
. . . then it kind of makes moments in canon when Sonic or others pester him to leave the island or to stop taking it all so seriously feel kind of . . . insensitive at best.
Like, I do get it. Sonic himself doesn't care about his own past, he has no ties to any family (besides Tails) or culture, that's all fine for him. But it's clearly not fine for Knuckles, who very obviously wants that connection, especially if he's the one who named himself after his clan. And while I get it from a character standpoint for Sonic, part of me also feels like writers have validated Sonic's view in things like having Knuckles decide to go on a journey away from Angel Island after Frontiers, after his conversations with Sonic goaded him into it a little. Which again, as a writer I understand, because it's hard to do things with Knuckles if he never leaves Angel Island. You have to bring the plot to him, or else you can't include him. But at the same time, he's literally the last of his people. And the only connection he has to those people, those people who are lost and that he can never get back, are there on Angel Island, in ancient murals and ruins he's not sure he fully understands no matter how many years he spends studying them . . . I don't know, I just feel like some more understanding or compassion could be given to him for this. Like the way his eyes lit up in that IDW issue when Amy returned the echidna artifact to him -- that was something made by his people! That's a part of his history! He may not (probably doesn't) understand its significance, but now that's another lost connection that he has. And while Sonic might not care about things like that, Knuckles does. That's important to him, and that should be respected.
I don't know, that post about how Knuckles is not just a warrior (or, imo, a warrior at all, but a protector instead) has just had me thinking about him the past couple of days. I'm not saying that he should stay locked to Angel Island forever, I do think it does him good to socialize with his friends as well . . . but I also wish that the writing respected a bit more often the fact that he is the last of his kind, that the island and the ruins there and the Master Emerald are all he has left of it, the only way he has any connection to his culture at all. And honestly, much as I love Sonic, and as much as this is an E for Everyone series, I do think that, at times, Knuckles should get to tell Sonic to fuck off when Sonic starts going on one of his "don't be so stuck on your dusty old island" spiels he sometimes goes on. Because it's not really about the island, and Knuckles' feelings are just as valid as Sonic's. Perhaps even more so, on this topic.
But that's just what I've been thinking about.
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veloriium · 4 months
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save me emo fluttershy
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sonknuxadow · 1 month
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jesus christttt im not surprised at all to hear that the knuckles series focuses on wade and other human characters a lot i saw this coming a mile away with how almost all the news we were getting before the trailer came out was about the human characters/actors and not about knuckles (or sonic or tails or any other animated characters) but the fact that somebody calculated how many minutes of screentime knuckles has and it came out as LESS THAN HALF OF THE ENTIRE SERIES' RUNTIME when the series is NAMED after him is ridiculous. after this show comes out wade will likely have more screentime and overall plot relevance in the entire scu than tails does. did they actually think wade is a popular enough character for people to be down with this. what the fuck
#was gonna pirate the series but at this rate i might not watch it at all LMAO or at the very least only watch the parts with team sonic#because my interest in this series is dropping every second and i already wasnt very interested in it.#and i love knuckles so you know theyre doing something wrong if knuckles getting his own series isnt interesting me#the thing about wade is i dont even hate the idea of human characters. i dont think its bad for human characters to be present#and i dont think its bad for them to be involved in the plot and have relationships with the existing sonic characters#i personally didnt mind the wedding subplot in the second movie and i know a lot of people hated it#but. it becomes a problem when the random humans are overshadowing the characters people are actually here to see#like the show is literally called knuckles and all the marketing focuses on knuckles but its mostly about wade. allegedly.#and . i wouldnt have minded knuckles having a human costar. but again. they should be getting equal or less focus not more.#and also. its fucking wade who cares about wade enough to want this. would have been more forgiving if it was maddie or jojo or something#because i actually care about those characters. and also theyre not cops#for a moment i was willing to believe that the complaints about wade having way more screentime than knuckles#were a little exaggerated since a lot of people just get mad when the human characters have any screentime at all#but then i saw the article showing that knuckles really did show up for less than half the show and i was like Ummm. What#sorry for being so negative lately#its just that every new piece of info we get about upcoming scu projects has me like that reaction image of the guy holding a cigarette#like WHAT ARE THEY DOINGGGGGGG
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yanderes-galore · 4 months
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Yandere Platonic Shadow the hedgehog(Boom) with reader being controlled by Lyric
I'm not familiar with Sonic Boom, but I watched cutscenes from Rise of Lyric and Shattered Crystal so hopefully that'll do?
Yandere! Platonic! Boom! Shadow with Darling controlled by Lyric
Pairing: Platonic
Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Violence, Overprotective behavior, Murder, Blood, Dubious companionship.
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Well, if Shadow was mad when he found out Lyric was controlling him... he'd be even more mad if you were under his control too.
Boom! Shadow is probably the most aggressive version of Shadow I've seen.
He's blunt, aggressive, uncaring, and arrogant.
He disposes of anyone who gets in his way.
He's selfish and out of ant of the Boom characters, he may be the most likely to kill.
He lacks a general interest in anything and often acts calm when not pursuing a goal.
Shadow is independent and sees friendship as a weakness...
Despite this Shadow and you have managed to form something similar to a friendship with each other.
You allow him to do his own thing and he has soft spot towards you.
Shadow has also been shown to be vengeful.
He hates that Lyric controlled him and focuses on getting revenge for it.
That makes him bad enough.
But when he sees that very same mind control device on you?
Team Sonic notes that it looks like something snaps in Shadow when he sees such a thing.
Shadow always tries to downplay your friendship to others.
He feels he's superior to you like he is with Sonic, he doesn't care about friendship.
Yet he blows off such a facade the moment he sees you in such a state.
He wastes no time breaking off the device from your head and smashing and robots that come near you.
It's like there's a feral anger in his eyes when he walks away from the rubble.
You're stunned and surprised when Shadow stands over you.
He checks to see if anyone is looking before helping you up.
"Lyric did this to you, didn't he?"
You don't even need to answer, he already knows.
Shadow may not be the most caring character but he does check in on you.
He now has another reason to get revenge on Lyric.
Although before he leaves, he unexpectedly pulls you into a hug.
He's shaking in what you assume to be anger... yet it's also relief.
He's happy you're no longer controlled.
Shadow would hide you somewhere you can't be hurt before heading off to take on Lyric.
You can imagine that after you being hurt, not just Shadow, Lyric is in for a wild time.
I have a feeling Shadow isn't going to settle for just throwing the snake out of an airlock.
He plans to beat him to a pulp... he wants to stain his gloves in the blood of that snake...
He wants him dead.
Sonic may try to stop him, but Shadow pushes him aside.
No... Lyric will pay.
He will pay with his life.
By the time Shadow comes back, who knows what state he's in?
Maybe he comes back covered in blood?
You don't know if you want to ask what happened or not.
Does it make it any better when he tells you he took care of the issue for you?
His quills are covered in the stuff... his gloves are too...
His eyes... they stare into you with a cooling rage and... adoration.
"You're safe now."
His grin is smug... he's satisfied with what he's done.
You stare at him terrified.
"He can't hurt you anymore... you're lucky to have someone like me, aren't you?"
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thankskenpenders · 7 months
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Unsure if you’ve answered this anywhere before (sorry if you have!) but! what are your thoughts on Lanolin if you’ve been keeping up with IDW?
Lanolin's been kind of a fascinating addition to the cast to me, now that she's been promoted to the main cast. I kind of love that Lanolin is unambiguously one of the heroes, but she's also, like... not very nice? But she's also not an antihero like Shadow. She's just a different type of hero than most of Sonic's friends. It would have been so easy to just make her the cute friendly sheep girl, but I think she's led to some really interesting internal and external conflicts by having such a different mindset from everyone else.
Sonic is a very Power Of Friendship type series, and most of the recurring heroes are friends with each other. IDW's heroes have slotted right into that. Tangle wants to be everyone's friend. Whisper is extremely introverted due to her past, but the point is to show her making new friends. Belle's in a similar boat. And Jewel got roped into the series because she was already Tangle's best friend.
And then you've got Lanolin, who's not really here to make friends. She's here to work. She wants to do good in the world, which is why she joined the Restoration... and then the Metal Virus Saga happened. Now she's tired and kind of jaded about all of it. She's a cog in the machine whose power is limited, having neither crazy superpowers like Sonic's friends nor any real structural power within the Restoration. So where Tangle wants to go on fun adventures and Whisper's (understandably) weighed down by her personal vendetta with Mimic, Lanolin is this third wheel who doesn't particularly care about any of that and just wants to keep the team focused on doing their job.
I can kind of understand why some might be put off by this new dynamic if they were fans of the way Tangle and Whisper operated before. But personally, I think it shakes things up in a really interesting way. I could easily see a world where Mimic's return felt like a retread of the Tangle & Whisper miniseries, but Lanolin has helped push things in a new direction. She feels like our representative of the rank and file grunts of the Restoration, and the embodiment of the responsibilities that being part of the Restoration entail. Tangle and Whisper can't just go off and do their own thing all the time anymore. For Tangle especially, it feels like the formation of the new Diamond Cutters is forcing her to grow up a little. The Restoration can't always just be this fun secret club where she gets to go on adventures with her girlfriend. It's a job.
But Lanolin's not infallible, of course. She's frequently wrong, and that leads to conflict. But I understand where she's coming from and why she is the way she is, and that makes her an interesting contrast to everyone else. She's also clearly still growing as a character, and learning how to work as a team without just seeing Tangle and Whisper as people to boss around. I'm sure that whenever she learns that Whisper really was right about Duo being Mimic in disguise, that's going to be a BIG moment for Lanolin, and I'm excited to see how that informs her continued evolution as a character.
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tenebraevesper · 16 days
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Shadow in TailsTube
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I'm probably late to the conversation, and I wasn't really going to address this in the first place, but this was on my mind lately (mainly after re-watching SonicHub's video on the matter) and I was left wondering - do people really hate Shadow's portrayal in TailsTube?
Because I will be honest, I was completely fine with it... which might come as a surprise to some, because you're probably aware just how much I hate the idea of Vegeta!Shadow.
Except, I re-watched the whole Tailstube episode again, and while Shadow does have an edge to him, it's not that bad as people imply it to be. In fact, I found Shadow banter with Sonic charming, and it genuinely baffled me when I saw comments about how this episode supposedly shows that Shadow ''hates'' Sonic.
Nowhere in the episode did Shadow say that he hates Sonic. In fact, it's Sonic who points out they never really get along and Shadow agrees that from the moment they met they've been at odds - which is TRUE! We saw it in Sonic Adventure 2 and canon establishes, even in shows like Sonic Prime, that Sonic and Shadow will always be at odds even when they work together due to their differing approaches to a situation.
I know that there was also Shadow's comment of ''And yet when you're near me, I feel repulsed.'', but that was a response to Sonic's comment of ''I don't know. I think my magnetic personality is quite attractive.'', which frankly reads more as Sonic flirting with Shadow and Shadow just firing back a response.
As a matter of fact, the whole Tailstube episode really reads more like SEGA is leaning into the Sonadow relationship, especially with Tails' comment of ''opposites attract'' and the fact that, despite their banter, Shadow and Sonic have a lot of respect for each other and Sonic even trolls Shadow a bit.
Not only that, but we also saw Sonic and Shadow agreeing with each other that they would work together for the sake of saving the world, as well as a bit of their rivalry/competitiveness when Tails gets them to compliment each other. Furthermore, Shadow's the one who challenges Sonic to a race, meaning that he's fine with spending time with Sonic.
In the end, my conclusion is that SEGA's direction of Shadow's character is to write him as a tsundere - being aloof and irritable on the outside, but also caring and kind on the inside, which is a direction I'd agree on... so long as they show a bit more of his deredere side, because we already see plenty of the tsuntsun side of him.
#Sonic Cyber Revolution (Masterlist)
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ratrrriot · 8 months
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i would like to hear what you have to say on what nine symbolizes in terms of sonic and tails' bond :0
OK SO
You know how Sonic and Tails are very different,but the same when it comes to their core values? it’s easy to see that their approach to situations and their ways of thinking/expressing themselves are nothing alike. How sonic lives as a nomad while Tails has chosen to build homes for himself, or how Sonic trusts his instincts while Tails trust his intelligence. How one relies on his body while the other relies on his creations,How one is confident but impulsive and the other is careful but doubtful,etc,etc. But it's because of what they have in common that these differences allow them to complement each other as teammates and as people: They both have big hearts,love adventure and view the world as something beautiful and worth protecting. This perfect mix of characteristics is what makes them inseparable.
And here's the thing: Many of us see them as friends who have a brotherly bond ,right? and at least in my case,i think that's because the fact that they met when they were so young led them to shape their identities together the same way many brothers do while growing up. They have influenced each-other,thats why they have the same worldview. They have gone through so many of the same experiences through the years and know eachother so well that at this point they look like they originated from the same place, as if they had been together since the start of their lives or raised by the same people,neither being true. This is what makes their relationship be so indestructible, A backbone of shared experiences is what gave birth to their unbreakable bond.
NOW, THIS IS WHY NINE IS SO INTERESTING. Nine is truly, COMPLETELY different from Sonic,and he can't be like a brother to him because they just met. Even if they already have perceptions of one another and formed a friendship quite easily based on the kindness Sonic showed him, Sonic can't expect Nine to have the same worldviews and core values as him and Tails because he comes from another world, one that didn't have a Sonic until now,one that made him go through completely different experiences and that ,by consequence , shaped him in a completely different way. What prime! Sonic needs to realize is that for them to understand each other,he needs to stop expecting him to complement him the way Tails does and make an effort to find some common ground instead. Form a new,different bond and a new way to enhance each other.
Nine's whole character is challenging Sonic to prove that his and Tail's friendship is truly a “cosmic truth” ,as Ian Flynn once said. That they aren't the best of friends just because they grew up together,but because something deep inside them connects them beyond that day Sonic saved him from the bullies. If he manages to form a bond with Nine, then they will have proven that he didn't just found Tails because of proximity, but because of some kind of force of destiny, and that he could save him in any world if necessary, no matter how late.
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pyjamaart · 2 months
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Breaking Bot (read more for some rambling about mega man fully charged)
Mega Man Fully Charged has been on my mind again lately, which made me realize that there's literally a robot named Chemistryman who worked as a chemistry teacher. Not using him as a Walter White stand-in would be a criminal offense.
I'll have to admit I started getting back into Fully Charged again after seeing some asshole on twitter complain about the character design for the hundredth time. I just can't stand that kind of negativity. I swear to god, Fully Charged is like the Sonic Boom of the Mega Man franchise. Personally, I really enjoy the FC designs. I've probably said this before, but I feel like the redesigns give some of the more forgettable robot masters way more character. Like, do I care for Classic Drillman from Mega Man 4? I mean, yeah, I do, but I wouldn't care as much if it wasn't for his Fully Charged incarnation.
I also really enjoy most of the original robot masters. I already talked plenty about Blastowoman and why I love her so much, but I want to talk about the others this time.
Take for example Chemistryman. Comparisons to Walter White out of the way, I feel like his character was a really fun idea. God knows I had teachers who put me to sleep back in the day. For me, it wasn't chemistry though, it was my economics teacher. I always compared her to a story teller at a Christmas market who would read children stories out of her big fairy tale book. Only that in reality, it was stuff like the minimization/maximization principle. Most of my notes for that class were incomprehensible chicken scratch, because I just couldn't keep my eyes open. In the end, I slept through like half her classes, lol. But I gotta say that I still always got a B or higher in the end. Somehow. I thank god every day that I never have to step foot in a school again.
I really wish Chemistryman got a little more time to shine though. Two episodes is just way too little. I would gladly take three more episodes with him over those gross Gutsman episodes. I know I love talking about wasted potential with this show, but I wish there was an episode that focused on Chemistryman outside of the school setting. I get that his whole character is "boring, bitter teacher", but I'd really like to see what he gets up to when he's not trying to force children to listen to his chemistry lectures. Like having Aki try to talk him into going into retirement for good. And then he tries to find hobbies for him so that he doesn't bore himself to death. I can see him getting into building model ships or something like that, lol.
Now that I'm already writing up a storm again, I might as well talk about some other headcanons I have about the FC bots. Since Woodman was in sleep mode for 30 years after the war ended (I don't know where I got that number from. I rewatched his debut episode, but the exact number doesn't appear anywhere. Oh well, let's just pretend this is canon, even if it isn't.) we got kind of a Shadow the Hedgehog type situation on our hands. All of his friends and family got to live their lives in this new, peaceful world of harmony between robots and humans, while Woodman spent 30 years powered down in a bush or something. Completely forgotten about. Like, why didn't they go look for him after the war ended? I don't think Aki and Suna wandered that far into the forest for their school assignment. If you really think about Woodmans back story for a moment, you realize how fucked up it actually is. 
Now my explanation for this goes into heavy heavy headcanon territory. When Suna calls the principal about Woodman, he warns her that Woodman is dangerous and to get away from him immediately. Now why would he say that? The principal also calls him "ruthless" in that same explanation. What I think happened back then was that Woodman actually planned to assassinate the human armies leader. (Possibly Sgt. Night?) The leader of the robots caught wind of his plan and put him into sleep mode himself, since he and Dr. Light were on the brink of finding a way to end the war peacefully. In my mind, this leader is the FC version of Swordman. Don't ask me why, he was just the first guy I thought of. And then it just stuck.
I know this makes Woodmans back story even more fucked up, but I just love putting my favorite blorbos through hardship. Don't even ask me about my headcanons for Drillman. They'd actually put me in prison.
Now all this culminates after Woodman is reactivated by Suna and Aki. Finding himself alienated from all his former friends and comrades (Maybe the other Mega Man 2 robot masters?), what was he supposed to do? He couldn't spend the rest of his life isolated (and homeless) in the forest, could he? And this is where season 2 could have delivered. But I'm done whining about that. If Capcom doesn't deliver, I gotta write my own season 2. Simple as that.
Anyway, getting back to Chemistryman, since he's pretty old, I imagine that he was already working as a teacher when Woodman was still around. Maybe he even was his teacher at some point.
And since I love having my favorite characters interact, I also thought of a scenario where Drillman wanders into the forest out of frustration over his miserable life, only to meet Woodman by coincidence. In the end, Woodman helps him work through his daddy issues and his body dysmorphia, while Drillman helps Woodman reintegrate and manage this (for him) completely new world of peace. Another great headcanon of mine is that Chemistryman is actually Acidmans father. Just because I think it would be funny. And as Fully Charged has confirmed: robots in that universe do indeed have parents. (Flashback to the time I drew Dr. Light beating the shit out of Drillman's father)
Speaking of Drillman.... For being one of my favorite Mega Man characters of all time, I haven't drawn him nearly enough. That will probably be my next project.
This might also be a great time to tell you that I've never watched Breaking Bad before, lol. Everything I know about it comes from RTGame's Stardew Valley playthrough and the RTVS Half Life parody.
Sorry for all the yapping. But if I don't talk about robots at least once a day, I might die. This is a serious condition.
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vivyen-qwq · 2 months
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Can we please talk about Knuckles history/ past?
I just saw a tick tock video, which topping was sad history and showed pictures of Movie Sonic, Tails, Knuckles (and that fanmade movie Shadow version).
That made me think.
When I was a kid, I always saw Knuckles as my favorite character because he was cool, red, and strong. But today, he is my favorite because of his sad story. And I personally think that he has the most sadest story of all Sonic characters. Allow me to explain:
1. He has no real family. His entire race died because they wanted to use the Chaos and the Master Emerald for evil stuff. They all died, and Tikal sacrificed herself to seal Chaos. So Knuckles had to grow up by himself, hunting/ finding food, without a mother or father or anyone, all by himself, alone for 16 years. I mean, yes, the little Chaos are there to keep him company, but they can't talk or take care of him much of him.
2. His feelings: He is naive and believed Eggman several times and teamed up with him, despite knowing that Eggman was evil, but still tried to see the good in him, which was all for nothing, because Eggman used him. Then we have Rouge, the flying bat thieve who is trying to get the Master Emerald. She would fight and flirt her way through to get what she wanted and now image. This boy never had someone to love him, so he doesn't really know what love is (I guess) and now imagine how it would feel to have a girl flirting with you, but not being sure if she is serious about this or just wants the Master Emerald. This makes Knuckles even more insecure than he already is because he is constantly alarmed when someone calls out Rouges' name like we saw in the Tails tube video.
3. Angel Island: Like I mentioned in the first point, Knuckles' ancestors wanted to use the power of chaos for evil stuff, so Knuckles wants to fix his ancestor's mistakes by guarding and protecting the island without any help from others. But the problem is, if he doesn't take the other's help, then he will never be free from that burden. Everyone can be on earth and go wherever they desire, but he can't. He is trapped on the island because he knows that no one except him will guard the Master Emerald without even a "thank you". A lot of people are not seeing how much Knuckles does to protect others by staying on Angel Island and protecting that Emerald.
Also, he is the only one who can communicate with the M.E. to neutralize the Chaos Emeralds' power. He will forever be bound to that big responsibility, whether he likes it or not. He is never going to be free, and he knows it. That's why he sees no real purpose in life except for having fun and doing your best (what he said in the Twitter takeover). I mean, yes, he leaves the island to watch "One Punch Man" at Cream's and Vanilas' place, but guess who will probably use that to his advantage: Eggman.
4. His friends: Sonic seems to be the only one who really cares about Knuckle's lonelynes. When they had that short, deep talk during Frontiers, Sonic said that his friends were there to support him. But in the last Twitter takeover, when it was mentioned that Knuckles had a fan, he talked very low of himself, seeing himself as a character who doesn't or shouldn't have fans. Sonic told him to be nicer to his fans, and Amy asked him about his personality, where he replied that everything sucks. It was quite obvious that Knuckles spoke very low of himself, but Tails tried to brush him off.
Why wouldn't his friends try to be more supporting, maybe saying that it wasn't really his fault? Or trying to make him see the good things in himself?
Like, Tails got into a big group hug when they were told that Tails didn't have a home back then. Or when they talk about Maria when Shadow is there, it is a sensitive topping, and they are making sure not to hurt Shadow's feelings. Or when Sonic had that dream about him saving the city and no one noticing, they gave him therapy.
But Knuckles doesn't get that treatment?
Yes, Sonic talked to him in Frontiers, but why not in the takeover? Why not get more support for him?
So yeah, that's what I've been thinking.
Knuckles sure had some character development, but it doesn't change his history or the fact that he will forever have to stay on the floating island.
I really would like it if someone stayed by his side and visited him sometimes so Knuckle could have some rest or simply would have someone to talk to for at least once in a while.
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bluebunnyears-08 · 1 year
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Why Nine is The Secondary Protagonist in Sonic Prime
I recently made an appreciation post about this edgy little fella, however, when I rewatch the show (yes I rewatch it several times daily, so what?) I feel the cogs in my brain turn and create several theories. Looking back at Nine, I realized he will be one of the BIG characters, not the big (relevant to the plot and development), but the BIG (really fucking important).
As in MIGHT BE THE DEUTERAGONIST type of BIG.
Sonic is the protagonist, as he usually is in his games, however, Nine is another huge character who is not only crucial to the plot but might also twist the plot as well.
A deuteragonist is an essential secondary character in a narrative, second only to the protagonist, and may act like a constant companion or someone who aids the protagonist. However, the deuteragonist can change from helping the protag to actively opposing them, depending on their own conflict or plot.
Nine already proves to be a huge character in Sonic Prime, however, in the first batch of episodes, Shadow does somewhat take up some of this role. However, he might change to become a tritagonist in future episodes. Someone who helps the protagonist, is the third most important character, and often the third member of the group.
So Nine might be the TRUE deuteragonist and I DO have a list of reasons why I think so.
So, with that said, let's begin.
1. He is already established to be an important character
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From the first moment we meet him, we already know he's going to be a very important character in the plot. He fixes up Sonic's shoes and gloves figures out how to use a shard to open a portal, and is a very formidable ally. He is an important character to keep the plot going and to help explain the plot. However, it's not like those Sonic games, where he's just there to explain the plot. He HAS a character and personality, he's not just a cardboard cutout.
He HAS depth and complexity to him. Something I can appreciate considering the past media of any version of Tails the past years (not including Frontiers, that game was amazing). He's also obviously going to continue to be an important character in season two as well.
2. He's a very engaging character
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Let's all admit it: Nine is the most interesting character in Sonic Prime. Not just because of his mindset of "get this however you can no matter what" and "do whatever it takes and needs to survive". Not just that but his snarky and cold personality combined with his nine-tailed badassery just makes him an engaging and enjoyable character.
The things he does can leave people scrambling for answers. Why exactly did he change his mind about helping the rebels? What is he planning? What is going on in that fluffy head of his?
So many questions that leave us waiting with anticipation for the next batch of episodes for answers.
3. People can relate to his trauma
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Nine's backstory is what we expected, but that doesn't mean it holds back punches. Without Sonic to defend him from bullies, without Sonic to care for him and take him in, he learned to trust and look out only for himself. It's a sad backstory and it explains why he's so guarded and aloof all the time.
I've read posts that state they relate deeply to Nine and can immerse themselves in his character with empathy. I can confirm as being a victim of abuse. He's aggressive and snarky because he has walls, walls that he put up to never get hurt again. He doesn't try to justify himself in his backstory, stating he "wasn't minding his surroundings" instead of "I didn't know" or "it wasn't my fault" he shows signs of a sort of self-resentment. Again, I can relate SO MUCH to, thinking that I could've prevented it and holding myself responsible for not doing anything, that I could've stopped it from happening.
Those who suffer or have suffered can see themselves in Nine, and as a result, the sorrow we feel for him can hit harder if we know what it was like.
4. We don't know where his character is going to end up
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Another bunch of posts I've seen about Nine is that we legitimately don't know where his character is going to end up. He's muddled deep in his mystery and inner turmoil that we can't see the deep end of what he's going to be. A hero? A villain? An Anti-hero?
Just what's going to happen to him?!
He has a plan but what is it?
5. He's the most controversial character
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Nine's intentions and character have been put in many perspectives on what people think he's planning, what he's going to be, why he does certain things, whether he cares for Sonic or not, whether he trusts Sonic or not, and MORE.
He's been theorized and twisted into what people think about him and what he's going to do. In my opinion, if a character does this to a community, you KNOW you're doing something right. Controversial characters are very mysterious and morally ambiguous, you don't truly know why they do the things they do or what they plan, but you have your own ideas on what might happen and other people do too, despite them possibly being different from yours.
Controversy (WHEN NOT LEADING TO VIOLENCE AND DEATH THREATS) is very fun and interesting. Reading people's thoughts even if they differ from your own, with the possibility that they might change your own theories is a very enlightening and interesting thing!
6. He has a completely opposite goal to Sonic
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It's very clear that Sonic and Nine have different goals that clash with each other. Sonic, being the all-loving hero he is, wants to return home and see his true friends again, not to mention help and protect the other shatter spaces. Nine on the other hand wants to make a new home, a world with just him and Sonic and nobody else, not caring for the other shatter spaces or anybody else.
Their goals clash with each other and can't be fulfilled at the same time. Nine's goal includes only him and Sonic and no one else. Sonic's goal includes others, not to mention these two are from two completely different universes.
It's clear these two, no matter how close they are, won't give up their goal for the other, so unless their willing to compromise, it might lead to something bigger.
7. His goal separates him from other variations of himself and others
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While he is just another variation of one of the main characters, his goal of achieving something beyond his own universe along with keeping Sonic differentiated from the other main variations who want something within their own shatter space. Thorn wanted to keep the jungle from being destroyed, and Dread wanted the shard out of greed, the rebels want to put the council out of power and take back their land, the jungle variants wanted to eat and live among the jungle again, and the pirates are just typical pirates.
Unlike the others, whose goals can be achieved in their universes, Nine wants nothing to do with his own. Like Sonic, Nine's goal is related to the shatter space.
8. Nine truly has no one EXCEPT Sonic
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Another thing to differentiate him from the other versions of himself and the main cast is how Nine has nothing to lose. Other versions of him have a group of the main cast, hell even Rusty Rose finds herself valued (not sentimentally but still) and useful to the council. Nine, however, has nobody until this bright blue hedgehog told him about a life he could've had, a life Sonic gave to his other self.
So it's no wonder he took the very person who can give him the same life to a new shatter space. He wants that desperately. It's no wonder he doesn't show an interest in getting Sonic home anymore, if he does that, the chance of having the life he always wanted, that hope, would be gone forever. I don't think Nine's going to let that happen easily.
9. Everyone roots for him and wants him to be happy
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There are zero people that don't want him to achieve his goal of love and happiness. Not just for the fact that he's a version of a character we're already emotionally invested in, but also because Nine is his own person. He's still a person who was horribly abused to the point of being jaded and cold.
Seeing him smile or show comfort really melts my heart cause this kid deserves SO MUCH! I know you all agree. But it is depressing to remember that Sonic NEEDS to go back and restore his world, he'll have to leave Nine behind. I don't think they're going to go with Sonic taking Nine with him because of what might happen with the whole "they can't see each other" stuff.
And with how stubborn and desperate Nine is...
I'm curious about how they figure this out and resolve this.
10. He might affect the plot
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A protagonist is not just the lead character who pushes the plot along, they also affect and can possibly change the plot as well. Sonic already kicked off the plot, it's possible for Nine to affect it in a BIG way. This can lead to a LOT of possibilities when you consider that. We KNOW he has a plan and it has something to do with the Chaos Council capturing him. This fact can lead to a LOT of interpretations.
Well, that was my list of how Nine might be the deuteragonist of Sonic Prime in the future. Thanks for reading and I hope you have a lovely day <3
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subjectsmile · 5 months
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Well, I saw this question posted on Reddit, and I really thought it was an interesting question.(Letting it be clear, I'm not doing this to convert anyone, much less to attack, but because I'm tired of reading so many lies just to hide an obvious prejudice on the part of the fan base,and for the Sonadow fan, do you have arguments to refute these fans who take your peace, just search, this post has everything you need to deny these false fan statements)
And I decided to read the reasons why people attacked Sonadow/fans and to the surprise of 0 people, these were the justifications for attacking those who like the ship (I'll just summarize it in sentences)
"They hate each other, they don't even like each other, it doesn't make sense"
"they are both enemies"
"The people who ship this have enemies-to-lovers fetishes"
"there is no chemistry, people ship characters who only fight"
I think it goes without saying that nowadays these excuses have already been killed and buried by their current canons, right? And from what I've seen, this post is at most 7 to 8 months old, that is... is it serious that there are still people who really believe these lies? Or are they just empty excuses for not admitting that prejudice is the real reason for the attacks on this fandom and this ship? Anyway, I'm posting this to clarify what's true and what's not, making it clear I'm not trying to convince anyone, I'm just exposing the lies of uninformed fans
I responded to this person's post and made a point of gathering all the official evidence refuting these false excuses that the fandom gives to say such nonsense about the characters and attack the fandom:
They both don't have Chemical?: Sonic Prime is living proof that the two are incredible as a duo,the voice actors of Sonic and Shadow admitted that they think their ship is really cool (this on Twitter), Ian Flynn and whoever animates Sonic Prime They practically implied that they think it's a good ship too (in Ian's case he made a podcast on his YouTube Talking about how Sonadow would work as a couple during Pride Month, he practically confirmed that the two work well together in Cannon ) Of course, even after all this, depending on your personal taste, you might not like their chemistry, and that's okay, you don't have to, but saying that the two of them don't really resonate it's a lie
Do they both hate each other?: No! It has been denied several times, quite the opposite, if they care about each other it is canonical that they both care about each other
Enemies?: Also a lie! It exists in several products and interviews making it clear that they friends and allies! (Also a lie from an annoying or uninformed fan)
In other words, most of the excuses used to attack this ship have already been officially denied, for me all that remains is the prejudice of the fandom as a justification for attacking those who ship both.
And before someone annoying comes and says I'm lying, I have sources for what I'm talking about!
Proof that the two never hated each other, that is, they don't spread lies around, do some research first (Honorable mention for Sonic Prime, with this series I can dig into the argument that they two don't hate each other, go watch the series) but for those who aren't satisfied with Sonic Prime : https://sonic.sega.jp/SonicChannel/special/sidestory/coverstory/20210628_002603/
https://twitter .com/LadyLoveMoon/status/1737503549842485703
https://x.com/LadyLoveMoon/status/1657854808273965056?s=20
https://youtu.be/yJ8boVrPHEc?si=bCBrhNnsV5C9JJeq
https://www.tumblr.com/pastelspindash/ 735274368949698560/trazendo isso de volta porque não posso parar de pensar? ?source=share https://www.tumblr.com/ratjamtime/730643439809593344?source=share
Scenes from Sonic prime showing Shadow's care for Sonic:
Wow, what a bloodthirsty rivalry the two have, can you see the hatred in both of them? I can:
Are they rivals? They are, but they are friendly rivals, that is VERY CLEAR IN YOUR FACE, even in the Shadow game One scene is enough to prove that "hate" is definitely not what they have:
The voice actors of the two make it clear that they think the ship is cool (they make jokes and interact with the community (they even like things on the ship): Sonic voice actor previews the first release: https://x.com/DevenOClock/status/1631062456205299712?s=20
Even Sonic's former voice actor (Ryan Drummond) doesn't see a problem with the ship: https://www.tumblr.com/pastelspindash/734454772064714752/this-tiktok-driving-me-insane-ngl-they-are-so?source=share
Shadow voice actor:
https://x.com/IanStuartHanlin/status/1723764525843828828?s=20
https://x.com/paracosmicence/status/1736125901211902396?s=20
https://www.tumblr.com/krysissy/736943763953516544/it-was-probably-a-normal-tuesday-for-mr-hanlin?source=share
https://www.tumblr.com/niyana-the-ambiguous-mobian/733807770348011520/oh-my-gosh-ian-stop-playing-with-our-emotions-rn?source=share
https://www.tumblr.com/nesonkin/727469580436619264/good-evening-everyone?source=share
There is a statement from the two voice actors stating that they had fun dubbing the two of them together:
https://x.com/Drey_Blanc/status/1593535566288547840?s=20
Ian Flynn on Pride Month:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH46JnEUvZw
https://x.com/LadyLoveMoon/status/1676027477682946050?s=20
(The ship is so terrible that it was honored twice because it was so bad) Bonus: https://x.com/nenemyun/status/1703775474089132132?s=20
Sonic prime animators (The ship they referenced is so horrible): https://x.com/MAM_Imaginary_F/status/1679646368485494786?s=20 https://x.com/Lunatyk__/status/1677445528378900480?s=20
The animators hated the two-two scene so much that they posted it on Instagram: https://www.tumblr.com/corffee/734658327775215616/shadow-originally-had-his-eyes-open-i-repeat?source=share
Even Netflix Latinoamérica got into the ship's hype and interacted with the ship's fans (just so you can see how horrible the ship is): https://www.tumblr.com/tailstism/725737231497773056/oh-btw-for-people-who-dont-use-tiktok-i-just?source=share
The ship is so toxic it's bad, that even Jason Griffith paid homage to the ship for a fan,wow what a terrible ship, my god!: https://www.tumblr.com/paracosmicessence/733796577422016512/this-absolute-legend?source=share https://x.com/LadyLoveMoon/status/1723715163436536043?s=20
Even the mascot got in on the fun once: https://www.tumblr.com/shadthemadlad/731770142653136896?source=share
Even Discord doesn't see a problem with that, who knew:
https://x.com/mouseygalore/status/1736922478323106214?s=20
Anyway, turning off sarcasm mode, just stop making up lies and false excuses to hate a ship and attack people who like it just because it's not what you like, don't be a bad fan and above all
(stop creating reasons that don't exist to hide your internal prejudice, let the fans enjoy their ships in peace,If even the big names I mentioned ships sonadow and have normal fun with the ship then why do fans have to be criticized for having this taste for ships too? let everyone be happy in their space )
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gofancyninjaworld · 3 months
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Meta for the Ninja Arc (so far)
I thought about reviewing the chapters 195-202 (fan numbering), but summarising the action was annoying me, so let's just skip to the good stuff! This arc has been a grower: what it lacks in up-front showiness it makes up for in depth once you take the time to reread and think about it. I'm just going to pick up on a few things.
Recontextualisation
I have been thinking a lot about how much what we make of the information we receive depends on what we already understand [1]. I've written a bit about ONE's use of salience within the story. This arc though, I'm going to talk about recontextualisation and how important it is to be able to look back and understand events and even people anew in the light of new information.
This has been a huge thing for Flashy Flash. Many years ago, he and Sonic sneaked into a forbidden section of their village and saw many strange things that made no sense to them at the time. It's only very recently, after hearing about the enemy that is 'God' and Blast's efforts to counter him (chapter 173) that things started to make sense to him.
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It's only after seeing Gale Wind and Hellfire Flame, not as monsters, but as the former security guards who had trounced them for trespassing that 'where' he'd seen the cube before came back to Flashy Flash, as did the significance of the sights they'd seen. And then it all started to fall into place, reinforced by his going back to the Village to find it destroyed in what he had now come to recognise as Blast's signature attack pattern.
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Of course, Flashy Flash has terminal Main Character Syndrome, so he's tried to organise things so that he's the one who takes down Empty Void and reaps the accolades. It's kinda backfired but we'll come back to that in a bit.
There's another bit of recontextualisation that is not so explicit but I think is just as important. It's clear that the Tenninto were no match for Flash and that he could have killed them any time. It's also been established that Flash has never hesitated to kill anyone who came after him. It's been his policy after all. So what gives in his sudden rush to mercy?
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As the chapters have gone on, it's become clear that Flashy Flash has come to see the Tenninto as fellow victims of Evil Void's dehumanising process intended to turn them into potential vessels for 'God'. Something else that Flashy Flash is probably responding to is that rehabilitating Village members was once Sonic's dream, and there's a part of him that would love nothing more than to help make it happen. Of course, if you point that out to him he'll tell you to stop being stupid.
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It's amazing but Flash is outraged at the way he and his fellow victims are seen as things to be used, abused, and discarded as Void pleases, and he's looking to get justice for all of them.
Ah yes, Sonic. It's been clear that Sonic has been a much better friend to Flash than he has to Sonic, and yet, yet it would seem that Sonic is the one person he cares most deeply about: anything bad happening to Sonic would devastate him. He just has a funny way of showing it.
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An irresistible vision. To think that in his heart, this is what Flashy Flash most wants.
We hope he comes to do better.
Insight
Let's talk about Sonic now. For many years now I have been hoping that something would happen to shock Sonic out of his futile rounds of attacking Saitama, being beaten by Saitama, training maniacally, attacking Saitama... his world has become very small and circular, like a round circle.
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I had fantasised about maybe Genos grabbing him mid-attack and stuffing him into a narratively-convenient bin without so much as breaking stride. Something so outrageous that he could no longer ignore the need for him to change. The webcomic has sidestepped solving this problem by gifting Sonic some magic scrolls and a sword and just not having him cross paths with Saitama again. The manga is tackling the problem head-on.
Something I have loved, loved, loved about ONE is that he hasn't hesitated to give characters what they've earned. There's been enough morons bellyaching about the two not being neck-and-neck in skill like they were in the webcomic. Sonic's not weak in the manga -- Flashy Flash has experienced more battles and has had to struggle and learn more and so he's been able to progress to the point that he's left his friend in the dust.
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Translation: The Back Of A Friend I Once Stood Shoulder-to-Shoulder With. There'd have been a lot less bellyaching if the translators had translated this bit.
That's the shock Sonic needed to open his eyes to the stupidity of his actions. More than that shock, seeing what Flashy Flash has been able to achieve has given Sonic the inspiration to strive for, achieve, and surpass what Flash has accomplished. His fire is back in a good way.
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More than that though, the disrespectful way in which Sonic was offered more monster cells rather than a more interesting vision peaks to two things, external and internal.
Externally, it speaks to the way that we tend to think that people are only what they first show us while we understand ourselves to be complex creatures with many competing moods and wishes. Empty Void had heard that Sonic had once reached for a monster cell and assumed that he knew the sort of guy Sonic was: someone whose inferiority complex was such that he'd reach for any offer of power. But of course, that's not Sonic. Sonic has been the stubbornest person ever, who has been able to keep his sense of self despite the Village's best efforts. He reached for a monster cell because even the strongest person can despair, at least for a while.
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Internally, man, the bleakness of Sonic's life is such that he doesn't have anyone to offer him a nice fresh monster cell and the monster cells must perforce cook themselves to offer themselves to him... he looks to no one and believes in none. That's painful to see.
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When we think of how close he and Flash used to be, the bitterness of his mocking the prisoners for depending on each other grows sharper every time we learn a bit more about him. I don't know if he'll ever forgive Flash for betraying him.
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Yes, there's a betrayal right on screen now: that of Blast by Empty Void. Blast thought they were in the business of putting God out of business but Void was using him to obtain cubes so as to raise an apostle of God.
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Longer Blast: I'm not mad. I'm just very, very, very disappointed.
That said, I'm not going to let Blast off the hook entirely. He has some explaining to do!
Complicity
Blast has a lot of explaining to do. Sure, he's been refreshingly honest about what he's been doing with monster experiments, and his link to 'That Man'.
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I have a feeling that Flash has been too quick to absolve Blast of blame.
We know that Blast and Empty Void went back at least 20 years. And yeah, we can just about buy that he didn't know his partner was fixing to betray him. However, given that we know that the Village takes young boys and that there were at least 43 graduating classes before Flashy Flash escaped years ago, that means that the Village had been a thing for at least 50 years. How long has Blast known about Empty Void's activities? Did he turn a blind eye to it? Or was it not a problem until it bit him in the ass? [2] What else is Blast permitting that shouldn't be?
We need answers.
I am very invested in seeing how this arc ends and what else it'll lead to.
Asides
[1] A very neat non-fictional example: this man escaping from his pursuers by lying down and thus changing their understanding of him to 'homeless guy'.
[2] A part of me notes that Blast falling out with Empty Void and beating the shit out of him coincides neatly with the time Blast's son was born. Maybe shit became a bit too real for him to ignore.
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sonknuxadow · 2 months
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sorry would people get mad at me if i said idk how i feel about the idea of movie sonic and knuckles as brothers. like it already feels like theyre implying it so if they do officially state it in the knuckles series or third movie i wouldnt be surprised or angry and seething and trying to argue theyre not brothers or anything. id just accept it and move on its an alternate universe with different takes on the characters and doesnt affect the games so its whatever. but it does feel kinda odd because like. i love found family as much as the next guy but sonic and knuckles have never been so much as implied to view eachother as brothers in any game or comic or tv show or anything even the stuff that has them written wildly different from their game counterparts so its like . why are we doing this all of a sudden. if you wanna do it in fan content whatever but .. officially...? also i just like sonic and knuckles better as friends/rivals sorry
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yanderes-galore · 4 months
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What do you think of this idea? A concept for the Sonics (classic and modern) romantically sharing a reader who's already modern Sonic's lover. It happens in Sonic Origins, it even starts like the game, with the Time Eater invading modern Sonic's birthday party and trapping everyone in the void, including the reader. The events of the game happens normally, but now the reader has two Sonics being overly protective of them.
(I like the idea of ​​the reader not existing in Classic's timeline/universe, which motivates him to stay with his older version and his new lover. As they are the same people, i don't think they would fight for the reader, right?)
I'm assuming you meant Sonic Generations? Because that's the plot of Generations, not Origins (I've never seen Origins). I'll give my thoughts on this!
I refer to the Sonics as Modern and Classic in this.
Yandere! Modern/Classic Sonic Sharing a Darling
Pairing: Romantic - Sharing
Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Overprotective behavior, Manipulation, You're in an actual relationship with Modern but Classic is experiencing puppy love, Dubious relationship.
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To start things off, you're already in a relationship with Modern.
It's consensual, there's no yandere behavior developing quite yet.
You join the others to celebrate Modern's birthday.
Everything goes fine at first!
You greet Modern, he greets you with a spinning hug.
Modern cares a ton for you, his more yandere behavior has been dormant for awhile.
That is until the Time Eater makes its appearance and takes you all away.
You're then left in a void... unable to move... with no sense of time.
By the time you wake up you're greeted by two Sonics and two Tails.
It's shocking for you but you trust them.
What you don't know is this isn't the only change.
Modern's behavior is notably more clingy and Classic... Classic appears to feel a similar way despite not having a version of you in his universe.
I feel you're right when you say they wouldn't really fight.
I feel even if they did they quickly get over it.
They both have the same goal of protecting you and caring for you, so why should they fight?
Plus... it's silly to fight with yourself, right?
Modern doesn't mind the crush Classic has on you.
It's a minor crush and I feel like it's more puppy love than anything in my mind.
Your relationship is still fully with Modern, but Classic does express some form of crush towards you.
I just feel this is more like the characters and is a tweak I made to the original ask.
You may not notice Classic's crush on you st first.
You just think he's naturally protective.
He may also just be clingy because his Modern self is, y'know?
You're mostly kept in the white hub area while the two Sonics try to fix time and space.
At the end of every fight they usually come back to meet you.
You're usually spending most of your time with the other saved friends.
Of course you great Modern with a hug and maybe a kiss like usual.
Although you notice Classic gets a bit upset so you end up greeting him with a hug too.
Group hugs end up happening with the two.
They both love you.
Which is what ends up making them both very protective.
Classic no doubt dreads the idea of going back to his universe.
He likes the idea of home with all his friends...
But there's no you.
There is no classic form of you!
As a result, he gets clingier.
The Sonics take turns spending time with you.
One Sonic takes time speeding through a level or boss, while the other one gets to spend time with you.
At first you think it's very cute.
Just two protective hedgehogs... you can blame them for being nervous in this situation.
They tell you to stay where you are for your safety, well... Modern does, Classic can't talk.
You think it's fine.
Things don't get bad until near the end.
Classic doesn't want to go home, Modern's suggesting he hangs out with the both of you for a little longer.
Classic has formed a relationship with you in his head, he isn't technically your boyfriend like Modern.
But Modern is no doubt enabling it to happen, making it seem like you're all together.
You start to catch on based on how Modern and Classic act.
You love Modern but really do think Classic should go home.
But Modern suggests he stays just a bit longer!
Surely you won't mind the extra protection?
Soon... you aren't sure if Classic is ever going home.
With how much the two hedgehogs cling to you, you're beginning to have doubts.
Even when you start falling out with Modern, you have a feeling you can't escape them both.
They're both obsessed...
You probably couldn't get rid of either of them if you tried... you're stuck with them... until the end of time and space.
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thankskenpenders · 1 year
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MORE behind the scenes Sonic info and other tidbits from the BumbleKast as I continue to get caught up. These range from September 2022 to early December. (This means there are spoilers for Frontiers in here.)
They're doing episodes even more often now, so I've got a lot to catch up on and I'm sure most of y'all do too!
1. The IDW comics are, in fact, canon to the games now. Ian was a little coy when first asked about it, saying he "would not argue against it" if people said the IDW comics were canon to the games now. "I have made it clear that the comics follow the lead of the games, so… as long as there's no contradictions anywhere, we're good." So, yeah, come on. The comics are canon.
2. Ian apparently pitched another idea for incorporating Sticks into the IDW series last year that was once again shot down, although he says this only makes him want to dig his heels in and try harder. (I'm assuming most of you are already aware of her shout out in Frontiers, confirming she's out there, somewhere...)
3. If Surge was a streamer, Ian thinks she would just grief people on Fortnite
4. On the October 7th, 2022 show, Ian says there is a behind-the-scenes answer for how the depiction of Silver's future in '06 can fit together with Rivals and Rush... but he can't talk about it right now.
It's hard to convey his tone through text, so just imagine he's saying all this with a big, defeated shrug:
"Here's the thing. Working on something else, I actually did get a straight answer, and it was... frustratingly simple. And, it's like, 'That works. [sigh] Okay!' No, I can't get into it - that's all private work stuff - but maybe it'll come to light eventually. But... there is an answer. And it works. And I kinda feel dumb for not thinking of it."
I honestly have no idea what this could be if it's something Ian hadn't considered, because he has talked about popular theories and readings before, such as the reading that Blaze was transported to the Sol Dimension at the end of '06. Maybe we'll hear about it in the comics, since Silver and Blaze are both back right now, or maybe they'll be the subject of a TailsTube episode.
5. Froggy is not sentient in any way he really is just a frog
6. Unrelated to Sonic, Ian was asked "who is best pony" and he said Fluttershy. My longest yeah boy ever dot jpeg
7. With Surge and Kit originally being pitched as purely synthetic beings before Sega suggested they be cyborgs instead, Ian says they would've struggled with whether or not they're even real, as opposed to the end product where they struggle with not knowing who they were before Starline modified them
8. When the female cast of Archie Sonic stopped getting drawn so busty all the time that was, in fact, a very specific editorial mandate from someone at Archie. Sega, on the other hand, has never cared.
9. Now that we're back to Classic and Modern being part of one nebulous timeline and the divide being more of a branding thing, Ian explicitly confirmed that the Classic-themed IDW Sonic comics are set in the past of the mainline IDW Sonic comics. They're set sometime after the events of Mania, and before all the Modern stuff. Just don't think too hard about it
But hey! If it's any consolation, this now means all the Classic characters like Mighty, Nack, and Honey are out there off-screen in the world of the regular comics, even if the casts are remaining separate for branding reasons for now. It also means Shadow is out there being held in a pod in a maximum security off-shore military prison during the events of all the lighthearted Classic comics lmao
10. Ian reiterates yet again that he's still pushing to try and get the Freedom Fighters back in some capacity where he can (as are others). He also says that he's pushing for them to return as a group rather than requesting individual members because he believes that's the best shot at getting any of them through Sega's approval process.
(I can't remember when the last time this came up was, but Ian has also implied that he thinks their best shot is to return as Classic characters since their one game appearance is Spinball.)
11. Ian outright confirms that the forward-looking character arcs in Frontiers are reflective of what he would like to see out of the main cast moving forward in the games. Not surprising since that's, like... the whole point of those arcs! But nice that he wants it to only be the beginning.
Ian does also say, however, that he's not guaranteed to return as the writer for future games since he's still a freelancer, but to editorialize here, I don't see why they wouldn't want him back for the next project.
12. On the subject of Amy's characterization in Frontiers, Ian personally pins her general seriousness mostly on the fact that she's the companion for the first island, where the mysterious and somber tone Sega wanted for the story is being established and Sonic is still trying to figure out what to do. He says that she'd probably have been more bubbly if she was interacting with Sonic on the second or third island, after he starts to get his bearings. I hoped this was the reason why she felt a little dry compared to Knuckles and Tails, so it's nice to hear this isn't the new direction for Amy or anything.
13. While "officially" Sage's name is just an anagram of Sega and a reference to her wisdom, Ian seems to be cheekily implying that it's also a nod to the annual Sonic Amateur Games Expo. Hell yeah.
14. When asked to clear up some Frontiers lore from the Egg Memos, Ian explicitly confirmed that some of the Ancients left the Starfall Islands and went on to devolve into the Chao as we know them today over the course of tens of thousands of years. He says, however, that this doesn't mean that Ancients and Chao are literally the same species, comparing it to the difference between humans and australopithecus. But yes, they're related.
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tenebraevesper · 4 months
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Shadow the Hedgehog (Sonic Prime, Character Analysis - Part 7)
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Welcome back to Part 7 of my Shadow, Sonic, and to an extent, Nine character analysis! This one will cover Episode 21: Home Sick Home and Episode 22: The Devil is in the Tails. In addition, this and the next post will also have a lot of gifs coz I'm hellbent to analyze every detail of this show.
So, let's dive in!
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''Shadow, you're alive! Help a brother up?'' ''We are not related.''
After getting knocked into the abyss Nine made, Shadow makes an epic return by saving Sonic from the Grim Variant Trooper, with Sonic being happy to see that he's alive. Shadow... doesn't get the joke, but Sonic doesn't care. Also, Shadow does the pose from Sonic X. X3
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*sighs* ''Nevermind. You okay?'' ''I survived. Nine's Alphas deployed a massive army to keep me down here.'' ''Alphas? You mean the ones that can duplicate themselves?''
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''If I still had that Chaos Emerald, I could've teleported out of here. But, it's lost to the Void. And, smashing hordes of Sonics isn't the worst thing in the world.''
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''Up for smashing a few more of mes?''
Okay, hol' up a second there buddy! ''Smashing Sonics?'' I hope the writers knew what they were doing, because the internet is going to take this conversation WAAAY out of context... and they already did.
In any case, we get an explanation to what Shadow was doing, and while yes, we see Shadow literally flying out of the abyss without the need for a Chaos Emerald, I assume that he meant that there was such a huge army of troopers that he needed the Chaos Emerald to get out. However, by the time Sonic arrived, the number lessened, so he could escape.
In any case, he's definitely up for smashing more Sonics.
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They continue fighting the troopers, and what I really love about this fight is how they basically start playing tennis with the robot, throwing it from one to the other before Sonic slams it down.
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''Hahaha! Helloooo, teamwork! Up top!'' ''These troopers are one thing, but the Alphas can generate an endless army. They are the real threat.'' *sighs* *high-fives himself*
Hey, Shadow, Shads, Shad, dude! Don't leave Sonic hanging like that. At least you could've taken the moment and high-five him since Sonic just wanted to celebrate your amazing teamwork. Admittedly, I can also understand Shadow here, as he is all business, quickly pointing out to Sonic how Nine's army works.
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''Rebel's plan is working. The Scavengers are through to the citadel. They're gonna cut Nine off from the Prism.'' ''Which is in Nine's lab, guarded by the Alphas. They'll never reach it!'' ''So, how do we destroy them?''
Earlier, Sonic had managed to team up with all of the Shatterverse Variants, and instead of being reckless, he left it to Rebel to figure out a plan to get them through. However, Shadow doesn't have much faith as he understands just how much danger the Alphas pose, with Sonic recognizing that Shadow is right and asks for advice. After all, Shadow is usually the one who can see the flaws more easily.
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''We don't. We're going after Nine!'' ''No, we're not!''
''We''? Did Shadow just say ''We''? He did! He shows absolutely zero hesitation wanting to work with Sonic in taking down Nine, and I have to say, I'm so proud of him managing to get to this point. However, as it was shown last time, Shadow needs to acknowledge that, while he did accept that he and Sonic need each other, they also need more help.
Also, remember how Shadow attempted to reach out for Sonic when the latter grieved his loss back at Ghost Hill, but backed away? Well, Sonic shows no hesitation here, quickly grabbing Shadow's arm to stop him. Shadow doesn't even push him away or anything, just glances back before yanking his arm out of Sonic's grip and remains on the spot, listening to what Sonic has to tell him. Their communication skills have definitely improved.
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''You said it yourself. If we don't go after the Alphas, we're cooked. And the only way to win this thing is if we work together. We need the others.'' ''It is the end of the universe-''
As Sonic talks to Shadow, we can literally see Shadow go through several expressions and emotional states, and honestly, this scene was killing me when I first watched it! X3
Shadow goes from ''Not this again!'' *eye-roll* to ''Yeah, that makes sense'' to ''What the hell, Sonic!'' in a matter of seconds and I'm loving every bit of it. He is so expressive and this little moment shows that he there is more to him than it seems.
That, and he's dealing with Sonic, so obviously, he'd show more emotion than usual, since Sonic seems to be the only capable of triggering such emotional reactions from him. Not to mention, Shadow is certainly comfortable enough in Sonic's presence to show these kinds of reactions.
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''-and you're still thinking about your friends!'' ''Of course I am! They're all here, fighting, sacrificing themselves, for me!''
Shadow berates Sonic for thinking about his friends when the fate of the world is at stake, with Sonic arguing how of course he'd do that. They are fighting and sacrificing themselves for him, and he isn't going to let them down. Sonic will always put his friends as his priority and he is not wrong for doing that.
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''All the more reason to go after Nine while he's distracted!'' ''And let my friends get pummeled when Nine only wants me? *gasp* Nine only wants me... I have an idea!''
However, I cannot argue that Shadow is wrong either. He is right that they need to go after Nine before everything gets destroyed.
Honestly, this very argument showcases best how Sonic and Shadow's minds work. Shadow will focus on the end goal and how to achieve it, while Sonic looks at the bigger picture, at the people affected by their decisions. Both are right and wrong at the same time, and both want to take a different approach, but the only way to win this is to work together.
Especially with Sonic suddenly realizing that there is a way for them to win this war.
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As Sonic and Shadow go join the rest of the group, we see all of them taking down Robot Big, with Shadow and Sonic exchanging looks after seeing this feat happen. Sonic grins, giving Shadow an ''I told you so!'' look, while Shadow is genuinely surprised that the group had managed to succeed in taking down such a formidable foe.
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''Gang, this is Shadow! Shadow, meet, well... everyone, I guess.''
Rebel is glad to see Sonic, with Sonic quickly introducing Shadow to everyone else, which... awww, just look at them!
Sonic literally pulls Shadow into a side-hug, smushes his face against his cheek and rubs his shoulder, showing nothing but pure affection and being completely oblivious to everything else.
Shadow in turn, goes first into panic mode when Sonic pulls him closer, not sure what is happening, but unlike last time when he pushed Sonic away, he let's Sonic hug him. He certainly shows annoyance, but I think it is more out of embarrassment for being hugged like that in the public. He really doesn't mind being hugged by Sonic, and he even stays like this until Nine makes his move.
Also, where is Shadow's arm? It literally disappears when Sonic hugs him. Honestly, I choose to believe that he placed it on Sonic's back.
D'awww, they're so adorable!
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I also love how literally everyone's reaction to this is just being unimpressed (with Renegade Knux being 🤨?).
Everyone's reaction just screams ''Sonic, did you really have to introduce your boyfriend when it's the end of the world?''
Well, of course he had to. He and Shadow are closer than ever now and it's the end of the world. One might as well do whatever they want.
SONADOW FOR THE WIN!
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''Well, that's... terrifying.''
However, things quickly go south when Nine starts gathering more and more energy, making the The Grim decay even faster. This then leads up to the Chaos Council's mothership to be blown up.
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''Mr. Dr., are you alive? Say something!''
Fortunately, Mr. Dr. Eggman manages to escape in his robot mech, wanting to melt Nine for what he had done. I just love how Shadow is also in the circle, wondering if Mr. Dr. Eggman survived or not. It's kinda hilarious.
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With Prim's team defeated and the Shatterverse Variants being back to square one, Sonic quickly tells them their plan, and one notable thing in this shot is that, after they confront Nine, he looks to Rebel, then to Shadow, who nods in response. It is as if he's not only seeking for approval, but also making sure that they all have his back.
They're all in this together.
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''Finally! Prove your worth machine!''
The battle begins anew, and I love how Shadow has beef with Grim Alpha Sonic, given how the latter had knocked him down into that abyss.
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Seriously, I kept an eye on Shadow during this whole battle, and whenever he's shown, he mainly seeks out Grim Alpha Sonic, which made me think about something...
How cool would've it been if Nine had made Grim Alpha Shadow as a reference to the Shadow Androids from Sonic Heroes? I think people's minds would be blown.
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However, as the battle goes on, we see Sonic's team losing, with Sonic confronting Nine. Gotta say, even if Shadow lost, look at how many troopers were sent to take him down. He would definitely be able to defeat all of them, though, if it weren't for one thing...
As we learn in Episode 22: The Devil is in the Tails, Sonic had managed to convince everyone to act as if they lost (yes, even Shadow followed that plan) and let Nine focus solely on draining the Prism energy while fighting Sonic, leaving the robots without power.
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This leads to a victory for Sonic's team as they defeat the de-powered robots... at least until Nine powers them up again. Nevertheless, while Sonic (and later on, Renegade Knux) is focused on getting through/defeating Nine, everyone else focuses on the Alphas.
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''You aren't going anywhere.''
When Nine orders the Alphas to target Sonic, most of them get knocked back by the Shatterverse Variants, with Shadow once again facing Grim Alpha Sonic.
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We can see a parallel to Sonic and Shadow's fight from Episode 02: The Yoke's On You, but unlike last time, with Shadow fighting against Sonic, Shadow is now fighting for Sonic. He does get knocked down, leaving Grim Alpha Sonic to join Nine. I also checked that episode, and both Shadow and Sonic got knocked out after colliding. I suppose the Grim Alpha survived due to being a robot.
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''We're not finished!''
However, Shadow makes a comeback, destroying the robot, much to Nine's shock.
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''No! HOW?!'' ''I am... the Ultimate... Lifeform'' ''Modest too!''
Shadow's statement is once again very simplistic and factual. He is the Ultimate Lifeform, of course he'd beat a robot duplicate of his rival. I also love how Sonic jumps in with a comment, mainly because I have no idea if he was just messing with Shadow and Nine, or if he was genuinely honest about Shadow being modest. It's hilarious nonetheless. X3
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Nine refuses to give up, using the Prism energy to paralyze both Shadow and Renegade Knux, while Sonic uses his own ability to create a barrier as The Grim decays faster and faster.
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''He's not gonna stop.''
Sonic knows that he has no choice. Nine won't stop unless Sonic stops him. So he spin-dashes into Nine, knocking him down into the light of the Paradox Prism.
I absolutely loved how we could see here both Sonic and Shadow's growth, as well as how their ideals both clash and work together, leading up to the final confrontation (and also getting more Sonadow content because, hey, why not? XP).
Considering how Ian Flynn was a consultant for Sonic Prime, this episode really gave me the impression that this was the House of Cards arc from Archie!Sonic, as in the issues where Sonic and Tails have their big fight, but was written way better, acting like a redemption for that rushed mess.
Rest assured, the next (and last Part) will show us he big finale of this show!
#Shadow the Hedgehog (Sonic Prime, Character Analysis - Part 6)
#Shadow the Hedgehog (Sonic Prime, Character Analysis - Part 8)
#Sonic the Hedgehog Analyzer (Masterlist)
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