#if so I’m sorry

[etaleah]

What Is the Appeal of Sonadow?

I have a lot of thoughts about this ship, what draws people to it, and why some of the criticisms of it are exaggerated or less than honest. Putting them under a cut because it’s gonna get long.

First of all, the critique of “Lol why do people ship them when they beat the shit out of each other whenever they disagree on something, they’re abusive!” is dishonest framing for two reasons. One is that it ignores the fact that Sonic and Shadow are allies far more often than they’re enemies, and even when they are enemies, it’s usually over something serious, not just a minor disagreement. The other is that it’s bad media criticism to apply real human standards to a cartoon animal universe.

When you watch the classic Looney Tunes short where Bugs and Daffy are arguing over whether it’s Rabbit Season or Duck Season and Bugs tricks Daffy into shooting himself, do you see Bugs as abusive and evil? Probably not, because the laws of physics don’t apply in cartoons and Daffy getting shot in the face doesn’t actually hurt him. He’s still completely fine afterwards because he’s a cartoon and is therefore invincible. The same is true for Sonic and Shadow. Have you ever seen either of them seriously injured after one of their fights? Has either one ever needed to go to the hospital because the other beat him up so badly? No, of course not. They groan in pain for about two seconds and then they’re fine. If the creators wanted to convey them being injured, they could show bruises or blood or have bones snapping and the characters limping, but they don’t. The fights are never meant to be taken that seriously. I find this criticism every bit as annoying and overzealous as people who insist that Pinky and the Brain are abusive because Brain bops Pinky on the head. They’re cartoons, y’all. They’re not realistic, were never meant to be realistic, and shouldn’t be treated as realistic. Different standards apply.

To the second point, Sonic and Shadow don’t actually fight that often. In all the interactions they’ve had together, it’s only been a handful of times. They’re allies in the Archie comics, Sonic ‘06, the canon ending of Shadow the Hedgehog (they’re only enemies in that game if the player wants them to be), Sonic Forces, Team Sonic Racing, The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, and most of the IDW comics, along with the endings of Sonic X, Sonic Adventure 2, and Sonic Heroes. They’re allies for much of Prime as well. But hey, let’s break down the times they do fight:

Sonic Adventure 2: Shadow’s memories have been tampered with and he and Sonic are literally fighting over the fate of the world.

Sonic X: Same thing for season 2, and in season 3, they’re fighting over whether Cosmo should live or die. Sonic says killing her is wrong, Shadow says stopping the Metarex is what’s most important and if that means little Cosmo has to die, well, them’s the breaks, pal.

Sonic Prime: Sonic has broken their world, Shadow is trying desperately to save it, and Sonic is valuing the Shatterverse inhabitants over Green Hill.

IDW: Shadow says Eggman is too dangerous to leave alive and if that means Mr. Tinker has to die too, well, them’s the breaks, pal. Sonic says killing anyone is wrong no matter the reason.

You see a pattern here? Most of the time what they fight over is literally life and death. They’re not going at each other’s throats over petty bullshit like who gets the last slice of pizza or who gets to pick the film for Movie Night. They fight over serious moral differences. I would argue that Amy and Knuckles have gotten angry at Sonic for way less than what Shadow does.

Now, there are a few instances where their fights are stupid, namely Sonic Boom and Sonic Heroes. But I think it’s pretty universally agreed that Shadow is out of character in Boom, and honestly, all of the fights in Sonic Heroes are very forced. There was no reason for Team Dark or Team Rose to fight Team Chaotix; their goals don’t contradict each other in any way and it’s clearly just manufactured conflict to give the player another boss fight. And these are the exception; most of their fights are over serious ideological divides.

Those serious ideological divides are exactly what makes Sonadow so interesting. I personally prefer ships where characters can learn and grow from each other, where their differences can clash until they learn to reconcile them. I don’t find a ship like, say, Sonamy nearly as interesting because I don’t think there’s many (if any) moral stances Sonic would have that Amy wouldn’t. They already agree on the important things. I’m not bashing anyone who likes that ship; if that’s your thing, good for you. It just doesn’t appeal to me because I think Sonic and Amy already having a lot in common morally means they can’t really grow and change from interacting with each other in the same way.

Sonic can bring out the best in Shadow, teach him to trust others and lighten up and learn how to live in the moment rather than being tethered to the past. Shadow can teach Sonic how to think before he acts, to view the world more realistically, and to consider the impact that his insistence on moral purity will have on others. That setup makes for some amazing stories.

Also? These guys love fighting each other. They’re both athletes and very competitive. Look at how much they smile when they fight:

Like…they love this. It’s so much fun for them. Sonic and Shadow are both competitive athletes who love pushing themselves, but in terms of speed, no one is any competition for them except each other. No one else can beat either of them in a race. Imagine spending your whole life winning so easily that there was no accomplishment in it, and then suddenly this guy comes along who’s actually as good as you or maybe even better. Finally you have a challenge and can really enjoy the feeling of being the best. That’d be amazing. They give each other something no one else can, and to me, that’s what good romances are made of.

And all of that is combined with the fact that Sonadow offers an Odd Couple setup, which is always fertile ground for fun, comedic situations that require opposite characters to work together. Plus the Enemies/Rivals to Lovers aspect, which adds a bit of “forbidden fruit” to the mix because we all know that the most tempting and appealing relationships are the ones that are Forbidden (TM). That’s literally the premise of Romeo and Juliet, people who aren’t supposed to be together but end up wanting to be anyway.

I wouldn’t want Sonadow to be canon, but I definitely enjoy exploring it in fandom. It’s a fun ship that offers a lot for a writer or artist to work with. And while I would never force it on anyone, I wish the criticisms of it weren’t quite so shallow and disingenuous.

#it’s possible I missed a few bits because I haven’t played all the games #if so I’m sorry #it’s just not financially feasible to play all of them ya know #sonadow #sonic the hegehog #shadow the hedgehog #sonic prime #sa2 #sa2b #sonic games #shipping dynamics #sonic heroes

[umbrellas-acad]

blue is a raven boy in the same way james is a derry girl

#the raven cycle #derry girls #trc #blue sargent #raven boys #the gangsey #james maguire #rewatching derry girls so new spoilers for the new season pls <3 #have i already made this post? #has someone done this before? #if so I’m sorry #I just was rewatching derry girls and thought it was funny

[takingback-thepenguin]

Wow the new Power Rangers looks great!

#has this meme been done before? #if so i’m sorry #nerdy prudes must die #npmd #hatchetfield #starkid #team starkid #nerdy prudes must die spoilers #npmd spoilers #the lords in black #pokotho #nibblenephim #bliklotep #t’noy karaxis #wiggog y'wrath #hatchetfield teehee tag #mine

[dogfishh505]

I rlly hate how this came out :( I couldn’t figure out the bg and just now realised I forgot my watermark

#artwork #digital art #original art #art #artists on tumblr #oc art #oc #oc artwork #original character #ocs #my art #my artwrok #my oc #Esper💫 #this looks so ugly I’m sorry whyyy #oacjdkcjmd #cries #I wish I know how to do backgrounds #does anyone read these ? #if so I’m sorry #is it obvious what they’re doing ?

[ncisrhapsody]

Steve McGarrett (externally): Book ‘em, Danno 😎

Steve McGarrett (internally): Book me, Danno 😍

#steve mcgarrett #danny williams #hawaii five 0 #incorrect quotes I guess #please tell me this hasn’t been said before #if so I’m sorry #ncisrhapsody’s 2am thoughts #i need to go to bed #mcdanno #lol help #gay panic

[sailsblack]

john silver went from bouba to kiki in just four seasons

#john silver #black sails #black sails shitposting #luke arnold #has this been done yet #if so i’m sorry #silver #mine

[aruanirmyparents]

I know people say that Annie would def be a top but imma have to disagree. Though I can see Annie being a top, when it comes to Armin I just KNOW this man is a freak. Imagine the pint up sexual aggression he’s got. Annie won’t be walking for a MONTH.

#aruani #armin x annie #annie x armin #snk #shingeki no kyoujin #AOT #attack on titan #armin arlert #is this considered nsfw? #if so I’m sorry

[indybob]

phoenix: how’s it going, rooster?

rooster: i’ve had this headache that comes and goes.

hangman, entering the room: hey, rooster.

rooster: there it is.

#has this been done already #if so I’m sorry #but this definitely happened #incorrect top gun maverick quotes #sereshaw #rooster x hangman #hangster #rooster top gun #hangman top gun #phoenix top gun #top gun maverick

[bibuckbuckgoose]

6x05 Spoilers

#911 fox #has anyone made this joke yet? #if so I’m sorry

[daincrediblegg]

OK THIS IS NOT A FUCKING DRILL EVERYONE FUCKING REPEAT AFTER ME. THIS IS WHAT YOU WILL DO WHEN YOU WATCH MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL THIS YEAR:

You will navigate to the page on disney plus (and it has to be here. Unless someone has actually uploaded the REAL movie anywhere else you cannot get it elsewhere)

BUT YOU WILL NOT HIT PLAY. You won’t do it. Because it’s NOT THE REAL VERSION OF THE FILM AND DISNEY IS FUCKING LYING TO YOU AS IT ALWAYS DOES

You will scroll down HERE. To EXTRAS instead. You MUST GO HERE. This is non -negotiable

THEN YOU WILL SCROLL DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE EXTRAS AND YOU WILL THEN HIT PLAY ON THIS BAD BOY: THE FULL LENGTH VERSION

And you will watch it. And you will thank me for having been so blind and led astray by that stupid fucking mouse. You’re welcome.

#I’m so mad everyone I’m sorry I’m going to make sure EVERYONE sees the proper version of mcc this year or die trying #literally this song is so important to the narrative and the film is so fucking hollow without it #if you grew up with disney’s bullshit version and thought it was good WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE THIS SHIT #please. please watch the REAL version of this film. it means a lot to me ok #the muppet christmas carol #for the love of god please people

[urmumhaha]

I wish butch n femme balls existed. Not to b a fucking sap n a massive dyke but wow. Ugh even. Just wanna wear a gown n stilettos n have my honey greet me w a bouquet before we leave n we wear matching or complimentary jewelry n spend hours on my hair and makeup to impress. N then when we get there my honey will spin me around the room for a brief dance before grabbing something to drink, wine for me n whiskey for her, as we chat w other dykes n celebrate butchfemmeness. Or whatever

#thinkin thots #sorry everyone I’m tired n a lil high after work n feeling DRAB so we r imagining #n listen I know balls r just a flaunting wrath bourgeois thing #wealth #this is just a simple indulgence for the Eve #lesbian #i #femme lesbian #butch/femme #butch lesbian #womp womp

[littlemsterious]

i was thinking about that post comparing Jessica Rabbit as an asexual to Barbie and an asexual and then i thought of the Neil Gaiman post (was it a post?) about Crowley and Aziraphale being asexual sexless and then this happened.

anyways. thoughts?

sorry it took so long I meant to do this a week ago but my brain is full of rocks.

[Image ID a three sided venn diagram. the big circles show Margot Robbie's Barbie sitting in front of a mirror, Jessica and Roger Rabbit from the poster of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Aziraphale and Crowley from Good Omens standing back to back. Between Barbie and Jessica Rabbit it says "sexualised by society". Between Jessica Rabbit and Aziraphale and Crowley it says "Knows what sex is". Between Aziraphale and Crowley and Barbie it says "no reproductive system(?)". the center is the asexual flag. End ID]

Also i haven't seen the Barbie movie as of this edit so at least please tag your spoilers.

#please enjoy this i made it look so pretty #barbie #jessica rabbit #who framed roger rabbit #good omens #ineffable husbands #crowley #aziraphale #asexuel #i will do an image id later I’m sorry words dont exist right now #i’ve had a lot of the same questions i will respond eventually. maybe. we’ll see

[public-benches]

one of my favorite things in dunmeshi is how chilchuck turns out to be the guy in the party with the least to hide despite how much he goes out of his way to act all secretive. like the more we learn about everyone else it seems like they’ve all got like trauma or crimes or even just oddities that they don’t share explicitly not bc they’re hiding anything, but just because it’s never come up, or it’s too much of a hassle to explain, or it just didn’t occur to them. meanwhile, Normal Man Chilchuck is finding new gray hairs every morning because his friends want to know how old he is and his darkest secret is that his wife left him for being… too secretive. like up against a monster-phile, a dark mage, a circus attraction and Schrödinger’s cannibal, him making such a big deal out of having three adult kids is kinda epic

#sorry for all the dunmeshi posting it’s taken over my mind #and fandom hasn’t caught up to Mithrun yet so I’m coping by making silly chilchuck posts ig #dunmeshi #chilchuck #dungeon meshi #delicious in dungeon

[necroclrcus]

came home drunk last night and got way too excited to see my computer

#electric dreams edgar #electric dreams 1984 #objectum #lesboy #electric dreams #i cannot for the life of me find the og post of the Edgar wallpaper I’m so sorry 😭

[allagashed]

whenever i say “screaming crying throwing up” this is what i mean

#american psycho #patrick bateman #christian bale #rewatched last night he’s soo stupidly pathetic why is he the way he is #allagashed obsessed with another insane man (fork found in kitchen) #sorry 2 my very little followers my interests bounce around so quick i only have like two i’m constantly into and its nirvana and ed movies #+ horror movies so actually three nvm

[chloesimaginationthings]

William Afton into the FNAF-verse

#myart #chloesimagination #comic #william afton #dave miller #steve raglan #dayshift at freddy's #the fourth closet #fnaf movie #sister location #dsaf #dsaf dave #dsaf fanart #fnaf #fnaf fanart #five nights at freddy's #spiderverse #I’m so sorry for this comic guys #I couldn’t get this idea out of my head #HUGE DAY for DSAF likers though!! #Book Dave doesn’t really like DSAF Dave pff #also finally drew my game William design again #also first time drawing anything from the fourth closet! #so many firsts SO many wills #don’t gotta worry about them all meeting up #cause I doubt the wills will get along enough to do anything evil #just an ego competition