#It's kind of like how Tails is the only person I can ever see Sonic ''settling down'' so to speak in his own special way (or at least the

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Sorry if you've already talked about this but with Maria being deceased, who do you pair Shadow with in the present? (I've mostly been focused on your sontails content so I don't know if you have any other favourite pairings.)

It's no problem!

As for Shadow, it really just depends on the question. For ships with him in general (aside from Shadow/Maria of course), I really like Shadow/Mephiles, Shadow/Tails, Shadow/Sonic, Shadow/Knuckles, Shadow/Silver, Shadow/Omega, Shadow/Commander, Shadow/Infinite, etc. I...ship him with a lot of people😂

But in terms of Shadow's future (like, the kind of person I could see him staying with given the present state of canon) the pool really dwindles for me. If we're going as close to canon as possible, I really think that Team Dark is a great place for Shadow to be. While Shadow/Omega is the only angle that I explicitly ship, I really love this trio's general relationship. They're enablers for each other, but they're also good for each other too. They trust each other. They care for each other.

If we step a bit farther away from canon, I can see him having something casual with Tails. Maybe not a commited "we're settling down" relationship, but definitely the kind of thing where Shadow can confide in him when he needs, and Tails does damage control/provides him funding without Shadow knowing. There's also something interesting about the idea/potential headcanon that Tails' home/lab is always open whenever Shadow needs it too, just like Sonic, just that Sonic isn't aware of this. I also happen to be into aus where Tails is essentially if Maria was (1) trans and (2) "her" personality/consiousness was essentially uploaded into/copied into a mobian body as a failsafe (in the event that she's dying and Gerald can't save Maria as he'd planned). Something like that kind of reveal would add another layer to Shadow and Tails' relationship (particularly increased softness and protectiveness from Shadow's end), while also providing some delicious angst. Under that kind of outcome (depending on the circumstances and how it turns out), I can definitely see Sonic and Shadow ending up having to share Tails (a scenario called "this is how sonadails can still win"😂)

And my final leaning, is probably Shadow/Commander (Abraham Tower). I only got into this one recently, but there's just something to me about the idea of Shadow (who'd never really reached out before) ending up finally taking that step to hang out with Abe (since they are the last living people who knew Maria). Like the Tails one, this answer is more self indulgent, but I like the idea of these two bonding over Maria and eventually coming to find comfort in each other through this. I haven't decided whether it's a funnier situation for Abe to cheat on his wife with an anthropomorphic hedgehog as his lover, or for Shadow and Abe to start reconciling and building bridges of the heart while Abe is going through a quiet divorce. I couldn't see them settling down together and building a life together or anything, but I could see Shadow having something committed yet casual with Abe, where he pops into Abe's life kind of whenever he feels like. And Abraham, who is living and organizing life largely normally, leaves his home open for Shadow (and is probably secretly not so secretly jealous of the idea that Shadow might have something going on with other people lol)

So yeah. Tl;dr: I ship Shadow with a lot of people. Realistically, I think no matter his romantic prospects it's good for him to remain part of Team Dark for the forseeable future and for them to continue getting closer with each other. If we step into self indulgence area I can't see him settling down with anyone per se (or not easily), but I personally can see him having a casual relationship (more of a friends who happen to have benefits) with Tails or Abrabam Tower

ㅤ

Thank you for the ask btw, anon! If you do end up having any other questions re: my ships or any explanation you'd like to hear out of me, or anything else, feel free to shoot me another ask🥰💖

[thankskenpenders]

The Knuckles show

The announcement of a live action Knuckles streaming miniseries was surprising, to say the least. I mean, what would such a show even be about in a version of the Sonic universe with no Angel Island and barely any characters from the games around? Is he gonna go treasure hunting with the gang from Montana or something? Would a streaming miniseries have the CGI budget to squeeze in any new game characters, even briefly? Rouge? Amy? At least one member of Team Chaotix? Anyone?

Now the show is finally out, and it turns out what they actually made was a comedy show about bumbling deputy sheriff Wade Whipple, the minor comic relief character played by Adam Pally who you might not even remember all that well from the first two movies, with Knuckles as his sidekick. While, yes, Knuckles does get a decent amount of screentime and opportunities to punch bad guys and do cool moves from the games, large stretches of this show focus on Wade's personal life, to the point that a couple times I almost forgot I was watching a Sonic-related show. If you're judging it purely by the metric of how well it adapts and engages with its source material, this surely must be one of the worst adaptations the Sonic franchise has ever seen.

So then, despite some huge complaints... why do I kinda like it?

(This will contain full spoilers for the Knuckles show.)

A brief summary of what the show is actually about because I know half of you aren't going to watch it

The show picks up not too long after the end of the second movie. Knuckles is now living in Montana with Sonic, Tails, and the Wachowskis out of a sense of debt to them, though he doesn't really see it as his home. He doesn't feel like he belongs on Earth, and his life currently lacks direction. After communing with the ghost of Pachacamac, though, Knuckles is instructed to keep his culture alive by teaching "the ways of the echidna warrior" to a new apprentice: deputy sheriff Wade Whipple, who's currently more concerned about winning a bowling tournament in Reno than anything else.

Things are complicated by the interference of two rogue GUN agents - Agent Willoughby, played by Ellie Taylor in a bad wig, and Agent Mason, played by Kid Cudi. (Yes, the artist behind the second movie's credits song is one of the bad guys in this.) They want to steal Knuckles' power and sell it to a former associate of Robotnik's played by Rory McCann (The Hound from Game of Thrones), who now works as a black market arms dealer. Yes, they're still doing the thing where Sonic and friends' quills radiate some kind of super-energy that the bad guys all want. No, I don't particularly love this element of the Paramount Sonic continuity. Anyway, they go after Knuckles and Wade, complicating their straightforward road trip to Reno. Antics ensue.

The Wade show

So here's the thing. While the first episode focuses largely on Knuckles, the entire rest of the show is very much the story of Wade, and by extension the other original human characters invented for this miniseries.

Episode 2 is about Wade having to rescue Knuckles from captivity after the GUN agents get him. Knuckles spends most of the episode in a cage.

Episode 3 is about introducing Wade's Jewish family, including his slightly overbearing mother and weird sister, so that Knuckles can learn about their family traditions and have Shabbat dinner with them (and then save them from bounty hunters that the GUN agents hired).

Episode 4 only features Knuckles at the very beginning and very end of the episode, probably for less than a minute total. Wade is captured by a bounty hunter he personally knows, and Knuckles decides to let that be a trial for Wade to overcome on his own.

The last two episodes feature the climactic showdowns with the GUN agents and their arms-dealing ally, who comes in with a mech for the obligatory final boss fight. You'd think this would be Knuckles' time to shine, but really, these episodes are mostly about the bowling tournament in Reno where Wade encounters his estranged father, wrapping up his own personal arc. While Knuckles does get some fights, a lot of the finale is spent on lengthy bowling scenes where Knuckles isn't in the room or even mentioned. It frequently feels more like a spiritual successor to '00s sports comedy movies like Dodgeball, Talladega Nights, or Blades of Glory than it does a part of the Sonic franchise, and the presence of ESPN 8: The Ocho commentary in the finale only drives those Dodgeball comparisons home. They get so immersed in the bowling stuff that it's genuinely hilarious when the show suddenly pivots and remembers "oh shit we still need to do the final boss fight"

Throughout all this, Wade is the protagonist. He's the character we spend more time with, he's the character who drives most of the major events, he's the character who gets more of an arc. The emotional core is Wade's journey. Knuckles is still present - sometimes, at least - but he's there as Wade's wingman, and also just as the excuse for there to be some fight scenes.

How much Sonic stuff is actually in this show?

Honestly? Not much.

Sonic and Tails are only in the first episode. Sonic gets some good scenes, but Tails gets a grand total of five lines. I counted. Unsurprisingly, Jim Carrey is absent as Robotnik, though he does get mentioned a fair bit. (For that matter, basically the entire established human cast beyond Wade is absent, even including Tom, though Maddie is there in episode one.)

GUN is involved in the story, which helps it feel slightly more connected to Sonic, but it kind of feels like it's GUN in name only. They don't use any recognizable GUN tech, and they don't call in the military. It's just two agents in suits. They might as well be the Men in Black.

The Master Emerald is mentioned as something Knuckles has to guard, but it's never seen. Angel Island is pictured as a drawing during the show's intro, appearing exactly how it does in Sonic 3, but it's never referenced at all beyond that.

I guess the climax taking place in and around a Reno casino is a reference to Sonic's many casino-themed levels. That's something. I'll give them that.

Oh, and if you're wondering if this is the point where we finally start to get actual music from the games: no, it's not. The soundtrack consists of a lot of '80s needle drops, many of which are generic Hollywood picks like "Holding Out for a Hero" for the billionth time, thought it at least has some slightly less obvious picks than the Mario movie. The theme song is '80s rock song "The Warrior" by Scandal. You'll hear it many times. You'll hear the Adventure era Knuckles raps zero times in this. You'll briefly hear classic A Tribe Called Quest song "Can I Kick It?" before Knuckles takes the question too literally and breaks the radio in Wade's car.

Beyond a handful of surface level references for nerds (one of which is admittedly wild - we'll get to that), this is probably the least an officially licensed adaptation of Sonic the Hedgehog has ever tried to actually engage with its source material. I struggle to think of another Sonic adaptation that has less to do with Sonic. For as much shit as I and countless others have given Penders for seemingly ignoring the content of the games in favor of building his own convoluted mythos, his Knuckles comics honestly included way more elements from the games than this show does.

Somehow, the one new(-ish) Sonic character introduced in this is the ghost of Pachacamac of all characters. Not even Tikal! Pachacamac! A very minor character nobody has particularly strong feelings about! You can't even use the excuse that they already had the character model, because they completely redesigned him compared to his cameo in the first movie to better match his Sonic Adventure design. And he's voiced by Christopher Lloyd! Honestly, so many of his lines are strained that it sounds like he's on death's door here, but then he'll surprise you with a more casual line like "just do it, man" and it catches me so off guard that I can't help but laugh.

Pachacamac here has basically nothing to do with the game character he takes his name and appearance from. Where the game character was a cruel warlord who kicked off a 3000 year cycle of violence, Paramount Pachacamac is now just this chill old man who gives Knuckles (and later Wade) advice in two episodes of the show. Hell, he also feels completely disconnected from his established role in the movies, where he's literally the guy who shot Longclaw. The show will not grapple with this contradiction at all. He's just here to be a thing fans like me will recognize from the games. Again, if that's all they wanted, it's kind of baffling that they didn't just use Tikal.

I don't love Knuckles in this

But what about Knuckles himself? Well, he doesn't feel all that much like Knuckles to me. Ironically, he sometimes feels like one of the weaker elements in his own show.

Back when the second movie came out, I noted that Knuckles' characterization seemed to be pulling heavily from MCU Thor as a gallant warrior from an archaic alien culture who doesn't really understand modern day Earth stuff. That worked for me in that movie. It was just there for spice. Just a little extra flavor for the character in what was otherwise a very faithful adaptation of Knuckles' storyline in Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Without those familiar elements grounding him and with a much higher reliance on comedy, Idris Elba's Knuckles becomes a pretty one-note character in this.

In damn near every scene with Knuckles, he's going to say something about being a proud, honorable echidna warrior, or brag about his glorious feats of strength, or be confused about some Earth thing and call it sorcery, or act like every other character is also a member of some noble warrior clan. He still has his moments for sure, but this schtick kinda gets old fast, and it just doesn't feel like Knuckles to me. His entire character feels derived from the scene in the diner where Thor smashes the cup on the ground and goes "Another!" Sure, I can picture game Knuckles smashing a radio to turn it off and being a little too gung-ho about busting holes through walls. That's Knuckles behavior. But building a barbarian combat pit in the living room so the Wachowski family dog can fight the mailman? Nope. That's some other guy now. It really does just feel like them taking a broad character archetype from something popular that kinda sorta fits Knuckles and just running with that, rather than trying to actually adapt the character.

Oh, but don't worry, he wears the OVA hat for like two minutes! AND he loves grapes! See, Sonic nerds? We read the wiki! That's his favorite food! Grapes! This is gonna come up like five times!

Knuckles kind of gets an arc here, but not as much as Wade does. I think the stuff about him starting to feel at home on Earth thanks to Wade's mom and the way he connects with their Jewish family traditions is oddly sweet. This arc is kind of let down, though, by the fact that Knuckles' heritage is treated as a complete joke. He's a cartoonish pastiche of various historical warrior cultures stuck together in a blender and used mostly for comedic effect. When Pachacamac's ghost appears, he's reading a newspaper and bemoaning the fact that the Mets lost again. This is not the place for a serious examination of Knuckles' feelings on being the last of his kind.

This is far from the only time the show undercuts itself with its jokes and attempts at self-parody. In the first episode, for instance, Knuckles clashes with GUN Agent Mason and his tech-enhanced punches, leading to an extremely on-the-nose inversion of the "Do I look like I need your power?" scene showcased in the trailer for the second movie. Except this time, Agent Willoughby butts in and points out how stupid that line is in this new context, since they're literally trying to steal Knuckles' power. The fight can't just be cool, they have to get cute with it. A lot of stuff like that happens in this show.

Given all these complaints, the first two episodes left me thinking I'd be fairly negative on this show overall. This seemed like the version of the show from the fandom's collective nightmares, one that undoes all of the progress the movie series seemed to have been making towards faithfulness to the games. Like, just look at these cast posters. Is this what you want out of Sonic? Do these excite you?

But then, something strange happened. Over time, I just kind of let the jokes and shenanigans wash over me and basked in how fucking weird this show is.

And I started to actually enjoy it.

Look. The Wade & Knuckles Show was never going to be peak Sonic. But that sure as hell doesn't mean it can't be entertaining.

This show is so fucking goofy

Here's the thing.

The show is funny.

Unlike a lot of other people, I didn't hate all the wedding stuff in Hawaii in Sonic 2, because I thought a lot of it was funny, both in its actual jokes and in the ways in which they tied everything back to Sonic. Tom looking wistfully at some bodybuilders doing Top Gun shit and spraying each other with beer and being like "I wish Sonic had that" is weirdly funny. The twist that those muscle bros are all agents of the newly formed GUN, who orchestrated the wedding as an elaborate scheme to catch Sonic, is funny. Mr. Olive Garden becoming the fucking GUN Commander is VERY funny. Are any of these elements of my dream Sonic movie? No, of course not. But my dream Sonic movie was never gonna happen in live action.

The Knuckles show follows up on the comedy of the previous films by being probably the funniest live action Sonic release yet. Did every joke land for me? God no. There are some stinkers in there that made me roll my eyes. But enough of them landed that it worked out for me overall. A big part of this is the fact that they've got a good cast of actors and/or comedians here.

Adam Pally is funny as Wade, and I found myself liking him more and more as a character as the show went on. He becomes an oddly endearing loser, with some sweet moments in his personal arc that made me feel for the guy. I like Wade more than Tom now, thanks to this show. I will now be happier to see Wade in Sonic 3 than I would have been previously.

The supporting cast is frequently great, too, many of whom are playing completely cartoonish, over-the-top characters. They took a cue from how exaggerated Carrey's performance was as Robotnik and decided to just abandon all pretense that this is the real world. Stockard Channing as Wade's mom is funny, and carries some of the more sincere parts of the show. Cary Elwes as Wade's very British dad who abandoned him as a child to run off and be the world's most egotistical professional bowler is funny. Edi Patterson as Wade's sister Wanda is... well, she's kinda trying too hard, but she has her moments. The Mighty Boosh co-creator Julian Barratt(!!) as a scenery-chewing bounty hunter, who was also somehow Wade's former best friend and bowling partner, is VERY funny. I love this guy.

(Honestly, they should let more people who were on Garth Marenghi's Darkplace be in Sonic stuff. Where's Matt Berry)

This is kind of a stacked cast for a bunch of stupid side characters in a live action Knuckles show! And honestly, that just makes it funnier to me. Even when they're not funny, the fact that this exists makes it funny. They somehow convinced Paramount to give them a bunch of money to make a spiritual successor to Dodgeball about a schlubby guy who wants to beat his dad at a bowling tournament... except also Knuckles the fucking Echidna is there as his personal life coach. My life is richer for the fact that I can say that sentence. I think about all the little kids who are probably watching this show this weekend, going in expecting a show about Knuckles the Echidna and having to sit through extensive bowling scenes and lore about Wade's family, and sorry kids, but I just have to laugh. Wade isn't even on the poster! The poster is just a picture of Knuckles!! They punked those kids!!!

In a franchise where every single aspect is so carefully micromanaged these days, it feels truly special to get an adaptation this bonkers. It frequently appeals to the same part of me that enjoys the fact that there's an officially licensed Knuckles comic in which Charmy Bee's best friend (also a bee) dies of an accidental LSD overdose from a drug-laced chili dog. Or like, everything about the original 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie. Or the fact that they made seven direct-to-DVD sequels to Alpha and Omega, one of which is half a retread of the adventure from the first movie (with more annoying supporting characters in tow this time) and half a literal clip show of the first movie. The sheer absurdity of the fact that these things exist is charming to me. Except, with the Knuckles show, it has the added benefit of frequently being funny on purpose! This is why I'm not sure I'd call it "so bad it's good." Like, it's not amazing, but there were a lot of parts that I enjoyed in the exact way I was supposed to enjoy them.

Look. Here's a list of real lines of dialogue from the Sega-approved Knuckles the Echidna streaming show that they're billing as a pillar of the Paramount+ lineup, to drive this point home. Let these marinate for a minute:

"I only eat grapes, and Cool Ranch Doritos™."

"Annihilate this little girl, Wade. Crush her spirit. Humiliate her so badly her parents won't even look at her again." "Doesn't that seem like we're going a bit far?" "Not far enough."

"So is he Jewish?" "Half, I think."

"I had a friend who when he listened to Alien Ant Farm he could lift a Toyota Corolla over his head."

"I'm in dire financial straits. Due to my lawsuit against an unnamed rainforest-themed restaurant franchise, I don't have two pennies to my name."

"We're here in sunny Reno, Nevada, which is so close to Hell you can smell the sparks."

"You can't threaten me with your Jewish karate chops because I am a federal agent."

"I will say, regardless of how you feel about child abandonment - and I'm against it! - the deals at TJ Maxx can't be beat."

This is a Sonic show in which they got Paul Scheer and Rob Huebel to appear as ESPN 8: The Ocho commentators.

This is a show where Wade's mom insists upon pronouncing "Knuckles" with the throaty Hebrew "ch" sound, and declares that Knuckles is basically Jewish. Later, they watch Pretty Woman together while enjoying a nice slice of key lime pie. Knuckles comments: "I don't understand. This young streetwalker with a heart made of gold, why do the others treat her with such disdain? Is it so wrong to walk the streets?"

This is a show where the fourth episode is directed by one of the guys from The Lonely Island and features a hallucinatory low budget rock opera stage musical put on by the ghost of Pachacamac. It recounts Knuckles' life story, with Wade playing Knuckles and the "evil" Longclaw played by the bounty hunter guy who's played by the Mighty Boosh guy.

Look at this.

And also, Knuckles' singing voice is provided by Michael Bolton, which they proudly announce in the middle of the musical.

And also...

Also...???

IBLIS IS IN IT????????????

Yes, Iblis!

From Sonic '06!!

Knuckles is said to have looked for a mythical power called the "Flames of Disaster" to avenge his clan, which ended up being the power that was within him all along that lets him do fire punches yadda yadda yadda. As part of this, he apparently fought Iblis off-screen at some point, as conveyed with the giant singing papier-mâché Iblis in the musical.

...Then Iblis sings about hitting up Facebook Marketplace

How? How does any of this exist? Why reference '06 of all games? How did Iblis get into the live action Sonic movie universe before Amy and Metal Sonic? Why are they using Iblis and the term "Flames of Disaster" in such a goofy way that completely disregards their original context?

I don't know. I don't know how any of this happened. But I love it. We got a Knuckles miniseries in which Michael Bolton sings the phrase "the Flames of Disaster." The world is a beautiful place sometimes.

Some people will tell you to skip episode four. "Knuckles is barely even in it," they say. "It's dumb and pointless," they say. "They clearly just ran out of special effects budget," they say. These are people whose opinions you should disregard. The episode with the least Knuckles in it is somehow the most entertaining episode of the show. I would, in fact, go as far as to say that if you only decide to watch one episode of the Knuckles show to see what goofy bullshit they get up to, it should be this one.

I cannot be mad at this show. It's so dumb, but it completely owns the fact that it's a dumb and unnecessary spinoff. Inferiority is baked into its very DNA. It's very self-consciously redoing the premise of the first movie, but stupider. It's about The Other Cop from the movies, instead of the competent one. Instead of being into a "cooler" sport, his life revolves around professional bowling. Instead of going to Vegas, he goes to Reno. Even his tragic backstory that shaped his entire life sucks. He was abandoned by his pro bowler dad in a TJ Maxx. Not even a nicer department store. A fucking TJ Maxx. This whole show is a Dril tweet.

They put a ton of effort into making it dumb in an occasionally spectacular way. So much effort was put into that joke rock opera that fans will just write off as stupid filler. They put their whole pussies into it. This is not a poorly made show. This has better production values than half the shit made for Disney+. This was made with love. Maybe not as much love for the Sonic the Hedgehog series of video games as we'd like, but it's love nonetheless.

Maybe this show broke me and these are the ramblings of a madwoman. Maybe I'm just really nostalgic for the '90s and '00s comedy movies all the Wade stuff is modeled after. Maybe the Alan Wake fan in me just really loves it when a story pivots to a silly rock opera for no real reason. I won't discount any of these possibilities. This isn't high art. This isn't something I would recommend to anyone with zero interest in Sonic, and it also isn't going to sway Sonic fans who hate the Paramount universe. I really can't blame them for being bewildered by this show. But for a specific type of person, this is the absurd three-star Sonic-adjacent comedy miniseries of your dreams. It's a mid masterpiece.

Again, I just have to step back, realize the fact that this shouldn't exist, and smile. Sega's too afraid to do stupid bullshit with the franchise like this these days. And I can't blame them, after years of Sonic being a treated as a laughingstock. But part of me misses some of the goofy shit. No matter how much I tore some of the Archie comics apart as I was reading them for this blog, I just look back on stuff like Cal and Al or the Many Hands issues and laugh. And that same part of me looks at this show about Knuckles being the sidekick to this fucking guy, and just goes...

"We're so back."

In conclusion, I genuinely think this was a more enjoyable TV show than Sonic Prime.

I wouldn't go back and rewatch Sonic Prime anytime soon, aside from maybe, like, a couple of the Shadow-heavy episodes. Huge stretches of that show bored me to tears. The writers squandered all of that show's potential. But I would rewatch the Knuckles show, which takes a terrible premise and has a lot of fun with it, in a heartbeat. Even the bowling parts. The bowling scenes in the Knuckles show are more engaging than 70% of the fights in Sonic Prime. I am not trolling. I mean that sincerely, with all my heart. Don't @ me.

Stray observations

There is effectively zero meaningful setup for the third movie in this, unless Wade's family or the two GUN agents come back or something. Project Shadow is not mentioned in this. There is no secret post-credits scene with Gerald

The CGI in this is pretty good. Not quite on par with the movies, but pretty good. Sonic's weird forehead wrinkles are distracting in his scenes though. Please fix that

I wouldn't say I liked this as much as the second movie, which obviously gets a ton of points for, you know. The Cool Sonic Shit. But I had more fun with it than the first movie, which I still feel is a painfully generic family movie that was only saved by Tyson's redesign

"Grapes are an interesting choice for someone who doesn't use his individual fingers."

Agent Willoughby was apparently the one at GUN who had to buy the Olive Garden gift cards and set up the fake wedding. Her origin story is that she hated doing shit like that and wanted to go fight aliens

This miniseries contains another Keanu namedrop because Wade's childhood bedroom has a Speed poster on the wall. I swear, if Sonic doesn't say Shadow sounds just like Keanu...

Knuckles is familiar with Paul Blart Mall Cop

Near the end the ESPN 8: The Ocho commentators say that the 1974 Reno bowling championship was also interrupted by an extraterrestrial, and given that was exactly 50 years ago I can't write off the possibility that that was Shadow. Please for the love of god give us a sequel series after the third movie where Wade takes Shadow the Hedgehog bowling. I need this more than I need air

[skimmingmilk]

I don’t remember where I was reading it, but if Sonic was 11 when Tails joined him; that probably means Tails has this internalized view that 11 is adult, 11 is responsible, 11 is “I’m no longer a kid”. Goodness knows Sonic was trying his best with Tails, I can’t imagine how hard that kinda view would be for both of them. Sonic who’s only getting older seeing how /young/ 11 really is as his brother approaches it, while Tails has the mentality that’s he’s no longer kid, once he’s 11 he’ll be grownup just like Sonic was. Idk just rambling, but it rly does saddens me because for all their adventures they both really are just kids.

You hit the nail on the head, anon! That's exactly how I see Tails and Sonic viewing their respective ages.

In Tails's mind, Sonic was already a hero by 11, living on his own, no one taking care of him, capable, strong, accountable to no one but himself, and fine with it. Yes, Tails can acknowledge that Sonic could use support, that he deserves to be looked after when he pushes himself too far, but deep down a part of him also knows that he'd still be fine even if he was on his own. With or without his friends, Sonic would still succeed at whatever he sets his mind to. That's the kind of person Sonic is. His willpower is his strongest asset, maybe even stronger than his speed.

So as Tails is approaching 11, he's feeling this added strain with just how behind he is. Tails should be where Sonic was at when he was 11, above that even because Tails had someone to look out for him and encourage him in his formative years, where, as far as he knows, Sonic never had that. Tails struggles with the idea of being the sole person looking out for someone the way Sonic did for him, even when he has a role model to look up to for guidance. Sonic didn't have any of that. I think that's also why he's so eager to go out on his own after Frontiers; he needs to prove to himself (and Sonic) that his brother's time wasn't wasted on raising him.

And yeah, Sonic will realize how young he actually was when Tails is at this point. That he was a kid who could've used some help, and ended up getting that help and support from a 4-year-old, unintentionally setting the stage for all the pressure Tails would feel to measure up before he could even write their names. Sonic relied so easily on Tails, without any thought to how that would shape his little brother into the 8, 9, 10-year-old that he becomes. Because Sonic was a kid. And the last thing he wants is for Tails to be in the same position he was. To have no one.

Ahhhhhhhh, thank you, anon. I'm always spinning this concept in my head on loop xD I love this tragedy of them both viewing their circumstances from different angles. Sonic wants Tails to have more than he ever did, while Tails feels like he needs to be more.

[artsyannierose]

Movie sonamy hcs?

i feel like i haven't solidified an opinion of them just because Amy's character can be taken and interpreted in so many different ways, which inevitably makes it so that movie sonamy has many different possibilities

but here i'll try

1. I think Amy will live with the Wachowskis

i know a lot of people are concerned about her technically getting adopted, making her and Sonic adopted siblings but like...no?? She could just live there and have a familial relationship with everyone except Sonic and not get officially adopted

she gives sibling vibes with knuckles anyway, and im sure maddie is going to be thrilled to have amy in the house

or maybe they can all be her in-laws /j

2. Sonic and Amy definitely have beef at first

Doesn't matter about what, they're constantly biting at each other for the dumbest stuff

For example, Amy def likes manga the way Sonic likes comics, and they both fight about which is better

but like give them a week and now both of them never shut up once they start talking about their interests, and pretty soon everyone else just leaves the room and they will yap for HOURS

3. Amy's all girlboss since she's had to live on her own for so long, but the second she realizes she has a knight in shining armor now she totally plays the part

Like she beats up Eggman when he tries to kidnap her, but the second she realizes Sonic was coming to save her, she quickly runs back and sits all dolled up and pretty waiting for him

meanwhile eggman is sitting in his ruined rubble pile like "wtf"

4. Right from the get-go Amy makes it clear that she thinks Sonic is cute

She'll constantly make off-handed comments like "We can't do that, cause singed fur isn't a good look on your handsome face" and Sonic's thrown off at first but as she keeps doing it he eats it up

but bro cannot say that she's pretty to save his life even though she's literally the prettiest person he's ever seen in his entire life)

5. Sonic grows dependent on Amy’s attention

While everyone obviously believes in him and is not shy of saying so (save for Knuckles), there’s something different about having someone you like always hyping you up and doting on you, and he likes it a lot

Kind of like Twitter Takeover Sonic, when Amy said “You’re my one, perfect Sonic,” and he just laughed happily.

6. Whenever Sonic finds a new place of flowers while running around, he always brings one back for Amy

But of course, Amy always prefers it when Sonic takes her to the original place so she can take in the natural beauty

7. They start to mimic each other

This is a headcanon I share with modern SonAmy but you know how they say you act like the people you spend the most time with

Well yeah pretty soon after everything that happens in Sonic 4 you just see Amy tapping her foot when she’s impatient, Saying her catchphrase the way Sonic does, taunting her enemies the way Sonic does

But you also see Sonic showing more interest in fortune tellers, trying to cook chili dogs at Amy’s behest (which he usually would blow up the kitchen before), showing more interest in quill maintenance

im having a hard time coming up with stuff for him cuz idk how movie amy acts help

8. They are both AVID horror movie fans

Sonic used to have no one but Ozzie to watch horror movies with, because Tails sometimes gets scared but he’ll try to do it for Sonic, meanwhile Knuckles just flat out refuses

So when Amy comes along and she’s into horror movies as much as Sonic he’s just like “THE LOVE OF MY LIFE” and they just stay up super late watching horror movies only for everyone to find them the next morning all snuggled up with each other after falling asleep

Aaaaanyways maybe I’ll revisit this once we have a trailer of sorts but I hope this was entertaining :D

IM SO EXCITED FOR MOVIE SONAMY LETS SEE IF THEY OVERTAKE MODERN SONAMY AS MY FAVORITE

[mama-qwerty]

Not sure how deep a dive you can go for this one but one scene I haven't really seen discussed much is Ivo literally getting dropped by Gerald and then the epic save by Tails & Knuckles. And everything that follows on during that brief time where we get redeemed Robotnik + Tails and Knuckles. It was kind of adorable watching them team up. Goes from the lowest low to a new high with Robotnik.

It's the old "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" thing.

All Ivo ever wanted was to be accepted. He wanted a family, to be loved. The more he denied it, the more he tried to declare himself better than everyone, the stronger that desire burned.

He surrounded himself with robots because he could program them to obey him, to stay with him and not abandon him, no matter what he did. He could tell himself he was fine, this was fine, he was happy because he could control the bots and feel like he was important.

Stone was just another bot to him, someone to order around and converse with if he was feeling particularly chatty. But I don't think Ivo really saw Stone as anything more than a sycophant for the longest time. The toady he kept on to do the menial tasks that Ivo himself was 'too important' to do.

Ivo isn't someone who's what you would call 'in touch' with his emotions. He's spent his entire life keeping others at arm's length, because he'd always been picked on and hurt because of his intelligence. He's got this wall built around him, and he always told himself that was good, that was fine, he didn't need love, didn't need to form attachments to any other person. The bots were all he needed, because he could 'love' them, and they would 'obey' him, and they wouldn't hurt him by walking away from him.

Enter Gerald.

Suddenly here's this blood relative, a grandfather who was also a genius, also someone with a good dose of animosity toward the human race, also with aspirations to teach the world a lesson.

And suddenly Ivo's walls came down.

He threw all his hopes and desires to be loved, to be accepted, onto Gerald, and for a while it seemed like Gerald actually did love and accept him. They worked together to break into GUN hq, had a nice little dance number, and reveled in their upcoming victory.

Until Gerald revealed his true intentions.

And even Ivo thought it was insane.

He never wanted to destroy the planet, he never wanted to kill every living person, he just wanted them to love and respect him, obey him, like his bots did. But Gerald didn't want to hear it, didn't want to listen.

Because Ivo was no Maria.

And that crushed Ivo's heart.

You could see that it did. He thought he'd found someone who was like him, who loved and accepted him. But it was all a trick, and he couldn't even measure up to his dead cousin in his grandfather's eyes.

And maybe he realized in that moment how Stone felt when he'd kicked him to the curb. Maybe he remembered how Stone had tried to warn him, but Ivo had been so excited to be with his grandfather, he didn't listen.

So he turned on Gerald, and even in that last moment, right before Gerald sent him to his certain doom, he wanted so badly for Gerald to love him.

And maybe he saw Tails and Knux on their way up. Tried to buy some time so they could reach the ARK. And when Gerald sent him falling, he likely had a moment when he wondered if they'd catch him, or if they'd let him fall, because of how he'd treated them.

But they caught him. They helped him. His enemies had been kinder to him than his own flesh and blood.

So he helped them.

And he made amends with Stone, in a way only Ivo Robotnik could, before he (seemingly) sacrificed himself to keep the world safe.

Ivo Robotnik, at his core, is a little boy who just wanted to be loved. Gerald saw that, and used it against him. And it wasn't until the end that Ivo saw Stone had cared for him all along.

Ivo saved the Earth not because he cared about all the people on it, but because he cared about just one.

~~~

Check out my other Sonic 3 analysis posts

[tenebraevesper]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Halloween Special

I didn't really intend to be gone for so long, but I ended up working on a different passion project, and then I had some stuff happen to me that required me to be offline for a few days. But, hey, at least I got to analyze this story... about six months too late.

Yeah, I'm talking about a Halloween story... a week before Easter. X3

Welp, better late than never.

Today's story focuses on the Chaotix on Halloween, with Espio and Vector taking the child of their family, Charmy, trick-or-treating. Or rather, Espio reminding Vector that Charmy is the one trick-or-treating, not Vector, who's hoping to get some sweets for himself.

Gotta say, I really like their costumes here, with Espio being a mummy, Vector being Frankenstein's Monster and Charmy being a vampire.

They get a knock on the door, with Charmy thinking it's another case, but Vector points out how it's more likely that it's a kid who wants sweets.

Turns out, they were both right - it's a kid who wants to solve them a case of stolen candies.

The kid explains how she and her friends were walking on the edge of the forest when another kid approached them, telling them about a shortcut to houses with even better candy.

They followed the kid through the forest, only for the little sneak to slip away and leave them alone, where they get ambushed by some sort of monster.

Now, let's be real, these are kids and kids can be naive and stupid, so going into the woods at night following another kid shouldn't be at all surprising. But if there's one certain thing, it's that this so-called monster is probably fake, with the kid who led them into the forest basically running a scam. And no, I'm not saying this because I already read this story; I'm saying it because it's a pretty obvious trope if you ever watched a cartoon where kids bully other kids on Halloween night to steal their candy.

I think what's admirable here is that Charmy is the one advocating to bring back the stolen goods. I think that normally you'd expect kid characters like Charmy to throw a tantrum over not getting to go trick-or-treating and Espio and Vector having to put their foot down, but no, Charmy is not that kind of person. Hell, Vector even gives him the reins for the night.

Now, that's a true detective!

Sonic (not in costume - even though we know he owns a Vampire costume) and Tails (dressed as a cowboy) are also on the hunt for candy, taking notice of the Chaotix below.

They exchange pleasantries, with Charmy getting them up to speed about their case, with Sonic and Tails agreeing to join them.

They get into the forest, searching for the so-called monster, only to see a couple of kids running for their lives. Charmy and Tails are a bit scared, Vector, Espio and especially Sonic look more confused.

Espio and Vector come up with a plan to find the monster, but it becomes a moot point when Tails tracks it down for them, much to the former two's shock.

But, they get over it and just follow the signal.

The group still thinks it's a real monster, which fair, considering how many monsters they had to fight, ranging from robots to literal gods.

Sonic goes ahead to check the forest and it seems that he found something.

It's an empty bag stuck on a tree, with Charmy finding their next clue.

It is a trail of candy, with Charmy leading the way, being the lead detective for this case, only to hear something ahead.

They find the guy leading two more kids astray, with Charmy charging after him. Sonic and Espio follow, while Tails and Vector comfort the crying kids who almost got fooled into losing their candy.

Sonic, Espio and Charmy corner the kid, only to be met by the monster, while Vector and Tails hear Charmy screaming for help and going after their friends.

Sonic is being grappled by the so-called monster, with Charmy hearing Vector call out an attack, flying around the monster and having Vector slam into it.

Vector then unleashes a sonic screech, knocking the monster down. Charmy stops any further fight, pointing out it's just a bunch of things in a costume... and then the brat from earlier clocks Vector straight in the face! What the hell?!

I did not expect that to happen, but it's kinda funny.

The kids get surrounded, save for one who attempts his best to escape.

Tails stops him, and I really love this quote from him:

''Correction. Tonight, I am a cowboy. And I'm going yeehaw mode.''

Words to live by. He then ties the kid up, with Vector throwing Charmy a bag to catch the other kid.

To keep it short, the jig is up, but the brats refuse to tell them where their stash of stolen candy is, or at least try to split it up 30/70 (how is that even fair? I'd call 70/30 considering you little thieves got busted).

Of course, the Chaotix, Sonic and Tails want none of that, being more annoyed about the kids stealing stuff.

Charmy finds the stolen goods behind a bush, which is when the brats turn on the waterworks, saying how it's not fair. They spent a whole year making that monster and are upset that all of their stolen goods are now going back to their rightful owners.

Yeah, they are brats alright.

Sonic points out how this behavior is completely selfish and being himself, he's not caring about the candy, but about helping people.

Charmy calls Vector to help him out with a bag, only for a gem to fall out of it. At first, everything thinks it's legit, but it turns out it's made out of sugar. The brats are still protesting about losing their candy, with Charmy and Tails pointing out how their actions hurt other people, with the vampire kids realizing that he may have screwed up.

The other kids also realize that they got carried away, and while it's nice that they learned their lesson, they still should own up for what they have done, in my opinion.

Vector then calls everyone to return back to the town, since they still have candy to give out.

Back at Seaside City, we see a long line of scammed kids getting their candy back, realizing that making other people happy is better than being selfish and Tails even befriends the kid with the robot arms.

Charmy is a little bummed he didn't get to trick-or-treat, but according to Tails' calculations, not only is there enough candy for all the kids in Seaside City, but there's gonna be leftover for them, with Charmy happily stating that this is the best Halloween ever.

It's a nice story, and one thing I like is that the villains are just some random kids who wanted candy instead of someone like Eggman, Clutch or Mimic. Nothing high-stakes, although I imagine Halloween candy would mean everything to a kid, and it was really neat that they gave Charmy the spotlight.

But, I have two things to note - I wish Sonic wore his Vampire Costume rather than having no costume (especially since the Werehog isn't an option - although I think it would be really cool if we got a Halloween story with the Werehog), and secondly - I want the Chaotix's costumes as skins in Sonic Forces: Speed Battle and Sonic Dash. Otherwise, I have no complaints.

Instead, I'll see you all in Sonic the Hedgehog: Winter Jam!

#Previous Issue

#Next Issue

[tacoma-narrows]

Between the Sea and the Sky!

Hi everybody! Meet the TWO new guys I made between last night and today! Their names are Tarmac (an Aeromorph dog) and Soda (a pooltoy fox), and they've filled a desire for these two specific kinds of OCs I've had in mind for MONTHS lol. They were super fun to design and draw and I'm super excited to do more with them soon!! This piece is relatively simple but more so serves as their introduction hehe

See more about them, including refs and some additional pieces/information below the cut :] (it kind of turns into a huge braindump lmao)

Tarmac is an aeromorph, although a bit more towards the furry side of things rather than the plane side lol. His design is influenced primarily by the Concorde and the Space Shuttle! I couldn't decide for the life of me which of those two things I wanted to use so I thought "why not use both?" and here we are lol. I'm super happy with his design, with the black/dark gray markings mean to emulate the look of the Space Shuttle's thermal insulation tiles and then I really like how the red and blue stand out against the gray. I really like his icon too! I wanted to make it look like a stylized depiction of a plane (mainly a Concorde hehe) breaking through the sound barrier with a sonic boon! In terms of personality, I don't have a whole lot in mind yet. Mostly that he'd be the brave, adventurous type and since he can fly both in the air and through space, he's gonna be friends with Astro too :3

Soda is a pooltoy fox! I have wanted to make a pooltoy OC FOREVER (blame my mutuals for always posting/reblogging so many cool pooltoy OCs hehe). I finally got brave enough to actually give it a shot, and I love how he came out! I was mainly just thinking about summery themes and as I was just trying out different colors and stuff, I thought about orange soda, and that's the direction I ended up going! He's got a big stupid tail [affectionate] and can have either rounded bappy hands or have actual fingers, you're free to stylize that either way! I've only ever drawn a pooltoy character once ever before, so this was something way out of my realm of familiarity, but I'm so happy with how he came out! He's so shaped I love him so much already <33

So those are my two new guys! Making two new OCs at the same time is already a rarity for me lol. The only time it's happened before was when I made Rye and Pumpernickel back in August of 2021. And then making these guys when I had only gotten Astro about two and a half weeks ago means this is an exceedingly rare event for me lmao. My friends know how infrequently I make/get new OCs, so this just goes to show how much these guys have been bouncing around in my brain lately lol.

They are definitely gonna have some sort of connection to each other, but I'm not sure how I wanna go about that yet. Since I made them back to back, they are already connected in my brain, but I'm not sure how I wanna express that in a meaningful way. I don't wanna make them siblings bc, well, they're obv very different from each other lol, but they're kinda parallels (with one being in the sky and the other being in the water yknow), so as of right now they're definitely good friends with each other. I might upgrade that to bfs at some point in the future, but we'll see how things go hehe.

Anyways huge braindump of a post lmao, thank u for reading if u did! I'd love to hear your thoughts on these guys since they're so different from all my other characters! Also if anyone may wanna do an art trade of either of these guys (or Astro as well! I'd like to get more art of him too!) let me know hehe

[ana-the-light-fury]

I was originally just going to do this with Mint and Spector, but then idea got too big so I did all of them lol. Here are the relationships Leena has with the main Sonic characters, along with a few OCs:

(sorry in advance for my lack of practice drawing Knuckles and Amy lol)

First up, Sonic the Hedgehog! When they first met, Leena thought Sonic was just an immature, leap-before-you-look kind of person. And while that wasn't exactly wrong, they’ve grown close in a way that only rival siblings could. Their similarities cause them to fight and pick on each other a lot, but when they ever team up, they can do anything.

Silver the Hedgehog is Leena’s best friend—and has been since they met in the broken future Silver managed to change. Silver brought Leena with him when he went back, and she decided to stay because she met so many wonderful people. These two are the type of friends who rarely fight and can tell how the other feels, even if they’re trying to hide it.

Amy Rose and Leena are chill. Not exactly besties, but nowhere near enemies. They don’t do too well when left alone, mostly because Amy’s extreme personality makes Leena uncomfortable.

Knuckles the Enchidna and Leena are also chill. They have a mutual respect for each other but never seek out each other’s company.

Mina the Cat (another one of my OCs, although she’s also partly @maplesyrup3501 ‘s) is basically Leena’s mother/mentor. Mina more or less raised Leena, teaching her everything she knows. Leena looks up to Mina and trusts her completely—even if she sometimes gets a little too enthusiastic about things lol.

Leena sees Mint the Possum (@chickenwaffles17 ‘s OC) almost as an elder sister, even though Leena is actually older than her. Mint had such a strong personality (in a different way than Amy), that Leena was drawn to it. Mint is someone that Leena trusts and is glad to be part of Team Sapphire with her, along with Spector.

Spector (@gotta-go-fast ‘s OC) is so precious and pure to Leena. It’s almost like a Katniss-and-Rue kind of relationship, where Leena often forgets that Spector can actually take care of herself. Leena constantly underestimates her, but she’s been trying to keep in mind that Spector is stronger than she looks.

Leena’s relationship with Shadow the Hedgehog is an awkward one. Leena, for the longest time, liked Shadow. But she’s been trying to blow the feelings off for a few reasons—the two biggest being 1. The fact that Shadow is dating Mint and 2. She knows Shadow wouldn’t ever return the feelings. Leena tries to avoid talking with him because of how embarrassed she still is about her feelings.

Leena and Rouge the Bat get along okay, since Mint is their mutual friend. But like with Knuckles, Rouge isn’t someone Leena seeks out—unless she needed very specific help or information—but they have a similar kind of mutual respect.

Although she has never admitted this to anyone—and most certainly never plans too—Leena does not like Miles “Tails” Prower. She thinks he is annoyingly smart and he makes her feel stupid since he is so much younger than her but could build a robot out of her toaster if he so desired. She hates listening his advice, especially when he’s right—but sometimes she stubbornly refuses to take it. She tries her best to be nice to him, since he is Sonic’s best friend and everyone else loves him—but she doesn’t even have his phone number, not even for an emergency. It, uh, just never came up.

[tchilidogs]

Hiya! I’ve just found your Sonic AU and oh my goodness I am in LOVE with it! As a Sonic disability headcanon enthusiast of 20 years, it’s rare to find people into this kind of thing, so coming across this was a real treat 💙

Tails is my 2nd favourite character (right next to Sonic), and I just love seeing this dark side to him! even though he didn’t mean it. I bet if he’d of lived, he’d of had years of trauma himself, possibly even suffering PTSD thinking he killed Sonic and all his friends, knowing it was his fault. I bet if he were to survive and caught up with Sonic again, he’d be absolutely devastated seeing Sonic with his prosthetics, knowing he caused Sonic to be that way. I can just see Tails going up to Sonic, touching his prosthetic arm or leg, and then collapsing to the ground in floods of tears being like “I’m so sorry, I caused this and it’s all my fault, I ruined your life!” and Sonic being Sonic, trying to cheer him up and convince him it’s not his fault and he hasn’t ruined his life. Equally, I can imagine Tails getting really upset over the fact Sonic can no longer run fast anymore/ seeing his prosthetics fall apart 🥺

I notice Sonic wears Tails’ jacket at times. You’d think Sonic would be angry at Tails for what he did. But despite everything, I’m guessing Sonic doesn’t think it was Tails’ fault at all, and I can imagine Sonic wearing the jacket as he misses his bro despite everything and it makes him feel close to him by wearing it. 

I love how rough Sonic looks. He’s only in his 30’s so still relatively young, but he looks so OLD! They say stress ages you, and it really has for Sonic, bless him. 

And I love that despite everything, as the years went on, Sonic is trying to rebuild his life. Despite the trauma. Despite losing everything he ever lived for, he still manages to smile, be kind, and move forward. He could have very easily ended it all after losing the will to live, but he chose to keep going. He looks so sad and depressed though, and I love seeing Sonic unhappy. It’s a side you never get to see in the official Sonic universes. 

Ahhh, Fridays cannot come soon enough now! 😍

Hiii!! I’m glad you’re enjoying the story so far 😊✨

I really love Tails as a character too! Even if this take on his personality is dark, you’ll definitely get to see more of it. CPTSD can take many many forms, it’s different for everyone, so it’ll be interesting exploring how it affects the characters in future pages !! Definitely trigger warning will be included.

If Sonic and Tails were to reunite… boy, that would be to interesting to write 🥲 so heart wrenching too!!

Tails definitely could’ve made speed adapting prosthetics for Sonic, it’s actually so sad 😭

And yes! Sonic will always have that jacket with him, he doesn’t blame Tails at all for what happened, he could never. If anything, he blames himself for putting his loved ones in such a dangerous situation

Yeah Sonic is 30 now, still very young even though he looks rough, he’s still smiling!! It took him a while to get his smile back but, he’s come this far! ✨

All I can say is, prepare yourself for more angst 🥲 brace yourselves for chapter 3 (genuinely my fave!!)

Thank you for the questions 🥹✨✨

[cdecrisesblog]

The Unlimited Ultimate Life Form

And why a sonadow kid created by Eggman would be the most dangerous and amazing thing that ever existed.

💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

Listen, what I'm about to tell came from two months of midnights thoughts and a sudden hyperfixation on sonadow, so be patient and walk with me.

When I got too much into a ship I ended up creating a fankid or a OC (happened with bkdk, zosan and others) so let me introduce you to Star the Hedgehog.

Star is the result of one of Eggman's many attempts to create something capable of defeating Sonic. He mixed Sonic and Shadow's DNA into a near-nuclear combination of Chaos Energy. She would be a creature made of pure energy, but something was missing. Raw power alone was not enough to defeat the hedgehog, Eggman knew that. If he wanted this to work, he would need someone not only capable of matching Sonic, but surpassing him. That's why he added something else: his own DNA.

And that's how Star was born. A black-furred, with purple highlights hedgehog with Chaos Energy running through her veins, super-speed in her legs, and the I.Q. of the smartest human being who ever lived. A masterpiece, if you ask Eggman.

But before he could use her power properly, Sonic and Shadow discovered what he was doing, and upon seeing that innocent baby would be turned into a weapon (something that made Shadow's blood boil) they practically kidnapped the baby girl and disappeared. And now they have a child.

Star grew up as a normal kid, and to someone who was created to be a science project, she was pretty chill about it. Despite having a very similar appearance to Shadow, she is very similar to Sonic in personality (same speed, same adventurous nature, same hyperactive energy). She likes to spend time with her friends and family, explore Mobius and race with her dads. Of course, she still needs to use Inhibitor Rings to control her Chaos Energy, but other than that, she's pretty much a normal kid.

Except she's not.

She is smart, so damn smart, in a way that's not normal. No kid is supposed to learn to read by herself, no kid is supposed to correct Uncle Tails inventions, no kid is supposed to understand enough about science to correct said invention, especially when she's five and especially if she's right

She asks questions that no child should be asking. Questions about life, death, power and, her favorite, speed

“Have you tried to run at the speed of light?” She asked Sonic one time.

“Why would I want to run at the speed of light?” He asked back.

“Have you tried?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“I don't think that's possible, dear.”

“But if you never tried, how do you know it's possible?”

Sonic gave her a funny look, the one you give to a curious child. “Do you want to run at the speed of light?”

Star shrugs. “Maybe one day?”

“Why?”

She looked at Sonic with big green eyes, not a single hint of confusion and said “So I can become the light.”

She was six.

And Star knows that she's weird, but while she couldn't bring herself to care, she also likes to pretend she is normal. So she goes on adventures with her friends, goes to school, and spends time with her family, and if her brain starts to tell her these amazing little evil ideas, she goes to run alone and just stops when the train of thoughts stops too.

And there's something beautiful and tragic when the child of the hero looks too much like the villain. Yes, she's a kind, brave girl, that when frowns looks exactly like Shadow, but if you make her laugh, it's like you're hearing Sonic too. But sometimes she gets quiet, eyes numb, then looks at the sky like the stars are keeping the secrets of the universe from her. She understands more than a girl of her age should understand. Her brain races at a speed her legs can't keep up, hungry for something she doesn't know what it is. The universe is at her fingertips, a play of chess she already won before starting. A little genius, alone at her throne.

Until the day she meets Robotnik.

She knows who he is and he knows who she is. They don't fight, contrary to what she expected, but instead stare at each other. It's like looking into a twisted mirror. A vision of what you could have become, to god or bad.

“Have you ever thought about your limits?” He asks suddenly.

“My what?”

“Your limits.”

“The things you can and can't do.”

“Well, I'm not a good singer, if that's what you're asking.”

The doctor gives her an irritated look, not in the mood for jokes. Star decides she doesn't want to hide what's going on in her head from this man. Not from the mad scientist who created her.

She takes a moment to look at her hands, and after a beat, answers.

“My limits are where I put them. My Inhibitor Rings, the speed I allow myself to run... these things are walls I've built for myself, but they're not my limits.

“So you can go beyond that?”

“Why would I want that?”

“Why would you not want that?”

The man took a step forward, and Star found herself in his shadow. The irony was not lost on her.

“A normal creature can be exceptional in at least one aspect of their life, but I created you to be something else entirely.” He said. “Power, speed, intelligence. In the world we live in, having one is nothing if you don’t have the others. Now look at you. You’re the one who said you limit yourself, and still haven’t realized it? You were not made to have limits.”

When Star finally looks up, she finds Eggman's gaze shining in a way that makes her blood run cold: madness. Pure, unspeakable madness. This was the look of a man who was beyond sanity, but it wasn't his gaze that scared her, no, it was the realization that if she didn't watch out for herself, she would end up like him.

What a shame, the only one who could understand her is also the only thing that she doesn't want to become.

But she doesn't say this, instead she laughs.

“You're crazy, Dr. Robotnik.”

“And you're just like me, Hedgehog.”

Then they laugh, a laugh that just mad people can laugh, and if he runs away that's fine, they will have plenty of time to fight.

But now Star knows, she knows what awaits her on the other side of the madness lurking in her mind, but she won't let it bring her down. She won't become a black hole, destroyed by her own power.

And maybe one day, when Eggman and her parents are no longer around, she decides it's finally time to break her own limits. She takes off her Inhibitor Rings and starts running, faster and faster until she disappears. Faster than sound, faster than light.

Because she wasn't meant to have limits, so instead of letting this power destroy her, she disappears and lets her madness carry her across the universe. Like a shooting star. Like the Unlimited Ultimate Life Form she is.

[papagabu]

The other day I kind of went on a whole thing about Shadow regarding my feelings towards the character to help people understand how I plan to portray him in my AU. But I decided I want to give my reason for why Tails is the main character of my AU.

The short answer is the Metal Breakers AU is inspired by two ideas I had: What if Metal Sonic rebelled against Eggman early, and the idea that if Sonic died, Tails would replace him as the hero of Earth.

The long answer.

Tails is a character that I feel has loads of untapped potential, like Silver, but unlike Silver, whose potential is wasted just off the fact we almost never see the guy, Tails is just held back by two things. First, his age; people like to call him weak a lot of the time, but Tails is frequently shown and even stated to be comparable to Sonic. He’s still below him but very close. Tails is also younger, so there’s a lot of potential for growth there; he would likely easily surpass Sonic if it weren’t for the second, more substantial thing holding him back: his complacency. Tails doesn’t really strive to be the best; he strives to be equal with Sonic, which is not a bad thing. It’s cute and nice that he’s got a humbleness to him that makes him not really strive for more than standing beside his big bro.

Tails is also just flat-out my favorite character; he always has been since I was little and likely always will be, seeing as how I still have love for the little guy after the character assassination he went through the during previous decade. For the longest time I couldn’t figure out why I liked Tails specifically. Looking at him, he didn’t seem particularly remarkable compared to other characters in the series; even at his best, sure, he’s cute, but that can only get you so far when you have to compete with characters like Shadow and Blaze. But I’ve finally realized why in recent years, to me Tails is easily the most relatable and inspirational character in the franchise; this seemingly innocuous little boy has such real aspirations and shortcomings.

I already mentioned how he just wants to stand beside Sonic. Tails doesn’t want to be the coolest; he wants to be seen as cool as Sonic. He doesn’t want to be the strongest or fastest; hell, he doesn’t even seem to want to be the smartest; that just seems to be something he was gifted with. Tails just wants what makes him happy, and that’s being beside the person that makes him happy, the hedgehog who practically gave Tails everything he needed in life. Sonic, the first real friend Tails likely ever had, the first person he could ever really call family. And I love that about Tails; at his best, his relationship with Sonic doesn’t just serve to make Tails a better character but Sonic too. I don’t think Sonic would be anywhere near as likable of a character to me if he didn’t have this precious little bean he’s constantly uplifting; Sonic inspires Tails to be better, and Tails inspires Sonic to be more loving, because without that relationship, Sonic would be almost all snark, which would really get old, as games like Colors, Lost World; and Forces have shown us.

Tails also easily has the saddest backstory; as sparse as it is, the bigger picture we can gather from what we know is not pretty at all. The fact he was bullied is what’s usually focused on, but we also know Tails was homeless and had to sleep outside a lot before he met Sonic, and that stormy nights were the hardest to get through, which is why he’s scared of lightning. That one statement has so many implications; why wasn’t Tails put in an orphanage? Why did no parents or other family take him in? Why did no one take him in? There’s no reason given, but you can make some assumptions; one I personally headcanon is because of the fact there’s implied to have been an ancient civilization on West Side Island where Tails was born. The people from his town or village are likely descendants of that civilization and have carried superstitious beliefs from that ancient culture. It’s very likely that Tails’s mutation was seen as a bad omen of sorts, so he was chased out of town; it would explain why he wouldn’t even be allowed in an orphanage and why he’d be such an easy target for bullying from the other children. And living isolated and ostracized like this, Tails probably had to do stuff like eat garbage, bugs, and small animals to survive. It can also give an explanation for how he took up engineering; he likely attempted to build ways to defend himself from the elements using parts he’d find in people’s garbage, or at a local dump or something. And this trauma has obviously left him with some deep-seated issues, low self-esteem being the most prevalent. You can even easily rationalize his portrayal in Sonic Forces, especially when you take into account the fact that since Colors, Sonic had seemingly been actively holding Tails back, keeping him away from danger rather than letting Tails stand beside him. Tails had come to rely on Sonic again due to Sonic’s actions causing Tails to lose the confidence he built up over time. Lost World is inexcusable, though, but I like to pretend that game doesn’t exist, considering it contributes nothing to the series (that anyone actually likes). 

I headcanon Tails as bisexual, I used to be against the idea of Tails being gay due to all of the evidence of him liking girls but I got into a weird conversation with a friend of a friend a couple years ago where I ended up conceding and saying I could accept Tails being bi.

[stormdash2]

Some Archie Character Reboot Ideas.

I've been thinking more about the return of Sally and The Freedom Fighters. Be it another reboot, a revival, a new show, IDW or even the games.

These are some ideas that have come to mind for me on any possibility.

First there's Nicole.

If Nicole got rebooted in any shape or form, I can see her as a hacker who assists Sally against Eggman in many ways. I also see her as a bit of a shut-in, due to her past prior to being adopted by Sally's family.

She strikes me as someone who could be socially awkward, and I imagine that in this timeline, she'd be an adopted sister for Sally, and fully Mobian rather than a computer.

I can imagine Sally being the only person she's comfortable talking to, but anyone else would be met with hesitation. As an homage to her shut in nature, I could see her using holograms or radios to speak with others, akin to how she first appeared.

If anyone could get Nicole to open up, it would be Sonic himself. He's very good at talking to others, when he wants to be. He's not the best for conversation himself, but his kind nature would be alluring for someone like Nicole who could just use some comforting words.

Nicole's backstory of being a shut-in hacker is partially inspired by a Persona 5 character by the name of Futaba Sakura.

A good friend could go a long way. I wouldn't mind if Sonic played the role that Ren Amamiya/Joker played in getting the shy girl to open up. Soon Nicole could have friends like Tails and Amy, just like Futaba eventually had friends in The Phantom Thieves.

I do feel like Bunnie's cybernetics would be Wispons this time around rather than actual cybernetics. It would fit the current direction that Sega is going. Just keep her southern charm, and you have potential for something good.

I can't see Antoine ever using a laser sword, even in a reboot he will stick with a classic sword. He believed his sword to be superior to the Z-Saber that Zero uses, and Zero is an iconic Mega Man character who's strong enough in his own right. That speaks volumes of Antoine's confidence in a sword.

I also believe that Monkey Khan should return somehow. Given that Chun-Nan exists, he could easily come back as a resident of that country, or even the Ruler of Land here. He has a lot of potential as a character.

Give him his own Freedom Fighters too, like the ones from the Archie Reboot.

If anything, they could borrow much more from Sun Wukong, the very character he's based off of. Imagine him going against Gaia the way Sun Wukong would against any deity that defied him.

Of course the Freedom Fighter story would just be an origin of them wanting to keep their town safe during the Phantom Ruby Incident. I imagine Sally has seen Infinite on multiple occasions.

Sonic Forces was just made for the Freedom Fighters' potential return. The fact that Sally and Bunnie cameoed in one of the comics is proof of that. Pictures only, but still worth mentioning.

And of course The Freedom Fighters would be allies with The Diamond Cutters should they appear in IDW. I can even imagine Sally as a mentor figure to Lanolin. Though I imagine it would be predated by a lot of bickering. Lanolin is stubborn and doesn't always listen to others, but may come to respect Sally while Tangle just admires her and Whisper respects her.

Then there's Mina Mongoose and Fiona Fox. I imagine their stories would cross paths with one another. Mina's good nature could balance out Fiona's cynicism, while Fiona is tough enough to watch out for Mina should she be too naive.

Mina's personality would be her cheerful and loving nature, while Fiona would be a nihilist due to old traumas, but not too anti-social. She just keeps a distance from everyone, except her best friend Mina.

I can't see any romance between either of them or Sonic, and that's fine. Last time there was, both girls ended up getting screwed over somehow and mistreated.

Mina would not be a pop idol per say, but it's a dream she's working toward while Fiona is still a medic.

I can see Mina at least admiring Sonic for his free will, while Fiona may find him a bit irritating.

Out of the Diamond Cutters, I can see Mina being best friends with Tangle and the two would interact a lot. All the while, Fiona may mess with Whisper a bit, but the two may find time to bond later.

They would also befriend The Freedom Fighters and be official members. Fiona's medical skills would come in handy more but Mina has plenty to offer.

Surge and Kit would be a fun interaction. Fiona might find the duo unsettling, and a look into what life she could have had if she had not befriended Mina.

Surge's personality around Fiona could mirror Scourge. Difference is that it's less likely to be romantic, and more that Surge wants to befriend Fiona, but their friendship is very toxic.

Surge could end up jealous of the bond that Fiona and Mina have with the other Freedom Fighters, The Restoration, and Sonic's friends.

When it comes to Tails, I can see Mina really admiring his intelligence, and wanting to be his friend. She may also find him really small and cute and dote over him.

Fiona may like Tails too, but that may take time. I can see her being annoyed by him at first, likely to call him childish insults (i.e. Twerp), and just mildly bullying him. She still has a soft spot for Tails though.

Lastly when it comes to Sally herself, she is the leader of her Freedom Fighter friends in their village of Knothole. They protected their town from Infinite and Eggman to the best of their abilities.

As mentioned prior, Sally could form a bond with Lanolin and in time be one of her dearest friends.

As also mentioned before, she'd have her big sister/little sister bond with Nicole. and always be ready to protect her.

She'd be a brave girl that goes after badniks, be it with Whispons or just on her own. She might even have an intensity that rivals Princess Peach in the old comics.

Like seriously, it's easy to forget how intense Princess Peach was in the old Mario comics (Or Toadstool as she was called at the time). Imagine Sally having this type of drive. Or maybe it might be too much.

I can also imagine Sally being in the movies as a girl who met Sonic once upon a time. Maybe they were childhood friends, maybe they knew each other in passing, but should Sally ever appear in the movies, there's plenty of story to be told.

I can imagine a situation similar to the anime Zatch Bell, where Sally is the one telling Tom and the others what Sonic was like back home, as she would be the only one from Mobius to know anything about him, even if it's something minuscule, like Tia having to explain Zatch's home life to Kiyo. She didn't know everything, but she knew enough.

I don't know what will happen regarding romance. In a perfect world, Sally is with Sonic. They are, for me at least, the definitive Sonic pairing in Sonic media. Like Superman and Lois Lane. Like Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson. Granted I prefer someone like Kitty Pride for Peter Parker, but you get my point.

Sonic and Sally are just it for me. But I know that Sega may believe differently. Be it the games, the comics, or the movies, Sonally just may never happen. That doesn't mean fans can't have some sliver of hope. Optimism is good, but be ready to accept reality.

I can see three potential replacements for Sonic if romance doesn't work out between them. Note, this is not mandatory for Sally, she doesn't need to be romantically paired off. But if they feel the need to, there are options.

First option, Monkey Khan. Back in Archie, I did not like the pairing between Sally and Ken. It was typical love triangle drama that did not need to be there.

This time around, there is no worry of that. Ken is there with his own story, and the romance thing could just be on the side or merely hinted at. If they want to go all in, they can do so without Sonic being pulled into that drama.

Option two is Mighty the Armadillo. The relationship between Sally and Mighty could mirror SatAM Sonally, without it being a complete copy. Maybe Sally's more chill, or Mighty is just a less hyper version of SatAM Sonic. Point is, there's potential.

Option three, one of my favorites, is Sally with Ray the Flying Squirrel. I feel like he'd know how to be that perfect mix of Adventurer and Freedom Fighter. He loves thrills, but shows some caution in doing so. I think Sally and Ray have potential for a good bond.

We could just skip the romance, or have Sally with a one-sided crush on Sonic. Sonic may never end up with her, but I can see something similar to Final Fantasy 7 with Cloud, Aerith and Tifa.

There was no major love triangle drama with them. Tifa and Aerith were good friends, and Cloud just have to make a choice eventually. It can be a nice running gag in the games and the comics.

None of this is fool proof, but it's better than nothing. Sometimes you just gotta take a chance, just be wise about it.

This is just more of my head canons on how to use the Freedom Fighters in the games, comics or movies. Or any other media. Perhaps one day, they truly can return.

[samobservessonic]

StC Post-Mortems: Sally Acorn

The site that I normally get the scans from is down, so let’s do something a little different and take a look at a character who wasn’t really a character in StC, but still had some appearances here and there. This post-mortem was suggested by @charlesinator

How it started

Sally Acorn was one of the small animal friends who Sonic rescued from badniks in the early issues of StC. She was based on the character who is now known as Ricky in the current Sonic canon, but you knew that already. It's hard to pin down the exact first appearance of the small animal characters in the comic, because unless they’re directly named, you could argue that any of the five little pig characters who Sonic just popped out of those badniks was or wasn’t Porker Lewis, but the earliest appearance of the squirrel wearing a bow that I could find was literally in issue one. Sally was one of the animals friends shown in the first issue. She didn't have a major role, but there she was

How it went

Outside of cameos, Sally would appear as an actual character in StC a handful of times, usually in stories written by Mark Millar. The first and probably best-known of these was in issue 3, where Sonic saved her younger brother Tufftee from danger. While Sally didn’t do much more than wait behind with Tails in this story, she was at least named and used as part of the plot

Sometimes she’d just kind of be around when Sonic had adventures too and that was nice

The main time I’d say she was perhaps similar to Sally Acorn from SatAM was in issue 13, when during the Extra Life story, she briefly banished Sonic from the Green Hill Zone after confusing Extra Life for him, before apologising when she realised her mistake later in the story. The whole “Sally banishes Sonic” thing was handled much more quickly and light-heartedly in StC than when Archie Sonic would use that plot line in years to come lol

How it ended

While she may have had small cameos after this issue, for the sake of this post-mortem I’m going to say that Sally’s final appearance was as a newscaster in issue 33, at the start of the Sonic 3 arc. By this point, Millar was long gone as a regular writer in the series and while the script doesn’t specifically mention Sally by name, this character is assumed to be her due to the whole “squirrel wearing a pink bow” thing. I’ve always considered this to be Sally’s final role in StC, though sadly she doesn’t appear again as a newscaster after this

(Fun fact: She does appear in the fanart section of StC as late as Sonic Adventure, but I haven’t got to that on the blog yet)

Were there any unused future plans from the StC writers?

None at all. Which probably isn’t surprising when the only writer who used her as a character left early on. The one reference to SatAM that I remember from StC was that Grimer was originally going to be Snively, but upon realising that he didn’t have to use the character, Kitching replaced Snively with Grimer and continued on from there. So, I assume he didn’t have much interest in including the SatAM characters. I’ve even heard people say that he wouldn’t have been allowed to use them anyway, but I don’t know about the legal side of things enough to say if that’s true or not I don’t think I’ve ever heard talk about what Stringer’s thoughts on Sally and/or SatAM were, if he even had any? With Amy coming along as the lead girl early on, the British side of Sonic really didn’t focus on Sally that much

What would I personally have liked to see next for her if StC continued?

Honestly, I’ve seen a few StC fancomics include Sally and I’m just such a fan of the character that my reaction is usually “Yay, Sally!” whenever they do. I’m not picky on how she’s used, just her being there is cool

While I can equally understand those who might not want Sally in the StC side of things, at least not in a similar role to the one she had further west, I’d be more than happy for her to keep making appearances as a newscaster in stories. Heck, I wouldn’t even be opposed to her and Tufftee coming back as Freedom Fighters, since the big sister & little brother dynamic could be fun to work with

What if she was in other Sonic media?

Buddy, have I got news for you if you’re wondering if Sally Acorn appears in other Sonic media

But also, she should be in IDW, dammit. She should be in the classic Sonic universe in the games. I’ll never stop hoping that someday my lost fave chipmunk girl will return from the Archie Sonic red tape mines… Let me have my delusions :'(

[skimmingmilk]

If Sonic and Tails were to ever have a fight, one that would cause some distance spanning a few months or years, what would they have fought about?

See, I don't think they would.

Personally, the way I interpret these characters, there is nothing either of them could do to the other that would cause them to have a bad enough fight where they would become that distant from each other. But that's just me. I don't enjoy that kind of dynamic between them.

Sonic is quick-tempered, but he's also quick to forgive. If he can forgive his rivals who have literally tried to kill him or seriously maim/injure him, there's nothing Tails could do that would prevent Sonic from forgiving him. If Tails pisses him off, Sonic will run it off. He'll cool down with some fresh air, regroup, then probably just turn back up as if nothing happened. And if he was the one in the wrong, then he's gonna find some way to make it up to Tails. Even if Tails murdered someone, Sonic is helping him hide the body, like are you kidding me? He will live a life on the run with this kid, he doesn't care. If someone pushed his best buddy to murder, they probably had it coming to them.

Tails might be the one more likely to hold a grudge, but he's also well-aware of how much Sonic cares. Sonic wouldn't hurt him intentionally of his own volition, he knows that for a fact. Once he had some time to process his emotions and calm down, he'd be able to see that either A) it was unintentional on Sonic's part, or B) it wasn't Sonic at his most genuine either through an imposter/mind control/tactic to keep Tails safe.

Whatever the reason for making the other mad or instigating a fight, they'll only need a little bit of time and space before trying to resolve it. They don't like to fight. They don't like to hurt each other. They'll make playful jabs and tease a little and exchange quips because they both think that's fun, but they care about each other far too much to let a fight/disagreement push them apart for longer than a couple of days. I mean, unless something physically separated them and kept them from reuniting to resolve said fight, but that's outside of their control and I'm sure they'd already have forgiven each other before they see each other again.

Now, that being said, I do think they're capable of being distant for a long period of time, but not because of a fight. Like, take Frontiers for example. Tails said he wants to go out on his own to become more independent and to prove that he doesn't have to rely on Sonic for anything. Even if Sonic doesn't fully agree with his reasons or methods (which, there isn't really canon evidence for that, that's mostly my own headcanon talking because I can't imagine Sonic would want his best friend to come back an entirely different person), he's not going to interfere with Tails's free will to choose his own path in life. If Tails wants to cut off communication to help himself grow, then Sonic will respect that and be there for him when he's ready to come back home. Even if that takes a few weeks... or months...

But yeah, I'm sorry, I'm not the best writer to go to for Sonic and Tails having like friendship-ending level fights. They're the unbreakable bond for a reason, they have complete faith and trust in each other. So I can't see it happening in a believable way for me personally, but I'm sure there are others out there who would have way better insight or interest in something like this! It's just not my cup of tea. In my eyes, if they're gonna fight, they're also gonna resolve it pretty quick.

Thanks for the ask!

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Reading the fleetway Sonic comic now and

I'm convinced that Tails is his special little guy??

I mean, he's an asshole, no doubt, but he passes up a party (mind you, he loves being celebrated as a hero so much) to go looking for Tails

He goes looking at his "favorite place" and literally dons shades and a worse attitude at learning Tails was taken

He genuinely cares about him as his buddy? Sure he complains about him or insults hin fairly often, but he clearly likes having Tails around enough to want him back??

Are we gonna talk about how Tails breaks free from Robotnik's control because he can't bear to keep hurting Sonic, because he cares?

This scene too reminds me so much of that scene from Fang the Hunter issue 1 where Tails called for Sonic and Sonic bid himself to be patient and not lash out because Tails is his friend. Like again, Fleetway!Sonic is an asshole, but he's holding back when it comes to Tails even a little bit

There's just constant proof whenever Tails is put in danger or captured that Sonic cares about his well-being. In fact he cares so much he just kind of is just indifferent about those he puts in danger by zeroing in on saving Tails (and those he saves he doesn't necessarily save with intent to). In this issue specifically, Sonic, the animal companions with him, and an unconscious Tails get washed away in a current of water, and rather than worry about his own well-being or those of his companions, he yells at them to keep ahold of Tails in the water so he can take care of the badnik.

Personally I feel like this sequence speaks for itself? Although Sonic is fairly confident, he risks his life on the chance that he can steer the Death Egg off course (and we're not even factoring in whether he can escape in time), and sends Tails away in the only escape pod. He literally gambles his life on this act of saving Emerald Hill and worries first about securing Tails', even if only Tails may end up escaping.

There's also the setting? Tails crying for Sonic and calling him the bravest hedgehog he ever met, Sonic reacting like he didn't just narrowly avoid death and that Tails is just stating the obvious, the two of them floating down in the escape pod during the sunset

I don't have the picture space to show it, but there's also another part of this issue where Sonic continuously nags Tails to stay out of danger and to let him handle everything alone, and then (after falling into a trap), starts talking to himself about how glad he is that Tails wasn't around to see him make such a rookie mistake. It's easy to read as Sonic always leaving Tails behind because he doesn't think much of him or thinks he'll be in the way, but I don't think that's completely true! I get the idea that Fleetway Sonic likes having his buddy around just as much as he wants his buddy to be safe. So he brings him around everywhere he can, but he forces him to hang back during the dangerous bits. And that's not to mention how this issue showed just how much Sonic values Tails' opinion of him.

And BOY does this scene get me

It's like

This is the first time Super Sonic ever appears in StC. Are we going to ignore that Fleetway!Super Sonic stops attacking and reverts back into regular Sonic because of Tails?

This is like Mecha Sonic in Archie's Mecha Madness special all over again, except Fleetway!Super Sonic is under no one's control. He stopped attacking because Tails bids him to remember them.

There's just so many little things about them in my reading so far that I almost can't believe it (and would hit the tumblr photo limit a number of times if I were to show it off)

If I had to label their relationship in StC, I'd say that, to Tails, Sonic is someone he admires greatly. He doesn't seem to be fond of Sonic's attitude (largely when it's aimed at those other than himself), and he expresses criticism as to how vain Sonic is and his eating choices, but ultimately he cares about Sonic enough to stick around with him and go on adventures from time to time. For Sonic, I think Tails is someone he secretly likes having around. He often criticizes him, and depending on his mood he'll do it whenever he gets an opening, but he's also just...bad at feelings. When Tails is in danger, he'll zero in on saving him, almost above all else, and then when he saves Tails he's going off about how he can't trust Tails to be alone, angry and annoyed. He's a jerk, but a jerk who cares more than he lets on about Tails. Tails isn't just some admirer, he's important to him, and at the same time, Tails' is someone whose opinion of him he values. Ahsjsjs and....he's also the kind of guy who would say something like "Hey, that's enough! Only I get to bully Tails!"

Is their relationship healthy? No😂 But also in StC it also comes off like...they're both choosing this. Despite everything they choose to be buddies

Idk I'm fascinated so far😂

The Sonic the asshole and his special little fox

[yanderes-galore]

Could you make Yandere Platonic Nine with a reader who is helping Sonic recover the fragments of the paradox prism and at the same time becomes friends with Nine?

Now that he's become a villain, I'd like to see what a Platonic Yandere would be like.

Sure! Recently finished Sonic Prime so I am excited to write Nine in his "Villain Arc" lol. I have two Nine concepts to do but I'll have to figure out how as the general one may be similar to this 😅

SPOILERS FOR SONIC PRIME SEASONS 1-3

Yandere! Platonic! Tails Nine Concept

Pairing: Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Clingy behavior, Sadism, Violence, Fear of abandonment/loss, Jealousy, Isolation, Kidnapping, Threats, Delusional behavior, Forced companionship.

Nine is not used to company or friends.

Even when Sonic befriends him, he still struggles with personal connections.

When Nine first meets you, he's cautious.

You're helping Sonic... and while you both show him kindness, he isn't sure what to think.

Kindness is such a foreign trait to him.

Yet... as the events of the show continue, Nine warms up to you and Sonic.

Until his trust is betrayed, of course.

Nine would be a selfish yandere at times.

He's volatile, manipulative, and cynical.

Later on when given power, he's even sadistic.

Nine hasn't had much experience with friendship.

So when he finds such a thing in you and Sonic, he wants to keep it.

Nine has trouble trusting... but when he does, he's loyal.

He used to be so aggressive around you... yet now he's calm and even looks forward to seeing you again.

Even when held hostage, he trusts you and Sonic will save him eventually.

Nine struggles with physical contact.

It takes a long time before he can reciprocate physical affection.

Everything seems like a threat to him.

Being a loner tinkering with machines is all je really knew...

Then you came into his life with a smile and a heart full of hope.

Your positivity is irritating at first... yet now he adores it.

He's happy to consider you and Sonic his friends.

Right up until Sonic ignores his wants with the Prism.

Yandere! Nine would definitely occur around Season 3 of the show.

Recall how determined he was to take Sonic back to The Grim? Yeah....

Nine wants nothing more than to create a new world where you, Sonic, and Nine can be happy.

Yet Sonic only ever talks about Green Hill and you look at Nine with stupid sympathy.

Why don't you both get it!?

He just wants you all to be happy!

Long story short, while Sonic tries to gather aid... I imagine Nine would keep you in The Grim with him.

Nine's trust with Sonic has been shattered... but Nine doesn't want to believe you'd betray him too.

Who cares if Sonic doesn't want a new world?

Maybe you'll understand where Nine is coming from....

Nine still makes the Alpha Grim Bots to scout Sonic, but he keeps you in the Citadel with him.

Nine may be delusional when it comes to you.

He refuses to believe you'd leave him too... you may even play into that until Sonic finds a way to resolve this.

Reciprocating his delusions may calm Nine a bit.

Deep down he is scared of losing you.

He knows he'd be better off alone... yet he doesn't want to let you go.

You both can make The Grim your home.

The Prism can shape it in any way you both wish.

Nine may even try to make creations to impress you.

Who needs Sonic anyways? He can make you a robotic one.

Actually... you don't even need that... Nine is your best friend now.

He can just use Sonic as a battery and keep you.

Nine is sadistic when he has the Prism, he doesn't care who he has to hurt if it means he keeps you with him.

He claims he's a loner, but ever since he met you, he hasn't wanted to leave you.

Even to the point where he hugs you willingly now.

Nine is jealous when you admit you still miss Sonic...

You don't need that traitor.

If he has to... he'll kill him and whatever allies you made to keep you.

You should learn that you don't need to rely on anyone else.

Anyone but Nine will disappoint you.

Nine wants to be a good friend for you.

Not entirely having a healthy grasp on what friendship is, it comes off twisted and possessive.

He's upset you won't just reciprocate fully anymore.

Why aren't you positive anymore?

Even when Nine hugs you and makes you creations with the prism... you don't smile.

... Nine can fix that... he'll find a way.

Soon... Nine will use Sonic's energy to make you both happy in The Grim...

Then you and him will be happy... he knows it... he just has to wait... then you'll smile at him again, your dear best friend...!