#Shadow Gens Spoilers

[astrophysician]

don’t know which version i like better, just that i love shadow 🖤❤️

[autisticshadowthehedgehog]

We don't want to be frozen in one place in time. Besides, your friends need your help.

[bbaiyun]

wowie mephiles

[molinaskies]

Shadow must be very conflicted about his feelings for Gerald Robotnik.

On the one hand, Shadow Gens made it abundantly clear that Shadow cares for him deeply. I feel like a lot of iterations of this story focus on Shadow’s love for Maria, but this time we get to see that for Gerald as well, which is nice. Gerald gave Shadow life and compassion. Shadow also evidently respects his knowledge, intellect, and authority.

On the other hand, Gerald (in a grief-induced rage) manipulated Shadow’s mind to carry out his revenge plan, corrupting his autonomy and (technically unknowingly) denying Maria her wish. Gerald also created the Biolizard, a being Shadow regards the existence of as very, very cruel, and kept it around long enough to use it for his final plan as a last resort failsafe. Not to mention the Black Arms, as a concept.

I think this is part of why Shadow was so attached to them in Shadow Gens. It wasn’t just Gerald, the man the world came to know as a monster. It was Gerald, the keen and benevolent, if somewhat misguided, scientist. It was a chance for Shadow to relive and reassess Gerald in a light untainted by his future mistakes.

And that was probably very therapeutic for him.

[raptorwozhere]

‼️MAJOR SHADOW GENERATIONS SPOILERS‼️

I need to talk about that final cutscene. I NEED TO TALK ABOUT THAT FINAL CUTSCENE.

I think the most important part of Shadow and Maria’s conversation here is its ending.

When Maria tells Shadow that “if fate draws us apart, I know I will always be in your heart” his first instinct is to fight it, to tell her to “wait” so that he can think of a solution.

But he hesitates. He allows himself to process her words, after all like Rouge said Maria is the only one who could ever talk him down, and it makes him angry.

He’s angry because he’s listening to her.

He’s angry because he knows she’s right.

He’s angry because he doesn’t want her to be right.

And most importantly he’s angry at himself, that despite everything, despite knowing that this is the last time he will ever see her, he can’t bring himself to watch her go. Not again.

So he sprits off and doesn’t look back, immediately focusing himself on the task Maria has encouraged him to peruse. To help his friends. And the task he promised Maria he would undertake, to follow her wish for everyone to be happy.

I think deep down he knows that includes him too, and chasing after something he lost so long ago will only make that impossible.

He’s finally moving on and it hurts him. But he takes it head on like he always does.

Yet this time he lets himself cry. He lets himself hurt. He lets himself heal and let go.

He’s going to be ok now. Even if it hurts. He’s going to let himself move on now.

Because he knows now, without a doubt, that that’s what Maria wants for him.

[yakkety-yak-art]

I just realized shadow doesn’t have gloves on (and presumably might not have shoes on?) in this pic from Gerald’s journal when he leaves his pod for the first time and like. it makes sense that he wouldn’t be but also that never occurred to me lmao

[rainbow-beanie]

This is one of my favorite scenes, cause not only is it the first time we get to see such genuine emotion from shadow, which is definitely a plus, (stoic characters showing a wide variety of emotions than the norm my beloved)

But the genuine shock that filled his system once he saw Maria, and stays stock still even when she hugged him, not reciprocating it cause he either doesn’t know if she’s even real, or he’s still in a state of shock, could be both.

Man I love this game

[exar547]

HE'S SMILING HE'S SMILING HELLO??!???!!?

dude this game had me in a chokehold because like.. this is the most emotional and vulnerable we've ever seen Shadow in the main games and his reactions and dialogue in all these cutscenes are so interesting andRAAHHHHH

and don't even get me started about THIS scene.

[minilethe]

Shadow Generations destroyed me. how am i supposed to go about my life when this guy is spinning around in my brain and crying about his dead family.

Also still trying to find a style i like because i feel like im still in that weird in-between where i’m only halfway pleased with my doodles

(i have like 9 hours on my save file because im still trying to 100% the collection wish me luck)

[lilwoofs]

I know it’s been a while but the more I think about it the more I think nothing from the flashbacks in dark beginnings were actually real. Of course there’s the big ones; in the journal it said that ark workers were the ones that calmed emerl down, not shadow (also Maria seems surprised about shadow fighting in shadow generations, but in dark beginnings she asks him to defend them) , and shadow didn’t seem to know he was black arms until shadow the hedgehog 2005 (and even in this shadow generations Gerald revealed to shadow and Maria that he made the deal with black doom and Maria seems surprised, that lines up with shadow being surprised in SH 2005, (and also Abe seems to act like it was a secret that he happened to see as a child)) so it just doesn’t make sense for Maria and shadow to have had that conversation. Not to mention so many other things are glitching and out of order

It seems like shadows current memories are the ones spilling onto old ones, Maria never confronted him about being black arms (because she most likely never knew) but shadow does know now and maybe that’s seeing a what if. He knows of emerl, and now he’s so used to fighting it’s kinda like a dream, where everything that he knows is getting mixed up.

In sonic adventure 2 we see a flash back (and even though shadows memories aren’t the best in this game, it’s so soon after it would’ve happened for him that I think it’s safe to say we could trust it) that showed shadow expressing that he wants to go to the earth, even saying something like ‘maybe if I go there I’ll find out what my purpose is’

So it makes sense that shadow, having know been to earth and it not doing much, would be concerned about not being about to fit in on earth, and the beginning part shows that, instead of him saying he wants to go down there he’s expressing doubts about being able to fit in, it’s similar to what happened, but also contradicting, which is why I think it didn’t exactly happened as they showed it.

(That could also mean the very start with Maria running wasn’t just done to be mean, but could’ve been done because that’s a strong memory’s of present that shadow has, again leaking into this ‘flashback’)

[purple-eyesgreydragon]

Shadow Generations inspired me to make more forms for my other ultimate lifeform, Shred the Dragon.

As Experiment B, aka Project: Beast. Shred was a backup incase Shadow didn't survive creation and vise versa. But she was made differently if alternative routes in creation could result in Maria's cure. Part of which was the multitude of animal dna traits in Shred's genetic code, adding Wisp dna to stabilize it, and of course like Shadow is mainly black arms.

Shred's wisp side is what gives her the bright magenta color of her skin. In Shadow Generations, she like him would gain new abilities focusing on her black arm trait. Shred usually forsakes her black arm heritage, not wanting to be compared with monsters. But over the course of this adventure she comes to terms with using her black arm powers for good, instead of their intended evil. In these new forms, her black arm side is enhanced. Overcoming her wisp side, her colors darken and fade to near black.

The black arm forms Shred gets focus on her individual traits. As the ultimate beast, who could track and hunt down anyone or anything. In her basic form she's a fast runner, skilled flyer, great swimmer, and is incredibly strong. But her new forms center on a single one of those, temporarily sacrificing her quantity of skills for quality. In any of them though she still has her fire breath. All forms make her larger then she usually is.

Shred's Black Arm Forms:

Black Berserker, muscular form.

Black Sprinter, quadruped running form.

Black Skimmer, no legged, all finned form.

and Black Wyvern, form focused for flying.

The Black Sprinter brings all of her speed to the surface. While Shred is grounded in this form, the swiftness of it more then makes up for it. Shred may as well rival, even perhaps surpass Sonic in speed as the Black Sprinter. The gaps in her sides are booster exhausts to increase her speed. Allowing her to harness her fire to go even faster. Shred's retractable claws also let her gain traction, and the spikes help with maneuvering.

[friendlybatteringram]

I just tried replaying all four of the bosses in Shadow Generations while replacing their BGMs with the boss battle songs from Sonic Frontiers - Undefeatable for Biolizard, Break Through It All for Metal Overlord, Find Your Flame for Mephiles, and I’m Here for Devil Doom - and all four changes are remarkably fitting.

[the-sky-queen]

My Shadow Gens playthrough today consisted of my heart beating out of my chest during Memphis Tennessee, failing to fly, and getting hung up on very stupid parts of Act 1 and 2 of the Boss because I lost the wings. :] 👍 I blame my lack of gaming skills entirely. Next up is the final boss and I fear for my life but I'm SOOOOOOOO excited!

Also, quick note on Mephiles! Hearing his new VA was a bit jarring, but I definitely don't hate it. It's different, but like a good different, you know? I kinda like it. :)

Also MARIA AND SHADOW CONTINUING TO BREAK MY HEART WITH EVERY INTERACTION THEY HAVE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

OH! And I also got to the cutscene with Sonic today! And let me tell you, I was absolutely vibrating!!!! That entire reference to the "FAKER" scene made me so happy :D

[celestial-knick-knacks]

!SLIGHT SHADOW GENERATIONS SPOILERS!

Ive been playing sonic x shadow gens alot since it came out and Shadow and Maria are so dear to me i just had to draw them.

Close ups under the cut!

[raptorwozhere]

‼️MAJOR SHADOW GENERATIONS SPOILERS‼️

(For the final cutscene)

MY BOY FINALLY GOT CLOSURE!!!

“If fate draws us apart, I will always be in your heart”