#also the part in sa2 where sonic is like There always seem to be a lot of police around when you dont need them

[infizero]

great now im thinking about sa2 again. it always circles back to this

[descendant-of-truth]

On principle I don't really like the idea of Sonic being sent after Shadow at the request of G.U.N for two reasons:

It robs us of the god-tier cold open of the original game where Sonic busts out of a helicopter to escape arrest

I always loved the setup where Sonic and Shadow meeting was pretty incidental - neither of them had any idea who the other was, but Sonic thought Shadow was impersonating him on purpose while Shadow just thought he seemed fun to mess with

But depending on what the surrounding context is, I can see how the movie could make this plot point interesting in a completely different way that still complements these versions of the characters, even if I don't prefer it to the original.

So, some ideas:

G.U.N has been the villain of the last two movies, so in order for Sonic to be working with them, they must have a pretty good deal for him. My guess is that they promised to leave him and his family alone - no more schemes, no more kidnapping, nothing of the sort - on the one condition that "Team Sonic" helps them deal with Shadow.

This would already function as a narrative parallel to Sonic enlisting Robotnik's help later for the same thing. The name of the game becomes "we don't like each other, we're enemies, but we need to work together to deal with this guy because he's too powerful," which becomes a triple threat if the whole cast including Shadow gets to team up at the very end to save the world

I think it would also be very fun if Sonic is trying so hard to talk things out with Shadow in large part because he heard that there was another hedgehog on the loose, and wants so badly to be friends with someone like him that it takes at least one full-blown beating before he gives up on that idea

(The other reason he keeps trying is "it worked on Knuckles" of course)

Now, this puts Sonic in a fascinating position, particularly when using the game as a frame of reference. SA2 was very straightforward with how it presented its conflict at first: you have a Hero Story and a Dark Story, and as such you're primed to think of everyone on both sides as either being good or bad.

And most people, I think, were inclined to play the Hero Story first; it's the one with Sonic in it, and the select screen hovers over it by default, too. It tells a very simple story of Sonic and friends stopping Eggman's (admittedly very threatening) evil plan, developing some new rivalries along the way.

It's already a little bit of a twist for Sonic and Knuckles to have formed a respectful relationship with Shadow and Rouge by the end, since you see them as villains initially, but they still remain antagonists. Rouge returns the Master Emerald pieces, but she's still working with Robotnik. Shadow thinks Sonic is pretty impressive, but he still tries to kill him to stop him from saving the world.

But then you get to the Dark Story, and then the Final Story, and you think, oh. It's really not that simple.

For starters, you get to see more of Rouge's bond with Shadow. There's some conflict inherent to their relationship because Rouge is a spy and is only here to get information on Shadow, but after he saves her life, there's a definite shift to their dynamic. There's something genuine there, even if it doesn't get a lot of screentime dedicated to it.

But most important to the story is what we learn about who Shadow is, in part through his interactions with Rouge.

Shadow is cunning and ruthless - heck, his goal is to literally blow up the world. But whether out of compassion or survivor's guilt or both, he can't let Rouge die, so he saves her and then lies about his motivations for it to seem colder than he is.

And even though the things he's doing are definitely bad, his motivations are famously sympathetic; he wants revenge for his best friend, a young girl who was killed by the G.U.N military during a raid.

(It was implied that there was some sort of brainwashing done on him by Gerald after Maria died as well but that part of the story is incredibly vague)

By the end of the game, Shadow comes into his own as a hero and helps save the world instead of destroying it. And suddenly it makes sense why the stories weren't called Hero and Villain, because neither Shadow nor Rouge are especially villainous characters; Rouge is selfish, and Shadow is driven by grief and hatred, but they're ultimately kind at the end of the day. Both of them find people to care about - each other, as well as Knuckles and Sonic respectively.

But y'know, there wasn't a lot of ambiguity about who the heroes were in the Hero Story itself. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are pretty clearly The Good Guys, and nothing they do is really questioned because they're always fighting The Bad Guys.

So what I'm seeing here is an opportunity for Team Sonic to not be totally in the right for once. Yes, it's good to stop Shadow from going on a rampage and destroying the world, but look at who they're keeping for company here. G.U.N? Robotnik and Agent Stone? As if either of those groups are trustworthy enough to not stab them in the backs as soon as it's convenient. As if they're not going to find some way to exploit Sonic for their benefit.

And frankly, Shadow is totally in the right to hate G.U.N, and Team Sonic for working with them. Given that his backstory seems to be largely unchanged, it's kind of impossible not to be on board with him fighting the protagonists at least a little bit.

Besides, I don't think it's a coincidence that Shadow is doing the wrong thing for the right reason, while Sonic is doing the right thing with the wrong people (and maybe also for the wrong reason). That has the potential to be very clever if executed well.

I can only imagine the dawning horror on Sonic's face as he realizes just how much he's not on the right side of this conflict; when he learns about what happened to Maria and everyone else on the Ark. Especially if Tom's family was involved in it, like the current popular theory going around.

Also, last-second realization: what if there's something more to that line from Tom, "it wasn't always easy, but you didn't change who you are in here"? Most likely it's going to be used as a way to show how Shadow is different from Sonic, because he did change who he was in response to trauma and it'll be really poetic when he "finds himself" again

But also, consider: maybe Sonic does end up changing throughout the movie. Maybe he does something that goes against his core principles in order to get an advantage in some way, and they kind of play around with the idea that Sonic is similar to Shadow in ways that aren't always flattering to either of them. I want those hedgehogs to make each other worse before they get better

In any case, there's a lot of potential here, and I'm very curious to see what they ended up going with

[egg-emperor]

do you think Eggman actually wants to kill/torture sonic? The sonic channel says in eggmans bio that he doesn’t hate sonic deep down in his heart, does Eggman have morals??

That's what the Sonic Channel bio says with Google translate, which is the most unreliable form of translation and in this case very inaccurate for Eggman's character. I rely more on DeepL but it's having trouble with this, it just says "deep down he hates him" lol

But in more reliable translation it doesn't seem to state that he doesn't actually hate him, which I think is an important distinction to make. Here's an example of a human translation of that part, which is always better than a machine one:

"Tender" doesn't feel like a fitting word at all though. This is the absolute closest you've ever got to him being somewhat... affectionate?... towards Sonic in a genuine way in the games, I suppose:

I mean, he's saying he finds him admirable. And it's funny because this is as he's attempting to blow him up to kill him and really thinks he's succeeded this time. I guess you can say that's kind of affectionate in his own twisted way by declaring it in his send-off, that works lol

Now in his Origins bio, they're very clearly referring to this same aspect in that bio but with a huge rephrasing that feels muuuch more fitting than "tender":

You can tell because it's beat for beat with the whole "he wants to defeat Sonic, but deep down-" phrasing

In this case, kinship clearly refers to the feeling of "a sharing of characteristics/other similarities." (Not the other way in being related in a familial sense, no way in hell lol) This is a massive improvement, absolutely PERFECT phrasing Imo.

This makes a lot more sense because it has game evidence. I look at what's in the games to support any outside word. If there isn't any, I don't accept it, canon is what's in the source media/text, any word outside has to be at least heavily supported by/align with it.

This scene specifically has him explain his feelings on Sonic in his own words perfectly. You're not gonna get it from a better place than the horse's mouth. It also shows where I feel the "kinship" is:

It reaffirms that he absolutely does hate him and makes sure to specifically heavily emphasize it. You can hear it in his voice and it's not just in his words, he shows it in his actions, his dislike and threats aren't empty as he tries to outright hurt and kill Sonic all the time.

But it also shines more light on the way that he can also have respect for him, similarly to the way that he called him his admirable adversary in SA2. He can acknowledge that he has talent and admirable tenacity without liking him.

These are closest to "tender" they've gotten with him towards Sonic in canon if we're going to try assign anything to that at all. But again, I feel the rephrasing of it being him feeling a kinship is a lot more accurate with all things considered.

It fits perfectly because Eggman is exactly the same. He also has raw talent with his genius IQ and his creations and plans and tenacity to keep trying and never give up on his goals.

They've always been like two sides of the same coin, drastic opposites of traits in some aspects but also very similar in others, such as tenacity and skill level. This is what makes them perfect narrative foils to each other.

It shows they're a match in battle. Proves he's smart too in recognizing it, if he wasn't he wouldn't stand a chance against Sonic but instead he puts up the greatest fight of all villains and the one that still lives to fight again and again.

I talked a bit more about how even the way that they're opposites in themes yet can have an interesting overlap into almost similarities in the way they go about it at the same time in this post, which I feel is also worth mentioning.

Sage recognizes and praises Eggman's tenacity in the next cutscene they're together after he specifically mentions and praises Sonic for his, so she notices similarity between them too:

So to sum up my stance- the idea of it being "tenderness" on Eggman's part feels inaccurate too, unless you're saying it's like, the closest he can get in his own twisted way then sure lol. But it certainly isn't in the way that fits the genuine definition with the ways he's actually shown to feel and think about him.

I feel the words kinship and respect are the most accurate descriptors by definition though. He does indeed feel those towards him but he absolutely hates his guts at the same time. And that's what makes that Frontiers scene so good for summing it up so perfectly. I think it really is that simple at its core.

And he absolutely does hate him and makes it very clear constantly in the games, as recently as Frontiers, so it hasn't changed at all over time either. He's been very violent and shown eagerness and attempt various kinds of graphic injury and death to Sonic and often attempts to act on those threats.

He has taken great delight in Sonic seemingly meeting his demise twice, so it doesn't get any more blatant than that:

He has also been very unenthused and expressed disappointment when he survives his attempts to kill him multiple times:

Lol

And no, Eggman doesn't have any known good morals that ever limit him from doing anything bad and harmful in the games. His only limit is what results in the world he wants to rule being completely destroyed so he can no longer rule it, also the only reason he teams up to save the world, besides to save himself too of course.

Case in point- Eggman saying that he doesn't want to destroy the planet completely:

Yet also showing little care for the state of it when the damage is done, as long as there's still enough for him to conquer:

Sums it up because this is within the same game too, though there are many examples of this throughout the series. Where he'll cause mass amounts of destruction to get what he wants but if another bad guy threatens to completely destroy it to the point it ceases to exist so he can't rule it and of course puts him in danger, he'll team up to stop it.

He also tries to kill Sonic and co all the time, even characters as young as 8 and 6 and has no hesitation or remorse. Sage also hasn't changed this at all, as Dream Team is canon and takes place after Frontiers.

So if he doesn't have good moral standards that stop him from targeting actual children then yeah, makes sense for him to not have them anywhere else either. You can't really stoop any lower.

Which is why I think the concept of him torturing Sonic in Forces makes a lot of sense too. There's never been anything to say he wouldn't. Certainly not any moral limits. I can imagine he'd jump at the chance to torture Sonic in at least some way when he gets his hands on him for that long.

Eggman's character when broken down to its essentials are very simple. Hating Sonic is one of them. But his feelings and actions in how he actually goes about them are a lot more complex and complicated. In the way he's still able to recognize his ability and give him credit where it's due and have respect for him from a formidable adversary standpoint.

The man's got a point

Simple when it comes to his core traits, personality, and motives. Can be much more complex and complicated in his feelings and actions. That's what gives him such compelling depth to me. He's super interesting to analyze and it's so much more fun and eye opening when viewing his character with this nuance. He's not to be oversimplified or overcomplicated.

I like Eggman's dynamic with Sonic because it's not simplistic in the "he hates him so much he can't recognize and respect any of his abilities/skills" nor "he can recognize and respect any of his abilities/skills, so that means he doesn't really hate him". It's more complex and nuanced than that and I like it.

It shows he's smart when he can recognize and respect Sonic's skills so he can stand a chance against him. It also benefits him by proving his intelligence and strength in being able to continue to challenge him after all this time, so it's a way for him to take pride in it too.

If he denied them, it would also make himself look weak for being able to defeat him but he's far from it. If Sonic wasn't as strong and skilled as he is, Eggman would easily be able to take over the world. He proved it in Forces, if it wasn't for Sonic it would've been a permanent victory.

Having a powerful enemy proves he's a powerful threat. Having what it takes to take on a guy who's been able to kill beings of god-like power says a lot about his own too, so acknowledging it benefits himself in multiple ways and that's always an important factor when it comes to him lol

The Sonic Channel commentary at the end of this Sonic and Eggman cover story describes Eggman's feelings on Sonic and their roles in each other's lives perfectly (excerpt from the "what really entertains him" section):

I also like how it notes that Eggman can enjoy the thrill of the battles as he is seen having as great of a time with it as often as he can be fueled by rage during them. Just like Sonic can too, another of their similarities there 💜

[crusherthedoctor]

I guess I'm in the "watched the same movie twice" club lol.

What's your favorite scene in the whole film ?

Gerald's death by X-Box server disconnection.

Still haven't decided on that, since there's a lot of moments I liked. I really did enjoy the Shadow and Maria moments though, which is very shocking coming from me, considering I was indifferent to their relationship in every other media, and the Year of Shadow did a very good job in leaving me outright sick of it and everything else related to the dried cow that is Shadow's backstory. But lo and behold, against all odds, the movie managed to make me of all people care about them, so I gotta give them credit for that. By the time Maria died, I actually felt sad instead of "Yeah, it's this part." I suppose it would have been nice if we got more moments between Gerald and Maria as well, but alas.

Obviously any moment where Jimbotnik was onscreen is up there too lol. I don't care if it makes me not a "true" Eggfan, I still love this portrayal of the doctor despite his obvious differences to the game version. What can I say, Jim always manages to get away with stunts that would leave other actors looking foolish if it had been them cast as Eggman. And yes, I knew what was going to happen near the end (it's an SA2 adaptation, albeit a loose one, so it wasn't hard to predict), meaning I had begrudgingly accepted it and instead turned my attention to how it would play out, which I ultimately concluded was better off than what normally happens in these scenarios with Eggman. Naturally I'm hoping he's not dead, and that if he is still alive, that I don't eat shit and it turns out to be Metal Sonic disguised as him, him doing a heel-face turn for real, etc, but for now, I can say I enjoyed yet another Jimbotnik outing despite the presence of what would normally turn me away. (Frontiers!Eggman didn't get to catapult anyone into a wave of energy.)

And I really liked the opening Sonic and Shadow fight in Tokyo, and the final one in their super forms, followed by their teamup after the latter concludes. I also very much appreciate that Tails and Knuckles were both useful throughout the story, up to and including the very end, given how often they're turned into third wheels when Shadow's around in other media... including various games. >_>

Oh, and the Amy/Metal Sonic(s) teaser. When I first heard a description for it, I was a bit put off due to the concern that we had a Boom Amy or a Thorn on our hands, and that if Metal Sonic is already no longer an individual on his immediate first appearance, and for his copies to already be going through the Conservation of Ninjutsu, that it might make him look unintentionally weak. However, after actually seeing it play out, this doesn't seem to be the case with Amy, and given the cliffhanger is meant to be... a cliffhanger, I assume there might be some context with the Metals that might reveal him to be not so weak come the fourth movie, so I'm willing to see what they decide to do going forward. Metal also looks really good too. :]

[semi-sketchy]

Alright, since I'm at that episode, I'm gonna elaborate on my actual problem with Dark Sonic:

To be honest, I don't think there's anything really wrong with Sonic during the episode. He's angry his friends have been hurt by a villain, so he harnesses the power of the fake Emeralds (which he has a physical negative reaction to) and smashes said villain's testing robots to pieces.

I never really considered this a problem. Sonic can get angry, be antagonized, the SA2 Shadow fight in Green Forest springs to mind.

Plus, Secret Rings has Darkspine Sonic, which is about as close to Dark Sonic as it gets. Sharha just died, trading her life for his, he absorbs the Rage, Sadness and Hatred Rings and transforms.

Even after he leaves the transformation, he still seems pretty pissed at Erazor Djinn, with killing Sharha at the top of the list.

So, yeah. It's not 1:1 and I'm not claiming these are the same, X is obviously more exaggerated, but I don't really have a problem with the concept. We can talk about how Eggman comes in, tells Sonic he needs to be better and not let his emotions overwhelm him, but frankly I think that's more of an X!Eggman issue than the transformation itself.

No, my real problem is, and always has been, how the fandom interpreted it. That's it. I've read so many fics, seen so many posts about Sonic just "turning dark" when angry, as if any transformations have ever been purely emotion without an external power-source. (Super requires the Chaos Emeralds, Hyper the Super Emeralds, Darkspine was 3 of the World Rings, Werehog was Dark Gaia energy, Excalibur Sonic was the sacred swords, Wisp transformations needed the Wisps, Super Sonic 2 was Chaos Emeralds + Cyber energy....you get it.)

The way I've always saw it, is yes, Sonic is upset, but he also is being affected by the fake Emeralds.

This is the Discotek translation, I don't know enough Japanese to say how accurate it is, all I know know is "warui" means bad/sick depending on the sentence. An older translation (and the English dub) points to him feeling physically sick around them.

Far as I can tell, he's already reacting bad to these Emeralds on top of being antagonized, so he uses power that's at his disposal does what the villain wants: fuck up his shit.

If the fake Emeralds didn't exist, this transformation wouldn't have happened. Additionally, since X ended and the only fake Emerald in the games was blown up in SA2, it can't happen again. (Unless you write scenario where someone makes fake Emeralds, but that requires writing for the form instead of just slapping it in à la characters in IDW.)

Perhaps I'm being too hard on a lot of kids that never really interacted with the source material and just wanted to write Sonic fanfics. I've read so many that made it quite obvious that the author didn't know anything about Sonic besides he's fast and I'm not really out here trying to say Sonic shouldn't inspire people to create. Never said I hated reading those fics, I got a good deal of entertainment out of them. It's simply this misconception has stretched so far, it's like the original context has been entirely erased.

And that's the part of Dark Sonic that bothers me.

I've seen plenty of arguments for why the transformation was a poor choice and I don't entirely disagree with them. For me, I could take it or leave it. It was a one-off short transformation in an anime where Sonic pretends to be Star Trek for a season, it just exists to me.

Although, it's been awhile since I last saw discussion of Dark Sonic, as a whole it seemed to be a bigger thing in the early 2010s. Possibly because now we have more recent Sonic shows and movies, it's not just X being the latest thing anymore. I certainly don't read fics like I used to, so I'd be surprised if it is still as heavily used as it used to be. Maybe if I get some time, I'll look up some fics and find out.

[niko-jpeg]

NIKO!!! HAI!!!!

Got any fun facts about Camp Green Hill (or any other AU's you might have) you'd like to share with the class?

Also stay safe! It's getting hot!! Drink water and wear sunscreen!

HI SCRAP!!! I do. I always do. I'll run through a bunch of misc Camp Green Hill stuff <3

Blaze has a family! She's the eldest daughter and in line to inherit the throne when her parents step down, and has a pair of twins for siblings, who are a few years younger than her. Silver is quite well liked among her family (and in the Sol dimension, lol), and they have a little nickname for him: Slipper! Both in regards to how clumsy he was growing up, and also just because its really cute. This is based on the intentional incorrect spelling of his name when referring to him affectionately in the fandom. It tickles my brain, lol. Not only is he practically a member of the royal family, but one time, one of the twins asked who would get the throne if Blaze were to not be able to. Without missing a beat, their mother informed them that it would be Silver, actually.

...He doesn't realize they're dead serious, by the way. If things really were to go wrong, they want Silver to take over until the twins are old enough to take care of the empire. lol. Also, Marine! She comes way late, but she does eventually show up!

Shadow is not only a trained agent, but also a trained therapy hedgehog! I'm serious. He was taught how to manage other people's emotions and act as temporary therapist. He's also warm, fluffy, and okay with being cried on, so he's perfect for the job.

Omega is in the au! He shows up later down the line, and after the events of the au, goes to live with Rouge and Shadow in the city working for GUN too.

Sonic has a horrible history with water activities and accidentally getting stuck in the mangroves and brambles lining the shore. Its really funny how horrible his luck is.

Shadow was based loosely on a hedgehog to appeal to Maria, since he was planned to be part time therapy-hog from the start. Mephiles was loosely based on Shadow. This makes Mephiles EXTREMELY far removed from a real hedgie to some degree. Its kind of hilarious.

Amy has a never ending stash of jelly bracelets, Shadow has a never ending stash of coffee beans, and Tails never seems to be in short supply of goggles. Where does he get them?

Tails and Sonic have their own rooms on the camp, but stay in the dorms with the rest of the campers during the summer!

Tikal is a really sweet ghost who haunts the ruins nearby. She's plot relevant, trust me ;)

The Storybook games are planned to be fever dreams from our dear Sonic while fending off a cold. But they could have a little more validity behind them than it may appear...

Rouge plays saxophone! In fact, there are several musically talented members of the camp, both campers and staff!

Uncle Chuck eventually gives up on paperwork and makes his campers swear that whatever happens in camp stays in camp. He decides this after the SA2 plot equivelent. Especially now with 2 whole government agents there, one working as a counselor and the other a camper.

The Chaotix are a fun bunch! Vector works whatever misc job he can get around the camp so Charmy and Espio can go for free. They're an inner city family, and don't have much money. He also has a crush on the camps' nurse, Vanilla. Espio wants to be a detective, and has a special interest in detective work. Charmy came into the equation more recently, as Vector took custody of the kid after a family friend begged him to.

I've always got more, if anyone would like to ask about a specific character, game, plot point, or ask about details on the camp! Asks for the characters will open very soon too, and you can send them in if you'd like. Thanks for asking <3

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Okay, I've decided that I need to share it with more people so I'm reposting the quick analysis that I did of Tails' Character theme under this post.

The following under the cut is the original analysis

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I have actually been waiting for an excuse to break down the lyrics of Tails' theme (Sonic Adventure version here but I'd actually suggest listening to the SA2 ver here) from the Adventure titles, and so I suppose the time is now!

So what I don't think I can overstate is that Tails' desires for the future, his wishes to become stronger, his wishes to be cooler, all of these are sort of hopelessly entertwined with Sonic. He wants to be cool like Sonic. In the JP manual, his personality as it is explicitly comes about because of his desire to be like him. So even if he ultimately cannot be Sonic or even if he becomes his own type of hero, a lot of who he is as a hero/person and his goals are connected to Sonic.

I should make clear right now that I'm not saying everything about Tails revolves around Sonic. (Just like Riku kh in relation to Sora kh) I think it's very clear that Tails has interests and possibly even friends outside of him. Not every bit of him revolves around Sonic, but that doesn't mean he isn't connected to him.

Tails' love of machinery/technology or fascination in different fields of study—none of these were derived from Sonic. His interest in mechanics/machines/technology specifically came about before he initially became interested in Sonic. However, it's hard to ignore that he derived his personality from trying to be like Sonic, he wants to be cool like Sonic, he admires Sonic, he follows Sonic around, he wants to be a hero like him, etc etc

Okay, with that out of the way, the lyrics. These lyrics, in a way, exemplify how connected Sonic is to the way of life and the goals Tails has chosen.

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"When all alone in my chair/I just go about wishing/Wanna be strong/Really wanna be trusted aah"

When the song begins, it seems as if he's lamenting his position. He mentions that he wants to be strong and trusted (For what?), and this beginning part with the "Aah" gets across...how emotional he is about this (frustrated perhaps). Is it that because he's always with Sonic, or is it because since he's not as prominent a figure as him, people don't trust him as they do Sonic? Is it that he feels that he cannot prove himself as things are? And the comment about being strong... Is it that he generally wants to be stronger, or is it that he's afraid he's not strong enough to continue to be with Sonic?

ㅤ

"When all alone in my bed/I just go about yearning/Wanna be cool/I also wanna be like him"

Now, this part fits pretty much with what we know about Tails. We know he wants to be cool, that he admires Sonic, that he wants to be like him. But there are two things I want to point out.

First, the word choice of "yearning" here is very interesting. As I said earlier, Tails' goals and ambitions, they seem to be hopelessly connected to Sonic. This leads into my second point—the clear separation between "I want to be cool" and "I also wanna be like him". It would be easy enough to say that Tails wants to be cool like Sonic or that he wants to be cool and wants to be like cool like him, but the "I also" separates these two points. Though we know from evidence (namely the jp manuals) that Tails wants to be cool and specifically looks to Sonic for the inspiration on how to become this way (trying to be like him), it's interesting how these lyrics specifically state that he wants to be like him the way they do. Like, yes Tails wants to be cool, but it almost suggests that he'd want to "be cool" no matter where he looked to inspiration on finally "being cool", and so "I also want to be like [Sonic]" seems to suggest that he wants to be cool in general, but he also wants to be like Sonic.

Essentially what I'm getting at is that his wanting to be cool is not necessarily because of Sonic, but he does want to be like Sonic (which may imply he wants to be cool specifically in the way Sonic is). And when you pair up Tails "yearning" about the kind of fox he wants to be, and that "yearning" centering thoughts of Sonic, well

You understand op's comment about how the song is about how Tails sits in his chair thinking about Sonic, right? Even if you disagree with "madly in love with", it's very clear just how highly Tails thinks of Sonic, how when he's all alone yearning, he thinks of Sonic while he thinks of his ideal self. Sonic is connected with his ideal self and future (in terms of how and who he wants to be), and yet he also yearns thinking of him.

And perhaps kinda gay to yearn while thinking about your best friend

ㅤ

"But that's not something/I can do so easily/This is not simply my way/My own style/Gotta get ahold of my life"

Now, this portion actually presents a great deal of awareness from Tails. Sure, he wants to be cool. He yearns when he's in bed, thinking about Sonic, how he wants to be like him.

But he recognizes the futility of it. It's not so easy to simply be like Sonic, especially because Tails is neither him nor exactly like him. No matter how much he thinks or yearns, being exactly like Sonic does not fit him. Sonic's style is not his style, and (based on the "Gotta get ahold of my life") I interpret this portion as Tails coming to the unfortunate realization that just letting things be as they are now, trying to be exactly as Sonic is in all its futility, is keeping him stagnant. Ironically, he cannot grow or be a hero like Sonic as long as he simply tags along and only plays backup or simple support. He cannot grow by trying to be like Sonic in ways he can never be. He has to get ahold of his life and figure out how to move forward instead of letting things stay just as they are (and clearly, given the earlier lines, the way things are now frustrates him).

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"I wanna fly high/So I can reach the/Highest of all the heavens/Somebody will be/Waiting for me so/I've got to fly higher"

Now, this section is also highly interesting to me. Tails wants to fly high, he wants to (figuratively) reach the highest of all the heavens, he wants to be strong, he wants to be trusted. And while I think he does want this for himself partially for the sake of having these things and growing, the second half of this part might imply another reason that he wants to fly so high.

"Somebody will be waiting for me"

"Somebody"? Who is this somebody? He has to fly higher, reach the highest of the heavens, better himself, become stronger, because there's somebody already there waiting for him?

Well, given that earlier in the song the lyrics never confirm outright who "he" is, but we can safely infer that "he" is Sonic based on context clues and prior knowledge of Tails, I believe that this "somebody" is also Sonic.

While you could read it as him just saying that there are people out there waiting for him to save him, this place where somebody (singular) will be waiting for him is where the "highest of all the heavens" is. He has to fly higher to reach the highest of the heavens, and he has to fly higher because someone is waiting for him there. And so, to me, if someone is waiting for him, in the highest of all the heavens that he wishes to fly high enough to reach (a place that seems to be a metaphor for the place he wants to be, the point he wants to grow to, where he will reach a version of his best self), then that person must be Sonic. Sonic is someone he greatly admires, someone who's trusted and revered as a hero, someone who is cool. Sonic is someone he wishes to be like, easily someone who (to Tails) has already reached the highest of the heavens of his own merit.

And so, I move, that not only does Tails want to be strong and cool and become his ideal self for the sake of it, but he wants to "reach the highest of the heavens" so he can continue to be with Sonic—so he can be with Sonic as an equal, someone who ultimately is on his level as a partner, as two people who are better together, rather than someone who simply tags along or plays backup or simple support.

Ultimately, I think he wants to become his own person and ideal self for his own sake, and so he can rightfully be by Sonic's side.

ㅤ

"When all alone in my sleep/I just go about dreaming/I see myself there/Having the same adventure/If I just follow you/I will never see the light/Now is the time to find my way/Through this life/Trying so hard to be strong/I've gotta keep going/Everything is a brand new challenge for me and/I will believe/believe in myself/This is the only way for me"

So when he's alone and he's dreaming, he's dreaming about the same adventure. Is it a dream of an adventure he wishes for, or is it a sign of stagnation—that the adventure as it is is always the same?

I think "If I just follow you/I will never see the light" is a bit more clear/pointed, though. As I went over before, things will never get better or change if they stay the way they are. If he simply continues to follow Sonic, he will never "see the light" (or, perhaps, reach "all the heavens"). So he has to keep pushing, keep trying, keep bettering himself and following his own path, because he cannot grow if he is confining himself only to following Sonic and dreaming of being like him. Ironically, I think he's come to this conclusion partially because he cannot be who he wants to be or be a real asset to Sonic (or on the same level as him) simply by following him. However, by forging his own path and being his own hero, he can "see the light", reach the "highest of all the heavens", be like Sonic without being exactly like him.

I apologize for repeating myself, I just feel as if these lyrics are clear to me about what Tails wants for his life and what he wants his relationship with Sonic to look like. He recognizes what he needs to do to feel good about himself, to become his best self/achieve his goals, and how he can truly stand by Sonic's side rather than simply follow him around.

ㅤ

"Many friends help me out/In return I help them/Certain things I can do/And there are things that only I can do/No one's alone/I wanna fly high/So I can reach the/Highest of all the heavens/Somebody will be/Waiting for me so/I've got to fly higher"

There are things only he can do

So I listened to this song and looked at the lyrics again just so I could type up this sort of breakdown. The very first time I listened to the song in the past, this line did not stand out to me the same way it does now.

And if you don't know why (understandable for the record), it's because the JP localization of Tails' part of the story in Frontiers specifically centers on this idea of him "doing the things only I can do". As he despairs about whether or not Sonic needs him, about how he just follows Sonic around and about how Sonic has to be there to save him, about how he can't just be like Sonic, Sonic confesses that he admires Tails for being able to do what he can't. And so, then Tails realizes that there are things only he can do. Not being able to be exactly like Sonic and do the things he can do is not a detriment, because he can pick up Sonic's slack. He can save the people only he can save. Quite literally, with their different styles and abilities, the two of them fill each other's gaps, they make up where the other falters. Working together, they can help a lot of people!

And so "there are things only I can do" is inspiring, because he doesn't need to be like Sonic to be a hero. He doesn't need to be exactly like Sonic to be his ideal self. And by working to strengthen his own skills and abilities and focusing on doing the things only he can do, he can be an asset to Sonic.

Not just an asset, but an equal in his own right!

(By the way, here is a fan translation of JP Frontiers I would highly suggest watching—if not just to see how they localized all the scenes and story between Sonic and Tails. Where Eng has Tails center on the idea that he must separate from Sonic and go on a journey to become his own hero, JP has Sonic and Tails recognize the feats he's already accomplished, and they balance Tails' wish to continue to be at Sonic's side and be needed with the concept that all he really needs to do to ease his frustration and grow is to shift his focus. He doesn't need to leave Sonic or do more journeying outside of him. He's already done that. In JP Frontiers, he simply just needs to realize how he can be an asset and be an equal without having to be exactly like Sonic, and I personally feel that this fits Tails' arc better. But anyways, I digress)

ㅤ

So, as the song comes to a close, and we leave off on Tails' wish to fly high to reach the highest of the heavens, where someone is waiting for him, what is this song about?

"Believe in Myself"

The title itself is definitely part of it. To progress to where he wants to be, to improve, he has to believe in himself. He has to believe that he can do it, even if it's hard. He has to believe that he's capable of reaching his goals.

I think this theme song is about how Tails is frustrated with the way things are now, about him recognizing that he must forge his own path if he wishes to move forward from here and become his ideal self, about how he must persevere and believe in his ability to reach his goals and live up to his ambitions, and about how he must focus on being himself and doing the things only he can do so he can stand by Sonic's side as an equal, not a follower.

So, in conclusion, I think there's a fair bit of ammo in here if you want to read this theme as gay. And while I'd personally elaborate more on op's statement, I also believe that Tails' character theme makes clear just how important Sonic is to Tails (and how much he lives in his head rent free just to yearn while thinking about him or by wanting to stand upon his pedestal with him).

[fernsnailz]

you dont need to answer this if you don’t want to btw but ive read and enjoyed a lot of your analysis and lore dump stuff so. thoughts on the paramount sonic movies? (especially the second one + thoughts on whatever they might do with Shadow Stuff in the 3rd movie)

thanks! though honestly, i don't really have that many thoughts/opinions on sonic 1 and 2? i just think they're. fine. imo they get all of the characters down well - i'll defend versions of sonic that lean into a little rambunctious childishness, and tails and knuckles are the best part about the second movie. but that's kinda about all i have to say on them, they never left much of an impact on me.

while i don't normally like to make predictions or pitches for upcoming movies/media (because i always get disappointed when something is never as good as the fan pitches i see), i do have some general thoughts on what i'd like to see from the third movie. it seems like they'll be drawing from SA2 for a number of things, but i don't want a beat-for-beat retelling of that game. i'd like to see how they integrate it into the world of the paramount movies and create a unique version of that story - for example in sonic 2, james marsden's character (don't remember his name lol) mentions that his family has been around green hills for 50 years doing... something idk i dont remember. 50 years is a very important timestamp regarding Shadow Lore. if that character's history is integrated into shadow's past, i think that would be an interesting way to build up a struggle between sonic's family and shadow, and i want the drama. i want this movie to hurt me emotionally as much as it can.

and as excited as i am for shadow in the third movie, i do REALLY hope they at least introduce amy as well. i'm not sure if we'll see many new faces since balancing that many characters in a feature film is a lot to ask (unless you're marvel and you don't care about writing interesting characters AYOOO), but i don't care to see a sonic world without amy. her compassion and heroism is something that would bring a lot of life to these movies, which is something i think this particular series could use. plus, while i don't want an exact retelling of SA2, i don't think you can have a shadow origin story without amy. at least not one i like. yes im still a little mad they gave her moment to chris in sonic x. i know why they did it like i get it. but also maaaannnn c'mon where's amy :(

also they should give shadow a gun and let tails kill the president

[cosmicsponge2004]

THE TRUTH ABOUT SONIC'S EYES!!!! - Part 02: It all went wrong

This issue is so great it has 2 Parts!!

Check out Part 1: https://www.tumblr.com/cosmicsponge2004/737460712226553856/

Now that you've seen it, We back gang. Here's one of the few pics where Sonic displays a non-neutral/happy/angry expression and it's actually drawn correctly. Here's another (Season 1)

Let's get back on topic.

First off, SONIC ADVENTURE (1998, DC)

Sonic's eyes were actually done right

The issue comes with KNUCKLES & AMY

Amy is the most consistent & persistent issue

SA2 (only her)

Heroes (only her)

The worst one imo... SONIC X

Yes, while the beginning got Sonic right, that was not to last. And Amy once again was always an issue. Knuckles was inconsistent

Amy's problem is in THE MODEL SHEETS

More recently another issue has emerged. Not just Sonic Channel but the IDW COMICS

Among other issues with IDW's art, the art staff also seems to take the X influence in their misunderstanding of conjoined eyes. Maybe that just happens to people who aren't rubberhose fans? Idk. Here's the pics

This kills me. Here's more

I just about exceeded Tumblr's image limit and made by point clear so here's one more. From THE MURDER OF SONIC THE HEDGHOG

This game generally looks nice but the eyes are off, again. To an annoying degree!!!

All this upsets me and it's ALMOST always ugly. I can't really campaign for change cause 1. That stuff don't work, and 2. Even if it did work, I'm on TUMBLR. I'm lucky if 200 random basement dwellers see this.

I just wanted to make this issue known and hope one day it goes away. And also why is it ALWAYS AMY!?

One more eye issue, and it's FRICKIN' AMY AGAIN!! this one was explained by a twitter. I know people don't like him and he believes in the whole hyperstrict SEGA comic mandate conspiracy but he makes good points here and shows off something I thought I was just imagining. Maybe we're not crazy in this silly little fanbase

Ciao, Yall!! ✌️

Get it because ciao means goodbye but it also sounds like Chao. Like the tiny Sonic creatures, cause this is a Sonic post. I like Sonic Adventure 2 for the SEGA Dreamcast, can ya tell??

[beevean]

Honestly, as someone who wasn't a huge fan of Frontiers from a gameplay or story perspective, I couldn't help but feel alienated from the fanbase for a while. People seem to praise it up the ass, and I honestly don't see what their seeing in the game. And often times when you point out criticism, you get responses like "It's a step in the right direction, we should praise it" or "You're not a real Sonic fan if you don't like this"

Are you me? :^)

After all the shit we endured with IDW and its endless, vitriolic discourse about its writing and take on Sonic and Eggman and its "deep" morality (which stopped being deep once Flynn got tired of the discourse, then it became "a book for kids")... Frontiers broke me. Again, I must stress: it's not about the game, because I haven't played it and videos don't make it justice. I can believe it's a fun experience. But the writing is honestly '06 level of bad, mostly for how boring and pretentious the story is.

Where are all these deep, emotional character moments? Where are all these compelling character arcs (that are totally not rehashes of past games)? Where is Sage's depth? Why are we praising Eggman sitting on his ass for 90% of the game and then suddenly developing fatherly feelings when past games made clear that he's only proud of his creations when they make him look good and he's more than willing to abuse them for the slightest transgressions (which Sage has made)?

Then you add the forced references (some of them straight up wrong, like the Neo Metal one), the meta jokes, the completely unnecessary lore that to this day I still don't understand, the underwhelming villain, the wasted conflict of Sonic getting corrupted, the lackluster finale, and the fact that literally nothing happens - which would be fine if this game had a tone more like Heroes or Generations, which were aware that story was their lowest priority, but no, this game wants to be DEEP, a step in the right direction after the EVIL PONTAFF! (I still find very... unprofessional? that Flynn wrote a jab at Baldy McNosehair in one of the Egg Memos. It's not even the first time he does that, he also did it in IDW. I get it man, you think your writing is so much better, "thanks for putting the chili back on my dog" :^) )

So anyway. It got to the point where the praise genuinely made me feel like there was something wrong with me. I don't like IDW, I don't like Frontiers, now I don't see anything promising in Prime - am I a bad Sonic fan? Am I being stripped of something that gave me joy since I was 8? I had to distance myself. I had to keep my few friends close and think about the parts I still enjoy.

It's not the first time I took a "break" from Sonic - the period from 2013 to 2017 was... bad. But everyone else agreed that it was! That's the thing. It's one thing to disagree that SA2 is a masterpiece, because fine, whatever, you can't always agree with the majority. But when it comes to modern material, the majority is so vitriolic and nasty, and I can't deal with it anymore. I'll make my own fandom :\

[skaruresonic]

🤍, 🖤, 💖, 💔, 💕?

🤍: Which character is not as morally bad as everyone else seems to think?

Lmao how many people can I piss off if I jokingly say "Eggman"?

Huh, this is a tough one. Can't really think of any.

I guess I'll fall back on an oldie but goodie and say the ARK, as a whole, was morally ambiguous. While they weren't performing unethical surgery on Shadow, you also don't develop WMDs in secret without some kind of agenda.

I also think GUN's shadiness fluctuates depending on the game. They seem to have shaped up after the events of ShTH and started acting towards a more collective good in honor of Gerald's memory, but their actions in SA2 suggest an inept government. And, well, you know the old saying about stupidity becoming indistinguishable from malice after a certain point.

I tend to wonder what the Commander's plan was during the events of SA2. Although the game portrays GUN as a bunch of flat-feet until it's revealed that they raided the colony, I can't help but wonder if he in some part manufactured Sonic's framing in order to head public scrutiny off at the pass, much like how they portrayed the raid as an accident reponse. I can't imagine the Commander would have liked it to be known that Eggman stole Project Shadow while it lay under his jurisdiction.

---

🖤: Which character is not as morally good as everyone else seems to think?

...Eggman. Just because he speculated on his grandfather's motives once or twice doesn't mean he's rethinking his life choices. The war criminal life didn't choose him, he chose the war criminal life lol.

---

💖: What is your biggest unpopular opinion about the series?

THE ENTIRE WORLD CAN FIGHT ME ON THIS BUT YOU ARE TRIPPING IF YOU SAY SA2'S TREASURE HUNTING STAGES ARE WORSE THAN SA1'S. BITCH WHERE. HOW. WHOMST.

AT LEAST THEY'RE NOT COPY-PASTED DIRECTLY FROM SONIC'S LEVELS WITHOUT REGARD FOR KNUCKLES' MOVESET. ROUGE AND KNUCKLES MOVE JUST AS QUICKLY AS SONIC AND SHADOW. "IT TAKES TOO LONG" YEAH BECAUSE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO LEARN THE LAYOUT AND GIT GUD. JESSE WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT. THIS IS SUCH A NONSENSICAL CRITICISM FOR A GAME THAT HAS KART RACING. I DON'T GET IT. IT SAYS "TREASURE HUNTING" ON THE TIN. YOU'RE EXPECTED TO LOOK FOR EMERALDS. THAT'S LIKE GOING FISHING AND COMPLAINING ABOUT GETTING WET.

PLUS THE RADAR IN SA1 BUGS ME SO MUCH MORE BECAUSE IT NEVER SHUTS UP. I LIKE THAT SA2'S RADAR DOESN'T DING EVERY TIME I GET CLOSE TO AN UNINTENDED EMERALD SHARD BECAUSE I CAN JUST PICK UP, NO MUSS NO FUSS NO COCONUTS. THIS IS LITERALLY NOT A PROBLEM. OMFG IF I HAVE TO HEAR "SA2's tReAsUrE hUnTiNg SuCkS" ONE MORE TIME

that being said I will agree that Death Chamber and Egg Quarters suck a bag of dicks, particularly Egg Quarters Hard Mode which leaves you at the mercy of the Kikis' wonky AI. motherfuckers always blow themselves up and ruin my A-rank

---

💔: If you had to remove one major character from the series, who would you choose?

You all are really gonna hate me, but Blaze. You could remove her from '06's plot and nothing would change. Hell, the fact that she resides in a different dimension inherently means you could remove every single aspect of her circumstances and nothing of the series at large would change.

Idk man, I just don't think she adds much, honestly. Her personality is kind of Mary-Suish while also being underwhelming, as well as largely informed: her fear of heights, for instance, doesn't impact Rush's gameplay at all. She enjoys special exceptions other girl characters don't, and it's a pain in the ass to even include her in a future game because you have to explain why she isn't back in her own dimension.

---

💕: What is an unpopular ship that you like?

Is Shadria unpopular enough to count? Guess it's only unpopular with antis.

Oh, well. I'll say Sonegg :P

[knuckleslove]

Hii sorry I need to rant a bit to someone about some sonic characterization discussions happening because I feel gasslit by some fans. You can ignore this if you want.

Like there are people that say that Sonic wouldn't be changed at all if Tails were to die...

Like yes sonic is someone who is very positive and doesn't let pain bring him down but he HAS emotions. And his friends are what is most important to him. He has shown in multiple times that they are his priority.

He's not gonna become a solemn guy who never smiles ever again but it would affect him. It feels like such a shallow read on his character when people think of him as just this "cool guy who only lives in the moment and is always 100% completely confident in everything he does and never falters and never shows pain etc."

He literally mourns for shadow in SA2 and chip in unleashed...

Sometimes I think some people don't want sonic to be anything but Cool guyTM while these same people keep talking about how sonic is never cocky or rude...

I feel like we are playing different games reading different comics and watching different movies...

Hmm, I’ll be honest, I really don’t tend to engage in the discourse.

I do agree with you—of course Sonic has feelings. Of course he would be affected by losing Tails. Personally, I might say, in general he values simplicity in life, but surely feels deeply about many things. He has convictions. He loves his friends.

I do think collectively we can agree to disagree about what that would actually look like in practice. Would you never notice his pain because he hides it all away? Is he truly so sage that he can deal with and release those feelings so quickly unlike anyone else? Or would that be the moment you finally see him cry?

I think it’s helpful to acknowledge that across fan spaces we do not all engage in fandom in the same way. You’ll sometimes hear this described as curative and transformative fandom. For some, fandom is about intricately knowing the source material. Perhaps about collecting and understanding it deeply in its purest form. That would be curative. For others, fandom is more something ripe to be expanded on—to be re-imagined in whatever way is pleasing to you. This is fanfiction and an art and so much more—Transformative. Neither one is right or wrong, and many if not most people probably fall somewhere in between these two ideas depending on the subject. It’s just helpful, I think, sometimes, when you engage with other fans, and run into those extreme differences of opinion, to ask yourself—are we even engaging in this the same way? Is that why we can’t see eye to eye? Does this thing perhaps just mean something very different to us?

Now of course if you engage with other fans, and encounter people who treat you and others unkindly because of those differences of opinion, the best thing you can do is just walk away. Block if you need to.

At the end of the day with these kinds of things you HAVE to choose joy for yourself.

I do understand the frustration. I’ve been there too. I’ve been that person who hates something when everyone else seems to love it, and loves something when everyone else hates it. There were times in fandom where I felt SO disappointed about all the new things that came out, or annoyed and confused about other people’s opinions about the thing I love. But, having been in fandom for a long time—in THIS specific fandom for a long, long, time, I can tell you it’s just more fun if you can learn to let that stuff go. Or at least shift your focus to the specific parts that do still bring you joy.

And I’m not saying do it now immediately overnight. I’ve had many years to come to this conclusion. And it’s also not like I don’t still have opinions. I do. Strong ones, still. But I only give time to the ones that make me happy. Or, I share the other ones with trusted friends.

If you can, seek out people who do share how you feel, and engage with them. That is where you will find friends. People who you can have these discussions with genuinely and vent too with out unkind push back. We do all need to vent some times. And on that note, if you need to vent more, send me message instead of an ask. I’m happy to listen. ♡

This probably isn’t the answer you were looking for. I really don’t mean to be lecture-y. It’s just the best, honest, advice I can pass along. Fandom should be fun and full of joy, but sometimes you do have to chose to make it that way for yourself. -Best

[egg-emperor]

New lore was dropped by Iizuka at a fan Q+A apparently. Interestingly, it's been revealed that Eggman is below the age of 50, that he never personally knew Gerald and Maria, his father was one of Gerald's two sons and that he is younger than Maria.

I find all of this fascinating.

You scared me LMFAO my heart stopped and blood ran cold for a sec but before I could go through all the stages of grief I was like hold on lemme see that source and found that isn't the case phew. If it was final that he was so young in his 40s I'd be devastated lol. Not just because I wouldn't want to believe it but also all the evidence suggests otherwise.

They considered putting him at 60 in the Sonic CD concept art, he's referred to as old and middle-aged, uses the Washi pronoun in JP, is associated with the Respect for the Aged Day in Japan where senior citizens are apparently 65+. Most recently we have the Egg Memo where Eggman specifies that he "never really knew" Maria, so he had to exist for at least some time when she was alive to feel the need to specify that.

Also, while a bit more speculative, it'd make sense if part of the reason he was so upset about how Gerald's plan to destroy the planet would've resulted in his death too is because he existed at the time even if he was very young, and Gerald would've known he had a grandson despite not meeting him and didn't consider or care for it to stop him. And that hit hard with him being his grandfather and idol he admired so much. I feel it'd kinda water down the impact and weight of it if it was like "He didn't consider that he could've potentially killed his grandson, even though I didn't exist yet." :P

But yeah it wouldn't make sense for him to be so young in his 40s, there's way too much emphasis on him being old and that would be way too young for it. Plus with the memo being solid canon on top of all the hints, it still doesn't make sense if you disregard the rest of the logic. So I was like no this can't be!!!

Then I saw the source to see that Iizuka apparently didn't actually say Eggman "yes, Eggman is 100% under 50" and I'm so relieved lol.

I just wanna break it down so I have something to link to people if this ever comes up in the future:

It was specifically the OP saying Eggman was literally "under 50", as if it was said to be 100% certain and confirmed final fact

But when they quote Iizuka directly, it turns out he apparently said: "His age hasn't been disclosed but he's probably under 50."

I knew they weren't gonna suddenly reveal his solid age now after all his time of it being unknown in all his bios, only heavily hinted at and implied with the examples listed above. If they're finally gonna go all out and finalize a specific age, it's definitely not gonna be at a Q&A.

Iizuka still saying it "is not disclosed" and the use of "probably" doesn't count as confirmation at all. He's just basing an estimate on the logic that if he didn't know Maria and Gerald then he might not have existed at the same time as them at all but all the evidence seems to show otherwise. Either way, it still "is not disclosed." So it's all just probable estimates.

So yeah at first my heart was like *glass shatter sfx* 💔 then I read the actual thread and I was like oh wait nevermind lol ❤️‍🩹 Here's the link to it btw

--------------------

Anyway now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk about the other stuff.

It was always obvious that Eggman never knew Gerald personally. He never speaks of direct anecdotes or personal experiences. Hell, he doesn't even know about the ARK before SA2. So of course the same goes for Maria, that was clear before it was confirmed in the Egg Memo.

As for Maria being older than Eggman, I never decided on whether I thought so or not because there wasn't ever anything to actually suggest it. But sure, that can make sense. She can be older than him without it meaning that he didn't exist at any point while she was still alive.

But I'm still definitely under the impression that he did exist for at least some time when she was alive, even if he was very young. He had to be. He specifically emphasizes that he "never really knew" Maria in the Egg Memo. Why would he need to if he never even existed when she was alive? It would've been obvious.

So I feel it implies he didn't *really* know her because while he was alive at the same time even if just a little, he didn't meet her in person and only learned of her through how others talked of her.

Then him mentioning that she was "gone" immediately after is just him then jumping to the part after her death, where he started learning about her more because she became the big subject after her tragic death and then of course he became jealous.

This also adds up with Iizuka saying Eggman didn't learn all this information about Maria until after her death

Here's what I'm thinking. He existed the same time as her even if he was very young but he didn't meet her obviously because she was on the ARK all her life wondering what it was like on Earth and Eggman didn't even know about the ARK until SA2. Then she became the hot topic after her tragic death so Eggman got so somewhat "know" her through their word but still didn't "really" know her because they didn't literally meet. Makes sense!

And lastly, if it's true that he said Eggman's father is Gerald's son then I'm so happy about that, since it's always been my headcanon that he was the paternal grandfather! :D

So yeah this was really just Iizuka saying what me and others have been saying already as far as him not knowing Gerald and Maria personally. Then also him making an unconfirmed non solid estimate of his age with the "probably" but the games and Sonic Channel suggests he has to be 50 AT LEAST. Seems to be over it actually, since he had to be alive some time before the ARK raid/the same time as Maria, even if just for a little while.

[crusherthedoctor]

Just wanted to chime in to say: you have every right to criticize those parts of the fandom that spend their time giving others grief and overall acting like sub-human beings for nothing more than a fictional blue hedgehog, and you shouldn't feel bad for being vocal about it

I think you did the right call in somewhat distancing yourself from the fandom and the series to an extent in order to concentrate yourself on things that make you happier. I know from experience that it's not easy, as I've also similarily distanced myself from Sonic for similar reasons, although I've thankfully never experienced the kind of harassment that you and others have faced

In the end spending too much time in an environment that is mostly toxic 24/7 will only do you harm and even run the risk of bringing out the very worst in those who live in it

You and I don't always agree on things and I'm certainly no perfect beacon on how to handle life in a fandom, so maybe I've got no legs to stand on so to speak, but for what it's worth just know that I'm on your side on this

People get so snippy over me constantly bringing up the community's infamous moments and bad habits, yet they never stop to consider why I keep bringing them up. Maybe I wouldn't need to if more people in the community actually learned from them and made a modicum of effort to get their shit together instead of acting like frustration in one's lane is somehow worse than an actual mob crying for blood. If no one brings attention to it, nothing will ever improve in it. But they don't want to improve, so instead it's Deadly Gang this and Deadly Gang that. After all, Crusher's not an artist, or an animator, or a translator. No, he's a fanfic writer, so what does he know about anything, amirite?

I have no more patience with the fandom. The current state of the franchise itself - with exceptions like Dream Team and Superstars - continues to alienate me, all the while everyone expects me to shut up and consume despite them always screaming about Pontaff Bad. The SA2 milking has made me more sick of something I didn't think I could get more sick of. A writer who didn't earn his position continues to be everywhere I look. Characters are having their importance and contributions ranked by power levels by fans and now the franchise itself it seems, given Sonic and Shadow's new throwaway forms as of recent. Eggman, my favourite villain of all time, continues to get desecrated piece by piece, in a way that might possibly stick in the long run, and my concerns about this and why the intention behind the Sage/Maria stuff doesn't matter either way keep getting dismissed as me being too dumb to understand the mere concept of nuanced writing.

I could get in everyone's faces. I could start shit and use my awful experiences as a flimsy excuse. But I don't do that. I focus on other things, like Paper Mario and Spyro. I turn to my own work to get away from it all. I create my own stories where I portray Eggman, and everyone else I use, to the best of my ability. I try to insert themes and meaning to my creations, regardless of how simple their premises may seem. I try to be productive during this period of disillusionment and isolation.

Yet this too is problematic. I'm told to stop writing, because "lol no one reads your shit".

I don't know what people expect me to do.

[bahamutgames]

Afterthoughts X Shadow Generations

Game: Sonic X Shadow Generations (October 22, 2024)

Console: PC

Alright let's kick off the 2025 afterthoughts by clearing out some unfinished business from 2024! It's finally time to talk about my thoughts on Shadow the Hedgehog again (I have SO many... you have no idea...)

I actually just today finally played the DLC Tokyo stage, I wanted to wait until after Sonic 3 came out to play it. Which I know is a little goofy, but hey it's MY gaming habits, I'll play stuff in any arbitrary way I please!!

I was pretty excited for this game for a few reasons. Of course, mainly, I am a HUGE Shadow fan. Team Dark are some of my favorite fictional characters ever made, if you somehow didn't know! So a new Shadow story that was like a sequel to the Shadow game (a game I LOVE) was very exciting. And Generations itself is actually one of my favorite Sonic games and one of my favorite video games of all time. So that was nice too! As usual with remakes I'll just focus on the new stuff and not linger on the original too much. But my mini Generations review is: It's an AMAZING game with awesome levels, some of the best fan service and nostalgia I've ever seen in my life. It really feels like a celebration of Sonic in such a genius way. My only problem is that the final boss kinda sucks despite having a cool design, the writing isn't AMAZING but I think it's relatively inoffensive compared to some other Sonic games by the same writers.

And there you have it, as always this isn't a review, just my thoughts after playing the game. Please play anything I talk about on this blog if it interests you!

SPOILERS FOR SHADOW GENERATIONS AHEAD!! I'M MOSTLY FOCUSING ON THE SHADOW STORY SO IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED IT, DON'T READ!!

Opening

So, as I just said. I am a MASSIVE Shadow the Hedgehog fan. For years I've considered him to be my favorite character of all time. Rouge and Omega too, they're a really important trio of characters to me. And I'm also a really big fan of what's been arbitrarily considered "The Dark Age of Sonic". It's such a vague concept but you probably get what I mean. I love Heroes, I love 06, and I really love Shadow the Hedgehog (the game). It actually has some very important scenes to me so, again, a generations remake with a side story that acts as a sequel was VERY exciting to me!

But also, very worrying to me. See... I think Shadow has been poorly handled in recent times, to put it politely. Sonic Team just seems very interested in messing up his character and removing a lot of his growth. Like they flat out ignore the story of SA2 just to make edgelord jokes. Then they made him treat Rouge and Omega like trash, and I hate him in the IDW comics, ect ect. It gets to the point where I actually appreciate Sonic games that don't include him so they can't do stupid shit with him. It's not THAT bad I guess in retrospect, but for a character who means so much to me, it was a little bad. So of course, I was nervous about the idea of them tackling such a sensitive subject to me, even in a post frontiers "Sonic is so back" world, yknow? However...

Stuff I liked

Yeah I think they did a really good job! Shadow Generations is GREAT!! Let's start with some of the more game focused stuff. The levels in this are fantastic! They really feel like Generations levels with their quality. Perfect length, WONDERFUL remakes of the graphics, really over the top stuff that makes the levels feel like "how you remember them" y'know? Actually a level that particularly really got a chuckle out of me was Sunset Heights cause a part of it was straight up taken from the Shadow Story in Forces. The part with the Buzz Bombers in a wheel that you dash through midair. I remember doing that shit SO MANY TIMES while 100% completing Forces lmao. And some of the challenges in Sunset Heights were designed IDENTICALLY to how the Forces challenges were designed. It was just funny to me. My favorite level would probably have to be Kingdom Valley though, it's always SO exciting to see 06 stuff in modern times! But in my opinion, similar to the original Generations, my favorite parts are probably the boss battles themselves. THEY ARE AMAZING IN THIS!! The way they change are so bad ass, the music for them is great. And I mean, it was just so exciting to see Mephiles the Dark again. I feel like I've been waiting for this forever, man. Devil Doom was also a huge treat, for some reason I didn't expect that at all. And Neo Devil Doom genuinely got such a huge pop off out of me, I ABSOLUTELY did NOT expect that one bit.

Then there's the graphics, this game looks AWESOME! Every level actually looks so stellar, the character models look FANTASTIC. Like, I wasn't expecting new models of Maria and Black Doom to look quite so good. But GOD DAMN do they look GOOD! Particularly, again, the bosses look AMAZING. That new Biolizard Model is DISGUSTINGLY GOOD! PLEASE REMAKE SONIC ADVENTURE 2 I KNOW IT COULD BE SO GOOD LOOKING!! The cutscenes are also FANTASTIC and you can tell it's probably the same people who animated the really nice Frontiers cutscenes. They look great.

The new Shadow abilities are AWESOME and actually a ton of fun to use, I really like the wings and the manta ray visually, but my favorite is actually Doom Blast because it's so over the top and cool and I like that it has gameplay function too. It's neat that they let you use chaos spear again too and Chaos Control actually lets you freeze time and stuff. It's cool! And the abilities actually brings me to my first interesting point about how this game manages to be really good even for me, who is sensitive about how Shadow is portrayed. So, this may come as a surprise to you. But I HATE when fan redesigns of Shadow give him Black Arms aesthetics. Horns, a third eye, ect ect. I HATE this. A lot. I won't go into massive detail but I'm really sensitive about this cause Shadow is NOT Black Doom. He is NOT the Black Arms. He is the antithesis of the Black Arms, he was made to help and heal where the Black Arms exist to hurt and destroy. And yes, I know Shadow was made under the agreement he would help destroy, but first and foremost he was made on Earth by earthlings for the purpose of healing. So, when everyone else was SO HYPE for Shadow having Black Arms powers. I was sitting there like "oh god no..." But I think they actually did it in a REALLY good way! Having them be something Black Doom forces upon Shadow unwillingly, and you actually get to see them have negative impacts on him is a great way of handling the concept without making him, yknow, be his dad or whatever. Maybe I'm just crazy but yeah I think they were able to do this thing I was REALLY horrified about in a really good way.

Which brings me to the story itself. It's good! It's actually really good and respectful to Shadow's story overall! I'm genuinely so pleased with it, and I know I really liked how Frontiers was shaping up to change the insincere way Sonic games were written. But there's a certain gravitas needed for Shadow I just didn't think they had yet. And while it's not perfect, you can still see some of the "EEEEH I'M SHADOW I HATE MY FRIENDS AND JOY" in the way Shadow acts sometimes. But I think they did way better a job than I gave them credit for initially. Black Doom coming back is something I was nervous about, Shadow killing him is important to me. But I think the time travel shenanigans was a good excuse to bring him back. Bringing Maria back is REALLY risky especially with my lack of confidence in them. But I think she was handled WONDERFULLY. Like genuinely, the way she talks down shadow from being consumed by the Black Arm's need to destroy was fantastic, and the way she says goodbye at the end of the game was REALLY good. I'm shocked they able to write something kind of dark again with her being like "I have to go back". It's cool. I had my own idea for a way darker ending, but yknow, it's still nice! I was also shocked they were able to explain the Sonic boss fight, the fake emerald thing is a bit of a stretch but it works! I actually wish there were more games where you fight Sonic, or the protagonist in general as a boss fight! I liked even small writing stuff like Mephiles being like "I WANT TO EXIST!!!" Or the way Rouge and Omega encourage Shadow if you talk to them before the final boss. Seeing Shadow interact with Orbot and Cubot, the secret best characters in the series was also nice. Again, it's not perfect, but considering the implications and importance of this game and this story and how easily they could've fucked it up SO BAD. I'm really pleased with it. From the perspective of someone unhealthily obsessed with Team Dark, anyway.

For other small stuff. I liked the open world White Space, that was neat. I liked the giant Doom Moon or whatever it was called, I thought we were gonna fight it but I think Neo Devil Doom was more exciting to be honest. I liked seeing new members of the Black Arms, that was SO cool! I love Eggman and Badniks and they should ALWAYS be present in some capacity in a Sonic game, but MAN do I ever miss Monster of the Week Sonic and seeing new villains and new grunt enemies of weird species in Sonic games. And also the Shadow prequel animated series they did was REALLY good and cool. And the Tokyo level was neat! Really impressive visually and I loved that we get a Movie Shadow model now. It makes me happy cause I was sad the movies didn't get a tie in game lol.

And it goes without saying, but the soundtrack kicks ass. Listening to it right now I really like Kingdom Valley, Sunset Heights, the new Supporting Me remix, the new Mephiles remix, Neo Devil Doom, it was FANTASTIC to hear What I'm Made of Again after the last few years where it was illegal to fight Metal Sonic to anything OTHER than his CD fight them. And I really liked the White Space theme and how it incorporates All Hail Shadow into it.

OH RIGHT THERE WAS A SONIC SIDE OF THIS GAME TOO!! Well, not much has changed here. But I do appreciate some small tweaks to the Sonic story. Particularly having modern Sonic actually respond to his friends when he frees them. Genuinely really odd he was silent in the original, so I appreciate them actually taking the time to record new lines for him there. And it's neat they rewrote some of the lines for the script too, like the infamous "You got this, Sonic" line. It's maybe unnecessary, but it's a nice touch!

Stuff I didn't like

But again, it's not perfect. Though most of my complaints about the Shadow story are kind of nitpicks. For one, the bosses are TOO SHORT! I actually feel like Mephiles is kind of shafted cause you can kill him in like 5 seconds! THESE BOSS FIGHTS ARE TOO GOOD TO BE SO SHORT!!! PLEASE MAKE THEM LONGER I'M BEGGING YOU! However, maybe I shouldn't complain cause S ranking them is actually way harder I feel like (though I only tried a little bit today for the first time). But still, for how awesome they are, I think they go by too quickly. In Generations I feel like the bosses are pretty nicely lengthed and that's why they're some of my favorite bosses in the series. I'm also not crazy about some of the new voices. Particularly Black Doom, it's not bad but it's not as good. But PARTICULARLY Mephiles. It's not bad, but it's not even close to the energy of original Mephiles. And I get it, you can't have someone compete with the dulcet tons of Dan Green. But still.

Then, there's Radical Highway. Look. Listen. Look at me. I love Radical Highway. It's an iconic stage, it's a very cool stage. It's Shadow's Green Hill Zone at this point though. I love both those stages, I think GHZ gets over hated. But also, holy shit, move on. Black Doom CONSTANTLY warps you to Radical Highway throughout the game and it's genuinely so bizarre to me? Like why are we going here during EVERY level. I don't WANT to go to Radical Highway again. I WANT to be in Rail Canyon. Stop interrupting me. And then, worse than that in my opinion. Radical Highway is the big fancy reveal at the end of the game. It's the last level and the only level they didn't tease. I love Radical Highway. But it's not a shock to see this stage in a Shadow Game. It's important to Shadow gameplay wise, but is it really important to him story wise? You want to surprise me? Why not, idk, pick a level FROM SHADOW'S FUCKING GAME!? IT HAS NO STAGES IN THIS GAME!! If the final level was the Black Comet and a remake of "The Last Way" and Black Doom was trying to pull it through time, that would be INSANE! But instead, it's the stage from Sonic Generations 3DS. Okay. Whatever, am I crazy for thinking this?

And then, one more. And this might be the wrong time and place to talk about this. Because I'm about to go a little off topic. And I'm sure y'all are not gonna like this one. But. I am SO over Big the Cat, dude. I'm serious. Literally the Sonic equivalent of Waluigi where everyone is like "OH MY GOD I LOVE HIM" but you guys don't actually give a shit about them and are just making a meme. Except, Waluigi doesn't appear in EVERYTHING because of those memes. Big the Cat on the other hand, at this point, has appeared in more Sonic things than a shocking amount of other characters. And for what? Just because it's a meme!? I like Big, I really do. I think he's misunderstood and deserves way more respect. But also, stop putting him in things. Why was Big in Frontiers when so few characters got to be in that? Why is Big in Team Sonic Racing when so many other guys didn't appear in that? Why is Big in Sonic Prime when HE'S NOT EVEN PART OF SONIC'S MAIN CREW IN THAT SERIES!? And everyone making jokes to me "I hope they put Big in the Sonic Movies" SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!!! WHY WOULD YOU WANT THAT OVER LIKE, ANYONE ELSE!? WHY is Big in this game? It's ultimately harmless and I love Orbot and Cubot being here despite them having interacted with Shadow maybe even less than Big. But still. Like, why? I'm sorry. I love Big the Cat. Genuinely. He should not be in more games than Omega. I'll die bitter.

ANYWAY, then there's Generations itself. I'm not insane about the actual remake part of this remake. Now, sure, it's been a minute since I last played the original. But I've played it a TON. And I have to say. This remake of it feels off. There were levels where I just kept dying in ways I'd NEVER seen in the original. I straight up had to walk through the opening of modern Crisis City cause I kept getting caught in the walls and dying. This NEVER HAPPENED in the original. Baffling. Maybe it was just me and my laptop but still. And also, I hate to say it but the graphics and animations of Shadow's story are SO GOOD they make the Generations graphics and animations feel very odd and dated. It's still a great looking game, but in comparison it's kind of rough looking. And then, while I love the script changes, they're kind of meaningless for the most part. Like, it's cool that Sonic has new voice lines. But some of the changed lines are kind of nothing? Idk.

For some smaller nitpicks, I also have some issues with the white space, it can be a little tricky to navigate especially before you unlock all the levels to warp around. It's not horrible or anything but I found myself getting stuck a few times. I wish Omega was as involved as Rouge is, it bugs me when he's left out. But I'm thankful he was there at all!! I do maybe wish there were more levels in general, but of course I do. I wish they had brought back the 3DS levels but, again, of course I do. I think $4.99 is a little pricey for a single level DLC. But overall it's a good game. It's a fantastic addition to one of my favorite Sonic games ever.

Final Thoughts

BUT YEAH!!! SONIC CONTINUES TO BE BACK IT WOULD SEEM! And with it, Shadow seems to be back. Something I never thought truly possible. But between this game actually trying to take it seriously and be sincere, and Sonic 3 being probably my favorite iteration of Shadow in a LONG time. I think we could potentially be in a new era for Shadow the Hedgehog. And hopefully, a new era for Team Dark as a whole. I won't get my hopes up, but maybe we could see Rouge and Omega in the movies and maybe see them join Shadow more often in the games. In the meantime though, things are looking very good for Shadow here in the year of 2024. I haven't read Gerald's Journal or the Shadow manga they made, so I need to get on that. And I need to write my thoughts on Sonic 3 cause I really loved it!

I love Shadow, he's a really important character to me. So it's important to me that Shadow content actually comes out good and respectful of his character growth. Not just his journey through SA2, but his journey through Heroes, and 06, and the Rivals games. There's a lot more to Shadow than just an edgelord, and I really hope we can see more of that start to return. Not just for a time displaced Maria, but for his friends Rouge and Shadow as well. If somehow you've read this and you're just getting into Shadow. Either through this game or Sonic 3. I encourage you, genuinely to check out Heroes, Shadow, and 06, and potentially the Rivals games. There's a lot to Shadow as a character, and maybe it's never been PERFECTLY executed, but there's SO much more to him than just "edgelord". There's more to Rouge than just "valleygirl". And there's more to Omega than just "crazy guy". These are AMAZING characters with amazing potentials. And I hope more people can come to understand what I see in them.

Idk I haven't really talked about this character and how much he means to me in depth in a long time. I'm sort of in a limbo state with a lot of my favorite characters cause a lot of them just kinda fell off in recent games. But idk. I still really like Shadow and my love for Team Dark is coming back pretty hard lol. I just don't gush about this stuff on the same level I used to lol. But I DO still love Team Dark. I DO love when Sonic games are sincerely crazy and over the top. I DO love edgy characters who have depth. It's nice to have a win for something so important to me that feels like it's been losing a lot lately lol. But even through those frustrating times, I can't stop loving Team Dark I guess. This is who I am.

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And wouldn't you know it. Once again, that's that! Just like Frontiers, this makes me very interested and excited for what could come next in the Sonic series. I like these remakes, and these attempts to make other characters playable. But I am patiently awaiting a true return to form for Sonic with a WILD over the top, high stakes, monster of the week plot and lots of playable characters with unique gameplay and interweaving stories and stuff. Not just adventure 3, but 06, and Rivals, and Rush, and what not. Sonic has a history with this stuff and I think we're slowly seeing glimpses of these concepts returning, and hopefully we can keep getting truly great Sonic games. I'm at least very hopeful and interested in the future.

That's all from me, go out and play a game without favorite character in it!

[prowerprojects]

The stagnation some felt during the 2010s probably played a role in it too. Forces just played the tipping point for some when it came a lot of things. (Japanese crowd seems less loud and nicer about it though.)

Yeah, that's often what I see as the main complaint for him, his screen time. But otherwise, people generally liked how he was portrayed and consider it a definitive version of him. (A definitive. Not THE definitive. It does bring to question how the 3rd film will treat him; cause I see him either gaining something big or fading towards the back. Depending on if more than just Shadow is coming, and if Eggman survived.)

((Heh, the first film could have been a lot of things. Sometimes, not all the stars align. Always hope for it to happen in a fully animated movie instead.))

Well, that's just the Japanese culture ig. Doesn't mean they don't feel the same, they just express it differently.

I don't think it's the screentime, necessarily, it's moreso the fact that his arc in the movie is more or less the repeat of Sonic's arc from the previous movie, which makes it a bit boring and redundant. Him being in the movie more wouldn't necessarily make it better. Though maybe if they'd leaned a bit more into him becoming more confident or proactive with Sonic's support. Maybe a small scene where he decides to steal the plane to follow Sonic. (Like it wouldn't change anything because he already does do that in the movie, but it would help bring attention to his development and highlight the difference between him being scared to follow Sonic at the beginning of the movie. Though ig it would break up the pacing of some other scenes and elevate the feeling danger because you know Tails is coming... idk)

(Also... I think he's a little ugly and it's a bit distracting. Ik that the square head is a part of the basics of drawing Tails, but they could have done it differently for cgi. I think he's way cuter in the Drone Home short where his head is more round)

I hope he's as involved in the next movie as he was in sa2, though I suspect him, Knuckles & Tom and Maddie would have to share the subplot so he'll have to fight for the screentime.