#but at his core he's also a very selfish hedgehog

[aqualotic]

I know the kids like soft Sonadow and that has its time and place but I need more of Shadow impulsively kissing Sonic with blood staining both their teeth after a viscious fight, after which they proceed to not talk about it for a wholeass decade.

[clean-casual-analysis]

Building My Ideal Hero

Cinefix on YouTube had a unique form of top ten movie heroes/villains videos where, instead of typical ranking, they layer traits on top of one another until they get a character that exemplifies all those traits at once. Speaking from experience, it’s actually a fun way to analyze and determine what I view as heroic or villainous. It’s also a convenient way for me to put out a bunch of What A Character! posts at once. So, to start off, I’ll be going through five of my favorite fictional heroes.

Trait One: Good Morality

The first trait my ideal hero needs is a good sense of morals, to do the right thing even when it’s hard. On the one hand, this seems an obvious trait for a hero to have. On the other hand, more comedic/selfish anti heroes have gotten the spotlight a lot of the time too. I wanted a more archetypal character to lend us this trait and almost considered my favorite ninja turtle Leonardo. But if we’re going for a rock-solid foundation of heroic morality, there are few that can match Sonic the Hedgehog.

The world’s fastest freedom fighter and menace to dark gods and mustached mad scientists everywhere, Sonic is a great starting point for this list. He might be a little cocky and impulsive, but his core dedication to goodness characteristically speeds past those flaws. He fights against Doctor Robotnik, not just for thrills, but because he hates bad people ruling over innocents. A loyal friend to many and protector of those who can’t defend themselves, the blue blur rushes into impossible odds with a smirk on his face.

Second trait: Skills and Strength

Now that my ideal hero has a good moral compass, let’s give them the skills to fight for what’s right. This isn’t strictly combat skills, plenty of heroes don’t need to throw punch to save the day. Maybe It’s through miraculous dimension altering like Elizabeth from Bioshock Infinite. Perhaps it’s the dozens of talents Bruce Wayne learned to be Batman. For this list, I’d be doing little kid me a disservice if I picked anyone else but Master Chief.

John-117 is the sci fi super soldier to end all super soldiers. He matches his genetically enhanced reflexes and strength with unparalleled skills in military combat. Hijacking vehicles, adapting to alien weaponry without fail, making a pistol look like a god gun, the legendary Spartan almost makes fighting off alien armies look easy. Add that to his character’s loyalty, his willingness to sacrifice for the greater good, and knack for inspiring others, and it’s clear why he’s a beloved icon.

Third trait: Forced into Heroism

Of course, not everyone has superhuman abilities or even want to be heroes in the first place. The next trait for my ideal hero belongs to the Everyman underdogs whose forced into heroism by forces beyond their control. This is the calamity trio of Amphibia, or most of the human characters in Transformers media. Horror movie protagonists are very often average people going up against unspeakable terrors, and no horror protagonist is quite better than my next pick, Ellen Ripley.

One of the many great details that made the first Alien movie stand out from other sci-fi greats was the working-class nature of its characters. This wasn’t a motley crew of misfits against a galactic empire or scientific explorers, this was a group of space truckers hauling fuel from one end of outer space to another. Even before they encounter the xenomorph, you get the sense that the corporation they’re working for is grinding them down. Ellen Ripley best represents that feeling, a no-nonsense blue-collar woman whose cautious fear turns into dire heroism when the perfect organism rears its head. When the human antagonists of the story talk about the benefits that the potentially world ending species could have for humanity, she gives exactly zero fucks. And despite her anger and fear, she’s still a kind person willing to put her life at risk for others.

Fourth trait: Tragedy

So far, we have a morally good character who’s forced into action but has the skills necessary to overcome the obstacles in their way. The next trait will add a layer of hardship to them. Tragedy isn’t a necessary trait for a hero to have, but the best ones are often the heroes who help because they know what it’s like to be helpless. The classic example is Peter Parker indirectly causing the death of his uncle, but I’m personally more another comic tragedy, Bruce Banner.

Exposed to gamma rays and turned into a rampaging monster known as the Hulk, Bruce Banner steers his alter ego into evil and hopes for the best. Intelligently good hearted as Bruce but unstably powerful as Hulk, the scientist’s struggle to control his emotions and heal from his trauma bring about the tragedy. The man’s own existence has the risk of spreading mass destruction at the rising of his heartbeat. Bruce’s determination to control his inner demons and conquer the tragedy that altered his life makes it clear why he’s the strongest there is.

Final trait: Empathy

Four traits down and we have a pretty solid hero in our midst. The last trait is arguably most important trait to me, the ability to empathize. These heroes don’t just settle for sending the bad guy to jail, they’re the ones who want a better future for everyone. This is iconic heroes like Optimus or Superman when they’re written at their best, but my choice for this this and all other traits discussed above is an obvious one. Steven Quartz Universe.

I already made a post detailing my love for the character, so I’ll just just into why he’s the perfect mix of the five traits. Raised by a humble single dad and three heroic guardians, Steven is kind hearted by default. While he fumbles due to his inexperience and childishness, his growing powers and outside the box problem solving means that he will always save the day. The growing threat of Homeworld and the secrets left behind by his mother force him into impossible odds he needs to overcome. The trauma he received throughout his adolescence resulted in a troubled and conflicted mind, adding relatable tragedy to his character in SU Future. But throughout all the changes he’s gone through, it’s Steven’s empathy that shines brightest. Understanding when others are hurt and need help, even when they’re enemies. Call it corny, but nothing to me is more aspirational in a hero than that.

[firsttarotreader]

Was Pedro ever rejected for being bi? Man or woman?

Hello! Let’s start by saying we do not know if he identifies as Bi or if he ever has. We use the word “Bi” speaking of observable behavior because we believe he likes all genders, but we do not talk about it in a sense of label because we don’t know if he uses it or not. That said, you mean rejected as in someone didn’t want to date him when finding out he liked more than one gender, right?

I know I have posted a reading once about whether he had experienced biphobia and, from the cards, he most likely has, but let’s see if someone has turned him down for liking more than one gender. Always important to remember this is a reading and not supposed to be taken as the absolute truth, and in any case it also doesn’t mean he has been turned down his entire life for being “Bi”, but if it happened at least once in his life. We know labels are complicated and it’s always been very common for Bi people to tell others they are either gay or straight because saying “Bi” causes problems with both gay ppl and straight ppl, thanks to… biphobia from both sides.

So let’s start. The first card when I asked was Justice. That was kind of confusing at first because Justice might mean people he wanted to date and knew he liked everything could have been really fair to him, “just” and balanced and not rejected him… BUT it could also mean he did experience rejection BECAUSE he is “balanced”, since this card might be a sign of “being on both sides” and “liking all sides”. So I had to pull another card to see what would show up and it was The Tower. Well, yeah, the first card wasn’t really about balance, because with this one, all balance and stability goes away. Something falls down, collapses, or it’s shaken to its core. So this card does seem to point to someone being really shaken by the revelation of the Justice card and they couldn’t keep it together anymore, most likely turning him down.

Then I pulled the cards for more information and the first ones were the 5 of Hedgehogs, Suspension reversed and Page of Hedgehogs. 5 of Hedgehogs is the card that points to the lack of something. It’s loss, abandonment, rejection, feeling ignored, left out in the cold by a partner, and it might indicate breakups too. Suspension reversed, as The Hanged Man in regular decks, is about a lack of commitment, about not being able to deep dive in something, insecurity and uncertainty, and not feeling confident to surrender control and give the leap of faith. Page of Hedgehogs is the shy boy who is working hard to do something, with the best intentions, but many times being ineffective. So what we can see from these cards is there are signs of rejection and loss potentially because of this feeling that Pedro could not commit and even if he worked hard for it it would still not be enough, or the people could not commit to him even if he tried hard to get them to.

The next cards were Queen of Hedgehogs reversed, 7 of Spears and 10 of Hedgehogs. This is a very curious pull. Queen of Hedgehogs reversed points to someone who cannot really balance their attention to their home life with other fields of their lives accordingly. This Queen when reversed loses her confidence, her stability, and she is not the grounded and reliable “mother” in the family anymore. 7 of Spears is about the feeling of being fooled, lied to, of not being able to trust someone or a situation. 10 of Hedgehogs is the most “successful” a relationship can be. You have it all, a strong partnership, and it can even be a little selfish because you do want it all, all for yourself. So in these cards we could be seeing Pedro possibly being considered someone who was not reliable enough for a relationship, he could never be fully there for them, and it would cause them distrust, feelings of insecurity, jealousy and fear of betrayal. And right when they wanted it all, wanted all of him, but in their worries, he couldn’t be all theirs.

The last 3 cards were 4 of Hedgehogs, The Mystery and 3 of Flowers. Another interesting pull. 4 of Hedgehogs represents having it all, finally having what you fought hard to get, and being so scared of losing it, becoming selfish. The Mystery, as The High Priestess in the regular decks, is, well, about Mystery. That sense of having someone you can’t quite figure out, of not knowing what they want or what they feel and it causing, again, insecurity and uncertainty. The Mystery makes it hard to “go for it” as the 3 of Flowers suggests. You can’t team up and build this relationship on solid ground, and more than that, there is jealousy and the constant fear of a third person coming between you. You never know what to expect so you don’t trust them. These cards do seem to indicate people wanting him all for themselves but feeling like they couldn’t trust him for that, like they couldn’t figure him out and always in fear of the “third” person.

Well, all in all, it does look like he has experienced at least once in his life some type of rejection that could be linked to being Bi. These are actually the most common misconceptions about bisexuality, aren’t they? That they can’t commit, they can’t be trusted, they don’t know what they want, they will cheat… all bullshit of course because straight and gay people do absolutely the same thing just with one gender only. Of course these cards could be pointing to Pedro’s overall struggle to commit as a whole (commitment-phobe after all), but since you asked about rejection for being Bi and the “Justice” card being the first one, along with other signs, it could totally be the case of the rejection. This could have happened with either a man or woman too.

[cutegirlmayra]

Lately we've seen Sonic and Amy together these past few years. Sonic Forces for phones in a matter of events, the IDW (although they are not 100% canon), a few official images of the two in official accounts, the new line stickers did not look so much Amy stalking and Sonic uncomfortable; On the contrary they look good or have put it as if they were Sega's Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Do you think there will be a small future for the possible couple?

It’s true! Sega has been re-marketing over these new ‘eras’ you could say within media and advertising. It’s interesting to see their ‘new direction’ with so many ‘projects’ to find that ‘Sonic flare’ that once sparked the whole series into great appeal and success.

I have great hopes for them. I know it’s coming slowly, but as a little girl I once predicted that SEGA would have an ultimate question… Would romance in the Sonic series improve the brand as a whole? Is it successfully marketable?

Over the last few years, I have been studying and watching SEGA’s strategies and trying to learn the best I can while not being ‘in the loop’ so to speak. They’re kinda experimenting, and I worry it could be forced.

I’m only hoping that they realize Shipping and the possibility of young love isn’t a bad marketing idea. In fact, the themes of love and self-healing (Much like Steven Universe) and Friendship with Magical Success that makes sense (My Little Pony) are doing incredible.

Sonic’s main ‘theme’ was about nature vs. metal, man and his unbreakable soul, and how a life with friends is more than any life alone.

If they can put ‘Love of Friends’ and ‘Caring for others’ with the idea that Sonic and Amy, along with other couples they’ve established, could translate into a cute ‘crushing’ moments that could boost the series into more mainstream for this generation, it could be epic!

We want more emotion, but what we really want is that rebel heroism we saw in Sonic at the very beginning. He wasn’t as unconventional as Batman, as Lawful Good as Superman, or as Tragic as most superhero stories go.

He wasn’t Mario, who got the job done with a smile and Yahoo!

He was dealing with metallic scrap ruining his world. He was alone and had to accept others, but only under the condition, they accepted him and his way. He had to learn to care for others and not just protect them and then ditch them.

Sonic’s core is his unbreakable will, but then also his undeniable heart.

He loves his friends.

He loves nature and the world he races upon.

He loves his life.

That is inspiring. It’s subtle, as is most things in Japanese animation, but it’s what drew us to Sonic and his unusual character.

He’s cocky, he’s fun to watch, he’s hyper but chill… and he won’t back down.

Not all heroes can show a raw side and a big heart at the same time. Sonic can.

How does Amy fit into this world? This brand?

If Sonic is the will/soul of the series, Tails is the can-do spirit. The mind over matter. If I try, if I believe in myself as my friends and hero idol do, then I can do anything so long as I don’t give up. Knuckles, muscle, but brawns is used for valiant causes like saving your friends and doing the right thing without hesitation. You can’t just isolate yourself, you need others, and others need you.

Then there’s Amy.

The Heart.

People can change, they’re good, there is more then just fighting, life is meant to be enjoyed and not dull or boring, you can seize your own destiny, you can fight for those you love and the future you want to pursue, you don’t have to give up your dreams, you are special and wanted, you can make a difference, you’re strong so long as you don’t ever give up!

There is so much Amy brings… and when she’s tossed to the sidelines, we lose that emotional grip and the cliffhanger of seeing Amy’s subtle lessons inspire the rest of the gang and give us emotional depth physically on the screen…

You can’t cut women and their influence out. Even if it’s Shonen.

Rouge too, Blaze as well… All the girls have something that is hard to translate through a male character. (It can happen! Don’t get me wrong, I love sensitive guy characters!)

To abandon ‘heart’ from your series… to give those roles to the other 3 or even to other characters doesn’t work as well since Amy was LITERALLY crafted to be that glue that kept that emotional turmoil and comfort in a beautiful balance.

Devotion to one’s heart.

The heart is strong, no matter what. It may fight for different reasons, but each is a strong emotion that can’t be denied nor forgotten.

The heart suffers, but it does so for others.

Because it cares, it speaks up, and won’t let you carry on if it’s wrong or hurting others.

The heart can be easily beguiled or deceived, manipulated, and used…

The heart can also quickly forgive, not judge, and love unconditionally.

The heart sacrifices, is unselfish, and undeterred.

The heart is hopeful, and ever-patient…

The heart can be fierce because it feels so much and will scold you when its called for. It’s brave and true but most of all-

It perseveres.

Gets back up.

“I told you didn’t I? There was no way Sonic would let something like that happen!” - Sonic Unleashed, Amy Rose.

Believes.

The heart is strong.

And to be without a cute little romance like what the heart seeks, is like denying the heart altogether.

“There was always something fun to do with Sonic around. I really miss him.“ - Sonic Adventure

”I hate it when they leave me behind!“ -  ”Have no fear! Amy Rose is here!“  - ”I know that people fight over the most trivial things. Some people may be selfish like the Professor said… But they’re basically good. If they try their best and never give up on their wishes…. They always have a reason to be happy. That’s why you should help them out… Saving them is a good thing!“  - Sonic Adventure 2

”Love changes everything. It feels like every little moment in your life is huge!“ -  ”Sonic, I’m going to save you.“ - Sonic 06

“No matter the package, you’re still my Sonic, Sonic!"  - “That won’t happen! There’s no way Sonic will let it end like this!” - Sonic Unleashed

You save the lines that mean the most to the character of the HEART, and you can learn a lot about a character’s heart through their words.

I would love for our Blue Hedgehog to continue to learn about love through this spirited, cheerful, and canonally described “pretty” Pink Hedgehog!

Sorry, I could quote Amy for so long haha! That’s all for now, too long of a rant!

[beevean]

SEGA and the eternal issue of “Sonic’s girlfriend”

[Translator’s note: here is the original article written by @latin-dr-robotnik​​, originally written on the 18th of May 2020]

Today we’re going to talk about one of the aspects SEGA is more secretive about: Sonic’s relationships.

[Translator’s note: this article was written to celebrate Seaside Hill Paradise’s 200th entry. If you’re fluent in Spanish, I highly recommend you to check it out! And if you aren’t, go follow Latin’s Tumblr blog if you haven’t already and you’re into Sonamy, analyses, gushing about music and shitposts.]

This article concludes my Sonamy trilogy, and I recommend you to read the previous two articles: “SEGA and the eternal issue of the Sonamy dynamic” and “’I love you’ – forbidden words in Sonic”. This means this is a shipping article – if you’re not interested into another essay about the love life of a blue hedgehog, I can redirect you to other articles such as “Sonic and speed: are we misunderstanding them?” and “What went wrong with Classic Sonic’s music in Sonic Forces?”.

Everybody else, welcome to today’s article!

It should be noted that this article focuses more on the semi-official and strictly official aspects, since there is really not much to say about the fandom. Nowadays the fandom has a relatively peaceful coexistence, creating art, fanfics and more, for all kind of ships; sometimes there’s an occasional fight between ships or a ship that clearly is not appropriate… but besides that, everything seems relatively calm, at least in my experience and compared to other fandoms.

Too cool for relationships...

Few things are as mentioned and yet silenced by the official SEGA media as the fateful words “girlfriend” and “Sonic” put together. In official terms, Sonic has always been this young, cool hedgehog, with a pure love for nature and never too worried about life, but with a moral code that makes him fight against injustices. During his first years, Sonic was almost impatient and a little emotionally distant, although as it was the ‘90s and things were not so clear for the young SEGA star, different interpretations would take the character through different paths - some more radical than others. As the years went by, and going through many redesigns, certain aspects of his personality would be perfected, exaggerated, or even flanderized. His position on relationships, on the other hand, would remain relatively constant over the decades, with a few particular exceptions.

The this is that Sonic, in the words of his own creator Naoto Ohshima, has always been considered “a young man with a child's heart”, which has helped to substantiate and understand why the character would remain relatively distant from his feelings, and much closer to his own interests associated with the life of adventure.

... or is he?

Despite everything I just said, they tried in many occasions, if not succeeded, to give Sonic a girlfriend, with various results.

As carefree as Sonic is, and as much as SEGA tried to clarify this point over and over again, the people behind his character have always tried to introduce one or more relationships into his life. Even Naoto Ohshima himself has made his own suggestion as to who might be a hypothetical partner for his character. The different interpretations I’ve mentioned have tweaked Sonic’s character to make it more apt to certain types of dynamics, and the cultural gap between the East and the West (which I analyzed a few years ago with the first article of this “trilogy”) also has a considerable impact on the type of relationships that would be established for Sonic from very early in his history until today.

Author’s note: the concept of “Sonic + human woman” of 1990 wasn’t completely forgotten, no no, it was brought back 16 years later, in… well… the worst way possible.

Let’s see an example. Going back to his very origins, in his pre-Sonic 1 sketches Sonic was often depicted with a stereotypical damsel in distress, Madonna, his own “Princess Peach” that ended up being scrapped for many reasons, including the similarities with Super Mario. As the years have gone by, this concept has not disappeared, but rather the writers and directors of the series have taken it down different paths over time. While Madonna was too cliché, other candidates for the role of “Sonic’s girlfriend” would quickly appear to try different dynamics, directly or indirectly endorsed by SEGA.

Sally Acorn

For many years, Princess Sally was for Western fans the first person who came to mind when they thought of “Sonic’s girlfriend”. Since 1993, and for 2 more decades, her relationship with Sonic has gone in many directions, but fundamentally the most amazing thing about this whole situation was that she was Sonic’s official girlfriend (at least in the Archie Comics canon). It was also one of the many headaches for SEGA in the last decade.

Originally a fellow fighter against the macabre Robotnik from the 1993 animated series Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic and Sally’s relationship was always marked by their opposite personalities; while Sally tends to plan ahead and is much more focused on the seriousness of the task, Sonic was the type to destroy robots first and think later. “Opposites attract,” they say, and by the (premature, I might add) end of that series both were already more than friends. They had already kissed a couple of times.

At the most critical moment in their relationship, Sonic, after a year of being missing in space and presumed dead by everyone, returns to Mobius only to end up back in potential danger, decides to ignore the wishes and warnings of Sally, who’s clearly emotionally traumatized and stressed by both the general situation and the responsibilities she had to carry out for her kingdom in the absence of her parents. The result of this explosive cocktail was one of the most infamous scenes in all of Archie Sonic, "the Slap", where Sally finally reacts violently to Sonic's selfish statements. The hedgehog's response? Well, a long exposure to the screams about her experience - also traumatic - up to that point. In the end, both end up screaming and crying in front of virtually everyone.

What followed in the next decades was an expansion of that original SatAM canon in the Archie Comics, in which its various writers introduced varying degrees of drama and increasing conflict to demonstrate the strong bond between them, destabilizing or even stabilizing it again, multiple times. They would be together for some time, then they would be apart, eventually rekindling the flame of love passionately, until a final sacrifice on their part and the eventual resetting of the entire Archie Sonic canon.

In their last years, after the Super Genesis Wave, Sonic and Sally’s relationship went back to being platonic. a good friendship with the advantages and disadvantages of their personalities - Sally’s leadership and Sonic’s extreme confidence - while the focus was put on the flourishing relationship between Sally and her best friend (and old computer!) Nicole.

Regardless of the way their relationship ended, it's undeniable that Sally has left a huge mark. Being a product of the West, her existence was never really accepted by the Sonic’s Japanese creators, but because the bulk of the fandom is here in the West, Sally's presence has been strongly associated with Sonic, the Freedom Fighters, the comics... and also the ship wars between her and the character we’re going to talk about next. Her very existence was a living contradiction to the Japanese central canon, an official girlfriend who broke all the ideas that existed for Sonic in terms of his conception of relationships and lead him through unique paths. Whether for better or worse, Sally broke the mold.

Eimi. Rosy. Amy Rose.

On the opposite side of the spectrum there’s Amy, a character that was originally conceived as the Minnie to Sonic’s Mickey, but with her own dynamic.

Despite Amy’s existence being strongly tied to Sonic’s, once again Sonic Team tried to avoid the classic cliché (in this case to copy Mickey and Minnie), opting then to establish Amy as the one interested in a relationship, while Sonic runs away from this idea. For this dynamic to keep working, Sonic’s feelings have to be kept hidden, with excuses like his “shyness”, which leads to ambiguity, or because, as said before, of his “child’s heart”.

The most interesting thing is that Amy kept her canonical status of “self-proclaimed girlfriend” since 1993, which makes her “official” and “not official” at the same time, but there are some traces left from the Sonic manga of 1992 (which in turn influenced Amy’s original design), where a prototype version of Amy (or, as it was spelled there, Emi/Eimi) played the role of Sonic’s girlfriend (or Nicki’s, to be more precise). With this detail in mind, Amy can be considered, at least in the East, the very first “Sonic’s girlfriend”, even before Sally – but her situation is much more complex.

Sonic Mega Drive (top) and Sonic Boom (bottom), representing some differences in different Sonic continuities.

In any case, the manga would be the first and only time Amy was officially considered “Sonic’s girlfriend”, because in the following decades and in several continuities the core of their dynamic shifted to Amy chasing Sonic. Both would get closer or further away depending on each case (in Fleetway, for example, Amy ends up marrying another character, while in Archie Sonic there would be only a few instances of potential interest, quickly overshadowed by convenience or other things directly or indirectly related to Sally), but generally no continuity would establish an official relationship. In some cases, such as Japan, it wouldn’t even be necessary to clarify the state of the relationship, since their cultures accept more easily the dynamic that Sonic Team proposed as an “official relationship”. Just looking at the artwork highlighted on Sonic Channel (run by SEGA of Japan) shows how much more accepted the relationship is, even though Sonic Team’s official artwork still avoids any kind of public confirmation. (Author’s note: I’ve written more about Amy according to the East and the West in the first article of this trilogy)

Unlike Sally, there is no “opposites attract” situation between Amy and Sonic, and, at first, there is no prior friendship from which a potential relationship could flourish. We witnessed their dynamics from the first moment they met, and it would not be until years later that there would be a minimal basis for interaction from which various official continuities would bring both characters closer together.

Technically Amy already knew that her destiny was tied to Sonic and the events of Sonic CD on Little Planet, thanks to her tarot cards (an element that has disappeared since then), but for Sonic it was just another day of adventure, and although we’ve seen how Amy's feelings have progressed, mostly in Adventure 1 and 2, Sonic has never reflected on his personal feelings; it’s an aspect of the hedgehog that to this day remains a mystery to the audiences.

Also unlike Sally, Amy has appeared in multiple continuities of all kinds and because of that her relationship with Sonic has been affected in various ways. The main videogames canon has remained ambiguous and unchanged for 25 years: Amy would stay close to Sonic and offer some good moments to reflect on her feelings about him (some of which I mentioned in my post about Sonic Unleashed and Amy’s emotional support), while Sonic would remain distant, uncomfortable, shy, and, more recently, potentially affected by her apparent loss.

Sonic X is the first official attempt (by Sonic Team no less) to offer an expanded view of our characters. There’s a lot of discussion about how Sonic is slowly opening up to Amy’s advances, and these developments follow a line that we discussed in previous articles of this trilogy, and how, during the 2000s, the Japanese writers of the series kept slowly deepening the interactions between the two, reaching very important symbolic moments like Sonic X Ep. 9, 52 and 76, among several others. I am purposely leaving out specific details to direct your attention to this fantastic thread by Yvanix Rose that highlights some key details about how this continuity worked the Sonic-Amy dynamic. [Translator’s note: the thread is in Spanish]

Sonic X, episode 76.

Another essential continuity for the development of this dynamic was Sonic Boom, since, despite having been a separate continuity with its own interpretation of the characters, its existence managed to influence the main canon in some way in the years that followed its original release in 2014.

Sonic Boom made two important changes in the dynamic: Amy did no longer externalize her feelings with the same frequency or intensity (speeding up a process that already started in the main canon in 2008), and Sonic was noticeably more nervous and insecure of his feelings for her, even being jealous in several occasions. These changes got the dynamic closer to the “friends who have secret feelings to each other but they’re too shy to admit it” trope, and in the second season it could even be said that there are signals of the “secretly dating” trope. Nothing was officially confirmed yet, but the changes to the dynamic offered a fresh perspective to work from: winks and inferences about a relationship that was not talked about but seemed to happen behind the scenes.

Sonic Boom S1E16.

Sonic Boom’s approach also opened the door to working a little more on the characters’ new personalities. Taking a little inspiration from the original foundations of Sally and Sonic’s relationship, Boom now presented situations where Sonic and Amy’s perspectives actively clashed with each other, leading to discussions and moments that showed a little more of the mundane details of the friendship they had, rather than appealing to more classic behaviors of the main canon, like Sonic leaving the scene in a hurry. Considering the way things turned out the last time we saw this kind of dynamic on screen, it was pretty safe to assume that their new opposites were now attracted; the implied secret dating and so on only helped to give it more sustenance - which the fandom would eventually take to the extreme.

And lastly there’s IDW Sonic, the comic series that replaced Archie Sonic after its cancellation in 2017, and the most recent arc that offers an interesting perspective. Starting its continuity from the end of the events of Sonic Forces (which at the same time took on certain characteristics from the post-Boom era, particularly as far as Amy is concerned), IDW Sonic didn’t waste any time in presenting the way in which it would carry out its dynamic between Sonic and Amy.

Amy makes her feelings for Sonic very clear, and he is surprised but unable to match them. However, Sonic doesn’t want to outright reject her, and suggests that she come with him; she refuses, claiming that she has duties to the Resistance, setting the tone for the rest of the series. (IDW Sonic #2)

“Sonic’s girlfriend” today

As I mentioned earlier, after the reboot Sally was no longer considered Sonic’s girlfriend, and her disappearance after the cancellation of Archie Sonic in general is a sign that we may not see her ever again, even as a friend. As of today, in 2020, only Amy has been left in her “unofficial, but��” state, with various minor events taking place both in the main canon and in IDW Sonic:

In 2018 the official SEGA shop wrote a description for a piece of Amy Rose merchandise that said “celebrate 25 years of Sonic’s girlfriend”; the mistake wasn’t immediately corrected, despite the fandom pointing it out immediately.

The video game canon has remained dormant, with Team Sonic Racing in 2019 featuring more of a regular friendship between Sonic and Amy, sharing rivalries and quiet moments alike.

On the other hand, since IDW Sonic and Sonic Boom laid their foundations, we've begun to see a certain shift in the way the two characters are presented. While we’ve talked about IDW Sonic already, Sonic’s social medias have done multiple “Twitter Takeovers” where Sonic characters answer questions from fans, and Sonic has always answered more like his version of Boom to the inevitable question about Amy and his “feelings”.

Recent official animations like Sonic Mania Adventures and Team Sonic Racing Overdrive have shown Amy flirting with Sonic in a more casual way.

The current dynamic seems to be pointing towards “Sonic’s hidden feelings”, and I think we are at a perfect point to change the approach. SEGA in general seems more open to the idea of bringing these characters closer, probably as a marketing strategy, but without yet separating themselves from the central ideas that defined the dynamic for the last two and a half decades.

Conclusion

The idea of “Sonic’s girlfriend” has been one of the most experimental and controversial in the almost three decades that this series has been around for. SEGA has opened the door to all kinds of ambiguities, developments and interpretations, all with their pros and cons, instead of settling on a definitive position. As iconic as these characters, conceived as Sonic’s “romantic interests”, have become, they have also had their share of criticism and controversy, especially in the fandom.

The presence of Amy as the only “official but self-proclaimed girlfriend” today says a lot about the control SEGA (specifically SEGA of Japan) regained over the characters, after decades of interpretations that offered different alternatives with various degrees of success. At her best, Sally represented an ideal relationship with Sonic, much more complete and profound than the back-and-forth game between Amy and Sonic. But at her worst, this same relationship represented everything wrong that could happen by associating Sonic with the emotional spiderweb of a romantic relationship. SEGA hardening its control over the characters seems to have put an end of this type of situation where Sonic ends up being involved in a romantic telenovela, but at the same time it has revitalized the flirting game and the implicit associations that give fuel to the fandom fire.

From my humble interpretation, I think we’ve reached a point where Sonic and Amy have shared enough stories and moments to solidify the core aspects of their personalities and their friendship, allowing them to take the next step, which is to play around with the idea of “something else”. 25 years ago it was hard to see how these two characters could work together beyond “it’s SEGA’s word”; today there’s enough of a story to find a rhythm and chemistry for them, and the series of situations they've put themselves in (e.g. IDW Sonic’s plot arcs) are increasingly helping this case. The topic of “Sonic's girlfriend” may be a controversial one for SEGA and the fandom in general, but the doors have slowly been opened for this debate to develop and be investigated with interesting results, and I think that, in this new decade of 2020, there’s a unique potential to explore this kind of discussion, without sacrificing in any way the central principles of Sonic as a character. Thank you for joining me in these 200 entries, and hopefully we’ll see each other for many more.

[cutegirlmayra]

We need some more interaction between all the main guy hedgies! The SSS Squad as I like to call them ;) I find their relationship almost like they're brothers. A prompt could be Sonic wanting to show Silver the beauty of his world and etc... not sure what else ^^;

I totally agree, sweet Anon! What is this world coming too if we don’t have any SSS bonding!? or even, some fighting/rivalry xD

Do you want Silver, Sonic, and Shadow involved in this said story? I love how the three interact, and shall do my best!

Prompt:

With the battle won, the three defused their super forms, and watched as the creature that was born from Silver’s future of Shadow’s lost DNA fell to the depths of the sea and finally… exploded.

The impact left the three guarding themselves, as water sprayed up, and a huge wave came crashing near the cliff they were at.

In a moment of staring at what was probably the hardest battle they had to face, the three slowly turned around, staring out of a moment of suspicion if it was really over, before walking back away.

“Whoo!” Sonic lifted his arms up, letting out a sigh with his stretch, and put his hands behind his back. “Ah~ Now that’s what I call falling with style!”

“…There’s no point in over-glorifying it, Sonic. That beast fell as an abomination to this world.” Shadow, loathing the very idea of mankind trying to replicate his DNA for another ultimate weapon peeved him to his core.

Silver lowered his head, closing his eyes in his stride. “The people of my world were foolish to believe they could harness the power that you left behind… I apologize on their behalf.” he suddenly stopped, his foot falling hard, and him looking away from the two onward hedgehogs, ashamed.

He squinted his eyes, as Sonic turned around, lowering his hands, and blinking in surprise.

Shadow also turned, a slightly off neutral glare to him, but maybe that was just his resting face?

Sonic smiled to Shadow, and then walked back to Silver, “Don’t worry about it, buddy!” he patted Silver’s back, and then looped his arm around to his shoulders, and pulling the kid in, “Shadow’s just a natural grump when it comes to his ultimate weakness of having to deal with life being sucking sometimes.” he threw a thumb back to gesture to Shadow, who twitched at his remarks, and seemed to try and console his new found friend.

Silver looked a little odd at the gesture Sonic gave, before Sonic released the hold, only doing it for comedy’s sake, and then laughing again.

Silver gave a soft look to the two, but still seemed responsible. “I may not have been able to stop them… but I do feel the need to state something…” he rolled his eyes to the ground, before coming up on Shadow, and stepping towards him, lifting a hand up. “I swear, Shadow… I shall never let your blood be used in selfish experiments again! You shall rest in peace…”

Shadow, having recently heard he was destroyed by mankind for being a ‘threat too uncontrollable’ still thought it ‘funny’ to say the least that they would try and take of his blood to make an even more massively and increasingly threatening beast later on.

He looked at Silver’s hand, rage calmly expressed through thought more than body language.

“…Hmph.” he turned around, ignoring the gesture, as Silver flinched his hand back, and Sonic made a face, looking away, as if disappointed in Shadow’s actions.

“Keep your oaths. They’ll do you.. and me no good.” he folded his arms, as Sonic came in between the two.

“Aw, look at us! A mighty find mix of past goals-” he gestured to Shadow, “Present dreams-” he gestured fondly to himself with both hands, before then moving to Silver, “And future hopes. I say, let bygones be bygones!”

Shadow groaned at his words, and walked on, shaking his head. “I don’t have time for your continued puns. I have no need of the three of you anymore.”

“And I have no need of that grumpy face! Bleh!” Sonic made a face, making his frown deeper, before looking to Silver and chuckling, “Hey, need a place?” he gestured with his thumb again, leaning forward and raising the tip of his toe as he did so.

Silver smiled, but shook his head. “Thank you. You’re kind, but I must return to my future… even if he will not accept my promise…” Silver looked at his rejected hand, “and though he may be right… that I’m not able to fulfill it on my own…” he slowly clenched it, shaking it in it’s tension he created for it.

“I will not fail him… or myself… or this past.” he looked up to Sonic, as Sonic nodded at his resolve, seeing he meant it.

“Do that then.” he smirked and walked over to him, happily patting his back again. “I’ll leave it to you!” he then saluted and took off.

“Thank you... for showing me the beauty of all creations..” he suddenly looked behind him, towards the water. “Even those unmeant to exist...” He thought of Shadow.

In a spirit of gratitude, he felt a calming peace come over him, a resolve he wouldn’t soon forget.

Silver took a powerful stance, “Thank you… hero of worlds. And for you… the shadow of past dawns… I won’t forget… all that you have taught me.” he nodded his head, and then took off towards the sky, having a few lines of light spiral and move diagonal and all around him before he disappeared in a burst of green light to his world.

(I really love how they act around each other xD What do you think? I want a game where you can play all three! And they’re all forced to work together as a team and then turn super at the end together! :DDDD anyway, wishful thinking XD)