#justice for Lanolin

[number-one-shadisper-shipper]

[magicwhiskers29]

Restoration HQ has fallen, and Lanolin realizes belatedly that Surge and Kit are nowhere to be found. No one else seems to be too bothered by this.

She has a distaste for that.

Post-issue 75 mini-Lanolin study, with some Surgolin flare :)

[roththeprimordial]

Lanolin: Don't you ever wish you were down there? Shadow: I'm down there all I need to be. Lanolin: Yes, but it's just a job to you. I'm talking about going down there and having some fun. Maybe... Maybe with someone special. Shadow: ... Lanolin: No, no dating for Shadow. It might cut into your brooding time. Shadow: ... One; Dating within the team always leads to disaster. Two; Your the leader of a strike force juggling a bunch of immature young heroes, I'm an alien hedgehog with issues. LOTS of issues... Three; If my enemies knew I had someone special, they won't rest until they've gotten to me through her. (Lanolin crushes a nearby gargoyle) Lanolin: Next?

[my-name-is-jefferooni]

Most canon Surge X [insert random female here] ship I've ever known

Rare ship consuming my brain

[akarisandraws]

Lanolin bc we need more sheep justice!! 🤍

Check out the speedpaint and commentary video u haven't!

[cyborgpuppyofficial]

I HATE when people say "Lanolin is a replacement Sally Acorn" or "Lanolin is just Sally 2.0".

Like I JUST started rereading IDW, and doing research on her, and Sally's character for an AU I'm making. They're not alike. Sure they both are female leaders who are headstrong, but saying that Lanolin is a "replacement" for Sally dumbs down both of their characters and character arcs. Lanolin seems to be more hotheaded, and she's still learning to BE a leader. Sally also had to learn to be a leader, but she went about it differently, and made her own mistakes in the Archie Comics.

I especially hate it when people say Lanolin and Sally would hate each other. If anything I think they would be friends, and Sally would happily give her experience as a leader to another person standing up for justice. Plus, Lanolin's character arc isn't even over yet, and I still see people say she's a rip off! Just because she's a female leader. What happened to each character being their own person?😭

Am I genuinely stupid for not seeing the resemblance or something? I mean I just got back into rereading the comics. I also hate when people only hate Lanolin because she "Replaced" Sally Acorn. They are sepperate characters who were never meant to be the same. I get you miss Sally, but she STILL EXISTS. You can appreciate a new character, when still loving an old one. It's not a crime to not be black and white.💀

This was just some yapping, but I genuinely hate it. Stop pitting these QUEENS against each other. It's not nearly as bad as what happened with Sally and Amy, but still. I love them both as characters, and I'm tired of seeing people say this stuff.

[twipsai]

ive been wanting to do something like this for a while, so here we go

Silver's straightforward attitude and anxieties: a poorly formatted analysis

Silver's anxiety is something i havent seen talked about a lot, and im really just barely going beneath the surface here -- i hope i did it justice in anyway sfdkSKHJFDSKFH i think about his obvious anxiety disorder a lot

transcript of all the text i added under the cut incase its hard to read for some ppl ^_^

image 1 (source: IDW #8): "isnt really used to banter, got worried he actually offended Sonic"

"he worries a lot about not being useful, because thats pretty much his entire purpose in life. if hes not doing something, he will find something to do (badly) or panic. he gets nervous at the slightest insinuation that he mightve messed up because the last thing he ever wants to do is get in anyones way."

"for how powerful he is and how much shit he talks, Silver doesnt really think very good about himself or his own worth."

image 2 (source: Sonic Universe #82): "its hard to say anything here that i havent already said, its just another example os Silver having issues with his self wroth, and also a lot of his motivation coming from protecting the people he loves (and, more generally, protecting the world), considering a page after this he gets up and completely wrecks the Second Devourer"

image 3 (source: IDW #8): "Silver will take pretty much anything literally. he lacks the social skills to identify when someones being serious bc he grew up completely alone"

image 4 (source: IDW #14): "he cant lie (is both bad at it, and it really just doesnt cross his mind to do so), but he can change the subject"

"he also really doesnt like it when people are worried about him -- almost every time people show concern for him, he tries (and fails) to lie or change the subject"

image 5 (source: IDW #14): "he didnt see anything suspicious about [Starline giving the "vault code"] because he doesnt usually assume people lie directly to him, its just not something that usually crosses his mind"

image 6 (source: IDW #60, TSR interview): "Silver's rudeness, his naivete, misunderstanding of jokes/quips/banter, inability to lie, it all stems from his straightforwardness. its simple, but but oftentimes effective (yes i chose a bad page to showcase when it works, ignore that)"

"Silver doesnt like to beat around the bush or show off too often. go in, defeat the bad guys, get out. it ties in with his anxiety of the future -- time is always of the essence"

"Q: What are some of your favorite items to use during the race?

Silver: [...]but the Jade Wisps' "Ghost" is the only one I like. I can disappear and focus on the race."

"it does make him forget to stratagize and cooperate with his friends sometimes, though, when his first instinct is "hit it until it stops moving""

image 7 (source: Sonic Rivals 2): "im not really going over his bluntness in this, but literally the entirety of Rivals 2 covers that. he doesnt think to hide what hes doing because he knows hes in the right, so he just expects everyone else to know that. he expects people to believe him just because hes telling the truth. he doesnt see why he would have a reason to lie, so he never thinks to justify his actions."

"a lot of this bluntness is also shown in IDW #64 -- Silver cant be stealthy and observe someone from afar to save his life when he knows hes right about them. he really takes no time to explain that Duo is Mimic before Whisper steps in and attacks Mimic, even though if he took the time to talk through what happened, he probably couldve convinced Lanolin of Duo's true nature"

image 8 (source: IDW annual 2022): "Silver has pretty much zero idea how to navigate the world outside of helping other people and saving the world. he is almost constantly in "survival mode" and doesnt know how to handle low-stakes"

"(he sometimes takes casual conversation too seriously because of this)"

"he is constantly worried about the future. to an almost unhealthy degree sometimes, its often all he thinks about. when he knows exactly what to do, he comes off as confident and powerful, but when he doesnt know what to do..."

"...he completely spirals. to him, an uncertain future is worse than a doomed one. not knowing how to fix things is one of the most terrifying thoughts to him."

"if Espio hadn't been here to calm him down, i think its super likely he'd have had an anxiety attack."

image 9 (source: Sonic Generations, IDW #64, Team Sonic Racing, Sonic Universe #79): "like, i truly cannot emphasize enough how he cannot relax. anything can be a threat, and if he doesnt see an immediate one, he will find something that is one. "

"he can rarely calm down, because every second hes in the past is another second he should be saving the future"

"i cant properly showcase it here, but if you run past him in Gens, he'll immediately be on-guard."

"he has to always be looking for the next world-destroying foe, it's pretty much his default setting."

"there are tons more examples of his overt anxiety, but these are some of the more prominant examples."

image 9 (source: Archie Sonic #235): "we even see in the traitor arc in archie how Silver is constantly paranoid. the idea never crosses his mind that there is no traitor, because something is always wrong. hes like a machine built to find a problem with no off switch"

"almost anything can set him off and make him untrusting of anyone, because thats the only way he knows how to live. anything can be a threat in his eyes, and when there is no threat, he will either find one or panic that he cant find one."

"because when you spend your entire life fighting,"

"how else are you supposed to live?"

[craftytomato]

I really liked your sonic AU from "phantom Rider" could you talk more about the AU if it's not a problem?

Sure thing! As long as you don't mind that I'm leaning into the Pretending to be Mind Controlled Idea instead of Actually Mind Controlled. Most of my ideas can work either way anyway.

(I wanna see how most of the actual arc plays out first in full before I go hard into my ideas but here's what I have so far based on the Phantom Rider's debut.)

The Idea:

Everything pretty much stays the same up until Surge uses her powers on Phantom Ryder, but instead she fully destabilizes his helmet and exposes Sonic to the world.

Everyone is shocked, scrambling to come up with an answer. Just before anyone can truly react, Eggman, who was watching from his base, gives a tired sigh because he had a feeling that something would go wrong. Now it was up to him to swoop in and keep their plan on track. He hacks into the jumbotron, scaring and/or confusing everyone.

"I see that my little present to this charity event has finally been unwrapped!"

He goes into a spiel about how he was interested in the event, 'hurt' that he didn't get an invite, and how he didn't appreciate the mockery to his likeness. So he decided to enter with a racer of his own with a little help from the dearly departed Starline.

Surge and Kit's blood runs cold. Eggman boasts that he had captured and mind controlled Sonic to be his champion racer. And now he was going to give this event some real challenge and excitement.

All eyes are now back on Sonic and he's torn right in half. He can't go along with this! He couldn't let Eggman scare everyone like this! But Tails and Amy needed the distraction. He had to stick to the plan, however derailed it was becoming. But-

"Some of you may be in disbelief that I was able to accomplish such a dastardly feat in such a short time. If you have any doubts, consider the alternative: my longtime nemesis willingly used my gear to disrupt a charity event? Doesn't sound like the blue rodent you've all come to sickeningly adore, now does it? No, of course not! Meaning that the only explanation is that Sonic is now my loyal minion whether he likes it or not!

Isn't that right, my Phantom Rider?"

Begrudgingly, Sonic makes his choice.

And he laughs. A hauntingly evil laugh that even impresses Eggman as it sends chills throughout the crowd.

"Glory to the Eggman Empire!"

Eggman cackles. "Enjoy your little race! I know I will!"

At that point, Sonic takes the chance to flee for the time being while everyone's distracted by Eggman.

Now the game has changed for everyone. The Diamond Cutters are torn. Lanolin and Duo want to stop the Phantom Rider at all costs while Tangle and Whisper are insisting on saving Sonic.

This also causes Clutch and Jewel to start to butt heads. Jewel wants to cancel the event for everyone's safety, but Clutch wants to carry it on. He gives reasons about how they'll have more security on standby for when the 'Phantom Ryder' makes another appearance and if they cancel the event then they're showing the world that they're scared of Eggman (in reality he just wants to use it to his advantage). Jewel pretends to buy it, but in her mind she's having other thoughts.

Surge and Kit are at a loss. Surge tries to play it off like Sonic deserves to know what it feels like to be in their place, but both her and Kit are being eaten up inside for multiple reasons. Surge wants to laugh and make fun of Sonic. This should be the perfect poetic justice for him in her eyes. But she can't and she hates that she can't!

Meanwhile Sonic is pretty sure that things can't get worse. Sure, Eggman saved the plan but now Sonic's essentially being blackmailed into following the mind controlled narrative.

Now what was supposed to be a simple plan gets more complicated by the minute as circumstances keep changing and more and more people are dragged into this mess.

And that's all I got so far

[beevean]

don't you just miss the good old days when silver was an absolute menace?

... kind of? 😂

I won't lie and say I've always been a fan of Silver, in the 2000s. It's only recently that I started to appreciate him more (thanks @true-blue-sonic!)

I'm in the camp of "I understand what Stanley's intentions are, I just think she goes too overboard with them". I like the idea that Silver is much more relaxed when he doesn't have to save the world from disaster, but then he locks in when things get serious and he won't let anything stand in his way. We kind of see this in TSR too. Problem is.... at least in IDW, Silver hasn't shown his serious side in a long time (since the MV arc, IIRC), and even his soft side is too much:

Due to his passionate sense of justice, he's prone to jumping to conclusions and taking things a bit too far. If he makes a mistake, he's very easily frozen by indecision.

anyway why does Silver cower in front of Lanolin, if he is sure of what he has seen? Why doesn't he insist until he's cornered? He didn't make a mistake. He was really left to his death.

That being said, he's good in Forces. Love how the dude looks at the guy who beat Sonic to a pulp and calls him out on his shit before attempting to fight him. Yeah, that's a good display of Silver's determination :P I would like to see more of that.

[randomthefox]

OH MY GOD!

LANOLIN IS ACTUALLY DOING IT!

SHE'S ACTUALLY TRYING TO PULL THIS SHIT!

SHE'S ACTUALLY TRYING TO SAY SONIC NEEDS TO BE ARRESTED AS A CRIMINAL FOR THE PHANTOM RIDER BULLSHIT!

THIS IS INCREDIBLE! SHE'S ACTUALLY THAT MUCH OF A STUPID CUNT! 🤣

holy shit that's SO funny

"He needs to face justice!" Fucking FROM WHO? And FOR WHAT?

What the fuck are you even talking about???

She's SO INSANE that she ACTUALLY THINKS that she's gonna big time SONIC THE FUCKING HEDGEHOG. I literally can't dude, this character is so trash.

[multbasa]

Genuinely shocked that Silver wasn't around the Restoration HQ or his garden because I thought for sure he would come in and help prevent the ship from crashing with his psychokinesis, but now it looks like he'll be coming back (with Blaze from Soleanna? I think that was the last we saw them?) to see his garden demolished. Poor guy.

Can't wait to see him in the next arc. I genuinely hope he and Lanolin team up and both use their strong headedness and intense sense of justice to hunt down Mimic. I just want to see him be a badass and I think the two of them could actually have an interesting dynamic.

[molinaskies]

What do you think about people saying “Sonic is too nice.” While I do like him to be a bit sassy from time to time and can even see his “jerkiness” as one of his flaws, I honestly would like to know your thoughts. I’m personally neutral and can see both sides of the argument.

Hmm… I’m not super inclined to go into too much detail because I think I’ve said a lot of this already, but there are two ways to speak to this.

For one, I think what most people mean when they say Sonic’s too nice is that he’s been too lenient with his enemies, but I kinda don’t agree with that.

In the case of IDW, his leniency is a moderate-to significant talking point in the comic that ultimately serves to make the point of “everyone deserves a chance to change.” There’s a purpose for it. And tbh, I think Sonic’s actions are sufficiently punished in that comic when they ought to be! Remember how many times Sonic’s been proven “wrong”? Remember when Surge legally killed drowned electrocuted hurt him really bad because of a chain of unfortunate decisions? Lol

On the other side of the coin, there are also people who just miss when Sonic was a dude-attuding prick (affectionately). And to be fair, if we’re speaking strictly is terms of personality, when you compare current-era Sonic to, say, Archie, SatAM (the 90s Saturday morning cartoon for tweens), or even AOSTH (the 90s Saturday morning cartoon for kids), it’s a very stark contrast. Sonic may still be sassy and insolent, but he once had the propensity to be a straight up asshole lol. It’s for that reason I don’t think I can say that anyone is wrong for wanting what once was—or something like it. If that’s what you grew up with or what you’re accustomed to, then I get it 🤷‍♀️

As for my brass tacks, though, I don’t think Sonic’s too nice. I don’t think he’s soft. I think he’s realized that he doesn’t need to be an official authority of justice and knows when to pick his battles. Sonic sees bad, says “no stop that,” and does anything from shoot you a dirty look to blow up your space armada—but he’s not gonna call GUN on you.

His attitude and self-confidence are a huge part of his character that I’d never want to see completely go away, but it also leaves a taste in my mouth when he’s just an asshole because I don’t like lanolin assholes lmao. I don’t think this happens too often in older media, but it’s a slippery slope.

I prefer when Sonic is defiant but not full of himself—when he’s more emotionally and morally dynamic—because I think that makes him more complex.

Sonic fights for freedom, not for his version of freedom. And as long as he believes there’s hope for something better, he’s not gonna take that chance away. There’s a reason that eggman, merlina, knuckles blaze, silver, shadow, and surge and kit (of the top of my head) are “redeemable” but the zeti, erazor djinn, mephelis (a technicality, I’m aware), and starline are not. Sonic walks away when he feels it’s deserved and punishes when it’s not. He’s willing to “fight another day” about it because it’s not supposed to be work for him. He’s just vibing!

Overall, his personality comes down to a matter of preference, but I don’t think all that much has changed when it comes to his morals. If anything, I think we’re just beaten over the head about it a touch too much in current media—hence why we’re talking about it.

[skaruresonic]

Lanolin has caused more problems than Sonic. But the comic wants us to see Lanolin as a misunderstood leader and Sonic as a uncaring nutcase who needs to be reigned in.

The comic is literally just "Comic OC equals good. Game character equals bad." on repeat.

Lanolin: iNtEnTiOnAl gEaR cOlLiSiOnS aRe AgAiNsT cLeAn SwEePsTaKeS pOlICy!

She doesn't even care that breaking the rules will result in accidents that will hurt people. She cares that the rules are being broken, period. (coughs) Like an authoritarian.

...second, Amy's board malfunction wasn't intentional? Sonic, Tails, or Amy could have told her that?

Heck, do Lanolin's eyes not work? Not really doing much to disprove my theory that she's less observant than a box of rocks. Probably why Clean Sweep made her the referee lol

meanwhile, Amy: (suffering the worst road rash of her life)

Lanolin: um ackshually you boys didn't snap your fingers and teleport her off the road so I'm gonna have to disqualify you

---

Tangle: Lanolin, the Restoration shuttle is about to crash and kill us all!

Lanolin: FUCK THE CREW, SONIC MUST BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE

---

Lol yeah Sonic is sooo reckless, look at this loose cannon. A real maverick:

Whisper even notes that Sonic didn't attack anyone directly in his first appearance:

The most he can be accused of is accidentally causing someone to veer off-track and contemplating not rescuing the innocent to preserve his cover (which I kinda hate because why would Sonic even think that, but w/e):

Sonic spends much of his time as the Phantom Rider trying not to cause too much of a fuss. And even when helping someone would blow his cover, he stops to save an innocent from a disaster that wasn't even his fault, no less. It's Lanolin's for calling security and adding weight to the glass.

In another story, the irony of the incident would normally lead her to reflect on her own capacity for harm. But somehow I doubt we're going to get that so much as some variation of Tangle and Whisper reassuring her "it's okay Lanolin, Mimic tricks everyone uwu."

[wirelessw]

JUSTICE FOR LANOLIN

"ooh she's so horrible, she's mean, she's incompetent" shut your damn mouth

Genuinely the only faults you can lay on her are "doesn't have all the information" (of course she doesn't, nobody in the story does) and "is abrasive", and if anyone loves Shadow but hates Lanolin then hmmmmmm. Other than that, any reasonable reading of her character is that she's driven, dedicated and wants to get shit done - traits that would be admirable if you weren't a misogynist.

[hedgehog-university-au]

HU roster!

A list of all the students and staff at Hedgehog University!

Hedgehog Hall

Sonic, sophomore. RA. No one knows how he got to be an RA. Majoring in Intercultural Studies. Captain of the track team.

Miles "Tails" Prower. Technically freshman aged, but has already graduated (via online courses in high school) and is returning for his Master's. Majoring in Robotics and Engineering.

Shadow, senior. Majoring in Nursing. Brother to Maria. Works at the campus coffee shop. Track team.

Silver, sophomore. Majoring in Quantum Physics.

Jet, sophomore. Skater boi. Majoring in racing or something idk.

Barry, freshman. Undecided major. Just happy to be here. Works part time at pretty much every job at some point.

Rose Hall

Amy, sophomore. Majoring in Counseling Psychology. RA.

Cream, freshman. Majoring in Home Ec. Works in the dining hall and baking dessert for the coffee shop.

Blaze, sophomore. Transfer student from overseas.

Rouge, junior. Majoring in Cosmetology and Geology.

Tikal, junior. Majoring in Social Studies.

Cosmo, freshman. Majoring in Biology.

Chaotix Hall

Vector, senior. RA. Majoring in Criminal Justice. Captain of the football team.

Espio, sophomore. Studying business to please his father even though he's not very interested in it. Passion for Martial Arts. Works at the campus coffee shop.

Charmy, freshman.

Knuckles, sophomore. Majoring in History and Geology. Works as Campus security. On the football team and also does boxing.

Mighty, senior. Majoring in Environmental Sciences. Was Sonic's RA his freshman year.

Ray, freshman. Majoring in Aeronautics.

Diamond Hall

Jewel, junior. RA. Majoring in Business.

Lanolin, senior. So very tired.

Whisper, junior.

Tangle, freshman. Undecided major. On the track team.

Surge, sophomore. Transfer student from rival university. Studying to be an electrician. Works AV. Constantly rivals Sonic to be track team captain. Older sister to Kit

Belle, freshman. Daughter of Dr. Robotnik and half-sister to Sage and Metal. Majoring in Robotics. Works Maintenance.

Dark Hall

Mephiles, Senior. RA. Majoring in Quantum Physics. Was Silver and Espio's RA freshman year.

Metal, sophomore. Rivals with Sonic for track team captain. Oldest son of Dr. Robotnik, brother of Sage and half-brother of Belle.

Kit, freshman. Younger brother to Surge. Majoring in Hydrology.

Zero aka "Infinite", Junior.

Mimic, Sophomore.

Other students

Trip, sophomore.

Sage, freshman. Daughter of Dr. Robotnik, sister to Metal and half-sister to Belle.

Fang, Bark, and Bean.

Wave and Storm

Basically all the other characters

Staff

Can't forget the egg-cellent staff of Hedgehog University!

Dr. Ivo Robotnik. Known affectionately and definitely not mockingly as Dr. Eggman, the president of the college!

Vanilla. Women's Resident Director. Older sister to Cream.

Nite, Men's Resident Director.

Maria Robotnik. Former graduate and tutor. Has a chronic illness (possibly POTS) and uses forearm crutches. Older sister to Shadow.

Chris Thorndyke, science tutor.

Big, the head custodian! (And his pet frog Froggy)

[number-one-shadisper-shipper]

Okay so I am absolutely obsessed with my new Sonic College AU, Hedgehog University. So for now here is the character masterpost, group by floors.

(I will probably continue to update this since I don't have majors and stuff picked for everyone yet. Feel free to send suggestions!)

Hedgehog Hall

- Sonic, RA. No one knows how he got to be an RA but he's here somehow. Sophomore. Majoring in Intercultural Studies. Captain of the track team.

- Miles aka Tails. Freshman aged but has actually already completed college and is returning for his Phd in Robotics and Computer Science.

- Shadow, senior. The quiet, edgy kid. Majoring in Health. Works at the campus coffee shop.

- Silver, sophomore. Majoring in Quantum Physics.

- Jet, sophomore. Track team.

-I'm gonna add Barry to this floor too I think lol. He's definitely a poor lost little freshman

Rose Hall

- Amy, RA. Sophomore.

-Cream, freshman. Majoring in Home Ec. Works in the dining hall.

-Blaze, junior. International student.

- Rouge, senior. Majoring in Cosmetology and Geology.

- Tikal, senior. Majoring in Social Studies. Cousin to Knuckles

- Cosmo, freshman. Majoring in Biology.

Chaotix Hall

- Vector, RA. Junior. Majoring in Criminal Justice. Head of the football team.

-Espio, sophomore. Majoring in Martial Arts (is that a thing? Well it is now). Works at the campus coffee shop.

- Charmy, freshman.

- Mighty, junior. Majoring in Intercultural Studies. Was Sonic's RA freshman year.

- Ray, freshman. Majoring in Aeronautics .

- Knuckles, sophomore. Majoring in History and Geology. On the football team. Works campus security.

Diamond Hall

- Jewel, RA. Junior. Majoring in Business.

- Lanolin, senior. So very tired.

- Whisper, junior.

- Tangle, freshman. Undecided major. On the track team.

- Surge, sophomore. Transfer student from rival university. Older sister to Kit. On the track team and regularly challenges Sonic because she wants to become captain.

- Belle, freshman.

Dark Hall (generally considered troublemakers)

--Mephiles, RA. Senior. Majoring in Quantum Physics. Was Silver's RA his freshman year.

- Zero aka Infinite, junior.

- Kit, freshman.

- Mimic, junior.

- Metal, sophomore.

Dr. Eggman is the dean of the college and head of the science department. He's actually a decent guy in this AU, if not a bit strict.

Dr. Starline is either a teacher in the science department or the dean of the rival university.

Vanilla is the female Resident Director. I think it this AU she's actually Cream's older sister (mostly because I still want Vectnilla lol) but she still has the mom vibes towards everyone.

Big is the head custodian.