#one year in the sonic fandom

[sparkles-rule-4eva]

I’ve officially been a Sonic fan for a year!

And to celebrate, since my bestie @thewritingautisticat and I were first properly introduced to said fandom via the movies, I decided to post a big fat rant about how much I absolutely ADORE the movie universe. Right alongside every other aspect of this amazing franchise.

Here’s the thing. I’ve seen people claim to be the #1 SCU defenders/lovers/etc., and then I’d explore their blog and still find them complaining about the human characters, and still imply that the movie universe isn’t as good as the games because it’s different.

Me? Dudes and dudettes, I think I’m one of the only people who can truly claim to be the #1 SCU defender. Because I love the movies in ALL their differences and wackiness. I don’t just tolerate the presence of the human characters, I love them. Right alongside Sonic and the original cast. During those wedding scenes in the second movie, the parts where everyone seemed to complain that they were bored and just waiting for it to get back to Sonic? I was loving every second of it. I see the human characters to be just as much Sonic characters as Sonic himself, Knuckles, Tails, etc.

I love scenes with Tom because he’s Sonic’s adoptive father. I love scenes with Maddie because she’s Sonic’s adoptive mother. Rachel is his crazy, unhinged aunt. Jojo is his chill cousin. That’s his family right there. Right alongside Knuckles and Tails, his adoptive brothers in the cinematic universe. I love and accept them just as much. I’ve barely seen anyone else do the same.

I love that the movies give Sonic (and the others) the ability to do something that the games can never do: be a kid. They show him to be kind, compassionate, empathetic, energetic, fun-loving, adventurous, sassy, and heroic, just like his game counterpart. And then they give him more: they give him parents who love and support him. Who cheer him on from the sidelines as he’s off fighting giant robots. Who will give their lives for him without a second thought.

People complain that the first movie isn’t a good “Sonic” movie? I disagree there, too. Because it’s missing the other characters and the lore and all that? Is Sonic not Sonic if he’s separated from his friends and original home? No. The first movie didn’t focus on the lore. The first movie focused on Sonic, him as a character. They established the settings of this new, alternate world for Sonic. Gave him a backstory because the games never do. They let him be a hero and a kid at the same time.

Guys. Paramount found themselves with rights to make a Sonic movie. A movie with a version of Sonic who had zero mandates hanging over his head. Did you really think they were just going to make a story that we’d probably see as a game someday? No, they were not going to miss this opportunity. They rewrote his story in this alternate version. They let him be a few years younger. They let him be emotional. They even gave him extra epic powers linked to said emotions, and those powers have even impacted the games.

I love the voice actor they chose for Sonic. People complain he doesn’t sound like he does in the games. So? The people who casted the voices weren’t looking for a soundalike voice actor. They were looking for an energetic, optimistic voice. Because that’s how they saw Sonic. Is he not? He feels like the very embodiment of energy and optimism a lot of the time. So I love the choice of Ben Schwartz. He does amazingly.

And about him getting adopted by humans? Found family is not a new trope in the Sonic franchise. In the games, we have Sonic raising Tails as his little brother. We have the Chaotix, a team consisting of a grown dude, an angsty teenager, and a literal child who see each other as family. We have Amy being a big sister to Cream and Tails. We have Vanilla being a mother figure to half the cast. We have the ARK siblings. The list goes on. Is it really so “cringey” to let Sonic himself get adopted? Especially when he’s younger than the game version, and was properly given the chance to be a kid? To have fun with his brothers and parents outside of fighting Eggman? And by parents who accept him wholly for who he is, strive to take care of him where they can, and allow him to relax and enjoy the remainder of his childhood??

Not to mention, Tom and Maddie are literally the perfect parents for Sonic (and later Knuckles and Tails). For one, they’re a very healthy couple. They’ve loved and supported each other for years even before their marriage and before meeting Sonic. Green flag number one. For two, they understand Sonic, they see that he’s still a kid and they want to help him, they try to “steer him in the right direction,” and they don’t try to stifle him and his love of running and adventure. Tom is a cop, a very good cop I might add (I absolutely refuse to listen to any of the crappy hate I’ve seen towards Tom just because he’s a police officer), and he’s inclined to help people just like Sonic is. Maddie is a vet, she loves animals. Sonic is literally an anthropomorphic hedgehog. She knows better on how to take care of him; and even before she got to know him, she still tended to his needs when he was out of it, even being cautious in doing so because she didn’t yet know his physiology.

So yes, I love the SCU. I love seeing the Wachowski family doing mundane, everyday things just as much as I love seeing the boys in epic battle scenes. I loved watching Sonic and Tom have a father-son bonding moment on a fishing trip. I loved watching them play along with his airport setup the same way parents play along with their child’s imagination. I loved watching them ask for a hug goodbye, make sure he knew how to contact them in case of an emergency, blow him kisses as the ring closed. I loved that Tom kept calling and texting Sonic to check in on him just like any parent would while they were away. I loved seeing Tom express wishing that Sonic could have buddies like him. I loved seeing Maddie call him “their kid.” I most especially loved seeing Sonic finally call Tom “Dad.”

I loved seeing my favorite trio of alien boys ride in the back of a truck, even though none of them needed the transportation, bickering about the baseball game they just played as their parents drive them out for ice cream.

Does this mean I prefer the SCU over the games? No. I love the games just as much, and I could easily rant on everything I love about them as well. I’m just not planning to because it’s not necessary. They’re the mainline thing.

Even though I’m disappointed to have missed so many years in this amazing fandom, I think I like being a fresh fan. I constantly see people griping and complaining about this or that in some area of the franchise, and tbh it annoys me. I’ve been ruined for reading reviews because I find people hating on things I liked. I introduce “NO-HATE REVIEW!” Not complaining about what I didn’t like, because there’s not much. Just loving on what I loved. Sharing my excitement with others.

As a result, I’ll later post similar rambles about other parts of the franchise I want to defend. Such as the IDW comics. Sonic Prime. Sonic Frontiers. All the parts people are far too quick to judge.

Replies that are hateful or irrelevant will be deleted. 👌

(A little later I’m also going to make a celebratory post about how this franchise literally changed my life in a good way XD)

[nova-rpv]

a redraw of the first drawing i posted here to celebrate the fact that ive been in tumblr for more than a whole year posting my shit and havent deleted my blog in panic yippee \:D/ (mushy rant in tags)

[blahlahblash]

Day: 21 "Reincarnation"

Year 2104- A Blue Jay; symbol of Peace, Joy, Confidence, Freedom, and Tricks, settles itself in the shadow of a forlorn lifeform.

[glitchedcosmos]

One step (forward)

[simonsoys]

I realize how frustrating bad fanon takes on the Undertale characters have always been, having been a fan since the game came out. I get it, I've felt it too.

But I also kind of feel bad because it takes so much effort to dig through all the dialogue. There's SO MUCH of it.

Especially for fan works being made between 2015 - 2018 because there was still new stuff being brought to light constantly that any normal single playthrough or "watched one playthrough on YT" wouldn't show you. There wasn't even a general consensus on Chara's role in the story for the first several years.

I feel like everyone goes through the "UT characters are funny and endearing!" >> "Wait, there's a lot of mysterious lore and implications here" >> "Actually, there's lore but it's still mostly funny" phases, but not everyone's at the same point in the ride.

I guess, I feel like as obsessed as I am in understanding the characters fully, I still think it's OK not to get them 100% right. People have been asking me questions about the game for 8 years like I'm an authority on the subject and I still don't have it all right.

(Honestly I think AUs that are totally and intentionally off base are OK too. Characters are toys, play how you want. Plz still tag them as their own thing though lol i beg you)

No purpose for this monologue, just to say writing the UT/DR characters in the perfect chef's-kiss sweet spot is actually really hard and don't feel too bad if you don't get it right lol

It's OK not to have Tolkien-scholar levels of knowledge on UT/DR, I still want to read your fanfics and see your art.

[beatcroc]

what kind of frivolity would you engage in, mecha?

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[polling-sonic-fans]

Thanks anon for the festive game! Poll #2 is here, and poll #3 is here!

Usually: Polls for the Sonic fandom on just about anything. Share polls you like to get more data. Asks and submissions always open.

[aether-weather]

he got his borgar u guys!!! :DD

fun fact: this shadow design is from an au of mine! i'll probably yap abt it later but rn its 6 am and i have to get up in 20 minutes so. goodnight lmao

[untilsfe]

I don't think anyone remembers that ugly version of Shadow I drew like a year and something ago(?)

Or maybe the one I posted three days ago, yikes. But just so you know... I got better B}

[pretzlforpresident]

Bought this silver keychain at the fair yesterday. Prepare yourself for tomorrow little guy

[mus-xpart-a]

my favorite hedgehogs 🦔

been meaning to draw a lineup of a bunch of sonic characters to get used to actually drawing these guys in my artstyle, and the movie finally motivated me heehee

i started with the hedgehogs since coincidentally they are the majority of my favorite characters 💃🏼🦔

[semi-sketchy]

I know this is beating a dead horse at this point, but I just started thinking about this the other day and...

How many people that were previously enemies has Sonic ACTUALLY befriended?

Like my knowledge of some old games and the handhelds ain't great, but...

There was Knuckles, who I think is the only one in the classic era.

He never really befriended Gamma in SA1, just left him to Amy.

Also he didn't befriend Chaos, just beat the anger out of him.

The next one was Shadow in SA2, although they're still kinda rivals?

I don't think Rouge counts in SA2 since she wasn't really an enemy of Sonic specifically, even in Heroes it's really Sonic and Shadow that start the fight.

Gemerl is a robot who was reprogrammed to be friendly, I wouldn't count that as "befriending someone".

Him and Jet are rivals in every Riders game, this never changes.

Blaze in Rush is someone that fought him and they became friends, so it's clear cut, she counts.

Silver in '06 does as well.

Do we count Shade from Chronicles? I think she had a boss fight. I know very little about that game but it's not canon, right?

Merlina is kinda a grey area? Like they were friends, he stopped her evil plans and was still nice to her. I don't know if in context that meets the criteria.

On top of that I don't think the Knights of the Round Table count. Sonic is there to take the swords and they work together at the end. I don't think there's any hard feelings, but don't know if this counts as "friends".

Sage could be the next example, but she's still loyal to Eggman. I don't think what they briefly shared was friendship as much as Sage wanting to save Eggman.

I haven't played Superstars but Trip doesn't even have a bossfight, does she? I don't think she counts.

Not looking at the method, just purely if they became friends down the line. Out of all of those, there's 4 total (if you count Shadow, which I do) with 1 it's complicated and 1 non-canon. That's very few when you consider how large the game cast is.

An overwhelming majority of his friends weren't ever hostile with him to begin with, like the Chaotix, Amy, Tails, Cream, Emerl, Big, ect. There's plenty of other cast members that are still have him on their shit list, like Eggman, Infinite (if he's alive), Fang, Metal, Eggman Nega, the Deadly Six...

Now I'm starting to wonder where this idea of it being a frequent even came from.

[blahlahblash]

Put my first ever drawing tablet to the test...

I like it!

[tjs-stuffs]

has anyone done clancy sonic adventure pose yet

[atzidraws]

Shadow got WINGS FOR THE NEW GAME. There IS ONE THING I NEED TO DO-

[cakebird-art]

I’ve been hyperfixated on this loser for a year now 😭

Click below for improvement 🔽

Feb 24th 2023 ➡️ Feb 24th 2024