#sonadails

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Okay I just need to say that I knew I'd like this Tailstube as soon as I saw the thumbnail (after all, I am a Sonadails enjoyer, and Tails is literally in the middle of them in the thumbnail)

But I think probably something that stood out the most to me when I watched it was just

The hints that Shadow and Tails have a relationship outside of Sonic??

The first thing that tipped me off to this was that not only did Tails convince Shadow to join in on his show, he also convinced him to stick around to its natural end?? You know, Shadow. The guy you can't force to do anything and frequently will just dip if he's bored or doesn't want to be there. But even while Sonic was annoying him and he made it clear he wanted the "interview" over with, he still never made a move to chaos control out of there because of any of this.

And the second thing that tipped me off was this:

When Shadow is both confused and annoyed at Sonic, he chooses to complain to Tails about Sonic. And so Tails steps in to try to "explain" what Sonic meant by what he said (i.e he told Shadow something much nicer in the interest of getting them to be on better terms). The fact that he looks to Tails to complain to about Tails' own best friend and possibly even to explain that which he does not understand in a social context tells me just how highly he regards Tails. And since both Shadow and Sonic are being childish here, it's amusing to see Tails regarded as something closer to a trusted figure with more power here.

From an objective analysis standpoint, of course this means they have their own friendship. And this is a prospect I enjoy (The idea that Tails and Shadow are good friends)! It actually means a lot to me that Tails could form a frienship or bond with Shadow outside of the context of Sonic (in terms of who initiates it and for what reason it's initiated).

But, my friends, from a biased standpoint, I'm shipping trash. And to me this Tailstube was a fun show for Sonadails fans. Honestly, Tails staging this episode to get Sonic and Shadow to talk and "bury the hatchet", as well as how he acts during the show, read a lot to me personally like a guy trying to get his two boyfriends (who happen to be rivals) to get on better terms, if not just tolerate each other. I quite like the idea of Tails dating both of these idiots and just trying to get them to play nice when they're all together (although frankly I think the ideal scenario for Tails in my biased reading is that Sonic and Shadow get together as well).

This is also not to mention the dynamics showcased here! Sonic and Tails as best friends, with Sonic assuming that he and Tails were gonna talk shit about Shadow behind his back, and Tails trying to get him to play nicer. Shadow and Tails as friends, with Tails trying to convince him why he and Sonic are in the perfect position to become friends and helping him out socially, and with Shadow choosing to do something he doesn't want to because of Tails, as well as looking to Tails to complain to when Sonic is annoying him or when he doesn't understand something. And then there's Sonic and Shadow. In short, their relationship in this episode reminded me a lot of the dynamic I plotted out for that Sonadow post I wrote up where the two just beat the crap out of each other. In slightly longer terms, I find interesting how Mr. Flynn maintained Sonic and Shadow's dynamic during SA2 (with Sonic bothering Shadow and trying to fight him, while Shadow is just annoyed that Sonic won't leave him alone) while also showing the audience that they are rivals. And in longer terms...Sonic was clearly seeking a fight during this episode. And the facial expression, the mocking, his tone of voice, it doesn’t really matter whether or not he actually dislikes Shadow and believes they could never be friends. He's trying to annoy Shadow and goad him into a fight because he wants to fight Shadow so badly it makes him look stupid. And we can tell by how he expresses his confusion to Tails that Shadow is just not getting this. To him Sonic is just being annoying and confusing. Sonic is targeting him specifically, and Shadow shoots back with his own words. And so it's also pointed that Shadow reciprocates/actually decides to fight Sonic when Sonic specifically challenges him. He doesn't respond to Sonic trying to goad him on, but when Sonic challenges him specifically he's much more interested in opposing him.

Anyways guys I love Shadow and Tails having a soft on the side relationship while Sonic flirts by convincing Shadow to fight him somehow😂💖

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Sorry if you've already talked about this but with Maria being deceased, who do you pair Shadow with in the present? (I've mostly been focused on your sontails content so I don't know if you have any other favourite pairings.)

It's no problem!

As for Shadow, it really just depends on the question. For ships with him in general (aside from Shadow/Maria of course), I really like Shadow/Mephiles, Shadow/Tails, Shadow/Sonic, Shadow/Knuckles, Shadow/Silver, Shadow/Omega, Shadow/Commander, Shadow/Infinite, etc. I...ship him with a lot of people😂

But in terms of Shadow's future (like, the kind of person I could see him staying with given the present state of canon) the pool really dwindles for me. If we're going as close to canon as possible, I really think that Team Dark is a great place for Shadow to be. While Shadow/Omega is the only angle that I explicitly ship, I really love this trio's general relationship. They're enablers for each other, but they're also good for each other too. They trust each other. They care for each other.

If we step a bit farther away from canon, I can see him having something casual with Tails. Maybe not a commited "we're settling down" relationship, but definitely the kind of thing where Shadow can confide in him when he needs, and Tails does damage control/provides him funding without Shadow knowing. There's also something interesting about the idea/potential headcanon that Tails' home/lab is always open whenever Shadow needs it too, just like Sonic, just that Sonic isn't aware of this. I also happen to be into aus where Tails is essentially if Maria was (1) trans and (2) "her" personality/consiousness was essentially uploaded into/copied into a mobian body as a failsafe (in the event that she's dying and Gerald can't save Maria as he'd planned). Something like that kind of reveal would add another layer to Shadow and Tails' relationship (particularly increased softness and protectiveness from Shadow's end), while also providing some delicious angst. Under that kind of outcome (depending on the circumstances and how it turns out), I can definitely see Sonic and Shadow ending up having to share Tails (a scenario called "this is how sonadails can still win"😂)

And my final leaning, is probably Shadow/Commander (Abraham Tower). I only got into this one recently, but there's just something to me about the idea of Shadow (who'd never really reached out before) ending up finally taking that step to hang out with Abe (since they are the last living people who knew Maria). Like the Tails one, this answer is more self indulgent, but I like the idea of these two bonding over Maria and eventually coming to find comfort in each other through this. I haven't decided whether it's a funnier situation for Abe to cheat on his wife with an anthropomorphic hedgehog as his lover, or for Shadow and Abe to start reconciling and building bridges of the heart while Abe is going through a quiet divorce. I couldn't see them settling down together and building a life together or anything, but I could see Shadow having something committed yet casual with Abe, where he pops into Abe's life kind of whenever he feels like. And Abraham, who is living and organizing life largely normally, leaves his home open for Shadow (and is probably secretly not so secretly jealous of the idea that Shadow might have something going on with other people lol)

So yeah. Tl;dr: I ship Shadow with a lot of people. Realistically, I think no matter his romantic prospects it's good for him to remain part of Team Dark for the forseeable future and for them to continue getting closer with each other. If we step into self indulgence area I can't see him settling down with anyone per se (or not easily), but I personally can see him having a casual relationship (more of a friends who happen to have benefits) with Tails or Abrabam Tower

ㅤ

Thank you for the ask btw, anon! If you do end up having any other questions re: my ships or any explanation you'd like to hear out of me, or anything else, feel free to shoot me another ask🥰💖