Art I had made when “Vandalize” first dropped. Now after playing and completing Sonic Frontiers I’d love to do another illustration for the game.

he smiles when you jump off a spring this is going to be the best sonic game ever actually

Crying over Frontiers’ characterization at 3 am like ya do

I'VE FINALLY BEATEN SONIC FRONTIERS THE FINAL HORIZON!!!!!!!! it was really fun!! i've already talked about how cool and fun it was to play as the other characters, but i think the new version of the final boss was great. and holy fuckkkkk those cutscenes during that boss fight were so sick i was losing my mind. AND THAT FINAL CUTSCENE WITH EGGMAN AND SAGE AAAGRHGHRGHAHHRHGRHGHH DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED

Frontiers really drove home the fact that Sonic's friends are his friends first and foremost, not followers or team of sidekicks. They are his family, his partners in crime, especially Tails. That with all of them together they're a formidable team but they are not just side characters in Sega verse who only support the hero's role. They are the heroes just as much. They'd hold strong when he couldn't, they are pillars he could fall back on just like he is someone they can fall back on. Equals. A family.

This game fixes everything the few past games did to their roles and characters and emphasizes these mobians are not cheer leaders, they are front liners, they are not simply support characters, they are their own person.

Knuckles isn't just a guardian, he's a friend, a brother, a protector, and the last of his kind and someone who deserves to live his life to the fullest instead of keeping watch day and night. He deserves to travel without a threat of world ending, he deserves to meet people, make friends, try grapes of different regions, take day offs, be the child he was robbed of being.

Amy is not just a fangirl chasing after someone she has a crush on. She is kind, compassionate and strong girl who believes in the good in the world and wants to help everyone, show the world the wonders and beauty in small things that go ignored. She has grown up so much.

And Tails, sweet little Tails has always been just as much of a hero as Sonic. He is not the sidekick, he was never the sidekick, that was what people thought him as and he used to see himself as. Sonic never saw him as the sidekick, Sonic sees him as an equal, as a brother, he always had. Tails is such a wonderful child, he could invent things that can help the planet at a massive scale, he can make whole tech companies, he can make new discoveries, advance science so much farther than one could anticipate, can command whole squadrons of jets, he is loved by people and tiny critters of the planet just as much, he is the hero and he deserves to be acknowledged as that.

Being stuck in a limbo gave them all the time to think about what they all want to pursue in life, on discovering their full potential, reaching far across the new frontiers, that they all have the potential for so much more. That they don't have to think of themselves as followers, they are equals. They are a team.

As for Sonic? This game shows that Sonic isn't just a hero who saves the world and helps people because he is nice or a good person. While those are true, saving the world or helping because he was nice wasn't why he was going day and night on no food and zero sleep and constantly at move and slowly getting more and more cyber corrupted, nearing the brink of death. He did it for his friends. Not just because he is a nice person or it's in his nature. If that were the case, he would've approached everything differently, he wouldn't be anxious to hurry on setting the others free but still calm and chill while talking to his friends, he wouldn't be constantly worrying about his brother, he wouldn't be reluctant to help the Kocos. He was listening to the mysterious voice he knew nothing about and proceeded doing everything it told him even though he doesn't trust a mysterious stranger that easily, even though what it told him was slowly destroying him, because that was the only way he knew of which could set his friends free. He didn't know any other way and did something that kept taking a lot out of him (like dude literally looked dead on his feet during the later half of the game, clutching his torso, walking slow, subtle panting) just to save his friends. He's a hero yes, he has endured many things and gone without sleep in the past yes, he helps people because that's just like him yes, but from how anxious and reluctant he seemed when it came to helping out Kocos, it was clear he was more worried about saving his friends than anything. Sonic in almost the entirety of the game had no drive to save the world or anything, he didn't even know whether the world was even in danger or not, he wasn't a hero in this game, he didn't have the role of a hero in this game.

He was a friend.

This was Sonic with his hero mask off. Tired, concerned, at wits and strength's end, enduring, probably knowing he might not survive that corruption but smiling because then his friends would be free and he'd be darned before any of them gets hurt. He was willing to die to set his friends free. In Unleashed, he told Chip, "Do I need a reason to help out a friend?" But even in Unleashed he was on the mission of saving the world. This time? This game added lore and emotions and character growth and themes of living and acceptance and peace and perseverance and hope, but at the core of it all, it was centered on family.

For Sonic, it was centered on protecting his family. For Tails, Knuckles and Amy, it was centered on growing to their full potential but still protecting their friend. For Sage, it was about protecting her family. And what's funny is that she wasn't even the villain or had any intention to harm in the first place, all her warnings were honest. She was attempting to get him to see reason and have him leave so he wouldn't get corrrupted and so the world doesn't get placed in danger.

As Sage said, "Both of us will do anything to protect those who are precious to us."

He'd do anything for his friends. And they are precious to him, more than anyone or anything else. More than the people, more than the inhabitants of Starfall Islands, more than chaos and Kocos, more than the ancients, more than the world. He helped save the world from The End but he wouldn't have been able to that in the first if it weren't for his friends. They not only set him free, they also gave him drive to continue. The first thing he says after being cured was, "I will not let you down." Sonic's friends are precious to him.

....

The emotions, the dialogue, the story, the characterization, the lore, the music... This game is the revival of this franchise. Even its title is perfect for the storyline as well as lore.

Also, my heart hurts from so many emotions.

SONAMY ongoing evolution

I've been playing Sonic frontiers and I watched Sonic prime and I read the IDW comics... Omg where's do I start???

Sonic frontiers is just a work of art in general, but the sonamy inside is just beautifully portrayed, I can say that Ian Flynn totally ships them 😌😌. I'm just so utterly happy how things had changed even if it took so many years

Sonic changed a lot his perception of Amy! 🥲🥲🥲 Also the detail of the umbrella line, remember that sonic was created in Japan, say fellow anime fans what does usually means when two characters share an umbrella? What does it mean when students in Japan draw an umbrella in the blackboard with two names written under it? It is clear that Ian Flynn totally knows the meaning and the MUSIC! Seriously those scenarios with Amy and that music felt like it came right out of a shojo anime😖😖😖💗💗

But also the feels... THE FUCKING FEELS!! The way Amy is kind of too calm with her situation but Sonic is just so worried and you could tell how worried he was even if he tried to play it cool... His expressions girl... Look at him with his cute ears dropped 🥲🥲🥲 Guys this game fed us good stuff... We shippers finally got what we had always wanted.

Next topic: Sonic Prime.

So I'm a bit conflicted, cause i only liked one of Amy's different designs and that was Thorn Rose, I'm obsessed with her hair but dude Rusty Rose? That could have been better... Also why Rusty Rose and not Metal Rose? Cyborg Rose? Badnik Rose? Mecha Rose? Robot Rose? Rusty sounds a bit degrading... It is because she was made like that by the Egg council? Pff also her robot appearance is just so ugly! What with that eye? But I love the dark concept and I love her SASS 🤣🤣🤣🤣Anyway my problem with Rusty Amy and Sonic is that it feels like the situation is not treated nearly as serious as Nine situation and boy ok you are a hurt loner with bully victim issues but Amy is basically dead, like there's no flesh or organs in her, she literally has a Birdy as a source of life and what is the outcome of that? Is there another outcome different from Gamma's fate in sonic adventure? Because the second Amy gets back her emotions she will want to release the bird... But more importantly... I can't wait to see Shadow react to her... This is the girl that reminded him of Maria, i really shouldn't but I really have high expectations for what kind of interaction will they have, we really need to see Shadow and Amy interact more let's be honest. As for the other Roses, there's no much to say about Black Rose but with Thorn we got good stuff too:

But I have to say one thing... Ok I know Amy is a strong power character but... It's a bit ridiculous that she could fight off characters like Rouge and Knuckles THAT EASY is just...🙃🙃🙃 Well i loved the part when he tries to reason with her all like: you liked me... A bit? Remember? And she is just so irritated and done with him already 🤣🤣🤣 but then... We also got this:

Actually touch her cheek you COWARD!!😤😤 Also when he was about to smash her and but stopped because he has a flashback of his Amy 😭😭😭, it's curious that Thorn Rose seems to be more impactful in Sonic than Rusty Rose which is ok but is odd plot speaking, after all Rusty is the one in the worst condition and is the one hunting him down, I'll just wait for next season and see what happens

And last but not the least I Shall say something about THIS!!

This illustration hit me right in the kokoro, date with hands holding and Sakura petals... is pure shojo manga energy!! I'm so blessed 😭😭💗💗

And of course the important reminder that Amy is a POWER CHARACTER and that's why she and knuckles make a good POWER SIBLINGS team as I stated in their own post about them... And dear Silver fucking gave her a COLOSSAL hammer 😂😂😂do not mess with the pink hedgehog buddy, and of course Sonic knows exactly how awesome she is as it should be, seriously she is really getting better and better, i really hope we'll see her in the next movie

So i found this video, what are you thought on the idea, good or not ?

https://t.co/DoLbQvNZEv

Funny that this dude prefaces that Frontiers is among the few open world games that he likes. I was just thinking that Sonic is a better franchise than Metroid when it comes to integrating its concept with the open world mechanic, as you can keep its core of building up speed and momentum to find new ways to traverse the world.

Metroid... I can't see it at all. An open world would go against the general design of these games, that tends to be claustrophobic, labyrinthine, and full of obstacles that you need to tackle once you find the right ability. He mentions the image of Samus going through a forest, or a day/night cycle that would make the world dynamic, and I simply cannot picture Samus in a place like, I don't know, Kronos Island. It's not her environment! And not just aesthetically. The idea of having the entire world at your fingertips is the opposite of what Metroid games do, which is making you discover it inch by inch, ideally creating tension until you become an OP badass lol.

I agree with the cons he proposes, especially the one about ease of replayability (although the length of development is not really worth bringing up in on itself: what's important is that something doesn't happen during the development the game isn't rushed); and I agree the point that Metroid games, especially the Prime games, are already open world in a way, or at the very least open enough for how vast and interconnected they are. So I see even less need to change a well established formula that still works.

And I like this comment:

Metroid has always been open world. I've never understood the distinction. It's just the idealized version of an open world: non-linear, densely populated, richly detailed, interconnected, with interesting, memorable landmarks, varied regions and environments, and no wasted space. Metroidvania-style maps are what open world maps always should have been. To the people trying to claim that Metroid Prime is not a "true" open world because there are no wide open spaces to mindlessly sprint across, that's like saying it's not a "real" first person shooter because there's no weapon camos or battle pass. I think when most people say "open world" what they really mean is "a huge map that is mostly empty, open space, sprinkled with quest markers, filler content, and npcs". A Metroid-vania map is what you get when you take a modern "open world" map and trim all the unnecessary fat.

no matter how I look at it Sage just isn't a good addition and making her Eggman's "daughter" is legitimately unnecessary. She should have just been "yet another eggman creation" but they wanted be oh so deep and complex by making eggman show affection for his artificial child or whatever

Yeah, pretty much. When Woodchipp and I watched an LP of Frontiers, we were left scratching our heads over her utility and function as a character, as well as why Eggman lets her get away with stuff that he wouldn't let slide with other creations of his.

Sage presumes to know better than he does, and while he does huff and puff about it, he doesn't get genuinely angry as he otherwise would. She also fucks up pretty frequently, begging questions of why Eggman puts up with her failures and backtalking.

It doesn't help that a lot of the development behind their relationship occurs offscreen, in the presumed gaps between cutscenes.

Sage rescues Eggman from some hazards of Cyberspace, according to an Egg Memo. Then tells him a joke in another. And it's like gee I really wish we could see all of this happening instead of merely being told about it. As it stands, it's like the game is going "just trust me on this one dude"

Their dynamic is too half-baked to be taken either seriously or ironically, putting it in this weird gray area where it's simultaneously both and neither: hence the dissonance that leads a lot of people to crack up laughing during the NANANAAAA scene.

Even if you assume the perspective that the game was supposed to depict a dysfunctional relationship between Sage and Eggman, then that begs further questions of why ST would choose to do things in such a way that the dysfunction could be confused for the genuine article. Sonic games don't really play 4D chess with subtext like that.

The "JP!Eggman treats Sage differently than US!Eggman does" angle has been debated to death. The truth is I really don't care one way or the other because the end result remains the same no matter which version we go with.

Even if JP!Eggman did nothing but dropkick Sage off a cliff for the entirety of the game (highly doubt it), clearly it wasn't enough to deter notions of Sage becoming a permanent fixture in his retinue. Being a bad parent is still being a parent, despite what the "but Bowser can be a villain and a dad" crowd will tell you. That's sidestepping the point that the mere concept of parenthood, period, just doesn't gel with Eggman's lone wolf nature.

📞 a character others dislike but you don’t?

♠️ favorite protagonist?

🕷️a character you feel is underrated?

📞 - a character others dislike but you don't?

Elise has gained more appreciation over time, but you still get people who think she's to blame for everything wrong with '06. She was a decent if underdeveloped character who simply wasn't used in the story that well, and anyone who thinks turning her into a Not-Sally is the only way to fix her isn't trying.

There's also Zor and Marine, both of whom I will always defend. Isn't it wild how I can barely remember anything from The End's three minute tough guy Reddit copypasta, yet everything Zor says is solid gold... shout out to IDW for missing the point and making him an unironic tryhard like every other villain in the comic. As for Marine, people act as though her character development never happened, which isn't helped by Flynn being one of those very people, and I don't understand why they give her flak for her stereotypical accent, yet make no such complaints about Bunnie.

For a couple of non-Sonic examples: King Sombra kind of went through the same arc as Elise in retrospect. As in, nowadays he has more open fans, but back when he made his debut, he received a disproportionate amount of flak for being a mostly silent villain, and the way he was used. I personally appreciated what they were going for with him, mainly cause of how they conveyed his Crazy Prepared defenses and the like, and honestly, by the time FiM concluded, I think he ended up better off than certain other villains lmao.

And of course, Moneybags. Not counting the first game (cause he didn't exist yet), I don't consider it a true Spyro experience if Winnie the Shit doesn't pop up in increasingly improbable locations to make deals in exchange for, *ahem*, a small fee. He also has some of the best lines. ("What are you going to do, sue me?")

♠️ - favourite protagonist?

Gex is unironically a better written character than everyone in Frontiers and IDW put together. This realisation makes me want to drink tap water at Jerry Garcia's.

Tails has always been my main bro out of the Sonic good guys, cause of how smart he is and how much he wants to help. :D It's also why I'm vocal about how much I despise it when fans double down on reducing the franchise to Just Furry DBZ due to super forms and whatnot, since it means Tails and other characters not named Sonic/Shadow/Silver are guaranteed to be treated even more like they're not good for anything meaningful. >:|

Then there's Spyro of course, which I know will be considered ironic to some given my complex feelings on Sonic, but truth be told, Spyro isn't really that similar to Sonic beyond some snark. He does admittedly act like a dude with tude in the first game, but it's clear that he's younger in that one. From the second game onward, where he's slightly older, he's considerably more chill... at least compared to Bubsy and many others from the 90's. And speaking of, despite his dialogue consisting entirely of WOAH, I respect Crash as well, since it was the bandicoot that got little me into the world of video games.

And many things change, but my fondness for Fluttershy will never die. Just as I have a preference for funny robot-loving villains who nonetheless remain a legit serious threat instead of being a joke, I have another preference for kindhearted quiet characters... which is why I also enjoy Trip... and Tikal... look, we all have our types, I'm sure you can sympathise. ;P

🕷️ - a character you feel is underrated?

The Hard-Boiled Heavies have mostly been pushed aside since Mania came out (aside from that one IDW story, but that's not a blessing), and it makes me madder than YouTubers who pretend they're mad because there are villains with dialogue who have less personality than these guys. They're so much fun, and despite all of them having the same Egg Robo template, their designs remain distinct from each other, even in silhouette form.

I also took to Ariem early on. Like the Heavies, "underrated" refers to general lack of fandom buzz compared to other characters, since although she appears to be quite liked, the acknowledgement given to her is somewhat limited due to her being stuck in an Android-only game for the time being. Some people also have an obsession with comparing her unfavourably to either Sage or Lanolin, for reasons I can probably guess in both cases. Me? I love her design, and her interactions with Cream and Knuckles are cute. :> I know it's not likely, but I hope she appears elsewhere so that she can be brought to more fans' attention... provided she doesn't get IDW'd.

Finally, a more complicated example: Metal Sonic. Now yes, he's very popular and beloved, and remains so to this day, but during the last couple of years, I feel I've been seeing two growing sides in the community when it pertains to him: the side who loves Neo Metal Sonic, and believe he's only a threat in that form like Flynn apparently believes (given how he often turns regular Metal into a jobber), and the side who consider him lame or essentially worthless because of his minimal characterization compared to others. He might not say much, and he might be a hedgehog-shaped tool of Eggman's ambition rather than a complete person of his own, but I believe there's a lot you can do with Metal that wouldn't require turning him into Usurper the Elf Shoes. OVA Metal ain't S-tier for nothing.

movie night

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desc:tails and sonic enjoy a movie marathon

fandom: sth [sonic the hedgehog] au: main ship: none story:1 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's a calm afternoon and nothing seems to be going on in the Eggman department, which leaves sonic and tails to do whatever they want. sadly they didn't know what they wanted to do."chao kart?"tails asked "nah there's nothing new and we've played it a million times." replied sonic. "monopoly? candy land? that and duck shape game that we've never gotten rid of?" "nah, it would be boring with just two people". they keep looking through the junk and stuff for something to do. finally, tails pulls out a DVD collection, a chao in space DVD collection. movies 1-10. "oh how about this?" tails asked showing sonic the DVD collection, his eyes light up and a smile paints on his face "omg yes dude, let's do a chao and space marathon!" sonic exclaims in excitement.

tails sets up the movie and sonic gets the snacks and they start the movie marathon.

chao in space 1:they laugh at the jokes and love every scene, to them this movie is a classic.

chao in space 2: just as funny and as creative as the original, another classic in sonic and tails book.

chao in space 3:lack luster in the beginning but packs a real punch near the end, adds one of sonics favorite characters to the cast, chief choa.

chao in space 4:this is at the point where they ran out of snacks so sonic gets some more, and makes sure to get tails some mint stuff. not too much but just the right amount. also yes they like this one.

chao on space 5: while confusing to the plot and missing some things it's still a funny movie with even more creative jokes.

chao in space 6-7:both are pretty short but really pack a punch, in the action and in the feels.

chao in space 8:a very action-packed and comedy packed movie, amazingly enjoyable.

chao in space 9-deep space: chief chao shows up more in this movie which sonic loves, they have fun laughing at the jokes and watching the action.

and finally, chao in space 10-the "final" frontier: is definitely more serious than the other installments to the series but it still has great jokes and the boys had fun watching it together.

it was late, the tv was on the last DVDs titles screen, the snack bowls were empty, tails is curled up on sonics lap, and both the boys are asleep. they both had a blast today and enjoyed the break from stopping Eggman from taking over the world. it was just them and the peace of the night.

goodnight sonic and tails, have a good sleep. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

guess whose back for wholes Wednesday, thats right me!

i hope ya'll enjoy when i make these fics of the boys, i have fun spewing out this major fluff. ^u^

if you could change ONE thing about sonic canon, what would it be and why?

Just one? Just one??? Hhhhhhh . . .

My first instinct is to say "fix how badly Tails was treated between Adventure 2 and Frontiers", because god, Ian Flynn was not lying when he said Tails was done dirty for the past twenty years. Yeah, he got to show up in a lot of games—but that doesn't mean a whole lot when his appearances in those games aren't good! But Frontiers makes it clear that Sega is at least aware of the problem and they seem open to letting Ian fix it. So while it has been so fucking suffering to be a Tails fan for the past two decades, I'm going to take comfort in the fact that he's treated really well in the IDW comics and hope that the games moving forward actually move forward, instead of backward. You never know with Sega, but I will cross my fingers on this one. If they let Ian write future games, then I have faith it'll be done well.

So since that isn't my answer, I'm going to say . . . take romance off the table for Sonic, period, forever, in every capacity, both in terms of "he has feelings for [character]" and "[character] has feelings for him."

First, Sonic being aroace is really important to me, as you already know. So taking romance off the table for him fixes that because he stands as aroace rep if he's not in any romances.

Second, I don't think these games gain anything by having romance subplots in them. These games are about adventure, friendship, and environmentalism. We don't need romance in there, too. It adds nothing, and if anything it just causes needless ship wank in the fandom.

Third, I think that the romance thing has only ever hurt Amy's character. Before anyone gets it twisted, there's nothing wrong with a female character having a romance story. It's straw feminism to say that female characters shouldn't get to have romances. But in this specific case I think that Amy having a crush on Sonic has only ever been detrimental to her character, for the following reasons:

— Amy was created because Sonic Team wanted Sonic to have a love interest. However, they also knew that it would be antithetical to his character to be in a committed relationship. Therefore, they created Amy to have a crush on him that wouldn't be reciprocated, which to be honest just feels mean-spirited. Like, first of all, it's not great to create a character of any gender solely to be a love interest. But also, to create a character to be a love interest but then they can never actually be that because the object of their affection doesn't return those feelings? Dude. It just feels mean! I know it's not that deep on their end, but still. It just makes you feel bad for her.

— The way Amy's crush was written in the late 90s / aughts was just . . . yikes. It sucks, because Amy had a lot of otherwise great moments in games like Adventure, Adventure 2, and Heroes. Make no mistake: had Amy not talked to Shadow on the ARK, he would not have helped and the world would have been doomed. Amy Rose saved the world. But that's overshadowed in the minds of many (especially casual players) by the way she harasses Sonic and tries to pressure him / force him to return her feelings. I know you and I disagree on this, but in my opinion it doesn't matter if he has celebrity status or that he's a little older—that kind of behavior is still wrong, because celebrities and older kids are still people, too. If Amy was my 12yo little sister, I'd tell her (kindly!) that she needed to knock it off. Glomping Sonic when he doesn't want to be glomped, basically telling him in Heroes that he's got no choice but to marry her if she beats him in a fight . . . again, she has PLENTY of other great moments in those games, but that gets overshadowed by how awfully her crush on Sonic was portrayed in them. It sucks.

(It especially sucks because I have a feeling it was written that way because "teehee girls can't actually be threatening :)" as happened in a LOT of anime that came around that time. Which, no, I don't think anything she did caused Sonic any lasting harm and she never would actually hurt him on purpose, slapstick humor aside—but still, "girls are so silly they can't be threatening :)" is still sexism just under a different brand and I hate it.)

— While the writing re: Amy's crush has gotten a LOT better over time (it's handled really well in IDW for example, where it's clear she still has a huge crush on him but also has ZERO desire to tie him down and is happy just to be his friend), in the games it's clear that Sega still thinks of her as just "Girl With Crush On Sonic" and as such they don't really know what to do with her. Granted, she's not the only character they don't know what to do with (again, Tails has suffered so much), but because Amy's entire conception was "Girl Who Has Crush On Sonic" it's pretty evident that Sonic Team doesn't really have any ideas of what else to do with her. But if that element was removed, they'd have to figure it out—which I mean, they should be able to do anyway, but it's clear they can't. Thank goodness the writers over at IDW can, sheesh. (And I do think that Ian did the best with what he was given in Frontiers, but compare how focused Tails' and Knuckles' goals are, versus Amy's. It makes sense that Amy wants to just go around helping people find love, but at the same time it's such a broad and unfocused goal that it's like . . . yeah, Sonic Team was like "girl = love lol" and called it a day.)

I could probably go on but this is an essay in and of itself, lol. Again, for anyone who skimmed, there's nothing wrong with a female character having a romance subplot and I do think that Amy's crush has been handled a LOT better since the aughts. IDW Issue 2, where she had her, "that's just what I love about you, I can't change you, I don't WANT to change you!" moment with Sonic was wonderful, and they've had many other great moments in the comics, too. But overall I think that Amy has been done a great disservice largely in part because Sega just sees her as Sonic's Love Interest™ (whose feelings he now reciprocates but won't act on), and I just think she would be better off if I could build a time machine and go back in time so that by the time Adventure rolls around she was able to stand on her own two feet as just another friend, rather than someone who is tied to a romance subplot that's never going to go anywhere anyway.

The first island

Can I just say- this is some frontiers spoilers my dudes

the entire interaction between Sonic and Amy on the first island is really cute and solemn. They really do feel like long time friends with light jabs and soft comforts sprinkled throughout their dialogue. I did switch the voice-over to Japanese so it might be influencing my perception of their interactions, but it was great to see Sonic and Amy interact in a way that felt more three-dimensional than the usual one-sided crush annoyance thing. They illustrated Amy as someone who believes in the power of love but not exclusively her own, as a power that can tie fates together even beyond apparent demise. We got to see Sonic trust in her strength and intuition and act as a support for Amy’s convictions- even when it felt like, to him, it was getting in the way of his real goal - saving his friends. And after voicing his annoyance we got to see Amy challenge him and a compromise was reached. They really did seem like a pair of individuals, like Amy wasn’t just there as a goal for Sonic to progress. The only downside is her run cycle at the end of the first island- hate it-never want to see it again lol More characterization stuff under the cut:

This was a bit of an idea the games like to dance around and lightly touch on in terms of Sonic’s characterization, but he’s really thoughtful and cares about his friends... almost to the detriment of others he doesnt particular know or care about. He’s a quick thinker and boasts quips and jabs, having retorts fired up and ready to go with very little delay between others’ sentences. But yet, he does slow down and ask if his friends are all right, how they’re feeling, and if they are still thinking about that terrible thing that happened. It is very cool to see him take the time to help Amy and just talk to her and see how everything’s going. Interactions between Sage and Sonic are very interesting because we have a dead wall, a closed book, unwilling to give any extra information to the “enemy combatant” and a poking and prodding hero trying to get them to talk. Sage delivers information very matter-of-factually and is met with joking responses and boasts that they find foolish. Sonic will then ask a question and Sage will deny any help, leaving Sonic with a bit of a “fine whatever” response. It isnt until one of the last Sage interactions on Kronos where Sonic switches tactics and asks them quite politely (or as politely as sarcasm can go) what their name is. He doesnt get a good answer and grumbles in annoyance (in the Japanese dub) but quietly says to himself that he doesnt get a negative feeling from them. When faced with another titan and effectively proving Sage wrong in the coolest most over the top way possible, he still retorts to her threats with jokey sarcasm- in line with his usual display and not gaining any animosity in his voice. It seems Sonic is more interested in getting answers to the mystery than beating Sage, he even seems to be contemplating whether or not Sage is the “bad guy”. He isn’t jumping to conclusions and it’s a nice break from the act first ask questions later attitude we saw in Lost World. Sorry to mention Adventure like everyone else, but it’s nice to have another example of Sonic trying to understand his opponents’ purpose and reasons more than them just being another thing in his way. Perhaps even the fact that you can just find Sage on the map standing there and Sonic chooses to talk to them first says a lot as well. I’ve only just made it to the second island, Ares, and Sonic’s interaction with Knuckles is top notch.

Modded Sonic Frontiers is so peak dude holy shit. i can turn sonic the hedgehog into girly pop the hedgehog its so good!!!!!!!!

brother theres actually no way im beating this dlc

random question, what draws you to knuckles as a character? do you have a favourite version of him?

Okok...bear with me, I have to start from the beginning..

I first encountered Knuckles during the time when he was mostly portrayed as, as they described him, a character merely for comedic relief. I watched the boom series back in 2015 and so my first impression of him was that he was an all-brawn-no-brain kinda guy. I found him funny, i guess...i had no clue back then. To explain why i didnt bother to do any research, here are some screenshots of my response on IG...(see below the break)

I was a shallow "fan". I find the sonic casts' design interesting and fun to look at. At that time, that was enough...

1. What drew me into Knuckles then?

I'll get into that, but first...The 2nd movie...The only reason i gave Sonic(by Sonic i meant the whole franchise) a chance was because i saw how Knuckles was portrayed in the 2nd Sonic movie. Very different from what i knew of him at that time.

I began researching about him, after watching the movies. There was something. Yea, i was on an info hunt of just about the guy for months! Along the way tho, i also discovered a ton of things about Sonic, the cast, etc. BUT, i was mostly so eager to know about Knuckles. Then man! There was so much to know about the guy...He wasnt just that all-brawn-no-brain type of guy. Those character analysis videos of Knuckles explained a lot of things about him. He's the most interesting of the cast(for me)---his personality(Most of all), his backstory, his sacred duty, being the last of the echidnas, angel island as his home, what's left of his kind(relics, tech, architecture, art, etc.), so much to unpack...and YET there were almost nothing said about them??? The mysteries about the guy continues. Lots of angles to look into his character.

Hmm... I also realized that there were many ways to interpret(?) Knuckles. The tons of fanfiction you can make about the guy, tons of ways to do headcanons about him---one can look at him through his duty as a guardian, through him being a warrior, through his ancestors--and then recently in Frontiers--through the hidden and long lost and forgotten structures within angel island, also, through the M.E. and through the power that resides in the M.E. Am I making sense even???

[I should say that i liked a lot of these things first, before i even liked Knuckles for his design LOL (gawsh, those times when i struggled drawing the dude. I was so eager to learn how to draw him. Usually i would have given up, but surprisingly i didnt), and the "why did he have to be RED" XDD I didnt like red, until Knuckles...] His personality drew me in at first, then came all of these things...

About his personality/character...I can really relate to that. I also happen to like characters who are tough on the outside and are good (not exactly gentle) in the inside LOL. Knuckles looks so tough, immovable as a mountain, but deep down, he's carrying a lot. Rarely or almost never opening up. I can only imagine him as he got older, him thinking like

"No one will be left to take care of the island after I'm gone anyway...so why should i even bother? I could be doing something else, I could be anywhere, I could make use of what time ive been given, of what time i have left."

*proceeds to chuck them thoughts away* Then just like that, back to guarding duty again, still feeling loyal and determined to fulfill his role, and to who knows until when...

For that, Knuckles is the only fictional character that ive come to genuinely like and become interested in. So much so that i got out of my demotivated-uninspired-artist-prison and began drawing again, and for the fun of it!🌟💥

2. As for my favorite version of him?

My gosh! um, currently Renegade, I suppose??? Man, this is hard gah! Theres always something to like about every version of Knuckles. The Knuckles version in my head, the one i created after consuming a ton of Knuckles info, yea i also like that version LOL XDD🌟