I'll say it before and I'll say it again.: The rise of normies in the fandom (especially due to the Sonic films) are probably the reason why everything is creepily sanitized in fandom nowadays. Eggman can't be evil anymore he has to be an uwu wholesome daddy who treats his creations like helpless toddlers (even Metal, The sadistic bloodthirsty killing machine,).He wants to settle down with a wife(or maybe agent stone) and his robotic "children" in a home with a white picket fence. Also he isn't a threat, much less killed anybody because he's just a silly old man. Sonic has to be a cheesy squeaky clean purity sue superhero who values all life instead of the unique , pragmatic individual he is . And forget about putting the Sonic characters through angst, they are babies that are wayyy too delicate for that .
It is disappointing where we're at. It has gotten a lot worse in recent years with the movies and Boom existing I feel, on larger level people who are fans of those than the games have more problems with anything but wholesome stories, pure traditional ships and not so bad guy villains. I feel part of the appeal is the lower stakes more light-hearted wholesome approaches to stories and characters and the villains are never too evil and that's what appeals to modern sanitized fandoms in general now as it's what they demand of the official media and fanbase
Game Eggman is a lot more evil than Boom Eggman and jimbotnik in goals and/or actions and it's to the point fans of the latter say they genuinely dislike his evil and it upsets them, while saying they are fans of game Eggman too. So they have genuinely just pretty much enabled people who outright reject his true evil status to attempt to claim his character from the bad icky people who enjoy him being evil. Combining that with how appreciation and fan works of anything too dark and evil is condemned in general in every fandom now a recipe for disaster
So Eggman has to hardly be evil and be wholesome, pure, and "progressive" (or at least their twisted idea) and have no real reason to be seen as evil and the bad guy. Same is supposed to apply to Metal with no regard instead of the brutal killing machine he is. Eggman is seen as more whole and complete and worthy if he has a daughter but now must seek to create a nuclear family unit of conservative god fearing heterosexual traditions or this but claimed to be progressive by making it gay with Stone but it's actually not any better because it's heavily structured around their brainwashing and propaganda, forcing them into a box they don't belong in because it's the Right thing
Also yeah this doesn't just affect the villains but the heroes too. With them having to believe in redemption and that they are the righteous good who are going to change and save the people who aren't living the way they think they should live, just fascism but the Good and Right kind in their eyes. So this affects their perception and portrayal of Sonic and makes them miss the entire point of his freedom and how he doesn't see himself as the superior good guy and hero who boasts about morality and thinks everyone should follow a set amount of rules to be a good and worthy person because they project their own mindset onto him too
And of course the puritanism doesn't allow genuine angst to exist and they use all the same rhetoric that the puritan conservatives christofascists use but repackaged as progressive as they claim to be against them but actually validate them and enforce their beliefs for fiction that they personally find uncomfortable to disgusting to be a moral failing on the creator's part so it shouldn't exist and should instead reflect all their personal morals, leading it to shape their perception of media and their interests in it and fan creations
The Sonic games have explored some very dark themes and have had deeply evil characters with abhorrent actions including Eggman but they do in fact have a problem with a lot of these things in the source too, so they especially dislike when others in the fandom actually like and embrace this and create things based on this, instead of the way they choose to ignore it or misinterpret it to be more acceptable in their eyes and believe only certain types of fiction are allowed. So you're especially at risk for alienation and/or outright harassment if you don't abide like me
I don't think a lot of them realize how almost all their entire range of interest in characters, themes, and ships and their belief that some fiction should be condemned and punished is rooted in a conservative christofascist puritan mindset instilled by conservatives or religion, or they've just fallen for through propaganda of these things. It reflects their interest and demands for media and fan creations and their morals as they claim superiority. Lucky for you if you just happen to enjoy these things or don't care and don't try to enforce it as a moral rule, then it doesn't apply. But for most, yeah it's giving that
But yeah it's rough now for villain fans who genuinely like evil characters for their evil and dark themes and don't like the idea of fiction not being "allowed" if it's too dark and evil and not acceptable and abiding by puritan standards. I think part of it in recent years is how the people who were too young or not even born yet when stuff like this thrived are now old enough to have been successfully controlled and brainwashed by their parents or others and/or propaganda of this mindset and enforce it on others, as it even seeps into how they approach media and fandom
It's just sad to see- but it does give me hope that a lot of us are also becoming bolder in calling this out as they become more blatantly violently puritan and we're getting tired of it. We're rebuilding the community that thrived before by lifting each other up in support and just getting back to what fandom is really about, enjoying and creating whatever we want and being as weird as we want with it instead of treating it like a morality contest. While puritans are sadly becoming more prevalent and have the biggest platforms in fandom now, I also see increase in those of us who say fuck that in the open now
We just need to keep creating what we want and putting it out there and supporting each other in doing so because strength comes in numbers and it can be more acceptable and we can exist in fandom without being alienated or totally condemned again, if we keep building this community stronger in it. We shouldn't and don't need to hide away what we like, create, and feel. I've been so much happier and more free since I stopped trying to appease those who wouldn't accept me for those and finding those who will accept or join me in it instead
You gotta be a villain, dark themes, and Toxic and Problematic™ ship enjoyer proudly in the open, it's the way to be free and find your community and you'll have a lot more fun when you can be yourself and enjoy and create what you really want. The more I post about these things and make wonderful friends and followers who accept and are chill with or feel the same way, the happier I am and it feels great to have truly found my place instead of being forced into someone I'm not and I'm very fortunate to have such a wonderful community here for it now. I hope I can keep inspiring y'all to embrace your passions and freedom with me 💜
