Ok, for the WIP tag game, there are two I'm curious about, so answer for whichever one you feel like (or both if no one else asks about them).
Specifically, "Side B" has me wondering, but I also can't see "Christmas Shoes" and not immediately think of the sappy Christmas song.
Thank you for the ask! Someone else also asked about Side B, so I'll drop a little lore about Christmas Shoes, because yeah I was totally inspired by the sappy Christmas song xD
I've been slowly chipping away at a fic focused on Sonic and Tails's second Christmas together and going for sentimental, classic Christmas special vibes <3
“Better watch out! Ya know where pesky little brothers wind up when they don’t listen to their super cool big brothers around Christmas? The naughty list!” Sonic drove his fist between Tails’s ears, not hard enough to hurt, just enough to get him squirming. “Oh yeah? Well, joke’s on you! I’m always on the naughty list!” It was said with such conviction that Sonic stilled immediately. Tails wriggled out of his hold and rolled away with a triumphant laugh, flopping onto his back a few feet away. Grinning, he pushed himself up onto his elbows, ready to goad Sonic into another tussle as his tails happily swished through the snow, but Sonic didn’t look like he was in the mood to play. “Sonic?” Tails sat up further, leaning forward to rest his paws in the V of his legs. “Did I kick you on accident? I’m sorry.” Sonic shook his head. “No, you didn’t. I just… you were just saying that as a joke, right?” Tails cocked his head to one side. “What? About you not being my big brother?” His eyes suddenly went wide as he lurched forward. “Of course that’s a joke! I’m sorry, I’ll listen to you better, I promise. I still wanna be brothers, I didn’t mean it—!” “Not that,” Sonic cut him off abruptly. “I meant the thing about the naughty list. Obviously we were only kidding around and you don’t actually think that, right Tails?” Sonic drummed his fingers against the icy ground when Tails just sat back and grabbed onto one of his tails. “Right Tails?” “You look mad.” “I’m not mad,” Sonic said firmly. “You sound mad,” Tails mumbled. “I said I’m not mad.” Though Sonic’s eyes flashed with impatience as his temper flared. “I just want an honest answer outta ya for once.” “But it doesn’t look like you do,” Tails argued. “You don’t want me to say ‘yes.’” Sonic blinked, his quills finally relaxing once he realized they’d bristled in the first place. “Hey, it doesn’t matter what I want or don’t want you to say, bud,” he said, his tone gentling. “Don’t worry about any of that. You can always be honest with me, no matter what you think I’ll feel about what you say. Got it?” Sonic waited for Tails to meet his gaze with a solemn nod. “Why do you think you’re on the naughty list?” “Because Santa’s never brought me a present before,” he answered. “And the songs all say he only brings presents to good kids. So that means I’m always on the naughty list, doesn’t it?” Struck speechless, Sonic could only stare at him while his brain did the equivalent of blue screening. Logically speaking it made sense that he’d draw that conclusion, but at the same time… At the same time it was so utterly absurd that Tails was of the impression that he’d been perma-banned from the good list somehow that it broke Sonic’s brain right in two.
