Metamy? If Shadamy didn't exist, that would very likely be Divi's OTP
METAMY !!!! metamy is a weird one for me, because I'm more just a casual observer of the ship and don't feel one way or the other about it, but... I see your game. and the game is GOOD
strap in. I come with a yap and a half :3
shadow ticks this box for me that he is a mirror of sonic, but not exact. he was never intended to BE sonic in the same way metal is. shadow, however he struggles with his identity, has his individuality. [ insert "he is all of him" rhetoric ] shadow is more of shadow than metal is of metal, if that makes any sense
metal has this challenge shadow never had to face in design. metal IS meant to BE sonic, just eggman's engineered model. but what's interesting about metal is that he's NOT sonic. his abilities match and in some warped religious-seeming way, made in sonic's image, but that's where it ends. metal is ruthless, ambitious and on some occasions obedient to a fault. holistically, this inherently makes him Not Sonic and gives him no need to be. but this second trait in particular is what catches my attention
his ambition relates to sonic. he wants to be the "one true sonic" and his means to do it is to surpass sonic in any way he is able. *points to sonic heroes* surpassing him is one thing but becoming the one TRUE sonic via extremities sonic wouldn't dare do is another. the more metal strives to become THE sonic, he falls farther from his image entirely. idk why but this reminds me a lot of a quote from ren:
"it was a pendulum: endlessly swaying from the dark to the light. and the more intensely the light shone, the darker the shadow would cast."
surpassing - becoming sonic is to become someone else. and metal, so far from sonic, only places himself and his worth in relation to his role model. so then who is he ? he is metal sonic by appearance, not enough sonic by nature. the sonic shoes aren't for him to wear and yet... who would he be if not trying to fill them ? who would he be (and be comfortable being) if not the figure he can never become ?
this is a little tangential, but the panel in idw where he's toying with the metal virus serum is Something. it feels important to mention, even if I can't activate enough neural pathways to connect them
idk metal and identity is a really perplexing one. something has gotta give ;-; something has gotta save him from this paradoxal life
metamy, by extension begs a TON of questions to be asked
if metal sonic is nigh everything sonic isn't, does this then make his capacity for love - his love for amy - a feeling sonic doesn't (or won't in this case) possess ?
what I find delicious in general about metamy is metal's desires would then extend to amy. I've described this in a piece before, but sonic and amy in this instance are like repelling forces. her wants and his don't align. but metal, being as I explained, puts himself now in a position to achieve his goal. AND if the previous paragraph is true, not only can he land his ambition but it'd also be genuine. inherent; his love for her wouldn't only be vengeance, it'd be predisposed. there's layers. BIG fan of layers <3
then there's what this means for amy. if the only way to achieve her dream is with some semblance of sonic, what constitutes her love for sonic ? or is it metal's qualities (perverted from sonic's own) that appeals to her ? does she or metal need to change for them to truly work long term ?
I do love amy's habit of somehow rousing 'villains' to good. the "I can fix them" thing works for amy because she CAN do it and there's no delusion to discuss. I have no doubt she could do this for metal if she so wished. she could show metal the beauty in everything, including himself, meaning he has no need to live up to an impossible expectation. but even if she gives him that awareness... would he be okay with that ? would he then question truth in all things if nothing was as he presumed ?
there's a hell of a lot to unpack here and even just spewing thoughts like this makes me feel like I haven't even scratched the surface. and I'm into that fully. the enigma that is metamy... I think,, I think I rate them :O
