#sonic prime analysis

[knuckiss]

The dependent fox and his ego.

an analysis of Nine’s NPD traits , by knuckiss

NPD can develop for many different reasons but one of the most common reasons NPD starts developing as a child is when a child is neglected and has no stable source of attention nor is their needs met during formative years. It would make perfect sense for nine to develop NPD due to his lack of family. Tails had sonic, nine had no one.

as always, I am not a medical professional. Take my words with a grain of sour lemon candy powder and please PLEASE correct me in the comments if I get anything wrong. I have been recognized by medical professionals to have prominent NPD traits but I am not diagnosed, a lot of my takes will be based on my own experiences along with the PWNPD experiences from other narcissists I know. I will be using the DSM-5 criteria as a basis, I am aware of the misconceptions the DSM-5 contains and I will not stand for any demonization of NPD or disorders like it, kindly block me if you believe in narcissistic abuse or that PWNPD are fundamentally evil.

1. Has a grandiose sense of self importance, expects talents and accomplishments to be recognized as superior to others.

This part is self explanatory, niney is very very verbal with feeling better than other people. He’s constantly in a state of annoyance with people around him due to his lack of people he sees as equals. He’s constantly signaling to sonic how he’s better than this whole saving the world crap. You can tell he’s grandiose, he thinks everyone else around him don’t have any good intentions for him, therefore sees them as lesser than him

2. is preoccupied with fantasies of success, centered around power, ideal relationships, or items.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he has fantasies about making the best inventions or has ideations about getting sonic’s attention but I see this the most in nine’s idealized Grim. He fantasizes about a world where him and sonic can go on adventures together and never once brings up other people, in his mind, the only thing that matters is him and sonic.

3. Believes he is special and unique and can only be understood by people seen as equal or higher by HIS standards.

Once again, nine absolutely believes he is special, he believes he is the only person who knows as much as he does about the crystals and only associates himself with those he idolizes (sonic.) he hates the eggman council not because he knew they were tyrannical but because he thought they were idiots, he already knows everything they do, he’s done more research and knows way more about the gems so he’s never thought to work under them. He knows he can only be understood by sonic and therefore doesn’t associate himself with any of the others, this is shown in the fact that he never thought to join the rebels until SONIC brought it to his attention, he wants to be associated with sonic, therefore he follows him into whatever he’s indulging in.

4. Requires admiration or attention in one way or another at any given time.

He’s visibly annoyed when sonic thinks about anyone other than him, he truly depends on his attention because it’s the only attention he gets. Because sonic is his chosen person when he happens to want to leave him to interact with any of the others, nine is upset. Nine wants to be recognized for his work, nine wants to be given attention and to not be left alone, he wants sonic to stay with him, in his paradise he’s so desperate to have. Nine may outwardly seem like he has no intention of needing admiration but this is because admiration from people lower than him is expected, the only praise that matters to him is the praise from Sonic.

5. Has a sense of entitlement ( expects favoring treatment )

This is shown through his expectation that Sonic will choose him over the entirety of his original universe, Nine just expects this, this is why he goes out of his way to set up the grim for sonic because he EXPECTED sonic to want the same thing he does. When this trust is broken Nine doesn’t understand why Sonic doesn’t want what he wants, he has no understanding of Sonic’s side of the story because he assumes right off the bat that Sonic betrayed him, because Sonic’s Ideals do not align with Nine’s Idealized version of Sonic

6. Is exploitive, manipulative, takes advantage of others for his own personal benefit.

This is shown subtly all throughout the show but most notably, he steals the grim gem to study it himself, manipulates the council and will do absolutely anything to get what he wants. The rebellion also has this assumption that nine is manipulating sonic or is trying to, so we can assume he at least comes off as manipulative even if that’s not his intention. This trait is certainly linked to misconceptions about NPD, which is why I connect it to nine so dearly.

7. Lacks empathy, lacks the ability to connect emotionally to others or has a hard time connecting to emotions or experiences.

I mean. Come on. He doesn’t care really at all for the situation going on in New Yoke, he doesn’t try to empathize with sonic (or at least not at the start) and truly only can focus on his own needs, which is natural for him, he had no exposure to empathy, therefore he would have no reason to form or develop such a thing.

8. Is often envious or jealous of others or believes others are envious and jealous of him.

We can assume this seeing as he gets jealous when Sonic brings up Tails, he also gets insanely upset in season 3 because of his jealousy and breach of trust. He is envious of Tails’ relationship with sonic and on numerous occasions you can see Nine expressing his feelings about that, his jealousy is one of the reasons he splits on Sonic in season 3

9. Is arrogant and haughty in behavior.

. Yeah. Yeah. he’s constantly upset and grumpy and arrogant and leaves no room for gentleness and vulnerability unless around people he’s comfortable enough to not be rude with. Nine is petty, ungodly petty, he immediately assumes the worst nine (:D) times out of ten and therefore lashes out or has an attitude because of it.

Another key part of NPD connects to identity issues, because YEAH a personality disorder is gonna have something to do with self perception, typically in cases of NPD, a narcissist will rely very very heavily on others to regulate their ego or understand whom they are. when their ego crashes, due to the factor that a narcissist will use their ego as a placeholder for a sense of self, a narcissist will feel empty and lost without that grandiose sense of self, this panic and lost perception can make the person with NPD lash out at others, isolate, etc.

We see Nine’s crash in season 3 (?? I think, he might have crashed in the finale of season 2 I don’t remember) when he completely Isolates to the Grim, splits on Sonic, shuts everyone around him out and builds an army to affirm his needs rather than relying on other people. He’s completely out of whack, his balance of ego and self and relationship to Sonic is completely skewed and he cannot understand his behavior.

at the beginning of the series it’s shown Sonic immediately peaks Nine’s intrigue. Sonic sparks Nine’s interest for research, Nine originally perceives Sonic as a puzzle to solve, causing him to stick with Sonic seeing as he has every reason to learn about this other version of himself that Sonic speaks of. Nine has never had someone so interested in him, it makes him feel good, it makes him happy.

As the show progresses Nine forms a bond with Sonic and grows to really love him, he relies on the attention Sonic gives him because he’s never had anything like it before, no one else can fill the void Sonic fills because Nine is already convinced everyone around him is lesser than him, whereas Sonic is something new, something he can see as special, special to him and only him.

Nine’s emotional state as he gets more and more addicted to this Idea of family that Sonic has given to him, slowly progresses into something Nine nor Sonic even understands, during season 3 they BOTH have to talk about it, they BOTH have to work through it because the splitting on Nine’s part was because of that relationship that formed.

Nine and Sonic are very dear to me, I hope this was a little interesting to you and I thank you so much for reading all this, I hope this gave you a more comprehensive outlook on why Nine is the way he is and an explanation for his behaviors. Nine is such an amazing character to discuss when it comes to how NPD forms because of certain circumstances.

This was a love letter to silvy, laaa, take care of yourselves and feed your ego always.

Divider credits : anitalenia & knuckiss

[000marie198]

It's been established that when Nine gets scared or feels threatened, he reacts by intimidation or anger, depending on the situation. It's his go-to instinct developed as a reaction to his trauma. As a way to protect himself.

And here, Nine is fucking terrified! He started hyperventilating, his pupils contracting with terror. The root cause of Nine's trauma was getting bullied and beaten up for years. All he wished for was for a safe, isolated place to call his own without having someone invading it.

And now, his greatest fear is coming true... His safe haven, his home, getting invaded by people who hold malicious intent for him.

Can you imagine the flashbacks he could've been having? The fear? The past coming to haunt him again, the thing he dreaded most coming back around to hurt him even worse. Can you imagine encountering the root of your trauma striking with a vengeance? And on your journey to try and heal from it no less.

He doesn't deserve this

[izzydaninja]

Something I noticed while (definitely not) editing something Sonic Prime related:

In episode 1 of season 2, Sonic and Shadow finally confront each other about their world's destruction due to the prism.

When Shadow leads Sonic back to the cave where it all started, they find the prism as a ghost, unfinished with a single fragment remaining. (A sign of their unity and division.)

Sonic states he'd do anything to be back, and Shadow finishes the statement: 'home.' They both wish to go back home, the same goal in mind. So, when Shadow tells Sonic there is still a chance, and Sonic follows him up to the prism, they're both standing in front of the prism shard on the same side: implying their shared goal.

Then, as Shadow starts to explain things, something changes...

He walks around the prism blueprint - making the prism a divider now.

From this point on, they may share the same goals, but it's evident that they do not share the same ideals on how to reach it, leaving them arguing once more.

No matter the shot...

No matter the angle...

The prism stands as their divider: two sides of the prism so-to-speak.

Even in a stand-alone shot with Shadow:

They make sure to keep the shard in view for this shot; unlike any other stand-alone shot of him or Sonic, where the shard is not even visible.

Not only is it a reminder that it's a divider, as it still sits in the way, but it's now present in a shot where Shadow outright declares: "Sonic! You literally broke our world. Why would I trust you to do anything!?" The prism shard is now a symbol of the home they lost (as it sits in a ghostly replica of their Green Hill).

After this, Sonic is cut off from anything he went to say as Shadow spindashes him across the cave, stating that he's taking charge on this one.

But the disagreement and fight isn't surprising (knowing the two), because they hinted at it from the beginning. Yes, they were fighting before Sonic fully knew what was going on, but at this point, they both know what's in play and they both want the same thing, but there's this hidden truth that they'll do different things to get what they want. Sonic even says himself, once Shadow says he's getting the shards: "No way, Shadow! I know what you're capable of and that's not gonna happen!" Then he's further defending his other friends in the different shatterspaces.

Sonic wants to go home, to fix what he broke, but where he'll team-up and help others as he goes, Shadow will push through and take out anyone who tries to stop him from fixing their home. The prism shard, standing as the symbol of their home, also shows the clear division between the two, even before they started disagreeing; giving us the heads up that the fight was coming.

(Yes, I know these screenshots are quality garbage, but I didn't really have a better option available at the time, not unless I went further digging for the Netflix footage, but I didn't feel like it. Lol)

I just found this very interesting as I went through the cave scenes. Looking from shot-to-shot to notice the shard is only ever shown when directly between the two once this whole conversation starts.

Hope you all liked this little analysis-thing, because I don't know if I'll do any more in the future. XD I'm not much of an analyzer. I just like to talk about details and things I've noticed with my siblings or friends, so this was a step further than usual. I just figured: "I have the screenshots already, why not?" XD

Anyway, thanks for reading my rambles!

[sparkles-rule-4eva]

Soo, how about that first episode of Sonic Prime S2, eh, guys? How we feeling?

Quick analysis. Sonic has trauma from this whole ordeal, guys. He was showing clear signs of PTSD this ep. Maybe it was obvious, but I'm gonna rant a lil about it, anyway.

It started when Shadow clarified to him, sharply, that their old reality no longer existed. You could hear in his voice that he was on the verge of tears. And just LOOK at him. 😭

And when Shadow took him to the ghost version of Green Hill? When he was talking to who he thought were his friends, only to slowly realize they were nothing more than ghosts of his real friends as they repeated their phrases over and over again? His expression, the way he shook his head ever so slightly, the way he backed up, had to sit down, was actually SHAKING?

Shadow brought him to the cave in the mountain, where the INCIDENT happened. One symptom of PTSD is avoidance of places or people that remind one of a traumatic event. Sonic's face when he realizes where he is?

His ears go up in alarm and his eyes go wide. And then he just stands there, frozen. Shadow has to say his name to get him to start moving. And even when he does?

The way he has one arm up, that's a very defensive stance, often a signal of fear. And he walks, so slowly, like in a trance, into the cave. He stares at the ghostly remains of the Paradox Prism, starts getting flashbacks all over again, all with this look of dazed terror in his eyes.

It hurt my heart to see. 🥺😭

[spruzu]

Sonic and shadow dynamic in sonic prime

Yes, i am doing this rant now because it's been on my mind too much and i need to talk about it.

Look at them, silly guys ⬇

So we all know that Sonic and Shadow are always seen as rivals right? Off topic, but personally i hope in Sonic x Shadow Generations Sega changes that but we'll just have to wait and see. In Sonic prime, they are obviously shown off as rivals, starting off having a fight and Shadow being pissed of with Sonic through out pretty much all of the second season because he shattered the prism and broke reality but we also see that they do have to team up because of that. We get to the last episode of season 2 and the whole 'Nines betrayal' takes place. Shadow did have every right to be annoyed at Sonic and he does say ''Sonic, i told you Nine couldn't be trusted.'' Of course pulling the 'i told you so' line shows he's very much bothered about the situation they're in, but then he goes on to say ''Whatever he's up to, it's causing this world to fracture.'' in saying that, trying to make Sonic come to his senses of what's around him and to stop focusing on the situation he's put himself and Shadow in. He wants Sonic to stop his classic way of thinking about the present situation he's in and to start thinking about the reality around them. Shadow also knew his and Sonics lives were more important in that moment than the shards and he wanted Sonic to see that to. Then of course Sonic goes on to say ''I don't understand, why would he-'' but getting cut off by Shadow ''Pull yourself together! This mountain is decaying, and it's going to take us with it. We have to run.'' Then proceeding to take Sonic by the hand and dragging him out the mountain, unwillingly. Shadow doesn't care about the fact Sonic is upset that Nine took the shard, he cares about the fact his and Sonics lives are at higher risk.

Through out all of that part, it's shown that Shadow wants Sonic to be like him. To have a straight forward tactic, to think before he acts. This is clearly shown when they're escaping Ghost Hill. Shadow is saying out the plan he has in mind to Sonic to make sure that they BOTH make it out alive. Ahh teamwork...

He then again, has to pull Sonic out of spiralling down a 'my friends are gone and it's all my fault moment.' when Sonic sees his ghost friends. This time Shadows face is completely unamused. He see his tactic of trying to get Sonic to focus on safety didn't work. ''I thought we went over this.'' blatantly shows that. He tries stop Sonic getting any closer but Sonic just pushes him out the way. Then, when Sonics ghost friends start decaying, it's shown then that Sonic has FINALLY come to his senses and knows they need to get out and get safe.

Just in this episode it's shown that Sonic thinks on his feet, plans are a big no no for him and that's exactly what Shadow is the opposite of. Shadow is the guy who makes sure they're safe and are able to stay alive, yes he still thinks on his feet but not the way Sonic does. Shadow takes the lead in a lot of season 3 because of that.

I would go on and on for the whole entire season about this but i'm not, because i want to talk about the ending.

Ahh yes, the ending we all know and love. Sonic sacrifices himself and nearly dies in Shadows arms on the way back to Green Hill.

WE LITERALLY SEE SHADOWS EARS LOWER AND HIS FACE DROP. HE CARES ABOUT SONIC!!! That care is shown in tiny parts through the whole season, Shadow getting Sonic out of the Grim so Nine doesn't use sonic energy, helping in the battle blah blah blah. But this is hits the nail on the head. All the small build up of 'Oh Shadow's helping Sonic, that wasn't very expected' is finally used.

Shadow taking the lead in situations where Sonic could and probably would get himself killed is Shadow caring about Sonic... and himself. Yes of course Shadow cares about his own life and getting Green Hill back and is probably still pissed off at sonic through out all of this still but it's shown way less.

In a way, they're shown as team mates, the beginning of friends... who are mean to each other BUT WE MOVE PAST THAT.

I know their whole shmuck is that they're rivals and they hate each other but it's finally nice to see that they can work together like in the ending of SA2. I hope to see that again in Sonic x Shadow Generations and not just them fighting constantly because it gets boring. Also not to mention, Rouge is SEEN helping Team Sonic fight Eggman in Sonic Prime so, may i say Shadow is a bit left out there he should join in the fighting instead of brooding the little grump.

Anyways i think that's all i have to say, if i repeated myself my bad but i'm very good at that.

This is also not me shipping Sonic and Shadow. I don't mind people shipping them, i get why but i hate the people who are rlly weird about it...

ANYWAYS BYE

[lymooniee]

I've come to another realization--

This scene in particular is so important ahem let me do some sort of analysis:

Firstly, Shadow's desperation to stop Sonic right away by exclaiming they're not real. This right here shows us that he empathizes with Sonic by trying to protect him from getting hurt. He understands these are the closest projections to his reality, so he does what he can to keep Sonic at a calm level instead of letting him spiral. We see this too by the way he guides his hand out to Sonic, but pulls back because Shadow has a difficult time expressing his emotions. I've stated before that I see Shadow as autistic. This, to me, kind of adds to that hc of mine. There's actually a lot of scenes in this episode I could pull to make my point ngl. Anyways, that's off topic a bit, but yeah he has a hard time with placing his empathy into comfort. Yet he still knows the right things to say, I believe this is because he's able to place himself in Sonic's view in some sense.

Shadow gets annoyed by Sonic for being stubborn and once again reiterates how Sonic has much more important things to live for. Like his "real" friends, I think Shadow saying this is so significant because it reminds me of his own backstory. He knows how hard it was to promise to save Maria and end up losing her, so he knows how Sonic would feel if he were to die and not be able to keep his promises or vice versa, where he couldn't save anyone else because of his impulsive decisions. The way Shadow becomes so adamant that Sonic needs to focus on those who are real and truly need saving makes me happy because it once again shows his empathetic side. He may not come out and say "I want to save everyone" but the way he expresses his desire to save those around him and to encourage Sonic in doing so as well, is brilliant. It's why he has in the past saved Rouge and other characters of course too. It's why he does sacrifice himself at the end of Sonic Adventure 2. He isn't heartless, he cares deeply and a character doesn't need to say they're a hero to do hero things either. Shadow can be a hero in his own way, but because of his past and because of him teaming up with EGGMAN. He came to be known on the dark team. You know the funny thing though, is that the dark team weren't even bad, they helped those around them, helped Sonic in many ways, I just believe they have different ambitions hence why they are on a separate team. I've always loved that they never considered them as evil. It makes Shadow such a realistic character in a lot of ways, he wants to save those around him, but he doesn't want to gain praise from it.

The fact that Sonic at first pushes Shadow away, but then pauses in realization. It's so good, the dynamic between them is why I'd love to have a game where they just have to work together and you play as both. It'd be interesting to see them write them as something other than rivals, because tbh, they weren't ever the typical rivals to begin with which I love. I think too it'd be such a refresher from all the poorly written Shadow characterization, it'd do justice for him and Sonic in a lot of ways. I also do hope one day that Sega allows us to play as all the characters again but i digress as I ramble on and on.

To go back on topic, they both wish for the same things but have such different mindsets. Sonic needed Shadow in this, because without Shadow, Sonic would be struggling to keep his head straight.

[project-changeling-zero]

another issue i have with sonic prime - shadow the hedgehog. ( very long )

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just gonna say this upfront - do not interact if you are a prime shadow fan and just want to insult or start an argument // debate with me in the comments.

.

ever since his debut in the show, shadow in sonic prime has been frequently called 'the best he's been written in years', well loved by a large majority of the prime fandom.

because of this popularity, i was under the belief that shadow was going to be more like how he's written in sa2, satbk, or sonic 06. i've since learned that many shadow fans ( that i've seen ) just like shadow on screen

which isn't necessarily a problem, but i think it's safe to say the sonic fandom has always been a mixed bag when it comes to critiques of the games and their contents ( ever since sa1, or even before that, to sonic frontiers, but i can't comment on the comics, as i've never read them ).

so, in hindsight, i should've proceeded with caution and not take popular opinion into high account.

anyway, i'll get to the point. shadow in sonic prime is one of the worst characterizations of shadow i've seen. i think the only one worse is shadow from the sonic boom universe.

shadow is quite frustrating in this show for a few reasons:

he loses the chaos emerald within five minutes of obtaining it, like an absolute idiot.

he antagonizes sonic every chance he gets and seems to believe the only way to resolve an issue is through violence or aggression. like, yes, of course, shadow, i totally wanna listen to you after you punched me in the face so hard that i literally suffered amnesia.

does next to nothing in the entire show ( up until, like, s3? ), but acts like he's needed.

insults sonic's friends for no reason ( originals and alters alike ).

somehow thought the tech was the only reason sonic could pass through the gateways when he literally saw sonic pass into new yolk before he got the tech. it'd be one thing if he knew sonic could pass regardless and figured the tech would help himself pass through, but he just ignored or forgot what he saw, i guess??? and this is never brought up again.

real question, what does sonic need him for again? even if shadow was never there, sonic would eventually come up with the plan on his own. it's not rocket science.

keeps insisting the alters aren't real people ( this is a problem of the show in general, esp where they go back and forth with sonic in particular, but it's extremely aggravating with shadow as, even if he was right, he's basically saying that sonic shouldn't care about the people that look like his friends, even if they're copies ).

last but not least, HE KEEPS BRINGING UP THAT HE'S THE ULTIMATE LIFEFORM, WHO FUCKING CARES, GET A LIFE-

( should i also mention how misleading it was for it to seem like shadow was concerned and trying to warn sonic about the shatteverse, only to immediately go on the assault when the two meet up? what the fuck? )

after i got my hopes up by the reviews and all the love for this show, this was just sad and annoying to watch. how many times is it gonna take for sega and any writers associated with them to get it?

shadow is not an overtly aggressive, hot-headed, domineering person. that was never what shadow was or was supposed to be.

shadow is a kind, loving person. yes, you might not see it from pretty much every canon media of him aside from a few select games, but that's who he was meant to be.

of course, in sa2, he did nearly destroy the world. the difference between that shadow and prime shadow is that, in sa2, he did it out of the love he had for maria and because his memories were affected, making him misremember what maria really wanted.

in his debut game, shadow is meant to be something akin to a guardian angel. the 'ultimate lifeform' meant wish fulfillment, immortality, healing. and to have shadow believe that sonic is the true ultimate lifeform instead speaks volumes of who he is and how he's changed in a considerably short amount of time.

in prime, shadow isn't any of these things. sure, he protects sonic every now and then, but for a while, i didn't even know if it was because he actually cared about sonic or if it was because it was necessary to get back home. the 'ultimate lifeform' doesn't mean anything to him or to this show. it's just to wave his big dick energy around. it shows he doesn't actually see anyone, let alone sonic, as his equal.

yes, shadow is standoffish, but it's not like he's ever been out of touch with emotions or relationships. i don't believe that it was because of maria's death that shadow had essentially 'shut down', but rather because he wanted to grant her wish as soon as possible. and even then, he saved rouge's life. while the game could've led us to believe it was because she had the chaos emeralds, they showed us that he just couldn't let her die if he could prevent it by showing that he couldn't save maria way back then.

this is what a lot of the games, and frankly, most of sonic media in general, seem to have entirely forgotten about shadow.

even as a child, it wasn't difficult for me to understand that shadow did care. that he does care. in fact, that's pretty much what drives him throughout his entire debut game, that he cares so much for maria, so much for her wish, and, eventually, so much for humanity.

i think the closest we've ever been to getting a characterization just like shadow in sa2 is in sonic 06. say what you will about the game, i personally like it ( i acknowledge it has a lot of flaws, but let me be ).

in sonic 06, shadow doesn't have any hostility with sonic. in fact, sonic gives a silent thanks to him for saving him from silver. and shadow proves that you don't have to tell your friends you love them in order for them to know, 'cause he loves rouge and omega in this game. he deeply cares about them and is noticeably disheartened when he discovers what becomes of omega in the future.

shadow doesn't become persuaded by mephiles' tactics to turn against humanity, even when he gives plausible ( but not 100% ) evidence that it is likely authorities would blame shadow for the downfall of humanity, due to his power. in fact, the only thing about any of that information that brings shadow pause is the fact omega would have been the one to arrest him in said future.

and to mephiles' face, he accepts the possibility humanity will turn on him head-on and tells him that he will choose his own fate, that he will fight like he always has, that he decides how his story ends.

i find it hilariously sad that the few games that gets shadow is a game largely hated by a majority of the sonic fandom ( this included me at some point, i'll admit ). i think i'm seeing a turnaround though, especially with P-06 in the works, so that's some good news.

but back to my main point, there's a reason why sa2 and s06 shadow work much better than prime shadow. because shadow honestly, truly, completely cares.

he saves rouge from prison island.

he works alongside sonic without a second thought.

he saves humanity from his own wrong-doings.

he acknowledges sonic's power.

he saves rouge from eggman.

he is upset about omega's possible future circumstances.

he protects sonic from silver.

he is aware of how much rouge cares for him.

he helps in bringing sonic back to life.

and he does all of these with little to no complaint, no sarcastic remarks, almost no attempt to hide his true feelings under a mask, none of that. shadow is completely true to himself. shadow doesn't only care about others, he cares enough about himself to know who and what he truly is and everything he's capable of.

like, goddamnit, shadow isn't my #1 favorite sonic character, but he's SO close in these specific games.

this is why prime shadow feels so hollow and dry in comparison. he's just devoid of almost everything that made shadow... well, shadow. and it's been like this for years!

i'm not sure why people are saying this is the 'best he's been written in years' when, for a long while, he was no different from a majority of his characterizations.

but, hey, he's better in s3, right?

well, yes, but we don't know why he's like that.

in s2, he had balls of steel for treating and talking to sonic the way he did, but now he's...

kinder? protective? actually listening? ( sort of, dude's still kinda stubborn )

what the hell happened???

did his sympathy finally kick in? did he get hit by a coconut and had amnesia for a while? was he one of infinite's copies ( honestly, i would've bought that )?

seriously, what happened?

yeah, obviously, s3 shadow still has flaws, but i think if they were established in s1 or s2 and slowly developed over the course of the show, he would've actually been a really good character.

not that the shadow i know would call the alters 'not real' anyway, but, y'know, for the prime universe and all that.

anyway, overall, i think shadow in sonic prime is one of the worst versions of shadow to date. in their efforts to make him cool ( i guess? ), they made him devoid of a lot of emotion and connection with the rest of the cast, but especially sonic.

completely pushing shipping aside, shadow and sonic do not have a healthy relationship in this show. i'm not going to ignore that sonic definitely has flaws in his writing, but the relationship is unhealthy from sonic's passiveness and shadow's aggressiveness.

due to this, i only like specific moments of prime sonadow, and all of them are in s3. which is saying something.

if it were me, i would've written shadow more true to the original, with my own minor creative liberties here and there, in terms of his personality.

with sonic, i would've made it so he's definitely more on the line of friendly allies with him, but not quite friends yet. throughout the show, their bond would've become stronger and stronger, with a lot of queer undertones ( c'mon, i'm gay and i like these little freaks, leave me be ) and mayhaps a romantically undertone ending, if i didn't wanna be bold about it? maybe? i'm as transparent as glass.

i absolutely would've included omega into the cast and make his relationships with omega and rouge very important to shadow and his character, 'cause HOW DARE YOU TAKE THAT AWAY?!

generally speaking, there's just a lot i would've changed about shadow if i was in charge of writing sonic prime, but alas...

i can only write fanfiction.

and yes, i'm absolutely serious.

thank you for reading this long, ridiculous rant with me about a popular character that is guaranteed to get me some flack in one way or another.

lemme know if you'd have done anything different with shadow's character in the prime universe, or if you have any questions!

[bluebunnyears-08]

How Prime Has The Potential To Be A Great Psychological/Lovecraft Horror

I know, I know, all of you are probably looking at this thinking I lost my mind.

But let me explain and show you how it could be a horrifying experience.

First, all of you are probably commenting on how Sonic is a family friendly franchise, but that doesn't necessarily mean EVERY media of Sonic SHOULD be this way. There are some family friendly franchises with mature and more serious spin-offs or adaptations.

So Prime can be a good start to deviating from it's other media's. But I'll get to that later, I should probably explain how it can be, and in a way is, a psychological and Lovecraft horror, more than just another cartoon. At least to me.

1. (Psychological) Exploring The Character's Emotional Trauma and Internal Conflicts Is a Different Approach to Most Sonic Medias

While most Sonic media's focus on action and saving the day, Prime takes a different approach. Instead of just being action and "Sonic saving the day", Sonic completely breaks his home, unintentionally shattering everything, including his friends. Shadow is also inadvertently dragged along, using a Chaos Emerald to save himself from the blast, but ending up trapped in the void.

If the variants being shards of the main characters is true, then Prime is working to deconstruct the characters, but some variants caught my eyes. There's Rusty, a robotized Amy, which sure, that's cool, but remember Amy's first known introduction in the Sonic CD? I only remember some parts, but wasn't Amy kidnapped by metal Sonic to be robotized or something? Another obvious variant is Nine, who was basically abused for being different, only this time Sonic wasn't there to help him? And Dread, a greedy Knuckles, kinda reminding me of how Knuckles was tricked by Eggman so the Doc could steal the master emerald?

Something just seems a bit more about these variants.

1. (Lovecraft) The Variants Situation if The Shard Theory Is True

If the Shard theory is true, then the variants existence is a nightmare.

Imagine having flesh and bone, imagine having thoughts of your own, imagine having a backstory of your own; only for it to be revealed that everything, your body, your thoughts, your experiences; your existence, to be a mistake. You weren't supposed to exist, and if the putting it back together = Shattered Space disappears is true, then you're doomed to die.

Doomed be mashed together with other shards, to be pieced together into someone you don't know, and will never meet. Your very existence is a lie, something that needs to be fixed with your death.

Yeah...not a pretty picture, is it?

2. (Psychological) Sonic's Emotional Turmoil

Sonic suffers a lot in this show. No, I don't mean the physical pain, that's a gag, I'm referring to the emotional suffering, which is very much there.

Sonic is horrified by these events; breaking his home, shattering everyone he loved and cared for, having to experience hatred, scorn, and hostility from those who look so much like his friends; from people who don't recognize him, and having to witness or hear about his friends suffering, being unable to really do anything about it without being met with apprehension.

He's clearly not enjoying any of this, or having any fun, at all.

2. (Lovecraft) The Paradox Prism Is Unsettling Itself

What is the Prism?

We know it's powerful as hell, being able to rip apart reality, and possibly time, and is capable of creating new spaces. But what else is it capable of? Where did it come from? Why is it here beneath the Green Hills Bedrock?

Whatever it is, it's the one in control after Sonic breaks it, ripping apart the world, throwing Sonic through dimensions, trapping Shadow in the void, and even responding to certain contacts.

It's glow almost seems like it calling, beckoning for someone to find it, to use it, to break it.

3. (Psychological) Shadow In The Void

How is Shadow doing in this void?

All memes aside, it's clear he isn't taking everything so well. As when he first makes contact with Sonic, he sounds despondent and absolutely devastated, stating: "It's broken! It's all broken!". His voice is slightly shaky when he does so too. But in his final contact with Sonic, is him furious and violent.

From his first contact to his last furious one, Shadow's mental state isn't exactly stable. Being stuck in the void doesn't help anything either. Some development happened to Shadow off screen, one I really hope we'll see.

Yeah, Shadow is not having a great time either. But development can never be fast, it takes time, which brings my next theory in mind below.

3. (Lovecraft) The Void

Ending up in the void is something I'd choose death over. Mainly because, when thinking about it, it's something nobody would wish on their worst enemy. Which makes Shadow being there so much harsher.

The void is an empty space, nothing but shards surrounding you, you're alone, with nobody to talk to. You're alone with your thoughts. But the scariest thing would be how long it must seem.

From what we've seen so far, time runs differently in the Shattered Space, the void can't be any different. It could've been years to Shadow, but time doesn't seem to run in the void, only in the Shattered Spaces. If anything time seems to pause, or just stop working in the void. It doesn't exist there.

Shadow definitely isn't having fun, especially when you consider his alliance with Rouge and Omega, and even worse, his promise to Maria to keep the world safe.

4. (Psychological) Nine Being A Part Of Tails Says Something About All Of Us

One of the things talked about a lot is how Nine, if the shard theory is true, was a part of Tails to begin with. This bitter, jaded, violent, desperate, traumatized, in pain child was a part of the happy, jolly fox we all know and love.

But, if the theory is true, Nine having been a part of Tails all along speaks about how there's a hidden side in all of us. All of that bitterness, cruelty, selfishness, trauma, denial, desperateness, and love/touch starved hope is in all of us. But we try to deny, to hide, to avoid acknowledging it, which only makes it never go away, or makes it worse.

It isn't just Tails that denies it though, which is a whole other thing of itself...

4. (Lovecraft) They Can't Be By Each Other's Side, Both Are Doomed To Be Alone In Some Way

One of the saddest truths about Prime is that Nine and Sonic can't be by each other's side, they can't be there for each other: no matter how much they don't want to be, they have to be alone. Sonic is from a universe that's now destroyed, thrust into the remains of his actions face-first, he can't connect with these variants of his friends, and is emotionally alone.

Nine is just a part of the universe Sonic can't stay in, so there's no chance of them ever staying by each other's side, he's alone in both ways.

The universe, the shards won't allow it, thrusting Sonic from Nine via shard or by Sonic himself. Not to mention the inevitable fate that Nine has to face along with his fellow variants.

Their entire relationship is a world of inevitable pain.

5. (Psychological) The Dark Matter, Symbolism, And Complex Themes Of Prime

There's no denying it, at its core, with the sprinkled moments of unease and signs of deeper depths in the first batch, so far Prime's setting up a dark story, one filled with harsh tragedy. Pretty much every character suffers and is going to suffer even more in the second batch, the aspects of Sonic that save the day, Friendship and Hope is actually deconstructed in this show, showing how friendship can become a means of escapism and can't really save the day, and how hope can instead damage someone to denial.

Sonic is without his friends here and the friends he made out of the variants is going to be shattered once they find out the truth, so friendship can't be used, and his hopes to fix the world are...almost desperate, like he doesn't want to acknowledge that maybe it can't be fixed.

Another thing is that Prime actually has a lot of symbolism hidden in it. The Grim being a literal landscape of escapism, Nine's nine tails, the variants themselves being representations of different traits, the palm tree being a symbol of desperate hope, and more.

The final thing is the early complex themes in the show.

The inevitable fact that the variants has to die to restore the world is a very grim one, but it shows how painfully insignificant and meaningless they are in the grand scheme of things. They’re just shards that need to come together. That’s the universe for ya.

The use of "Man vs. Self" in this show instead of having Sonic just save the day and defeat bad guys

The exploration that there's a dark, sad, traumatized part in all of us

The need for balance in everything

The exploration of desire vs need, and most importantly:

Selfishness vs selflessness.

5. (Lovecraft) The Grim Is A Lovecraftian Horror Of Itself

The Grim is hauntingly beautiful. The sky is every color of blue, filled with stars, the ground is orange and endless, and silver crystals jut out of it, some partly buried.

Look at how small and insignificant Nine and Sonic looks here, how vast the Grim is that you can't see where it ends. It's truly an unsettling wonder. It looks unsettling and it is unsettling, not at all an ideal place to live in.

There are no trees, no water, no signs of any life. Nothing. You're alone, surrounded by absolutely nothing. The only thing there is you and your imagination.

Why isn't there any variants here? Why is it so empty? Why doesn't it end?

There's no answer except your own thoughts, speaking much louder now that there's nothing to distract you from them. You're alone, an insignificant speck in a vast world of beauty and isolation.

Paranoia would kick in, you'd think you heard something, but there's nothing there.

That's what the Grim is, it's nothing but you, there's nobody here, there's nothing here, this place never ends, it's the physical representation of isolation, of perfect escapism.

And that couldn’t be more terrifying…