Vibrance the Hedgehog: Reflecting on a Decade of being a Sonic Fan and an Artist
Today is Sonic’s 30th anniversary, and it has me feeling all kinds of sentimental. So today I want to talk about it. A lot of you probably don’t know I’m a Sonic fan unless you follow me on the voice acting side of things. I’ve been Rouge the Bat in a ton of fan projects for years now, and especially with Adrenaline Dubs, a lot of people recognize my voice from the work I’ve done as her.
But believe it or not, Sonic is what started me down my path as an artist. I originally started drawing because a friend of mine did cool Sonic fan art back in 2010, and I wanted to be a part of that. My friends were super into the series, and even though most of us drifted away from it, I held on and hopped from group to group for years. Most treated me like garbage, but there were a few diamonds in the rough that I’ve reconnected with over the years. I got hurt badly enough that I stopped drawing Sonic fan art, I just couldn’t look at it without feeling this sickness in my gut. But last night, I got reminded of a video from like seven years ago where it was just a catchy song and a rapid-fire showcase of Sonic fan characters, and I was compelled to go and doodle the one that meant the most to me. I’m not gonna show it here, because it was late and not a great sketch, but I did want to pull up her original artwork.
This is Vibrance, from May of 2014. At one point in my life, she was my whole world. I had a lot of FCs before her, but she was the one that stood out the most. She was the coolest, this audiokinetic teenager who looked up to Sonic and wanted to be a hero like he was (and had a goal of challenging him to a breakdancing battle, that was a thing). This is the only digital version I have, and it’s pulled from my old DA page. I remember being so proud of this picture, my best friend helped me with it during tech class our junior year of high school (we always finished our work early, and the teacher would let us draw when we did). She did the pants wrinkles, but everything else was mine. I loved this drawing so much that when I went to get my senior photos taken, I posed with it. Drawing this stuff was my entire identity back then (and it wasn’t healthy). I wanted people to see me as a skilled artist, I thought that if I could prove myself in my craft, that I’d have the respect I wanted from people, but the groups I was with were mostly filled with these self righteous donkeys that were more interested in making fun of me than helping me improve.
But that didn’t stop me from improving. Vibe was with me through it all. I transitioned into learning digital art when I reached my last year of high school, mostly because I got my first pen tablet (which I still use to this day). These are some of the pieces I was proud of from 2017. I entered Vibrance into the first annual Pageant Mobius competition, and while I got burnt out and couldn’t keep going, I’m still glad I expanded my horizons and tried new things with these. As I got further into college, got emotionally destroyed in a few relationships, and just had more doubts about my art, I gave up doing Sonic stuff. The last piece I did was this piece of Zonic for my friend Trev, as payment for a favor. That was in 2018, same year I graduated.
I haven’t touched Sonic in a long time, not for art or for pleasure. I joined up with AD mostly because of my friends in the VA scene. If they hadn’t wanted me to stick around, I probably wouldn’t be voice acting for Sonic stuff still. I feel like most people don’t realize I’m an artist these days, given I don’t draw as much, much less post it. They hear my voice, and that’s the thing they want from me. And you know what? Most of the time, I can be okay with that. I get immense joy from voicing characters, be it ones you’re familiar with or personal OCs, hearing people squeal and get excited over having something they love come to life is satisfying.
That’s the thing I always craved with my art and never got, I wanted to share my excitement, and no one wanted to share it with me. And it wasn’t just visual art, it was my stories too. I was a writer long before I ever drew, like I was still learning cursive when I started making up my own stories. Nobody wanted to hear what I had to share, I was just kind of forgotten. I’m still in some places where I’m left out, no matter how much dedication I show in trying to support others, but I’ve finally found places that do want to listen and interact with what I have, where I’m happy to do the same back. Most of those places are tied to Bendy and nutcracker stuff, and it makes me so gosh darn happy to share those things with people. It’s nice to have a space where I finally feel valued.
So now that I have an outlet that gives me that, I think I’m more content with my drawings. I think I’m happier not worrying about what other people think of my art. Sure, I still worry a little bit, I’ve got a lot of great friends who are so skilled at what they do, I don’t want to look bad next to them, and I’m motivated to keep practicing and trying new things in that way. But at the same time, it ultimately doesn’t matter what anyone thinks, I’m having fun creating, and that’s something I missed a lot.
When I look at Sonic, I’m enveloped by this childish wonder. I’m reminded of my first home console game, Sonic Colors, and how much fun I had with it (you can imagine I’m super excited for the remaster this year, that makes me so happy). I’m reminded of my long car rides trying to beat Sonic Rush Adventure, or sharing the Winter Olympics with my friends and sisters. I laugh at stupid inside jokes with some of my friends, the FCs we made, the roleplays we had. I smile when I remember the hype over Mania, or the joy I had going to see the Sonic movie in the theater with my sister (the last public outing I had before the pandemic hit, and it was magical for every moment). When I look at Sonic, I’m reminded of the fact that I had a lot of fun with him. His series was my favorite, because it made me feel like I could be anything I wanted to be. He was brave, charming, and confident in himself, and he was fast, oh gosh was he fast. I needed to see that as a kid, someone who wasn’t afraid to stand up and do the right thing. Every year on his anniversary, I take a moment to celebrate quietly to myself, usually by popping in an old game and playing a level or two. No clue how I’m gonna celebrate this year, but I know this much: even with all the bad things that happened, nothing can take away how much I love this hedgehog, or how important this franchise was to my journey as a creative, and in becoming a better person. You may not see me share much of that nowadays, but I don’t need to be active in the fandom to be a fan. I’ll still hold Sonic close to my heart, even if no one else ever knows about it. Not gonna lie, I’ve cried a few times in writing this post, but I’m glad I said it.
Thank you for reading this. Thank you for listening to my artistic ramblings, for supporting me when I have something to share, for being around when I want to geek out. No matter what you come to my page for, I’m glad I have this blog, along with so many lovely people who fill my heart with so much joy. Happy Birthday Sonic, keep on running.
