wildfire

I've always found "shipping" to be annoying no matter who's being shipped.  But the cross media shipping thing is more than a little stupid.  Now that I've gotten that off of my chest...

As far as Sonic's relationships with various characters.  I don't tend to pair him with anyone for any particular reason.  In SatAM he was with Sally, both assumed and referenced (by him at least) and that was simply the way it was.  I tend to think of the different versions of Sonic as different continuities.  Archie's universe could have entirely different outcomes than the SatAM series and I wouldn't shed a tear.  The two are different, and should stay that way.  In the games, I've always thought Sonic was in love with adventure more than anything else.  Stopping Robotnik and being the hero were just icing on the cake for him as long as he got to go to places he'd never been and do things he'd never done.  A girlfriend would only get in the way of this.  Now a casual fling on the other hand isn't out of the question, but a serious relationship isn't a good idea.  The reason Sonic and Sally worked so well is that Sonic's character is more grounded in SatAM than anywhere else.  He has clear motivations and goals to achieve, along with the conviction to see things through.  Sally would be the best choice for him in terms of relationships because she most closely shares his goals and desires. It doesn't hurt that she balances him out and curbs his wild nature, thusly keeping him focused and on track.  The pair have chemistry together because they compliment one another, and that's what makes for a lasting relationship.

Of course I could just be reading way too far into things...

We've already seen several versions of the future where Sonic and Sally wind up together.  And granted, that was pre Genesis Wave, but it still happened.  I guess what I'm saying is that while i'll always have a soft spot for the Sonic coupling of my youth, I'm open to the idea of Sonic being a loner with no girlfriend or what have you.  My biggest fear isn't that Sonic and Sally don't end up together.  It's that through some fuckery or another Sally and the FF cease to exist in the Sonic Universe at all.  That's why I've been more or less ok with all the character design changes and such.  At least my favorite characters are still around.  I'd be willing to witness a Sonic world where he and Sally aren't together, as long as Sally's still there.  Besides, we know she's the only one that can keep Sonic's attention for more than five seconds.  Maybe it's time to let something new play out for a while, you know?  See where the writers want to take that particular arc.

I do agree on the Amy thing, she's more Tails' age in the comics.  But then the Genesis Wave changed a lot, so maybe she's actually supposed to be 16 now.  Eh, I'd still hit it...

Modern Sonic fans are by and large completely unaware of the existence of SatAM, and therein lies the problem.  I once read a letter in Sonic Grams that pissed me off to no end, mostly because a fan (admittedly a child of something around 7) had no idea whatsoever that the SatAM crew are actually licensed characters owned by SEGA as well as DiC, Archie, and ABC.  The whole thing upset me to such a degree that I ranted about it here something like three boards ago, that's how long it's been since I read Archie Sonic.

But either way.  The vast majority of Sonic's current fanbase only has the games as a source of knowledge about The Blue Blur.  While this isn't a bad thing per-se, I personally believe that as fans it is our responsibility to make others aware of the existence of SatAM and all other areas of Sonic fandom.  I've read at least one issue of every Sonic comic I could get my hands on.  I've seen at least SOMETHING of every Sonic cartoon and anime out there.  And I play as many of the games as I can get my hands on.  I love Sonic the Hedgehog, ever since I was five years old.  The color and speed of it all blew my mind back in 1991, and if you had told me I'd still be playing Sonic 23 years later on systems that make the Genesis their bitch I've thought you were crazy.  I don't think it's fair to judge other fans of Sonic as being less or more than myself.  I am what I am, simply, a fan of a long running video game series.  I guess my point is, that a lot of these other fans have a limited grasp of Sonic's lore and therefore have no idea there's soo much more out there for them to explore.  I show SatAM to anyone who claims to be a Sonic fan.  Some people love it, some people don't.  But the point is, I did my duty as a fan by showing others what it is I love about the series.  I love all things Sonic, but SatAM holds a special place in my heart and always will.  I still sit in my undies, same as I did when I was eight, and watch SatAM occasionally.  That trip down memory lane always makes me smile.  In short, as fans we owe it to ourselves to show others the things we love.  Whatever you know about Sonic's past, share it with those that don't.  You may be surprised by the results you get.  My nephew loved SatAM when I showed it to him.  The 90's are still very much alive, you just gotta know where to look.