cringey_misfortune

Espio. The ninja chameleon. A member of the Chaotix. The invisibility dude. 

I’ve been thinking about him too. 

I feel like he's one of the most overlooked members of the main cast. 

I don't understand why.

He's arguably the straight man of the Chaotix.

He's calm.

He's disciplined.

He's observant.

He's usually the one keeping everyone focused while Vector and Charmy are... well... being Vector and Charmy. Don’t get me wrong, I love them. If anyone deserves a spin off TV series, it's them. 

But they can barely be serious for a few minutes. Especially Charmy. 

What I love about Espio is that he isn't just "the serious ninja."

He writes poetry.

He collects ninja figurines.

He has moments where he's just as much of a lovable idiot as other “goofy” characters.

He's one of the few characters that’s allowed to be competent and dorky.

I think that's a combination that makes him feel incredibly human. Well… as human as an anthropomorphic chameleon can be. 

Honestly...

Why don't more characters go to him for advice?

He’s the kind of person who listens before he speaks. 

He's patient.

He's thoughtful.

He's emotionally intelligent.

The Chaotix Detective Agency is literally open! Especially since they're canonically broke. 

Go ask him for advice! 

I have a feeling he spends more time keeping the Chaotix together than he gets credit for. 

I just know he does. 

I think one of the biggest strengths of the Chaotix is that they're all weird in completely different ways. Espio isn't the exception. He's just better at hiding it. 

He's not "edgy the chameleon."

He's a disciplined ninja who also happens to geek out over hobbies and write poetry.

Okay, I know this is probably going to be a controversial one, but I actually want to defend Princess Elise.

Before anyone says anything: yes, the Sonic/Elise kiss was weird.

I don't love that scene. I wish it never happened. I completely understand why people are uncomfortable with it.

But I also think Elise has been reduced to that one moment for years, and people forget that there was actually a character underneath all of that.

The biggest thing I see people criticize Elise for is the fact that she kissed Sonic, and because of that, some people immediately write her off as a terrible character. But I think that's ignoring the context of Sonic's world.

Sonic is not portrayed as a normal animal. He’s what we call anthropomorphic. He's a character who talks, thinks, makes choices, and has relationships with other characters. So while I personally think the romance is weird and was handled poorly, I don't think the situation is as black and white as people make it out to be. It’s more in a grey area. 

A lot of people are comfortable being attracted to fictional characters in the sonic franchise, but Elise's situation became controversial because of how it was portrayed on screen.

The bigger problem was never Elise herself. The bigger problem was the writing, pacing, and execution of Sonic '06 as a whole.

And honestly? Elise suffered from the same problem as a lot of Sonic '06 characters, especially Silver.

Silver is a genuinely interesting character with a lot of potential, but because his introduction was attached to a messy game, a lot of people only remember the problems. I think Elise is similar.

Because if you actually look at Elise as a character, her story is honestly pretty tragic.

Elise lost her father at a young age. Not only did she have to grieve him, but she was also told that she couldn't cry or show her emotions because doing so could bring disaster upon the world.

Imagine growing up being taught that your own sadness is dangerous.

She was forced to become a ruler while still being a child who never got the chance to properly process her grief. She had the responsibilities of a princess, but she was never really allowed to just be a person.

She spent her entire life isolated.

And then Sonic showed up.

I think this is the part people overlook: Sonic changes people's lives.

That's one of the biggest themes of his character.

Tails was a lonely kid who didn't believe in himself, and Sonic helped him realize his own strength.

Amy learned from Sonic and became someone who followed her own heart instead of just chasing after him.

Blaze learned that she didn't have to carry every burden alone.

Silver found hope because Sonic refused to give up.

And Elise? Elise was someone who spent her whole life being a princess before she was allowed to be a person.

Sonic was the first person who showed her that life could be more than duty. He showed her that she could smile, have fun, and actually experience the world instead of just enduring it.

That's why I don't think her connection with Sonic came completely out of nowhere. Whether you like the romance or not, the idea of Sonic being someone who changes people's lives is very consistent with his character.

I also think people underestimate Elise's courage.

No, she isn't a fighter like Sonic or Blaze. She isn't physically powerful.

But courage doesn't always look like punching an enemy.

Elise kept going despite everything she had been through. She trusted Sonic even when there was no guarantee he would save her. She was willing to take risks because she believed in him. She was one of the few people who never gave up on Sonic when he was gone.

Her strength was emotional.

Was Elise a perfect character? No.

Was her romance with Sonic handled well? Also no.

Did Sonic '06 have a lot of problems? Absolutely.

But I don't think Elise deserves to be remembered only as "the girl who kissed Sonic."

She's a lonely girl who was forced to grow up too quickly, who spent her entire life suppressing her emotions, and who finally met someone who showed her that she was allowed to live. I think that a lot of people, including myself, go through a similar thing to her journey daily. 

I think if the kiss had never happened, more people would judge Elise based on her actual character instead of one controversial scene.

You don't have to ship Sonic and Elise to appreciate what her character was trying to do.

Sometimes a character can be flawed and still be interesting.

Cream perspectives

I've been thinking about Cream lately.

One thing I've always found interesting about her in both canon and fanon is that she's almost always written as the emotional support character.

She's kind. She's patient. She's forgiving. She reminds others to be compassionate.

I love that about her. But I rarely see people ask:

Who's there for Cream?

Sure you could say, Amy.

Or maybe even Shadow.

But are they…really?

Kind people still have bad days. The friend who comforts everyone else needs someone to comfort them. The person who always smiles still has moments where someone should notice that the smile is… off.

I think Cream deserves stories where she gets to lean on someone else for a change.

Not because she's weak.

But because she's human. Well, as human as an anthropomorphic animal could be.

Every Sonic continuity tells a different story and has its own separate canon.

What if they all told the same story?

Sonic: Convergence is my attempt at creating a single unified continuity where the games, IDW, Archie, Underground, Fleetway, and more exist as one interconnected universe. because I'm tired of sonic having so many continuities. also bc I want some characters to exist again.

This blog is where I'll be sharing its worldbuilding, character interpretations, stories, and, of course...

my favorite thing about writing an au is trying to solve one narrative problem and accidentally coming out the other side emotionally attached to a ship with approximately 0.8 seconds of canon interaction.

get ready to witness some of the rarest pairs you've ever seen.