Shadaria, Sonelise, Knuxara, and Roupaz, Oh My!

Growing up together doesnt mean they are siblings. There are barely any info about what their daily lives were like. We dont know if they lived their daily life in the same apartment of the Ark. Shadow never refers to Gerald as his dad or Maria to a sister. The canon says they are friends nothing more nothing less.

Now that I think of it...

Maybe one can even go as far as to say that their dynamic has changed over time and what was to be never was, or maybe it has always stayed the same and the Western audience just strictly views the pair as platonic and familial while a lot of the Japanese audience does not because their relationship was developed differently for each? As far as I know, SEGA Japan and SEGA West can share very different opinions on the 'Sonic the Hedgehog' series and its characters. Maybe that's all there is to it? Feel free to correct me on that part, though. Anyway, I wonder how they'll go about their dynamic in the movie... I'm leaning more towards the sibling route, and I'm perfectly okay with that. I'll just be happy that they show off their strong bond and will connect with each other in ways that weren't explored before in the games. I really don't care how they decide to explore their relationship as long as it sticks to the canon material, with them being depicted as close friends and having an unbreakable bond.

But let's just enjoy their bond for what it is. An unbreakable bond that withstands the test of time.

And I'm just gonna leave this here:

Thank you so much, @elysiumcore for taking the time to write this reblog because it irks me so much too.

Shadow and Maria were never "sibling coded". The sibling-coded argument is dumb and just gives people an excuse to gatekeep and police in the fandom. As a Shadaria/Shadmari shipper, Shadow and Maria's relationship has always resonated with me on a deep and personal level because they have an unbreakable bond that withstands the test of time.

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This blog is dedicated to posting a fan-comic retelling of Sonic: Night of the Werehog, a promotional film created by SEGA and Marza Animation Planet. It is in no way affiliated with the actual companies, and is purely fan-made for fun. All characters are owned by these companies.

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go my shadaria (do not tag as ark siblings) ramblings under the cut

To be transparent, I first discovered STH on my cousin’s Sega Genesis in the mid-90s when I was a pre-teen, before moving on to the Sony PlayStation. I didn’t really engage with the franchise or join the fandom until Year of Shadow and the release of the third live-action film. I enjoyed the first two movies as fun, popcorn-style entertainment, with a cast I liked. Still, it was Sonic 3 that truly drew me deeper, mainly because of Shadow and Maria’s relationship.

When I first witnessed that girl and her hedgehog companion on screen, sitting in that bed of daisies, holding hands and gazing at the stars, I didn’t think of them as siblings. After I went down the information and character history rabbit hole, i.e., watching playthroughs of SA2, and ShTH, SxSG as well as scenes from the Japanese version of Sonic X, (because no way was I trusting a 4KIDS dub to be faithful to the original anime), I still didn’t see them as siblings.

At the conclusion of SxSG Dark Beginnings Episode 3, I couldn't help but notice a classic shoujo anime romance style filter in the scenes where Shadow imagines a life with Maria on Earth had she lived. It evoked memories from my childhood, regarding both anime and Western animation. Growing up in the 90s, I frequently saw interspecies romantic relationships portrayed as a common trope in the animated shows I watched. Think Gargoyles, TMNT, or Biker Mice From Mars; relationships like Vinnie and Charley, Leonardo and Karai, Belle and Beast, and notably, Goliath and Elisa Maza, were familiar examples. To me, Shadaria seamlessly fits into this group, which is probably why I love them so much, beyond their story and individual characterizations.

Of course, the ARK Siblings' relationship is an entirely valid view, as Shadow and Maria’s relationship is open to interpretation. And if the ship isn’t your cup of tea, that’s perfectly fine. What is not fine is the harassment and bullying that occur simply because one likes a ship that you don’t care for. I am a firm believer in the old fandom rule of ‘don’t like, don’t read’ or simply don’t engage if something isn’t for you.

(I know that's easier said than done in this age of social media, where likes and clicks drive the algorithms and engagement. That dopamine hit is strong, after all.)

That said, I will also address the other major issue with Shadaria: the mental gymnastics involving canon that anti-shippers engage in.

“Shadow and Maria have a canonical brother/sister relationship–”

My brothers and sisters in STH shipping fandom, ya’ll be out here shipping Sonadow so ya’ll couldn't care less about canon. But when it comes to Shadaria, suddenly canon matters? Pick a lane, please!

Anti-shippers cite the ShTH manual as reason and definite “proof” of Shadow and Maria’s sibling relationship. Um, excuse me, but never, not once in their entire existence thus far, have Shadow and Maria referred to each other as brother or sister in game canon. If they truly saw each other that way, they would let it slip a few times in game dialogue by now. You know, like Commander Abe Tower has regarding his own relationship to Maria, “Maria was like a sister to me,” and “the only family” he knew. How Maria herself has said that Abe “feels like my little brother,” and Gerald says in his journal that “Maria has become like a big sister to young Abraham.” **Note that Gerald doesn’t use the sibling descriptor when referring to Shadow and Maria's relationship.

I don’t put much stock in Western english language game manuals of yesteryear, such as the ShTH manual stating something like, “Maria was like a sister to Shadow,” as I lived through the DIC Sailor Moon debacle of “Haruka and Michiru are cousins", and 4KIDS censoring and localizing the original Yu-Gi-Oh, Sonic X, and other series to appeal to a much younger demographic, cut and dry Western sensibilities and network advertisers. Heck, even Toonami edited its afternoon programming back in the day. And "like siblings" does not make them siblings. Being raised alongside someone does not necessarily mean you're related to them or that you perceive them as your brother or sister. It all depends how the characters themselves view their relationships with each other. Thus, I do not consider the SEGA America shared promo image of Dark Beginnings, which features Maria and Shadow reaching out to each other, captioned “like long lost siblings.” as gospel. But eh, to each their own.

Finally, I want to emphasize that Shadaria doesn’t interfere with your Sonadow, Shadamy, or any other Shadow ship you enjoy. Maria is long gone in canon, after all.

(I’m harking back to canon here, cause anti-shippers seem to consider it to be non-negotiable when it comes to fandom interpretation and works)

While the fan girl in me wishes SEGA would bring Maria back permanently, perhaps through reincarnation (in the vein of classic anime that dealt with that particular trope such as Yu-Gi-Oh, Inuyasha, Sailor Moon, and PSME) I highly doubt it will happen. And SxSG was, I feel, a swan song for Shadaria. Of course, that won’t make me love the ship any less, and it’s just my opinion based on where I see things heading within the franchise.

incest

in my bingo card for critiques of shadaria I would be seeing in my future when I started shipping them at 12 probably before some of you were born

but unfortunately it seems that invented fanon is making this weird hysteria over a literally normal ship ?

guys. they’re not. they’re not related. this is not an incest ship. literally no one who ships shadaria sees this as an incest ship. in order to ship incest you have to… see the characters as siblings.

I liked ark siblings once. I thought it was really cute. and then I realized that people were taking it, like. way too literally :/ to the point of harassing people.

now I don’t like it so much. and it sucks, because I don’t just like them as a ship. they’re way more complex than that. but this fake dichotomy exists now and it’s shutting every other interpretation of them straight out of the fandom.

As someone who tends to have shipper goggles on lots of times, I will acknowledge that Shadow and Maria are indeed a very special case of people who can’t truly be defined as one thing or another! And the fact that a certain interpretation has taken over fandom to the point where people now believe that it’s

~Canon~

will never cease to amaze me. Like a whole headcanon becoming so popular that it has now led people to being rude to others who may not adhere to that is CRAZY!!!

I thought up these while waiting for a medical procedure, so some of them were emotionally stressed driven at the time. Pardon all the angst, I swear I want them to be happy together, promise! ✨😇✨

🖤 Shadow's favorite scent being lavender is because it reminds him of Maria. Lavender is often associated with healing due to its scent having soothing effects, so I imagine it was used on the ARK while treating Maria. She would often have the lingering smell of lavender, mixed in with the sterile smell from all the medicine and disinfectant. Lavender is also used in symbolisms of protection and devotion, just like how Shadow is towards Maria. When he learned about her using lavender-scented shampoo, he started using it himself so he could sooth her if need be.

🩵 Him and Maria would secretly skate together in one of the bigger, less accessed rooms on the ARK (think sort of like a lobby or ball room). Shadow had his hover shoes, but Maria would just slide around on her socks after the room was polished. She never did improve much in her skills like Shadow did, but he was okay with taking the lead and guiding her along.

🖤 Maria would sometimes play the guitar (yes movie reference 'cause I think it's neat), though due to her condition and her time being taken up with tests and her education, she didn't have much time to practice. She mostly only knew how to play a few songs, but Shadow always loved to just sit and watch her play, listening to the melody. Some days she was too weak to play, her fingers shaking and the weight of the instrument causing it to slip from her grip. She'd grow frustrated with herself and her condition, leading to her playing it less and less over time.

🩵 Maria had a little radio that sometimes worked and would be used for background music while she and Shadow worked together on something (like homework or a project). Some of their favorite songs were "Fly Me to the Moon," "Catch a Falling Star," and "I Remember You."

(Actually, on that same note, I recommend Good Company from Oliver & Company. That song reminds me of these two. I can just imagine Maria singing it to Shadow~)

🖤 There was an incident where Maria refused one of her tests due to it being too invasive, and she ended up running into the bathroom and locking it, refusing to come out. Her grandfather was too busy at the time, so the other scientists asked Shadow to retrieve her, but he refused. Instead, he sat outside the door and just talked to her and let her confide in him. After learning about the test and why it was suggested, he decided to take her place with a different test. He didn’t want her going through any more suffering or discomfort, willing to give up his own comfort, limbs, senses, anything just to be her cure.

🩵 Some days were rougher than others for Maria, her condition leaving her bedridden and unable to do anything. Shadow would stay by her side during these times, refusing to do any tests until Maria was better again. He'd read to her, talk to her, play games with her, and sometimes, if she was too tense to sleep, hold her hand or crawl into bed with her so she could smell the lavender from his quills.

🖤 Shadow's the only one to ever see Maria cry. She tries to put on a brave face as not to worry her grandfather or the others on the ARK, but she's still just a child dealing with the knowledge that any day could be her last. So, when it gets to be too much and she can't hold it together anymore, she finds somewhere private to cry it out. Shadow has accidently found her like this and stayed by her to comfort and be there for her. She hates worrying him too but appreciates having someone there who'll listen and not dismiss her feelings and fears. The adults on the ARK don't really understand and struggle to sooth her, but Shadow... Shadow knows just what to say and how to react when she's like this.

🩵 There were a few books on the ARK, mostly science and school related, with a few classic literatures thrown in there as well. One of these books (and one of Shadow’s favorites) was Beauty and the Beast. A story about a monstrous-looking guy with a heart of gold and a beautiful, kind woman falling in love both fascinated him and felt oddly familiar. Is it truly possible for a love like that to form outside of mere fiction? Maria seemed to think so when he asked her about it.

🖤 Maria would help groom Shadow since certain parts of his quills are hard to access and the ARK wasn’t equipped with products specifically designed for hedgehogs. She was always gentle and soothing when she did it, often lulling him to near sleep. His quills would also occasionally shed in large amounts and one particular incident left Maria’s bed full of them, pricking her awake one morning. He was so embarrassed, but she just thought it was funny and cute.

🩵 Maria would talk for hours about all the things she wanted to do once she returned to Earth. All the places she’d go, the things she’d experience, the people she’d meet. “There’s just so much to do on Earth. It has so many things to offer.” she’d tell him. So many places she hasn’t been to yet, all of the foods she’d like to try, getting to see nature and witness it in person. “And you’ll be right there with me, experiencing it all right alongside me.” She really hyped up Earth to Shadow and even managed to get him excited about going there somebody too.

🖤 Maria really was special to Shadow in that, she was the only one on board the ARK he truly considered a friend. Someone he felt comfortable enough talking to and sharing things with, knowing she wouldn’t judge or view him as the living embodiment of an alien cure. She treated him like an equal, like a kid her age, like a thinking, feeling, person. She was the only one he felt comfortable enough to let touch him (outside of tests) like hugging and holding hands.

your prototypes want your girl

(References under the cut)