drowning in the Solarballs fandom

They were missing one.  Where, where, where- "Desdemona!!" He whisper-screamed, cursing under his breath. He frantically looked around, had she fallen? Had she slipped? Did she get- -She was ahead, next to Guillermo who Uranus had accidentally left behind, clearly admiring the beast's flames.

Obviously these copies are creepy fakes, but they're bringing up things that have been either old wounds from both their pasts, real doubts and questions they've both had, and forcing them to face it. And they both think they're talking to the real deal.

Amy used to be somewhat frustrated by Sonic because she loved him, but he wasn't the romantic knight in shining armor type that she dreamed of. He didn't listen to her for a while and didn't let her come with him on his adventures. Now, as they've gotten older and become real friends, he has willingly let her join him, and he doesn't mind following her lead a lot of the time. (Not always, but a lot.) And Amy doesn't mind at all that he's not a romantic like her. She's accepted him for who he is. And yet, a strange reminder that he's not always going to do what she wants? Straight from who she thinks is really him? A little hurtful.

Sonic took a while to understand that his friends, y'know, actually wanted to spend time with him and be with him. He's been an independent soul for probably as long as he can remember, and had an oddball streak of social awkwardness that manifested in him just not picking up on how much he was loved. And not in a self-depreciating way, either. He just didn't think about it.

Amy specifically struggled to keep up with him back in the day, constantly trying to make herself useful to him so he'd let her tag along. Of course, that's not why they're such close friends today. They're best friends now because they've both matured a lot since then, and have been through a ton of genuine stuff together. But it was an insecurity that she carried for a long time.

Amy started working on herself because of Sonic. Not just to impress him, but he was an inspiration to her to become her own hero, become strong, become someone he could rely on. Through that journey, she became a leader and more of her own person (while still keeping her love for him in a more healthy way, I should add). She never boasts about this, though. It's just part of how she's grown.

But there's that streak of doubt, still. The idea that she's only doing what she's doing to impress others, impress him, whatever. It definitely started that way, but nowadays it's a part of her. And yet...

Through all this creepy mess, the mastermind is using their faces to worm his way into their heads. Trying to reopen past wounds. Make them question themselves.

Even Sonic, normally so hard to shake up, is freaked out by this. He was unsettled and on his guard this whole issue (to the point Amy asked if he was okay twice). And now he thinks one of his closest friends is challenging him on whether he cares about her and the others. He even stammers here. If it was coming from a villain, he would brush this off.

Not when he thinks it's one of his friends.

To my knowledge, no Sonic villain has done this before. Because it's insanely genius; Sonic is confident, unshakeable, and uncompromising on how he behaves— unless one of his inner circle questions him. I'd go as far as to say that Tails and Amy are the only people whose opinions could possibly affect him (I'd say Knuckles too, but something's a little different there). Remember that time in Sonic Frontiers when the real Amy challenged him on leaving the Koco behind? If it was anyone else, he wouldn't have cared what they thought he was doing. But it was Amy. He got defensive (briefly) but decided to explain himself to her. (And it was because he cared about her so much that he was doing what he was doing, as the cherry on top!)

Amy is obviously the most emotionally vulnerable when it comes to Sonic's opinion of her. She's stopped letting it define her, but he's still the most important person in her world, and she still loves him to death; of course his thoughts matter a huge deal to her. So if she thinks he's mocking her for the person she's become, of course she's gonna be a lot more confused and hurt than if it was most other people.

AND THIS PANEL...

They both recognize that these aren't things the other would usually say. But just KILL ME NOW with how he's reaching out for her and she's wanting to but she's scared to touch "him" 😭😭😭😭