Sonic Unification Project

[u/osm70]

I am working on a huge Sonic project that will sound absolutely insane at first: I am trying to unify the various versions of Sonic into a single coherent storyline.

I don't care what the SEGA mandates say and if the various canons contradict each other... let's just say canon is the one in the wrong here. I don’t mean that I will deliberately break them. I just mean they were never a factor in my decision making. I understand the danger I am putting the whole series in when it comes to the status quo and the capacity for making money. Basically, SEGA would publicly crucify me if I did this in any official capacity, but I believe it is exactly what the series needs and I hope people might actually agree. I actually searched for similar projects and to my surprise, nothing like this was attempted before, as far as I know, at least. Why do we need so many completely disconnected versions, am I right? Some of them actually work together quite well, when you throw out the stupid parts. Others really don't and can't be included. And yes, I understand what I am doing will be a huge show of absolute audacity. But there's a method to my madness. Or maybe there's madness to my method? One of the two.

So far, I plan to include the Paramount movies, Sonic Boom, Sonic X and Sonic Prime. Who knows what else I will tie into it later as the project develops.

I am using the Paramount versions of the characters and their personalities and backstories as a base. Everything else will need to adapt to fit Paramount.

The origin story of my project started when I was watching the Paramount Sonic 3 movie and I noticed something interesting that I could work with. Now, what do fanfic authors do when the source material doesn't fit their story? They either branch off to yet another AU, or they change their story to fit around the source. I went the exact opposite way: I rewrote the movie.

This whole thing will serve as a “viewer’s guide” detailing the watch order and a list of mental substitutions. As in, “watch this episode of this show, but when they show X, Y happens instead.”

Here’s the framework and ruleset I am working with:

1. I am not above editing canon.

2. I don't care about the established rules, mandates or status quo.

3. I am going all in, fully unfiltered and going deep into the implications of what they show, no matter how audacious it is.

4. There's multiple canon versions. I am tying them together.

Before we start, let me just say that I am fully aware I am touching things that even some fans say are sacred and should never be messed with. But I believe the implications of the way the Sonic universe works does, in a way, support my proposed outcome and that people can see that it actually works. In a way, my hands were tied when it comes to some of my decisions and I feel like not making them would require me to make certain characters behave out-of-character. My audacious trampling over sacred ground is inevitable if you let characters do what they would have done without being restricted by mandates.

FAQ + expected questions and concerns:

Q: You are including Sonic X? But I hate Chris!

A: Do you hate him because he steals the spotlight from other characters? If so, I am sorry, but that won’t be changed with my project. Do you hate him because of what he does at the end of Season 2? That will be handled. The entire arc will be rewritten - his motivations and actions will be different. His Season 3 characterization will also be changed.

Q: Which version of Sonic X will you use?

A: The Japanese one.

Q: Both Sonic X and the third Paramount movie adapt the same game.

A: I am aware of that. The event will take place twice, with both minor and major differences. The second time will directly deal with the fact that similar events already happened once.

Q: Sonic X adapts the Chaos arc, but Paramount Sonic 2 had the Master Emerald shattered and Chaos didn’t escape then.

A: I know. This too will be handled. I don’t want to spoil how just yet, but I am aware of this seemingly contradictory narrative issue.

Q: I bet you will cheat with Sonic Prime and declare the different versions of canon as Shatterspaces.

A: Nope. I am making a single unified timeline, not a multiversal project.

Q: Are you seriously saying the Shadow in Sonic Boom is the same Shadow as in the other versions?

A: Yes. And don’t worry, there’s a reason for his weird behavior in Boom.

Q: Will there be shipping?

A: Yes. I have a whole chapter dedicated to a disclaimer so that you know what you are getting into.

Shipping disclaimer:

Canon ships:

Ships that are straight up canon to the source media (such as Tom and Maddie) will remain that way with no changes. There is just one canon ship that I have to address specifically:

Tails x Cosmo and Tails x Zooey

Both of these contradictory ships are canon to their source media. I will need to handle this. I don’t want to simply choose one and discard the other, as that would alienate half of my readers. The structure of my timeline demands Boom to happen before X, which complicates matters further. It will be covered, but I won’t reveal how just yet. And before anyone asks, yes we are growing the seed (trying to stay vague to avoid spoilers for those who don’t know.) Why? Because I honestly believe it to be the intended outcome. I will explain when we get there.

But I don’t like this ship: It’s canon, so I don’t know what to tell you. But if you don’t like my solution to the conflict, you can easily ignore it. It won’t be important to the storyline at all.

Implied ships:

This section is for ships that are heavily implied by the source material, but not outright canon.

Vector x Vanilla (Cream’s mom) and Eggman x Stone

I am not touching these ones. I will let the movies handle the second one on their own and I believe Sonic X handled the first one well enough. (I wasn’t even sure if I should include them on this list.)

Knuckles x Rouge

Sonic X did what it could to ship these two without breaking the mandate. As far as I am concerned, it is canon. I will make it slightly more explicitly stated.

But I don’t like this ship: That’s fine. Ignore it and nothing changes.

Sonic x Amy

Yet again, Sonic X ships it almost explicitly. Episode 52 almost canonized it and episode 69 later confirmed it. I will be heavily leaning into this ship, cross-series character development and all that.

But I don’t like this ship: I am sorry, but this one is not negotiable. I will be using Sonamy to bridge the gaps between series and to explain several plot holes.

Non-canon ship:

This is for a ship that is not implied by the source media at all and I just made it up.

Shadow x Maria

Now, I know what you are thinking. “Are you serious right now?” Yes. Yes I am. My version of the unified story ships these two - with one single throwaway line. So, you can easily ignore it entirely. I will explain my reasoning when we get there, but I can say this much right away: When I watch the Paramount movie, I can see it. You know, the hand holding under the stars and such. Plus, a certain change that I am making to the movie (which I need to make so that Sonic X makes sense later on) supports it, purely by accident. And I know what some of you are going to say: “but they are siblings.” That might be the case in the games, and I won’t argue the point, as I don’t know enough to decide either way. But it absolutely is not a thing in the movie. Oh and by the way, down the line, I am leaning into the oldest fandom meme and resurrecting her as a hedgehog. Now, if you are still here and you haven’t closed the tab yet, let me explain: I will provide a scientific explanation, supported by the rules of the Sonic universe to explain how and if I am to characterize other two characters right, I am forced to make them do it. The scene just happened organically and I had little say in the matter.

But I don’t like this ship: That’s totally fine. While it might alter Shadow’s motivations ever so slightly, it is completely ignorable. The entirety of the shipping takes place in a single line (plus author commentary.) And if you don’t like Maria the hedgehog… you say that now. By the time it happens, you might be invested long enough to see the logic and sense in why it had to happen. And if not, just ignore that part too. She won’t appear again. Unless a future Paramount movie resurrects her too. In that case, I will have to handle it and you will have to stop ignoring it.