THE ULTIMATE LIFEFORM.

this is where Papa gets unhinged. now i know everyone and their MAMA loves Shadow but seriously. he means so much to me. genuinely he helps me through life yes it sounds dumb and cringe. its gonna get worse buddy don't read ahead if youre already cringed out you won't like it.

I wish i could say that i loved Shadow my whole life but honestly I didn't. I know fake fan kill me 💔 to be honest it was quite the opposite? I didn't didn't HATE Shadow but, i do not even remember like. knowing he existed as a kid (and i was a sonic fan briefly and STILL?) it was around 2023 where there was proof i knew of his existence (aka a very shitty edit i made. im not showing it) but tbh in 2023 I wasn't focused on Shadow, or just Sonic. it was something else that was. much cringier💔 but that's besides the point. in around 2025, i finally gaf about Sonic and subsequently, Shadow.

I have this thing where i have a giant year long hyperfixation that soon dies, and another takes its place for a year, rinse and repeat. i cant say the fate might be much different with Sonic, but i know that Shadow has made it much more different. in my life, i got "crushes" on characters sure, but with Shadow? it's been more intense than the others. no i dont want to like fuck a hedgehog im not a freak like that. with me being aegoromantic, I process 'love' differently. it's hard to explain how i intricately feel about Shadow, it's not love per se, but its the closest to it maybe! am I saying i would date Shadow? again, no. i really cant explain what i really do feel about him, but it's the closest to love ill probably get. i just wanna give him headpats and say that everything will be okay in the end💔 he needs to hear that.

okay WOAH I went off track woops lol. anyway, i really dont rember the specific date when i really started liking Shadow, but as far as i know, February 4th 2025 is the date that echos in my head, as the first time I ever drew Shadow (it looked like ass). Ever since, i loved him. Around then, i watched a Shadow Generations stream with my sister and NO JOKE I LITERALLY STATED CRYING AT THE FIRST SEGMENT WHICH WAS DARK BEGINNINGS. HE SO CUTE ohhhh my lord. i crode so hard💔 still to this day i tear up at that. that and the end of Shadow Generations OHHHH MY BABY☹️ not to sound like crying makes me the superior Shadow fan but MAN. this guy makes me SAD. to be honest ive always liked characters who obviously need comfort. maybe that's a projection thing but i cant help it. and Shadow is like the number one guy who needs it💔 so it's obvious why id gravitate towards him. also, hes almost exactly my type (in like a platonic way though). i myself am emo / goth (before anyone gets on my (ASS yes i know they are different subcultures. i am both) and Shadow is THE N1 EMO. DONT EVEN JOKE LAD. MY IRL FRIEND CALLED HIM AN EBOY AND I TWEAKED SO HARD MAN. SHADOW WAS AROUND WAYYYY BEFORE E BOYS. THIS GUYS AN EMO FOUNDING FATHER. sorry sorry i just get worked up about that. also, out of all the Sonic characters, i just find his backstory so raw. i dont know. theres probably Sonic characters with worse ones sure but DAMN IS IT HEARTBREAKING. maybe because its just so. Real? i dont know. I think sega (especially recently) has done a great job representing grief in Shadow's story. although, i do think they should like actually give him a new arc. listen i love Shadow's backstory but it's been like 20 years and were still on abt it /LH . Shadow Generations really gives an opportunity for Shadow to turn a new leaf. im not saying he should completely move on, but I think its the next step for him naturally. to show that the pain never leaves, but to accept and grow around it? i dont know how to word it. Anyway yeah, Shadow's story is relatable to a lot of people im sure. personally, theres not really been anyone in my life ive grieved over that bad. but Shadow's story does such a good job at really making you sympathize with him and understand his pain, why he makes the decisions he does. just why he is the way he is. i really hope we see Shadow become more happier in upcoming games :-) Im not saying he should be like Balls on the wall happy but just out of this weird indifference state. ( btw i don't mean his personality he's perfect the way he is I mean like . his view on life in general tbh ? idk anymore man . ) but thats all my opinion anyway

I feel like some people mischaracterize Shadow so fucking bad . i roll my eyes when he's depicted as a heartless evil bad guy, when that is just not the case at all. Shadow is someone who is ultimately—dealing with grief and trauma. the moment a kids franchise character is morally grey i guess all contexture dies💔 no but seriously, I feel like most of Shadow's personality, actions and train of logic can be explained by the stem of his trauma. I'm not defending the ending where he literally kills the population or anything like that, but that also can be explained by... you know. Shadow was at the start of SHTH, quite vulnerable. not remembering his past, or who he really is. Black Doom took advantage of that fact, and practically manipulated Shadow into being his lackey and doing his dirty work. is that his fault? yeah partially. but is that ending even canon? obviously not. anyway im getting sidetracked. i mean i also love edgy Shadow. with his guns AND MOTORCYCLE but at the same time... I feel like people saw that and really just chalked Shadow up to that. but he is so much more than that. he has so much interesting moments and character outside of his edginess. me personally, I much more want to see Shadow's rare tender side. The things that the IDW comics (as it stands in 2025, when I'm writing this. i am aware of the issue coming out just with Shadow and trust me im excited), That fuck ass Sonic Boom episode, and even Sonic 3 tends to not show. I get it's to really make those moments extra special when we do see Shadow be thoughtful, and i get that most thie things I listed above have usually, not the time to explore all of Shadow's lore. and im not asking for that. but what I personally wanna see is more moments like in TMOSTH, when Shadow is caught purchasing concert tickets for Amy. it's a miniscule part in the game, but it really shows that Shadow cares about the people around him to a degree. Him and Sonic don't hate eachother like at all, it's just their conflicting worldviews and personalites that make them butt heads. The whole thing at the end of SxSG when Shadow says he's letting go of all thst excessive anger--means something to me. Shadow is a character who is just trying to find himself and let go—not of his past, but the anger at the world because of it. that makes Shadow so interesting. and seeing him get bogged down to appeal to flanderization hurts me so much. anyway if this paragraph is better written than the rest it's because I wrote it a month after all the other ones.

Here I come defending Shadow some more. but I've seen some people give Shadow flack for hating humanity, but at the same time, how is he not supposed to? i mean, i understand hate might be an overstatement maybe, but first, people cope differently. So Shadow might not be ready to accept humanity yet. second, I mean he's not wrong? Think of all the atrocities that people commit onto other people for even a second, and I think it's pretty fair as to why he thinks that. Now im not saying I'm a cynic by any means, but i understand it. Now, i am an optimist and try to personally make the best of everything on earth, but I understand Shadow's frustration—especially to the government. I'm not saying the conglomerate of SEGA is 'based' for having a story that slightly agrees with what i think, but Shadow's story definitely has undertones (maybe even overtones) about the recklessness of their government, especially G.U.N. We see in Gerald's journal how much G.U.N was pressuring the old man to make him a weapon. And when they realize Shadow might be dangerous or something (I'm blanking on details right now), their recklessness ends up with the death of an innocent girl who didn't (directly) have any involvement with shadows creation. And that does mirror a lot of sad, situations in real life of how our armies can be reckless and not take their roles as seriously as they are. but I'm not going to sit here and talk about all the political similaritites with SHTH and irl. but that's all to say, thats another reason why i love Shadow so much. he's such an interesting character and i really love his backstory ♡♡♡♡ aww I love you Shadow ♡♡♡♡♡

more reasons why i love Shadow: old man. im so sick of hearing mfs say hes 15 DONT PISS ME OFF. I mean i guess believe what you want but im sick of teenagers in my media not even for gooning purposes but it juet. don't mske sense to me personally 💔 I've yapped about this numerous times so I'm not gna bore you but i think its more fun to visualize Shadow as a 50 year old. not to be That Guy but nothing about Shadow screams 15 to me. he dont act 15 he don't sound 15 he doesn't think like any 15 year old I know WHATEVER. thats my personal belief that helps me sleep at night anyway❤️ even though he was cryogenically frozen i love headcannoning Shadow with wrinkles and Back Pain❤️ I dont think hes good at tech at all and he hates modern phones❤️love him

also maybe my bias is showing but like. Shadowd has so much Swag tbh. like put his palette on any other character and it looks like someones edgy sonic oc but Shadow... hes just so TASTEFUL. INNOVATIVE. like he doesn't scream corny emo at all its amazing. even in boom hes not Deplorable surprisingly. Shadow just has Aura i guess lol he's so awesome DONT EVEN TRY TO DISAGREE. YOULL MAKE A FOOL OF YOURSELF BRUH

next part im rlly getting strange sorry. the the Creatures that live in me said this but now im hcing (and maybe oocing as well haha) LOOK AWAY THIS IS EMBARRASSING but really. I think Shadow's fur is soooo soft and fluffy hehe. especially his chest fur LORRRD I wanna pet it. i wanna pet him on da head so bad :-3 this yaoi shit get serious.💔 I know im kinda being hypocritical to what i said earlier but honestly if i actually saw Shadow irl in the flesh id kms (/hsrs). but STILL like i wanna give him kisses all over like HES SO CUTE. SO CUTIFUL. i think Shadow would secretly like headpats tbh. praise All the nine yards💔 Oh to have him in my arms. no seriously i think hed have paws YOU GUYS WANT FEET????? MF HAS PAWS and its adorable awww awwww babayyy. I think hed hava a lot of kitty traits for no reason. but because its based. hedgehogs can purr irl but i think Shadow would purr like a cat instead becuz all of my headcannons are based in reality. i think itd only happen when hes really content so its rare. hed also probably use it to self soothe when hes anxious or sad Awww aww babay boy noo💔 I think hed nuzzle sometimes too beacause why the fuck not. Shadow acts like he doesn't need ffection but tbh he really secretly loves it. hes the sweetest evaa <33333 > also DAT ONE SCENE IN DARK BEGINNINGS AND SHADOW GENERATIONS TELL ME THAT SHADOW LOVES GETTING HIS FACE CUPPED and its adorable like my sweetie i will give you that and everything else awww dont be shy ^_^ HELP THIS IS SOOO CRINGE. do you guys think he whimpers /REF /JJJJJJJJJ IM SORRRRAYYYYY.

anyway, I'll probably be adding to this section til the end of days. but i honestly love Shadow the Hedgehog so, so much. he means the world to me. i understand he's very popular, and for good reason. I love everything about Shadow and i imagine a world where he can be slightly, happier :-) no honestly though he's so perfect. and all of his flaws are in of themselves--insanely interesting. he's such a well written character and i adore him to fucking pieces and i hope maybe by reading this I may have opened your eyes a little to this fucking. FAGGOT. honestly some of the stuff i wrote here I no longer agree or personally think it's er, too unprofessional. but I don't know. most I still agrre with tho so eh. anyway i LOVE YOU SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG AGHHHG !!!!!