Hey guys! This is Nargan.
Today is November 24, 2016. Thanksgiving in the United States. The more I think about it the more things I have to be thankful for, not only in my life but even in our community of fans who adore a blue hedgehog who runs fast. We may get into arguments over moons and continuity errors. We may start some over the top drama about something like Sonic Theories. (Hypothetically speaking of course.) We may even get into heated debates over whether or not a game that was obviously not ready for release and is riddled with bugs is actually the slightest bit good at all. (It's not.) But through it all, this fanbase is stronger than ever, and I'm thankful for it. Here are the main things that I'm thankful for in the Sonic fanbase and the series as a whole. Aaron Webber: This man. Where do I even start? His memes have lifted all of our spirits on one occasion or another. His cheery attitude can help us through the darkest of droughts. His hidden clues throughout many posts over the last year led me personally to have some of the most fun I've ever had just looking at pictures of all things. It was great to go back to the account to find a video of Sonic floating in space with a morse code message that would be deciphered hours later to read "life is rarely black and..." These pictures and gifs weren't just fun though. They showed the true fan behind the memes. The references he would pull out of nowhere would delight many a fan. It was clear and apparent that he truly loved this series. Everything he did was for Sonic, and it was all in good fun. I think my favorite memory with Webber thus far has to be the now famous (or infamous) "Attack Helicopter" tweet. I don't care what your stand is on the matter, whether it's "bullying" (Shoutout to BBFA3) or "discrimination" or whatever. That was funny. That was Sonic. That was the Sonic PR team putting themselves on the map. Sonic is relevant because of these kinds of messages. I've heard it said that Webber is "trying to run the account through the eyes of 90's Sonic." If that's true, Sonic wouldn't care about being Politically Correct and Sonic would never care about others opinions. This section has kind of turned into a rant but I think you get my point. Webber has turned Sonic around and I love him for it. He has certainly changed the opinion and culture surrounding this brand. Sonic Mania: I really don't have to say that much about this game, but how can you not? A fully fledged 16/32 bit 2D Sonic game years after Sonic 4. A true tribute to Sonic 3 & Knuckles done the right way. Just look at it. It's beautiful. The new zones are fantastic, and we've only seen two of them! Yeah Green Hill Zone is there but it's been thrown for a loop. (...ha.) The main reason to be excited about these remixed levels is that Green Hill is the most tame level. And you know that if that's the most tame, then we are going to have some ridiculous levels coming down the line. You won't even recognize some of them. Studiopolis' music is a joy to listen to, while Mirage Saloon brings back memories of a popular favorite Sonic CD. Tee Lopes knows what he's doing with years of experience under his belt. (If you haven't heard his Mystic Cave Sonic 2 HD remix yet, do it) Stealth and Taxman return to the Sonic scene as well, this time as fans-turned-developers to work on Mania as the lead designers and programmers. Overall what is there in this game to not be excited about? Eh. Ok, Knuckles is a bit too pink, but at the end of the day, if this is my main complaint, then this could be one of the best games in all of the Sonic series. Sonic Team: They did it. This year they finally did it. They revealed a new Sonic game and they took their time. It was a great feeling. When Project Sonic 2017 got revealed, I didn't even care that we would have to wait for a year and a half for this game. They seem to be putting some polish on this game. And that's really all we wanted. A game that wasn't rushed to meet a release window. A game that returned to the boost formula. (Well that was a lot of fans hopes) But still, it's incredible that we have this game on the way, that with this much time in development, should be able to top Generations in every way. My friends and fellow fans: My last point to talk on today is the state of the fans. We have long been the laughingstock of the internet. We have been made fun of more times than anyone can even count. ...We apparently have a romantic attraction to Big the Cat? (I'm not completely over the GameScoop debacle) But I think that this has made us stronger. This has made us grow as a community. To unite. Not to shut everyone out but to actually listen to others' opinions as well, which I don't find common across the web. While I'm not saying that we agree with everyone, I believe that we have grown to listen more than we used to. We have become closer to each other over silly things like memes and Totinos Stuffed Nachos. Over Sonic Shuffle and admittedly Big the Cat. Fans like Matt from TailsChannel and Emi Jones have kept this fanbase strong with more positivity than we've seen in a long time, and I think we owe a lot to them and fans like them all across the fanbase. Like I mentioned earlier, we do still get divided over some things like Sonic Theories, gone are the days of flame wars blazing through forums, with fans debating the Classic, Modern, and Adventure eras to no end. (For the most part) And overall, I'm proud of us. I'm proud that we've grown up. I'm thankful for all of my friends that I've met throughout the community through the years. And lastly, I hope that we can all come together next year, put aside out differences, and bury our faces in Sonic Mania for a few months. Because seriously you know that's all we'll be doing next Summer.
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