This is a repost of my Livejoural.

It's not a typical "the characters aren't real, so stop these stupid wars" post.

This is a lament on how badly the Sonic fandom has suffered from these couple wars.

---

The State of Sonic Fandom

While every fandom has its extremists, Sonic fans are by far, the worst I have ever seen.

Sometimes, I almost feel ashamed to be a Sonic fan, because of all the couple-nazis. I once got chewed up and brutally attacked because of a fanfiction I wrote, Fantasy Mirror...for the sole reason that Sonic and Amy broke up. It wasn't an anti-couple piece, it was about the two of them discovering that what they want, the other can't provide, and they can't give what the other wants. What, now I can't write stories without couples having happy endings?

Character hate is getting out of hand. Where do people get off calling Rouge a slut? What has she done to earn the title? Yes, she is a manipulative little biatch, but does she ever use her body as a weapon? And people seem to conviently forget that she still does have feelings and knows when to stop. Hate Blaze just because you don't like Sonic x Blaze? How about hating Cosmo because she "interferes" with Tails x Cream?

I have a genuine hate for Cosmo, but not because of Tails x Cream. Hating a character because she "ruins" your favorite couple is stupid and petty. (Sorry, I don't do the whole combining two names thing...sounds really dumb if you ask me) I thought her character was horrible, akin to a Mary Sue, or a bad fancharacter who was created for the sole purpose of being a girlfriend. But that's just me. However, I don't do the whole kill thing.

And the Sonic x Blaze vs. Sonic x Amy thing I won't even touch with a thirty-nine and a half foot pole. This coupling war has dethroned Knuckles x Rouge vs. Shadow x Rouge and now reigns supreme as the fiercest couple war EVER. (Not an easy feat, mind you)

People are SO obsessed with couples. So obsessed they're willing to fight tooth and nail over them. Ever notice that the fanfictions that get the most reviews are the ones that feature couples, and others, like adventure stories, or character-insight pieces get what, six reviews, and that's it?

Fandom, like fanfiction and fanart is for exploring where the canon does not tread. In Sonic, this is especially true since Sonic Team is against putting characters together officially. Fandom is for everyone to find their own little place and take things further and pick up where the games/comics/shows leave off. It's not JUST about who gets together and who doesn't. It's more than that. It's for diving deeper into the minds of the characters. It's for describing what went on in their minds as this scene was happening. It's for the "what ifs" the laws of canon can't...or won't...allow.

We are all free to think and like what couples, characters, and things we want. We are also free to dislike and hate what couples, characters, and things we want, and we should be able to express those preferences however we choose. We probably already know that. What we still need to learn is, that we need to coexist with each other peacefully. We could learn a ton from people who are different. A lot of the couples I like today are from influences from other people who shared their ideas, and I thought, "Hey, they've got a point. That would be really cool!"

Wouldn't everything be boring if we all just liked the same couples and characters?

Wouldn't that make fandom pointless?