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Every time I see someone announce their "hot take" on Sonic 06, saying that they like Princess Elise for her "great potential", then go on to say that her romance/crush on Sonic is "questionable" and should be removed, I roll my eyes so hard.
LIKING ELEMENTS OF SONIC 06 FOR THEIR "POTENTIAL" IS NOT A HOT TAKE. Not even remotely so. I see a take along these lines about as often as I see outright hate for Elise; it's become a cold take by now.
Now, for my (actual?) hot take: I really don't think these fans like Elise that much. They often don't even bring up what gives her potential in the first place. Is it her emotional discipline keeping a god under lock-and-key for half her life? The power Iblis brings her in gameplay? Her stoicism, humility, and selflessness? Those traits are subtle, but still there. See, it's always about removing something, not expanding on the so-beloved traits that are already there.
Her feelings for Sonic being romantic in nature arguably further characterizes her as being relatively sheltered from things that could potentially bring her grief again. Not to mention that friendships can also be poorly written; changing the nature of their relationship won't change the issue that the dialogue gets stale at times (Sonic doesn't display much of his usual lighthearted/jokestery tone around her, feeling a bit excessively polite for my taste), and the constant abduction meant they didn't get to know each other that well before the Last Story.
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LIKING ELEMENTS OF SONIC 06 FOR THEIR "POTENTIAL" IS NOT A HOT TAKE. Not even remotely so. I see a take along these lines about as often as I see outright hate for Elise; it's become a cold take by now.
Now, for my (actual?) hot take: I really don't think these fans like Elise that much. They often don't even bring up what gives her potential in the first place. Is it her emotional discipline keeping a god under lock-and-key for half her life? The power Iblis brings her in gameplay? Her stoicism, humility, and selflessness? Those traits are subtle, but still there. See, it's always about removing something, not expanding on the so-beloved traits that are already there.
Her feelings for Sonic being romantic in nature arguably further characterizes her as being relatively sheltered from things that could potentially bring her grief again. Not to mention that friendships can also be poorly written; changing the nature of their relationship won't change the issue that the dialogue gets stale at times (Sonic doesn't display much of his usual lighthearted/jokestery tone around her, feeling a bit excessively polite for my taste), and the constant abduction meant they didn't get to know each other that well before the Last Story.
( Click to Read More (Short loading time, guaranteed) )
