“It's ORANGE BANNANA WHAM BAM SLAM FLAM BING BHAM BOOM BOOM BOOGALOO ROCKEM SOCKEM ROLLY POLY WHAK DANG DING DANg WALLA WALLA JUICE TIME!!!!” — Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Fights Robotnik 5
Rarely are legends born when we expect them. Instead, they come as if from nowhere, emerging to forever change the world, even if no one at the time realizes what is happening. This most certainly rings true when it comes to the works of SONIC FAN, a writer who unknowingly defined an entire generation.
In the later half of the 1990’s, discussion on the usenet group alt.fan.sonic-hedgehog was still going strong. Talk about the comic books, the void of a television series, the endless rumors of the next Sonic game - these topics were the backbone of a community. The fandom that grew in this corner of the “Sonic Internet” wanted to not only discuss their favorite franchise, but express their love through fanworks. A thousand geocities sites sprang up at once, featuring fan art and fanfiction of the blue blur. Stories like those preserved in Bookshire's archive, taking place in the Saturday morning universe, served as the major template of any Sonic story even in 1998.
From somewhere in the heart of Canada, a single post was made by a man who declared his intent to add to the Sonic Fanfic Canon. Ignored by all, it became a prophetic moment when, later that day, the original Sonic Fights Robotnik was released. Even with warning, no one was prepared for the prose that would follow inside the message. Some laughed, some cried, some immediately closed it after reading the legal stuff. Regardless of one’s reaction at the time, it is impossible to deny that all present had shared in a historical moment.
Mountain “Due.” Green Day. Cybersex. The Robotnik Show. “Fock.” For those who could not help but read each new installment in the Sonic Fights Robotnik saga, the denizens of AFSH were rewarded with, if nothing else, a brief moment of entertainment. Each sequel tried to be more outlandish than the last, introducing such classic characters as Robo Shlobo Robotnik and Uncle Bob Prower. Every song cue, every action sequence, would leave readers entranced or befuddled, and oftentimes both. They were stories unlike anything people had read before, and for that simple fact, no one was quite sure how to respond to them. They tried, certainly, but they were still unsure.
For a time, it seemed like the stories would never end. Even when the Sonic Fights Robotnik moniker was briefly retired, the further adventures of Sonic, Sally, and Vision, Lord of PEZ were presented to the masses. However, in the aftermath of Sonic Adventure being released in the west, coupled with the rapidly changing landscape of the Internet, SONIC FAN disappeared. His last post was on June 26th, 2000, leaving his saga incomplete. The only public archive of his work, a personal site hosted on xoom.com, became a victim of circumstance when the service ceased operations. In the years that passed, the saga, and the author, faded into obscurity.
In that vacancy, a version of this archive was established on Angelfire, one which still exists. With an update, it was moved over to horseface.org before finally resting here. The goal was simple - to preserve the legacy of SONIC FAN for future generations to behold, so that they could read the stories themselves and see what it once was like on the Internet, that a story so quaint could raise such varied responses in people, during a time when the Internet still felt new and unexplored.
That could have been where the story remained. But in the final days of January 2010, SONIC FAN appeared once more. Inspired by the forthcoming release of Sonic the Hedgehog 4, the saga began anew, not as a reboot, but as a full fledged sequel. Making sure no one had to wait another decade for the next story, this reborn SONIC FAN has continued to release new prose on both their reborn personal site, as well as fanfiction.net. With the Sonic Fights Robotnik saga complete, the tale is not only suitable for framing, but now exists for a new generation to explore, be it with their own eyes or by sitting back and hearing a group of people on the Internet performing it live.
SONIC FAN endures. Which, even in the darkest of times, makes the world just a little bit brighter.
After reading through what is contained herein, one may have a number of questions. Who is SONIC FAN? Someone who earnestly wrote a series of stories? A random troll? A regular on AFSH who wanted to have a bit of fun? The most clever satirist to ever grace the Sonic Internet community? Did they ever have any accurate Furry Nielsen ratings for The Robotnik Show? This site can not offer the answers to these questions. But perhaps, it’s better that way.
“David Gonterman is one of if not the best Sonic writer ever” — Sonic Fan