Hey Evan, please don’t have Silver be scared and skittish like Ghosts of the Future in the next arc. Game Silver is a brave, hot-blooded and confrontational warrior that fought demons for half of his life and has a fight response to being surprised in Generations. Not only does he even have a philosophy of valuing being brave but making him look scared and timid directly goes against Silver’s selfless and aggressive character. He shouldn’t have scared expressions.
Hey. You have sent this exact message and messages very similar to it several times. I have already acknowledged the shortcomings in Silver's characterization in the comics before and my intent to do better. I'd like to remind you: -Ghosts of the Future Silver exists in a radically divergent AU, with a different backstory and character arc. That was the point of the story; to take him from a timid, insecure boy to the bold hero we all know. That's why he can't fly, and generally has a weaker grasp on his powers. I have never written official depictions of Silver like him, ever.
-Silver's lighthearted side is a canon aspect of his character, and comes forward when he is in lower-stakes situations. By design, the comics are usually (but not always) depicting lower-stakes moments in the characters' lives.
-All IDW content is checked at multiple levels of SEGA of America and SEGA of Japan, including by Iizuka-san. Their notes can be very specific, and are always applied.
-Sometimes cartoon characters make exaggerated expressions as a joke. For example, Sonic is also a fight-response sort of person, but he'd make the same sort of expression in that situation because he's also comedic character. Out of the main cast, Shadow and Espio spring to mind as the sort of characters who wouldn't react like that, because their lack of reaction would be the joke. I'm not perfect. I'm certain what whatever happens next won't be completely satisfactory, but I hope that it will be an improvement. I think it's a good showcase of Silver's strengths, while not completely abandoning his gentler aspects. Please respect my time and let me cook just a little longer.
I'm so sorry you had to deal with this persistent badgering from this person.
I think there's a lot to be meaningfully discussed about Silver's characterisation. Above all, I think you should be recognised for your efforts to improve at your craft and openly wanting to do so. You don't deserve to be constantly bothered with the creative humility you show and strive for
I was inspired to write an essay about Silver's characterisation in light of the complexities of the Sonic franchise as an IP managed by SEGA. Whether or not I published this link in a separate post, it doesn't change that it was inspired by reading this ask (and that it's also about 4500 words! Whoops)
I hope this offers food for thought for people who decide to read. All good if it inspires disagreement, too! At this point, I think there should be actual, real engagement with characterisation with sensitivity and consideration as opposed to the kind that the asker has done above
