Sonic Boom Protests


 * For the song, see SingStar Challenge Round 1.

"Now, most of us, we recognize this is a bad game for many reasons. The camera's awful, the characters never shut up, the gameplay is horrific, it's just a bad game. But no, this is not Chris-Chan's problem with Sonic Boom. Chris-Chan's problem with Sonic Boom is that they changed Sonic's arm color from white to blue."

- Nash summarizes Chris's protests for the uninitiated.



Towards late 2014, while everyone else was posting on Facebook about less important political concerns, Chris decided that the most important cause of the time was protesting Sega's decision to make Sonic's arms blue (as opposed to the usual tan color) in Sonic Boom, their latest non-canon game in the series. Chris was so passionate about this supposed defamation of his favorite video game character that he went so far as to write incoherent, rambling letters to Sega, throw tantrums about it on Facebook, threaten the lives of Sega employees, glitterbomb Sega's American HQ, and even physically assault retail staff. His angry, incoherent letters to Sega clearly show that Chris's prolonged estrangement from reality could reach new heights, and that concepts such as civility, moderation and channeling anger in any way that doesn't involve ranting like a child throwing a tantrum are by now completely alien concepts to Chris, or at least go out the window whenever he's annoyed. Unfortunately, unlike previous bouts of anger where Chris would film himself or take to social media to rage at his target, in this instance, he decided to take a hands-on approach to it by vandalizing copies of Sonic Boom wherever he saw them. When GameStop employees rightfully tried to make him leave the store, he agreed to walk out, but only after brandishing his can of mace and spraying it at one poor employee's shirt.

At first, it was unclear whether Chris would boycott Sonic Boom or just buy the games and watch the show like the consumerist lemming he is. Given his irrational hatred and acts of vandalism towards otherwise available games, the former seemed more likely. On 13 January 2015, it was revealed that he owned copies of the games. Chris said that they were sent to him by Catherine.

Why Chris has such a bizarre distaste for such a minor, insignificant detail in the first place is still up for speculation. It could simply be some overly-attached nostalgia to the 'original' Sonic the Hedgehog, or possibly some inner-venting for his own failed franchise that he is determined to get into Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. Whatever the reason, it certainly isn't healthy for Chris, given his current state. In other words, this makes the superficial reactions to Godzilla supposedly getting "fatter" in the 2014 movie, or the new designs for the lightsabers in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, seem simple and quaint in comparison. At least he isn't complaining about Sonic's green eyes?

Blarms Backstory
Chris's hatred for Sonic's blue arms started in February 2014, when the first advertisements for the Sonic Boom TV show appeared on Cartoon Network. In December he offered the following chronology:

For all the agitation and violence, Chris has never clearly explained exactly why this particular alteration to this particular cartoon character makes him so furious. The closest he came to explaining his confrontational stance was in a June Facebook post:

"I only just heard and seen the ugly change a few weeks ago, and I had too many other stresses going on to act earlier.

Why do I feel this way?

The same reason why many people feel Michael Jackson should not have had to change his color. Would you want to change your skin detail, just for a "change of image" or an "insecurity of self-concept"?

I would not even commit suicide ever, because of how low in self-confidence and self-esteem I have been feeling for YEARS. I'm going to eventually pass natural.

So let's get Sonic's arm color changed back!"



He returned to the Michael Jackson analogy in November, arguing that "this Blue Arm Travesty is as Gosh Awful as Michael Jackson's whiteface thing!" He was careful to add, "Nothing personal against the Pop Star singer....And nothing personal against anyone of any Race or Color either."

While it is difficult to decipher Chris’s garbled sentences, it is clear that his fury is linked to his belief that Sonic, like all cartoon characters, is real and lives in a parallel universe. Like many autistic people, Chris is very resistant to change, especially when it is forced upon him. Chris would not change (“commit suicide”) even in the face of tremendous hardship. Sonic, however, was forced to change for trivial reasons such as appealing to a broader audience. Sonic has been Chris’s lifelong hero with whom he identifies strongly, so he has taken this injustice very personally. Unfortunately, he falsely assumes that countless millions feel the same way.

At other times, however, Chris has latched onto the idea that the blue arms cause him "sensory overload." Sensory overload is a broad term simply meaning that the body reacts to overstimulation of a sense, but in autistics it generally refers to an abstract, specific sensory stimulus (such as blue arms) which the autistic person is simply unable to stand. However, if sensory overload were a real issue, all he would need to do is avoid Sonic Boom. Chris has never before complained about sensory overload, and damningly has gone so far as to draw blue-armed hedgehogs himself such as some depictions of Bubbles Rosechu. The truth is that Chris either believes that Sega is abusing his best friend, or he is using his autism as an attempt to manipulate the intentions of a multi-billion dollar worth company.

Oh Noes, It's Got a Second Season!
After discovering that the TV series was renewed for a second season, Chris posted on Facebook to complain about it again.

Greatest Mistake Ever
Chris later on posted a link to this post to his Facebook group:

Pickle Joke
In Chris's new "FIX SONIC'S ARMS BACK" Facebook group, Chris posted about the pickle joke in the show, surprisingly being "neutral" about it. Naturally, however, he eventually suspects it to be a personal insult from SEGA.

For Christ's and God's Sake
Chris shared another of SEGA's Facebook posts, this time about introducing the main character, and Chris as usual complained about his blue arms.

E-mail to SEGA
On 11 December 2014, CWCki user FromtheWordsofBR jokingly sent an e-mail to Sega Customer Service under Chris's email, suggesting that they send him free copies of Sonic Boom for the HEXbox - something that would have been impossible for Sega to actually do, as the Sonic Boom games were exclusive to the Wii U and 3DS. Chris discovered this the next day, and proceeded to rage.

The Forces of CWCville Besiege GameStop
On 26 December, the climax of the entire saga arrived. Chris broke several laws by entering a GameStop from which he had been banned, vandalizing a Sonic Boom display, and macing an employee who was calling security as Chris left the store. All of this was recorded by a presumably bewildered bystander, and was uploaded to Tumblr the next day. Within two days of his attack, Chris was arrested by jerkops and incarcerated in Albemarle Regional Jail, then released on a $2,500 bail, with a hearing scheduled for early 2015.

Sonic Boom for Christmas
Phone chat log:

Chris Gives Up and Continues On at the Same Time
Here, Chris is referencing this Cwcki Forums article; apparently he lurks the forums frequently.

You Dropped a Glitterbomb on Me, Baby
On 30 January 2015, a document was leaked onto the CWCki Forums, revealing that Chris has taken one step above macing employees and is threatening to glitterbomb Sega's American headquarters. Initially thought to be work done by weens, forum member Marvin eventually stood up and confirmed this actually as Chris's doing. The letter reads:

The document reveals that Chris refuses to stop committing acts of battery unless a multimedia company gives in to a 30-year-old manchild's threats. It also shows his complete lack of knowing what glitterbombing actually is. To glitterbomb someone is to dump or throw glitter on your opponent in public (such as when some guy with a box of Cheez-Its came up to Newt Gingrich and dumped glitter on him), not sending envelopes with glitter inside. To send envelopes with glitter inside is simply known as "shipping enemies glitter".

Chris's Ego Butts In!
After hearing about Sega downsizing to focus on PC and Mobile games, Chris thought that he had a hand in it through his boycott:

Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice
9 June 2015

After the sequel to the first Sonic Boom game was announced, Chris immediately showed his disapproval on Facebook. He even threatened Best Buy to not sell the game unless they change Sonic's arm color back, and still firmly believes that Sega was the one who got him thrown briefly into prison.

Assault threat against Woodley and Frost
Omar Woodley (or, as Chris misspells it, Olmar Woodley) is a male producer at Sega of America Inc. and the producer of Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice. Given Chris's hatred for Sonic Boom, it's no surprise that he considers Omar to be a JERK. On 9 June 2015, Chris threatened Woodley with physical violence through a post on Facebook, later editing the post to extend his threat to producer Stephen Frost as well.



He linked to a news article.

On the same day, Chris proceeded to post this: