TonyRick

TonyRick is the slash ship between Patrick and Tony from the SpongeBob SquarePants fandom.

Canon
Patrick first meets Tony in Shell Games, an episode from season 12. The premise of the episode would reveal that Patrick's current rock was actually the shell of a hibernating sea turtle named Tony. Tie-in promotions would involve Nickelodeon advertising the character as Patrick’s new roommate. The two are initially shown to be in conflict as neither wants to share the shell-turned-rock with the other. As a result, they spend a large portion of the episode intentionally aggravating each other in hopes of driving the other off.

However, the two make peace with each other toward the end of the episode as they both realize their fighting hasn’t done either of them any good. Patrick and Tony are then shown willing to live together peacefully, seemingly having become friends after that point. However the episode has so far been Tony’s only appearance, with his character seemingly not likely to become a recurring one. As a result, Patrick and Tony have only had the one episode together. But since the episode revolves around the two, they have a good number of interactions between them.

SpongeBob SquarePants
Shell Games begins with Tony waking up, having slept in the same spot for several years, camouflaged by the sand and dirt covering his shell. He then picks himself up and starts walking away, with Patrick still clinging to his underbelly. Eventually Patrick also wakes up, relocating himself to Tony’s back, not yet aware of the situation.

When Patrick begins cracking walnuts on Tony’s back, the sea turtle shakes Patrick off. This causes Patrick to finally realize what is happening. The two soon come into conflict as Patrick refuses to give up the illusion of his rock, and Tony initially doesn’t want to put up with Patrick. This results in Patrick gluing himself to Tony’s shell, and Tony dragging him across Bikini Bottom as he makes a few stops in preparation for meeting up with two of his female friends. He attempts to be rid of Patrick both times, to no avail.

When Tony finally meets up with his female friends and they begin fawning over Patrick, this becomes the final straw and he decides to directly confront the starfish. But as he crawls out of his shell for the confrontation he realizes that Patrick has crawled into his shell. As Tony crawls back into his shell he finds Patrick at his kitchenette, acting as if nothing had happened. It soon becomes apparent that Patrick is intentionally acting on his most annoying impulses in hopes of driving Tony away so he can have his shell to himself as he had for years until Tony had reawakened. It doesn’t take long for the two to begin fighting, as Tony refuses to tolerate Patrick’s destructiveness.

However when their fighting leads to Tony’s shell being launched through Bikini Bottom, their home is destroyed when it crashes into a rock. Devastated to have destroyed their home, Patrick immediately understands the consequences of his actions and apologizes for breaking Tony’s shell. Tony also apologizes for his own behavior, and the two hold each other while crying. After crying for a while, Patrick realizes there's somewhere else they can live and they both cheer up. The episode ends with the two living together in harmony, albeit having stolen Squidward's house to do so.

Fanon
Reception to the premise of Shell Games is somewhat divided within the SpongeBob fandom. Not all fans were pleased with the sudden revelation that Patrick’s rock was not a real rock in this episode, or the way it may have broken continuity with other episodes. As a result, there are those who do not like Tony or the focus the episode has on him or building his dynamic with Patrick. The idea of shipping the two presumably does not occur to such fans. Despite this, there was a small portion of fans who were excited for the possible dynamic between Patrick and Tony as soon as a promotional clip for Shell Games was released.

During the excitement for Shell Games, an even smaller portion of fans musing about the possibility of shipping them before the episode had even aired. Some even found it to be a hilarious coincidence that in early productions of SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical, Patrick even wore a sea turtle necklace. The enthusiasm from this small niche in the SpongeBob fanbase did not deter when the episode finally aired. But as Tony has only had one appearance so far, there isn't as much material whether it be solo or paired with Patrick. And as his only appearance so far has been in a conceptually divisive episode, the idea of shipping him with Patrick is generally not at the forefront of the majority of the fanbase's mind. Therefore with very little works focusing on the two, it is easily observed that that TonyRick is a rather niche rarepair.

The few works depicting the two involved with each other so far have have been somewhat low-key in comparison to other ships involving the cast. The fanon portrayal of the two so far depicts the two having a casual relationship, focusing on the two being rather down to earth with each other based on the concept of Tony being Patrick's metaphorical rock as well as having been his literal rock. However, works seem to toe the line between platonic and potentially romantic bonds between the two, with Tony being somewhat embarrassed or hesitant about any feelings he may have for Patrick. It is not certain whether or not this could change if more works are produced, or if Tony makes more appearances in the series.

Fandom
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