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I love how the context of “Silver is Shadow’s son” theory makes the hedgehog trio father, son,

and Sonic

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Small Spoilers for IDW 76

part 4(?) of reposting analyses from twitter lol

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ISSUE 76

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The fact that the only legitimate example I have of me writing Tangle is that Espingle comic-

I need to start writing fics or something bc comics sometimes take too long lol

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From earlier this morning

I do character rants when I’m excited lol

Tangle and Lanolin’s dynamic honesty intrigues me more than Tangle and Whisper with how it’s been developing

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IDW Sonic 76’s debut is almost here, and just for the record… I am so excited to see what happens with the Diamond Cutters lol

The resolution to their team’s conflicts has had me fully invested with the gals and with what the narrative purpose behind it all was

Every bit of drama that would happen was foreshadowed in 58, and was planned long before then

I can’t help but be engaged with their team’s story BECAUSE they haven’t been perfectly in sync. I wanna know what sort of conclusion Evan and Ian have been setting up for the gals

I’ve said this so many times to my moots but my ideal outcome is that the Diamond Cutters end up functioning like Team Dark in the sense that they’d only be a reoccurring team,

It would allow Tangle, Whisper, and Lanolin to be more individual as characters without taking away the trio established.

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new banner lol

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Part 3 of me reposting old character analyses

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When you really think about it

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not a full post yet but jewel and tangle’s friendship and how much jewel means to tangle is so much to me.

jewel is so important because she is a tangle decoder: tangle can’t lie to her. they know each other too well. so the mask tangle can put on around other people - deflecting with jokes, pushing past a subject as if it didn’t bother her - jewel won’t fall for.

we saw them during the campground arc and in a full analysis i’ll include panels to talk about specific lines but. tangle being so upset - particularly during the marshmallow toasting - intentionally brushing jewel off and jewel hears more than tangle says. she knows tangle better than we the viewer does. tangle isn’t even talking to jewel when she says “yeah nothing much happens with the restoration” and she knows tangle really means “it’s so boring here, i wish i were doing more”. tangle talks about the restoration the same way she spoke about spiral hill when it was quiet, and jewel knows that means tangle isn’t satisfied. so when tangle later says she’s leaving the restoration - jewel gets the context behind it.

and with that scribbsrambling post pointing out it’s likely tangle has self-esteem issues, it leaves me wanting to see tangle and jewel on a solo adventure or mission or something - just to see jewel peering into the cracks and realizing just what’s happened to her friend. realizing her friend is not okay - and being maybe the only person that can get through to her and stop her from brushing it off. the one who can put her foot down and stop tangle and get her to open up. maybe even to get tangle to stop thinking so negatively about herself…? to see the benefit she’s brought to people - maybe even explicitly in-comic point out that jewel only took over the restoration because tangle told her about it needing guidance, and gave her the strength to go forward with it

the sheer history these two have to understand each other well is SO compelling - it does/should rival sonic and tails’ understanding of each other!! tangle might be pushing to be close to whisper (and the Plot that surrounds whisper), but jewel will always be important to tangle and her characterization/story

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ALL OF THIS OMG

adding more stuff under the break

I’m definitely reading into this too much, but the TWO times I remember Tangle clearly presented high self-esteem was in the 2019 Annual and Tangle and Whisper #1.

(aka, very early Tangle)

The way she’s immediately gets humbled any time she’s being a little cocky. Sure her poorly timed self-confidence is probably just for comedic beats, but we haven’t seen this side of Tangle in a while.

Nowadays, it’s “I can’t be, ‘cuz… haha, c’mon now, let’s be serious!”

Even choices that just happen to lead to bad events can get to her

Last thing cuz I’m just spitballing random stuff now but like

“Trusting your gut and accepting the consequences is just what heroes do.”

Even when she doesn’t have time to be self-conscious, you can see how she’s rationalized her flaws by forming them into her philosophy.

On a good day, it’s “just what heroes do,” but on a bad day, it’s “lemme prove I’m not a failure!”

my part 1 kinda works better as a part 2 for all of this

Part 2 of me reposting my old character analyses from twitter (Tangle again lol)

I’m not saying this is canon about her, but like,

another potential layer to Tangle’s character is right there, just sayin’👀

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Part 2 of me reposting my old character analyses from twitter (Tangle again lol)

I’m not saying this is canon about her, but like,

another potential layer to Tangle’s character is right there, just sayin’👀

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Part 1 of me reposting old character rants from twitter

This is a less serious one, but I’m serious when I say they gotta stop setting up mental trauma with Tangle and then doing nothing with it lol

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Despite popular(or more vocal) opinions, I think this realization was very in-character for Sonic when paired with the context!!

Sonic's mindset in IDW Issue 57 wasn't "go solo," because he was already with the Diamond Cutters, but rather that Sonic didn't want to stop, regroup, rally folks, and do it the long, safe way like Lanolin wanted.

Sonic didn't care the odds were against them (nor does he ever), but once everyone came to his aid and he saw how much faster they got things done, his realization was more-so him reminding himself of how a little patience and planning can go a long way.

It was never about Sonic remembering teamwork, but remembering patience

Don't expect this to be the last time this problem occurs either, it's one of the blue blur’s majors flaws. Sonic's impatience is a trait that's going to cause some issues over and over and over, that's how flaws work.

Not "Oop! I learned my lesson! Never gonna make that mistake again!"

The point of a character flaw is to challenge who the character is, and not all characters will develop past their flaws. Sonic is an example of that and it makes sense.

As long as Sonic the Hedgehog is the quick-footed, quick-thinking, and quick-to-act hero we know he’ll always be, his impatience will always be part of him too.

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I think what really sets the new Diamond Cutters apart from most Sonic teams is the fact that we get to see them BECOME and team and go through new team conflicts.

Teams like Team Rose and Team Dark, those guys may of not started off as a team, but action/adventure video games don’t always have the budget for great gameplay, pretty cutscenes, AND action-packed plot that also has a subplot of team drama.

And teams like the Chaotix and the Babylon Rouges were created to work together. They have a pre-determined close bond and an undeniable compatibility with each other.

All of the Sonic teams before the Diamond Cutters were originally created to just be groups of fun video game characters first and foremost, not tell a story.

NOW on the flip side, Tangle, Whisper, and Lanolin are comic book originals. Story is the whole point.

But these gals were created separately from each other and have developed differently throughout the comic, before it was decided that they become a team. That’s something unique that the writers get to take advantage of when creating this new team’s dynamic.

Also, Whisper and Lanolin have their own baggage, and personal motives, that they’re bringing with them to the team that’s going to clash with the other’s.

IDW Sonic is taking the opportunity that the games don’t really have, and not have this squad be perfectly in sync. Why? Because they can. It’s a storytelling medium first and foremost, it’s their job to create drama for the sake of drama. It’s a story, so let’s tell stories dang it!

To sum up, the new Diamond Cutters definitely have some team-bonding to do, but that’s on purpose. Personally, I think it’s super neat that we get the chance to see the ups, the downs, and hopefully, the growth.

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I should post more of my Sonic analyses here

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okay so i really wanted to do this in Prim and Proper Essay Form with demonstration drawings and stuff but if i wait for that its never going out so screw it.

tangle design evolution/changes post with whatever tangle pics i can grab and edit on my phone

i am aware many of these changes can be attributed to art style; i’m not questioning that these are all tangle, but i find joy in dissecting the little things and how many parts of tangle’s design are drawn with so much variance

What’s the difference anyway? That’s just five normal pictures of Tangle in that above edit, right?

That’s rhetorical - they are, and they’re subtly (or not-so-subtly) different in interesting ways. So I’m going to note the five features I find vary the most, and are most critical to Tangle’s design (in order of significance):

Eye shape - Hair style - Face mask & muzzle - Ear shape - Tail

I would also maintain the stance that while every character differs somewhat between art styles, Tangle varies most often across IDW, and with larger changes between one depiction and another. Additionally, I didn’t notice many (if any) other examples of characters whose base eye shape changes between depictions like Tangle’s does!

(this got long, see under the cut)

So… what’s with Tangle’s eyes? Contrast these 3 images:

Tangle’s model sheet, on which her eyes have only one corner (the inner corner) and the outside of the eye is an oval/rounded shape - a panel from issue 71, in which Tangle’s eye has 2 prominent corners (inner corner and upper outer corner; plus the harsher join between her lower outer corner and muzzle) - and a panel from issue 37, in which we have the inner corner and rounded eyes again, but the lower outer corner joins the muzzle also.

Each of these are enough to change the expressions you can make with that same eye shape - the eye type depicted in the #37 panel is most versatile for squinting/wide eyes/smushing around the eyebrows for expressions, while the other two are distinctly more ‘pretty’ eye shapes, similar to the eye shapes used for characters like Blaze or Rouge. They also give you a pretty strong impression of Tangle’s demeanor and character; the ‘pretty’ eye shapes can make her look more focused, while the rounded ‘corner-anchored’ eye type makes her look more open and friendly.

(I personally appreciate Tangle’s design as a juxtaposition between ‘pretty face’ and ‘gremlin energy’ - and intentionally drawing her eyes off-model for funny expressions such as the ones below, even if her eye shape is by default the ‘pretty’ one, is a tactic I’m a fan of.)

Next on the discussion block: hair style!

There are two main categories I find art of Tangle to fall into: ‘mohawk’ and ‘poff’.

Three examples (one of which is my own art) of the ‘mohawk’ category:

You can see the general hairstyle starts between her ears or behind them and flows forwards in more or less individual tufts; this is based on her model sheet, which I’ve embedded enough in this post already.

Examples of the ‘poff’ hairstyle:

Her hair is either all rooted ahead of the ears, or has a distinctly larger mass of hair in front of them that overshadows the smaller tufts behind it.

Sometimes she’s drawn in a way that toes the line between either hairstyle, which builds more uncertainty as to which hairstyle she’s supposed to have. I’m not even sure if this ‘poff’ hairstyle is a change one artist did for their own style that others jumped on, or a misunderstanding that got carried on and kept up?

While not quite as expressive or important to characterization, the hairstyle does somewhat indicate Tangle’s personality; the ‘mohawk’ does a similar thing as the ‘pretty eyes’, adding sharp angles and a ‘focused’ impression, while the poff is fluffier and friendlier.

And now we’re onto: face mask and muzzle! I’ve grouped them together since they’re in a similar spot on her face, but each one can change independently of the other.

In most of her official depictions, Tangle has a very short and almost flat muzzle shape:

Whereas other depictions (and a good few of my own) lengthen her muzzle and give it a point:

I’ll touch on this a little more in the segment for ears, but as far as real animal accuracy, the longer and pointier muzzle reflects ringtailed lemurs better. They actually have a prominent snout more similar to a canine, rather than flat faces like other primates people commonly know about; chimpanzees, gorillas, the monkey from night at the museum, etc.

While accuracy to real life animals is already vague at best in the Sonic series, Tangle’s muzzle being depicted as extra short implies to me a misunderstanding between ringtailed lemurs as ‘sort of a monkey, right?’ versus what they actually look like. A flatter muzzle can make humanlike expressions easier, and similarly to the ‘poff’ hairstyle makes her more friendly and harmless-looking - but it does lose something compared to the more lemurlike pointed muzzle. And plenty of neat expressions are possible with a more pointed muzzle, so it’s not like it sacrifices Tangle’s expressiveness to use it, even ignoring going off-model for an expression.

The other detail to note is her facial marking; while it is always a 'bump' shape between her eyes, the height of the marking can differ, sometimes higher than halfway up between her eyes, and occasionally only a third of the way up. I do want to point out a neat thing about some panels her facial marking is drawn in, and how it lines up with her muzzle shape - when I sketch Tangle, I often place her facial features by drawing this kinda triangular shape first, and then her nose and other features.

Next is ear shape! There’s only two distinct shapes used in canon art, but I’ll also showcase a third style I draw:

First is the rounded ear type, a panel from issue 47 - a pointed ear type from issue 71 - and a fuzzy ear type (pointed backwards) in my fanart. While the lack of fuzz in official art I understand (since no other characters such as Tails or Blaze have fuzzy ears either), I don’t understand the roundness! Every picture I’ve seen of ringtailed lemur ears look pretty pointy, so I vastly prefer the issue 71 take on her ears - they’re also easier to point around for expressions. The rounder ears simply play into the (imo) excessively rounded shapes used for Tangle across some issues.

Last topic - Tangle's tail! While this is the most consistent feature, certain artists' styles will depict it at different thicknesses, which I find an interesting change, as it does create a different impression of what Tangle's tail is capable of.

The thicker tail shapes place emphasis on the strength of Tangle's tail, as well as being more striking on the page since it takes up more room, like writing with sharpie vs ballpoint pen. The thinner tail shapes imply some normality - that the only weird thing about Tangle's tail is its ability to stretch and extend. (I do consider these separate aspects of Tangle's powers - I could even do a whole second essay on Tangle's tail's abilities, after the first one!)

Additionally, the thicker tail is more plausible for special poses, such as Tangle propping herself up with just her tail, compared to an average-length tail that would have to coil an extra 2x or 3x to get the same height, which just seems inconvenient…

If you read this whole thing, thank you! :D

I definitely haven’t exhausted my reserve of items to talk about, about character design and Tangle both, so feel free to add on if you have something new or a question <3