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D B Vulpix wrote:

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Why should it matter? I was vague enough. The only way you'd know 'who said what' is if you went there and read the discussion yourself.

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Since you asked, that is what actually makes it worse, IMO. No couple of people speak for an entire board, even if by chance every single person you met gave the same opinion. I always got tired of people doing that to members here when they happened to post elsewhere (as well as get tired of seeing it myself when I go all over the corners of the Sonic 'net--though I do get chuckles sometimes when comparing the "opinions" that supposedly represent this board as they are in constant conflict depending on where I am). I don't like it being done to another board either. It's one thing to reference a board when discussing rules, but not anything else as far as I'm concerned.

KaylaTheHedgehog wrote:

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What did we find out about Tails, other than that he was somehow orphaned, ended up with the FFs, and became buddies with Sonic? What did we find out about Bunnie, other than that she's Southern and was roboticized offscreen? What did we find out about Antoine, other than that he's French and a colossal, cowardly prat? What did we find out about Rotor, other than that he's a techie? What did we find out about their histories, and the like? How did Tails come to be with the FFs, and what happened to cause Sonic to adopt him as a younger sibling? What were the circumstances of Bunnie's roboticization? Why should we like them and care about what happens to them?

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You are saying that the only way to care about or develop a character is to know a lot about their past. That's not hardly the case or else just about every single Sonic fan would praise Archie and despise all other Sonic universes, except perhaps Fleetway. Sonic, in the games, would be the most hated character instead of the most popular if that was the only criteria as Sonic Team has done nothing to discuss Sonic's past whereas just about every other popular Sonic-related video game character has had some part of their past delved into no matter how small.

Besides, knowing someone's past is not the only way to develop a character. Development also takes into account how a character starts and how they change (by growing or shrinking) as things happen. Tails is one of the most developed characters in SatAM in part because it was rare that he ever had an appearance that wasn't noteworthy or important. Just about each time he appeared he grew in some way. Bunnie's development mostly dealt with her coming to grips with her robotic limbs, especially how she fluctuated between accepting them and then getting a chance to be "normal" and having that ripped away from her. Chuck is actually one of the most developed characters in the show as well, especially if using the "learning about their past"-thing as a guide. Antoine is more than coward, and even SatAM showed that as Antoine was used (I felt) to point out that everyone can be worthwhile even if they don't look like it. He has several moments to shine--some minor, and one particularly major when his jealously of Sonic caused him to make a potentially grave mistake. Yeah, Rotor was a techie, but he could help if he had to do so. He got all his development in season 1 though, and he did more than just be a weapons/machine-creator in that season. Personally, I don't see Dulcy as someone who got that much development, just a little back story to partially explain why she seemingly appeared out of nowhere as she wasn't in season 1 at all and never had her appearance with the main group explicitly explained though you can put some pieces together between her dedicated episode & Blast to the Past.

Anyway, yes, some characters were developed more than others--but that happens in every form of fiction. That would be like me complaining that Luna was not developed as much as Hermione in Harry Potter when one was a main character and the other was a secondary one.

Everyone knows Sonic & Sally were the main characters in SatAM. Tails & Uncle Chuck (IMO) were the most developed of the secondary characters (Snively could be added here too though I admit I usually ignore the development that he & Robotnik got just due to them being villains), though I don't think any true recurring character truly suffered from a total lack of development in the series at all. Obviously everyone has their personal faves and may wish that they got more development or whatever, but that's not the same as having "no development."

KaylaTheHedgehog wrote:

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It also seemed as if Sonic were there for Sally to berate, and he was supposed to be the main character, not DiC's made-for-SatAM princess.

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I think it's the other way around. Sally was the check on Sonic--particularly his ego, which needed to have a check as SatAM wasn't a flat out slapstick series where checking his ego wouldn't have mattered at all. Tails, Bunnie, and Rotor couldn't do that consistently due to their personalities and be believable. It would've required taking away some of their sweetness or kindness and would've changed their roles entirely. Of course, Antoine tried, but wasn't any good at it and he wasn't meant to be. Again, if he was good at it, it would've required adding more competency to him and that would've killed his set role. It just so happened that because of the fact that Sally could believably be a check on Sonic, he could check hers--and he did.

Personally, I don't see a problem with another character (main or otherwise) berating the main character unless the main character is overly shy/sweet/kind/etc. (which Sonic most definitely is not; Usagi in the Sailor Moon anime is one who springs to mind off the top of my head in terms of being overly sweet/kind though not shy) and I'm meant to take offense. Otherwise, I just see it as a necessary service. Both Sonic & Sally needed each other to keep themselves in check in that series as no one else really could. It usually takes an alpha to deal with another alpha. There are just so many guilt-trips a non-alpha can do to get through to an alpha.