Chapter Text
Tangle the Lemur
Age: 11
Height: 2’10
Weight: Dunno, the scale keeps short-circuiting...definitely not her fault, she swears!
Territory: None, formerly and identifies as South Island
Fusion: Tangle the Lemur, Fiona Fox, Surge the Tenrec
(Disclaimer: Surge is still a very undeveloped character at the time of writing [January 2022], so some of her traits may diverge from this version of Tangle in the future)
Changes
A refugee from the now-conquered South Island, Tangle’s life is mostly redefined by the fact that her home has been destroyed, leaving her as a lone drifter without a place beyond the one she makes for herself.
The fusion with two villainous characters serves to radically alter Tangle’s morality, giving her a more cynical outlook and a preference for the shadier side of heroism. Visually, she has adopted Surge’s spikier hair and accessories, and wears a modified version of Fiona’s villain outfit with her heroic one's color palette (incidentally this would probably kind of resemble Tangle's actual IDW outfit, just with the colors swapped around a little. Makes you think, doesn't it).
Talkative: Only amplified by her fusions, Tangle is a complete and utter chatterbox, and will happily go on for hours at a time, or give a constant steady stream of mockery during a fight.
Ferocious: Thanks to her fusion with Surge, Tangle’s aggression and venom towards anyone she dislikes is unmatched, although the friendliness of her original self limits it to enemies only and she won't abuse her allies unless extremely mad.
Cunning: Due to Fiona’s influence, Tangle has gained a degree of intelligence in wars waged outside of combat, and is willing to lie, flirt, steal, or manipulate in pursuit of her (usually righteous) goals.
Unstable: A somewhat negative trait taken from Surge, Tangle is emotionally-erratic and can switch from happy-go-lucky to full-berserk-fury at the mere sight of her specific triggers, especially a certain arrogant hedgehog...albeit probably not the one you're thinking of.
Survivalist: Fiona’s survival instincts and medical aptitude have been passed on to Tangle, letting her thrive outside of civilization without issue and know how to treat her own injuries, as well as those of her allies.
Lawless: Inherited and magnified from both fusees, Tangle has little-to-no concern for authority and chafes at direct instructions, usually outright ignoring them while making her own decisions.
History
Having grown up on South Island as the Eggman’s grip on Metropolis tightened, Tangle lived in awe of Sonic the Hedgehog and the Chaos Emeralds he used to fight the madman. When she discovered the Black Emerald’s haven deep in the island’s underground Labyrinth (though she was unable to claim the gem) she made it her mission to become its Guardian and protect her home, in case the Eggman ever decided to wipe the island off of his surrounding waters.
That dream was stolen from her five years ago, when the Empire's army invaded and sank South Island underneath the weight of the Iron Fortress. Tangle was barely able to escape enslavement, through a combo of dumb luck, brute force, frying a loyalty chip’s wiring before it could be plugged in, and a timely intervention by Sonic. Fleeing the island in a stolen motorboat, Tangle eventually washed up on Westside Island, using her meager stash of Black Chaos Rings to access the Nights Casino.
This turned out to be the best choice she ever made, as she was able to meet and join up with Fang Acquisitions, a group of treasure hunters who came together because they didn't fit in with society (which Tangle certainly didn't at the moment) and accepted her with open arms. Working alongside them helped hone her skills at deception and trickery to a level where she could make a living as a thief.
This partnership would eventually come to an end when Fang accepted an offer from the Eggman himself, which Tangle couldn’t bring herself to do on principle. She left the group and began to travel on her own, following her heart, finding treasure, and selling it to sustain her ring supplies.
However, upon learning about Shadow the Hedgehog, the uninterested Guardian of the Black Chaos Emerald, and his lack of concern for South Island's fate...Tangle was outraged, and redefined her goals into an ongoing mission: fighting Eggman, overthrowing Shadow, and restoring South Island to its prime...or at least to a state where it isn’t submerged under the weight of a metallic death-trap. Baby steps.
With her friends or allies-of-the-moment, Tangle is kind and playful, if snarky and impatient. But her enemies are instead shown the full venom of a bitter and vengeful vigilante. This dichotomy is witnessed in-person by few, as most will only ever see one side of the girl, but those who know of both will tell you: Tangle is one of the best friends you could ask for...so if you hurt hers, pick a god and pray, because she will not hold back.
Weaknesses
Tangle’s main flaw is her recklessness, often jumping into situations with low odds of success without thinking it through. Combined with her occasional forgetfulness, she finds herself in trouble more often than she'd care to admit.
A more practical issue for Tangle is her ring dependence, with most of her big hits being locked behind high costs, and her Aura in particular will bleed her ring cache dry if she isn’t careful.
Tangle works best with an ally who can break through the armored foes she struggles with, can make good use of her slingshotting ability for mobility or offense, and can tolerate or adapt around her unpredictable streak.
Star Power: Circuit
Tangle’s power gives her the ability to generate copious amounts of electricity and channel it through her body and beyond.
She's not experienced enough to access some of the more advanced skills it might offer, such as throwing lightning bolts, but she's working on it.
Attacks
Tail Slap: Tangle swings her unusually-long tail in a full 360-degree spin, striking any nearby opponents and collecting rings in the process. This won’t hurt friends or allies unless Amped.
Damage: 1 / 4 (Amped)
Cost: Free / 2 rings (Amped)
Snatch & Slingshot: During Tail Slap, Tangle can instead grab the first object it hits, holding it at tail’s length. She can then launch the object at Sonic Speeds (around 2x most Mobian run speeds) as a projectile. If said object is too heavy for her to lift or push on her own, she can use it as leverage while flinging herself in a pseudo-Spindash.
Damage: 1 for herself, 2 for most projectiles, 3 for notably sharp or otherwise deadly objects like buzz-saws
Punch Rush: Carrying on the momentum from Tail Slap, Tangle can transition into a five-hit punch combo, ending in a brutal uppercut which can be charged for half a second to electrify the hit.
Damage: 1-1-1-1-1 / 1-1-1-1-2 (stuns) / 1-1-1-1-5 (stuns) (Amped)
Cost: Free / 1 ring for charged uppercut / 3 rings for the same (Amped)
Plasma Shift: Tangle transforms herself into pure electricity, pulling herself towards the nearest magnet or conductor. This will release anything she’s touching or being grappled by as she becomes more-or-less intangible.
Damage: 0.5 per second of contact
Cost: 1 ring/second
Lightning Dash: By using Plasma Shift while moving at a high enough speed, Tangle is able to continue straight in the direction she was already traveling in as a lightning bolt of sorts, ignoring gravity or friction and blasting through anything in her path for up to one second, which is when she gets tired out and has to turn back.
Damage: 3 (stuns)
Cost: 2 rings
Bolt Slam: If Lightning Dash rams a surface directly (be it a wall, floor, or ceiling), it will create a shockwave as it ends.
Damage: 2 (stuns) / 5 (stuns) (Amped)
Cost: 1 ring, 3 total / 3 rings, 5 total (Amped)
Passive Abilities
Agile: While Tangle can’t quite reach Sonic Speed without slingshotting herself, she is noticeably faster than most, with her jogging pace being roughly equal to most people running at their top speeds, and her maximum run sits somewhere between Normal and Sonic Speeds.
Hook: Using her tail as a grapple, Tangle is able to hang off ledges and stop herself from falling off them if moving slower than a jog. Her tail is unusually-long enough to be unwieldy though so her balance isn't much better than the average Mobian, lacking the balance advantage of most Long-tails.
Connect: Tangle’s tail automatically plugs into nearby electrical sources, siphoning energy and converting it to rings. During this, she can also touch inactive machinery to transfer the energy to it instead.
Rate: 1 ring/second
Galvanized: Thanks to a constant layer of electric insulation, Tangle takes no damage from shock-based attacks, and is fully immune to being stunned by electricity. This can also protect her somewhat from other damage types, in which case Tangle will spend 2 rings per point of damage and scatter the remainder in every direction.
Active Abilities
Magnetize: By charging herself or a friend with electrical energy, Tangle can magnetize that individual to attract rings, allow them to steal rings on-contact, and cling to metallic surfaces.
Damage: Steals on contact, 1 ring/second cap
Cost: 2 rings/second (duration = charge time)
Hijack: Tangle is able to hotwire mechanical vehicles/weapons using her tail. Her control while doing so isn’t totally precise, and it can’t override remote commands, but manual interfaces are disabled and anyone else touching the metal will be shocked. Getting hit during this will knock Tangle loose and end the process.
Damage: 1-3 per second (depends on how much of the metal they’re touching)
Cost: Varies depending on size of machinery, minimum of 3 rings/second
Aura: Amp
Cost: 2 rings/second
By increasing her electrical output to dangerous levels, Tangle gets the following benefits:
Conductor: Tangle is effectively a living lightning rod and will absorb any electric attacks that travel close to her, charging up for the next 3 seconds and letting her bypass the cost of her next charged uppercut if used before it fades.
Emitter: While standing still, enemies too close to Tangle will be zapped every few seconds by arcs of electricity.
Damage: 1 (stuns)
Magnetize: Tangle will always be Magnetized while her Aura is active.
Light: Tangle now glows in the dark, illuminating a ten-foot radius in dimly-flickering cyan.
Shutter: If Connected or Hijacking, Tangle can permanently disable tech by frying its internals.
Cost: 2 rings + Hijack cost for 1 second (Minimum of 5 rings)
Attacks: Tail Slap, Bolt Slam, and her uppercut all deal 3 extra damage and cost 2 extra rings.
Snatch: While holding opponents, Tangle will pump electricity through her tail to electrocute them.
Damage: 3 per second
Cost: 2 rings/second
Slingshot: When slingshotting metallic objects, they will be electrified and deal bonus damage.
Damage: +2
Lightning Dash: While using Lightning Dash, continuing the move will allow Tangle to maintain the attack as long as she can afford it, creating a pricey but nigh-unstoppable method of straight-line pseudo-flight.
Cost: 2 rings/second
Bolt Slam: The shockwave’s range is doubled.
Gigaspark: Entering water while in Aura or vice versa will trigger a massive electrical surge with Tangle at its epicenter, frying anything within a ten-foot radius...including Tangle.
Damage: Up to 10 (stuns)
Cost: Up to 10 rings + ring scatter
Chaos Mode: Storm Tangle
Tangle’s fur pattern turns green-and-black while in Chaos Mode, and she constantly emits electricity.
Uncoiled: Tangle’s tail length is doubled while it’s in use (it involves electrical repulsion of molecules, she doesn’t really understand how it works either so don’t ask too many questions)
Emitter: The zap range is doubled, and will always remain active without any need to stand still.
Plasma Shift: Becomes free and can instantly transition to a maximum-speed Lightning Dash.
Sequence: After Punch Rush or Bolt Slam, Tangle can unleash a costly but powerful follow-up:
Punch Rush -> Blitz Fist: Rockets forward with a sixth punch overflowing with electrical power.
Damage: 8 (stuns)
Cost: 5 rings, 7 total without charged uppercut, 10 total with charged uppercut
Bolt Slam -> Shock Buster: Creates a second, larger shockwave as Tangle hammers the surface again.
Damage: 8 (stuns)
Cost: 5 rings, minimum of 10 total
Gigaspark: Gigaspark is now usable on-command outside of water.
Damage: 10 (stuns)
Cost: 10 rings + ring scatter
Gadgets
As a drifter, Tangle travels light, with the clothes on her back and the tools in her pockets being most of what she owns. She’s fully willing to use any objects she finds though, and is especially fond of large-scale machinery she can Hijack, like cannons or even the occasional battle-mech.
Big Bang: Tangle’s personalized (and stolen) Extreme Gear bike, her main method of transport between and often during adventures. A custom-rigged cloaking device helps her stash it away safely.
Piercings: Tangle wears a variety of metallic loops on her person, to channel her electricity through.
Flashlight: A high-power tool Tangle keeps on hand, letting her light up darker passageways without the need for Aura.
Lockpicks: Owing to her time as a treasure hunter, Tangle carries a handful of lockpicks and is adept at using them to unlock doors and chests...or steal vehicles. In the name of justice, of course!
Medical Kit: A small first-aid kit, carrying all the essentials: bandages, gauze, antidotes, burn lotion, needle and thread, antiseptics, sterile wipes, painkillers, et cetera. With this, Tangle can patch up minor injuries for herself and her friends on the go, without needing any rings.
Relationships
Tangle is very outgoing and will freely interact with anyone she sees as friendly. These alliances are usually brief and don’t result in a lasting partnership, with a few exceptions, but she’s always willing to lend a hand if called on. However, those she dislikes will know only her vicious rage.
Politically, Tangle is very much a neutral party, and will loosely ally with anyone if it’s convenient to her, except GUN (because Shadow), Kukku (because Whisper), and Eggman (because duh).
Common Team-Ups
Sonic: The blue hedgehog is an inspiration for Tangle and a fellow vagabond whom she semi-frequently runs into and will act alongside. Sonic is one of the few able to somewhat manage her rebellious tendencies, and slingshotting him adds a sorely-needed reliable ranged attack to both of their arsenals.
Whisper: Tangle’s best friend, despite their completely-opposite personalities, and another victim of the Eggman Empire’s tyranny. Whisper’s powers perfectly satisfy Tangle’s ring requirements, and Tangle gets to hog all of the limelight while Whisper takes care of all the little details.
Fang: Having worked with the treasure hunters during her more aimless years, Tangle remains on good terms with Fang’s group, and it’s not uncommon for her to send or assist in non-villain job offers. Even when they do wind up on opposing factions and thus work against each other, there’s never much ill will between them.
Rouge: Tangle is partial to Rouge’s Nights Casino as the starting point of her new life, and will return every so often between her adventures, pawning off any treasures and Chaos Rings she’s collected. As one of the few suppliers of Black Chaos Rings (given the nature of Metropolis), the bat is sure to finance Tangle well for her efforts.
Blaze: Tangle’s oceanic travels will occasionally bring her into contact with the fire-forged princess and her pesky pirate problems, and they make for an incredibly skilled if destructive duo. Tangle’s ability to ruin entire fleet formations in a single Hijack can be an indispensable distraction while Blaze sets the rest on fire.
Common Match-Ups
Amy: For whatever reason, Amy dislikes Tangle and doesn't approve of her being around Sonic, despite her best efforts to be friendly to both of them. While it rarely results in open conflict, Rose’s temper is very short with her, and the hedgehog’s magic attraction of things overrides Tangle’s magnetic one, making it a risk to even work with her.
Knuckles: Tangle’s habit of teasing people and lack of respect for all authority rubs Knuckles the wrong way, and the two can often end up in competition while unearthing old treasures, especially if she happens to be collaborating with Fang. The two will seldom come to actual blows, though...which is good, since she can hardly hurt him.
Storm: Whether traveling alone or lending her support to Whisper, Tangle is usually found on the wrong end of Storm’s bazooka, as he tries to face her as revenge for the first time they fought...as well as every other time, as he hasn’t bested Tangle yet. It’s a nice warm-up, at least.
Eggman: After the conquering of her home island, Tangle holds a deep and vicious hatred of the robotic genius and is always up to sabotage him, using anyone else's raids on Metropolis as cover to swipe Black Rings from his domain. The madman finds it annoying but ultimately views her to be mostly irrelevant, at least compared to Sonic or Miles.
Shadow: Tangle despises Shadow, as the Black Emerald Guardian’s complete lack of concern for its haven (even after "defecting" from Eggman) goes against her view of what the role should be. Due to Tangle’s aim of taking his position, she will challenge him any time, despite his advantages against her electrical attacks.
Role
Despite her raw power and survival experience, Tangle often winds up as a damsel-in-distress due to her recklessness and high costs, especially when facing the armored and zap-resistant robots she’s usually up against. When given the proper guidance though, she can prove herself as a capable if unpredictable force, facing foes with only the hesitation needed to think of a quip.
Tangle’s most beneficial position if working with a large group, oddly enough, is in the background. Between Slingshot and Magnetize, she’s able to get everyone where they need to be really quickly. Then left to her own whims, Tangle will often find a nice big gun to Hijack and provide covering fire.
...or she’ll nab a Chaos Emerald from a nearby Haven, or blow out the thrusters of an airship to crash it, or fry a facility’s generator to kill power, or disrupt enemy comms, or...you get the point. You never quite know what she'll do, but it will (almost) always be helpful!
Perhaps most interestingly, Tangle can function as an antagonist in certain situations, especially if Shadow or Knuckles is involved. She usually isn’t powerful enough to act as the primary antagonist though.
Design Notes: Here we have Tangle, IDW's most prominent gag character, if a decently well-written one. While she can still definitely act as a source of comic relief, albeit more as a witty snarker than as a klutzy cuddlebug, this gives Tangle motivations beyond "help my friends" and "make corny jokes" which are...near-universal traits in the canon Sonic universe, most of which Pantalion tweaked (in the former case) or outright removed (in the latter case, thankfully) for the Crash redesigns.
Tangle was originally mentioned off-handedly by Pan as a potential sidekick for Sonic, but Sonic is a character who doesn't really need a sidekick, or at least a consistent one given his social nature and wanderlust. Also no one will ever be able to replace Miles as his true sidekick, even though the kid's independence is well-established in Crash. So I chose to go a different route, combining two villainous characters with the already semi-nomadic Tangle to make a less-squeaky-clean-but-still-righteous counterpart that Sonic has to occasionally mentor on a leash so she doesn't get herself killed.
This is actually in-line with Sonic's character, both in canon and in Crash. He doesn't hold past actions against people (except maybe Eggman), what matters is the here-and-now, so working with an ex-criminal isn't going to faze him. So even while she's not officially or permanently his sidekick, she fulfills the same narrative role of causing growth in and showing new sides of their leader's personality.
If you could kindly spare a comment, it'd be appreciated, I'd love to hear some feedback, and if you have any questions I'd be happy to answer them. The next chapter will cover Whisper, and it'll be...a LOT more complicated than Tangle was. Fair warning.