It'd seem like it'd be less complicated for Mina's backstory to be short and to the point instead of long. I think that's my personal conclusion, although it may be possible. Then again, she can contribute pretty easily without a backstory. Most of the other characters would have no backstory or a modified one. I think us Mina fans wouldn't mind just seeing Mina in it, and able to contribute. I'm not really thinking too much about my responses, and how Mina's backstory could work. So discussion to refine it would be nice. Again, it's not to say Matt has to use it, but its just saying the backstory could happen when applied in a simplified fashion.
Areas of discussion (put in spoiler tags to save space)
1. Love interest Stuff
2. Combat roles
3. Roles to characters
4. A new female voice
1. Love interest stuff:
[spoiler:mm6akmj6]There's the issue of bringing Amy into the mix, and her dynamic to Sonic is essentially cat and mouse, where Amy is the cat that never really catches the rodent in question. Compare that to the kind of relationship to Sonic and Sally, and Amy is easily upstaged. The idea of Mina, even if she doesn't end up with Sonic could be as has been argued to provide Sally with a sense of loss so that Amy's fans will continue watching the show with the beleif that it's not crystal clear who Sonic's going to end up with, and that Sally has similar issues of her own.[/spoiler]
2. Combat Roles:
[spoiler:mm6akmj6]Disclaimer: These are ideas that stand alone. Like any of the concepts provided, they do NOT need to rely on every other concept to be used. In addition you can quickly scroll the table of contents by pressing Ctrl + F, and putting the content number and/or title in the search.
2.0 utilizing prudish characterization as a strength (not saying it couldn't be a major weakness too)
2.1 Distracting Robian citizens
2.2 Weapons
2.3 Double Agent
2.0 utilizing prudish characterization as a strength (not saying it couldn't be a major weakness too)
Mina's pretty prudish. So knowing on occassion a secret society, holy mount, relic, etc could be possible. Her prudishness may also come to the help/detriment of the team sometimes. As a means of helping Mina can for instance try to diffuse squabbles among the team. As a detriment, an example would be how Mina's prudish attitude would keep her from acknowledging help from those of questionable lifestyles. For instance a band of rouges may want to assist the Freedom Fighters, and Mina gives the team a hard time because of perhaps prejudice towards them. Similarly, a person with a high position, usually affiliated with some form of morality can be inwardly an enemy of the FFs, and Mina would allow her prejudices to sway her sense of judgement.
In any case, I think a surrounding issue concerning Mina's current abilities in the comic is this ethic of "opposites". Many people don't have a problem with Sonic 'not' having uniqueness. SEGA doesn't, many of it's fans don't. While many of them would mind Sonic not being the fastest, the gameplay surrounding Sonic requires all the characters to have SOME speed. So let's take Mina's "super speed" and her character:
2.1 Distracting Robian citizens
Let's say Mina's super speed WAS there, or more to the point a slightly-above-average ability was there and she actually had more control over it. So what? Perhaps she does but not nearly as much as Sonic, nor can she curl in a ball like he does to make offensive attacks. Surely, Sonic couldn't possibly like many people do feel happy that others can actually relate to this and share similar interests, especially if Mina has no desire to act as his on missions. Does Mina need a purpose? Why not do what SEGA would be happy to see anyway and establish bigger, badder bots? Appeal to the complaints many game fans had with the series and have Sonic do MORE then run away from the enemies and actually use... His signature moves in the games to fight the badniks. Heck maybe even have them powered by small animals so he HAS to destroy them as he'd done in the classics.
And Mina? Here's a question with SatAM: Where the hell are the robians? Why isn't Robotnik using them against Sonic and co knowing these goody two shoes don't have the heart to tear apart innocent civilians like they would a swatbot? Why leave Sonic to the swatbots who he hasn't a friggin care about? It's important to make robians more involved in the story because of the fact that it really stresses the signifficance of the reality of the characters which is the roboticizer, pitting Mobian against Mobian, forcing them into labor, etc. This is the thing Robotnik used to assume power over the citizens of well... all of Mobius. Its the thing the freedom fighters are fighting against. The fact we rarely see them cuts at the beleivability of a story like SatAM, which had to be done because a character like Mina wasn't there.
In robotropolis you have 2 kinds of bots. Ones roboticized, and ones that aren't. If we need someone to be a diversion let Sonic smash the (non robian) bots or carry Sally to a control room. Mina can afford to be the diversion for the robians LITTERED throughout robotropolis who'd otherwise get caught in the crossfire. If Sonic wants to switch it up and be the diversion Mina can carry Sally to the control room. In addition, Mina's limited in combat abilities that she cannot take Sonic's position of actually fighting the swat bots. She can help Sonic in many ways, but that's simply not one of them. I think making her a damsel might make this more apparent, even if it's only done from time to time (the gimmick can be played frequently, I'm not suggesting it couldn't). She might get a cool and nifty gadget like a water gun and can be a bit of a sharp shooter (since she'd really have to learn to focus to use her speed anyway), but it'd only have a couple of shots and that's probably to help get the attention of the robians without actually getting too close to them.
This also addresses the response against Mina doing this. I've heard some arguements, some saying it'd be a flaw in logic for Robotnik to utilize the robians. Even if it WERE a flaw in logic, how many leaders in the real world have relied on flawed logic, or ill constructed plans? Is it outside the logic of the story for villians to make mistakes? Supposing the logic is flawed, it still adds to the story in the sense that it places a greater emphasis on the robian population. A population that Sonic and co, are fighting to save, fear becoming and sadly have to fight. These are the people they care about removed from freedom and help to emphasize the very dictaorship of Robotnik himself. Playing such a large role to the emotional component of SatAM especially, Robotnik using them as a means to rid the FFs adds to the story. Even if there were to be no logical basis to it the when you really try digging into how logical the concept is, logically, it doesn't matter. Even if it were a logical deduction, the fact villians don't have to be logical would throw out the use of this tactic automatically on the grounds of logic. The "logical" component while interesting to discuss, is not the main reason for such an idea to be incorporated in something like SatAM.
2.3 Weapons
Since Mina's a babysitter, use of household gadgets like yoyos or water guns may work to her her advantage
Yoyo: Grappler, it can also be made to trip enemies. Mina's speed would provided she'd do it alone be essential to this because she'd need to use the rope of the yoyo to tie it against the sides of 2 locations. If she were the one setting up the trap using it, and Sonic could be the decoy and lead them there. Mina could probably use a variety of things like yoyos to distract robians and get away without super speed. Plant a trap, and then use the yoyo as a device to latch onto a larger platrform and make your exit. Balls and pebbles can also be used to the same effect.
Water gun: Upon getting it, I'd suggest it only have enough for a couple of shots. Not enough to defeat a leigion of swatbots (maybe 1) or a robian. I think the idea with it could be to divert attention.
Applying the ethic of uniquness, Mina using items to reflect her off time job as a babysitter can compensate but they'd be used in different ways. If she didn't have speed she'd either have to plant the trap before hand or have someone else do it while she's a decoy, although it'd be prefferable if she had SOME form of agility, even if it's not out of the ordinary. She could also have things like balls, marbles, etc to delay the reaction time of a group of robians once they're out of the fray of combat, while Sonic and co takes the chance to trash the badniks. Of course, Sonic's probably going to need to get winded eventually because of the fact he could just...save the city if he never got tired. Mina can help with retreating too. transporting Sally to the control room could be done by someone like Tails as could actually helping in things like hacking.
2.2 Double Agent
Although this would be the most difficult position to construct on a long term basis, there is the option of Mina living in a separate world from Sonic and co in most instances by being an agent. Some have asked why not provide this as a task for Chuck. A solution I think, should he get deroboticized. One of the issues with getting him deroboticized is that it provides a huge breathrhough in the quest for deroboticization, and even if the machine broke, it'd still require answers to help the FFs in how to best the roboticization process (that is unless a mystical plot device that no longer works is used). But assuming that doesn't happen I think the problem with Chuck is that in episodes that rely on standing on their own as opposed to a strong continuity, Chuck's disposition, and how he got to becoming a free thinking robian requires too much understanding of prior continuity. If someone doesn't know about the prior continuity, then they're left wondering why the robians are even under Robotnik's control when characters like Chuck are perfectly capable of establishing their free will. Characters like Mina don't exactly beg for one to consider what appears to be such contradiction and allows for new viewers to find more beleivable what's going on in the show.[/spoiler]
3. Roles to the other characters
Mina is a very prudish character. And with anything you very involved in, it often becomes a strength and a weakness. An social advantage, and disadvantage at the same time. Mina is a cheerful yet often times prude character and prone to being judgemental/prejudice. While I won't get very specific to how this can be applied to characters right now, I think I could try a little later emphasizing why I think this aspect in her character could generate a positive OR negative relationship to a given character depending on how it's applied. This isn't saying it MUST be applied this way or that. It's just emphasizing the concept of "possibility." more on that later though.
4. A new female voice
[spoiler:mm6akmj6]A few people have said "you just want Mina in SatAM because you like her" as if this is in fact a bad reason to put her into SatAM. One of the ways the show can be improved is to enhance how attractive a show like SatAM is to say for instance female viewers. As the old FUS profile for Dulcy has indicated (I can't find any specific interviews yet), she was created to address the fact that the show couldn't generate a strong female following. Sally and Bunnie even back when their characterizations were based on "hip" concepts for women didn't really generate a female audience and Dulcy herself has created an even weaker following.
Link to the prior FUS profile: http://web.archive.org/web/200302281843 ... dulcy.html
To quote:
QUOTE ("Shorty":mm6akmj6)
But if nothing else at the end of the day, Mina provides a different kind of voice and flavor to the show for female audiences, especially. Even if you argued that there were many characters who could do what Mina does, the fact remains that the lead girls in SatAM didn't generate enough of a female like they were intended to. And while Amy has the potential to be the "alpha-female", she alone should not be considered to generate a strong female audience. She is the extreme opposite from the third wave Sally. While Sally's dynamics were geared to empower girls at the expense of guys, Amy's dynamic with Sonic empowers and entertains the boys but at the girl's expense.
Most of the characters SEGA generates are boys, and let's take a look at Sonic X. Who was the self-insert character? A boy, they didn't even bother to make a girl equivalent. When SEGA generates their characters, they try to make them usually appeal to boys. Females do not have a very strong voice in the games, and the strongest voice is not very empowering to women. Especially for western women. Main girls like Amy are heavily revolved around their love interest, and she engaged in a Tom-and-Jerry like relationship with Sonic, where there's really no overt romance and he's on a pedistole. How are young prepubecent girls going to strongly relate to Amy's neverending pursuit to get a boyfriend? Maybe some young adolecents might, but not younger kids, and probably she won't reach out to the older girls either.
Mina serves as another voice for girls to relate to, and would offer a seperate, maybe even more sympathetic perspective for Amy that might make her a little more tolerable for people who're trying to invest in the franchise.
Princess Sally may be a third wave kind of girl, and although the third wave didn't really gel well with the youth of yesteryear, it can at least be a little more tolerable by adding to Sally's flaws. But I think the premise and voice surrounding the character of princess Sally is 3rd wave in the sense of beleifs and values, and the voice that really comes from her character. You cannot totally erase it from Sally's character. However, Princess Sally while not really producing a lot of young viewers can at least offer a voice to people who did appreciate the girls of the 3rd wave, particularly the older crowd. Mina may be "the normal girl", and could very well appeal to the young girls and in addition provide a much more sympathetic side to Amy's character, but Sally can also appeal to people as she (perhaps not as much of the role hog she was) be the sort of character who aims to reel in an entirely different group of viewers. Especially since 3rd wave girls are on the decline. I don't think Sally NEEDS to be overhauled. Many people appreciate the voice of a girl whose not "girly", and are incredibly athletic, sassy, non traditional etc. I think it'd make the show a lot more well rounded and increase the chances of a female following to apply different kinds of females to the series.[/spoiler]
