Shahra and Merlina

[Blazey Firekitty]

Do you think there's any connection between the two characters, or do they just share similar faces? If they are indeed versions of the same person, who might that person be in the "real," non-literary Sonic-verse?

[SchemingMinor]

I'd like to see her as a recurring villain in the storybook series or some sort of mischief maker. Granted though, I have not played any of the storybook games so I cannot say much more about her than what I have read from her profiles.

Edited November 6, 2011 by Kintobor

[Soniman]

Similar in design, but not related or connected. To interconnect the Storybook games and give them similar characteristics.

(character wise though, Shahra is bland but Merlina actually has an interesting character and motive).

[Blazey Firekitty]

I'd like to see her as a recurring villain in the storybook series or some sort of mischief maker.

That's an interesting thought. I could see her as a sort of "trickster goddess" who drags Sonic into stories either to teach him lessons, for her own purposes, or some combination of the two.

[SchemingMinor]

That's an interesting thought. I could see her as a sort of "trickster goddess" who drags Sonic into stories either to teach him lessons, for her own purposes, or some combination of the two.

Thy name is Loki.

[Badnik Zero]

I enjoyed both versions of this mystery girl. She seems to have some crucial and tragic role in both appearances. I think Diogenes said once that she could be a librarian. I think that'd be great. Just some girl working in a large public library, who dreams too much on the job, but has some connection to books that allows her to enter their fantasy world? She could be that one human besides Robotnik with meaning. I dunno if it should be stated explicitly, but if she appears again it'd be nice to hint if she is in fact real.

[Yong]

In either case the pink-haired girl is 2 for 2 on backstabbing. Going the route that they're the "same person" Sonic better watch himself in the next storybook game.

[Solkia]

Sega recycling character models making a few minor tweaks?

naaaaaaw...

[NintendoSoul]

They only have similar characters models, there's nothing to indicate them being the same person.

[Sega DogTagz]

In either case the pink-haired girl is 2 for 2 on backstabbing. Going the route that they're the "same person" Sonic better watch himself in the next storybook game.

And yet I (and I imagine many of you) never saw that one coming in Black Knight. Shahra, due to the circimstances of the first games betrayal, gave Merlina instant credibility as an ally. I just took for granted that she was on my side and there to help. The second backstabbing was very well planned out from a story perspective. It won't work a third time, as that air of innocence is now clouded with a watchful eye, so I would like to see what role "Shahra" would play in a future storybook game. She'll be at a turning point.

[Soniman]

Sega recycling character models making a few minor tweaks?

naaaaaaw...

Well that can't be, since Merlina and Shahara never had in game models..at all.

[JezMM]

Well that can't be, since Merlina and Shahara never had in game models..at all.

They prolly refer to the character models used in the FMV movies.

But putting it so harshly makes it sound like they were just being lazy... I'm pretty sure they made the deliberate decision to link the games together with the matching appearences.

[Vertekins]

I think that both characters are incredibly interesting and mostly brought out the best in Sonic, challenging his morality and in Merlina's case, his personal views.

They both are technically backstabbers yet in Shahra's case, you can tell clear as day that she has extreme reservations about what she's doing and it's also clear that she is being emotionally manipulated. I not once got any impression that Shahra truly wanted to betray Sonic or cause him any harm and seems completely ashamed and/or upset when anything really concerning Erazor is bought up and when she is attempting to give the World Rings to Erazor. She also appears worried whilst Sonic is wondering about what Erazor's aim is as he collects the White Ring and doesn't know where to put herself when King Solomon mentions Erazor's lamp. Heck, the scene select in the Special Book even hints at Shahra's expressions hiding something and this is hinted at in certain cutscenes through her expressions and the anxious way in which she talks.

If Shahra really thought that Sonic was expendable in her 'aim' to get back with Erazor, she wouldn't have leapt in front of him to take that sword strike and she probably would have leapt to Erazor's defense when Sonic was dooming him to his eternal prison. She even watches Sonic as he throws Erazor's lamp into the molten metal inside Evil Foundry.

Now Merlina, she was far FAR more ruthless and knew exactly what the ramifications of her actions were. She clearly had no compunctions against beating Sonic to a pulp if it meant keeping him from interfering in her plans. Though come to think of it, I guess the Scabbard may have contributed to her lack of mercy when it came to beating the crap out of Sonic. I guess she sees the error of her way when Sonic is done with her but you've got to give the girl credit, that plan was truly diabolical and quite selfish.

[Blazey Firekitty]

Thy name is Loki.

Good old Norse mythology.

I haven't played through all of Secret Rings yet, but I feel like Merlina wasn't quite as developed as Shahra, especially after reading Verte's post. Most of her characterization seemed geared towards making her a shocking and scary villain. Then again, Merlina admittedly didn't have the kind of screentime that Shahra did, as Black Knight gave the "buddy" role to a different character(Caliburn).

[DarkLight]

Yeah, Sharah's betrayal was more of a moment of weakness, having to choose between two people she deeply cared about while Merlina's was just about what SHE thought was best for her kingdom.

Kinda off-topic but, I've been thinking about this for a bit. Even though we never see Merlina's reaction to Sonic being declared the real King Arthur near the end of the game, if I were her, I'd probably feel a bit stupid. Here's what I've gathered as to way I think this way:

1. Merlina knew King Arthur was a fake the whole time.

2. If the fake Arthur continued to rule the kingdom, the story/kingdom would probably end the way Merlina foretold.

So my feeling is that she could of spent more time finding and seeking out the real King Arthur. Although, Caliburn is the only one who really decides who's fit to be king with him being Excalibur and all and it's not like Merlina knew he was such beyond being 'a sacred sword.' Not to mention it's never explained in-game how she knew Sonic would be the only one to be able to challenge Arthur unless we go with the prophecy/legend thing SatSR sorta had with Sonic only being able to defeat Erazor Djinn.

I don't know, maybe I'm overthinking things a bit. I'm just spit-balling thoughts here and this is probably the biggest post I've ever really made in while

[Blazey Firekitty]

2. If the fake Arthur continued to rule the kingdom, the story/kingdom would probably end the way Merlina foretold.

You know, that makes a lot of sense. It's not like Guinevere could have gotten much love or warmth from cold, unfeeling magical construct, so she'd naturally gravitate towards Lancelot. Heck, the Knights of the Round Table seemed messed socially on some level since they only had someone to bark orders at them, rather than inspiring them on a spiritual and mental level.

[Doctor MK]

I'm one of the people who really enjoyed Secret Rings' story and I particularly liked Shahra as a character. As far as sidekicks go, she was easily one of the more appealing in recent memory, acting as a helpful guide but also having a dark and pivotal backstory that would ultimately shape the climax of the plot. It's the friendship between Sonic and Shahra that makes Secret Rings such a warming tale - watching the genie develop from purely wanting to get Sonic involved to collect the seven World Rings to someone who is willing to sacrifice their own life for what they truly think is right (intentional quote is intentional) is a wonderful transformation. And it's also a testament to Sonic's character too, that he's able to be so selfless - heck, he effectively sacrifices his own life within a matter of minutes of meeting Shahra - and so influential on others. Whatever the relationship between Shahra and Erazor Djinn originally was, it's an emotional rollercoaster to see the two inevitably torn apart for the greater good, because Shahra evidently cares a great deal about them being together. But, as we've already mentioned, the tale is about doing what you truly think is right. What we want isn't always what is best.

Merlina, on the other hand... well, she's a badass bitch. Initially I just saw her as a Shahra rip-off for the sake of continuity between the storybook games, and I certainly didn't feel as much warmth towards her. But that plot twist. DAT PLOT TWIST. Had Merlina not turned out to be a genius mastermind, I would have written her off as forgettable and bland - what she is though, is the complete polar opposite of Shahra. Yes, she still has the same "manipulating others into getting what I want" plan, but she's cold. She's heartless. She's close-minded. Whereas Shahra could be changed, Merlina won't budge and it's left to Sonic to open a can of gold-plated woop-ass on her in order to make her see the light. As a villain, and certainly after the warming character that was Shahra, Merlina's personality was pretty much spot-on.

Out of the two, I vastly preferred Shahra. But Merlina was effective in her own way, too.

I'm not sure if I'd want to see a Shahra/Merlina-a-like in a hypothetical third storybook game. Perhaps as a cameo or something for the sake of continuity, but not as an integral part of the plot. The shock factor is gone now. We've seen two sides to this character, and there's not much left to be explored that would be worthwhile.

[Cephrien]

What I DO know is that the Sonic franchise has had some preeetty cute human heroines in the past. Not even gonna lie.

[Diogenes]

I think Diogenes said once that she could be a librarian.

I think I did too, and even if I didn't I'm going to pretend that I did, since it sounds like a good idea.

Shahra and Merlina are both pretty good characters, but it's really this potential overarching plot that interests me. Shahra/Merlina is/are the only person/people that is/are (ugh) consistent across the storybook games, aside from the Sonic characters. If there's some reason these stories all have a notTails and a notKnuckles, it's reasonable to suggest that there might be a Sonic-universe equivalent of Shahra/Merlina, too.

Not sure what role she could serve though, as she's apparently not entering the stories the way Sonic is; she just has book-dimension equivalents. I'd definitely like to at least see this hypothetical notShahra if we ever get another storybook game, tho'.