APPLICATION
Series: Sonic Underground (Sonic le Rebelle)
Series' Medium: Animated TV Series (40 episodes)
Character: Sleet
Age: unknown; pinning him at 36 (From Sonic Wikia, original source unknown. If it’s an educated guess, it seems reasonable.)
Sex/Gender: male
Canon Role: Henchman/Antagonist (He mainly plays the role of henchman, but he becomes a villain in his own right in some episodes.)
Timeline: Between Friend or Foe? and Head Games
Personality:
Sleet is as self-centered as they come. He doesn’t care about anyone, and probably never will! His wants and needs (read: money) are all that matter to him. Every decision he makes is for his own benefit. Even when it is not clear how a situation could benefit him, the prospect of personal gain motivates him to seek out any opportunity. Because his own desires are his top priority, Sleet can be quite good at thinking ahead in order to attain them (this only happens when he stays composed). When he is calm and collected, he is able to think through the possible ramifications of his actions, e.g. betraying Robotnik or others, and decide whether it’s a risk worth taking (usually in terms of how much he would profit from it). As long as he’s getting what he wants, Sleet gives more than 100%* (in his permanent contract with Robotnik, what he wants includes not getting roboticized). He tries so hard to keep up two-faced appearances to get what he wants that it’s laughably obvious to those who are perceptive enough (e.g. in No Hedgehog is an Island, Robotnik finds out Sleet stole the Emerald, and calls him an “overachiever” when Sleet has the nerve to return to him for help after Dingo breaks it).
His selfishness extends to the way he chooses to associate with others. When he abandons pretense, he tends to be snappy and grumpy, making him rather unpleasant to be around. If he's having a bad day, then so must you. He doesn't appreciate being under someone else's thumb all the time, and he's completely fed up with it by the end of his mission in Friend or Foe?. Sleet’s partnership with Dingo only exists because Sleet finds it convenient. Dingo’s compliments and flattery only encourage Sleet to take advantage of his loyalty; the same could be said for anyone who cares to be civil with Sleet. He ultimately considers Dingo disposable, as he is quick to suggest getting rid of him when he can (or can’t!) get something out of it (Sonic Tonic and Mobodoon). Sleet makes no exceptions: he uses everyone around him to further his agenda, and will only help others if it suits him (e.g. Three Hedgehogs and a Baby. He may not admit it, but Dingo is occasionally useful to him; plus Dingo's absence = no more scapegoating).
If he’s feeling incredibly confident, he’s not afraid to show it. He’s smoother than butter when everything’s going according to plan. Some names by which the heroes refer to him-“Slick” and “Sleazo”-can account for this. Any sign of a wide and malevolent grin and you know Sleet is feeling wonderful. If you still aren’t sure, then wait until he laughs. He doesn’t live by any moral code. He’s somewhat sadistic; nothing pleases Sleet more (besides getting a lot of money...) than to see others in despair, so naturally, he enjoys bullying and terrorizing people. As far as taunts and insults go, anyone is fair game (besides Robotnik; he does it behind his back instead). Bounty-hunting is an ideal occupation (by his standards) these days, but the pleasure Sleet gets out of tormenting others is presumably another reason he became a bounty hunter. The only time violence makes him flinch (more often than not) is when he becomes the target; then there’s no reason to smile! When he feels he is losing/has lost control of a situation, he sometimes loses control of himself, too, e.g. throws a tantrum, picks a childish argument with Dingo, etc,.
Sleet is streetwise, so is very good at thinking on his feet. He makes a surprisingly fast recovery from things that catch him off-guard and is (usually) able to respond eloquently under pressure. Sleet acts like anyone’s loyal servant/best friend when he sees that he doesn’t have the upper hand, or when there’s another advantage in doing it. He has had to master this act since some people (i.e. those who aren’t aware of his reputation) don’t tend to trust him based on looks alone. The way he behaves when trying to convince someone he is trustworthy is rather telling of how he perceives trustworthy people. When Sleet is lying to someone, his personality often does a 180. Probably the best example of this can be found in The Jewel of the Crown, when Sleet tells Robotnik he wouldn’t dream of disobeying him, and not one second later, he is telling Dingo they are going to go against Robotnik’s orders.
When push comes to shove, Sleet is a huge coward. He falls back on his puppy-like mannerisms so naturally that it’s probably safe to assume this is how he behaves when he’s at his worst (e.g. horrified, surprised, insecure, embarrassed). Sleet is incurably evil, but at times it seems he’s really just an incurably evil pup.
Unfortunately for Sleet, once a person is familiar with how he operates, he can become incredibly predictable. So he generally comes off as a villain who loves to be as sinister as possible, but his selfishness sometimes blinds him to the faults in his approach. At the end of the day, Sleet will never be number one, because whenever he does succeed, he becomes convinced he is on a winning streak and gets cocky before his victory has been secured, and so fails to foresee any eventuality that could ruin his plans suddenly and horribly. He’s your typical cartoon villain.
TL;DR - Sleet is an egotistical, manipulative sleazeball with a sadistic streak. He can be very childish (e.g. prone to throwing tantrums when he's having a bad day) and is an amazing derp coward. Never genuinely nice to anyone, Sleet believes good people with pure hearts are weak and stupid.
* - Credit does not go to me.
Background:
The series* begins with a summary of the events that led to Planet Mobius’s dystopian future, starting from the day of the evil Dr. Robotnik’s coup (assuming the date of this event is the same as it is in Sonic the Hedgehog, it happened in the year 3224). With his unrivaled genius, he was able to create an army of SWATbots and other powerful forms of war technology that easily dwarved his opponents’; Mobius had not seen war in 500 years, so it could not defend itself against Robotnik’s forces. Robotnik ‘redecorated’ the royal city of Mobotropolis to suit his tastes and renamed it Robotropolis. His SWATbot army grew at an alarming rate due to the construction of factories and power plants around the city. He established himself as the sole ruler of Mobius and used his now massive army to turn most of the planet into a barren wasteland-“a place of terror”-with absurdly oppressive laws** (the general theme being no one but Robotnik was allowed to be happy). They captured many innocent inhabitants. Instead of killing off potential resources, Robotnik ordered that all his prisoners, or “candidates”, be roboticized. This was made possible by what soon became his most feared invention, the Roboticizer; Roboticization completely robs the individual of their free will and turns them into a ‘mindless, robotic slave’, doomed to serve the Robotnik Empire “forever”.
The ongoing construction and maintenance of Robotnik’s incredible (but undeniably horrifying) technology came at a hefty price. For this reason, Robotnik did not roboticize the wealthiest citizens of Mobius-the “aristocrats”-and allowed them to go on with life as usual on the condition they remained loyal to his Empire and funded it periodically (without complaint) through ridiculously large tax and tribute payments; as an added bonus, he would guarantee their safety by giving them SWATbot protection. “Commoners” who were not roboticized were left alone as long as they coughed up tribute whenever asked.
The royal Hedgehog family was forced into hiding because of the bounties Robotnik had placed on them. Queen Aleena Hedgehog, the rightful ruler of Mobius, stayed out of sight with her baby triplets until she was told a prophecy by the Oracle of Delphius: she and her children would one day become the Council of Four, and they would bring an end to Robotnik’s reign of tyranny. However, it would only come true if she separated from her children, for a terrible fate would befall them if she didn‘t. With a heavy heart, Queen Aleena left each of her three children with families she knew and trusted in Robotropolis; one was given to an aristocrat, another to a middle-class family, and the youngest of the three was left to a woman living in the city slums.
Fifteen years passed. Cities filled with ruined, abandoned structures and quiet, empty streets were now a common sight all over Mobius; flora and fauna were but a distant memory for most of its citizens. With the continual growth of the Robotnik Empire came more evidence of “seditious crimes” by the resistance, also known as the Freedom Fighters. Sonic, one of Queen Aleena’s children, was one of its leaders. Thanks to his super speed, he was able to pass himself off as the resistance’s “secret weapon”. The Freedom Fighters had enjoyed over a year of successful raids on Robotnik’s factories. In the first episode of the series, Robotnik planned to put a force field around every factory until Sonic destroyed the prototype.
Robotnik had had enough. He summoned two bounty hunters, Sleet (“the conniving one”) and Dingo (“the idiot”), to his main command center in Robotropolis. (My own speculations: they were probably in hot demand, as Robotnik seemed to think that having them working exclusively for him would be to his advantage. It’s possible that he also wanted them where he could see them, just in case anyone decided to send them after him one day.) Sleet explained that they were independent contractors and tried to tell him they had other clients, but Robotnik wasn’t having any of it. Once he began ‘persuading’ them to agree to his terms, they quickly had a change of heart and, having unwillingly entered into a permanent contract with Robotnik, promised to find the resistance’s “secret weapon” and destroy it. They analyzed the camera footage of Sonic, who in real-time could only be seen as a blue blur, and discovered it was not a machine; to their surprise, it was just a little hedgehog. To Robotnik’s dismay, however, it was evidence that Queen Aleena and her children might still be alive and coming out of the woodwork, and that the prophecy the Oracle told him fifteen years ago might still come true. Sleet and Dingo were given a new task: find those hedgehogs!
In the meantime, Sonic was visited by the Oracle. Shortly after being told that he was royalty and had two siblings, Sonic played the “song in his heart” with his guitar at an underground club in Robotropolis, and said siblings were drawn to the sound. Sonic, Sonia and Manic performed on stage together until one of the SWATbot raids ordered by Sleet and Dingo crashed the party. Using footage taken of the three hedgehogs, Robotnik confirmed they were Queen Aleena’s children. He learned that one of them had been in the care of an aristocrat the entire time, and that one of the wealthiest supporters of his Empire, Sir Bartleby Montclair, was her fiancé. The foster parents of all three hedgehogs were immediately arrested and roboticized. The Oracle showed the royal siblings on their way to unlocking their powers and fighting back against Robotnik, so that one day they could finally reunite with their mother and save Mobius. The siblings became a rock band known as the Sonic Underground.
To begin with, Sleet and Dingo underestimated the hedgehogs. Their chances of capturing them plummeted once their targets found “harmony” with each other in the third episode. The first ten or so episodes had Sleet and Dingo in hot pursuit of the royal siblings and their mother. The smug attitudes that went with their initial schemes suggested they were unaccustomed to failure. The way in which the bounty hunters interfered all the time posed a serious threat to the hedgehogs on more than one occasion. But as their failures piled up, they began to run out of ideas-understandable, since they had probably never needed that many up their sleeves before pursuing the super-powered hedgehogs.
As well as chasing Sonic, Sonia and Manic all over Mobius, Robotnik gave his henchmen other important duties, such as collecting tax and tribute for his Empire. This made them infamous among nobles, whom they paid (sometimes impromptu) visits and harassed; they were regulars at Bartleby’s estate. They were also required to attend certain functions (aristocratic or otherwise), though usually this was only if Robotnik anticipated the arrival of the hedgehogs. They seemed to serve as Robotnik's bodyguards on some occasions as well.
From Come Out Wherever You Are onward, it became commonplace for Sleet and Dingo to merely assist Robotnik in his plans for catching the queen and her children. They were forced to ease themselves into their new role as henchmen, whether they liked it or not. But out of this, a new problem arose: if Robotnik managed to capture the hedgehogs himself, then Sleet and Dingo wouldn’t be given the reward they had been working so hard to get. And so, a new kind of tension developed between the three villains. The idea of Sleet and Dingo capturing the hedgehogs themselves, and naming their price before handing them over to Robotnik, started to form in Sleet's mind. However, the first time this is addressed is in The Jewel of the Crown, which is just after the point from which I'm taking him. It's an idea he hasn't had a chance to act on yet.
Sleet will arrive at Paradise between Friend or Foe? and Head Games. His most recent mission involved tricking Knuckles the Echidna, Guardian of the Chaos Emerald on the Floating Island, into thinking the Sonic Underground would try to steal the Emerald. In actuality, it was a way to keep him and the hedgehogs distracted while Sleet and Dingo stole the Emerald. It should come as no surprise that this plan failed.
Before waking up, Sleet will be on his way to Speedster Island in the South Mobian Sea. He and Dingo are pretending to help Bartleby convince the villagers to sell (the aristocrats want to build a holiday resort on the island). However, the real reason behind their presence is to capture and roboticize the villagers once the island is sold. He's also aware that Robotnik scared away the fish surrounding the island, which gives the islanders no choice but to sell, as they have lost their main food source.
* - There is some debate over the order of episodes in Sonic Underground. For RP purposes, I’m assuming the ‘official’ episode order is the right one (with the exception of episode 30, which is supposedly episode 4).
** - A few quotes: “Is everyone having a real good time?” “...” “Good! Because that would be against the law!” (To Catch a Queen); “Trees, flowers, and way too happy-looking! Yuck!” “It is disgustingly festive.” (Mobodoon); “Innocence is against the law.” (Winner Fakes All); “That ‘noise’ is music! But you wouldn’t know about music, because Buttnik outlawed it.” (The Art of Destruction).
Abilities/Additional Notes:
With the right resources and information (... and targets), Sleet can be a capable bounty hunter/henchman. That aside, he is agile, despite what his appearance might have us believe. His various stunts in the series-particularly his ability to run away really, really fast!-prove he can pull his own weight. For example: he can run long distances, leap fairly high into the air, hold on to a ledge with Robotnik attached to him for several seconds(!!), kick heavy doors open, tug someone smaller than him cleanly off their feet, and effectively pin someone (again, smaller than him) to his side with just one arm.
Sleet has a lot of air combat experience, if his piloting skills are any indication. He can operate at least four types of airships; he’s at least familiar with the functions and mechanisms of his own airship. He isn’t bad at riding a motorcycle, and is comfortable gliding several feet in the air on a hover pad. An understanding of Robotnik-era technology and composite materials is evident, too. On the ground, he usually hangs back and lets Dingo and the SWATbots do all the work, but when he does contribute, his tools of the trade are:
Presumably he has unequaled knowledge of the laws introduced and endorsed by the Robotnik Empire-laws concerning tax and tribute in particular, considering his self-proclaimed title of Tax Collector Extraordinaire-since his big promotion to special agent status. He could be considered an officer of the law as he is authorized to make arrests.
The series never refers to it directly, but in poorly-lit areas, his eyes always appear the same color as they would in a well-lit area; when light is very limited, a wolf’s eyes reflect every bit that hits them, which helps them see better. As a wolf, he might also have other enhanced senses (particularly hearing), but since there only seems to be one instance in canon where good hearing is implied, he probably doesn't make much use of it, much less rely on it for anything.
Advocate Note: No.
Sample Journal Post: [Text]
[The frequency wasn't set. There was no frequency. If the SWATbots were here, they'd ask for identification. Until then, there was no need for him to give himself away.]
Checking communication status. All units receiving, respond immediately!
Sample RP:
The twelfth floor of an abandoned building had been completely silent until a small table in its south-east corner was suddenly knocked over. The one who had been searching the building made themselves known with a gasp, but after a cursory glance of the dusty room, he squared his shoulders again and continued his search.
Twelve floors of nothing but primitive gadgets and old furniture. The only useful thing he’d recovered from the site was a defective flashlight. Had it been as dark here as it was in the slums of Robotropolis, he might have thought better of using it. It didn’t make a difference; not even sunlight could get through these dirty windows.
Which was why Sleet was here. Of all the dirtier buildings in this city, this was among the plainest-looking. It was simple to see out small patches of the windows without lifting a finger to clean them. This floor had to be left relatively unnoticeable from the outside. It would give him a vantage point from which to monitor the people who were here besides himself. He couldn’t let himself be seen until he gained more ground. That way, if members of the resistance were here, he would know about them before they could make a move.
Sleet rubbed his chin for a moment as he looked around the room. He then returned to the fallen table to kneel over and pull it upright again. It was a work-in-progress, but soon this floor would be inaccessible to others. Out on the street, the chances he wouldn’t be recognized were slim. Something to hide his face should fool them.
“Hmm…” He tapped his chin twice before removing a heavy curtain from a window that didn't need it anymore (it had been sealed). It was thick and brown, and the ends were frayed; perfect for a ragged cloak, but that didn’t stop him making a face at it. It looked nothing like the cloak he’d rather wear. All he had to do was pin back the top to make a hood. Maybe the sides could be trimmed to--
His gaze fell to his feet when he noticed something oddly similar to what he pictured. “Oh.” He let go of the old curtain and scooped a real cloak off the floor.
Series' Medium: Animated TV Series (40 episodes)
Character: Sleet
Age: unknown; pinning him at 36 (From Sonic Wikia, original source unknown. If it’s an educated guess, it seems reasonable.)
Sex/Gender: male
Canon Role: Henchman/Antagonist (He mainly plays the role of henchman, but he becomes a villain in his own right in some episodes.)
Timeline: Between Friend or Foe? and Head Games
Personality:
Sleet is as self-centered as they come. He doesn’t care about anyone, and probably never will! His wants and needs (read: money) are all that matter to him. Every decision he makes is for his own benefit. Even when it is not clear how a situation could benefit him, the prospect of personal gain motivates him to seek out any opportunity. Because his own desires are his top priority, Sleet can be quite good at thinking ahead in order to attain them (this only happens when he stays composed). When he is calm and collected, he is able to think through the possible ramifications of his actions, e.g. betraying Robotnik or others, and decide whether it’s a risk worth taking (usually in terms of how much he would profit from it). As long as he’s getting what he wants, Sleet gives more than 100%* (in his permanent contract with Robotnik, what he wants includes not getting roboticized). He tries so hard to keep up two-faced appearances to get what he wants that it’s laughably obvious to those who are perceptive enough (e.g. in No Hedgehog is an Island, Robotnik finds out Sleet stole the Emerald, and calls him an “overachiever” when Sleet has the nerve to return to him for help after Dingo breaks it).
His selfishness extends to the way he chooses to associate with others. When he abandons pretense, he tends to be snappy and grumpy, making him rather unpleasant to be around. If he's having a bad day, then so must you. He doesn't appreciate being under someone else's thumb all the time, and he's completely fed up with it by the end of his mission in Friend or Foe?. Sleet’s partnership with Dingo only exists because Sleet finds it convenient. Dingo’s compliments and flattery only encourage Sleet to take advantage of his loyalty; the same could be said for anyone who cares to be civil with Sleet. He ultimately considers Dingo disposable, as he is quick to suggest getting rid of him when he can (or can’t!) get something out of it (Sonic Tonic and Mobodoon). Sleet makes no exceptions: he uses everyone around him to further his agenda, and will only help others if it suits him (e.g. Three Hedgehogs and a Baby. He may not admit it, but Dingo is occasionally useful to him; plus Dingo's absence = no more scapegoating).
If he’s feeling incredibly confident, he’s not afraid to show it. He’s smoother than butter when everything’s going according to plan. Some names by which the heroes refer to him-“Slick” and “Sleazo”-can account for this. Any sign of a wide and malevolent grin and you know Sleet is feeling wonderful. If you still aren’t sure, then wait until he laughs. He doesn’t live by any moral code. He’s somewhat sadistic; nothing pleases Sleet more (besides getting a lot of money...) than to see others in despair, so naturally, he enjoys bullying and terrorizing people. As far as taunts and insults go, anyone is fair game (besides Robotnik; he does it behind his back instead). Bounty-hunting is an ideal occupation (by his standards) these days, but the pleasure Sleet gets out of tormenting others is presumably another reason he became a bounty hunter. The only time violence makes him flinch (more often than not) is when he becomes the target; then there’s no reason to smile! When he feels he is losing/has lost control of a situation, he sometimes loses control of himself, too, e.g. throws a tantrum, picks a childish argument with Dingo, etc,.
Sleet is streetwise, so is very good at thinking on his feet. He makes a surprisingly fast recovery from things that catch him off-guard and is (usually) able to respond eloquently under pressure. Sleet acts like anyone’s loyal servant/best friend when he sees that he doesn’t have the upper hand, or when there’s another advantage in doing it. He has had to master this act since some people (i.e. those who aren’t aware of his reputation) don’t tend to trust him based on looks alone. The way he behaves when trying to convince someone he is trustworthy is rather telling of how he perceives trustworthy people. When Sleet is lying to someone, his personality often does a 180. Probably the best example of this can be found in The Jewel of the Crown, when Sleet tells Robotnik he wouldn’t dream of disobeying him, and not one second later, he is telling Dingo they are going to go against Robotnik’s orders.
When push comes to shove, Sleet is a huge coward. He falls back on his puppy-like mannerisms so naturally that it’s probably safe to assume this is how he behaves when he’s at his worst (e.g. horrified, surprised, insecure, embarrassed). Sleet is incurably evil, but at times it seems he’s really just an incurably evil pup.
Unfortunately for Sleet, once a person is familiar with how he operates, he can become incredibly predictable. So he generally comes off as a villain who loves to be as sinister as possible, but his selfishness sometimes blinds him to the faults in his approach. At the end of the day, Sleet will never be number one, because whenever he does succeed, he becomes convinced he is on a winning streak and gets cocky before his victory has been secured, and so fails to foresee any eventuality that could ruin his plans suddenly and horribly. He’s your typical cartoon villain.
TL;DR - Sleet is an egotistical, manipulative sleazeball with a sadistic streak. He can be very childish (e.g. prone to throwing tantrums when he's having a bad day) and is an amazing derp coward. Never genuinely nice to anyone, Sleet believes good people with pure hearts are weak and stupid.
* - Credit does not go to me.
Background:
The series* begins with a summary of the events that led to Planet Mobius’s dystopian future, starting from the day of the evil Dr. Robotnik’s coup (assuming the date of this event is the same as it is in Sonic the Hedgehog, it happened in the year 3224). With his unrivaled genius, he was able to create an army of SWATbots and other powerful forms of war technology that easily dwarved his opponents’; Mobius had not seen war in 500 years, so it could not defend itself against Robotnik’s forces. Robotnik ‘redecorated’ the royal city of Mobotropolis to suit his tastes and renamed it Robotropolis. His SWATbot army grew at an alarming rate due to the construction of factories and power plants around the city. He established himself as the sole ruler of Mobius and used his now massive army to turn most of the planet into a barren wasteland-“a place of terror”-with absurdly oppressive laws** (the general theme being no one but Robotnik was allowed to be happy). They captured many innocent inhabitants. Instead of killing off potential resources, Robotnik ordered that all his prisoners, or “candidates”, be roboticized. This was made possible by what soon became his most feared invention, the Roboticizer; Roboticization completely robs the individual of their free will and turns them into a ‘mindless, robotic slave’, doomed to serve the Robotnik Empire “forever”.
The ongoing construction and maintenance of Robotnik’s incredible (but undeniably horrifying) technology came at a hefty price. For this reason, Robotnik did not roboticize the wealthiest citizens of Mobius-the “aristocrats”-and allowed them to go on with life as usual on the condition they remained loyal to his Empire and funded it periodically (without complaint) through ridiculously large tax and tribute payments; as an added bonus, he would guarantee their safety by giving them SWATbot protection. “Commoners” who were not roboticized were left alone as long as they coughed up tribute whenever asked.
The royal Hedgehog family was forced into hiding because of the bounties Robotnik had placed on them. Queen Aleena Hedgehog, the rightful ruler of Mobius, stayed out of sight with her baby triplets until she was told a prophecy by the Oracle of Delphius: she and her children would one day become the Council of Four, and they would bring an end to Robotnik’s reign of tyranny. However, it would only come true if she separated from her children, for a terrible fate would befall them if she didn‘t. With a heavy heart, Queen Aleena left each of her three children with families she knew and trusted in Robotropolis; one was given to an aristocrat, another to a middle-class family, and the youngest of the three was left to a woman living in the city slums.
Fifteen years passed. Cities filled with ruined, abandoned structures and quiet, empty streets were now a common sight all over Mobius; flora and fauna were but a distant memory for most of its citizens. With the continual growth of the Robotnik Empire came more evidence of “seditious crimes” by the resistance, also known as the Freedom Fighters. Sonic, one of Queen Aleena’s children, was one of its leaders. Thanks to his super speed, he was able to pass himself off as the resistance’s “secret weapon”. The Freedom Fighters had enjoyed over a year of successful raids on Robotnik’s factories. In the first episode of the series, Robotnik planned to put a force field around every factory until Sonic destroyed the prototype.
Robotnik had had enough. He summoned two bounty hunters, Sleet (“the conniving one”) and Dingo (“the idiot”), to his main command center in Robotropolis. (My own speculations: they were probably in hot demand, as Robotnik seemed to think that having them working exclusively for him would be to his advantage. It’s possible that he also wanted them where he could see them, just in case anyone decided to send them after him one day.) Sleet explained that they were independent contractors and tried to tell him they had other clients, but Robotnik wasn’t having any of it. Once he began ‘persuading’ them to agree to his terms, they quickly had a change of heart and, having unwillingly entered into a permanent contract with Robotnik, promised to find the resistance’s “secret weapon” and destroy it. They analyzed the camera footage of Sonic, who in real-time could only be seen as a blue blur, and discovered it was not a machine; to their surprise, it was just a little hedgehog. To Robotnik’s dismay, however, it was evidence that Queen Aleena and her children might still be alive and coming out of the woodwork, and that the prophecy the Oracle told him fifteen years ago might still come true. Sleet and Dingo were given a new task: find those hedgehogs!
In the meantime, Sonic was visited by the Oracle. Shortly after being told that he was royalty and had two siblings, Sonic played the “song in his heart” with his guitar at an underground club in Robotropolis, and said siblings were drawn to the sound. Sonic, Sonia and Manic performed on stage together until one of the SWATbot raids ordered by Sleet and Dingo crashed the party. Using footage taken of the three hedgehogs, Robotnik confirmed they were Queen Aleena’s children. He learned that one of them had been in the care of an aristocrat the entire time, and that one of the wealthiest supporters of his Empire, Sir Bartleby Montclair, was her fiancé. The foster parents of all three hedgehogs were immediately arrested and roboticized. The Oracle showed the royal siblings on their way to unlocking their powers and fighting back against Robotnik, so that one day they could finally reunite with their mother and save Mobius. The siblings became a rock band known as the Sonic Underground.
To begin with, Sleet and Dingo underestimated the hedgehogs. Their chances of capturing them plummeted once their targets found “harmony” with each other in the third episode. The first ten or so episodes had Sleet and Dingo in hot pursuit of the royal siblings and their mother. The smug attitudes that went with their initial schemes suggested they were unaccustomed to failure. The way in which the bounty hunters interfered all the time posed a serious threat to the hedgehogs on more than one occasion. But as their failures piled up, they began to run out of ideas-understandable, since they had probably never needed that many up their sleeves before pursuing the super-powered hedgehogs.
As well as chasing Sonic, Sonia and Manic all over Mobius, Robotnik gave his henchmen other important duties, such as collecting tax and tribute for his Empire. This made them infamous among nobles, whom they paid (sometimes impromptu) visits and harassed; they were regulars at Bartleby’s estate. They were also required to attend certain functions (aristocratic or otherwise), though usually this was only if Robotnik anticipated the arrival of the hedgehogs. They seemed to serve as Robotnik's bodyguards on some occasions as well.
From Come Out Wherever You Are onward, it became commonplace for Sleet and Dingo to merely assist Robotnik in his plans for catching the queen and her children. They were forced to ease themselves into their new role as henchmen, whether they liked it or not. But out of this, a new problem arose: if Robotnik managed to capture the hedgehogs himself, then Sleet and Dingo wouldn’t be given the reward they had been working so hard to get. And so, a new kind of tension developed between the three villains. The idea of Sleet and Dingo capturing the hedgehogs themselves, and naming their price before handing them over to Robotnik, started to form in Sleet's mind. However, the first time this is addressed is in The Jewel of the Crown, which is just after the point from which I'm taking him. It's an idea he hasn't had a chance to act on yet.
Sleet will arrive at Paradise between Friend or Foe? and Head Games. His most recent mission involved tricking Knuckles the Echidna, Guardian of the Chaos Emerald on the Floating Island, into thinking the Sonic Underground would try to steal the Emerald. In actuality, it was a way to keep him and the hedgehogs distracted while Sleet and Dingo stole the Emerald. It should come as no surprise that this plan failed.
Before waking up, Sleet will be on his way to Speedster Island in the South Mobian Sea. He and Dingo are pretending to help Bartleby convince the villagers to sell (the aristocrats want to build a holiday resort on the island). However, the real reason behind their presence is to capture and roboticize the villagers once the island is sold. He's also aware that Robotnik scared away the fish surrounding the island, which gives the islanders no choice but to sell, as they have lost their main food source.
* - There is some debate over the order of episodes in Sonic Underground. For RP purposes, I’m assuming the ‘official’ episode order is the right one (with the exception of episode 30, which is supposedly episode 4).
** - A few quotes: “Is everyone having a real good time?” “...” “Good! Because that would be against the law!” (To Catch a Queen); “Trees, flowers, and way too happy-looking! Yuck!” “It is disgustingly festive.” (Mobodoon); “Innocence is against the law.” (Winner Fakes All); “That ‘noise’ is music! But you wouldn’t know about music, because Buttnik outlawed it.” (The Art of Destruction).
Abilities/Additional Notes:
With the right resources and information (... and targets), Sleet can be a capable bounty hunter/henchman. That aside, he is agile, despite what his appearance might have us believe. His various stunts in the series-particularly his ability to run away really, really fast!-prove he can pull his own weight. For example: he can run long distances, leap fairly high into the air, hold on to a ledge with Robotnik attached to him for several seconds(!!), kick heavy doors open, tug someone smaller than him cleanly off their feet, and effectively pin someone (again, smaller than him) to his side with just one arm.
Sleet has a lot of air combat experience, if his piloting skills are any indication. He can operate at least four types of airships; he’s at least familiar with the functions and mechanisms of his own airship. He isn’t bad at riding a motorcycle, and is comfortable gliding several feet in the air on a hover pad. An understanding of Robotnik-era technology and composite materials is evident, too. On the ground, he usually hangs back and lets Dingo and the SWATbots do all the work, but when he does contribute, his tools of the trade are:
- a remote, which he uses to morph Dingo into whatever creature/object Sleet thinks is useful at the time (think of it as a context-sensitive button); and
- a laser gun (possibly military-issue), which he is quite capable of using; he is shown to have impressive sharpshooting skills in Mummy Dearest, Flying Fortress and Haircraft in Space (e.g. he fires four times to hit four people, lets off four shots to destroy two SWATbots, and only has to fire once to sever a thin rope above him).
Presumably he has unequaled knowledge of the laws introduced and endorsed by the Robotnik Empire-laws concerning tax and tribute in particular, considering his self-proclaimed title of Tax Collector Extraordinaire-since his big promotion to special agent status. He could be considered an officer of the law as he is authorized to make arrests.
The series never refers to it directly, but in poorly-lit areas, his eyes always appear the same color as they would in a well-lit area; when light is very limited, a wolf’s eyes reflect every bit that hits them, which helps them see better. As a wolf, he might also have other enhanced senses (particularly hearing), but since there only seems to be one instance in canon where good hearing is implied, he probably doesn't make much use of it, much less rely on it for anything.
Advocate Note: No.
Sample Journal Post: [Text]
[The frequency wasn't set. There was no frequency. If the SWATbots were here, they'd ask for identification. Until then, there was no need for him to give himself away.]
Checking communication status. All units receiving, respond immediately!
Sample RP:
The twelfth floor of an abandoned building had been completely silent until a small table in its south-east corner was suddenly knocked over. The one who had been searching the building made themselves known with a gasp, but after a cursory glance of the dusty room, he squared his shoulders again and continued his search.
Twelve floors of nothing but primitive gadgets and old furniture. The only useful thing he’d recovered from the site was a defective flashlight. Had it been as dark here as it was in the slums of Robotropolis, he might have thought better of using it. It didn’t make a difference; not even sunlight could get through these dirty windows.
Which was why Sleet was here. Of all the dirtier buildings in this city, this was among the plainest-looking. It was simple to see out small patches of the windows without lifting a finger to clean them. This floor had to be left relatively unnoticeable from the outside. It would give him a vantage point from which to monitor the people who were here besides himself. He couldn’t let himself be seen until he gained more ground. That way, if members of the resistance were here, he would know about them before they could make a move.
Sleet rubbed his chin for a moment as he looked around the room. He then returned to the fallen table to kneel over and pull it upright again. It was a work-in-progress, but soon this floor would be inaccessible to others. Out on the street, the chances he wouldn’t be recognized were slim. Something to hide his face should fool them.
“Hmm…” He tapped his chin twice before removing a heavy curtain from a window that didn't need it anymore (it had been sealed). It was thick and brown, and the ends were frayed; perfect for a ragged cloak, but that didn’t stop him making a face at it. It looked nothing like the cloak he’d rather wear. All he had to do was pin back the top to make a hood. Maybe the sides could be trimmed to--
His gaze fell to his feet when he noticed something oddly similar to what he pictured. “Oh.” He let go of the old curtain and scooped a real cloak off the floor.