🧵 The portrayal and symbolism of Silver the Hedgehog and Mephiles the Dark: The Addict and the Drug
Heads up! It's not directly the situation the story is portraying but I am only basing on similar signs, situations, etc that I couldn't help but not ignore.
Offering an "escape" at another who's got nothing to lose?
Person starts demanding answers but bringing up what he has left instead of answers?
It all leads to Addiction. Starting simple words, addiction is being attached a little way too much to a bad habit such as drugs, alcohol, harm, sexual, you name it.
In this situation, Mephiles is Silver's drug.
Unfortunate common situation of a broken man at his limit and relying on substances as escape? Silver at his limit, still questioning what do they even do and getting his "answer" thrown at his face? Silver has NOTHING and in this situation Mephiles is his EVERYTHING
Here the "addict" is finally questioning his "drug". Silver's demanding straight answers just for his question to be avoided and instead pushed more to do his mission. Like relapsing, finally being clean from your habits for a while just to end up crawling back to it.
Mephiles just appeared and already baited silver into taking the bait, he is the Stimuli, he is his "answer" despite already being suspicious of him in this situation he obeys obeys and wills to get it done anyway, it's for his future anyway right?
Like an addicted person knowing/discovering a habit is bad yet still follows along and still do it like their previous attempts. links up perfectly. Blinded by the need to see the truth, to embrace the truth. Mephiles didn't just pick a random day to finally show himself. He waited for his limit, his desperation to just take him in, the exact target. Blaze doesn't give answers when Silver pleads for one, Mephiles does. He's shown him the way, he's given the way and Silver's hooked up. We even know he'd sacrifice himself just to end iblis with the sealing scene and that's the desperate he waited for.
"The more you do this, you'll get something even better than the last" Gambling addiction, leading him on and on to end the 'iblis trigger'. "You already love experiencing this green-y present? Kill this guy to experience it in your future!"
He's given him a glimpse of victory tasted it and experienced it, "do this" you get it forever.
Mephiles' "mirror" Shadow already showed him the truth, but his ways of changing the future is still the very same one shown to him by mephiles: go to the present and prevent the cause. It's his own choice outside his influence sure but still the same and only way. It's left a stain on him and it's the same "habit" he goes back to every time when he's out of solutions in the future.
I am not saying this way of doing his thing is bad but linked up to the definition of relapsing. Not that going back in time is that kind of bad but going back when it was used against him. Mephiles showed him this way and now it's his own way that's great.
Turns something used against him into his own. You really are one amazing hedgehog, Silver.