Whispangle

Whispangle is the femslash ship between Whisper and Tangle from the Sonic the Hedgehog fandom.

Battle For Angel Island
Tangle and Whisper were among the many allies of the Resistance fighting Neo Metal Sonic in a battle to liberate Angel Island. When they approached the island with a ship, the ship was shot down by the Egg Fleet. Fortunately for the heroes, they managed to make it on Angel Island safely before the ship crashed. After landing on the island, Tangle and Whisper were tasked to protect Tails while he was doing "something smart". Tangle and Whisper fought against enemies together, including Spinas. After the battle ended and everyone got ready to leave the island, Whisper found friendship with Tangle. When Sonic came to ask Whisper if she had made any friends, Tangle tried to confirm this by getting Whisper to tell a joke about a toaster she had told Whisper earlier. However, Whisper instead hid behind her mask, which made Tangle wonder if she had done something wrong.

Bonds of Friendship
Some time later, Whisper came to visit Tangle's home, which pleased the ring-tailed lemur. Tangle gave Whisper a tour of the village. At the end of the tour, Tangle brought Whisper to the Mineral Museum, where she introduced the wolf to her best friend, Jewel the Beetle. However, the sky soon turned dark, and the Babylon Rogues broke in the museum and stole everything. After Jewel got kidnapped by Storm, Tangle and Whisper went after the Rogues. They managed to get into their headquarters, and managed to get Jewel out. After returning to the museum and restoring its exhibits, Tangle and Whisper fist bumped and Tangle thanked Whisper for her help.

Imposter
Later, Whisper encountered a familiar enemy, a shapeshifter called Mimic, who had taken the form of Sonic. After a fight, Whisper tracked Mimic down to Spiral Hill Village, where she suspected he was targeting Tangle. Whisper went to a rooftop and prepared to shoot Mimic, but was tackled by Tangle. The two fought, as Tangle believed Whisper to be under Dr. Eggman's mind control. Tangle took off Whisper's mask, which she believed was the cause of it. Whisper explained that the one she was trying to shoot was in fact not Sonic, but Mimic. Whisper then put her mask back on, and used it to show an earlier conversation between her and Mimic. Not wanting to reveal anything about Mimic in public, Whisper went to the Mineral Museum with Tangle, where she told Tangle and Jewel about Mimic. Jewel saw this as an opportunity for Tangle to go on another adventure. Whisper initially refused Tangle's help, but was convinced by her Wisps to let the lemur join her.

Ambush
Tangle and Whisper went to an abandoned Eggman Empire bunker, and tried to scan it but failed. They soon came to the conclusion that they had walked into a trap. The two then went to look for Mimic, both wanting to fight him. Whisper also told Tangle about her history with Mimic. During their search, Tangle wanted to quicken the pace and search for Mimic at a higher point, which annoyed Whisper. Soon, Tangle heard Jewel's voice and left, while Whisper continued searching. When Tangle and Whisper met up again, Whisper asked for proof that it was the real Tangle. Tangle showed a cut on her shirt, and claimed it was caused by Mimic who had shifted into Jewel. However, it turned out Tangle was actually Mimic, whose shape-shifting abilities included copying clothes and making them look damaged. Whisper demanded to know where the real Tangle was, and after some fighting, she learned Tangle was locked in a safe. After locating the safe where Tangle was kept, Whisper used her Wispon to open it. Whisper told Tangle that the place was about to be bombed, and Tangle pushed Whisper into the safe and closed the door. The safe remained completely undamaged during the explosion, allowing Tangle and Whisper to survive. After exiting the safe, Whisper told Tangle to go home, speaking clearly for the first time as she expresses that she can't lose another friend. Tangle asked Whisper to tell her about her past, which she agrees to do.

Betrayal
Whisper told Tangle about the Diamond Cutters, a group of which Whisper used to be a member until Mimic killed all members except her. Whisper let Tangle see the Diamond Cutters in action by giving the lemur her mask, which allowed Tangle to see video clips of the team's missions. Tangle soon discovered that Whisper's mask also allowed her to be able to understand Wisps. Whisper told Tangle about how the Diamond Cutters' genius, Smithy, had built a Wispon prototype and that everyone on the team was meant to get one, but soon stopped. Tangle asked Whisper what happened, but she refused to answer. Tangle then asked to see the footage on Whisper's mask, and told Whisper she understood if the wolf could not confront her past at the moment but that letting Tangle know about Whisper's past would make it easier for Tangle to help her. Whisper agreed with encouragement from the Wisps, entered the details and let Tangle see the Diamond Cutters' final mission. Tangle was horrified by the footage, and handed the mask back to Whisper. Tangle now understood parts of Whisper's personality and experiences better. She asked Whisper why the wolf didn't ask for anyone's help if she didn't want to work with Tangle. Whisper admitted to Tangle that she was the first real friend she had allowed to stay in her company since the incident, and that she did not want to lose another friend. Tangle also declared her friendship with Whisper, and said friends would look after each other, no matter what. Whisper reminded Tangle that Mimic nearly defeated the two, but this only made Tangle state that they would give double the payback. Tangle refused to back down and told Whisper she needed more positive energy and that Whisper's friends needed avenging. Whisper then hugged Tangle and thanked her. The two discussed their plan to defeat Mimic, Whisper thinking it would take a while to find him, while Tangle thinking Mimic would come back for the two due to Eggman demanding solid proof of their deaths. Sure enough, Mimic returned to the scene of the fight only to discover a message from the duo, telling him to find them at 'the place where we started. Enraged and humiliated, Mimic requested a backup army of Badniks from Eggman.

Showdown
At the Diamond Cutters' former base, Tangle remarked about how the overwhelming amount of Badniks heading towards them seemed unfair for Mimic, as Whisper shot down one of the larger Bug-bots. Before leaving to conduct her part of the plan, Tangle expressed her concern towards Whisper, asking if she'd rather have her by her side fighting Badniks, to which Whisper reassured her that it would be fine. Ultimately, their trap (which involved guilt-tripping Mimic using previous playbacks from the Diamond Cutters' masks) didn't work on the unsympathetic Mimic, who revealed that he was merely using the Diamond Cutters the entire time. A fight between Tangle and Mimic ensued, with Mimic almost winning and killing her until he was interrupted by Whisper's last-second arrival. Together, the duo managed to bind Mimic in place using Tangle's tail. Whisper held her blaster towards Mimic's head, intending to kill him, but was talked out of it by Tangle, who warned her that killing him would live with her for the rest of her life.

Later, they brought Mimic to Tails' workshop, where he was imprisoned in a Test Chamber built by the young fox. Afterwards, with her team avenged, Whisper said that she'll keep fighting against Eggman's forces, asking Tangle if she'd come along with her. However, the lemur denied her offer, saying she wanted to take some time off at home. The two exchanged one more fist bump before going their separate ways.

The Last Minute
Tangle and Whisper became members of the Restoration, a group dedicated to restoring various places after the Eggman War. During one mission, the two and Tails went to Central City, where he tried to research a cure for the Metal Virus. Whisper and Tangle took care of evacuating the city, as well as fighting Zombots. During the battle, they tried contacting Amy Rose at Restoration HQ for backup, but she did not answer. Other attempts at getting backup failed as well. Some time later, the two helped survivors on board the Rescue Shuttle.

Afterwards, Tangle received a signal of distress from Jewel at Spiral Hill Village, causing the remaining survivors to travel there to assist with the evacuation of the villagers. However, Tangle got infected by Jewel while checking in on her, and she had to hold back the infection as she assisted Sonic in trapping the others that were infected. Then, she told Sonic to leave her behind, also telling him to tell the others that she was sorry, especially Whisper, who she knew was not going to take the news well. Tangle continued holding back the Zombots until she herself finally succumbed to the Metal Virus. True to her words, Whisper was sent into a hysterical frenzy when she heard about Tangle, forcing the Wisps and Amy to drag her back as they fled from the scene. She was later seen ugly crying over her friend's fate, as Cream and the Wisps tried to comfort her.

All or Nothing
The heroes evacuated to the only safe haven remaining following the events of The Last Minute: Angel Island, where they were joined by Dr. Eggman, Metal Sonic and Dr. Starline, who were booted from Eggman's ship when the latter summoned the Deadly Six for help. Whisper is seen preparing to shoot Eggman from a distance as revenge for what he did, but she is confronted by Cream (and Omega), who asks her to spare Eggman so he could help them fix the situation. Whisper reluctantly agrees, albeit tearfully; Cream hugs her and thanks her, saying that she (and Omega) will stay with her so she won't feel lonely. Afterwards, Whisper was involved in the operation to obtain six of the Chaos Emeralds from the Deadly Six, but Zavok, the holder of the seventh Chaos Emerald, tossed an army of Zombots onto Angel Island, Tangle included. The zombified lemur was then seen approaching Whisper, who seemed reluctant to attack her friend. Luckily for them, Sonic and Silver managed to snatch the last Chaos Emerald from Zavok's clutches, using their Super forms to eradicate the Metal Virus from the world. Tangle, having now regained consciousness, wonders why she's on Angel Island, before suddenly being tackled into a hug from Whisper and her Wisps. Later, they joined forces with the rest of the Restoration to defeat Zavok before he could cause further harm.

Out of the Blue
With the world free from the threat of the Metal Virus, Tangle decided to host a party at Spiral Hill Village because she knew Sonic would want them to celebrate. At the party, Whisper stood guard watching the Babylon Rogues carefully as they had attacked the town once; Tangle, blushing slightly, tells Whisper to simmer down and let the thieves enjoy their moment, as they helped save the world and she'd rather not have another fight in her village happening so soon. Whisper agrees, wagging her tail as Tangle leads her along to get food for her Wisps. However, the party is abruptly interrupted by Eggman and his latest robot. They fought alongside the rest of the Restoration, proving an even fight against the giant mech until Sonic's return from the Sol Dimension swung the advantage towards them, leading to their victory. In celebration, Tangle pulled the gang into a large group hug using her tail, both her and Whisper blushing as they were next to each other in the hug.

Zeti Hunt
During the Deadly Six's attack towards Restoration HQ, Tangle and Whisper barricaded access towards the control room with Jewel in it, protecting her from the vicious assault. Later, when Sonic arrived to fight them, the duo provided their assistance. At one point, Tangle braced Whisper using her tail as she fired a Wispon shot that hit Zomom in the back. However, their interference in the fight irritated Zavok, who proceeded to take them out by short-circuiting Whisper's mask scope and Wispon, and then grabbing Tangle's tail and slamming her against the door several times until she was knocked out.

Eventually, Sonic was able to defeat all six of the Zeti with the assistance of Tails', but their brief celebration was interrupted as Tangle broke the news that Belle was kidnapped by Dr. Starline.

Post Zeti Hunt
Some time after the Deadly Six were sent back to their original planet, Whisper decided to leave Restoration HQ alongside her Wisps in secret, only for them to be caught by Tangle, who was out for her morning jog on that day. When Tangle asked if Whisper wanted to join her, the wolf declined and explained that she couldn't stay around for too long due to Mimic breaking free from imprisonment; to Whisper, her presence would only serve as a liability and cause nothing but harm towards her friends, and she wanted to avoid that. It can be presumed that Whisper's motivations to leave alone were fueled by the memories of Tangle getting infected by the Metal Virus, and she did not want that to happen again. Tangle tried to talk Whisper out of leaving by saying that she'd only been just joined the Restoration; Whisper countered this by saying that her place wasn't the Restoration while it was for Tangle. Having said that, she and her Wisps left the Restoration in pursuit of Mimic, leaving Tangle alone to watch them go.

Trial by Fire
A few days after Whisper's departure, Tangle joined Amy, Belle and Jewel on a camping trip to Forest Ridge Zone, hoping to distract themselves from the stress brought about by their recent adventures. However, Tangle found herself constantly worrying about Whisper's departure, presumably worried for her safety, leading to her being distracted as well as straining her friendship with Jewel, who was worried that Tangle was upset with her. At one point, Jewel snapped Tangle out of her thoughts to prevent her from burning her marshmallows, only for Tangle to snap back at her when she expressed her concern towards Tangle's wellbeing; Tangle is seen blushing after being called out by Jewel, and continued to do so as she went back to moping, presumably about her concerns with Whisper once again.

Fanon
The ship has gained support due to both being new characters in the IDW comics, their interactions together and their miniseries, rivaling the related Whisper ship Silvisper. The release of the BumbleKast Q&A on September 20th, 2021 led to many interpreting that Whispangle was indeed supposed to be canon had it not been for Sega mandates, and their beliefs were bolstered by the release of Issue #45, which further implied that Tangle might have feelings for Whisper. However, it is yet to be seen how that will be followed through in the next few issues.

Fan art of the two have been made on social media. On AO3, it is the most written ship for both Whisper and Tangle. A Whispangle Week was held on Twitter on January 25-31, 2020, as well as from June 28 to July 4, 2021. Fanart related to this was also posted on DeviantArt.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

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Behind the Scenes

 * Evan Stanley, the lead writer and artist of the IDW Sonic series and designer of Whisper, considers Whispangle to be "one of my [her] personal favorites".

"Disastrous. (I imagine Tangle doesn't even realize she's on a date for a little while) No, no no no. She would never initiate, because she wouldn't think [indistinguishable). And Whisper would have a very difficult time initiating because she doesn't really do that, that's very open and personal, and she's not a very open and personable person. So by the time she gets this date going, it's already a Herculean effort on her part, and Tangle, being Tangle is not going to conform to expectations. So, I imagine whole slew of comedy of error type stuff that eventually gets figured out in the end and it goes on low key, but, yeah, that first date, it's one for the record books as 'worst attempts ever'. And that makes it one of the best."
 * During a BumbleKast podcast hosted by head writer Ian Flynn and his friend Kyle Crouse on February 15, 2021, PC-the-Unicorn poised the question "How do you imagine Tangle and Whisper first date playing out?" The following is their response:

"Uh, Adam took it a little further than what was in the script (he's fine), y'know, read the room, play to the audience. Right now, Sega's official word is we're not really to go into depth with any romantic relationships... so, they're just really, really, really, really, really, really the bestest of friends. Which, I'm just kinda gonna smile, nod, wink, nudge; yes, they're- they're GREAT friends."
 * In another BumbleKast podcast on September 20th, 2021, Ian and Kyle responded to a question asking about the meaning behind Tangle and Whisper's interactions during the Out of the Blue storyline. Their response is as follows:

Trivia

 * Tangle and Whisper are the main characters in the IDW miniseries Sonic the Hedgehog: Tangle & Whisper, a four-issue series published from July to December 2019.
 * Incidentally, Issue #24 of Sonic the Hedgehog was released on Christmas Day 2019; Ian Flynn later publicly apologized for releasing such a 'depressing' issue, claiming that the issue was the lowest point of the ongoing Metal Virus storyline, and that the tone would be more positive from there onwards.