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Hamlin the Pig is a Mobian pig who was personally trained by Sally Acorn and became a member of the Substitute Freedom Fighters. After several years of service, he was elected to the Council of Acorn.
History[]
Time as a Freedom Fighter[]
Hamlin and Geoffrey St. John arguing
Hamlin was part of the original group of Freedom Fighter trainees under Sally Acorn. One of the more vocal and violent members of the group, he often came into confrontations with Geoffrey St. John, who aided the group in their early training missions, which eventually led to their thwarting Robotnik's Auto Automaton project. During this time, Hamlin suspected Geoffrey of being a traitor, but his theories proved false once Geoffrey revealed he'd been loyal all along, and his deception was actually to trick Dr. Robotnik. (PSM: #1, #2, #3)
Hamlin joined the fray in trying to stop an amnesia-ridden Sonic when he was attacking Knothole. Later, Hamlin helped a speedless Sonic rescue the Knothole Freedom Fighters from Robotropolis after the group was captured by Combots. Later, he and his teammates became an official group under the leadership of Larry the Lynx after rescuing the Knothole Freedom Fighters from Robotropolis. (StH: #28, #38, SL)
Council of Acorn[]
Two years later - together with Dylan and Penelope Platypus - Hamlin was chosen by the citizens of New Mobotropolis to sit on the Council of Acorn with Sir Charles Hedgehog, Elias Acorn, Rotor Walrus, and Rosemary Prower. He was adamant that, when the Suppression Squad invaded, they should instead focus on taking down the Eggman Empire. (StH: #180, #191)
Hamlin is eager to make his case.
Hamlin later acted as Sally's prosecutor during her hearing for going against the orders of not retaliating against the Suppression Squad, and not attacking Dr. Eggman while his defenses were down. Hamlin almost succeeded as the case against Sally was too strong, but she turned the situation around, saying that she would then always wait for the orders of the council, even during the heat of battle, and would neglect to go to the Chaotix for any future help... or that the council could trust her to make decisions as a field leader as she'd always done. Everyone but Hamlin then voted for the charges against Sally to be dropped. Afterward, Sally asked Hamlin why it had come to this. Hamlin bluntly explained that, despite having been trained as a Freedom Fighter by Sally herself, he was always forgotten and never taken on any missions. Therefore, he figured that if he himself couldn't fight for his people, he would make sure it’ll be done by the book. (StH: #197)
Following the Iron Dominion's defeat, Hamlin joined his fellow Council members in working on the constitution of the Republic. Leaving Rotor and Penelope to collect some notes, Hamlin was the first to learn of a transmission announcing that Eggman Empire forces had captured the Walrus Herd in the Northern Tundra, which he quickly made known to Rotor. Hamlin's attitude against the Freedom Fighters remained negative, and he proved quite vehemently opposed to the idea of Rotor leaving New Mobotropolis, even when it was to aid the Arctic Freedom Fighters against a Dark Egg Legion chapter. Rotor agreed to remain behind despite Sonic's wish that he accompany him, but later revealed to NICOLE that he had done so to shut Hamlin up.(StH: #214, #215)
Hamlin and his compatriots went through further difficulties, involving both the citizens' fear of NICOLE after her brief corruption by the Dominion and the treachery of Geoffrey St. John. Matters came to a head when Ixis Naugus appeared and laid claim to the throne, though he claimed he would honor the council. Hamlin was at first resistant to the idea, and was about to join in fighting Naugus when Penelope threatened to charge him with dereliction of duty, reminding him that they had been chosen as politicians, not fighters. Influenced by Naugus' magic without his knowledge, Hamlin became embroiled in an argument with the other members of the council and Sonic, particularly venting his disapproval of Sonic's attitude towards the council's authority. The dispute was put on hold by Operation: Clean Sweep and an attack on the city by the Death Egg Mark 2, after which Naugus was proclaimed King by the voice of the people. (StH: #220, #223, #224, #231, #232)
With their new king in place, Hamlin and the rest of the council returned to the issue of NICOLE, and Hamlin and the entire council-with the exception of Rotor, who resigned after the vote-voted to exile her to Freedom HQ. Hamlin was then pleasantly surprised when Rotor and Sonic came before the council and asked their approval to create Team Freedom and Team Fighters-the one to defend New Mobotropolis, the other to pursue the Death Egg and counter Eggman abroad. Happy to see the pair working with the council for once, Hamlin voted for the motion. He and the rest of the council continued to face difficulties with Naugus as the king attempted to assert his superiority over the council. Hamlin and his compatriots almost fell prey to Naugus' magic, but were saved by the unseen intervention of the Secret Freedom Fighters. While his teammates battled Naugus and Geoffrey below the city, Hamlin's old leader Larry Lynx used his jinxing powers to disrupt the council's meeting for the ratification of the constitution. A broken lock barred their way, and Sir Charles' remark that NICOLE could easily have remedied the problem prompted a retort from Hamlin that the vote had been unanimous. After Rotor helped them get inside and they managed to locate the missing constitution, Charles noted that Naugus wasn't present. Hamlin impatiently attempted to move forward, and got a taste of his own medicine when Dylan remarked that policy called for the king's presence. The Pig called for a vote about moving forward, and then the lights cut out thanks to Larry's jinx. Somehow getting through the difficulty, Hamlin later joined Dylan and Penelope for a friendly get together, unaware that a wistful Larry was observing them from a nearby tree. (StH:#235, #236; SU: #41, #42, #43, #44)
Personality[]
Hamlin has a very aggressive and powerful personality, which leads him to chafe at the restrictions of anyone having authority over him. As a member of the Substitute Freedom Fighters, this leaves him dissatisfied, as he finds himself constantly made a subordinate: to Sally, to Geoffrey, to Sonic, and even to Larry Lynx. This led him to run for the Council of Acorn in hopes of obtaining a greater leadership role. He is apparently jealous of Sonic and the Freedom Fighters and has shown a negative attitude towards them, which causes the Freedom Fighters to make decisions, field missions, all for the greater good behind his back. Despite his gruff manner, he has a genuine desire to see good done, so long as it is done through proper channels. Unfortunately, his imperious insistence on things being done right further alienates the Freedom Fighters and even fellow members of the council.
Background Information[]
- Hamlin bears an interesting resemblance to Porky Pig.