The Woobie Cleanup

Well the thing about Zidane is he can get knocked down and still get up, though his resolbe is significantly weaker when he finds out he is an Artificial Human like Vivi, he goes into a MAJOR Heroic BSoD. He cries a little bit but it's mainly him suffering in silence. As such I would thing he has the resolve wane to be a woobie but given he's all smiles after his friends snap him out of his Trance (pun intended if you've played the game it's a Super Saiyan esque Limit Break of the game.) But that could be him putting on a brave face. I'm going to propose another FF 9 example. Either Vivi or Dagger/Garnet. I play to EP at least three more characters from the game Dagger and Vivi probably fit the classic Woobie mould and are more obvious examples of Rehular Woobies.

Edited by Klavice on Mar 18th 2019 at 9:04:17 AM

I haven't played through all of FF9 yet, but I can already easily see Vivi qualifying as a Woobie.

Alright, gonna start working slowly through the LOZ series. Starting first with ALTTP, since it's one of the early games and doesn't have as much story to sift through as later titles.

What's the work?

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is the third game in the action-adventure series The Legend of Zelda. You control Link, a young boy who is awoken one night by a psychic distress message, and from there start a journey to save the kingdom from the evil Agahnim. To do so, Link must travel in-between his native Light World and the Dark World, a parallel version of the Light World where the inhabitants physical bodies are corrupted to reflect their 'true' nature.

I'll handle an EP for Link later, but first, a few NPCs in need of re-evaluation:

Who is he?

Flute Boy is a young man that Link encounters in the forest. Once his sidequest is dealt with he bequeaths Link the Flute, a Warp Whistle that allows Link to travel quickly around the world.

What is his predicament?

Prior to the events of the story, the Flute Boy went in search of the 'Golden Power'. Said power is the Triforce, a magical artifact that can bestow a wish onto the person capable of finding and harnessing it. It beckoned for the people of the Light World to come and find it, in the hopes of calling someone powerful enough to use it. The Flute Boy went off to search in Death Mountain, alongside his companion bird, but neither returned.

During the story, Link comes across an apparition of the Flute Boy in a Light World forest, playing the flute for a crowd of woodland animals. When Link gets close the apparition disappears and the animals scurry away. Link then travels to the Dark World and discovers the Flute Boy there in the same spot, transformed into a tapir as a result of the land's corrupting magic. The Boy wishes he could return to the Light World forest, and asks Link to find his Flute for him. When Link returns with it, the Boy thanks him, but says with sadness that he's not able to play it anymore. He asks Link to take the Flute to his father, a 'tired old man' in the village. He then also says that his mind is getting hazy, and asks Link to play the flute for him one last time. As Link plays the Flute, the Boy slowly petrifies into a tree.

Link can use the Flute in the village to free the Boy's companion bird from a weather vane statue, after which it will transport him around the world. During the end credits, after Link uses the Triforce to undo all of Agahnim's evil, Flute Boy is shown alive and well, and playing for his father.

Can he defend himself/is he a Jerkass?

No. The Flute Boy went on an adventure off-screen, but was transformed into a new form and found himself trapped in the Dark World as a result. He is not a Jerkass in the slightest.

Sympathy Standard?

ALTTP doesn't have particularly deep writing, but the Flute Boy's predicament is given more focus than most of the NPCs. His dialogue draws focus on how he misses his old life, and his sadness as he slowly dies in front of the player, a scene that's considered one of the games biggest Tear Jerkers.

Verdict?

for Woobie.

Who is he?

Flute Boy's Father is, as you might've guessed, the father to the above character.

What is his predicament?

After the Flute Boy goes missing, the Father spends all of his time in the local tavern, alternating between sleeping and worrying about his missing child. After Link gets the Flute and watches the Flute Boy pass away, he can enter the tavern and play the Flute for the Father. The Father recognises the tune, and sees in Link's eyes what has happened to his son. He begs Link to play the Flute for the Boy's companion bird, as it's what his son would've wanted, and then says to himself that he wishes he could've seen his son one more time.

During the end credits, after Link uses the Triforce to undo all of Agahnim's evil, Flute Boy is shown alive and well, and playing for his father.

Can he defend himself/is he a Jerkass?

Nope and nope. He's a pleasant old man.

Sympathy Standard?

Unlike the Flute Boy, the Father's concern for his missing child and grief upon discovering his demise doesn't see much focus in the text. Rather, he's more of a standard NPC that guides the player towards getting the Warp Whistle.

Verdict?

Leaning towards . While his predicament is sympathetic, the writing kind of skims over how he feels.

Who is he?

The Bully's Friend is an NPC encountered at the top of Death Mountain.

What is his predicament?

Because of the magic of the Dark World, the Friend finds himself transformed into a ball shape, which he theorizes is because of his indecisive nature. His friend, the Bully, is transformed instead into a red-skinned monster. The Bully then spends his time chasing around the Friend, who keeps trying and failing to run away, and kicking his new ball form around.

During the end credits, after Link uses the Triforce to undo all of Agahnim's evil, the two are shown reverted to their human forms and playing like regular friends.

Can he defend himself/is he a Jerkass?

He's a nice boy who can't defend himself at all from the Bully's bullying.

Sympathy Standard?

The two are bit characters that don't get any more focus than a dialogue box. While he is the victim of bullying, the Friend getting kicked around is, at best, played for comedy.

Verdict?

for any kind of Woobie.

So. Ok. Seraph of the End time.

Now....the main duo, Yuichiro "Yuu" and Mikaela "Mika" Hyakuya.

Who they are

Yuu and Mika are the main protagonists of the manga, with Yuu as the main one and Mika as the Deuteragonist.

Their past is currently a mistery, but both were used for the mysterious and sinister Hyakuya sect. Before even going there, Yuu already was victim of Parental Abuse due to his family calling him a demon.

Yuu and Mika become friends in the Hyakuya Orphanage and found happiness for once...until the apocalypse happened and they were captured for the Vampires. Eventually, as they tried to escape, they were found and their family was murdered for The Heavy Ferid Bathory. Yuu managed to escape due to Mika's sacrifice.

Mika was turned in a vampire and forced to work for them, during his time in Sanguinem, he refuses to drink human blood, surviving on the blood of the local Vampire Queen Krul Tepes, waiting for the chance to see Yuu again...

Yuu joins to the Japanese Imperial Demon Army and trains to fight the vampires and avenge his family, his nature is acknowledged for Guren and eventually Yuu joins the army, thus beggining the series.

During the series, Mika is constantly tempted for the drink for blood, finally falling to it and drinking Yuu's blood with his permission.

Yuu's starts to make friend and slowly heal...until it eventually backfires due to Ferid and the reveal of his own nature, by the time of this EP, Yuu is eerily obsessed with the idea of resurrecting the death, with no care for the rest of the world while also copying some of Ferid's mannerisms.

Both teens have already lost their humanity, with Yuu's seraph nature and the use of his demon sword and Mika's transformation. Yet, despite everything, they are now together and they are...still moving.

What shows that they are Iron Woobie 's ?

Well, as I've said, they really are suffering due to their past and their present, Yuu's had a clear obsession with family while also slowly losing his sanity, Mika is saner, but his sanity just makes him suffer more.

They have friends and loved ones that care for them, but there no denying that without them, they would likely just fall. They really are having a bad time...yet they keep moving, unwilling to fall.

Can they defend themselves?

...Yes and No. Both are strong and have fought many notorious enemies, but they need a lot of help. Is a massive "depends of the situation".

Jerkass?

Kind of a Jerk with a Heart of Gold at worst, and that erodes with their Character Development- Usually, they are very kind and/or polite teens. Yuu is Hot-Blooded while Mika is The Stoic, but neither come off as jerkassery.

Verdict

Easy Keepers IMO.

Edited by KazuyaProta on Mar 20th 2019 at 11:05:45 AM

Flute Boy.

Yu and Mika.

Could this part be elaborated on? From someone who knows nothing of the series, it sounds like Yuu could be slipping into Jerkass Woobie or Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds.

As for Mika, you described him as The Stoic. Does he then qualify as Stoic Woobie? Does he express his anguish, as per the Iron Woobie, or does he suffer without expressing his emotions?

I did the write ups just because

• Iron Woobie:
  • Yuichiro "Yuu" Hyakuya, The Protagonist was abused for his biological family due to his supernatural nature. Send to the Hyakuya Orphanage, Yuu was tested and experimented for them yet he found happiness on his fellow orphans. Surviving the apocalypse and being captured for Vampires, Yuu is forced to a serf life and tries to escape, leading to the murder of his family at hands of Ferid Bathory. Escaping thanks to the sacrifice of Mikaela, Yuu joins the Japanese Imperial Demon Army and trains to be able to avenge his loved ones. During the series, Yuu's true nature and traumatic experiences start to erode his humanity, turning him into a danger to others. While managing to archieve small victories such as reunite with Mika, befriend the members of the Shinoa Squad and kill important vampires, Yuu's obsession with family and his lose of humanity remains a question to be answered, yet he continues moving fowards despite his own desire to have a family.
  • Mikaela "Mika" Hyakuya, the Deuteragonist, is Yuu's last surviving family. Abandoned for his family and used for the Hyakuya Sect, Mika also lose his fellow orphans in a attempt to escape from the vampires before sacrificing himself to ensure Yuu's escape. Turned into a vampire and forced to work with a species that he hated, Mika started to hate both humans and vampires while also avoiding to drink human blood, surviving with the blood of Krul Tepes and being forced to work alongside his family's murderer. Wishing to reunite with Yuu, Mika manages to escape from the vampires and reunite with him before running away from the Japanese Imperial Demon Army, eventually completing his Vampire transformation after drinking Yuu's blood with his permission. Initially unwilling to work with anyone but Yuu, Mika is forced to accept the help of the Shinoa Squad to protect Yuu and eventually even with his hated Ferid Bathory. Hating his own nature and wishing to become human again, Mika just wants to protect his last surviving family.

Yuu is, ironically, becoming less jerkish as he lose his humanity, in fact, his issue now is that he is too affable...just like the Faux Affably Evil Ferid, is such a obvious case of a copying mechanism. He still haven't taken any dangerous action to ensure that goal, but he is flirting with that idea a lot, he might well move to that later, but for now? He is still doing nothing problematic.

Mika express his anguish when he is with Yuu, he is usually stoic, but not to extremes where is his main trait.

Edited by KazuyaProta on Mar 20th 2019 at 11:38:45 AM

Please wait for four more votes.

Edited by MasterJoseph on Mar 20th 2019 at 10:21:14 AM

In that case, for Yuu and Mika as Iron Woobies.

@Joseph. I know, that's why I haven't posted them in the drafts.

Yes to all the above.

Flute Boy, Yuu, and Mika

to Flute Boy, Yuu and Mika.

Every candidate I missed

Flute Boy, Yuu and Mika.

Yea to the above

What is the procedure now that Flute Boy has received more than five votes? Do I make a write-up for him in here, like Kazuya did?

if your candidate gets five or more votes, it's writeup time.

Alrighty, I'll get started on one later today.

In the meantime, I was pointed over to a Stoic Woobie entry that needed trimming. I've got it down to under 200 words:

• Final Fantasy VII: Vincent Valentine. He never got along with his father, as said father reveals when Lucrecia kills him by accident. Vincent is then employed as Lucrecia's bodyguard and falls in love with her, despite his discovery that she watched his father die. She then also sleeps with Hojo, her evil boss, which Vincent claims he's fine with so long as she's happy. She falls ill while bearing Hojo's child, so Vincent confronts Hojo, only to be killed by him for being 'noisy'. Lucrecia brings him back to life by making him a host of Chaos, then apologises while locking herself away in a Mako crystal. Vincent wakes up, discovers he's now immortal and that Lucrecia is gone, and then locks himself away again for 30 years as atonement for his 'sin' (which is, apparently, merely watching Hojo's experiment). Cloud and co. wake him up later only to inform him that Lucrecia's child has become the homicidal, world-ending Sephiroth. Despite how much he has suffered at the hands of Hojo, and in general, he doesn't let his angst show, and even wishes that Hojo rest in peace when the heroes kill him in-game.

to Flute Boy, Yuu, and Mika.

Wait, was I supposed to put my write-ups for Nyna and Hardin in this thread, or was I right to write them (heh) in the Sandbox.The Woobie Drafts page?

Also, I have a brief question. If someone is on a Woobie page that I think deserves to be cut, should I go the full nine yards and do a big old effort post for them? Or can I do something a little truncated?

You don't have to post your entries on the cleanup, just put them in the drafts.

Okay, I put the draft for Flute Boy onto the sandbox page. I'll probably tweak it later and get the whole series done before moving them to the proper pages.

Anyway, here's the next re-evaluation for ALTTP's protagonist himself:

Who is he?

Link is the protagonist and playable character for the majority of The Legend of Zelda games. There are multiple different Links spread across the series. This EP will pertain to the Link from A Link to the Past, Oracle of Ages/Seasons, and Link's Awakening.

What is his predicament?

Link lives with his uncle in the land of Hyrule. One night, Link receives a psychic distress signal from Princess Zelda, and awakes to discover his uncle armed and leaving the house. He follows his uncle into the castle's basement and finds him mortally wounded. His uncle hands Link a sword, implores him to find Zelda, and then passes away.

Link finds Zelda and the two of them escape. Zelda hides in the nearby sanctuary while Link collects the three pendants required for him to use the Master Sword, the blade of evil's bane. He discovers that he's wanted for the supposed 'kidnapping' of Zelda, and must walk carefully around town else the villagers call the guards on him. After gaining the Sword, Link gets another distress signal. He finds the sanctuary empty, the dying sage inside telling him that soldiers came and took Zelda to the castle. He follows after her, but is too late to stop the sorceror Agahnim for whisking all three of them into the Dark World.

In the Dark World, Link frees Zelda and the six other Maidens, and they allow him to enter Ganon's Castle. He defeats Ganon, and then uses the Triforce to restore the land to before Ganon and Agahnim messed with it, restoring the lives of everyone who died.

Soon after, Link is summoned by the Triforce twice: first to save the land of Holodrum, and then the land of Labrynna. He arrives first in Holodrum, and is taken care of by a girl named Din and her group of travelling performers. Suddenly a hurricane arrives and destroys the campground, whisking everyone including Link away and kidnapping Din. Link then embarks on his second adventure, this time to rescue Din and the entirety of Holodrum.

Afterwards, the Triforce sends him to Labrynna. Here he runs into Impa, who asks him to escort her to Nayru, the Oracle of Ages. He does so, only to discover that Impa was possessed by the sorceress Veran, who then possesses Nayru and uses her body to mess with the flow of time. Again, Link collects the Macguffins he needs to defeat Veran and rescue Nayru and Labrynna.

After his three adventures, Link sets off an a ship to lands unknown... only for a thunderstorm to hit and destroy the boat. Link awakes on Koholint Island, where a girl called Marin found him washed ashore and healed him back to health. He tries to find a way off the island, only to discover something startling: the island is a dream conjured by the sleeping Wind Fish. The only way for Link to escape is to awaken the Fish, but doing so would destroy the island and all its inhabitans.

Nevertheless, Link collects the instruments he needs and destroys the Nightmare preventing his progress. The Wind Fish awakens and Koholint Island is destroyed. Link wakes up in the wreckage of his ship, sees the Wind Fish sail overhead, and smiles to himself. What happens to him afterwards is unknown.

Can he defend himself/is he a Jerkass?

As the playable character, Link is more than capable of defending himself. Despite his general lack of personality, Link is vaguely defined by his heroic and couragous nature.

Sympathy Standard?

This is where it gets tricky. Link, for three of the four games, is pretty much a blank slate for the player to imprint themselves on. Even in Link's Awakening, his personality is only rarely shown through the text boxes- though there is a notable moment where he's shocked at the discovery of Koholint's big secret, and you do see some fun reactions from him in the photobook◊.

Whilst Link does go through a lot of trials and tribulations, for the most part the emotional burden of them is skimmed over. You don't see how Link reacts to his uncle dying, or being branded a criminal, for example. As mentioned, he is a little more emotive in Link's Awakening.

Verdict?

If Link does qualify for anything, then it would be Iron Woobie. He's certainly gone through a lot of hardship, I'm just not sure if his blank slate personality is enough to hold him back from qualifying for any of the woobie tropes.

Unsure on Link.

Don't be let down if this Link ends up not going up.

You could try again on the discussion date for the Nintendo Switch remake of Link's Awakening.