Love for Zooble, Please?
Another part of my hangups with the TADC fandom recently is that Zooble is being put through the wringer by certain circles.
Genuinely, with how they tend to get blasted just for not having a high opinion of Caine, Zooble might parallel Ragatha and how she also tends to get unwarranted hate just for her conflict with Jax.
Even if Zooble might go a little too far with their swipes at Caine, it's not really without merit. The hard truth is, Caine's singling out of Zooble just because they don't want to go on the adventures is pretty crappy of him. Genuinely, it should be easy to feel sorry for Zooble in their conflict with Caine, especially since after Ep. 3, Caine starts dragging them into the adventures against their will.
So no, Zooble is not "bullying" Caine, they're really just frustrated with him and how he regularly ignores the players. Honestly, Zooble strikes me as a "jerk with a point", a cartoon/Western archetype which is usually popular among viewers because even if they're one of the smarter and more observant characters, they tend to get brushed aside simply for being "mean".
Even outside of the whole "Caine v. Zooble" thing, Zooble is actually a pretty cool character. They're a grump, but they've got a soft side.
For starters, in Ep. 2, part of why they didn't go on the adventure was to set up for Kaufmo's funeral.
And Ep. 4 was when Zooble's heart of gold really shined through. Obviously, it's shown with how they're at their sweetest with Gangle.
There's also a little moment where Zooble took Ragatha back in the midst of her Stupid Sauce stupor.
And the moments of kindness with Gangle keep on going. Is it any wonder they're a popular ship?
At the same time, Zooble is pretty no-nonsense; not just with Caine, but with Jax as well, and there's just as much merit behind Zooble's beef with Jax, considering he's a capital-a asshole who regularly targets Gangle.
Basically, Zooble has a short fuse and little time for anyone's nonsense, but they're actually a pretty kind person if you're nice to them.
They also have a little subplot of struggling with their appearance and avatar gimmick of interchangable limbs and body parts, which is pretty strongly evocative of body dysmorphia. And even Caine's attempts at accommodating for that issue aren't good enough to ease Zooble's self-loathing. Eventually, after a conversation with Gangle in Ep. 6, Zooble eases their self loathing by finding certain advantages to their swappable pieces.
Zooble's subplot is unique in that, considering they're a non-gendered character, they could easily strike a chord with trans and enby fans. They definitely had an impact on their VA, Ashley Nichols; The day after Ep. 3 aired, which featured Zooble's issues of implied dysmorphia, Nichols came out as nonbinary, thus retroactively adding impact to Zooble's story.
Honestly, Zooble should be pretty easy to relate to, same as everyone else. Raise your hand if you fit any of the following:
Ignored and/or singled out by others just for going against the grain.
You take no crap from anyone, but you're actually pretty sweet.
You're a bit of a loner, but cool with other people.
You struggle with self-image issues.
I myself kin Zooble because, as you all can notice, I tend to get pretty vocal about whatever's on my mind at times. Also because I'm on a journey of self-discovery, but that's another time.
To end with, it sucks that Zooble is getting hated on just for having a reasonable opposition against Caine...
May I request some love for the nonbinary royalty in these trying times? Our cvnty pink triangle enby monarch, they could never make me hate you <3
