I already put this as a comment on my last post, but with gymnast Hermy, him and CoupĂ© get along really well. The team is a little confused by it, but theyâve got the spirit!
I think Herm in particular has a tendency to see the best in people. I really do think that heâd try so hard to be friends with her because not only is he geeking that heâs like.. in her proximity, with such a cool woman, but I also think while some of the other z-teamers still see CoupĂ© as CoupĂ©, Herman sees CoupĂ© as Janelle.
So when they finally have something to bond over, Herm takes it and runs with it. Heâs damn near learning ballet with Janelle just to get some time in together. Itâs.. surprisingly fun, and he doesnât feel dysphoric about it like he thought he would (and why he avoided practicing gymnastic moves for so long, after he transitioned). And then ballet turns into just them hanging out, and then hang outs turn into sleepovers.
I like to see their relationship almost Prismbae adjacent, in the most platonic soulmates possible. Theyâre doing face masks (Hermâs is sloughing off, but itâs okay. He lays down and that helps, even though his skin is super clear), theyâre painting their nails, theyâre watching the french equivalent of telenovelas (because no WAY does Hermâs grandma NOT watch telenovelas and soap operas at home, that man is INVESTED). Again, Herm kinda finds himself. After he realized he was trans he kinda shoved everything feminine away (as much as he could, at least), so doing this is healing a part of him. Healthy masculinity.
But Hermâs favorite part is when Janelle shows Herm her collection of romance novels. Herm takes me as the type of guy that would love reading if he was able to, and he gets super excited, then gets super sad that he doesnât wanna touch any of the pages. Janelle is like ??? Iâll just read to you?? And Herm is elated. It becomes a routine quickly. Their own little book club. They still practice gymnastics and ballet together, of course. It actually greatly affects both their success rates- and Iâd imagine theyâd develop a pretty strong synergy because of how fucking hard they are to hit.
(As scary as CoupĂ© is originally, sheâs fucking adorable once you put her on your team. I couldnât find the original line- but I know she says something about never having friends before the z-team, in the game. I have a hard time choosing between CoupĂ© and Sonar because Janelle is adorable, sheâs this badass assassin, and I love her relationship with Colm. Victor is funny and all, and donât get me wrong- I love him- but he is a bit of a man child. He definitely makes your run funnier though. âRobert. Did you take my stapler?â)