My perfect Team Valiant roles:
Biana lowkey would be the spy, assassin, diplomat, etc. She is ruthless when she wants to be, and underestimated, but it is because she is a vanisher and a thirdborn rather than because she is a woman. Diplomat because she was raised in the home of an Emissary, second only to the council in power, royalty-in-name of the politicians of the Lost Cities (elves). And...she still loves sparkles. When she isn't hiding in the light particles, sizing up her enemy, she is basking in the way the light hits all the gems embroidered in her skirts. She uses the invisibility to help while also feeling deeply insecure about the fact that people really don't see her. Her and Sophie have to figure that out because she's like, "Sophie, you are my best friend. And it is like you don't even see past the name 'Vacker'. How have you not realized that I am part of this team? That it is not a surprise I would lay down my life, and the lives of my enemies, for this cause?". Side note: did Sophie ask Biana how she felt after the Alvar betrayal? I don't remember. But yes, EXPLORE THAT. Biana is the main pillar of support. She is constant, upbeat, motivated, etc, and there is something infectious about that energy. She is the last to call it quits and the first to say that something is possible (Stina might quit last but she doesn't say anything about it. She just judges you in her head. Not very helpful). And yes, she is the most underappreciated. Simultaneously she is the most prestigious person in Team Valiant, but she is also in a way taken for granted because of it, and in some cases dismissed out of envy (I think if Dexiana became a thing, that would be one of the sticking points. Especially as the Rex thing goes over. Not necessarily because Biana did anything to shove her status in Dex's face but because he is still so young and has so much resentment that will take the majority of his eternal life to fully face. I think his friendship with Keefe became easier after Keefe proved that his family, while prestigious, was hella messed up.)
Dex, guys, I'm sorry. I like Dex but I don't LOVE Dex, but I am loving the triplet focus we were getting. Dex is the inventor, engineer, idea guy of Team Valiant. Taking what information they gather and turning it into tools they can use. I also think that as far as personalities go, he is a comic relief. Remember, he is a prankster. Him and Stina would obviously duke it out, which would either entertain or stress everyone else out–or both–but even independently of that, he would play silly pranks or crack stupid jokes and everyone would laugh and feel lighter. Of course, he also has his bitternesses, but in a lot of ways he has learned to turn it towards entertainment through self deprecating humor instead of just making people uncomfortable (thank you, Keefe). No, he is not just the comic relief, he is not stupid, he is not even necessarily "quirky", despite his ability's stereotype in modern fiction. But he is underrated, understated, and underestimated. And after the ability restrictor, he almost likes it that way (while still being pissed about it. We can't have it all).
Stina is researcher and half of the muscle. Her equine knowledge comes in handy when dealing with the alicorns, her particularities keep everything ordered and not overwhelming, her random insight into the human experience surprises Sophie and adds new ideas/perspectives into the discussion that are reassuring sometimes, and not so much so other times *my reaction about humans also, when turning on anything resembling the news*, but are good to know. Biana is constant like the sun, I guess, but Stina is constant like the ocean. Like, it is always ebbing and flowing and you can be sure there's a fussy storm somewhere, but the unpredictable part is when and how large. It is strong, fearsome, larger-than-life, and incomprehensible. Majestic, even. Thought-provoking and graceful in its turn as well. Stina's wrangling skills sure come in handy in combat situations, she is also the most level headed in a stressful situation, and she has the best mastery of her skills (Sophie has natural talent, but not a lot of training) as well as pretty good balance and coordination. Yes, her fights with Dex are entertaining/obnoxious. So is her dry humor, bitchiness, know-it-all attitude, seeming laziness, and the fact that she still seems farther ahead and more put together than the rest of the team (maybe besides Biana. Biana was raised in the elite, Stina fought her way to an equal position through sheer research and determination alone. And she uses her master intimidation like a social sword and shield.) Even still, she has her own jealousies and she really is mean and cold to those she does not care about. And you do have to do something big to impress her, which can be demotivating if you care about her opinion. Her empathy is used against her will sometimes, and she uses it beautifully, but Stina seems prickly about relying on her ability to be of importance to the team (in contrast to Dex who seems prickly about relying on his ability because he feels it makes him less valuable to the team. Though, less so than it used to.)
Look, Sophie is the "leader" of Team Valiant, and I really do believe everyone regards her for her power. But who do they realllyy go to? I think Wylie is the untitled leader of Team Valiant. They seemed concerned about how much Sophie takes on (and Sophie does take on a lot), but they rarely worry about overwhelming Wylie. Older, mellow, Wylie (my bias, I prefer mellow people). He does not have the most social connections, but he does have a resourcefulness. He is a common sense guy who knows things and uses that to figure out more things, and trust me; that is apparently enough to impress everyone younger than you. The emotional connection is important too, because he has gone through some hard family crises, and lived through a kidnapping himself, and had more time to experience social/academic issues. I think he has a wellrounded resume with which to connect to the rest of the team and have them trust him. Also, he is older and he is a flasher which gives him a light motif, and we all know about suns and their symbolism. But as another role, he would probably combat Vespera's illusions, or work on his illusions, master dismantling illusions, and considering they are working against Vespera and probably against Luzia Vacker's past mistakes, this is very helpful. I also think I could see him understanding the team's strengths in a way Sophie just does not put the energy in to analyze.
Sophie is technically a leader, but we all know what she was supposed to be. A Keeper. Mind stuff is freaky. And she is terrible at talking with her friends, learning who they are, having downtime. I think in the long run, she would turn more into Team Valiant's weapon. Respected because she has so much power, turned to because they know she is their hope, but also, what can she connect with people on? In the human world she was lonely because no one cared about her or paid any attention to her, and refused to call her special. In the elvin world, everyone thinks she is the craziest invention since sliced bread and follows her. But, they don't know her. They can't spend time on heart-to-hearts when she has five abilities to manage, a bunch of secrets in her head (she is the team's Keeper, guys), and the number one enemy or ally to any political figure in the Lost Cities (and probably Forbidden Cities when they go for it). The thing about being a bridge is you are not either. You connect, sure, but you are not either side and in fact you float over the abyss that is inbetween either, used in the way that you help others connect, and supported by beams of power and responsibility and aura, etc etc, that force you to keep going but definitely need repair every several decades. So she is the number one weapon, "leader", bridge, Keeper, and powerhouse. But the closest she comes to the emotional connection part is that the team sees her capabilities and holds out hope that they will win out in the end.
