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Hog,,,

ArtFight 2024 #1

First, I'm a little disappointed that Wilson doesn't have any new items that he and other characters could comment on. Those can be a neat source of tidbits about the relationship between two characters. Perhaps the short that's very likely coming will be more elucidating in that regard?

So, Mr. Daywalker. I think he's a cool addition because he makes for an enemy I dislike pretty quickly. Taking advantage of the collective kindness of the survivors only to hurt them? Yeeeaaaah. Admittedly, I do find myself asking how much of his behavior is his fault and how much can be laid at the feet of his corruption, so I'm not 100% convinced he's irredeemably evil, but he's certainly not looking good.

Given my adoration of Wortox and sometimes overprotective of my fav tendencies, one might assume his being taken advantage of is the worst to me. Don't get me wrong, it's bad. He's one of the survivors that outright advocates for freeing the werepig despite having reservations (his "friend or foe?" line). Wortox is being punished for his better nature yet again. On the other hand, this has happened to him at least twice before (Baby Beefalo and Krampus; putting the lunar altars back together; arguably raising baby tallbirds). I'd even argue that Wortox's better nature hurting him is a large aspect of his character. He makes a quip, something like "I'm getting the sense that's 'foe'...". It seems like he does what he always does; laughs it off.

It's two other characters that hit the hardest for me. I'll start with Wigfrid. She can certainly be fearsome at times. She's a dedicated warrior who seeks out good fights. There's also an undercurrent of sweetness to her. Some of her lines are compassionate, and not just towards other survivors. I don't think her violence is just for violence's sake; she wants to be a heroine.

Still, one thinks of fighting magical beasts as her thing (obviously not indiscriminately since Wortox exists)

(pictured: a very deadly battle. Yeah)

The tougher, the better. But here's this giant, dangerous beast that's attacking her. But instead of her typical eagerness for battle, there's regret. She says the werepig leaves her no choice. This is one fight she didn't want. I suspect she wanted to be the heroine here, freeing some poor, imprisoned creature. I can't help but wonder if she thought of Wortox, how cursed and dangerous creatures can potentially be affectionate companions if shown kindness. The contrast from her typical gung-ho nature strikes me as particularly sad.

And then there's Wendy. Poor Wendy. Examining the pillars that the daywalker is chained to, she says "we're all tethered to something" as if she doesn't care. Sure, that's pretty typical of Wendy. Her world is a dark and miserable place. Yet when she fails to break the pillars...

She seems genuinely upset at her failure to free the werepig. I don't think she's just apathetically going along with what the other survivors want to do; she wants to help. For someone who acts apathetic about many things and closes herself off to avoid getting hurt, she cares this time. She goes out on a limb to help. And when the werepig tries to murder a little girl for helping him, well...

"kindness only begets more pain"

He ruined what could have been growth from a girl who has already been through so much. I suspect after this, Wortox will still be sweet and choose to focus on goofy fun; Wigfrid will still want to use her prowess in battle to help others. But Wendy... It's the sort of setback she might not recover from.