Since The Wave reveal, something has been bugging me. Specifically the moment when Wave talks to Prunella in Plunderland. You know the panel I’m referring to. So I’ll save Tumblr’s ten pictures per post for when I need it, because this one is a doozy.
I’ll do my best to keep this post on the lighter side, but since I’m gonna be talking about Buddy’s life as an orphan, it’s not gonna be easy. I promise, I wouldn’t bring it up unless it’s important. But I think we’ve been reading Buddy’s character interactions with Prunella completely wrong. I don’t think he started off hating her, in fact, I think it’s quite the opposite.
Deacon and Buddy first meet in Toffee Break, Episode 19 of S1. In that interaction, he is mad at Chase for finding another Key. He barely acknowledged Deacon at all, he mostly viewed him as a nuisance. Buddy only focused on the fact that they found Bronze. But when he learned about Prunella in Episode 55, his reaction was completely different.
When he and Chase meet up again in the arc, Still Waters, Episode 58, he doesn’t acknowledge Goldie once. He doesn’t bring up a Key, he only talks about Prunella. Yes, Chase lied and hid her from him for a bit. But that seems to hurt him more than the fact that he hid Goldie, his brother from him as well. He doesn’t scold or fight with Chase about Goldie, it’s about Prunella and the lack of trust between them. That’s the core of the fight in Still Waters. It was never about Goldie, or hiding another Key or a Keyholder, not once. It feels like he was upset about Chase hiding a kid from him, and the reasons for why. Actually, I don’t need to speculate, because he says so!
When Buddy officially meets Prunella in Episode 6 of S2 in the arc, Party Crashers, he’s immediately awkward around her. He pauses between words at times, he keeps sentences short, and he keeps his distance from her. He doesn’t correct her about his name, and he actively avoids any argument with her. When she introduces herself, he responds with, “O- oh? Um… Well done.” Wtf is that response, bro? He tries to walk away from her multiple times, but of course, she stops him. He never threatens to fight her, he just tries to tell her he doesn’t want to play any games. When Buddy promises that she would lose to him if they play, she tells him she never loses, but chooses not to win. He doesn’t refute her, or fight back, he just stands there then walks off. He does tell her to go away, then raises his voice to explain he’s not just searching for Chase (he is tho). but he doesn’t push her aside like he does with Deacon later. Nope. Buddy keeps himself away from her, talks awkwardly and doesn’t argue much, and gave her a, “Job well done” for saying her name.
I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that, that interaction was odder than an odd number. We don’t see him interacting with other kids in the comic. But from this interaction alone, I think it’s safe to say that this is how he reacts around all kids. He’s awkward, stif, stutters and keeps some space. But it’s definitely not out of hate, he doesn’t carry any heat in his words. In fact, he gave her words of encouragement, no matter how awkward it was. That was their first time interacting and sharing names, and it reveals a side of Buddy that we hadn’t seen before.
He’s awkward around Prunella, but he doesn’t hate her. She’s just annoying to him at that moment for getting in the way of finding Chase. Which he calls her out on. But that’s all he does. He doesn’t make an effort to move her, he moves around her.
The next time they interact is in the arc, Mister Mischief, Episode 13 of S2.
In the heat of battle *cough cough* saving Chase *cough cough*, Buddy listens to Prunella and doesn’t tell her to go away. He takes her words seriously and they help each other out to complete a common goal. Buddy holds his arms out to catch her with a stressed face when Althor flings her off of him, which he then compliments her ingenuity and quick thinking in the most Buddy way imaginable. “That was surprisingly effective,” is high praise coming from him. Especially since he only met her, like, the day before. He’s never given Deacon that type of praise, and he didn’t give Chase any until way later in S1. Specifically in the arc, Honor Among Thieves, or in the last episode of Beach Boys. If my memory serves me. My point is, he’s given her more words of encouragement and praise within the two days of knowing her than he did for Chase and Deacon combined their first few weeks of knowing him. Possibly half a month.
When Buddy feels like he has to resort to use Prunella as a shield, I don’t think he’s lying when he says he didn’t want to do it. I think back to Still Waters when he says that. The way the, “Not,” is italicized shows emphasis on his mindset, but resolve to save Chase. He knows that Prunella wouldn’t be mad at him for it, since this oversized turkey is getting in the way of both of their goals. He also knows Althor won’t hurt her, so he uses her as a shield, which works. Contrast that with this fake turkey prophet, who was using her the entire book, without thinking who got hurt. He did throw elementary schoolers into a war zone.
Now, their fourth/third interaction is in the last episode of Perfect Halo. Prunella gets mad at both Chase and Buddy for ruining the book her dad got her. She runs off to cry while the adults clean up the mess. All but Buddy.
Prunella doesn’t want to talk to him, or anyone, really. Chase knows that, so he stays back to clean up until she’s ready to come out. But Buddy does something we’ve only ever seen him do one other time, he sat down and apologied. Just like Beach Boys, he is silent and contemplative. Then, he acts and admits he’s in the wrong. For the first time, he approaches her, gets somewhat close, gets down to her level and says he’s sorry. He lets her speak, no matter how harsh. Only after does he speak. He does so calmly, and doesn’t raise his voice, and relates her book’s moral with what he and Chase have learned. He speaks honestly, maturely, and doesn’t downplay her feelings because he and Chase, two adults, ruined her book.
After, he lets her take the lead by saying that the book isn’t over until she says so, implying that there is still time to fix everything and make it right. He bows to her while saying so. Once Chase sees him and Prunella together, hand in hand, Chase immediately starts to apologize. But he gets cut off by Buddy, who starts a whole dramatic monologue about friendship, winning and losing, and how ignoring other’s feelings is bad. Chase joins in, making it even more cheesy. Then, Buddy holds Prunella up like Simba from the Lion King and declares that friendship was the true prize all along. While Chase declares that she’s the true hero.
Nobody told Buddy to do that. That was all him. He chose to act foolish and cheesy to help her feel better to fix the book. Buddy doesn’t like looking like a fool, so the fact that he chose to do so for Prunella is pretty telling.
Now, they didn’t interact in Plunderland all that much. In fact, they only really interacted in Episode 32. There, Prunella attempted to correct him rather rudely for acting and dressing up as the wrong character. She was in the wrong, yet also right. But that’s because the book was fucked. But Buddy only corrected her on the outfit part, because nobody is allowed to insult Violet’s work. Not in his mind. But immediately after correcting her, he calls her an adorable little rodent.
Again, he’s giving her Buddy Themed compliments, and he did so after lecturing her. The only other person he freely gives such words to is Chase.
In Stardust, they were together for a majority of the story. Because of this, Chase told him to watch over her. But the roles ended up being reversed, and Prunella ended up being the one in charge. She comforts Buddy on multiple occasions about his lack of singing skills. She gets him ice cream because of that. There, she reassures him that Chase would still like him. In fact, she revealed to him that Chase like-likes him. Which he knew that, but didn’t tell her. He later tries to stop her from getting into a fish take, but sadly drops her out of shock at seeing an octopus.
Buddy doesn’t downplay what she says, even if he knows something already. He takes her words seriously and lets her lead. Even when he has doubts, he still tries to listen to her. He even tries to reassure her that the concert and finale will be fine. Buddy only raises his voice to stop her from getting into a fish tank. The only other time he’s done so was back in Party Crashers. After the Narration reveal, if Chase didn’t tell Buddy that he didn’t need help finding Prunella, he would have gone with him to help.
Throughout all their interactions, Buddy has never called Prunella a brat. He’s called her a child, annoying, a cute little rodent and bossy but never a brat. He mostly calls her what she is, a child. He’s given Chase the nickname, Brat, but he’s mostly, Little Idiot. Those names are now endearments despite how they were used originally. Deacon is Freckles. He doesn’t give Wave a nickname, that’s how much he despises him. He’s given Prunella a good number of nicknames out of the whole cast, besides Chase. Actually, those two might be tied for the most nicknames Buddy has given someone. But he pretty much just calls her, Child. Which is mirrored by Chase’s nickname for her, Kid.
On top of that, Buddy has never asked Prunella about herself or the others that would be dangerous in the long term. Not once. He’s had plenty of chances too. Way too many. But he never does what Wave did. He’s mostly around Deacon. But the moment he has some alone time with Prunella after establishing he’s not a threat, he asks her.
Like, that was quick, right? He’s only seen her in two other books prior and he’s immediately getting intel.
The contrast with Buddy and Wave with their interactions with Prunella is like medicine and sugar. Wave is all sweet around her, calls her kiddo and pumpkin, and usually gets down to her level. That all sounds good on the surface, but that’s a cheap way to form a bond with someone. He did save her from The Plot Hole, but everyone would have done that. There’s nothing unique about their interactions other than him asking her questions that seem innocent on the surface, but it’s all to gain trust and intel, all while being super duper sweet. He gets close to her and isn’t afraid to pick her up.
Wave goes to her for intel, specifically because she’s a kid. She doesn’t have a proper filter or frontal lobe yet. If he were to ask questions like, “Buddy chooses good books too, right?” To the others, I can see some hesitation to answer. But Prunella will answer a question immediately. He could have asked in a slyer way to the adults. But no, he went to the kid. Because kids are more honest than most adults, Prunella especially.
I will now quote what Buddy said back in Still Waters:
“What did you think I was going to do to that poor child? Interrogate her? Kidnap her? Tell me!”
Buddy cares for children, plain and simple. He may not know how to be around children, but he doesn’t want to hurt them. We see that with how he interacts with Prunella. He’s careful around her. He talks to her simply, calmly, yet bluntly and awkwardly but rarely yells. He gives her genuine praise and reassurance, in his awkward Buddy way (that’s the easiest way to describe Buddy around Prunella, awkward. I’m sorry, that word just fits him too well). There’s respect with how he talks to her, in his own Buddy way too. He will get down to her level, but he doesn’t have to because when she and Buddy speak, it’s as equals. It may seem like he’s talking down to her, but he’s really not. He was giving her praise at their first official meeting. He listens to her, and doesn’t berate or physically push her aside. No, he teams up with her and lets her show off her capabilities. He even lets her lead him around. The only times he’s ever loud with her is when she’s doing something dangerous, or she calls him out on something Chase related.
That comment he said to Chase felt personal. Like, the idea of him hurting a kid like that genuinely hurt him. Chase brought up Buddy’s plan to steal the Keys, hiding Goldie, all that junk but Buddy focused on Prunella’s involvement. More Keys were gonna appear, that was just a fact. He seemed ready for Bronze to make an appearance with a Keyholder. But not Prunella. The fact that Prunella was a kid, and Chase hid her from him hurt more than anything else. Unintentionally, it became personal.
Throughout this series, the theme of adulthood is a constant. Everyone besides Prunella is eighteen or over now, so each character talks about adulthood differently. Deacon is more chill about it. Chase is excited to be eighteen. Wave is in college, supposedly struggling with that, so he’s in his antagonist era. But Buddy holds adulthood to a different standard compared to the rest. His and Chase’s idea of adulthood are kinda similar if you squint. They both see it as something to be proud of, an achievement. But Buddy takes it one step further with how he talks about it.
In S1, Episode 1, A Beautiful Maiden, Buddy calls Chase an ill-behaved child. When Chase corrects him, saying that he’s eighteen (he wasn’t, he was seventeen, but his birthday was around the corner, so he was rounding up), Buddy says, “That’s a lot of months, well done.” Again with the, “Well done.” He stays consistent, Chat. But he didn’t stutter, interesting. The point is, he didn’t view Chase as an adult or a teenager, like how Chase wanted. He continues to call him a brat, or a child in a condescending way for a good chunk of the season. To go even further, Buddy talked to Chase as though he wasn’t on the same level of maturity as him. He viewed Chase as a Man Child, immature, and a spoiled brat. So, he talked down to him a ton.
It wasn’t until Beach Boys that their dynamic truly began to shift. But in Episode 30, he says this line, “At least I’ve been to Adulthood, a place you’ll never go.” This line has struck me as odd because of how matter a factually he says it. He says it as though there is another element to adulthood that Chase just doesn’t get. Not in his eyes in that moment. Because no matter how old Chase says he is, whether he be eighteen or 100, he would never be an adult. Not truly. We as the readers know that Chase definitely understands adulthood and the responsibility that comes with it. But he prefers to be playful and more free with it than the rest of the cast. How he acts gave Buddy the wrong impression of him, which started to fade during this arc.
With Deacon, he views him as useless, an annoyance, whiny and irresponsible. Especially in S1, Buddy really didn’t vibe with him. A good chunk of why was because he was jealous of Deacon and his connection with Chase (Buddy was totes oblivious /kj). But another reason was because of his constant desire to be more than a helper. Buddy has given Deacon the most lectures out of every character about character archetypes and their importance to the narrative. Actually, Deacon is the only character he does this to. But the main points he brought up in both instances, that being in the arcs Sick Day and Mister Mischief, was responsibility and freedom.
Buddy, at nineteen to twenty years old (I think he’s like, nineteen, he’s giving nineteen vibes) understands the core elements of being an adult, responsibility and the freedom that comes with it. Yet, he also knows that they go hand in hand. If you did something wrong, you take responsibility. If you want to do something, then you’re free to do so. He understands actions and consequences, plain and simple. He holds himself accountable and does whatever he can to make things right through actions and words.
Due to being on the streets, he had to learn how to be responsible for himself. He most definitely had to learn that very early on in life. Buddy had to make decisions that most wouldn’t have to make, all of which were survival based. That’s where he learned the power of freedom and responsibility. He had no parents or guardians. So, he was free to go to sleep when he wanted, walk around wherever, and speak how he please. But, because he didn’t have any adults in his life, all responsibility fell onto him. He had to find ways to feed himself, clothe himself, and find a place to sleep— everything.
I’m saying this with every insult, the adults in Buddy’s life had failed him in every way imaginable for him to live on the streets and survive as a thief. Somehow, he got there! He didn’t pop out from the gravel roads like Punxsutawney Phil to predict the arrival of spring! No! He either ran away or was left there! Bro didn’t have a childhood, he was forced to practice adulthood far too young. That’s why he treats it as something far more important than the rest of the cast. It’s not a game or just a title, it’s a role that anyone who says they’re an adult, must take on. It’s a responsibility. If they don’t, he gets mad. That’s why he feels so much guilt, he has a heighten sense of responsibility.
Throughout the series, so far, he’s apologized three times. Once to Chase in Beach Boys, once to Prunella in Perfect Halo, then to both Chase and Deacon in Stardust. Each time, he takes the initiative to apologize, no one tells him too, and he gets better at doing so each time. In Stardust, he takes full responsibility. He doesn’t bring up Violet’s involvement, he takes all the blame. He then gives a reason, but doesn’t use it as an excuse. His Stardust apology is the best one he’s ever made. This was his most adult action we’ve seen yet. The other times, he fumbled a bit, but he did his best with what he had. He’s gotten better and we see it in Stardust, no matter how painful it was to read. Personally, it took me an hour to read that section.
Buddy may not know how to talk to Prunella, but he doesn’t want to hurt her. That’s the one thing he actively avoids. Buddy lacked words of encouragement, praise, compliments and respect growing up. He didn’t give Chase or Deacon respect or spoke to them as though they were equals, not for a good while. But he did with Prunella. He doesn’t belittle her or downplay the books she likes, he engages instead. He will adopt the dumb puns and silly banter. Not only that, he doesn’t use her honestly and lack of a filter to his advantage. He will correct her and add to her comments, but won’t ask personal questions. Buddy listens and acts to make things right when she’s hurt.
My suspicion is that Buddy acts all stiff and odd around her is because he’s an adult. He understands adults have a level of authority, power, responsibility and freedom that children do not. He’s also physically bigger and stronger than her, and that’s why he keeps his distance. He doesn’t want to hurt a kid. I also suspect that he knows that kids trust adults naturally. They are their guid. With that in mind, I’m not surprised that he wouldn’t ask Prunella about where she and the others live, or what books they pick. He goes to the adults instead. He doesn’t want to use her trust because he knows it’s not right.
I re read the last episode of Stardust, Chat and when Wave told Deacon about the Backdoor Spell, he made it about the book itself. He focused on the fact that Narration couldn’t be collected in books that you wrote yourself. He said that was how he realized why he was getting so much Narration. He made it about those two things, leaving Buddy out of the equation and let Deacon fill in the blanks himself. He fully manipulated Deacon into the realization that Buddy was using the same spell as him. He even offered to give Deacon his Narration back, like how Buddy was wanting to with Chase. Buddy was fully planning on telling Chase the truth in Plunderland, but didn’t. This book, he told himself, he was gonna do it. He was gonna come clean. But because of Wave, that was taken away from him.
You know what Wave left out of his discussion with Deacon? That he gathered intel about how Buddy is never the one to pick the books himself, but follows them inside. Wave knew about this spell before hand in Plunderland. He knew how it worked. How could he not? The Old Man had him learning spells. He was genuinely surprised about the lack of Narration bit when entering a book you wrote, but not about the spell itself. He must have suspected that Buddy had the same spell, but couldn’t be sure. So he asked Prunella. Wave conveniently left that part out.
He doesn’t mention that little question he asked her, because that would imply that he knew about the spell and never told them. It would also reveal that he gathered intel through an eight year old.
The duality between Buddy and Wave is quite something to behold. On one hand, they’re using the same spell and stealing Narration from both Chase and Deacon. However, what they do after that is where the differences start to form. After Buddy learns the truth about Chase’s wish, he tries to get Violet to let him give it back. When that doesn’t work, he decides to go behind her back and reveal the scheme just to make things right. He wants to give Chase his Narration back.
Wave heard Chase say to Buddy after the reveal that he was shocked Buddy was stealing Narration, even after learning about his mom. This heavily implied that what the gang are trying to wish for is related to Chase’s mom. Wave was in the same room, this entire thing was semi public. But we don’t get Wave’s thoughts on the matter. Instead, it’s business as usual. Time to smirk evilly at the camera.
If Wave truly cared, he would’ve put up more of a fight with The Old Man to stop this madness. Buddy is doing so with Violet, he’s done with this scheme. But Wave isn’t putting up a fight. Instead, he knew about the spell, used his knowledge on said spell to pinpoint who in the group was also using it, then confirmed his suspicions by asking an eight year old girl all sweet and innocently. To which he then omitted from and made himself seem just as oblivious and innocent and told a half truth. After, he said he would return all the Narration that he stole from Deacon. But will he, tho? Will he return it, or will he pay in on the fact that Deacon forgot he mentioned it?
Plunderland was a showcase of Buddy and Wave’s dual roles in the story. Buddy knew about the spell, and wanted to come clean in that book, but got scared and stuttered too much. Wave also knew about that spell, but didn’t come clean and used his knowledge to his advantage to gather intel to make a devastating blow in the group’s moral. Stardust was the result of both of their actions. If Buddy had pulled through and told Chase in Plunderland, then this reveal would have been completely different. Instead, it blew up in his face. Wave got away with it, and the gang now have this hovering over their heads. But, he wouldn’t have gotten this far if he hadn’t asked Prunella such a simple, and innocent question.
Another arc I took a look at was Little Shadows. Chase was telling Wave about Buddy and his concerns about Ex Libris. Though he was still vague about it, he was heavily implying that Buddy might be stuck there too. Wave brings up spells in an earlier conversation, but doesn’t bring them back up again when Chase talks about Buddy. He definitely suspected which spell Buddy was using, but he doesn’t say a word. In fact, he plays dumb and talks about his family and his problems. That’s most of what Wave talks about with Chase in that arc, his concerns about his family and himself in Ex Libris. He never gave Chase any solid intel on the cult itself. If he cared at all, he would have said something about the spell he was using to follow Chase and Co, then voice his theory on Buddy. But he doesn’t. He stays quiet. Then used the information that he gathered from Chase and Prunella and retold it to fit the narrative that Buddy is The Bad Guy in a subtle manner to Deacon, who doesn’t like Buddy much.
Wave played into all of the crew’s strengths and used them for his own purposes. Chase cares so, so much about the people around him, and Wave used it. Prunella is brutally honest, and Wave used it. Deacon may not have a lot of strong suits, but you can’t say he doesn’t love his cousin, or the kid, so he tells them to be careful around Buddy. Wave used Deacon the most due to this fact. He got on his good side the moment he could, because Chase did something during Little Shadows that told him Chase wouldn’t be so easy to fool. Chase didn’t reveal his birth name. He almost did, but he stopped himself. Wave totally caught that, then decided to switch gears to Deacon and Prunella. Other posters have spotted this, and I agree with that analysis. Chase wants to trust Wave, but he isn’t going to, something is telling him not to just yet. With Buddy, he does trust him completely. Deacon confirmed it in Little Shadows, and Stardust put a gold seal on it.
Wave is only now starting to butt into Chase and Buddy’s dynamic. Because he knows that Chase is the defacto leader. But why he’s targeting Buddy is a mystery, which is concerning. To quote the meme (you know the one): Does he know?
What does Wave know? I posted my theory on the matter, but I wrote that weeks ago. I’ve had time to adjust and analyze a bit better, now that the initial shock, anger, and concern has settled. So I don’t 100% agree with my original take. I do still think Ro is gonna expose his lies (heh, lyre), and that Buddy will spot it. But I don’t think the old fart promised him a wish, I think he’s done with stuff like that. No, I think what Wave told Chase in Party Crashers is somewhat true, he is being held against his will via blackmail. He’s been kidnapped, essentially. How he looks down and holds himself around the old ash tray tells me that Wave is afraid of this man. Which is bullshit because Wave is jacked up. He’s also younger and more abled bodied, but the King of Bald Spots has money and magic. He can put Wave and his family into financial ruin if he doesn’t comply.
None of that excuses his actions, let’s make that blatantly clear. Let’s say his motive is to escape this crazy cult, that should never be an excuse to hurt others. Buddy and Violet are trying to do the same and save their family, but Buddy doesn’t want to hurt the others to do it. He’s grown to care for them, especially Chase. He liked Prunella almost immediately, and he trusts Deacon. After meeting them, he became a changed person and wants to help them from the bottom of his heart. Wave is in a similar situation, but he’s doing the exact opposite and only thinking about his survival and no one else’s. The ends do not justify the means when another option is literally right over there.
Wave has lied to their faces on multiple fronts. Remember in Party Crashers how Ro didn’t have a Keyring on? Even in Wave’s flashback? Well, that’s because he knew Ro was alive before meeting the gang. Meaning that the pink outfit we saw in Little Shadows was something he was given before getting caught. He’s been stalking Chase and Deacon for who knows how long. But he didn’t know about Buddy or Prunella, it seems like, meaning that it wasn’t too long ago. Or, his visits into books were very infrequent before he got caught and was essentially invited into the crew. To every poster that pointed this fact out, props. Also props to those that pointed out his actions in that flashback in Little Shadows being Sus. Those posts were eye openers, and I sadly can’t find em. Either way, he was lying right from the start. He continues to lie and act all nice, but Buddy ain’t buying his bull.
Wave is what everyone thought Buddy was at the start, while Buddy is what everyone thought Wave was at the start. But now I’m just repeating what we already know. I will say this, tho…
Buddy cares for Prunella, and if he ever catches wind of want Wave did, then he’s cooked. He would make what Wave did to her the entire focus. Forget the lying, deceitfulness, manipulation and stuff around the adults. Ignore the fact that it was a targeted attack on him. What Wave did to Prunella would make Buddy a million times more furious than a mother bear trying to protect her cubs. He used a child’s trust. Wave built it up with sweetness, playful banter, piggyback rides and a constant smile, only to cash in on it when the time was right. Buddy would not let that slide if he finds out. If we thought he was mad about Chase hiding her from him, well, this would make that fight look like a sweet little painting of a cat wearing a bow in some old lady’s house where she knits scarves and sweaters.
He would also be furious about what he did to Deacon and Chase, that’s a fact. But everyone wants to keep Prunella safe, that’s the one thing they all silently agreed on. They are the adults, they are responsible. And with Buddy’s heightened sense of responsibility and past, his reaction would be the most visceral. Even if Wave isn’t intending on hurting her, he’s still putting her in danger by being close to that mummy. He also built up her trust and used it to later hurt Chase and Deacon with his actions, just to out Buddy for who knows why! Who knows what he’ll do next! One thing is for sure, however, Prunella would feel hurt by this betrayal. She trusted Wave, and he knew it, so he used it to hurt the others. That would break her heart.
No one wants to see Prunella upset, making her cry is against the law! If she starts crying, someone fucked up. Chase and Deacon’s reactions would be pretty bad, but Buddy’s…?
Well, we should probably prepare for a funeral… Just in case. /j
But seriously, tho, I hope Wave never makes it to the bathroom on time.
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