*kicks down your front door*
I heard "blorbo", "talk", and "Boodle" in the same sentence? :3
Boodle lore please :3
Oh. OH. OH. OH, BUDDY.
Boodle lore, you say?
Well, uh, there’s a whole lot I can say about the Boodle lore.
But, I guess, to explain this in the most coherent way possible—that isn’t just one big rambly mess—I guess I could just provide a timeline of events? Or, rather, my interpretation of events.
SO. LETS BEGIN, SHALL WE?
Okay, so, way back in 2012 Tumblr—when the SPG fandom was in it’s most earliest years—as you already know (because I’ve told you and our mutuals before), A Case of too Many Spines AU was started up because of blog chain. In which, people in the fandom, like T00ie and smellsliketimetravel, had different Spine’s interacting with one another.
HOWEVER. One fateful day, that day being August 19th 2012, T00ie made the following post: https://www.tumblr.com/modmad/29890762310/puhpuhtooie-modmad-puhpuhtooie-sorting
This is the earliest iteration of Boodle.
In the comic that T00ie later added on (which should be just under the post), Boodle—who was yet to actually be named yet—talks with his bio-parents, of sorts: Noodle and Box. Immediately, Noodle dislikes Boodle and is…at least how I interpret it…really weirded out and, even, freaked out by him. He calls him “a paradox,” which is the first time that term had been used in the AU. This is particularly important as Boodle, as well as the other’s like him, were all referred to as “paradox children” in the AU. Real quick, let’s define what a paradox is: “A person or a thing having seemingly contradictory qualities or phases”. In the AU, the paradox children’s cores, A.K.A., their S.O.U.L.S., are formed by the meshing of two individuals’ (typically, the same person), who both contradict each other in some way, personalities—in a way—as well as universes/timelines. Annnnnnd the result of THAT is a paradox child. Basically, an amalgamate, of sorts. PUT A PIN IN THAT. Anyway, back to the actual comic. Unlike Noodle, Box actually takes a liking to Boodle. Boodle calls him “Mama” and views him as a parental figure. (He technically does the same to Noodle, calling him “Papa”…but this doesn’t last very long). But don’t be fooled! While Box may take a liking to him…he is a bit…um…unsure? Is that the right word? Unsure about Boodle and this whole “parenting thing”. At least, at first, anyway.
Then, there’s THIS comic, also originally posted by T00ie: https://www.tumblr.com/modmad/30314242735/noodle-drops-the-box
HERE. It’s essentially confirmed that Boodle is not formed from love…rather…the reason he exists is (while, technically speaking, the rivalry between Noodle and Box) because of hate.
Um. So. Yeah. Put a MASSIVE pin in this one.
Alright, so those two posts are the beginnings of Boodle, for the most part…but let’s dig a little deeper.
Enter: Fisticuffs
Now, while you may remember when I talked about this comic with our fellow mutuals a few months ago, I want to bring it up again because it is VERY IMPORTANT AND A CRUCIAL PART OF BOODLE’S NARRATIVE AND CHARACTER.
To sum up the beginning of that comic before we get to the parts that specifically pertain to Boodle…Box and Noodle get into a game of fisticuffs and beat the shit out of each other before being interrupted by Spinetaur—who has gone rogue for…some reason. After running to tell the rest of the Spine’s about Spinetaur, Box comes up with the plan to collect everyone’s ties and use it in an interpretative dance routine in an attempt at distracting and taking down Spinetaur. Inevitably, this goes HORRIBLY WRONG and this happens: https://www.tumblr.com/modmad/33178071544/puhpuhtooie-modmad-puhpuhtooie-the-end
Yeah, so. Box (temporarily) dies. And Boodle sees it happen. Also. Note the black text boxes lined with green. That’s Boodle narrating the comic. More importantly, he says things like this “Aren’t we all the same? Aren’t we supposed to be entertainers? Aren’t we supposed to make people laugh? At some point…wasn’t this supposed to be funny?” and “Maybe…that was my fault. Maybe I was the one who forgot that first”.
Hmmmmm….certainly implies a level of sentience and peculiar awareness, doesn’t it? It implies, for what it’s worth, that Boodle is not only aware that the happenings of this AU happen for the entertainment of some higher power…but also that he was the one who “forgot” the point of the narrative. He forgot…something. About himself? Or rather…who he was supposed to be?
I know I keep saying it…buuuuuuuuut. PUT A BIG OL’ PIN IN THAT ONE.
After Noodle fights of the Spinetaur, effectively reverting him back to his normal self, everything is better now! As shown in this part of the comic: https://www.tumblr.com/roryink/33276586302/puhpuhtooie-modmad-the-end-of-the
Now, even though Boodle doesn’t appear directly in the comic…we know he’s there. And one of my favorite pieces of imagery to use with him is him looking up at the big projection of The Spine. And seeing…what he, and all of the other Spine’s, are supposed to be. And, as a result…is a major beginning of his issues with identity and a sense of self.
ANYWAY.
After the main events of a Case of too Many Spine’s, the Spine’s start returning to their original universes (While still being able to stay in touch post…uh…being trapped in the void). However, as Boodle has no set universe of his own, Box decides to take him into his own universe (which is known as the 50s/Toon!Verse).
In Box’s verse, Boodle is, at first…kept in the basement…as this post made by T00ie implies: https://www.tumblr.com/t00ie/30598751124/headcanon-noodle-puts-the-burden-of-boodle-in
“He’s that thing that lives under the manor and overhears rehearsals”. Now. SPG fans know what a Walter bot being “kept in the basement” means. And while this wasn’t important back then, with what we know now about Zer0 and G.G. (I believe this also goes for her)…Boodle was, essentially, hidden away. Tucked away in the basement so that NO ONE would know about him. Now, while Box doesn’t actually abandon him there…Boodle did seem to be there for a bit before anyone found out about him.
This post, also made by T00ie, implies that Rabbit was the first to find him (warning for Vintage Rabbit, this was drawn before her transition): https://www.tumblr.com/t00ie/33412964115/unknown-comic-thing-idk
After Boodle is free to roam and actually, ya know, LIVE in Walter Manor…a few very important things happen.
1. Racy!Spine becomes another parental figure for him.
As implied in the following posts: https://www.tumblr.com/oldracyspineblog/33277350196/dont-actually-call-me-a-box-racyspine, https://www.tumblr.com/bunjywunjy/33283867143/dont-actually-call-me-a-box-racyspine (ALSO NOTE FOR THESE POSTS: Boodle seeing Box almost DIE for a SECOND TIME), https://www.tumblr.com/hirilelfwraith/33216959342/boxyspine-racyspine-so-i-may-or-may-not, https://www.tumblr.com/hirilelfwraith/33341033646/julesmasters-at-the-fairwip-tooie-beat-me, https://www.tumblr.com/oldracyspineblog/33239115275/i-should-be-in-bed-sleep-deprivation-does-weird, and https://www.tumblr.com/oldracyspineblog/32787553632/racy-are-you-saying-that-you-want-a-family
2. Boodle gets an older, yet younger brother named Roxy (another paradox child, who formed because of Racy and Box being in a relationship).
As revealed and shown in the following post: https://www.tumblr.com/shuddurs/32841347262/travelingworkshop-davidtennantspants
3. For the first time, Boodle actually has…a family.
Highlighted in this post: https://www.tumblr.com/oldracyspineblog/33281511717/boodle-love-maybe-you-should-take-it-easy-on
Now that that’s been covered…
4. Boodle starts to slowly feel…something amiss. He tells himself he’s real. He has to be. He’s real. He won’t…disappear.
Fic I’m referencing (by inkandscales): https://www.tumblr.com/inkandscales/30640260081/special-impossible-child
5. Boodle starts malfunctioning. They’re infrequent, at first…but as his stay in Box’s universe goes on…the worse they start to get.
Fics I placed in and around this point in his story: https://www.tumblr.com/inkandscales/31249990507/mama (by inkandscales) and https://www.tumblr.com/inkandscales/31125949400/broken (also by inkandscales. Additionally BOODLE IDENTITY ISSUES. EXISTENTIAL BOODLE)
Also, text posts with a bit more information on his malfunctions (additionally, some extra stuff about Roxy): https://www.tumblr.com/hirilelfwraith/33249584851/headcanons-about-the-spinekids (ALSO. Remember when I told you to put a pin in the fact that Boodle was formed by hate? That becomes important right here)
6. Here’s the REAL turning point. In the fic trilogy written by hirilelfwraith, Boodle’s malfunctions have gotten to a point where they’re practically EVERY DAY.
The first fic primarily emphasizes this: https://www.tumblr.com/hirilelfwraith/33183584519/spg-fic-tomorrows
At this point…Boodle knows. He knows that he’s running out of time. He’s running out of tomorrows.
7. In that same trilogy, Boodle tells Racy (at this point, “Papa”) that he’s going to die. He knows that. And he’s…accepted it.
Fic link: https://www.tumblr.com/hirilelfwraith/33786185516/spg-fic-releasing-tomorrows (additionally, this fic is also the main reason why I associate stars with him)
8. People start forgetting him. Strings keeping his memory in the minds of those he knows from his core are snapping. He’s slowly coming undone…and eventually. There’s only one string left. It’s Box’s. He decided to, essentially, sever it himself. After this, his body goes up in blue smoke and he finally…dies.
Fic link: https://www.tumblr.com/hirilelfwraith/33862869503/spg-fic-ending-of-tomorrows
Now. At this point. Boodle should be dead, right? Like I said, he died. But…according to T00ie, “Boodle was an idea. But ideas never truly die, do they?”
(UNFORTUNATELY I CANNOT FIND THE ORIGINAL POST WHERE T00ie SAID THIS BUT I SWEAR TO GOD SHE DID. I had it in those original slides I showed you and our mutuals back in February…about Boodle).
So. What does THAT mean? Well. What it suggests is that—while it was never 100% cannon-confirmed by T00ie and Elta/inkandscales (the two who were primarily responsible for writing the cannon fics for him)—Boodle is caught in a time loop. Stuck consistently repeating the events of a Case of too Many Spines over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.
The most blatant examples of this include:
1. This post made by openthedooritschip: https://www.tumblr.com/openthedooritschip/33822902486/tooie-wrote-this-and-i-did-a-thing
The key lines here are “he’s reached the point where he can chuckle at the cliché,” “He stares at the enclosing blankness, trying to find the whole thing entertaining. He cocks an eyebrow. Grins and almost means it,” “He pretends he thinks this will be an adventure,” and “Everything is exactly as it was before. Nobody is there”.
2. The fact that…if we go by the idea that he’s time looping…sometimes…things change. Either drastically or minimally but they still change. (Sorta like how, based on what you do and say in the game, In Stars and Time, can impact each loop but not exactly).
Such posts that are key to note here are the fic Necessity, written by hirilelfwraith: https://www.tumblr.com/hirilelfwraith/33318425981/i-really-love-writing-where-i-can-use-a-fuck-ton (in which he dies differently. He dies differently. He dies differently. He dies before he’s supposed to. More importantly, he sounds scared to die. Under normal circumstances, that would make sense. BUT. Considering how accepting of death he was prior…this implies something else entirely. Note: this fic was written prior to the actual Boodle death fic…but for the arguement, I think it works).
This comic/blog chain with T00ie and twigwise: https://www.tumblr.com/discontentramblings/32862494670/twigwise-puhpuhtooie-twigwise (in which Boodle seems…peeved by the idea of Rubber liking Box. Assuming that he has a sinking suspicion that the “voice behind the shelves” is Rubber. I’m noting this because, pre-loop, Box got with Racy. Not Rubber. And while he doesn’t actually dislike or even hate Rubber…I feel like Boodle would want things to stay as close to the same as possible…for his own sake and sanity. I also like to headcannon that Boodle does NOT do well with major change so this just…stresses him out. Both in the context of time looping and just generally speaking.)
That one time he was a girl: https://www.tumblr.com/was-that-a-punarchive/159272145048/was-that-a-pun-puhpuhtooie-genderbentboodle (OUGH. OH BOY. THE POTENTIAL FOR GENDER DYSPHORIA BOODLE AND EVEN WORSE BODY DYSMORPHIA BOODLE)
Also that one time he was a centaur: https://www.tumblr.com/kitsiinabox/31783919424/was-that-a-pun-wheeljak-was-that-a-pun
Also that one time he was placed into a fantasy setting as a prince…(we’re gonna come back to this, I promise): https://www.tumblr.com/t00ie/33208096046/the-coyote-king-and-prince-boodle
AND THEN THAT ONE TIME HE WAS IN A TOTALLY DIFFERENT UNIVERSE/TIMELINE ENTIRELY AND WENT TO ROBOT HIGH SCHOOL IN FANBOT HIGH: https://www.tumblr.com/amuseoffirebane/31324477447/fanbothigh-and-they-say-theres-a-heaven-for
What’s particulary important about this one is that…not only is it heavily implied that Boodle TOLD The Jack (who is his best friend in the AU) about the timefuckery going on with him, as implied by this post: https://www.tumblr.com/amuseoffirebane/32013369100/at-the-bottom-of-the-hill-ha-ha-hahic
BUT. There’s some extra stuff about that previously mentioned fantasy in that AU that I find VERY important to add into this timeline.
Specifically in these two posts by amuseoffirebane: https://www.tumblr.com/amuseoffirebane/33801449865/duessa-psilentasincjelli (WHICH HEAVILY IMPLIES THAT COYOTE KINGDOM—which stemmed from that original fantasy setting—WAS A STORY BOODLE WROTE TO COPE AND THAT ARGENT WAS A SELF INSERT AND THAT GILT WAS A CHARACTER HE WROTE THAT WAS BASICALLY JUST THE JACK) and this one (which has more about Coyote Kingdom as a whole, specifically in FH) https://www.tumblr.com/amuseoffirebane/37960171339/the-little-gold-golem-and-the-silver-prince-a
Now. After Boodle eventually disappears (by choice) in FH…The Jack FUCKING FINDS HIS WAY OUTSIDE OF HIS UNIVERSE, GETS ON AN TRANSDIMENSIONAL FERRY, JUMPS OFF OF IT AND MAKES IT INTO THE NEXUS (I.E., where I like to headcannon Boodle ends up after every loop before he loops back) JUST TO FIND HIM AND SEE HIM AGAIN.
This all comes from the official FH write-up, written by amuseoffirebane (specifically the ending part): https://www.tumblr.com/fanbothigh/153106191467/fh-classic-the-write-up
After the two have their reunion…The Jack goes back to his universe.
And after that…while this deviates A LOT from his overall cannon (including my headcannoning time looping stuff)…I sorta ran with the idea of Boodle looping Coyote Kingdom. More specifically, the version of it that HE wrote during FH. There’s no evidence for this. I just think this could be really effin’ sad and depressing and angsty for Boodle to loop the ONE thing he thought he had some SEMBLANCE of control over…something that HE had wrote HIMSELF.
Oh. There’s also THIS, by the way: https://www.tumblr.com/amuseoffirebane/55670215177/back-to-cause-a-ruckus-i-hear (The Boodle stuff is more towards the end. While I didn’t fit this into the timeline I made for him…MORE SENTIENT BOODLE STUFFFFFFFFFFF. That also works with the idea of him time looping).
So, uh…yeah! That was pretty much it! At least for his lore, anyway (even with head cannon stuff sprinkled throughout a bit)
Sorry that this was so long…I have A LOT to say about him, as you and our mutuals already know lol.
