HOW DID IT TAKE ME THIS HECKING LONG TO FIND OUT ABOUT THESE BEAUTIFUL CREATURES???
I don’t know how I even missed it, much less for this long, but, once I found @koopainklingrk‘s Bootleglings they made (back in March of 2017 oh heck), I had to straight-up drop everything I was doing and draw some of them. These guys are great and I didn’t even know I needed goth lolita Mia and psycho Swampy until I saw these guys I LOVE THEM GHEIHGISHGH
Also, these are technically the very first versions of the Bootleglings that aren’t mine! These guys are getting around and it’s SO GOOOOD!!!
In light of a certain picture of Mia drawn by my good friend that I somehow missed on my dash when she posted it, I decided to draw my take on the outfit because it was just so freaking adorable.
Interpersonal Relationships with the Bootleglings (an analytical summary)
So I just had a concept posed to me on a post, which, whether jokingly or not (probably so but it’s hard to tell), presented the concept of a theoretical romantic relationship between Swampy and The Fool. My answer was no, but the question prompted me to go in-depth about the way I have the Bootleglings act and interact and how they see each other, which I’ll be doing under a cut because this one is going to be LONG
The first important thing to know is a bit of backstory about my interpretations of the Bootleglings. They were created as altered genetic clones and kept together in a laboratory for most of their lives, but it wasn’t just the seven of them (in fact, X never lived in the lab. He came into being as the Bootleglings escaped the lab). Besides Bandit, Mia, Fool, Snappy, Shorty, and Swampy, there were also four other experiments living at the lab (not genetic clones, but experiments nonetheless). I won’t go into those experiments now because they’re not relevant, but they existed nonetheless. They were killed while trying to escape the lab, leaving just the Bootleglings to fend for themselves in the sewers of Rogueport.
Now, I’ll go over each Bootlegling and how they interact with the others. The “Most common interactions” area is where I’ll list the characters I’ll most often pair them up with for general interactions (especially in artwork).
Bandit: Bandit is just about always seen with Snappy and the two hold a very close bond. He doesn’t reveal much about himself to the others, but he does care deeply about them, despite Snappy being his main priority. He’ll participate in Snappy’s jabs at the others (without speaking...and with minimal emotional investment...), but jabs from outside the Bootlegling circle are met with distaste and, under extreme circumstances, harsh retribution if Bandit hears about them.
Most common interactions: Snappy
Mia: Mia constantly has a need to be idolized by everyone she meets, but this tendency is extremely toned down when it’s just her and the rest of the Bootleglings. The Fool loves to make fun of her for her beauty queen tendencies, but, on a serious level, the two hold a deep amount of trust for each other. Mia doesn’t take Fool’s jabs well, mind you, but the trust is still there.
Most common interactions: The Fool
The Fool: The Fool has absolutely no boundaries. He’ll make jokes about just about anything, even if it hurts someone else, and this extends to the rest of the Bootleglings too. Despite this, he and Mia have a deep bond of trust and he has yet to reveal any of the secrets she’s told him. He often feels like Mia is the only one he can talk to, but that still doesn’t stop him from making fun of her like he does the others. The one Fool enjoys picking apart the most, though, is X, who absolutely despises The Fool in every capacity for it.
Most common interactions: X, Mia
Snappy: Snappy is pretty much always seen with Bandit to the point where she begins to freak out if the two of them are apart for too long. She tends to assert her dominance over the others, lashing out at them and generally being, well, snappy. She cares about them, though, and anyone who badmouths them is in for the worst side of her temper.
Most common interactions: Bandit
Shorty: Most of her interactions are had with X and the two tend to talk with each other a lot about all sorts of things that are on their minds. Besides X, Shorty also gets along well with Swampy and they share quite the friendship. She doesn’t interact as much with the others and, if X and Swampy were out of the picture, she’d mostly keep to herself.
Most common interactions: X, Swampy
Swampy: Swampy’s overly shy and the only people he’ll interact even somewhat confidently with are the other Bootleglings. His closest friendship is with Shorty, who he feels the most comfortable around and shares a lot of his concerns with. He’s somewhat uneasy around Snappy and The Fool, though.
Most common interactions: Shorty
X: X seriously doesn’t like people, so it’s any wonder he puts up with the likes of the Bootleglings. He actually cares very deeply about all of them, though (except The Fool because he rubs him the wrong way at all times) and feels like it’s his duty and sole purpose in life to protect them at all costs. As mentioned, he harbors a deep hatred for The Fool to the point where he wouldn’t care if he went and died in a ditch, but he still tries to keep The Fool out of trouble for the sake of the rest of the Bootleglings. He’s closest to Shorty and confides a lot in her, including most of his trust, which is significant considering his “trust no one” philosophies.
Most common interactions: Shorty, The Fool
In general...: The Bootleglings share a bond with each other much like that of siblings. They care about each other no matter how much they annoy each other (not including X’s hatred toward Fool because that still exists). It’s pretty much all platonic (except XSho, but they never really act lovey toward each other and their relationship’s not even really developed it’s more of a theoretical kind of thing at this point sooooooo...).
So there you have it! Here’s the comprehensive guide to how my Bootleglings act toward each other. This maaaay contradict some past information (specifically that thing about X popping in and out of the other Bootleglings’ lives, that’s no longer a thing), but I’ve changed a LOT of stuff about the Bootleglings’ backstory and purpose and whatnot and that will be coming at some point probably over on DeviantArt, so yeah.
