Cecil, you're a little shit and I absolutely LOVE you for it. Originally, I was planning on making Cecil a villain...but I thought that was disrespectful to Cecil's character. I only villainize characters when I see there is little to NO redeeming qualities in them. Plus, this direction was way more fun.
-Cecil Turtle is absolutely despised by Bugs Bunny, both on screen and off. Cecil doesn't care and even finds it funny, but Bugs just wants to beat him into the ground already. Daffy thinks it's hilarious that someone is actually able to humble Bugs. He loves pointing this out and rubbing it in Bugs' face, especially because for once, Bugs can't defend himself.
-One of Cecil's biggest faults is that he is absolutely as smug and arrogant as Bugs says he is. And he can be very, very condescending...especially to Bugs and when he KNOWS someone is trying to outsmart him. That being said, he's very much not the psychopath as fan-made wikis (which Cecil notes to be very biased against him because they love Bugs more) make him out to be.
-Like Daffy, Cecil prefers to keep the true reason he can see through Bugs' disguises mysterious. However, he does cheekily give the fake reason of Bugs making for “a very ugly woman/man.” Naturally, this only makes Bugs seethe in rage even more.
-When Cecil was created, he was originally meant to be a oneshot character that beat Bugs by luck. However, the creators immediately knew something was up when Cecil not only outwitted Bugs on camera, he did so effortlessly. They did have Cecil use his "cousins" (really animated clones of Cecil himself) to make it seem like he was cheating in his debut short 'Tortoise Beats Hare' to mitigate Bugs’ anger but they had to admit…they were impressed.
-The reason Cecil only appeared in three shorts during the Golden Age was by his own desire, as he had absolutely zero need to be in the spotlight. Also, he felt three shorts were enough…he was never much of an actor anyway.
-Cecil's secret is that he can not only outwit Bugs, he can outwit ANY of the main Looney Tunes. That includes usually unbeatable ones like Tweety Bird.
-Cecil’s code is targeting and humbling people who have big egos …he doesn’t go after people for no reason, as it’s not fun at all. Honestly, most of the Looney Tunes have huge egos that are just waiting to be popped. It's why Cecil enjoys messing with them so much.
-Cecil rarely goes into his shell. He mainly uses it to store things he's hiding and for personal items.
-Cecil has a soft spot for insects...especially snails and worms. He doesn't like it at all when anyone kills insects for fun and WILL call them out.
-One of Cecil's BIGGEST weaknesses is sudden and abrupt noises. They easily startle him and make him lose focus for a good few minutes as he works to re-orient himself. He works EXTREMELY hard to keep this weakness hidden.
-Another weakness of Cecil is that he’s absolutely HORRIBLE in physical combat. Most Looney Tunes aren't that great in physical combat, but Cecil himself is especially. So if someone like Sylvester Pussycat (who is an absolute BEAST in physical combat) was to fight him? He'd be completely helpless.
-Cecil didn't like how he had to act in The Looney Tunes Show, thinking his portrayal mischaracterized him greatly (he was essentially re-imagined as a scheming, malevolent con-artist, which he thought didn’t fit his character at all. He also hated how it showed him helpless when flipped on his back (which isn’t true, as he’s a Toon and can easily re-right himself again) and without his shell (which was said to be fake), which he found deeply insulting. Bugs on the other hand, enjoyed it because it meant seeing Cecil LOSE and squirm for once.
-Cecil is a good listener to those that earn it...he doesn't interrupt, doesn't interject, just listens and talks when necessary. Just not to Bugs, who he PURPOSEFULLY interrupts and interjects against all the time.
-He has a love for chess, checkers and other similar strategy games. He finds it a fun way to wind down and another way to show off his skills. It helps that most of the Looney Tunes don’t have the patience to get through strategy games. He enjoys playing with Marvin the most and the two sometimes make casual conversation while playing.
-Cecil is good friends with the Gremlin from Falling Hare. They both bond over making an utter fool of Bugs Bunny.
-Cecil has respect for Michigan J Frog. Michigan likes to perform for Cecil freely, knowing Cecil won't try to use him for greed. Cecil also enjoys Michigan's methods in punishing greed in his own way…he finds the methods Michigan employs incredibly creative and deliciously, poetically ironic.
-Tweety is…frustrated by Cecil, though he does respect him. Now, Tweety doesn’t hate Cecil, but it annoys him that he can’t get a read on the turtle. Usually, Tweety can figure people out and what they're planning in a snap…yet Cecil remains an absolute mystery to him. Cecil sometimes likes to lightly tease Tweety on this.
-Cecil...has a very small fear towards Sylvester Pussycat. Not because Sylvester isn't easy to outwit, Sylvester is absolutely outwittable like everyone else and Cecil does enjoy teasing and taunting him. It's because he knows that if Sylvester REALLY decided he was done playing around and wanted to fight...well, Cecil is well aware he would be absolutely done for. He subconsciously tries not to do anything that'll anger Sylvester too much in response to this.
-Alongside Sylvester, Cecil is also a little cautious around Taz. The thing about Taz is that Taz is extremely destructive and almost unstoppable when he REALLY wants to be. However, Cecil also knows Taz is extremely stupid so he isn't as nervous teasing him as he would with Sylvester (who is very much not as stupid as Taz)
-Cecil has a surprising rapport with Sam Sheepdog. Cecil appreciates Sam's calm and methodical approach to things and the two sometimes sit in silence together. Even though Cecil knows Sam is a physical powerhouse in combat just below Sylvester himself, Cecil isn't cautious around Sam the way he is around Sylvester. He deeply respects Sam's strength and knows he wouldn’t act against him without reason.
-Foghorn, being in the “middle” of the Looney Tunes winner-loser hierarchy, sometimes repeatedly pesters Cecil for his secrets on how to win more. Cecil doesn’t hate Foghorn, but Foghorn’s loud and bombastic personality can grate on his nerves (not that he shows it) so he tries to avoid Foghorn when he can.
-Cecil is looked at as a figure of respect amongst the Looney Tunes villains and antagonists (especially those who have come face to face with Bugs). He is consistently asked by the other Looney Tunes villains on how he does it. How does he beat the usually unbeatable Bugs at his own game? Cecil never tells, thinking it's fun to watch them squirm.
-Elmer admires him and consistently asks for his secrets. Sam despises him almost as much as Bugs, especially because Cecil enjoys taunting him. Marvin could care less, he prefers focusing on his own goals. Cecil really only respects Marvin out of the Looney Tunes villains, appreciating Marvin’s calm demeanor. Now, he's not scared of Marvin at all, he knows he can outwit Marvin like anyone else. But he also knows Marvin can pose a very real danger if he was truly pushed to his limits (also, being a Toon, Marvin doesn't care about blowing up the Earth like the cartoons show. He just wants peace).
-Road 'Roadie' Runner and Speedy Gonzales are...mixed on Cecil Turtle. They don't despise him like Bugs does but somehow, Cecil keeps beating them in races. While they respect that, neither of them can tell if he's cheating or not (they both used their inner speed sense to scan him for any steroids and to their shock, he wasn't on any). Cecil on the other hand, DOES respect Speedy and Roadie in his own way. He doesn't torment them like he does with Bugs because they don't have the arrogance Bugs has (and both are genuinely among the kindest of the Looney Tunes so he'd feel bad). He'll even offer them some tips and tricks (though not to the point where he'll tell them his secrets).
