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bittyball-blog · 5 months ago

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What the Survivors Think of Wes

I saw somebody make one of these with Maxwell, and they stopped it at that. So I've decided to continue the saga of analyzing the survivors relationships with one another, trying my best to remain objective and not let my bias seep in. And then maybe I'll make a chart once I'm done with this series, for those who don't wanna read allat. I'm starting off with Wes because it will help give context to another interpretive essay I'll be doing.

You are welcome to add more quotes/other context I missed, as well as reply with your own interpretation, in fact I encourage it!! I love nothing more than a good discussion.

Wilson

Generic- "Greetings, %s!"

Attacker- "%s is silent, but deadly..."

Murderer- "Mime this!"

Reviver- "%s thinks outside the invisible box."

Ghost- "How do you say "I'll get a revival device" in mime?"

Firestarter- "Wait, don't tell me. You lit a fire."

Wilson doesn't actually have much to say about Wes, if anything Wilson seems slightly peeved by him, but he's mostly neutral towards Wes. He actually seems more interested in his balloonomancy than Wes himself, but not by much:

Pile o' Balloons- "It looks like clown currency."

Balloon- "How are they floating?"

Speedy Balloon- "The hole in the center makes it more aerodynamic, that's just physics!"

Speedy Balloon (deflated)- "Now it's just another balloon."

Party Balloon- "How did he get the smaller balloons inside?"

Inflatable Vest- "If the bright colors don't attract some horrible creature, the squeaking will."

Balloon Hat- "The static does terrible things to my hair."

As curious as Wilson is about how the balloons work, I don't think he actually likes them and views them as annoying given how they mess up his hair (what a diva) and potentially attract "horrible creatures". In this animated short he also gives Wes quite the glare when he pops one, so I don't think he's a big fan of the balloons despite his mild curiosity.

There's also this quote:

Second-hand Dentures- "They've quickly become Wes' favorite prop."

I'm not sure of the tone it's supposed to be read in, but given the lack of enthusiasm for Wes's clown acts that Wilson has shown, I'd have to guess he's making a snarky remark on how unamusing Wes' use of props are.

Wilson's opinion is mostly neutral. Although he is not entertained by Wes' clown antics, and may even view his mime act as impractical given their circumstances, he doesn't seem to harbor hostility towards Wes in spite of this.

Willow

Generic- "Hi %s!"

Attacker- "That mime punch was really convincing! Haha, ow!"

Murderer- "Your actions speak louder than words! Murderer!"

Reviver- "Who do ghosts call? %s!"

Ghost- "Just tell me whatcha need and I'll get it for you. Heheh!"

Firestarter- "Make it BURN!"

Willow has a very positive view on Wes. She gives him the benefit of the doubt when he attacks her, thinking he's just playing around and wouldn't actually hurt her, which implies she truly believes Wes doesn't have a mean bone in his body (she's right).

Pile o' Balloons- "I could fill them with flammable gas."

Balloon- "That's just asking to be popped."

Speedy Balloon- "Thanks! I'll be able to set fires twice as fast with this thing!"

Speedy Balloon (deflated)- "No flying away!"

Party Balloon- "Hey, when are you gonna make a hot air balloon? I could help!"

Inflatable Vest- "Squeak-squeak-squeak! Ha ha where's Maxwell, this'll drive him crazy!"

Balloon Hat- "Hey, a rabbit! Not bad!"

In contrast to Wilson, she's actually a pretty big fan of the balloons. Also unlike others in this list, rather than simply examining the balloons, it's actually implied she's speaking directly TO Wes rather than just about him. At least the speedy, party, and hat ones imply this.

Cannon (Nothing to upload)- "Darn it, I'm out... hey Wes, you always wanted to try being a human cannonball right?"

Empty Elixir- "Hey Wes! Dare you to drink the last bit!"

Beaten Beater- "When I crank it Wes pretends to ride unicycle circles around me."

She also has a whopping THREE bonus quotes mentioning Wes, this is more than anyone else has. All three suggest they have a very playful relationship, which of course is in tune with both their natures. Although Willow may mean the cannon one literally, which suggests she wants to maim him, this is normal for her and does not imply hostility.

Overall Willow seems to get along with him great and trusts him a good deal.

Wolfgang

Generic- "Is tiny oddman, %s! Hello!"

Attacker- "Wolfgang does not trust your rosy cheeks, %s."

Murderer- "Ah! Is killer clown! %s!"

Reviver- "%s is nice, weird little man."

Ghost- "Wolfgang will go get heart for odd clownman!"

Firestarter- "You are looking very guilty, clownman."

Lmao Wolfgang thinks he's weird, straight up calls him weird and odd. Despite that he does get along with Wes.

He also thinks the balloons are fun and wants to share the experience with the others:

Pile o' Balloons- "Wolfgang will make balloon muscles."

Balloon- "Is full of clown breath!"

Speedy Balloon- "Clownman has mighty lungs to make balloon so big!"

Speedy Balloon (deflated)- "Balloon has gotten scrawny and weak!"

Party Balloon- "Come, friends! Is party!"

Inflatable Vest- "Wolfgang will try not to pop little vest with his mighty muscles."

Balloon Hat- "Haha! Tiny clownman make funny rabbit hat!"

Bonus Quote:

Wire Hanger- "Is skinny and bendy, like clownman Wes."

Wolfgang probably means bendy as a compliment considering the context that Wolfgang is from a circus group.

Wolfgang has a positive opinion on Wes. Despite thinking Wes is strange, he does not let that hinder his friendship with Wes and treats him the same as the other survivors.

Wendy

Generic- "How do you do, %s?"

Attacker- "There's something you're not telling us..."

Murderer- "%s, this is the end... for you!"

Reviver- "Abigail says she understands you, %s."

Ghost- "You won't leave us if I get you a heart, right?"

Firestarter- "There are other ways to express yourself, %s."

Wendy is overall neutral, but Abigail seems to understand him somehow, which probably gets him points in Wendy's favor. She does seem sad when he's dead and doesn't want him to leave her, so she does care for him.

Pile o' Balloons- "These look as deflated as I feel..."

Balloon- "A colorful reminder that my childhood is no more."

Speedy Balloon- "Will it make me swift enough to outrun my problems?"

Speedy Balloon (deflated)- "Sail far away from here, little balloon."

Party Balloon- "What is the point of celebrating in a place such as this?"

Inflatable Vest- "Why try to prolong the inevitable?"

Balloon Hat- "Can he make one for Abigail?"

She's emo as usual when inspecting the balloons, but I think she gets joy out of it and won't admit it. She wants Abigail to have a balloon hat after all so she must like them to some extent.

Wendy seems neutral towards him on the surface, but she does like him given that he makes her, or at least Abby, happy.

WX-78

Generic- "DETECTING... %s!"

Attacker- "ENOUGH CLOWNING AROUND, %s"

Murderer- "YOUR INVISIBLE MATTER SHIELD CANNOT STOP ME, %s"

Reviver- "THE QUIET FLESHLING %s MAY BE WORTH KEEPING AROUND"

Ghost- "I DON'T THINK THE FLESHLING IS SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE THAT"

Firestarter- "%s WILL DESTROY ALL FLESHLINGS WITH FIRE"

Yeah typical Wx. They don't like him, but not for any fault on Wes' part, it's simply because he's a fleshling.

Pile o' Balloons- "USELESS RUBBER SACKS"

Balloon- "WX-78 CANNOT BE FOOLED. THESE ANIMALS ARE NOT REAL"

Speedy Balloon- "IT DEFIES ALL LOGIC"

Speedy Balloon (deflated)- "I DON'T TRUST IT"

Party Balloon- "I WILL POP IT. NO. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTS..."

Inflatable Vest- "THIS ONE MIGHT NOT BE ENTIRELY WORTHLESS"

Balloon Hat- "IT SERVES NO PURPOSE OTHER THAN BEING UGLY"

Not a fan of the balloons either, they think they're useless. The party balloon implies they have no problem popping Wes' balloons and probably do it regularly, but refrain from doing so with the party balloons because they know Wes purposed them to be popped and would be pleased, which Wx doesn't want.

In short, WX doesn't like him, but that's also WX's default, so maybe they're neutral?

Wickerbottom

Generic- "Ah, the mime lad. Greetings, dear %s!"

Attacker- "His body language says everything."

Murderer- "They'll tell tales of your defeat, %s!"

Reviver- "You're a fine young man, %s."

Ghost- "Poor dear. %s needs a heart to anchor him to this plane."

Firestarter- "Don't cry to me when you burn yourself, dear."

Nothing too notable, Ms Wickerbottom is a polite woman and remains so with Wes.

Pile o' Balloons- "These seem frivolous."

Balloon- "Could serve as a suitable diversion."

Speedy Balloon- "The chemical composition of the young man's breath must be fascinating."

Speedy Balloon (deflated)- "Probably not enough air left to analyze its composition..."

Party Balloon- "A reasonable amount of cheer every so often would do us good."

Inflatable Vest- "I applaud your attempt at practicality, dear."

Balloon Hat- "I believe it's meant to evoke the image of a Lagomorph."

She thinks the balloons are frivolous, but she can also appreciate that Wes is spreading cheer.

Wickerbottom is neutral towards Wes, however she does value Wes and how he can boost morale even if she herself is not a big fan of his act.

Woodie

Generic- "%s! How ya doin', buddy?"

Attacker- "%s could learn some manners..."

Murderer- "You're MIME now, %s!"

Reviver- "%s, you're an alright guy."

Ghost- "First we'll get you a heart, then we'll get you some bacon, eh %s?"

Firestarter- "Keep those flames away from my trees!"

I know it looks like they're buddies, but this is just Woodie being Canadian, he calls everyone buddy and is a polite guy. He does seem to coddle him though, wanting to get him bacon after he's back from the dead.

Pile o' Balloons- "Are those balloons?"

Balloon- "It's squeaky. Just like a real woodland creature."

Speedy Balloon- "Now how do you figure that works, Luce?"

Speedy Balloon (deflated)- "Just a regular balloon now, eh?"

Party Balloon- "Uh oh, I didn't forget someone's birthday did I?"

Inflatable Vest- "It beats drowning, I guess..."

Balloon Hat- "We can all appreciate nature in our own way."

Indifferent towards the balloons, which makes me think he doesn't care too much for clowns, but I also don't think he dislikes them.

Woodie is neutral towards Wes but leans more on the friendly side. No comment on Lucy's part.

Maxwell

Generic- "Greetings, Mr. %s."

Attacker- "%s is giving me the creeps..."

Murderer- "Murderous fiend! You cannot escape!"

Reviver- "%s is an effective ally."

Ghost- "I could get you a heart, %s... for a price."

Firestarter- "Stop burning things, mime."

I don't know what to make of this honestly. Maxwell finds him creepy, but he's not resistant to calling him an ally. Buuut he also doesn't revive Wes, instead opting to ask for something in return. I'm inclined to say he is most likely just teasing Wes though, cuz he does tease a lot of the others when they die.

Pile o' Balloons- "Those look much too jovial for my liking."

Balloon- "This seems out of place here. Too cheery."

Speedy Balloon- "The mime's power unsettles me."

Speedy Balloon (deflated)- "Its power is spent. Now it's just garishly cheery."

Party Balloon- "Oh no... he's managed to make them even more cheerful."

Inflatable Vest- "I think I'd rather drown."

Balloon Hat- "Would I really stoop so low as to wear such a thing?"

Doesn't like his balloons. (Interesting thing to note is that Wes seems to have some sort of "power" and it unsettles Maxwell.)

Maxwell is largely indifferent towards Wes, maybe slightly leaning towards dislike because Maxy's not a fan of the mime stuff or Wes' power.

Wigfrid

Generic- "Gööd health tö yöu, %s!"

Attacker- "Dö yöu bite yöur thumb at me, mime?"

Murderer- "May we meet again in Valhalla!"

Reviver- "%s has Höenir's blessing."

Ghost- "Meditate ön Höenir's blessings, %s. I'll find a heart."

Firestarter- "Dön't ruin yöur fair makeup with ashes, %s."

Only good things to say to Wes, she also likes his makeup. (If you're wondering, Hœnir is the god of silence, spirituality, poetry, and of passion. So she respects him enough to say he has a God's blessing, but this isn't out of the ordinary for Wigrid to say about her allies.)

Pile o' Balloons- "Such cölörs! I cöuld sing!"

Balloon- "Fie! Föul beast!"

Speedy Balloon- "Grant me the speed öf Hermöd!"

Speedy Balloon (deflated)- "Its strange pöwer hath faded."

Party Balloon- "It hath swallöwed the wee önes whöle!"

Inflatable Vest- "Tis önly gööd för flöating, nöt fighting."

Balloon Hat- "A rubbery möckery öf life."

She has mixed feelings about Wes' craft. She loves the colors and the speedy balloon, but otherwise finds them useless.

Wigrid gets along with Wes, they're probably friends.

Webber

Generic- "Hey! Hi %s!"

Attacker- "Maybe we can talk this out?"

Murderer- "You're supposed to play nice!"

Reviver- "%s is super nice. And his makeup's cool!"

Ghost- "We'll help you get back on your feet, %s!"

Firestarter- "You were just supposed to mime lighting it!"

This dweeb thinks the mime is cool.

Pile o' Balloons- "Is there going to be a party?!"

Balloon- "Balloon animals! Balloon animals!!"

Speedy Balloon- "Circles must be the speediest shape."

Speedy Balloon (deflated)- "We have to hold on tight or it'll fly away!"

Party Balloon- "Yay! It's a party!"

Inflatable Vest- "We should take it on our boat trips."

Balloon Hat- "It looks like a bunny!"

He loves the balloons, of course, he is a kiddo living in a nightmare world, the balloons probably give him some comfort.

Webber likes Wes. he thinks Wes is super nice and kinda cool.

Winona

Generic- "Don't worry %s, I can talk enough for two. Ha!"

Attacker- "Didn't know ya had it in ya, %s!"

Murderer- "Killer mime! I'll have nightmares tonight!"

Reviver- "Thanks for the assist, %s."

Ghost- "Let's getcha back on your feet, %s."

Firestarter- "You responsible for that fire there, %s?"

She doesn't mind that he doesn't speak and may even find him endearing. Judging by how she doesn't seem at all offended by him attacking her, she actually seems more proud than hurt, which is reminiscent of her big sister personality type.

Pile o' Balloons- "No fun without Wes."

Balloon- "Oh! A balloon."

Speedy Balloon- "It's full of get up and go!"

Speedy Balloon (deflated)- "Better not leave that unattended."

Party Balloon- "We can celebrate once the work is done."

Inflatable Vest- "I think he's trying to be helpful... in his own way."

Balloon Hat- "Cute, but it won't protect your noggin' from much."

She thinks Wes is fun and encourages the use of his balloons (not without getting the work done first of course). Those last two quotes are vaguely patronizing, but in an older sister kinda way and not in a "I'm better than you" kind of way.

She likes him, they're friends, she treats him like a little brother almost.

Wortox

Generic- "%s, let's practice our routine!"

Attacker- "Those punches weren't part of the bit!"

Murderer- "Don't hurt me, %s!"

Reviver- "Thank-you, thank-you, funny friend!"

Ghost- "%s, did you get more delicious?"

Firestarter- "Ooohoohoo, what have you been up to?"

Wortox seems to be friends with Wes! They practice routines together, probably very frequently too because he thinks Wes is playing into one of their bits when he gets attacked by him.

Pile o' Balloons- "Stores one's breath for later spells."

Balloon- "I often feel like I might float away. Hyuyu!"

Speedy Balloon- "With this gift, I'll be more swift!"

Speedy Balloon (deflated)- "Its magic is spent."

Party Balloon- "A party! Am I invited?"

Inflatable Vest- "A bright balloon vest to wear across my chest."

Balloon Hat- "I'm likely to get lightheaded from wearing it, hyuyuyu!"

Nothing too special to say about Wes' crafts but he seems to enjoy them.

Wortox and Wes are friends that seem to bond over their mutual interest for pranks and all things alike. This makes sense given that Wortox is a little jokester and it is literally Wes' livelihood to be one as well.

Wormwood

Generic- "%s is quiet friend"

Attacker- "Bad %s! Don't hurt!"

Murderer- "%s is silent dead maker"

Reviver- "%s is a good friend"

Ghost- "%s is a quiet floaty"

Firestarter- "Aggh! %s made too much fire!"

Pile o' Balloons- "Needs air"

Balloon- "Boop"

Speedy Balloon- "Run run run!"

Speedy Balloon (deflated)- "Boop"

Party Balloon- "Fun!"

Inflatable Vest- "Safe?"

Balloon Hat- "Squee Hopper? Hm. No"

Wormwood is as neutral as they come. If this whole thing was a graph then Wormwood would be right smack dab in the middle. He has no bad things, but also nothing special, to say about Wes.

Warly

Generic- "Bonjour, %s!"

Attacker- "I didn't expect him to be the violent sort."

Murderer- "What a terrible act you've committed."

Reviver- "I love your act, by the way."

Ghost- "Is there a medic on this island?"

Firestarter- "Watch where you light those fires, %s."

Nothing too out of the ordinary, Warly does go out of his way to say he likes Wes' act though.

Pile o' Balloons- "It's been left completely breathless."

Balloon- "How colorful!"

Speedy Balloon- "What a kind gift!"

Speedy Balloon (deflated)- "Quite an odd design. Then again, it was made by an odd fellow."

Party Balloon- "Ah! A celebration!"

Inflatable Vest- "I'm not sure how safe that is."

Balloon Hat- "It's... not exactly my style."

Here's another person that thinks Wes is weird, but he mostly has positive things to say about his balloons.

Warly is neutral. Based on the fact that Warly thinks he's weird, and that the most substantial thing he has to say about Wes is regarding his act, I don't think they interact much. Warly just sees him as the resident mime and nothing more. (Which honestly surprises me, I would've thought they'd at least bond over their mutual understanding of the French language.)

Wurt

Generic- "Hello clown man."

Attacker- "Glorph, go away!"

Murderer- "Scale-less bad, never shoulda left swamp!"

Reviver- "Oh... thanks, flort."

Ghost- "Look paler than usual, florp."

Firestarter- "You a strange man, flort."

I know it seems like she is neutral, but if you compare these quotes with how she speaks with the others, then you would be able to see that she likes him less than the others. She says "Hello." rather than "Hello!" The only other survivor she greets this way is WX, who she believes doesn't like her. I think she also believes that Wes does not like her and in turn she does not like him. because she seems surprised/confused when he revives her. She also calls him strange, and unlike Wolfgang, she means this negatively.

Pile o' Balloons- "Look chewy, florp."

Balloon- "Want one!!"

Speedy Balloon- "That a big one, flurp!"

Speedy Balloon (deflated)- "Awww, got all small."

Party Balloon- "Huh? There stuff inside!"

Inflatable Vest- "Ooooh, water floaty!"

Balloon Hat- "Squeaky hat."

She likes the balloons tho. I mean, she is a kid after all.

Wurt finds Wes weird and does not appear to like/trust him. (My hypothesis is that she may find his silence and makeup creepy, cuz I can't figure out any other reason as to why she dislikes him.)

Walter

Generic- "Uh... hi %s."

Attacker- "This is why I don't trust clowns!"

Murderer- "%s is a killer clown!"

Reviver- "I guess some clowns are okay."

Ghost- "A Pinetree Pioneer leaves no one behind! Even if they're a clown!"

Firestarter- "That's not a proper campfire, %s!"

Walter spells it out for us very clearly: he does not trust Wes. He is scared of clowns, and therefore keeps his distance. Despite this, Walter is still a good kid who does not stray from his own code of ethics. Walter will happily revive Wes and still greet him (even if he does so unenthusiastically) just like he would for anyone else.

Pile o' Balloons- "Someone left litter here!"

Balloon- "My keen tracking senses are telling me there's a clown nearby."

Speedy Balloon- "Clowns have strange and mysterious ways..."

Speedy Balloon (deflated)- "It's pretty much just a regular balloon now."

Party Balloon- "Is someone having a party?"

Inflatable Vest- "I guess it's better than not having a life jacket at all..."

Balloon Hat- "I'm a bit too old for this kind of thing."

Walter doesn't like clowns so of course he isn't gonna like his props either. He thinks Wes has a "mysterious", probably sinister, use for the speedy balloon and is reluctant to use the vest.

Walter distrusts Wes and is not a fan at all of his mime antics.

Wanda

Generic- "Sorry %s, I have no time for charades!"

Attacker- "Now hold on just one minute, I don't think that's part of the act!"

Murderer- "Murderer! Do you have nothing to say for yourself?!"

Reviver- "%s's actions speak louder than his words."

Ghost- "Don't you fret, soon it'll be like this never even happened!"

Firestarter- "Ah... it looks like I'm in the bad timeline again."

Wanda is pretty neutral, but I don't think she's too fond of socializing with Wes considering he can only communicate in "charades", and maybe by writing, which she doesn't have time for.

Pile o' Balloons- "Everyone has their forte. Some bend time, others bend balloons."

Balloon- "Balloons have such a short lifespan."

Speedy Balloon- "Just the extra bit of speed I've been looking for!"

Speedy Balloon (deflated)- "Well, that was short-lived."

Party Balloon- "Balloons within balloons."

Inflatable Vest- "If it keeps me from drowning, I'll wear it."

Balloon Hat- "Ha, I'd look ridiculous in that! Let me try it on."

Saying that "Some bend time, others bend balloons." sounds pretty condescending. But again, we can't hear the tone she is saying this in so we can't tell for sure how she means it. My interpretation is that she may look down on Wes for not having much to offer in terms of survival or prowess, but she will give him credit where credit is due; he's good at balloons. After all, she does seem to like Wes' balloons, actually appreciating the usefulness of his balloons in some situations.

Overall, she is neutral towards Wes, but mostly just sees him as a clown. Wanda is actually a pretty silly woman, she is not averse to having fun, even if she is all "I don't have time for this and that". I think if she did have the spare time, she would not mind hanging around Wes, but I don't see her making the time to do so.

Conclusion

Most of the survivors like Wes. A lot of the survivors though, including the some of the ones that like him, seem to view him as just "the mime" rather than anything else. Not being able to see past his gimmick does makes sense for a lot of the survivors because they aren't able to communicate with Wes in the way they're used to: talking. The mime thing is also a hit or miss with the survivors, some are not big fans of clowns while others love it.

Wes' biggest allies: Willow, Wortox, Winona

Wes' biggest haters: Walter, Wurt, WX-78

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