#r: everything is sentimental | alhanalem

[rabarta]

"actually it's coral blue number 5"

+ bonus doodle i regret to inform you all i got flustered drawing

[rabarta]

🏳️‍🌈 i do not even remember if i even sent you one of these. tell me about alhanelem :3

GOOD GOOD YOU HAVE ASKED THE ONE CHARACTER I HAVE EXTENSIVE SOURCE BACKED RESEARCH FOR he is gay demisexual and a trans man and let me explain why. youknow that post like 'the wisdom that only a post-menopausal man can provide' thats him.

okok jokes aside there is an important plot point where there's an impostor masquerading as alhanalem and she has king kolka placed under a spell and stuff. and the First thing al takes issue with other than the obvious fact that someone is pretending to be him is that shes a woman and the name alhanalem belongs to a man - the phrasing "belongs to" is important here, because names in yuke culture are unique and no two have the same name. again i say this scene makes a lot of sense if he's trans, of course it's upsetting to see someone pretending to be you and using your own name, but then using your past against you? fucked UP. (as an aside the lich is my favorite villain in the game but that's for another post)

AS FOR THE GAY + DEMISEXUAL HC i do think that he is attracted to men, he's flirted with by a shopkeeper and goes 'either i am having difficulties aural or your sales pitch is quite unusual' 😭 al doesn't really take to it well when the idea of him being with a woman is presented. when yuri and chelinka tease him about 'picking flowers' (gathering herbs) and assume it's for some girlfriend, he immediately changes the subject back to moogle plants and gets mad (more so than he usually does when the kids don't pay attention). theres also the dialogue he has with a yuke npc who was an engineer at rela cyel, who recognizes him as the king's royal mage and the head of the institute, and says he's been "waiting so long" to see him again... and al immediately shuts that down and says he's mistaking him for someone else, but that's just because he didn't want the kids to know about his past yet... in the new world after yuri and chelinka defeat galdes, where they haven't met al and meeth yet, al is actually seen talking to the same npc about rebuilding rela cyel together

i think given his general personality plus his previous (and current) responsibilities, it would take a lot of familiarity with someone else for him to experience romantic/sexual feelings... plus MAYBE a little bit of projection as someone who is considering the demisexual label

to end this off

(this is a real quote. taken a little bit out of context but it's still gay in context too.)

[rabarta]

i definitely dont think al would have it in him to hold a grudge against someone he loves/loved unless they did something completely unforgivable, but i think given his propensity to worry he might convince himself that madelon is gone and they just… left him, since they used to be a traveler before settling down at the villa and never stayed in one place long. of course, thats not what happened in the slightest and they were captured by the temple guards (like al and meeth were too!) but i think it would be interesting to see al exhibit irrational behavior born out of worry

meeth on the other hand has a laundry list of grudgies and makes enemies easily, but considering the situation and that madelon is also a close friend of hers, her anger is also born out of worry. the “i thought you were dead, don’t ever leave us like that again” type of anger, anger at the forces that caused this to happen

[rabarta]

this isn’t a super groundbreaking discovery, and it’s pretty easy to find. just something i noticed while looking at a famitsu interview because of course i would

this screenshot shows an unused/early sprite of alhanalem! his horn is on the wrong side and his helmet looks a bit longer. initially i thought it might be traced from some of the official art… but it’s hard to tell from the tiny image. maybe later i’ll see if this sprite is present in any trailers

[rabarta]

official f/ovember post!

this november, i've decided to participate in the event hosted by @cherry-bomb-ships. kireek and alhanalem will answer asks from my followers, and they'll be joined with their respective self inserts at times. answers will be color coded for each character. i'll let them take the reins now and introduce themselves ^^

KIREEK: "Since Marian's roped me into this, I suppose I have no choice. Really, I don't like working with others, but if they insist, I'll answer any question...within reason. Just try and keep it short."

MARIAN: "You could at least attempt to be cordial, you know. Your personality isn't exactly the most welcoming, so I wouldn't be surprised if our friends would prefer to direct their questions over to that kindly bird fellow over there." [Marian punctuates that remark with an adjustment of their glasses.] "Speaking of which... I don't believe I've seen him before. He doesn't look like anyone living on Ragol. Sir, if you wouldn't mind introducing yourself?"

ALHANALEM: "...Hrm. It is an easy mistake to make for someone not of this world, but I am not a bird relational. I am Alhanalem, former servant of King Kolka, and member of the household royal. While I am currently too preoccupied at the moment to give an introduction formal, I am happy to assist in answering questions whenever I am able, whether they be personal or magical."