#so theres also the question on how the undead will be viewed

[mishy-mashy]

Groovy Gumlet having his own army be decimated is probably the worst thing that can happen to him as a hyena demihuman

Groovy's a hyena demihuman. That means – if we're following the animal's mannerisms – he's a social creature that's drawn to complex heirarchy

As a General, he views himself as a leader. He leads an army and in Vollachia, the strong rule the weak; Groovy has to lead his men, not just because he's a General, but because that's the values they're all raised on

He's social. He befriends some of his fellow Generals, complains to Chisha, and thinks about his second-in-command when he's fighting.

So he's social and into hierarchy; yet, he's had all his men die, meaning he's not only alone, but failed them as a leader. They probably all gave their lives for him, too, since not only is he a Divine General, but being cowardly WILL kill them. That's not even considering that maybe Groovy's care means they have some sort of closer relationship beyond simply being ordered under his command. His second-in-command managed to survive longer, and still sacrificed themself for him to flee

As the leader, he has regrets about what happened because he was supposed to take care of his men and lead them to victory. He doubts himself because of this, even if Vincent chose him.

Groovy, who had his men die under his care, hasn't eaten anything for days, was all alone, and lost those connections and underlings. He only has his own thoughts at this point to have any words, because everything else is undead and trying to kill him, and he wishes he had someone.

He's lonely. I don't think there's ever been a moment where Groovy was alone until this struggle. In EX Novel 4, he fought alongside Mogura, fled with him to bring in Cecilus; he complained to Chisha in his office so he'd listen and stick around; he made cursed tools under Vincent's orders; when cleaning, he still happened upon Mogura and befriended him; this is probably the first time it's ever been mentioned that he's on his own.

What attracted him to find Heinkel and Rowan wasn't the smell of a settlement or food; it was the smell of life. That was the first thing he noticed and made a BEELINE for

His concern the whole time are the people. Anyone to be company. It didn't cross his mind that he'd be leading enemies to them, he just wanted their help and it's implied he would've handled the enemies himself

He just wanted help from them. If they could fight, he wasn't going to sit back; he was going to eat something and jump right back into it

It's the idea of company that brought him back from literal DEATH. The demihuman craves company like nobody's business and it's so cute and so sad

So Groovy lost his men, feeling that he failed them, and it's probably crushing to be alone and hungry for so long. Like I said at the start, this is probably the worst thing that can happen to the hyena demihuman

Now I present this: the possibility that his dead men could also become the undead army that goes against him, the emperor, and everyone else.

#just THOUGHTS #i like groovy gumlet #hes a nice person with a ton of friends #its just that hes always swearing so he comes off as crude #but his concern was other people when hes been fighting ten days and starved #his mind wouldve been pushed to the brink and the first thing he repeatedly thinks of is concern for others #even if he doesnt know them #i think the idea of him fighting the men he failed would be very interesting #i dont know if its already said something more about groovy though in arc 8 #havent checked #other than the fact groovy is CUTE #hes a pretty interesting character #reblog #rezero #re zero #re:zero #groovy gumlet #imagine having to fight the people you failed and cared about #its literally an Astrea problem in arc 5 with theresia #so theres also the question on how the undead will be viewed #are they the same person as before? are they simply corpses? do you get mad because theyve disrespected them for the last time? #do you destroy them or not? your hand is forced at this point isnt it. maybe youre the reason this happened #if you could spare even one of your men from this- #maybe its your fault. they all died for you. and now you have to kill them yourself #but your life is one they died to protect. so you cant give it up that easily. #but can you really bring yourself to kill them again? #yikes #moral dilemmas and such but maybe its more clear cut for groovy and others #arc 8 #spoilers (tag limit)