Character Development: Lalli

[Richard Weir]

So, as time goes by, what developments do we see in our favourite cat-boy's character? What life lessons does he learn? What do his actions and words tell us about his personality and past?

[Ferbette]

I can't wait to see Lallis mage abilities grow. He also has be a loner due to being a night scout, but now he will be throw into the company of others. I wonder if he will learn at least a little of a different language. He hasn't been doing to badly though without words. The hair sparkles

[Sparky Dragon]

So, Lalli needs to use his words more, and Emil needs to learn that suffocation is not acceptable sign language. Hm, now I'm envisioning a Swedish/Finnish/sign language only those two can understand...

[Sunflower]

[Great thread!
Personally, I want to see Lalli unpacked a bit more first.

We don't know much about his back story except that he and Tuuri apparently came along when Onni joined the army at Keuruu 11 years earlier.  At that point, they would have been 8, 10, and 16 respectively.  Onni and Tuuri don't seem to have parents or any other close relatives (or he wouldn't have accused Taru of "taking his whole family").  I'm guessing the lack of a family is *why* they came to Keuruu (and why there was a catch in Tuuri's voice when she told Emil about her childhood home).

What happened to Lalli's parents, we don't know. If they were alive somewhere else, Tuuri would probably have mentioned them at some point.

Lalli actually seems the most content with his pre-Expedition life; he only came along because Tuuri told him to.  (As opposed to being motivated by loot and glory, the Call to Adventure, or the chance to meet tall, pretty, golden-haired Swedes.)

He is extremely inner-directed, neither as fearful as Onni or optimistic as Tuuri.  Silent and watchful, he's almost expressionless within his comfort zone (and it's pretty hilarious that his comfort zone DOES include troll attacks but DOESN'T include baggage claim at the Mora decontam station, or horses).

In fact, Lalli seems almost emotionless except for rare moments, like when he comforts Tuuri on page 78 or reacts to her threat to leave him at the Sveavagen station, p. 147.  (I don't know whether the Kuutar spell's "lamentations full of anguish" are literary convention or his actual feelings, but he's clearly not just reciting it like the rosary.)

Given that Lalli doesn't seem to have much of an agenda going in and is well-equipped to survive in the wild, he hasn't been set up plot-wise for disappointment or being hoist by his own petard.  (Emil, now, has already set himself up to be taken down a few notches [*cough*girly scream*cough*].) 

Everyone else in-story has agendas for Lalli, though. (Tuuri: get him better-socialized. Emil: befriend the poor mute Finnish lad, who clearly has NO IDEA how to take care of himself. The Adults: "See that enemy outpost over there, soldier? Go capture it.")  The clash of their intentions against his inner compass will probably help fuel the plot.

[Annie]

Hm, now I'm envisioning a Swedish/Finnish/sign language only those two can understand...

I am actively hoping for this, given the amount of time they'll be working together.

Everyone else in-story has agendas for Lalli, though. (Tuuri: get him better-socialized. Emil: befriend the poor mute Finnish lad, who clearly has NO IDEA how to take care of himself. The Adults: "See that enemy outpost over there, soldier? Go capture it.")  The clash of their intentions against his inner compass will probably help fuel the plot.

Very nicely put. It'll be interesting to see what more we learn about what Lalli wants.

[Nimphy]

Very nicely put. It'll be interesting to see what more we learn about what Lalli wants.

Well, it'll be even more interesting watching Lalli finding out what he really wants. Given his typical behavior (blindly following commands and having decisions made for him), I'd suggest not even he really knows what he wants - it'll be interesting seeing him realize that he can wish this for himself and what should he wish for himself.

[Sue D Nym]

So, Lalli needs to use his words more, and Emil needs to learn that suffocation is not acceptable sign language. Hm, now I'm envisioning a Swedish/Finnish/sign language only those two can understand...

That would be so totally awesome and it would be hilarious to watch the production of said sign language. I can imagine many nights of Emil trying to work out gestures with Lalli staring blankly at him.

[Nimphy]

That would be so totally awesome and it would be hilarious to watch the production of said sign language. I can imagine many nights of Emil trying to work out gestures with Lalli staring blankly at him.

Or Tuuri could help them figure out the meaning of the signs.

Your idea is so much funnier, though!

[Noxyoursox]

Well, it'll be even more interesting watching Lalli finding out what he really wants. Given his typical behavior (blindly following commands and having decisions made for him), I'd suggest not even he really knows what he wants - it'll be interesting seeing him realize that he can wish this for himself and what should he wish for himself.

This is the thing I'm really looking forward to. I also think learning to communicate what he wants to other people will be a major thing too; he's got all kinds of walls to keep people out--language barrier is just the most obvious one.

Given that Lalli and Turri's parents don't get a mention, I think it would be safe to say they were probably infected or killed--I think Lalli might be afraid of getting too attached to other people.

[Madcap]

I see Lalli as a person who's blindfolded to life but is generally alright with whatever hits them, whether that be a potentially lethal expedition into the Silent World with a bunch of people he won't be able to understand or an undead lady trying to make friends with Emil and himself. It makes me wonder if something happened to him to make him so unopinionated, or if it's just his general nature.

[Sue D Nym]

I see Lalli as a person who's blindfolded to life but is generally alright with whatever hits them, whether that be a potentially lethal expedition into the Silent World with a bunch of people he won't be able to understand or an undead lady trying to make friends with Emil and himself. It makes me wonder if something happened to him to make him so unopinionated, or if it's just his general nature.

He definitely seems like a "go with the flow" kind of character. Maybe something horrible happened that forced him and his cousins to leave their village so young. Perhaps he's stayed in the mindset, however consciously, that his life can change in a drastic way very quickly. Thus, he shouldn't get attached to people or a way of life. Maybe for him, dying is an inevitability rather than something to fight.

[Miss Honeyham]

One of the things that really interests me about Lalli is his lack of education. He has this highly educated, possibly genius cousin, Tuuri, with whom we assume he has lived with for most of his life... yet he completely lacks any sort of education at all, right down to not knowing basic animals such as horses. Then he has an advanced mage cousin, Onni, who treats Lalli the way he treats his own sister... yet he has practically no training in whatever-you'ld-call-what-a-mage-does, either. Whaaaat.

I guess it could be explained away by his solitary lifestyle, but even then it seems very odd.

[Solovei]

One of the things that really interests me about Lalli is his lack of education. He has this highly educated, possibly genius cousin, Tuuri, with whom we assume he has lived with for most of his life... yet he completely lacks any sort of education at all, right down to not knowing basic animals such as horses. Then he has an advanced mage cousin, Onni, who treats Lalli the way he treats his own sister... yet he has practically no training in whatever-you'ld-call-what-a-mage-does, either. Whaaaat.

I guess it could be explained away by his solitary lifestyle, but even then it seems very odd.

I'm still not sure about the relationships between Lalli and Onni. The way he said, "you just HAD to show up" at the docks just before they left could be read in different ways, namely:

1. Onni thinks that if Lalli hadn't shown up, Tuuri wouldn't leave.
2. Onni isn't terribly fond of Lalli in the first place and his presence just made the whole "Tuuri leaving" situation worse.

I know one line of dialogue isn't a lot to go on, but it's something hat continues to puzzle me. Presumably Onni cares about both of them on some level, but maybe not Lalli as much as Tuuri? That might also explain Lalli's lack of mage training - Finnish mages are trained by other mages, and Onni is probably the closest person to Lalli who is also a mage. Them having a rocky relationship (Onni doesn't strike me as a terribly patient person) would certainly contribute to that.

[ruth]

well, tuuri is onni's sister. presumably he's closer to her simply due to his closer relation to her than to lalli. that said, i think interpretation 1) is more likely; even if onni's opinion of lalli isn't particularly high, i think tuuri's leaving is what upsets him the most.

[Annie]

I guess it could be explained away by his solitary lifestyle, but even then it seems very odd.

Also, Tuuri often seems to act like his minder, and seems accustomed to explaining his behavior to people. There was some discussion back on one of the comic comment threads about Lalli coming across as being somewhere on the autistic spectrum or otherwise neurodivergent. With civilization being thrown back to "hang on and try to survive" levels for a good while, I think educational accommodation for kids who are "different" would have fallen by the wayside.

i think interpretation 1) is more likely; even if onni's opinion of lalli isn't particularly high, i think tuuri's leaving is what upsets him the most.

Seconded. Also, he was quick to hug Lalli along with Tuuri when accusing Taru of stealing his family.