This isn't an update so much as something I want to write to introduce furs to a series I've been working on for a few months now, called BTBF (An abbreviation for "Better Than Best Friends"). Several items of art for the series are in my gallery (in the pool BTBF Art), as well as the first 6 pages of what might someday become an extended comic series about the whole storyline (in the pool BTBF Comic). At the moment however what I'm mainly trying to do is work out the complete storyline from beginning to end in written form, possibly as a novel, or in play format. What I currently have is not even that, so much as a description of key scenes interspersed with dialog and something akin to "stage directions" because I'm visualizing it as a comic. I even have what I call a transcript for the first section of the story called "The Preamble" which is basically a verbal description of what the first 13 pages of the comic look like, along with all the text that would appear in them.
Better Than Best Friends
The Story
What is the story about? It's about two inseparable childhood best friends, an anthromorphic chipmunk named Jonah Jahirah Adler, and an anthromorphic jackrabbit named Jonathan Joseph Jebediah, whose relationship abruptly comes to an end due to events that the story doesn't tell us upfront but heavily implies. The story begins completely from Jonah's point of view. He has refused to go to school for two weeks straight because he has gone into a severe spiraling depressing due to his falling out with Jonathan. Apparently he has committed some unforgivable sin against his best friend and Jonah wishes more than anything to be back in his good graces. Jonah is completely obsessed with Jonathan, to the point of a kind of madness, and is well aware of it, but he apparently couldn't help it even if he wanted to (which he doesn't). He is open to the possibility that he is in fact insane. Jonathan, in his words is "the sweetest kindest gentlest handsomest most awesomest boy that ever lived. The alpha and omega of all boyhood dreams, and the physical manifestation of all my hopes and desires". He sums up his dilemma thusly:
"To say I'm in love with him would be an understatement. I'm more 'in love' with him than most boys are in love with girls. I'm completely hopelessly embarrassingly obsessed with him, so much so that he is my whole world and everything in it. Without him I'm like a planet without a star, and with nothing to orbit I drift off into the black empty void of absolute nothingness..."
In short, Jonah implies that he is basically nothing without him and that the end of their friendship is nothing short in seriousness to the implied death of himself. As in, he literally ceases to exist without him. One could dismiss this as the overly melodramatic musings of a troubled 13 year old (his age at the outset of the story), but Jonah seems entirely sincere and unironic in his proclamations.
He has apparently resigned himself to the fact that there is truly nothing he can say or do to bring Jonathan back. All that remains for him then is this: to figure out how he came to this dreadful state. What had caused him to become so hopelessly attached to Jonathan in the first place? And so he endeavors upon a journey of the mind, reviewing the entirety of his life up to this point, and we the audience get to hear, from Jonah's point of view, the recounting of this tragic tale of a tremendous love both gained and then lost, in the hopes that we too might figure out this enduring mystery of attraction and it's murky origins. Will Jonah succeed in figuring it out? Or failing that, will we?
This is basically the premise of the story. Once Jonah has come to his conclusion, what will he do about it? Will he give up on Jonathan and move on with his life? Will they ever get back together again? The second half of the story addresses the events after Jonah returns to school.
Much of the plot and story I have been vague about because I don't want to spoil it, but there is in fact a complete story arc with a clear ending and answer to these questions. A great many details are also established. But the story still has gaps and missing details. Despite this the story has already become my most elaborate storyline I've ever created. The document describing it's narrative is already 76,000 words long, amounting to a small novels worth of scenarios and plot developments. The story also involves many characters besides our protagonist and our deuteragonist, though they are what the core of the story is about.
The Setting
Allow me to give a brief introduction to the setting. The story takes place in a world of non-human "anthromorphs" (furries) mostly of North American woodland species, with a few exceptions from other parts of the world (fennec's and kangaroo's for example). They are highly anthropomorphized. This means they wear clothing (except for shoes), they live in conventional human-like houses, they have much the same technology and calendar, and so forth, and most of the things in our world are the same in the anthromorph world, including much of history. There are even normal animals in their world called "animorphs", identical to their real world counterparts.
But that is where the similarities end and the interesting peculiarities begin. It is heavily implied that, the anthromorphs are simply evolved versions of their animorph cousins. In other words, unlike our world where only one species developed a bipedal gait, opposable thumbs, language and intelligence, in their world, for reasons unexplained, this evolutionary development happened across many many, but not all animorphic species. The original animorphic analogies still exist (because not all animorphs evolve into anthromorphs). Furthermore, none of these anthromorphic species has completely lost their animorphic traits. Anthromorphic chipmunks and squirrels can still climb trees quite well, though perhaps not quite as well as their animorphic analogs due to their size and weight, anthromorphic rabbits can jump higher than normal humans, they retain some of their animal instincts such as being skittish, having a desire to mark things, etc., anthromorphic skunks can still spray, predators still have some predatory instincts, prey species still are prone to experiencing paranoia and fear even though predator anthro's do not predate on prey anthro's, and so forth. Socially however, many of these "primitive animalistic behaviors" are suppressed or just highly frowned upon. For this reason, anthromorphs typically run on twos, but can run on fours when they want to go fast, but this seems to be considered somewhat unseemly. This plays into the stories themes because Jonah is very uninhibited in many ways, and this includes more animal like behaviors such as running on fours more often and climbing trees like animorphic chipmunks would. He has an almost animal-like desire to snuggle with those he feels safe with, again much like an actual chipmunk. Jonathan is shown to be easily startled and kinda shy about physical contact, especially his ears, again much like a real jackrabbit.
Another important way in which the world of BTBF differs from our own is that different types of anthros are considered distinct "species". Historically anthromorphic species kept to their own kind. Many of their holy books contain injunctions against cross-species mating. There doesn't seem to have been such a great taboo against making friends of other species however, although some prejudice and mistrust undoubtably exists, particularly across predator-prey lines. The term for same-species mating is "homogenit" and the term for mixed-species mating is "heterogenit". So historically almost all sexual relationships were homogenit, and a strong taboo existed against heterogenit sexual relationships similiar to homosexual relationships, or bestiality in our own world. The reason for this might surprise you: it is not because different anthromorphic species can not produce offspring. On the contrary, it is quite possible! It turns out that all anthromorphic species, again for reasons unknown, are all very similar genetically, making it possible to mix species. However there were two features of heterogenit mating that were of concern (1) heterogenit unions would lead to unusual genetic variants not seen in homogenit matings and (2) it frequently halves the number of successful pregnancies as certain chromosomal combinations can not work and lead to non-viable offspring. However a few centuries ago anthromorphs largely abandoned this taboo, due in part to a greater understanding of heterogenit reproduction and later medical interventions to lessen the risks associated with it. A unique system of genetics exists in BTBF. Much like "sex" is determined by sex chromosomes, the "genus" (species) of an anthromorph turns out to be determined by "genus chromosomes". Every distinct genus, or kind, has it's own unique chromosome. Every anthromorph has exactly three of these chromosomes. Which ever genus chromosome is the most plentiful determines the species they will develop as. If all three chromosomes are of an identical genus, then they develop as that genus and are called pure breeds. If two chromosomes are identical with a distinct third type, they are considered mixed breeds, but only the dominant genus will be expressed. If each chromosome is distinct however, the offspring is of "indeterminate breed" and becomes non-viable (hence the taboo against heterogenit mating). One additional interesting feature is that every species actually has three distinct chromosomes that are not quite identical. So for example, rodents have 3 genus chromosomes, scurio-1, scurio-2, and scurio-3. In the case of mixed breeds, they may have either the type-1, type-2, or type-3 chromosome of a secondary species. Depending on which, different genetic anomalies can occur. Geneticists are still working out what anomalies are connected to which chromosomes. In any case, many still prefer their own kind, but heterogenit mates are not uncommon and have become a normal part of modern life. Sometimes however, poor heterogenit relationships are blamed on mixing of incompatible species, and sometimes furs will switch back to their own kind as a remedy (not an uncommon phenomena in this world). One more important way that sexuality differs in BTBF than it does in our world, is that furs can also have attractions that are species specific, beyond the obvious homogenit attraction which we would assume would be fairly common across the board. Oddly some individuals find their own kind uninteresting and are instead attracted to the differences of other species. Of those, some are attracted to all species other than their own (omnigenit), some are attracted to only some species other than their own (parsogenit), and some are attracted to only one species other than their own (monogenit). Monogenits can be further sub-divided based on the species they are attracted to. Here is a small list of some of the named ones:
scurio-genit: exclusive or primary attraction squirrels and chipmunks lago-genit: exclusive or primary attraction to rabbits felidae-genit: exclusive or primary attraction to felines mephitidae-genit: exclusive or primary attraction to skunks procyo-genit: exclusive or primary attraction to raccoons muridae-genit: exclusive or primary attraction to mice and other small rodents vulpi-genit: exclusive or primary attraction to foxes
Ironically, despite this apparent sexual liberty in regards to interspecies sexual relations, homosexuality is still very much taboo in the time and setting of our story. One last peculiarity to sexuality in BTBF is that playing with ears and tails is considered intimate and sometimes even sexual. There are even terms for attraction to specific tail types (caudato-parso-genitic) and attraction for specific ear types (auri-parso-genitic).
As for time and location, most locations are the same but sometimes names are slightly altered. For example the furry equivalent of America, is Furmerica, and the furry equivalent of the state of Nevada is Furvada. New Jersey becomes New Fursey, etc. Our story takes place primarily in Furvada throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Jonah's early life takes place in New Fursey in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
One last note on the setting. Anthromorphs have a naming convention slightly different than our own. In addition to first, middle, and last/family names, they tend to append their species name at the end of all this as well. This means that many anthromorphs have up to 4 names. Think of the species name as a kind of super-family name, claiming common ancestry with an entire species.
The Characters
Anyway, enough about the setting. As a way to introduce the series, I will provide here a list of the most important characters and a brief summary of their personality and role in the story. I'm doing this to give furs some entry point into the series to garner interest in its future development. They will be ordered in approximate significance to the story. I am going to only be listing characters with actual names and who actually have continuity throughout the story (as opposed to characters that only appear for one scene). Although there are currently 42 characters identified for my story, only 23 have official names. Of these the first 14 listed here are the ones that mainly matter to the story, and can be considered the core cast. The remaining 3 are added since they are already in the gallery and for completeness sake, and the remaining 6 are being withheld mainly for spoiler reasons. Ages are listed for the date April 27th, 1990 Friday, where the story begins.
Profile No.1 Name: Jonah Jahirah Adler Species: Chipmunk | Sex: Male DOB: June 22nd, 1976 (Tuesday) | Age: 13 years 10 months Affinity: Water
Jonah is an energetic cheerful chipmunk, though he can be kind of naive at times. Jonah shows signs of being "neuro-atypical" and having difficulties with social cues and reading furs, but he has never been diagnosed with any particular condition. This causes him some problems as he often doesn't seem to know what is appropriate behavior. Specifically Jonah has difficulties with personal space, and he expresses his affection in a quite physical manner. Jonah likes running on all fours and is quite fleet footed when doing so, but his over-reliance on it is seen as animalistic and unseemly at times. Jonah's earliest childhood was lonely due to him not being able to help himself from invading other children's space and inappropriately playing with their ears and tails when he would just meet them. He also had a difficult home life early on making him feel even more isolated. He met Jonathan when he was only 4 years old at a bible camp. Jonah was instantly captivated by Jonathan's long rabbit ears, glittery azure colored eyes, and soft white fur. Although Jonathan was withdrawn at the time, due to his own trauma, Jonah eventually got Jonathan to open up, leading to a long and very close friendship which lasted for nearly 10 years. Jonah is very childlike and innocent, even as a teenager. Jonah is an idealist, and while he had a religious upbringing that has influenced his thinking, he holds the greatest faith and certainty in his own heart. He believes in what he feels even when the world refuses to understand. He is fiercely loyal to Jonathan. He is also completely obsessed with him. His greatest fear in life is losing him.
Jonah means devoted, and Jahirah means love, hence his name means "devoted love".
Jonah is associated with the element of water. His name is taken from the biblical character of Jonah who is thrown into the sea and saved by being swallowed by a whale. Jonah also frequently wears a sailor suit going along with this water theme.
Profile No.2 Name: Jonathan Joseph Jebediah Species: Jackrabbit | Sex: Male DOB: June 21st, 1976 (Monday) | Age: 13 years 10 months Affinity: Air
Jonathan is an initially shy, withdrawn, and frail boy. While still a toddler he contracted a respiratory infection. While he survived and eventually recovered, it affected his lungs and consequently his stamina. Thus Jonathan started his life out in poor health and seemingly weak. Jonathan also suffered a personal tragedy that made him want to withdraw from other children and refuse any kind of affection. Jonah was able to break through Jonathan's defenses and became Jonathan's first true friend. In sharing their pain at a crucial early part of their development, in a sense saving each other, they become the truest of friends. Jonathan goes on to become a very positive and upbeat fur. Jonah brings out the best in him, eventually leading to him excelling both in sports and intellectual pursuits. He believes in companionship and kindness, to an unusual degree for a boy. Not only does he come to protect Jonah, but he also comes to act as a mediator in conflicts and actively challenges bullying. His innermost nature is calm, gentle, and loving. He's a romantic at heart, and strongly believes in the power of bonds, whether they be friendships or lovers. Jonathan has strong religious convictions owing to the fact that he was born in a strongly religious home, his father being a minister. It is on account of this that he met Jonah at a bible camp, his father serving to preach the sermons at the retreat. Jonathan finds himself conflicted over his religious convictions and his feelings which don't always coincide. Jonathan is fussy about any sort of physical contact, but especially furs touching his ears. Jonah becomes his one exception to the rule as he indulges Jonah and lets him touch his ears, at least when not in the company of others.
Jonathan is associated with the element of air. His love of airplanes, flight, and the clouds has connections to his devotion to heavenly ways.
Natasha lives in a trailer with her mom, dad, and little brother. Her family is poor and as such she tends to wear tattered clothing. She is considered rather uncouth. Natasha is physically imposing due to her bobcat heritage. Because of teasing she resorted to becoming a bully to keep furs from making fun of her. She had an early friendship with Zoey Zlotnik, but Zoey eventually distanced herself from Natasha due to the social ostracization she attracted. This has made Natasha bitter and Zoey her sworn enemy. She competes with her in almost everything despite the fact that they aren't friends anymore. Natasha is mostly known for bullying boys smaller than her, especially prey species. She is considered a man-eater. She seeks out timid, weak, and easily manipulated boys and tries to get them to do her bidding. She is known to demand money and favors from them. Some of them seem to be trapped in a strange love-hate relationship with her. Other girls hate her and want nothing to do with her. She speaks with a strong southern accent and is considered trailer-trash by the vast majority of students. Natasha seems to take her misery out on others. Despite how awful she treats furs, some sycophantic boys actually develop crushes with her and put up with all her abuse and demands. These relationships seem to be largely one-sided however as Natasha is more interested in their servitude than their love. Natasha actually tends to be attracted to bad-boys, but they don't have much interest in her as she is not seen as petite and pretty, but rather brutish. She has been known to team up with other boys that are bullies, but these relationships are more equitable and like friendships. Natasha is an unpleasant disreputable character, but at the same time has a vulnerable side.
Natasha is associated with the element of earth. She is very down to earth and not prone to high ideals or abstractions.
Profile No.4 Name: Salvador Satanah Species: Skunk | Sex: Male DOB: March 27th, 1975 (Thursday) | Age: 15 years 1 month Affinity: Fire
Salvador is the one out and proud gay boy in the entire school. His reputation proceeds him. He is said to part the hallways with majesty and flair (because no one wants to be near him). His dress, his manner, his intonation, everything about him screams gay. For him, to live any other way is to live a coward. He doesn't hide his sexuality or effeminacy from anyone. Boys are afraid to so much as glance in his direction lest they be associated with him in any way and suffer his fate. Of course his provocative behavior has not come without its cost. He was severely bullied, and it began to get quite physical and dangerous. Teachers and other students looked the other way, silently approving of the abuse, hoping perhaps it would "set him straight". As mentioned animal behaviors are considered highly taboo in this world. But the abuse got so bad that Salvador decided to break that taboo. One time when he was being beaten in the boys bathroom by several boys, he decided to pull his pants down and spray the lot of them. None of them were able to escape in time. The entire bathroom was shut down and smelled for a month. He was suspended for this stunt, but in his mind it was completely worth it. Although the other boys were not punished for beating him up, they ended up with a far worse fate. They smelled for months and girls wanted nothing to do with them. A roomer went around that anyone sprayed by Salvador would eventually turn gay! This made Salvador untouchable. Although furs still try to put him down they no longer get anywhere near him. Salvador for his part always responds back to his accusers with sass and wit. Of all the characters in school, Salvador is considered the most loathsome of all, even more hated than Natasha. Salvador has learned to take it all in stride. He refuses to let anyone change who he is. There are roomers that he fools around with boys in secret, boys who are curious. Nobody knows who they are, and no one can confirm anything, but suspicions always abound. This is a big reason why no one will openly associate with him, lest furs think they are fooling around Salvador when no one is looking.
Salvador is associated with the element of fire. He burns brightly, a proud "flame" that won't be put out, but it also has the association with the infernal flames of damnation. Salvador's name means "Savior".
Profile No.5 Name: Mishka Muridae Species: Mouse | Sex: Male DOB: February 28th, 1977 (Monday) | Age: 13 years 2 months Affinity: Water
Mishka is a shy studious boy that Jonah makes friends with. Usually Jonathan is the one who makes the friends and adds them to the group. In Mishka's case, this was the first time Jonah tried to make a real friend after Jonathan. Mishka's presence leads to some jealousy in the group. Jonathan is jealous of Mishka's and Jonah's friendship, while Jonah is jealous anytime Mishka is more interested in Jonathan. Mishka seems to be somewhat socially awkward and have difficulties talking and making friends, so he is happy to be a part of the group. He is most close friends with Jonah however, as the two of them are the most similar, both being highly intelligent, but also socially awkward. Mishka is too timid to either join in Rashmaru's heckling and teasing, but also too timid to back Jonathan up on his quest to create male comradery without constantly needing to knock fellow furs down a peg. Essentially he is neutral.
Profile No.6 Name: Rashmaru Procyonidae Species: Raccoon | Sex: Male DOB: December 10th, 1976 (Friday) | Age: 13 years 4 months Affinity: Fire
Rashmaru was once a timid chubby little raccoon who got constantly bullied by various predatory species. One day Jonah and Jonathan saw him being harassed by two bullies out in the streets. J&J went into action, and put everything into fighting off the bullies. Although they were both badly bruised, they were both very happy as they in the end had emerged victorious. As they walked off, Rashmaru saw how incredibly close the two of them were and how incredibly happy, and on that day a little amber of jealousy was born. He began following J&J around, wanting the close brotherhood that the two shared. He became the first to join J&J's little gang. Over time however Rashmaru turned from a timid boy into a bully in his own right. He came to resent Jonah and find his childishness annoying, and resent that he was Jonathan's best friend. As such he started teasing Jonah and trying to drive a wedge between the two of them. In short, Rashmaru started to become the very kind of fur that used to bully him. He reckons it as strength however. Rashmaru, like many boys, grows to have a strong respect for Jonathan's mix of strength and leadership with gentleness and kindness. But ultimately, he doesn't take those lessons to heart and seeks to corrupt Jonathan and make fun of other kids, especially Jonah. In his words "There's nerds, and there's dorks, and there's faggots ... and then there's whatever the fuck Jonah is...".
Profile No.7 Name: Francis Canidae Species: Fox | Sex: Male DOB: January 11th, 1975 (Saturday) | Age: 15 years 3 months Affinity: Earth
Francis is slightly older by almost a year, despite being in the same grade, due to being left behind once. He has a reputation as a bad boy. He owns a moped, and possibly smokes when he can get away with it. He claims to have had sex already, and he owns many pornographic magazines and video tapes. No one quite knows where he gets them from, but its suspected they are either given to him or swiped from an uncle of his. Francis likes cat-calling females, leering at them, and making perverted comments. He becomes a corrupting influence on the group, introducing our innocent duo to the world of sex, leading to many unforeseen consequences.
Profile No.8 Name: Zoey Szalinski Zlotnik Species: Jackrabbit | Sex: Female DOB: January 31st, 1977 (Monday) | Age: 13 years 3 months Affinity: Air
Zoey Zlotnik is one of the popular girls at school. Not top tier by any means. In fact she is regarded as the enemy to the group of top tier girls who try to keep her down as much as possible. Zoey combines a certain haughtiness with a strong streak of individualism and forging her own path. She customizes all of her own clothing and accessories, essentially creating her own unique fashion sense. She is friends with many of the weirder more artsy fartsy sort of kids, seemingly friends with almost anyone. She seems to be immune to criticism. She even sometimes hangs out with Salvador and they exchange fashion tips. Even though she is generally friendly to those she considers "cool" at least in an alternative sense, she still can be quite cold to those she considers beneath her status. She won't talk to any boys she deems "losers". She doesn't really like the typical "bad boys" either, finding their aggressive approach and normie outlook to be a turn-off. She likes boys who fall in neither category, not being the typical ideal, but also not being so off the beaten path to be pariah's. She is a nebulous character that's hard to pin down, falling into a grey area of kind and mean.
Grace is Jonah's mother. She loves Jonah very much and is very protective of him. She knows of his troubles and has always sought to mitigate problems for Jonah with the rest of society as much as possible. She innately understands that her son has feelings for Jonathan, but she is stern and determined to manage them and make sure Jonah does not act in inappropriate ways on account of them. Despite her religious convictions, and her strict understanding of what's appropriate, she is overall very supportive of Jonah, not insisting that his feelings automatically make him gay (as others often conclude), but is perfectly natural and healthy as long as behavior is kept appropriate. None the less, she tends to look the other way even though she knows J&J sometimes get a little closer than would be deemed acceptable by most, dismissing it as innocent.
Jacobi is Jonathan's very strict religious father. He has a no nonsense approach to Jonathan. Although he was initially supportive of J&Js friendship as he saw it was helping his son, he eventually became increasingly suspicious of Jonah. He also didn't like what he saw as enabling behavior by his mother. In Jonathan's early childhood he was very close to his father, seeking him for comfort and not trusting anyone else. As the years progress though Jonathan begins to almost be afraid of his father and his disapproval, ultimately leading to some resentment as well. Due to Jacobi's influence Jonathan develops very strong religious convictions, forming an important part of his character.
Sophia is Grace's younger sister, and Jonah's Aunt. Being only in her twenties throughout Jonah's youth, she acts as kind of an older sister to Jonah. Sophie, as she is often called, was an important influence in Jonah's early life, having introduced him to religion, taking him to the sunday mass. Grace doesn't typically go to church and is a more casual believer. It's due to Sophie's influence that leads Jonah to attach religious significance to his relationship to Jonathan (for reasons I will not spoil here). Interestingly she also indulges Jonah in various ways that his parents don't, perhaps exacerbating certain problems.
Profile No.12 Name: Martin Graham Marmotini Species: Chipmunk | Sex: Male Born: 1946 | Age: 44
Martin is a relatively wealthy Furvadian, who owns a lodge in the woods as well as a home in the urban center. He owns lots of guns and enjoys hunting. He holds very conservative views, especially in regards to male bonding, and finds much of what Jonah gets up to highly suspect and inappropriate. He complains to Grace and blames her for spoiling the boy. Jonah and him do not get along. Jonah is often openly disrespectful to Martin, and Martin for his part has little patience with Jonah's eccentricities.
Penelope is Grace & Martin's 6 year old daughter. While Jonah is kinda the black sheep of the family, Penelope is the "good kid". She gets good grades at school, has an easy time making friends her own age and sex, occasionally has "boyfriends" (really just boys that like her, or that she befriends), and is almost quintessentially feminine. Basically the model girl her age. About as normal as you can get. Martin is very proud of everything she does. She is good at drawing and playing soccer and has a nice singing voice. All the praise kind of goes to her head however. She takes it upon herself to torment her older brother Jonah. She makes fun of him, calling Jonathan his "boyfriend" (which he hates), making comments about how weird he is, how unwell adjusted, or how he does poorly in school (due to a lack of motivation rather than intelligence). Jonah for his part finds her incredibly annoying. They squabble quite a bit. Each parent seems to pick a side. Grace always seems to side with Jonah, while Martin always seems to side with Penelope, further exacerbating the sybling rivalry.
Sasha is Natasha's rather quiet younger brother. Sasha is undoubtably bullied into doing her bidding like all small boys around her are. As a result he has become quite stoic. He keeps to himself, and buries himself in video games and tries to interact with furs as little as possible. He views the various boys that Natasha brings home as pitiable fools who don't know what they are getting themselves into. Still, he's not completely unsympathetic, seeing as they are sort of in the same boat. If he likes them he will sometimes befriend them, but such friendships are always stifled by Natasha's constant demands for attention. As such, Sasha tries to not be too friendly since that can also incur Natasha's jealous wrath. Sasha isn't actually mean, he's just learned to keep his head down and takes a cynical view of life due to constantly being in the shadow of his larger than life older sister.
Margarita Pratchett, better known on the playground as Peggy Prattle, is best known for her distain of boys, her strong friendship with Mable Macintyre, talking incessantly (prattling), gossiping, and her generally moody demeanor. She serves essentially as Mable's chaperone, guarding her against any would-be boys would might try to chat her up. Because of Mable's gentle and delicate appearance she tends to have many admirers.
Mable Macintyre is a delicate and petite mouse with light colored very soft long hair. Besides being very pretty she also is rather intelligent and enjoys long and deep conversations with her best friend Peggy Pratchett. They usually have discussions over "tea parties", or making bracelets and other things. Her and Peggy used to regularly attended the annual summer bible camp where Jonah & Jonathan would run into them. Peggy & Mable act almost like a female counterpart to J&J, with Peggy being jealous for Mable's attention in a way similar to Jonah's jealousy for Jonathan's attention.
Cole Copenhagen, better known by his stage name Ra55itCorpse, is an underground 80s artist that combines experimental sound production with live performance virtuosity and epic compositional skills. Classically trained as well as knowledgeable about electronics. He's best known for wearing a disturbing "zombie rabbit" helmet during his live performances. He's gained quite a cult following, enough to make a living off touring. He plays only a very minor role in the story. Jonah & Jonathan are fans of him because he combines the two things they love most in music: "experimentalism/compositional complexity" (Jonah), with "virtuosity and evocativeness" (Jonathan). They manage to only go to one of his concerts around the age of 8, and its one of many memorable moments of their childhood together. As for Cole himself, he is a mysterious figure which we don't get to learn too much about, though his dress and underground status suggest he is at least part of some kind of alternative sub-culture. Unbeknownst to J&J a portion of Ra55itCorpses fan base are comprised of lgbt youth who find the alternative synthetic soundscapes to resonate with their own outsider status.
