Username: Bettalong
Name: Miguel
Gender: Male
Element: Wind
Relationship:
"Friends? Pah! Ya got that all wrong! Don't even get me started on that goofy gator..."
Despite the fact that Miguel has the tendency to -lightly- insult Gnarly, the two aren't exactly enemies. It pains Miguel to admit it, but the two are very much frienemies, more in a rival way than an enemy way. Though Gnarly doesn't even seem to recognize the fact that Miguel partly sees him as a rival, the two GGs have formed a friendship stronger than Miguel cares to admit. So strong, in fact, that Miguel accidently finds himself having fun with Gnarly at times! However, Miguel also has the tendency to pretend to not want to do anything with Gnarly. "Want to play", "Want to go to the beach", or anything of the sort? Miguel would shake his head in denial and basically pretend he's serious about denying Gnarly's friendship. However, you can't seriously conclude on saying no to Gnarly in the end? Miguel gets dragged along to the beach with Gnarly rather frequently, and he secretly enjoys it very much (despite how the two met), and he ends up being glad that Gnarly had dragged him along. With that being said, it is rather easy to see that while Miguel tries to make a rival out of Gnarly, the GG really cares about his "rival".
How they met:
(first person perspective under Miguel's point of view! )
"HEY!! DO YOU EVEN LOOK WHERE YOU'RE GOIN--"
Ah, yes, that day. The day I met my one and only 'rival'. And it all started at the beach, somewhere I'd think to be more tranquil than insane like the scene that Goblin Gator created. Somewhere I'd usually expect to be kind of boring, actually, if you ask me. How'd we meet up at the beach? Ahh, a TRUE disaster.
So here I was, just minding my own business - I'd packed everything, and I was as prepared as prepared would get to enjoy a snooze under the sun. The waves were shy today, and it was stupidly clustered with other Gators! That is beside the point however - I had my towel, my lunch basket, my sunscreen, and an umbrella; everything someone could have to enjoy a nice experience at the beach. The golden sand burned under my feet, and it was surprisingly still unpleasantly hot for me when I laid my towel down for relaxation. As a result, I made a stupid decision at that moment. I set the umbrella down over my towel and decided to take a stroll along the location of which the water would meekly roll in and tickle the feet of whoever decided to stick around there. I grabbed my sunscreen and my lunch. "It would be nice to cool my feet off", I thought. What happened next was not as nice as expected.
I trotted along the soft, mushy sand; and being me, of course I was going to enjoy some scenery! My mind drifted as I watched a desperate seagull attempt to capture a meal of its own in vain. The little guy was trying so hard! But then again, my pity and attention wouldn't stay fixed upon this poor bird for long. In fact I--
THAT'S WHEN I MET HIM. YEAH, THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED RIGHT AFTER I DECIDED HOW TO FEEL ABOUT THAT BIRD. I didn't get a chance to apply my sunscreen yet, which I was just about to do. I was holding that during my walk, and guess where that went after that 'Gator slammed into me with a ridiculous force?! The darned sunscreen flew out of my hands and into the ocean!! Regularly, it'd be easy for me to retrieve, but I was simply baffled. Who did this guy think he was and why'd they be so inattentive and careless to bump into me?! It could have been on purpose, for all I knew!! The two of us fell backwards - opposite ways.
"E-Excuse YOU!!" I blurted out as I placed my hand over my head. My head 'spun', and oh gosh, that fall did hurt.
"A-Ah! Sorry! Here, let me give you a hand--"
I noticed then that I wasn't holding my sunscreen. The beach was far from my home, too, so no replacements. A feeling is pure anger, and fury swept over me as I noticed the darned bottle far into the ocean. I couldn't go that far out to get my sunscreen! And... Wait, my lunch??!! That couldn't be saved either way -- it was ALL sandy now! Soiled and ruined!
"I DON'T WANT YOUR DARNED HELP, PAY ATTENTION TO WHERE YOU'RE GOING!!!" I screamed at this gator! I was seriously infuriated! Gators turned their heads to stare at me as I ranted and screamed at this ridiculous stranger.
"I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE OR WHAT YOU WERE TRYING TO DO, BUT YOU ARE THE MOST IGNORANT, RIDICULOUS,
INATTENTIVE--"
I noticed only now the eyes staring at me. Embarrassment struck my heart. Everyone was watching me yell at this stranger. and I was making a scene. It was after this realization that another surprise came yet again. The stranger took it from here; instead of replying to me, speaking directly to the crowd of Gators just staring at the two of us awkwardly.
"Hey, no need to look at my... Friend like that! He's not really as mean as he sounds! We're just having a who-can-insult-the-other-the-most contest!" The stranger faltered at the end of his sentence in an almost unnatural tone.
"Friend?!?" I thought to myself angrily. Just who calls a direct stranger a FRIEND after this incident?!
Much to my relief however, the crowd's attention drifted away after the stranger spoke, and everything went back to normal.
I wasn't going to stay here with this incident however. No. I hated each and every second of this experience at the beach. The stranger offered me a hand once more, but I pushed him away the moment he offered. I stormed off back home. The sun beat against my back harshly all the way home, and my shoulders weighed down under the umbrella and towel. That umbrella was not the small kind. By the time I got home, my left shoulder ached terribly, and I felt like I would die from overheating. Imagine my relief when I stepped into an actually cold environment! I was exhausted, and I plopped down to rest almost immediately. Resting, in fact, was very much the only thing I did the rest of the day.
The next day, I'd been oversleeping like most days when a knock on the door spooked me awake; and not just any knock like that, it sounded like a very enthusiastic knock like someone really wanted to see me. Who, though?? I stretched as I always do after a night of sleep, and I anxiously walked to the door. I could hear the knock again right before I opened. Gosh, that was forceful. Who knocks that harshly?? I opened the door almost hesitantly - and I regretted opening the door almost immediately after. The same stranger from yesterday.
"Hey! I just wanted to stop by and say I'm.. Really very sorry for what happened yesterday."
I was dumbfounded, and didn't know how to react other than put on a clearly very shocked I-don't-know-how-to-react-to-this face.
"Oh yeah, and I just learned from the ol' man next door that you were here! That's how I found out, sorry if I scared you suddenly! But I just live a few houses away, actually! I.. I hope we can be friends one day."
They pulled out a stunningly vivid basket of treats.
A different kind of regret filled in my heart. I was perhaps too angry to realize how rude I had been before.
"Hey, what's your name?" I suddenly questioned as the Gator handed the basket to me.
"Gnarly! How 'bout you?"
"The name's Miguel."
And that would not be the last I'd hear from this fellow.
