Is Blank a living doll or monster?

[Dionysos]

All of the Tantalus Theatre Troupe members are really unique characters. So a bit like my thread about Marcus, this one is about Blank.

Most people are drawn to his belts and how he clearly wears an eccentric amount of belts... But his skin is another thing which fascinates me.

Taking a look at his stitches and the patchwork-skin, what do you think his story is?


Is he a living doll (think Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas)? Or is he like Frankenstein’s monster and was created by stitching together the various body parts of different corpses, hence organic? Or had he suffered a brutal accident and needed serious repair?

What happened to Blank?

If he was 'created' then that might explain an odd name like Blank - a blank slate, perhaps. It would also tie in with all of the other examples in FFIX of the theme of artificial life, exploring what constitutes 'living', how it can be valued and experienced when a being hasn't been 'born'.


If you really wish to discuss his belts you might also want to wonder whether he has any eyes underneath the belt which covers his face. Or is that to keep them in lest they fall out?


What do you think?

 

[bandokanon]

I saw this a few days ago and I wanted to say something but I kept putting it off for various reasons and telling myself "I'll post in here when I have the time/energy to"... Took me an entire week I think wow

Anyway I and a whole bunch of people in my rp community share a general headcanon that the patchwork look is a result of severe burn wounds and in some cases the added bonus of a crap healing job. Some people that have actually roleplayed Blank went with the idea that the events that lead up to his burn injuries were so traumatic that he developed amnesia, so that when Baku adopted him he just went with the name Blank because it worked well. Another I really liked (also thought up by a Blank roleplayer) had an entire backstory about an abusive family prior to Baku, an incident that caused the house fire and essentially saved his life (with devastating repercussions), and how he ended up abandoning his previous name for the sake of anonymity and probably some spite too.

I'm not about to touch upon this one in detail myself, because I don't consider it "my jurisdiction" ( cough ). But I am more partial to the above mentioned burn theory. Even so, that's not the only one out there by a long shot. It seems like no matter what the answer is, it's always gonna be a morbid/dark one.

 

[Dionysos]

That's an interesting idea. So a sort of skin graft following severe burns due to a fire?

It would certainly suit Blank's terrible run of bad luck.... Being burned.... Turning into stone...

If he still suffers pain, maybe it might explain why he doesn't wear many clothes. Maybe it is simply too painful when clothes touch his skin so the more that can exposed, the better. Maybe, maybe not!

 

[Mitsuki]

I’ve never actually paid close attention to details so it never occurred to me that there’s stitches on his skin. I figured they were just part of his attire rather than actually being stapled to his body. That sounds morbid indeed!

I do like the belts even if they are a waste of belts. It’s intriguing.

And that hard leather subligar suggests he might’ve been in the militia—perhaps that of General Beatrix’s all-female army? But then that wouldn’t make sense for obvious reasons. Still, I can’t help but wonder the similarities in character design of Beatrix and Blank. Both are armed with a waist belt that looks rather heavy, and both appear to be blind in one eye.

Oh I know! Maybe they’re long-lost siblings!?

 

[JasonTandro]

I’ve never actually paid close attention to details so it never occurred to me that there’s stitches on his skin. I figured they were just part of his attire rather than actually being stapled to his body. That sounds morbid indeed!

Yeah I was confused by the thread title because I kind of always assumed it was just a leather shirt or something. Didn't realize how extensive it was. My guess would be skin grafts. Perhaps his body got badly burned or damaged in some way.

Spoiler: FF9 Plot Spoiler

Or maybe he's a living doll planted by Garland to help steer Zidane in the direction of Kuja and he's stitched together from all the various body parts of prior failures like Zidane.

 

[Miko]

I thought about this for a little bit. I've been reading through the world chronology that the Ultimania outlines and drew my own fan theory, let me know if it seems a bit too far fetched!

A little bit of set up:

According to the Ultimania: circa 1700 is when civil war over territory begins over nation borders. By 1750 there are still brief skirmishes between each nation. 1770 Lindblum's regent at the time intervenes in the conflict between Alexandria & Burmecia using airships, and by 1771 the conflict is resolved.

During this time (1762) Baku becomes a war orphan. By 1771 (presumably after the last conflict (pre-game) was resolved) he forms Tantalus.

Now, I'm not sure if it is fact, but presumably a majority of the members of Tantalus are orphans. We at least know that Zidane was - and when Baku finds him in 1783 at the age of 4 it has already been 12 years since the last war was resolved.

My theory is that near the tail end of the conflict it's possible that Blank became a war orphan as well, like Baku and even Steiner. A few members above have mentioned that they suspect he has suffered from burn marks - which considering that Lindblum used means of airships to resolve conflict it's very possible that casualties from fires was very common during that time.

The only thing is, assuming Blank was born at the very least by 1771 (which to make this more realistic it would have been at least a few years earlier than this) that would put him about the age of 28 when the game begins, whereas Zidane is age 16. I kind of always assumed the two were close in age, but if you told me Marcus was 28 I think I'd be more inclined to believe that. However, on that note: Marcus mentions in one part of the game that the only one he calls 'Bro' is Blank, so maybe the two are closer in age than I initially thought?


Anyway, I'm sure the timeline setup seems a bit ridiculous to just draw the same conclusion that Blank is just suffering from burn marks (or some war-related injuries at least,) but I like it a bit more I suppose than my other theory.

I thought alternatively that maybe, as an upcoming thief, he had a bad run-in during one of their heists or had conflict with other thieves, and was tortured as a result. The largest of the patches is across his chest like a shirt, and the one across his eye seems a bit grisly. (However that theory puts into question as to why his ear is still seemingly fine and not disfigured save for discoloration) - But would explain why he hides his face behind his belts. Maybe his eye is all jacked up and a bit grisly to just walk around town with. Plus, it'd be a turnoff for all dem ladies.

Haha! I dunno. It was fun to put it all together anyway! I wish we knew more about the Tantalus members!

 

[Dionysos]

Now, I'm not sure if it is fact, but presumably a majority of the members of Tantalus are orphans. We at least know that Zidane was - and when Baku finds him in 1783 at the age of 4 it has already been 12 years since the last war was resolved.

I believe this is about right for most members of Tantalus. They are orphans adopted by Baku. There is speculation that Baku even gave some of them their present names (Cinna and Marcus being named after Shakespeare characters would suit their lifestyles as travelling players specialising in performances of Lord Avon plays).

The only thing is, assuming Blank was born at the very least by 1771 (which to make this more realistic it would have been at least a few years earlier than this) that would put him about the age of 28 when the game begins, whereas Zidane is age 16. I kind of always assumed the two were close in age, but if you told me Marcus was 28 I think I'd be more inclined to believe that. However, on that note: Marcus mentions in one part of the game that the only one he calls 'Bro' is Blank, so maybe the two are closer in age than I initially thought?

28 still makes Blank a young man, so I don’t think that is too wild. While Zidane has a lot of growth ahead of him, he is still quite an ‘old’ sixteen year old, if that makes sense.



I love these theories about Blank being a war orphan or somebody who was tortured by a rival criminal gang. Both ideas sit well with me as being plausible within the FFIX universe.

The members of Tantalus all seem to be ‘broken’ people in some form (like their punished namesake Tantalus in Greek mythology), but by banding together they have overcome their shortcomings, despite being criminals, technically. But they are at least good criminals!

 

[Valael]

I really like the story of Blank being a war orphan (as horrible as it sounds). I think he fits the story very well with the group of "broken people" that make up Tantalus.

Yeah I was confused by the thread title because I kind of always assumed it was just a leather shirt or something. Didn't realize how extensive it was. My guess would be skin grafts. Perhaps his body got badly burned or damaged in some way.

Spoiler: FF9 Plot Spoiler

Or maybe he's a living doll planted by Garland to help steer Zidane in the direction of Kuja and he's stitched together from all the various body parts of prior failures like Zidane.

Although I also really like what JasonTrando said about Garland's plan xD

 

[inmymoonsuit]

Hey, everyone. I wanted to post a fanart here, as I followed this thread and found it really compelling while I was working on this project. Like many others here, Blank has long interested me. I love Final Fantasy IX above all others, and its deep and complex characters are high on the list of reasons I do; Blank is no less excellent than some other, more major characters, in my opinion. In particular, the physical differences he has combined with his flirtatuous and confident attitude make him just fascinating and seem to signal a lot of unseen depth and motivation.

I have labored over this project for a long time, out of complete love for the game and for Blank. I tried to create a version that highlighted the real and upsetting reality of the scars he has, but also his clear concern for his physical appearance and the easy way he seems to exude confidence and his own undeniable brand of attractiveness.

I'd love to hear what others think!

More images from the project can be found at https://www.artstation.com/artwork/obWlAB

 

[Dionysos]

Hey, everyone. I wanted to post a fanart here, as I followed this thread and found it really compelling while I was working on this project. Like many others here, Blank has long interested me. I love Final Fantasy IX above all others, and its deep and complex characters are high on the list of reasons I do; Blank is no less excellent than some other, more major characters, in my opinion. In particular, the physical differences he has combined with his flirtatuous and confident attitude make him just fascinating and seem to signal a lot of unseen depth and motivation.

I have labored over this project for a long time, out of complete love for the game and for Blank. I tried to create a version that highlighted the real and upsetting reality of the scars he has, but also his clear concern for his physical appearance and the easy way he seems to exude confidence and his own undeniable brand of attractiveness.

I'd love to hear what others think!

This is incredible!

If they were ever to produce a remake for FFIX with more realistic graphics, I'd hope they'd take you on to design Blank as that is pretty much spot on how I envisage the character. You are very talented.

Anyway, I'm glad you found this thread and that it helped somewhat while you were working on this.

I have a new idea (or ideas) about Blank that I've developed since, as part of a much larger project I'm working on. I'm not at liberty to post it yet as I should probably save it for that, but Blank is great, as are the rest of the Tantalus Troupe. They are amongst my favourite characters in the entire Final Fantasy franchise. I really wish we knew more about them, officially, and I know that sentiment has been shared by their creators in interviews.