Firey is almost entirely in the wrong in the Firey-Leafy divorce arc from BFDI to BFB, and I'm tired of pretending he isn't.
Hey everyone, welcome to the post! Shoutout to those who actually bothered to click and read through my massive breakdown on a fictional fire and a fictional lemon leaf. Grab a drink and buckle up, because I need to vent about the absolute travesty that is the "Firey-Leafy divorce arc." I've been holding this in for a minute, and honestly? Firey was almost entirely in the wrong here, and I am so tired of people acting like it was a mutual falling out.
Before I completely tear into him, a quick disclaimer: I don’t blame Cary and Michael for how this initially unfolded. They were literally 14 years old when they made the BFDI finale. They originally wanted Bubble to win, so they had to scramble to write a massive plot twist to wrap things up, and for two young teenagers, it makes total sense that the narrative got a bit messy. But looking at the actual in-universe story, Firey is a very bad friend to Leafy.
Our starting point is BFDI 25. Let’s look at the facts. Firey bars Leafy from entering Dream Island in The Return of the Hang Glider because she disliked his Ferris wheel, a Ferris wheel that literally killed her because it was made of lava. Her dislike was honestly entirely justified! But because of his bruised ego, he excludes her, which pushes her to the brink. Yes, Leafy stole Dream Island. I'm not denying that. But the entire cast immediately tried to execute her without a single shred of understanding. Sure, Firey swoops in and saves her at the last second with a hang glider (HE SAID IT! HE SAID IT!). But as we see later in BFB 22, that glider crashes, the mob chases her out, and what does Firey do? He completely betrays her. He just stands there and decides that the best course of action is to pretend he doesn't even know who she is.
This leads into years of Firey outright ignoring Leafy throughout BFDIA and BFB. It all comes to a boiling point in BFB 15, and his behaviour here makes my blood boil. He corners her and has the absolute audacity to say "It HAS to be a secret! Don't you know? NOBODY likes you anymore! So if people know I'm your friend, THEY'LL hate me too!!!!"
Like, dude... you have the absolute gall to call her your "friend" while basically telling her she’s social poison? He cares more about his own reputation than the girl who was his closest companion. And then, in the very same episode, he somehow pisses me off even MORE and goes and tells Eggy that Leafy stole Dream Island. Why? Because he couldn't handle the thought of Leafy making a new friend and moving on. He had to ruin her reputation there, too. The post-credits scene of that episode is heartbreaking, which has The Losers are all talking trash about Leafy, she's just sulking in the background, and Coiny is the only person with enough basic empathy to comfort her.
By BFB 22, Firey is at his absolute worst. They get into this massive argument where Firey tries to justify stealing Donut's diary by comparing it to Leafy stealing Dream Island. It is so unbelievably petty. The worst part? Firey actually says to her, "You couldn't have just waited to have a talk about it? You went straight to the Announcer instead?" Are you kidding me?! Firey made sure that every single time they could have spoken, he pretended she was a stranger. He literally boarded up Dream Island before she even did anything malicious, and she couldn't talk to him because he up and pretended that he just forgot who she was. And how does the scene end? They just... make up and become friends again. Leafy takes the entire blame for stealing Donut's diary, fails to grow a spine, and acts like she wasn't isolated, hunted, and hated by virtually everyone since BFDIA and IDFB.
Look, I know BFDIA 25 (the finale) tries to make him somewhat more sympathetic. He sent the BFDIA contestants and the Locker of Losers on a wild goose chase throughout Goiky specifically to protect Leafy from being murdered once and for all. It proves he didn't totally hate her, but honestly? It’s not nearly enough to redeem him. I will never forget the absolute emotional dumpster fire that Firey put her through. It doesn't erase years of psychological torture, gaslighting, and treating her like a pariah to protect his own skin. He was still a massive dick. I will admit, their recent TPOT scenes are actually quite sweet, and it's nice to see them get away from the competition, but I still can't get him out of my damn mind...
Another thing, if you like Firey, more power to you. I respect your opinion, but I personally despise him for how he handled this entire arc. Is Leafy perfect? Absolutely not. She is deeply flawed, and refusing to give Dream Island back wasn't great. But considering the horrific conditions and total isolation she endured in BFDIA, I can't entirely blame her for cracking.
TL;DR: Firey gaslit, isolated, and ignored Leafy for years to protect his own social status, blamed her for not "talking it out" when he was the one refusing to speak to her, and Leafy deserved so much better than a friend who only cared about her when it was convenient for him.