#sack's kirbyverse

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Faces of Floralia

So... uh, a while back (almost a year ago now— I think I'm going to be sick), I wrote a fic called Cicada Days. It was a cool little story getting into my headcanons about Joronia and Taranza's shared childhood, as well as Floralia as a whole.

In it, I introduced a few characters relevant to my Kirbyverse: the heirs to other Insectoid families who competed with Joronia for the throne, and later went on to become victims of her bodysnatching.

Ever since, I've wanted to design those characters! And... well, I finally got around to it! About damn time, don't you think?

But while I was making little ref sheets for the characters who are relevant to Floralia in my Kirbyverse...

I may have gotten a little carried away and did one or two extra.

First up, of course, being the young 'prince' and his future retainer. But that's not all!

I also made one for Persephone, one of the characters I alluded to in one of my Kirbtober drawings. She's an angry, heartbroken little Sectra seeking vengeance, and in one of my WIP fics she stabs Taranza in the gut <3

Then, finally, uh...-

Fun fact: in my Kirbyverse, all of Sectonia's victims were conscious the entire time after she assimilated them, unable to move or speak, but fully aware. This is an experience that I can only imagine would sort of... break a person's brain.

So, yeah! Sectonia's victims probably aren't doing too hot, even freed of their horrific fate and now resting 'peacefully' in Hades. Poor Perconta here is a little showcase of that.

Eventually I'd like to maybe do another one of these with more characters. But for now... these are some of the most noteworthy bugs! Enjoy!

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(Regarding last reblog) but no forreal he/him girl Taranza is so real to me. Taranza describes his gender as "Like one of those cool he/him lesbians. Except not a lesbian. Because I also like men. So a he/him bisexual, except that doesn't manage to indicate I'm a girl. I'm... uh, BUTCH. Yeah. That's it. I'm a cool butch."

But then all of his friends laugh at him and say he is absolutely not cool enough to be butch. He's, like, a girltwink at best.

He does this

Estrogen can and will save him

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Some Kirby species worldbuilding headcanons. To be clear: almost none of this is based on canon; it's all just part of my personal interpretation, but I figured I'd share anyways. :) I've put a lot of thought into this weird little universe

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A Ginormous Assortment of Floralia Headcanons

Just because I haven't been posting headcanons lately doesn't mean I haven't had Kirby on the brain! Recently, I shared a LOT of my thoughts about Floralia on Discord, and I've compiled and organized them here to share! Enjoy!

On the islands themselves:

-Royal Road is the most important island of the bunch, at least when it comes to discussing the Insectoids and People of the Sky. This is where both of their homes are situated. The island is (Or... well, was) divided into two halves — those of the Insectoid Kingdom and that of Sky Kingdom.

-Sectonia took over the Sky Kingdom during her tyrannical rule, caging its people. Oddly enough, though, now that she’s been overthrown, there’s actually less of a concrete divide between the two groups. They interact almost like one big kingdom.

-Although Royal Road is by far the most populated island, the other islands have their own little communities. In particular, there are quite a few small villages in Fine Fields and Lollipop Land. These communities weren't really involved in the royal drama until Sectonia also conquered them, and with her reign of terror having ended, they've gone back to their regular lives.

Everything else (Going over Insectoid biology and culture, the history of and relationship between the two kingdoms, ETC) will be placed beneath a cut, as this post is over three-thousand words long. Please check it out, though, if you'd like!:

On Insectoid biology/culture:

-Floralia has MANY types of Insectoid. Every type of bug you can think of, they have! Ladybugs... butterflies... stickbugs— you name it! There are even beings similar to some animals we DON’T classify as insects considered Insectoids, such as spiders and snails.

-True Insectoids are not related to or 1:1 to the bugs of our world— they simply resemble them. There are many differences. For example. They’re a sort of cross between arthropods and mammals, unlike any creature we have here on Earth. They have blood (referred to as ‘hemolymph’) that’s red when inside of their bodies but that turns blue when exposed to oxygen.

-True Insectoids are the anthro, sapient insects like Sectonia and Taranza. Meanwhile, Lesser Insectoids are… well, actual bugs! True Insectoids do not see Lesser Insectoids as their equivalent or as equals and thus do not object to people eating them. In fact, they’re a staple part of True Insectoid cuisine!

-Most Lesser Insectoids (also sometimes just called ‘bugs’) are eaten already dead. However, live Lesser Insectoids are occasionally eaten by the wealthy and are considered a delicacy. Some Lesser Insectoids are eaten more or less than others. Those such as wasps and particularly poisonous bugs can only be consumed safely when prepared very carefully— somewhat like pufferfish. If not properly cooked and cut, eating them can lead to injury, illness, or even death.

-True Insectoids have more formal names for their subspecies, being called things like Arachnids, Sectra and Mantidae. Meanwhile, Lesser Insects are referred to as spiders, wasps, mantises, et cetera. Sometimes True Insectoids can be referred to by the same names as Lesser Insectoids, although this is seen as informal, albeit not impolite slang (Think of calling Taranza a spider instead of an Arachnid as something roughly similar to calling a television a TV or a cat a kitty. Like I said— not rude, but not really professional.)

-True Insectoids are one species with many subspecies. Despite looking very different and having wildly different abilities, they’re still closely related enough to crossbreed, although this is seen as somewhat taboo.

-Insectoids have a strong natural affinity for Soul magic. Some derogatory folklore posits they were created by Death itself as opposed to Void like the rest of the living beings. Insectoids themselves do not believe this, of course, but it’s, if nothing else, still a common People of the Sky wives’ tale/superstition

-Different types of True Insectoids have various abilities and unique skills, most often connected with their proficiency for Soul Magic, but not always. For example, Mantidae (mantis people) have super speed and the ability to teleport, Hercules (beetle people) have super strength, Papillon (butterfly people) have a special connection to the dead and ability to receive omens of the future, Sectra (wasp people) have the ability to influence the thoughts and feelings of the weak willed using their pheromones, and Arachnids (spider people) are capable of both puppeteering and bodysnatching.

-All Insectoids are seen as untrustworthy and scary by other species, but Arachnids especially. They’re viewed as manipulative schemers, even amongst other Insectoids thanks to the aforementioned abilities. This is despite the fact that almost no Arachnids bodysnatch and the fact that all Insectoids have similarly terrifying powers. In part, this is because of an incident detailed later in the kingdom history section, but truthfully, said incident is mostly just an excuse to have someone to step on. If it weren’t for that, they’d have found another reason to look down on Arachnids.

-Arachnid bodysnatching is a two-part process. First, they sting their victim with their stinger and administer a special type of venom. This puts their victim in a comatose state, rendering their mind dormant and unable to fight back as the Arachnid then assimilates them. Arachnids have a special organ for storing souls, and this is where they keep the souls of their victims when they bodysnatch. All Arachnids wear a stinger cover at all times, lest they accidentally jab someone. Even if bodysnatching isn’t performed, the stinger venom can cause comas, brain damage, and even death.

Aforementioned venom can also be administered via the fangs, but it’s much less potent. More often than not the fangs are simply used to administer a second type of more traditional venom used for killing prey. Or… well, it was back in the day. Now, it’s a bit of a leftover evolutionary trait, considering Arachnids aren’t doing much hunting any more

-Arachnids are one of, if not the only type of Insectoid to have hair. It’s seen as strange and generally viewed as unattractive by other Insectoids, but amongst spiders it’s a point of personal pride. They take very good care of their hair and love to style it

-Clothing is not seen as something necessary for modesty in Insect society. There is no social taboo regarding walking around naked. More than anything, clothes are simply a way of showing off status and power, as well as accentuating beauty, and are most often worn to things such as balls or coronations. Arachnids tend to wear clothes more often than other Insectoids because back in the day they used to make their own clothes with silk! This is much less common nowadays, however, although some Arachnids remain tailors!

-Sectonia wearing so little is seen as scandalous, but not because she’s near-naked. It’s because it implies she’s so perfect she needs very little to make herself look any better. It’s just another show of her ego and generally seen as conceited.

-Hercules love to decorate their horns with jewelry. This is a tradition mostly unique to them. Although- uh- is only really a ‘thing’ amongst the wealthy Hercules. There’s a very big class divide in the Insectoid Kingdom, and commoners can’t really afford those sort of luxuries.

-There are three types of Sectra: Drone Sectra, Worker Sectra, and Royal Sectra. Almost all male Sectra are worker Sectra— weaker, meek Sectra noticeably easily influenced by a Royal Sectra’s pheromones. Worker Sectra make up the majority of female Sectra and are strong, diligent fighters. Then, of course, there are Royal Sectra— those of the Sectra royal family. These can be both male or female and are MUCH larger and more powerful than other types of Sectra, not to mention far bigger: being almost three times the size of other Sectra and generally towering over most Insectoids. It’s rumored they achieve this form by being fed a special type of magical honey when they’re young, as opposed to the royal family having any TRUE difference from other Sectra

When Joronia/Sectonia assassinated the rest of the royal court, she killed all of Royal Sectra and the Worker Sectra serving them, but left the Drone Sectra alive as footsoldiers. She was able to use her new pheromones to turn them into disposable, utterly-obedient meatshields. It’s kind of horrifying

-Almost no other subspecies have gender dimorphism as noteworthy as the Sectra and their Drones vs Workers. The one exception is Antlers— Ant people with a similar hierarchy, except in small family units instead of larger groups. Because of this, Sectonia was able to create an army of Antler Drones as well.

-There is SOME, more minor, gender dimorphism in other subspecies, though, usually pertaining to size or appearance. For example, female Arachnids are noticeably bigger than male Arachnids, being able to reach twice their size. Joronia, being a trans woman, was always small, even for a DMAB Arachnid, and this is something she was super insecure about. Even Taranza was a little bit taller than her. When she took on the form of an absolutely humongous Royal Sectra she reveled in it. If it weren’t for the horrific bodysnatching thing, the euphoria she felt would almost be cute

-Floralia has no real education system. Instead, education is received through private tutors. This, of course, worsens the class divide, because only the wealthy can afford to truly educate their children. Taranza’s family taught him basic reading and writing, but he received no other tutoring. The only reason he’s as smart as he is is because he had a deep love for learning and would spend DAYS in the library studying and teaching himself things

-Before the Dreamstalk, there were “sky ferries” run by flying Insectoids that took people between the different Floralian islands. Hercules ran these most often because their super strength made carrying these ferries incredibly easy.

-Sectonia, despite being a “Sectra,” for the most part, had traits that were unnatural for them— being a beautiful Frankenstein’s monster. Sectra never have patterns as vibrant as she did, but she had them because she stole that bright indigo coloring from another type of Insectoid. Sectra never have shapes, let alone hearts in their wings, but she did, because she took those from a Papillon. In general, she was very, VERY uncanny valley— like one of those people who gets too much plastic surgery. She was a perfect, absolutely artificial freak of nature— a being who never could have been born naturally, and this gave all of the other Insectoids the heebie jeebies

On the two kingdoms/general history:

-The five most iconic True Insectoid subspecies are Arachnids (Spider people), Sectra (Wasp people), Hercules (Beetle people) Mantidae (Mantis people) and Papillion (Butterfly people). This is because these are the subspecies that make up the five royal families. It’s said that when the Insectoid kingdom of Floralia was first founded eons ago, it was founded by those five families, and as such, every one has right to the throne. Heirs from each family duel when they come of age to determine who becomes ruler until, of course, more heirs grow up and one eventually takes that person’s place.

-Duels between heirs for the throne were incredibly intense and violent, and sometimes ended in tragedy. While there were always healers on the scene, it wasn’t unheard of for heirs to occasionally die of their injuries. These heirs were always martyred, though, being seen as brave and unwavering by their people. Because of this, there was almost some pressure for heirs to actively fight to the death rather than surrender. No-one died during Joronia’s duel for the throne, though.

-(Suicide TW) Speaking of heirs dying, it wasn’t unheard of for heirs to sometimes take their own lives after losing the duel for the throne and their chance of becoming king or queen. These heirs, in contrast, were ostracized in death, and seen as cowards who abandoned their lineage.

-It’s said that once upon a time a heir actually ran away from Floralia before the duel for the throne. This heir— a Hercules, decided he wanted no part of this, and fled to the lower world, where it’s said his descendants still live. (Notably: Buggzy). Taranza sometimes fantasized about running away with Joronia in a similar fashion, but she was too fixated on the idea of winning the crown for him to ever seriously suggest it.

-There has been strife between the Insectoids and the People of the Sky almost as long as Floralia has existed, with the two groups fighting over land and power. In particular, the People of the Sky have the larger, more beautiful half of Royal Road, and this is something most Insects have always seen as unfair. Despite Sectonia being widely hated and feared by the time she launched an attack on the People of the Sky, some Insectoids supported her fullheartedly in that endeavor, at least, simply out of spite

-Several hundred years ago, there was an incident involving an Arachnid and the People of the Sky. At the time, the Insectoids and People of the Sky were at war, and allegedly, this Arachnid— a royal duke— decided to put a stop to it through dubious means. In the dead of night, he bodysnatched the ruler of the People of the Sky. Then, he pretended to be them as he slowly destroyed the kingdom from the inside out. Eventually he was caught and killed, but by then it was too late. Irreversible damage had been done to the People of the Sky’s livelihood.

When they confronted the Insectoid kingdom, the other royal families claimed they had no idea and used the duke, alongside Arachnids as a whole, as a scapegoat. Although there are rumors all of them were in on it and orchestrated the scheme together, simply using the duke and his fellow Arachnids as their fall guy in the wake of being caught.

Truthfully, it doesn’t really matter. Even if the duke DID do it alone, it wouldn’t excuse the poor treatment of Arachnids… and if we’re being real: it was never about the duke for the other Insectoids. It simply benefits the other royal families to have a family seen as “lesser,” and so they maintain the oppressive stereotype for their own benefit.

-Once upon a time, there were actually three noteworthy species in Floralia. Alongside the People of the Sky and Insectoids there was a third group: a large family of nobles who lived in a mansion in Wild World and sometimes traded/communicated with the other two. However, one day they seemingly just… disappeared. They stop reaching out, and when the People of the Sky and Insectoids went to check on them, it was as if they’d vanished into thin air. There are rumors of how they were cursed and whisked away to Hades or that one of them went mad and killed all of the others in a rampage. No-one knows what the truth is, though, just that that mansion is deeply unsettling and supposedly haunted now.

-It’s rumored that, eons ago, the lower world and higher world were connected by a tower in Nutty Noon that stretched into the sky and bridged the gap between them. However, that tower has long since degraded, and by the time of Triple Deluxe, the worlds had very little contact. The upper world still knew of the lower world— being able to peer down on them, but very few people living in the lower world knew of the upper world’s existence

-Sometimes gossip from the lower world still reached the upper world, though, particularly through flying species like Bronto Burts and Birdons. As teenagers, Taranza and Joronia heard stories of a horrifying tyrant who ruled the lower world with an iron fist. It was said this person had a hundred mouths with sharp, bloody fangs, and that he’d steal all of the lower worlders’ belongings. Joronia fantasized about one day traveling to the lower world, defeating this monster, and freeing the people. Little did she know the “tyrant—‘ actually a simple penguin, would one day end up helping free HER people from her.

-A very long time ago, back when the lower world and upper world were still connected, Ancients visited Popstar and Floralia, dazzling the people of both worlds with miraculous inventions such as the Fountain of Dreams and Star Rod. When they offered to let the two worlds join their intergalactic society, however, both declined, preferring their easygoing, lazy lives. Some people from the upper world and lower world left to join the Ancients, but Popstar and Floralia as a whole did not become a part of their utopia… and in hindsight, this was almost certainly for the best

-However, it’s through encountering these Ancients, particularly human tech Ancients, that Insectoids received their names. That’s why they’re called things like Arachnids and Mantidae despite not actually being related to real bugs. Humans simply saw them, went “They look like bugs!” And it stuck.

-Joronia was the first Arachnid ruler in over a hundred years. Her winning the duel was completely unexpected. She was a very unpopular queen, not only for being an Arachnid, but also for generally being seen as rebellious, irresponsible and childish. She tried very hard to make people like her, but never really earned the kingdom's love. This, of course, played a part in her eventually snapping while under the mirror's influence. She bodysnatched the other heirs, alongside many more bugs to create her perfect body— one that she felt the people could never reject, and went on to rule the skies with an iron fist.

-Sectonia killed… like, a lot of people during her tyranny. She slaughtered and/or assimilated the entire royal court. Public executions were commonplace. All people even SUSPECTED of being traitors were killed… sometimes, alongside their innocent families. Taranza did a lot of these executions himself, as Sectonia never wanted to get her hands dirty.

-As I alluded to earlier: nowadays the People of the Sky and Insectoids get along better, as after Sectonia was overthrown, the People of the Sky realized most Insectoids were just fellow victims of her tyranny and sympathized with them. They’ve bonded over their shared hatred of the ex-queen. You know what they say! The enemy of an enemy is a friend.

-The Insectoids and People of the Sky generally have very different cultures and traditions, meaning different holidays, although there is one they share: Floralian Independence Day. Every year, the two kingdoms get together and celebrate Sectonia’s death, having a feast and engaging in general festivities. They also leave offerings at the Dreamstalk, which they see as a symbol of their freedom. It goes without saying that Taranza loathes Floralian Independence Day with a burning passion

-Speaking of Taranza: as the tyrant queen’s right hand man and enabler, he is not well-liked. Hell, he wasn’t particularly liked even BEFORE the tyranny by virtue of not being of noble blood and only joining the royal court through Joronia DEMANDING he be allowed to become her retainer. Occasionally, Insectoids and People of the Sky make attempts on his life. When he goes out in public, people give him a wide berth. Teenagers egg the castle (which he now lives in alone) to upset him

On the People of the Sky:

-They aren’t born naturally. They’re planted. Two parents make a seed together that sprouts into a baby Person of the Sky

-When they sprout, a flower that matches the flower on their head sprouts alongside them. The two are connected. If the Person of the Sky dies, the flower wilts, and if the flower dies, the Person of the Sky becomes very ill before, most often, dying as well. These flowers continue to grow throughout their lives, and never reach a completely mature state. They can get pretty big. Nothing like the size of the Dreamstalk, of course, but some are as big as trees!

-They have a strong affinity for Flower magic and can even communicate with plants, but most plants don’t have anything too interesting to say. They mostly just make their needs (More water, more sunlight, ETC) known. The one exception to this is the plants that are born alongside the People of the Sky. Allegedly, they speak their deepest, most subconscious feelings and thoughts.

-They’ve had a democracy for a while. Their monarchy fell after the incident with the Arachnid duke. They’ve been helping the Insectoids get used to living in a democracy now that their own royal family has been disposed of.

-Their bones have rings based on how old they are, like trees. That said, I wouldn’t recommend cutting them open to find out their age. That’s just mean.

-They photosynthesize alongside consuming food, and need sunlight to live. Many People of the Sky actually died in the dungeons while jailed by Sectonia. In the dark and starved of that necessary resource, they withered away. She knew they’d die in those conditions, but did not care, having long since lost all compassion at that point.

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Random Kirby Headcanon #14

…Sectonia really did try to care for Taranza as long as she could.

By the end there, of course, she didn’t give a shit. But over the years— over the course of her degradation, her trust in him was the thing that faded most slowly. She gave up on her citizens and even her family (Who she quite literally assassinated) long before she gave up on him.

At first, as she spiraled, her perception of him wasn’t affected all that much. Perhaps she thought he was a bit hard to look at— a bit ugly, but he also felt like the only person she could trust. She was very, very paranoid and volatile during this time, and convinced everyone was out to get her. She used Taranza as a yes-man. He was the one person who would always tell her that she wasn’t going crazy— the one person who refused to look her in the eyes and say “no.” He was her soapbox— her safety blanket. She clung to him so deeply that it was practically like claws in his skin. She’d air out her agitated, disconcerted and nonsensical worries to him when she would to no one else. He’d comfort her in turn. He’d turn against anyone she told him to turn against— completely loyal. He’d help her commit any evil. He’d stain his own hands with blood. At nights, she’d clutch him so tightly he could hardly breathe.

But of course, even that couldn’t last. As more and more of her began to rot, any actual sentimentality she felt for Taranza began to fade. She no longer remembered why they were ever friends. His behavior started to annoy her. He was sort of hideous, wasn’t he? She didn’t really treat him well. She’d berate and threaten him. Something about him just unnerved and provoked her. But all the same, at least he was useful. Even then— even decaying, at least for a bit, she still saw him as a valuable tool. Something worthwhile in that he’d do anything for her, even if she wouldn’t do the same for him. That was something.

Some of this… this this begrudging trust— the ability to find a use for him lasted all the way up until the very start of Triple Deluxe. After all, she trusted him with taking care of the hero of Dreamland. He was still her one loyal, foolish, naive and weak-willed servant.

But at some point during the game… while staring at the mirror, even that disappeared. The last remnants of trust she had in him crumpled and shattered. She realized she no longer felt a single positive thing about him— that he was useless, really. He wasn’t even that good a soldier, and besides…

She could do everything alone.

Shortly after, he returned, having failed his mission. He begged her for help, and she stared at him, feeling nothing. She met his multiple eyes— stared at his disgusting horns and fuzzy skin, and for some reason she couldn’t understand, it felt like she was looking at a distorted mirror for a brief moment. She no longer remembered what she used to look like. She just remembered… she hated this person. She really, really hated them. No longer filled with apathy, even, she was overwhelmed by abhorrence and outrage. She attacked him, disposing of the person who had stood by her side all this time and fully embracing egomaniacal solitude.

But she held on as long as she could. She really did. Longer than she held onto practically anything else. One could argue that that last sliver of belief in Taranza was the very last part of her to go.

…Perhaps that means he was the thing most valuable to the person she once was— the source of her most precious memories. More than anything, she didn’t want to let go of him, but as her psyche crumpled, she couldn’t hold onto even that. Quite literally every part of her died.

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Random Kirby Headcanon #3

The Morpho Knight fight in Forgotten Land wasn’t just Morpho attacking Kirby at random, but it also wasn’t Morpho trying to reap Kirby. Specifically, the fight was to determine the fate of Leon’s soul. If Kirby had lost, it would have reaped it and the Beast Pack leader wouldn’t have been able to be saved.

That said, however, Morpho is not actively malicious. It’s not going around killing people. It’s just the grim reaper. The people it steals away are already dead or should be, and Leon was teetering on the very edge of death.

It decided to give Kirby a chance to avert fate, however, impressed with his resilience and grateful for him putting down so many beings that needed to die in the past. In general, the being seems to have a small soft spot for Kirby, both as a person and as someone who’s inadvertently done so much of its work for it.

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Some Taransusie Headcanons

Their relationship is atypical and they know it. This is something they were more or less aware would be the case going into it. Susie is not a replacement for Sectonia, nor would Taranza want her to be. He holds the two of them in different parts of his heart, loved separate but equally. Sometimes he needs to take things slow, and Susie understands. She fell in love with him scars and all.

They were best friends before they were lovers. I’m not going to beat this dead horse too much because ya’ll already know how I interpret it, but they initially bonded shortly after Robobot and clicked together because of their grief. While that’s why they originally bonded, though, that’s not the only reason they were close. In general they’ve served as pillars of support and comfort for each other for a long time. They’re some of the only people the other can fully ‘trust.’ They’re legitimately open with each other, and that’s rare. Especially for Susie.

Susie was the first one to fall, but Taranza realized she was in love with him before she did. Initially, it scared him. He was like “Oh gosh, please don’t. I can’t return those feelings. I’m going to break your heart, aren’t I?” and when she eventually confessed, he freaked out. But eventually he realized he did return her feelings and that he couldn’t let the albatross around his neck control him for the rest of his life. Sectonia would (hopefully) want him to move on and be happy. So he told Susie he’d like to at least give it a try, even if (again) he needed to take things slow.

‘Firsts’ (I.E. first kiss, first date, first anniversary) are very different for the two of them. Susie never got to be a dumb teen with a crush so she’s experiencing puppy love now for the first time as an adult. It’s kind of scary, but also kind of a warm, exciting feeling. She doesn’t always show she’s excited or emotional during moments like that, but she is. Taranza, meanwhile… has done this before? This isn’t his first date or kiss or anniversary ever. This makes it different, though not in a bad way. He’s not giddy or nervous, but he’s sentimental and appreciative. During those sorts of shared experiences he’s, more than anything, acutely aware of how special they are. Always aware they’ll never get this exact moment back, and that they should treasure it as much as they can. It’s… nice getting to have new firsts, both in the ways it allows him to reflect on them and as a reminder that, with how different they can be, Susie is her own unique, wonderful person he should be grateful for.

More under the cut!

Susie generally takes on a pretty different demeanor in private vs public. When it’s just her and Taranza, she’s very affectionate, mushy, and playful. When there are others there, she’s much more professional. Not in an unloving way, of course, but in a factual sort of “This is my wonderful partner.” way. Once in a blue moon she slips up though and catches herself gushing in front of others, especially if they’re also people she considers herself relatively close to. Magolor jokes that she seems like a different person entirely during these moments— like some sort of lovey dovey stranger locked up and replaced the real Susie.

They’re pretty silly with each other, although, again: mostly only in private. Taranza especially loves to playfully mess with Susie, saying she’s cute when she’s embarrassed. Sometimes he’ll ‘sneak up behind her’ and hug her. This is, of course, all for show, both because he’s exceptionally dramatic and because she’s so high-strung. She grew up in a nightmare dimension. She’s always alert and on guard. If he actually startled her she’d suplex him on instinct, and neither of them want that. So instead, he makes it exceedingly obvious, all the while she pretends to be surprised. He also loves to leave heart shaped webs in place she’ll find them and call her goofy pet names.

Susie generally does not like to be touched and does not have much sense of touch. The only parts of her body that aren’t cybernetic are her face, parts of her chest/torso, and one heavily scarred hand. Taranza is the one exception to the ‘no touching,’ rule, though. He’s the one person she feels comfortable letting do that. She loves stroking his fuzzy little spider paws or playing with his hair. His touch is very grounding, especially when she’s feeling out of it.

They love to do each others’ hair. It’s a favorite low-energy bonding activity. Taranza will braid Susie’s hair or she’ll brush his, all the while he’s staring at her with the eyes on the back of his head looking lovestruck. She thinks it’s very, very cute, and it’s not rare she leans in to give him a kiss between them.

They also like getting dressed up. They’re both very fashion-oriented people. The sort of duo who’s in different outfits every time you see them. They love going shopping together and trying on different things. Sometimes they even pick out things specifically so they match.

Taranza is the sole person allowed to call Susie Susanna, and even then he only does it in private. Anyone else who tries gets glared at. Initially, even he wasn’t able to call her it, as she has baggage associated with the name, but one day he called her it by accident while messing around, and although he quickly backpedaled, she realized she actually didn’t mind it coming from him. She thinks it’s because… well, the reason she switched to Susie was because she felt like Susanna was dead. She’d been through so much trauma— so much terror and heartbreak that she was changed irreversibly. But when she’s around Taranza, she doesn’t always feel that way. She feels… safe and comfortable enough to let that more vulnerable side of her show. And in that, maybe ‘Susanna’ isn’t entirely gone.

This probably goes without saying, but Taranza has some self-esteem issues. What happened with Sectonia messed him up. She took a lot of her anger regarding her own insecurities out on him once she went off the deep end, and that’s something that’s stuck with him. He does not like how he looks and is afraid he’s ugly, gross and off-putting. Susie doesn’t see it this way, though, and is doing as much as she can to build him back up. She thinks he’s very cute. She especially likes his fuzzy little face and his laugh.

Similarly, while Susie isn’t necessarily as insecure, Taranza is sure to build her up as well. He knows the consequences of not letting someone know how wonderful they are all too well. He’ll take her cybernetic hand and give it kisses and stare into her LED eyes and tell her they’re beautiful… but also stroke her cheek and hold her organic hand tight. Susie sees herself as both mortal and machine, and demonstrating that he loves both of these sides of her is key.

Susie’s employees really, really like Taranza. They think he’s a good influence on her, and he’s helpful in getting her to listen to them because he’s also been the little guy before. So whenever they have a request for Susie they attempt to do it through him, making ASCII puppy dog eyes the entire time.

In contrast, Susie is… not liked amongst the Floralians. Mostly because neither is Taranza. When she first started dating him they were slightly worried, thinking she maybe didn’t know what sort of person he was, but as soon as it became clear she was not only fully aware, but maybe even worse, their attitude towards her soured. She and Taranza have been harassed by angry citizens more than once. They’ve flung insults about Susie’s personhood and morality, saying it seems like Taranza only dates soulless monsters. Susie is not particularly wounded by this, but it makes Taranza seethe. If it weren’t for Kirby keeping him on good behavior, he’d start throwing people in the dungeon again over this. He’s always sure to refute these accusations, saying they’re wrong about Susie, even if: again, Susie doesn’t really need it. She doesn’t expect most flesh and blood beings to understand her… although she is touched by just how much Taranza seems to care.

Taranza is not particularly good with techie things, but insisted Susie teach him how to repair all of her parts anyways, just in case, Void forbid, something were to happen. If she were to get hurt, he’d never want to be in a spot where he couldn’t help. Susie typically does maintenance on herself at least once a week, so when she does he’ll sit beside her and they’ll talk and she’ll show him how everything works. He makes sure to pay very close attention.

Taranza loves to be pampered and showered with expensive gifts. It’s coincidental, but not entirely irrelevant he seems to have only dated rich, famous women. That’s not why he loves Susie or why he loved Sectonia, of course— he’s no gold digger, but he won’t deny it’s a bonus! Thankfully, Susie has a practically infinite supply of money and is very much a gift giver, so he gets showered in expensive, lavish things practically all of the time. It makes him feel very, very special.

The most important gift Taranza ever got from Susie was a lot more mundane, though. She realized he was always making grand gestures, and wanted to make one of her own. So she spent countless hours researching flower meanings and painstakingly grew him a bouquet. This is something that was very, very difficult for her. She’s not used to things that require lots of time and care. She stuck it out for Taranza, though, and was eventually able to present him with the surprise gift. The flowers weren’t perfect— in fact, they were a little scrawny, but Taranza was so, so touched. He keeps them on his bedstand to this day, using his magic to ensure they don’t wilt.

The two of them have a set of matching necklaces. Taranza wanted to get something for them to keep as a momento— a counterpart of sorts to his scarf. You see: said scarf was originally a symbol of his love for Sectonia. They bought a matching set and made a promise to always be by each others’ sides. Obviously, that’s not something they were able to do, but he keeps the scarf on his person at all times in honor of the memories they shared. He didn’t want this to make Susie feel inadequate, though, and suggested they get something to celebrate their love as well. The necklaces are a reminder that Susie is more than enough, loved as she is, and that they’re a team, too. It’s no mistake that both it and the scarf rest right beside Taranza’s heart.

[giantchasm]

Random Kirby Headcanon #21

The Kirby cast have all sorts of nicknames for each other.

When he was very young, the Animal Friends would refer to Kirby as ‘Twinkle,’ ‘Popopo,’ and ‘Kiddo.’ They’ll still actually do so sometimes if they’re feeling particularly sentimental.

For a long while Dedede exclusively referred to Kirby as things such as ‘Squirt’ and ‘Punk,’ but now that they’re friendly rivals he mostly calls him stuff like ‘Kirb’ or ‘Kirbster.’

Susie, obviously, refers to Kirby as ‘Pinky.’ Similarly, she refers to Meta Knight as ‘Navy’ sometimes as an extended play on that. He seems to be much less accepting of it, though.

In general, Meta Knight just does not really like nicknames. Despite this, oftentimes Dedede and Magolor simply call him ‘Meta,’ disregarding his repeated insistence they use his full title.

Dedede doesn’t have any nicknames, really, but sometimes Bandee refers to him as ‘Sire.’

Waddle Dees traditionally don’t even technically have names, so ‘Bandana Waddle Dee’ and ‘Bandee’ are nicknames in and of themselves, originally given to Bandee by King Dedede.

The other Animal Friends sometimes refer to Coo as ‘Birdbrain’ when he’s being particularly stubborn.

Back when Kirby first met Nago, Pitch and Chuchu, he addressed them solely by ‘Kitty,’ ‘Birdie,’ and ‘Squishy’ before he actually learned their names.

Marx loves to come up with ‘extensions’ for Gooey’s name. His favorite by far though is ‘Goobert.’

The Animal Friends refer to Marx by various clown names such as ‘Pagliacci’ and ‘Pennywise.’

Francisca refers to Marx as ‘Marxie.’ I think there’s a hilarious juxtaposition to be found in her referring to him by a cutesy name while full-well knowing he’s a sicko and in fact enjoying his company because of it.

For a while, Elfilin called Adeleine ‘Miss Human’ until she told him it was alright to use her name.

Daroach and Adeleine both refer to Dark Meta Knight as simply ‘Dark.’

Susie refers to Dark Meta Knight exclusively as ‘Edgelord.’

Dark Meta Knight calls Daroach ‘Rat.’ This is out of endearment… probably.

Marx and Dedede both refer to Magolor as ‘Mags.’ Zan Partizanne has also blessed him with the generous nickname of ‘Deceptive Egg.’

Flamberge calls Taranza ‘Spider-man,’ and later, once she realizes just how much of a softie he is, ‘Lovebug,’

She also calls Magolor ‘Catboy’ and Susie ‘Pinky,’ the latter of which Susie hates. Not only is it higly unprofessional, but that’s a nickname she already gave Kirby! Flamberge can’t just copy her.

In general, Susie does not like nicknames. This does not stop Magolor from regularly referring to her as ‘Suz,’ though.

Back when she was in her right mind, Joronia would sometimes sarcastically call Taranza ‘Peasant Boy’ because of his status as a commoner. Initially, this was probably meant to be insulting, but as their friendship deepened it became a vessel for affectionate teasing.

Francisca is sometimes referred to as just Fran or Franny by her sisters. Similarly, Flamberge is sometimes just Flam or Berge.

Francisca and Flamberge are the ONLY people allowed to call Zan Partizanne simply ‘Zan.’ Everyone else is expected to use her full name lest they receive a spear to the face.

Magolor, of course, does not heed this advice though, and incessantly refers to her as ‘Zan Parmesan.’ At this point it’s almost just Their Thing, though— pretending not to know each others names, that is. It’d be weird if he stopped.

Magolor calls Hyness ‘Blanket George.’ The first time he said it was before they fought him— which is to say before he knew Hyness was an Ancient, and he meant it in a pejorative manner. But after Hyness was purified, he still remembered it, to Magolor’s horror. Thankfully, though, he found it funny, and was in fact quite happy to receive a nickname, so Magolor’s kept it up.

[giantchasm]

can i hear some of these dark taranza thoughts of yours...(kinda like sharing memories of a deceased loved one bc hal is never bringing him back 💔)

Hehehe. Gladly!

(As a note, almost all of this is regarding a Dark Taranza as I imagine he exists in the actual Kirby universe. I don't have a tons of thoughts on the specific incarnation that appears in the Clashverse, because... well, I don't have a lot of thoughts on Clash period. Although I also imagine a lot of this could also apply to him.)

In my interpretation, Mirror Worlders represent and embody what a person most dislikes about themselves. They're born the minute someone first attains an insecurity, usually sometime in childhood, and live lives that... well, reflect the experiences of their real world counterpart.

Let's use Meta Knight and Dark Meta Knight as an example. Meta Knight, in my personal headcanons, did indeed at one point serve Nightmare, just like is implied in the anime. This is something he harbors deep shame over, feeling as if his origins are that of a monster's. He also knows he's regrettably stubborn, dangerously impulsive, and emotionally distant.

As such, Dark Meta Knight is an extremely emotionally distant and stubborn jerk who’s still in eternal servitude to an irredeemable monster he considers his father (Dark Mind). He still has some positive traits, ostensibly, but overall he is a caricature of how Meta Knight sees his worst self.

So Dark Taranza embodies the traits Taranza most dislikes about himself. What are those?

-His ego. Taranza knows he's prideful and vain. He has a habit of getting overconfident, then having things blow up in his face. Just look at his behavior during Triple Deluxe! He was so... smug throughout all of it, only to have that confidence crushed.

-His envy. Taranza would never let it show on the surface, but he's a deeply jealous person. He wants what other people have and he wants it deeply. When he sees other people attain a happier ending than he did, he'll congratulate them, of course, but he'll also always feel a little resentful, something he, in turn, feels bad about. Why can't he just be happy for people?

-His loyalty and codependence. These don't necessarily seem like entirely bad traits on the surface, but Taranza's devotion can be dangerous. Just look at where his dedication to Sectonia took him. It not only got him hurt, but led to him committing various atrocities, all in the name of a love that wasn't even returned. This is something he now deeply regrets. And yet... if he were given the chance to see and follow someone he loved again, he would in an instant. He's simply needy in that way.

So Dark Taranza is an extremely egotistical, overconfident, and insufferable person, even though he's frankly not that cool. He has a violent jealous streak, and despite how confident he seems on the surface, he's secretly a follower.

After all, he doesn't just represent Taranza's pride and his resentment. He represents his fealty. All of his love and dedication to another.

Dark Taranza lives to serve, and there's just one problem with that.

There's no-one to serve.

There is no Mirror Sectonia in my verse. (Er-- well, technically there was, once upon a time, but she was retconned out of existence in the events that created the corrupted real-world Sectonia we meet in canon. There's no memory of her. She's been erased from history). Dark Taranza is a maniacal right hand man with no leader, and so he's forced to play leader himself, even as just one half of a whole.

Something which, perhaps, suits his ego. But at the same time, he feels empty. He brims with allegiance, but has no-one to dedicate himself to other than himself. This makes him deeply restless and unsatisfied, and in turn, he lashes out.

Needless to say, he does not have a good relationship with the actual Taranza. Taranza sees everything he doesn't want to be in Dark Taranza, and Dark Taranza sees everything he doesn't want to be in his original. Taranza is weak... emotional, sad, lost and lonely. Dark Taranza feels he's better than him because he is not experiencing the same emotional turmoil Taranza is. He openly makes fun of him for it and says he's much better off having always been alone.

...But deep down, he's jealous. He cannot escape the jealousy that is inherent to his being. Even despite feeling he's better than Taranza, he sometimes secretly wishes he had what he had... was also able to experience what he lost. Not that he'd ever admit it.

TLDR: Dude who's pretty much intrinsically a mook is forced to play head honcho, both to his pleasure and dissatisfaction. All the while the age old question is asked as he contrasts with his real world counterpart:

Is it better to have loved and lost, or never to have loved at all? Better to care, but then be hurt and discarded, or better to be lonely and safe? As long as he never trusts anyone, he'll never get backstabbed, but he'll also never experience genuine connection. And he secretly craves that more than anything.

He and Taranza are kind of like this song from City of Angels to me

You're in my plot, I'm still your creator I call each shot, I'm your private dic-tator You are so thick, you eat, breathe, sleep fiction I'm your meal ticket, knew-deep in cheap fiction You gloating ignoramus You haven't any shame Hey, I'm a famous shamus And most people don't know your name You're nothing without me Without me you'd just disappear Right into thin air And no one would care Or notice you ever were here A puppet, an upstart A loser who's destined to fall I'm everything you always wanted to be Let's deal with the issue, you wish you were me You're nothing without me Without me, you're nothing at all

Do you see my vision?

[giantchasm]

Random Kirby Headcanon #4

Over the years most of the Star Allies have acquired various small injuries and scars. In particular:

Dedede, of course, has a scar on his stomach from his experiences with Dark Matter.

Meta Knight has lots of little scars on his hands, back and wings from various sword fights. He also has some wing scars and cybernetic eyes thanks to The Robobot Incident. Generally though he doesn’t have anything super crazy and he’s sort of mad about it. He wants to earn a huge, grizzly, iconic battle scar eventually.

Most of the Animal Friends don’t have any scars, but Rick has one across the nose from getting a bottle smashed over his head back when he was a rowdy teen.

Adeleine, like Meta Knight, has a bunch of little scars. Mostly on her hands, arms and legs from fending off the creatures on Shiver Star when she was alone as a kid.

DMK has many scars, but his most notable, of course, is his eye scar, which he received when Kirby shattered him in Amazing Mirror. He got better eventually, but he still bears the mark.

Magolor has those iconic Master Crown scars. He’s also got lots of smaller scars from also surviving on his own as a kid. None of them are nearly as remarkable, though, as the deep gouges in his forehead.

Taranza appears to have no scars at first, but if you were to look under his fuzz he actually has lichtenberg scars from getting zapped during the climax of Triple Deluxe.

Susie got looots of scars and other injuries in Another Dimension. Most of them are gone now though since she’s replaced the majority of her mortal flesh with cybernetics. She’s still got a few gnarly ones on her hand she hasn’t mechanized, though. She can’t maneuver or feel it very well. It’s hard to tell if this is because of the injuries or because of her cybernetics dampening her connection to her magical floating limbs

Predictably, Francisca has frostbite scars, Flamberge has burn scars and Zan Partizanne has lichtenberg scars, all from their respective brushes with death.

Galacta has many grizzly scars, including several on his face underneath the mask. He’s had to fight for almost all of his life and it shows.

[giantchasm]

Random Kirby Headcanon #15

Haltmann recognized Susie in his very last moments.

You know how if… you turn a computer on and off again— slam a broken electronic on the table or whatever, sometimes it starts working? You just jostle some piece into place and it clicks. It probably doesn’t last long, but for just a split second, it’s functional. Assailed, it finds purchase.

…Yeah. It’s a bit like that. The very scenario that killed him— fried his brain and allowed him to be assimilated is the same scenario that allowed him to recognize his daughter for a brief moment.

He couldn’t move. He couldn’t even say a word. He was already dying by that point. But he saw her— he saw Susanna, the person he’d been looking for all this time… who he’d somehow forgotten, staring at him with anger in her eyes. He realized that she never left his side. That it was his daughter— his precious baby girl who he swore to protect that he had treated like shit. That he had made do his dirty work. That he had mechanized and yelled at and terrorized.

…Who would sing songs for him when things were quiet.

He well and truly believed she killed him on purpose. He didn’t have the full context. All he knew was that he was dying and that it was her fault. It’s not exactly like it didn’t make sense. After everything he did to her…

Well, he would have hated himself too.

The very last thing he felt before he was erased entirely was crushing guilt and sorrow. His only child killed him, and he couldn’t blame her.

Of course, this wasn’t quite the case, but he never got to know that. In a cruel twist of fate, both he and Susie got their wish: his to see her again and hers for him to remember. He was granted clarity for just a moment… long enough to realize he had destroyed everything he’d ever loved.

And then, just like that, he was gone.

[giantchasm]

Random Kirby Headcanon #13

Bandee has trust issues and is generally a little bit prickly. He’s extremely protective of the people he likes, but good luck getting him to warm up to you in the first place, especially if you’ve done something to harm him or his friends in the past.

Needless to say, he’s not the biggest fan of the ex-villainous Star Allies, and does not have a lot of faith in their willingness to do good.

Magolor broke his trust and made Kirby cry. Taranza kidnapped his beloved king. Susie left Dedede buried under a pile of rubble and tried to brainwash Meta Knight.

And Marx… do I even really need to explain Marx?

He’s okayish with the Mage Sisters. They didn’t personally victimize him in the same way. I think more than anything he feels a reluctant pity for them, but will also eye them up suspiciously if it seems they’re doing anything nefarious.

His standoffish nature can get him into trouble sometimes, and a great example is what happened between him and Elfilin. When Elfilin first arrived in Waddle Dee Town Bandee thought something about the situation was weird, and when the Beast Pack kidnapped all of the Dees he feared his suspicions had been confirmed. He was CERTAIN Elfilin deliberately led the Beast Pack to them and had some kind of secret motive.

Elfilin was very hurt. Bandee didn’t mean to be a bully or anything, of course, but his experiences with having his trust broken in the past made him stubbornly perceive Elfilin in only one way.

The two of them didn’t really actively fight— Elfilin isn’t the argumentative type and Kirby wouldn’t have allowed it anyways, but Bandee made it plenty clear he didn’t feel comfortable with Elfilin around and warned Kirby to keep an eye on him. Elfilin was sad, because he didn’t even understand what exactly he was doing wrong.

When Elfilin was kidnapped, though, everything changed. Suddenly, Bandee realized that this situation probably wasn’t exactly what he thought it was, and started to feel bad. He… really had been kind of mean to Elfilin, hadn’t he? Suddenly, he missed his company. He hoped they’d be able to rescue Elfilin so he could apologize.

And they were! Eventually, the Beast Pack and Fecto Elfilis were defeated, saving the day. But soon afterwards, Elfilin approached Bandee alone with tears in his eyes.

He said that Bandee had been right the whole time. He really was a monster, wasn’t he? A piece of something so evil, terrifying and cruel.

Bandee felt awful. He fully understood that the Elfilis situation wasn’t Elfilin’s fault and didn’t blame him, but of course Elfilin would feel frightened and insecure with everything he just learned about himself.

He reassured Elfilin. He told him that, no, he was wrong, and the way he treated Elfilin had been unfair. He told him he WAS NOT a monster and he hoped he could forgive him. He didn’t mean to make things so bad.

From there, they made amends. It took a while for them to warm up to each other entirely, but now they’re good friends. Bandee has gone from being suspicious of Elfilin to being protective of him.

[giantchasm]

Random Kirby Headcanon #10

Marx and Magolor first met because Marx needed a favor from someone. You see: he was a previously normal Noddy who lived on one of the moons orbiting Popstar, and when the Nightmare Incident occurred it affected him as well. He, as well as the rest of the Noddies on the moon were forcibly woken up by terrible dreams, and after that, seemed to not be able to dream at all for a while.

Whereas most of the Noddies were very distressed, however, Marx was… kind of intrigued? He’d never been awake for a long period of time before, and he was having fun exploring and messing with people. Just as soon as he started to get used to it, though, things went back to normal. Nightmare was defeated and the Fountain of Dreams began working properly again. All of the Noddies started to fall back asleep.

Marx was aghast. No, his fun couldn’t come to an end yet! There was still so much he wanted to see and do.

But through a stroke of pure luck, he heard about some sort of traveling magician visiting the moon, and decided to seek him out.

This magician, of course, was Magolor. Marx just about burst down his door and demanded “Hey, magic man! You’re gonna make me something!”

Magolor was… bewildered, to say the least, but weirdly proud, too. Before this no-one had ever taken him, his magic or his studies seriously. About time someone finally saw just how talented he was!

As such, when he heard about Marx’s situation, he crafted a magical hat that the Noddy could use to stay awake— one that would prevent chronic fatigue.

Marx was delighted. It was everything he’d wanted. He gave Magolor a rude thanks, then was gone.

This was the start of a beautiful… friendship? It’s hard to describe. For a long time, Marx was the only friend Magolor really had and vice versa, but they were also kind of using each other. Whenever they bumped into one another (both taking trips around the galaxy and all), they were eager to interact, yes, but their conversations were very… practiced. Marx saw Magolor as a bit of a sucker that he could use to get free things and information and Magolor saw Marx as a way to get attention more than anything. He was desperate for recognition and acceptance, and so it bolstered his ego whenever Marx sucked up to him or allowed him to soapbox about magical phenomena.

That said, their friendship is healthier now. Magolor staged a bit of an intervention after Return to Dreamland. That’s a headcanon for another day, though. Really, there’s too much going on with these guys to condense into a single post.

Marx, of course, still has his magic hat. He keeps it on him at all times. Interestingly, it seems to have became attuned to him at some point, because he can move it and express emotions with it just like a limb or pair of goofy-ass ears. Strange!

…One can’t help but note the irony in Magolor of all people creating a piece of enchanted headwear for someone. Bit darkly humorous, isn’t it? Good news, though, is that Marx’s hat doesn’t seem to be cursed or housing some sort of ancient evil soul. Because yes, Marx wreaks havoc wherever he goes, but that just seems to be the natural consequence of his terrible personality as opposed to any higher power.

[giantchasm]

Random Kirby Headcanon #36

There's not as much of a distinction between 'tech' and 'magic' as many people would have you believe. In fact, there's an argument to be made about them merely being two different ways of harnessing the exact same energy.

“Magic” as it’s traditionally defined is someone using their body to harness the elemental and spiritual energy of the world around them to make something happen. “Magic” users in this sense are almost always born with this ability— it’s natural.

Some examples of “true” magic are Taranza’s puppeteering abilities, the Animal Friends’ elemental abilities, and Elfilis’s portal-creating abilities.

But as for “tech…” what it is is harder to define. Two of the most noteworthy technological inventions in the Kirby universe are Starcutter Boats and Clockwork Stars, which are indeed highly refined pieces of machinery sometimes built entirely by people without the ability to use magic… but also…

The inner workings of Starcutter Boats were designed based on studies of Elfilis, a magical being, and they’re powered by Dream magic radiating Energy Spheres.

Similarly, Clockwork Stars also use magic. Quite literally capable of bending reality, they make wishes come true, fueled by the inner magic of planets otherwise known as the “Power of the Stars.”

With this in mind, it would be more apt to describe technology in the Kirby universe not as the antithesis of magic, but merely another way of harnessing it. “Magic” is magic performed naturally, whereas “Tech” is magic performed via tools.

Perhaps this is why too many cybernetics interferes with a person’s ability to harness magic. It’s less that they damper one’s abilities in and of themselves, but moreso that the unnatural excess confuses and disorients the natural magic flow of someone’s body.

However, even defining magic and technology as “magic used naturally” vs “magic used via tools” is simplifying the matter to an extreme degree. Let’s use Daroach and the Triple Star as an example.

Daroach has no natural magic: he was born without the proper inclination for it. However, he uses the Triple Star, an artifact designed by the Ancients to cast magic. But the Triple Star was not made by Tech Ancients. It was made by a Magic Ancient who imbued their own magic into the wand. As such… when utilized in such a manner— as a tool to assist a non-magic user in harnessing the elements, that is, what does the Triple Star qualify as?

Would it qualify as something different than the Star Rod when being used by Kirby? The Star Rod, too, was created by an Ancient imbuing their magic into an artifact. The only difference is Kirby is a natural magic user. Do his biological abilities change the Rod’s definition as an assistive tool? Would it be considered Magic in his hands and Tech in another’s? What’s even the difference between an item that can cast magic based on an energy imbued in it vs the proper layout of nuts and bolts?

What about items such as staves? Sectonia’s scepter in and of itself has no magical abilities, but she uses it as a tool to help channel her powerful inner magic. Does this make it Tech, Magic, or neither?

Magolor only had the ability to use Dream magic preceding his encounter with the Master Crown, developing the ability to use Dark magic afterwards. Would these powers, even following the crown’s destruction qualify as something granted by a piece of tech? Does the Master Crown even count as a piece of tech? It, too, was made by magic users… yet would theoretically have the ability to give a person with no natural magic terrifying powers.

The more it’s assessed, the more one will realize the lines are blurred and the distinction is almost entirely arbitrary. Not that this makes it any less a contentious topic in-universe. If one were to try to argue to Susie that her cybernetics technically qualified as magical or Hyness that the Tech Ancients were magic users in their own right, both would just as soon strangle them for even daring to suggest something so ludicrous.

[giantchasm]

Random Kirby Headcanon #32

Elfilis is a fallen angel of sorts.

Believe it or not, they were originally created by Morpho Knight as a warrior and bringer of death. Their purpose was to wipe out corrupt, doomed people and societies en masse across the multiverse, allowing Morpho to collect their souls.

However, Elfilis became blinded by their purpose. Their standard for goodness was too high, and so they began to destroy almost every society and person they came across, seeing them all worthy of damnation. They well and truly believed they were doing the right thing in doing so.

When Elfilis was captured, Morpho Knight… chose not to intervene. Perhaps it could have saved them, but it made the active decision not to. Elfilis was a terrible mistake. The world was better off with them contained.

Morpho Knight has never created life since. That’s better left for Void, it supposes.

Carrying Elfilis’s memories, Forgo sincerely thought Morpho Knight was finally coming to rescue them when it arrived in Forgo Dreams. It was not, however— it merely came to put them out of their misery.

That said, however, in part, Morpho did allow Forgo to escape and become Chaos Elfilis willingly. When it absorbed them, it felt their grief and anger, and when they tried to escape, it allowed it. This is something it only did because it knew Kirby would be able to stop them and perhaps give them a kinder death than it could.

In a way, Kirby is almost what Elfilis was supposed to be. While he’s no angel of Morpho’s, he travels around putting selfish, hurting individuals who have oftentimes unnaturally extended their life and are at a risk of hurting many others out of their misery. Except whereas Elfilis’s desire to put an end to ‘unsalvageable individuals’ was borne of hate, any life Kirby ends meets said end for the opposite reason: a determination to protect the people he loves, no matter the cost.

Elfilin makes Morpho Knight feel… strange. He’s so sincerely happy and enthralled with life, but troubled and anxious, too. It’s hard to believe someone like him could truly come from the merciless and unfeeling Elfilis. Does he represent the innocence Elfilis once had? The long-gone kindness and potential of a seraphim Morpho Knight failed to raise right?

It’s not sure.

Either way, though, it’s glad to see some happiness come from its mistake, and it hopes that if Elfilis and Forgo are alive in some part of Elfilin, they’re finally happy, too.

[giantchasm]

Random Kirby Headcanon #1

As someone with a flair for the dramatic, Taranza is excellent at improvisational storytelling. Whenever the kids (Kirby, Bandee, Ribbon, Skirby, Fluff and Elfilin) want to play pretend, he’s the first person they go to.

He always humors them despite the fact that probably he has better things to do and will come up with engaging storylines for whatever they want to do on any given day, whether it be pretend to be pirates or play as if they’re battlecats.

He’s almost always relegated to being the villain in these scenarios because none of the kids (except occasionally Skirby) want to be the bad guy. He doesn’t mind though. In actuality, he kind of enjoys it. He loves playing up an evil persona and getting to be all theatrical about it. Just like his fellow Wave 3 friends he has a mischievous, power-hungry streak, but he’s generally more well-behaved and so he doesn’t always have a chance to get that energy out. Pretending to be a ridiculously evil supervillain all the while being praised for his acting skills is not only a great outlet, but an ego stroke as well.

He’s long since perfected his evil laugh.