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rainworld-bestiary · 2 years ago

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Rained World Rascals - About the Slugcats

So, I figured since I've seen one or two AU's do this by now, I should toss my hat in the ring and show off what I've got. I've got a little bit of time to kill before I sleep, so I'm gonna write about my beloved little alternate-universe slugcats here.

ALL INFO UNDER THE CUT

(All slugcats use they/any)

SURVIVOR

Age upon arrival: 19 moons

Known as "Viv" only to their closest friends, Survivor is a painfully average slugcat, even average to ENOT. And NOBODY is average to ENOT. Assertive and opinionated, even when they don't intend to be, Survivor is nothing short of a very natural slugcat. Even in their own biological family, they're the most average one. Despite their brutal honesty, Survivor still strives to protect those who are close to them, especially their younger sibling Monk, and their auncle/guardian, a 67 moon-old Gourmand.

Living in a grand tree in Outer Expanse, Survivor grew up with a grand and expansive family. After a tragic incident deep in the expanse led to young Survivor and Monk being orphaned, old Gourmand took them in as their own. Despite having everything they needed, Survivor still felt it a major responsibility to be there for their younger sibling, even when the going got rough for everyone. In a twist of fate involving an attempt to conquer their fear of heights, Survivor plummeted into a pipe which led to an unknown area beyond the retaining wall, after which they ran into Hunter.

MONK

Age upon arrival: 13 moons

As the youngest of the bunch, Monk is a youthful and spritely spirit who savors the world around them. Against all odds, Monk always finds a way to appreciate the world around them, be it a Squidcada or a Red Lizard. They're so intensely appreciative of the world around them that it's not uncommon for them to have made a new wildlife friend when they're out and about. Despite them being a friendly and social person normally, however, they tend to bottle up their emotions to an unhealthy degree, becoming cold and even volatile when provoked about emotionally difficult subjects. They take it upon themselves to never show emotions and be strong, just like their older sibling was when they were younger. They show a great resolve and work as hard as they can every day to contribute to their group.

Monk had to cope with the loss of their parents at a much younger age than Survivor, which led to them walking in their stride of not showing much emotion in difficult moments. Monk's version of this was pushing away those who cared about them and seeking quiet, lonely places to not be seen crying. Regardless, they still grew up moderately happy with love and support from Gourmand. The real damage came when they thought they had lost their sibling to the massive gaping hole that was the pipe. Late at night, after overhearing a conversation between the colony elders including Gourmand about potentially surviving a fall into the pipe, Monk raced out on their own and jumped in after their sibling. They sustained a black eye, but they survived and ran into a strange, younger version of Gourmand in the Outskirts.

HUNTER

Age upon arrival: 27 moons

Hunter is a lively, spritely person, always looking to have fun and enjoy life. They're also a greatly skilled and acclaimed fighter, always discovering new and creative ways to deal with opponents. Out of the whole gang, they are the most childish, petty, and hot-headed. They're prone to angry outbursts, but they're rarely ever actually fueled by anger--more so by passion than anything. Their humor is rarely mean-spirited, though it can reach a paramount of genuinely dubious intent. It's never malicious though, and is certainly a facade for a deeper, darker existential dread that they refuse to put upon anyone else, lest they try to help...

Hunter seldom talks about their past, but they do volunteer the fact that they were one of the few in the group raised, partially or wholly, by an Iterator. Given NSH's temperament, however, "raised" is a generous term. "Crashed with" is more appropriate. While NSH did indeed raise Hunter, they treated them less like one of their own progeny and more like a roommate. But in the end, NSH was still there for them, even in their darkest moments. But still, nothing could save them from what was yet to come. When time was finally reaching its end, Hunter decided to use what little power they had to commit a noble act. At least, that's how it was supposed to go...

GOURMAND

Age upon arrival: 34 moons

Gourmand is a champion of relaxation. Tied tighter to the material plane than any other member of the group, Gourmand takes great pleasure in finding new ways to enjoy their existence. Whether it be a new food or a new sunbeam to lie in, they always find ways to indulge in the new whilst also appreciating the old, and they take even greater pleasure in sharing these experiences with anyone willing to engage in them. They rarely ever raise their voice or get angry, only getting sad or disappointed. They are still honor-bound to defending those they care about, and have the ability to do so. They are not as skilled of a fighter as the other two leaders of the pack, but they still earn their mainstay as a strong and unyielding defender of the group.

Gourmand's past is possibly the most normal one out of everyone in the pack. When they were younger, they were an explorer, searching out places beyond their own expanse to widen their worldview. They found themselves mostly alone for their whole life, helping guide the occasional slugpup to a safe and bountiful location for them to sustain themselves. But just when they were headed home, thinking they had seen everything there is to see in this world, one strange step in Outskirts had them waking up in Shaded Citadel. Continuing mostly unfazed back in the direction they were headed, they eventually ran into another slugpup--a small, yellow one. But unexpectedly, this one seemed to know their name.

ARTIFICER

Age upon arrival: 38 moons

On the other far end of the age spectrum, Artificer is a much more jaded, violence-oriented, earthbound spirit. They're abrasive, rash, quick to annoyance and anger, and truly assert their dominance as a leader of the pack. To say a soft center lies at their heart would be a cruel lie--their soft center is guarded by numerous layers of rock-hard trauma and moons of horrors. Despite all of this, it's still not wrong to say there is one. It's just that... well, it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. And much like a camel passing through the eye of a needle, you need to play your cards right. Someone succeeded, after all. Their outward attitude may be cold and quiet at best, but their desire to keep what is sacred to them safe is unmatched. They will go to great lengths to protect those they consider to be important to them, using their strange combustion-controlling powers to assure that no foe lays a finger on whatever they hold dear.

Artificer is highly cagey about their past. It's all so traumatic to them that they'd rather not remember a second of their life from moon ages 20 to 31. But the evidence they left behind is still there--a new despotic ruler of the scavengers on top of the superstructure without a drop of royal blood in them, a building missing from the metropolis, the strangely large shelter hidden in Outskirts with evidence of numerous slugcats having lived there once, the occasional mutter of their "apprentices" that they always seem to emphasize in such a way that indicates they caught themselves from saying something else, their "ex"... it all fits together, like pieces of a puzzle piece. But lest their redemption in a moral sense be of any concern to you, they'd do everything they could to keep you from finding out.

RIVULET

Age upon arrival: 25 moons

Rivulet is a strange character, simply put. They're dormant for most of the day, sleeping for longer periods of time than anyone else. But when they're awake, their agility and speed are second to absolutely none. Their speed is comically fast, and they can stay underwater for longer than anyone else. They're also highly intelligent, knowing how to work with Ancient-level technology and how to fix Iterators, a talent that landed them the role of pack nurse. Despite living life in the fast lane, they still appreciate the moments when they get to relax and be immature for once. Monk is a good friend to them and enjoys getting to play games and small sports with them. Their inner child truly gets to shine through, and to them it's a much needed break from the constant maturity life demands from them.

Rivulet comes from far, far away, descended from lands still yet to be discovered to most lifeforms on Five Pebbles' side of the world. Their upbringing was natural, with their bodily modifications appearing over hundreds of thousands of moons of evolution. When they came across the Retaining Wall, the rains were harsh and frequent, which led to their slumberful sleeping schedule. With their experience, aiding the surrounding Iterators was no difficult task, with their abnormally high capacity for speed and their gathered intelligence from their experiences across the world. The hardest part was what happened afterward, as they travelled into Outskirts and took one wrong step...

SPEARMASTER

Age upon arrival: 29 moons

Spearmaster, the self-proclaimed master of spears, is... a genetic nightmare, to say the least. Without a mouth, their speech is muffled and they often have to resort to slugsign to make their voice truly heard. Fortunately, Artificer knows pre-collapse era slugsign the best, and can account for this difficulty. While the objectively disgusting ability to excrete bone-like spears out of their tail is an interesting hallmark of their character, they make up for this weird factor of themselves by being an all around pleasant person to be around. They're a good listener, and they make sure that everyone gets what they need. They offer support when anyone needs it, and they make sure that not a soul goes unhealed, alongside their compatriot Rivulet. They're also insanely physically strong despite their gangly stature, using the incredible autonomy over their body to enter hysterical strength mode at will. These valuable qualities enable them to be the third leader of the pack.

A dutiful soldier, Spearmaster was the seventh in a line of genetically-weaponized slugcats who functioned as expert messengers. In a time where communication was severely limited due to a certain Iterator's desperation, Spearmaster helped deliver a message to the culprit, earning a now barely-visible scar on their chest, thanks to their abnormally quick healing ability. Even though the mission didn't go as planned, they still chose to see it through to the end, determined to be the messenger they were always meant to be. However, as they completed their mission and were on their way home, they found themself in a place they didn't quite recognize. It was certainly somewhere they had been before, but everything looked... different. After a run in with a strange, angry maroon slugcat, they looked off in the direction of their former mission goal only to see that there was one less Iterator than usual.

SAINT

Age upon arrival: 22 moons, but... it's complicated.

One of the most enigmatic slugcats of all, Saint is an omen of cycles and moons yet to come. Their speech is often very verbose and elongated, asserting themselves as a rather intelligent slugcat, maybe more so than even Rivulet. They seldom show emotion, and are barely ever seen opening their eyes, only doing so when using one or more of their wide array of powers. The only special powers they have consistent access to are flight, ascension, and teleportation. The powers which remain outside of their control, though, are plentiful, and include but are not limited to powers such as telekinesis, time control, gravity control, and karma manipulation. The names of the regions they use are strange and don't make sense to any of the other slugcats, expressing great shock that "Silent Construct" doesn't seem to exist as they know it.

Saint's past is one shrouded in mystery, but it's no greater mystery to anyone but Saint themself. They can't recall ever being a pup, nor anything about their life since the loop began. They do, however, recognize every other slugcat from images recorded by an old blue robot's overseers. They especially liked the white one and the dark one covered with blue and orange spots. However, after being trapped in the loop for so long that they not only went completely insane, but then became sane again after becoming bored of being insane, they were hoping, praying, wishing that something, anything would be different on one of their loops. It was not a great prospect, but it was the only thing they had left in their life anymore. They were a broken, mentally-scarred, omniscient anomaly who was unable to die. The least they could've hoped for was a change. And to their credit, after billions of loops, leaving them mentally millions of moons older than any other living thing, a fateful trip through Suburban Drifts would leave them waking up in the warm, wet lands of Sky Islands. Out of all the slugcats who "arrived," Saint was the only one to react to the world around them with tears of joy. Something was finally different. Something was new around them. Something was unfamiliar. And just like that, they had a reason to live again.

ENOT I. SOFANTHIEL

Age upon arrival: 21 moons

In a pack full of anomalies, ENOT is weirder than the others by miles. Covered with brightly-colored spots and donning a pair of thick eyelashes, ENOT is a peculiar-appearing slugcat. But the strangeness doesn't end there. ENOT suffers from hallucinations due to a chemical in their blood acting as a hallucinogen, which presumably was given to them as a defense mechanism against predators. But when they're not being attacked, they're forced to wade through landscapes of nacho cheese and rainbow pipes, while having to take refuge in a shelter full of demons and monsters, the most terrifying of which being a pup-shaped and pup-sized black mass with a red face. Fortunately, this little nightmare's older sibling Survivor is far more attractive. ENOT has a tendency to be consistently flirtatious with their colleagues, vainly hoping to form romantic connections. They don't seem to be aware they're doing it, however, and are even more effective as a romantic being when they're simply being genuine. It is very odd that they seem to be unaware that they're flirting, though. Very weird. What's even weirder is that the period they come from on the timeline is completely unplaceable, whether that be due to their unreliable testimonies on account of their hallucinations, or something else...

????

Nothing makes sense.

NIGHT

Who is "Night?" Why, nothing more than a slugpup's cautionary tale. Right? Surely, the story of a rogue, zombified slugcat who sits outside of the cycle and steals any slugcats' arms for the karma symbols stuck on them in a vain attempt to re-enter the cycle is nothing more than a tall tale written to scare young slugpups into sticking with the pack and going to sleep on time, right? Yeah. That's all it is. Nothing more than a tall tale. Nothing more than a spooky campfire story. Nothing more, nothing less.

Of course, that doesn't stop anyone from being afraid. Some even say that in the dark of the night or the rain-filled clouds, they can spot something moving. Nothing like a lizard, or a lost scavenger. Nothing like anything they've ever seen before. A pair of eyes, maybe a glint of teeth or two. Nothing confirmed, but it's troubling to say the least. Still, nothing but a rumor, right?

...hey, anyone else see that?

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