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windydrawallday · 7 days ago

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WELCOME to my pile of HCs focused on the character of Vezok! Here I will babble about the blorbo and tie my character interpretation to pieces of canon to make sense of it. I will quote from source all I can, but be aware most of the time I'll just cite the page and book I'm referencing because I'm a lazy ass (tho if deemed necessary, I'll directly transcribe stuff). This text is a condensed version of my re-reading notes and musings from 2015 to our current year (2025).

It's the fault of @lee-the-yeen I did this in the first place, so if he enjoys this, mission accomplished! If someone else finds it entertaining, better! But in general, I just want an excuse to hurl my "Blorbo Paperwork" to the internet ocean and laugh at myself

[TAKE INTO ACCOUNT] English isn't my first language, and even if I have a decade of reading and writing in English, something can always fly over my head. Don't feel afraid to correct or point out mistakes I made!

Hurling all under the cut because this thing is monstrous, please, accompany it with some drinks and snacks.

We all know, before the Divorce Mind Splitting Event (that I'll write as MSE because I want to sound smug -kidding-), Vezok's main trait was his calm demeanor paired with his sharp strategic mind (Legacy of Evil, Page/s 09).

The calmness is a facade Vezok willingly chooses to partake in, because he found benefits in keeping his mind clearer to make the most of his plans.

He's contemplative and constantly reading the situation as fast as he can. He's proud to wield his intelligence in this way, making it a core part of his identity.

… of course, that doesn't stop him from falling into "estereotypical" skakdi acts like using their peers as cannon fodder -usually, Hakann- (Legacy of Evil, Page/s 10), or when he has violent outburst (Legacy of Evil, Page/s 11) from losing patience with the Makoki stone.

But most of the time, if he can find a way to solve a problem without the need of brute force, like when fabricating a lie to shoo away Prototype (Legacy of Evil, Page/s 36), he will take that route.

(…) By then, Zaktan had staggered back, looking for the massive guard. His rage only grew when he couldn't find Prototpe. "Where is he?" he seethed. "Gone," Vezok answered. "I did what you should have done in the first place. We needed him away from the gate, Zaktan, that's all. We don't need to start a war."

Something that would leave any skakdi astonished… or roll their eyes for how insufferable he was for that. But it is logical, it is practical, it works. And shows he's superior for thinking differently and efficiently than others. Is a brush to his ego.

He even prefers to rely on nimble and cautious movements (Legacy of Evil, Page/s 10) when approaching an obstacle! Another skill not usually called upon on a skakdi.

And that ties perfectly to another important detail that influences Vezok's "calm" modus operandi: his Power Absorption ability. To make it work, Vezok needs first to see a power in action in front of him AKA focus and interpret what's happening.

That means, in contrast to other skakdi, Vezok will persistently linger around others of his species. And here is where he will "study" them diligently, learn their combat patterns, their weaknesses, etc.

And knowing how unruly his species is, the decision to be levelheaded is stronger. He needs to stand tall and unfazed, always ready to take the lead when the opportunity comes.

SIDE NOTE 01: I find it interesting the dynamic between Vezok and Hakann early in Legacy of Evil flashbacks. They got that rivalry and constant disdain with each other typical of their species, but at the same time they match in might and mind here; both Vezok and Hakann are the types to analyze the possibilities in front of them… but in contrast of Vezok's cold discipline to plan ahead, Hakann builds up and adapts on the go. For that same reason, Hakann ends with the upper hand when Vezok loses his sharp intellect: he can't run at his same pace if it's a duel of minds.

Part of Vezok's approach when hanging with others is asking about them, like how he did about Zaktan's first impressions (Legacy of Evil, Page/s 30). He doesn't lose this habit even after the Mind Splitting Event (Dark Destiny, Page/s 36), once more focused on Zaktan and his change in demeanor.

He could keep it to himself, but he needs the reassurance of what he's perceiving to make the most of it. And what's better than having the opinions and thoughts of his other peers?

They can end up giving you extra insights you weren't expecting to get...

SIDE NOTE 02: On those pages cited, you can notice that, of all the Piraka, it is Reidak who most of the time answers Vezok's inquiries! We know the ebon skakdi silently pays attention to everything. So, is no surprise Vezok could have found some equivalent of a "confidant" in Reidak's inputs from a thousand years of "coexistence".

Talking about coexistence: I find it strangely endearing how Vezok wishes for Hakann's aid (Legacy of Evil, Page/s 49) during a task that doesn't involve the red skakdi but needs Hakann's Heat vision. Makes me think that, even if they hate each other's guts, with enough time, skakdi can at least be attached to the presence/usefulness of each other.

… a weird codependency of sorts. Less emotionally sacrificial. More like a bucket of crabs climbing on each other to reach for the exit, but failing at it. Yeah, that's the relationship dynamic of the Piraka as a collective.

Now that I mentioned Reidak before, can I talk about their exchange with Avak in this scene (Legacy of Evil, Page/s 52)? Reidak's statement had Vezok stopping in his tracks of thoughts LMAO

"They don't stand a chance," said Avak. "The city will be a ruin by tomorrow." "No, it won't," Reidak answered, smiling. "Because we're going to save it, aren't we, Vezok?" Vezok decided he had better rethink just how smart Reidak actually was (…).

Never change, Reidak, never change...

Insert here any third wheeling meme for Reidak/Avak and Vezok as the wingman, KIDDING

COFF

ANYWAYS

For all of this to work, Vezok acts"social" or at least tries to create "contacts" by showing himself as a knowledgeable figure, someone to put trust in. He was even called "loyal" indirectly (Legacy of Evil, Page/s 108-109) by one of the Piraka!

"You should talk," said Reidak. "Vezok knows better than to betray his partners. I'm betting Vezon does, too. Now, do you want to spend who knows how long trying to get that spear away from him, or do you want to invite him along?"

Good old Reidak, always obserbant.

But that: to qualify Vezok as a "non-betrayer" is quite a feat for a skakdi and will be deemed laughable to other species, right?

What a freak (said it with the most affection).

All pretty and dandy so far, but… the Mind Splitting Event happened, what changes from there?

We know it already, too: part of Vezok's "intellect" is separated and condensed in a new accidental being, Vezon (Legacy of Evil, Page/s 106).

Vezon not only took the blue skakdi's Logical side on a practical level, but tore apart the veil of calmness Vezok was using to navigate the world up to date.

Suddenly, Vezok has no way to stop the flood of rage that's just pouring and pouring into his mind. And you all know: someone guided by anger at full, becomes too blind to be reasonable.

And still, Vezok knows to whom to direct his anger at all moments, only knocking his peers when they cross his path of action.

Because the blue skakdi isn't only carrying anger, but its near cousin: Indignation. It's built up from every mistake made by others against him -especially Hakann's-, from knowing his head now could be the target by Dark Hunters, and now having the worst experience of his life…

… losing the main trait that shaped his whole existence and made surviving less hard for him.

Not only is his mind in halves, but his identity was shattered. Something he build with so much hard work and for so long...

Who wouldn't feel like flipping tables and tearing walls apart?

ANYWAYS I got overly emotional pfff but talking about that:

Let's think a little bit further: if Vezok lost his Logical side… why is Anger the counterpart? Imho, anger is just one of many forms Passion manifests when we don't follow our intellect.

Yes, I said Passion. Sue me -kidding-.

In all seriousness, what's left on Vezok after the Mind Splitting Event is a skewed form of Passion, one not shaped by gentleness and empathy.

But by the cultural and natural violence and mistreatment all skakdi push on each other. There's no place for falling on your knees between them.

And if you fall... all you will get are yelling and kicking.

Vezok can't let that happen to him, even if it means he will need to endure constant frustration to try to claw at the same pace as the rest of the Piraka.

Always minding his space to avoid being caught in their senseless bickering, which I'm sure is a cacophony with how irritable he's now.

… or try to not be taken advantage (Power Play, Page/s 106) with the way he lowered his guard during the mess of a battle between the Piraka to see who would enter first into the Mask of Life's chamber.

(…) Vezok turned to see Thok approaching, wisps of frost still coming from his ice weapon. "Thanks for the save," Vezok said. "Don't be silly," Thok replied. His weapon fired again, freezing Vezok solid. "I'm not on your side."

(And I know this dialogue was made for the LOLZ but it still amuses me, of all Piraka, he was the one to say it).

Still, when he's alone Vezok gives his best during battles (Power Play, Page/s 42) using his same "study" strategies he curated for so long, even if he finds it hard to grasp quickly certain details (Power Play, Page/s 45) for his plan to work.

He frowned. Ever since the accident, he had lost the ability to think tactically the way he used to. He was still smarter than he looked, but that intellectual edge was missing. Still, he knew who had stolen it from him, and he would get it back as soon as these Toa were dead.

THIS IS NOT SUPPOSED TO HURT ME SO MUCH coff

He's not completely useless after all, but he needs to pace his concentration to work as he used to.

I told already on tags well captured by [Lee yeen], that Vezok's tendency to bite boulders "for fun" (Island of Doom, Page/s 45) that we only read about after his Mind Splitting Event (and is never told on flashbacks) I like to interpret as his way to cope with all this lack of concentration and/or over stimulation.

Because we have seen he does well on his own, but the pressure of not performing as always when alongside the other Piraka can pull some uncomfortable strings on him.

Vezok for sure thinks he's the one supposed to always be in control, but instead he at times feels the others are the ones in control of his fate... More fuel for his wrath... and paranoia.

One last detail I want to gush about, and I guess it is what left such an impression on me:

Of all the Piraka impersonating "Toa", the supposed most brutish and violent of them is the one that actually acts as a "concelour" when Dalu asks for advice from him (Island of Doom, Page/s 27)… horrible advice from a Matoran standpoint, but advice at last.

This shows Vezok can still hold a bit of his calmness after all… short-lived with how he then attacked the matoran with his Impact vision BUT AT LEAST HE'S NOT SETTING FAUNA ON FIRE coff

In this description: "Vezok sat cross-legged on the rocks, gazing up at a tall, skeletal tree (…) he was apparently deep in meditation." (Island of Doom, Page/s 27 once more) I couldn't avoid thinking of all those Gothic paintings that portray characters contemplating ruins and dried plants… and the futility of life.

That probably he has this habit too of observing objects around him, "studying" them to probe himself, there's still some clarity in him… just blurred.

And did you know? Another feeling that isn't far from Anger is Grief. I doubt skakdi grieve the loss of someone of their species.

… but of the self with how egotistical skakdi are. In some weird way, Vezok grieves what he lost on the Mind Splitting Event. But because anger took over and is his only way to express it, he can't let go of it. He will never heal from it.

Anger is good for telling us our needs aren't being met... but anger alone can't do much. It needs to be paired with another feeling...

Yeah, say hello to Sadness, that I actually delved a bit about on [this other post] of mine!

I need to actually redraw that "No Talk Im Angy" meme with him sometime coff

And knowing what happens when the Piraka find again the Spear of Fusion (Inferno, Page/s 112-113), Vezok's grieving and anger will never have a place to fall upon... Not even on Reidak, OF COURSE HE NEEDED TO BE THE ONE TO BREAK IT RAAAAAH.

Numb from the shock is all I can think about, such... and I can't stop thinking Vezok would want to save at least a piece of the broken spear with him.

(Noticing now the Spear of Fussion has little spurs/spines) Those could be made on a cool collar? -WindyPLS-

… That's all I can write: gotta admit I left half of Inferno for the second re-read to brace myself for the impact. I tried to end this post less hopeless but LMAO What's to expect of such a franchise?

BONUS NOTES/HCs:

Canon says Vezok is a thief, and that's it. But taking into account his Power Absorption ability paired with his analytical mind, I can see him in the business of relic falsification. It requires a good eye for detail and the skills to replicate such.

He has the physical dexterity to enter places and replace original items with fake ones without fuss *Insert Indiana Jones Theme here*.

For sure, he would be invited to those places with his social skills, pretending to be knowledgeable about the bells and whistles of such artifacts, going unnoticed until it's too late.

... and WHY NOT! Let him be a scavenger of underwater relics, leaving his claw marks on those spots as a signature "Vezok was Here" pfff.

In this 2nd re-reading I noticed quite the paralellism between Vezok and Nidhiki's fate: both were screwed by their respective teams, stripped of their status (Nidhiki from being a Toa) and their core skills (Vezok from his Intellect).

I found it ironic how they had a short, snarky chat when they first met on Dume's place (Legacy of Evil, Page/s 60), after they released the Kanohi dragon.

And when he was dispatched from Metro Nui and mutated by Roodaka, Nidhiki would train Vezok under the Dark Hunters (Island of Doom, Page/s 97)... I'm curious about the type of conversations these two could have.

Life is just a wheel that keeps turning and turning...

🦎 "A wheel that raises some… but crushes others"

... That's more depressing than the ending before. You know what, I'll leave it as is.

THANKS FOR coming to my TED Talk ENABLING THIS BABBLING AAAAAAA

#windy squeaks at blorbos #bonkles #headcanon #vezok #skakdi #idk anymore i lost steam when editing all HELP #I WROTE AT LEAST T H R I C E THESE WORDS to make it as easy to follow up as i could #if i failed im so sorry orz #bonk me freely if something of these doesnt make sense #i checked my pages sourced thrice too but i could always miss something pfff #thank you especially to lee yeen for encouraging me to do this AAA #YES I GAVE LIL GLASSES N A BOWTIE TO A CHIBI VEZOK #im sick of the mind i know i know

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fumifooms · 1 year ago

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You’re the resident chilchuck expert, so I was wondering about it there’s any canon evidence that he did smoke or drink alcohol when the kids were younger. I always thought it was something he picked up due to the strain of long jobs, when the kids were already older, but you seem to think differently and I was wondering if there was anything in canon that made you think that way!

Now that you mention it I guess it’s true there’s no evidence he did. Smoking we literally only know he does at all because of one post-canon panel where he has a pipe, so no, maybe this stick-looking thing in the panel below too though, I’m not familiar with medieval blunts eh. We’ve only gotten one panel of him and his daughters interacting when he was younger so that’s not too insightful on that end, and every time we see him young and freckled it’s in a job context so again not really where we’d expect him to be drinking. The earliest proof (/heavy implication since we don’t see inside his cup I guess) is 3 years before canon when Laios hired him, where he’s at a bar, classily placed in front of all the bottles ✨

Yes alcohol is almost certainly a way through which he copes especially with stress, so if we go with the theory he started around when work got stressful, well… Chilchuck started working as a dungeon diver ~10 years ago so when he was ~19, making Mei, Fler and Puck ~6 and ~4 respectively, so from that draw the ‘stressful enough to start drinking’ line wherever. We don’t know what he did before that with any certainty, and it could be he did odd jobs, lived off mostly mutual aid and community work, or just focused on only raising the girls. Half-foots tend to be poor and I see a lot of that in Chilchuck specifically so I don’t think he could have afforded to not have some paying work though.

Alright, so then why do I think he did drink when the girls were younger?

I give a more complete rundown of the info we do have on his alcoholism & his family with panels and references + all the speculation I make from it here. But the most targeted and objective answer I can give is:

Of course there’s just very very little we know of Chilchuck’s life with his family, and I think that’s by design too. I think the details being up in the air is to allow more nuance of the topic, like, will trying to reconcile go well, is their relationship salvageable? We don’t know, because we don’t know. So the message of giving hope a chance even if it’s a long shot, that things could truly go either way, is more relevant, impactful and meta in that way. How long was he usually away for work travels into dungeons here and there? How did he act with them? All we can really do is "it’s likely that", it’s a game of which way we think it’s more implied. There’s no right and wrong answer, it’s all Marcille-like larping the events out.

My main reason for thinking he did is that his father died from overdrinking and Chilchuck is very aware of that. He mentions his death casually in the extra about their stance in alcohol and in his Adventurer’s Bible profile, etc. He acts towards the alcohol presumably the same way his father did: with abandon, uncaring for the health effects, probably happily too considering Chil says "dying doing something you love is a good way to go". Very nonchalant. So you see what I’m saying here right, wether he started early or late, his view of alcoholism is very influenced by what he saw of his father growing up, it’s something he’s always been aware of and saw in a mostly positive light, something that was inherited you could say. It’s something that was normalized to him from a young age. Regardless or where it goes from there I do think this part is pretty inarguable. If he views it positively and we know that in the present alcohol is his favorite food that he loveees, why would he have held out on it? Personally that all makes me think he started drinking very young, especially since I don’t think they limited alcohol to age as much as modern standards (and I mean, teen drinking is obviously still a thing). And here you could argue, maybe his father only started being more alcoholic later when Chilchuck moved out, or something! And to that there’s nothing I can say except I think that’s a strained theory, and that Chil might even have largely cut contact with his family after moving out (since he and siblings are listed as almost strangers and he doesn’t seem to have much emotional attachment to his parents, but also we know he rents out his place to "a relative"), but it’s true we have no evidence. "I’ve picked up the same unhealthy substance abuse as my father haha! No big deal right haha" repeated several times to me just reeks of intergenerational trauma, & the alcoholism gene as they call it. Like effortless sliding into drinking as if it’s second nature, it’s natural after all, it’s normal after all, it just makes sense, it makes you feel good and that’s what matters.

BUT from my interpretation then we have a whole other layer: Alcohol is of course not all bad always. I think he’s always liked alcohol and drank it on occasion and it brought him joy etc etc, but I think here the implication in the question is, how much effect did his drinking have on the family relations and how early? And that isn’t so much about when him drinking started but when the alcoholism started. Addiction is defined by a habitual need, that has negative effects from filling that need (physical, psychological, social, etc) and negative effects from withdrawal. If Chilchuck drinks to cope and he can’t not cope without it, that’s addiction, if it affects his relationships, if it’s a need he has, it’s addiction. Addiction can be very insidious or look very casual, and how much people around the person are affected by it is case by case. Cheerful drunks can be sooo annoying and uncomfortable though let me tell you. Drunks are drunks. And this sounds harsh, but even if people around them don’t mind drunks it’ll still have some effects here and there, living with one can be such a challenge, ily drunks good luck with everything much like Chilchuck you deserve good things 🫡　

Ok so with the dad thing and the "ok well maybe he’s always drunk casually but it grew worse with time around when he started working as a dungeon diver" precision made, the other bit of info we have that can inform this is that Chilchuck is on a harsh diet and that alcohol is a hunger suppressant. We know Chilchuck "used to be fine not eating for two days", that literally on screen to quench his hunger so it doesn’t keep him awake he goes to drink water, drinking is his instinct to hunger. Again alcohol is a hunger suppressant and if you want info on that the internet has a lot of research and anecdotes about it. He diets to be light enough to not trigger traps, so it’s something he’d have started after dungeon diving most likely. Between the stress and the diet, yes it’s extremely likely he started going harder on alcohol after he started working in dungeons. There’s arguments on wether two days without eating is less bad for half-foots than humans, but apart from smaller portions there’s nothing that indicates half-foots should get less than 3 meals a day. They need less food but that’s because their bodies are smaller: the need is proportional to the body, not smaller than others’ races, the % of need is similar even if the kg amount of food isn’t. There’s also a popular headcanon with support basis that half-foots run hot and have a faster heartrate and whatnot, and that points towards a faster metabolism rather than a slower one: a bigger need for eating rather than a smaller one. He has the same bmi, 18, as Mickbell, but perhaps because Chil is much taller he’s less intensely visibly underweight with ribs showing than Mick during the bath extra, it’s most apparent when he becomes tallman.

Alcohol is something so important and omnipresent in his character that I have trouble believing it’s something that was part of only a small fraction of his life. It’s his immediate go-to, his no-brainer solution to a good time, I’ve sort of always assumed especially after looking at his family that it’s something he discovered decently young. Like he just acts like someone who’s always had alcohol to fall back on and started young idk. Alcohol is one of his 5 keywords. Alcoholism is very ingrained into his world view and life, his "it doesn’t matter" stance his ‘work hard play hard’ mentality his idea that the world is harsh so you get relief where you can, so it just makes sense to me that it’s always been in his life, if not actively then at least looming.

So yes, in summary, my take: Alcohol was always something he wholly enjoyed to an unwise level, but it could have been considered casual until he started working into dungeons and his need for it on a regular basis intensified. Alcohol has always had positive association to him as far as we see, so when it started being a problem he didn’t see it as such. To quote him, "I drink anytime I get the opportunity to". Why always? Approval of father’s alcoholism. Why alcoholism at all? Diet + stress & coping mechanism & emotional stunting + relationship issues, and she decided she had enough after they went out for drinks.

Conclusion

Chilchuck having drunk from a young age makes sense to me and it’s the strongest narrative angle I see on the table, but that’s objectively a me opinion, yes! There’s no evidence, moreso there’s canon basis and supporting info, but it’s all very left up to interpretation. I’ve made my own interpretations of things from the scraps we see, like everyone else making Chilwife and daughters content. Wether you have a stance on the topic or prefer to leave it vague in your takes, it’ll be a matter of what you think makes most sense, or what you’d rather believe I suppose (which is literally fine)

There’s a lot of subjectivity in even just setting up causal links like you probably noticed during this and I was careful with my word choices, because we’re just extrapolating from what we see and unless Kui states it explicitly from a reliable mouth all we can do is have informed opinions on most things. This particular interpretation is influenced by other details I’ve come to form about my interpretation of Chilchuck too, the more psychological and emotional sides of him and the timeline and how his marriage even happened, unplanned pregnancy imo. Like I hope you see what I mean, this wasn’t supposed to be a speculation post just a quick simple answer but there’s sort of just no other and concise but complete way with the subjectivity nuance to put "maybe it could be yes because of this but maybe it could be no because of this" haha

Edit: Wait the phrasing on this… Interesting. "In recent years"— This does imply that if not just his alcohol consumption increasing then the diversity and quality of it did, so either he indeed did start drinking more (not necessarily meaning he didn’t drink before) assumedly because of his wife leaving, or he started drinking other/more different kinds of alcohol maybe due to the union he formed + his experience gave him greater salary than he had previously (and no wife and family to provide money for), a mix of both perhaps.

#Also he’s a lot like my own dad so to me with how he is it’s just an immediate “oh yeah he has always drunk duh of course”#So i can admit to bias. Or to specialized knowledge and authority on analysis idk in which way that tips the balance in my favor or not lol #Dungeon meshi #chilchuck tims #meta #alcoholism #This post was meant to be short :|#-slaps chilchuck’s family- this baby can fit in so much projection #I have like 3 chil alcoholism & chil family fic wips rn weeeeee #I’m the kind of alcoholic’s kid who grew up to never touch alcohol btw so like. Ik Chil could not have drunk young i just think he did #Can we appreciate the alcohol opinion & resistance chart actually. So often in media it’s either “alcohol’s a source of fun yippee” and #“alcohol is evil”. Thank you Dunmeshi for diversity of opinion thank you for nuance i rarely feel so seen #Izutsumi deserves to tell Chilchuck he stinks #AND BY THE WAY I hope you don’t feel talked down on anon. Ik you seem to have your own interpretation already & that’s good #sometimes i was adressing like. The General Public TM more than you which is why I spent time on some things like ‘think what you want’ etc #Okok i hope that covers it. Help where does the time go #It’s the sort of thing that makes Kui’s masterful storytelling by implying things here and there until it forms a big picture frustrating #for meta. Like! You can’t prove Chilchuck has been poor/grew up in an empoverished family/environment. There’s no evidence #but also you cannot tell me with a straight face that he isn’t and hasn’t like omg. But then it takes 30 pages to explain how he’s coded #Stop showing and not telling Kui smh /j #Ask #I think a lot about the trolls comic and man he was already so tense and grumpy and yelling. I do think that guy was stress relief drinking

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