#king shroomses

[starryskyspectacle]

rubs hands together

so, i have a VERY specific hc in my version of the legion.

My version of Hole Punch harbors the soul of the ancient King Shroomses

He's lowkey somewhat of a reincarnation. He occasionally has a bit of a crisis identity-wise as he starts remembering bits and pieces of his past life.

I will write more abt this idea because I'm in a big shroomses mood

[linaharutaka]

forgot to share my most recent magnus opus this one is for you pmtok fans. og audio

[jitteryjive]

it’s fun to hang out with dj. pros: autism and ibuprofen

[globin--goblin]

Hot take, I think the way ancient lore is handled in Origami King is better than how it was in older Paper Mario games. You find out about Shroomses' old kingdom as you go along the game, seeing details in different places and hearing stories from different sources.

Instead of one guy at the museum telling you The Life and Times of Khap'taan Teeowed, you slowly piece his story together with what you can find. Professor Toad talks about the kingdom and its legendary sailor, the Museum Curator says that the Super Marino is said to have belonged to him, Sea Captain Toad tells you the legend of his Sea Chart, then the Shangri-Spa Toads explain the spa's relationship with the kingdom and that Teeowed is a dirty thief and was frozen for his crimes.

I think peppering the background along three chapters is much more interesting than sitting down a listening to a lore dump from a character that knows everything in exchange of coins

[moogghost]

hi it's pretty rough since i didn't feel like doing cleaner lineart but here's younger holt and taniel <3 haven't decided on what specific age these designs for 'em are but i can say that it's before holt got adopted by king shroomses and before taniel ran away to become a pirate (so like. pre-teen years at most i think)

[soulstickerr]

I WILL TALK ABT MY TAKE ON SHROOMSES AND ALL THAT RN‼️it will be specifically gijinkaverse because well,

Ok. So

The exes. Ode and Shroomses are ex lovers. Their relationship was… messy, but it wasn’t that bad until sudden tension began to rise because of Ode’s want to be king, thus proposing a trade (which was not helped by how he stole the Marino).

Their breakup was through Ode being frozen beneath Scorching Sandpaper Desert, and the rest is history (aka Ode being unfrozen)

Yet the story isn’t just about these two, there’s also Dys— otherwise called Hole Punch. Dys was and is an ancient demon, one who roamed the Temple of Shrooms and called it home. He was always mischievous, but not as stupid in the past.

Dys was familiar with Ode and his relationship with the king, because he happened to be good friends with Shroomses— essentially under the deal of not stealing Toads’ faces.

But when Shroomses passed, that deal would be broken and Dys would go into a long slumber in the temple until being awoken by Olly. So, because of that, Dys would go back to punching out the faces of Toads.

Though… another thing, because of that long slumber, Dys did somehow develop a hatred for the sunlight, to which is why he would steal the sun for a disco.

[starastarship]

Bad things

"You should have told me it gets worse" the woman in front of the king said. She looked more serious then ever which was unusual! Normally when someone was wounded or hurt she would still smile. Not in a funny way in a more carrying way. And yet here they are both sitting on the carpet of the kings bedroom just looking at his arm. 

"It's not really bad. I mean it seems to heal!" The king said. His head tingling his head before a sharo pain ran through his arm. "Not bad?! Shroomses look at this!" The woman said and lifted his arm while holding quiet a tight grip on it. 

His arm was covered in some kind of black stuff. It wasn't like paint or goo or something more like it was part of his skin. His hand was most covered in it. Starting at the tip of his fingers, which were almost till the half black and going up to his elbow which just had little lines of black. On his palm a dark symbol of a toad head with a horn on it's top and dragon wings spreading out on the side. It was surrounded by a circle which had on all for sides two flowers. One looking up being alive the other one looking down almost dead. 

Shroomses looked under the pain a bit guilty. The woman was obviously feeling guilty for giving him this gift. "I shouldn't have done this" she muttered  continuing to bandage his arm with some bandages. "Sina….. Please stop feeling guilty" the king said putting an hand on her face.

The woman, who was named Sina, looked at it for a bit before taking it in her hand cuddling it. "I can nothing for it" she started looking down still holding both hands "I know you…….. You were….. I just….." She couldn't find a way to continue her sentence holding his hand closer. A sign that she was about to cry again. But she didn't wanted to. 

"Hey it's ok" Shroomses said getting closet to her to comfort her "I just don't want to remember you of this dark day" she said looking at his face eyes starting to form tears. Sina let go of his wounded hand and went closer to him. The toad girl got an arm wrapped around her and was put on his lap. 

Shroomses didn't said anything at all. He didn't had words nor did he wanted Sina to feel more bad and end up having a break down.

After a while of sitting there and Sina calming down, Shroomses got an idea. "Hey remember those story's you told me? About a city that shined brighter than the day?" He asked. Sina looked at him surprised. "You never finished that story really. Why is that so?" "What do you mean?" "I mean your last sentence was always something like 'and the city of light shines bright as the sun'. You never seem to finish it. Why?" He asked looking at her

Sina was silent for a few minutes. The king started to get worried he might have said something wrong. But soon Sina started to speak again: "the reason this story has no ending is…… It's story hasn't ended yet" she said looking down. "How come?" Shroomses asked tiltling his head obviously confused. 

The woman just shrug her shoulders. "I dunno. I never heard it ending yet" she said. Shroomses nodded a bit more confused than before. "And where did you hear it? Was it before you came to this land or after?" He asked leaning a bit back so Sina could get more comfortable "I think so in between? I know I heard it from someone while passing by and I just listened for a while I think" she explained brown eyes looking down to think. 

"Well" Shroomses started "I am quiet curious how this story ends!" He said smiling at her warm. Oh that smile. It always made the woman less guiltyand bad. And yet... "How.....?" She asked confusing the king. "How can you still smile after everything we went through?" She asked starting to get a shadow over her eyes. "What do you mean?" "What do U mean?! EVERYTHING! YOUR SLAVERY, GETTING THE MARINO STOLEN, FREEZING YOUR EX LOVE AND.... AND ME JUST HURTING YOU THROUGH ALL OF THIS?! HOW CAN YOU STILL SMILE?!"

The long was taken back from the sudden outburst of the woman. Her hands holding her white toad hat with pink spots. He heard her crying and soon after she just rolled together wanting to disappear. "Hey it's alright" Shroomses said hugging her softly. It is true alot has happened in his life and it was bad. "It's true that all those bad things happened..... But I can't just focus on this Sina. Or else I would completely forget about the good things! And so would you if you keep on thinking about the negative stuff. I can tell you went through alot even befoe we met. But please think about the goof stuff that happened to you too." He said hugging her closer

Slowly the sobbing and crying stopped and was replaced by soft snoring. The king surprised by this looked at Sina. Just crying a few seconds ago, now a sleeping form in his arms. "My poor Love" he whispered slowly "you should sleep more often" Slowly he stood up and made his way to his double bed, careful not to wake the woman in his arms up. He placed her on his bed and carefully put a hand on her face before kissing her forehead.

"Sleep well my dear" he said and stood up. He looked at his half bandaged arm and finished the work she carefully started smiling a bit "you worry way to much sometimes" he said before going out to attend his king dutys with a small smile. He couldn't really forget her sleeping form which he found cute. And it made his day

~end

[seraphares]

I don’t know

[cartographers-office]

Marioverse Sightseeing - Ancient Kingdoms

For this edition of Marioverse sightseeing, a recent question on the subreddit inspired me to do an in-depth post exploring the ancient past of the Mushroom Kingdom and the Koopa Kingdom!

Let me start by crediting @seandwalsh, who came up with most of the things here, I helped along the way and compiled everything.

So with that out of the way, let's begin this history lesson!

The ancient past of the Mushroom Kingdom and the Koopa Kingdom is still shrouded in mystery to us, but we've had glimpses of a few major kingdoms that could've played a part in their history.

Dry Dry Kingdom, Kingdom of Bask and the Koopa Kingdom

From Paper Mario, we know of the Dry Dry Kingdom. Once ruled by King Mousta (a Nomadimouse), the Dry Dry Kingdom was located in the Dry Dry Desert, as the name implies. However, King Mousta was overthrown by his subjects and exiled, along with his followers, from his kingdom. He later returned, along with allied thieves and bandits, and the ensuing war lead to the fall of the kingdom. What is left of it is now known as the Dry Dry Ruins.

But that is not where the story ends. One of the courses in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! is called Dry Dry Desert. In it (specifically in it's Retro iteration in Mario Kart 8), numerous statues and sphynxes featuring Hammer Bro. faces can be seen. These same statues can also be seen alongside the ruins of the Kingdom of Bask, an ancient kingdom found in Mario Tennis Aces, and probably depict their ruler, King Bask.

This leads me to believe that the Kingdom of Bask is the successor that arose from the ashes of the Dry Dry Kingdom, populated by those who revolted against King Mousta, while his followers went on to create the Dry Dry Outpost.

Furthermore, given that:

- King Bask was a likely Hammer Bro., which is a type of Koopa.

- Other ancient Koopa structures can be seen in deserts, such as the Koopaseum in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time and Bone-Dry Dunes in Mario Kart 8.

- Reptiles are known for basking in the sun (from which the Kingdom of Bask is named after), with Koopa-built fortresses being noted to have roofs "perfect for napping in the sun".

"Hey! We can go outside again because the Fuzzies are gone! Stupendous! Spectacular! It's time to bask in the sun! A little music on the radio, a little sunshine on my shell... Does it get any better?" - A Koopa, in Paper Mario

It's possible that the Kingdom of Bask expanded further, eventually making the islands seen in Mario Tennis Aces the center of their empire. King Bask would ultimately bring about the end of his reign after attempting to control Lucien, destroying his kingdom.

That would leave a power vacuum for Bowser's ancestors take control and form the Koopa Kingdom from the remaining territories in the mainland, leaving the now ruined islands behind.

Kingdom of Shrooms and the Mushroom Kingdom

On the other side of this history class, Paper Mario: The Origami King introduced us to an ancient civilization of Toads known as the Kingdom of Shrooms. This Kingdom was founded by the Toad Shroomses after he discovered oil in the Scorching Sandpaper Desert. Evidence of this kingdom can also be seen in Paper Mario: Sticker Star, with similar Toad imagery being found in Drybake Desert (In Japanese also called Dry Dry Desert). Similar structures to Shroom City's palace can also be found in Shy Guy Bazaar, from Mario Kart 7.

Drybake Desert's most recognizable feature is perhaps the large Yoshi sphinx, in contrast to the Hammer Bro. sphinxes mentioned previously. These Yoshi sphinxes can also be seen in Mario Kart Wii's Dry Dry Ruins and probably belong to the ancient Koopa Kingdom I've speculated on earlier, given that the track shares similar statues to the ones found in the original GCN Dry Dry Desert.

Perhaps this indicates that both the Kingdom of Shrooms and the Kingdom of Bask might've been active in Drybake.

If that's to be believed, then it's also possible that these Toads that formed the Kingdom of Shrooms were Dryites, and were the allies that helped King Mousta, looping everything back around to the Dry Dry Kingdom! That would mean the Dryites of Dry Dry Outpost could be direct descendants of this ancient kingdom.

Evidence of the Kingdom of Shrooms expanding beyond the desert region can be seen in other games, mainly Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, where many levels feature their architectural style. Mummy-Mes (a type of ghostly Toad mummies) and the Super Crown could also be linked to this ancient Toad civilization. A huge thanks to @Cad484 for coming up with this theory connecting the Kingdom of Shrooms to Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker!

Eventually, the Kingdom of Shrooms would go on to form into the modern Mushroom Kingdom we know of today.

The Palace, from Super Mario Strikers and located in the Mushroom Kingdom, was the residence of the royal family before being converted into the Battle Soccer stadium it is today. Additionally, it is heavily implied Rosalina was a princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, and an indirect ancestor to Princess Peach herself.

Which finally brings us to the present time, reaching the end of this long rant. Now, to summarize everything:

To make a long story short

The Dry Dry Kingdom of the Dry Dry Desert was ruled by King Mousta, he was overthrown by possibly Koopa traitors and exiled. These Koopas then went on to form the Koopa Kingdom, spreading over the Dry Dry Desert, and building structures such as Bone-Dry Dunes, Wii Dry Dry Ruins, the Yoshi Sphinx in Drybake Desert and the Koopaseum.

Expanding his empire, King Bask would eventually make his reign centered on the islands in Mario Tennis Aces, and bring about his end by Lucien. Now without a king, the mainland territories of the kingdom were then left in control of Bowser's ancestors, forming what is now known as the Koopa Kingdom.

Meanwhile, King Shroomses creates the Kingdom of Shrooms in the Scorching Sandpaper Desert, probably connected to the Dry Dry Desert (due to Drybake Stadium). Having befriended the Dry Dry Kingdom, Dryites from Kingdom of Shrooms went in aid of King Mousta during the war that lead to the downfall of the Dry Dry Kingdom, eventually settling in Dry Dry Outpost.

The Kingdom of Shrooms then expanded beyond the desert, building many towers and palaces, such as the Grand Labyrinth, eventually becoming the Mushroom Kingdom of today.

Thank you!

I hope this post was informative and thank you for everyone who stuck with me until the end! If you enjoyed this type of post, make sure to check Marioverse Discord server and the Subreddit for more theories and discussions on Mario lore! https://discord.gg/ARUSxjmcSS

https://www.reddit.com/r/Marioverse/

See you next time!

[tarditzgrade]

pmtok hc? time

so basically, way back when king shroomses and t. ode were running around, so was an ancient version of the legion

and jean-pierre chose the title of Jean-Pierre Colored Pencils the 7th

he mostly chose it because of the 7 colors in the rainbow but i like it since if you draw a couple of well-placed lines under the roman numerals for 7, you get the roman numerals for 12

and hence...

i tried to make it faded but my digital skills are not amazing

[starryskyspectacle]

Here's a personal interpretation

So I've been working on au stuff and figured i should drop the design i have currently for my version of King Shroomses!

My toad designs are following a lot of headcanons I've made that i hope to explain soon

[jitteryjive]

dj is autistic. you agree. reblog

[year2000electronics]

Do you think t ode and shroomses could've had a thing before the super marino stuff

are you kidding of COURSE they had a thing. i mean like. i guess you could say they didnt but i do think its the. its the tom nook and redd exes of paper mario world. imagine falling in love w the great king shroomses and he loves you also and you two are great. but then you break up and are exes about it and so t ode is like hello my ex shroomses. i stole the sub of your favourite spa. make me king now. 

[allieangel44]

Am I the only one who noticed the similarities between Captain T. Ode from Paper Mario: Origami King and Lars from Steven Universe?

(There will be spoilers for the show Steven Universe and the game Paper Mario: Origami King. You've been warned)

First off, their appearances. They look super similar! From the cape and trenchcoat looking super similar, the dark black, yellow highlights, their popped collars, dark shirt, white pants...! They look a lot like each other!

Both characters have been "brought back" to life. Now, Lars actually died (the boi was caught in an explosion and thrown against a stone pillar) but T. Ode was frozen in ice for all eternally in a death-like state. Both were brought back by a protagonist (Steven and Olivia) still alive.

Both stole ships from massive figures in their worlds. Lars, now revived, goes and steals the Sun Incinerator from a high-ranking figure from the Gem Homeworld known as Emerald as T. Ode goes and steals the Super Marino from the Shangri Spa and tries to use it as a bargaining chip for King Shroomses' crown due to how close he was to the spa. The spa is literally considered paradise as Emerald is one of the highest-ranking Gems besides the Diamonds we've seen in the show.

Both go through a change in personality. Lars' happens on screen whilst T. Ode's happened whilst he was in the ice. Lars goes from jerk to hero as T. Ode goes from rebellious, King Challenging pirate to a much friendlier, chill captain. Olivia says it best...

Both are pirates, and both are captains. Like... They're both considered pirates, and both called captain (or Khap'taan)

This is all I've got so far, but if I find anything else, I may update it.

So, what I'm saying is...

[kenzoru]

context he stole king shroomses crown somehow

[ashes-of-burnt-art]

more pmtok writing! this time of Holt’s (my hole punch) meeting Olly, Saxen, Harlow, and Taniel. partially because i wanted to write some Holt and Taniel interactions (they kind of dislike each other here but that’s at least just at first wsdrgh). and also because Holt meeting the others is the most thought-out los introduction i had and he’s just fun to write (i mainly use xe/xem/xyr pronouns for Holt here mainly since i haven’t written a character who uses that set specifically in a while but yeah Holt uses xe/he/it). haven’t written most of these characters before (except Saxen and Harlow), but i like how they came out

also a bit of a more developed backstory for Holt! there’s also a fair amount of swearing mainly because of Holt (surprisingly, not because of Saxen or Taniel wsdfgh). some parts might be inaccurate in terms of names because i was going off of memory but i think i got mostly everything right

Xe felt an odd, prickling feeling - it poked continuously at xyr mind, entirely unrelenting. W-what...? Xe wasn't sure what it was - xe hadn't been disturbed in...what? At least the past couple of decades? I...really don't remember how long it's been. All I know is that I'm...well, I don't think I've been alive for a while, but...

It was weird to think like that. Really, it felt like it was only a few days ago when xe was back in the Sandpaper Desert's palace, standing by King Shroomses' side and assisting him. And hiding from xyr family. And by extension...maybe the Fire Vellumental, if xe really felt like counting it. But now xe was...somewhere. Not anything that felt like the scorching desert, that was for sure.

Was I buried? That was one of xyr biggest questions that xe never would get the best answer to.

Hmm. Nah, xe'd decided once. After what happened, I don't think anyone would think I'm worth burying.

Xe was plagued with thoughts like that on a daily basis, or at least, whatever was xyr kind of 'daily.' Xe'd think of something that might've happened to xem after...that incident, and immediately brush it off. Most commonly were reasonings of 'nah, my family wouldn't care' or 'I'm a coward, why would they do that for me?' It was disheartening for xem, sure, but xe felt it was realistic compared to the alternatives.

Regardless of xyr current state, the weird tingling was bugging xem. A lot. What the hell is that? Xe tried to shut xyr eyes even more - not that it mattered much, since all xe could see was the murky darkness of what xe liked to call, 'the pinnacle of absolutely nothing.' Holt vaguely swiped at xyr head with xyr hands, or at least, that's what xe hoped xe was doing. All xe felt was...unsurprisingly, nothing.

Gah! At least only having my own thoughts was tolerable. While this new, weird tingling was something to keep xem preoccupied, that didn't make it tolerable. Xe let out an annoyed hiss - why couldn't xe do something about it? The tingling noise sound soon morphed into a loud, ringing - worse than hearing nothing but silence.

"Shut up!" Holt screamed, xyr tail lashing. It was useless screaming, of course, but xe felt like it was better than just bearing it. "For the love of the Vellumentals, shut the hell up! That sound is so fucking annoying!"

"So, you're awake?" A voice asked - it was one that Holt had never heard before. The hell is this shit...?

Holt felt xyr shoulders stiffen. "Who are you? And how...how are you talking to me?"

The voice seemed to shrug off Holt's angry tone. "Well, if you're hearing me, then you aren't as dead as I led on to believe."

Dead? I never- hmm. I don't even know that. Did I die? "So...I'm actually dead? Like, dead-dead? I honestly have no clue."

"I-" The voice cut themself off, as if trying to process what Holt had just said. "Never mind that. Since you're responding and haven't wasted too much of my time, let's just cut to the chase."

'Wasting my time,' really. Why would I care about that, honestly? Holt found it a bit ridiculous that whoever this was wouldn't even answer xyr question. Xe'd been so damn confused for the past couple of decades - xe could at least do with a solid response on xyr living status! But if I pester them, I might lose whatever chance of answers in an instant. I can't screw this up.

...or screw this up too badly, knowing me.

Sighing, Holt nodded lightly, though it was useless. "Sure, whatever. It's not like I have anything else to do in the meanwhile."

Satisfied with xyr answer, the voice went on. "I am King Olly, king of origami. I wish to expand my kingdom further, but...I require assistance in doing so."

So did other kings, you aren't special. Holt wanted to say that, but, well...it wasn't the smartest thing to say to the first person to speak to xem in years, was it? And honestly...I still can't bring myself to blatantly disrespect royalty, if this 'king of origami' is who he claims to be. If he's not, then I can just disrespect them later, I suppose.

"And you want...my help? You sure about that, buddy?" Holt interrupted, crossing xyr arms. "I have no clue what's going on out there, but I promise you that I'm not some legendary demigod, or whatever you might've heard. You're setting yourself up for disappointment if that's what you were hoping for." Unless you were wanting a coward. And a liar. Then I suppose that would do the job.

"But you are a demigod, yes?"

"I mean, yeah...what else would I be known for? Being the biggest disgrace to my family's legacy, maybe." Though I think they're probably more content to just...forget I existed. Just a little smudge on our family history that can be wiped away just as easily as it came to be.

Olly was silent for a moment, then spoke up again. "If I believed whatever nonsense your family was apparently feeding you, I wouldn't have bothered." Holt felt xyr heart skip a few beats. This was...not the kind of thing xe was used to hearing. Well, not from anyone except Shroomses... "Listen, I'm asking for your help because I want it. And need it, if I want to accomplish my goal."

Holt couldn't help but feel xyr lips curl into a small grin. "You actually want my help?" Of course this can always be a trick, or I could just be hearing things, but... "If you're being honest, sure. Just...how exactly do you plan on getting me to help when I'm kind of stuck in limbo?"

"I think I can assist with that," he replied - if he said anything more, Holt didn't catch it.

Instead xe was greeted with a barrage of scents and sounds, followed by the bright flash of light shining in xyr eyes. Beneath xyr feet, xe felt sand shifting through xyr toes, and some of it fluttering into xyr face. Spitting some of it out, xe groaned in disgust - but felt an odd rush of delight. This is my home, isn't it? I'm...back.

I'm no longer stuck in that hell!

Of course it was the major relief, no longer having to be stuck in that darkness. While xe already was hating the sunlight beaming in xyr face...it was already an improvement to the cold touch of darkness. Xe stretched, yawning - now xe could fully stretch xyr tail and legs, which was probably the second biggest relief.

The clearing of a throat caught xyr attention, however. Xe blinked a few times to see four figures in front of xem - three of them looking to be around the same age, though two definitely had seen better days. One of the two had two swords in her scabbards, her hands already hovering over them. The other stood close to her, his lower body entirely serpentine. Which wouldn't particularly terrify Holt considering xyr own looks, but...he had a few extra, shadow-y hands sprouting out of his back. Not to mention his tail seemed to curve into a hand-like shape at the end. Okay... he began, inadvertently tensing up. Never get on his bad side.

Between them was a slightly shorter figure, who wore a folded crown atop his head - Holt was just going to assume that he was that 'King Olly' who contacted xem. He looks too young to be a king. But he did save me, so...hngh...I do respect him for doing that.

To their side was a taller figure, one who looked a fair bit older and far more experienced than the other three. He was outfitted in a large, purple coat (which was stupid - who wears a heavy coat in the desert?) and baggy brown pants. A red bandana flattened most of his hair, which Holt didn't get either - how was he not burning up in such clothes? It bothered Holt more than it should. He looks more ready to go out on the seas or something...is he a pirate wannabe, or...? Honestly, xe didn't want to consider the idea that this person could in fact, be a pirate.

Holt turned xyr attention to Olly. "You were actually serious about getting me out of there, huh...?" Xe put xyr hands on xyr hips. "Too bright for my tastes, but this is so much better than that eternal darkness, believe you and me."

"Remember why I helped you," Olly said, which honestly Holt did not feel as intimidated by now that xe was seeing Olly in person. "To-"

"Expand your origami kingdom, yes, I know," Holt finished, earning xem the glares of both the blade-wielding girl and the taller man standing further to the side. Xe didn't particularly care, though. Even if I'm a cowardly one, I am still a demigod. They should know not to actually mess with me. "Cool it. I've already told your king that I'm fine with helping him."

Biting her lip, the girl with the blades whirled to face Olly. "Are you sure about this? This demigod seems...annoying."

Olly raised an eyebrow at her. "Saxen, how exactly is 'seems annoying' supposed to help me?"

Saxen shrugged. "Just saying, is all."

Holt narrowed xyr eyes at Saxen. Not even ten minutes since meeting her and I already do not like her. How old even was she? Thirteen, at the youngest. Still, even if she's a kid and all...what gives her the right to deem me annoying but not herself? Ugh.

"Ignore her," Olly sighed, getting a quiet scoff from Saxen. He ignored her. "I'm glad you haven't already forgotten your part, then."

Smiling lightly, Holt gave him a curt nod. "Well, yeah. You don't seem to despise me entirely and don't care as much about what my family's said about me, so that's fine by me." Xyr gaze landing on the others, xe raised an eyebrow. "So...your companions? Since I'm probably going to be working alongside them."

Saxen, stepped forwards first. "Saxen. I like swords." She glanced up at Holt, a faint smirk on her face. "You don't want to end up on the wrong side of mine."

Is that a threat? Holt honestly wasn't sure if xe wanted to test that, but xe guessed she wasn't joking, judging by the way the half-snake looking teenager glared at her.

"Quit threatening everyone we meet, would you?" he snapped, his tongue flicking angrily. Saxen just shrugged, her eyes now narrow as she stared down Holt. Yeah, that was a threat... He turned back to Holt. "Please excuse my sister, she has no manners. I'm Harlow." His introduction was somewhat cut short with Saxen elbowing him, but Harlow just rolled his eyes at her.

Siblings, eh? At least those two seem to be...somewhat neutral with each other, at the very least. Or let the other speak. Holt wasn't going to let this be ruined by thinking about xyr family members, though. Xe was going to focus on...whatever this was, for now. Xe turned to the last companion, who hadn't introduced himself yet. Is he going to speak, or...?

"The name's Taniel," he spoke up, with a begrudging sigh. "Perhaps you've heard of me."

Taniel...? That was...the name of the infamous pirate captain back in Holt's days, wasn't it? I don't remember ever seeing him, but...I remember hearing a whole bunch of stuff about how ruthless the seas were getting because of him and his crew. Not to mention all the crap that Taniel would do, or at least, from what I heard... It wasn't often that xe would hear stuff from Shroomses about it, after his trips. Holt looked over the man who was calling himself Taniel now - was he really...? Certainly looks the part, I guess. Did Olly do the same thing for him that he did me, then? Perhaps a similar case was for Saxen and Harlow, though Holt had never heard of either of them before.

Holt nodded slowly. "I...think so. You were a terror of the Great Sea, weren't you?"

Taniel groaned. "...Yeah. Yeah, that works."

Unable to resist the smug grin tugging at xyr face, xe raised an eyebrow. "What? Not impressed with that title?"

His face scrunched up. "Surprised you didn't go for something else. I've done...a lot of stuff."

"Hmm, true. I suppose it wouldn't do you good if I embarrassed you in front of your king and companions, would it?" Holt exhaled, pretending to sound disappointed. If xe was being honest with xemself, xe particularly know too much about everything Taniel apparently did - only rumours and such. The only one I explicitly remember hearing about is that one that he apparently went to Diamond Island just to fight the Ice Vellumental...I don't know how, but...that's about it.

Taniel eyed xem in a way that made Holt tense up. "Alright, wise guy. Can it before I change my mind about not beating you to a pulp."

Feeling a prick of annoyance, Holt just kept xyr arms crossed. "I feel I should remind you that I am a demigod."

"And?" Taniel scoffed, taking a few steps towards xem. He raised his fist. "I've punched the Ice Vellumental before. Don't think you're special."

Xyr tail lashing a bit, Holt bit xyr tongue. "Only punching the Ice Vellumental? What, you trying to hide something?" Xe tried to hold back from saying more - but couldn't stop xemself. "It's okay to admit you lost."

Taniel let out something that was reminiscent of a growl, right before aiming a blow right to Holt's face - xe nimbly dodged, ducking. Holt slipped behind him, elbowing Taniel in the back - the pirate stumbled forwards, face-planting into the sand. It was a struggle to contain xyr laughter; it'd probably just piss Taniel off even further if xe laughed at him.

...However, Saxen seemed more than content to laugh at Taniel.

"Taniel, how didn't you see that coming? Holt was obviously testing your patience!" Saxen cried, her eyes wet with tears - specifically, ones of amusement.

Harlow didn't seem to care as much as his sister, instead studying Holt carefully. It was unnerving, but Holt refrained from commenting on it - xe wasn't about to get on someone else's bad side within their first meeting. And besides...for all I know, Harlow could be more dangerous than Taniel. Like, sure Taniel is a pirate, and he decided to try and punch a god. But Harlow? I've got nothing on him, or his sister. Saxen's hands were no longer hovering as closely to her blade handles, but it was enough to keep Holt on edge. Definitely don't want to get on her bad side, either. She's a kid, but...I doubt she's bluffing all too much.

Soon after, Taniel brought himself to get up, glowering Holt. "Never said that I lost. It wasn't really like that." He bared his teeth a little, revealing a bit of a gold tooth. "Just a minor inconvenience, is all."

Okay, well...he's lying about it being minor. If it weren't for the fact that I knew about him prior to today, I wouldn't doubt him as much. Was it a situation similar to mine, perhaps? Holt mused. That seemed to be the most likely - while Holt wasn't sure how long it'd been since that fateful day, xe was incredibly certain that at least a single decade had passed. But Holt knew Taniel was around when xe was still serving Shroomses, and Taniel didn't look all too much different from how Holt last remembered him being described. Well, the sunglasses and chin stubble...those are new, I think.

Holt really didn't feel like pressing the matter further, however. "If you say so, Taniel the Terror." Xe turned to Olly, who had just been watching them go at it with an expression of slight annoyance, if Holt was reading his face correctly. "Apologies, King Olly. Was simply surprised to remember someone from my old days."

Olly didn't respond right away - he seemed to be studying both Taniel and Holt carefully, as if he was trying to figure out what they meant. I honestly hope he doesn't ask me about any of it. The sooner I can leave that behind, the better.

"Well, try to save it for after we gather the others. I want to get on with my plan as soon as possible," he said. His gaze remained on Holt for a few more seconds, before turning to Taniel. "Taniel, where's our next stop again?"

Taniel took a crumpled piece of paper out of his coat's inner pocket, unfolding it carefully. "Autumn Mountain, if I'm recalling correctly." He gave the expansive desert a disdainful sniff. "We have to cross this first, though."

Holt raised an eyebrow. "Oh, Autumn Mountain? I've never been." It definitely wouldn't be around the same kind of heat as the desert, would it...? I hope not. Xe gestured to what seemed to be Taniel's map. "Have you been there before? Since you have the map and all."

He narrowed his eyes at Holt before shaking his head, pointing at Saxen and Harlow. "It's theirs." Before Holt could make any comment, he added, "I'm borrowing it, stupid."

Xe threw xyr hands up, amused. "I wasn't going to say anything."

Scoffing, Taniel began to take off in the opposite direction. "Sure."

The others seemed to be either indifferent or annoyed with their smaller spat, which didn't surprise Holt too much at that point. Harlow didn't seem to peeved, and seemed the most indifferent out of all of them - Holt guessed it was likely due to having Saxen as his sibling. Saxen was visibly annoyed, though Holt was willing to assume it was partially because of the desert heat. Olly seemed to be both, judging from the small glimpse Holt got - there was something about him that was somewhat terrifying, despite being young. I...I'm probably beginning to make him regret letting me join him, aren't I? It shouldn't be surprising, especially since I should know better-

No, I'm not going to think about them right now.

Xe glanced back at Taniel, who was now muttering to himself. Holt couldn't exactly pick up on what he was saying - xe was willing to bet that was on purpose, too. Xe shrugged it off, though; the current dislike Taniel seemed to have didn't seem to be outright disappointment, at the very least. And he probably thinks that I'm at least competent enough to not be an automatic failure considering earlier. So that's something, I guess.

Instead of saying anything more, Holt simply began trailing behind Taniel once xe saw the others leaving as well. Even if this wasn't the best first impression, I'll just...try to prove I'm not going to be a deadweight.