#most of my ocs now are not exactly original but more on my own interpretation of existing characters 💀

[tuberosumtater]

READ FROM RIGHT TO LEFT!!!

Gonna translate the image dialogue to text 'cuz of my poor writing:

--- PANEL 1 ---

"Yo! Liu, I'll be heading to the food market to get some grub. Want something to eat?"

--- PANEL 2 ---

"The souls of the INNOCENT!!!" "A *tanghulu"

*Note: Tanghulu is a Chinese snack that consists of fruits (that are coated in hardened sugar syrup) on a stick. It is often mistaken for regular candied fruits. - Source: Wikipedia

--- PANEL 3 ---

"No!" "Two tanghulus"

[sailorgundam308]

Got pretty annoyed yesterday while discussing the game with a friend (don’t worry, we’re still friends lol). But truly, I got annoyed at, once more, seeing how there are wrong assumptions weaved into the community discourse - things based out of someone’s ass, apparently, that got traction and now are repeated by players as if it’s true. But, of course, if anyone stops 2 seconds to actually pay attention to the game, these ideas prove to be just wrong.

This friend, for example, was mentioning how Astarion and Karlach NEVER agree or disagree together in anything. That’s a lie. I’ve (me myself, so I KNOW firsthand) been screen shooting every time there’s an agreement between them and when there isn’t. There are much more agreements than disagreements between Astarion and Karlach. They do come across as having different alignments, but they think alike MUCH more than ‘the internet’ (or even some devs?!) tend to believe. They might justify their rationale in different ways but they do agree together and disagree together way more than they disagree with each other. So that is something I personally can attest to.

Then I heard the argument that Karlach and Astarion don’t get unique scenes between each other: again, untrue. The tiefling party scene with Karlach, for starters, is the only unique romance scene for Astarion. The only person who has back and forth with Karlach after the paladins of Tyr are defeated is Astarion. They have (out of the top of my head, at least 4 unique short banters while both are in the party - again, more than Karl with any other companion.

Then the wrong assumption Astarion can’t go to Avernus : he can and he goes, both as ascended and spawn if you’re playing origin Karl. Ascended if you’re playing him.

A lot stems, again, from simplistic and shallow interpretations of both these characters’ story arcs and personalities. Others come from prejudice, from passing judgement on their appearance instead of their “content”.

Moreover, though, there will never be as much this x that content if it’s involving Karlach (and worse for Wyll) SIMPLY BECAUSE there is LESS than A THIRD the amount of content for Karlach in ANYTHING.

For some reason writers/devs took a long while to decide to put the work into Karlach and when they did they clearly made a bet that blew in their faces - that she’d be a lesser origin character and that’d turn out alright. But she’s the second most popular character and because people like her, they are paying attention to her story - and the massive lack of work and resources dedicated to her arc. Imagine if she had received the attention in detail and the game time / in game content, say, shadowheart received? Instead of a temple Shar, we went to Avernus? In place of Shar, ZARIEL made a personal appearance? We could’ve gotten a young Karlach flashback cinematic, an extra dungeon in act 3, then a personal quest closure with Gortash instead of SH’s parents, so we’d know what the fuck happened. As someone who can’t give two shits about SH, that would’ve been incredible to play. Half of that would still have been a blast. But we get nowhere near. And I’m only bringing Karlach to attention here as an example - if you look at Wyll (who was the front page origin boy since the conception of the game), the disparity is even more shocking.

I’ve read on a writer’s twitter a while back (can’t remember who exactly so you’ll have to excuse me), that they were the writers for Durge, and for a time they got to write some stuff for Astarion for a bit, due to some task delegation changes and whatnot, and they explicitly said they “managed to put in things specific to their “main” character (durge) in Astarion’s writing” - or something in those lines. Honestly… what the fuck? Not sure if that was the intention, but to me it sounded like someone with their own precious OC, which they are obviously attached to, pushing content in to benefit their “main”. In a game where there are several “mains” and many with glaringly less content than others. Again, in my interpretation of what I read that day, this information came across as the most unprofessional shit I’ve seen - if you are tasked to write someone else’s character, you should act as that character’s writer - not a fanfic writer trying to push a personal headcanon or narrative because it pleases YOU, in detriment of other characters. It was wild at the time and I just kinda… walked away and pretended I didn’t read it. It was just shocking and not the attitude I expected from a serious professional.

Whether that’s the whole truth or not I can’t say, but what I can say is that this left me with a weird taste in my mouth and perhaps that’s why until today I couldn’t finish a single run with Durge despite trying several. There are other issues with Durge for me personally in term of the actual writing of the sentences and the way they were worded that just seems impossible to take seriously. (But I’m trying to get over it still, as I want to experience this part of the game too, so I won’t give any sort of personal final veredict).

Also, the idea that Durge was supposed to be the main character… that’s a new assumption for me and my friend also brought it up. That sounded very sus and I went to read more about it and, of course, that’s also wrong. In previous BG games, we always played a Bhaalspawn. It would make perfect sense we played one again - but the butler shit, the amnesia, the gore erotic fantasies, that wouldn’t fly for the average BG3 player - and wasn’t supposed to. When they decided to split tav to leave the “absolutely neutral protagonist” they parted with the bhaalspawn narrative that was a very big part of the previous games, so I assume they didn’t want to just toss it, but put it to another “dark tav” or whatever shit that means. And then they doubled down with the evil and edge lord of kitschy horror narrative. It’s FINE. But isn’t supposed to be the main character.

TLDR: instead of taking random assumptions about bg3 as yours, pay attention to the game itself. And think critically about it a bit. All the origins are presented AS equals but they’re nothing but. And Larian should be (yes, troubleshooting tech issues but also) trying to even out the absurd gaps they allowed to happen in integrating the narrative of, especially, Karlach and Wyll into the game. Make more and decent content for them, fix the plot holes, rewrite the shit that doesn’t make sense for them FIRST.

Tbh, I wouldn’t be complaining if Larian had owned it to their content and presented us with Karlach and Wyll as sort of Halsin or Minthara type of companion - non origin, lesser tier of companion. Then the production choices they made would be at the very least justified. And I won’t EVEN start on the fact that these two, Karl and Wyll, are the two PoC origins… the black guy and the southeast Asian woman. Because, oh, boy, things start to look VERY bad when you put THAT into this equation… 👀

[fishedeyelenz]

ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE BLACK CHRISTMAS FANDOM

Hello everyone who's been following my writing and art and OC's!! Your support has warmed my heart, and got me through some thought times. Thank you very much for sticking by me, commenting, sending me kudos and asks regarding Dilf Billy and my oc-verse I made around him!

However... I have come to realize I have made Billy, at least the older 45-50 year old version of him my own. Very much my own. I think there's a discrepancy between my characterization of him, and how he is portrayed in the movie/novel/commentary. Another thing is that I love him too much. I want to make him my own, not an interpretation of a pre-existing character...

So that's exactly what I am going to do! I'm taking him and making him an OC. Currently I am in the process if changing up his backstory to make him distinct from Billy Lenz, though the Dilf version we see in Rats in the shadows and partially in So give me coffee and tv will stay similar.

My goal is to create a group of ocs consisting of the character formerly known as Billy, Camille, Bean and other side characters who will exist in a story about an ex serial killer father. I'm still early in the rework, but I feel like I don't have change too much.

What this means I will effectively be distancing myself at least partially from the Black Christmas fandom, at least in terms of my content creation though these past few months I have been in a rut given college preoccupying most of my time. I still love Black Christmas, it will remain one of my favorite movies forever. I cherish the friends I made and the experiences I had, but I want to move on to more original creations, uninhibited by primary existing source materials.

I will still interact with fan works in terms of reblogging art and writing , and I will most likely draw more of Billy Lenz and the other characters from the movie in the future. Anything regarding Camille, Bean, "dilf Billy" though, will be something divorced from Black Christmas, entirely its own thing, though obviously inspired by it.

Will I return to writing for Black Christmas? At this point I am uncertain. I have a WIP of a priest!au thing for Dilf Billy, which if I ever get around to finishing I would post under the pretense that it's a Black Christmas fanwork. However, I am not sure if I will finish it, given that I don't really have the time, and at the moment motivation to really work on it. Another story idea exists too, one which would better fit into the Black Christmas ethos with is very dark tone and heavy subject matter (while still remaining a smut work) which I would gladly have exist as a fanwork.... But once again I am lacking the time and want to do it. It would be a very big project, all things considered.

So what now? I will keep all my Billy Lenz/Dilf Billy content up on my blog, my AO3 will stay intact (though I will forward this announcement onto there), and I won't change my tags on Dilf Billy related posts. Moving forward, though, everything created for my oc inspired by Billy Lenz/Dilf Billy Lenz will be tagged as that. I need to come up with a new name for him first...

I will also make a post regarding how the plot of Rits/Sgmcatv would have went if I'd finished them, to give you guys some sort of conclusion. Though the new oc story with Bean, Camille and the new Billy oc in it will very closely follow Rits original storyline. Most of the events of Rits are canon still in regards to Camille's and Bean's backstory, with of course some caveats (no Brahms, Camille and "Billy" meet differently etc.). But the large majority of the plot points and story beats are the same.

I will be happy to answer any further questions, as my inbox is open. I'm sorry to disappoint anyone, but I've felt the need to move on, to elevate this story. I hope I can be forgiven. Now I bid farewell to this part of my life and creative era, and look forward to the new.

[marivenah]

OC Tag Game

I was tagged by @corvosattano @socially-awkward-skeleton and @jackiesarch to do this tag game, thank you 💙

sending no pressure tags to @risingsh0t @nightbloodbix @sstewyhosseini @detectivelokis @jinfromyarikawa @river-ward @poisonedtruth @ghastlyrider @confidentandgood @josephslittledeputy @aceghosts @voidika @madparadoxum @indorilnerevarine @shadowglens @purplehairsecretlair @nightwingshero @fourlittleseedlings @strangefable @leviiackrman @roofgeese @kyber-infinitygems @poetikat @shegetsburned @shellibisshe @jacobseed and anyone who wants to play!

— FAVOURITE OC (CURRENTLY)

I don't really have an all-time fave, so going with the current one. So this one should be pretty obvious as I'm so annoying about her right now. Thanks to the hyperfixation on sw that hit me like a truck, I am putting so much more work into her character and story now than I ever had before. (Pretty much how it was with Zoiya when I created her.) Let's see how long this lasts.

— OLDEST OC

I've mentioned it before here and there in tags but Luna is my oldest oc and the first one I've ever put serious work into. The 2000s Fantastic Four movies were my first exposure to superhero movies and I thought 'hey that looks like fun!' and that's basically how she came into existence.

I probably have even older ocs but they're from fandoms I'm not part of anymore.

— NEWEST OC

The newest addition is Romy! I still need to develop her more but I had some unused concepts for original fiction stuff which she just absorbed I guess. So, at least there's a base.

— MEANEST OC

This one was hard to decide because I don't exactly have a purely evil oc. I also considered Carol, Shireen, and Yártien. While the others kill as well, having their very own interpretation of justice, Harper is extremely self-righteous. If people stand in her way, she will not shy away from making sure they don't, no matter what kind of person they are. I'd say she has a soft spot for nurses though.

— SOFTEST OC

One of the calmest and most reasonable Jedi you'll meet. She is just so full of love and joy that some would question whether she strictly follows the Jedi Code or not? She really has to put a lot of effort into not forming any attachments. Additionally, killing her opponents will always be her last resort. She even tries her best to get Inquisitors to come back to the light side.

— MOST ALOOF/STANDOFFISH OC

She's a bitch, and she knows it. She put a lot of work and effort into getting where she is today. And she'll do anything to keep that position. She'll knowingly gaslight gatekeep girlboss her way through life. She's in a high enough position to make the life of others miserable. And if she doesn't like the other person, she'll enjoy it even more.

— SMARTEST OC

Luna was raised by and learned from the smartest man on Earth. So, I thought I'd make her smart too. Back when she was created the mcu really lacked female geniuses. She's an expert in several scientific fields such as physics, chemistry, biology, and all kinds of engineering and a lot more. She's the ultimate nerd.

— DUMBEST (AFFECTIONATE) OC

Yuna dates a serial killer knowing full well what he's doing. She's also pretty dumb and oblivious. Not necessarily stupid but she only has one brain cell. Head empty at all times.

— OC I'D BE FRIENDS WITH IRL

Rose is a great best friend. Very dedicated and loyal. She has a big family so she's also very social, though not overly obnoxious. A very good listener and always tries to give helpful advice. Sometimes that advice is just to go out and have stupid fun to free the mind from the problems for some time. idk I'd just want to be her friend haha

[magyctale-official]

hi I just found this au today and it is choking me alive

you art is amazing and the au looks stunning and when I found out this is gonna be a series I screamed!!!

I just wanted to ask if you had like a character list or a description of what the au is about?

I really would love to jump on this hype train and all this has got me so excited!

AA THAT MAKES ME SO HAPPY OMG TYY <3<3<3

I do have a google sheet with a buncha characters written down but it has some spoilers in it so... 👀

But I can absolutely give a rundown!! Magyctale doesn't exactly have a solid "gimmick" (like Underswap or Underfell) but it's more like a rewrite of sorts? The characters act somewhat differentlyto their original counterparts and the main meat of the story is how their journey affects them and their relationships. :3

So for instance: Season 1 is for the most part a reimagining of Undertale, with a few original characters sprinkled alongside the AU cast. One of the biggest changes is that Frisk is older (they're about 17) so they have a lot more to say and there's a lot more room for them to express themself. Also I just prefer writing characters who aren't small childen XDD

After Season 1 is when it starts going into more stuff from my own noggin as opposed to being a retelling. So S1 is kinda like introducing all the characters and their dynamics before adding more stuff :3

By far my favorite arc is the one that incorperates elements from Deltarune- that's where my favorite boys come in and also is the arc with the most OCs!! Especially Mave- that's my horrible horrible son whom I adore with my entire heart and soul <3<3<3

I do have some character refs I can share!!

These are all from S1 (since that's what I'm focusing on planning right now) but I will take a short detour to talk about my awful little son just because I can <3

This is my vile little lad Mave :3

He started off as just my interpretation of The Knight from DR but now he is one of my most multi-faceted characters of all time I think. Funny how that worked out-

He is by far one of my favorite OCs of All Time and he's such a lil weirdo hehehe

I'm so sad he doesn't come in until much later in the story,,, I want him to be Real already XDD

I don't wanna give too too much away about him because,,,yknow,,,spoilers,,, but I've posted vaguely about his lore on this blog and my main (@bonetrix-arts) as well as over on my YouTube and TikTok accounts if you're curious!!! I simply love to vaguepost about my lore <3

If you have any more questions absolutely feel free to ask!!!! Also if you wanna ask something specific about a character- though I haven't posted about it in a while -I do have character asks open :3

I was posting em on my TikTok as well as here and I think Insta for a while n then I got side-tracked HNGSVDHCJ

I think I still had more art to finish up for the last one n that's why I never posted it,,

But anyways- feel free to do that if there's anything else you wanna know!!!! I need to draw these lil weirdos again n that'd be a nice way to kickstart my brain LMAO

Also I need to make a section for my AU in my Discord server,,, why haven't I done that yet?? RAHH I'm rambling!! Sory I just get so excited when people ask about my babies hehehe

I HOPE YOU HAVE AN AWESOME DAY!!! YOU ABSOLUTELY MADE MINE <3<3<3

[personmanrb]

As mentions in a previous post, this is the first "concept board" sorta thign i made for my OC the "Person" formerlly known as the "personman". As you can guess, the name is my own, but after a while i decided to truncate the "man" part so it flows better as a cryptid, more on that momentarily.

To address the first elephant in the room, yes the original image is an AI generated one. I feel the need to address this as while i myself am generally unaware of the harms or ethics of AI art (Tumblr is the first blog-based social media platform i've used, and i haven't been using it for long), even from my brief time on Tumblr so far i can see that a few folks don't like it, with good reason backing their views up at that. I used crAIyon (at the time Dall-E mini) to make it by plugging my Discord username into the machine (PersonMan_reborn) and just liking the green crescent-headed figure result a lot, so now i tend to use it as a pfp for most things. The AI used was pretty rudimentary at the time, but even then I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea if they see my AI generated pfp on Tumblr. Though, I wouldn't mind learning about how exactly AI image and art generators steal from human artists and the consequences, it seems quite the interesting rabbithole.

Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, where to begin! As i mentioned, that result i got from the generator just stuck with me, so when i finally decided to start drawing things digitally, however limited that would be, i knew i wanted to interpret how i saw the image. And how i saw it was as myself; rather, an alternative version of myself designed to be able to function in settings it is placed in. Fundamentally, the "person" is intended to be a sort of cryptid or extradimensional horror beyond mortal comprehension; think old classics like Slenderman and infamous terrors like Cthulu. It is both me and my creation, serving as a vehicle to insert myself and my experience into a story if i so choose, while trying to avoid being a literal self insert; it represents the viewer of the media or story, and can be as sincere or as meta as the situation calls for, whichever I as a real world person would find more entertaining. Of course, it can also function as a regular character to an extent, devoid of being a 4th wall break. The "person" also serves as a few roles because of this property, mainly in my D&D world comprising of my multitude of concept characters where it acts as several entities; the patron of one of my warlocks Melvin the Mad (inspired by the section in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything about being your own patron), a regular eldritch horror, a backup replacement character parading as whatever class if for whatever reason i need a throwaway to fill time, and a failsafe tool to be used as a DM for if something needs to happen despite the situation, for the sake of story and timeline; to name a few. About that last one, if for example a PC would be about to die in an unsatisfactory way, the "person" would intervene to prevent their death, even if at the cost of it not leaving the PC alone for its own amusement, like an omnipresent crow. Of course, the "person" also simply acts as the visual manifestation of my online persona, a simplistic character to be used in art, memes or any otherplace where one would be needed.

I'm always updating it, even if i don't draw the additions or post anything for a certain amount of time, and i patiently await the day i can get a PC (computer this time) and supplies so i can begin drawing all my ideas in ways that can serve them justice! Watch out for future posts like this, because next i'm going to be posting rundowns of ALL of my ttrpg characters, including D&D, LANCER and HKRPG.

[chaudharis]

hey ! would YOU like to know more abt him? awesome because im gonna dump my design notes and lore notes for him here for funsies! i just wanted to make an info post for him! thank you for reading if you do!

its a bit of a long one btw, so apologies for thwt. i am very much open to ideas and suggestions for developing this little. interpretation? au? whatever you might call this. feel free to play around with him as u like hes not my oc :^] just a fun idea

DESIGN NOTES:

i want to make it clear most of the design stuff is bc i thought it was cool. then i bullshit my reasoning behind it. remember this.

i also dont know how exactly to organize this so smth more lore related might be in the design section and vise versa. i dont care enough to make this better

also design is still very subject to change because i enjoy constantly fiddling with things. fun! might update if its different enough.

uses mostly reds/purples to directly complement athetos's greens and blues. trace takes comfort in this, for the most part.

just a fun idea but i rhink its neat to have traces Not Human-ness be biological, to contrast with indras being entirely technological/robotic. adds to their parallels. (and both of them being physical at all is a parallel to hammond being fucking dead /j)

wonder why his mouth has those faint marks at the corners? because it can do this now!

why you might ask? i dont know. ask someone else. i thiught it was cool. the orange line on #3 is supposed to indicate where his mouth normally wouldve ended. so he has a wider mouth technically!

hes much more movement based now! since this also acts as a fun idea for what if in a future av game(s) we got gameplay that was even more abt the movement. so hes pretty good at parkour now. specifically climbing. ive been imagining he moves a lot like u do in celeste, except probably more stamina and faster climbing. less focus on dashing. but he can air dash too!

he has his gun i promise he has the gun i just dont like drawing it it sucks to draw

yea so he is covered in carapace, since ive had to scrap that with a different chatacter (if you know, you know) i get to put it on the same character but in a different direction. i can do whatever i want forever.

size comparison over his weird. tentacle things idk what ud call them exactly. they got bigger because i can do anything. also bc when i originally drew them i didnt look up a ref (i rarely use refs for charas and prefer to go off of memory unless i need to) and so i was like ok so thwyre big right? right. well turns out theyre not. but guess what. now they are. it is so awesome for him

for funsies i think trace can put stupid shit in his hair. its a tangled mess stuff will very easily stay in there. he hasnt brushed it in years man. he always forgets what he puts in there btw so its always a surprise for him

oh also his labcoat also is Different but i cant figure out what hed have that isnt already in av1. so imagine he does smth new WOW WOW SO COOL !

LORE NOTES:

this whole hashtag Look is either from the original bioflux mutation getting worse or a few different ones. i havent decided which one i wanna go with. either way this is a gradual change. it will get worse!

see i dont have much for What hes doing because i dont have any ideas for what the rusalki are doing now so thats very much up in the air. all i have rn is that hes helping them somehow. not of his own choice really.

has a very. Not Great relationship with the rusalki. hes incredibly bitter about his situation (lack of any real control) and so. well they arent besties. hes a lot more snarky and rude to them. which is fair i think how would you feel in a situation like that huh. not so great huh.

his best friend is oracca bc shes the only person who hasnt lied to him and has only been helpful and he loves to chill with her. she never speaks or does much of anything but thats fine with trace, he doesnt mind. likes to do the rubber duck thing with her (says thing out loud to pin point whats wrong with whatever hes working on). she also doesnt mind id like to think

hes. a little more aggressive but as a defense mechanism. hes in hostile territory all the time and under incredible stress all the time, can you blame him realky? stress can make people aggressive, it turns out. crazy.

also with this, i say hes more aggressive but hes just more all bark no bite. hes like this

but if you take like, anothwr step closer hes like this

see. hes still kind of a weenie dw. i understand

he really wants to be kinder again. but hes not in a situation where he can. this kills him

also! heavy unreality issues. this is what happens when you spend months if not years thinking ur living ur life as usual until it gets revealed actually you were in a dream simulation the whole time. unrelated but i think he hates the movie inception.

the unreality is still a massive issue but he copes with it by after so long just going "ok well ill just assume Everything is a dream no matter what because the opposite would be horrifying and i have no evidence that disproves this. but i can act like i dont think this on the off chance rhat it is real. but i know its not"

doesnt come up much at all because hes not ever around someone New but he is pretty self conscious about how he is now. i think hes also a very touch swnsory person so he develops lots of touch related tics. like when nervous he starts to pick at himself, runs hands through hair a lot, etc etc. very touchy. with the parts hes most self conscious abt.

massive identity issues, especially because of his distinct lack of humanity. how can he really be trace anymore if hes changed so much, etc etc. those questions. he can feel his connection to The Trace Identity sorta fading as he becomes his own kinda guy away from this but it fucking sucks for him. because if hes not trace then what is he. who is he. if you tell him athetos hed curl up and cry

speaking of curling up and crying, thats what hes kinda doing a lot internally. he really wants to go home man and for real this time he wont want to go back to sudra this time he promises. but also if he does go back he will be 100% convinced that isnt real. which is fair

if you ask him how long hes been there he'll tell you "a few months, i think." this is not true, he has been there for years doing somethinh, couldnt tell ya what tho!

Generally Not Doing Too Great On Many Levels But Hes Dealing With It

ok thats abt all i can think of atm? ill update this if needed. otherwise hi if you read this ur very kind and i appreciate that. it feels nice when people read my stuff. makes me feel good :^] i hope you feel good today too. today is a good day

[elendiliel]

Free at Last

This story briefly references two brilliant other writers’ OCs; Nuts and Carrion live with @itsstrangelypermanent​ (and Keeli’s pretty much moved in with them) and are introduced in medical logs, while Purrgil and Yara live with @imrowanartist​ and are introduced in Deference for Darkness (AO3-wise, at least). I am most grateful to both of them for letting me include their characters, and highly recommend both fics. This one was also influenced by @gaeasun​‘s Oh Captain My Captain, which is also highly recommended.

---

“So much for stealth,” Captain Rex sighed as he drew his blasters and prepared to follow Clone Force 99, alias the Bad Batch, out into the open. Around him, the other sane or sane-ish members of the “infiltration” team followed suit. Gem-hued lightsabre blades flared into life, Anakin Skywalker’s sapphire, Fives’ lapis lazuli, Helli (Hel) Abbasa’s turquoise; Sergeant Torrent readied his DC-15S, and Spark his rather more subtle DC-17. None of them had planned on using their weapons; the original plan had been to slip into the Techno Union facility on Skako Minor and slip out again with Fives’ twin Echo, believed to be held captive by the TU, in tow, so quietly that nobody would know they had been there until later. But no plan survives contact with reality – or the Bad Batch.

The mission hadn’t exactly gone smoothly thus far. From the keeradak ambush almost as soon as they arrived, through the tense standoff with the chief of a nearby Poletec village (not made easier by the language barrier between the two sides; Tech’s translation software had been invaluable, though Helli for one did not like working through an interpreter, however skilled), to the bickering between the Batch (notably Crosshair) and the “regs” (a term Helli found nonsensical; “regular clones” was a contradiction in terms to her) that had nearly ended badly for Rex and Fives, they had already overcome more problems than usual. And now Wrecker, the Batch’s brawler and demo man, had just tackled a squad of clankers head-on, supported by his teammates. The TU must already be on the alert; there was no point in hanging back.

A corner of Hel’s mind noted with an abstract kind of surprise how easy she found it to focus on the mission and on protecting all the men around her, instead of concentrating on Torrent, her fiancé. This was their first operation since she had finally admitted to herself, and him, that she was in love with him (as well as her first since a stab wound had nearly killed her; she could feel the scar tissue in her chest resisting every twist and bend, and compensated accordingly). She had half-expected her judgement to be clouded, her priorities askew, but so far, so good.

Besides, she trusted Spark to protect him, and vice versa. The partnership between the gentle, soft-spoken sergeant-medic and the sassy, sarcastic techie might not be as obvious or as strong as the bond between the Domino Twins, but it was far from negligible. Such partnerships between medics and other clones were common across the GAR; Hel thought briefly of mischievous Nuts and straightforward Keeli in the Wolfpack, outspoken Purrgil and quiet Yara in Halo Corps, sharp-tongued Carrion and genial Stone in the Coruscant Guard, and other pairs she knew.

The Jedi had long had a similar system, she was well aware; her best friend Nahdar had been a talented healer, and the two of them had planned to become partners after her knighting. He hadn’t lived that long, but in a sense he was still with her; his lightsabre was in her shield hand, the blue blade interweaving with the blue-green ones of her own sabre to form a near-impenetrable barrier, keeping blaster bolts away from Hunter and Tech while Fives shielded his other squadmates and Anakin did the same for Rex and Crosshair. (There was no point in trying to protect Wrecker; he was too close to the droids, and besides, his armour was proof against the few lasers that actually went near him.)

In a matter of minutes, the entire droid squad had been incapacitated, and no obvious alarms had been raised. It was still a good idea to move on as soon as possible, though, they all knew. At first, Tech led the way, following the signal that had originally led them to Skako Minor, the one they assumed came from Echo, but it cut out a few corridors into the search. Hunter and Crosshair were quick to suspect a trap, but Tech pointed out something that should have been obvious from the start; it would make sense for the signal to be traceable only when Echo was sending information – unwillingly, knowing him. Tech couldn’t track him until he did so again.

“I can,” Fives said. “This way.” He started to head down the corridor, then turned back when he realised only his own unit was even beginning to follow him.

“You’re sure?,” Crosshair all but sneered. Hunter looked quietly sceptical, and Tech seemed to be trying to figure out the logic behind Fives’ statement. Wrecker was waiting to see how the situation played out, and Rex was confused but almost certain that Fives knew what he was doing. Only Anakin and the rest of Lightning Squadron really knew what he meant.

“He’s my twin. Of course I’m sure.” Out of habit, Fives didn’t mention that he could sense Echo through the Force. The Bad Batch might have realised that he was Force-sensitive already, given his skill with his own lightsabre, but if so none of them had mentioned it. Maybe they hadn’t worked with enough Jedi to know much about the Force.

Helli broke the silence, and the deadlock, that followed Fives’ statement. “I’m going with Fives. The rest of you can split up if you want; we came here for intel, after all, not just Echo, and it might make us less conspicuous. But my priorities are Tambor’s algorithm and my vod’ika, and Fives and I can find them both from here.” That made some kind of sense to everyone. With Fives navigating, Lightning Squadron made their way through a dizzying array of identical corridors, tailed by Rex and, eventually, Tech, who had picked up Echo’s signal again. The rest of the team scattered, under Hunter’s direction or that of Anakin’s nose for trouble. It didn’t take long for Fives’ twin-sense to lead him to a sealed room, set back from the main corridor, with a viewscreen next to the locked door. The screen flickered into life as Tech and Spark examined the lock, displaying Wat Tambor, foreman of the Techno Union and known Separatist ally. Echo’s captor.

“You clones are so predictable,” Tambor remarked dismissively. “Your algorithm predicted nearly every move you made to infiltrate Purkoll.” So it was a trap, at least in part.

“There is no algorithm,” Rex shot back. “We know you’re holding a prisoner of war here.”

“Prisoner?” Tambor tried his limited best to look innocent. “I don’t know what you mean, Captain.”

Fives was almost out of patience with Tambor’s obvious lies. His blasters were already in his hands, his grip nearly strong enough to leave a mark. “We are leaving here with my twin.”

“Your twin is dead.” Tambor’s words were a punch to Hel’s stomach even as she felt the lack of truth in them. “His mind is ours.”

“Liar!” A bolt from Fives’ blaster destroyed the viewscreen, but couldn’t stop Tambor giving an attack command to the droids who had assembled on the other side of the antechamber. At least Hunter and Wrecker had joined them during their argument with Tambor, and Anakin and Crosshair were hard on the droids’ heels. The first wave was dispatched with relative ease, but another, larger detachment followed them. Most of the Republic team took up defensive positions either side of the antechamber entrance, while Tech, Rex and Fives sliced their way into the sealed room. Fives’ lightsabre would have made short work of the door, but he knew better than to destroy a potential defence, even frantic with worry about his last surviving batcher.

Hel lost track of everything but the battle around her, the need to protect without killing, until Rex put his head round the door again. “We need a medic in here!”

Torrent glanced at his general and fiancée, asking for her permission; she nodded briefly (it was just a formality), and covered his retreat to the inner chamber alongside Spark. Anakin, in turn, picking up on her concern for Echo, signalled that she should follow suit; she did so, thanking her old friend with a smile.

Which vanished completely when she saw Echo. He was clearly alive and conscious, but had been in cryostasis for a long time – probably almost since his capture. His skin had been bleached even whiter than hers, every rib was visible in his bare chest, three limbs at least had been replaced by prosthetics and he was still connected to the pod that had been his prison via ports in his head, chest and back. Tech seemed to be working on disconnecting him, while Rex held his one remaining organic hand and Fives cradled his twin against his chest, giving Torrent barely enough space to check him over.

“Eyay’ika.” The nickname Echo had always pretended, rather unconvincingly, to hate came out as a whisper as Hel knelt in front of her friend. “What in blue blistering blazes have they done to you?”

“Hel.” Echo didn’t seem to be quite with it, but he recognised her all right. “Missed you.”

“Missed you too.” Hel managed a smile, a sunbeam through a rainstorm, then looked to Torrent for his diagnosis. “He’s stable, for now, but I’ve never seen worse cases of malnutrition and hypothermia. The hut’uune kept him barely alive. I’ve given him as many stimulants and emergency rations as I dare, but the best way to deal with the hypothermia is body heat. Preferably that of someone not wearing armour.” Hel understood him immediately. She was the only one of the party not encased in hard, insulating plastoid or leather. Another man might have hesitated to suggest that his woman act as a space-heater for someone else, but Torrent wasn’t one to give way to jealousy. And he trusted her (and knew better than to try to control her). Another woman might have been insulted by his lack of reaction; Hel only found it a little flattering, and a confirmation that she had chosen a good man.

She quickly stripped off her tabard, outer tunic and tool-belt, so that only her inner tunic and obi would be between her and Echo, as she focused on her own metabolism, shifting the balance of exergonic and endergonic reactions to bring her core temperature up to the high end of the normal human range (a little way below fever-point for her species), a technique developed for just such a situation. When she judged herself ready, she held out her arms and Fives reluctantly settled Echo into them. His metal implants leached heat from her body painfully fast, but she ignored the discomfort. Her vod’ika needed her.

Echo shifted himself in her embrace, trying to keep at least one layer of fabric between his prosthetics and her. His organic hand rested for a moment on her vambrace, Torrent’s version of an engagement ring, and his eyes sought out the sgian dubh Torrent now carried, which had been hers. “Just how much have I missed?”

“A fair bit.” Hel found a laugh from somewhere. “We’ll fill you in once we’re out of here, I promise.”

“That might take a while.” Anakin backed into the room, sabre still blazing. “We’ve still got incoming, and Tech thinks there are three organics headed our way as well. Probably Tambor and his friends.”

“Tambor?” Fives jumped to his feet, looking ready to fight his way through all the droids to get to the man who had imprisoned and harmed his twin. Rex was quick to follow suit, catching his old friend by the wrist and pulling him in for a brotherly keldabe. “I know how you feel, vod, but I can’t lose you. Not after…” His gaze flicked to Fives’ chest, where he had been near-fatally shot, then to Echo, regained past all reasonable hope. “He will pay, I promise, but not here, not now. It’s too dangerous.”

“Oh, he’ll pay, all right.” Hel disengaged one hand from Echo long enough to indicate her left eye, where a camera-lens sat, all but invisible. “Everything I’ve seen or heard since we left Coruscant has been streamed back there, and recorded. By now, Aayla and Senator Amidala should have enough evidence to open an investigation into the Techno Union and Tambor in particular, and to freeze all their assets. There will be a reckoning – through the courts. Even if the charge has to be damaging Republic property, he’ll pay.” Hel detested the legal loophole that made clones property, but couldn’t change it – yet.

“Good idea,” Anakin remarked as the rest of the team poured into the room and started resealing the door. There must have still been plenty of clankers out there.

“Aayla’s. She’s had a bone to pick with Tambor since Maridun.” Anakin and Rex both flinched. They had also been part of the group that defended a peaceful village on that planet from one of the Techno Union’s most brutal operations.

Just then, Tech and Spark finally finished decrypting Echo’s cerebral interface, allowing him to be safely decoupled from the machinery that had imprisoned him. Fives removed the last few cables with alacrity; with each severed connection, Echo’s grip on Hel’s shoulders loosened, and when the final one was gone his body went completely slack in her arms. But he was still breathing, and his pulse was strengthening by the minute. And his so-familiar grin eased her still-worried mind. They weren’t safe yet, but in one crucial way her vod’ika was free at last.

---

Mando’a glossary (context-adjusted):

Vod(’ika): (dear) brother.

Hut’uune: cowards (a very serious insult in Mando’a).

“Eyay’ika” is an affectionate diminutive of eyayah, “echo”, half-inched from this post by @gaeasun.

[shiningstages]

Repost from a disc rambling from this morning BUT BASIC ATLAS LORE RIGHT HERE HEHE under a readmore since it's long

Finally posting here because my awake brain needed to spout stuff about an OC:

Atlas - Primal of Communication Guidance (GBF)

Was made before the Astral War as basically a communication device between the astrals in the sky realm, and the ones between the stars, usually through Cosmos (gotta let everyone who wasn't researching and didn't go to war know how the sky realm was doing). He was always kept at HQ, and made many messages to and fro in peace, not truly understanding everything that was said but relying each message to a T without hesitation.

It wasn't until the Astral War that Atlas then started getting mass produced, sent out into battlefields both in the sky realm and in space (the moon dangerous, and there's lore to suggest that they fought the moon dwellers as well, I just don't have it on me). The original Atlas stayed at the main HQ, being both a vital communications source, but also being further experimented on to become stronger and withstand any attack coming his way (as The First and seen as the most important version of himself, he had to somehow defend himself, even though he was never made to be a fighter). Eventually, the astrals were defeated, and the survivors fled the sky realm, but not before sending out Atlas to fight, letting him truly see all the tragedy caused and start to understand more so what all those messages were about.

He perishes in battle, yet his core is kept intact (unlike most of his brethren, who were destroyed in order to cut off communications of the astrals between each other), awakened by the first descent of moon dwellers on the sky realm. He wasn't hostile once he was awakened - rather, he was the exact opposite, wanting to speak on all that has changed. Especially as he could no longer communicate with the astrals, nor even Cosmos, which baffled him and, somehow, made him fearful. Once the moon dwellers learned of his purpose, they began their own experiments on him with his permissions, but with not knowing what exactly to look for in a primal body, a head researcher there simply decided a different tactic - communication and rehabilitation, something that the moon dwellers were already doing into sky dweller society. A note on Atlas' appearance that slightly hindered this - he's blue.

Hair like a stardust night scape, skin deep blueish purple, cape like constellations - he had a lot that said "otherworldly". Yet, when the researcher finally introduced him as their friend, reactions weren't hostile, so much as they were mixed. But, through slow progression of understanding, he began to live just a normal life. Well, upon saying what was once his purpose, the sky dwellers interpreted it as Divination rather than communication. Then, through the teachings of local wizards and the researchers finding books for him on the topic, he started his normal life as a local psychic. As normal as a life could be, he enjoyed using his new skills of communication, until his untimely disappearance back into his core (don't know the lore here yet hehe)

When he's finally awakened again, he finds himself in a familiar researcher's house, facing a group of sky farers, and especially close to one very confused yet awed man. Looking in the mirror, it seemed like this man touching his core gave him a new face, as it had been so long that he forgot his own (unless he always looked like Issac's twin, in which case LMAO). So, now awakened, he continues to learn about the now much more modern sky realm, all while learning new forms of communication and divination. All to feel close to his original purpose, but all to relay messages of ones he cared about, rather than as a simple "purpose" to be used.

[citrus-cactus]

You ever grab a digimon side character and be like "IM GOING TO TREAT YOU LIKE AN OC... NOW BECOME DEVELOPED"

Sometimes! I think I have built my own impression of Willis/Wallace from the many years I've spent thinking about him (for better or for worse), but he's a struggle to flesh out because he's so... intentionally enigmatic and different depending on which source material you're using, rotfl.

I do have some headcanons/ideas I've wanted to expand on for the sake of character development in fanfic regarding the following minor characters (but sadly have very little fanfic to show for it).

(This got kind of long, under the cut to spare your dash):

(The Fuji TV crew! Mainly the two on the right, Sakurada and Chioka--although Yuki and Hiroaki play a small role in the snippets about the other two I've written. Spoiler alert: these two guys get digimon partners in the end!)

(Maki and Daigo! I have been writing a fic that shows select moments of backstory/Tri from Maki's perspective, but its been stalled for a while. ERGH!)

(THIS L-corp scientist! How exactly did we get here, L-corp scientist?? You might actually be the most important living* adult in Appmon, you deserve a real name and a backstory and BOY do I have THOUGHTS on THAT!)**

* “living” meaning “not assumed to be dead” for a significant portion of the series.

** Please watch Appmon ;D

But then again, I'm just as likely to take a minor character and give them something to do for the sake of continuing the development of a MAJOR character, or exaggerate their traits/take them to the next logical extreme for a quick laugh (i.e. dumb comics and sketches). This has resulted in:

Cody's grandpa Chikara and old!Gennai bonding over a shared love of prune juice;

Mr. Fujiyama being single and Actually Clueless when it comes to giving advice about romance and dating (and asking Nancy Takaishi on a date anyway, to TK's horror);

TK's grandpa Michel giving Tai advice on his love life;

Davis becoming CONVINCED that Jun is using some sort of black magic/love potion on Matt and Tai, because they have been spending Way Too Much Time Together for No Reason He Can See (hijinks sibling warfare ensues);

Izzy & Ms. Kamiya do more baking together (post Digimon Movie). Izzy is a bit thunderstruck by what she considers "following a recipe" (bizarre substitutions and food combinations that would make 1950’s-era instant food corporations proud), but they have fun and eventually make something edible (to Tai's relief). Now that I think about it, she and Mimi would really hit it off!

(Writing this, I realized I have a lot of ideas about the American English dub versions of the minor characters, particularly the adults, because they are so cartoony/embellished themselves! One of the great things about the dub IMO is it gave them a lot of personality and character traits, which are ultimately a good match for my sense of humor. Also I am Old and like to see the adults do things and go on their own adventures, lol).

I don't believe that any of my interpretations or the situations I would be likely to put these characters in are particularly original or unique to the point of seeming like OCs to me (mmmmmaybe L-corp scientist a little, because there's almost nothing about her in canon and fan mentions tend to be very brief/divided, but I have Many Thoughts about how, exactly, we got there). Ultimately, I tend to be of the opinion that characters exist for the purpose of telling stories, and therefore I end up only developing headcanons or engaging in minor-character character development when it seems appropriate for whatever story I'm trying to tell (which makes individual characters somewhat subject to change from story to story, although I strive for SOME consistency between individual works because I'm particular about that sometimes!). But I DO really enjoy seeing other people's headcanons and stories, particularly since we don't have a lot of in-universe information about these minor characters. Having that much room for interpretation is really fun!

(Jyou/Bike Girl is still one of my favorite minor character ships, even though we as a fandom know NOTHING about her :))

I don't know if that answered your question, but thanks for the ask!

[spaghettiandart]

memories in three

Originally posted this on the aminos sometime during march, but decided (as of may 3 at 12 am) to post it here too! Yay spur of the moment decision! The rest of the post is from the blogs on the UT and UTAU aminos, and the story is under the cut.

author's note: this was mostly made to be part of my oc's backstory, but then i realized it could exist as a nice character development thing. the art was done on medibang paint and took 2 weeks.

characters: w. d. gaster, grillby, oc

categories: fluff, angst, friendship.

warnings: non-graphic violence, death, blood, mild language. 

word count: 4092

[I] |        one - the calm 

The time they had was always finite. Even at the genesis of it, they knew. They'd look at eachother, a circle of three, assigned to stick together and be loyal to one another, and they knew there'd be no way they'd get along. 

It was so easy to pretend, but with five months gone and passed it was getting harder to feign ignorance. 

The violent crackles and pops of Grillby's flames match the rapid beating of his SOUL, colors rising to the white and lowering until it was a pathetic red in uneven jitters of anxious panic. He focused on pouring the rum into the barbarously crafted wooden mug, the familiar motions soothing his shaking hands until he felt some semblance of normality surround him. 

The background quiet set him on edge, still. He could feel the flames on his shoulders worming their way through the openings on his armor, fingers immediately twitching to cast a flame ball, or reach for his sword, or pour another drink, or so something so that they weren't empty and susceptible to the whims of his ever-twisting emotions. 

The tension- oh, how he hated the tension. Being silent was his favorite sport, his carefully cultivated talent, but he was a creature born and bred to exist in the midst of warm chatter and noise. He was not the type of man to be relaxed in silent, cold hate, and neither was he the type to mediate it. 

Grillby picks up the three mugs by their handles, two hanging precariously from one hand, cradled to his chest, and the other already making its way to his mouth. The liquid stung at him, but not in the way human beverages did. While their concoctions were tasteless and lowered his HP by decimals, this was warm and fuzzy and the bubbly froth filled his mouth like cotton. 

His team was already there. WingDings Gaster, Grand Arcane Battle Artificer of the Deltarune Legion, and Igneous No-Name, Grand Arcane Battle Mage-Scribe of the Deltarune Legion. The names were long in Human English, even longer in traditional Monster languages, but Titles had Meanings and must be Specific and Precise so as to grant Monster the Respect they Deserve. Said verbatim by his own King when he was given his title. 

(Grillby No-Name, Fifth General of the Deltarune Legion, was what was inscribed on the back of the wings of his own silvery Deltarune-Symbol pendant. Every Monster soldier got one, regardless of their station and their specific designations. His own was cold enough for precipitation to collect on the metal, enchanted to withstand heat damage.)

His enchanted helmet is resting on a stack of parchment like a paperweight, turned away from the table so that its face was pointed at the wall. The silence was turned up tenfold the minute Grillby sheepishly walked into their section of the "room", and the two magic-users turned their mutual cold shoulder on him as well.

It shouldn't hurt, but Grillby had to stop himself from reeling as if he were struck by a physical hand. Oh, this wouldn't do. 

They were a team, after all. Of the same Legion, of the same Fifth Division, of the same status. The silence killed him, repulsed his being down to the core because it was so very anti-him. Anti-Flame Elemental, even, because even when they were quiet the crackling of their flames were enough to communicate their feelings to another. 

He only had body language to go off of the two. They may be masters at putting up facades, but he was a master of interpreting them, so the minute he sets the mugs down on the table he immediately pushed the stack of books piled in between Gaster and Igneous like a great wall crumbling to the ground, uncaring of the way the two jumped and jolted at the noise. 

His SOUL pounded, filled with anxiety and slight reprieve at the sound, but he needed more. He hated speaking, he much rather would be the one spoken to, but there are little people to be found who'd like to ramble for hours on end to a stranger save for drunken heretics at the little old tavern he used to manage decades ago. 

"What in the goddamn are you doing?" Igneous exclaimed, hood haphazardly slipping off her head and catching onto her big ears, holding on for dear life in a losing battle. 

"I concur. What on Earth is wrong with you?" Gaster snapped the large tome he was pretending to read shut, the sudden action too surprising for him to not address.

Grillby takes the time to sip from his mug, before setting it down lightly. "... You're both acting like children when we are all adults. Talk out your problems."

Igneous glared at him with an impressive amount of venom. For someone with only two eyes to convey emotion, she knew how to convey it. "I am not talking to a child murderer."

The remaining monster in the room scowled at Igneous, and then at Grillby. "Tell the Mage that human children are the easiest and most reliable source of SOULs to harvest to bolster our ranks."

Igneous' eyes narrowed and her glare intensified. "Tell the Artificer that by killing the humans' children we'd only encourage them to attack as harder. Also tell him he's a shitbag for suggesting it in the first place."

"Tell the Mage that she's a naive twat if she thinks that war can be won with no sacrifices."

"Tell the Artificer that sacrifices of that degree are uncalled for and that he smells of elderberries."

"I do NOT smell like elderberries you-"

Grillby clapped his hands once. A burst of flame shot out from the vents on his shoulders and the palms of his hands, making the bickering pair freeze simultaneously from where they were slowly turning their heads to face each other. 

"This is what I am talking about," the Swordsman looked at them both with a disappointed gaze from behind his crystalline glasses. "... Children, we are adults. You're going to apologize to each other and agree to disagree, or else I will burn one of the books you collected from the Human Mages."

Gaster slammed his hands down on the table and began to stand, expression thunderous. Igneous' eyes widened to such a degree that they threatened to pop out of her head, and she snapped her head back as if he struck her. 

"Child number one, sit down. Child number two, stay quiet- I know you will say something and I will make you regret it," Grillby steepled his fingers, the effort of speaking for so long already taking the energy out of him. He heaved in a breath, the air making his flames crackle with strength. "... Child number one- it may be hard to realize this, but killing children is inarguably immoral and degenerate. Child number two- I advise you to set your pride aside, else your inability to accept the flaws of your naivety may cause you more harm than good... Now apologize, because I am becoming very annoyed at having to speak so much..."

The two stared at him as if he sprouted a second flaming head from his shoulder. Grillby lit up a single finger and held it over a stray paper on the table that escaped his rampage on their books. 

Gaster was the first to break. "... ahem," he shifted uncomfortably, and stuck his nonexistent nose in the air so that he looked down at Igneous. "I suppose that I will have to concede at that. Your... interesting... worldview is something we can't quite see eye to eye on."

Grillby stared at him harder, and his shoulders slumped as he hunched over the table.

"And I apologize for my unprofessional conduct," he sighed, picking at the knicks and scratches in his hands in a nervous manner.

The Spirit Remnant stared at the- Skeleton? Shadow Creature? Wraith? Gaster never disclosed what kind of monster, exactly, he was- with clear contempt that faded away into uncomfortable and annoyed vulnerability. She rolled her shoulders, tail curling around her left ankle protectively.

"You're still a terrible creep, and I cannot deny that I would sooner pound you to dust with my bare hands than see you harm a child of any kind," she said, quietly, "but I understand that... things must be done for the greater good, sometimes. I apologize."

The air became heavy with guilt and frustration at that, but at least they weren't outright holding each other in contempt. Grillby prepared himself to speak for hopefully the last time that day. 

"... Good. Adult One, Adult Two, may I present to you your rewards for acting your age," he slid over the mugs of wine to the both of them, glad that he couldn't physically let out the relieved sigh he would have released were he able to breathe at the sight of the suddenly bright expressions the two had.

Igneous casted a furtive, unsure glance at Gaster, who angled his body away from the both of them and glared at the papers beneath him. He didn't cover them from her view when she leaned over to glance at them, her brows quirking in question as she took another sip. 

The mood didn't instantly change to comfortable. They didn't relax around each other, not immediately. But Grillby could feel the tension in his shoulders drift away as he watched Igneous quietly shoot the other with a question, and Gaster exchanging it with one in return. 

The stress of the war was taking its toll on him, but seeing the two gratefully take small sips of his homemade rum and shyly exchange words about their respected professions made the weight on his chest lighten just a little. 

|        two - the storm 

The battle is disorganized chaos, and he hates it. Not for the slaughter, not for the blood shed, not for the dust carried by the wind. He hates the sheer animalistic frenzy everyone on the battlefield was sent into- it's as if the second the fight began the primal instinct in their minds seemed to suddenly reveal itself, possessing their bodies and taking away their willpower to keep their hidden urges hidden. 

Such was evident in the human shoving his sword into the throat of a bunny monster, rendering them to dust before the blade could slice its way out. Or a monster with a dragon's muzzle unhinging its jaw like a snake and snapping up a human mage, their spine crushed under the pressure in an instant. 

Or even his own... companions, battling back to back against a frenzy of knights, swords gleaming and magic spewing around them. They were beaten down, armor covered in mud and muck, and from the minute trembling carried across their bodies it seemed as if they were ready to topple at any moment. 

Gaster's fists tightened as his Special Attack blasted yet another beam of energy to render a pitiful human to ash, the conjured hands twisting in midair before flocking to his sides like a pair of dogs. He looked down from the cliff he was standing on at the clearing they were fighting in, chest heaving from exertion. He couldn't let it overtake him, not yet, but the exhaustion was close to killing him. His limbs hurt to their very core. 

Igneous and Grillby were practically attached at the spine with how closed in they were. Igneous had snaked a hand around a human's neck, crushing his windpipe before resting her weight on Grillby's back and launching herself in the air. 

Her conjured wings flung out from her back, and she slammed her foot into the chest of another knight, caving it in from the magically-reinforced pressure. 

Despite the human bodies piling up around them, more seemed to flood the two as if recognizing them to be the heavy hitters they were. A human swung out with his sword, and Grillby caught it with his own flaming one, pushing it back. The two were neck and neck, heels dug into the ground as the gleaming blades fought against each other. The human's head shifted forward, as if they were saying something, and Grillby's flames burst into a column of blue, indignant fire. 

The human took the opening his anger gave them by twisting their body and throwing their weight into Grillby's chest, pummeling him into Igneous and the ground. 

Igneous flipped head over heels, wings dissipating as she lied face down. Grillby was shakily getting up, but the human struck out and suddenly there was a hole in the side of his armor, frost creeping around it. 

Gaster scowled, and took a few steps back from the cliff in preparation. A voice behind him interrupted his motions. 

"You meet your end, monster," a voice hissed from behind him. He tilted his head slightly, and upon seeing that it was only a mage he scoffed. 

"Do tell the clouds hello," Gaster flicked the human mage away with little pressure and much disdain from one of the conjured hands, and set his jaw as he hopped onto the back of one of his hands. There was no time to be wasted with meaningless banter.

Hell would sooner freeze over than him seeing his fr- companions, his companions- Fall Down. 

Smaller hands materialized around his body, hitting and punching and swatting away oncoming attackers as he rode the hand down the side of the cliff. The fingers stretched out, and he bent his knees ever so slightly. 

As the end of the cliff was reached, curving into the clearing, he jumped with all his might off the hand and to the side, landing in a roll before hopping to his feet. 

The hand continued on, and barrelled into the human slowly approaching Grillby with the force of a stampeding bull. 

Their sword flew out of their hand and embedded into the bark of a nearby tree with a 'thunk!' and Igneous quickly picked up the slack as the hand dissipated, energy coalescing in her hands. Feathers caged the human in.

"... God... no, no," the human moaned in pain, attempting to get up on their elbows. They glared up at the three just as Grillby picked up his sword from where it lay discarded on the ground, grip trembling. 

"You dirty freaks," the human weakly said, their chest heaving and breath wheezing. Perhaps that hand broke a few bones... oh well. Gaster found that he didn't much care about not knowing, this time, taking much pleasure in watching Grillby advance at the human with his own sword held aloft. 

"You're not m-monologuing, right?" Igneous spoke up, her own breath wheezy. Catching the brunt of Grillby's weight must have hurt, because her entire body was trembling with poorly hidden pain. Almost unconsciously, Gaster shifted his body so that he was in front of her. Her body was trembling in shock and indignation, eyes wide and animalistic as they focused on the human. She looked ready to pounce. "Goddamnit... what are you waiting for, Grillbz? Just end them already!" 

The human ignored her, slowly getting on their knees. Their fists clenched. "Y-you... you won't win this war. Kill me, but my brothers and sisters will avenge me! Our mages, our knights, our horses, our citizens- they'll all fight, all against you monsters!" 

"Please kill them," Igneous practically begged Grillby, her wispy 'hair' flickering piteously. "They’re not useful. They’re not- just- kill them, please.”

"No, wait," Gaster found himself muttering, suddenly. Igneous snapped her head in his direction, eyes wide- and he almost flinched back at the desperation in her eyes. What did that human say? "I want to see what he'll do."

Grillby was examining the human curiously. His masked head tilted this way and that, his hands exchanging the swords as he stood in front of the human, looking down at it. Music, unidentifiable in genre, played in the distance. 

The human looked up at him, glaring through the slits of their helmet. "You know... you know this. And... y-you know what I said before... I w-was right. Kill me, but you'll have to live with that... and that's enough for me to die happy."

There was silence. The two stared at each other, carefully. 

"Well?" The human barked. "You're not going to end it? Take me prisoner, then! Flaunt me around! I still won't-!"

Their head was on the ground in a SOULbeat. Gaster and Igneous took a simultaneous step back as blood stained the grass underneath the human, the armored Flame Elemental examining the corpse before kicking it on its side, stomping back to them.

"... Wasn't going to let their dying words be them telling me what to do," he muttered once he reached them. 

Igneous' shoulders seemed to drop suddenly, and she looked around them. Corpses, bodies, dust- they were all strewn about the battlefield haphazardly. There was no art behind them. No grand imagination from the divines above. 

Just the reeking scent of death lingering over them all. 

She took this in, much like Gaster was, and then looked at him. She had no mouth to smile with, but her eyes crinkled ever so slightly at the edges. 

"You saved our skins back there," she said, voice still quavering from the quiet horror carried within it, and reached out a hand to him. Gaster hesitated, but let it land on his shoulder. The tall monster gripped it firmly, resting her weight on it. "I won't forget this, you know."

"You can start bothering me about it tomorrow," Gaster said, feeling a bit lightheaded. 

Igneous shook her head at that, and gave it a few pats before moving away and CHECKing herself, digging around her small inventory for food. "I don't mean it like that. I mean- yes, I am absolutely going to tease you about this for the next month, but... you... you really do..."

Grillby sheathed his sword suddenly, and looked up at the cliff from where he rode down from. There was a quiet surrounding them. "... care about us."

Gaster shifted from foot to foot. He was no child. He was an adult, for God's sake. Why did he feel so... embarrassed, all of a sudden? 

A cheer rose up in a crescendo of voices from beyond the cliff just as the sun made its way to the top of Mt Ebott and began to hide behind it. The battlefield was painted in a swath of gold and pink, and suddenly he wasn't so much focused on the chaos of it all as he was on the way the colors seemed to highlight the edges and curves of the two in front of him, how it made them all the more... real. 

Gaster stepped closer to the two. "The humans have retreated. We should be... getting back, now."

It was Grillby who set a hand on his shoulder this time, his face pointedly looking away and at the sunset. "... five minutes."

"Ten," Igneous chimed in, brushing his arm with her own. 

The trio stood there throughout the sunset and into the night, and Gaster woke the next morning with his friends resting on either shoulder, the dewy grass fresh underneath him and the battle feeling as if it took place years ago instead of the evidence of it being right behind him. 

He watched the rising sun and smiled. There's the peace he was waiting for. 

|        three - the pieces

The last time Igneous woke up from her  Hibernation Pack, it was to a boss monster with kind eyes looming over her. 

She panicked, at first. Scrambled back, and then turned to alert the Spirit Remnants that she was resting with that there was an intruder in their den. 

All that she was met with was piles upon piles of dust. 

"I was able to stop him from hurting you, too," he had rumbled from behind her, " but I'm afraid that I was too late for your companions."

She turned back around, eyes wide with outrage. 

He held a paw out towards her, offering comfort. It was stained with the humans blood. 

She took it, and pulled him close, demanding that he give her a way to get revenge. His paw clenched involuntarily from surprise, and his dark claws nicked her ethereal skin. 

Her essence joined the human's blood, and in the budding tears in her eyes an agreement was formed. 

Centuries later, Igneous wakes up in a comfortable, warm bed inside a comfortable, warm home underneath the large mountain that she fought for her life on. 

The nightmares were long gone, and memories were reserved for the day to sort through. All that was left for her dreams was darkness and static and white, mutilated hands reaching out for her with holes dug deep into their palms.

She never remembered them, and woke up each morning with the sense of loss lingering heavily in her chest. 

In the room over, the sounds of chatter and the dinging of a bell signifying the front door opening and closing began to grow louder and more frequent. Igneous was frozen in the hallway connecting her and Grillby's bedrooms, curled up in a small armchair haphazardly placed there five years, seven months, and six days ago when the two were refurbishing the building and couldn't decide in which room to put it. They decided to share instead, setting it outside and in between their rooms. 

She pulled her knees up to her chest, the chattering growing louder in her ears. Soon she'd have to step out and start taking their orders, but breakfast doesn't officially start in another… ten minutes, or so. 

She can take her time. 

The swaying pendulum hanging on the wall across from her demanded all her attention, grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes and reflected her past to her. Her stomach flipped with each sway of the object, hands traveling from her knees to her ankles and gripping them tightly.

It's been centuries. But that loss… was it only from the monsters dusted? Was it only from what that human revealed to Grillby and to her during that fateful fight? Or was it from that missing piece, the hole that separated both her and her friend, the dust-ridden and empty guest bedroom untouched that rested at the end of the hall? 

Her fingers clenched tighter, digging holes into her pants that would be covered up by her boots later. 

Was it the unfortunate fates of her pack? The piles of dust she woke up sleeping on, almost ready to join them before Asgore interrupted their murderer? 

Was it what the human said? The quiet words, so low but loud enough at the same time to be heard from miles away, repeating in her ears? The truth, maybe even the sneer in their voice when they spoke, "Don't worry. We didn't dust all of our prisoners… but you will never find them." 

Or the missing piece? The unknown factor that frustrated and scared her to no end, the pounding in her ears whenever she looked at the words unscripted on that silvery pendulum swinging back and forth and back and forth in a maddening rhythm from where it hung on the wall? 

Her claws dug deeper, caught onto fabric, pulled. The seams of her pants ripped at the ankle, and her flickering, pseudo-fiery essence darted out in quick licks at the air. 

The words stayed in her mind whenever she looked at it, dissapeared when she looked away, reappeared with all the context behind them when she looked back.

Every morning was the same routine. The same, desperate staring at the Deltarune-symbol pendant hanging from the wall. The same hope that she'll remember the name after she looks away. 

The dread of not knowing if she'll remember to do it tomorrow. 

She reread the name for the four hundred and thirty fifth time, desperately imprinting it on her mind. Grillby had long stopped even glancing at the thing decades ago. She won't forget. 

She looks away. 

"Shit, I'm going to be late," Igneous muttered, staring at the clock instead. She stood from the chair, confused and wobbly in the knees. "I could've sworn I was just sitting for a few seconds…"

She hurried off down the hall, pulling on her boots as she walked through the Fire Exit. 

The pendulum swung on the wall, shaking as the door slammed closed, its name forgotten. 

Wing Dings Gaster

Grand Arcane Battle Artificer

Deltarune Legion

Division V

[sokkathebluewolf]

I am chickened out from gladiator because it is this long and it keeps getting longer is it worth my time to read it ??

... Uh, well. I can’t help but wonder if you’re aware this blog is run by the actual author of the story in question? I don’t know if you expect me to give you a non-biased answer when I’ve considered the story was worth 8 years of my life xD as far as I’m concerned, it absolutely has been worth it, but I can’t speak for the whole wide world when it comes to that. If you want the opinions of readers, there’s probably other blogs run by people who have read the story and who might have critical opinions about it... that may be what you were looking for. If, however, you were deliberately hoping to get my opinion on my own story... well, yes, for me it’s clearly worth it xD Otherwise, I would’ve quit ages ago.

The story is indeed very long and it keeps getting longer, and it will keep getting longer because we’re not done yet and won’t be for a while :’D if you’re the type of reader who can’t stand it when they catch up to stories and have to wait for updates, well, feel free to give it a shot when I’m done writing it, I guess? It’ll be a while until then, but it’s up to you. If you don’t like reading really long stories, then it’s probably better for you if you don’t force yourself to read this one, I know not everyone is ready to dedicate that much time to reading something, especially if they have lots of things to do. Hence, if the length daunts you, that’s alright, it daunts me too and I’m responsible for it xD it’s fine if that deters you from reading it.

But as the way you phrased your question almost sounded like you’re challenging me to give you some sort of sales pitch to catch your attention, let’s see if I can pull it off:

Gladiator is a massive ATLA AU, not only in terms of story length but also scope: it’s a complete rewrite of the entirety of ATLA in a more mature setting, starting chapter 1 with the characters 5 years older than they were in canon. Aang’s adventures in saving the world did not take place here because of a simple enough reason: Katara didn’t accompany Sokka on his boat on the fateful day when they were meant to find Aang, which means the story as we’ve known it simply doesn’t take place. I’ve taken liberties here and there, added some changes from canon when I needed to do so, in order to ensure the story works, but the gist of the story is to set a stage where the Fire Nation marched onwards, practically unopposed, and conquered the Earth Kingdom with the power of Sozin’s Comet (just in case it needs to be clarified, without certain technological developments, Ozai’s wild plan to incinerate the whole world wouldn’t happen, and if Team Avatar isn’t assembled before the Comet shows up, said technological developments simply wouldn’t exist... :’D). I’ve had to figure out how many details would change, how much of the original story would or wouldn’t happen without Team Avatar’s involvement, I think most my choices have been solid, but it’ll be up to you to decide if you think they are or not if you read the story.

The worldbuilding of Gladiator, then, is preeeetty huge and complicated because of that starting point. There’s a lot of elements that are completely new (such as the Gladiator League and all its derivates), some OCs, some lore expansion, so you can definitely say it’s an ambitious project. In a sense, I’ve reset canon to zero, and at the same time I haven’t, which makes things complicated but, for me, really fun to develop. If you’re interested in seeing more of the Avatarverse explored, characters repurposed, with new dynamics and relationships, Gladiator may just be what you’ve been looking for :D

In my experience, the main reason why most people stumble into this fic (other than by sorting FF.net’s ATLA stories by review count and drawing blanks upon glimpsing a Sokkla story on the first page xD) is because they’ve been drawn into Sokkla, or they’re looking for stories centered around Azula or Sokka. Gladiator, evidently, features all three such elements because, obviously, those two are the protagonists and their relationship is the beating heart of the whole tale. I’ve been asked in the past who’s the real protagonist and I honestly still have no idea xD but anyways, if you’re interested in reading a story with a toooooon of Azula character development, even if it takes place across a long, long time, this story may just do the trick. I’ve done the best I could to keep her character as true to what I believed a young adult Azula might become, within the circumstances of this story. She has grown a LOT in 200 chapters, goes without saying (if she hadn’t, I’d be one heck of a failure of an author x’D), so if you’re interested in seeing a slow but effective growth arc for Azula, you’ll certainly find that in Gladiator. Same is true for Sokka, but I think most people who come to this fic for Sokka are interested in seeing him being a badass, which we have plenty of as well xD still, it’s also a long and slow process for Sokka to grow into a powerful warrior, neither him nor Azula start out in the story with all the answers, and they both bump into many hurdles as they navigate their complicated lives.

There’s a lot of humor in Gladiator, perhaps more than expected with a story that has that sort of dark premise, but it’s, on great measure, because Sokka and Azula are inevitably given to banter xD if you want to read a lot of banter between those two, well, you may not be bored in 200 chapters because, while the nature of their exchanges does vary as they both develop, their conversations are usually pretty spirited and they love trying to outsmart each other all the time.

If you are already a Sokkla shipper and the main reason you’re here is because you want more Sokkla goodness in your life... I’ll just say Gladiator has become a bit of a dream come true for me as a Sokkla shipper as well, because it’s the perfect space for me to work with virtually every idea I’ve ever had for these two. Yes, there’s drama and conflict here and there, if you’re not too given to angst there’s a few parts of the story that won’t sit so well with you, though if you love angst you’ll probably enjoy them plenty... yet what I’m most proud of, with this story, is having developed their relationship not only as best I could, but I’ve also attempted to defy typical storytelling structures for romance stories, where the lead couple can’t seem to have a stable relationship because “that would be boring”. Screw that, man: these two have been in a serious relationship together in-story by now for well over half the published chapters, and I’ve had the time of my life writing their dynamics as a couple while the plot continues to develop around them. This, however, is not everyone’s cup of tea, so if you aren’t all that given to seeing such traditional romance storytelling structures dismissed because I wanted to write my favorite ship dealing with all their external struggles while finding strength in the bond they share, Gladiator may not hold your attention long enough for you to devote yourself to reading it beyond chapter 100-ish. On the other hand, if this subversion of romance structure is what you’ve been looking for all your life, or if it’s what you always wanted and never knew you wanted it, or if you’re simply curious as to whether it works or not, Gladiator may suit your interests fairly well. Again, Sokkla is the absolute center of this story, both together and independently, so if you want to see a rewrite of ATLA with them at the core of just... everything? xD that’s absolutely what you’ll find here.

That being said, there’s things I guess you should mind about Gladiator: I have some relatively controversial takes about certain things, including interpretations of fan-favorite characters that some people have been known to take offense over. I, personally, believe my interpretations of those characters don’t deviate that much from canon or that, when they do, the setting itself explains why the deviation works as it does, but due to the fact that I work with a protagonist who was in a villainous role back in ATLA, her relationships with some characters can be more complicated than a lot of people seem to believe they should be. Hence, if you’re not particularly adverse to reading content that brings up big questions about the motivations of certain characters, or how they’d react if the story from ATLA hadn’t happened exactly as it did, you’ll have enough fun in Gladiator. If, however, you don’t particularly care to see anything that shows beloved characters in a not-so-flattering light, this story may not be for you (though, if you’re willing to humor me and allow my story to question your perception of those characters, feel free to try the story as well). 

There’s also a variety of dark themes and situations in Gladiator, something that any reader should be warned about in this day and age: I am 100% against violence for the sake of violence, to name one such subject, and I generally try to portray it with as much nuance as possible, but even if I feature my own characters criticizing their violent world and wanting to put an end to the strife caused by the Fire Nation, some of the violence in Gladiator may be a little too much for the readers who prefer the tone of the original ATLA. Hence, if that’s how it is for you, it’s another reason to approach the story with caution. I won’t pretend I’ve handled every theme and subject perfectly, but I’ve never wanted the darker moments to feel gratuitous in any way, so if you’re open to reading a darker take on the Avatarverse, this may work for you after all.

Alas! If you want to see Azula growing out of the toxic Fire Nation indoctrination, if you want to see Sokka gaining confidence and strength as a man and warrior, if you want to see a fleshed-out but still very much villainous Ozai, if you want to see Toph fulfilling her dreams of joining an all-out fighting league where she can beat people up for a living, if you want to see a myriad of secondary ATLA characters (like Song, or Shoji!) given new lives and even genuine protagonism, if you want to see Zuko discovering he’s allowed to just... be happy? xD Gladiator may prove interesting enough for you.

Furthermore, if you want to see Azula being true friends with Mai and Ty Lee, discovering a dragon, developing new firebending styles, confronting her misplaced beliefs about herself, rebelling subtly (and lately, not so subtly) against her father, growing into a great leader who could change the Fire Nation’s nefarious direction...  aaand if you want to see Sokka fighting creatively (sometimes with TWO swords!), navigating the dangerous waters of interacting with Fire Lord Ozai, staying true to his beliefs while also learning that the world is not as black-and-white as he was raised to think it was, understanding himself better and making the most of his potential as a quick learner, writing embarrassing haiku and being an unapologetic rebel who goes toe-to-toe with Heads of State just because he can... yep. Probably read it? xD

Lastly... if you want to see Sokka and Azula grow through their mistakes, learning to understand each other, fighting side by side, training together, dancing to no music, learning the underrated pleasure of proper communication in a relationship, sassing each other left and right, flirting in ridiculous ways, taunting each other in many regards, laughing at each other’s terrible jokes, protecting each other fiercely, challenging each other to a spicy ramen eating contest, discovering indirect bending, being highly inappropriate at times and places where they shouldn’t be, making long, dangerous yet fun journeys together, sneaking around to meet up when they’re not supposed to, standing by each other in their darkest moments, watching over the other when they’re sick/injured, being ready to sacrifice virtually anything for each other, and even defying and defeating even death to save each other...? Well, I don’t know if there’s any other stories where you might find all of this, but I can guarantee you’ll find it in Gladiator :)

If none of this is convincing enough... that’s a shame, but I understand. If it convinced you to give it a shot, however... I guess I’ll just hope you enjoy it enough to stick around! :) thanks for taking my story into consideration regardless of whatever you decide. Have a nice day!

[zenodreemurr]

How Freaktale inspired Xénotale

Greetings, people. Recently, I saw the video “What Happened To Freaktale?”, which reminded me of the influence Freaktale had on Xénotale, my own AU. I then thought about making a post on that. So, let’s begin. I shall say in the first place that I recall conceptualizing Xénotale back in March or April 2018, and back then, it was very different. The original idea was “What if Zeno was in another AU?”. It was as simple as that (note that he was my only Undertale OC back then). However, I never made it continue. One day, however, I discovered Freaktale, and while I can’t say exactly when (I think it was in August 2018), and it reminded me of Xénotale, which I start to develop, with many ideas borrowed from Freaktale (some even got scrapped). The biggest influence Freaktale ever had on Xénotale is definitely the creation of The Voice, one of the characters, very inspired by Sky, the virus of Freaktale. They, in fact, were supposed to be the center of all the changes on the AU, and while Sky made them obvious, The Voice operared discreetly, which was the biggest difference at the time, especially considering back then, The Voice was combined with another character (now, they are two separate characters and this for the best). When it comes to the differences, I must say that they are a bit more recent (from 2019). The Voice is now a bodiless creature that is indeed unbeatable (in fact, it is impossible to fight this) that is used not only in the universe itself, but also in the Multiverse (with different uses), and that has multiple different effects that can be useful to the story. One of the biggest differences they always had, is that Sky can target anyone, whereas The Voice can only target beings with determination (and they fake to be only able to target the one with the most determination in the Xénotale universe itself). So, in fact, when it comes to this, I don’t recall if the idea comes from Freaktale or simply from the view some fans have of Undertale, but it is about Frisk and Chara. So, in Freaktale, it is well-known that Frisk and Chara are merged together, and as such, sticked together. In Xénotale, they are also sticked together, though it’s not because of their body, but because of Frisk’s mind. In Xénotale, Chara is blocked in Frisk’s mind and is only capable of communicating with Frisk and The Voice. However, I think some interpretations of the character of Chara in Undertale are also like this, but with Chara controlling Frisk’s mind in the genocide route. This is why I can’t recall if I borrowed this from this or from Freaktale, with the only new shit being that Chara controls Frisk during the pacifist route and then Frisk takes the control back during the eidocide route and does it for her vengeance. Also, I’m pretty sure that both Frisk and Chara being female has been borrowed from Freaktale, but I guess this is the case in a lot of AUs. The things is, there may be others (in fact, there most likely are others, like Asgore was probably once heavily inspired by the one in Freaktale, if I recall correctly), however, all these things I borrowed come from 2018, back when Xénotale had almost nothing, not even Celerity (yes, at this point), and when I decided to make the actual story back in 2019, I had stopped to do this. However, I can say that more minor ideas were still borrowed from Freaktale, such as: -Toriel, Papyrus, Alphys, Mettaton and Asgore having actual fights in the eidocide route, like Undyne and Sans. This is still true at this point, because I don’t see any reason to remove this, especially when i came up with some cool fight ideas. The idea of a new final boss in eidocide is there as well and originates from the Freaktale inspiration as well. -One of the properties of the universe itself is also a thing that was borrowed from Freaktale. I’m going to keep it because it is useful story-wise. -I originally planned to add some alternative stories like there were in Freaktale. Fortunately, this idea was scrapped. -Some story elements (in fact, I only recall two) still ressemble Freaktale quite a bit, some more than others, but while one (as I can recall right now) has a direct inspiration from Freaktale, the other is more of a coincidence, pretty much coming from the fact that both their stories happen in the Underground. Now, to be honest, I don’t borrow from Freaktale anymore. I have surpassed this. Freaktale was really my main inspiration for Xénotale, and what made me want to continue the AU back when I did it, which I do not regret all. This last detail is even stated on the Undertale AU Wiki. I also technically borrowed from other AUs, to a lesser extent though. The AUs I can recall I borrowed from to a lesser extent are Undertale DDD and Alphatale (my AUs made before too, but technically, they are made by me, so nobody would care). I have also definitely imagined a most of the shit after the publication by myself in a very weird way (which I will not state), and more recently, after I stopped borrowing from other AUs for Xénotale. This definitely includes the backstories of all of the characters and all of the characters I have added to the AU since 2018, the new locations, all of the lore points and some of the items. I also borrowed from Undertale, but as it is an Undertale AU, I think it is really obvious. Anyways, have a great next 24 hours.

[baka-monarch]

What The Fuck!?

(A.N: before we start with the story I just wanna say that this is based off of this post by @lance-alt​ . Also, alot of creators on here got mentioned in the story, like actual mentions so if you got mentioned just know that I love what you create and wanted to include you because I love your interpretations of the sides, and you do not have to read this at all if you don’t want to and if you want me to take you out of the story please DM me and tell me so that I can)

TRIGGER WARNINGS: SLIGHT MENTION OF VORE FOR LIKE TWO SECONDS, MENTION OF USYEMPETHETIC SIDES, SHITTING N SOME HEADCANONS EVEN THOUGH I MYSELF LOVE THEM

The Sides are lost. They find themselves in a familiar and yet unknown place.

They will soon find someone dark. And someone far too shiny and bright… Too innocent.

The Sides meet…

their fanon-selves.

 ...

 It had started like any normal day. The sides existing as a part of Thomas, helping him with his daily dilemmas, the usual things. Until Thomas took a nap. Then the sides suddenly found themselves in a white void. It wasn’t a dream, they could confirm that much from the other dreams that Thomas had. Also from the confused looks on the twin’s faces who were in charge of dreams, like how Remus had caused Thomas’ nightmare that they had disgusted in Dealing With Intrusive Thoughts.

“Where are we?” Logan spoke up, voicing everyone’s concerns.

“Wherever it is, Thomas has never thought about it before.” Roman muttered as he glanced around.

“Yeah, I know his brains can be scooped out at times, but not even he can have a mind this empty.” At Remus’ comment, most of the others cringed in varying degrees, with Logan being the only one unaffected, only rolling his eyes in annoyance.

“Although your metaphor usage could use some work, you are correct. This place is too empty to be a part of Thomas.” Logan conceded.

“If this isn’t Thomas...then where are we?” Virgil gleaned around wearily, trying to come up with his own explanation for this situation.

“It’s really blank here...maybe Thomas is in a coma?” Roman tried, to which Virgil’s eyes widened.

“Impossible, how would we be active if he is not?” Logan debated.

“I don’t know! Do you have any ideas, Sherlock Drones?” Roman rebutted, causing Logan to roll his eyes and fix his glasses.

“Unfortunately, no. There is not enough evidence...anywhere to make a proper inference on the situation.” Logan finished adjusting his glasses by the time he finished, gaining an annoyed huff from Roman.

“Heya, kiddos? Maybe we shouldn’t argue. We’re all confused right now, and getting upset isn’t going to get us anywhere.” Patton butted in to make sure things didn’t escalate.

“Thank you, Patton.” Logan gave a curt nod of agreement.

“Fiiiine!” Roman whined after a bit.

“It would be wise to explore, to see if we can find any clues as to where we are.”

“I’ll do it!” Remus jumped in. “Who knows, maybe we all died a gruesome death!” He cackled.

“No need.” Janus approached the group from behind, having already explored himself. “Look behind us.” When turning the sides were surprised to find the area behind them was not all whit. On it there were words like what one would find in a google doc currently describing their situation as they lived through it. 

“What the fuck?” Virgil muttered. He had a Tumb.lr so he knew what fanfiction was, and this looked like it. “This can’t be happening…” He groaned, knowing it was happening.

“Aw, they’re writing about us Virge! Like the people on that one app you use.” Patton cooed, only knowing of the fluff part of fanon.

“Pat, you don’t understand. This isn’t good.”

“Oh nonsense kiddo.” Patton dismissed. “Have you guys seen the art they draw of us? It’s so cute!” Virgil internally cringed knowing that not all of it was like that.

“Either way,”-Janus cut off their small conversation.-“We need to find a way out of here.” Janus focused slightly more on Virgil for his next comment. “Whether this is real or not.” Virgil shivered at the thought of them not being real, or even acting like they do in the things that people create. 

Everyone agreed, and soon they were on their way to explore this strange new environment.

 …

 Soon enough, however, the sides are lost. Which brings us back to where this story began. As they searched for their original location, or even the mysterious floating words, they come upon a familiar and yet unknown place. It looks strikingly like a Disney movie kingdom. With one half, filled with bright colors, lush fields, enchanting forests, and a large white castle with a red roof. The other half being dark and dangerous, the colors fading, plants rotting, instead of animals there only creatures of unknown origin, and in the middle, a black, crumbling, castle, with striking green roofing. It was almost as if...it were made for the twins.

In fact, as they got closer they could hear two far off shouts, with simultaneous silhouettes, motioning towards them, as if pointing them out to someone...or something, else.

“Uh...guys?” Virgil trailed off wondering if the others had noticed.

“On it.” Romas was quick to pull out his sword, Remus quickly following suit with his morning star.

It was unnecessary however, as once the silhouettes were in view, they looked exactly like the twins. 

“Wha…” Roman lowered his sword as he saw this. As they got closer more figures came into view. All of which looked like the sides to varying degrees. There were thousands. Some were small, some were even giants, and there were alot that weren’t even human.

“Oh! Hi there kiddos!” A Patton(?) came running past the twin’s doppelgangers. “You’re probably really confused right now, I know alot of us were when we appeared!” The sides just looked at the Patton look-alike  dumbfounded. The first to break out of it was Logan.

“I do not wish to appear rude, but, who are you and where are we?” Logan queried.

“Oh, I’m Patton by @baka-monarch !” Patton chirped. “And you’re in The Imagination!”

“The what now-?” “How did you-?” Both Roman and Virgil asked at the same time.

“Hm?” The other Patton tilted his head confused.

“One at a time now kiddos…” Their Patton silently reminded them. Roman nodded to Virgil to let him go first.

Virgil inhaled, taking his cue. “How did you say a mention? That only works when typed in social medias.” Virgil wondered confused.

“Oh! That’s just my fander creator kiddo!” This Patton didn’t miss a beat as he answered happily. Virgil stared at him blankly as he came to a horrifying conclusion.

“We’re in a f*****g fanfiction.” He jumped slightly at his bleep out. “What was that?”

“Oh, Jan Jan did that I wouldn’t have to hear any vulgar language.” All of them looked back at Janus who looked forward, uninterested, definitely trying not to hide his embarrassment at what this other him did, definitely not. 

“...Okay… My turn!” Roman exclaimed. “What is “the Imagination”?” He used air quotes.

“Yeah, I was wondering that too, Mr. The 6th Day clone.” Remus added.

“Oh! Don’t you know? It’s the place you and Roman can go to to summon anything.You can even change the entire world around you!” Patclone chirped.

“What.” They all said in unison with worry, apart from the twins who were excited.

“Yeah! Isn’t it cool!” Patclone said oblivious to the consequences of the twins having this power could cause. “Oh yeah, do you want me to introduce you to everyone?”

“Please, I am intrigued about how our counterparts might act.” Logan conceded.

“Okie dokie then! Follow me!”

 …

 It had been a few hours at this point and they still weren’t even an eighth of the way through yet. There were so many headcanons, variations, AUs, OCs, OOCs, designs, everything. It was almost too much to handle.

“-this is @tscampfireau ‘s sides from their au-” The Virgil hissed and bit towards them as they almost walked on their pentagram that they were making out of… was that blood? The Patton and Logan were helping them by t-posing as a barrier against the other sides. “-yeah they can be a...fun bunch to hang out with. Oh, and here’s @bleepblopbloop56 ‘s sides.”

“How, and why are they hotter than us..?” Roman mumbled to Virgil, only getting a weird look in response.

“Then there’s @mango-shpango ‘s and @rondoel ‘s ones, he’s got a lot-” Patclone shrugged it off, but King caught all of their eyes. He didn’t have to look like the one they knew for them to know who it was… “Oh, hey there @that-prey-lounge and @tiny-peter-rabbit ‘s sides!” He greeted them. As they turned a corner there was a group of sides that were made of metal like robots. “Oh, there’s @burnadolt ‘s fnaf au!” He waved. As they approached a tavern the last group greeted was, “Heya @nommy-thoughts ‘ sides, how are you adjusting?” there were several positive responses from many of them, and as the sides looked closer they could see that a few were smaller than a human hand not only that but nearby (possibly made by someone else), were the sides they’d seen from afar earlier that were giants.. They hadn't noticed them yet here because of how closely compact the buildings were and how their size made what was visible from their perspective look like buildings.

As they all entered the tavern, they saw that there was only one group of sides here. “Hiya guys! New sides I’d like you to meet @baka-monarch ‘s group.” There were several different hellos. “And my friends, I’d like you to meet… to meet..? I’m sorry but who’s your creator?” Virgil was the one to answer.

“@thatstha-MMPH!” Virgil was only part of the way through before the other’s Janus made him slap his hand over his mouth as the other sides in the room went pale. “What was that for?” Virgil asked, his voice muffled by his hand.

“You can’t say his name. Not here.” Patclone explained cryptid. They all fell into an awkward silence, until Roman changed the subject.

“Why are there...two of you?” Roman observed.

“Oh!” Patclone chirped. “I was created just for this au! Just so I could be your guide!” He paused for a moment thinking before continuing. “I guess I’m like the Monika of this world.” Again, everyone paled, some not understanding, others...understanding too well. “Welp, I guess you want to go explore now! Jan Jan, do you and Patty wanna go have fun while they look around?” Both mentioned sides blushed.

“I told you not to call me that…” Janus mumbled as he took Patclone’s hand and the other Patton stood up to quickly join them as they went off to a separate room.

 …

 Only an hour had passed and the sides had already split off into groups with their counterparts. The Roman’s comforting each other while being completely random, some of them being sad little puffballs that the strong egotistic Roman’s had decided to protect, while others were a mix or just completely unsympathetic and degrading anyone the came in contact with, especially the Virgils. Virgil had kind of separated himself from the other Virgils since 90% of them were cowering away from everything and just having constant anxiety attacks, while the few who were different either had power that they abused, or were fawning over the other sides. The Logans had formed an army of science lead by the Logan from @askdarksidelogan and the other dark sides from his au, this Logan was very robotic looking, cruel, and unfeeling...well, almost unfeeling as the Deceit from his au was his boyfriend and the Remus was really close friends with him. Janus was busy trying to coral in all his different counterparts as some of them made plans to kill everyone around them and end the government, while others were hiding due to PTSD about the angst they have been through. The Remuses just vibed in their corner, killing, being gross, and annoying the other aspects. Finally the Pattons. Patton had basically adopted the ones that were child-like and too innocent for their own good while avoiding the unsympathetics that were teaming up with other unsympathetics and the ones who were...horny… Actually everyone was avoiding the horny ones.

But that was just the simplified version of the chaos. Logans were capturing people to test, Deceits were arguing over their name even though one was already canon, Romans were either being complete idiots or crying silently to themselves, while they were targeted by the unsympathetics along with the Virgils, everyone too scared to even try to tussle with the army of Logans.

Virgil sat back on a hill and watched it all unfold. How had the community gotten this far without this much chaos? He had no idea. A few other counterparts were up there with him but he didn’t mind since they mostly seemed chill. A Virgil approached and sat down next to him exhausted, and judging by the paint he was covered in he had just come from the Romans’ corner.

“Romans a little too much?” Virgil tried making conversation.

“Yeah…” He breathed. “It was getting a little too rowdy and I wanted to get my Roman out of there so he wouldn’t get hurt.” With no Roman in sight, Virgil assumed that he had been unsuccessful.

“So, which Roman is yours?” Virgil wondered.

“Hm?” The counterpart tilted his head confused until it clicked. “Oh, no, he’s not down there right now.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny Roman. “See.”

“Oh…” Virgil was at a loss of words. What does a person say to that? After that they just sat there in silence as Virgil’s counterpart and the Roman snuggled slightly through a hand to body contact. 

“So…” Virgil decided to try again. “What’s it like, y’know, being shipped?” Virgil wondered, seeing how it seemed these two were in some kind of relationship. Virgil had always found it kind of weird, but, maybe there was more to it…

“I mean, it’s like any other relationship I guess… falling in love and deciding to be together.” The counterpart mumbled as the tiny Roman rubbed his hand to comfort him.

“But isn’t it weird how it isn’t real? How, you’re literally just playing out your creator’s fantasies because they enjoy the idea of you being together?” Virgil wondered.

The counterpart just shrugged. “I try not to think about it… but, it really isn’t that weird, even if we’re fictional characters we have memories, motives, morals, opinions, feelings. Those are real. Even if they aren’t created by us, they are real. Every thought, every motion, every breath. That is us. Just because it was written, drawn, or even just imagined, it happened and that makes it real. Makes this feeling real.” He explained as he rubbed the little head of his Roman.

“Huh I… I guess you’re right, I never thought of it that way.” Virgil shrugged.

“No one does. Why do you think people are told not to cry over fictional deaths when they actually had feelings for a character, platonic or not?” The counterpart said. “It’s just a story on the outside, something thought to not affect people even though when our memories are shared with them, it can change them.” Virgil looked at his counterpart, curiosity growing about how he had so much knowledge.

“Who’s your creator?” Virgil finally asked.

“Why do I have to have one?”

“Touche.” 

They went back to a comfortable silence. It was nice. Until this one Janus came.

“Hey, Virgil, does Roman mind if I had him for a bit?” They asked.

“I don’t mind at all!” The tiny side exclaimed as he got on Janus’ hand. They soon left, but when that Janus vired the Roman they weren’t far enough away from Virgil for him not to catch a glimpse. He shivered. 

“Is that normal?” He wondered.

“Depends on the part of the community, but pretty normal and usually safe, so don’t worry.” The counterpart comforted him. It barely helped but at last Virgil knew that that Roman was safe… probably.

“Can I try!” Remus came brelling up the his, straight (heh) to the counterpart.

“Only if you want to.” They replied.

“I do!” Remus wriggled with excitement.

“Alright, let's go find you one of the groups of sides either with the power to shrink you or are giants.” Virgil led Remus off the hill as Remus kept talking about everything that could go wrong but probably wouldn’t.

Weird. Was all Virgil could think as he watched them leave.

 …

 He saw a lot that day but never saw that Virgil again, as if he had vanished mysteriously. It didn’t matter to him right now though as he had been stuck with babysitting duty over all the little kid sides.

“F*** this.”

 …

 Virgil looked over the story he just read one more time. It was written by a small creator called @baka-monarch , who focussed more on reblogging than they did their own content.

“That was trash.”

…

…

…

“Reblog.”

[oldmanlenz]

I was wondering if there was a FAQ & beginners guide to this blog? I love the idea of an older Billy

Nnnot exactly! But I could make a quick summary of what's going on in this character's life as of right now for ya, anon! And anyone else that might come across this little blog since it's been growing.

Long post below.

Okay so... first of all, for the Frequently Asked Questions....I haven't really recieved any various questions about the same topic OOC, so, nothing to that I suppose.

(Slight TW for mentions of deceased pets)

I feel like I should talk a bit about the blog itself before going on about my muse, so here goes..

- Regarding asks, if I take a long time to reply to you, please be patient! I'm most likely not available at that moment or I'm not in the right mindset to play as my muse. There's quite a few of them that I still plan on making a small doodle for, before replying ;v;

- Most of the asks are going to be interpreted as telephone calls my muse will recieve(unless you point out whatever action or imply an action that is meant to be like- face-to-face) as a way to keep the whole 'unknown person on the line of the vintage telephone' vibe that Black Christmas has, except we know exactly who's on the line but shh.

- I don't want to pin this post since it's quite long, but I might create a special tag for this here so you know where to look, might add it to my list of other tags too.

Also, I think this is pretty obvious, but DNI:

If you are homophobic, racist, truscum, etc. the usual horrible things that people like me do not want on their sight.

Unkind and hostile reminder that if you infantilize/demonize/belittle/romanticize *ssault or any other type of physical abuse, s*lf h*rm, or any mental condition this character portrays, OP does not want you here.

And now, to shed some light on this interpretation of the boyo, so you have an idea:

- Billy's current timeline is not the modern time! If it was, he'd be pretty much long dead in 2021. This interpretation of the Moaner lives in the early 90's, more specifically: currently the same year as the release of Wes Craven's New Nightmare(in 1994). He is currently 59 years old, and it has been 20 years exactly ever since the events of Black Christmas(1974).

- this interpretation of Billy has a significant other! It's your usual ocxcanon. This whole old man Billy AU was created in the first place because I had this silly idea about this ship growing old together, and here we are. And before you assume, let me clarify: no. The oc has Not been made on purpose to be shipped with Billy(I have actually been working on him and his backstory since last year), and this blog is not going to focus a lot on this character, since it's meant to portray the fictional slasher in question. I was even planning on taking out my oc for the sake of 'keeping this blog as canon as possible' but decided against it since there's really nothing wrong with it, there's other people who've shipped ocs or self-inserts with slashers (if you think it's cringe, kindly consider unfollowing). For the most part, I ended up wanting to keep him as a cryptic 'room-mate', but I might shortly introduce him sooner or later...

Side note for those that showed interest in the past: As much as I thought on making a blog specifically for the oc, I decided not to, since ocs don't tend to get a lot of attention unless you're like- planning it out with friends and such. And I've still got to write down a lot about him, I'm not done figuring out his entire character and timelines of specific happenings😞

- Billy has two lovely new neighbors around! @singrobin and @marinacharkov (both ocs my friends decided to make to join in this funky old man's life)

- Agnes is alive! I may play as her at times since I feel like her character deserves a deeper look as well, but rarely(not necessarily in flashbacks or whatever past memory Billy has) since, again, this blog is specifically dedicated to portray Billy. But she no longer lives in Toronto or anywhere close, she's far away and far happier having left her old home behind. Jess and Barb are also alive(look I mcfuckin love Barbara and, while her death is the best and most iconic out of them all in the movie, I simply don't want to accept she's gone, so, in this interpretation, Billy's attack left her with major injuries, but she survived. That dramatic reveal as Jess opens the door to see both Barb and Phyl dead? I do not see it😌 I pretend it does not exist, I do not percieve it), Barb has too moved far away from Toronto, leaving Jess the only one still around there.

- One of the two kittens Billy owns is named 'Claude Jr.' , but he is not the original Claude, despite him always referring to him as just 'Claude' and taking out the 'Jr.' , the original has long since passed, and Billy hasn't gotten over his death(to the point where he blames himself for it), so he tries gaslighting himself into thinking that the kitten is actually the real Claude, just 'temporarily smaller'. So when he calls Claude, don't be fooled because it's not the same old cat you see in the movie.

- This interpretation of the Moaner is gay, and very much closeted about it. No matter how hard you try, he will not admit to it in public or to a stranger on the phone, the only thing you'll get out of him(if you insist) is a fit of rage before he hangs up on you, or a temper tantrum as he lectures you about how not gay he is via a perverted rant that sounds just about the same as the first phone call in the movie. Pig noises 2: electric boogaloo.

- This interpretation of Billy has to take medication for his mental conditions(medication that often affects his eating and sleeping habits).

And as for said mental conditions- I would still prefer not to share too much on them, not right now at least since 1- it's quite emotionally tiring for the OP, and 2- I would have to look up and study most of them again before coming in here and talking about it, because I need to be sure of what exactly it is I'm typing down because I want it to be accurate, right now it's all just sorta fumbled in my mind.

[yamayuandadu]

Rider of Clouds (again)

After going through more sources on Ugaritic mythology and the “storm god versus the sea” motif as a whole in Anatolia, Levant, Egypt and Mesopotamia, I decided to post about the characters meant for my loose Baal Cycle retelling again.

Baal (middle) – the eponymous Rider of Clouds, a young weather deity born to Dagon and Shalash, largely retired agricultural gods who settled in Ugarit shortly before Baal's birth. While the mythical  Baal Hadad is male, my version is a woman – the idea started as a joke about conflating Baal from the Baal cycle with Baalat Gebal, a female figure associated with another levantine bronze age city (BG's actual identity is an object of much scholarly debate) being more valid than conflating him with much later Baal Hammon from Carthage, which happens a lot online, but I got attached to it (a certain artifact which is variously interpreted as representing either a short-haired noblewoman or a prince was a factor too) so now here we are.  She nonetheless uses a male title inherited from her father, much like a few historical female rulers did. In my version “Hadad” is only a nickname, and her real name is actually Hebat, who is a goddess mentioned in one inscription as Dagan's daughter. As the levantine/syrian Hebat lacks a defined character in real mythology (another Hebat was regarded as the Hittite storm god's wife but was replaced in this role by the sun goddess of Arinna and that's about it) it should be fine to conflate her with Dagan's best attested divine child, I think. Baal is impulsive and follows a moral code which, depending on the point of view, might be either naive or heroic, which means she's not exactly the optimal person to get involved in n-dimensional divine politics, but that's not enough to stop her from trying. The story documents her rise to the position of the head god of Ugarit's pantheon. Astarte (right) – a goddess of uncertain origin and no particularly well defined attributes, who attaches herself to Baal initially in hopes of advancing own career, though the two eventually develop a more genuine relationship. She patterns herself after the much more famous Mesopotamian Inanna, seeing her as an ideal to strive for – especially when it comes to trickery. While Baal has the name recognition and disposition fitting for a major deity, Astarte is the part of the duo actually capable of navigating politics, and takes the title of Face of Baal, negotiating support for Baal's bid with other gods. The image of Baal she projects differs slightly from reality, though not enough for most onlookers to notice. Ignore the crescent moon diadem, it'll be replaced as soon as I'll draw her again. Anat (left) – the younger daughter of Ugarit's head god, El. Her philosophy differs greatly from her parents' and as a result she isn't really seriously considered for succession. Her hobbies include bladed weapons, gambling and heroic epics; in the past she attempted writing her own self insert one. She's deeply invested in Baal's ascendance, and is probably the god Astarte wants to recruit for their cause the most.

El and Asherah – the ruling couple of Ugarit, currently pondering retirement, which stirs many contenders to the throne into action. El is a lifelong opportunist changing views and allegiances as he sees fit, though he pretty consistently favors Yam as his main underling. His wife (image tbd) generally holds similar views, though has some qualms about Yam's rise to power.

Kothar-wa-Khasis – a craftsman god who, by own admission, only works part time in Ugarit and travels the world for the rest of it. He's kind and dependable and his wares are both affordable and of great quality, but his real motives are hard to ascertain. His real identity is likewise a subject of much speculation among other gods – while his preferred manner of clothing hints at an egyptian origin, nothing is known for sure. He's also a talented musician. Shapash – El's firstborn daughter, serving as “the torch of the gods”, guaranteeing Ugarit gets its fair share of sunlight. Her political allegiance is unknown.

Yam – a sea monster more than a god, presiding over the nearby section of the sea and all that dwells in it, including the sea slugs important for the human inhabitants of the area. He's also the son of the influential Anatolian god Kumarbi, banished to the underworld by the current head god Teshub. As a result of his influence, he gained El's support and received many titles, which de facto makes him the most likely to succeed El as the king of local pantheon.  He's capricious and inconsiderate, but maintains a larger than life public image meant to make him palatable to potential backers. The circumstances of his arrival in Ugarit are shrouded in mystery, and may or may not be relate for his unusually strong hatred of Baal. Ashtar (image tbd) – an opportunist who sides with Yam, hoping to receive a share in the gains he's making thanks to El's blessings. He's pretty content with playing the role of a toady though his aspirations might be different, as evidenced by his gaudy fashion preferences. Yam’s messenger (image tbd) – an attempt at developing an obscure figure from the original myth, Yam's nameless and seemingly rather rude and infuriating messenger, into a full blown character. His real identity is a mystery. He interned under a variety of famous mythical villains in order to gain a greater understanding of their ways, and currently serves as Yam's messenger, adviser, doorkeeper and punching bag. Mot – profoundly unpleasant and unsociable being tasked with maintaining Ugarit's very own underworld. While his equivalents in neighboring cultures generally view themselves as impartial judges or a necessary evil, Mot gets his kicks from posing as a personification of death itself, and is notoriously corrupt.

Marduk – the tutelary deity of Babylon, reigning as the king of gods of most of Mesopotamia and its neighbors. While technically Ugarit isn't directly under his control, he still is the god whose confirmation is necessary to rise to the position of the head of a local pantheon. He doesn't have a unified mythical narrative about himself yet at this point in time, despite his position, which is a source of insecurity for him. During travels, he's assisted by his personal aide and biographer, Nabu, and his pet. Seth – in real life, ancient Egyptians equated many gods of their neighbors with Seth; therefore in Rider of Clouds Seth serves as an ambassador of the Egyptian pantheon. While ultimately Marduk's judgment matters the most, Seth gets the right to veto his decisions when it comes to validating claims to local thrones. On good terms with Kothar-wa-Khasis, which is a subject of much gossip among other gods. Teshub – the head of the Hittite and Hurrian pantheon, technically capable of projecting the most power in Ugarit's politics; however, as the gods of Ugarit share closer affinity with Mesopotamia than Hatti, he competes with Marduk for political influence. As he and Baal are a very similar type of god, he's the most outspoken supporter of Baal's ascension to the throne out of all 3 foreign dignitaries. Ignore the ?, it’s just Baal. Gupan and Ugar – two minor gods who might be some of the only allies Baal recruited herself rather than with Astarte's help. They play a minor role in the story as her messengers and heralds. They're also a couple. Kubaba – a pretender to the throne of the head deity of the pantheon of Carchemish, a city-state close to Ugarit. Involved with the Hittite Sun Goddess of the Underworld in some capacity. This is, however, not their story. If you follow my oc posts you can probably guess which one is about them.