#SqarletTalks

[spectralgecko]

Name four random objects and send this to four random people

Writing motivation cat

My headphones

The stringy-rubber-orb-fidget-ball thing in front of me

My dad's soldering iron.

@mystic-menagerie, @makothedorito, @ohgodallthefandoms-backup, @occasionalflicker

[sqarletsworldlesswandering]

Edda in a hi-low skirt/dress send tweet

[spectralgecko]

Dead lander Hoaxe AU

Post the first out of... idk. Two at least, probably more. I'm 99% sure this has been done before by somebody but I haven't really seen it over here, so I have no idea, lol. At any rate the details are probably different XD

Basic premise? What if Hoaxe just... never left the Dead Lands? What if he never got cornered by dead landers, or crushed by the crystal, and continued to grow up and eventually matured in the Dead Lands, and was in the process hardened into a skilled survivalist?

Does this have plot consequences? Yes. Many. I have tried to patch things up into a more or less interesting alternative, but also. Many holes. Does it actually work just by the canonical laws of the game? I... don't really know, but probably not? This post will mostly be about Hoaxe rather than the plot. Anywho:

The wet cat himself:

(Granted, in this AU he is significantly less of a wet cat, but shhhh.)

Some basics about Hoaxe:

The fire magic - he does still have his fire magic, he just got it differently. He didn't get squashed by a crystal, but he's been around them a whole lot and has by consequence picked up (much more stable) fire magic from it. He also practices using it a lot more, and becomes quite skilled with it. He mostly uses it for cooking, though - larger, flashy fires can draw a lot of... unwanted attention.

I think the devs mentioned somewhere that Bugnish needs to be taught, so Hoaxe never really learns it. He doesn't talk much, and on the rare occasions he needs to communicate, he does so in gestures and non-verbal vocalizations. He takes notes in a logographic format. He does pick up a few words from the Roaches, some in Bugnish, some in Roach language (when he eventually finds the Roach village).

He does take notes, as mentioned above - usually charcoal on either dead lander shell, rock, or any other available writing surface. Usually, it's notes about the dead landers themselves, other local flora and fauna, and mapping out the area. Hazards, good food sources, safe places, dangerous places, hot spots for different dead landers, all that.

As far as the Roaches are concerned, Hoaxe is this... local, very occasional drifter. He drops by sometimes with interesting finds or notes and trades with them and rests while he's there. Over time, he becomes a local guard of sorts, helping keep dead landers away from the village and even sorta assisting with guarding the sapling, insofar as it needs it.

The Roaches have noticed that despite the residual crystal magic around him, he doesn't seem to react to the sapling vault. Some of them have wondered if its magic has faded, or if Hoaxe just isn't bothered.

Hoaxe accrues a few different weapons for taking care of himself, most of them ranged. He has a sling - think shepherds sling - which he uses to send rocks flying at mach-screw-you-in-particular straight into dead landers' faces. A similar premise applies to his blowgun and darts, and assorted sharpened sticks paired with a notched branch - a makeshift atlatl.

Hoaxe has an iron stomach in so many respects. He has also figured out how to cook most things into a semi-edible format, including dead landers, but the Roaches wouldn't recommend partaking of his diet unless you're desperate.

Hoaxe does not know his name, nor does anyone else. The Roaches just call him the drifter or some other such moniker. Hoaxe doesn't really care enough to puzzle over the notion.

At some point, probably post-game, Hoaxe registers that there is in fact land outside of the dead lands, and he could just... leave. He hesitates, though - he knows the dead lands inside and out, this is familiar danger. Everywhere else is strange new territory. In the events of the post-game proxy, he goes back with Team Snakemouth and co. to explore a bit, before eventually returning to help the Roaches with what he may.

Hoaxe is a strange inversion of a persistence hunter - he's more like persistence prey with an uno reverse card. He knows how scarce food is, and he knows he can outpace the dead landers, so he'll kite them around until they exhaust themselves chasing him, then strike. That said, he prefers to strike at range from the shadows where he can - ambush tactics are much safer and have a significantly higher chance of a one-hit kill.

While this is a strange mix of redemption and hypothetical alternative, in character Hoaxe is still not... the nicest. While he's a cunning strategist and capable survivor, he's a little uh. rough. around the edges. Quick to anger and frustration, kinda selfish unless you give him a reason not to be, and generally leaning anti-social. He's very quid pro quo when it comes to cooperation - he needs a reason to help you. He'll be civil if you're civil, but won't be much past that unless you plan on repaying the effort. On the bright side, he's honest at least, and true to his words. Promises are important to him (he and Astotheles get along in this regard, much contrary to canon).

Hoaxe prefers to operate alone. It's what he's learned, and trying to collaborate with a team is a hassle in his view. Stay out of his way, he'll stay out of yours.

He's not exactly keen on sharing resources unless he doesn't need them himself. Again, quid pro quo - if you give him something valuable in return he's down to barter, but his definition of "valuable" is directly correlated to survival and practicality. Unlike the original Hoaxe, currency and treasure and trinkets have little value to him. He deals in food, weapons, shelter, tools, and other such practicalities. Information, even. He's a fair trader, once you figure out his system of value assignment.

I uh. have missed a lot of things, most certainly. If you have questions, curiosities, or comments, fire away! The ask box is open and I am happy to ramble.

[spectralgecko]

[spectralgecko]

Ayo bug fables people (and everyone in general really)

I can't for the life of me decide which I actually like better here. (Any other constructive design critique is also greatly appreciated, I'm still on the fence with this one.)

[spectralgecko]

Sqarlet I'm sorry to say this but your pinned gave me a good scare /SILLY

I do not know why seeing a drawing of a person spooked me so much /Vsilly-

PFFFFT-

That is entirely fair, that came from nowhere-

[sqarletsworldlesswandering]

Crack AU - Worldless is actually just Very Curious and Very Lonely and Edda and Aven realize this when they see Worldless watching them intently, and so they make a point of waving at them and going to all the interesting places and showing them things even though they're this giant eye in the sky and can see it anyways, and then Worldless is no longer lonely and decides the conflict was really dumb because they see that it makes Edda and Aven sad and so they undo the conflict and everyone is happy the end.

[spectralgecko]

Internet why u chuggin' again. what's wrong now-

[sqarletsworldlesswandering]

Anyone have random worldless doodle requests?

[spectralgecko]

Aaaand there's a new acct going around and I legit don't know if it's someone just *really* bad at tumblr and social etiquette, or actively worrisome, or a very sophisticated bot/ai. Lovely.

[spectralgecko]

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhh well this is an interesting writing schedule.

Two chapters per week for a novella-length book is reasonable, riiiiiight?

In other news, the "novella research browser window" grows ever more hilarious. At the top I have things like "Nihilism" and "Existentialism" and then a little farther down "Anatomy of a centipede" and "Can centipedes hiss?" and seven different tabs on the Everglades.

The Everglades show up for less than a thousand words of this entire novella-

[spectralgecko]

*deposits all the friendos into a basket lined with fluffy blankets and holds u gently*

[spectralgecko]

Yknow it's not often I have something positive to say about AI. The rare times I use it are as a search engine when normal research methods are Being Dumb and I can't find anything (and even then, citing sources is a must)

I just used the duck duck go ai thing for a search, and the most *immediate* difference I noticed?

It just answered the question. Period. Without any followup question to try and keep the convo going or keep me engaging with it. Just a straightforward answer.

That never happens. I appreciate that this one cuts the bs (which, from duck duck go isn't that surprising, woo)

[spectralgecko]

I want a hug from Kabbu. Idk he seems like he gives great hugs.

[spectralgecko]

Just gonna quickly vent to the void:

Really, *really* sick of trying to have fun conversations in, say, a server, and having someone who disagrees/holds a dissonant opinion on the subject and who *knows* we disagree and with whom we have had this convo before just... butting in and deciding to be part of it and restate their two dimensional opinion for the three thousandth time.

We get it. You disagree. Go to the other end of the sandbox and let us enjoy our conversation. No one asked you to butt your way in.

I get that it's a public server and this is unavoidable. That's fine. It's just also really freaking annoying.

[spectralgecko]

OKAY SO. (To answer that reblog)

When I was a kid (probably 2 or 3, I think), I was playing out in my backyard in Florida when I found a little rattlesnake in the grass. Pretty small. Probably a baby, methinks, but a snake nonetheless.

It coiled up and started rattling. And little dumb me thought that was cute so I started walking towards it. But before I got too close, my mother yanked me away and pulled me inside. The snake was later chased out by my father.

Needless to say, I gave my poor mom a heart attack that day.

I did a lot of stupid things as a child.

Oh good heavens-

Understandable, but heart attack indeed, aaaaaa-

(And don't we all..... Kids Being Stoopid is an entire genre-)