Hello everyone! I'm Mod Blaze, and I'd like to welcome you all to Don't Starve Together: Codex Nocturna!
Codex Nocturna is a tale of survival, thrill, and finding allies, friends, or even something more, in the most unlikely places. In its simplest form, it's an AU/retelling of the Don't Starve series. It started as a simple way for me to introduce an OC or two to the setting, but over time, it evolved into something way bigger.
The basic premise is the same as Don't Starve: people get trapped in a wilderness purgatory, and now they have to fight to survive. However, Codex Nocturna has a bit more of a narrative focus—albeit one that's still being worked on. The story is very much character-driven, with themes of community and working together to make life better, even in a world that hates you and wants you to die.
(More details under the read more!)
The Story
The story starts mostly the same as regular Don't Starve—mainly focused on Wilson trying to survive in a large, hostile world with nothing but his wits and whatever he can find.
The Reign of Giants arc is where things change a little. Here, Wilson rescues Webber from his grave, and the two end up sticking together. Their gradual bonding is what kicks off Wilson's character development—he starts off pretty reserved and bitter, with not much empathy to spare on account of being alone for so long (both before and after getting yoinked into the Constant), but over time, he re-connects with his kinder side. By the time DST happens in the story, he's a lot kinder... though exceptions are sometimes made for Maxwell.
The Characters
A fair amount of how I characterize certain characters is inspired by the analysis and headcanons of other members of the community, such as @/the-valiant-valkyrie for Wigfrid, @/crazysnor1ax for Wendy and Abigail, and @/mxboxlocks for Wilson, among others. That being said, a lot of it is my own as well, especially when it comes to Willow and Wurt!
Everyone has characters they love, and while I tend to focus a lot on my favorite survivors (Wilson, Willow, Wigfrid, Wurt, Wendy and Abigail), I want everyone to see those characters get their time in the sun!
Other Things
I also have dreams of making Codex Nocturna into a mod for Don't Starve Together in the form of some sort of game overhaul—the heart of the game itself would be the same, but several things would be changed to fit with the theme of Codex Nocturna. (We'll see how that ends up going—I have no modding skills whatsoever!)
IMPORTANT NOTE: This story is bound to contain some possible spoilers, so proceed with caution!
Happy Hallowed Nights to all, and to all, a good fright!
Well, as the month comes to a close, I figured it's about time I shared some art again! Wyeth and Wilson were eager to have matching costumes this year!
(Alternate color schemes + details about Wyeth's Hallowed Nights skin under the cut!)
Head: The Half-Moon Experiment
Thanks to science, Wyeth now reacts to every phase of the moon.
Body: Half-Moon Hospital Gown
The opening in the back is quite practical for someone who occasionally sprouts wings.
Hands: Half-Moon Talons
The perfect combination of draconic power and human dexterity.
Legs: Half-Moon Haunches
The tail is long enough to wag, and short enough to avoid being stepped on.
Merms are a bit different in this setting: they are (visually) a combination of fish, frog, and turtle. Young Merms, like Wurt, have tadpole tails, and are even called tadpoles.
"For the first time in forever, I actually feel like myself. And I don't think I would without you guys."
(alt and mini ramble under the cut)
I was pretty nervous about making this particular headcanon of mine canon to Codex Nocturna for a variety of reasons, mainly insecurity. But now, thanks to encouragement and support from my friends, I no longer feel like I need or want to keep this one to myself. So I'm putting this out there now, and I hope you guys can appreciate it.
"Dost thou not see? Thou hast so long been buried under my presence that now thou dread'st the world will mark thee not when I am absent; thou believest thyself a shadow that needs mine own to lend it shape. Thou wert e'en willing to unmake thyself, to flay away the very name thou borest, all for a slender hope of being loved. Yet mark me: █████████ found not fellowship; Wigfrid found it. Thou didst not win companions; Wigfrid did. Thou cam'st a beggar for alliance, and for kin—but Wigfrid drew the band."
"Thou cravedst freedom from the gnawing doubt, a single chance to cast away thy polling fears; and now, when Fortune grants thee that release, thou ply'st thy wit to cast it from thy grasp. How ill beseems a warrior such faint heart! How paltry, how contemptible thy timidity! I am grown weary of this shrinking, of thy coy retreat; therefore I will seize the helm with mine own hand. Who stands betwixt me and my purpose—let him kneel, or meet the bitter temper of my blade. I will undo each soul that dares impede my path; and when the smoke, like a slow veil, falleth down, when helmets lie as wrecks upon the plain, it shall not be thy shadow that bestrides the field, but I—thyself in semblance only long assumed: I, the Valkyrie, whom thou hast but feigned to be."
"Prepare thee, █████████: either rise and claim thyself, or be trampled in the wake of her thou wouldst be!"
For those of you wondering, the basic scenario behind the drawing is a scene I've been thinking of for a while now where Wigfrid is corrupted by Tenebrau and becomes Triumphant. (In Codex Nocturna, Shadow corruption works by amplifying your worst traits and weakening your best ones. There's also a little bit of mind-control-type stuff, but it's less "actively playing puppeteer with the body" and more "whispering bad ideas into your ear until you're too scared/angry/upset to resist.")
This drawing, along with the excerpt, is a specific piece of the internal conflict between █████████ (the actress who plays a role because she thinks that's the only way people will care about her) and Wigfrid (the Valkyrie role she plays that is now threatening to destroy the real her by virtue of continuing to exist and being her only shield from insecurity).
Willow's "inner fire," the spark of magic in her soul, has a few negative effects on her—namely, it gives her a fear of getting wet, as it smothers her spark and causes her to feel as though she's suffocating.
Despite being the first character the audience meets, Wilson was the last person to be dragged into the Constant. The first to enter the Constant (aside from Maxwell and Charlie) was Wigfrid.
eyyyy you got this account back! have you had any luck with your main? /nfa
Thanks for the question!
Unfortunately, I've had no luck getting my main back. I've basically accepted it at this point, though—and honestly, this new account feels like a fresh start. I had some baggage tied to the old one, so it's nice to separate from that.
Of course, I'm super glad to have this particular blog back!
I ended up installing my drawing software on my laptop, because I'm impatient and want to make full drawings. To warm up, I made my first attempt at both a screencap edit and a replication of the DST style!
I like to think that timeline-wise, Wyeth was introduced in the early Return of Them updates, somewhere between Turn of Tides and Hook, Line, and Inker. It just feels right, given her connection to the moon.
Hiii!! the premise is cool :) I wanted to ask what you’d characterize Wickerbottom as? and if she’d have any role/interaction with characters? Nw if not!! /gen
I love that lady. Like any other person in this community, i’m so very much normal about my favorites
Thanks for the question!
As of right now, Wickerbottom's characterization is still a big work in progress, but the gist of it is that she's sort of got a "tough love" relationship with most of the other characters. She genuinely cares for them, but sometimes her care can come across as a bit cold.
Her closest bonds are the ones she shares with the younger survivors, particularly Wurt and Walter—though their recklessness worries her quite a bit. She also has an interesting bond with another character, Wonder the Fox Spirit, who's still being worked on.
As with most characters in Codex Nocturna, the way Wickerbottom is characterized will largely be inspired by other artists and writers in the fandom, and I'm 100% open to suggestions!
I want to post some art here, but unfortunately, my tablet is out of commission for a few weeks while I remodel my room. In the meantime, I'll post some pencil-and-paper sketches, but be aware that they're rarely polished.
I'll also answer questions about the story and its characters! All of the characters in vanilla DST are fair game, as are the two current OCs, Wyeth and Whisper!
Wyeth (my character) is a biologist with a peculiar form of lycanthropy: on full moon nights, she turns into a were-dragon. She's taken a liking to the strange creatures of the Constant.
Whisper (created by @extemthehedgehog and included in the story with permission) is an ink blight that left the comfort of the caves to make friends and forge his own path. He likes bees and dislikes Maxwell.
