In-depth dive into... The Mad-Hatter
Most if not all has been taken from my chat with bunnybird.
For Berial as Arclecchino-- His inky/shadowy wings catch on fire and his form shifts to be something between himself and Pirin. A kind of 50/50. Ditches the gloves/cuffs and his jester bit -''remnant of self'' shows in the form of clown face-paint. Mildly toying with the Harley Quinn concept.
This could be his face- White with this type of paint, the rest of his body staying as inky/shadowy/ash-made.
But his outfit changes to Pirin's-- A red tailcoat, his tophat staying on like his tail and wings.
And to stay-in line with the fancy asymmetry (God Reinier would hate him even more now. Like before that midget was a mess but now he's just an atrocity. ...And then get clapped back hard. And being stone-faced, cold and just efficient. No playful, gleeful and flashy 'comedic' stuff and prancing.)
Maybe the ink turns...bit red.
Or flickers back and forth in his glitches.
I imagine Berial finally getting the concepts us mortals have after being fused with Pirin. Since they're literally one/merged into one thing. The battle-lines could be with him holding his weapon and has his wings on fire/made of fire, starring his foe in the eye directly.
I guess we can jokingly call Arlecchino Berial "Mad Hatter"?
===Merlinverse lore for the Knave====
"I wonder how Malak will feel about Arlecchino!Berial. How he'd react to him/...Now let's take the same premise of fusing Berial and Pirin into Arle with same result... But take Og Berial." -Finch (me) Malak is how Pirin refers to Sena.
"Oh, the way that would piss Sena off to no extent. Like as far as Sena is concerned that's the most unforgivable thing Berial has ever done.
Literally going to do everything in his power to separate the two into their own being again and is straight up grieving when he realizes he can't.
But then Arle has these weird little moments where they act so much like Pirin that it throws Sena for a complete loop. Like him getting these weird conflicting feelings as he processes his parental love for Pirin and his hatred towards the jester. Trying to figure out how he feels about this new being that is an amalgamation of the two." -Bunnybird
"Except the Knave just tells him, in that clinically dead tone but mildly annoyed (Like a tired, underpaid doctor/surgeon who's just so done w everyone's constant bs) : "I didn't ask for it." In ref to the experiment. It's hard to tell who's speaking maybe both as one really. Unlike how Ale has moments where Pirin or Berial very clearly shines through.
And "You'll kill us. Stop." -Finch
"And the fact that Sena would be aware that it's not Berials fault too, but still feel the need to blame him. Cause Sena already wiped out the people who were actually at fault, and it did nothing to help his boy. So now the options are blame Berial or himself and he's choosing the jester first. When that doesn't pan out, oof. "What kind of god can't even protect their own herald?" and it's so ironic coming from Sena because he's the only god who actually tried." -Bunnybird
Here we go into the relationship Alrecchino could/would have with Sena.
"I think after that, Sena's relationship with Arle depends entirely on how they behave around him. Like do they even want to be around him?"
"Knave: "......" (Just this complex silence that feels cold/emotionless. But is full of so many emotions -some conflicting since Berial would've been gleeful but w his whole being merged with Pirin.. hm) Still fulfills his duties as Malak's familiar and herald/sentinel though." -Finch
"Oof, then yeah. Sena is still going to be protective over the Knave then, but it's going to be... Complicated? Like Sena is grieving the person Pirin used to be while getting to know this new version that exists in his place. So much like the old Pirin yet completely different. And even though he hates Berial, he cannot hate something that's part Pirin."
" "You gods aren't different than mortals, in Fate's hands." -Kinda backhanded way of saying 'it's not your fault'/'you couldn't have prevented it.' " -Finch
Cue small tangent back to potential ways this chimera/amalgam can and would act + "in-game'" design. That's how the lore in the first post you see resulted.
"Like the fire shadows could be Berial kiiinda peeking through (it's in line with his shadow summons) but the Knave's attitude remains this clinical calm and mercilessness/strict efficiency. And sometime the summons are moths or more like birds -Pirin shining through more." -Finch
Overall it was really fun, this experiment and character fusion concept and playing with how different characters can be...twisted into a fusion that is both themselves, and not so at the same time. I suppose it's a way of character study.
Along with honing in on certain aspects of Pirin's character/'kit'. (See my Paragon lore post on main blog.) And how his calm can differ for each character he's fused with.
Arlecchino - War/combat & Emotionless/Truth
The Balladeer - Dance & Folklore
The Damoiseau - Song/Loss?
The Marionet - Luck/Death/ dance & folklore are very mild -not the main aspects.
"That's why I can see Arlecchino specifically be a point of tension. And if Berial prior to his fusion wouldn't care at all and not regret anything....After his fusion with the bat he just changed. The fusion with this other being is literally the only thing to make him change. He didn't do it/choose so on his own volitions.
And Arle isn't an idiot. He knows all the shit and sin and evils he's done. Knows who & what he was, how this fusion affected him. So it seems Pirin is mostly dominant here.... enough to keep Og Berial from doing more hellish atrocities"- Finch
"Ooh. And it's kinda like 'punishment' for the jester. Being forced to 'reform/be redeemed' against his own will. Because Pirin's goodness will always overwhelm his own negativity. That everyone will only ever love the part of the Knave that's Pirin and either ignore or tolerate the Berial in him."- Mika
And now that he cares thanks to that fusion allowing him to feel both the positive and negatives in all their nuance, along with have hopes/yearnings like a mortal (Pirin).... It HURTS. Being ignored, despised and left behind all the time. And he used to THRIVE on those things!
Arlecchino, to Berial, is hell, an endless nighmare besides a punishment. A cage constricting he CAN'T ever escape. A prison and shackles. He can't do anything about it at all. Like how a person put on the guillotine can't do anything about it, or their impending execution. And makes him hate it all! So I can see the jester snapping (moments where the Knave is heavily unstable and violatile. "Has fits of strong hysteria/madness") and breaking down and lashing out.
But his movements are stuttered/stuttering, stiff. Almost paralyzed and like having a leash/collar yanked back like how an owner would hold back an aggressive dog. And all Berial can do... Is scream and rant, until he's completely exhaused/drained himself of everything.
And he can't even do that! (If there's someone nearby.) Because his words are garbled beyond incomprehensible gibberish, voice thinning out and also stuttering like glitching- has lapses into silence/ silent screams like in mimes and soundless movies/acting. Or an audio clipping out to quiet.
His expressions are forced to go back to subdued, clinical and neutral or emotionless. Glitching and stiff, all of which drives Berial up the wall/"mental" sooo much more.
He literally can't do anything at all. And in those moments Arle is 100% paralyzed with resting face on, like someone put him on pause. Deathly silent, staring "blankly" at nothing in particular. With glitches and static. His eyes, are the only clue on what's happening-- So many emotions flashing/clashing in them. A literal internal war going on in full hellish rage swing.
The Hypogean having a meltdown/fit and being at his worst/most hellish/insane and trying to tear something/everything apart And Mather trying to reign him in back in-line. Get him subdued, under control... like a puppetter wrestling with an unruly wildly thrashing puppet and being insane.
If Arle was a fusion in Steven universe, he would've poofed to separate beings looong ago. But he's not. And separation isn't possible. He's permanently stuck like this, with this. All of it."- Finch
"And that is pure poetic justice right there! Berial who's always loved treating others like puppets is now being treated like one himself. Being forced to experience something similar to what he's put countless mortals through."- Mika
"The irony under different circumstances would've made him holer with laughter."- Finch
"Also, that affinity line about him throwing starving people a loaf of bread to watch them fight for the scraps? Imagine Berial now desperately scrambling for every drop of approval or affection he can get that isn't just aimed at the 'Pirin' in him." -Mika
"And hate it being rubbed in his face- how desperate he is.
Or how he's reached a point/low of being like a Pavlov's dog./conditioning experiment. He's all about attention... and approval/love seems the ONLY ways to get attention at all.
Love how disturbing it would be for Berial to become a good person because he was essentially psychologically tortured and manipulated into it.
But that's the thing about Arle, isn't it?
Pirin won't let others witness these unstable moments. Or see HOW Berial became a good person. But it's still clear the clown has been tortured and manipulated to reach this point.
And how the jester is sure always be on top A game best behavior, and be good, and protect others not because he cares. Or wants to like Pirin. But out of desperation to keep his source of attention. (Approval, validation, love, admiration, so on.) I can see this unsettling the other Hypogeans, how he's a smiling marionet on strings. And also possibly the Celestials because they've known this clown as this disasturous force of nature.... be rendered to this.
"Nope~! That Berial died, haha! Out with the old clown, in with the new jester!" (Please look at me, please just look at me-) "I'm perfectly fine~! Heh? What's that look for?" "I'm good-See? See? No wait! Don't turn away-Wait-"
And how does Malak feel/react to witnessing this? Along with Arle's unstable moments? Since he can see the outside and inside of this cryptid."- Finch
"Yo. Sena giving Arle headpats and says, "Good job you two." as a joke once and the Knave just freezes. Like no change in emotion or reaction, but you can TELL something is up.
And if we're feeding into Sena embracing the darker parts of his character with the cryptids around, I can picture him feeding into Berials desperation, anything to keep him in line so that Malak can still have his herald around. Like occasionally giving Berial tiny bits of approval and affection and compliments, and it's the most luke warm responses, but he knows Berial is DESPERATE for them.
Straight up helping 'Pirin' manipulate and recondition him by alternating between giving the jester the hope of being cared for and the fear of rejection. On days where Berial is behaving and is actually cooperating with Pirin, it's "It's good to see you two getting along. You're surprisingly well behaved today Berial" with a warm, encouraging smile. But on days where they're conflicted and Berial wants chaos, "You seem a little unstable today, Arle. Is Berial acting up again?" with the coldest, most disappointed look in his eyes.
Like it must be HELL for Berial, especially if he inherited Pirin's link to Malak as their patron. Like straight up desperatation as he essentially begs for their god to look at him with anything other than neutrality at best and contempt at worst."- Mika
"And this got me thinking back to the Berial x Pirin thing. But with this? Og Berial being so damn dismantled, shattered. Starved and tortured so much... That when Pirin offers him an ounce of compassion so iconic for him; a lick of love and affection---Berial just jumps on it. Latches on and cradles it like SmƩagol does his Precious ring. So desperate, he just MELTS in his enemy's hands.
"You got me alright!? Fine! You BROKE me! You WIN! Is this what you wanted!?! --Tear me to SHREDS?! Well congrats! You got me on my knees!" -Berial in his fit to Pirin, hysterical and sobbing. "......I'll be your slave, I'll be your pet, ANYTHING you want! Just... please... I don't want to be voiceless..." A cold hand gently cups his face, lifts it up. Pearls meet pale purple pits with love, compassion, like how they'd gaze at everyone else.
"What do you want, Berial..?" In that moment the clown looses it, final nail in the coffin. Knows this is manipulation, that he's being torn apart psychologically yet again but with new different methods. Doesn't care it's a trap. He just melts.
"Drown."
He knows he's being strangled, suffocated and poisoned oh so agonizingly slowly in the sweetest ways... And loves it all. Wants more of this. Allows those cold hands to glide over his wings, tail, toy with his hair. Lets those freezing lips press, pepper his inky skin--Forehead, temples, shoulders, wherever.
And purrs like a cat, leans into all the touches, offers himself up. All his-All Pirin's. Doesn't dare ask for more than he's given for fear of loosing all of this in a blink. Does exactly as told by him. No deals, tricks. Eagerly accepts all kinds of affection/love from 'Rin. Lets him take control- of him and their fusion." -Finch
...Yup. My brain just thought throwing Pirin into a ship with that midget nuisance is a good idea instead of Val/Pirin/Sinbad standard.
It's a dumpster-fire disaster and so full of Dead dove and angst. And toxic as all hell- Giving Hodgkin/Bonnie a run for their money.
"YES! Like in any other situation or universe, Berial would be the one doing the manipulation, breaking down Pirin and playing him like a puppet.
But in this one? The roles are reversed.
Pirin and the others straight up starve Berial of positive regard, making him work for even the slightest hint of approval. Like how a starving rat will eat poisoned food out of desperation." -Mika
"And an example for all the other Hypogeans.
I honestly think seeing all this would actually unnerve Phraesto. Reinier would be laughing at first then suddenly get chills.
And Harak simply.. disturbed."- Finch
"Oh, heck yeah. If having a god around wasn't deterrent enough, they now have to deal with that gods herald being an amalgamation of Pirin and one of their own, fully knowing that the jester inside has been completely broken down into a passive, obedient shadow of his former self and that the bat is in full control now. Plus, it's starting to seem like the gods benevolent nature has started to wane a bit since losing his dear herald. Atleast to those he views as enemies..."- Mika
"Dionel and Talene are rattled. Scarlita's like "Hold up"-
Dulingr is something between this expression and this
And getting sidetracked with other stuff/what-if's.
".....Oh no. You know the True lab Undertale route w the amalgams?"- Finch
"Well, Project Harbringer... And the nephylims."- Finch
"OH SHIT! (Also, wait, does that make us Ghaster?? š)"- Mika
.....It sounds really juicy on paper...but no. Just no. The cryptids are already one hell of a mess/level of disaster. Add in the nephylims? It will be horrendous carnage.
Like Arle + Athe? = Unstable fiery and rebellious vigilante Knave + having Athe's issues. THE most aggressive/hostile of the lot.
Balladeer + Iliya? = More stoic Kuker but also will sound/look like dying (...Nephylms got some major health problems like heart and lungs can't settle on a tempo, yo-yoing between vamp & human.) Make him angry and there will be trice as much hell to suffer.
Damoiseau + Mari? = HP Lovecraft horror meets cinnamon roll but has fierce temper. And also very excitable. All over the place.
Marionet + Amene? = Shriveling up on the inside & a weeping mess. Ame is/was a kindhearted girlie who wouldn't approve of others being mean. And having to witness, coldly render judgement? Disaster.
