New canon master post/wiki for Zerthverse and askzerthverse's universes
Find my wikis on fandom and miraheze and disregard lore on reddit and here unless I said otherwise what's key lore. And this is such.
Because zerthverse biggest inspiration and has simliar themes and things to undertale, I am keeping the "official logo" looking like it's a undertale au. Which is both a stretch but it could be said as they do have some overlapping themes
The official wiki for zerthverse and all askzerthverse universes. For teens and older ONLY and adults.
The official database for Zerthverse, an original sci-fi and fantasy universe created by askzerthverse. Contains original characters, species, and lore. Separate from the Ficverse fanfiction projects."
Welcome to the Zerthverse Wiki! Where I am going to clear everything up for my main verse zerthverse and everything else my works.
Zerthverse is a massive fictional verse made by me, askzerthverse. This is my first time making a wiki for it so don't get it because this don't even exist and nobody knows it like I do. It was concepted when I was 11 in 2019 and has finished development and went public mid 2026.
Anyway, zerthverse is my main focus with only my ocs, anything fanfiction related is not apart of it and isn't canon but canon to the Ficverse (or to be specific "zerth Ficverse" just incase the term Ficverse is already a thing. I have 4 major fictional universes, using the term "askzerthverse universes" is a catch all for all 4 verses of my making.
My main focus and magun opus is just zerthverse. I like doing fics where I spin it to if I wrote it/like zerthverse and I know people like my creative vision with that. BUT! I want to be known as the askzerthverse girl not the fanfiction and few oc stuff girl, which that isn't even zerthverse stuff, that was Ficverse stuff because it mixes ocs and changes them next to ip that isn't mine. The things that are totally my property is Zerthverse and the perfect zerthverse timeline/Jax's world (he's my meta oc, one of the few that can go about verses and maintain canonicity to normal zerthverse.
Now I'm getting on a ramble, so here's the content warning just to be safe for everything in general though my stuff has the tendency for it to be a major topic or theme or plot but my ocs and the story will not delve deep in it and just carry on with the plot. They don't sit on it.
Because zerthverse biggest inspiration and has simliar themes and things to undertale, I am keeping the "official logo" looking like it's a undertale au. Which is both a stretch but it could be said as they do have some overlapping themes
Content Warning: This work is intended for teen and older audiences and includes psychological intensity, existential horror elements, disturbing themes, implied/suggestive sexual content (innuendo only), and violence. Gore is not depicted in detail, but body horror, transformation, and mutation themes are present. The setting includes omegaverse-style biological and social dynamics as worldbuilding, as well as fictional power imbalance systems and ownership frameworks. No explicit sexual content or smut is included.
More on HZV and ficverse origins
Hellhound Zerthverse (HZV) โ Overview
The Hellhound Zerthverse (HZV) is a non-canon branch of the normal Zerthverse, created as a โwhat-ifโ timeline where everything goes wrong. It is designed to explore the worst possible outcome of Zerthverse events, without guardrails, plot armor, or luck. Think of it like DCโs Absolute Universe: stark, realistic, and brutal.
๐งฌ What Happened to Zerth
Moral and cosmic conflicts escalated beyond control
The Zerthlings, who are usually cute but corrupt gods, became too powerful
Their corruption (both inherited and accumulated) spiraled out of control
The planet Zerth was destroyed
All the energy of the planet concentrated into a vortex / black hole realm
This turned Zerth into a wrecked, uninhabitable space
The collapse scattered the souls/essence of all Zerthlings across time, space, and the multiverse
๐๏ธ The Zerthlingsโ Transformation
When Zerthlings were โturned inside outโ:
Corruption became external and visible
Their forms reverted to something closer to their proto-Zerthling state
They now look like cute Lovecraftian / eldritch horror creatures
Personality and control were lost
They are husks of their former selves
They act purely on corrupted instinct
They spread across the ruined universe, destroying everything they encounter
Survivors react in two ways:
Some form cults worshipping the Zerthlings, revering their destructive power
๐ HZV as a System for Multiversal Crossovers
The scattered Zerthling souls are not confined to HZV. Instead:
They exist outside their original multiverse
They can manifest in other universes, depending on the rules of that universe
This mechanism allows them to appear in existing IPs such as:
๐ฅ Rules of Manifestation
Host universe determines form
Kirby universe โ manifests as Dark Matter-like cryptids, visually resembling HZV forms
Sonic universe โ might manifest as energy-based anomalies
Powerpuff Girls โ stylized cartoonish villains
HZV forms are canonical for worlds that match their essence
In compatible universes, the Zerthlings retain eldritch/horror elements
Their corruption is fully externalized
Original characters (OCs) in HZV:
Are direct manifestations of corrupted proto-Zerthlings
Have no real control over their actions
Are scattered throughout the ruined universe
Their behavior drives destruction, despair, and chaos
โ๏ธ Narrative Function of HZV
Exploration of the darkest, most realistic outcomes
What happens if Zerthverse events go completely wrong?
No safety nets, no โplot armor,โ total consequence
The scattering of Zerthlings allows crossovers with other universes
Provides a logical, canon-compatible reason for these appearances
Non-canon but fully functional
HZV is separate from main Zerthverse canon
Functions as a sandbox to test ideas and integrate OCs
Can tie into fanfic projects (like Kirby: Zerthverse Sagas) without breaking the main universe and so it connects directly with zerth Ficverse. Aka where all my major Ficverse entries such as askzerthverse's Powerpuff girls and askzerthverse's undertale reside. And askzerthverse's (insert some show) just means I write it as if it was mind and in style of zerthverse.
Ironically people, love that more than where the source is coming form and Google got the info skewed with what's zerth Ficverse and just normal zerthverse. And I don't like that.
So I'm setting that straight. ALSO! THE "ASKZERTHVERSE SERIES" is basically just Zerthius prime, my selfsona's playground. Just like 2011x/sonic.exe has his special domain. It is the same for zerthius prime though he has massive universes already. Here he wants to perform for the audience that he seems he can't get the attention of but as he sees it "what's a great artist without a audience" so that's part of the reason he's so obsessive with creating so much he's letting things go unchecked such as the zerthiusians,
the other Omni god bunny beings off to create and tamper with non native worlds in Ficverse. One of the few groups of ocs who can just skip over to any non canon world and back to main and they are still canon and the experience is to. It's just said non native media or character cannot be taken into normal or Jax's perfect world. As those are locked canon. But they can in hzv and Ficverse all they want. This is too much free reign.
And what led to Oneear to being cast of and exiled to askzerthverse's powerpuff girls in Ficverse where she got bored and copied the preexisting raw code of the 7 ocs Zerthius prime was lollygagging with in his realm (askzerthverse series), which eventually led to him having a very weird confrontation with her in front of the chosen 7 ocs then she lost her ear and was re-exiled. To which she sat on her behind for so many years then used the souls to put in the respective living vessels.
Such as tristtia and etc. Doing this increases the Zersanity of that ficverse world, which in undertale terms for simplicity sake, zersanity is the FUN value for worlds/verses and determination for living beings if they are zerthlings. If it's a world then that's bad as that heightens the risk to attract zerthlings or twist a world to be more like zerth which also very bad.
Because any Ficverse world is just in arms reach of HZV, attracting those true zerthlings will be game over as they are too powerful most the time and they will infect and spread on the world until everyone is converted to standard zerthlings or worse like them.
THE BIG 4 UNIVERSES OF MINE AND MORE
THE BIG FOURย OF ASKZERTHVERSE multiverse
A Reader's Guide to the Major Zerthverse Realities
At first glance, AskZerthverse appears impossibly large.
There are timelines, alternate worlds, crossover stories, fanfiction continuities, apocalypse scenarios, impossible gods, rewritten universes, and enough reality-warping nonsense to make most cosmologies give up and go home.
Yet underneath all of that complexity, nearly everything in the setting can be understood through four major realities:
๐ Zerthverse โ The Main Canon
๐ฅ Hellbound Zerthverse (HZV) โ The True Ending
๐ The Ficverse โ The Deltarune to HZV
โ๏ธ Jax's Timeline โ The Best Ending
Each represents a different answer to the same fundamental question:
What are Zerthlings really?
And perhaps more importantly:
What happens if they win?
"The World That Somehow Works"
This is the primary reality.
The world where nearly all major Zerthverse stories take place.
Most fictional settings begin with civilization and then introduce chaos.
Zerthverse does the opposite.
Civilization happened afterward.
And nobody is entirely sure how.
By any reasonable standard, Zerth should not function.
The planet is a reality-warping deathworld twice the size of Earth.
Its dominant species reproduces explosively.
Its people gain power from instability.
Its economy runs on attention.
Its legal systems barely qualify as legal systems.
Its culture rewards spectacle.
Its population exceeds ten trillion beings.
And most of those beings possess enough power to qualify as natural disasters elsewhere.
Not because anyone fixed the underlying problem.
Not because Zerthlings became morally enlightened.
Not because civilization triumphed over instinct.
The species discovered that being slightly less terrible was practical.
The Decent and Humane populations grew.
The Triangle became official.
Not because anyone suddenly became good.
But because quality of life improves when everyone is not constantly making things worse.
This is one of Zerthverse's most important ideas:
The civilization exists because selfish empathy works.
Practical selfish empathy.
The realization that helping others often makes life easier for yourself.
The result is a world permanently balancing on the edge of catastrophe.
Z City exists beside the Wildlands.
Civilization exists beside anarchy.
Morality exists beside instinct.
The Codex exists beside everything it was designed to protect people from.
Every day is an argument between structure and chaos.
And somehow neither side wins.
Humans demonstrate this contradiction perfectly.
Humans are not important because they are powerful.
They are important because they are fragile.
Compared to most species on Zerth, humans are effectively prey.
Many survive through adaptation.
Many survive through alliances.
Many survive through appeasement.
Many survive through relationships with species capable of protecting them.
Many survive through sheer luck.
And many survive because the Zerth Pet Codex exists.
Without the Codex, human numbers would be dramatically lower.
Created breeding and recovery programs.
Provided safe environments.
Created legal frameworks.
Yet the same system creates a painful contradiction.
Because becoming a Zerthbud often means sacrificing autonomy for safety.
Protection comes at a cost.
Many humans reject that cost.
And so they return to a world that remains fundamentally dangerous to them.
Thus humanity lives inside a closed loop:
The Codex saves more humans.
And it is exactly the sort of thing Zerthverse specializes in.
What happens when monsters learn to coexist without ever truly becoming something else?
๐ฅ HELLBOUND ZERTHVERSE (HZV)
Status: Non-canon to Main Zerthverse
If Zerthverse is held together by cosmic guardrails...
HZV is what happens when those guardrails are removed.
Everything that limits Zerthlings vanishes.
Every hidden cosmic correction.
This does not improve the species.
The corruption that once existed internally becomes external again.
The species effectively turns itself inside-out.
Everything hidden becomes visible.
Everything controlled becomes uncontrolled.
Everything managed becomes absolute.
The Wildlands are seventy percent of the planet.
The Wildlands become reality itself.
No practical compromises.
No systems built for quality of life.
No stabilizing structures.
No selfish empathy strong enough to matter.
The result is not merely evil.
The population becomes trapped inside the logical conclusion of everything they already were.
The good become exhausted.
The malicious become empowered.
The survivors become numb.
The planet becomes unbearable.
Yet something even worse happens.
The Zerthlings begin expanding beyond their universe.
Then beyond neighboring universes.
Then beyond entire realities.
Then beyond the multiverse itself.
Not because conquest makes them happy.
Not because victory solves anything.
But because misery seeks company.
Many HZV Zerthlings share one belief:
If we cannot truly be content, then nobody should be.
Even the kinder ones often become tragic.
Their attempts to help resemble cries for help themselves.
Everyone knows everyone suffers.
And that shared suffering becomes the closest thing to unity they have left.
This is why HZV is terrifying.
Not because it contains monsters.
But because the monsters won.
And discovered victory solved nothing.
What if Zerth finally became honest about what it is?
And then keeps going anyway.
The Ficverse is where stories live.
If Zerthverse is the main game...
and HZV is the hidden true ending...
then the Ficverse occupies the role Deltarune occupies relative to Undertale.
Yet fundamentally operating according to different rules.
Almost anything can exist here.
The danger comes from HZV.
Because HZV has no meaningful boundaries.
It constantly presses against the edges of fiction itself.
If true Hellbound entities become involved, narratives can collapse rapidly.
A comedy can become horror.
A crossover can become an apocalypse.
A happy ending can become impossible.
Characters entering the Ficverse often change.
Ancient rules established by Zerthius Prime force reality to reinterpret visitors.
The further something drifts from canon, the more reality begins translating it.
The character remains themselves.
Yet they are never perfectly identical to their original form.
What happens when stories collide?
Unlike the previous three settings, Jax's Timeline is not part of the primary structure.
If Zerthverse resembles the Genocide Route...
And HZV resembles the True Ending...
Then Jax's Timeline is the Pacifist Route.
It begins with the greatest atrocity ever committed.
At some point in history, Jax killed everyone.
The greatest crime in Zerthverse history.
Then something impossible happened.
Not Zerthlings as anyone understood them.
They returned as Hucuddles.
The species that existed before corruption.
Before everything went wrong.
Much like one interpretation of Kirby Star Allies suggests that destroying Void Termina purified it...
Jax accidentally purified an entire civilization.
Paradise emerged from genocide.
The resulting world became everything reformers had dreamed about.
Not because Zerthlings finally changed.
But because the thing needing reform no longer existed.
The Lord Who Never Wanted To Be One
The new Hucuddles immediately viewed Jax as a savior.
Unfortunately, nobody cared.
So he became their ruler.
He acts less like a king and more like an exhausted father overseeing the happiest civilization in existence.
Why He Lives in Zerthverse
The strangest part is that Jax rarely remains in paradise.
Instead, he spends much of his time in normal Zerthverse.
Perhaps guilt drives him.
Perhaps a belief that he cannot abandon the version of reality that still struggles.
What if the impossible actually worked?
The four realities are four answers to one question.
What happens when nothing stops them?
What happens when stories touch Zerth?
Can Zerth ever truly be saved?
At the center of every reality stands the same contradiction:
A species born from corruption.
A civilization built atop chaos.
A people constantly deciding whether they are monsters, survivors, stories...
or something worth becoming again. ๐ฟ
The following document covers the Zerthverse in full structural detail.
It expands on one of the four primary universes previously introduced and provides the complete internal framework for its worldbuilding systems, species, and institutions.
Official Zerth Lore Iceberg 2026
Zerthlings & World of Zerth โ Complete Combined Reference
Creator: ASKZERTHVERSE | 2026 | Updated Edition
THE ZERTH LORE ICEBERG โ LEVEL MAP
The Zerthverse lore is organized across four confirmed layers. The world and species are complete at the middle level. Deeper levels are individual story material, not structural gaps.
โ TIP (Above Water) โ The Zerthverse Master Bible. World structure, factions, species biology, character profiles, origin history, story events, thematic architecture. What a new reader needs to orient.
โ JUST UNDER THE WATER โ Zerth Civilian Society & Daily Life. How property works, the frenemy survival network, cash-over-clout economy, nobody status as hidden danger, bonds as biological maintenance, fashion modes, kangaroo courts, God War forgotten through negligence.
โ MIDDLE โ The Zerthling Hierarchy. The biological architecture underneath the civilization costume. Omegaverse bones confirmed native. 52-question full breakdown of rank, instinct, bonding, drives, and the horror gap between appearance and reality.
โ BOTTOM (Deepest Layer) โ The Zerth Pet Codex. The cultural and quasi-legal system governing the relationship between Zerthlings and their offworlder companions. One of the oldest continuous institutions on Zerth, predating Z City itself. Full breakdown of culture, law, dynamics, and writing craft below.
โ TIP (ABOVE WATER) โ MASTER BIBLE
SECTION ONE: THE WORLD OF ZERTH
Z City: ~30% of surface (~3 million sq miles, size of around United States)
Wildlands: ~70% (~1.4 Earths of hostile territory โ Zerth is twice the size of Earth)
Position: Galactically close to Earth; Zerthlings moved it further in the ancient era
Nature: Reality-warping world of documented anarchy. Fame equals reality. Attention is currency.
Vibe: Neon chaos, absurdist logic, 24/7 livestream. Authority does not exist โ only recognition does.
Central (Tristen โ EGO): Spectacle, dominance, personality cult. Chaotic when he's distracted. Safety conditional on being interesting, useful, or loyal.
West / Zanatopia (Zana โ MORALITY): Opt-in authoritarian good sanctuary. Emotional surveillance replaces police. Evil ritualized and contained. Self-sufficient, no outside trade.
East / Wixytown (Wixy โ INTELLECT): Technocratic dictatorship. Headquarters in orbit. Off-world expansion ongoing. Version 0.5 Beta โ laws shift based on Wixy's latest thought or nap.
North & South Default Zones: Pure chaos, no Triangle governance. Average Zerthling baseline. Functionally the Wildlands West.
Moneyman: Registrar and archiver. Not a governor, not an enforcer โ a bureaucratic fossil. Confirms existence on paper and in media. In Zerth, that is terrifyingly enough.
The 50/50 Rule: Every encounter is a coin flip. Not metaphor โ documented gravitational constant. No exceptions.
Justice: Courts are reality TV. Verdicts decided by volume, humor, or strength. Sentences are humiliation, fines, or beatdowns. Justice exists to generate engagement.
Property: Exists only if you can defend it. Locks are meaningless against teleportation. Reputation is security.
Economy: Clout is law. Zerthtube, Zerthhub, Tristtube, Tristtok are not platforms โ they are the economy.
Original state of Zerth since the Triassic Era. Z City is the exception, not the default.
Coverage: ~70% of Zerth's surface. Anti-mapped, identity-eroding, uncivilizable.
Maps fail immediately. Landscape changes hourly, daily, or weekly. Z City itself disappears from view โ not hidden, rewritten.
Baseline: Warm, humid, dead-tree forests, tar-colored vegetation, eerie stillness. Dark ever-swirling sky.
Territory logic: Marked by scent, residue, fluids, shed matter, warped soil, and psychic traces. A border without a shape.
Why no civilization survives: Environmental overwrite, internal collapse, predation. No sustainable rules emerge. Leadership is bait.
Cosmological meaning: Triangle power is cosmetic relative to the Wildlands. The city is a loud argument with the world. The world is winning quietly in every direction.
SECTION TWO: ZERTHLING BIOLOGY
Human + Cuddleflesh DNA hybrid. Descended from Hucuddles โ first generation born on Zerth from Timeszoner and Queen Pandora.
Evolved via deliberate self-corruption. Killed the Four Gods, ate the Tree of Gods, absorbed Earth culture, bred with humans and animals โ producing all Earth mythology.
Responsibility: 5% attributable to creators. 95% the deliberate, willful fault of Zerthlings themselves.
I. Physical Biology & Physiology
General Appearance. Adult males are effeminate, chubby, round-faced, with large expressive eyes and no body hair โ more performative and prone to escalation than females. Adult females are round-faced, plush, dominant, cunning, and precise. Children are chubby and soft with exaggerated cute features that persist far into adulthood. Gender shifting takes significant energy and is done now mainly to avoid appearing a fossil when with the same gender. Zerthshifters can freely shift forms.
Size, Limbs & Senses. Typically human-sized or slightly smaller. Bipedal; hands and feet rounded, highly expressive. All physical senses plus psychic perception from childhood. Hypersensitive โ capable of sensing emotional, energetic, and environmental cues with extraordinary precision.
Growth & Development. Rapid early puberty begins ~age 6. Second growth surge in teenage years. Grow 2x faster than humans. Females can produce litters of 1โ12. Sexual maturity finishes ~age 9, mind fully functional by 18.
Resilience & Healing. Natural recovery over days; conscious reality-warping allows instant healing in seconds. Zerthlings have four literal lives โ Phase 4 = permanent death (radioactive dust that warps local environments). Tampering with Phase 4 remains risks triggering Gigazoid reformation.
Reality Bar: 100 million points. Resets after full 8-hour sleep (vulnerable during reset).
Fuel: Zersanity โ liquid madness. Sanity weakens power. More insane mindset = more fluid and creative powers. Fully surrendering unlocks stronger god-level but accelerates self-destruction.
Space survival: All Zerthlings can leave Zerth unaided and survive in space indefinitely (until hunger/thirst).
Core ability categories: Psychic, Physical, Reality Warp, Defensive, Offensive โ all present across the species.
Phase 1 โ Embrace & Unleash: Accepting madness. Full demigod reality-warping. Can die and respawn next day intact.
Phase 2 โ Enhanced Madness: First near-death refusal. Speed doubles, erratic attacks, manic unpredictability. +25% higher melt rate.
Phase 3 โ Reality Warp: Second death refusal. Full environment manipulation, hallucinations, musical theatrics, terrain rewrite. Body begins melting if bar empties.
Phase 4 โ Desperation & Annihilation: Final death refusal. Power finally exceeds mortal limits. Guaranteed death at end of scene if no retreat or rest.
Average: Evil by choice and biology. The brain rewards menace behavior with dopamine. Knows right from wrong and does not care. Eons of this behavior warped their genetic code โ exponentially more powerful as a result.
Decent: Primal but stable. Can recognize binary evil and good. Have decency. By 2051, demographic majority after Operation Reckoning.
Humane: Rare. Genuinely moral. Zana is the oldest and strongest living example. Running the same instinct machinery underneath โ consciously redirecting rather than following it. Never restful.
IV. The Four Social Archetypes
The Malicious Entertainer (Bad Zerthling): Theatrical tyrants whose cruelty is an art form. Aura farming โ scaring others to charge power. Massacres reviewed like Broadway musicals. Just average zerthlings again.
The Chaotic Hybrid (Neutral Zerthling): Default template. Unpredictable, unstable, dangerously creative. Constant validation need. Most common archetype. This is just average zerthlings why is this here?
The Unstable Altruist (Good Zerthling): 'Good' in the loosest sense. Manic Crusader or Weirdo Benefactor. Kindness genuine but conditional.
The Sane Survivor (10% minority): Tragic outliers clinging to Earth-standard sanity. Same godlike potential but cannot embrace madness. Universally pitied, mocked, and admired for suffering.
โ TIP + JUST UNDER WATER โ COMBINED SPECIES PROFILE
SECTION THREE: ZERTHLING SPECIES โ FULL PROFILE
Loosely organized hierarchies through strength, popularity, psychic skill, and mating success. Apex individuals exist but are fluid.
Daily life: Chaotic mix of human-like routines (eating, grooming, exploration) and feral behavior (play, psychic experimentation, predation).
Communication: Spoken English, body language, and psychic signaling. Children communicate rapidly, exaggerating expressions and vocalizations.
Morality: Situational and mood-based. Socially enforced rules minimal; behavior guided by instinct, pride, or fear of social loss.
Toddler God Communication Problem: Zerthlings express feelings, declare intentions, announce thoughts openly and constantly without apparent awareness it is a weakness. The inner life runs on the surface. This is biological, not cultural choice. So they may seem invincible but they are not! They have a lot of weaknesses like this.
VI. Reproduction & Mating
Sexual maturity finishes at ~9 years; mental learning for courting and other important things fully functional by 18. Courtship is expressive and ritualistic, blending human-like behavior with animal-inspired instinct.
Females: Litters of 1โ12 depending on mate count, situational dominance, or psychic influence.
Males: Can reproduce with other males. But they arenโt as controlled like the girls so those pairings are common but viewed as risky and slightly dumb since female zerthlings are much more capable than the males.
Bonding is biological maintenance โ not optional sentiment. A Zerthling with no genuine bonds is in slow deterioration. The more authentic bonds, the healthier and more capable they are.
Relationships: Possessive, public, territorial, and real. Mates claimed loudly. Everyone knows everyone's business because Zerthlings display bonds the way animals display territory.
Two paths: Parents present but authority is a polite fiction children test from birth and dismantle by age 4. OR parents absent โ children become self-sufficient from infancy, forming Average Zerthling gang kids.
Most reliable predictor of Decent or Humane adult: parental presence and investment during childhood. Not warmth or moral lessons โ just presence.
Community child rearing exists out of necessity โ a feral child in communal space is everyone's problem.
Zerthlings eat anything. Biology can process nearly any organic material and most inorganic ones.
Cooking is rare and genuinely impressive. Reads as patience, skill, and willingness to put effort into something for others. Unusual enough to be notable.
Shared meals are bonding rituals and dominance displays simultaneously. Who eats with whom, who sits where, who is offered food first โ all social signals.
Zerthlings absorbed Earth food culture across millennia and feel deeply proprietorial about it. Their version is always considered better.
IX. Fashion & Self-Expression
No middle ground. Mode One: maximalist, elaborate, reality-warped into existence, often physically impossible without powers, designed to communicate power level, faction affiliation, or emotional state.
Mode Two: childish simplicity โ a t-shirt, shorts, whatever was nearest and other absurd childish clothing. Ferallings often reject clothing entirely. Fur is considered honest; clothing is considered unnecessary.
Do not mistake Mode Two for humility. A Zerthling in a plain striped sweater is not modest. They just did not feel like it today and they like wearing those reflects a big trait about them.
No functional governance at civilian level outside Triangle territories. Whatever passes for local governance is whoever is strongest on the block making calls until someone stronger shows up.
Courts are kangaroo courts. Verdicts by volume, humor, or strength. Proceedings are entertainment. Nobody appeals. There is nothing to appeal to.
The only civic institution that functions is Moneymanโs registration and archival system. He prints money, archives existence, and is kept alive because everyone needs him. This is the entirety of Zerthโs functional government. Total Anarchy with capitalism. There is others like moneyman but they arenโt notable.
XI. Domestic Life & Entertainment
Home is wherever you have claimed and successfully defended. Inside: chaotic in the specific way of a place genuinely lived in by beings who feel everything loudly and retain very little impulse control.
Everything is streamed unless they choose not to. Crimes are streamed. Arguments are streamed. Reconciliations are streamed. The stream is the social record. If it was not streamed, it is harder to prove it happened.
Human dropped into a functioning Zerthling household with no warning would last between a few days and a month before psychological breakdown โ not from violence but from relentless emotional intensity.
XII. Cultural Memory & The God War
Zerthlings killed the Four Gods, desecrated the Tree of Gods, ate every fruit on it, watched power explode โ then moved on.
The God War is not taboo. Not mythologized. Not celebrated. Simply not discussed because it is not interesting.
The Four Gods have no names because no one kept them. Namelessness is not a political statement at civilian level. It is negligence.
This is the most Zerth thing about Zerth: they killed gods, ate divine power, and cannot tell you the names of what they killed because nobody wrote it down and nobody cared enough to ask. Only about the power it gave them.
โ MIDDLE โ THE ZERTHLING HIERARCHY (OMEGAVERSE NATIVE)
SECTION FOUR: THE ZERTHLING HIERARCHY
Core Thesis. Zerthling 'civilization' is not civilization. It is an extremely advanced tribal and animal system wearing a stolen suit. Z City is the Wildlands with Earth culture duct-taped over it and a velvet rope out front. The omegaverse hierarchy was always there โ arrived at independently, native to the species, not borrowed. Both omegaverse and Zerthverse draw from the same source: the real observable logic of biological hierarchy, instinct, bonding, and dominance in social animals, pushed past every comfortable limit.
Wildlands vs. Z City Split
Wildlands: hierarchy by instinct, rank by raw dominance, omegaverse logic running as it always did. No performance of civility. Just the thing itself.
Z City: same system but with a meritocratic and spectacle escape valve โ rank can be overridden by achievements, clout, and effort. The omegaverse bones are still there, buried under 'look how advanced we are' that everyone pretends is load-bearing when it is decorative.
Wildlands entities are not failed Zerthlings. They are Zerthlings without the PR department.
Instinctual biological hierarchy: Zerthlings are born with a biological rank that shapes how others respond before any interaction begins. Z City rank can be overridden; Wildlands rank is fixed from birth.
Dominant caste: Others respond automatically โ body before brain. A dominant Zerthling is a small, seemingly cute creature that is also a minor deity capable of warping physical reality around its emotions.
Pheromone-equivalent signaling: Scent is a primary social language for all Zerthling types. Other species cite it as a key reason Zerthlings cannot be classified as a humanoid society.
Reading rank: Zerthlings read each other through scent and facial expression faster than any other method โ including psychic sense and reality warp. They have god-tier powers available and leave them on the table in favor of their nose and their eyes.
Permanent bonding system: The highest biological hit Zerthlings can experience. Accelerates healing, stabilizes psychological function, raises effective capacity. It is biological maintenance โ the drama around bonds is not entertainment; it is life-stakes competition with real physiological consequences.
Heat/Rut cycle: Weekly โ not seasonal, not monthly. Technically can be willed down with reality warp capacity some gods they are they literally have to use powers to overcome the instincts. In practice, virtually no average Zerthling past age 9 bothers. No formal consent framework on Zerth. Determining factor: whether target is receptive or capable of pushing back.
Unbonded state as deficit: Being without bonds, mates, or offspring reads as loser status with no soft landing. Beyond social stigma: genuine health deficit. An apex predator with god-tier powers still fundamentally needs their pack.
Rank loss: Public defeat, humiliation, or rejection triggers a real instinctual re-read. The biological broadcast weakens. Other Zerthlings read the lower signal and respond to it, confirming the loss in real time. Z City's obsession with maintaining cool is a survival strategy.
Clout as rank elevator: High clout produces real changes in Z City. But clout-built rank is more fragile than instinct-plus-achievement rank. When the clout scaffolding collapses, the instinctual baseline reasserts with abruptness.
Combat as hierarchy negotiation: In the Wildlands, fight outcomes carry legal weight. The result sticks. In Z City, a fight has both hierarchy outcome and clout/spectacle value running simultaneously. Winning in an ungainly way does not get full hierarchy credit.
Ideal archetype: The Tristen / Magnet Mouse archetype โ powerful, bonded, beloved by allies, feared by enemies, battle-ready, family-surrounded, operating at the top with effortless legitimate authority.
Female-presenting: Trend toward precision, control, strategic operation, structural authority positions.
Male-presenting: Trend toward emotion, performance, expressiveness โ more performative in hierarchy expression, which has significant value in a spectacle culture.
Power dynamic: Complementary architecture. Female energy runs the systems. Male energy generates the drama and visible performance that powers the clout economy.
Subspecies Placement in the Hierarchy
Ferallings: Hierarchy with the skin off. Every argument Z City Zerthlings have built about being more advanced collapses in front of a Feralling โ because the Feralling is the Z City Zerthling with every cultural layer removed.
Mutant Zerthlings: Teetering at the edge. Still trying to participate but producing signals corrupted enough that the hierarchy's read is unreliable. Pack instinct is the last thing to go even when everything else has failed.
Objectlings: Deceptive position โ project a lower or neutral signal while carrying significantly higher actual capability. Hierarchy provides no warning system for this specific failure mode.
Gigazoids: Fully outside the hierarchy. Not at the bottom โ off the map entirely. The hierarchy reads them and outputs: do not engage, do not rank-negotiate. They function as ambient environmental hazard โ more like weather than a social participant.
Bonds That Transcend Death
Tristen and Avery: The bond has not ended. It transformed โ from a living relationship into a structural position. A permanent role that nothing and no one can fully replace. Tristen still operates in relation to it. The comparison to Dusttale Sans and phantom Papyrus is precise: a living entity continuing in relationship with a dead bond partner not because they are delusional but because the bond was genuine enough to create a permanent internal presence that continues functioning.
Not that Zerthlings are dangerous โ many species are dangerous. The horror is that Zerthlings look almost like something you could apply normal species-logic to. Then you look deeper and find the animal hierarchy running everything, combined with godlike power, combined with a track record other planets tried to erase. You cannot negotiate with the hierarchy from outside it. You cannot appeal to shared civilization standards that only exist as costume. That gap between appearance and reality is where all the dread lives.
SECTION FIVE: ZERTHLING CHILDREN โ FULL PROFILE
Children are the most dangerous things on Zerth. This is not metaphor โ it is documented fact. They operate on pure instinct and destruction with no social restraint. Fighting one is a desperate act. Fighting more than one simultaneously is nearly impossible.
Chubby, plush, soft bodies with exaggerated neotenic traits. Round faces, large expressive eyes. Hair from wild and playful to styled like adult fashions, sometimes inspired by Earth styles.
Slightly oversized hands and feet for expressive gestures and powerful grasping. Bipedal, capable of agility beyond their size suggests.
Sensory systems: Fully present but hypersensitive โ may overreact to loud noises, extreme temperatures, or intense tactile input. Psychic perception active but chaotic.
Sleep ~8 hours/day. High caloric intake required. Immune system temporarily compromised during rapid growth phases; injury recovery faster than adults.
Psychic & Combat Abilities
Scaled-down super-alien versions of adults. Despite size, exhibit feral strength, speed, and reflexes. Play doubles as informal training.
Early abilities: Mind influence, fear projection, telekinesis, energy manipulation, minor reality alteration. Powers chaotic and uncontrolled โ often expressed in play, conflict, or experimentation.
Exceptional durability even at young ages. Minor injuries commonplace and rarely debilitating.
Children exploit fear instinctively. Outsiders, unpracticed peers, or inexperienced adults may be harassed or harmed. Survival tactics: ambush, herd coordination, intimidation, and playful violence.
Only weakness: strategy and creativity. Can be exhausted by running, outfoxed by impressive plans, but cannot simply be overpowered.
Wildlands Zerthling children found there are universally more dangerous than those in Z City. They do not negotiate, they do not learn, and they do not apologize.
SECTION SIX: SUBSPECIES PROFILES
Zerthlings who chose instinctual regression โ irreversible. Not regression into stupidity but into instinctual supremacy. Retain fragments of culture but process all of it through a fully animalistic cognitive engine.
Appearance: Deliberately exaggerated animal traits while maintaining humanoid Zerthling base. Cute, chubby, plush silhouettes; soft proportions masking extreme strength.
Four pillars: Food, Mates, Entertainment, Fun. Anything disrupting these is perceived as a cosmic offense.
Psychology: Thought is emotional, impulsive, absolutist. Mood swings from innocent curiosity to manic destruction. Long-term planning absent but pattern recognition is terrifyingly sharp.
Magnet Mouse-type: Humanoid mouse hybrid. Oversized emotion-reactive eyes. Thick tail ending in absurdly large magnet โ bludgeon, grappling hook, or execution tool.
Bunny-type: Rounded, fluffy build. Long ears. Soft features. Wide gentle eyes. Appears nurturing and harmless. Capable of catastrophic violence when emotionally triggered.
Form when a Zerthling's obsession with an object eclipses their identity. The head transforms into a cartoonish object โ and the object's function becomes a weapon, tool, or cognitive filter. Self-inflicted and permanent.
Universal trait: All Objectlings are affable, friendly, chatty, helpful, goofy โ and profoundly untrustworthy. Irreversible obsession-fusion.
Types: Puzzle-Head (reality bends into logic traps), Industrial-Blade (head as blunt or slicing weapon, deceptively approachable), Explosive-Head (childlike fascination with destruction, lethally unpredictable).
Not a new species โ what happens when a standard Zerthling without sufficient reality warp use enters the Wildlands. Body adapts, power skyrockets, brain turns into wet spaghetti with opinions.
Weaponized growths: Blades, axes, clubs, chains, spikes, mace-balls grown from bone, muscle, or nerve clusters. Semi-retractable. Asymmetrical and unique per individual.
Mental rot: Intelligence uneven, fragmented, glitchy. Speech in fragments, repetition, banter, or baby-talk. Makes the same catastrophic mistake repeatedly while acting surprised every time.
Not a mutation, curse, punishment, or failed experiment. A DNA Error State. When Zerthling genetic logic collapses, the system does not halt โ it re-routes.
Physiology: Always large. Wet grey skin, warm, soft and chubby but dense underneath. Blank infantile faces with milky oversized animal-like eyes. Four primary limbs plus six additional back limbs. Mouths look harmless until unhinged โ revealing thousands of retractable blades.
Power immunity: Absolute immunity to reality warp. External warps do nothing. When killed do not fully stop โ become semi-melted animated corpses. Permanently ended only by the most powerful Zerthlings, other Gigazoids, or extreme Mutant Zerthlings.
Classification: Proto-Gigazoid hybrid produced by unstable maternal genetics. A biological classification โ not a faction, not a magical system. Mai/Max (Missleman) IS a Suberbeta.
Effects: Unstable biology, two personas in one body, shapeshifting that breaks reality, limbs morphing into weapons, constant subconscious urge to split into two full Gigazoids.
Split consequence: If a Suberbeta fully separates โ two complete Gigazoids. Mass destruction. Mass death. They stay together miserable rather than become what they fear.
SECTION SEVEN: THE BAREFOOTED BABOONS BRIGADE & CINDER PACK
Note: The Cinder Pack are examples of what average roaming Zerthling kid gangs and Barefooted Baboon members look like. They represent the type, not unique exceptions.
The Barefooted Baboons Brigade โ Overview
Wixy's child soldier mook force. Feral Zerthling toddlers and young children operating on instinct, play, and destruction. Directionless by nature โ Wixy's genius is harnessing this chaos for precise targeted deployment.
Narrative role: Mook OCs. Listed as one collective OC โ not on individual OC count. Can have motion, action, and plot effects but are not cast members.
Threat level: Leading cause of death for average adults. Fighting one is desperate. Fighting more than one is nearly impossible.
Names signal powers: Names like 'Flameburner,' 'Apeclaw,' 'Shiftbie' are functional โ they subtly signal abilities. Normal-looking children who happen to be masters of a specific power. The horror is immediate: not a super-powered monster, but an everyday child who is an expert in fire.
Wixy's method: She 'just talked to them' and the majority agreed. Uses maternal charm to keep them content and on her side. She works with their chaos, not against it.
The Cinder Pack โ Named ExamplesMEMBERPROFILEHymn โ Age 5 Physically towering for age. Rich chocolate-African skin, rosy pink cheeks, wide feral-but-cute eyes. Untidy afro. Simple toga. Super strength and durability. Killed Avery, finishing him off after Avery had already killed two other pack members. Now top dog of the Cinder Pack. Meanhammer โ Age 2 Small, chubby, soft-skinned. Messy orange pigtails, diaper. Placid toddler behavior until things don't go her way โ tantrums manifest as powerful destructive rage. Wields oversized golden mallet. Phased regeneration upon fatal damage (Phase 2: Diamond Armor; Phase 3: Reality Warp Pushes). Stormrunner โ Physically 9, Mentally 3 Long white hair crackling with electricity, gap-toothed grin, visibly pulsing veins. Gold crystal limiter rings on ankles and wrists. Pure untamed chaos. Electro-kinesis, super speed and agility. Focuses on disorienting opponents for teammates. Laughs maniacally in combat. Grizzfire โ Age 5 Messy silver hair with magma-orange streaks. Metal torso plating. Right arm is a grotesque fusion of machine gun and plasma blaster shaped like a grizzly bear paw. More quiet and tactical than the others. Waits for the perfect moment.
SECTION EIGHT: WORLDBUILDING FRAMEWORK โ ZERTH STATUS
Hard vs. Soft Worldbuilding
Zerth is hard worldbuilding. The biological hierarchy is internally consistent and holds under pressure. The power system has defined limits, costs, and failure states. The social structures have logical consequences. These are systems, not vibes.
Core / Peripheral / Indulgence Framework
Core: Triangle, Zersanity, hierarchy, 50/50 rule โ directly story-critical.
Peripheral: Civilian society, frenemy networks, fashion, food culture โ adds depth, ties into plot, explored through side characters and subplots.
Indulgence: Deeper Wildlands ecology details, cryptid legacy, extended history โ worldbuilder exploration material that enriches without being required.
No Monoculture Confirmation
Triangle alone eliminates monoculture โ three territories on the same city operating on completely different internal logic.
Within Z City: Default Zones have no governance while Triangle zones each have distinct internal culture.
Subspecies: Ferallings, Objectlings, Mutant Zerthlings, and Gigazoids all behave according to different internal logic with different hierarchy placement.
Moral type split: Average, Decent, and Humane produce genuinely different lived experiences on the same planet.
โ BOTTOM (DEEPEST LAYER) โ THE ZERTH PET CODEX
A NOTE ON ORIGINS โ THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
This layer exists because it deserves its own direct address before anything else. The Zerth Pet Codex was created in 2019 โ by askzerthverse, at age eleven. Its core concepts, terminology, and cultural logic were developed as an original arm of the Zerthverse IP and predate the HDG (Human Domestication Guide) fandom by roughly two years; HDG launched in April 2021.
The similarity between the two systems is real and it is worth naming plainly: both involve an offworlder-under-care dynamic, protective ownership structures, and comparable cultural textures. The Codex and HDG arrived at overlapping territory through independent creative development. This is not a controversy โ it is just a fact about how creative work sometimes converges. Two different things can cover similar ground and both be valid. They are not the same thing, they did not come from the same place, and neither needs to stake a claim on the other.
The Zerth Pet Codex is Zerthverse original IP. If you know HDG and you are reading this thinking 'this feels familiar,' that instinct is correct and also entirely fine. askzerthverse is not trying to claim ownership of the concept at large, only clarity about the origin of their specific version. The Codex is theirs. The convergence is interesting. That is the whole story.
If any part of the above is unclear, or you have questions about what is Zerthverse original versus what is reference or convergence, you can ask directly: askzerthverse.
SECTION NINE: THE ZERTH PET CODEX โ OVERVIEW
The Zerth Pet Codex is one of the oldest continuous cultural institutions on Planet Zerth, predating Z City by eons. It did not begin as law. It evolved as cultural necessity โ specifically the necessity of keeping offworlders who arrived on Zerth alive in an environment where Average Zerthlings would otherwise kill them as a matter of routine.
Its origins lie with a loose cult of unusually protective Zerthlings โ the bloodline families that would eventually produce Zana and Flora โ who organized themselves around a simple and fiercely held position: offworlders who arrive on Zerth, especially humans, are not prey. They are not food. They are not entertainment in the way Averages use that word. They are beloved, fragile, and worth protecting. This founding moral position has not changed since it was first articulated, and it runs through every layer of the Codex to this day.
When Zanatopia was founded by Zana, one of its first formal governance acts was absorbing and institutionalizing the Codex. The founding families โ now referred to as the Founding Cult โ became its ceremonial and historical foundation rather than its operational managers. That role belongs today to Zanatopia's dedicated Codex branch, with the Plantfi as ancient and active partners.
The Codex is not a government law in a traditional sense. Zerth is anarchic and no law applies universally across its surface. The Codex derives its authority from cultural weight, Zanatopia's enforcement arm, the passive and active influence of the Plantfi, and the willingness of every Decent and Humane Zerthling in the vicinity to physically back it up. It works because the community makes it work and because the alternative โ no Codex, Average Zerthlings unchecked, offworlders unprotected โ produces an outcome nobody in the community accepts.
The Codex governs: who may own a Zerthbud (the term for an offworlder under Codex protection); what species qualify; the intake process; the rights and protections of Zerthbuds; the obligations of owners; the breeding and Zerthbub program; the role of the Plantfi; and the consequences for violations. It is maintained and updated by Zanatopia's Codex branch with input from the Founding Cult and Plantfi advisers.
The Conservation Argument
The Codex's foundational stated purpose is conservation. Humans and Cuddleflesh are formally classified as endangered species on Zerth โ species that, without institutional protection, would be hunted to extinction by Average Zerthlings within generations. The Codex frames pet ownership not as exploitation but as the most reliable mechanism available, in an anarchic environment, to guarantee the survival and flourishing of these species. This framing is sincere among Decent Zerthlings. Among Humane Zerthlings it is more complicated โ but even the most morally anxious Humane Zerthling will not reject the Codex, because the alternative is catastrophic. The system exists because it works.
SECTION TEN: ZERTHBUDS โ THE OFFWORLDER PETS
"Zerthbud" is the cultural term for an offworlder who has entered the Codex system. A compound of "Zerth" and "bud" โ the latter carrying connotations of something small, growing, cared-for, belonging-to. A Zerthbud retains their own name. Zerthling naming conventions are never imposed on them. A Zerthbud named Maya remains Maya. The Codex's position is that a Zerthbud's identity is part of what makes them worth keeping โ erasing it would diminish something valuable.
The formal legal classification of a Zerthbud within the Codex is beloved property. This term is precise and it carries weight in both directions: no independent political standing, cannot own property in their own name, cannot leave their owner's care unilaterally โ but guaranteed physical safety, emotional enrichment, preservation of personal identity, species-appropriate social contact, breeding rights, and protection from harm at the hands of any Zerthling including their owner. Violating any of these guarantees puts an owner in direct conflict with the Codex, Zanatopia's enforcement arm, and every Decent and Humane Zerthling in the vicinity.
Species HierarchyTIERNOTESFirst Tier โ Humans Most common Zerthbuds by a significant margin. The Codex was effectively built around humans. Their vulnerability, social nature, emotional complexity, and capacity for deep bonding make them the most prized and most protected. 'The classic,' in community terms. Second Tier โ Cuddleflesh Second most common. The Codex community has a long history with Cuddleflesh, who occupy a unique position as both fellow offworlders and as great ancestors of Zerthlings themselves. The dynamic carries a particular tenderness โ something ancestral about it from the Zerthling side. Third Tier โ Other Offworlders Any non-Zerthling sapient species that ends up on Zerth can technically qualify. These cases are handled individually by Zanatopia, with Plantfi assessment for compatibility. Less common, more bureaucratic, but not prohibited.
Intake โ How Someone Becomes a Zerthbud
The intake process has two tracks, both of which exist simultaneously in the Codex system and neither of which is considered illegitimate. On the voluntary track, an offworlder who has made it to Zerth may choose to enter the system โ a choice that, for humans stranded with no means of leaving and no survival infrastructure on a planet where Average Zerthlings will kill them, often amounts to the only viable option that does not end in death. Voluntary Zerthbuds go through a formal Zanatopia intake process, receive initial Plantfi assessment and bloom drug introduction, are matched with a registered owner, and sign a Codex registration document.
On the forced track, offworlders found outside Codex protection โ wandering, captured, or otherwise at risk โ may be brought into the system without initial consent. The Codex community does not frame this as kidnapping. They frame it as rescue: the alternative for most of these offworlders is death by Average Zerthling, Wildlands exposure, or Zerth's broader environmental violence. The Codex's position is that the forced-track Zerthbud will, given time and proper care, understand why this happened. Forced-track Zerthbuds receive the same care obligations as voluntary ones. The Plantfi play a particularly active role in forced-track cases, providing bloom drug support through the initial resistance period.
Zerthbuds do not leave the system. This is a firm Codex position. Once a Zerthbud is registered, the bond is considered permanent โ there is no formal exit process. Zerthbuds who are abandoned by their owner (itself a Codex violation) are transferred to Zanatopia's intake facilities, not released. These facilities function simultaneously as processing points, matching services, recovery sanctuaries, and ongoing homes between placements. They are guarded. Decent Zerthlings in particular defend them with notable intensity.
Zerthbubs โ Second Generation
Children born to Zerthbuds are called Zerthbubs. They are born into the Codex, not inducted into it โ their status is automatic. Zanatopia oversees the breeding program formally, tracking bloodlines, facilitating matches between compatible Zerthbuds. Zerthbubs are raised primarily by their Zerthbud parent within the owner's household and often develop natural emotional bonds with the owner's family. A Zerthbub raised in a Humane Zerthling household often grows up without the resistance arc their parent may have had. They know what they are from the beginning. This produces entirely different psychological profiles from forced-track first-generation Zerthbuds. Decent Zerthlings find this completely natural. Humane Zerthlings have a lot of feelings about it.
SECTION ELEVEN: OWNER DYNAMICS โ HUMANE VS DECENT
The two Zerthling types most associated with the Codex โ Humane and Decent โ share a foundational commitment: Zerthbuds must be protected, cared for, and kept well. Everything about how they express and practice that commitment is different. They are philosophically aligned on outcomes and philosophically opposed on nearly everything else. Their relationship is the morally grey but affable sibling dynamic โ each considers the other a mess while respecting the results.
Humane Zerthlings โ The Anxious Guardian
Humane Zerthlings are defined by a profound internalization of something that approximates human moral logic. They feel the ethical weight of the Codex constantly. They worry about consent. They wonder whether their Zerthbud is truly happy or performing happiness. They will spend an hour agonizing over a minor Codex clause while their Zerthbud watches them with visible fond exasperation. This does not make their Zerthbuds unhappy. It makes them extremely well cared for. A Humane Zerthling's anxiety about doing things right translates into consistent attentiveness, abundant affection, and a lifestyle that is โ by any observable metric โ excellent for the Zerthbud. The dynamic is romantic and emotionally intense. Humane Zerthlings fall hard and take it seriously. Their Zerthbuds are spoiled, emotionally tended with almost excessive care, and often end up in the position of comforting their owner about the ethics of their own comfortable existence.
Decent Zerthlings โ The Feral Honorable
Decent Zerthlings operate by instinct, and their instinct says: this is mine, I protect what is mine, I treat what is mine well because it is mine and deserves it. There is no moral philosophy required. There is no anxiety about consent. There is Zerthling honor โ a purist, animalistic code that says you do not harm what is under your protection, and anyone who does is an enemy. The relationship with their Zerthbud is possessive in a way that is entirely transparent. There is no pretense that the Zerthbud is not a pet. There is also no cruelty. The combination is something like: I know exactly what you are, I know exactly what I am, and within that structure I will give you everything you need and be angry at anyone who threatens you. Think Ash and Pikachu โ but darker, older, more territorial. The feral possessiveness is not threatening to the Zerthbud because it is directed outward, at anyone who might harm them. The bond is real. The protection is absolute.
The Humane-Decent Relationship
They bicker. They disagree, sometimes loudly, about methodology. Humane Zerthlings find Decent ones worryingly casual about the ethics of the whole system. Decent Zerthlings find Humane ones exhausting in a fond, eye-rolling sort of way. The arguments are real and sometimes passionate and almost always resolve into grudging mutual acceptance and then a shared front when Averages are involved. Their Zerthbuds are often the audience for these arguments. The deep truth is that they agree on everything that matters. They are against Averages having pets. They are for pets being treated well. They are for the Codex's conservation mission. The disagreements are about how and why, not about what.TYPECORE DYNAMICHumane Zerthling Anxious. Romantic. Moral hand-wringing. Zerthbud is spoiled and sometimes comforts their owner. Strong Codex proceduralism. Deeply invested in the relationship as a meaningful bond. Treats Zerthbud nearly as an equal emotionally, even when the power structure is not equal. Decent Zerthling Feral. Honorable. Possessive. Instinct-driven care. Less talk, more action. First to intervene physically in violations. No moral anxiety โ instinct and Zerthling honor are sufficient. The relationship is clear, consistent, and protective. Both vs. Averages United. No disagreement. Completely aligned. Average Zerthlings possessing a Zerthbud activates both types immediately and simultaneously. This is not a debate.
SECTION TWELVE: THE PLANTFI โ ALLIES OF THE CODEX
The Plantfi are the apex plant life of Zerth and the only organism native to the Wildlands that is reliably and consistently affable to non-Zerthlings. Their existence is a consequence of Zerthling biology โ specifically, the tendency of Decent Zerthlings to breed with anything living, which over eons of inter-species hybridization with native Zerth plant life produced, eventually, sentient plant beings. Gentle by nature. Deeply attuned to emotional states around them. Natively oriented toward care. They resemble something between a Fluttershy archetype and a living garden โ soft, non-threatening, quietly beautiful, with vines and blooms that are as much a part of their expressive vocabulary as speech. They feed on love and lust and water. They are the only beings on the Wildlands who will not hurt you if you do not hurt them, and who will actively try to make you feel better if you are in distress.
The Plantfi's relationship with the Codex is ancient and collaborative. Their participation was already assumed before the system was ever formally written down. They assist Zanatopia's Codex branch primarily through bloom drug production and application, and through an active bonding and grooming role during a new Zerthbud's placement period.
Bloom DrugsBLOOM TYPEEFFECTCuteness Bloom Applied primarily around adult male Zerthlings who need to bond with a new Zerthbud. Heightens the owner's protective instinct and attachment response. Named for its primary observed effect. Calm Bloom Mild anxiolytic and comfort effect. Used during intake, during the resistance period, and whenever a Zerthbud is in acute distress. The most commonly deployed bloom drug. Produces gentle warmth and reduced anxiety without significant cognitive impairment. Happiness Bloom Produces elevated mood, social openness, and light euphoria. Used during the bonding period to facilitate positive associations. Also used recreationally within the Codex community. Attunement Bloom Slower-acting. Used over time to deepen the Zerthbud's comfort with and attachment to their owner specifically. Does not create feelings with no basis โ it amplifies and stabilizes feelings that already exist. The Plantfi are careful with this one.
The Plantfi on Violations
The Plantfi do not directly intervene when they witness Codex violations. They are non-confrontational by nature and will not put themselves in physical conflict. What they will do is make their disapproval unambiguously clear through passive aggression to the violating owner in every subsequent interaction, and alert Zanatopia and the wider Codex community immediately. A Plantfi who no longer greets you warmly, who holds their blooms closed in your presence, who offers you nothing when you pass them โ this is not subtle. The Codex community knows what it means. Even some Averages have learned what it means.
SECTION THIRTEEN: THE ACCEPTANCE SHIFT & ENFORCEMENT
The Codex does not have a formal term for what the community informally calls the Acceptance Shift, but the concept is culturally understood by everyone in it. There is a point โ different for every Zerthbud โ at which resistance ends and acceptance begins. The Codex community recognizes this shift. Owners wait for it. Plantfi facilitate it. It is considered one of the most significant moments in the owner-Zerthbud relationship. Decent Zerthlings do not talk about this much. They simply wait, with the patience of someone who has never considered any other outcome. Humane Zerthlings talk about it constantly, sometimes to the visible exhaustion of their already-settling Zerthbuds.
EnforcementLEVELRESPONSEMinor Violation Neglect, insufficient enrichment, failure to facilitate breeding when appropriate. First response is Zanatopia notification and owner counseling. Plantfi will begin passive disapproval sequence. Moderate Violation Physical harm to a Zerthbud, isolation beyond what is healthy, significant emotional cruelty. Humane Zerthlings respond first with moral pressure and direct confrontation. Zanatopia sends an inspector. Severe Violation Average Zerthling possessing a Zerthbud, deliberate abuse, endangerment of life. Decent Zerthlings intervene directly and physically. Humane Zerthlings follow. Zanatopia enforcement dispatched. The Zerthbud is removed. Abandonment Treated as severe. Owner surrendering a Zerthbud without Zanatopia process, leaving them unprotected. The Zerthbud is immediately transferred to a Codex intake facility.
SECTION FOURTEEN: ADULT LAYER NOTE (18+)
The Zerth Pet Codex has a confirmed adult layer โ marked 13+ up to a threshold, and 18+ beyond it โ covering the sexual dynamics of the Codex relationship system, the role of bloom drugs in intimacy, owner and Zerthbud dynamics in detail, and the Zerthbud-to-Zerthbud breeding encounter texture. This layer exists in the full Codex document and is not reproduced here. It is part of the Zerthverse lore. If you are a reader oriented toward that material, the full Codex document is where it lives which I guess dm or ask me? . This iceberg entry reflects the 13+ and structural content only.
SECTION FIFTEEN: QUICK REFERENCETERMDEFINITIONZerth Pet Codex The full name of the system. Street name: 'the Codex.' Cultural and quasi-legal framework governing Zerthling owner and offworlder pet relationships on Planet Zerth. Zerthbud A registered offworlder pet (human, Cuddleflesh, or other). Keeps their own name. Formal classification: beloved property. Zerthbub A child born to a Zerthbud. Born into the system, second-generation. Status is automatic โ no induction process required. Founding Cult The ancestor bloodline families of Zana and Flora who founded the Codex. Now hold ceremonial and advisory roles only. They are not management โ they are memory. Zanatopia Codex Branch The administrative and enforcement arm managing the Codex today. Plantfi Wildlands plant-people who assist the Codex via bloom drugs and grooming. Alert Zanatopia to violations passively. Feed on love and lust and water. Acceptance Shift The moment a resistance-phase Zerthbud internalizes their status. Informal community term. One of the most significant events in the owner-Zerthbud relationship. Beloved Property The formal legal classification of Zerthbuds. Protected, owned, guaranteed wellbeing. Intake Facility Zanatopia facility: processes new Zerthbuds, houses unowned ones, recovery sanctuary. Guarded. Defended with particular intensity by Decent Zerthlings. Bloom Drugs Cuteness Bloom (heightens owner bonding), Calm Bloom (anxiolytic comfort), Happiness Bloom (elevated mood, euphoria), Attunement Bloom (deepens attachment over time). Produced and applied by the Plantfi.
Here: https://www.tumblr.com/askzerthverse-askblog
don't worry I'm always ready for questions on my Tumblr askblog or thoughts and I will post above!
This iceberg document is intended to orient readers to the Zerthverse โ to give you enough grounding to engage with the work, understand its layers, and ask better questions. It is not the full lore. It is the map of the lore. If anything in here raises questions, if the Pet Codex section sparked something specific you want to know more about, if you want to understand how a particular piece connects to the stories โ you can ask directly.
Find askzerthverse and ask. That is what the document is here for.
ZERTHVERSE OFFICIAL LORE ICEBERG โ COMPLETE
Creator: ASKZERTHVERSE | 2026 | Zerth Pet Codex original lore 2019
MAJOR Clarifier:Besides the chosen 7 for askzerthverse series. Which said 7 are different versions only be because they went out of zerthverse and into a non canon world so like the Omniversal laws do, the chosen 7 eventually changed.
Oneear then copied their codes and shoved them into vessels in askzerthverse's Powerpuff girls which is a big no no as you don't mess with askzerthverse's special preformers and play things. She still followed the rule by making them go in said 7 vessels in zerthville, the z city for askzerthverse's Powerpuff girls.
Zerthville don't exist anywhere else but the strange humans that are called zerthbuds there who are so what human but act like zerthlings is a direct cosmic parallel to normal zerthbuds which is just human pets under pet codex on zerth in normal zerthverse.
ALL ZERTHVERSE OCS AS OF 2026!:
ZERTHVERSE 2026 Master OC List 257;unique characters | Clean sequential numbering Creator: ASKZERTHVERSE | March 2026
SECTION 1 โ TRISTEN'S FAMILY: VON / STEPBRAT LINE [1โ20]
1. Granny Gigazoid โ Race: Gigazoid โ Matriarch 2. Eldric von Starbrat โ Grandfather 3. Tango von Starbrat โ Father 4. Abigail von Starbrat โ Mother 5. Maribel von Starbrat โ Aunt 6. Roland von Starbrat โ Uncle 7. Fabiola von Starbrat โ Aunt 8. Cassian von Starbrat โ Uncle 9. Marek von Starbrat โ Brother 10. Elara von Starbrat โ Sister 11. Lorin von Starbrat โ Cousin 12. Juicyplum von Starbrat โ Abigail's cousin 13. Plumpkin von Starbrat โ Half-cousin 14. Thickums von Starbrat โ Distant niece 15. Seraptrine von Starbrat โ Niece 16. Iscander von Starbrat โ Nephew 17. Honeybaby von Starbrat โ Daughter 18. Kelyra von Starbrat โ Stepchild 19. Sylvara von Stepbrat โ Step-aunt 20. Varik von Stepbrat โ Step-uncle
SECTION 2 โ ORGANIZATION 1: HHGS [21โ54] | 34 MEMBERS HeroicHearts GuardS โ locked roster 21. Tristen โ Leader, apex deterrent 22. GG Guide โ Advisory / guide figure 23. GG She โ Companion / secondary guide 24. Moku โ Scout / field agent 25. Harmony โ Empathic support 26. Dr. Flora โ Scientist / researcher 27. Korrin โ Combat specialist 28. Max / Mai (Missleman) โ Explosive support 29. Natsu โ Fire-aligned operative 30. Zirra โ Stealth and recon 31. Zedge โ Communications / tech 32. Slick โ Infiltrator / saboteur 33. Malakai โ Heavy support fighter 34. Wixy โ Hacker / tech operative 35. Laven โ Skunk operative, agility specialist 36. Green Boy โ Environmentalist / magic-leaning 37. Petals โ Healer / field medic 38. Bloomer โ Botanist / field support 39. Fifi โ Intelligence liaison 40. Manbaby (Marja) โ Wildcard / emotional support 41. Maggie (Magnet Mouse) โ Magnetism-based combat 42. Skelly โ Skeletal form scout / fighter 43. Dylan (Dragonfly) โ Aerial recon 44. Izzy โ Field medic / support 45. Kai โ Combat specialist, elemental magic 46. Aurora โ Light-based operative 47. Artrissa โ Artistic / psychological operations 48. Brighty โ Morale officer 49. Netty โ Communications 50. Riven โ Assassin / field agent 51. Addison โ Tactician support 52. Terror (Tina) โ Combat heavy 53. Mija โ Morale / field support 54. Dina โ Reconnaissance / stealth
SECTION 3 โ ORGANIZATION 2: SCARLET MASQUERADE [55โ72] | 18 MEMBERS Von Starbrat family members counted in Section 1 โ not duplicated here 55. Zana โ Administrator, ideological leader 56. Sammy โ Field operative 57. Foro โ Combat operative 58. Milky โ Support operative 59. Megalou โ Heavy hitter 60. Gore โ Enforcer 61. Doomfist โ Melee specialist 62. Ninjester โ Stealth / infiltration 63. Mega Minor (Mei) โ Cyber support / tech 64. Duper Fudge โ Comic relief / saboteur 65. Lilian โ Operative / field intelligence 66. Trey (Stitch) โ Scout / trap specialist 67. Bob โ Brute / frontliner 68. Shaun โ Field agent 69. Nora the Scout โ Reconnaissance specialist 70. Killerx โ Assassin 71. Axe Girl (Alice) โ Melee specialist 72. Sugarkiss / Kissy Bun โ Enigmatic siren operative
SECTION 4 โ UNAFFILIATED / FREE AGENTS [73โ220] | 148 CHARACTERS Major cast members counted in their primary sections โ not duplicated here 73. Zoey 74. Mosaki 75. MaryX 76. Queen Big Ears (QBE) 77. The Authorities 78. Zerthlings 79. Gummlings 80. Zana's Bioheroes 81. Cuddleflesh 82. Rat-Faced King 83. Dog-Faced King 84. Primemites 85. Slimelings 86. Loonaboons 87. Puppets 88. Cutiepets 89. Benny 90. Ellen.exe 91. Blueberry 92. Midnight 93. Charlie 94. Zabad 95. Errorz 96. Hanai 97. Zeph 98. Antiguard 99. Kindle 100. Alex 101. Marcus 102. Electro 103. Twisted 104. Shady 105. Suu 106. Riley 107. Nazu 108. Stella 109. Angello 110. Rylee 111. Andrew 112. Annie 113. Draven 114. Yo-Yo Kid (Skylar) 115. Martha 116. Jake 117. Teo 118. Maya 119. Bryson 120. Sarah 121. Betty 122. Raingirl (River) 123. Pela 124. Parosh 125. Steward 126. Scouter 127. Mesul 128. Tah 129. The Hacker 130. Bibi 131. Rosa 132. Timmy (Timothy) 133. Gavon 134. Salesmaster 135. Mevil 136. Nate 137. Livid Lamp (Larry) 138. Mary (non-MaryX) 139. Player (Percy) 140. Grey 141. Fluffy 142. Olivia 143. Cuben 144. Naku 145. Paku 146. Gage 147. Deca Primemites 148. Nutnjelly (BB and Cutie dog kid) 149. Blu & Red (Blured) 150. Coco (Candyman) 151. Riccolo 152. Henry 153. Para 154. Yin 155. Yang 156. Shawn 157. Ravage 158. Nova 159. Moneyman 160. Cal 161. Sunny 162. Snas 163. Sawai 164. Snowbrute (Becka) 165. Ratanna 166. Domino 167. Carlos 168. Mitza 169. Giantlocks (Gina) 170. Aura 171. Slime Farmer (Juliet) 172. Lise 173. Thomas 174. Daniel 175. Joshua 176. Elementae 177. Rebecca 178. Omniguard (Omnik) 179. Samantha 180. Malix 181. Pumpkin 182. Ginger 183. Bailey 184. Elvenn 185. Nara 186. Puppet Master (Paul) 187. Mosquito Goons 188. Slug Goons 189. Bunzies 190. Mimmy (GENO) 191. Maximus 192. Isabelle 193. Draou 194. Manu 195. Ai Peyton (Ashtrae) 196. Clover 197. Rusty 198. Sugarcube 199. Dusk 200. Peyton the Second (Penny) 201. Elijah 202. Amelia 203. Rave 204. Blackaholis 205. Evlenn 206. Oaks 207. Megan 208. Jay 209. Clout Chaser 210. Nyx 211. Reeder 212. Tanya 213. Elliot 214. Lord Z 215. Starro / Starry 216. Gracie 217. Quaso 218. Syndey 219. Lifimori 220. Louis
SECTION 5 โ SPECIAL / NEW OCS [221โ228]
221. Tinkle Twinkle von Starbrat โ Distant cousin 222. Pootsie Skunk โ Laven's father 223. Tootsie Skunk โ Laven's mother 224. Lord Von Starbrat โ Superstar ancestor, immortal persona 225. Vargan โ Male Zerth wolf, predator scout 226. Octavine โ Tentacle alien girl race, Planet Octorome 227. Flamora โ Fiery Cuddleflesh explorer 228. Chonkari โ Mate to Flamora, maternal Cuddleflesh
SECTION 6 โ MMAF & NEW ADDITIONS [229โ257]
229. BB & Cutie Dog 230. Bre 231. Maddy 232. Diamond 233. Star 234. Goose 235. Crystal 236. Dex 237. Charm 238. Pom 239. Pocu 240. Flower 241. Lizzy 242. Samuel 243. Peyton (Fire Demon) 244. Firefly (Orange Angel) 245. Charley 246. Locu 247. Ringo 248. Miso 249. Gem 250. Lily (MMAF) 251. Spott 252. Rabies (Rezes) 253. Jax 254. Plusy 255. Minum (Minun) 256. Tristtina 257. Babiez
(END OF ALL OCS FOR NORMAL ZERTHVERSE AKA "ZERTHVERSE".)
ALL other ocs not listed are either special, not native to normal zerthverse or something else. You may have to ask me to my ask blog on Tumblr to get specifics. Any account asked will do, but I have a specific one