It's October! We're following my little goblin party again, but I decided not to use a traditional prompt list this time around. This year the goal is to actually poke through character backstories, alternating between characters each day. Starting off with someone who used to go by Zynk.
These characters have been kicking around since 2022, with vague plot points and backstories mostly fleshed out in thirty-one day chunks during the October art fugue state each year. I started with an adventure-y prompt list in 2022 (Gobtober) and just made things up as I went. A group of fun little guys getting together, having adventures, and alluding to plot. 2023 brought Angstober and a lot of skipping around to fit the prompt list. I touched on some backstory points and slammed headfirst into a confrontation with the BBEG. 2024 was Whumptober (yes, I'm mean to my OCs) and exploring the aftermath of that confrontation.
This year I decided not to follow a prompt list and instead committed to fleshing out some formative backstory stuff. Going forward, all posts related to these characters/this universe will be tagged with "gobtoverse".
Character blurbs under the cut!
"Nugget" (he/they): Our main protagonist, catalyst for the story, and the unfortunate one with a now not-so-mysterious connection to the BBEG, Zynk. His original name is Braes, but a nice old lady called him a "sweet little nugget" once and he's been rolling with it since. He’s outwardly a happy but sheltered guy who just wants to make connections. He seems to have access to a limited range of magical abilities that lean mostly toward necromancy and can be self-destructive when pushed beyond a certain point. Haven't seen him at all this year because his connection to the BBEG means that his backstory is dependent on fleshing out Zynk and Cupr's first.
"Flax" (she/her): Originally Aluma, but holding onto old names while on the run makes things difficult. Serves as the groups’ skill monkey. Earned herself a shady past working to pay off someone else's debts and originally approached Nugget and Aurum because she was curious about Nugget’s very large bounty. Quickly got caught up in the group dynamic and liked them too much to follow through, so now she’s doing her very best to hold this shit together. Not much of a fighter, but she’s smart, quick on her feet, and has a mean swing with a wrench.
Aurum (they/them): Nuggets first companion. Some sort of town guard or wandering knight when they first met, now completely dedicated to protecting Nugget and the rest of their group. They’re easily flustered and have a strong sense of justice, but aren’t especially good at looking after themselves. Originally fought with a spear, but they took a heavy injury after a confrontation with Zynk and lost an arm, so they're going to need some time to reassess their role.
Ingo (???): The very first enemy the original trio faced as a group, and the target of the first large use of Nugget’s magic in front of the others. Originally a zombie, now... something more? The leg brace was rigged by Flax and most of their clothes were stolen borrowed from Aurum. Ingo is self-aware, but doesn’t have much in the way of memories. Very new to the world and quietly curious about most things, but still learning how to interact with the world and their sudden new friends. No pronoun preferences as of yet.
Ferro (she/they): A bounty hunter by trade. Made an attempt on Nugget, but was won over by his story and connection to the rather bigger fish that is the BBEG. Values self-control and tries to keep a pretty tight lid on her emotions. Not very good at processing them at all if we're being honest, but it's a work in progress. Has a major soft spot for Flax and tends to butt heads with Aurum. Carries two revolvers.
Zynk (he/him): Our BBEG. Classic start as some sort of scientist/mage wanting to push boundaries, going too far, and paying dearly for it. In past years his connection to Nugget was unclear, but I think I've posted enough pieces now to say definitively that he's Nugget's "father". Most of the dna comes from Zynk, at least, with the Spark being Cupr's.
Cupr (they/them): A character that's existed vaguely in my mind for years, but only recently officially joined the cast. Zynk's other half, outgoing, optimistic, and occasionally silly to balance out the rather more introverted Zynk. They're the reason for everything and they wouldn't have wanted any of it.
