Grotto

• Characters can be inspired by my concepts and ideas, but do not use my characters, designs, or writing unless I've explicitly given permission. Gift art is fair game!
  
• Most of my character work is used with a personal headcanon-verse in mind, which is why designs don't look "canon" and specific worldbuilding aspects are included.

needs a revamp completely based on the new idea! leaving this full of old information for the time being

This character belongs to Sebastion!
Grotto is a part of the group, the Celestial Haven, as the chosen child of Hearbeat of a Scavenger(?).

[Thoughtful excerpt about who Grotto's character is.]

Grottosong
The Spirit of Self-Preservation
Creator/Coder	Sebastion
Theme Song	text
Quote	text
Basic
Nicknames	Grotto
Age	6 dyrs / 17 hyrs
Gender	Non-binary (they/them)
Orientation	Struggles with label, uses "Gay"
Tribe	HiveWing
Abilities	Damaged tail venom glands, social stamina, crunchy
Social
Occupation	Camper
Goal	To unlearn their mother's ideals, protect their friends, and cuddle Unmei
Residence	[VILLAGE'S NAME] (formerly) The Celestial Haven
Relatives	Cicadasong (Hive mother) Heartbeat of a Scavenger (Godly parent)
Love interests	Unmei
Personal
Allies	Unmei, Dusk's Keen, Iliad
Enemies	Cicadasong?
Likes	Caves, small spaces, productivity, being preoccupied, spending time with Unmei, spending time in the forges
Dislikes	Being one-upped, being dismissed, mistakes on their own part

Appearance

• hive + deathwing
• probably skiny and not very healthy purely out of their own toxins affecting their nerves
• SMALL and short
• exoskeleton but dragon skeleton, bones are THERE babey
• anetenaa poking out of the "eyes" of their skull
• a fluff of fur around the neck/shoulders area
• tail is curled and bee ish h like (waspy?)
• yellow/green color situaton
• wings are there, but theyre chrispy (they're buggy) and they almost seem like theyre dissolving
• makes crunchy noises when they walk
• (six lgs because ur epic)
• limps

Personality

-- kind of need to rewrite, but basically the idea is that all they wanted to do was avoid their mother and their responsibilities, but accidentally fell back upon her ideals anyway because that's simply what they knew. being in gin chi essentially taught them how to be "selfish" and form their own personality besides what their mother raised them to think --

• genuinely kind and somewhat charismatic kind of dragon
  • as long as you can get past their unconventional appearance
• public face that looks like they're rather lighthearted
• witty and dry humor, thinks too fast for their tongue
• usually sounds like they know what they're talking about but they have a very limited idea about most things
• they put so much pressure on themself for dumb reasons and aren't very good at empathizing
• worries about how people see them, despite any reassurance they might receive. someone will always raise their chin at them.
• assume its better to be tactful and smart above popular, even if they are good in social settings
• zero social fear, zero shame
• believes that there's an unachievable barrier that they are somehow supposed to cross to connect with what's really important
• assuming everything is going to line up specifically for them, that everything has an impact on their life personally. "everything's connected" as long as it applies to them.
• craves something to do constantly, always preoccupied
• extroverted and likes doing multiple things at a time as well, loves talking to people while completing tasks
• needs to learn how to chill, very much needs to relax

Abilities

• child of chikyuu
  • uses earth manipulation for crafting their armor
  • but mostly to support their mobility
• death + hivewing ability - toxins
  • originally had venom in their tail, and could use it like a hivewing
  • since having those glands injured, it messes with their own body so they're like perpetually sick
  • can still stab people with their tail, effects are seriously less effective than they used to be (minor numbness or painful tingling, like an allergic reaction or genuine beesting)
• not dramatic, but they can see in the dark, and their eyes are somewhat reflective

History

• Chikyuu appeared before a village, west of the SkyWing mountains, to protect a humble village from raiders on his rounds.
• When the brisk battle was fought, Chikyuu was able to see the face of one of the vicious fighters protecting the town before he came.
• The hybrid of Hive and Death, Cicadasong, fought to protect the town she had fallen in love with viciously, from invaders not unlike the ruthless pillagers she had once been apart of but abandoned to protect this town.
• Chikyuu was charmed by Cicada's spirit and stayed in the village, to protect everyone while their best fighter healed. The rumors of Kami protecting the town was enough to keep them at bay. Truthfully, he stayed to be closer to the warrior dragoness, Cicadasong.
• She sang tales of her epic battles either as a raider or since protecting the town, and Chikyuu tried not to brag over her. As their relationship grew, even after her wounds healed, it was clear that the friends had grown romance.
• When Cicada announced she was carrying an egg, she was enthusiastic for the blood of two fierce warriors to have a successor. Chikyuu, on the other hand, was alarmed, knowing he wouldn't be able to raise a child and furthermore the struggle of kami blood in a mortal.
• When he tried to explain he wouldn't be able to stay but would make appearances to assist raising their child, Cicada reacted stubbornly, explosively, and they broke into argument.
• Chikyuu left, until the egg's hatching, and returned slightly apologetic long enough to explain the world of Gin Chi Sanctuary and the dangers of yokai sensing this family. Cicadasong hissed him away, announcing the dragonet's name would be Grottosong, and no holy danger would be a match for their child mightly child.
• When Grottosong slowly hatched, weak and frail, edging longer into the day and into the night, Cicada grew infuriated. She assumed mystical foul play out of their argument and forbid Chikyuu to see Grotto. The kami spat curses at Cicada, but silently vowed to protect his dragonet.

• Grotto grew up, and the village had expected a strong dragonet to carry on their mother's legacy as protector of this place. At first, she tried to hide their weakness, taking them out at night to train and spar with her. She was embarrassed, but unwilling to admit she would bare such humiliating offspring.
• But when they came of age, after begging for weeks, she finally allowed Grotto to attend schooling. They hoped, in what they lacked in physical prowess, they could make up for in intelligence. But Cicada could not be pleased.
• As Grotto's natural abilities developed, Cicada pressured them to attack her with any venom they had. Biting and stabbing to get their mother's shouts to cease. Perhaps they were like beestings but she still wasn't impressed.
• Grotto traded the friendships that were offered to them in school for studies. Those they did befriend they often asked to spar with or teach them how to fight with weapons. Upon learning they could gain sympathy for their ghastly appearance, they got excused from schoolwork in having it be done for them.
• In favor of attending classes, Grotto often escaped school and home altogether, exploring the wilderness and caves in the hills branching off the mountains. At the time, they hardly noticed they seemed to make cracks in the walls just big enough for them to crawl through, or they had just enough strength to move boulders without straining themself.
• They thought nothing of the stone gardens they created with such preciseness. Or the way if they willed images onto the cave ceilings, tracing it with a talon lifted above them, they truly formed.
• Though, their escapades gave them a big head, and when they arrived at the caves, they were unprepared for the dragons waiting for them. Supposedly twisted with some Hell Kami-song.
• Grotto ran for the cave for protection, the snapping jaws of their persuers taking the face of classmates spewing Grotto's fears behind them.
• And their powers summoned when the jaws bit to close. An earthquake in the cave had summoned falling rocks and stalactites. They caught Grotto before the stones could take care of them. Their injuries concluded with vicious bite marks and thrashing that broke their tail barb and bled venom into their system. The dragonets were crushed but Grotto weaseled their way gently in a gap that protected them, by some holy luck, unaware of their earthly parent's protection.
• The village heard the rockslide and found Grotto, among the rubble revealed by the shifting hills. They knew who the other dragonets were. They all assumed they were too far in the caves and got unlucky enough to be caved in. Grotto didn't try to correct them. Who would have believed them?
• Their mother then knew why Grotto had come home so late. Why teachers remarked on their absence. Why they skipped more and more training. And now, with broken, fragile bones, and their venom rendered useless, she couldn't even beat them into shape.
• Grotto lay in bedrest, embarrassed, while they healed, and their mother only saw them to bring them food and shoot dirty glares.
• Then finally, the arrival of a guest. A scout, for Gin Chi Sanctuary, hearing word of an unexpected earthquake and the disappearance of children.
• At first, Grotto only heard skirmish, Cicada denying some safe space for a lacking dragonet. But they heard her defeat, her shame in her child. And allowed the scout to reveal the information she withheld from them.
• Their ties were already loose and now knowing there were dragons that wouldn't expect them to grow to follow their mother's legacy was all they cared about. To learn that their powers came from a powerful god with dominion over earth could be developed?
• They left, as soon as they could move by themself again (as well as a scrappy attempt to control earth as a crutch). They'd use their blood to learn to move again and prove their mother wrong.

• Grotto enters the camp, immediately into the infirmary to finish healing. At first, let's say they're self-centered ESQUE in the sense they're only out to learn how to make themself more powerful.
• Until they make genuine friendships with the campers so that they're out to protect their friends to fulfill their father's legacy. They contemplate if they were a bad person, serving themself by escaping school and home by getting other classmates to assist them, looking out for themself.
• But now they are simply doing their best, entering the smithing pathway to help protect themself and their friends, even if they may be a little intimidated by the stronger bunch.

Relationships

Cicadasong - Mother, HiveWing

"if this baby doesn't fulfill my expectations that I had for them before they even hatched, that's really gonna suck for their mental state!"

Heartbeat of a Scavenger - Godly parent

placeholder

Unmei - Signifigant Other

FERRET GF OAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Iliad

buddies idk they just be doing whatever!

Trivia

• probably a bit unnerving when they're not talking, looking eerily like a decomposing corpse
• exercise their attempts to be stronger outside of fighting, and instead in metalwork
• lets just keep saying iliad and them will learn acupuncture

Gallery

By Liam! Cookies for you that you made the first art! (old design)

Tonik by Eniggy! x3 (old design)

By ShadowLugiaaa!!! (old design)

By Bermuda!!! (old design)

Tonikmei xD By meeeee (old design)

By Dromedary!!! (old design)

By Luster!! (old design)