I have been meaning to ask..
Why are the marks on toliki on the places they are?
Like, why cogs in the neck, hands, feet and eyes?
Is there any particular reason?
This is very long and full of spoilers, so get settled in and please keep your arms, legs and feelings inside the vehicle at all times!!!
A long time ago, a fight ensued between Traebit and Deity (a man who was involved with the creation of arfri, Toliki's species)
As expected of Traebit, he was using mainly psychological means to torment his opponent, and began to step closer.
Deity's lover Scally (also involved in the creation of arfri) has had enough and runs over there to at least get in between the two.
But Traebit, excited on how much his words are affecting Deity, decides to strike.
Deity pushes Scally away.
Blood goes everywhere and Scally out of instinct covers his face, and so when the blood lands on him it lands kind of like this.
The chaos of bleeding and also seeing his lover covered in blood but calm enough to comfort him … how do I describe it? It became a core memory for Deity, and influenced the creation of Arfri, which he and Scally were working on together.
And so the body parts of Scally that had blood on them later became an important part of the shifter uniform:
In combination with colour rules, where black means responsibility/devotion and white means a new start/open to new possibilities …
The uniform is black meaning you should be a responsible shifter when you wear it … but sometimes, as shown by the white accents, it is necessary to break the small rules to keep the peace or serve the greater good
The fact that these same areas are where Toliki has his markings ...
...means that he has basically been told by the universe that no matter what new information or new opportunity comes his way, he is still a corrupted member of his species.
By the way, it would probably repulse other arfri to even see purple, let alone have purple in the areas of the body usually reserved for "open to new possibilities"
The reason there are cog shapes is because the category of creature he is is called a Cog. It's like having a tattoo of a rose if your name is Rose: A really obvious, non-metaphotical, slap-in-the-face reminder that he is Different and no matter what clothes he wears to hide it, his body will still display that he is CORRUPTED and should REMEMBER that he is a Cog even if he cannot BE a good cog.
The order of creature categories goes like this:
Unlimited - Gods, etc. Residents of the third circle e.g. Traebit, Pelor, Creator, other creator gods etc. Nothing stops them from doing what they want forever.
Wish Makers - ~Humans~ and similar creatures. They are only one level below gods themselves. They are not "unlimited" just because they HAVE LIMITS. Even if all diseases and ailments are cured, a body can only do so much. You only have so much time. You have to take breaks to eat and poop. Sometimes wish makers ask gods for special powers, but it's rare that this is actually given.
Immaterial - OH, IF ONLY I HAD A BODY!!! This category is for those who maybe have wishes, but cannot even begin to work on their goals because they don't have physical bodies to experience the world with. Sometimes they possess a physical creature, but it doesn't last for long. They prefer humans because of our sophisticated language abilities and the fact that we pride ourselves in making artworks. Some examples of immaterial are ghosts, and also ideas waiting to be born.
The Devoted - No wishing. No desire to change. Humans might make dolls and pretend to be gods. Immaterials might possess someone and pretend to own a body. But the devoted is a category that has no intention of becoming something different. It's worth noting that they are not BENEATH wish makers/immaterial, just seperate from them. (Imagine a 40 year old learning to drive for the first time and the instructor is 20. Maybe in life the older one knows more and could guide the younger one but in the case of driving, the younger one knows more.) Plants are in this category. All they do is grow and grow without any regard for whose perfect lawn they are interrupting. the Guardians are in this category too (remind me to make a post about the guardians lmao)
Cogs - Truly the only ones who ever get anything done. But it's such a shame that they have no free will.
Arfri, for example, were created to serve shifters and protect them from evil. Humanise them all you want, but cogs are literally living tools. When was the last time a letter (in a word (in a sentence (in a book))) said to you "hold on i need to rest" ??? When a pen no longer produces ink, do you not throw it away? (unless it's a hello kitty pen, and then it still has a function; to be pretty, even if it doesn't write.)
