Throw A Heater For The Big Boy

I loved Royale, and I adored the dynamic between Lorovith and Doober Sweetleaf (obviously), but I do think the ending of that arc was fumbled a bit. In my opinion, the arc was never really about Doober (who was never much of a character in his own right, for better or for worse), but about Lorovith, who goes from a worldview where the most important thing you can possibly do is earn glory and defeat your competition to a worldview where he “cares about something smaller than himself.” He has several lines about how that change made him stronger, not weaker, which is what Grahkon never quite comes to understand (because it’s completely counter to Goliath culture).

But the only natural ending to that arc is one in which Lorovith dies. It’s the ending he’s already started to contemplate when he’s thinking about challenging Doober in the 1v1 duel. Someone (Grahkon, I think?) points out that only one person can win the duel, and asks whether Lorovith is planning to die. Lorovith blows it off and says something like, “oh, well, no, of course not, I just met this boy, obviously I’m not going to lay down my life for him,” which just supports Grahkon’s main criticism of Lorovith: his indecisiveness. (“You can’t get lost in the woods if you just pick a direction.”) Lorovith KNOWS deep down that in a game like this, protecting Doober means dying, but he can’t quite commit to that yet. That’s why Grahkon’s last advice is (or should be, anyway) such a gamechanger for Lorovith. From that moment on, he picks a direction. And in a competition like this one, that direction can only result in death.

Maybe this really comes down to a broader problem I have with the season (which, to be clear, I loved and was incredibly entertained by). Half of what’s fun about a death game story is building to certain inevitable consequences determined by the confines of the rules. The absurdity of adopting a child (yes, I know Doober’s not really a child, just bear with me) in the context of a death game is that the child is your competitor. You’ve signed up to kill this person or to be killed by him. So getting attached and “adopting” him is equal parts ridiculous and heartbreaking because there’s only one way that story ends.

I don’t want to do too much critical analysis here, because Royale mostly isn’t that kind of season. Royale is tons of fun with great goofs and a loose plot, and isn’t trying to be super deep. At the same time, when the campaign relies on a death game premise, it would be so much fun to commit to the bit (so to speak) and let the character who has always prioritized victory willingly choose death and defeat in order to save someone weaker than himself.

TAZ Sapphic Week 2026 prompts are here!

As always, free choice is allowed and encouraged-- but here are daily prompts this time around. Happy creating!

Prompts in plaintext:

time

campaign swap

journey

animals

fairytale/myth

regret

sun/moon

Meant to post this yesterday, but a wrap on Day 2 of Dashcon 2 (the third one)! We adventured our zones!!!!

God, this was so fun. Thanks to all of the organizers and everyone I spoke to in general, because truly? I do not think I could have asked for a better first convention experience. If you got any pictures with me, or any of my Homestuck aspect charms or jellyfish, please let me know! :D