Hello! I just want to say that I love your work and especially the FRIEND/ERAM/Ralsei connection you suggested in one of your art pieces (I think it’s only on Reddit atm?)
I was just wondering what your thoughts are on what the dynamic between the 3 of them would be like, as well as what the differences in personality between FRIEND and ERAM are. Also, can FRIEND speak in your work?
Ah I remember the piece you're talking about! Glad to hear somebody enjoyed it (it didn't do very well when I posted it on Reddit so I didn't think to repost it other places)
I titled this one 'The Man From Another World and The Three Princes'. It was originally going to be attached to a comic of mine that's been stuck in development hell for a loooong time that would involve Gaster breaking the 'real' prince of darkness (the hooded figure we see in the legend cutscenes) into three seperate entities as a method of control (Ralsei, Eram and Friend, with Eram inheriting the fire magic that we keep seeing with the hooded prince). I don't know if I still like that theory, and I'm not sure if I'll finish that comic.
As for my thoughts on the dynamics between the three of them, that stems from what I consider each of the three separate princes represents. I'm of the mind that Ralsei isn't just some item like other Darkners, but rather a concept, a shared belief that can exist in all dark worlds. If the TITANS represent a broad 'fear of darkness', then what if each prince represents something more specific when it comes to the concept of 'the dark'?
PRINCE 'FRIEND' - Eldest Brother, The Beast in the Shadow
First of the brothers, perhaps even the first Darkner to ever come into existence. Friend is the unseen force that moves the grass, the shape seen between the trees and then gone, a product of primal minds huddled around a campfire and telling stories of the beasts that exist beyond. An avatar of the true, uncaring cruelty of the world, and all of the unseen predators that hunt those who walk the night. Friend's true intelligence is unknown; he seems to think and act more like an animal than his brothers, observing and stalking before coming in for the kill. He cannot 'speak' outside of perfectly mimicking what he has heard before, all seemingly in an effort to lure and distract his prey. He does not laugh because he finds something funny; he laughs because he's observed that when his prey laughs, they drop their defences. It's nothing more than a hollow noise to him. His true name is unknown, and his other name 'FRIEND' is simply another ploy to put his prey at ease, to mistake him for something capable of being kind. Is it all mimicry, or could it be...mockery?
PRINCE ERAM - Second-born prince, The Stranger in the Shadow
Second of the brothers, born not from suspicion of the hidden beasts of the world, but of those who one might think of as their fellow, yet hold hidden cruelty in their hearts. The stranger you see on a dark hiking path, stories of killers in the night, hiding in the woods and the shadowed places. Eram is not like his eldest brother; his cruelty can not be construed as anything natural; it is cruelty for cruelty's sake. Guided by a horrid intelligence and power, as a hunter uses his hounds, so too does Eram use FRIEND. As an avatar of suspicion and hate, Eram claims to know the dark secrets of all things, that cruelty lies in the heart of all creatures, and thus, nothing is truly good in this world. If FRIEND is the sound in the distant dark that you cannot place, then Eram is the hairs on the back of your neck, rising as you swear you hear footsteps approaching you from behind.
PRINCE RALSEI - Lastborn Prince - The Shelter in the Shadow
Last of the brothers, born not from fear or suspicion but from a hope of safety lying in the dark, the warm cabin that rests surrounded by darkness, the friends waiting at the end of the path by a campfire. Ralsei is a representation of the darkness that brings people together, in story, in song, in brotherhood and connection, until the sun rises once again. The safety of night, of darkness, not as cold fear, but a warm and comforting embrace. A shapeshifter just like his brothers. Ralsei seeks not to confuse or disorient, but to comfort. Taking the form of beloved family members and kind folks to lead individuals to sanctuary. Ralsei is despised by Eram, who considers him nothing more than a weak lie that those in the light tell each other to distract themselves from their true, cruel nature.
Anyway! A very long ramble and probably a very long shot in terms of actual canon connections, but hey, it's all for fun!
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