#blotling

Starting from the left, Gremlin Xeric is a Blot Wars veteran who specializes in computer programming. While he was fighting against the Blotling army, he started to notice behavioral patterns and signs of intelligence in the Blotlings and began investigating it. He would sneak into enemy camps and observe them, along with watching their behaviors in battle. Eventually, Xeric programmed a translator with a theoretical Blotling language sampled from dozens of recordings he gathered over months of work. He originally made the translator as an attempt to make peace with the Blotlings and hopefully coexist with them, but it was weaponized by the war and used in espionage missions. He begrudgingly followed his commander's orders, but still continued his research on and off the job.

When the war really started heating up, Xeric was sent on more dangerous espionage missions to report the Blotlings' movements and plans. Many of them, including ones into the enemy home base, ended up in him getting discovered, ran out, or almost killed. He lost his leg and his arm during those missions, with his leg being burnt off by a Sweeper's attack and his arm getting clawed by the Shadow Blot. He lost his ability to fly after losing his leg, but he compensated by wearing a jetpack. After recovering from the loss of his arm and getting caught again by the Shadow Blot, he decided to fake his death to stop fighting in the war and focus on proving the Blotlings' sentience.

swears like a mf

Beta Xeric lore: he was originally designed as a girl and as a sort of sister figure to Prescott, since I hyperfixated hard on his character when the second game dropped. However, I decided to go on a more canon, first game oriented direction for him instead of just basically a fix it au self-insert with zero personality.

In the center is Lotley, one of the first Blotlings ever created and a prototype for the Spatter. It was intended to be a common foot soldier, but it was given too much conscious thought and too little weaponry to damage anything. It managed to escape being killed by the Shadow Blot and lived in hiding for its whole life. To avoid being caught by the other Blotlings, it would live in the shadows of toon settlements and passed the time by watching them for days before moving. Over years of observation, it learned how to speak the toon language, and used that to its advantage to trick people into giving it food by voicing a desperate child.

Lotley came across Xeric when he had just faked his death, trying to scam the now homeless, jobless, and lifeless gremlin. Xeric nearly lost his mind when he saw it was a Blotling speaking, and he offered it protection from both toons and Blotlings if it helped him with his research. It agreed, having no other place to go to, plus protection and a friend sounded nice.

Beta Lotley lore: it was originally two separate characters. Beta Lotley looked a lot like present Lotley, but it was bipedal and slightly more humanoid. The second character was a draconic reincarnation of the Shadow Blot named Skippy (don't ask) since I knew nothing but dragons when I hyperfixated on epic mickey. I basically combined the two personalities together and scrapped the whole idea of "oh haha it's a reincarnation because I really like the Shadow Blot a lot so I get to do what I want with it." (that's a whole different story but idk if i'll ever get into it)

The guardian is indeed an oc. It's a Tint that refuses to leave Xeric alone, and he eventually decided on naming it Bulb. It acts as a light source if Xeric is being a night creature like he always is.

And finally to the right is Sticks, the Self-Operating Test in Computer Knowledge System. He was made by Xeric as a prototype for the AI in Beetleworx, and he houses one of the most complex AIs in Wasteland. When Xeric finalized his initial Blotling translation program, he installed it in Sticks's memory so he can act as a sentient translator and gather data discreetly in Blotling settlements without drawing alarm. He is coded to be very sweet and gentle in conversation, but he has learned from Xeric how to be sarcastic. The two of them are inseparable.

Additonal Xeric lore: he was HELLA PISSED when Mad Doctor turned sides and converted the Beetleworx to enemy forces, since he was the main programmer behind the Beetleworx and their targeting system, and the Mad Doctor had the AUDACITY to alter HIS code.