Name: Fayforn

Debut: Hollow Knight Silksong

I've been having a blast playing Silksong! Fantastic game! And something it really excels at is creature design! It's filled with charming critters with all kinds of body plans! It's wonderful!

Among these is the Fayforn, a creature talked about only in myth, said to offer great insight if they deem you worthy, if not... they won't hesitate to simply kill you.

Such a powerful being deserved to be built an altar to summon, the ancestors of Hornet built a giant tuning fork at the top of Mount Fay, an imposingly high frigid mountain whose peak can only be reached through hardcore platforming, and it must be done fast lest you succumb to the frigid winds chipping at your health if you take too long.

It is an absolute odyssey to attempt! Exploring crystal caverns and abandoned high-tech settlements on the way, it's a treacherous climb, but if you manage to reach the end, your reward? An encounter with the mythical creature!

It swoops far in the background, blindingly fast despite being so large, it lands violently on the peak, seemingly about to start a boss fight.

But then.... they deem you worthy, and is such a sweetie! Just huddled around you, looking at you softly, they bestow a bit of their feathery down to fill your cloak, protecting you from the cold as well as giving you the ability to double jump! So kind...

Then you can chill with the fayforn as long as you'd like! They'll be constantly purring, it sounds almost like a pigeon cooing, so cute... take a listen! (Try to ignore the howling wind)

Suuuch an awe-inspiring encounter!

Now let's talk design! They have a very long neck, eyes on opposite sides that, with their small head, let's them have full 360 vision from the front and behind! They possess 2 stubby horn-like antennae on their head, they're also very fluffy, with 4 wings and 2 long strands of fluff to serve as tails. I have reason to believe Team Cherry was inspired by Fairy/Woolly Aphids to make this design!

Do you see my vision? They're also covered in white, soft fluff, and have elongated strands of fluff at the end that look like tails! They're also Fairy aphids, and they're called the "Fay"forn.

Also look at this photo I love it sooo much, they really are fluffy little fairies! Our earth is so magical!

Name: Driftlin

Debut: Hollow Knight: Silksong

There's also this little fellow, which can be found in large numbers all throughout the climb, you actually have to use them as platforms to get to the peak, only after my second visit through Mount Fay I realized they have a lot of similarities with the Fayforn! Fluff-covered upper body with a naked abdomen and the same stubby horn-like antennae! So they seem to be related! Perhaps they're even the nymphs that will one day grow into Fayforns!

Name: Swarming Sheargrub

Debut: Pikmin 3 

I know what you’re thinking, Silly Larva! And yes this is quite the silly larva! But it goes beyond that this might be the Silliest Larva!

Swarming Sheargrubs are very shaped green grubs with a silly face, but most importantly they travel in packs! and are constantly on the move! Able to wander about any place in the area you’re in, just like you!

Quite the organized group they always stay near each other, but what are they wandering about for? Well just like you they have quite an appetite for Fruit and Nectar! When they encounter fruit they will violently JUMP on top of it, presumably eating and also weighing it down in the process, making it harder for you and your Pikmin to carry the fruit back to base! But I can’t get mad at a fellow fruit lover! I’d love to be able to share! Regardless, since they are quite silly, they will fall off the fruit after a while, look! They bounce and tumble! Certified Silly Activities!

Fortunately there is something I can share with them that won’t risk my 100% completion, Nectar! They love it so much! If you break open a nectar egg they will swarm to it and slurp it down! Making silly munching sounds! But that’s not all! Something magical occurs when they eat nectar... They grow up! A lot! Take a look! Also hear them hurgle closer as they approach the nectar....

As you can see sometimes there isn’t enough nectar for everybody,,, So a few will remain small but it makes them look cuter together!

Please talk to us or our son whenever you please!

Finally, I was delighted to find they have complex and interesting behaviors! Following them around for a whole day is VERY engaging! Apparently if they encounter a patch of plants they will hide in it and remain there for a while! becoming much quieter, it kinda looks like they’re planning something... Look!

Name: Hampter Ball

Debut: Hampter

Name: Squorch Hampter

Debut: Hampter

Name: Starman

Debut: Kirby’s Adventure

There is a characteristic in character design that is seldom talked about: the stride

Just look at this little guy walkin! You can just tell this is a creature with immaculate vibes, they’re just here to enjoy life.

And what better way to enjoy life than strolling, jumping and flying across the sky! This is what Starman is all about!

Starman is, well they’re just a little guy, they are like a fat yellow star with a cape, and the tip top of the star is split into 2 to give their head a cute shape! Just making a star-shaped creature that walks on 2 of its star tips is really good already, but then you also make them chunky, AND put little clothes on them? Delightful!

I also want to mention they have no eyes whatsoever! Kind of a rare thing in creature design, eyes are normally what tell you “Oh! This entity is alive!” but Starman has such a lively aura they don’t need any of this trickery.

As I mentioned earlier, Starman has the power to jump super high and fly through the clouds! Living the dream we all wish we could, fortunately for Kirby, this dream can be reality by just gobbling up one of these dudes (Rude!). Starman gives the Hi-Jump Ability! And now Kirby can jump and soar through the sky!

They look like they want Uppies really badly! Fortunately they can grant themselves as many Uppies as they want.

I have to mention, however, Hi-Jump Kirby can do powerful Jumps and attack vertically, both by going up and going back down, however, you can’t actually fly horizontally like Starman can. For this, you’ll have to become Ghost Kirby! Where you can possess a Starman, and THEN you can peacefully fly through the sky :)

I know, you want to be them, we all do…

While they do make regular cameos in spinoffs and official art, Starman hasn’t had a proper in-game appearance since Return To Dream Land, 10 years ago! It breaks my heart! I wanna see my friend-shaped starboy again! They’re one of my favorite creatures ever! Not only design-wise but behavior-wise! They never mean any harm whatsoever! They just want to stroll and fly across the universe to their heart's content! Please let them do so in peace :)

I care them….

Name: Sulkworm

Debut: Kirby’s Epic Yarn 

Have you ever seen a worm sulking? I wouldn’t know! I’m not emotionally intelligent enough to ascertain the mood of a worm, but perhaps I have! And you have as well! We’ll just never know! Maybe they’re sulking all the time!

I don’t know where I’m going with this joke! This is Sulkworm! An adorably plump caterpillar! Their name is a funny pun between Silkworm and Sulk! They actually look quite jolly most of the time! So this name was clearly just the first pun they came up with, but I’m ok with that.

Look at that cute little smile! So content!

Sulkworm is a rare creature, only 3 of them are found in the whole game!, they’re also one of the biggest regular enemies! And they like spitting silk at you! Kirby’s Epic Yarn being a game all about fabric having a Silkworm that uses Silk as projectiles is just way too perfect! 

They are also very fat, this is so important I think! You know this is a very well-fed caterpillar! And I’m very happy for them! They have a squiggly mouth, you know they munch leaves with that! This funny mouth also gets wonderfully animated as they’re preparing their silk attack! Look!

When I first saw them I thought they were a Sea Cucumber! They had the proportions! And I interpreted the fact they spit silk as a reference to Sea Cukes shooting out their insides as a defense mechanism! Which are also white! But no, they’re definitely a caterpillar, they have Osmeterium on top of their heads! The retractable orange horn things some caterpillars have! This confirms them as caterpillars! And also as Butterflies! So they’re definitely not actually silkworms, which are moths! But this is a fictional cartoon creature silly! It can be anything! I like to think they don’t even pupate into a butterfly, Sulkworms are just like this their whole life :)

Sadly the level design does NOT treat Sulkworm with the respect they deserve, the first time you encounter them they are blocking a door, and you’re supposed to defeat them to proceed, fortunately! You can bait them into trying to crush you, then get on top of them when they fall down, and then after they get up, with the help of the 2-Player mode, you can get across the section the blocked door leads to! Sparing their wonderfully plump life!

Also I adore their animation for their crush attack, they put their whole body into it!!

Next time you see them is in Dedede’s Castle, where you can find a room with 2 of them, what are you supposed to do in this lovely room? Horrible… cruel things! If you want to get all the collectibles, you’ll have to defeat both Sulkworms, after which a portrait with their face will be unlocked, revealing the collectible. I know! Atrocious! But the silver lining is that we got a lovely Sulkworm portrait! Look! Lovingly stitched by an unknown entity! Maybe the Waddle Dees made it!

And if you come back to this room while replaying this level, you can just come in and take a peaceful visit! If you’re not here for the collectibles, you get to realize this game has an entire room dedicated to Sulkworm, and now you can spend some quality time in the Sulkworm Room! Just be careful with all the silk!

Name: Nubert Debut: Deltarune Deltarune came out in October 2018, and yet, it’s taken us THIS long to talk about Nubert, weird right? After all, everyone knows about Nubert! And we all love him! Nubert! My Man! Where to begin... He’s just so wonderful! He is a little red nub that pops out of the ground, to be adored by anyone on the surface! Look at that cheeky smile! How can you not be instantly enamored by him! I’ll come clean, the first sentence is me trying to go along with the bit, Nubert did not exist until September 2021, Toby Fox did a stream of Deltarune and they played a different version of Chapter 1 that contains this lovely new character! But the streamers wanted to make it seem like he’s always been a character and he’s everyone’s favorite character, beloved by all Deltarune players. AND I’M OBSESSED WITH THAT!!! They program in a brand new guy just for a funny! and it’s SUCH a legitimately awesome guy too! You know what Toby? he IS my favorite Deltarune character actually

Name: Caramello

Debut: Kirby’s Dream Land 3

You might be thinking “Hey Mod Sockop Weirdmarioenemies, that is just an egg” and you would be half right! Caramello is indeed, an egg, but not “just” that! He is an incredibly multi-faceted and layered in-depth character, I will now illustrate you in what makes my brain absolutely go ham when it comes to Caramello

Where to begin! It’s so hard to pick! There’s so much to Caramello to discuss in length! Let’s start with his design, ok so like, you would be easily misled to think “well that’s just an egg with a face, what a boring design” but here’s the thing reader, notice how this egg creature is arranged! You’d expect the face to be on the yellow “chicken” part, right? BUT NO!!! The face is on the eggshell!!! fully emotive! And it has no beak as you’d expect! Instead it has a mouth capable of chewing and blowing airl! Eggshells can’t do that! So what does this mean?! Caramello cannot be a baby chicken that just hatched and kept wearing his eggshell (very common design trope) No! It is my pleasure to announce that Caramello is Just Like That!

He’s just a weird creature that’s half yellow half eggshell! He was born like that, his DNA is structured to be like that, his genes allow his cells to make the top half of his body look like an eggshell, and I think that’s beautiful.

Moving on! Let’s talk about Caramello’s other enamoring features! He LOVES to chew gum!

“Why?” your mind might be asking you, demanding a gameplay reason or an in-context explanation that makes it be a logical design choice. Your mind has been trained to expect characters to have a reason behind everything about them. You must teach it to let go... Just like real life, sometimes people just do things because they like doing them! And nothing more!

This is the case with Caramello! They decided to make an egg creature blow bubblegum for no real reason! Eggs have absolutely nothing to do with bubblegum, but it is this trait that makes Caramello feel like such an endearing character!!! He just happens to love bubblegum!!!! Makes him feel like such a real guy that exists in this world just like you! And you simply happened to stumble into him!

And when you do stumble into him! He’s down to play a little game! You see, Caramello is part of a special group of characters, in Kirby’s Dream Land 3, you have to make NPCs happy by completing a personal quest in order to save the world! and Caramello is one of them! How do you make him happy? Well he’s part of an even more special group within the special group! NPCs who’s quest is to win a minigame they host!

Caramello wants you to count how many Gordos with a specific face you saw, they’ll show their face for only a split second! Marked by when Caramello’s bubblegum pops! Keep your eyes peeled!

If you fail to give him the correct number of Gordos, he will be disappointed, but it’s a funny kind of disappointed, look!

And if you give him the correct number, he will nod happily!

Also! while you’re picking the correct number, he shows this very funny face full of expectation!

Go on! Pick a number! He’s eager to see if you got it right!

And that’s Caramello! Isn’t he the most delightful and charming egg creature ever? I hope you understand my obsession with this round fella a bit more reader!