#zerthlings

another pic of skelly on the left of this picture (Charley is on the right but this ask isn't about him or his pet unless you ask)

Some more pictures of tristen von starbrat

this is my loveable baby and masterpieces that formed over 7 years, since I was 11 to now.

I am very proud of my up and believe it's pretty professional, I've gone over a few times and I know my IP is ready to be public.

my ZERTHVERSE...many planets, civilizations and over 252 ocs all out properly in my verse, my favorite planet is zerth with the zerthlings which is a story engine in itself.

Im tragically not that good at writing novels/execution of my story arcs and lore and etc but I'm better at writing novels than drawing.

The link is in the comments below to my doc.

Hiya there! This is both my proper introduction post for zerthverse and for the actual ask blog so people have resources to learn the general stuff about my original verse, the lore dump below isn't that through about everything but it gives a good enough basis.

Current series I'm working on

Some art of zerthlings

(these are different types and are named ocs but they will look somewhat like this)

Zerthverse intro iceberg

ZERTHVERSE Official Zerth Lore Iceberg

Zerthlings & World of Zerth — Complete Combined Reference Creator: ASKZERTHVERSE | 2026 | Updated Edition THE ZERTH LORE ICEBERG — LEVEL MAP The Zerthverse lore is organized across four confirmed layers. The world and species are complete at the middle level. Deeper levels are individual story material, not structural gaps.

◆ TIP (Above Water) — The Zerthverse Master Bible. World structure, factions, species biology, character profiles, origin history, story events, thematic architecture. What a new reader needs to orient.

◆ JUST UNDER THE WATER — Zerth Civilian Society & Daily Life. How property works, the frenemy survival network, cash-over-clout economy, nobody status as hidden danger, bonds as biological maintenance, fashion modes, kangaroo courts, God War forgotten through negligence.

◆ MIDDLE — The Zerthling Hierarchy. The biological architecture underneath the civilization costume. Omegaverse bones confirmed native. 52-question full breakdown of rank, instinct, bonding, drives, and the horror gap between appearance and reality.

◆ BOTTOM (Deepest Layer) — The Zerth Pet Codex. The cultural and quasi-legal system governing the relationship between Zerthlings and their offworlder companions. One of the oldest continuous institutions on Zerth, predating Z City itself. Full breakdown of culture, law, dynamics, and writing craft below.

◆ TIP (ABOVE WATER) — MASTER BIBLE SECTION ONE: THE WORLD OF ZERTH Planet & Surface Split Z City: ~30% of surface (~3 million sq miles, size of around United States) Wildlands: ~70% (~1.4 Earths of hostile territory — Zerth is twice the size of Earth) Position: Galactically close to Earth; Zerthlings moved it further in the ancient era Nature: Reality-warping world of documented anarchy. Fame equals reality. Attention is currency. Vibe: Neon chaos, absurdist logic, 24/7 livestream. Authority does not exist — only recognition does.

Z City Structure Central (Tristen — EGO): Spectacle, dominance, personality cult. Chaotic when he's distracted. Safety conditional on being interesting, useful, or loyal. West / Zanatopia (Zana — MORALITY): Opt-in authoritarian good sanctuary. Emotional surveillance replaces police. Evil ritualized and contained. Self-sufficient, no outside trade. East / Wixytown (Wixy — INTELLECT): Technocratic dictatorship. Headquarters in orbit. Off-world expansion ongoing. Version 0.5 Beta — laws shift based on Wixy's latest thought or nap. North & South Default Zones: Pure chaos, no Triangle governance. Average Zerthling baseline. Functionally the Wildlands West. Moneyman: Registrar and archiver. Not a governor, not an enforcer — a bureaucratic fossil. Confirms existence on paper and in media. In Zerth, that is terrifyingly enough.

Z City Rules The 50/50 Rule: Every encounter is a coin flip. Not metaphor — documented gravitational constant. No exceptions. Justice: Courts are reality TV. Verdicts decided by volume, humor, or strength. Sentences are humiliation, fines, or beatdowns. Justice exists to generate engagement. Property: Exists only if you can defend it. Locks are meaningless against teleportation. Reputation is security. Economy: Clout is law. Zerthtube, Zerthhub, Tristtube, Tristtok are not platforms — they are the economy. The Wildlands Original state of Zerth since the Triassic Era.

Z City is the exception, not the default. Coverage: ~70% of Zerth's surface. Anti-mapped, identity-eroding, uncivilizable. Maps fail immediately. Landscape changes hourly, daily, or weekly. Z City itself disappears from view — not hidden, rewritten. Baseline: Warm, humid, dead-tree forests, tar-colored vegetation, eerie stillness.

Dark ever-swirling sky. Territory logic: Marked by scent, residue, fluids, shed matter, warped soil, and psychic traces. A border without a shape. Why no civilization survives: Environmental overwrite, internal collapse, predation.

No sustainable rules emerge. Leadership is bait. Cosmological meaning: Triangle power is cosmetic relative to the Wildlands. The city is a loud argument with the world. The world is winning quietly in every direction.

SECTION TWO: ZERTHLING BIOLOGY Origins Human + Cuddleflesh DNA hybrid. Descended from Hucuddles — first generation born on Zerth from Timeszoner and Queen Pandora. Evolved via deliberate self-corruption. Killed the Four Gods, ate the Tree of Gods, absorbed Earth culture, bred with humans and animals — producing all Earth mythology. Responsibility: 5% attributable to creators. 95% the deliberate, willful fault of Zerthlings themselves.

I. Physical Biology & Physiology General Appearance. Adult males are effeminate, chubby, round-faced, with large expressive eyes and no body hair — more performative and prone to escalation than females. Adult females are round-faced, plush, dominant, cunning, and precise. Children are chubby and soft with exaggerated cute features that persist far into adulthood.

Gender shifting takes significant energy and is done now mainly to avoid appearing a fossil when with the same gender. Zerthshifters can freely shift forms. Size, Limbs & Senses. Typically human-sized or slightly smaller. Bipedal; hands and feet rounded , highly expressive. All physical senses plus psychic perception from childhood. Hypersensitive — capable of sensing emotional, energetic, and environmental cues with extraordinary precision.

Growth & Development. Rapid early puberty begins ~age 6. Second growth surge in teenage years. Grow 2x faster than humans. Females can produce litters of 1–12. Sexual maturity finishes ~age 9, mind fully functional by 18. Resilience & Healing. Natural recovery over days; conscious reality-warping allows instant healing in seconds. Zerthlings have four literal lives — Phase 4 = permanent death (radioactive dust that warps local environments). Tampering with Phase 4 remains risks triggering Gigazoid reformation.

II. Power System Reality Bar: 100 million points. Don't try to scale that but imagine a big lake, that's how it is. (Resets after full 8-hour sleep (vulnerable during reset). Fuel: Zersanity — liquid madness. Sanity weakens power. More insane mindset = more fluid and creative powers. Fully surrendering unlocks stronger god-level but accelerates self-destruction.this is the core of zerthlings basically their determination and it's directly connected to their mind and emotions and body, if it goes dry and the zerthling is in battle then it's doomed. Dead. Donezo! You name it.

Space survival: All Zerthlings can leave Zerth unaided and survive in space indefinitely (until hunger/thirst). Core ability categories: Psychic, Physical, Reality Warp, Defensive, Offensive — all present across the species.

THE FOUR COMBAT PHASES Phase 1 — Embrace & Unleash: Accepting madness. Full demigod reality-warping. Can die and respawn next day intact. Phase 2 — Enhanced Madness: First near-death refusal. Speed doubles, erratic attacks, manic unpredictability. +25% higher melt rate. Phase 3 — Reality Warp: Second death refusal. Full environment manipulation, hallucinations, musical theatrics, terrain rewrite. Body begins melting if bar empties. Phase 4 — Desperation & Annihilation: Final death refusal. Power finally exceeds mortal limits. Guaranteed death at end of scene if no retreat or rest.

III. Moral Types Average: Evil by choice and biology. The brain rewards menace behavior with dopamine. Knows right from wrong and does not care. Eons of this behavior warped their genetic code — exponentially more powerful as a result. Decent: Primal but stable. Can recognize binary evil and good. Have decency. By 2051, demographic majority after Operation Reckoning. Humane: Rare. Genuinely moral. Zana is the oldest and strongest living example. Running the same instinct machinery underneath — consciously redirecting rather than following it. Never restful.

IV. The Four Social Archetypes The Malicious Entertainer (Bad Zerthling): Theatrical tyrants whose cruelty is an art form. Aura farming — scaring others to charge power. Massacres reviewed like Broadway musicals. Just average zerthlings again.

The Chaotic Hybrid (Neutral Zerthling): Default template. Unpredictable, unstable, dangerously creative. Constant validation need. Most common archetype. This is just average zerthlings why is this here?

The Unstable Altruist (Good Zerthling): 'Good' in the loosest sense. Manic Crusader or Weirdo Benefactor. Kindness genuine but conditional.

The Sane Survivor (10% minority): Tragic outliers clinging to Earth-standard sanity. Same godlike potential but cannot embrace madness. Universally pitied, mocked, and admired for suffering. Though most of the time these moralities are totally unstable, may be right when it's not and so on. The three behavior types are stable and always right.

◆ TIP + JUST UNDER WATER — COMBINED SPECIES PROFILE SECTION THREE: ZERTHLING SPECIES — FULL PROFILE V. Society & Culture Loosely organized hierarchies through strength, popularity, psychic skill, and mating success. Apex individuals exist but are fluid.

Daily life: Chaotic mix of human-like routines (eating, grooming, exploration) and feral behavior (play, psychic experimentation, predation). Communication: Spoken English, body language, and psychic signaling. Children communicate rapidly, exaggerating expressions and vocalizations. Morality: Situational and mood-based. Socially enforced rules minimal; behavior guided by instinct, pride, or fear of social loss.

Toddler God Communication Problem: Zerthlings express feelings, declare intentions, announce thoughts openly and constantly without apparent awareness it is a weakness. The inner life runs on the surface. This is biological, not cultural choice. So they may seek invincible but they are not they have a lot of weaknesses like this.

VI. Reproduction & Mating Sexual maturity finishes at ~9 years; mental learning for courting and other important things fully functional by 18. Courtship is expressive and ritualistic, blending human-like behavior with animal-inspired instinct. Females: Litters of 1–12 depending on mate count, situational dominance, or psychic influence.

Males: Can reproduce with other males But they aren't as controlled like the girls so those pairings are common but viewed as risky and slightly dumb since female zerthlings are much more capable than the males. Bonding is biological maintenance — not optional sentiment.

A Zerthling with no genuine bonds is in slow deterioration. The more authentic bonds, the healthier and more capable they are. Relationships: Possessive, public, territorial, and real. Mates claimed loudly. Everyone knows everyone's business because Zerthlings display bonds the way animals display territory.

VII. Child Rearing Two paths: Parents present but authority is a polite fiction children test from birth and dismantle by age 4. OR parents absent — children become self-sufficient from infancy, forming Average Zerthling gang kids. Most reliable predictor of Decent or Humane adult: parental presence and investment during childhood. Not warmth or moral lessons — just presence. Community child rearing exists out of necessity — a feral child in communal space is everyone's problem.

VIII. Food Culture Zerthlings eat anything. Biology can process nearly any organic material and most inorganic ones. Cooking is rare and genuinely impressive. Reads as patience, skill, and willingness to put effort into something for others. Unusual enough to be notable. Shared meals are bonding rituals and dominance displays simultaneously. Who eats with whom, who sits where, who is offered food first — all social signals. Zerthlings absorbed Earth food culture across millennia and feel deeply proprietorial about it. Their version is always considered better. IX. Fashion & Self-Expression No middle ground.

Mode One: maximalist, elaborate, reality-warped into existence, often physically impossible without powers, designed to communicate power level, faction affiliation, or emotional state. Mode Two: childish simplicity — a t-shirt, shorts, whatever was nearest and other absurd childish clothing. Ferallings often reject clothing entirely. Fur is considered honest; clothing is considered unnecessary. Do not mistake Mode Two for humility. A Zerthling in a plain striped sweater is not modest. They just did not feel like it today and they like wearing those reflects a big trait about them

. X. Governance & Politics No functional governance at civilian level outside Triangle territories. Whatever passes for local governance is whoever is strongest on the block making calls until someone stronger shows up. Courts are kangaroo courts. Verdicts by volume, humor, or strength. Proceedings are entertainment. Nobody appeals. There is nothing to appeal to. The only civic institution that functions is Moneyman's registration and archival system. He prints money, archives existence, and is kept alive because everyone needs him. This is the entirety of Zerth's functional government. Total Anarchy with capitalism. There is others like moneyman but they aren't notable

XI. Domestic Life & Entertainment Home is wherever you have claimed and successfully defended. Inside: chaotic in the specific way of a place genuinely lived in by beings who feel everything loudly and retain very little impulse control. Everything is streamed unless they choose not to. Crimes are streamed. Arguments are streamed. Reconciliations are streamed. The stream is the social record. If it was not streamed, it is harder to prove it happened. Human dropped into a functioning Zerthling household with no warning would last between a few days and a month before psychological breakdown — not from violence but from relentless emotional intensity.

XII. Cultural Memory & The God War Zerthlings killed the Four Gods, desecrated the Tree of Gods, ate every fruit on it, watched power explode — then moved on. The God War is not taboo. Not mythologized. Not celebrated. Simply not discussed because it is not interesting. The Four Gods have no names because no one kept them. Namelessness is not a political statement at civilian level. It is negligence. This is the most Zerth thing about Zerth: they killed gods, ate divine power, and cannot tell you the names of what they killed because nobody wrote it down and nobody cared enough to ask. Only about the power it gave them.

◆ MIDDLE — THE ZERTHLING HIERARCHY (OMEGAVERSE NATIVE) SECTION FOUR: THE ZERTHLING HIERARCHY Core Thesis. Zerthling 'civilization' is not civilization. It is an extremely advanced tribal and animal system wearing a stolen suit. Z City is the Wildlands with Earth culture duct-taped over it and a velvet rope out front. The omegaverse hierarchy was always there — arrived at independently, native to the species, not borrowed. Both omegaverse and Zerthverse draw from the same source: the real observable logic of biological hierarchy, instinct, bonding, and dominance in social animals, pushed past every comfortable limit.

Wildlands vs. Z City Split Wildlands: hierarchy by instinct, rank by raw dominance, omegaverse logic running as it always did. No performance of civility. Just the thing itself. Z City: same system but with a meritocratic and spectacle escape valve — rank can be overridden by achievements, clout, and effort.

The omegaverse bones are still there, buried under 'look how advanced we are' that everyone pretends is load-bearing when it is decorative. Wildlands entities are not failed Zerthlings. They are Zerthlings without the PR department. Biological Rank System Instinctual biological hierarchy: Zerthlings are born with a biological rank that shapes how others respond before any interaction begins.

Z City rank can be overridden; Wildlands rank is fixed from birth. Dominant caste: Others respond automatically — body before brain. A dominant Zerthling is a small, seemingly cute creature that is also a minor deity capable of warping physical reality around its emotions.

Pheromone-equivalent signaling: Scent is a primary social language for all Zerthling types. Other species cite it as a key reason Zerthlings cannot be classified as a humanoid society. Reading rank: Zerthlings read each other through scent and facial expression faster than any other method — including psychic sense and reality warp. They have god-tier powers available and leave them on the table in favor of their nose and their eyes.

Bonding & Drives Permanent bonding system: The highest biological hit Zerthlings can experience. Accelerates healing, stabilizes psychological function, raises effective capacity. It is biological maintenance — the drama around bonds is not entertainment; it is life-stakes competition with real physiological consequences. Heat/Rut cycle: Weekly — not seasonal, not monthly. Technically can be willed down with reality warp capacity some gods they are they literally have to use powers to overcome the instincts. In practice, virtually no average Zerthling past age 9 bothers. Zerthlings are fully grown by 9 which off worlders can't tell the difference between a inexperienced zerthlings adult and a experienced one which would be 18 years old.

No formal consent framework on Zerth and no I do not mean sexual-Determining factor: whether target is receptive or capable of pushing back. Very simliar to omegaverse logic stuff. Unbonded state as deficit: Being without bonds, mates, or offspring reads as loser status with no soft landing. Beyond social stigma: genuine health deficit. An apex predator with god-tier powers still fundamentally needs their pack. Rank Mechanics Rank loss: Public defeat, humiliation, or rejection triggers a real instinctual re-read.

The biological broadcast weakens. Other Zerthlings read the lower signal and respond to it, confirming the loss in real time. Z City's obsession with maintaining cool is a survival strategy. Clout as rank elevator: High clout produces real changes in Z City. But clout-built rank is more fragile than instinct-plus-achievement rank. When the clout scaffolding collapses, the instinctual baseline reasserts with abruptness.

Combat as hierarchy negotiation: In the Wildlands, fight outcomes carry legal weight. The result sticks. In Z City, a fight has both hierarchy outcome and clout/spectacle value running simultaneously. Winning in an ungainly way does not get full hierarchy credit.

Ideal archetype: The Tristen / Magnet Mouse archetype — powerful, bonded, beloved by allies, feared by enemies, battle-ready, family-surrounded, operating at the top with effortless legitimate authority. Gender in the Hierarchy Female-presenting: Trend toward precision, control, strategic operation, structural authority positions.

Male-presenting: Trend toward emotion, performance, expressiveness — more performative in hierarchy expression, which has significant value in a spectacle culture. Power dynamic: Complementary architecture. Female energy runs the systems. Male energy generates the drama and visible performance that powers the clout economy.

Subspecies Placement in the Hierarchy Ferallings: Hierarchy with the skin off. Every argument Z City Zerthlings have built about being more advanced collapses in front of a Feralling — because the Feralling is the Z City Zerthling with every cultural layer removed. Mutant Zerthlings: Teetering at the edge. Still trying to participate but producing signals corrupted enough that the hierarchy's read is unreliable. Pack instinct is the last thing to go even when everything else has failed.

Objectlings: Deceptive position — project a lower or neutral signal while carrying significantly higher actual capability. Hierarchy provides no warning system for this specific failure mode. Gigazoids: Fully outside the hierarchy. Not at the bottom — off the map entirely. The hierarchy reads them and outputs: do not engage, do not rank-negotiate. They function as ambient environmental hazard — more like weather than a social participant. Bonds That Transcend Death Tristen and Avery: The bond has not ended. It transformed — from a living relationship into a structural position. A permanent role that nothing and no one can fully replace.

Tristen still operates in relation to it. The comparison to Dusttale Sans and phantom Papyrus is precise: a living entity continuing in relationship with a dead bond partner not because they are delusional but because the bond was genuine enough to create a permanent internal presence that continues functioning.

The TCIA's Horror Not that Zerthlings are dangerous — many species are dangerous. The horror is that Zerthlings look almost like something you could apply normal species-logic to. Then you look deeper and find the animal hierarchy running everything, combined with godlike power, combined with a track record other planets tried to erase. You cannot negotiate with the hierarchy from outside it. You cannot appeal to shared civilization standards that only exist as costume. That gap between appearance and reality is where all the dread lives.

SECTION FIVE: ZERTHLING CHILDREN — FULL PROFILE Children are the most dangerous things on Zerth. This is not metaphor — it is documented fact. They operate on pure instinct and destruction with no social restraint. Fighting one is a desperate act. Fighting more than one simultaneously is nearly impossible. Physical Profile Chubby, plush, soft bodies with exaggerated neotenic traits. Round faces, large expressive eyes. Hair from wild and playful to styled like adult fashions, sometimes inspired by Earth styles. Slightly oversized hands and feet for expressive gestures and powerful grasping. Bipedal, capable of agility beyond their size suggests.

Sensory systems: Fully present but hypersensitive — may overreact to loud noises, extreme temperatures, or intense tactile input. Psychic perception active but chaotic. Sleep ~8 hours/day. High caloric intake required. Immune system temporarily compromised during rapid growth phases; injury recovery faster than adults.

Psychic & Combat Abilities Scaled-down super-alien versions of adults. Despite size, exhibit feral strength, speed, and reflexes. Play doubles as informal training. Early abilities: Mind influence, fear projection, telekinesis, energy manipulation, minor reality alteration. Powers chaotic and uncontrolled — often expressed in play, conflict, or experimentation. Exceptional durability even at young ages. Minor injuries commonplace and rarely debilitating.

Threat Profile Children exploit fear instinctively. Outsiders, unpracticed peers, or inexperienced adults may be harassed or harmed. Survival tactics: ambush, herd coordination, intimidation, and playful violence. Only weakness: strategy and creativity. Can be exhausted by running, outfoxed by impressive plans, but cannot simply be overpowered. Wildlands Zerthling children found there are universally more dangerous than those in Z City. They do not negotiate, they do not learn, and they do not apologize.

SECTION SIX: SUBSPECIES PROFILES Ferallings Zerthlings who chose instinctual regression — irreversible. Not regression into stupidity but into instinctual supremacy.

Retain fragments of culture but process all of it through a fully animalistic cognitive engine. Appearance: Deliberately exaggerated animal traits while maintaining humanoid Zerthling base. Cute, chubby, plush silhouettes; soft proportions masking extreme strength. Four pillars: Food, Mates, Entertainment, Fun. Anything disrupting these is perceived as a cosmic offense. Psychology: Thought is emotional, impulsive, absolutist. Mood swings from innocent curiosity to manic destruction. Long-term planning absent but pattern recognition is terrifyingly sharp.

Magnet Mouse-type: Humanoid mouse hybrid. Oversized emotion-reactive eyes. Thick tail ending in absurdly large magnet — bludgeon, grappling hook, or execution tool. Bunny-type: Rounded, fluffy build. Long ears. Soft features. Wide gentle eyes. Appears nurturing and harmless. Capable of catastrophic violence when emotionally triggered. Objectlings Form when a Zerthling's obsession with an object eclipses their identity. The head transforms into a cartoonish object — and the object's function becomes a weapon, tool, or cognitive filter. Self-inflicted and permanent.

Universal trait: All Objectlings are affable, friendly, chatty, helpful, goofy — and profoundly untrustworthy. Irreversible obsession-fusion. Types: Puzzle-Head (reality bends into logic traps), Industrial-Blade (head as blunt or slicing weapon, deceptively approachable), Explosive-Head (childlike fascination with destruction, lethally unpredictable). Mutant Zerthlings Not a new species — what happens when a standard Zerthling without sufficient reality warp use enters the Wildlands. Body adapts, power skyrockets, brain turns into wet spaghetti with opinions. Weaponized growths: Blades, axes, clubs, chains, spikes, mace-balls grown from bone, muscle, or nerve clusters. Semi-retractable. Asymmetrical and unique per individual. Mental rot: Intelligence uneven, fragmented, glitchy. Speech in fragments, repetition, banter, or baby-talk. Makes the same catastrophic mistake repeatedly while acting surprised every time. Gigazoids Not a mutation, curse, punishment, or failed experiment. A DNA Error State. When Zerthling genetic logic collapses, the system does not halt — it re-routes.

Physiology: Always large. Wet grey skin, warm, soft and chubby but dense underneath. Blank infantile faces with milky oversized animal-like eyes. Four primary limbs plus six additional back limbs. Mouths look harmless until unhinged — revealing thousands of retractable blades. Power immunity: Absolute immunity to reality warp. External warps do nothing. When killed do not fully stop — become semi-melted animated corpses. Permanently ended only by the most powerful Zerthlings, other Gigazoids, or extreme Mutant Zerthlings.

Suberbeta Classification: Proto-Gigazoid hybrid produced by unstable maternal genetics. A biological classification — not a faction, not a magical system. Mai/Max (Missleman) IS a Suberbeta. Effects: Unstable biology, two personas in one body, shapeshifting that breaks reality, limbs morphing into weapons, constant subconscious urge to split into two full Gigazoids. Split consequence: If a Suberbeta fully separates — two complete Gigazoids. Mass destruction. Mass death. They stay together miserable rather than become what they fear.

SECTION SEVEN: THE BAREFOOTED BABOONS BRIGADE & CINDER PACK Note: The Cinder Pack are examples of what average roaming Zerthling kid gangs and Barefooted Baboon members look like. They represent the type, not unique exceptions. The Barefooted Baboons Brigade — Overview Wixy's child soldier mook force. Feral Zerthling toddlers and young children operating on instinct, play, and destruction. Directionless by nature — Wixy's genius is harnessing this chaos for precise targeted deployment.

Narrative role: Mook OCs. Listed as one collective OC — not on individual OC count. Can have motion, action, and plot effects but are not cast members. Threat level: Leading cause of death for average adults. Fighting one is desperate. Fighting more than one is nearly impossible. Names signal powers: Names like 'Flameburner,' 'Apeclaw,' 'Shiftbie' are functional — they subtly signal abilities. Normal-looking children who happen to be masters of a specific power. The horror is immediate: not a super-powered monster, but an everyday child who is an expert in fire. Wixy's method: She 'just talked to them' and the majority agreed. Uses maternal charm to keep them content and on her side. She works with their chaos, not against it.

SECTION EIGHT: WORLDBUILDING FRAMEWORK — ZERTH STATUS Hard vs. Soft Worldbuilding Zerth is hard worldbuilding. The biological hierarchy is internally consistent and holds under pressure. The power system has defined limits, costs, and failure states. The social structures have logical consequences.

These are systems, not vibes. Core / Peripheral / Indulgence Framework Core: Triangle, Zersanity, hierarchy, 50/50 rule — directly story-critical. Peripheral: Civilian society, frenemy networks, fashion, food culture — adds depth, ties into plot, explored through side characters and subplots. Indulgence: Deeper Wildlands ecology details, cryptid legacy, extended history — worldbuilder exploration material that enriches without being required.

No Monoculture Confirmation Triangle alone eliminates monoculture — three territories on the same city operating on completely different internal logic. Within Z City: Default Zones have no governance while Triangle zones each have distinct internal culture. Subspecies: Ferallings, Objectlings, Mutant Zerthlings, and Gigazoids all behave according to different internal logic with different hierarchy placement. Moral type split: Average, Decent, and Humane produce genuinely different lived experiences on the same planet.

◆ BOTTOM (DEEPEST LAYER) — THE ZERTH PET CODEX A NOTE ON ORIGINS — THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

This layer exists because it deserves its own naming plainly: both involve an offworlder-under-care dynamic, protective ownership structures, and comparable cultural textures. The Codex and HDG arrived at overlapping territory through independent creative development. This is not a controversy — it is just a fact about how creative work sometimes converges. Two different things can cover similar ground and both be valid. They are not the same thing, they did not come from the same place, and neither needs to stake a claim on the other. The Zerth Pet Codex is Zerthverse original IP. If you know HDG and you are reading this thinking 'this feels familiar,' that instinct is correct and also entirely fine. askzerthverse is not trying to claim ownership of the concept at large, only clarity about the origin of their specific version. The Codex is theirs. The convergence is interesting. That is the whole story.

If any part of the above is unclear, or you have questions about what is Zerthverse original versus what is reference or convergence, you can ask directly: askzerthverse (me)

SECTION NINE: THE ZERTH PET CODEX — OVERVIEW The Zerth Pet Codex is one of the oldest continuous cultural institutions on Planet Zerth, predating Z City by eons. It did not begin as law. It evolved as cultural necessity — specifically the necessity of keeping offworlders who arrived on Zerth alive in an environment where Average Zerthlings would otherwise kill them as a matter of routine.

Its origins lie with a loose cult of unusually protective Zerthlings — the bloodline families that would eventually produce Zana and Flora — who organized themselves around a simple and fiercely held position: offworlders who arrive on Zerth, especially humans, are not prey. They are not food. They are not entertainment in the way Averages use that word. They are beloved, fragile, and worth protecting. This founding moral position has not changed since it was first articulated, and it runs through every layer of the Codex to this day. When Zanatopia was founded by Zana, one of its first formal governance acts was absorbing and institutionalizing the Codex. The founding families — now referred to as the Founding Cult — became its ceremonial and historical foundation rather than its operational managers. That role belongs today to Zanatopia's dedicated Codex branch, with the Plantfi as ancient and active partners. The Codex is not a government law in a traditional sense. Zerth is anarchic and no law applies universally across its surface.

The Codex derives its authority from cultural weight, Zanatopia's enforcement arm, the passive and active influence of the Plantfi, and the willingness of every Decent and Humane Zerthling in the vicinity to physically back it up. It works because the community makes it work and because the alternative — no Codex, Average Zerthlings unchecked, offworlders unprotected — produces an outcome nobody in the community accepts.

What the Codex Covers The Codex governs: who may own a Zerthbud (the term for an offworlder under Codex protection); what species qualify; the intake process; the rights and protections of Zerthbuds; the obligations of owners; the breeding and Zerthbub program; the role of the Plantfi; and the consequences for violations. It is maintained and updated by Zanatopia's Codex branch with input from the Founding Cult and Plantfi advisers. The Conservation Argument The Codex's foundational stated purpose is conservation. Humans and Cuddleflesh are formally classified as endangered species on Zerth — species that, without institutional protection, would be hunted to extinction by Average Zerthlings within generations.

The Codex frames pet ownership not as exploitation but as the most reliable mechanism available, in an anarchic environment, to guarantee the survival and flourishing of these species. This framing is sincere among Decent Zerthlings. Among Humane Zerthlings it is more complicated — but even the most morally anxious Humane Zerthling will not reject the Codex, because the alternative is catastrophic. The system exists because it works.

SECTION TEN: ZERTHBUDS — THE OFFWORLDER PETS "Zerthbud" is the cultural term for an offworlder who has entered the Codex system. A compound of "Zerth" and "bud" — the latter carrying connotations of something small, growing, cared-for, belonging-to. A Zerthbud retains their own name. Zerthling naming conventions are never imposed on them. A Zerthbud named Maya remains Maya. The Codex's position is that a Zerthbud's identity is part of what makes them worth keeping — erasing it would diminish something valuable.

The formal legal classification of a Zerthbud within the Codex is beloved property. This term is precise and it carries weight in both directions: no independent political standing, cannot own property in their own name, cannot leave their owner's care unilaterally — but guaranteed physical safety, emotional enrichment, preservation of personal identity, species-appropriate social contact, breeding rights, and protection from harm at the hands of any Zerthling including their owner. Violating any of these guarantees puts an owner in direct conflict with the Codex, Zanatopia's enforcement arm, and every Decent and Humane Zerthling in the vicinity.

Species Hierarchy TIER NOTES First Tier — Humans Most common Zerthbuds by a significant margin. The Codex was effectively built around humans. Their vulnerability, social nature, emotional complexity, and capacity for deep bonding make them the most prized and most protected. 'The classic,' in community terms. Normal Zerthlings really like humans in a twisted way and the others in a affable but patronizing way or some else way

Second Tier — Cuddleflesh Second most common. The Codex community has a long history with Cuddleflesh, who occupy a unique position as both fellow offworlders and as great ancestors of Zerthlings themselves. The dynamic carries a particular tenderness — something ancestral about it from the Zerthling side.

Third Tier — Other Offworlders Any non-Zerthling sapient species that ends up on Zerth can technically qualify. These cases are handled individually by Zanatopia, with Plantfi assessment for compatibility. Less common, more bureaucratic, but not prohibited. Intake — How Someone Becomes a Zerthbud The intake process has two tracks, both of which exist simultaneously in the Codex system and neither of which is considered illegitimate.

On the voluntary track, an offworlder who has made it to Zerth may choose to enter the system — a choice that, for humans stranded with no means of leaving and no survival infrastructure on a planet where Average Zerthlings will kill them, often amounts to the only viable option that does not end in death. Voluntary Zerthbuds go through a formal Zanatopia intake process, receive initial Plantfi assessment and bloom drug introduction, are matched with a registered owner, and sign a Codex registration document. On the forced track, offworlders found outside Codex protection — wandering, captured, or otherwise at risk — may be brought into the system without initial consent.

The Codex community does not frame this as kidnapping. They frame it as rescue: the alternative for most of these offworlders is death by Average Zerthling, Wildlands exposure, or Zerth's broader environmental violence. The Codex's position is that the forced-track Zerthbud will, given time and proper care, understand why this happened. Forced-track Zerthbuds receive the same care obligations as voluntary ones. The Plantfi play a particularly active role in forced-track cases, providing bloom drug support through the initial resistance period. Zerthbuds do not leave the system.

This is a firm Codex position. Once a Zerthbud is registered, the bond is considered permanent — there is no formal exit process. Zerthbuds who are abandoned by their owner (itself a Codex violation) are transferred to Zanatopia's intake facilities, not released. These facilities function simultaneously as processing points, matching services, recovery sanctuaries, and ongoing homes between placements.

They are guarded. Decent Zerthlings in particular defend them with notable intensity. Zerthbubs — Second Generation Children born to Zerthbuds are called Zerthbubs. They are born into the Codex, not inducted into it — their status is automatic. Zanatopia oversees the breeding program formally, tracking bloodlines, facilitating matches between compatible Zerthbuds. Zerthbubs are raised primarily by their Zerthbud parent within the owner's household and often develop natural emotional bonds with the owner's family.

A Zerthbub raised in a Humane Zerthling household often grows up without the resistance arc their parent may have had. They know what they are from the beginning. This produces entirely different psychological profiles from forced-track first-generation Zerthbuds. Decent Zerthlings find this completely natural. Humane Zerthlings have a lot of feelings about it.

SECTION ELEVEN: OWNER DYNAMICS — HUMANE VS DECENT The two Zerthling types most associated with the Codex — Humane and Decent — share a foundational commitment: Zerthbuds must be protected, cared for, and kept well. Everything about how they express and practice that commitment is different. They are philosophically aligned on outcomes and philosophically opposed on nearly everything else.

Their relationship is the morally grey but affable sibling dynamic — each considers the other a mess while respecting the results. Humane Zerthlings — The Anxious Guardian Humane Zerthlings are defined by a profound internalization of something that approximates human moral logic. They feel the ethical weight of the Codex constantly. They worry about consent.

They wonder whether their Zerthbud is truly happy or performing happiness. They will spend an hour agonizing over a minor Codex clause while their Zerthbud watches them with visible fond exasperation. This does not make their Zerthbuds unhappy. It makes them extremely well cared for. A Humane Zerthling's anxiety about doing things right translates into consistent attentiveness, abundant affection, and a lifestyle that is — by any observable metric — excellent for the Zerthbud. The dynamic is romantic and emotionally intense.

Humane Zerthlings fall hard and take it seriously. Their Zerthbuds are spoiled, emotionally tended with almost excessive care, and often end up in the position of comforting their owner about the ethics of their own comfortable existence. Decent Zerthlings — The Feral Honorable Decent Zerthlings operate by instinct, and their instinct says: this is mine, I protect what is mine, I treat what is mine well because it is mine and deserves it. There is no moral philosophy required.

There is no anxiety about consent. There is Zerthling honor — a purist, animalistic code that says you do not harm what is under your protection, and anyone who does is an enemy. The relationship with their Zerthbud is possessive in a way that is entirely transparent. There is no pretense that the Zerthbud is not a pet. There is also no cruelty.

The combination is something like: I know exactly what you are, I know exactly what I am, and within that structure I will give you everything you need and be angry at anyone who threatens you. Think Ash and Pikachu — but darker, older, more territorial. The feral possessiveness is not threatening to the Zerthbud because it is directed outward, at anyone who might harm them. The bond is real. The protection is absolute. The Humane-Decent Relationship They bicker.

They disagree, sometimes loudly, about methodology. Humane Zerthlings find Decent ones worryingly casual about the ethics of the whole system. Decent Zerthlings find Humane ones exhausting in a fond, eye-rolling sort of way. The arguments are real and sometimes passionate and almost always resolve into grudging mutual acceptance and then a shared front when Averages are involved. Their Zerthbuds are often the audience for these arguments. The deep truth is that they agree on everything that matters. They are against Averages having pets. They are for pets being treated well. They are for the Codex's conservation mission. The disagreements are about how and why, not about what.

TYPE CORE DYNAMIC Humane Zerthling Anxious. Romantic. Moral hand-wringing. Zerthbud is spoiled and sometimes comforts their owner. Strong Codex proceduralism. Deeply invested in the relationship as a meaningful bond. Treats Zerthbud nearly as an equal emotionally, even when the power structure is not equal. Decent Zerthling Feral. Honorable. Possessive. Instinct-driven care. Less talk, more action. First to intervene physically in violations. No moral anxiety — instinct and Zerthling honor are sufficient. The relationship is clear, consistent, and protective. Both vs. Averages United. No disagreement. Completely aligned. Average Zerthlings possessing a Zerthbud activates both types immediately and simultaneously. This is not a debate.

SECTION TWELVE: THE PLANTFI — ALLIES OF THE CODEX The Plantfi are the apex plant life of Zerth and the only organism native to the Wildlands that is reliably and consistently affable to non-Zerthlings. Their existence is a consequence of Zerthling biology — specifically, the tendency of Decent Zerthlings to breed with anything living, which over eons of inter-species hybridization with native Zerth plant life produced, eventually, sentient plant beings. Gentle by nature. Deeply attuned to emotional states around them. Natively oriented toward care. They resemble something between a Fluttershy archetype and a living garden — soft, non-threatening, quietly beautiful, with vines and blooms that are as much a part of their expressive vocabulary as speech.

They feed on love and lust and water. They are the only beings on the Wildlands who will not hurt you if you do not hurt them, and who will actively try to make you feel better if you are in distress. The Plantfi's relationship with the Codex is ancient and collaborative. Their participation was already assumed before the system was ever formally written down. They assist Zanatopia's Codex branch primarily through bloom drug production and application, and through an active bonding and grooming role during a new Zerthbud's placement period. Bloom Drugs

BLOOM TYPE EFFECT Cuteness Bloom Applied primarily around adult male Zerthlings who need to bond with a new Zerthbud. Heightens the owner's protective instinct and attachment response. Named for its primary observed effect onto a average human male or ailen that's not cute enough like male zerthlings. Calm Bloom Mild anxiolytic and comfort effect. Used during intake, during the resistance period, and whenever a Zerthbud is in acute distress.

The most commonly deployed bloom drug. Produces gentle warmth and reduced anxiety without significant cognitive impairment. Happiness Bloom Produces elevated mood, social openness, and light euphoria. Used during the bonding period to facilitate positive associations. Also used recreationally within the Codex community. Attunement Bloom Slower-acting. Used over time to deepen the Zerthbud's comfort with and attachment to their owner specifically. Does not create feelings with no basis — it amplifies and stabilizes feelings that already exist. The Plantfi are careful with this one.

The Plantfi on Violations The Plantfi do not directly intervene when they witness Codex violations. They are non-confrontational by nature and will not put themselves in physical conflict. What they will do is make their disapproval unambiguously clear through passive aggression to the violating owner in every subsequent interaction, and alert Zanatopia and the wider Codex community immediately.

A Plantfi who no longer greets you warmly, who holds their blooms closed in your presence, who offers you nothing when you pass them — this is not subtle. The Codex community knows what it means. Even some Averages have learned what it means. SECTION THIRTEEN: THE ACCEPTANCE SHIFT & ENFORCEMENT The Acceptance Shift The Codex does not have a formal term for what the community informally calls the Acceptance Shift, but the concept is culturally understood by everyone in it.

There is a point — different for every Zerthbud — at which resistance ends and acceptance begins. The Codex community recognizes this shift. Owners wait for it. Plantfi facilitate it. It is considered one of the most significant moments in the owner-Zerthbud relationship. Decent Zerthlings do not talk about this much. They simply wait, with the patience of someone who has never considered any other outcome. Humane Zerthlings talk about it constantly, sometimes to the visible exhaustion of their already-settling Zerthbuds.

Enforcement LEVEL RESPONSE Minor Violation Neglect, insufficient enrichment, failure to facilitate breeding when appropriate. First response is Zanatopia notification and owner counseling. Plantfi will begin passive disapproval sequence. Moderate Violation Physical harm to a Zerthbud, isolation beyond what is healthy, significant emotional cruelty. Humane Zerthlings respond first with moral pressure and direct confrontation.

Zanatopia sends an inspector. Severe Violation Average Zerthling possessing a Zerthbud, deliberate abuse, endangerment of life. Decent Zerthlings intervene directly and physically. Humane Zerthlings follow. Zanatopia enforcement dispatched. The Zerthbud is removed. Abandonment Treated as severe. Owner surrendering a Zerthbud without Zanatopia process, leaving them unprotected. The Zerthbud is immediately transferred to a Codex intake facility.

SECTION FOURTEEN: ADULT LAYER NOTE (18+) The Zerth Pet Codex has a confirmed adult layer — marked 13+ up to a threshold, and 18+ beyond it — covering the sexual dynamics of the Codex relationship system, the role of bloom drugs in intimacy, owner and Zerthbud dynamics in detail, and the Zerthbud-to-Zerthbud breeding encounter texture. This layer exists in the full Codex document and is not reproduced here. It is part of the Zerthverse lore. If you are a reader oriented toward that material, the full Codex document is where it lives which I guess dm or ask me? .

This iceberg entry reflects the 13+ and structural content only.

SECTION FIFTEEN: QUICK REFERENCE TERM DEFINITION Zerth Pet Codex The full name of the system. Street name: 'the Codex.' Cultural and quasi-legal framework governing Zerthling owner and offworlder pet relationships on Planet Zerth.

Zerthbud A registered offworlder pet (human, Cuddleflesh, or other). Keeps their own name. Formal classification: beloved property. Zerthbub A child born to a Zerthbud. Born into the system, second-generation. Status is automatic — no induction process required. Founding Cult The ancestor bloodline families of Zana and Flora who founded the Codex. Now hold ceremonial and advisory roles only. They are not management — they are memory.

Zanatopia Codex Branch The administrative and enforcement arm managing the Codex today. Plantfi Wildlands plant-people who assist the Codex via bloom drugs and grooming. Alert Zanatopia to violations passively. Feed on love and lust and water. Acceptance Shift The moment a resistance-phase Zerthbud internalizes their status. Informal community term. One of the most significant events in the owner-Zerthbud relationship.

Beloved Property The formal legal classification of Zerthbuds. Protected, owned, guaranteed wellbeing. Intake Facility Zanatopia facility: processes new Zerthbuds, houses unowned ones, recovery sanctuary. Guarded. Defended with particular intensity by Decent Zerthlings. Bloom Drugs Cuteness Bloom (heightens owner bonding), Calm Bloom (anxiolytic comfort), Happiness Bloom (elevated mood, euphoria), Attunement Bloom (deepens attachment over time). Produced and applied by the Plantfi.

QUESTIONS? REACH OUT. This iceberg document is intended to orient readers to the Zerthverse — to give you enough grounding to engage with the work, understand its layers, and ask better questions. It is not the full lore. It is the map of the lore.

If anything in here raises questions, if the Pet Codex section sparked something specific you want to know more about, if you want to understand how a particular piece connects to the stories — you can ask directly. Find askzerthverse and ask. That is what the document is here for.