#tuc Vikus | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

originalwinnercheesecake · 6 months

Text

So what do people actually think the background characters in the Underland chronicles look like

Just wondering. From all the (amazing) Fan art I have seen of Gregor , Lizzie, and Boots the fandom seems to have a pretty cohesive Idea on what they look like. Luxa also seems to have a pretty standard image in the fandom (Though wasn't she on the cover of the first design of MOS) with the only differentiation being how far along she is in puberty. Reminder if she was in the overland she would be in the sixth grade.

Other characters though Like really what do people think they look like. In my head Mrs. Cormaci is a plump/rounder women and I thought for years I had read that in the books until I saw fanart of her being drawn as more slim. Then I reread part of TPOB and was like Oh it never says what shape she is, I guess I just thought she was bigger because she is always cooking so much rich sounding food for charities. Then I remember seeing some one post once that what if she was Hazard's maternal grandmother. His maternal grandparents live in NYC, and Mrs.Cormaci is mentioned to have had a daughter.

Well that is bitter sweet because on one had that means that Mrs. Cormaci's daughter has been missing for years and in fact died without her mother ever knowing what happened to her (she also would not have known when her father died). Gotta then wonder if Mrs.Cormaci giving Lizzie her daughters old cloths is more than just her trying to help the Campbells while also declutter her house. But that also means Hazard has at least one Grandma who is really grand, if this relation was ever realized then maybe Hazard could come up to the overland for visits and stay with Mrs. Cormaci. Also she would probably have pictures of her daughter that she could show Hazard so he could remember what his mom looked like. Anyway I really liked this theory and wanted it to be cannon, but then i realized that since Hazard's overland features are his black hair and green eyes his overland relations probably have them to, and was like oh wow I never pictured Mrs.Cormaci having green eyes.

Another character I think about is Vikus. In my head the males in the underland Henry, Mareth, York all have short close cropped hair because they fight so much. Or in Howard's a short stack of wavy/curly locks cut just short enough to stay out of his eyes when wet. I do love the fan art I have seen of Henry with long hair though. But When It comes to Vikus , I guess since he seeks peace and is better relations, I usually imagine him with long grey hair and a long beard. to me he winds up looking kinda like men in biblical stories. Solovet however is muscled with a near shaved head. She is on the small side and slouches a bit when trying to appear as a gracious hostess and that plus her wrinkles make her seem non dangerous. When she is in planing/battle mode though she stands perfectly straight and those seemingly kindly wrinkles disappear, and she just looks completely terrifying.

Dulcet and Nerissa are other cases. Dulcet is described as being shy and very pretty. But as someone who works in childcare I can say with certainty that her hair is most likely a mess, her simple cloths likely have stains and crayon markings all over them. This girl is a beautiful mess. Then we have Neressa whom everyone knows is a mess. Since she is constantly described as wide eyed, tired, frail, to thin, and wearing her long hair a loose pony tail. But I don't often see it acknowledged that she canonically wears multiple layers of cloths at once or that her cloths never match.

I said most of the men in the underland would have short hair, could Hamnet have grown his hair out longer in the jungle, to try and make himself look different from how he did as a solider. Likewise I also imagine his lizard skin cloths being frayed and raggedy at the edges, much different from whatever military uniforms regalians wear. Anything to help hims see something different when he looks into the water. Can we talk about how when Gregor first meets Howard he describes him as tall and really strong, Then during his time with the plague Howard looses like 20 pounds and has scars wear ever he had bumps. Howard likely could not even fit into his old cloths after getting better.

What do Gregor's parents look like. We know they are both thin and tired. His dad's hair has gone completely white. Grace's cannot be to far behind with how hard she works and being in a state of constant worry for her family. Do fans still Agree with the theory that Grace is white and the Dad is black?

Also one more thing. Why does everyone think any of the underlanders that haven't completely greyed over have silver-blond hair. Like I know Luxa has that shade. Luxa would also probably be blonde if she has been born i t he overland. But it only specified that a silver tint was part of what distinguished the underlanders. Personally I always thought they could have any hair color (examples I imagine Howard being brunette and Mareth having black hair) but that it would always be paler than an overland counter part.

Like I know and respect that the characters descriptions are vague on purpose, and that the fun is that we can imagine them looking in so many different ways. But like really how do people imagine their favorites look. What little we get implies that the characters do not fall into the young adult novels trope of making them all look super hot. They are scared, beat up, anxious, and some are wearing cloths that do not fit them, some are missing body parts. To me that makes them infinetly more fun to imagine than most YA novel characters

So seriously if you have any strong clear/headcannons as to what you think certain human characters look like, please share them int he comments.

10 notes · View notes

yesthefandomfreakblr · 9 months

Text

Vikus meeting sad impressionable Gregor who's lost his dad.

#the underland chronicles #gregor the overlander #ripred #ripred the gnawer #tuc #gto #vikus

96 notes · View notes

haveihitanerve · 4 months

Text

Gregor: I’m fine.

Ripred: Lol, no you’re not. But lucky for you, I don’t care. Wanna go fight other rats?

—

Ares: I’m fine.

Luxa: Okay, I thought you were fine, but now I’m worried.

—

Gregor: I’m fine.

Howard: Is no one going to mention the fact that he’s bleeding from a stab wound?

—

Luxa: I’m fine.

Aurora: Going by historical precedent, I have the feeling I should’ve called Howard an hour ago.

—

Ripred: I’m fine.

Vikus: Perhaps I should invest in a dictionary. It seems that this entire family lacks an understanding of basic English vocabulary.

#they were not- in fact- fine #gregor the overlander #queen luxa #aurora the flier #ares the flier #ripred the rat #rage daddy #old man vikus #the underland chronicles #doctor howard #tuc #besties #✨the questers✨

17 notes · View notes

40cleverways · 9 months

Text

I've been trying to get a handle on how I imagine them.

#tuc luxa #tuc fanart #tuc gregor #tuc #the underland chronicles #gregor the overlander #nerissa tuc #gregor campbell #boots tuc #ripred #vikus #traditional art #fanart #idk if they ever explicitly state Grace's profession but she gives off tired nurse vibes.#my art

49 notes · View notes

abhorrenttester · 8 months

Text

I decided to re-read Gregor the Overlander for it's 20 year anniversary (ended up getting halfway through the third book before I decided to stop for the day, it's that good!) And while I was reading, I realized one of the main reasons why the series has stuck with me. It's the extra kindness the characters show.

There's a post on here talking about Lord of the Rings and Gibli films, and how they are all about showing kindness for no other reason than the kindness, and I feel The Underland Chronicles fit that perfectly. Mrs. Cormaci going out of her way to help Gregor and his family, Ripred staying up to comfort Lizzie, Vikus gathering all the money in the meuseum to help Gregor. This series is built off the backs of the small kindness people give to each other.

#the underland chronicles #tuc #tuc20 #gregor #mrs. cormaci #ripred #vikus #lizzie #this series makes me so happy

31 notes · View notes

prophecyofgray · 8 months

Text

maybe it’s a little on the nose (metaphorically speaking) but man. solovet dying and vikus surviving—fragile and changed, but alive—just really gets me.

#this has been in my drafts for literal years idk why i havent posted it #if i think about vikus and solovet too much i feel crazy #sometimes it's just easier to make jokes about vikus being gay and solovet being a lesbian and the two of them being trapped in a loveless #lavender marriage #but on a more real level godddd. vikus and solovet. peace and war. inextricable from one another. in love and yet always at odds #solovet flying unknowingly and unceremoniously to her death. gone just as quickly as she returned to power #vikus fighting for survival and learning how to live again #after losing so much of others and himself #wagfjwhktmg I FEEL CRAAAAZYYYY #anyway. Lavender Marriage #🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈#tuc20 #the underland chronicles #tuc

14 notes · View notes

unorthodoxiguana · 1 month

Text

I might have seen this said before, on a different post, but I couldn't find it, so I'm just gonna say a few words on this, partially because of that and partially because it's been ages since I've last read the series, despite it being ingrained into my head.

Almost all of the characters in TUC have moments where they are genuine assholes. Gregor has a few points where he says some genuinely disrespectful shit. Luxa, as well as most of the other humans (including Gregor, although arguably to a lesser extent), are deeply prejudiced against the gnawers. Ripred, is, well, Ripred (look, I love him, we all do, but he's a dick).

Even Vikus, arguably one of the nicest characters in the series, admires Sandwich (I think, been a while), a man who literally used poison to commit genocide in the name of stealing land that didn't belong to him.

The only characters I can think of in TUC that don't have flaws are the ones who also have the least lines: Aurora, Dulcet, Miravet. Oh, and all of those characters? Probably also prejudiced against gnawers, just never explicitly stated (to my knowledge), probably due to their obscene lack of lines. Of course there are characters like Lizzie and Hazard, who are literal fucking children so as nice as they are, I think it's safe to say they can't really be counted up here. (Should probably also mention that Gregor and Luxa are also children, just ones that were forced to grow up faster, sadly).

Then again, all of these characters have redeeming qualities. Gregor can be disrespectful at times, but that's mainly because of the stress placed upon him by the various bullshit situations he has to go through, and he usually apologizes after. Luxa and all the humans are deeply prejudiced (actually, I should probably add the fliers might be in that category too), but they are basically raised from birth to hate and kill gnawers, and vice versa. plus, it's shown that despite what is practically being brainwashed from birth, they can grow and change to overcome their own bigotry and accept gnawers as genuine people, as well as friends.

And yes, Ripred, the glorious bastard himself, is a dick. But he's also a war veteran who's lost his family, and most of the respect from his people, meaning he mainly works with humans, who tend to treat him with suspicion, if not outright hostility (until they get to know him). And he makes up for it by letting his guard down at times to be a father to the traumatized pups that dragged him into their pack.

Point is, flawed characters are one of the things that make TUC so great. They're not few and hid away either, they're everywhere, with visible flaws. If you want to make a good character, TUC is a great series to use as an example. Everything casts a shadow, just like every character has a flaw. If they don't, you probably just can't see them from your angle. And if they don't? Like, at all? Give them some, just make sure the shadow they cast matches up with the object itself.

#gregor the overlander #the underland chronicles #tuc #ripred #underland chronicles #suzanne collins #gregor tuc #gto #ripred the gnawer #writer stuff #as well I guess?#also we need more Dulcet appreciation #Dulcet MVP #also holy shit this is long #“a few words” yeah fucking right dipshit #any thoughts?

27 notes · View notes

emerdoodls · 4 months

Text

TUC au

hiii have my dumb doodles!!!

anyways heres the basics: howard nerissa and luxa all go to the same college, and share an apartment. hazard visits a lot (he lives with vikus bc im killing off solovet oops)!! howard ONLY owns silly scrubs bc he's in school to be a pediatrician :), luxa is on the gymnastics team bc why not, and nerissa is a history major specializing in origins of world religions!! hazard is trying to learn as many languages as possible even though he's like 9. thats really all the important bg for this au for these guys, i'll prob do gregor n his sisters soonish!! lmk if u have questions or ideas for silly things i can put on howard's scrubs

#the underland chronicles #my art #gregor the overlander #art #digital art #howard the underland chronicles #howard tuc #luxa #luxa tuc #the underland chronicles by suzanne collins #nerissa tuc #hazard tuc #au #alternate universe #college au i guess??#they're coping w college much better than me

31 notes · View notes

crabbycloudwalker · 2 years

Photo

“Even if times got bad, he would never again deny himself the possibility that the future might be happy even if the present was painful. He would allow himself dreams.”

Happy day 2 of TUC Week! Thinking about how the theme of letting yourself feel and hope, even if it means you might suffer for it, presents itself in Book One. Given more time, I would have illustrated that part where Luxa hugs Vikus and cries for the first time again in years, but I’m cutting it close as it is. The song referenced in the artwork is “Hello My Old Heart” by the Oh Hellos.

#tuc #tuc week #tuc week 2022 #gregor the overlander #gregor #gregor fanart #tuc fanart #the underland chronicles

18 notes · View notes

worstalfie · 2 years

Photo

i forgot to post him but for day 2 of tuc week: gregor/overlander this is euripides!! one of the first named bats in the original book (im pretty sure) although we do not get a ton of characterization about him i like to think he’s a diplomat like vikus and that they bonded later in life enjoy!!

#Gregor the Overlander #the underland chronicles #tuc week #euripides the flier

15 notes · View notes

ezilo · 2 years

Text

TUC Week, Day 2! Overland/Gregor

Managed to squeeze in both prompts for today! Title is from a Maya Angelou quote.

Happy TUC week!

The ache for home lives in all of us

"I want to go up to the Overland."

Luxa drops her fork. This is the moment Hazard realizes he's messed up. His sister never loses her composure, ever a queen.

"Up to New York city?" Her regalian pronunciation of the name feels wrong to him. He can still hear how his mother had said it, how Gregor had formed the words, Boots's little voice squealing.

"Yes." They stare at each other. "Luxa, this cannot be a surprise. I am a Halflander, after all."

"Yes, of course." She resumes eating. "But you are also my brother."

He hears it, hears what it means. You are my family, you know how many people have left me already. And you're leaving me, too?

She doesn’t say it, but he hears it anyway.

You know what if I have lost to the Overland.

He goes to Nike first.

"Greetings, Hazard." He had never really gotten used to the formality of Regalia, after a childhood of vines and easy laughter.

"Hello, Nike."

She looks glorious, up there, the queen of the fliers. Athena had died a few years ago, and Nike had gracefully lived up to her duty. It had proved essential to the peace, that she and Howard were bonded; the queen of fliers and the head of the Fount had worked tirelessly alongside Luxa.

"You have come for my help?"

"Yes. I know that my father told you my mother’s full name, before the battle of the cutters." That's how it had gone down in history, this fight that had claimed his father. All he remembered was the scent of starshade and waiting, curled up in Aurora's golden fur. All he remembered was that he had never for a second thought Hamnet would not be back.

"He did." The queen purred, studying him.

"I need it. I'm going up. I want the opportunity to find my mother’s family."

There's silence, and then Nike flutters down to him. He runs a hand through her striped fur.

“He told me and Temp, indeed.” Hazard nods, and Nike waits like she knows he has more to ask.

“Why did he tell you?” She cocks her head a bit. “Your father did not trust Aurora, or Luxa, just yet. And perhaps he was right. Royal blood is fickle.” Hazard stares, wonders what she means, if she wants him to challenge her on that. Luxa is not fickle, has never been, but he understands where his father was coming from.

"Very well, I will tell you. I believe it is the right choice." It shouldn't matter, but Hazard is still blinking back tears at her blessing.

"Your mother's name was Hannah Golding. Will you be needing a flier for your mission?"

Before he leaves, he stops in the museum, grabbing a few flashlights, some Overland money and clothes. On the way back, he bumps into Nerrissa in the room of Prophecies. Her eyes turn to him.

“Hazard. You are just about to leave.” She doesn’t say it like it’s a question, simply says it like she knows. He had hated her at first, because a part of his child brain blamed her for Hamnet’s death. If she hadn’t told him to be the guide, he and his father would have still lived happily in the jungle with Frill, right?

He did not hate her anymore, but he still felt uneasy around her, the seer, the spare.

“I am. Are you alright? Reminiscing?” Her fingers trace the words carved deep in the wall. “Oh no. This prophecy is not past.” She turns to him. “Yet.”

He glances at the title for a second, and then turns away, shaking his head.

The Prophecy of the Halflander is etched into the stone, but Hazard has never read it.

Vikus had written a letter, to take to his mother's family. Ripred and Luxa had both left letters on his desk, in case he managed to track down Gregor and his family, and hadn't talked to him about it. They really were a well matched pair. Ripred had been kind enough to do some of the work to track down his family, taking a look at phonebooks instead of just munching on them, and so Hazard felt he owed him.

He hugged his sister tight against him and promised to come back. She didn’t believe him, but that only meant that he would be able to surprise her, and he liked that.

Persephone was a small, almost green bat. She was agile and fast, and as they talked on the way up, he found out that she'd spent quite a bit of time in the jungle, on missions for the kingdom. They excitedly shared stories about plants and rare fruits, and he was almost sorry to be dropped off.

"I will meet you here again in four day's time."

"Very well, prince Hazard." He rolled his eyes. The title was only honorary, he had no claim to the throne, and he hated it.

"Call me Hazard."

"Then you must call me Persia. It is what my friends call me." He smiled.

"Deal."

And she flew away, graceful and fast, with a last call to fly high.

He had harassed Gregor with questions about the city, back then, those long months when the warrior’s mother had been recovering and he and Boots had practically lived in the Underland with them. He’d asked Luxa to write down everything for him, so that he would remember, and he still had the little notebook in his back pocket. Luxa’s neat handwriting spelled out neighborhoods – Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Soho, metro lines, attractions to see – Times Square, Statue of Liberty, Museum of Natural History, Central Park. That’s where he would emerge. The stone let no light out, so he did not know what he would find.

Hazard stands there, scared. He had never really belonged to Regalia, and not just because he was from the jungle. Because of his dark curls, the blood rushing through his veins that was not from under the earth. His mother had given him parts of the Overland, and she would have given him more, if she’d had the time. He’d wondered about it, about this unimaginably huge world above his head, about the idea of light every day, dark skin, brown eyes. As much as Gregor had felt like a normal part of Regalia to him, a fixture of his childhood, the boy had always longed for the Overland, for his home. Somewhere up there, Gregor was no longer a boy, twenty-three years old like Luxa. Soon, she would have to marry, and the potential suitors were making her queasy already, he knows. Hazard had asked her, once, why she wanted to get married. She’d looked at him, with cold violet eyes, pale skin, fair hair, the spitting image of the Underland, and said “I do not have a choice.” And, well. Nerrissa will never have children, and so the duty falls onto Luxa.

This is why Hazard will come back, even if he finds that part of him belongs to the Overland. Luxa needs him, always will, and so Hazard will come back, yes.

He pushes the stone to the side, and light hits him. He smiles through the tears forming in his green eyes.

Hazard loves New York. He understands why his mother had felt at home in the jungle, because the buildings envelop him like the vines had. He wanders for a day, and then clumsily manages to get a room at a hotel, although his accent throws the employee off.

The next day – and how strange to be woken up by beaming, all-reaching light – he heads out for an address in the Bronx.

The woman who opens the door of the address the rat gave him looks like his mother. She asks, annoyed, who he is, and Hazard takes a deep breath, clutching the ring he’d gotten from Vikus in his hand.

“I’m Hazard. I’m Hannah’s son.”

Her eyes go wide.

Later, sitting at a table, Hazard cries, watching his mother grow up from photo album to photo album, as Halley – his aunt, and holy shit as Gregor would say, he had an aunt – shares anecdotes. Everyone who had known his mother has been dead for long, so he is still reeling from this, from being told new things about her. She even gives him a few pictures to take with him, and he thanks her profusely. She looks uneasy at his tears and he cannot blame her, really. She doesn’t ask many questions at all about Hannah, where she has been, how she died. She asks Hazard, about himself, his likes, and sometimes looks at him like he’s a ghost. His father had always said that he looked like Hannah.

“I don’t want to know much about it, her, why she left and never came back.” And that was not exactly the truth and not exactly a lie either, so Hazard doesn’t speak up to correct her. “Just tell me. Was she happy?”

“Yes. She and my father were very happy, and very in love.”

Halley nods, pensive, staring into her cup of coffee. Even after dumping four sugar cubes and milk in the substance, Hazard finds it disgusting. But Halley is on her third cup. He stores it away as an anecdote about her he will tell his children, some day.

“What was your father’s name?”

“Hamnet.” And at that, Halley finally smiles. A big one, that completely changes her face.

“Huh. I suppose it means she cared about us after all. ”

Hazard frowns. “What?”

“We all have names that start with an ‘h’. It’s a family tradition.”

“Oh.”

They smile at each other for a while longer.

“Luxa! Luxa, he is home.” Aurora says, flying into the office.

Luxa is on her feet instantly, rushing out, her crown falling to the ground with a clink. Aurora follows her out, and Luxa hops into emptiness, landing onto her back, and in a flash they are at the docks, watching Persephone land.

Hazard mounts down, and Luxa hugs him tight. “You are home.” She has rarely been so relieved, feeling her muscles relax in her brother’s arms.

He pulls away to grin at her. “Yes I am. I told you I would be back.” He whips around for a second and turns to her again. “And I am not the only one.”

The man who descends from the bat has dark skin, brown eyes, a little lopsided grin. He is tall, and strong, despite the scars crisscrossing his arms. For a second, Luxa has her defenses up, almost reaching for her sword. But then – no, it can’t be. He is in the Overland, is he not?

But when he speaks, all her doubts evaporate.

“Hello, Luxa. I am home.”

#tucweek #underland chronicles

11 notes · View notes