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STOP Please don't fave unless you actually like it (not as a thanks). Thank you~ uvu
And YES CANTUA IS A BOY. I know he has long hair, but you should be able to tell.And he isn't a femboy either. Please stop assuming that everyone w/ long hair is a woman ... it will probably cause you lots of embarrassment irl ...

Hello, loves ~

Today ... hm ... I suppose I should feature this lovely artist, as I had recently mentioned her in a poll~ The song I've chosen is Renata Flores' cover of Falling by Alicia Keys. Please support this amazing singer; I can't get over the beauty of her songs aah
[link]

Redraw of:

Ayayayayayyyy finally done Idk why I put myself through this torture. Especially because I've drawn him exactly 7 times in a period of a few months, more than any of my other OCs or even any other character ... but I finally have a drawing of his official version that I am satisfied with. Compared to the last drawing, I think I've improved a lot to be honest. <3 To be honest, I put a lot into this and it is definitely one of my favourite drawings I've done yet! <33
I mean, it better be. It hurt lots of my prismacolours but ALSO LOTS OF MY MARKERS. >:0

...Oh right. He is supposed to be squatting; it may take a minute to see because of the many layers BY GOLLY HE IS WAY TOO COLOURFUL ;; A ;; but it's visible. His outfit design, of course, got changed a tiny bit ... that happen because I made several mistakes during this draw and had to cover them up somehow But, since the garden is always growing, and so are it's citizens Edenese? Perhaps? Idk ;; A ;; I guess both are canonical. and yes, I know that his front foot should be facing front >.>

I hope you like him ... at least this time I don't have to write out his whole freaking story ... yes, I am indeed the queen of lazy. tbh I really hope you like it because my dad HATES Cantua, and will not stop making fun of the poor child and calling him a murderer. How evil! XD

OH WAIT!! But I have also recently written an explanation of how ToNE works!! Maybe this will be of help when understanding the story. Explanation of New Eden

Cantua

General Information:
Domain of: Cantuas/Qantutas division

Sex: Male

Nationality: Inca/Peruvian

Country of Origin: Peru

Original Name: Takisisu (he purposely forgot his own name. When you remember your name, you are endowed with more power, something which Cantua never wanted. However, Madrono dubbed him "El Gaitero"/"The Piper" for his habit of constantly playing the panpipes.)

Lived: early 1515 - 1532

Birthday: May 17

Physical Age: 16-17 years

Physical Appearance: - (I will write it in detail later):

Downfall: He was in a duel with Juan Bartolomé, which he won, but was incredibly injured (which is why he sports so many scars in the Garden). He then proceeded to leap from a high cliff.
Personality: In demeanor, this young man will appear rather timid and shy, notably not making eye contact, and he may even seem antisocial on rare occasions. However, due to his shyness and humility as an individual, and yet a sense of pride and optimism for his community and ideals, he is surrounded by an aura of undeniable regality. A major reason for his coyness is that Cantua can never see his own worth; constantly denying himself, showing humility and becoming extremely embarrassed at the tiniest compliment, as well as his habit of being incredibly hard on himself, he often wishes to stay out of any direct social contact or situations. However, this youth is not a complete loner; he is very interested in people, the community, their thoughts and ideas, and feelings, thus he is also a very empathetic individual rarely capable of anger or jealousy. Due to this perspective of seeing the big picture in everything, and trying to understand all sides equally, Cantua sometimes has a bit of trouble focusing on the details of an issue. Though a bit disorganised, his far seeing views also give him a general wisdom; this, along with his genuine concern for those around him, makes him rather popular and charismatic. Even forgiving personal insults and offenses rather easily, the only thing which upsets this diplomatic individual are those who are don't understand the concept of humility and thus are perpetually inconsiderate and rude, or who insult his people, background, friends or community. Artistically minded, and a very talented musician, especially the panpipes and other wind instruments.

History: (ohhhhh my.)
Cantua was born in the Inca city of Cajamarca in 1515, of a noble family, decently caring parents and later, twin younger sisters. Though he has since forgotten his name, he was called Takisisu (meaning musical) due to his habit of singing frequently as a baby.

Because of his noble status, he had a decent life growing up, but as soon as he was aware of everything happening around him, the child did not rest easy in his society. He was bothered to a degree by the treatment of other children beneath him in status, and, always concerned with the community and everyone's feelings, would often preform kind acts for others (by the time he was a bit older it was clear he was a musical protege, and would often perform by playing the panpipes).

However, Taki was also an incredible shy child; most of his life, he had been either assisting his father who governed a small local area, or in academics. Thus, he did not often have time to spend with many other people and would end up simply reflecting or thinking. A couple of times, in excitement over his ideas, he spoke out too quickly which caused others to turn away, furthering his discomfort around others.

Also during this time, it became very clear to him and those who knew him that he was somehow internally struggling; he was a very sensitive child and had developed a form of severe depression. This further separated him from others, though due to his humility, selflessness, deeply religious nature and love for those around him, he earned a good reputation.

Because of his father's importance in the empire, he was often away. Taki's mother was kind but quite traditionally minded, disagreeing with her son's complaints and often disciplining him harshly. His condition grew worse and he felt neglected; however, though he cared much for the feelings of others, he was never completely aware of what he was going through, and with his sensitive yet strong personality he managed to mostly keep up a good image.

He had a very good relationship with his sisters and the three grew especially close during this time. Also, despite the abuses of his mother, he greatly respected and loved her, seeing her as a strong person, and they were somewhat close.

All of this ended in 1529; the emperor had died of a mysterious disease, and a destructive civil war had broken out. The young man, only 14 at the time, was horrified. He wished to escape the violence that traumatised him but knew that if he were to take any action, he would likely face severe punishment or even death due to the strict order of society. He did not wish to drag his mother or anyone else down with him, and thought they would be better to remain in the city.

However, this diplomatic youth wanted to do something, anything. He decided that for now he must stay in the city and try to keep everyone happy if they couldn't be completely safe.

Unfortunately, a year later, Taki contracted a disease similar to one that had killed the emperor, in that it had essentially never been recorded in the region's history. Knowing something about sickness due to seeing, and occasionally treating, many others, he surmised that it was likely incurable and would worry his mother and possibly spread around to her and the many civilians of Cajamarca. He secretly planned an escape from the city for several months, growing weaker the whole time. Taki frequently hid from anyone present, and often seemed to simply “vanish”.

One silent night, his plan was finally ready to be put into action. With the assistance of his twin sisters, who had agreed with his mission and insisted upon helping him, he was able to sneak out of the city. Having gone on some limited travels with his father, the youth knew the areas surrounding his city. However, he knew that he could not realistically hope to get extremely far, as pushing too hard would endanger his life due to his growing illness. Therefore, he tried to stay in mostly isolated areas, hiding deep in mountainous regions which ordinarily would not be traveled.

Only a short while later, good weather and a cloudless sky had attracted him out of the deep mountains. Though Takisisu's travels at this point had only lasted, at most, two weeks, he was already essentially without reasonable hope to live very much longer. He had run out of food (which he had already had to be extremely frugal with and therefore was starving), his disease had severely progressed, his mental health was in a terrible state. He wished to essentially create one last memory, play one last song in honour of his people and war-torn empire.

Perched out on a high peak, he played, his pipes being the only belonging he took with him. The good weather kept up, and possibly due to this, so did his health; the boy continued playing like this daily.

On one of these days when the pitiful youth was playing especially passionately, he heard a loud noise akin to sliding rocks. Startled, he looked down; a strange, frightening looking young man in exotic dress was hanging onto the edge of the cliff, staring back up at him. Instantly terrified, the Inca boy remembered rumours that odd foreigners had been spotted around the empire, and that one of them had even poisoned the emperor, causing him to die and sparking the deadly wars (in reality the emperor had accidentally contracted smallpox); he quickly began to flee across the mountainous slopes. To his great dismay, the strange, pale man appeared to be chasing after him.

Though Takisisu was used to the terrain and was therefore faster than the other, he soon began to struggle due to his very weak body. In one close situation he was nearly caught by the frightening man, and in order to be able to climb the next rock, he had to drop his beloved instrument. However, he has soon grabbed by the foreigner anyway. He could not physically struggle, and desperate for pity, he fell to the ground and prostrated himself before his captor. To his great surprise, the other young man did not yell at him or strike him down; he merely held out to Taki his panpipes, which he had apparently picked up. Taki, now incredibly cautious, did not know what to make of the situation. He was about to retrieve the instrument but, exhausted by the extreme chase and his own fright, faints.

When he was awoken, the other boy was apparently trying to assist him by dressing his wounds. The caring Taki was shocked by this very kind act; he began to feel less frightened of the foreigner. Eventually, the other tries to speak to him. They do not share a common language though, and have limited communication, but are able to make introductions. The strange man called himself “Valerian” and though confused, Taki thought he also said he was from a place called “España”.

Deeply happy to find a kind and interesting person, though still a bit cautious, the two begin to make friends, and eventually also started to learn each others' languages. Apparently Valerian also knew how to treat the disease which the Inca had, and slowly he begins to recover.

During the intervening period, the Spaniard apparently became frustrated because he could not remember Takisisu's name, which leads him to nickname the boy “El Gaitero”, which he informed him meant “the piper”. Valerian being the only person which he had contact with for a while, Taki was always being called El Gaitero and ended up adopting this name almost entirely, even using it to refer to himself.

His friend also teaches him how to fight with a long blade, and about the tenants of a strange religion, “Catholicism”. At first Gaitero was frightened by the prospects of these odd beliefs, but finding them to be in general less violent and more community oriented than his worship of the sun god, he begins to gradually accept it.

One day Gaitero noticed that Valerian had disappeared. Nervous for his friend, he does not know what to do and felt a crushing sadness that further deteriorated his mental health. Alone for the next several days, he eventually decided that he was well enough to return to Cajamarca. On his way home, not having gotten that far, he heard Valerian calling to him. Reunited, the Spaniard explained that he had had to go “report back to camp”. Still determined to return to his home city, Gaitero tried to convince Valerian to go with him, thinking he could impress the citizens with his seemingly magical knowledge of medicine and healing. Valerian seems to agree and the two friends make their way back to the city, though the journey was slow and they first passed through a few other villages.

Upon finally reaching Cajamarca, the people were of course, terrified of the Spaniard, but Gaitero, ever charismatic, managed to calm the tensions and prove that his friend had only kind intentions. He also could not find his family during this time, which definitely worried him, though he managed yet again to keep it under the surface.

From this point on, Valerian and Gaitero were often separated but still frequently met at the mountainous spot where they first met.

Gaitero also was more experienced and having learned much about survival techniques and healing from his friend, he travels around the neighboring cities, helping others. He did not especially enjoy this, due to his continued fear of communication and shyness, but he became very beloved to his people because of his kind actions.

Eventually, the young boy learns that why he could not find his family was that his mother had died of grief for him, thinking he was dead, and his sisters had gone away to a faraway part of the empire. Devastated by this, and the fact that he very frequently saw even more escalated violence due to the continuous war, he completely lost the will to live, hiding away for the next several months. (Due to his confused interpretation of Valerian's Catholicism as well as his prior beliefs and culture which included much sacrifice, he begins to see death as an ideal state and wish to die order to reuinite with his lost mother. The only thing which prevents him from committing suicide at this point is his ingrained feelings that he was born as a sort of guardian/protector or assistant to the community, and he wished to remain alive to help them if the opportunity arose, though he still considered himself worthless and below all others.)

He also noticed Inca soldiers being moved into the city mysteriously, which lead him to surmise they were preparing for a large attack. This was surprising as by this time, the civil war had come to an end. In the back of his mind, he felt he should look for his friend and tell him about it. He decided against this; assuming that Valerian had probably died in the time they were apart, due to his unfamiliarity with the land, or possibly the wars. He almost hoped this, now passively respecting death as the highest and best end achievable; possibly a better afterlife, and not wishing his friend to be caught up in the presumed invasion.

Resuming his habit of going out to the mountains to play his pipes (which were essentially his only source of joy at this point), he encountered Valerian, whom he hadn't seen for several months. The Spaniard is obviously distressed and tells Gaitero that there is going to be an invasion. Gaitero, having already speculated this, was not surprised. He was also basically dead to any emotions due to his depression.

Following this, the two occasionally met up to relay information to each other, though Gaitero still preferred to hide in the city.

One morning, he woke up to an apparently empty Cajamarca. Apparently, the city had been evacuated, and no one had found him within his hiding place. Exploring a bit more, he peeked out from behind a building and saw … the emperor, magnificently parading through the streets. Men who looked akin to Valerian were there to meet him. Suddenly, one of the Spaniards shouted frighteningly and ran at the emperor. The city was immediately plunged into chaos. Realising he had been caught in a battle, he attempted to flee the city. Then, he remembered Valerian – he had not seen him in a long while, and thought he might come to a terrible end if he was to enter the city. Suddenly emotionally awake, and very frightened, the boy did not know what to do. Suddenly a Spanish soldier had appeared in front of him. Terrified, El Gaitero hid, as the soldier had not yet seen him. He sneaked his way to the rear end of the city which had not yet been touched by the battle. Hiding within an abandoned house, he was inspired and devised a plan; in his now twisted view of reality, he had resolved his time was up and he must now end his life … but first, was his last mission: to save the only friend he had left from a more painful death, allowing him to go peacefully.

With an expanded knowledge of herbs and plants due to what Valerian had taught him, Gaitero plucks several poisonous herbs and was going to look for Valerian, thinking he may be able to convince him of his plan. However, in the distance, he saw his friend approaching. Stricken by how sensible he knew him to be, and how much he respected life, Gaitero is now doubtful of himself and his ideas. He is thrown into distress but still comes to the conclusion that he is correct. He thought he knew best for his friend, even if Valerian didn't. He found a piece of bread which had been lying out, sliced it down the middle and concealed the poisonous plant inside, also ingesting the other plants himself.

He went out to meet Valerian, who was obviously famished and not in the know about the battle. With a pang of sadness, instead of informing him of the chaos, Gaitero simply gives him the bread.

Apparently, the Spaniard already knew of the ongoing battle, and noticing the soldiers appearing to come nearer to where the two were, he and Gaitero began to desperately flee. However, they are seen, and some of the other Spanish ran at them. Valerian suddenly turned around and drew his sword, discreetly handing another weapon to his friend and commanding him to run while he had the chance.

Gaitero complied, though reluctantly; he wished to stay and protect the other but knew the end was nigh for both of them anyway. He wished only to please Valerian, and so he fled. However, after several painful minutes, growing weaker from the poison, he is suddenly struck with a blade from behind. A soldier has caught up to him. Turning around, the Inca called upon everything he had been taught of swordfighting, and entered a long duel with the invader, fighting up a large hill overlooking a river. He eventually won, striking a fatal blow to his enemy, but not without severe injury himself (and also not without noticing that the assailant had an apparently tragic expression as he lay dead).

With his loss of blood, and the deadly poison in his veins, Takisisu knows it is the end, but he cannot bear to live any longer as he sees other invaders quickly approaching. In desperation, though satisfaction in having completed his final act of twisted “kindness” he leapt off the side of the cliff, falling a great distance and fatally landing on the jagged rocks which penetrated the Great River, turning it red from that day.

In the Garden: When he enters the Garden of Immortals, he becomes merged with the Cantua flower, which was one of the plants he used to poison himself ... Commonly associated with forgiveness after war, the Garden thought it would fit this poor but kindhearted soul.

Relationships: Seshen and he are instantly friends within the first moment of seeing eachother in the Garden. They have much in common, from a faint vanity (or ... not so faint, in the case of water lily), a concern for the people and taking care of the community, a good work ethic, and similar philosophy.
Cantua, ever charismatic, manages to befriend the prickly and antisocial Cactus, and the two soon find they actually have a lot in common as well. Cactus also finds, despite her dislike of men in general, that she has feelings for him.
He and Willow are archenemies, likely because he finds Willow's humility and purposeful self disdainment to be little more than a social guise, and suspects her of being proud and selfish.
As in life, he and Madrono have a strained friendship. He is more fond of Madrono that Madrono is of him.
He maintains a casual friendship with Orchid, Anise, Chili and Be (Beojkkoch/cherry blossom).

Fun Facts: - Though Cantua is not very vain, the one thing he cares a lot about is his hair. He won't let anyone cut it, and is constantly taking care of it.
- His hair also is very easy to take care of and is perpetually silky, without tangles. He gets mad, because everyone is always trying to pet him; though, he tries not to show his annoyance and maintain a smile.
-People often mistake him for a girl because of his long hair and youthful look. This makes him become infuriated.
-He is excellent at the panpipes and most wind instruments; though he is okay at singing, his voice usually quavers and sounds too nervous.
-He has a much higher tolerance of physical pain than any other Immortal in the Garden. This is very evident especially whenever he is pricked by Cactus, which happens inevitably many times, every day.

...

Now I shall clear up the ultra confusing aspects of his design.
-He has a very thin and lanky sort of body type.
-His eyes are a light hazel.
-The yellow bits that look as ruffles are actually a separate layer under his poncho/the other clothing bits and are made of a silky, petal like material.
-And then main issue is with his hat ... not only is it made of gold, which again is something I have trouble drawing, but the front part is actually only a few inches thick/about 10 centimeters. The flowers and bottom of the headdress go all the way around his head.
-There's also one aspect of his design that is not shown in the drawing; I'll need to come up for a reference for it. Extending from the bottom of his headdress in the back is a long drape/train/banner; different from his scarf. So, like Cactus, until I've actually drawn the references, DO NOT draw either of them from the back ... please X'D Also under his headdress, long flowers extend from his hairline, which is the beginning of his transition into a flower.
-He also does not wear typical pants ordinarily, since I believe the Incas in that period mostly wore robes.
-He is wearing red ceremonial makeup around his eyes. If you look closely you can see it.
-Though he has panpipes here, they are a prop and do not have to be included.

...

Lineart:

Previous work:

Toyhou.se page: toyhou.se/1654399.el-gaitero-q…

Modern variant: This one is more official. I mean, come on, hair that long is just impractical.

Featured artist: though for some reason I feel like I've featured them before but whatever

The artist is a killer, so please be careful ... if you look at her arts, they will kill you because of how beautiful they are. There is not one that I have not gotten over ... all the details ... and the colours ... I can't take it

My contest is still ongoing! Please take a look! <3
1,000 Watchers + Birthday celebration contest

~Thank you for coming; be well on your way, and take this with you~

Next - ORCHID!!! Maybe ...

QuyaKillaLuna
Tales of New Eden © QuyaKillaLuna
Art © QuyaKillaLuna .
All rights reserved. Do not trace, steal, edit or copy my designs or characters in any way; they are mine and not up for taking. Thank you.

Description
STOP Please don't fave unless you actually like it (not as a thanks). Thank you~ uvu
And YES CANTUA IS A BOY. I know he has long hair, but you should be able to tell.And he isn't a femboy either. Please stop assuming that everyone w/ long hair is a woman ... it will probably cause you lots of embarrassment irl ...

Hello, loves ~

Today ... hm ... I suppose I should feature this lovely artist, as I had recently mentioned her in a poll~ The song I've chosen is Renata Flores' cover of Falling by Alicia Keys. Please support this amazing singer; I can't get over the beauty of her songs aah
[link]

Redraw of:

Ayayayayayyyy finally done Idk why I put myself through this torture. Especially because I've drawn him exactly 7 times in a period of a few months, more than any of my other OCs or even any other character ... but I finally have a drawing of his official version that I am satisfied with. Compared to the last drawing, I think I've improved a lot to be honest. <3 To be honest, I put a lot into this and it is definitely one of my favourite drawings I've done yet! <33
I mean, it better be. It hurt lots of my prismacolours but ALSO LOTS OF MY MARKERS. >:0

...Oh right. He is supposed to be squatting; it may take a minute to see because of the many layers BY GOLLY HE IS WAY TOO COLOURFUL ;; A ;; but it's visible. His outfit design, of course, got changed a tiny bit ... that happen because I made several mistakes during this draw and had to cover them up somehow But, since the garden is always growing, and so are it's citizens Edenese? Perhaps? Idk ;; A ;; I guess both are canonical. and yes, I know that his front foot should be facing front >.>

I hope you like him ... at least this time I don't have to write out his whole freaking story ... yes, I am indeed the queen of lazy. tbh I really hope you like it because my dad HATES Cantua, and will not stop making fun of the poor child and calling him a murderer. How evil! XD

OH WAIT!! But I have also recently written an explanation of how ToNE works!! Maybe this will be of help when understanding the story. Explanation of New Eden

Cantua

General Information:
Domain of: Cantuas/Qantutas division

Sex: Male

Nationality: Inca/Peruvian

Country of Origin: Peru

Original Name: Takisisu (he purposely forgot his own name. When you remember your name, you are endowed with more power, something which Cantua never wanted. However, Madrono dubbed him "El Gaitero"/"The Piper" for his habit of constantly playing the panpipes.)

Lived: early 1515 - 1532

Birthday: May 17

Physical Age: 16-17 years

Physical Appearance: - (I will write it in detail later):

Downfall: He was in a duel with Juan Bartolomé, which he won, but was incredibly injured (which is why he sports so many scars in the Garden). He then proceeded to leap from a high cliff.
Personality: In demeanor, this young man will appear rather timid and shy, notably not making eye contact, and he may even seem antisocial on rare occasions. However, due to his shyness and humility as an individual, and yet a sense of pride and optimism for his community and ideals, he is surrounded by an aura of undeniable regality. A major reason for his coyness is that Cantua can never see his own worth; constantly denying himself, showing humility and becoming extremely embarrassed at the tiniest compliment, as well as his habit of being incredibly hard on himself, he often wishes to stay out of any direct social contact or situations. However, this youth is not a complete loner; he is very interested in people, the community, their thoughts and ideas, and feelings, thus he is also a very empathetic individual rarely capable of anger or jealousy. Due to this perspective of seeing the big picture in everything, and trying to understand all sides equally, Cantua sometimes has a bit of trouble focusing on the details of an issue. Though a bit disorganised, his far seeing views also give him a general wisdom; this, along with his genuine concern for those around him, makes him rather popular and charismatic. Even forgiving personal insults and offenses rather easily, the only thing which upsets this diplomatic individual are those who are don't understand the concept of humility and thus are perpetually inconsiderate and rude, or who insult his people, background, friends or community. Artistically minded, and a very talented musician, especially the panpipes and other wind instruments.

History: (ohhhhh my.)
Cantua was born in the Inca city of Cajamarca in 1515, of a noble family, decently caring parents and later, twin younger sisters. Though he has since forgotten his name, he was called Takisisu (meaning musical) due to his habit of singing frequently as a baby.

Because of his noble status, he had a decent life growing up, but as soon as he was aware of everything happening around him, the child did not rest easy in his society. He was bothered to a degree by the treatment of other children beneath him in status, and, always concerned with the community and everyone's feelings, would often preform kind acts for others (by the time he was a bit older it was clear he was a musical protege, and would often perform by playing the panpipes).

However, Taki was also an incredible shy child; most of his life, he had been either assisting his father who governed a small local area, or in academics. Thus, he did not often have time to spend with many other people and would end up simply reflecting or thinking. A couple of times, in excitement over his ideas, he spoke out too quickly which caused others to turn away, furthering his discomfort around others.

Also during this time, it became very clear to him and those who knew him that he was somehow internally struggling; he was a very sensitive child and had developed a form of severe depression. This further separated him from others, though due to his humility, selflessness, deeply religious nature and love for those around him, he earned a good reputation.

Because of his father's importance in the empire, he was often away. Taki's mother was kind but quite traditionally minded, disagreeing with her son's complaints and often disciplining him harshly. His condition grew worse and he felt neglected; however, though he cared much for the feelings of others, he was never completely aware of what he was going through, and with his sensitive yet strong personality he managed to mostly keep up a good image.

He had a very good relationship with his sisters and the three grew especially close during this time. Also, despite the abuses of his mother, he greatly respected and loved her, seeing her as a strong person, and they were somewhat close.

All of this ended in 1529; the emperor had died of a mysterious disease, and a destructive civil war had broken out. The young man, only 14 at the time, was horrified. He wished to escape the violence that traumatised him but knew that if he were to take any action, he would likely face severe punishment or even death due to the strict order of society. He did not wish to drag his mother or anyone else down with him, and thought they would be better to remain in the city.

However, this diplomatic youth wanted to do something, anything. He decided that for now he must stay in the city and try to keep everyone happy if they couldn't be completely safe.

Unfortunately, a year later, Taki contracted a disease similar to one that had killed the emperor, in that it had essentially never been recorded in the region's history. Knowing something about sickness due to seeing, and occasionally treating, many others, he surmised that it was likely incurable and would worry his mother and possibly spread around to her and the many civilians of Cajamarca. He secretly planned an escape from the city for several months, growing weaker the whole time. Taki frequently hid from anyone present, and often seemed to simply “vanish”.

One silent night, his plan was finally ready to be put into action. With the assistance of his twin sisters, who had agreed with his mission and insisted upon helping him, he was able to sneak out of the city. Having gone on some limited travels with his father, the youth knew the areas surrounding his city. However, he knew that he could not realistically hope to get extremely far, as pushing too hard would endanger his life due to his growing illness. Therefore, he tried to stay in mostly isolated areas, hiding deep in mountainous regions which ordinarily would not be traveled.

Only a short while later, good weather and a cloudless sky had attracted him out of the deep mountains. Though Takisisu's travels at this point had only lasted, at most, two weeks, he was already essentially without reasonable hope to live very much longer. He had run out of food (which he had already had to be extremely frugal with and therefore was starving), his disease had severely progressed, his mental health was in a terrible state. He wished to essentially create one last memory, play one last song in honour of his people and war-torn empire.

Perched out on a high peak, he played, his pipes being the only belonging he took with him. The good weather kept up, and possibly due to this, so did his health; the boy continued playing like this daily.

On one of these days when the pitiful youth was playing especially passionately, he heard a loud noise akin to sliding rocks. Startled, he looked down; a strange, frightening looking young man in exotic dress was hanging onto the edge of the cliff, staring back up at him. Instantly terrified, the Inca boy remembered rumours that odd foreigners had been spotted around the empire, and that one of them had even poisoned the emperor, causing him to die and sparking the deadly wars (in reality the emperor had accidentally contracted smallpox); he quickly began to flee across the mountainous slopes. To his great dismay, the strange, pale man appeared to be chasing after him.

Though Takisisu was used to the terrain and was therefore faster than the other, he soon began to struggle due to his very weak body. In one close situation he was nearly caught by the frightening man, and in order to be able to climb the next rock, he had to drop his beloved instrument. However, he has soon grabbed by the foreigner anyway. He could not physically struggle, and desperate for pity, he fell to the ground and prostrated himself before his captor. To his great surprise, the other young man did not yell at him or strike him down; he merely held out to Taki his panpipes, which he had apparently picked up. Taki, now incredibly cautious, did not know what to make of the situation. He was about to retrieve the instrument but, exhausted by the extreme chase and his own fright, faints.

When he was awoken, the other boy was apparently trying to assist him by dressing his wounds. The caring Taki was shocked by this very kind act; he began to feel less frightened of the foreigner. Eventually, the other tries to speak to him. They do not share a common language though, and have limited communication, but are able to make introductions. The strange man called himself “Valerian” and though confused, Taki thought he also said he was from a place called “España”.

Deeply happy to find a kind and interesting person, though still a bit cautious, the two begin to make friends, and eventually also started to learn each others' languages. Apparently Valerian also knew how to treat the disease which the Inca had, and slowly he begins to recover.

During the intervening period, the Spaniard apparently became frustrated because he could not remember Takisisu's name, which leads him to nickname the boy “El Gaitero”, which he informed him meant “the piper”. Valerian being the only person which he had contact with for a while, Taki was always being called El Gaitero and ended up adopting this name almost entirely, even using it to refer to himself.

His friend also teaches him how to fight with a long blade, and about the tenants of a strange religion, “Catholicism”. At first Gaitero was frightened by the prospects of these odd beliefs, but finding them to be in general less violent and more community oriented than his worship of the sun god, he begins to gradually accept it.

One day Gaitero noticed that Valerian had disappeared. Nervous for his friend, he does not know what to do and felt a crushing sadness that further deteriorated his mental health. Alone for the next several days, he eventually decided that he was well enough to return to Cajamarca. On his way home, not having gotten that far, he heard Valerian calling to him. Reunited, the Spaniard explained that he had had to go “report back to camp”. Still determined to return to his home city, Gaitero tried to convince Valerian to go with him, thinking he could impress the citizens with his seemingly magical knowledge of medicine and healing. Valerian seems to agree and the two friends make their way back to the city, though the journey was slow and they first passed through a few other villages.

Upon finally reaching Cajamarca, the people were of course, terrified of the Spaniard, but Gaitero, ever charismatic, managed to calm the tensions and prove that his friend had only kind intentions. He also could not find his family during this time, which definitely worried him, though he managed yet again to keep it under the surface.

From this point on, Valerian and Gaitero were often separated but still frequently met at the mountainous spot where they first met.

Gaitero also was more experienced and having learned much about survival techniques and healing from his friend, he travels around the neighboring cities, helping others. He did not especially enjoy this, due to his continued fear of communication and shyness, but he became very beloved to his people because of his kind actions.

Eventually, the young boy learns that why he could not find his family was that his mother had died of grief for him, thinking he was dead, and his sisters had gone away to a faraway part of the empire. Devastated by this, and the fact that he very frequently saw even more escalated violence due to the continuous war, he completely lost the will to live, hiding away for the next several months. (Due to his confused interpretation of Valerian's Catholicism as well as his prior beliefs and culture which included much sacrifice, he begins to see death as an ideal state and wish to die order to reuinite with his lost mother. The only thing which prevents him from committing suicide at this point is his ingrained feelings that he was born as a sort of guardian/protector or assistant to the community, and he wished to remain alive to help them if the opportunity arose, though he still considered himself worthless and below all others.)

He also noticed Inca soldiers being moved into the city mysteriously, which lead him to surmise they were preparing for a large attack. This was surprising as by this time, the civil war had come to an end. In the back of his mind, he felt he should look for his friend and tell him about it. He decided against this; assuming that Valerian had probably died in the time they were apart, due to his unfamiliarity with the land, or possibly the wars. He almost hoped this, now passively respecting death as the highest and best end achievable; possibly a better afterlife, and not wishing his friend to be caught up in the presumed invasion.

Resuming his habit of going out to the mountains to play his pipes (which were essentially his only source of joy at this point), he encountered Valerian, whom he hadn't seen for several months. The Spaniard is obviously distressed and tells Gaitero that there is going to be an invasion. Gaitero, having already speculated this, was not surprised. He was also basically dead to any emotions due to his depression.

Following this, the two occasionally met up to relay information to each other, though Gaitero still preferred to hide in the city.

One morning, he woke up to an apparently empty Cajamarca. Apparently, the city had been evacuated, and no one had found him within his hiding place. Exploring a bit more, he peeked out from behind a building and saw … the emperor, magnificently parading through the streets. Men who looked akin to Valerian were there to meet him. Suddenly, one of the Spaniards shouted frighteningly and ran at the emperor. The city was immediately plunged into chaos. Realising he had been caught in a battle, he attempted to flee the city. Then, he remembered Valerian – he had not seen him in a long while, and thought he might come to a terrible end if he was to enter the city. Suddenly emotionally awake, and very frightened, the boy did not know what to do. Suddenly a Spanish soldier had appeared in front of him. Terrified, El Gaitero hid, as the soldier had not yet seen him. He sneaked his way to the rear end of the city which had not yet been touched by the battle. Hiding within an abandoned house, he was inspired and devised a plan; in his now twisted view of reality, he had resolved his time was up and he must now end his life … but first, was his last mission: to save the only friend he had left from a more painful death, allowing him to go peacefully.

With an expanded knowledge of herbs and plants due to what Valerian had taught him, Gaitero plucks several poisonous herbs and was going to look for Valerian, thinking he may be able to convince him of his plan. However, in the distance, he saw his friend approaching. Stricken by how sensible he knew him to be, and how much he respected life, Gaitero is now doubtful of himself and his ideas. He is thrown into distress but still comes to the conclusion that he is correct. He thought he knew best for his friend, even if Valerian didn't. He found a piece of bread which had been lying out, sliced it down the middle and concealed the poisonous plant inside, also ingesting the other plants himself.

He went out to meet Valerian, who was obviously famished and not in the know about the battle. With a pang of sadness, instead of informing him of the chaos, Gaitero simply gives him the bread.

Apparently, the Spaniard already knew of the ongoing battle, and noticing the soldiers appearing to come nearer to where the two were, he and Gaitero began to desperately flee. However, they are seen, and some of the other Spanish ran at them. Valerian suddenly turned around and drew his sword, discreetly handing another weapon to his friend and commanding him to run while he had the chance.

Gaitero complied, though reluctantly; he wished to stay and protect the other but knew the end was nigh for both of them anyway. He wished only to please Valerian, and so he fled. However, after several painful minutes, growing weaker from the poison, he is suddenly struck with a blade from behind. A soldier has caught up to him. Turning around, the Inca called upon everything he had been taught of swordfighting, and entered a long duel with the invader, fighting up a large hill overlooking a river. He eventually won, striking a fatal blow to his enemy, but not without severe injury himself (and also not without noticing that the assailant had an apparently tragic expression as he lay dead).

With his loss of blood, and the deadly poison in his veins, Takisisu knows it is the end, but he cannot bear to live any longer as he sees other invaders quickly approaching. In desperation, though satisfaction in having completed his final act of twisted “kindness” he leapt off the side of the cliff, falling a great distance and fatally landing on the jagged rocks which penetrated the Great River, turning it red from that day.

In the Garden: When he enters the Garden of Immortals, he becomes merged with the Cantua flower, which was one of the plants he used to poison himself ... Commonly associated with forgiveness after war, the Garden thought it would fit this poor but kindhearted soul.

Relationships: Seshen and he are instantly friends within the first moment of seeing eachother in the Garden. They have much in common, from a faint vanity (or ... not so faint, in the case of water lily), a concern for the people and taking care of the community, a good work ethic, and similar philosophy.
Cantua, ever charismatic, manages to befriend the prickly and antisocial Cactus, and the two soon find they actually have a lot in common as well. Cactus also finds, despite her dislike of men in general, that she has feelings for him.
He and Willow are archenemies, likely because he finds Willow's humility and purposeful self disdainment to be little more than a social guise, and suspects her of being proud and selfish.
As in life, he and Madrono have a strained friendship. He is more fond of Madrono that Madrono is of him.
He maintains a casual friendship with Orchid, Anise, Chili and Be (Beojkkoch/cherry blossom).

Fun Facts: - Though Cantua is not very vain, the one thing he cares a lot about is his hair. He won't let anyone cut it, and is constantly taking care of it.
- His hair also is very easy to take care of and is perpetually silky, without tangles. He gets mad, because everyone is always trying to pet him; though, he tries not to show his annoyance and maintain a smile.
-People often mistake him for a girl because of his long hair and youthful look. This makes him become infuriated.
-He is excellent at the panpipes and most wind instruments; though he is okay at singing, his voice usually quavers and sounds too nervous.
-He has a much higher tolerance of physical pain than any other Immortal in the Garden. This is very evident especially whenever he is pricked by Cactus, which happens inevitably many times, every day.

...

Now I shall clear up the ultra confusing aspects of his design.
-He has a very thin and lanky sort of body type.
-His eyes are a light hazel.
-The yellow bits that look as ruffles are actually a separate layer under his poncho/the other clothing bits and are made of a silky, petal like material.
-And then main issue is with his hat ... not only is it made of gold, which again is something I have trouble drawing, but the front part is actually only a few inches thick/about 10 centimeters. The flowers and bottom of the headdress go all the way around his head.
-There's also one aspect of his design that is not shown in the drawing; I'll need to come up for a reference for it. Extending from the bottom of his headdress in the back is a long drape/train/banner; different from his scarf. So, like Cactus, until I've actually drawn the references, DO NOT draw either of them from the back ... please X'D Also under his headdress, long flowers extend from his hairline, which is the beginning of his transition into a flower.
-He also does not wear typical pants ordinarily, since I believe the Incas in that period mostly wore robes.
-He is wearing red ceremonial makeup around his eyes. If you look closely you can see it.
-Though he has panpipes here, they are a prop and do not have to be included.

...

Lineart:

Previous work:

Toyhou.se page: toyhou.se/1654399.el-gaitero-q…

Modern variant: This one is more official. I mean, come on, hair that long is just impractical.

Featured artist: though for some reason I feel like I've featured them before but whatever

The artist is a killer, so please be careful ... if you look at her arts, they will kill you because of how beautiful they are. There is not one that I have not gotten over ... all the details ... and the colours ... I can't take it

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QuyaKillaLuna
Tales of New Eden © QuyaKillaLuna
Art © QuyaKillaLuna .
All rights reserved. Do not trace, steal, edit or copy my designs or characters in any way; they are mine and not up for taking. Thank you.