#//gosh// this was fun

[lilflowerpot]

Hello! :> I've just found this blog after finishing LB, and've been pouring over your lovely posts about Galra biology/ phenotypes (thanks for that one btw, the inexplicable diversity of non-hybrids was always… puzzling), and my inner paleontologist got curious. What do you think the last common ancestor of all Galra might've been like?

I'm assuming the species would've already become obligate bipeds, but still with a reduced tail at this point. Is fur or bare skin their ancestral condition (ie. did Kyx/ Byal evolve their hair from a smoother ancestor, or did Aalk & Dox both disinherit their forebear's fur)?

From what biome did this proto-Galra emigrate (ie. from more resourceful, but competitive jungles -> to less hospitable, but unpopulated deserts... or the reverse)?

Kyx & Byal seem like sister taxa- more closely related to each other than to the other types (presumably only diverged by temporal partitioning?). Aalk & Dox, though both hairless, don't seem as similar... given the Aalk's increased size, loss of the tailed gene, and their unique dermal plating, could they be considered the most 'derived' type? And Dox, perhaps the most 'basal'? All this is making me want to draw a cladogram...

(That could be where the root of some biases about more supposedly 'superior/ advanced' phenotypes stems from...? Human prejudices can often fall along similar lines.)

Sorry for the overly-long ask, but your world is just so thoughtful! Thanks so much for sharing it. :>

((For the sake of both your sanity and mine, I'm going to do my very best to keep my answers focused and in the approximate order that you asked for them!))

All living people share exactly the same set of ancestors before the Identical Ancestors Point, all the way to the very first single-celled organism.[1] However, people will vary widely in how much ancestry and genes they inherit from each ancestor, which will cause them to have very different genotypes and phenotypes. [1] Rohde DL, Olson S, Chang JT (September 2004). "Modelling the recent common ancestry of all living humans". Nature. 431 (7008): 562–6.

My personal thoughts as to the appearance of the galra's last common ancestor is that it was a furred desert-dweller that, yes, must have been an obligate biped—a term which here means, for anyone not in the know, the form of bipedalism (walking on two legs) that is assumed as a habitual means of movement as in the case for humans and kangaroos, rather than being assumed on a temporary basis for specific short-term purpose—and still tailed at the time, though this was likely on its way to being evolved out seeing as it's a rare and recessive trait in the modern day.

Now I might be wrong regarding this next part (because I had to read up on what you meant by "sister taxa" so am low-key learning as we go) but yes, the Byal and Kyx branched from the common node of their desert dwelling ancestor. In their case, temporal partitioning occurred due to their circadian rhythms evolving to mediate the interactions between those galra sharing the sparse desert hunting ground; smaller galra were more successful hunting during the day, owing to their less-noticeable stature and swifter reactions, which lead to the circadian rhythms of larger galra shifting to allow them to hunt at night, when their dominant competitors were less active. Ultimately, this lead to the divergence of their phenotypical traits, with the Byal evolving a thicker coat and better night-vision to help them during their waking hours, while their large ears dispersed heat during the day to prevent heatstroke.

Importantly, the Aalk and Dox are still the same species as the Kyx and Byal (ie. they're all galra), but the two of them branched off from the common node immediately preceding that of the Byal/Kyx divide, though Aalk are indeed the most derived—meaning specialised—type, as their pheotypical traits stand the furthest from those of the proto-galra common ancestor. From their desertous origin, they migrated to Daibazaal's mountainous regions, triggering their fur to change from stand-alone strands to that distinct outer armor of scaled plates (formed of keratin like those of the rhyahl, though structured quite differently) to better protect their inner epidermis from the increased UV exposure risk of their new, high-altitude environment.

Other descendants of this same proto-galra migrated instead into Daibazaal's thick jungles, where they lost their fur altogether to compensate for the drastic increase of humidity, the sebaceous glands that served to oil their fur, emulsify sweat, and delay dehydration in the desert, evolving to instead produce a different compound comprised of two pigments (one red, one orange) that work in tandem to both produce a natural antibiotic and absorb harmful UV rays. This second group found new purpose for their tails as semi-arboreal creatures, and so natural selection maintained this recessive trait most firmly in those who would become Dox. So, no, the Dox are actually equally as "derived" as the Aalk, and of all the phenotypes it's likely the Kyx (despite their loss of the tailed gene) who would be considered the least divergent from their ancestral counterpart, and therefore the most "basal".

The historical prejudices of which phenotypes are considered "superior" came later, when the tribes started to actively war against one another, and those who possessed greater raw physical strength tended to have the advantage, particularly seeing as the majority of Daibazaal's terrain was so barren and so offered very little in the way of a tactical battleground. Notably, this is also where that idea of the Dox being "underhanded" came from: because their home turf //was// so diverse and difficult to navigate (poisonous plants, venomous fauna, sinkholes and swamps and terrain unlike anything the rest of the galra had ever known) they—knowing it would be a loosing battle if they were to war with larger phenotypes head-on—were able to fight tactically.

[mxmarsbars]

he’s so gorgious

speedran this trend on twitter dot com ^.^ I love turning middle aged men into cutie pies

[somnimagus]

out of the frying pan and into the fire and into another frying pan that's also on fire

[id in alt text]

[egophiliac]

NEW BIRTHDAY THEME IS OUT!!!!!!!!!!!

BIRTHDAY SLUMBER PARTY, HERE WE COME

I think the theme is more loungewear than straight-up pajamas, but hey, I'm not complaining! (and -- look, we still have the groovies, I'm not giving up hope for animal kigurumi until I gotta)

[paladinsbrainrot]

kids

full version + close ups !!

original version (since I updated this after i got a better look at their outfits)

[wilkoakdraws]

spider enjoyers unite! spider nonenjoyers observe nervously from safe distance

[unhappy-sometimes]

comic suggestion! Loid tries to teach Yor how to crack an egg. He wears safety goggles. A whole carton of eggs later, she succeeds without smashing the egg to smithereens. Heheh I am frying eggs right now

eggs

i took some creative liberties. always nice to see you in my inbox, cantarteincminor!

new artstyle who dis? jk im just doing this crazy thing where i spend more than twenty seconds on a panel. crazy, right?

[tangledinink]

it's the gemaversary so leo gets to go off, as a special treat.

✩ the gemini ✩ [ start ] [ prev ] [ next ]

( next update is already available on patreon! )

[nidbaesenpai]

and i loved everyone in isat so much i played dress up with them aka i viet blast them

[yayswag]

discovering the joys of reading at the local library!!!

[hylwicks]

oh hey by the way!! I did a scene for rise reanimated I'm thankful they let me put a personal spin on it hehe

[intotheelliwoods]

Happy to have 2 Arms Left in the comp another year! While this isnt Sprouts first rodeo, its Poptarts first! Everyone give him a welcome :)

@tmntaucompetition

Bonus, featuring Poptarts bestie, because no one can convince me otherwise that Poptart will get overwhelmed with the amount of people- @dianagj-art

[polekands]

7 artworks for 9 weeks of secret life - I don't know when was the last time something made me create so much art in such a span of time

what a blast!

even more art and doodles under the cut!

[egophiliac]

I love your unhinged energy of your comics it's just *chef's kiss"

I wanna ask how you rig your chibi characters if you use a program or an app ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ

thanks! 💚💜💚

I use Spine (professional version)! I'm pretty sure it's the same program the Twst devs use for the chibis; I decided to try reverse-engineering 'em basically because my license was just sitting around gathering dust, and I thought it'd be fun practice (this was before I tried to rig Meleanor's cape). it is an industry-standard program and, unfortunately, is priced accordingly, so it's a bit expensive if you're not planning on using it professionally -- there is a free trial, though I think you can't save/export anything in it? BUT it is truly excellent and can do a ton of super cool stuff, plus is genuinely just fun to mess around in, so I 10000% recommend it to anyone who is serious about getting into 2D rigging!

behold...the BONES...Najma and her billion discrete tassels...don't pay attention to all the extra bones from my desperate attempts to control Meleanor's meshes

[inkclover]

they make me so ill aeueueueuue

drew a part of @rizzyluke’s fic Overthinking Again. Chapter 9 has infested my brains so badly it won’t leave me be HELP—

screenshot of an excerpt from the fic:

they make me so insane /pos

[aloneinthedark-eagle]

These people are crazy but perfect crazy. 🤩😎