#Return to the Mountain

[daily-odile]

sorry i was gone for a while i just got back from the mountains

[illustratus]

Watchful Peace, The Return of the King by John Howe

[theworldsoftolkein]

[tanukibby]

Kits are the biggest nappers, of course they need it to conserve energy so they can grow but it's also because they just like it. They bug their caretaker to pouch or tuck them into their feathers, they even nip at their tails/ankles. This napping behavior follows them into early adulthood, newer ghouls like phantom can be found napping whenever they can between tasks and events. Phantom always looks eepy, clinging to dewdrop or mountain for warmth.

[floralstorms]

Last view before a late arrival

[knarme-art]

@recom-week

RETURN TO PANDORA MONTH

DAY 1 - MOUNT DESIGN (1.12.2024)

Ikran Series - Ngulya, Kxasi's Ikran

Name meaning - 'gray air' Bonded to - Kxasi of the Kxayltirey people Age / sex - nearing an older adult's prime, female About - Ngulya's psyche has a calming, comforting effect on Kxasi. She enjoys complex tasks that require good memory, making her an ideal companion to Kxasi, who is very ambitious and energetic.

Above: Only minimally shaded, mostly flat color reference missing the glow effects on the bioluminescent markings.

Above: Ngulya's bioluminescence in dim lighting

Above: Ngulya's bioluminescense in night lighting

History of Ngulya's design

Above: February 18th in 2023 - Here you also see Kxasi's old design. The purplish-gray look and orangeish/reddish bioluminescense have been a part of my vision for Ngulya from the very beginning.

Above: March 9nth in 2023 - Here is my first take for a full reference for Ngulya. This is the point where the pale head and neck became iconic traits to the otherwise dark purple design.

I've always been torn between oranges/browns and actual purples for many of the color areas in this design, as you see from that earlier color draft.

Above: This year, I wanted to finally make proper ikran templates for the sake of more comfortable designing of all my ikran characters.

This is an early version of the final template set I created, and two different drafts of Ngulya.

Sadly I never saved these drafts, so these are just badly compressed screenshots from my Bluesky and Twitter accounts.

The one on the right is my last draft before beginning work on the final one, as I started to be happy with the markings.

The orange one on the left of the 2nd image is not Ngulya, but a draft for another ikran entirely.

Above: For a very long time, I could not make the bioluminescent highlight markings fit anywhere into this design, so I almost called it 'done' in this stage.

The color pallette was more brown than purple. It was a really hard decision to tweak the pallette once more, so I could make it all good-looking with the highlight color.

About my thought process...

I create my ikran OC designs entirely via body/emotional/visual synesthesia. This intuitive process doesn't contain conscious thought, but rather letting an 'inner eye' show me things.

This method lets me get ideas I couldn't otherwise get, unlike when combining my old clichés in a calculated manner etc. Instead of such calculated process, instead I succumb to a more dreamlike intuition where my brain can just fire whatever.

For these ikran, I must feel like I am them, to create their appearances. For the same character, like Kxasi, even for a long period of time, I've been getting the same results with this process...

I imagine the na'vi during their 'Iknimaya' (or equivalent), the type of feeling I would have about them as a person, as if they stood in front of me.

Then, I imagine I'm indeed an ikran looking at them, - what kind of a mental and emotional being would I be, to feel particularly drawn to this na'vi? I imagine the feelings.

These feelings inform me of the ikran's whole design, as well as personality.

Kxasi's ikran Ngulya is a character I can understand, put myself into, imagine her feelings and personality/temperament from the inside, and how she'd feel even when connected with Kxasi's consciousness via tsaheylu.

I can also imagine how Kxasi feels connected to her.

Their personalities contrast each other. Kxasi is hot-headed and energetic, while Ngulya is a calming presence. Usually, Ngulya even discourages Kxasi's antagonistic impulses when they're connected.

However, if overwhelmed by the need to protect, Ngulya's mind will be drunken on quite the berserker's adrenaline, - also affecting Kxasi that same way. Their minds will melt into one demonic entity with the sole goal of turning someone into minced meat. This can be triggered by putting their loved ones or personal home etc. in danger.

Ngulya resembles my favorite, now-deceased dog Lola a lot by her personality. Her 'feel' is very much like what Lola was, even though I did not intentionally create her in Lola's image.

She's funny and silly like Lola, obsessive and persistent in tasks like Lola, has basically endless energy to run (fly), hunt and play, - and there is a soft comforting energy to her. She's also fiercely territorial and protective, - just like Lola... I definitely see her as a Pisces, like that dog was, also.

[knuckie-head]

Did you bring the shovel?

[mushroom-through-the-stargate]

literally cannot stop thinking about the return. like imagine being the sgc right? you send a group of second-bests; people that are really good at their job, but you can risk sending to another galaxy with a chance of not getting them back. and about 80% of them are people who don't really Work Well In The System. you dont hear from them for a whole year and consider them lost, and then you get an email that they need your help Right Now or they'll Die. alright whatever you send a ship and a zpm they win the battle everyones grand. using that ship you keep sending new people there, and these people know they can go home at any time. its just another rotation to them. but they start writing home and saying that the original crew are..... weird. there are interesting rules and habits and recreational activities and food. and the most weird is their connection to the actual city. you take note of these letters about the original crews Weirdness but otherwise dont really care. and then the ancients come back!! and they kick everyone out of atlantis. well, that sucks, but it was a resource sink anyway and all you really got out of it was another interstellar war you weren't prepared for. you take this as a sign you shouldnt have gone out there in the first place and carry on with your day.

except the original crew are fighting back. theyre complaining and rallying and saying its not fair and they should get to stay. what the fuck. you tell them its out of your hands and bring them home. and they're all acting like depressed little lizards, and oddly enough Elizabeth Weir - the token "normal person" you had put in charge of these outcasts - is the most depressed of the depressed little lizards, and she doesnt leave her house the entire six weeks. and the one time she does leave her house, she, her flagship team, and the fucking DOCTOR of all people steal the weird little ship and go fight the replicators to retake atlantis.

fine. whatever. they can have their city in another galaxy. its not like they ever listened to you in the first place.

[ashildrs]

this song eats at my skin

[biscuitboba]

I will never be normal about how zoro can't seem to take his eyes off his captain like even though luffy is stronger than him?? Like i've talked about this many many times before (probably) but the way he keeps an eye on luffy, making sure that luffy is okay??? Zoro and his luffy-oriented brain i swear... like how he is always trying to make sure that his captain is fine 24/7, i'm just-

Like for example, when he is waiting/looking out for luffy's arrival in jaya arc. (Also happened in adventure of nebulandia!)

Or him keeping an eye on luffy in punk hazard. Watching his captain from a perfect & safe distance.

Or it's also about how zoro likes to check on his captain. Voicing his concern, making sure that nothing is wrong with his captain by directly asking luffy about it (if he notices anything unusual from luffy)

Also thinking about zoro and his priority when it comes to luffy (luffy aka his number one priority, really)

Zoro and his worry wart side when it comes to his 'idiot' captain (tbh if i have to put all the panels (from the manga) for every time zoro worries about his beloved captain here, i don't think i can, cause it's zoro)

Like i just think it is crazy how much he cares for his captain, like yeah every single one of the strawhats are like that too, but with zoro it is very visible every. single. time. Like oda really shoved it into our face?? like yeah, zolu my absolute beloved<333

bonus, lil sanuso in the corner<3

[nelkcats]

The Ghost King Wants To Rest!

After years of discovering about his immortality and living through the death and reincarnation of his loved ones, Danny was tired. The world had changed: it had destroyed, rebuilt, reboot, he honestly lost the thread over the years.

Although he could admit that it was interesting to see the evolution, the arrival of heroes on his "original" dimension. And maybe he forced Technus to build him a radio that would alert him to space-related issues there...

He was thrilled when Martian Manhunter was heralded as a hero (Superman was a pretty cool alien yes, but too... human?), though that was basically all the news he had of current civilization (not that he needed further)

The years passed and at the end he decided to live out his retirement on earth out of nostalgia (and by that he means Clockwork got his ass out of the Realms for a break) in what was once Amity a long time ago, he built a nice cabin in the mountains and settled there.

His relationship with Clockwork had evolved over the years, and Danny understood that his mentor (sometimes father) was very concerned that immortality would negatively affect him.

Seeing how he locked himself in his castle for the first few years after Jazz death didn't help alleviate his fears. So Danny didn't complain when the ghost threw him to Earth on that dimension (besides, it had Aliens now! and he missed Amity...even if it was not Amity anymore)

But people won't stop pestering him during his retirement! "Save us" "Help us balance the world, chosen one" "Play with me, let cause chaos!" And more ridiculous phrases. Can the horned boy and wizards leave him alone!? He just wanted to rest!

He couldn't even ask his loved ones for help because their reincarnations didn't recognize him (or did, and made fun of his situation).

On the other hand, Justice League Dark and Klarion have spent years trying to bring the powerful entity that lives in the mountains to their side but nothing works! Why is it so intent on pretending to be an old man with an appearance of 20!?

[douxmae]

Okay guys you’ve seen baby MK, now it’s time for…

Baby monkeys!

[tomswifty-fr]

[duskspring]

What if ghouls followed their summoner back into the pit as soon as they died? Like when the Papas were assassinated, left and right ghouls just vanished into thin air.

Omega had been tidying up his and Terzo’s room before dissolving into a pile of dust himself.

Pebble and Ivy were helping some siblings in the garden. The sunlight had them covered in a pleasant warmth, all smiling and laughing together when they suddenly disappeared.

Ifrit was in the middle of flirting with a cardinal when his words were abruptly cut off.

Some were resummoned by Copia; Dew, Aether and Mountain, considered to still have potential in one way or another. No one ever heard from the others again, and the three that returned refuse to speak about that day.

[wearenotclosed]

Made last night and thought it looked nice, need to play more risk of rain returns but uni assessments are killing me

^^^ reference image/gif

[knarme-art]

Return to Pandora Month Day 19 - Visit (Page 1/4)