#THE GENASIS PROJECT

[junebudgie]

i… am homestuck

weee!!! weeeeeee!!weeeee!!!!!

[whomstsnek]

Kemyyy <3

in order: lizardfolk (alligator), tabaxi (sphynx cat), human, fire genasi, goblin, bugbear, brownie

I'm not 100% sure how lizardfolk are depicted in Avantris OR Faerun, and I'm not even positive that Kremy is considered a lizardfolk in-universe or if that's just the stats they used for the character, but oh well it's fine <3 I like to treat lizardfolk like tabaxi in the sense that they can resemble just about any lizard bc I think that's fun and silly /pos aside from that nothing too special, they're just big anthro reptiles

His tabaxi design is another silly goof just for me I fear, i thought it would be sooooooo funny if he was a hairless cat since he's normally a hairless lizard :) i suppose by that logic I should have made him bald or smth in his other design but it's fine. It's for the bit.

Speaking of I think I struggled the most with Kremy's human design, I had NO idea what I really wanted to do with him and even now I'm not entirely sold, so this might change in the future. Primarily, I wish I had made him look a little older bc I don't think he really looks like he's 40, and maybe change up his hairstyle? It's pretty simplistic as it stands and doesn't QUITE feel like Kremy to me :/ this is the only design I will take constructive criticism and/or recommendations for bc I truly do not know

[arisushanti]

my search history while making a d&d character:

'pinterest'

'forgotten realms drugs'

'fantasynamegenerator genasi names'

'faerun smoking lore '

'dndbeyond'

'weed 5e'

[diagoose]

it's weird to me that like, aquatic leaning dnd species don't have more distinguishing features from eachother.

liek water genasi, tritons, and sea elves are almost completely indistinguishable from eachother.

[chaosgenasi]

"it looks like it's essentially a minor ritual. the source is to be present or bound and the funnel is then attached to the focal point... though it will likely destroy whatever the source of power is, unless it's a massive source... i don't think it's an instantaneous thing..." this doesn't sound familiar at all

[diakiraiart]

Continuing the project-that-needs-an-official-name thread, here is another character prelude picture of Brim mid heist.

Brim is an orphan-turn-street urchent in the starting city. They got picked up by a crime syndicate/theives guild after they ran away from thier orphanage for totally not traumatizing reasons. One of the lieutenants is a fire mage, so they recognised his inate fire power and helped him learn to control it a bit better. More of a "conceal don't feel" kind of control, but thats due to Brim being scared of what he can do, rather than them being encouraged to surpress it. Being able to melt metal is pretty handy for breaking into safes though, so he let her teach them that at least.

It actually makes them the most martial member of the party, relying on his skill over his power-ups (most of the time). It makes him a fun sceptic to complain whenever Gale(air) or Lucky(water) suggest magic to fix every problem. Supose he's kinda Senshi from Dungeon Meshi in that manner, if less likable (at elast early, kids got a chip on his shoulder).

enjoy ^^

[tired-chimera]

Albatrio headcanons because I say so (all canon btw trust me I’m grizzlyplays)

Jay:

- she braids hair when she’s nervous. Especially in the Black Sea, Gillion and Chip have been walking around with little braids in their hair and Jay has an intricately braided bun with feathers, beads and wire intertwined with her hair.

- she loves baked goods. Every island they visit a small, wrapped box of regional pastries will show up in the kitchen. Her favourite has been a warm, iced cinnamon log from Joaldo.

- She reads the newspaper.

- She speaks primordial with a similar accent to Caspian. Since the water genasi are so nomadic, it would make sense for her to have teachers breeze through on short contracts to support their tribes, so she picked it up from her various teachers.

- she had a flower garden with Ayva before she passed. The garden became Jays passion project, a way to cope with the loss of her sister. She converted it into a memorial, with a small fountain and a bed of forget-me-nots. While Jay has been out at sea, May has been using some Druidic magic to keep the garden alive.

- she used to have cat named “Sugar”. It turned out to be a Quasit belonging to the local warlock.

- Jay collects sea glass

- she has aphantasia.

Chip:

- he has frequent nightmares about his crew and co-captains dying. It is not uncommon to hear quiet footsteps around the Albatross in the wee hours of the morning, as he checks the breath of each member of his crew.

- He doesnt remember his parents. But he has given them names, in his head, just in case they didn’t give him up. He’s told Reuben about that. He called it dumb. Chip never told anyone else.

- he has a stash of non-perishables in the floorboards of the captains quarters. Just in case.

- sorry these are all so sad but hhhhh he has body dysmorphia. He’s never felt “good-looking” and no one’s ever really told him, so he has a lot of anxiety about his appearance and uses the bandana constantly. This was made worse with his undeath.

- May cooked Chip a steak when they were at her tavern c.a ep 98, to help him and Jay decompress after the stress of Gillion’s near-death. It’s the best meal he’s ever eaten.

- He loves crabs. They remind him of when Arlin used to take him crab-spotting in the southern sea beaches. When they got back to Canella, Chip took Ollie too.

- Reuben used to teach him sea shanties he’d heard in and around the taverns by the port on Skullslice. He remembers all of them.

- there were a good 3 years from when chip was 9-11 where he wasn’t hugged once.

- he’s really good at darts.

- Chip has cried in front of four people in his entire life: Arlin, Reuben, Jay and Gillion. He has only ever really lost it to Reuben though. It was on his 14th birthday when he momentarily forgot what Arlin looked like.

- he has a lip ring. That’s it.

Gillion:

- Gillion would love Spider-Man.

- he really enjoys spicy, fermented, and salty foods. They remind him of home.

- Gillion didn’t talk for 3 days after shattering his Callnch.

- the elders wanted him to learn more languages, but it was a struggle for him to pick up common, so they abandoned the idea. Gillion still tries to learn celestial though, managing some very broken phrases from Chip.

- He loves pillows, but they can’t really be a thing in the undersea, so hes been working with Jay on making a waterproof pillow for him and pretzel.

- His coral gives him headaches.

- He suffers from asthma and joint pain due to the change in his environment

- Gillion had a small collection of mini stone leviathans he had been carving his entire life. He was almost done with Pelegus before he was exiled

- he has a love of history. It was his favourite subject growing up.

- He had so many imaginary friends.

- he and Edyn made up a secret language to communicate to each other without the elders knowing. He remembers every word.

[nephriteknight]

okay i've talked about this in tags and stuff before but i want to really break down the dorian - ashton dynamic, because it's so interesting. there are a lot of ways in which dorian and ashton are perfectly opposed, and there are also a lot of ways that they're deeply similar, and something about it is just fascinating to me.

they're both genasi, but one is air and one is earth. one was born into wealth and privilege, while the other spent most of their childhood in an orphanage in bassuras, and yet they both have very complex feelings about their parentage and their birthright and the power that comes with it. they're both frontline fighters who started c3 with the same strength score, but ashton uses a massive hammer and chaotic, uncontrollable powers, while dorian uses bardic flourishes and precise spells. ashton was abandoned by the closest thing they had to family, while dorian was the one to leave his own family. ashton is -2 charisma covered up with brashness and projected confidence, while dorian is +3 charisma but too nervous to use it effectively half the time. they both end up being treated as a sort of leader in their parties, much to their own surprise. dorian is this inexperienced, sheltered prince seeing the world for the first time, and ashton is frequently the voice of reason in bells hells, the one who knows how the real world works ("does no one crime?", reminding them that their actions will have consequences for others, pointing out that leaving someone to die is not actually better than killing them by hand).

in exu, dorian tells lolth that he would do anything to protect his friends, even if it would hurt others, and he meant it so deeply that his alignment changed from chaotic good to chaotic neutral. he got into an argument with orym because he wanted them to keep lolth's circlet, a decision influenced by his family history with power and responsibility. and now ashton took the shard, searching for power, motivated by the longing for his parents and his birthright and it is such a juicy parallel.

it's "i would do anything for my friends" vs "we don't leave anyone behind".

the first kiss of the campaign is dorian kissing ashton's cheek after the ratanish fight as an excuse to get close enough to heal him and tell him "we need you". ashton curses quietly when he realizes dorian has to go with cyrus. "to dorian, who is leaving us for his stupid brother. what the fuck is up with that." ashton says dorian is "our bag of dicks".

they're just so interesting. they're such interesting contrasts, both symbolically and in their characters, and i really hope that when (don't say 'if' it's gotta be a 'when' i am clinging to this) dorian comes back their relationship gets explored more.

[kathbunny]

I WAS TOLD TO WRITE ABOUT CITRUS SO I AM

Context: A much younger Dani from her street kid days is sent forward in time to our post canon crew, eventually ending up adopted by the crew. That's their daughter now. She gets nicknamed Citrus to avoid confusion and it eventually becomes just her name. The crew is making sure she's getting the childhood Dani didn't get as much as Citrus allows.

This particular little bit of writing is going to be Citrus meeting Roy for the first time! The crew is meeting with Hira for a job and she wanders off. He has a moment.

Citrus poked her head out of the closet, checking up and down the hall to see if the weird huge ass ice lizard had stopped looking for her, letting out a sigh of relief when she realized the hall was empty. She just had to find her way back to the crew now! In this weird rich guy she didn't know's mansion! She wasn't going to cry about that!

Citrus started running down the hall, dodging unfamiliar people who stared at her in confusion. She eventually found her way to a workshop! A really cool workshop! The door had been left half open and she strode in, staring at the project taking up the center of the room. She had no clue what it was, it just looked like a block of metal with where rolling bits and a long canon on its head.

She heard footsteps coming in, and immediately skittered behind the project, peering from behind it to investigate who was surely the talented artificer working on this weapon. Instead, she all she saw a wimpy, but buff looking fire genasi man with a horrible 5 o'clock shadow, a shirt with too many patches, and a super cool jacket like grown-up-future-Dani had.

He seemed to immediately spot her, face scrunching up in confusion. "What the fu-" He cut himself off from swearing. "Dani?"

Oh! This was Roy! Why did Roy have muscle? He wasn't supposed to have that. Roy walked over to her, kneeling in front of her. "Did you get de-aged by the wild magic or something..?" He mumbled, examining her.

"Nope!" Citrus chirped, deciding to mess with him a bit. "Who're you, mister?"

Roy took a moment to process or something. "Sorry- sorry, I thought you were my... Sister?" He sounded confused on that. "What's your name, kid? I don't think you're supposed to be here."

"Citrus!" She replied, hands innocently behind her back.

"Okay, uh... Who took you here?" Roy asked.

"My parents!" She tried to sound as cheerful as possible, like a kid with parents probably actually would.

Roy made an expression that showed that was exactly as unhelpful as intended. "Do you know any of your parents' names?"

"You already said one though, mister." Citrus tried to keep her tone straight, not wanting to laugh.

He processed that. And then his expression became one of confusion. And then dread. "Okay. Well. How about we just get you to where Hira meets their guests so he can call your parents?"

---

Roy stepped into the main room, Citrus held in his arms. The crew were, unexpectedly, actually there, talking with Hira in a mild panic. Citrus immediately started trying to squirm free, and Roy set her down, watching her bolt up to and hug Dani's legs. There was a visible and collective sigh of relief from the crew. Shit, it wasn't just a similar name thing like Roy was hoping.

Dani picked up and passed Citrus to Kyana, and she headed straight towards Roy. "Hey, thank you for-"

"Dani, when were you going to tell me I apparently had a niece?" Roy asked, keeping his voice down and smiling even if inside he was both terrified and pissed. He didn't want to scare the kid, who was watching them. Oh, gods, what if something happened to Dani while she was adventuring? What would happen to the kid? Could he be a better Uncle than Oto? Could he be a good uncle at all?

"Uh... Well, it's complicated. I'll tell you the situation after we do this job for Hira, alright? It's kinda time sensitive." Dani replied, avoiding looking at him.

"...I'll hold you to that." Roy hated that, but it was Dani.

"I'll get us some drinks. It's a long story."

[blorbologist]

I wish you would write a fic where...

More of the consecuted!Ashton being raised by Essek, please 😘

~580 words | Gen | Essek-centric | Mention of this being 100+ years post-canon and most of the Nein have passed, as well as Ashton

Short one! I stopped to think about how, exactly, Essek would somehow adopt Ashton before they even realized they had past memories, and perhaps this isn't fully sound but I had fun with it :D

I wish you would write a fic where... prompt game

--

Deirta Thelyss once claimed, in the gentle and patronizing way of one practiced at such speech, that she knew from the beginning that Essek was a new soul. He dismissed this immediately as justification for the cool detachment with which she raised him while waiting to see if he was anyone worth caring about.

This was a very solid conclusion until roughly three hours ago, where just as quickly as he disregarded his Umavi’s words he recognized this child. This child he had never met before in his life.

It had been a hunch to ask around. A gift of fortune that he was not immediately carted off as a (as Beauregard would have called it) a complete fucking creep.

But he knew where Greymoore had died. And so could extrapolate the - purely hypothetical - radius to investigate very accurately. And it’s not like the Cobalt Soul didn’t research the strangest of topics. Such as - again, hypothetically - any children born in this range of days potentially experiencing strange flashes and memories.

And if it became a long-term, fruitless research project, well. It’s not like he’s had much better to do. Caduceus is lovely, quite lovely, but there’s only so long he can garden before he’s gently being told to stop cross-breeding the plants and experimenting with grafts. 

(Only so long he can endure the reminders of what they’ve both buried in this same earth. He has always been a weak man.)

Essek long wrote this off as a fruitless thing. Ashton Greymoore was not consecuted, and calling their brain a biological Beacon would be generous (and swiftly provoke several rebuttal papers if he could publish the findings under another alias), and it had been too long. Frankly, he should have given up after fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, twenty years passed without a youth seeking him out on his rounds.

This child is not even toddling. It’s been over a century since he last met this soul, but he knows - he knows, deep in the pit of arcana in his stomach - that this is that genasi.

At this point the towns in his circuit consider it a queer sort of rite to show Essek their children. He’s learned to entertain them with simple spellcraft, enough of a delight to buy good faith. 

“Whoever birthed this little one dropped him on our doorstep,” the weary old orc is explaining; there’s a rush of sympathy and frustration swimming through his bloodstream. Deirta’s face flashes before his eyes, for no particular reason.

They keep talking. Essek keeps nodding and hopes his poker face has improved, because he is panicking. 

He had thought this out. Be the benevolent, strange sort of uncle (the memory of Jester’s voice trills, like a fairy godmother!) and be conveniently available when anamnesis occurred and otherwise simply… observe. For science. Because this was quite the unique sort of circumstance, and could disprove or bolster centuries of his work (and Caleb’s, the foundation of so much of it).

Essek can’t simply sit back and observe - can’t watch Ashton Greymoore grow up in an orphanage. Not again. 

The small human looks nothing like the Ashton he knew. And giggles and reaches for the flutters and skeins of magic without any hesitation, without pain. And he has a shock of red hair.

So with the heedless decision-making that’s evaded him since Caleb and Jester and Fjord and Beauregard and Veth and Yasha and Kingsley passed he says, “Ah. Well, I could offer-” they? They don’t know that yet, “- him a home.”

[teehee-vibes]

Guys, I think Grizzly hid lore in Dark Puckered Hole.

NOW JUST- JUST HEAR ME OUT. (Mieru, look away).

I’m not just talking about the potential purity culture of the Undersea being exposed through Finn’s self exploration… I’m talking RAFT lore.

In Chapter 69, “Behind Bars,” of Dark Puckered Hole, Finn Tidestrider is imprisoned “somewhere in the eastern sea” with another triton, who is on the brink of death. They fall in love and bang before the anonymous convict passes in Finn’s arms, but that’s not what I’m focusing on. Im focusing on the presence of another triton, an injured one, in the Oversea, especially the Sakura Ocean.

Historically in Mana, Finn Tidestrider was one of, if not, THE FIRST to leave the Undersea behind. A decade or so-so later, in modern day Riptide, there have been practically no other triton. Gillion, who was banished, and Edyn, who left to find and avenge him, are the only ones. Even more so, the only other Undersea characters are found in the Undersea (Unnamed NPCs in The Tank OR Felipe, a grung, being from Liquidus) or having left it behind for personal reasons a la Edyn (Caspian, a water genasi). When the Tidestrider siblings go around Allport, they have to wear cloaks to avoid standing out. There aren’t even other triton in Liquidus!

So how, why, is there another triton in the oversea? Finn himself is shocked by his presence. “In this prison, to find another man from the Undersea… my mind raced with questions.” He doesn’t dwell on this weirdness because his questions are drowned out by the sound of his blood beneath his skin, rushing downward, BUT it’s very bizarre, no?

Another detail: Why was the other triton on the verge of death? Of course, inadequate care, but could he have been thrown back into the cell like that? Whoever imprisoned them did not care about their lives. They could live, or they could die.

To go further, isn’t it kind of weird how Finn Tidestrider doesn’t specify where his imprisonment is? He is a very detailed author. He could have said one of the villages in Onawa Country or anything else to feed more detail into his writing, but he didn’t. I feel like the reason he wouldn’t be specific is because he himself was unsure exactly of where he was. He was taken in secret, likely kept out of sight while being arrested and transported to his cell.

I also have to wonder… who imprisoned them? I think you know what I’m getting at. I think RAFT did. RAFT has the resources. RAFT has the political sway. RAFT has governmental power. And it’s worsened by the fact that this imprisonment occurred in the Eastern Sea, the site of the Promised Bastion, where triton are imprisoned, tortured, skinned, and experimented on…

Judging by the fact that Finn refers to the other triton’s you-know-what as “a lighthouse to guide this lost sailor home,” Finn was likely a part of the Black Rose Pirates at the time. He couldn’t hide his presence in the Oversea as a crewmate for a pirate lord, let alone Captain Rose. Finn was on wanted posters, Finn was in newspaper headlines, Finn was a published author. I think RAFT had its eyes on him, but when they arrested or kidnapped him, it wasn’t for crimes of piracy… at least not on the surface.

I think this experimentation on Undersea people and gods has been going on for a long time, and Dark Puckered Hole could be evidence of this fact. Finn was intended to be a source of skin, of blood, and of magic for RAFT’s experimentation in the artificial leviathan and black ops projects. His lover was too, maybe already was (I say maybe because Finn doesn’t allude to the idea that he was physically ripped apart… that would have been unignorable). Finn probably only made it out because he’s that strong (in episode 82, when Drey is talking to and comforting Jay, he said Finn was terrifying when angry or passionate) or his crew came to his rescue.

I think political and military purposes against the pirates weren’t the only reasons RAFT wanted to ally with the Undersea. “Joining forces” with them led either to less suspicion as they funneled triton out of the ocean and to the recently abandoned Promised Bastion, or coming to dominate them allowed RAFT to simply take triton without enough pushback. Either way, without their Champion to rise against them (the one triton on the hooks accused Gillion of abandoning them), they’ve been taken en masse. And maybe Edyn’s collaboration with the navy permitted her some of this knowledge, and that’s how she knew to hide Gillion from prying eyes in navy territory.

Uhhh tldr: It’s weird that there’s an injured triton in the Eastern Oversea. I think DPH could imply that Finn and his lover were imprisoned by RAFT as test subjects for the artificial leviathan and black ops projects, proving the longevity of Fay Ferin’s plans.

[seniorpollinationtechnician]

Meet the Townies: ᴊᴏʜɴɴʏ

Johnny Zest began his journey to stardom in his late teens by creating short, comedic skits on Social Bunny. A few of his videos went viral, but his primary source of fame was a video where he interviewed attendees at 'UrsineCon', a niche event meant for people who enjoy dressing up as bears, collecting bear memorabilia, and immersing themselves in bear-themed activities. His interview style was characterized by respect and genuine curiosity, which in turn gave a platform for these individuals to share their unique stories and passions. His approach was less about making jokes at their expense and more about highlighting the creativity and experience as a whole. He continued to create videos in this style after it exploded in popularity, attending various events such as the 'Gnome Gala', 'Grilled Cheese Griddle-Off', and the 'Voidcritter Battle Bash'. Johnny eventually became a sought-after guest on a variety of podcasts due to his talent for storytelling and insightful yet humorous commentary. This exposure led him to voice acting, where he lent his distinctive voice to several projects. He even made a memorable guest appearance on the popular Dungeons and Dragons stream 'The Adventurer's Guild' as Zephyr, the air genasi bard. Unfortunately, his life took an unexpected turn when a group of internet sleuths uncovered his birth certificate records, revealing his relation to the wealthy and influential Landgraab family. This revelation sparked a wave of controversy with many of his fans and detractors believing Johnny had misrepresented himself to gain popularity. The backlash was swift after the hashtags #ZestyScandal and #LandgraabLeech began trending. Critics accused him of using his family's wealth and connections to further his career. Various online forums dissected his past with some suggesting that his viral successes were orchestrated by the Landgraab family influence. In response, Johnny took to his platforms to address the accusations. He admitted to being estranged from the Landgraabs and insisted he had built his career independently. Despite his efforts to clarify his position, Johnny had effectively been 'canceled'. After the accusations had somewhat died down, Johnny decided it was time to return to his roots. He wanted to rebuild his reputation and reconnect with his audience in a meaningful way. Thus, "Plumbob Perspective" was born, a groundbreaking talk show hosted on SimTube. In it, Johnny explores a wide range of topics relevant to the community and beyond, from social issues to pop culture, all with his signature blend of humor and insight. The show features in-depth interviews with experts and other social media stars, providing a platform for meaningful conversations and diverse perspectives. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ As "Plumbob Perspective” continues to gain traction, many are wondering if Johnny Zest has truly risen from the ashes of his past controversies. While the show has been well-received, with viewers praising its fresh take on current events and engaging format, some skeptics remain unconvinced. Only time will tell if Johnny has effectively reinvented himself.

[whomstsnek]

loml <3

in order: fire genasi, tabaxi (lion), lizardfolk (gila monster), human, goblin, bugbear, brownie

i'm not super familiar with fire genasis, despite playing one myself, and idrk how they look or if Avantris has a different take on em than WOTC. That said, all of the genasi that I've drawn for this project are based on Gid's canon design, primarily flaming hair and cute lil horns. The colored irises are a trait I attributed based on each character's canon design (ie if they had colored irises before, like Kremy and Frost, then they'll have colored irises as a genasi). Kinda just an on-fire human lol

Not a lot to say about him as a tabaxi, almost no thought went into it other than "haha that looks cool :)". The ONLY rational thought I put into it was that I wanted his mane to be dark like his hair, and kind of lucked out that dark maned lions exist

I had a hell of a time decided what kind of lizardfolk I wanted him to be. I knew going in that I wanted him to be based off a big lizard, ideally a toothed predator to reference his character aspect of being a ginormous and dangerous fighter. For a hot sec I considered making him a crocodile or komodo dragon, but I ended up liking the way gila monsters play into the themes that I wanted as well as his general color palette.

Speaking of, his human design is the most unremarkable yet <3 It's really just is canon design but in like. human tones. No fire. I did base his skin tone off the one I used for his father when I drew my concept of his family a thousand years ago, really wanted him to look like his dad. Nothin too special otherwise

[draw-ren-draw]

Avantris Fan comic Scripts #1

Often when I get ideas for comics, I break my panels into scripts first. For one reason or another, some of these projects never get finished. These scripts are less prose-y than fics but still contain dialogue and basic interactions.

Seeing as I've been under the weather, I thought you might like to see some in this stage anyway. I hope they inspire or entertain! Enjoy~

The Reason Why [My indulgent thoughts over why Kremy continues to remain distant from Torbek (aside from comedy and the Warlock's genuine fear over the other's Witchlight abilities) flavored with a smattering of Coalecroux.] * * * *

Establishing shot- Carnival Lecroux are walking through a forest clearing. The crew has had a long day of traveling and are eager to set up camp. It seems as though their latest victory is due to Torbek. Frost and Gricko are congratulating the bugbear for a job well done. He looks at each in turn, in surprise. Gricko: "Good job Torbek! You really nailed it today!" Frost: "Yes, with this, we might finally get to the next town ahead of schedule. You really gave it your all." Sensing the Alligator Warlock coming up behind him, Torbek whips around, unable to help but anticipate more praise. Kremy doesn't even look at him. Kremy: "Good night Torbek." The lizardfolk wanders off, leaving Torbek to sag with disappointment and a sad groan. Gideon enters the frame, looking inquisitive. He follows to where Kremy went and finds the other already sitting by a campfire, on a log, fishing out something to smoke. The warlock doesn't bat an eye when Gideon strides up to join him, both comfortably doing as they have done for years now; an expected and normal routine. As the genasi settles next to him, he turns to Kremy, curiosity more than judgement furrowing his brow. Gideon: "Hey, how come you're so hard on Torbek?" Kremy continues to look ahead, puffing a smoke "I don't know whatcha mean, Gid. I've treated him like I always treat him." Gideon: "Yeah, exactly, even after all we been through?" He can't help but crack a small laugh at that. Gideon: "I mean, yeah, he's Torbek. But ain't telling people what they like to hear something yer good at? That's kinda your thing!" He pulls out his own cigar to take a puff, still jovial and relaxed. Gideon: "You know even one nice thing would have him ready to die for ya! It's like you can't even look at em!" Kremy breaks, finally looking at Gideon, flustered by the subject (and possibly how handsome Gideon looks in the previous panel) Kremy: "That's precisely why I can't, Gid!! Do you know what I see every time I do? Do you know what I SAW when I looked him over? Every time he gives me that big stupid hopeful smile?!.. My mistakes."

"…" Gideon pauses. Who is this and what have they done with Kremy? He breaks the tension with another laugh. Gideon: "What are you talking about, man? I thought we all agreed, we were only like, a little at fault and he's already forgave us for that!" Kremy, turning serious: "I ain't talking about just the witchlight."

Gid goes quiet.

Kremy: "Do you ever stop to think about why Torbek was picked? Out of everyone in the whole carnival?" Gideon: "Well yeah, we all said, the thing with the herris whee--" Kremy: "It's because they thought nobody would miss him. No one would notice if they took him away." A look of disgust fills Kremy's face. Kremy: "He was poor, he was stupid--" Gideon: "--Smelly?" Kremy: "Smelly. He was living in a dumpster!" The Warlock angrily tosses his cigarette, we follow the action as it hits the ground and bounces at the bottom of the panel. Kremy: "Cause I wasn't payin him! He was my employee Gid, and if he was just a little more put together, maybe so much might not have happened to him! How am I supposed to look him in the eye after that?!"

We hold on Kremy for a beat. Gideon offers his cigar from out of frame and Kremy takes a drag hesitantly.

Kremy: "Thing is--" He puffs out the smoke "I keep thinking about how much time gets thrown around here. And I ask myself… if I went back to those times, if I'd still keep his checks and end up handing him over all over again. And I think I would. I'm at war with myself for that." Gideon stares at Kremy, expression carefully guarded but concerned. For a bit of meta humor we hear the DM represented as a text box above him. Nikki: "Gideon not being good at words but knowing Kremy enough to understand his conflict and that it takes a lot of guts to admit that to yourself and know yourself that well puts his arm around the alligator." Gideon: "Well. That's a lot of maybes for ya Kremy. I didn't think you even thought about those. But you can start by making it up to him now. Then, maybe one day? Those maybes might be different."

We view the pair from the back now. With the genasi's arm slung around alligator's shoulder we finally see a flash of a smile from the other con artist.

Kremy: "Reckon you may be right gid. Reckon you may be right." (But he still isn't paying him any time soon)

[wasyago]

Dear Wasyago,

Strange, I have always thought it was spelled as Wasayago. But recently I've realized, I can't read very well.

I want to send appreciation today, to you.

You've taught me a lot about art. You've taught me a lot how to draw certain things, and you have opened my eyes to new perspective of art, ever since I started following you. Colours are brighter, I experiment more, I can see a specter of visuals that was previously hidden from me. It's like gaining shrimp colors.

Your art feels like an art classroom. There's sun pouring in from the windows, and there's tree leaves in front of them. Every time you come in you see different art projects. Paints add on to the tables, that will never scrub off again. There's dirty cups with paint water, and brushes, in the sink. It's lunch break, and there's people here. Some are just doing their math homework right before class, some are working on their sculpture, some are picking out paints, some are working on their new piece, on a fresh canvas. And it is so alive.

Your art feels so alive. Like the leaves, the people, the stains. It's really nice to see, every single time you post, how lovingly you bring a character into the world (My favorite so far is that one doodle of Modern au Gillion eating noodles, I have it in my favorites gallery).

I would like to see some unfinished, maybe forever to be so, doodles that you weren't especially proud of. We'll love it all.

Respectfully,

Marcus Bloodsmith

oh, thank you so much, this is so sweet qwq

im happy to know that you feel this way about my art, and im glad i could help you with some advice! it feels a bit weird to show unfinished or scrapped art under such a nice message, but yeah why not. and its funny that you mentioned the gillion eating noodles one, because its also one of the pieces that i really didn't like and didn't want to post hdgsh. i dont have that many unfinished drawings left because i delete or redraw most of them, but i have a couple that might be fun to share... and i guess it's gonna be a long post bc i wanna tell a little about each one or at least name them.

there's this art of chip, the first time i properly tried to figure out a way to draw him back when i just started listening. redrew this piece later, kept the sketch on the left, but the right one i changed completely because i didn't like the vibe this one has.

there's this attempt at redesigning caspian after i found out he was a water genasi, plus the first version of that art of caspian, pretzel and gill. this design didn't feel "caspian" enough, it looked too soft and kind where i wanted him to be more layed back and chill and sarcastic and with a bit of an edge. redrew both pieces later. the underwater drawing also has an unfinished background in this version, i added some fishies later so it didn't feel that empty.

some random sketch of gillion to show off how the lightning scars look on his face and neck. i quite like it, but it didn't really fit in the post with three proper drawings and one sketch so i decided to scrap it.

there's this drawing where i tried to figure out how the capital of the undersea looked like. i really didn't know where i was going with it and didn't have a good idea when i started drawing, so its a mess of things with nothing to really focus on. i tried to add a character on it later to breathe some life into it, but it didn't work out since i didn't focus it on the character from the beginning. plus i don't like how the colors turned out, and the entire concept of the environment feels weak and boring to me. i still want to draw more concepts of the undersea and try a couple other ideas, but probably at a later date...

the first version of whatever try it was to design gill's armor. (fun fact, i have more armor designs scheduled for tomorrow). this one i redrew almost immediately, i really didn't like how it turned out and how the legs were cut off and it looked so messy with no real accent point or personality. plus the smaller copy of the drawing in the corner just didn't look good. im not exactly proud of the redrawn version either (that's why i did another one yesterday lol), but im glad i redrew it anyway, it looks a lot better than this one.

the first sketch of that one gillion drawing. i couldn't figure out the colors for it for so long and wanted to drop the idea entirely. but i left it to sit for a couple hours and eventually got the motivation to come back to it and finish it. for most of the illustration pieces i did for jrwi there were multiple versions, where i just didn't like the first one and redrew the whole thing with a different composition and colors. didn't save any of those drawings tho...

this drawing of jay but with green wings and a slightly different color shirt. it was actually the first version of this drawing, and i changed the colors to blue later. wanted to post both of them side by side but then decided against it. that's why this drawing survived and was properly saved and not just deleted.

more recent attempts at designing the chaingel. i like the concept, and the pose in the second sketch is pretty badass, but the execution is just not there. it doesn't feel right, doesn't have the right kind of vibe that this character gives off. so im sure i will try and draw her later when i figure out what's missing and how to show her personality in the way it feels in my head. but these two sketches were never going to see the light of day, so now they're here.

aand this is it, this is everything that wasn't deleted in the past month for one or another reason. i feel like im more chill with deleting and redrawing things, so a lot of initial sketches and concepts never get saved or seen by anyone. im also on mobile so i can attach only ten files lol. not that it matters, the last two were just random figure drawings for warm up, not much to talk about.