#also otters are really weird

[plaguedoctoraeneas]

Give it up for day 13! Finally got back into OCtober—and I kinda swung for the fences?

My initial plan was, at best, to redraw a meme or two with Siren’s Silence Characters. Somehow I tripped and ended up with this! An in-meme for The Siren’s Silence that, apparently, will haunt me until the day I die. And probably beyond that, honestly.

Kenji was created by @finisnihil and is the very beloved pet of @twigthetoast

The back says “Where’s your Lrul” as a play on those “do you know where your child is” PSAs

[mira0000000-blog]

not sure yet and not very sonic but im thinking about itflo

[oh-meow-swirls]

i feel like there should be more usapyon variants he kinda gets the short end of the stick compared to jibanyan n komasan. i mean it doesn't really make sense for there to be variants of him unlike with jibanyan and komasan where there being multiple nekomata and komainu obviously makes sense but still-

[screambirdscreaming]

oh I like this game!

beaver/canada goose

wood duck/muskrat

cormorant/river otter

osprey/fisher

.....

quail/chipmunk

porcupine/sage grouse

.....

WHALEBATROSS

It annoys me unreasonably when you want to ask people "what bird and what mammal would make the worst gryphon" as a fun thought exercise, and people with no joy and no imagination always interpret it as "a gryphon that sucks, is physically impossible, and would hate being alive", and - being predictable and lacking in imagination - always, always answer with "a hummingbird and a blue whale lol".

Like come on. Why do you have to suck the fun out of everything. Why not use a fraction of imagination and delightful whimsy. Imagine the combination of a mouse and a sparrow. That creature would be merciless, burtal, absolutely determined to get into your trash and has the power of both wings and hands to do its will. Or a crow and a cat - that thing is smart enough to fuck with people and not afraid to do it. Imagine the ungodly shriek of the noble fox-seagull, also determined to get into your trash.

A gryphon that is a combination of a kangaroo and a cassowary. The only proof we have of a loving god is the fact that those things do not exist. If hell is real, it's full of them. That thing can't fly, but it will run you down, it will kill you, and you will look stupid the whole entire time you're dying.

Why would the first thing that pops into your mind at the words "the worst gryphon" automatically be "a gryphon that hates being alive". Can you not picture a gryphon that fucking loves being alive, and has both the power and the will to make it everyone else's problem.

[foxmulderautism]

sorry can't relate to the trans guys who take T and don't like when it gives them hair im looking at my body and giggling and kicking my feet rn

[mikasa-imadebiscults]

HIHI I LOVE UR WORK!!

Could u please do the kny Hashira with s/o who is like, the funniest mf to walk the planet. Like, they know how to hit their humour PERFECTLY and they just makes them laugh so much!!!

(Hey hey, Anon! I really hope I pleased you with the request, it was a little difficult to come up with hcs so I hope you enjoyed. Have a nice day!)

Hashira w/ a Funny S/O

(Characters Included- All the Hashira)

(Warning: Nothing, just fluff and GN! Reader)

🔥Kyojuro Rengoku🔥

- Not afraid to laugh at your jokes, he makes it known that he thinks it’s funny. You can hear him laughing from a mile away.

- Sometimes you make him laugh so hard that he slaps his knee or throws his head back.

- Will tell you afterwards that his ribs and cheeks hurt from laughing so much, but he’ll still be smiling.

🌪️Sanemi Shinazugawa🌪️

- When you first made him laugh, he was surprised at first since it was rare for him to laugh, let alone laugh at someone’s joke.

- Though when you keep on making him laugh he gets suspicious. “What are they on about?” He often thinks to himself.

- One time when you made him laugh, he chuckled louder than usual and it caught you off guard so you were just staring at him all starstruck. Then he got embarrassed and turned away from you, telling you to stop staring.

🪨Gyomei Himejima🪨

- He finds your funny personality very endearing.

- Loves to hear any new jokes you come up with and praises you on your talent.

- If you’re having a laughing fit because of your own jokes, he’ll chuckle before smiling at you softly.

- When he found out that you could even make Sanemi and Obanai laugh he was glad that you could make his fellow Hashira happy.

🦋Shinobu Kocho🦋

- She admires how well and quickly you can make others bust out in laughter. It warms her heart.

- Shinobu’s laugh is always low and giggly. You love it. (I love it too)

- It feels weird to her to genuinely smile this much but she doesn’t mind it and learns to grow used to it when she’s with you. (Kanae above approves of you)

🍡Mitsuri Kanroji🍡

- You make her laugh so much that her face gets red. She always tries to cover it too.

- (If you’re a Hashira) She tries so hard not to laugh at one of your little jokes during the Hashira meetings. (Ultimately, she fails but the other Hashira can’t blame her)

- For the love of Mitsuri, please do not make her laugh while she’s eating or drinking something unless you wanna make her choke (and not in a good way)

🌊Giyuu Tomioka🌊

- Before meeting you, it was extremely rare to make him laugh. He probably never even laughed since Sabito’s passing. Then he met you and changed everything.

- Whenever he laughs he doesn’t laugh for very long or loud, mainly he chuckles.

- Also fun fact, he doesn’t understand dark humor, he’ll be more concerned than anything.

🔊Uzui Tengen🔊

- He is the type of person who playfully hits your back whenever you make him laugh.

- You also most likely loss roughly 30% of your hearing from his loud laughter.

- Whenever he sees you making Hina, Makio, and Suma laugh he will softly smile at all of his partners having a good time.

🐍Iguro Obanai🐍

- When he first met you he already heard about you from the other Hashira like Rengoku and Uzui. He referred to you as “The Laughing Person” because you make everyone laugh.

- Like Tomioka, he mainly chuckles, but after he’s done laughing and sees you still laughing at yourself he’ll smile to himself.

☁️Muichiro Tokito☁️

- He grows fond of you over time. Before he regained his memories he would think of you as an otter because they say that it represents laughter and joy. (I think it represents that, I looked it up so it might not be correct)

- After he regained his memories, he would be much more expressive when he’s laughing.

- Muichiro always looks forward to your jokes everyday.

Masterlist

[ryoki-ph]

dream was so stressful that i was having a headache and then the headache immediately went when i woke up. anyway

[jellojelli]

Fontaine Boys: Calling them by their names

Lyney

This guy pretty much made it a thing after you started using pet names that you no longer knew a Lyney, only a baby, sweetie, honey, sugar, etc. So, don't think that pulling this prank will go over his head or that he'll let you off easy for trying to tease him like this. Because Lyney? He will never forget this injustice until he can return that favor tenfold

When you say it, just as he is leaving for work/practice with Lynette, he stalls in the hallway as he tries to process what you just did to him, because surely his sweet, loving, and gorgeous lover would never stop using his pet names without a justifiable reason. This man goes through 4 stages of grief in .2 seconds and basically sprints to the nearest calendar to see the date, anniversary, or birthday he surely must've forgotten

Because, surely, he missed something, right? right?

"Love... did I forget something?" Lyney sounds so different from usual. Almost panicked really.

This can go one of two ways:

If you can keep a straight face and keep calling him Lyney he gets more and more panicked, basically begging at your feet to tell him what he did to deserve such cold, heartless, and diabolical treatment until you give and tell him its a prank

If you can't keep a straight face Lyney can see the devious little smile on your face and pretty much gawks at you in disbelief

either way it ends with him giving you a taste of your own medicine for the rest of the day. Because really, how could you do this to him right before his practice?

So if you can't handle that, don't do that to Lyney because he can be just as teasing and mean about it no matter how much he loves you, and if you keep it up through the whole day too he will continue it into the next day until you stop

or maybe he'll do something about that attitude of yours? ;)

Freminet

Are you a monster?

Genuinely why would you do this to him after all the work it took to get him to accept and also call you petnames?

Fremi thinks the world is ending tbh. He was on his way out to go diving and you just??? dropped this on him?? Are you breaking up with him?? Is he in trouble?? Please tell him it is a prank immediately or he will cry

Just like his brother he rushes to a calendar and checks every box to make sure he didn't miss anything today and for the last month or so just to be sure. And the panic that sets in when he sees that he didn't, now he's really sure you're about to say you don't love him anymore

It doesn't even matter if you can keep a straight face or not because he is in full panic mode and can't think straight enough to see that you're just pulling his leg

This poor boy is taking off his backpack and shoes and either sitting across from you or standing right in front of you with the most pitiful face asking you what's wrong

"My little marintine rose.... y/n honey....what's wrong? Did I... make you angry? Is it the diving? You can come with me, you know I love it when you come with me" Cue the biggest puppy eyes with tears

Please tell him soon that this is just a prank because again, he can and will cry if you keep this up any longer than a few minutes.

Neuvillette

He deadass walks out the door and takes a few minutes outside before he turns around and makes his way back inside calmly. Neuvillette is positive he misheard. His mind is playing tricks, or maybe he's getting old and his hearing is failing him because there is no way you just called him Neuvillette, his full government name, and not Neuvi, baby, honey, love, or something like that

He'd even accept a weird pet name like your fridge or your little hilichurl

The thing about Neuvillette is he knows he didn't forget anything. He will not rush to a calendar or even think to do so because he remembers everything you tell him, even things you say in passing. Like that dress you told him about 2 months ago, or the cute sea otter that you said reminded you of him

"Mon amour.... my love, my life, I think I forgot to tell you that I love you and that I'm leaving" He tries to play it cool, Nevi thinks if he can pretend he forgot to say anything that you'll correct yourself

When you don't, you're pretty sure you can hear thunder rumble in the distance as a storm tries to roll in

Say it's a prank right now or it'll storm for a week straight, he may be a big and tough dragon but he cannot handle this from you

If you crack and smile or start laughing Neuvi is not pleased, he's not pleased regardless when you reveal it's a prank

The storm is rolling in for different reasons now

He won't play the prank back on you but expect some long, displeased stares and some major frowns from him

You almost made his heart beat out of his chest in panic

Wriothesley

Wriothesley almost laughs when you call him by his full name and not at least a Wrio

like there is no way he doesn't know you're being a menace right now

so please be prepared for the entire next week because Wrio is ruthless when it comes to payback and he will get his just desserts

I mean really, Wrio is vicious when it comes to throwing this back in your face

"Oh hey there y/n, buddy, pal, my best friend" for a week straight...

So rude....

He will tell you upfront before he leaves for work when you do this that since he's just some guy you know now that he'll call you his friend from now on

and he will just walk right out the door after that. Not even a glance back or a teasing smirk, just leaves the house and goes to work unbothered for the rest of the day

that's what you think anyway, even though he knows this is a prank he actually is really bothered and talks to Sigwennie about what happened and he's pouting and sulking at work

even the inmates at the fortress can see that their boss is bothered by something

Please say sorry soon and start calling him his cute pet names or he's going to struggle at work and Sigwinne can't deal with this for anymore than a day because Wrio can be insufferable

[starbunii]

I'm not sure if you're still doing requests, so if you aren't please just ignore this 😓

If you are tho, could I request Venti, Wanderer, Feminet, and Lyney (idk your character limit so if that's too many please just get rid of whichever you want) with a reader who hates PDA. Not like the reader necessarily minds others doing it, they just don't like being a part of it. Maybe reader had a past relationship where their partner took it too far all the time and made them uncomfortable frequently so reader kind of shuts down when one of the characters try it.

(I really love your wrighting btw! Not even exaggerating, you're my number 1 favorite author! I've never requested anything so I'm sorry if I did this wrong or rudely!)

- <3

# . public display of annoyance 𓂃 ♥︎

𝜗𝜚 ┈ venti, wanderer, freminet, lyney x reader (seperate) ! ｡

notes: honestly i really do love this request!! i can kind of relate to it, since i kind of hate being touched lol. also im super excited to be writing for fremi for the first time; i really do love him a lot!! thank you for being so sweet anon <3

headcanons ノ fluffノgn! reader ノcanon universe

second person pov !! please enjoy! ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶

– ♡ –

venti

as usual, this man is 75% pout. he just wants to hold you and kiss you and pinch your wittle cheeks!!!!

when you don't respond, he's incredibly confused. that confusion turns into concern once he sees your face

he's immediately whisking you somewhere a bit more hidden, making sure you're all right. Safe to say, he won't try any PDA for a while; not until you're comfortable, at least

wanderer

Honestly, I'm not even sure he would really partake in PDA. I think he would have to be in the mood for it; which he rarely is

However, I don't think he would try to do anything without asking first. He's weird about touch too

He'd try to hold your hand, before quickly pulling away out of sheer awkwardness. He'd offer you a small chuckle and a tiny smile, before continuing to walk by your side

freminet

He wants to hold you and kiss you all over and squeeze you until you pop, but in front of people...? no. he's far too reserved for that

Essentially, he's not too fond of PDA either. He's not used to being touched aside from the occasional pat on the shoulder; and even that's just used in a professional context

He'd attempt to hold you more in private, but even that would take him a minute to get used to. he's more adjusted to being close with/observing otters and fish... you are very clearly not an otter or a fish..

lyney

unlike his brother, lyney is all over you all the time. yes, even in public

of course, he tones it down once he realizes it's not exactly your cup of tea, but it does not stop him from bragging about you every chance he gets. he doesn't have to be holding you to show you off

you're still his show stopper regardless. he'll love up on you in private, and then very loudly brag about you to anyone who dares to have ears

starbunii 2024 — all rights reserved. do not redistribute or translate to any other platforms

[penny00dreadful]

Just had a thought about Steve and Eddie headed out to the gay bar for the night. Not quite there yet, but just on the cusp of something. Like less than an inch from the edge.

When Steve’s ex made an appearance.

Clearly smug, clearly trying to flaunt how he had moved on, how he was doing so much better than Steve right now with the guy he'd arrived with.

They don’t really talk, Steve was pretty content to ignore the attempts to reel him into conversation, happy to continue on with the only acknowledgment being a roll of his eyes in Eddie's direction.

Until the guy, clearly frustrated at a lack of response, tried to pick on Eddie.

And, like, Eddie didn’t need people to stick up for him, he could do it on his own. He was wild and weird and unsettling and he leaned into it when he needed to, with relish.

But he also knew Steve and knew that Steve was not going to stand by and let the insinuation that Eddie couldn’t fuck him as good as the ex pass without a response.

So he just leaned back against the bar with a grin and a little nod that said ‘get her, Jade’ while he watched High Bitch King Steve come out.

Steve verbally eviscerated his ex while expertly weaving in a bit of pity and commiseration towards the little otter the ex had come in with who was looking increasingly uncomfortable.

And when the ex snapped “Don’t lie to win an argument. You always enjoyed everything I gave you.”

Steve just stopped dead.

Then his breathing started to pick up.

Soft little whimpers fell out of his open mouth as he panted.

He tipped his head back and fluttered his eyelashes, little whimpers turning to soft moans turning to breathy chants of “Don’t stop. Please. Oh my-”

Steve was standing in front of the bar giving a one man show and completely uncaring about those overhearing, getting progressively louder and louder, calling out "Oh, yes! Yes! Harder! Oh, fuck!"

Eddie took a glance around to see the other patrons looking on in confusion or intrigue, some even looking thoroughly entertained, like they knew exactly what was happening.

With one last shuddering cry, Steve rolled his whole body forward, allowing his breathing to even out before tipping his head back down with a sigh.

He let out a muttered “Sorry, just gotta clean up real quick, I’ll be back in a minute.” before he allowed his face to melt back into one of pure condescension.

“Like that?” He asked plainly, almost bored.

Eddie couldn’t help himself anymore. He pushed off the bar and got right up in Steve’s space.

“I’ve never been more attracted to you than I am in this moment.”

And Steve just fixed him with a devilish smirk, not even bothering to look back at his ex as he took Eddie by the hand and called over his shoulder “Sorry, got somewhere else to be.” before dragging him off to the bathroom.

This message has been brought to you by the mother of all head colds and surprisingly not When Harry Met Sally, but instead Legally Blonde the Musical.

[zombie-eats-world]

Luffy's Linage and the Connections to God's Valley

I think we all know that the history of God's Valley is going to be very important to the story and to our protagonist, Luffy. But I think I've realized why it will be the biggest reveal in the story and intertwined intimately with Luffy's creation and destiny. This might sound crazy but I believe wholeheartedly that:

Luffy is the grandchild of Rocks D. Xebec.

Luffy is the child of Crocodile.

Crocodile's mysterious history is interlinked with every important character in the Grandline. Now, let me explain.

Let's first lay out what we know about the God's Valley incident. We know the Celestial Dragons were on the island, which prompted a young Garp to trust a young Gol D. Roger with an alliance to fight against the Rocks Pirates. Together they won, the incident was covered up, the island disappeared, and Roger found a baby Shanks in a treasure chest as he sailed away.

There is so much about that incident that we don't know, but we do understand just how much it has impacted the world of One Piece. And that goes double for the relationships born from the incident.

Whitebeard and Roger's friendly rivalry, Big Mom's vitriol for Roger, but by far the most interesting thing to come out of the incident is Roger and Garp's mutual respect. Roger respected Garp so much that he trusted the marine with knowledge of his child who was about to be born.

This is the million-dollar question, why would Roger entrust his child's (and at this time, Rouge's) life to this marine who could have become a massively different person in the years since they last met. For all Roger knew Garp was now corrupted by the marines and agreed that Roger's bloodline needed to be eradicated. Well, I believe Roger trusted Garp because he witnessed Garp save a child before against the World Government's wishes; I believe Garp saved Rock's child.

We all understand by now that one of the overarching themes of the story is 'history repeating itself', which is why I think the hunt for Roger's child happened once before with the God's Valley incident. The WG would obviously want to completely erase Rocks from existence (they basically have to with how little we know about him), which would include any children he had fathered to carry on his bloodline. As the fight on God's Valley raged a group of marines, or possibly Cipher Pol, would arrive with the orders to kill anyone with even a passing relation to Rocks. The survivors of this being Rocks top members (Whitebeard, Big Mom, etc.) AND his child; who I am willing to bet real money on was Crocodile.

Crocodile is one of the most interesting characters in the story by far. And while that might be a lot of bias from me, I still think the evidence speaks for itself.

Crocodile is one of the only major villain's that we lack a backstory for, we know more about Warpol's backstory than we do the very first Warlord we ever fought and defeated in story. The man has a strange relationship with animals that is never once explained. Lizard mail runners that we never see utilized by anyone else? Yep, Crocodile's got them. A trained otter and condor being given more trust than the humans in his secret organization? Yes, Crocodile did allow that. Gigantic reptiles that are known to attack Sea Kings? Crocodile kept them as pets and had them so well trained Robin was able to casually pet one! (This doesn't really add to the theory beyond showcasing an odd character trait giving to Crocodile of all people and without any explanation. No one even thought we'd see him again before impel down!)

We also know that Crocodile's inspiration was Roger, from the cover on chapter 408 we learn that Crocodile dreams of being Roger. (very similar to Yamato's dream of being Odin, just more history repeating itself.)

I'm not understating this, Crocodile as a character is so weird. He's got connections to everyone, (Whitebeard, the Revolutionaries, Ivankov, Mihawk, etc.) and yet we've never got any explanation for any of this. We know from how intertwined Crocodile is with the Grandline that he's been a pirate a very long time yet no one in the story seems to know anything about him outside of his Warlord status. In fact, Crocodile seems to be comfortable with the secrets, even being alright with Buggy taking the credit for Cross Guild.

This mans strange relationships with powerful characters like Whitebeard is the reason for the prevalent theory that Crocodile is Whitebeard's only biological child instead of Rocks.... but what if it was both?

No matter how I think about it I've never been able to get over the strangeness of Crocodile and Whitebeard's dynamic in Marineford. Whitebeard definitely doesn't treat Crocodile like someone he cares about, less so like a child that would automatically count in the family that was HIS DREAM. But there is a familiarity in how they address each other, like their history goes back far further than the battle we know they had when Crocodile was a young pirate.

So I propose this:

Crocodile was Rocks child, witnessed Roger take his own father down after standing up to him. This is the reason for Crocodile's dream seemingly being to be Roger. And this would eventually be mirrored in the relationship between Kaido, Yamato, and Oden.

Garp impressed Roger by helping Crocodile to safety instead of following orders and killing him. This would stick with Roger over the years and be why while sitting in prison waiting for execution he decided to put his child's life in Garp's hands.

The safety Crocodile was brought to was Whitebeard. Crocodile was 8 when God's Valley happened, so Whitebeard raised the boy for a few years before Crocodile either ran away or was sent away. We don't know why Crocodile and Whitebeard's relationship turned sour but whatever it was caused Crocodile to see him as an opponent he dreamed of defeating.

This all spurs Crocodile to go to East Blue to witness Roger's end and motivates his desire to defeat Whitebeard as he is now the father figure he must overcome in order to be like Roger. (Kinda like Ace's original desire to defeat Whitebeard huh? Again more history repeating itself.)

Now onto what this means for Luffy, and the story as a whole.

I've already outlined all the evidence for the Trans! Crocodile and Crocodad/Dadodile in many, many, many posts. So I'm not doing that here, you can find my main posts on it here and here. In this post, I want to discuss the ramifications of Crocodile being Rock's child and Luffy's birth parent if this theory proved true.

First of all, this would mean the person that literally gave birth to the dawn and the future sun god Nika/Joyboy incarnate had their life undeniably changed at GOD'S VALLEY. I don't think I need to explain the almost heavy-handed symbolism with that entire naming scheme.

It would also mean that almost everyone who had an impact on Luffy's life was at God's Valley. The person who gave birth to him (Crocodile), the person who inspired his dream (Shanks and Roger), the person to raised him and trained him (Garp), and the person to validated his dream to the world (Whitebeard). All that is missing is Dragon, but for all we know he was there too!

Also I simply love the symbolize that revolves around this entire theory. Luffy would be born from the son of the man who was push into the spot light after God's Valley, praised as a hero. And came from the child of the man who was wiped from history, his family memory thrown to the darkness. Its a clash of opposites, light and dark, a total contradiction, also could be described as a dawn. Not even mentioning the beautiful irony of Joyboy being born from someone taking the name of a predator known for its menacing smile.

If this proved to be true, Crocodile would be centered and primed to possibly be the link between the crew and Gods Valley. Maybe the last Road Poneglyph is there!

But what do others think? I'd love to have a discussion about this if anyone finds counter evidence, or finds evidence that gives more credence to this theory!

Here's an additional link to a great post about this topic I found while looking for evidence.

[facewithoutheart]

Five plus One, fic recs

A post is going around about fics you consider classics in the Snowbaz fandom. I’d like to take it a step further by asking …

What are five fics you consider your inspiration/influences for writing, plus one of your fics which you think best represents what you want to bring to the fandom?

5. Hang the Moon by @captain-aralias

@captain-aralias is, to me, the snowbaz fandom fic writer of our time. Her commitment to detail, to nailing Rainbow’s voice, while infusing every fic with a heart and purpose that will leave you changed. Every fic of hers is chef’s-kiss-perfection but I’m highlighting Hang the Moon specifically as a fic I often think about (Baz, wet tennis clothes, helping Simon fight the merwolves), and a fic that was my introduction to what fanfics could be/do. I think I finished this fic and just stared at the wall for an hour because I was just like, oh. Oh.

4. The Pitch by basic-bathsheba

Local Hero is one of my favorite fanfics but I wanted to highlight this fic because it’s just such a powerful and understated story. It’s love in the details. This Simon is the model for all of my Simon’s, just a complete simp for Baz haha but also a man who is comfortable and confident being the man who loves Baz even if he doesn’t get to claim it publicly.

3. Stay Up With Me by @sharkmartini

Not sure what to say about this that hasn’t been said a million times. It’ll break your heart; it’ll put you back together. The concept is brilliant and the exploration of two Simon’s will definitely put your emotions through a wringer. Time travel/what-if fics will always grab my attention but this one in particular makes the same case Rainbow posed in Carry On: what if the villain isn’t the villain? And takes it a step further, because Simon realizes he could be the villain, too. Absolutely beautiful.

2. Can’t Find My Way Home by @carryonsimoncarryonbaz

This is one of those fics that just has so much heart and sweetness. I love a good second chance AU, and this one has such Hallmark vibes in the best way. I just love the slow burn of it, and the amazing ending. A perfect holiday fic to snuggle up with. Reading this feels like being cozy up by the fire with someone you love. Actually writing this makes me wanna reread this so much; now that I live with actual Fall I wanna feel cozy like this again.

1. Basil Pitch’s Diary by @bookish-bogwitch

I know it’s a bit weird to rec a WIP as an influence, especially one that’s being written as we speak, but working with/beta-ing Em’s works have made me a sharper, smarter writer. I know this fic is a classic in the works and it’s something I think about on a weekly basis. The Baz Em gives us, to me, feels like canon Baz taken to the next level. What if Baz was the villain … but only to himself? Em’s writing really is just economical in the best way; every line hits, every paragraph teaches me something. And then the heart. It’s genuinely so hard to do what she does and I’m so lucky to get to see her work in realtime.

+1 This Will All Go Down In Flames

I think, at the end of my fandom career, I want this to be the snowbaz fic people associate with me (Spadey being a close second hahaha). But I do feel like it’s got a lot of fandom in-jokes, humor, and sweetness, plus the fun high-stakes of them being in the spotlight. I got to celebrate the Austin I love and miss, as well as poke fun at my own hipster upbringing. I put a lot of Me™ in this fic and it always feels so lovely when people like it. Besides, I got to work with the amazing @tea-brigade and their art just takes this fic to the next level. A dream collab.

(Throwing in the caveat that I started reading long before I got an ao3 account so it’s very likely I’ve missed some amazing fics from before 2021; I’m so sorry!)

Tagging everyone listed above and six more peeps to start: @cutestkilla, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @larkral, @ileadacharmedlife, @thewholelemon & @aristocratic-otter

[kelocitta]

Hey I was just wanting to ask if you some tips on drawing Slugcat legs. I really want to be able to draw these little cuties and I have everything else done but the legs (specifically poses and action) is really tough for me

It'll depend heavily on how you actually wanna do their legs, but since your asking me I'll assume you like how i do them- I draw them digitigrade when in motion, which basically means that the weight of the animal is carried on the on the toes (the other is plantigrade, which means the back of the foot makes contact with the ground when moving.) This is important since it changes how the leg tends to be formed and rest, but slugcats have a lot of flexibility here.

The other thing to keep in mind is that slugcats are *sleek* and tend to be smooth no matter what pose they're in, so you can hide the specifics of the legs under this and squash and stretch them as you see fit. Think about how fur or feathers tend to hide exactly how the body looks (and thats why so many animals look weird when wet and all that stuff lays flat) As for how I do it, I try to keep slugcats to a tube or triangle shape with most of the weight/fat being in the hips and tail. In most cases, you can get away with just imaging the leg as a flexible ball, and treat the foot as a point (like your pulling on a water balloon). The further the foot from the body, the more that ball stretches. The specifics of whats going *on* in the ball can be hidden unless its its really stretched out

Mentally I don't put much thought into it, but if you need more structure think of the bones of the leg as three sections- the foot, fibula/tibia (Lower leg bones) and femur (Upper leg bone/thigh). Digitigrade and plantigrade tend to favor certain positioning, but ultimately the only major focus is on how the foot functions. Digitigrade in particular tends to favor this sort of 'z' formation even when fully stretched (Humans, in contrast, are plantigrade, and our legs can be fully straighten out even if they still fold the same way). So if your going for that you'll always want to keep a bit of a 'z' shape even if your stretching it waaay out. When at rest, I keep the foot of the slugcat flat. But anytime it's in motion or would be active they shift weight to their toes. You could keep them fully plantigrade, but personally I think digitigrade allows for easier shows of motion and more natural looking action shots with the upright posture if you dont want to stretch the leg out fully. Also i just like the look of it more. (If you want to get into biology more, this would normally be hard on the legs weight-wise, but I like to imagine slugcats are mixed tripedal rather than strict bipeds, and make use of their tails as a third grounding point.)

And heres a very quick run over some of the official cutscenes to show similar:

I personally just wing it when it comes to the sizes of those sections, but a general rule of thumb is that everything gets shorter as you go down- the upper leg has the longest bones, then the middle leg, then the foot. A lot of that is hidden in the body of the slugcat, but keeping that in mind might help keep the leg length feeling natural. (But the biggest secret is that your drawing a fake, stretchy blobby animal so you can bs a lot and be imperfect and honestly just do whatever in a lot of cases and not end up with something that noticeably wrong. This DOES get a little harder if you draw them more lithe or cat like, just because that exposes the leg more) And lastly, if cutscene art isnt helping and you might benefit from a real life reference- rather than using an actual cat I would actually recommend mustelid like a ferret, otter or stoat. They're plantigrade rather than digitigrade, but their form and posturing is a little bit closer to the slugcat and it might help with visualizing the way the legs can sink into the body. I will give a heads up that these are little predators so general search results do tend to show them hunting small animals like mice, if your sensitive to that stick to domestic ferrets for safer results.

Just remember to fatten them up- they're way longer and thinner than slugcats are

[noblecorgi]

WIP WEDNESDAY

Beta extraordinaire @rbkzz reminded me it’s Wednesday in the Americas so I had time to post a WIPsday even though it’s Thursday afternoon.

Please see a sneak peak of chapter 15 of On The Rocks:

“But then you were there and all-“ Snow wiggles his hand at me and makes an odd face.

“All what, Snow?”

“Fucking, you! Like, you know what you look like right?”

I cock my eyebrow in question.

“You’re like-” he breaks off into a weird grunt and flaps his hands at me. “Like I dunno why you like to dress other people. You’re a bloody model. You look like that bloke from the band all the girls went nuts for in school, except I’m pretty sure he hit his girlfriend so he’s a fucking cunt, but you- you’re like if all the fittest arseholes were also super fashionable and really caring but you kind of hide it by being a bit of a grumpy fuck, but like in that way that’s super cute - you know like that cat that always looked well pissed? You’re like that cat if the cat was a smokeshow. And not a cat. Cause that’s weird.”

My cheeks burn - what is he saying?

“And I think I just like… it was easier to be a bit of a dick than to think about what it meant that you made me all weird and twisty.”

“Twisty?” I whisper.

@artsyunderstudy @alexalexinii @angelsfalling16 @asocialpessimist @ahbutwhatisaheavenfor @aristocratic-otter @arthurkko @emeryhall @emjaydellyone @erzbethluna @wellbelesbian @palimpsessed @prettygoododds @philaet0s @run-for-chamo-miles @roomwithanopenfire @raenestee @rimeswithpurple @thehoneyedhufflepuff @theearlgreymage @thewholelemon @that-disabled-princess @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @youarenevertooold @ichooseyousnowbaz @ic3-que3n @iamamythologicalcreature @ileadacharmedlife @stitchy-queerista @skee3000 @sourcherrysc0nes @fiend-for-culture @facewithoutheart @hushed-chorus @letraspal @lonleyhumanbeing @carryonsimoncarryonbaz @cosmicalart @confused-bi-queer @cutestkilla @beastmonstertitan @bookish-bogwitch @ninemagicks @nausikaaa @nightimedreamersworld @messofthejess @monbons @mooncello @martsonmars

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Floyd Leech - Platinum Jacket Vignette

"Happy 100th Anniversary"

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Floyd: Honestly, before comin' here, I was only expecting to see paintings of the Great Seven…

Floyd: But there's actually a ton of unusual and cool lookin' stuff, like paintings of all their underlings.

Floyd: What should I check out next…? AH!

Floyd: It's the eels who worked for the Sea Witch. Look at those glowing eyes and those sharp fangs… So cool～

???: Hey, hey, don't you think these two look alike? Are they brothers?

Kalim: Also, kinda feels like they're similar to you and Jade.

Floyd: Oh hey, it's Sea Otter-chan. Yeah, I guess we might have similar color scales 'n all.

Floyd: But it's not like Jade and me think we're actually similar to each other at all.

Kalim: Eh, really?

Floyd: Yeah. Sometimes people'll mess me and Jade up and can't tell us apart, but I really don't get how they can't figure it out.

Floyd: Back when I first came to the surface, there was this one time that I got some funny looks in a hair salon that I went into for a haircut.

Floyd: They cut it just the way I asked, but what they were saying just wasn't adding up. And then, when I went to pay, they said this:

Floyd: "Leech-san, your hair grows back very quickly. I only just cut it a moment ago, I'm so surprised that it grew this long already."

Floyd: Yeaah, I'd say I was the one who was more surprised. This was my first time, but they said "a moment ago." Isn't that weird?

Kalim: Eh? What does it mean? Did you lengthen your hair with magic?

Floyd: Nah, come on, think. It was my first time in the shop, but…

Kalim: Ah, no way…!?

Floyd: Did you finally figure it out, Sea Otter-chan? Yeah, basically, Jade went and got his hair cut from the same place right before I did.

Kalim: I get it. So basically, the stylists there thought you two were the same person.

Floyd: Yup. Guess they didn't realize it because we both made the reservation under the name "Leech."

Floyd: Before that, even, when I went to get my passport photo taken to come to the surface, something similar happened.

Floyd: I'm like, seriously, how do they not realize it? Everyone's so bad at details.

Kalim: Wooow. I thought it'd be fun to have a twin sibling, but I guess it's not always great.

Floyd: Not really? Just like you said, there's a ton of fun that comes out of it.

Floyd: I'm never bored when Jade's around. Also…

Floyd: If I ever randomly feel like wearing something completely different from my usual stuff, I can just borrow stuff from him, from the clothes down to the shoes.

Floyd: Me 'n Jade like different colors and styles of clothes, and even go to completely different clothing stores.

Floyd: I can swap up my style in a snap, so it's actually pretty cool.

Kalim: Ahaha, yeah, that sounds like a blast!

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Kalim: The King of Beasts here looks like he's relaxing, what a great painting～!

Floyd: Oh, there's an explanation next to it. It says, "This depicts the scene where the hornbill chamberlain is soothing the King of Beasts with a song."

Floyd: Huuuuh. So even lions relax while listening to music, huh.

Floyd: They say that this king was always strategizing, so maybe it was important for him to have his relaxation time, huh.

Floyd: Y'know, Sea Lion-senpai's the same, but aren't lions always just sleeping?

Floyd: I thought they were supposed to be ferocious, but even when I went to the zoo as a part of our land boot camp, they were all asleep… That was a major letdown.

Kalim: Hm? What do you mean by boot camp? Did you attend somewhere else other than Night Raven College?

Floyd: Yeah. Uh, so basically, the land boot camp is basically where the merfolk that're lookin' to come up to the surface go to study and practice stuff about land.

Floyd: You live there for a month, and they do a ton of different lessons, like how to walk, or how to live on land.

Kalim: Wow, that sounds really cool! So, what kind of stuff did you learn at the zoo?

Floyd: Uhhh, something about figuring the differences out between land animals? I have a super hard time telling apart animals that look similar, so.

Floyd: At first, I thought a giraffe was just a horse with a long neck, and I couldn't even tell the difference between foxes, dogs, and racoons.

Kalim: FOXES AND DOGS AND RACCOONS～!? BUT THEY'RE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!?

Floyd: Are they? They're all fuzzballs to me.

Floyd: But I could tell that an elephant was different from horses and the like, because it wasn't all fuzzy.

Floyd: Oh yeah, and the lions too. I thought all those cats I'd run into would one day grow large like them.

Kalim: EEEHH!! You'd mix up cats and lions too? I don't think I've ever seen cats with a mane…

Kalim: Ah, but… I guess I can't say anything. I used to think that when dolphins grew up, they turned into whales.

Floyd: Huuuh～? No way that'd happen. Why'd you think the name'd change like that?

Kalim: I don't really know, but I think I can get how someone who was raised in the ocean could believe that a cat would grow into a lion.

Floyd: Yeah, yeah. I bet if one of you surface dwellers came to the ocean floor, there'd be a ton of stuff you don't know, too.

Floyd: ―Oooh! That painting over there looks awesome. I'ma go check it out.

Kalim: Oh, which one? …HEY, FLOYD! WAIT FOR ME, I'M COMING TOO!

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Floyd: The color composition in this painting's super amazing. The blue sky with the golden bug is a perfect combo.

Kalim: It's a painting of the Sorcerer of the Sands and a scarab! Both his posture and expression is really cool.

Floyd: I heard that this golden bug thing was the key to finding a magical cave… Why'd they make it look like a bug?

Floyd: Wouldn't that be hard to figure out? Insects and keys look nothin' alike.

Kalim: Hmmm, well, maybe… Maybe they tried to make it hard to figure out on purpose.

Kalim: They say there was some legendary treasure inside the cave. So I guess it's because no one would ever think a little bug would be the key, right?

Floyd: I get it. So then, if this was the ocean, the key might've been in the shape of a shell, or a crab.

Floyd: I bet it took the Sorcerer of the Sands a long time to find that magic cave because of that key.

Floyd: Or maybe, he was actually enjoying the treasure hunt?

Floyd: I know I get more excited tryin' everything I can to get my hands on something. The more difficult the better.

Kalim: What, have you gone treasure hunting too, Floyd?

Floyd: Not really treasure, but a ring.

Floyd: I once found this silver ring online that looks like an eel is wrapped around your finger.

Kalim: Woah! I've never seen a ring that looks like that before! I bet it'd look good on you.

Floyd: Riiight? But the manufacturers had already discontinued it. I wouldn't be able to find it so easily.

Floyd: And when something is hard to get… doesn't it just make you want it more?

Floyd: So, after that, I went looking for it, big time.

Floyd: I went 'round to a bunch of second-hand shops that carry the brand, and even asked my pops to reach out to some of his connections who'd know about stuff like that.

Floyd: I get bored pretty easily, so I usually don't try that hard trying to find just one thing. Cool, huh?

Kalim: You must have really wanted it, then! So? Were you able to find it?

Floyd: Yup. One of pop's connections was able to find it and get it for me.

Floyd: When I put it on, it totally felt like the ring was made just for me! And I got super attached to it.

Floyd: So then, I wore it pretty much all the time after that, even when I exercised or took showers…

Floyd: It ended up getting a ton of scratches, and got all tarnished, man～

Floyd: Silver stuff tends to degrade pretty quickly if you don't take care of it, but the ring's design was a bit complicated, so it was way too annoying to clean.

Kalim: Then, what if you remake it in platinum or white gold? They don't tarnish that easily. I can introduce you to one of my family's craftsmen!

Floyd: Naaah.

Kalim: Eh, why? I thought that was a pretty good idea…

Floyd: C'mon, Sea Otter-chan. I was all happy because it was hard to get my hands on.

Floyd: If I had someone make it for me, then that's not the same thing.

Floyd: It's 'cause it took a ton of hard work and searching for it was fun that I like that specific ring.

Floyd: Maybe it's a pain to clean, but I like it. So I'll use it until it breaks.

Kalim: Searching for it was fun, huh. I guess I never thought of it like that.

Kalim: Okay then, well, let me know if you're ever in a bind again. I'll totally help you then!

Floyd: 'Kaaay. I think I'm bored of this floor. I'm gonna go somewhere else. Bye, Sea Otter-chan.

Kalim: Yeah! See you later, Floyd.

Floyd: Hmmm, what should I look at next… Ooh. I've seen this painting of the Mer-King before, back in the ocean～

Floyd: I think they said that he was a super good guy, but could be unreasonable, too… Ugh, stubborn leaders like that sound like a paaain.

Floyd: Yeaaaah... The best kinda boss's gotta be someone like the benevolent Sea Witch.

[raintailed]

rain rain rain rain how do you draw iterators and slugcats btw like all your gyus are so shaped its so fun to look at theyre just little guys...

i'm gonna start with slugcats! my old guide from 2023 is here.

Note: "slugcat" refers to multiple species (slugcats are in a species complex). It can be hard to differentiate slugcat species, since some are very similar and hybridization between them is common where their ranges overlap. The species that Monk and Survivor are members of is called the "common slugcat."

Slugcats are weird sorta-feline creatures that walk bipedally and have little hands. Their average height is 3'3" or about 1 meter tall.

Their basic body shape is a round head on top of a trapezoidal body. Their legs are digitigrade, they have human-like arms (that are often skinny lol), and their tails are thick and tapering. Slugcats also have retractable arms ig??? I have no idea how that would work

In terms of head shape, it's similar to a cat's, but with a somewhat taller forehead (bigger brain! more room for being Smart!). Slugcats usually have short muzzles, big eyes, and long ears.

Note: slugcat arms usually rest in front of the body (think meerkats) rather than to the sides like a human.

Uhhh I like giving slugcats dewlaps (rabbit dewlaps are a good reference)!

And for fat slugcats, fat is usually stored in the tail (and dewlap) first. So naturally my gourmand has a big tail and a big dewlap :]

And!! I like to think that some slugcats have fur, and some don't. Hairless slugcats are slimy; furred slugcats have oily, waterproof coats. Some shorthaired slugcats have smooth fur like otters and seals do.

TEEFS!!! Except technically, slugcats don't have teeth. Rather, they have sharp, jagged beaks (think cephalopods). Their beaks continually grow and they are self-sharpening. Because their beaks are really sharp, slugcat bites are always serious injuries.

The length of their "fangs" varies by species. Some carnivorous species have long fangs, for example.

And! They have bristly tongues like cats (and kinda like the radula of a gastropod).

For their paws, slugcats have 3-fingered hands and feet. Their claws vary; some individuals have blunt claws, some have sharp claws, others have retractable claws, etc.

The inner toe of a slugcat's foot is opposable, making it easy for them to grab onto poles with their feet. (Compare to scavengers, who mostly use their arms to climb.)

SLUPPIES!!!!!! (don't worry about the fluffy one, they're just eepy)

Slugpups have different proportions than adults! Including having a bigger head, chubbier body, etc. Fluffy slugpups can also be a bit scraggly like longhaired kittens are.

My slugcats are basically egg-laying marsupials. They lay eggs, store them in their pouch, and then the eggs hatch into itty bitty babies. The babies stay in the pouch, feeding on milk until they're big enough to venture outside.

When pups are too big for the pouch, they ride on their parent's head or back. They also begin the process of weaning around this time, since by then they've started growing a sharp beak (i guess before that, their beak is dull and too small to self-sharpen?).

Note: some slugcat species are unisex and others are trioecious (having male, female, and hermaphrodite individuals).

For expressions, ears are important!!

Neutral: ears relaxed. The relaxed position varies by individual; some slugcats have their ears rest slightly tilted back, for example.

Alert/interested: ears perked up.

Angry: ears pinned back. Very angry slugcats have their ears positioned so they're almost in line with the top of the head.

Afraid: ears pinned down (sometimes slightly to the sides, too).

Sad: ears droop to the sides.

Slugcats mostly use their tails for balance, but they're used for some emotes too.

Upwards-curled tail is an excited or enthusiastic hello! Kinda like how some cats raise their tail when they see their human.

When upset, annoyed, or grumpy, slugcats may thump their tail against the ground (kinda like how rabbits stomp).

Some slugcats wag their tails when playing or excited. This isn't a universal thing, though.

Slugcats with fur may puff up their tail when startled or scared. They may also puff their tail when excited or playing, too.