#first time drawing a bug furry

[lunar-orca]

2nd commission for @/RYEBITES on twitter!

✦ comm info ✦

[thedawner]

Messy Hopper doodle started in Corel Painter Essentials 2 then finished in a mixture of PS, Rebelle and Procreate.

A Bug’s Life fanart.

[mintkookiess]

Miles Morales headcannons #5

Dates with 1610!Miles and 42!Miles

So i made this at 3 am, brain half asleep, half dead, so this hasn’t and won’t be proofread 😔🤚🏻 but I still hope you enjoy EHE

1610!Miles

Now during the first dates, he’ll want to be cautious once he had actually mustered the guts to ask you out

So he’ll be sticking with the classics like asking you out to dinner, watch a movie, etc.

But as time goes by after yall started to date

He’s bound to spice it up because he already knows about your faves a lot and just wants to make you the happiest in the world

Midnight dates

I can see him just visiting your room after he’s done with Spiderman duties and asks you out on a spontaneous date because he’s missed you

“Hey there sunflower, wanna go grab some food and head up to the—“ “Miles you don’t even have to ask.”

So he brings you to like some rooftop by swinging the two of you while you held on to the paperbags of some food you guys bought

And the two of you just chill, while he sketches the scenic view (but most likely has you in it)

Dates with his art

What I mean by this is that there can be dates where he asks you to come by his place and tells you to sit down

Don’t ask just do it

Spends a good hour drawing you on his sketchbook

He does show you after!

In reference to the sunflower nickname, whenever he draws you he always puts a single sunflower on your hair 🩵 boy’s a sucker for symbolism

During these tho he likes to take pics of you on his phone without you knowing

Example is the one time he asks you to sit by his window sill and tells you to look out the window, he sneaks about a thousand pictures of you in that angle

Boy makes it his wallpaper

On both his phone and laptop

He tries to hide it cause you might think he’s a creep

You wouldn’t tho

Bonus headcannon: I see Miles having a dog, and the both of you treat it as your child. Sometimes you’d take turns with bringing your furry child home, and it has become one of Miles’ excuses to see you

42!Miles

Now this one is a lot more confident, why? Because I see this guy observing you before he asks you out

Would do heavy research so he doesn’t fuck up

Like asking your friends abt what you like or simply watching you from a distance

So from the get go, his dates are already inclined to your preferences

Like cafes that have the same vibe as you?

Movie dates to movies that you love (he doesn’t care if he hates it, how can he hate something that you like??)

Midnight dates

I see this Miles being more of a sentimental or chill type of guy

Nothing too extravagant but definitely enough to make you swoon

His midnight dates would consist of him going by your place with a bunch of food, ready to spoil you with it alongside cuddles and kisses

Like the both of you cuddled up in your bed and his arm wrapped around your shoulder while he kisses the side of your head

He also likes to whisper sweet nothings to you

“I love you so much mi querida,” “Your hair is so soft today,” “You smell really good” “Making me this addicted to you, unbelievable.” “Why do you always look good even in the dark, hmm?”

He stays there with you in his arms until Uncle Aaron is bugging him for the nth time for missions as Prowler

Dates with his art

I am deadass sure that the only person he ever shows his sketchbook to is Uncle Aaron

But now there’s you

It takes him a while to tell you about it

I’m talking months

Like

“Did you know, I draw.” “What?” “Like drawing with the whole sketch, paint, stuff—“ “How come you never told me?!” “Just shut up and take it.”

He shoves his sketchbook to your chest and looks away so you wouldn’t see him blushing

And you see the bajillion drawings of you that he made, and he managed to make you look so pretty that it may have increased your self esteem a bit bc was this how he actually saw you? like damn

So once he showed you it was like some weight being lifted off from his shoulder

His “date with his art” would now consist of the both of you going to some place that inspires him

He makes you pose, this boy would instruct you on how to do that; the posing, where your hands should be, your facial expression, etc

He’s gonna make you his little model

Bonus headcannon: would have a cat in contrast with 1610!Miles. A black cat specifically. He would name it after some name that would be so close to yours, and he’s overly clingy to it (not as much as he is with you tho) the cat also loves you of course (but seemingly antisocial to everyone else) (its very 42!Miles behavior)

Tag: @ii01vp

For those who wish to be on taglist feel free to msg

More of my Miles content here babes!

[prince-liest]

I just wanna gush bc omg I love the 666 series so much. I think it made me realize I might be... furry-ish? adjacent? I just find it so satisfying how you go into detail about the unique body features of both of them, the way it feels to have deer ears or kiss a TV and just generally how much thought is put into the way their bodies work, and I've realized that my interest in that kind of idea is a pretty good reason to partake in more explicitly furry media lmao. Anyways

I'm also really in love with how you maintain the balance of each of their personality traits. Vox is simultaneously so pathetic and cringefail (also your dialogue for him is perfect, I can hear it crystal clear in my head) but also he has vastly more emotional intelligence than Alastor, no doubt at least in part because he has to deal with Val, and he's able to marginally calm down with his obsession to deal with sticky situations, but even then he still retains his personality and bumbles things sometimes because of the flaws in said personality! It's great. I also really appreciate the balance you've struck with Alastor, I feel like often Alastor is either written to either soften up so immediately that it feels disconnected from his character or is written overly mean and heartless for my liking and the way you've written him is such a delicious balance between softer aspects such as the prey instincts or moments of vulnerability and his untouchable and manipulative self, and also the way this side of him is neither written as wholly a front or wholly his real nature and the complex ways this makes him struggle with his increasing vulnerability. TL;DR arghgr your characterization is so good it makes me go a little feral

Also while I'm here, I'm curious whether you can give an answer to the degree to which Alastor is touch-averse. There's obviously a lot of ways in which he fundamentally dislikes touch but it also seems like there's at least some kinds of touch where he doesn't dislike the touch itself so much as he's afraid of the way it brings about feelings of caring and/or enjoyment being cared for. I'm curious how much, in general, you would say his touch aversion comes from either cause and possibly what kinds of touch do/don't provoke those flavors of aversion

Omg, what a lovely ask to receive. Honestly, everything you said that you enjoy about how I characterize these two is very much what I've been actively gunning for, so it's an absolute delight to see it outlined back to me. Success!!! Thank you so much!

And ahaha - I'm not a furry but I fucking love inhuman characters. Being raised in the pits of Homestuck fantroll RP made me enjoy the whole "they're bug/fish aliens" thing and it definitely rears its head again any time I encounter characters with inhuman qualities. I love writing Vox's TV/computer-ness and Alastor's deer and radio bits, and integrating them into who they now are as people.

As for Alastor's touch-aversion: It's funny that you ask about this, because the next chapter of 666 is going to dive into it a bit. Specifically into the fact that it's not, like, a set of boundaries that is consistently defined, and I write him that way on purpose. The very first time he and Vox sleep together, Alastor bottoms. He becomes significantly less amenable to touch after he goes through an uncomfortable rut cycle that gets sexual. By the time Vox convinces Alastor to fuck him, Alastor would never let Vox do that again and frankly only agrees to topping because Vox gave him an option that didn't involve getting his dick out. Then in the next episode, they're having clothes-off sexual contact. So, what gives?

Things that play into Alastor's willingness to touch and be touched as far as Vox is concerned:

How does he see Vox at that point in time? Disgustingly entitled (ew)? Hilariously beneath him (haha who cares)?

Does he care about what Vox thinks of him? Does Vox touching him draw his attention to positive or negative assumptions he has about Vox's perspective on doing so?

What value has he attached to this particular touch in the power balance of their relationship? Is he humoring Vox? Does he assume Vox thinks he's owed this? Does he perceive it as something Vox is genuinely doing for him?

Has he tried this particular kind of touch before? He's pretty willing to experiment, but that doesn't mean he'll do something twice without a compelling reason if he didn't like it the first time.

Is he getting off on this situation sexually? If so, is it fully willing (read: not a byproduct of uncomfortable hormones) on his part? That only really happens when he's in a submissive role and Vox is hitting a few very specific kinks, a major one of which is basically CNC tilted 30 degrees to the left.

Is he enjoying the touch in platonic ways? How does he feel about that? Is it a vulnerability to want something? Is it feeding his ego to be catered to? Is he worried that what he enjoys platonically is being read into in ways he doesn't like?

Is he fucking drunk? Things that bother you when sober often seem like a non-issue when you're not, both on a physical and emotional level.

How much touching has been happening recently? Has he hit his limit? Did he deliberately put himself into a situation earlier to have his limit be hit and surpassed, and now he's in the aftermath?

He does have a certain fundamental purely physical dislike of touch, but it's something that is really affected by how he perceives each individual situation as well as his relationship with Vox at that time, and his previous experiences!

[foxsnails]

Oh babey its commissions time!

As a full-time student i'm getting pretty low on funds again, my previous landlord has also decided to hit me with a £250 fine (which is being disputed dw)

I'm open again to take on 5 mixed-media commissions! I typically take animal comms (i love drawing bugs, birds and fish!) but I'm now open for character + furry stuff again too! These will range from £20 to £45 depending on how complex your idea is! (this is a heavy discount from my regular pricing)

Feel free to DM me to get an idea for a price first! it'd be great if you check out my FAQ here too!

(Boosts are massively appreciated)

[crunchchute]

Hey! Welcome to my (mostly) art blog. You can refer to me as Crunch here. Enjoy your stay!

🎨 Art info - using my art as your pfp, banner, edits, etc. is OK with credit! Reposting my art is OK only in places where i DON'T have an account, with credit, with the exception of pinterest (i have an acc there but it's OK to repost there with proper credit/link to og post) and i don't mind RP accounts etc. if credited properly. Don't crop out my tag from images or edit them out (exception is a cropped pfp). I don't do requests all the time, only if i make a post about it :] art comms normally closed but i occassionaly make an exception or offer a couple slots.

💚 My main favs change every couple of months, but FNAF and Dynasty Warriors are fandoms i've been in the longest, since 2014, so i always tend to come back to them :] I also enjoy Sonic (specifically non-game media) and have a lovehate relationship with Gorillaz (i just like the art, Murdoc and the music rn). Also got into Sam & Max and Venture Bros.

💜 General likes are anything halloween-y, animals, birds and insects; emo, scene, visual kei and dark style of clothing and hair, cute and goofy plushies, and if i ever start talking about cooking or food, Run. I love drawing, sewing, crafting, p much anything creative. I collect furbies, they're my favs :]

❌️ I do not want any terfs and hate towards trans people here, hate towards furries, therians, otherkins, hate towards things people consider "cringe" and i dont answer any weirdos. I don't like bringing heavy topics here unless it's very serious. I have a "live and let live" approach to things, so unless you're doing something actually harmful and/or illegal, i tend to not judge or care. Be nice.

🖤 This is a lgbt safe space. I'm transmasc. He/they prns are interchangeable, it pronoun is okay (think of me as a little bug or a small creature like my monkey fursona is). I also consider myself unlabeled, but looking into the demi and ficto labels...

‼️ Being overly familiar with me is mostly okay UNLESS it comes off as rude (like calling me "little bro", "bitch", etc. or talking to me as if we were year long friends when you're a total stranger, messaging me for the first time, non-follower etc.) Again, be nice. I sometimes use some tone tags.

👽 English is my learned language so sorry if my vocab is lacking. Sorry if i come off as too serious or deadpan, i have a hard time expressing excitement most of the time. Also everything i post is not super serious, im just a pro hater and gotta meet my quota from time to time 😈 /j and when i theorize it's all just for fun! That's what it should be about!

🔗Links:

☕️ You can support me here :] (kofi)

🧷 My Spacehey that i rarely go to

🖍 My Telegram if you wish to talk about art commissions (contact admin)

🐰 TSE Dave telegram sticker pack

🎨 Aggie link

[chouxsardine]

Love is a four-legged word--Sam Kiszka x reader

Summary: Love comes in all forms, it is, afterall, a four-legged word--Sam and y/n met at a park while walking their dogs. The furry friends are their best wingman.

Pairing: Sam Kiszka x f!reader

Word Count: 7418

Warnings: dogs, description of crying, allusion to death of pet, death of animals, mention of the name of alcohol (but no alcohol involved) (please let me know if I missed any!)

Genre: fluff, angst, hurt/comfort

Author's note: This is my longest piece so far and my first Sam piece (yipee!! exciting!) This was a Christmas gift to I want to @dannythedog thank her for hosting the gvf secret santa. But as late as it was… I hope it can still count as a New Year's gift? This took so long to write and I myself went through a pretty emotional journey while writing this. I have more to say, but I will save for the end if you care to read it. Enjoy for now.

“Come on, Rosie bug, it’s time for your walk.” Sam stood up from the sofa, raising his arm for a stretch.

Being the good girl that she is, Rosie was already waiting patiently at the door, sitting still while Sam put the harness and leash on her.

It was a sunny afternoon, warm and cloudless after consecutive days of rain. Taking advantage of the delightful weather, Sam decided to extend their daily walk and take Rose to the park. He has always loved this park. There’s just something so intimate about this public space that always draws him towards it. It is situated a few blocks away from downtown, a beautiful getaway from the hurly burly of the city. It has a large lawn area that turns into the most pleasant shade of green in April, around his birthday. The colour so lovely that it gives him the urge to touch the grass, hug a tree, and nuzzle his face into nature. It is also the best place to people-watch—college lovebirds, laughing toddlers, family picnics—it is like being in one of Georges Seurat’s paintings.

It seems that many people think the same way as Sam. The park was busier than usual. The duo took their familiar route, following the gravel path to the fountain where the running tracks start. They would take a break on the bench where Rose can enjoy some treats.

Sam has done a good job socializing Rose due to the need for frequently traveling on the road. Rose is a curious girl and is open to making new friends, but she always listens to Sam. When other dogs pass by either barking over-excitedly or stopping to exchange friendly sniffs, Rose generally remains unfazed. She knows that remaining her composure and staying close to Sam is going to warrant some loving pets and yummy treats. Therefore, when a black and white Pit Bull trotted up to Rose, Sam didn’t pay too much attention. The dogs are all on leashes in this area. If any of them stop for a little longer, Sam will usually exchange a friendly smile with the owner, then each side will go about their own business. However, Rose seemed to be especially interested in this new friend. She stood up and started wagging her tail softly, gently bumping nose with her newfound friend, learning their smell and demeanour. That’s when Sam noticed that this dog looked a little special. Instead of the common collar, it was wearing a blue bandana with the word “adopt” printed on the corner. Sam followed the leash and looked all the way up. He saw a pretty girl looking down at the two dogs interacting with a mesmerizing smile.

Sensing his gaze, the girl quickly looked up.

“Oh hi, so sorry about this. Klaus is a shelter dog; he doesn’t get to interact with other dogs a lot, so he got a bit excited.” She said apologetically.

Ah, so that explains the bandana.

Now it seemed that Klaus took an interest in Sam as well. Considering his lack of socialization, Sam thinks Klaus is doing exceptionally well. He was sniffing Sam’s jeans, nudging his ankles with his nose.

“No, no, don’t worry. I don’t mind.” Sam bent down and extended the back of his hand to Klaus. After receiving a lick and some kisses as signs of approval, he started scratching Klaus behind the ears. “I’m Sam, and this is Rose.”

“Nice to meet you, Sam. I’m y/n,” y/n said before crouching down. Rose immediately moved towards her and started pawing her hand.

One thing Sam loves the most about Rose is that she has good taste in people. Come on, this girl chose Sam to be her handler. (Sam has always believed that it is Rose who came to him, not the other way around.) And based on Rose’s reaction now, Sam would like to boldly assume that y/n is a decent person as well.

“Come on, Klaus, let’s go.” y/n gently tugged the leash, but she was completely ignored. The two dogs were already playing together, bowing and bouncing just like puppies.

“They can play for a bit,” Sam said. He loves seeing Rose Bud making friends. “If you are not in a rush, that is.”

“No, I’m not. Thank you so much,” y/n relented.

“So, Klaus is a shelter dog, you said?” Sam asked as he scooted over and let out more space on the bench for y/n to sit next to him.

“Yes, today is his Doggy Day Out,” y/n kindly explained. “People can sign up to take a shelter dog out for a ‘field trip’ for a day. It helps them manage kennel stress and increases their chances of getting adopted.”

The thoughtfulness of the idea makes Sam smile. He has heard about similar programs before, but this was his first time encountering an example in real life. “So you chose Klaus?”

“Yeah, Klaus is one of the longest residents at the shelter.” y/n cupped the dog’s adorable face in her hands and cooed. “I mean, look at his face, how could I say no? Besides, people often have a misunderstanding about Pit Bulls, you know, about them being aggressive and all; so it’s harder for them to get adopted.”

As absurd as it sounds, that is sadly the truth. Sam remembers seeing more than once those distasteful comments under Rose’s account.

“Indeed. Sometimes we truly don’t deserve dogs.” He said.

A comfortable silence draped over them, except it was quite loud in y/n’s mind and chest right now. Y/n had been stealing glances at the man next to her in between conversations the whole time and she hoped she wasn’t being too obvious. There was no denial that Sam is outright gorgeous. He was wearing a navy blue t-shirt underneath an unbuttoned black plaid shirt, black pants, and a pair of Nike blazers. But what attracted her the most was his hair, the hair that suddenly made her self-conscious about her own (which really needed to get washed today). Sam has dark brown hair the length to his shoulder. The loose curls look lush and smooth, shining under the sunlight, which makes it a lighter flax colour. The strands that frizzes away are delicate and golden, swaying along with his breathing. Y/n bet they are silky and soft to the touch too. Plus, he has really pretty hands, with the pink leash wrapped around his palm contrasting against his olive skin. Slim, bony fingers, with nails that are clean, round and well-trimmed. Those are hands well-kept.

Maybe there is a grain of truth to what people say about first impression after all, Sam thought. A girl with Rose’s approval, a nice smile, and a sensible and tasteful take on Pit Bulls (She also looks cute). Sam thinks he quite liked her.

“So, what are your plans for the day? I mean, for Klaus?” Sam quickly corrected himself to sound less snoopy.

“We haven’t left the shelter for long. I was planning on getting him a pup cup first.”

“Pup cup! What a coincidence, that’s exactly what Rose bug and I have in mind,” (Liar. He didn’t). Sam put on his best smile. “Mind if we join you?”

Their conversation carried on smoothly as they made their way to the nearby bakery. Sam found out that y/n volunteers at the local shelter and works as a freelance photographer and a part-time dog walker. Y/n learned that Sam is a bassist and keyboard player who is in a band with his brothers (“That explains the pretty fingers,” Y/n thought to herself).

The bakery is a hidden gem in the neighbourhood, with a walk-up window inlaid into the white brick wall. A blackboard with cursive chalk writing was propped up beside it, displaying the menu. A separate hand-drawn poster on the wall sayid “puppuccino available for furry friends” in brush lettering.

“Do you want anything? My treat,” Sam asked as they approached the queue. “Please say yes so I have an excuse to ask for your number just in case you want to return the favour sometime.”

A bold move? Yes. But he felt like taking chances today.

Y/n raised her eyebrows in slight surprise. Sam held her gaze, silently restating his point.

“Fine, if you insist.”

“I do insist.” Sam stepped aside as it was their turn to order and let y/n go first. “After you.”

That’s smooth. Real Smooth. Y/n thought. Almost as smooth as his hair.

For the next few weeks, Sam and y/n has been talking on and off through text messages. Their chat history was mainly composed of Sam sending goofy dog videos and y/n replying with cute pictures she took of dogs at the shelter. Sometimes Sam spotted y/n holding multiple leashes, walking dogs on the sidewalk, and sometimes he went to the shelter under the excuse of dropping off donations just to see her. Occasionally, they would fix a date to meet at the park for a “puppy play date” when y/n took another dog on their Doggy Day Out. While the dogs rolled together or chased each other within their sight, they would sit on the bench with coffee cups in their hands and a box of cookies between them to share. Y/n found Sam to be a charming guy. She loves his brutal honesty and his humour with a witty tongue. He loves to hold her gaze while talking to her. At first, she hated it—the unrelenting stare from those captivating brown eyes makes her want to squirm in her seat—and Sam was never the first to break eye contact. But over time she had learnt to stare back nonchalantly, usually with a single raise of her eyebrow.

There was no lack of vocal banters as well, which usually embarks after one of them blurts out some controversial opinion. With some people, a debate over things like if pineapple belongs on pizza or should you pour milk before cereal can quickly lead to annoyances, but it’s different with Sam. Sam brings out the competitiveness in y/n just like she was back in her high school debate club. Backchat with Sam is fun; he makes one willing to takes all the steps—from gathering evidence to forming thesis statement—just to be rebutted by a single line of his ingenious comment; and y/n is not even mad about it. The cherry on top is that Sam always likes to push one step further by adding the flirtatious “What now, little mama, cat caught your tongue?”. She feels offended in the best possible way.

On the other hand, as composed as he seems to y/n, Sam feels that things always came out of his mouth without filters when he is with y/n. For example, he will never let go of that one time they argued about the right way to hang up toilet paper.

“It’s obviously under! Have you ever had times when you hang it over and it unrolls itself and you get this massive pile of toilet paper on the floor?”

“No, Sam, I have not. I’m pretty sure that’s because you got a bad roll or some mean spirit in your bathroom pulled it.”

“It’s a perfect roll, just out of the package!”

“Then it’s definitely some mean spirit. Burning some sage should fix it. Obviously, the correct way is over so that it doesn’t rub against the wall.”

“Bold of you to assume I have dirty walls!”

“How do I know? You probably do!”

“I will not stand any defamation to my name and my wall. You can only form such an opinion after you have checked it out!”

Y/n gave him an interesting look. Just before she could say something, Rose rushed back to their side, and for once, Sam was relieved that the debate withered away because as soon as those words left his mouth, he wanted to slap himself.

Why would you say that, you freaking idiot? What kind of activities should you be engaging in that will lead to a situation involving you showing her the cleanness of your bathroom wall, which unfortunately is, in fact, kind of gross and stained with flashed pee?

But fate is a fickle little thing. Little does Sam know, it was not long before they did end up in that situation, just not in the way as he has expected.

Earlier that day, Sam has sent y/n a message asking if she wants to meet at the park the next day and received a brief message that reads, “Sorry, got caught up at the shelter”.

That is usually a bad sign because it means that there’s either a large intake or some kind of emergency. Y/n also ran a volunteer social media account, posting adorable pictures and short videos that she took of the dogs when she takes them out for a walk for temperament tests, adding visibility to help they find a loving home. Sam vaguely remembered y/n mentioning that they took in a puppy that was hit by a car. He secretly hoped it wasn’t any bad news. Sam debated between sending her a goofy dog meme with the caption “Take care” to lighten up the mood or asking further. He waited, but the three dots on the other side of the chat box never came up.

It was around nine in the evening when Sam received another text from y/n.

Y/n: Are you busy right now?

Sam: No, just chilling. What’s up?

Y/n: My car broke down.

The three dots are still blinking when Sam’s finger flew through the screen.

Sam: location?

Sam: I’ll be there.

Rose looked up confused from her spot on the couch, when Sam rushed to the foyer, one arm already in his jacket and stuffing his feet into shoes.

“Hold the fort, Rose bud!” He yelled before locking the door behind him.

Y/n’s car broke down not too far away from the shelter. Sam saw the tow truck and the roadside assistance as he drove near. Y/n was talking to the truck driver. From the distance, she looked so forlorn and lost under the jarring redness of warning lights. The size different between her and the heavyset man towering over her makes her looked like a puppy soaked in rain. Sam had never felt such a strong sense of protectiveness towards anyone. He wanted nothing more than to rush to her side and engulf her in a hug, if she would let him.

He almost drifted as he swerved his car into an empty parking space by the side of the road. He ran to y/n’s side.

“Okay, Miss. The insurance company will contact you for further details,” the roadside assistance worker nodded to y/n. “The truck will tow your car to the garage. Do you have a ride home?”

“Yes,” said Sam before y/n could answer.

The man gave him a knowing look before he said, “Good. Make sure you take all your valuable belongings in the car with you.”

Sam helped y/n put her stuff in the backseat of his car before opening the passenger side’s door for her. Sam had noticed that y/n’s body was stiff and tense the whole time when she was standing outside, and it remained so as she plopped down onto the seat.

“Are you okay? Did you get hurt?” Sam turned to her eagerly once he had situated himself.

As soon as the words left his lips, the dam broke loose. Y/n’s shoulder visibly relaxed as loud sobs ripped through her body. She tried to purse her lips and contain herself but tragically failed. For a minute, she couldn’t make a single syllable other than frantically shaking her head and shoving her hands to her mouth, trying to muffle her crying. Y/n’s whimper filled the car, mixed with the loud beeping alert and yelling outside as the truck towed y/n’s car away.

“Oh, y/n,” Sam felt like someone had stamped on his heart. “Can I give you a h—”

Without a word, y/n almost knocked herself into his arms. It was only when he was holding her that he realized how badly she was trembling. This is their first proper hug, far from how Sam has imagined it. He wrapped his arms around y/n’s frame, one hand hugging her shoulders to him and the other rubbing her hand in wide, gentle stripes, tucking her head under his chin. Y/n’s hand held onto Sam’s arm, fingers digging into his biceps like a drowning person holding onto a piece of driftwood. Sam was firstly relived that y/n was not physically hurt; and then there were the emotions, which they could deal with. Whatever made her this devastated, he was determined to turn it around and make it better.

They stayed like that for a while, bodies squishing together uncomfortably over the middle console, until Y/n finally started to calm down.

She pulled away from Sam’s hug. Sam immediately reached to the backseat for the tissue box, from which y/n took a handful of tissues and turned her head to the side to wipe her face.

“It…it was Huxley,” she was fighting to speak without breaking down again. “He’s g—gone.”

Upon hearing the name, Sam’s heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach. His former wish had fallen through after all. Huxley was the puppy that came to the shelter from a car accident. He was sent in by a Good Samaritan on Monday. From the photo y/n posted, Sam knew that he was a young Australian cattle dog. Sam thought he was out of danger as y/n updated the post on Tuesday, saying that there was a rescue willing to pull him.

Sam didn’t press on with further questions. He sat patiently, handing y/n more tissues as she needed and waited to piece together the story from snatches of her speech.

“They did an x-ray and found he has a fractured pelvis. A rescue tagged him…and he was supposed to l-leave the shelter today.”

“We thought he was f-fine until…until he suddenly deteriorated this a-afternoon. There was, um, internal bleeding and… the vet said, the in-injury was too serious to recover and, and s-suggested…”

It was taking all her strength for y/n to squeeze out the last few words: “…it…it was the kindest to..put him d-down.”

Y/n buried her face into her hands as she resorted to another burst of weeping. Her shoulders shuddered with every muffled sob. “He reminded me of Wendy…I couldn’t save n-neither of them!”

This was the first time Sam has heard about Wendy from y/n. He guessed that Windy used to belong to y/n. He had once saw a photo of y/n and a white puppy tucked in her wallet when she was paying for coffee. Y/n never talked about it and Sam never asked. He decided he was still going to be silent about it today. He wouldn’t want to force her to narrate whatever tragic event that had happened in the past again, knowing that she probably had already done it to herself over and over again in her brain upon seeing the loss of Huxley.

Sam mulled over his words. Platitudes like “you have already done your best” sounded superfluous. Y/n, and he believes that everyone at the shelter, did everything they could; but that doesn’t fix things, does it?

“Was he loved when he was gone?” Sam gently took y/n’s hand in his.

“I was too coward to stay until the last moment,” y/n looked at Sam through teary eyes, “and he couldn’t really stomach any food by then. But yes, we made sure he was surrounded by treats and toys.”

“Then that’s what matters,” Sam managed a smile and said softly. “Dogs are very grateful creatures, you know that. Now that Huxley has crossed the rainbow bridge, he must be thanking you for loving him to the end, to provide him with a warm bed so he didn’t have to go alone and scared on the side of some highway.”

Y/n’s was still hiding her face in her palms, with her elbows resting on her knees, but Sam recognized a trembling nod from her. Now he felt tears stinging in his own eyes. He rubbed the area between y/n’s shoulder blades and carefully opened his mouth: “Look, y/n. I don’t want to sound like I’m taking advantage of the situation. But I am really worried about leaving you alone for the night like this. Would you like to perhaps crash at my place for the night? Rosie can keep you company.”

“Let me take care of you.” Sam closed his eyes for a second before he added, “As a friend?”

To his relief, y/n nodded again before turning her head slightly to face him, revealing half of her face, all wrinkled with red marks and tear stains, her eyes bloodshot and glassy.

“Sorry for being a bother.” She whispered through quivering lips.

“Never. Never a bother, mama,” Sam’s heart clenched again, hard. He reached out and gently squeezed the back of y/n’s neck before starting the car. “I got you.”

Y/n could hear Rosie’s claws clacking on the wooden floor before Sam turned the key in the lock. As he opened the door, they are welcomed by an excited Rosie, just as expected. Sam had taught Rosie well not to bolt towards guests or jump on them, so she was expressing her joy through a wagging tail that put her whole body into motion and repeated bowing; her pink tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth. The goofy gestures raised a chuckle out of y/n. The first smile that he had seen on her face all night.

Sam’s apartment is cozy and vibrant. It has rustic brick walls and exposed beams. A red oriental rug lies in the middle of the room in front of a light camel-coloured sofa. There are touches here and there where Sam lets his intrusive thoughts win—so a piece of decor that does not match the general style appears but ends up working nonetheless, such as the banana leaf wall paper that only covers one side of the wall. A long-neck floor lamp throws warm glow over half of the living room.

“Go sit, y/n. Make yourself at home. You want some tea?” Sam laid out a pair of slippers for her as he asked.

Y/n had half a heart to reject out of politeness but realized she was too tired to put on any facade, and it is unnecessary after all considering she had just bawled her eyes out before Sam. Her eyes were stinging from crying and her face must have looked like a mess now.

“Thank you. Can I borrow the bathroom, please?”

“Of course! It’s right there.” Sam pointed her the right door.

Closing the door behind her, y/n felt like her legs were about to gave out. She sat down on the closed toilet lid and closed her eyes, thoughts swarming in her mind. Now that the initial throbbing pain in her chest has subsided, she began interrogating herself. What was it that made her agree to stay here overnight? “Worry about leaving you alone”….You are used to being alone—heck, you have been for years. All the past experiences and rational judgements were reprimanding her in a motherly tone with a scowl, but her body was faithful to the ghostly touches and phantom breaths that he had left on her skin during their hug. She forgot when was the last time that she had received a hug that conveyed such empathy without blind assumption. She forgot when was the last time that she felt valid for her feeling sad and mourning. She forgot when was the last time that she was not forced to explain. Yet Sam came and reset the record for her.

Three gentle knocks on the door interrupted her thoughts.

“Yes?”

“I grabbed you a clean towel. I’m putting it on the handle, so just watch it when you open the door.” Sam’s voice came from the other side of the door.

Oh Sammy, Y/n thought to herself with a wry smile. The nickname naturally slips into her mind. This is not helping.

What it is about this man that makes you trust him enough to break down in front of him and then agree to stay at his place overnight? Was it because he was nice to dogs? Green flag. Nice hair and clean nails, perfect side profiled, chiseled like an Apollo statue? Green flag. Top tier banter and flirting? Beige flag (but has potential).

Her brain started hurting again. Her heart said fuck it, go wipe your face, drink tea, and pray that he’s not a patient serial killer three months in disguise who likes to collect dog memes. Y/n opened her eyes and the first thing she saw brought an untimely giggle out of her.

Toilet paper hanging from under? Red flag.

When y/n opened the bathroom door again, Sam was feeding Rose her dinner.

“There you are! Thought you fell in.” Sam looked up at her with a toothy grin.“Sorry,” he apologized for his joke before y/n even said anything. “I made you tea, I guess you haven’t eat yet? I can order takeout or whip something up real quick.”

“That’s very nice of you, Sam. But I really don’t think I can handle a meal right now. Tea will be just fine for me. Thank you.”

Y/n must have washed her face in the washroom. Now her face looked fresh, setting off her reddish nose which she rubbed a little too harshly. The bags under her swollen eyes made her looks droopy, much different from the energetic y/n under the sun in the park. She looked very….huggable.

Y/n took a sip from the mug Sam handed her. It’s lavender tea. She felt her nerves slowly stretched as the warm liquid slid into her stomach. Having finished her dinner, Rose wasted no time joining them on the sofa. She found the perfect spot between Sam and y/n, laying her head on her folded paws.

“Do you want to watch a movie or something?”

“Um-hmm,” y/n absent-mindedly hummed. “You take the pick.”

Absolutely nothing furry, nothing barking, nothing wagging its tail. Sam scrolled through the catalogue.

Y/n raised her eyebrows when she saw Sam finally settling on Vanderpump Rules.

“Surprised?”

“Surprised, amused, guilty as charged.” Y/n admitted.

“No way! Which season are you on?”

“Seven? I can’t remember much though.”

Sam couldn’t deny it, there’s just something about watching and becoming invested in other people’s cheating drama that gets you to forget about your own problems real fast, at least temporarily. When one of the girls made an especially spiteful comment and Sam got no reaction from y/n, he turned and saw her dozing off, her chin rested on her clavicle, one hand still resting on Rose’s back.

She’s bound to get a stiff neck sleeping that way. Sam gently pulled her shoulder to the side, resting her head on a cushion, and pulled the blanket over her. Other than making a few indistinguishable murmur, she didn’t stir; or if she did, she chose to relent to Sam’s touch. Now that her eyes were closed, she looked peaceful under the orange light of the lamp, one almost couldn’t tell she was crying so hard a few hours ago. Sam debated if he should carry her to the bedroom or at least wake her up, but in the end, he did neither. Instead, he sat down on the carpet, his side pressed against the sofa, putting his head on his elbow.

Whatever this is, it fels tranquil and nice. She is close and far, her silence remote and candid, still as a star*. It feels like love. He feels his heart heavy with love. She doesn’t know. Maybe she will, eventually. But not now. Now he just wants to have this moment, in case it is all he will ever have.

Y/n is woken up by the wetness of her face. “Rose, stop!” She managed to open her eyes under Rose’s kiss attack. She propped herself up on her elbow and saw Sam sitting on the floor next to her, still asleep. But that changed quickly as he became Rose’s next target. Did he just sleep all night like this? The light seeping through the curtains formed bright patters on the floor. Gosh, she must be really tired to sleep so soundly on the sofa.

“Morning.” Y/n pursed her lips, containing a chuckle as she met gaze with a hair-disheveled Sam, who was holding the side of his neck, grimacing.

Sam felt every single bone in his body crackling as he stood up. Actions have consequences.

The drive back to Y/n’s house was quiet. Y/n thanked him for letting her stay overnight, which he insisted that was no big deal. Then he cranked up the radio and let Stephen Stills take over.

“Thank—-”

“I swear, if you thank me again—-”

They almost said together as the car pulled up to a halt in front of y/n’s apartment.

Y/n smiled apologetically nonetheless.

“Hey, like I said, it’s really no big deal. It wasn’t so courteous of me not to offer you dinner and let you sleep on the couch anyway,” Sam said. “I am very sorry about what has happened. I hope you are feeling better now.”

Y/n chewed on her bottom lip and nodded. It was after several heartbeats that she said, “You know, your bathroom walls are dirty, Kiszka.”

Sam blinked and then barked out a laugh, throwing his hands in surrender. “Guilty as charged.”

“Call me if you need anything, yeah?” Sam watched as y/n unbuckled the seatbelt. He could tell that for a second, y/n was going to thank him again.

“I’m not guilt tripping you into this, but…the offer to co-dog walk always stands.”

“Sure. I’ll let you know.”

“Oh, and one more thing,” Y/n paused as she shut the door.

“Hug Rosie extra tight for me.” With that, she turned on her heels and walked away.

It was three days later that they met again at the park. The weather was starting to get cold. Sam would always choose the vivifying spring days over fall, but he also appreciates some delicious crunching of the leaves as one walks.

“I can really tell the season is changing when the benches feel a bit cold under the tush.” Sam commented as he sat down next to y/n.

“Oh, do we have to get you padded pants then?”

“Seriously, do they make those?” Sam gasped in feigned surprise. “Anyways, how’s your car?”

“I got a call yesterday, it should be ready to pick up by Thursday,” Y/n said. She was chewing on the edge of her coffee cup. “I feel so stupid losing it like that the other day.”

“But you don’t have to, though. There’s nothing wrong about feeling things, and emotions don’t lie.”

“Yeah, I guess. But in the end it’s not about me, it’s about them. There’s always more dogs that need help and always more to do.”

“I know you said not to, but I really need to,” y/n said as she turned to Sam and threw her arms around him, catching him in surprise. “Thank you, Sammy.”

Sam couldn’t help but notice how nice it felt to have her nose buried in his shoulder. Talking about emotions don’t lie.

His hair smells nice too. And it is indeed so, so soft. Green flag.

Somehow, they fell back into the old rhythm after that. Sam guessed that when people say woman in a dream, they must be referring to their phantasmagoric nature. With each day passing, he became more and more inclined to believe that what he thought he had was nothing more than wishful thinking and self-deception.

Christmas was approaching. Their brother’s lack of contribution to the holiday preparation did not go unnoticed by the twins. Jake was first to approach Sam, saving Josh as the last resort. Although Jake doubted if they would really need him.

“Sammy boy, what are you sulking about?” Jake sat down next to Sam, who was lying facedown on the carpet.

“M’not sulking,” Sam mumbled. “You just interrupted my perfect nap.”

“No shit, wonder if you can even breathe lying like that.” Jake nudged him in the ribs, earning himself a smack on the arm.

“Have you asked her out yet?”

“Who?”

“Quit playing with me, brother. You’ve been spending enough time at the shelter and the park that we thought Rosie was going to the big sis this time.”

Sam flipped over with a groan, his hand laying across his forehead. “No. I think she probably doesn’t feel that way, honestly.”

“Okay,” Jake rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “But how do you feel? Really smitten?”

“I don’t know,” Sam sighed. “You know the trend that goes, ‘one minute you are asking for her number, the next minute you are getting screamed at by her cat’? When I asked for her number, I was hoping so bad that we will be making advent calendar for our dogs every year.”

“Damn.” For a moment, Jake was struck by the weight of that statement; its authenticity and spontaneity echoed in the air.

“You really got some of Josh’s romantic shit, huh?”

“Don’t act like you haven’,.” Sam rolled his eyes. Jake couldn’t argue with that.

“Look, I knew you will tell her eventually. Come on, don’t give me that look. We both know that you will. But this is not like some assignment where you can just keep putting off until all the points have been abducted.”

“You have my permission to take the day off. But you better be making it up to me once you’ve got her. Do you have any idea how painful it is to untangle four strands of those lights? My fingers deserve better than that.”

Sam shot his elder brother a plaintive look. Jake raised his eyebrows provocatively, but the genuine encouragement still shone through.

“Just get your ass up already, kid.”

Sam was going to see y/n that day anyway. The shelter was doing Christmas dinner for the animals and y/n had texted him earlier asking if he wanted to come help. The shelter around Christmas looked like a kindergarten. Garlands and ribbons hung from the ceiling. Cheerful Christmas carols played through the announcement speakers. Even the bulletin board were updated with the animals’ intake pictures with their new Christmas photoshoots.

“Y/n is at the big dog kennel in the back.”

The round-faced woman at the front desk warmly greeted Sam as she recognized him. He had been a regular; the staff had naturally associated him with y/n and had been secretly calling him the sexy Tarzan*. (Y/n burst out laughing when she first heard that nickname; she couldn’t deny the resemblance is uncanny.)

Sam wasn’t sure how he was going to do this. Yes, he was going to wing it but it’s not like he could just blurt it out. The place started to smell like food as Sam passed the reception area. He found y/n and her colleagues standing in the meet-and-greet area around a table full of buckets and a crock pot with the largest turkey he had ever seen. Y/n waved him in as she saw him.

“Thanks for coming! We’re about to start.” Y/n handed him an apron.

“There are separate bucket for veggies, meat, and broth. You just grab some from each into the bowl and pass it down, Sally and Theo will squeeze in the yogurt and puree, add the dry treats…and a bowl is done!” Y/n walked him around the table as they went through each step.

“This feels like I’m at a poke station.” Sam chuckled.

“It is, special Christmas edition.”

Suddenly, Sam felt more at ease. He was grateful that y/n volunteers at the shelter. It’s at least comforting to think that he would have nearly a hundred flurry friends as his wingman.

They walked down the corridor, stopping at each kennel, opening the door and sliding in the bowl. Some dogs were more timid and nervous, huddling in the corner and coming up to the food when they were left alone. Y/n made sure to skip those ones a few more beef jerky. But most of them were already wagging their tails like windshield wipers in heavy rain, waiting impatiently at the front of their kennel.

It took them nearly an hour going through the whole the dog area before the empty cart was wheeled back to the preparation room.

“They have special food for the smaller animals like the rabbits as well. But, by far, our job here is completed. Well done, soldier!” Y/n untied her apron and threw in onto the table.

“Are you doing anything after?” Y/n asked.

“No, not really. Why?” Upon hearing that question, hope and anxiety bubbled together in Sam’s stomach.

“I could treat you to a coffee for helping out today, or perhaps hot chocolate?”

“Hot chocolate sounds great.”

“Awesome, you’re in for a treat. I know a place that makes bomb hot cocoa.”

It was snowing heavily when they stepped out. The ground is already covered in a thin white layer. The snow was coming down thick and fast, Sam could hear it falling onto the crisp fabric of his jacket. They walked along the side road. The sky was already dark, making the snowflakes dancing under the streetlights all the more obvious. The cars passing by, their tires rolling over the splashing snow, made sounds like someone stirring the repeatedly pushing the buttons of a a fountain drink machine. As nice as it was, Sam soon realized his mistake of forgetting to wear gloves when he headed out. It was strange how he seldom felt cold amid the big snowfalls, it’s always the coldest the day before. It was always the build up.

“So….do you have any plans for Christmas?”

“Oh, yeah I do. I am going to this awesome party. I'm going to dance, have fun, raid the charcuterie board, get shit-face drunk, and then crawl back home. Giving the weather we are having now, I’m probably going to slip and fall, break my face on the sidewalk, and lay there unconsciously until some hobo finds me and steals my purse, but all he is going to find are handfuls of puke that I threw up earlier,” y/n finished with a mischievous smile. “How does that sound?”

Sam was speechless for a few seconds. “I’m only with you on the ‘raiding the charcuterie board’ part.” He finally said.

“Always appreciate a good humour, Kiszka.”Y/n threw back her head and laughed. “I’m messing with you. Quite the opposite, I’m doing nothing. Probably still going to drink, but definitely no party.” She made a stank face.

Y/n has mentioned that she had just moved here not long ago. Sam never heard her mentioning much about her family, and he did not want to blindly assume.

“Do you want to come to mine for Christmas?”

“Crashing your family gathering as a stranger? That doesn’t sound like a very courteous thing to do.” Y/n replied.

Sam tried to focus his sight on the tip of his shoes. Just say it already. He was suddenly afraid to look to y/n. It feels better just to hear the rejection, not to face it head on, right? And could they still have hot chocolate after this? He could really use one now.

“Well, wouldn’t be weird if you were going as my girlfriend,” he finally said.

It was taking everything in Sam to hold his gaze on y/n. He saw her head shot right up. Beneath the initial shock, Sam couldn’t quite figure out the emotion hiding in her eyes. It’s always the build up. Always the build up. But now that the cat is out of the bag, he might as well just spill it out.

“I think I really like you, y/n.”

A smile crept up onto the corner of y/n’s mouth, and Sam saw it grew to a grin.

“Are you cold?” she asked.

“Hum?” That was not what he was expecting. But he appreciated a question, any question, to redirect the attention from the….previous embarrassment.

“Did you forget your gloves?” It was only then that Sam realized that he has subconsciously managed to snake his hands into the opposite sleeves of his jacket and fold his arms in front of his chest in order to warm up his hands.

“Yes, and my fingers are freezing off,” he said through gritted teeth. “And I am dying of suspense and embarrassment.”

Unexpectedly, y/n sighed and took off one of her own gloves. “There’s no need to feel embarrassed,” she said as she pried Sam’s right hand out of his sleeve and delicately stuck his stiff fingers into the glove, as if caring for newborn ducklings.

“It feels kind of good to see even Mr. ‘beat-me-in-every-banter’ at a loss for witty comments when it comes to feelings. Just proves we’re all human, doesn’t it?” She then took Sam’s other hand into her own and placed them into the pocket of her coat.

“There. See how much better it is if we simply express ourselves?”

Sam could feel y/n’s thumb brushing his numb muscles. “I may not be the best person to lecture you on this because, well, I myself have done a pretty lousy job at it too. But, I can try to improve, as your girlfriend.”

“Can you give me the chance to try?”

Oh god, now she’s asking me.

“My honour, y/n,” Sam felt like he could breathe again. And his quick wit returned. “One thing is not true though.”

“What?” Y/n asked as they continued to walk.

“I didn’t beat you to every banter. I lost in the toilet paper one.”

Y/n raised her eyebrows in amusement.

“I guess you were right. I called a truce with my bathroom ghost the other day.”

A man who is not afraid to confess his feelings and admit when he is wrong? Green flag.

Easter Egg

Y/n did end up attending the Kiszka’s Christmas gathering as Sam’s girlfriend. Jake was smug about it the whole time (“Told you we don’t need Josh”.) He determined that Sam owed him big time and demanded that he repays him by taking down the Christmas tree and and moving it up to the attic after the holidays are over.

Of all, Rose was more than thrilled to have her over because y/n came bearing special gift for her.

“I brought dog beer.” Y/n said proudly.

“You brought what?”

“Dog beer!” y/n laughed, showing the package of four cans. “It’s just unsalted bone broth with oat and barley.”

“Shame on you for leading Rose bug down this dangerous path!” Sam pretended to be annoyed but was already reaching for Rose’s water bowl.

“Come on, Rose’s a good girl, she can handle it. Plus, she is under parental supervision.” y/n said as she popped open a can.

“Oh, is that what we are now, ‘mummy’? Dog parents?” Sam looked smug.

As Rose happily lapped up her new beverage, y/n affectionately patted her on the neck: “And you always remember, Rosie girl, beers over boys. Well, I guess your daddy can make an exception but… ‘a healthy amount of beer over any contact with boys*’”.

*1: adapted from I Like For You To Be Still by Pablo Neruda

*2: it is from here (once you see it, you can't unsee it lol

*3: a quote from one of my favourite Youtuber: Christines Snaps

Hey, you've made it!! thank you so much for reading!

here's something more I want to say.

Firstly, the two dogs mentioned are real dogs; sadly they have both crossed the rainbow bridge now. You can read more about them here: Klaus and Huxley. I changed Klaus' story here because I'd like to imagine that having pup cups, going on walks, and having fun with other dogs is the life that he should have been having before his life was unfairly taken away. And I want to honour Huxley. The inspiration for this piece came to me because I relay information for shelter dogs that are listed to be euthanized in high kill shelters. It is absolutely heartbreaking to see how many healthy dogs lose their life at no fault of their own. I have always believed in the power of writing; I myself have been healed by the writings of others in this community many times, and I would like to do something with my writing too. I hope to raise awareness through this piece: There are just too many homeless pups. Please spay and neuter- their lives depend on it; and if you ever want a pet, please always go to the local shelter and check out their euth-list. Saving one dog is not going to change the world, but for that dog, the world is changed forever.

Secondly, about the writing; this is my first time writing Sam and my longest piece. As many of you surely must have noticed there are some loose ends, I apologize. I was emotional while writing this and I dragged it out. Plus, I made the mistake of reading one of the most amazing fanfics ever while writing this. I became self-conscious and kind of defeated---emotions get in the way, so I think this is leaning more towards a cathartic experience. For those that have experienced the pet loss, I am sorry and I feel for you. Please know that they can always feel your love and you will meet one day at the rainbow bridge. I intend to dig into this piece further in the future: perhaps make some more changes and edits, perhaps writing some blurbs between this y/n and Sam. If you would like that, please let me know.

Lastly, sincerely thank you to @dannythedog for the gvf secret santa event. It may sound stupid but that event carried me through my finals and several mental breakdowns. It has not only helped me to connect with so many wonderful people in this fandom, but it has also encouraged me to write. I never would have thought picking up writing again would give me so much closure and comfort. Plus, she did an awesome pairing; I got one of my favourite writers here as my secret santa!! and I got to know Nina.

This is so much longer than I intended. If you have made it here, wow, I am giving you a big big hug. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read my writings. I hope that there are many more to come.

More of my writings: Mariner's Complex || Permission to Fall || Ticked (all my boxes) || The Lucky Ones

(do we want a masterlist or a taglist? let me know :))

[dandunn]

I made an art influence map because @nblemons did it and I wanted to do it too!!

Template here

Honorable mentions/guys I couldnt fit on here: Yume Nikki, SamSketchbook, Monkey Punch, Wolf's Rain, Cowboy Bebop, Henri Matisse, Noda Satoru, Osamu Tezuka.

There are probably more but I've already spent way too long on this lol.

Wanna talk about them all briefly:

Watership Down: no duh. This movie imprinted on me from a very young age and made me way more of a furry than I already was. I always liked how realistic the designs were compared to mainstream rabbit designs which focus on the 'cuteness' of the animal. I think it's dumb because rabbits are kind of stroppy violent jerks and I like them for that.

Aboriginal Art: this is kind of related to Watership Down because I took a lot of inspiration from the intro and the almost cave-painting like designs. It took me way too long to discover that what was so grabbing about that into was that it was inspired by Aboriginal artwork! I hope this is okay to say because I'm neither Aboriginal or even australian and a lot of the cultural meaning is lost on my dumb ass, but I think the shapes, techniques and colours are wonderful. Painting I used in the pic is by Charlene Carrington

Lorne Lanning: is the main designer for the Oddworld series of games and I wish more people knew about him because his character designs and conceptual art are just fantastic and gripped me from a very young age. And he made a game where you play as a cowboy who shoots bugs at people!

Spyro reignited: dragons are hot.

Spirited Away: I love Miyazaki's entire filmography but Spirited Away really had a grip on me one particular summer in school, the same one where I learned how to use watercolour paints, and I think it had more of an influence over my art than the others for some reason. It's a very summer-y movie to me with very bright colours.

Edmund McMillen: probably more well known as 'that guy who made Super Meat Boy' I've always loved the cartoony yet grotesque imagery in the Binding of Isaac which I am about to clock in 1000 hours on on my steam account. Another game of his which really got to me was Aether from the Basement Collection. Watching his segment in Indie Game the Movie and how he translated his fucked up upbringing into fun, heartrending and addictive games really inspired me.

Animal Well: I only just played this game for the first time this year which is why I made it very small but idk what else I have to say other than 'just fucking LOOK at it'.

Frida Kahlo: I did a project on her for school which involved watching a movie about her life which was both fascinating and tragic. Her surreal art can be both bright and evocative and also downright tearjerking.

Pokemon: whenever I'm designing a character I have Pokemon in mind, say what you want about certain designs but Ken Sugimori and all the other artists who have contributed over the years really have the talents to make a cute, fearsome or oddball guy you want to go on adventures with.

William Turner: another one from my school days and an artist from my own country. I always loved the colours and sweeping brushstrokes.

Eiichiro Oda: Yeah man what can you say about One Piece. When I was about 15 and having daily meltdowns, copying the expressions on his characters really helped me figure out how I was feeling. Oda is a menace but good lord he can draw.

David Hockney: When I was also in school I attended an exhibition of his which was basically "im retired and I can draw whatever I want now" with blown up ipad sketches and these strange landscapes with fauvist colours. I thought some of it was dumb at the time but looking back I really admire his use of colours and the looser movements compared to his older work.

Masahiro Ito: Creator of Pyramid Head, Bubble Head Nurse and 'Honey Butter Fuck Toast'. The man, the legend, the 'this is fuck' guy. His blend of the grimy industrial, bloody, monstrous and sexual is so fantastic. I feel like I should also put francis bacon here because most modern horror artists owe everything to him, but god I love Silent Hill and the imagery this man created will live on in my brain forever.

[transdragonlira]

Your addition to the monster post is... So nice. You seem like you're incredibly passionate and fierce and loving and using your sona as an example of a 'monster' is really, really strong. Thank you!

also. can I see the bug please. I would very much like to see the sexy legged beast if that's okay please

Thank you very much! I have an incredibly strong connection to my sonas and being a furry in general! My entire queer identity as a person would have been completely different if I didn't manage to find the fandom (if it would have even existed at all). My fursona is even the origin of my irl name, I just used her name to try stuff out, and it really stuck!

And yeah, I really vibe with the monster interpertation of my sona. I really wanted to write more in that post but I didn't have the time or words when I wrote that, and didn't feel like it would add much to the post to go even more in detail about that, it would be a repitition of what they already said

But this is a new post so I can say what I want here

As someone who's autistic and trans, and had major hearing issues when I was younger (I'm fine now, but when I was younger I once lost aroud 90% of my hearing), I was never the type to fit in. I only have ever felt like I fit in in places that are queer and/or neurodivergent (like furry spaces are). I am too familiar with being shunned by average people. Furries really are the best

One specific part about the monster example that really hits in the feels is the fact that I really was seen as scary at school. Because I was autistic, I had autistic meltdowns. And mine manifested in the way of anger issues. I was lost and confused of all the unspoken rules, and that caused me to lash out at the bullies. This was first a reason to bully me more, but when I got older, this got a bit scary. I was genuienly seen like a monster. A monster to try to agitate a little bit to get a ruse, because she was chained to a cage of rules. But the same bars that enchaged her, protected her bullies from being punished for their deeds.

That is why although my sona may seem fierce, she really is a sweetheart, almost motherly (Centipedes in nature are known to be very caring mothers!) Despite being seen as a monster, she is still kind to all. But if you wrong her, or even worse, a fellow monster, she won't hestitate to bite. She is only fierce as a defense mechanism. She does not want to be fierce. She wants to care. But she keeps on being fierce anyway. She had no other choice.

I want to say that I'm currently in the proces of changing into this sona, as my sona was a dragon for a long time. And the more I think about it, she is kinda the person I want to be rather than the person I am right now. And that's completely ok! She is still very close to me, as she is the origin of my irl name. I (still) need something to strive for, and she is the perfect way to do so. Especially when I was a younger queer, unsure of what I wanted out of my body.

To be loved is to be changed. And I am currently loving myself, and my sona.

It's only natrual that she will change a bit. However, she will always be the same creature in my head. After all, I am my sona, and I am all my previous iterations of yesterday -why couldn't she be as herself as well as all of her previous iterations as well?

And while I'd absolutely love to show you the sexy legged beast, the nature of this sona being fairly new means I haven't gotten the time to draw her very much yet, and the one real fullbody of her is nsfw and idk if I can show her because of tumblr rules, but here is a cropped version, and a emote of her being embaressed. (and you can dm for the full! I am not scared to show my full, beautiful body!)

It kinda really sucks that I can't show the full here. A HUGE part of this sona is about the fact that she isn't a particularly girly girl, and that she has a big dick instead of a pussy. But she is still a girl! She might be embarrased about people wanting her, but that's because she is inexperienced! (They are 18+, don't worry) She is confident in her body and showing all of it of, because she knows that there will always be people that will be disgusted by her. But the love she receives by others makes it all worth it.

Honestly I could write a full article on how fursonas and gender (and queer identities in general) are linked. I don't think it's a coincidence that around 1 in 4 to 1 in 3 of every furry is not cisgender. (Less clear source, scroll down for the latest update: https://furscience.com/research-findings/demographics/1-3-sex-and-gender/) Heck, my very first fursona from when I was extremely new to the fandom was a girl- I had no clue back then that I was transgender. All I knew is that it felt right.

Lastly I want to say, despite really vibing with the monster theme, and it really applying to me and my sona, a big part of it (and what I mostly wanna draw with my sona) is trying to accept that we aren't really monsters. We are othered by society, but we are not bad monsters. We are lovely creatures, trying to love our lives like everyone else. We have all sorts of positive traits! I may have trouble understanding everyone, and yes, I am quick to anger. But you know what I also am? Like you said, I AM passionate, loving, and fierce. I am also intelligent, and have great marks in college, and am creative. And most of all, I want everyone in the world to trive to the point where it eats me up inside thinking about the evils in this world. Is that a trait you would say a monster would have?

And again, thank you, I got a couple of asks asking to see my sona because they sounded cool, and it's people like you that make the online world amazing to be in, stay yourself, and love yourself for who you are

[lzrsaugust]

soooo, i felt like mseeing with water color today and this is the first sketch :D

and erm, so uhm, this is how it ended ╭( ๐_๐)╮

uhh idk man i think something went wrong ahaha, so more abt this piece(the sketch, the only reason i kept the water color was for the animals and the hair more abt that later) I was thinking of maybe Tamlin waking from a pretty bad nightmare pre acotar maybe 100-200 years old like his father just died and he just bacame high lord i personally think Lucien is 300 ish so hes not around yet, 100-200 fresh from his father's death, previous spring lord being canoncally (srry dont feel like spelling rn) worse than beron, i imagine his and his brothers having a somewhat zoldyck family situation. anyways back to the scene, something seomthing nightmare, seomthing something no one there to help, somethig seomthing Tamlin doesn't want to bother his only friend (Andras) and its maybe dawn-ish, super tired, barely anysleep for days from sorting out the absolute trainwreck of a court that is currently srping, and just then there in the absolute chaos of orverwhelming emotions, trauma and ridiculous amount of work, there is just a little pocket of peace and tranquility where he things oh, maybe things won't be this bad in the future, yada yada,

in the sketch the hair was smoother as there wasn't too much thought when i was doing it and the second one i thought of the scene and i wanted it to be messier cuz he just woke up from some nightmare. yada yada, can't remember what i wanted to put here, so uhm if you can actually draw and feel like it please please please try this i really wanted to capture, this dam feeling, but cant really like hes super tired physically and emotionally but there is like this tiny glimmer of hope and i can't freaking describe it but yeah if ya want to i really wanna see it visually 🥹 (did that word vomit make sense? i hope i didn't scare anyone aways :))

and finally the animals! they are his children, he birthed them your honour.

In all seriousness he could totally do it, but nah i like to think he found/saved them when he was young or something like that. they are some kind of fae animal i geuss, like not completly mindless but they don't really form cohesive thoughts much, like intelligent has magic and the fae don't eat them. Uhh I think the cat looking one in the sketch would be some kind of rose tailed lynx somewhere on the third or fourth trophic level in the fae ecosystem, is an carnivore, the flower on the tail is a result of their magic, they could use a bit of air and plant magic for hunting, their young only has a bud on the tail maturity depends on individuals in the species, when they do a new petal grows every decade. They are usually live alone and thus has a reclusive tendency, and they come and go as they please, occasionally they stick around for awhile if they like you. The bunny looking one has some kind of bug wing like ears and could fly, ears get bigger with each century, they live in colonies and could grow their own food in the wild, in captivity they are the companions of the agriculture inclined “lesser” fae, they help tend the ground and plants and stuff they arnt considered “lesser” fae. In the wild they that’s smaller colonies and are also know. As bush bunny because in addition to their wing like ears their fur often resemble leaves and their tails have small flowers that are different depending on colony and bloodline. A defence mechanism would be to gather up and pile on each other to camouflage as a bush of flowers. In the watercolour one, the one on his shoulder is some sort of a mix of a cat and a rabbit or I suppose the two previous fae animals? Long furry ears, but this time it the tail that elongates as they age, the fur along with the flower tip tail changes along with the animal’s mood and when they form a bond they will use it to express whatever, like in the scene I wanted it to be a purple hyacinth and hydrangea mix ish to show compassion for Tamlin’s situation. They are usually protectors of the miniature flower spirit “lesser” fae, they look cute and stuff but like the long ears when tense and stretched become sharp and wolf like ish, and tail grows thorns. Usually they are pretty shy but are super friendly when you gain their trust. The last one(birb) is a owl and deer ish mix, their feathers darken with age, are usually very calm but could be very playful. They live in large parliaments and they migrate from each seasonal court to avoid their more unfriendly phases (hurricane season in summer and spring. Blizzard in winter, rainstorms in spring and autumn ect), they form strong bonds though rarely with other species, they are protective of their young and Tamlin was taken under this one’s wing when he was ten.

wow you actually made it this far, despite how incoherent it was, thank you!! I have more ideas but my brain capacity has reached its end. As always hope you enjoyed and have a great day/night! :D

[yaboy-miz]

I have some COTL followers that I want to draw so bad but I have no idea how to draw furries so while I figure out how tf a snout works in a front or 3/4 view I’ll just describe them for now.

Haar was my first follower. They were a grey rabbit with white tufts of fur on their cheeks. I don’t remember their personality. Their name was actually lost for a while because of a weird glitch where all of my followers from before a certain point didn’t show up when doing a resurrection, but I never forgot their face. They started showing up again sometime after the update so now I have that record again. In my little bit of lore I have for them, they never got a grave because there were very few resources and their body was damaged in a way that would make burying them difficult (in the actual game I butchered them by accident while getting used to the controls), so the lamb gave them an unmarked stone with some loose things around it. Over time their name was lost to history and even the Lamb forgot, so when resources were plentiful enough that they could afford to give a centuries-old grave some attention they drew a picture of them from memory rather than writing their name.

Thebre is my oldest living follower and also my favorite. He’s also bugged in some weird way where he somehow lost all of his naturally occurring traits, which resulted in me getting soft locked whenever I selected him first in the mating tent. I don’t know if it’s been fixed but I’m sure as hell not gonna test that. He’s my spouse and im pretty sure he was one of if not the first that I married. This guy has died five separate times and it’s actually ridiculous. His first was via sacrifice because I had the Good Die Young trait and I didn’t want him to die in shame. The second was before the update that let them take off their necklaces because he had a skull necklace and I wanted to give him a gold skull necklace. The last three are because this dumbass managed to have his soul damned three separate times before the game was patched so that they’d return alive after you defeat them thrice. Two of those were because this fucker won’t stop drinking. I have a lot of lore for him that I’ll go into later but the one bit I will drop because it’s funny as fuck is that he somehow became lovers with every single god in the cult grounds except for Narinder, and that’s only because I’m married to both of them. This man fell for five different gods and I think that’s hilarious, so in his lore I decided that he has a one sided crush on all of them but doesn’t make a move because he’s old enough to remember who they are.

I have more but they don’t have much lore so I’ll cover them later.

[sparkykitsune]

Paldea League explanation time

Might as well go into an explanation ramble about my picks for the Paldean league here! I did on AO3 but gonna mostly crosspost this here cause I feel like it.

Katy - grizzly bear This is a pretty obvious one. Considering she has a bug tera Teddiursa/Ursaring (because bears are often depicted as honey lovers in media), it makes sense why I'd make her a bear. Katy's also like a sweet momma bear in terms of her personality (not unlike another trainer here in Paldea, who is also a momma bear in terms of her personality, but more formidable, in this AU).

Brassius - serval I was just gonna make him an ocelot (because jungle cat) when he was first revealed in the trailer, but I kinda eventually wanted to make him part serval too, because servals have cute ears that I wanted to draw. Then I didn't really think he looked like a ocelot anymore, so I just made him a regular serval (yes, I'm aware servals are from the savannah, not the jungle/rainforest). He also jumped down from a windmill on his feet, hence the saying a cat always lands on its feet.

Iono - ragamuffin calico cat Iono just screams "cat girl" energy to me. Originally drew her as a pale orange and white cat, but I hated the design I did. So I went with a dilute calico to match her two toned hair, with one side of her fur being gray and the other half being pale orange. I also realized I unintentionally made a pun on cation.

Kofu - walrus Was gonna make him a hybrid between a walrus and a sea otter but last second, I just made him a walrus because the ears looked weird. I kinda went a bit half baked on the thought process of this, but I think he'd be a jolly old walrus, even if walruses are pretty territorial in real life. Also, first time I've drawn a walrus.

Larry - gray wolf Furry analysis thing. Wolves are like one of the most (if not the most) common species for a fursona. Larry may be a basic salaryman, but we all love him for that. Gave Larry some rather basic markings (gray fur, light gray markings on the snout, limbs, stomach and ear insides, and a black tipped tail; I know adult wolves don't have blue eyes but it's not uncommon to see wolf fursonas with blue eyes) for an average wolf to go with his theme. Larry's also almost always hungry, so I could say he's hungry like a wolf. Another point I initially forgot to add is that Larry's really popular among Pokemon fans, reminds me of how the furry fandom just goes bonkers whenever the media releases a new wolf character (*looks over at Legoshi, Mr. Wolf, and Death*).

Ryme - red fox So, this is a slight headcanon-ish thing that I've "dropped"/"forgotten about". Fox Ryme still works, cause she has a Houndstone, the fox and the Houndstone. I just think she'd be a fox, it just comes naturally to me (the urge to add a fox every time).

Tulip - leopard Okay so this is a questionable one. When I first saw Tulip's design, she instantly reminded me of Clawroline from Kirby and the Forgotten Land and I can't really shake that off, which is the reason why she looks like Clawroline in my AU. Also, the area around Alfornada is kinda like a savannah, and Tulip does have an Espartha on her team, which is technically an ostrich, another savannah animal.

Grusha - siberian husky Again, a pretty obvious one. All the ice type specialists (that I know of) in this Pokemon AU are all animals that originate from/inhabit places from, yet it took me this long to make an ice type specialist a husky in my AU. Also, those icy blue eyes of his are too hard to pass for a husky.

Rika - egyptian mau/sand cat mix This was a neat design to do. This design was pulled out randomly because I do have this headcanon that she's Falkner's older cousin (Falkner in this AU is an egyptian mau cat). She's also part sand cat to tie in with her being a ground type specialist. She mostly just looks your average spotted tabby though.

Poppy - raccoon When I saw her, I was instantly like "OMG, she's so adorable, she's my favourite character in this game" (no matter what everyone else says). Raccoons are my second favourite animal, but I didn't really think Poppy's design would translate well into a fox, so I went with a raccoon instantly because of her silver clothing and black hair gave off raccoon fur vibes. Raccoons allegedly like shiny objects, and Poppy has a giant key around her neck, so a perfect match. I could really just go on about this design choice, but I'd rather not make it too long or too deep. I didn't initially notice this at first but I found out that Poppy's giant key is actually a purse that she stores candy in, raccoons for sure have a sweet tooth as well.

Hassel - st bernard/golden retriever mix His hair colour reminds of a golden retriever but his face kinda reminds me of a st bernard. I'd definitely imagine a happy Hassel to be a blubbering and slobbering dog (st bernards drool a lot) in my AU, and I'd say both breeds would match him nicely.

Geeta - bobtail tortoiseshell cat I was gonna make her a bombay (black) cat initially, but I chose a tortoiseshell last minute, I'm not sure why, probably just to try and match her design more, I don't know to be honest. I eventually thought of the bobtail since I like the idea of Iono, Rika and Geeta being the three cats of the Paldea league (cause Brassius and Tulip aren't domestic cats), and them having a different vibe to them, with Iono being fluffy with a bushy tail, Rika being sleeker with a sleek tail, and Geeta kinda being inbetween with a cute little bobtail.

[catarimint]

Hey there! Welcome to my corner of the world!

Hi! You can call me Bugsy, or Bugs, Atari was my old handle and I haven't bothered changing the tags here lol. I run a couple of blogs, the ones you might recognize being:

@violetcottontail - I voice act here as many Habits! Got an ongoing story in the works :)

@mr-iterum - Another blog I run that connects to violetcottontail, this has even M O R E lore :D

@dreadbox - Yet another blog I run that connects to violetcottontail, hope you like codes!

@beyond-the-rabbit-hole - Over here, I write things related to violetcottontail. Some are canon, some aren't ;)

@atarispam - Used to be my art blog, now I just reblog stuff there

@addispam - My first blog that got big, was Spamton focused! This is on indefinite hiatus since I lost the hyperfixation on it.

I'm currently in animation college, so I'm a bit slow when it comes to updating violetcottontail and beyond the rabbit hole, but I will post when I can! This is just my main blog, feel free to message if you like! Also, I do take commissions :3

Art commission info under cut!

Here are my guidelines for commissions, please read them thoroughly!

I’m okay with drawing:

Simple Robots/Mecha, light gore‎, OC’s (Original Characters), suggestive poses, short comics, furries (Please be extra patient for furry art, I am very new to drawing them!)

I’m NOT okay with drawing:

Loli, racial/transphobic stereotypes, harm to animals or children, heavy gore, explicit art, explicit art of real people

PLEASE don’t be that guy!

What I need before starting your commission:

I will need references for the character/s you want drawn, the more the better! Do NOT send me explicit references! I will also need your email/tumblr blog url so I can send you the finished commission. Payment is 100% upfront and will be sent to me through Paypal. I will send you my Paypal once we have your commission figured out.

Average waiting time:

The average waiting time for a commission can be between 1 to 2 weeks depending on the complexity of your commission. Please be patient. I will send you progress pictures as I work to keep you updated.

What you are allowed to do with your commission once you receive it:

- Use it for profile pictures

- Post it to your blog (Please credit/Link back to my blog if you do)

- Use it as a phone background

- Print it out and tape it to your wall

- Print it out and eat the paper

- Show it to your mom

- Have bragging rights

What you are NOT allowed to do with your commission:

- You are not allowed to crop out my signature! It’s so rude! I will find you!

- You are not allowed to put it into an AI art generator/data bank

- You are not allowed to mint it as an NFT

- You are not allowed to claim credit for drawing it (C'mon man)

Final notes:

All sales are final! I am working to pay off student loans, so I will only be able to refund up to 50% if a refund is needed. Do not repeatedly email me for a commission! I will get back to you when I am able! I will allow edits to your commission while I am in the sketching/Lining stages for free, but if further edits are needed once I reach coloring/Final shading, I will charge an additional 10% for each edit. If I make a mistake in the commission at any stage, please message me right away!

How to contact me:

You can either dm me here on tumblr or email me at catarimintart@gmail.com!

[maplecaster]

tagged by @charlottan to answer interrogation questions thank you :"3

1. Are you named after anyone?

the name maple comes from my friend who had a furry oc named spruce and she wanted spruce to have a friend so i suggested the name maple and she didnt like it but i did so i kept it. im named after an aborted furry

2. When was the last time you cried?

probably listening to outer wilds music

3. Do you have kids?

Lol

4. What sports do you play/have you played?

uhhhhh does dodgeball count

5. Do you use sarcasm?

i prefer to call it lying

6. What's the first thing you notice about someone?

to me everyone is their own beautiful piece of art. What is the first thing you notice about a painting. about a song. about a tree.

7. Eye color?

you'll never know my eye color because i'll never open my eyes but my expired driver's permit says green

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

i like scary movies and happy endings especially scary movies with happy endings

9. Any talents?

no because to me talent implies you are naturally good at something. everything im good at i worked really hard for ok

10. Where were you born?

hell world usa <- kept answer from charlotte

11. Hobbies?

i like to draw and write and i used to write music too but that's too hard for me now i also like to take pictures of bugs when im outside

12. Any pets?

my family is in possession of a nearly extinct species of seal pig hybrid her name is baylea

13. Height?

just pretend im either really tall or really short im fine with either one but generally no

14. Favorite school subject?

oh yeah i forgot school was a thing uhh i like science

15. Dream job?

minecraft youtuber

[bellmo15-blog]

Well, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have been out for over a week now, so you know that means? New Poke Waifu season is in its full effect now! While you are all fantasising about Professor Sada (who I sadly will never see in my game because I picked Violet version) and instantly putting yourself on an FBI watch list with Iono, just by looking at this pic I had XJKenny draw for me you can already guess who my Gen 9 gal is. The head of the Paldean Pokemon League and now host to everyone’s favourite Marvel Symbiote Venom, Geeta. You know where I’m going with this! The moment I saw Geeta for the first time I instantly feel in love with her design. There’s just something about her design with the black outfit and blue gloves paired with her long black hair with blue and gold highlights and those gorgeous blue eyes and yellow… iris is it? I could be wrong about what that is since I know about anatomy about as well as Imortan Joe in Mad Max Furry Road is at knowing anything about Norse Mythology. Regardless of whatever they are Geeta is a beauty and I love her. Let’s be real, most of us knew she was going to be the champion before Scarlet and Violet even came out. You don’t have a super pretty girl like her in your game without her being the Champion thanks to previous examples like Cynthia and Diantha. Or even being a villain like Lusamine.

And now she has the Venom Symbiote! Not only giving her Venom’s powers of web swinging, super strength, and shapeshifting into different clothing (seriously, how many of you forget the symbiote can do that?) but she looks just as appealing as she does in her normal outfit. And can even be Paldea’s new vigilante super heroine if she wants. Considering half the crap that happens in this series from manipulative criminal’s guilt tripping everyone to release there Pokemon, narcissistic terrorists trying to restart the universe, two groups of eco terrorists almost screwing up the eco system fighting each other and a group that genuinely wants to commit mass genocide the Pokemon world sure as hell could use some superheroes! Paldea’s already got one with Symbiote Geeta! Or just lounge around in it looking sexy! Personally, I’d take advantage of the powers it would give me and go web swinging!

Artist is XJKenny. Since I’ve gotten a commission of a character from it and have been playing it since launch last week and I am known for being a Pokemon enjoyer, I guess I could give my brief thoughts on Scarlet and Violet. Not a full review but maybe like a minute or two of my thoughts. *Deep breath. *

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let’s just get this out of the way right now. This game is broken! Like, really broken. Granted, some of the really awful bugs people have reported I’ve been lucky not to get but I’ve still seen Pokemon spawn in trees, gotten stuck on geometry while riding Miraidon, had the game ask me if I wanted to respawn even though I’ve only walked down a small flight of stairs, NPC’s walk though my Pokemon in one story vital battle I can’t talk about because spoilers and even had my game crash after a gym battle! Granted it was a Gym battle I sweeped pretty easily with my fully evolved grass starter but still. I haven’t played this game in co-op yet but apparently the bugs are worse there! I get why this game is as broken as it is. Gamefreak were essentially trying to make a game three times as big as Sword and Shield and Legends Arceus but either didn’t have enough time to iron out some of these issues or it was just two ambitious for the team who might not of worked on a game this big before. Personally, I feel like they should have just taken the L and delayed the game by a few months to iron out the bugs so that it could be as polished as it can.

Okay, putting the glitches aside do I think Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are good Pokemon games? Yes, I do! I love the direction they decided to take with the game this time opening up the game world to explore fully after getting though the tutorial area. It’s actually a lot like Zelda Breath of the Wild in a way. You can’t go straight to the final battle from the start like you can in Breath of the Wild but your free to explore the Paldea region. The trainers do have set levels though so you can’t just go to say, Eri who’s the strongest of the Team Star Bosses, and expect it to be easy. I do kinda wish the trainers would adjust to your level to really make it feel like the game is giving you more freedom but with how I played I did most of the stuff in the lower area of the map first and working my way up. That’s another thing, there are three separate paths you can take as well. Victory Road which is the classic Pokemon experience of fighting 8 gym leaders to take on the league, Starfall Street where you fight to take down the five bosses of Team Star and my favourite The Path of Legends not just because of the story around it but also because it’s about fighting Titan Pokemon which are stronger and bigger versions of normal Pokemon a lot like the Trials in Sun and Moon and as some you all might know already, Sun and Moon are my favourite mainline Pokemon games. Actually, I liked Starfall Streets story as well but it’s a reason I can’t talk about without spoiling why. Victory Road is fine, and the Gym leaders are great two but, and this is no doubt going to piss off a lot of people, but I actually think Sword and Shield had the best gyms in it because of how they were like this massive sport that the Galar region was super into and how the Gym Leader fights had crowds of spectators.

I’m a little mixed on the new Pokemon they introduced. On one hand I love the starter Pokemon and their evolutions, hell one of my favourites this gen is Sprigatio’s final evolution Meowscarada, the Legendries and some of the Paldein forms. On the other hand, there’s also ones like an actual tumbleweed and literally a car made of rocks and the incredibly phallic Paldein Dugtrio. Not to mention the new art style for in game. Not the official artwork for the game itself, that looks fine, I mean the models in game of the human characters. Sometimes they look fine to me other times they look off to me and I’m not sure if that’s a common thing to think but it’s how I feel. Again, gonna trigger people saying this but I think Sword and Shield has way better character models. Although, performance issues aside Paldeia looks quite lovely. I wouldn’t say this is the best-looking region nor my favourite but it looks good enough that I can’t help but say “Yeah, I’d take a vacation here.”

So anyway, that’s just my brief thoughts on Scarlet and Violet. It’s a great game with great ideas that really just needed a bit more time to be polished but hopefully as I’m writing this, they are working on patching this game. And hopefully it doesn’t take them a whole year or two to patch it and fix it! I’m looking at you Rockstar Games and the GTA Trillogy!

[sadistic-softie]

Ok, ok, hold on! Actually, I wanna say some stuff I've had on my mind for a while. Sorry to be a downer, but I feel like a big and kind of important issue related to this is that A LOT of people equate furry sexuality to nefarious activity and even just flurries in general. As soon as you express yourself sexually in relation to furries or draw sexy/kinky furries or are seen dressing like in that photo (love that suit btw), you can get loads of weirdos like my mom all over you.

People demonizing you, saying/assuming you're a zoophile or a pedophile or that you perform bestiality or other generally creepy ideas they have of you and they will refuse to believe otherwise. It scares a lot of people (including me) away from participation in the community, sharing furry related artwork, or even *telling* people they are a furry or in that they like furries in the first place.

My mom is a prime example. She very firmly believes that ALL furries, in her definition of them, are zoophiles and/or pedophiles. And I mean ALL. And she doesn't consider Looney Tunes characters, Disney anthro characters, Sonic characters, and other very popular/prevalent anthro cartoon characters and their respective costumes and cosplayers as anthro animals or furries because they're "different" somehow to any other anthro characters (even though Loony Tunes were/are often openly sexualized but that doesn't exist to her)

Oddly enough, when I draw my fursona, she doesn't see it as a furry thing either, but that might be denial or because it's more of a bug type character?? Idk.

I don't really understand her viewpoints and I really really wanted to, but I just couldn't really ask much about the topic because she would get progressively *aggressive* toward me any time I tried. I told her I wanted to own or even make a fursuit one day and she just stopped me and said, very sternly, "No. Not in my house. I don't need more trauma" and went off about furries being sick in the head and got uncomfortably hostile as I continued to try being part of the conversation while she ranted.

She doesn't know a single furry (besides me) btw so idk where she's gotten this from. Her main proof RN is "just look at them" and "think about it" Not funny, but, lol. And sorry for the long ranty post. I got really carried away. This stuff just means a lot to me.

I feel like a lot of people forget the furry community was built on queer sexuality and kink along with acceptance for being "different" and when people just go "I'm not like those freaks, I'm a wholesome good one" you're kinda just ignoring that side of history. it's ok to not be into that stuff and steer away from it but you gotta acknowledge the importance of queer furry sexuality.