#tales of stars and magic

[talesofstarsandmagic]

So something I care about lot about in the Tales of Stars and Magic universe is the biology of my alien species. Now there is some canon stuff to explain why some species from different planets look similar (they are related. There’s a whole thing behind it), but I want the majority of species to feel truly adapted to their environments.

This has led me to redesign the lomarans 3 times, the tomai twice, and the finaalin a couple of times (these were more minor changes though). The volcarnirin (what Avalis is) are next on my list because there is something about them that bothers me and I need to figure out what.

Anyway, point is I spend way too much time thinking about the evolutionary history of my aliens and their adaptations.

This also made me realise the finaalin are actually better adapted than I initially thought, as their original lifestyle was essentially that of a marine iguana but on what are the Oceran equivalent to coral reefs. A finaalin’s natural diet is mainly algae, but they will also eat shellfish they find, and once their tool usage developed they would also catch fish and farm fish. Essentially, having a humanoid body plan isn’t actually that bad for them, especially considering I intended on them swimming in a similar way to a marine iguana in the first place.

There’s still a lore reason why they are so humanoid, but it’s nice to realise they weren’t as poorly equipped for their environment as I initially thought.

[artistdove]

Somewhat official designs for each of my Mickey and Oswald Aus along with minor lore. For those that want basic info on each au, here's the link.

Between the Screen Au

Mirroring ear injuries due to Blot.

Mick has minor health injuries due to having the Blot in him during Epic Mickey, resulting in monthly check-ups and a paint monitor.

Mixed their outfits post Epic Mickey.

Oswald is co-leader of Wasteland and head of the Conversion Trolley Station, while Mickey still acts but occasionally works side jobs.

Tale of 2 Brothers

Style is based on the Beta pitch, so semi-angular basically.

Both have the Blot in them, so they can use paint or thinner with their hands. Old movesets from the Epic Mickey Beta trailer are present when they fight.

Oswald keeps his Blot arm hidden at all times unless around Ortensia, Gus, Mad Doctor, and the Blot. Mick eventually sees it.

Toons & Dungeons

Oswald is an Artificer/Sorcerer and Mickey is a Bard/Sorcerer.

Oswald has minor lighting spells while Mickey has various spells. Oswald has a gun that can shoot electricity, Energy/Paint, and Acid/Thinner. Mickey has a wand, Pan Flute, and Lute. Both carry a small hidden dagger.

Oswald was taken in by the Gremlins while Mick gets adopted by Yen Sid.

Rising Star

Outfits change over the years, so this is the main look.

1920s-60s they stay conservative with looks, but eventually let loose as times change.

Can be depicted smoking or drinking cuz they old.

Magic Island

Villagers inspired by Mickey and Oswald, so their names are different. Oswald = Clover while Mickey = Elias.

Clover is a Smug/Lazy Villager while Elias is a Jock/Peppy Villager. Idk if that makes sense (；・∀・).

Elias sleeps early while Clover stays up late.

Local Toon

Classic old looks. Nothing much to say, they are kids in this world and look like their first designs.

Toon High

Main designs until later arcs.

Oswald prefers loose cloths unless working on machines, which he wears tanks or snug clothes. Mickey likes active wear or normal teen clothes.

Later on, the two wear something of the other as a way to solidify their repaired brotherhood.

Ink & Mirrors

Actual plot is Mick and Ink!Oswald. Parallel plot is Oswald and Ink!Mickey.

Both are dealing with completely different issues. Ink!Oswald is hunting Mickey while Ink!Mickey is trying to help Oswald.

Ink!Oswald is stuck in a sort of limbo where his mind is like pre-Epic Mickey, mostly due to the false heart Bendy implanted into him. Ink!Mickey seems to have kept some of his self due to his heart, but Alice Angel mangled the poor mouse.

Mickey is constantly stressed as he tries to escape the studio and revert his brother. Paint barely works on these enemies so he is stuck using only thinner and electricity, leaving him heavily drained.

Oswald is alert 24/7 and trying to rescue others alongside fixing his brother. Having never used the brush before, he finds it a tad difficult to use correctly. It's also causing him to drip. He has a limp due to an attempt to use his leg as a weapon, which failed horribly.

P.D. Toons

Public Domain toons turned into ocs. They are still the original characters, but my own take.

Oswald is Oliver Hare and Mickey is Willy Fieldmouse.

Oliver is the local trolley driver. Willy is a staff member for a local studio.

[khaoala]

❝This bowl is not enough. Treat me to two more. Order yours, too, and let's eat together. Only then, I'll stop being mad at you.❞

KAPOOK PLOYNIRA as JUDY episode 8 of THE TRAINEE

[violetsinyoureyesandguns]

She looked like a religious icon with flowers and stars growing from her rotting body,✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

like someone you would sacrifice your soul for˚ ཐི⋆ ⋆˚࿔𝜗𝜚˚⋆사랑 ⊹⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺⋆༄˖°.🪷

[adventuresofalgy]

Algy was resting quietly near the edge of the forest, preparing to set off in search of his way home, when a large post bird swept into sight, flew around and around over Algy's head, and then dropped a book at his feet before flying off to make its next delivery.

Slightly taken aback, for he had no idea that anyone knew where he was, Algy picked up the book and found that it was his very own children's book, The Magical Midwinter Star, which had just been reissued in paperback with a new cover design.

Algy was fond of this story, especially at this time of year, for it reminded him of his difficult and sometimes dangerous quest to bring light and joy back to the darkness in his very first northern winter, years ago… He recalled the song, sung by a choir of tiny mice, that he had heard on the edge of just such a forest as this one, and the beautiful, magical star he had seen at that time:

By the light of the Midwinter Star, All the creatures would come from afar: To the trees that were green When all others were bare, And they picked out the prettiest Tree that was there, By the light of that magical star. By the light of the Midwinter Star, All the creatures would come from afar: With soft wool and shells And bright things they had found, They dressed the green tree Where it stood in the ground, By the light of that magical star. They dressed up that tree Till it glittered so bright That the birds and the animals Sang with delight, Then they all danced around it Throughout the long night, As the star shone above them So sparkling and white. If you travelled the world Just as far as you might, You never could see A more marvellous sight Than the dance of the forest On Midwinter Night, By the light of that magical star.

His discovery of the strange shiny objects in a rock pool, and his search in the depths of the Highland winter for a suitable tree to hang them on, had been quite an adventure! And it had very nearly ended in disaster… but happily, all was well in the end 😀

So Algy was delighted that the full story was available in paperback again, for it meant that if any of his friends around the world would like to read the story – or give the book to a child (or adult still young at heart!) – they would now be able to do so…

In order to make the book available to Algy's friends in many different countries around the world, it was necessary to use Amazon, and Algy apologises to those who would prefer to buy books elsewhere.

The Magical Midwinter Star – and Algy's other two titles in his series of illustrated children's chapter books Tales from the Adventures of Algy – can be bought from Amazon in most countries, in both paperback and Kindle ebook formats.

[anghraine]

ngl I always find it wild to see Star Wars stuff that's like "if you think about it in terms of realistic statistics/science then..." about almost any aspect of it.

I mean, what about the Star Wars films gives the impression that this universe abides by realistic statistics, or realistic anything else? SW is broadly a fantasy epic projected onto an IMAX screen with a space background painted on it. Yeah, the planets and moons in the films almost always have improbably limited biomes and two major locations max, because narratively these locations are usually just fantasy city-states with space aesthetics.

Starships travel at the speed of plot and we simply jump past the amount of time that presumably is passing, and sort of imply the passage of that time through shifts in the character dynamics. But this passage of time cannot be analyzed with any kind of consistency because the only logic governing it is the pace of the story.

Just how long did it take the Empire to send a full contingent of forces to Dantooine, search the entire planet, find the Rebel base, and then report back to Tarkin between one scene and another? No one says and no one appears to care. How long did it take Han and Leia to reach Bespin and what exactly went on between them while Luke was, in the same time frame, going through a protracted training over multiple days at an absolute minimum? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

How do giant space worms survive inside asteroids that somehow have an Earth-approximate gravitational field and I guess an atmosphere? Shhhh don't think about it. The point of the sequence is not "how does the giant space worm subsist off this random asteroid and how does it breathe and how does gravity work in this context, seriously" but that the giant worm sequence is fucking sick.

There's probably some after the fact EU justification invented by people who had nothing to do with the original writing of the space worm (or perhaps there are several mutually incompatible explanations) and I am profoundly disinterested in them. Nothing could make this even slightly realistic and it was never intended to be. Star Wars sings space shanties at scientific/mathematical realism as it sails past on a completely different ship going in the exact opposite direction.

And I do mean "sails" because while astronomy might tell us that space is unfamiliar and wild on a level we as Earthbound lifeforms can barely comprehend, Star Wars understands that space is basically an ocean, yet with stars and cool but survivable planets in it, or sometimes it's air but combined with a super cool space background so you can have early 20th century aerial combat that would make no sense in actual space conditions and doesn't need to.

"If you consider relativity, then just running the Empire would be..." General relativity does not govern the galaxy far, far away. Space magic does. I'm not sure there are even time zones.

[marejadilla]

Annie Stegg Gerard, "Timid Heart", oil on wooden panel. 

[chiistarri]

hi chat i want more mutuals again u should interact if u like stuff in the tags >_<// !!!

[bl-bracket]

Mini-Bracket: Best Marriage Proposal in a QL

So, as many of y'all may have heard, as of June 18, 2024 the marriage equality bill just got passed in Thailand, making it the first Southeast Asian country to legalize same sex marriage and also only one of three countries in all of Asia to legalize it (Taiwan legalized it 2019 and Nepal legalized it in 2024 as well). While technically it won't fully go into effect for another 120 days, I've planning to do something to celebrate it for a while so with great pleasure I introduce the first mini-bracket: Best Marriage Proposal in a QL!!!

What's a mini-bracket? Well since we are currently still in the Most Unhinged Bracket (currently in the finals and about halfway through the loser bracket) and I have a planned hiatus coming up due to traveling, what it really means is that there will be a shorter submission time, no prelims, all one-day long polls, and will be running at the same time as everything else. This is just supposed to be a little fun thing to celebrate marriage equality!

Same base rules apply (which you can read in the form and in the pinned post) EXCEPT this time I'm going to open it up to all QLs! While GLs are still in the early stages of becoming an established industry compared to BLs (and thus it still feels kinda unfair to them if I were to say that that the brackets were for all qls but would still be like 90% bl at least), it didn't feel right to not include them in this one!

Also there's some extra rules this time!

For the purposes of this poll, the proposal MUST be for a queer couple (mlm or wlw)

While this is to celebrate gay marriage being legalized in Thailand, any East Asian live action bl is eligible

It must be a legitimate marriage proposal, not just an offhand comment about wanting to get married in the future or making some other type of serious commitment as a couple that isn't marriage (like moving in together). Those are all good, but not what I'm wanting to highlight here. 

Submissions Close on June, 22 @ 7 PM GMT

Submit your favorite marriage proposals in a QL Here!

@tournament-announcer

[666candies]

[kaycartoons]

I love having totally not cursed cartoon lore books. Yup, not cursed at all. (yes I know the httyd book is based on the book series not the movies but its still cool to see how the books inspired the movies and cartoon).

[talesofstarsandmagic]

More Onto the Horizon Incorrect Quotes

————

Irel: Sometimes I drink milk straight from the container.

Zeris: The cow!?

Irel: WHAT?

Eryn: Zeris why?

————

Rayka (learning how to drive): What happens if I press the accelerator and brake pedals at the same time?

Keryn: The car takes a screenshot.

Ahiin: Please pull over. That’s enough driving for today.

————

Kyla: It’s not like I try to blow things up exactly, it just sort of happens. You’ve got to admit though, fire is fascinating.

————

Avalis (sees someone doing something stupid): What an idiot.

Avalis (having realised it’s Irel): Wait that’s my idiot!

————

Keryn: So Aala, do you have a crush on anyone?

Aala: The only crush I have is this crushing anxiety.

[artistdove]

Y'all wanted to see each version of Ortensia. So here ya go. For those that haven't seen Mick and Ozzy's and want to know more about the aus, click this.

Between the Screen

Mother of 3 and honorary mother of 418, only 3 are legally adopted by Ozzy and Ortensia

Changed her look after being freed from stone

Works as a co-host for the Troley Station's Diner

Tale of 2 Brothers

Gentle Queen of Nostos Burrow

Mainly resides in the castle, but often visits each area to play and help others

Has no clue about Oswald's dark plan, and isn't sure if she is for or against it

Toons & Dungeons

Daughter of a wealthy banker/merchant

Troublesome as she often sneaks out or disobeys her father's rules

Fighter class, this is her main design

Rising Star

Daughter of a banker

Has made minor appearances in films and magazines

Stubborn at times

Toon High

Former private school student

Dating Oswald in secret

Star student

Ink & Mirros

Entered the studio after Mickey and Oswald didn't return in a week

Learned she could turn parts of her body back to stone and use it as a weapon aside from her claws

Won't leave until she brings back the brothers and finds some of her missing kids

Magic Island

Name is Annebelle

Normal type of villager

Loves to sing

Local Toons

Added head tuffs cuz so many older toons that were cats just looksthe same

P.D. Toons

Name is Sadie

Assistant to the director of the local studio and one of Willy's best friend

Copper's Sister (Copper is Julius in this universe)

[khaoala]

People with this kind of personality tend to be introverted, idealistic, creative, and driven by high values.

QL Characters + MBTI

[sakuralovespossums]

More SVTFOE Headcanons cuz why not 🦋🪄👑

Festivia’s wine recipes were so strong that you would instantly pass out after just four sips. She was the only one who could drink normally due to her super high tolerance

She also had a Greek accent

Rhina was actually Dirhhennia and Chad’s daughter, who Crescenta tried to pass off as her own

There was a brief period where Celena would publish her poems and short stories under an alias due to her shyness. People quickly recognized her writing though and her author career shortly ended

During her awful marriage with Roachley, Rhina threw herself deeper into riddles and puzzles as an escape

Rhina and Celena would bond over sharing riddles and poems for hours, trying to decipher their meanings and sharing ideas

As a child, Eclipsa was very close with her mom. But as she grew older and began sympathizing more with the monsters and her mom leaving for battle more often, they began drifting apart. The last time they ever saw each other before Solaria’s assassination, they had an explosive argument

Later when she had Meteora, she aimed to be a more supportive and involved mother to her own child (before they were separated by the MHC)

People easily believed Festivia as being Eclipsa’s daughter due to her resemblance to Jushtin. There were even rumors of her secretly being his granddaughter instead of Eclipsa’s child. The irony………..

Celena’s crippling shyness stems from her being half-demon, since Mewmens are super prejudiced. She would hide behind her wand and cloak to cover her sharp teeth and pointy ears

Estrella has an entire art gallery room deep in the castle. Growing up, she enjoyed sketching out her mom’s stories

The grandma room is so long that people would easily get lost in there and is rumored to be haunted by the queens’ ghosts

There is also a grandpa room dedicated to every queen’s husband

Soupina, one of the queens before Skywynne, was seen as useless due to her obsessing over soup more than being a ruler. That was until a famine hit and Soupina created a magic soup recipe that would leave you feeling full for weeks, saving Mewnie

The reason why none of the ghosts of Mewnie’s past queens before Skywynne showed up was cuz their tapestries were destroyed in the castle fire during her coronation. The tapestries act as a bridge between the afterlife and living world

Meteora wasn’t the first/only Mewmen monster hybrid, as there were many others but were outcasted by both sides. There are a few remote villages of hybrids whose existence is kept a secret

[adventuresofalgy]

On the next morning, Algy had an unusually bright idea. If the post bird could deliver his book to him in the forest, then the post bird could also take it away for him, for it was too heavy for him to carry in addition to his magic pumpkin lantern, and he was loath to leave it behind to rot.

But even more importantly, Algy suddenly realised that the post bird must know the way back to his home, for it had to know the entire area by heart in order to make its deliveries, and all the creatures knew that it rarely if ever went astray.

Greatly heartened by this thought, Algy made his way out of the dense growth of the forest – albeit with some difficulty as he had to carry both book and pumpkin and was therefore unable to fly – and settled down at the base of a gnarled old tree to wait until the post bird should happen to pass by.

Algy had no idea how long he would have to wait, however, so he tried to relax, despite the cold, damp sensation that was bothering his tail feathers, and passed the time by attempting to recall poems he had read on the subject of waiting. He could hardly say that he felt serene… If truth be told, he felt cold, damp, impatient, and rather anxious, as he didn't know whether his plan would actually work out. But as he liked the poem he had remembered, he recited it quietly to himself, alone in the snow, for there was not another living soul in sight to hear it…

Serene, I fold my hands and wait, Nor care for wind, nor tide, nor sea; I rave no more ‘gainst time or fate, For lo! my own shall come to me. I stay my haste, I make delays, For what avails this eager pace? I stand amid the eternal ways, And what is mine shall know my face. Asleep, awake, by night or day, The friends I seek are seeking me; No wind can drive my bark astray Nor change the tide of destiny. What matter if I stand alone? I wait with joy the coming years; My heart shall reap where it has sown, And garner up its fruit of tears. The law of love binds every heart And knits it to its utmost kin, Nor can our lives flow long apart From souls our secret souls would win. The stars come nightly to the sky, The tidal wave comes to the sea; Nor time, nor space, nor deep, nor high Can keep my own away from me.

[Algy is reciting the poem Waiting by the 19th/early 20th century American naturalist and writer John Burroughs.]