#this is the current one but theres been different designs

[holmesoldfellow]

Sherlock Holmes Little Thinker Doll by the Unemployed Philosophers Guild

[opal-owl-flight]

Edge of Chaos.

Remember how 4 gave herself up to Overlorder in my SO interp...what if 3 gives themself up to a chaotic entity?

Uhhh "side Chaos" type what-if situation bc I was inspired by fucking Lego Monkey Kid of all things. Deets below! (And LMK ending/spoilers for those who watch.) Its VERY ALL OVER THE PLACE FORGIVE ME

"Listen, listen. I am the light outside your dark cave. Come to me, Ill set you free."

I think the argument that sways them is the fact that the ordered world is suffocating everyone. The world as it is, its Plato's cave. The unknown, the chaos, its whats outside. Remember how tye point of Side Order is that an Ordered World would be shit, bc itd mean something perfectly stagnant?

Chaos leans HARD into that. But does it in a way that tears the current world apart. Burns whats going bad, but also whats going good.

"Look at everyone, writhing in pain, trying to fit in.

Wouldnt it be better, if those boxes were all gone?"

It slithers to whisper in 3s ear.

"Including yours?"

It starts with arguing abt the world's state. And then it pierces them where it hurts.

A life that they couldve lived. Alt3, yknow. A life outside the war.

...they look so much happier there...

The voice of chaos goes on, convincing them that if they join It, the world will be saved by them, which ALREADY gets them on board almost immediately. Then with the promise of a life better than what they have rn? Its the best of both worlds. They save the world, one final time, then they'll be free.

Theyre caught, theres no way out.

----

3 bowing to Chaos to save the world. Because its the only way for everyone to live a life beyond these secret wars. To live a life beyond the strict tenets the current world presses upon them. The world they carried all these years, and for what? Everyone STILL being stuck in those boxes? Status quo that wasnt the best thing in the first place? ("The world was breaking even before you started doing something about it.")

Theyre sick of having to keep the world the way it is. They gave EVERYTHING for this war. Theyve had enough.

3 finally living a life, like what 4 and 8 have been begging them to do, but oops. Oops. The rest of the world would get torn to shreds. A "burn everything down and start over" deal.

What makes it different from Order, then?

They cant think of that now, theyre finally free.

----

4 gave up her chaos in SO bc she thought that is what itll take for 3 to accept her again. 3 gave up their order in this hypothetical bc they wanted to set the world free, but also so that they can be fully with 4s chaos.

----

This ALL STARTED bc the mc of the show kept saying that it has to be him who saves the world, theres no other way. Which is...something 3 does on the damn regular. They carry the hero role and give this burden to no one else. To the ends of the earth, til the end of their life.

The lesson of this is "do things in moderation" -- that making the world a better place starts with little steps. Filling in the cracks. Some things work, dont burn everything to the ground so fast.

And most important of all. Stick together.

Which is a lesson 3 learns.

-----

Neat design note: 4 has her black tipped tentacles from SO. 3 would get white-tipped ones from this thing.

Why white? Besides being the opposite of Overlorder's black ink, it represents its narrative of being the light at the end of the tunnel/out the ("ordered boxes"/destiny/etc) cave theming for chaos.

When they look at themself in tge mirror after what theyve done, they see someone unrecognizable AGAIN.

They thought for themself this time. And the world went to shit. Were they really the only pillar?

now they look even more dead than before. Is this really the life they were promised?

The one they wanted?

[possiblycringe]

EVIL CALLIE POSITIVITY POST!

Brainwashed, Hypnotized, Possessed, willing - we all love a villain Callie! I love seeing all the different takes on this design of Callie, so Im making a positivity post on em, as well as a positivity post of my favorite mind control splatoon fics that dont involve Callie! Because

Recs under the read more

BRAINWASHED CALLIE: A Callie Whos Goals and Alignment has been forcefully shifted! Theres so many ways you could do this, and here are some of my favs: Clear Skies - BucketOfMud - Splatoon [Archive of Our Own] This one is my own fic, I admit, but its a fun post-shades thing I wrote where Callie has the lingering effects! Light Shines Through - Chapter 1 - Mothbomb - Splatoon [Archive of Our Own] MOTH WROTE THIS!!! The fic is currently unfinished but its SUCH a fun one - Callie is still brainwashed even after the shades are shot off Everybody Like(d) You - MaplesHaiku - Splatoon [Archive of Our Own] A really really cool fic thats the turning point in Callies mind with the shades on! Run In - CloverzBandit - Splatoon [Archive of Our Own] Another fun fic that has Callie addicted to the shades and dealing with that Cherry Red - c0ttonberries - Splatoon [Archive of Our Own] Cottonberries has SUCH a good brainwashed Callie; I wont spoil what happens here but its a really awesome take i like crossing the line and slowly losing my mind - Champ1onRed - Splatoon [Archive of Our Own] A very unstable and fun take on brainwashed callie >:) LED Lights. Sleepless Nights. - technicolorbreakdown - Splatoon [Archive of Our Own] A ANGSTY post hypnoshades Callie dealing with all that NONE HYPNOSHADES BRAINWASHED CALLIE - a collection of Callie being brainwashed in a way unrelated to the hypnoshades! Again, this is self indulgent but I HAVE to share all the fuzzy Callie fics (@askfuzzycallie) I have - Inside the Mind of Grizzco's Bestest Most Important Employee - Vindextra - Splatoon (Video Games) [Archive of Our Own] by Vin is Spot on how I imagine her mind is in my askblog, Wild Side - IcyGlaceon - Splatoon [Archive of Our Own] has some really fun progression of her mind, it's the animal instinct in me - Champ1onRed - Splatoon [Archive of Our Own] and Gnawing - Mothbomb - Splatoon [Archive of Our Own] are going to be direct inspirations for what I do with fuzzy callie in the future >:) Bomb Rush Blush (but it never ends) - Violetstar_24 - Splatoon [Archive of Our Own] Greyscaled Callie fic that literally gives me goosebumps every time, viscerally uncomfortable in the best way Veggie Burgers in the Fog - Chapter 1 - Cakepencil - Splatoon [Archive of Our Own] is a really fun fuzzy callie fic as well, and I recommend you read it, especially for its really well done pov! another day, another few commands to obey without question, absolutely no bombs, rushes, or blushes - Cakepencil - Splatoon [Archive of Our Own] is a really REALLY fun sanitized Callie fic, as is its sequel! the monster you created - Champ1onRed - Splatoon [Archive of Our Own] is a GREAT evil Craig fic where he's a bit more sinister when it comes to training his granddaughters, making them double agents! Memories Reflected in Tears - Tealeavesandmothwings - Splatoon [Archive of Our Own] is a really fun au me and Bug made where Callies a cyborg, you should check it out! (Part two inkcoming)

[kaihuntrr]

The Sea Prince; Betas and Sketches!

Hello! been a bit since ive done a sketch dump, but it isnt just a sketch dump, it's an announcement!

As @mewhoismyself and I work on the fic, we need an active set of beta readers! The two we have our wonderful, but to keep with the schedule, we need some extra hands and fresh eyes!

Hence, beta readers are once again open!

I am looking for two betas who are experienced in writing, and who are active to give their insights and feedback! currently, i am writing chapter 17, but while i do that, i'd need the feedback as soon as i can get it so i can prepare it for the chapter release dates. shoot a comment down below so i can check your account!

anyway, here's some doodles <3

ONE OF THESE IMAGES BELOW HAVE BLOOD. I AM WARNING YOU NOW.

first off, here's a joke made by a friend :> martyn is scott's babygirl, boom, its canon-

starting off, here's some silhouettes for the other princes ;D I can't reveal them, otherwise the surprise would be ruined! they're all based on different sea creatures, but they are just as scary as Prince Pearl and Prince Chromia. theres other designs i have to get to, but this is a sneak peak of the other terrors lurking in the dark.

speaking of, I got a fun doodle of em <3 the good thing about eating underwater is that they won't get all messy, but there are those times where an audience might watch them eat, they're messy eaters!

these two are pretty, but i really wanted to push their freakier, scarier sea prince sides! more slight changes, but they're both quite fun to draw! their contrasting designs are so much fun to draw together, i love these sillies! oh- and here's a bloodless version!

i absolutely LOVE my sea prince designs, scott and pearl just itch me the right way.

and before i pop off, here's some concept designs for joey and sausage, along with fwhip and gem! since gem is officially a lifer, i think her role in the story might be a bit more focused on, who knows!

wanted to make sure sausage didn't look like his pirates look :0c this au was originally before pirates smp, so i wanted to differentiate them somehow, so i pulled a lot from their empires' attire and see what works! what do you think?

finally, we have the cover art board! im planning to put this all in my pinned post the moment all the covers drop, but goodness, those eyes sure are pretty!

what do you think of the au so far? enjoying it? i hope you are! this au is such a blast <3

[juni-ravenhall]

If you take over SSE, what would be your first changes that you make? Like immediate things you want to do?

And what’d be your long term goal, how would you achieve it?

- ro-sso

this is the best ask ever thank u but u might not be prepared for this essay........ sorry :3

first off id need to find out exactly who are the current ppl for game director, art director, etc direction positions, and who of them are making the crazy decisions. is it directors and managers, is it the CEO, etc. ofc there might be many parts in this chain from an uncaring CEO down to a confused director down to a struggling game designer down to a coder/writer/artist that doesnt get enough time and resources, like, i understand its a complex chain but that doesnt change the fact that someone (or several) have been fucking shit up for all of sse's history. so i would do a lot of talking to staff respectfully and finding out whats really been going on in the chain, and who is not working in the best interest of the game's quality and the company's stability. map out where in the company theres the most and least problems.

(this to me is easy, im analytical and resistant to lies and manipulation as a person. i see through shit very easily and i have a long history of self-studying and analysing stuff related to running companies and making games, since thats my life goal... so to some ppl it might sound like "thats harder than you think" bc theyre just not me. some ppl arent passionate about running good healthy ethical game companies - i am!)

sse clearly has basically never had good directors with good direction, or if they did, those werent given enough power and resources. they shouldnt have been changing artstyle several times, they shouldnt have been abandoning storylines and areas, they shouldnt have been ignoring bugs in general, they shouldnt have been ignoring bugs and cheats in racing and champs, etc. so, its very important to get a good game director, art director, and so on, in place, whether its an existing staff member who just needs more power and resources, or its someone new who is a good fit.

then ofc take a look at all staff hired and see what everyone is there for. after the layoffs im not sure if they have many passive workers left but id get an overview and do some interviews w staff to find out how the efficiency situation is and if more/less ppl are needed in diff areas to actually pay ppl to work on the game itself. (as an example mb u need one less social media person and one more programmer, one less team manager consultant or other middleclass word salad jobs... etc.)

then overview of salary differences. this is a huge point to me. was the CEO that im assumably taking the job from, earning a lot more than everyone else a month? then thats not happening anymore. all salaries within the company would become more balanced, setting in place a system where the minimum salary and max salary at the company are tied together in a ratio so that to raise the top u must also raise the bottom. this will instantly lower much of the top and assumably raise some at the bottom (how much, i dont know from the outside). this ratio system would be clearly outlined and from now on a pillar of the company's structure. also, check that skilled senior staff has appropriate pay for their experience, etc, make sure salaries seem fair.

along with this ofc a good overview of costs, loans, earnings, the current office and all of this to know the situation. i think thats obvious but ill say it anyway to be clear. have a complete grasp of the economic situation, talk to the economics staff.

with staff interviews and salary checkups it would also be relevant to see if theres any gold star workers who should shift up in positions, for example a very good animator could become lead animator, stuff like this. sse has already done things like this fairly often (sometimes maybe not with the right people) so im not too worried about it but i would do another check. also just general talk w staff to find out who has hidden potential that might not be getting used. (i want to know my workers and be able to help them shine, this is good both for the workers, the work environment, and the company results.)

at this point, we should have balanced out some of the leaking money at the top (and hopefully made a few leeches jump ship while at it), boosted the happiness within the company (balanced salaries etc), and have a great overview of whats going on from the more economic and hierarchy standpoint. we should have gotten rid of some potential leeching staff that didnt actually help create a good product and run a healthy, ethical company, and we might have gotten new people in positions where we needed more skills (direction, programming, whatnot). compared to sse's 10+ years of being a chaotic mess, the company structure should look pretty good now, even if not perfect.

i would have a lot of talk with the directors and team leaders and senior staff to make sure everyone is on the same page from now on: we are making a good quality game, we are being consistent, we are not adding new random shit just bc ooh shiny or cashgrabs, we are going to impress the players and make them feel "oh god, finally sso is consistent and living up to its potential". everyone at the company needs to understand this goal and why the loyal players are disappointed with the game. there will still be new horses and item recolors etc ofc, we do need a certain degree of "ooh shiny" from the player side of things (hopefully good gameplay and good stories would also be ooh shiny though), but there needs to be a new focus on the Actual core and Actual pillars of the game, which sse failed to do bc they have bad direction.

most likely, we would change the weekly update into bi-weekly or monthly, maybe starting with bi-weekly to test the waters. in order to deliver a good quality main storyline and also good quality stories and updates to tie up loose ends, there needs to be enough time to do that. there would be very solid goals on the cadence at which major updates are released and no long stretches of time without main story, and no long stretches without other significant updates.

an important part of that is also the seasonal events - i think the 4 seasons of events is a good thing, but they need to be properly bug fixed and have some design and writing improvements, one new fun (more challenging) race for each of them, etc. so hopefully we can afford enough staff that we have a few ppl working on updating and finalising the 4 seasonal events to their more or less final form.

each seasonal event needs to have a cool and challenging race (similar to cloud kingdom rainbow race or some other recent races) that HAS A HIGHSCORE BOARD. this is a key thing to me. all event races should have highscore boards (and some crappy event races may be removed, or combined into a better version of all of them together). *everyone* playing would be able to just better their own score for a generic gold/silver/bronze score, which gives specific rewards for reaching the medal score on the event race(s), and those who are at the top of the leaderboard among everyone, would get a non-exclusive prize, like 1000js. its not a huge win - not to encourage cheating to get to the top - and mostly based in the existing "daily best" system. it would still encourage players to actually try their best at the event races and feel like there's some stakes in it. (active human moderation of suspicious race results is also necessary - we should be able to afford that now.) i also think, if someone has won the daily best, they should then not be able to get the daily best for at least another week, leaving place for other people... but this becomes a problem with alt accounts, so it needs more consideration, i dont have the full answer to that yet.

also, all the tack and clothes need a stats overhaul. the random top stats we currently have are stupid and they seem like they just didnt think about this at all. this is partially a dress up game, so you need to be able to dress up cute and still have top stats and be able to win champs. if possible, i would set staff to work on letting you upgrade any piece of equipment to max stats (which would be something like 5-10 in each stat i guess). this system might require starcoins to upgrade - a way for the company to earn money from cosmetic changes, that seems fair enough to me. (maybe there would be a way to pay with shillings and collectables, but just an easier way to pay with sc, it would be considered.)

we'd also need to sit down and take a good look at what all horses stats are, which horses seem to be boosted or nerfed in races for no reason, and make sure all horses at least function fairly and as intended. after that, to consider whether you should be able to train all horses to have the same max stats, or if we want to keep breeds unique and different, then those differences should also be well thought out and actually matter. right now, and for a long time, some horses are just better at races than others (pintabian, etc), and some (ardennes) seem to be shit for no real reason (other draft horses dont necessarily have the same problem). so it needs to be properly looked at and fixed so all horses at least have good reasons to be different, if they are different at all, and no bugs or unintended boosts and nerfs. horse stats should make sense for gameplay.

all the champs need to get their updated forms, so i also hope we could afford enough staff to have a few ppl working on updating the champs consistently until thats done. i do think a lot of sso's races also should be overhauled, because racing is the main gameplay we actually have (collecting light in hollow woods is not challenging and not really gameplay) and it should be satisfying, fun, and challenging, like playing a mariokart race (that doesnt mean it should play *like* a mariokart race, just that it needs to be fun). the highscore boards and the gold/silver/bronze medal systems are really, really neglected assets of sso's player motivation. if getting a gold medal score on a race was consistently actually difficult and required practice, and getting that gold medal also gave you a good reward (shillings, items) that motivated you to aim for it, then players might actually have fun challenging themselves for higher scores! the same goes for daily best / etc scores that should be looked into, what rewards they give, etc.

also, there should be a ban on adding any new npcs to the game if theyre not extremely necessary. sse has been adding new npcs left and right all the time, and it just clogs the game with random irrelevant characters that dont add anything to the game, it takes time and resources to make their model, give them a name, write their dialogue, and so on. instead, focus all that energy on actual relevant npcs and ones that players want to talk to and find out more about, hear their storylines, etc, and let races be handled with either existing npcs or with new and improved highscore board objects (make it obvious you click them to start the race).

of course, the art style of sso should never again change. art direction from now on is consistent and solid with an art director who understands their job, lead artists and lead animators who 100% understand what the goals are. directors who make sure that the quality of art, design, animation are up to the standards of the style we are using, that things fit together in the game. new models should not actually be "better" than the old ones - you end up in a destructive cycle where the art keeps changing. the style should be consistent with only relatively minor refinements over time. so, the art directors and leads need to make sure the style continues to be consistent, and update things that need to be. (im not sure how many areas of sso should really get the complete overhauls like silverglade village anymore - at some point you're also wasting resources on something less important than the gameplay and story, but some areas also look really outdated, so careful consideration needs to go into which areas to update and *how* to update them. maybe jarlaheim doesnt need a complete overhaul but a partial one. etc.)

the gen 4 horse needs to have very solid planning before release, which seems to have been the case so far from the little ive heard about it. if players can finally get a more custom horse with custom markings, mane and tail styles (preferrably available across breeds), and ability to pick coat, mane and tail colours separately, i think this would be great. it also relates to the whole thing with horse stats and just making sure that horses function properly and have reasons to actually have different stats and such, if theyre going to have that.

there also needs to be a decision made about sso's future - specifically, should we keep developing this game on this crappy messy engine for another decade, or should we eventually say, "this is sso 1, and we're finished with it (the story is finished, game isnt buggy, etc)" - and then go on to create a new game (while still keeping sso 1 running!) on a new, modern engine, where there is good direction and good planning from the very beginning? i dont know how far they got with project curie before cancelling it, whether theres much work to salvage, but i think that creating a new horse mmo set in jorvik (curie was supposedly not a horse game) as a more or less "sso 2" is a fair idea. the potential of customisable gen 4 horses might not really be that relevant for sso 1, or customisable player character faces and bodies like the sims. maybe this is stuff that should be in sso 2 from the very beginning, rather than patches trying to fix the mess that is the current sso? i think a lot of players wouldve been happier to see the old avatars and stuff remain in sso 1 and see the new, current artstyle we have be a separate game as sso 2 instead. (runescape classic etc.)

so, i would want to very carefully consider what really should be in sso 1 versus if we should be making sso 2. its possible to decide, actually we do want to just keep updating sso 1 and make it the best it can be, to basically keep adding expansions to it. but even if we decide that, the thing is, its hard to save the original story at this point due to the careless updates that have already been made for years. my question is, is it possible to give the loyal, old players a satisfying ending to this story and these characters' stories and this world's lore, within the current state of sso? or is it just too far gone off the track? so this needs to be carefully considered. maybe sso 2 could be a sort of remake of the story, starting with elements based on SSL, rather than the haphazard "uh these girls saved the world a while ago and now youre here i guess" that sso did start with. maybe its not too late to give the loyal long term players a satisfying end to the story. but its a complex issue that needs a lot of thought. (which should never have happened! the story shouldnt have changed the way it did, things shouldnt have been abandoned randomly, added randomly, changed randomly, all of this is just bad shitty direction and management without respect to the players, which is especially frustrating bc it goes right into "girl gamers dont matter, girl games dont matter,".)

there are more things, like a weather system, that i would have loved to see in sso but ultimately might be better to save for sso 2. or maybe sso keeps going with major updates and major expansions and then it would be relevant to consider for sso. the same thing for customising our home stable, getting a player home to customise, there are lots of fun ideas like this that i could talk about but that ultimately im not sure how much time and resources should be sunk into when sse have chosen to fuck themselves over for this long and caused this many problems with the game that need immediate attention to make it playable and enjoyable. so in this... essay... i focused mostly on solving problems and making the game a solid and fun experience, and what to prioritise to keep it that way, while these bonus new content like weather or customisable horses or customisable player faces/bodies and all that, would be great updates (or sso 2) but have to come as a bonus when everything else is under control.

so yeah thats covering both a lot of immediate stuff and long term considerations. this is like, a fraction of the stuff i've thought about. i have a lot more to say about a lot of things to fix in sso and other things that have to do with running companies too. and ofc theres a lot of things i just cant know from the outside, and so on, im not a perfect person who knows everything and never pretend to be (i have to say this bc ppl like projecting things on me just for being confident in my skills). getting to take over sse would still be a learning curve with finding out exactly where the problems are and how to solve them. i view this realistically. there are always unknown variables and things i'll have to figure out when i get to it, but you can do that if you have a strong core and strong direction that wont be swayed by capitalism or ooh shiny. i just know a lot about prioritising and directing and about ways to run healthier, better companies, and ways to be ethical and create good products instead of cash grabs - and i also value the skills and knowledge of others, which matters in finding the right people to work in the right positions. these are specific interests i have and spend a lot of time thinking about, analysing, studying, practising, etc.

if you or anyone else actually read all of this (im shocked) and want to discuss more about it or have questions about it, im all ears :D

[markatoto]

What's the inspiration behind your avatar's design? I've already noticed references to kirby, mario/luigi and parappa, but what about the outfit?

funny enough, if you would believe it, theres zero influence from the mario series when it comes to the current mar katoto design! the moustache is mainly there because i have a moustache in real. i like my facial hair! matter of fact, just for prosperity's sake, lemme just post one of the original design documents when i conceived the character:

(not seen in the inspirations as well is OK KO, specifically the arms + wristbands were directly inspired from KO, as a means to separate the arms/hands for posability and easy separation of color combinations. parappa is unmentioned just cause i didnt think it needed mentioning lol) this image was made all the way back in december of 2020 and, as you can see, its A LOT of kirby. unfortunately, due to the lack of art skill at the time, a lot of concepts i had for the character arent as particularly fleshed out as id like it to be, which is why i find that a lot of folks incorrectly attribute certain elements of the design to other characters/series that are unintended. its definitely a lack of foresight on my part. ive learned from that now, for sure. although, it's funny lookin' back on this - even the way i draw this particular incarnation of my character has changed a LOT LOL

however, ive been working on a version 2 design that ive talked a lot about multiple times in the past. the design i have is pretty much final and it takes things in a different direction. unfortunately, i havent done much with it now-a-days just 'cause i havent had time to fully finish it + my own self-doubts creeping in LOL yall know how it is

i hope this was interesting/shed some light into my character design process! ive certainly grown and improved since then and i hope youre all looking forward to any future designs by me!

[o-i-w-u]

Now, the Movies/Shows

(I could talk about these for AGES but I'll do that after I finish the main stuff ahahaha)

Die Muminfamilie -- 1959-1960 -- West German T.V. series, black and white. They were puppets!!

Mūmin -- 1969-1970 -- this. This was. Interesting. It was a 65-episode long anime, but never got popular due to the fact of... how it was made. THEY HAD GUNS. THEY HAD TANKS. SNUFKIN SNIPED A BIRD OUT OF THE AIR. (Also the characters differed WILDLY from the originals. Both in personality and designs.)

Shin Mūmin (not pictured) -- 1972 -- basically a remake of the OG Mūmin in order to make it more kid-friendly. Though it still differed greatly, it followed the book storylines closer.

Mumintrollet (I think I accidentally did two pictures whoops) -- 1969-1970 -- a live-action series written by Tove and her brother, featuring costumes!!

Opowiadania Muminków -- 1978-1980 in Poland, Germany and Austria, 1983-1985 in the UK -- THIS. THIS WAS MY ENTIRE CHILDHOOD. I AM ILL FOR THESE SILLIES SPECIFICALLY. It was many stop-motion animated episodes based on the books, and they're known as the "fuzzy felt moomins" due to the fact they were mainly made of materials. The intro music hit HARD.

Mumi-troll i Kometa -- 1978 -- an 18-minute animation based on Comet in Moominland by a Soviet Union production company.

Shlyapa Volshebnika -- 1980-1983 -- ...We do not speak of these Moomins. They were made by a Soviet Union company, based off of Finn Family Moomintroll. (Duck Snufkin. *shudders*)

Moomin -- 1990-1992 -- Probably the most popular! This was an anime, and it has been where most of the Moomins memes come from. Things like "let's go fill Moominvalley with crime," Moomin with a knife, etc. I don't know what else to say, man. It's just. Really cool.

Moominvalley -- 2019-present -- Still currently going on, with a new season planned to come out later this year. It's a 3D animation, and honestly? One of my favorites. They REALLY highlight things well, such as Snork being heavily implied to be on the autism spectrum and HOLY SHIT WHEN I TELL YOU THEY MADE SNUFKIN AND MOOMIN SO PAINFULLY GAY- ahem.

Hooooo that's all I got for the Shows. I. Still have more though ahahahahaha-

I SAW DUCK SNUFKIN AND I WAS SO INTRIGUEDDD

theres a moomin series ACTIVELY GOING??? WOUGJGH AUTISTIC SNORK????????? MORE SNUFKIN X MOOMIN ?????? YEAHHRHBHHHHGG THIS IS AWESOME LETS GOOOO

all of these sound so nifty :0 i love how they're almost all created in different ways (live-action, stop motion, 3D animation, puppets,,, THATS SO COOL AGH)

moomin is so friend shaped throughout helll yeah <<33

[anzuhan]

Hello! I'm new to your account but I just want to say your art is suuuuupper pretty! I want to know Anzu's lore, have you written it down anywhere or have discussed it with a previous ask yet?

hello, thank you and glad you asked 🫶 anzu never really speaks about anzu's lore because its overly complex and anzu wouldve wanted to save it for later for when anzu could actually pursue vtuber & idol activities, however its been 4 years and anzu still couldnt really. manage to do that. so anzu will talk about it now 👍 ^ _^)👍

anzu just hopes youre ready for a VERY long post (under cut because. otherwise itll be a post the length of do you like the color of the sky and dont wanna take up peoples dashes 😭)

so based on anzu's current design you'd probably think anzu is a vampire. which isnt entirely wrong but also. WRONG !! you see, anzu isn't from this world, universe, dimension, what have you. anzu comes from a very distant place in its own right that cannot exactly be entered, not even by anzu anymore due to how anzu was exiled from it. 'us' that live there are not entirely a species that is documented by the ones here, so anzu cant exactly tell you what anzu is, but the closest word to it of the inhabitants of this world would be probably close enough to shapeshifter; anzu doesnt exactly fit all characteristics of one, but that is still the best word youve all got for it ! anzu in a way also works like a candle, though anzu isnt made from wax or anything of the like (´ﾉω；`) anzu's insides are hollow and anzu's 'life' is given by a flame inside of anzu's body. it is closer enough to the fire that exists in this world, but also not entirely due to how it can hardly go out. back in anzu's 'world' we all lived under something close to a high governance of 'elders', but anzu would also compare it close to what people tend to call cults here. anzu did not like it, and though its painted as bad to be kicked out of that realm, anzu is kind of happy to have gone out ☆

anzu was also lucky enough to come across another of anzu's kind in the first world anzu was thrown into after the exile that could teach anzu how everything works. we are not exactly built for battle, though maybe sadly for anzu, anzu loves combat </3 our kind can go through dimensions, time and space at will, so we do not exactly age the same as humans. anzu could be 99308 one day and then 193993 the next one ! if anzu did some time skips or dimension skips or what have you. anzu has also given up trying to keep track of anzu's age, though last time anzu's checked, it was around 102000s (this may become invalid even by tomorrow)

the way we see things are as all stories, tales and also things far unknown beyond your imagination are their own dimension; dimensions are split into timelines; there is always a main timeline that shouldnt be interfered with, the one that you may call 'the one with the given fate', where all things go as they should, whether that be bad or not. and then after this one, theres thousands of subtimelines where minor changes have happened in everyones lives; anzu is free to go and disrupt those with anzu's own ideas of how things shouldve went~ truth to be told, anzu tends to become attached a ton to the ones that have sealed fates that cannot be changed.. well. almost, until anzu'd come in, of course ! and sometimes anzu cant help it but want to interfere. to how dimensions also work, a copy of every single person existing in said dimension exists in every copy of the main timeline; though, because anzu does not belong to any dimensions anzu goes thru, there can only be one anzu at a time anywhere.

anzu, across time and looking over all tons of different universes, has fallen in love with idols in each and every one of them. so anzu's quest is to end up becoming an idol in every dimension anzu goes to ! all different looks of anzu you see also tend to be so that anzu can fit in better here or there ... though despite anzu's spent so long among humans from so many different dimensions, anzu still struggles to understand some pretty simple things sometimes. either way, because anzu wants to be not only just any kind of idol but a cosplayer idol as well (i.e like fuyume hanamura from enst), its also good to have huge variety, right? ♡

this is what anzu looks like normally, anzu usually refers to this as 'default' or just 'sumika', given that was the name anzu chose when anzu had come onto a dimension outside of anzu's own. you may see it from time to time, and they may not always look identical but anzu thinks its pretty usual to spot in most drawings whenever it is the 'default' !

among the usual white holographic hair and the usual characteristics, anzu's also had blonde hair for a while ... anzu does not really like to act as an idol like this, but anzu does that.. sometimes ! and for the blonde times, it was more a case of spicing things up.. ?

those are also just a very small portion of what anzu's 'default' looks like. below is a much much larger strip of looks, though not updated.

okay ! now that we've established that that is, what a normal person would probably call anzu's 'natural' look, next are two charts of anzu's looks anzu used to use and that anzu still uses sometimes ! you see there far more often than the default, due to the fact that anzu prefers to perform idol work and activities through them. the default from before is more of a personal and casual thing(＞＜*)ノ~~~~~

(x next to the name means they do not get used anymore; checkmark means they still get used; the time below the name in paranthesis refers to when they were initially active)

though they all have a bit of a different personality and characteristics, theyre still all anzu ! anzu is anzu no matter what anzu looks like, so please dont forget that☆ if you wish to know more about any in particular, or want to see more art of either, feel free to send a further ask about it ! theres tons of arts of every single one of them.

anzu had also not described every single little thing about anzu's backstory or things anzu is capable of, tales of things thatve happened in this or that time/space/dimension/etc ; so if you have anymore questions about any and all of them please ask as well ! anzu is happy if youre interested in anzu♡

[straitjacketzz]

HAVE YOU EVER DRAWN THESE GUYS?

Sooooo idek where to begin with this. I'll start by saying that yes I contacted Rebornica/Bones/Voltergeist and bought two of their old FNAF au designs. Those being Scott/Phone Guy and Jeremy. Before I get into anything I feel like I'm obligated to address Volt's past and let it be known that I do not Care about a mentally ill teenager faking other disorders or aggressively yelling at people to stop copying them or whatever other overdramatic thing they did like a decade ago and I don't think buying from them is anywhere near comparable to "supporting problematic people" compared other designers who are like homophobic or whatever the fuck else, and I'm not here to talk about or argue about "the ethics" of me giving Volt money. So jot that down before you even start typing.

I'm here to ask if anyone here has drawn art of Scott/Phone Guy and Jeremy so that i may save it and add it to their toyhouse galleries. You'll see they both currently have like 100 pieces in their galleries right now but I know that's not even scratching the surface. Theres just so much of it It's overwhelming to look for. Theres also issues of these designs being so popular to the point of people making their Own personal redesigns of them. And it starts to muddy up which art belongs to me or not. This isnt toooo much of a big deal with Jeremy as the giant "?" on his face makes him pretty distinct and easily recognizable as The Guy That I Own. But this becomes a problem with Phone Guy specifically. He is... pretty much The design that everyone draws him as regardless of if they intend for it to be Rebornica fanart or not. People use this design in their own AUs, people use this design as their own OC. Theres so so so so so much art of people labeling their art as "heres my phone guy design!" and its just the Rebornica design. And I don't feel comfortable or really have the heart to save anything that people consider to be theirs even if its literally the design that I own x__x It's just a bit hard when you own a design that is considered canon enough to a real video game to the point where people just. Take him. and there's nothing I can do about that. And it's not something that upsets me tbh because I knew this was an issue when I Bought him. Literally all I want to know is what art I can or can't save and upload to their archives lmao. So I figured asking people to send me their art directly would help reduce the chance of me just taking someone else's art that they didn't intend to be My phone guy. Not even counting the fact that a popular FNAF fan game called Dayshift At Freddy's has their own version of phone guy that ALSO had the red rotary phone head but wears a black business suit. So, any art of That One isnt mine.

But anyway yeah! And just know i'm looking for literally anything involving these guys. Digital art, traditional art, gifs, animations, physical/irl art, doodles, comics, fanfic, cosplays you made, even weird misc stuff like ponytown designs for them, literally anything and everything!!

also because i keep getting asked about it, Vincent, shadow vincent, mike, vendetta, mahogany, faith, captain, vex, sheriff, fritz, hocus, and boss have also all been sold and multiple different people own these guys now. and for vincents owner specifically, i will not be giving out their username as they Do Not Want To Be Contacted About It.

im cross-posting this on multiple websites so feel free to reach out anywhere where its most convenient for you. reblogs are appreciated for reach

twitter: straitjacketzz discord: straitjackets toyhouse: straitjackets

[baileythebean]

Reasons why you should read… Wings of Fire!!

Random LONG-ASS post but idc because this has been my favorite book series since 3rd grade and I still HEAVILY fixate on it - for anyone interested (after I explain ofc) These books are by Tui T. Sutherland and are available in audiobook, paperback, hardcover, and Kindle I think.

Reasons you might enjoy WoF and features of the books!

-creative character designs

-full plot with little to no holes and if there are any, they’re probably explained in one of the MANY side books available.

-well-written characters that can be powerful without being a “Mary Sue” and having their own personalities

-each book follows a different protagonist, sometimes with the protagonist switching up mid-book

-a prologue and epilogue in each book

-15 main books released so far with more coming!!

-STUNNING cover art

-the main characters are dragons!!

-Written like those fanfics where you read them and you forget you’re reading a fanfic but it’s still not quite written like an ‘official’ book, y’know?

-descriptive writing so you don’t have to imagine stuff in weird vague ways

-LOTS OF LGBTQIA+ rep! Including but not limited to: mlm rep, wlw rep, non-binary/non-conforming rep - and the best part about it? It’s casually brought up! It’s normalized! Not even the villains or shitty parents show an OUNCE of homophobia or transphobia!

-There are humans in these books! And POC rep!

-women in leading/strong roles :3

-different continents!

-different tribes of dragons each sharing similar traits depending on their habitat!! NOT JUST RANDOMIZED DRAGONS EVERYWHERE ALL MIXED TOGETHER WHERE YOU DONT EVEN KNOW WHO CAN DO WHAT!!

-Each book features a map of the continent it’s set on, a description of the dragons of each tribe living on that continent (including looks, powers, diet, affiliation in war depending on the book, and current Queen) and a page for the prophecy the book fixates around (different for each arc)

-Three arcs, each solving a different conflict but STILL IN THE SAME PLOT!!

-creepy mind-control stuff!

-well-written villains

-lines that have made me CACKLE out loud multiple times

-TONS OF SIDE BOOKS WITH EXTRA LORE/INFO IN THEM!!

-and so much more! Read them for yourself to find out!!

ALL THE BOOKS IN ORDER PLUS THE NAME, SPECIES AND A PICTURE OF THE PROTAGONIST IN PARENTHESES:

THE DRAGONETS OF DESTINY ARC: 1) The Dragonet Prophecy (Clay of the Mudwings)

2) The Lost Heir (Tsunami of the Seawings)

3) The Hidden Kingdom (Glory of the Rainwings)

4) The Dark Secret (Starflight of the Nightwings)

5) The Brightest Night (Sunny of the Sandwings/Nightwings)

THE JADE MOUNTAIN ARC: 6) Moon Rising (Moonwatcher of the Nightwings)

7) Winter Turning (Winter of the Icewings)

8) Escaping Peril (Peril ((the one in front)) of the Skywings)

9) Talons of Power (Turtle ((the green one)) of the Seawings)

10) Darkness of Dragons (Qibli of the Sandwings) (MY FAV CHARACTER YIPPEE)

THE PANTALA ARC: 11) The Lost Continent (Blue of the Silkwings)

12) The Hive Queen (Cricket of the Hivewings)

13) The Poison Jungle (Sundew of the Leafwings) (MY FAV BOOK YIPPEE)

THE RETURN ARC (not sure if that’s actually what it’s called but oh well): 14) The Dangerous Gift (Snowfall ((the one on the right)) of the Icewings)

15) The Flames of Hope (Luna ((the obvious-looking one)) of the Silkwings)

THERE ARE ALSO GRAPHIC NOVELS UP TO BOOK 7 SO FAR AND SIDE BOOKS LISTED HERE: Legends: Darkstalker

Legends: Dragon Slayer

A Guide to the Dragon World

The Winglets Quartet

There might be more but there are also a coloring book plus an activity/storymaking book and as far as I know the fandom is pretty non-toxic and full of artists and cosplayers!! So have funnnn :33

ALSO SEND ME ASKS IF THERES ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANNA KNOW ABT IT, I’D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM (sorry if Tumblr fucks up the image quality)

-IRL Bailey

@toniothegammafish @thesilliestofallqueers @rebootgrimm @ask-sora-aguilar @schnozzlebozzle

@bioexorcismss @piigeonss @weirdassartist @clown-prince-of-gay @lilacquintet 

@wakatoshi-main @metal-mage @vv4loe 

[allstrangeandwonderful]

Its the middle of the night and I'm in my feelings about how we stopped believing in magic when it literally didn’t go anywhere?

Like its fun and great when we talk about engineers being like wizards and computers being like magical tomes and programs being like spells and code being like runes and how moving your own limbs is actually kind of like telepathy if you think about it and diseases are kind of like curses and medicines are like potions and pharmacists are like alchemists and so on

but then we laugh and walk away like its silly and metaphorical because magic isn't real, that would be absurd, and technology is incredible and consciousness is miraculous but they're not magic

but like...aren't they?

Are they just similar, or are they literally the same thing?

Like, ok, imagine this is D&D world or whatever. Theres magic and spells flying around, which most people cannot wield and do not understand and find awe-inspiring and terrifying and whatever. But there are also wizards, who study magic, and learn how it works, and figure out how to wield it, with the use of wands and spell components and tomes, etc. Does magic stop being magic because some people understand it and know how to use it?

No, right? I watched a documentary one time on the way indigo dye is produced, and its a long complicated process that involves many steps, particularly converting ph levels to make it more stable for shipping, and then converting it back so it is reactive again and can be used as dye

and the documentary showed the dye manufacturers in a small village in India, talking about how they used to believe there were spirits in these large ceramic vats, and if they fed the spirits flour and then put in the dye, the spirits would magically turn the product from white indigo (stabilized) to blue indigo (useable), but now they know its just a bacteria colony, and feeding it keeps the colony alive, and the natural proceses of the bacteria react with the dye to change it ph

and I remember being struck by it at the time because...are those two explanations even different? What is a "spirit", at the end of the day? A kind of energy, or lifeforce, that has powers you don't fully understand, and can't see happening? Is that not literally what bacteria is, before you put it under a microscope and give it a name? Is it a different thing now because we named it something else?

and like, the word spirit is an english phenomenon with 19th century spiritualist baggage, but its just a word, its a placeholder that means unseen forces, and unseen forces, like bacteria, are literally real. Bacteria isn't like a spirit, it is a spirit.

(plus the word spirit has been used as a placeholder translation for like a million different culture's different concepts of unseen, hard-to-understand energies, and has been like intentionally used to other and infantilize cultures besides english/christian culture, so the word they use in their own culture probably does/did not have the same, like...superstitious/unreal/silly connotation we have in english, you feel?)

and anyway, I don't know if I'm getting this across right, but like, the first people who saw electricity described it as magic, right? It was a wonder, and totally beyond public understanding at the time. And yeah smart people figured out how to use electricity and called it electrons and learned how to manipulate it with the right designs and components, and it was so great we started using it everywhere and people stopped thinking of it as magic, but as "just" science. But are those even two different things? Just because we made the word electron, its note magic?

and I just feel like what is and isn't magic is like a cultural concept deliberately designed to make us look and feel superior to our ancestors and current non-christian/english people, and there is no literal actual difference except like ego and a culture that values seriousness and not wonder; electricity literally is a magical energy, medicines literally actually are made by alchemists from miraculous plants and minerals with special properties and computers literally actually perform tasks using an arcane language and rare material components and when you get sick its because your body is literally actually invaded by evil spirits, these are all just older words for real actual things that we gave new names because it made us feel smarter

tl;dr magic and science are literally, actually the same thing and basically when a little kid asks you if magic is real, you shouldn't say "no" you should say "yes, it just looks a bit different than old timey people thought it did"

(also disclaimer, I'm not like a crystal-waving anti-science luddite, I love science, I just also love history and culture and linguistics and the concept of wonder, and if that's not the spirit you take this post in then thats a you problem)

[bengaly]

Can you tell me more about Jiji and his species? I love their design!

Hello!! Yeah sure! Jiji is a meao-ixuí! They're those guys:

Jiji being the white one here:

Meao-ixuí are a species I'm revamping from some really old concepts I used to draw. I LOVED long eared, flat faced creatures and I made a thousand of them - some were their own species, some not. Heres some ideas from 2008/2009:

They're more recognisable as meaos in 2010:

Since they weren't really a single species but a set of features I enjoyed drawing, I never really wrapped them up as a single thing. So back last year 2019 or so I decided to turn those concepts I been drawing for over a decade into a species, the name being "meao" which is a silly way of writing "miau" (meow in portuguese) because thats what me and @mirtiloart called everything in our teens. So I'm kinda honouring my teenager self with that name. Theres more than one way to draw meaos - long and flat faced, and thats where the -ixuí suffix comes. Meao-ixuí are long faced ones, and meao-xatpan are flat faced ones. Heres a flat faced one from 2009 btw:

So! Their current design and lore isn't fully developed yet. I have thought a lot of little things about their culture and species, but its not a complete puzzle yet. I can for sure say so far is that they're from the tropics, are sentient, they're from a world with multiple sentient species and they're kinda the oddball there for being the only one around whos gynandropmorphic. They're marsupial-like, having pouches, and have some cool thylacoleo-like teeth:

This one is from 2019 and I've since then tuned the teeth a bit down but its still a fun way to draw it! (I've also noticed I didn't post this here which I will do after this ask) They're not very widespread in their world and often keep close to their traditional territories. Traveling around the world is a bit dangerous for them as certain things that are common in sentient communities is toxic to them - mostly things other species like to smoke so they can't really avoid it. Jiji travels as a nomad merchant with that yellow xoywren in the chibi picture, his name can be either Little Bee, Igutsak or Mayanga. Jiji is very skilled with weaving and embroidery, and since certain gatherings are dangerous for her health, its often Igutsak doing the negotiations. Personality wise, Jiji is a very chill meao. Shes often observing things in the background, but will jump in any conversation - invited or not - if she finds an opportunity for profit. Shes often the one giving ideas while Igutsak executes them. She and Igutsak adopt a human kid in their story (which is a very fun way to develop how different species deal with their offspring), and she was the one who noticed an abandoned baby hidden in a dense forest area. Igutsak is the one who nurses the kid, so heres again she being the brains while hes the action. Oh also, their world doesn't has currency. Negotiations are done by trading time, services and items. Jiji is often carrying a thousand things around in her basket backpack, which is what she is wearing in the chibi. Also the red markings on her are make-up! Meaos do that to protect bare skin areas from the sun, and also to look cool.

[thornswoggled]

my pilot chapter reaction in a nutshell

i really enjoyed this first glimpse into what TAMB might have been, but at the same time im grateful that we didnt get it. its a testament to how strong yamazakis commitment is to crafting a strong and compelling character-focused narrative that we went through seven (!) drafts to get where we're at. this first draft is tonally confused, unsure of its direction, and provides little room to wonder where the story might go from here. its almost perfectly suited to be a one-shot... which might be well and good when youre pitching ideas to a publisher, but feels strange compared to the long and winding narrative of character progression we currently have

so the initial backstory for chise being sold is a lot weaker. reads like a fanfic trope, feels like a "my mom sold me to one direction" story. i think its more important for chise to have put herself into a stupidly dangerous situation of her own accord - one day id like chise to fully appreciate the gravity of auctioning herself, seeing as she has only enough shame about it to avoid telling her peers. theres little room for speculation for this chise, who is sold to a loan shark to pay off debt. how does a japanese loan shark get in touch with a british mage, anyway?

this chise feels like... how should i put it? you know in middle school, those chapter books you would read about sassy girls going to like, vampire school and stuff? do you get what im going for here? shes sort of like that. she feels like the protagonist of a young adult novel series called something like "High School SUCKS 🩸🧛‍♂️... Volume One of the KNIFE to Meet You Chronicles 😈😈😈"

we also see that chise is enrolled almost immediately in the college. first, let me say that i love this proto-isaac we got here. i can only imagine yamazaki decided it was too troublesome to draw, or just felt out of place. which is a shame, because i like isaac quite a bit and i didnt pay him much mind when the college arc was first coming out because his design is such a nothing burger:

just as in the final story, chise is the odd one out at school - a witch attending classes for alchemists. but because she wasnt a sleigh beggy in this version (yamazaki says in interviews in the same book that chise went through a few different versions of what made her special, including being a 'specter in human form'), its unclear why shes here. this part is particularly striking to me, because...

... yes, i dont think you belong there either! because you already have a teacher, and he seems to be teaching you a lot already. more than elias is in the final story, anyway. this chise is competent and already fairly-self assured. is she here only for the social aspect? i do appreciate that elias doesnt trail her to school, but it doesnt mean much given that theres no explicit reason for her to be there

moving on to elias. first of all, yuck:

thanking god and also jesus that chise doesnt use such deferential terms for elias in the final version. blegh

this elias is uncanny valley. while chise has more attitude and sass in this version, elias makes up for it by being goofier and more amiable. theres still a sense of him being strange and off-putting, but it doesnt seem that this elias is the 'mild-mannered child pretending to be an adult' that yamazaki says our current elias is. i cant imagine chise has much to teach this elias on how to be human - if he struggles with emotions, its harder to tell. which makes sense, given that she also states that her initial draft of elias WAS originally human. i love the way yamazakis loose sketches for these panels end up making him much more expressive:

he has a sense of humor! can you IMAGINE him trying to make this joke land in the final story. chise would be like (jesse pinkman voice) "............. okay"

i cant help but wonder if, given several more decades of chises influence, maybe elias could somewhat embody this pilot personality

all that said, theres a significant difference in the dynamic between these two, and its that elias has never made any sort of indication that he intends for chise to be his wife:

i think this is a huge issue, and it provides little room for their relationship to grow in a way that feels compelling. in the final story, chise knows almost immediately what elias expects of her (or... what she THINKS he expects of her... she wont learn that his view of marriage is uninformed til later), and it colors how she regards him. which must be confusing for elias, considering he has little idea of the implication behind his words. elias is just as handsy in this draft as the final, but without the pre-established expectation of "youre gonna be my wife," coupled with elias not necessarily needing chise to teach him how to recognize his own emotions, this becomes a will-they-wont-they student-teacher romance that i frankly have zero interest in. not to yuck any yums but i just dont like that at all

despite it all, the heart of their dynamic still remains the same, and the goal of this series remains the same as the final:

even with badass punky chise and goofball elias as our protagonists, this is still a story about two people from opposite sides of the planet coming together and acknowledging their growing interest in one another. the desire to understand each other more is still at the core of these two. im just glad it was refined into what we got

and finally...

badass action girl knife-wielding chise you will always be famous. i love her so bad. thats all

[dol-dee]

opinion on butch f!bailey? shes been a butch to me since day one

I'm right there with you! :DD I use "them" for Bailey in this post but my current "canon-ish" run has an f!Bailey, so I design with f!Bailey in mind. Although, tbf I think my Bailey, similarly to my Harper, wouldn't look much differen't between versions Bailey gives me either heavy butch (maybe futch) or androgynous vibes. I totally get why people design her as a toxic femme; think cutesy kindergarden teacher that looks utterly wholesome but is the cruelest mf around behind that sweet facade It just doesn't do much for me personally, at least in regards to Bailey. I might be totally off with this tbh (I played the game a good bit but theres probably still a lot I missed in regards to Bailey) but Bailey strikes me as someone who wouldnt care to manicure her whole looks and aesthetic to fit that sweeter than sugar image. She can appear doting and charming in a cinch, hell she is probably really good at it too, or she wouldn't have been able to stay around as long as she has, she just doesnt strike me as someone whod care enough to keep that facade up appearance wise. idk thats a lot of dedication to the bit and I just dont think she cares enough . (I gotta add in advance that these are just my opinions/reading of the character and people are ofc free to have differing opinions. Honestly thats what makes dol so interesting) I've done a few sketches for Bailey but none i'm happy enough to post yet. Here are some of my design notes though: -Almost a bit boring looking / could melt into the background -Imposing, when you get a closer look at them. (maybe a lip scar?) -I dont think i want them to be extremely buff. a bit average looking mayhaps? -Their appearance isn’t perfectly calculated or immaculate but they do look somewhat tidy. -If they have Tattoos then they’d be hidden under plain suits or dress shirts. They kinda resemble a business person or office worker. -Body Hair -My version wears big ugly thick rimmed glasses, they used to be Edens < I have a whole headcanon lmao. They help to make them appear less threatening. I like a good contrast haha PHEW! Sorry I seem to always have a lot to yap about when it comes to design related things! If you actually read all of this then thank you :DDD and also thank you for the ask this was a lot of fun <33

[l3x01d]

these pics are from after i already did this a couple times so yours is gonna look a bit different. Ok so first undo these^^^^ four screws. take out the little half circle with teeth. it holds in a lot of the fur thats attached to an elastic band. theoretically you could use it to hold it back inplace after putting it back together but ive never actually gotten it to go in with the fur. you dont need to undo this one:

i recommend keeping it inplace tbh. then youre gonna get to the six clips. theyre extremely hard to get out. i ended up cutting all of them along the bottom. it sucks. ive seen people say you can push them out with a screwdriver but i never got that to work. hopefully you can do it better. this is my first custom. ive also heard people say you can cut a thread or two and then theyre easier to get out but i didnt want to cut any threads so i cut the clips instead.

then pull the fur up as high as itll go and undo all six housing screws. the top two are really far up almost ontop of their head. then undo the two clips on the side:

then you can just lift the back housing cover completely off. this next picture already has one ear removed. ignore that sorry. unscrew the two screws with washers on the pink plastic. these are holding the ears inplace.

using a flathead screwdriver you should be able to leverage out one side of the ear posts. after that you can just pull them out fairly easily. do this on both sides.

^^^then you should be able to flip the front housing cover up just enough to push out the clips holding the front fur on. then remove the front housing and faceplate. this picture already has the faceplate removed. its held in by three screws. i took it off to paint it.then you want to unplug the ears from their little square connector dudes and remove them from the fur. try not to pull too hard on the wires. theres a small hole they go through the fur thats lined with plastic. its kinda tricky but doable. dont be afraid of this part just be careful of the wires.

if you want to paint the eyes youre gonna have to scrape or sand off the current design and the white parts. its too slick to paint directly. it helps to prop them up with something while painting because theyre on a spring for when they open/close. i used the cover for my scrapey tool. dont forget to sand the lids if you want to paint them too! i forgot and my paint was kinda thick and now they dont always close all the way. most of all be careful not to get any of the dust in the internals.

this is the fun part now you can paint whatever you like!! clear spray paint makes a good sealant ive found.

the rest of this post is gonna be things to be mindful of when putting them back together that i wish i had thought of before i learned it the hard way. if you have to really force anything its probably not right. this long part in the back is gonna get in the way!! took me forever to figure it out. lay it flat in your hand as you put the housing on and make sure it lines up right.

before trying to get the back housing back on make sure the silver top button is lined up correctly! it should fit in the two groves on the very top of their head. when screwing the housing toegther BE CAREFUL OF THE EAR WIRES. BE CAREFUL OF THE EAR WIRES!! i caught mine and accidentily shredded most of them the first time i put them back togeher and ended up having to resolder a bunch of it together and it was doable but a pain so just be careful when you put the holes into their notches that theres no wires in the way. the wires are right next to the pegs/holes that get screwed together. the four wires in the back are for the ears:

i think everything else has already been documented better than i could do. i also carved a bit off of the ear poles to help but i did too much on one end and now that side doesnt move so thats probably not the best idea! i also highly recommend reading furbinthewoods' post on doing this i wish i had been able to find it when i was doing mine. ive reblogged it and put it under the "furby teardown" tag.

heres Feral my first custom ever and first furby since the 90s (I Love Them):

have fun and dont be afraid to fail!!

[omophagic-beast]

for the tarot rpg ask game! The Fool, The Empress, The Hierophant, The Chariot, The Hanged Man, The Devil, The Tower, The Star, The Sun!

!!! wowow hi!! thank you for all the questions, im gonna put them under a read more as to not clog up peoples dashes

from this ask game

The Fool – What do the earliest stages of work on a game look like for you? OR How did you get into game design?

i have a notes discord server! and a channel in there specifically for game ideas. previously i had a big word document titled "game ideas", but its easier to access discord from my phone lol

usually i have an idea and i stick it in there first

heres the start of the pillars of creation :3

and then ill noodle around with it, just brainstorm and slap spaghetti around. this is another reason why i like discord for this at the moment, its informal and easy, much less daunting than a word doc

i didnt end up using most of the bits here lol

and then ill move it into a word doc once its clear that ive got an actual project / game starting to form!

the one problem with this is sometimes ill keep an idea in there for much longer than i should and it becomes a mess of me replying to myself, terrible to follow. this is the current problem with moonlight whaling, sigh

The Empress — Where do your ideas come from? OR Do you seek out or avoid inspiration while working on an idea?

a lot of places!! tumblr being one of them, sometimes ill see a post where im like "huh that could be a game in some way" and ill stick it in my notes discord for later. but really anything, books, movies, songs, other games. im not the first to say this but u gotta read / watch / experience new things to make new things

The Hierophant — Who is a fellow game designer you’ve learned a lot from? OR What is a piece of popular wisdom about games you think is nonsense?

i answered the second one here so ill answer the first!

ive learned a lot from any designer whos game ive played or read, to start. but i wanna shout out @thydungeongal on here, her posts abt game design and rollmaster / d&d are highly highly fascinating and helpful to me, as a guy who hasnt even played d&d let alone any old school stuff and just kinda jumped into the indie scene from the start.

kinda makes me wanna play rollmaster, ngl. whats it doin with all those mechanics and tables =w=

The Chariot — What is the next project you’re planning to start OR What is the next project you’re excited to finish?

this has been my big question to myself recently, what game to really focus in on next. i have games that just need to be finished, but i think my next one* is gonna be this time travel game ive been thinking of

working title is Hooked, and the reason i think im going to start (and finish) it next is cause ive already got the main mechanic figured out, where when you fail a roll you can choose to create a hook, and in doing so succeed the roll

but that hook is a place where a future you has traveled back to that point in time and given you what you needed to succeed, which means at some point youre going to have to come back and close the loop, or else risk creating a paradox

too many paradoxes and the universe explodes so like. be careful :3!

it is going to be a lot of work, i want the general aesthetic to be the journal of a time traveler, with notes from all their future and past selves scrawled in the margins in different colors. and theres the question of if its a solo game or multiplayer, or both. solo-friendly is my current thought, but encouraged for more than one person. but we'll see how it actually plays.

The Hanged Man — What other creative pursuits do you have? OR What current trends in game design are you most interested in?

someone should ask me this again cause i wanna answer the other one also :3c

but! i have a crochet project on the mind so i wanna talk abt other stuff im into also :3

im currently considering ADHD and how it could possibly relate to myself, so just keep that in mind when i say ive dipped my paws into a whoooole lot of different creative hobbies. sewing, knitting, pottery, bookbinding, needle felting, jewelry making, and yea, crochet, are all stuff ive been into at one point or another

but my favorites are crochet and cooking / baking. for most of my life i thought my career was gonna be in food service! ive been a baker, cake decorator, and diner cook before, and loved all three of those jobs.

and crochet is great mainly cause you can make stuffed animals / amigurimis >:33 i loooove little guys and being able to choose what soft yarn im gonna make em out of, though its been a minute since ive made one. but!! like i mentioned ive got a project on the mind, as im gonna try and make the "something strange and indescribable" from the Before the Flood backerkit campaign and im very excited abt it :3 stay tuned for posts abt my success or failure on this front

The Devil — What motifs or mechanics do you just keep coming back to? OR What is a game you’ve enjoyed playing in the last year?

NIGHTHAWKS by @titanrpg is really really good. it has a heart in it, one that beats at an all too-familiar rhythm. when i played it we told a story that was perhaps a touch too close to home as well, disparate sad people sitting several stools apart at a dive bar in a small town.

i have a tendency towards comedy when i play ttrpgs, but my favorite moments are all when ive been deeply serious and sad, and thats what i got from NIGHTHAWKS

The Tower — Talk about about a game you tried to make that crashed and burned.

center of the known universe was an anthology of games i wanted to make a while back, all inspired by the part of the nevadan desert i live in. i dont think its crashed and burned necessarily but i certainly never finished it and im not sure i ever will, though i still like the ideas for some of the games and may release them individually

The Star — Talk about a game you’re working on and what excites you about it.

a game ive been working on for a looong time that i dont think ive really talked abt on here is The Lady, The Tiger, and The Accused. its a descended from the queen game based on The Lady or The Tiger? short story, where (to put it very briefly) a king has created a new form of justice where the accused is put in an arena with two identical doors in front of them.

behind one door, a lady of an appropriate social standing for them to marry, behind the other a very hungry tiger. this leaves the verdict up to fate, for if the accused is innocent they will surely pick the door with the lady, and if they are guilty they will choose the door with the tiger.

but the accused in the story is also the lover of the lands princess, and when they look back at her for the last time she raises a hand and points towards one of the doors.

the question in the story is one of love. would the princess rather see her lover dead, or married to someone else?

what comes through the door, the lady or the tiger?

but! there are other characters in this story, with agency and lives of their own.

The Lady, The Tiger, and The Accused instead asks a question of trust. when The Accused looks back towards their princess, and she raises her hand, do they trust her? do they open the door that she points towards?

its a game for three players, with each person playing one of the titular characters. it uses the descended from the queen format to create the character of the princess throughout play, along with the characters of The Lady, The Tiger, and The Accused.

its a good game!! ive got a bit more work to do on it, mainly on the tiger role. not everyone is comfortable being an actual tiger and role playing scenes that involve communicating with humans or attending parties and such, it turns out.

but im really excited abt it overall :3 its good and fun and i think it uses the descended from the queen format really well and hopefully one day ill do a crowdfunding project for it and get enough money to hire a bunch of different artists to make princess illustrations for it >:333

The Sun — Talk about a game you’ve made that you’re proud of.

im proud of all of my games, in one way or another. but, with an obligatory Before the Flood mention (crowdfunding now!), im really and truly proud of my body is your body is our body is

it was my first kinda big game that i published, and there was a lot of stuff with the first edition i really wasnt super happy with. im really, really proud of myself for finally going back in this year and fixing it. its so much better now! in a lot of ways.

and i mean it was good to start with also, most of my problems were with the programming side of it. when i was making the second edition reading back through the game made me cry a bit lol. theres a lot of banger lines in there and a lot of feelings.