#willowbirds

[jadequarze]

I didn’t think I could find anything more gender then your masc Laudna!

NEW GENDER UNLOCKED!!

Is that a bet? >:)

Fun fact, I've got my inspirations for masc Laudna based on these ladies from takarazuka. Here's a couple of pictures that helps with the brainstorming

Theyre very handsome (and actually made me confused the first time I saw them)

[wi11owbird]

I don’t think I ever posted this somehow?? But it’s from a few months ago. The song is “When the War Came” by the Decemberists.

[tenowls]

Hello hi! You may have already answered this but tumblr's search function does not like me lol

Do you accept commissions? :)

hello!! unfortunately i don’t but thank u for ur interest :’))

[wi11owbird]

You met a weathered traveler in the tavern once. Their skin was shiny with old and new blisters and their voice hoarse. They coughed when they spoke. The ends of their sentences thinned into wheezing. You were young then, so you set yourself to imagining the grand battles this wanderer had won, and could not rest until you knew their stories. Where could one receive such scars? There were few explanations.

You noticed, too, how the other patrons treated them: a strange mix of deference and disgust. Awe and anger. You heard the word “dragonslayer” passed around quietly, though apparently not quietly enough. But you were unafraid.

“Excuse me but did you fight the DRAGON?” It seemed, all told, the logical explanation. You knew there had once been a dragon up north, or maybe still was. Most everyone gave the area a wide berth.

The stranger blinked down at you, paused in surprise for a moment, then gave a scratchy chuckle. You imagine now that you must’ve been rather cute, and rather a shock, considering that no one else had even approached them.

You took their reaction as both affirmation and an invitation to go on, so you barreled eagerly over whatever they were about to say. “Sorry-” (you weren’t) “-sorry but I just HAVE to hear the story and was it BIG?” You threw your arms out to indicate a size arbitrarily larger than yourself. “And and was it-”

The stranger stopped you with a hand on the shoulder. “Ah, i do apologize. I fear you have gotten the wrong idea, little one.” Their voice was quiet and rough, hazy, pausing by habit between phrases for a tiny cough.

You sagged, trying (and failing miserably) to hide your pouting. “So- no dragon?”

“Oh, there was. But the fight wasn’t so much.” You’ve learned since that this was a lie. That it took a small army. That it lasted three weeks, and the person before you hardly survived it, and the rest did not. But this was your one and only encounter with the famous, the infamous, dragonslayer, so you never did learn the reason for their omission.

You shook your head. “That can’t be right. What about all these?” You poked one of their blisters, gently.

A sad smile crumbled into wheezing. Presently their voice emerged again: “Those are just the marks of an old fool who can’t stop going back.”

i think that killing a dragon should have catastrophic nuclear-fallout level environmental consequences tbh. their blood should scorch and wither the earth with fire and poison, the toxic fumes released as they decay should choke the land and all nearby living creatures, and the entire landscape where they fell should be transformed into a blighted wasteland where bleached leviathan bones loom upwards out of the ground as a warning that can be seen from miles away, the boundary markers of an exclusion zone.

[bun-a-day]

otohan thull bunny, gift commission from @mehoymalloy to @willowbirds ! 🐰 commissions open

[cringefaecompilation]

okay since i have felt i've been really negative i am going to be positive and talk about something near and dear to my heart. fanart redesigns!

this design of braius by @phi-guy is delightful, including the mustache variant. i'm not a big fan of him as a character, but this is a great compromise with the holstein patterns on his humanoid face that previously left a few furries disappointed.

fcg is a very tough character to stylize, given the whole... aeormaton of it all and that they're so intricately designed that any attempts to move any part of their body around tend to make things they do in-game not make sense. the blades of grass emblem being revealed as bloody fingerstreaks, for one. but this design by hugo cardenas strikes a good balance between canon and fanon where you don't have to sacrifice accuracy for imagination or vice versa

imogen sadly doesn't receive a lot of redesigns in fandom and even got hate (?!) for people putting glasses on her. but for the people that do a little more than that, i would have to give my favorite design to @rokiie! it's subtle, but i love that she's musclechubby and mixed, and her curly hair and ponytail is adorable. @jadequarze also has a nice looking mog, though theirs is more angular than bulky.

ashton is another character hard to redesign... because his original design is so damned complex it feels like a downgrade to change it. so not a lot of people do and focus more on his outfit and body type. so that's why these two, by @magscherer and @ladysantos are so great! little tweaks that make him fat or simplify him are so nice

@lyadrielle has the most complex chet redesign i've ever seen. i love how in-depth it is, and even if full head of hair chet isn't canon, i still adore the fluffiness of it. also quick shout out to @colealexart giving chetney a mustache because i love it.

conversely from her girlfriend, people love to redesign laudna, if not just to pump up her creepy factor over her "bizzarely beautiful" factor. @astoriacolumnstaircase and @paragonraptors do this in a fun-scary way! i love how spindly they make her, like a praying mantis. for a more scary-scary way, @cpprcoyote's laudnas are stunningly creepy and lovely. @galacticjonah's take on her is also very cute with her billowing fabrics surrounding her like a security blanket. good stuff!

being the mixed orym truther guy, naturally i love art that makes him a man of color, and this art by @therosecleric hits the mark for how i see him in my head. i love his curls, his jaw, and his strong nose, and it's always good to give him muscles in a way that don't make him look like a tween who powerlifts. the previously mentioned @magscherer's art of him is a bit more hobbit-y but still scratches the same itch. love me a brown eyed orym. @jennydolfen also gets points for her terrific hobbit/halfling proportions

@jam-etc's critical role redesigns might not be for everyone, but i love 'em all. dorian here looks so friendly and seeing his native culture depicted so overtly in his outfit is awesome! no whitewashed dorians allowed. on the same token, here's a repeat of @therosecleric's dorian art because it also is great to see him with curly hair and a wide nose. this design by @caitmayart with dark cloudy speckles on his body is incredibly nice as well.

and of goddamn course fearne gets the most art. it's fearne! there are so many good pieces of her i could not choose one. i love ones that play up her goat-y nature, like @willowbirds, @rainbow-roll-art, and @phi-guy again. and i love fat fearnes, like these two by @marmadelin and @countslimeula. this one by @maluspumilaa is so beautiful, making her a little more fey and extremely animalistic. all fearnes is good fearnes

[charlotlie]

a list of the best aftg fics i’ve read so far:

- “dead of night” by niknak22 (a character study of kevin day, with kerejean hints and so, so much angst. kevin is a really interesting character and i love what niknak22 did with him)

- “say something” by willowbird (genuinely that whole series is awesome. andrew pov of neil struggling with trauma, going non-verbal and injuries, angsty but mostly wholesome.)

- “i wanna see you (be brave)” by arkastadt (matt’s pov of andreil developing… so beautiful. also, has loads of funny moments with the upperclassmen & shows their friendship)

- “odd eye” by tdashshirts (best andrew character study ever. it’s amazing and has inspired me to try and write more on andrew for myself)

- “an abridged family medical guide” by 30degreesandsnowing (if you haven’t read this, what are you doing? i’m not usually one for sickfics but this one is just… chefs kiss. kandreil too!)

[wi11owbird]

Hawk (leaf cape) they/them and zi/zim/zir

Spent mothhood in valley racing the slopes. Left to be a guide in wasteland, alternately leading moths through the dangers and engaging in crazy shenanigans. Never made it to Eden due to huge fear of it. After a long time went to Eden and the valley elders restyled zir hair.

Bold, competitive, daredevil, doesn’t seem to believe in the consequences of their actions, fiercely protective, absolutely loves krill dodging.

Finch (moth cape) they/them and it/its

Actually much older than Hawk, raised in prairie by Butterfly Charmer and Stealthy Survivor. Is a skykid healer. Goes through Eden frequently to save the petrified skykids there.

Quiet confidence, more easygoing, has a lot of emotional and physical stamina, calming presence, tough as nails.

Where screenshots and drawing conflict, go with the drawing! (except Finch’s neck fluff & hawk’s staff, those exist) enjoy my silly guys :P

okay skykids I need motivation to draw comics with my Sky OCs… and I do in fact need skykids to put in the background

so if you would be so kind… please give me your Sky OCs! I would like:

Name / nicknames and pronouns

An image or collage of images of them, or a drawing / reference, as well as any notes about their appearance such as scars or different colored core/eyes

Where they live and what their job is

Personality and lore notes like birth season / if they’re corrupted / etc (you don’t have to provide everything since they’ll be included as background characters if I choose to add them)

Feel free to give me multiple or all of your OCs, I won’t include everyone but will make a folder of them so I can add the relevant ones in parts of the comic. This will probably be open pretty much forever so most people will probably have at least one character featured at some point!

Thank you for skykids in advance!!

[jadequarze]

1) Does your OC have a voice claim, if so who?

For any of your OCs.

Ly'rill - Erica Lindbeck

Astrel - Sumalee Montano

Rania - Claudia Black (specifically her Matriarch Aethyta voice)

Quinn - Yuri Lowenthal

Azrel - Jennifer Hale

Kena - Britt Baron

If I'm home rn, I will definitely make a proper voice claim video for them. But alas, I am not 😔

[wi11owbird]

friend mentioned at the start of remembrance that the guide's stole looks kinda like a tallit which snowballed into an au where the whole crew is jewish, I love projecting anyway drew this a while back and wanted to come back to it and clean it up because <3 the Evers. they're doing havdallah which marks the end of shabbat and involves, among other things, a braided candle.

[wi11owbird]

YEAAAAHHHH WOOOOO IT'S HERE EVERYONE!!!!!! come check this stunning anthology out, I and a bunch of super talented artists have been working hard on it and there's a lot of gorgeous art. very very proud of everyone <3 anyway yeah!! donate to amnesty if you have the means, spread the word, and I wish you the best this pride month.

"Like Light through the Prism" is live !

The long awaited anthology is here ! From today to the very last day of July, it will be distributed for a small donation to Amnesty International. More under the cut !

And a huge thank you to everyone that participated, it was wonderful to work with you 🥺

HOW TO GET THE FILES

1) Make sure to donate any amount of money to Amnesty International (for organizational reasons it will be the only one whose receipts we will accept), 3-5 €/$ is only recommended so if you can't do that or want to do more, it's fine !

2) Send your receipt after hiding your name on it either by messaging me here or on twitter, on my email (vela.pulsars.art@gmail.com) or to @salbeitraeume (momo-nya@ gmx.de)

3) Unfortunately even as a zip file, the anthology is a bit too heavy to send as an attachment by email, so you will be receiving a link to google docs, you can download the files to look at offline. If you didn't ask otherwise, you will get the link to the one that's not zipped.

The "Like Light through the Prism" Anthology contains:

- 27 visual art pieces (one of them is a 6 page comic)

- 6 poems

- 4 short stories

If you have any questions, please feel free to send an ask, DM me or email me at vela.pulsars.art@gmail.com !

Please do keep in mind that I am doing this in my free time and thus cannot reply immediately, but will do so as soon as I can.

Thank you for your time and happy pride ! While celebrating is great, especially after all that has been achieved, it is good to remember that the fight for acceptance and equality for all isn't over; especially when some of our own circles may deserve some criticism.

[sarfey-art]

Neil and Dee from @willowbird ‘s fic Finding You

Because I’m high key in love with the idea of aftg x daemons and Dee is just amazing.

Also obligatory brown hair/eye Neil and natural hair/eye Neil because I think technically he is sporting the brown dye and contacts currently in the fic but who even is that? Not Neil.

[orange-foxes]

on the tip of my tongue (say something) by Willow_bird @willowbird

Series: Part 1 of 9

With his free hand, Andrew pulled out his phone and looked again at the message Neil had sent him about it.   talking is hard today.   Not 'I don’t want to talk' or 'I have nothing to say' but 'talking is hard'. *** On a bad day, Neil struggles with his own mental state, and Andrew figures out how to be there for him. As they wade through this together, both young men realize its okay to lean on each other and that they are capable of both reaching out as well as hanging on. Also, Betsy has shipped them from the beginning, let's be completely honest here.

Ao3, Chaptered, Completed, Must Read

[aftgficrec]

🧜Merfolk ask🧜

Part 2: art recs

Here's a list of all the art we couldn't fit into the Keremy / Andreil merfolk ask for @willowbird. Enjoy the creativity of these incredible artists! - S

fanart for @fortheloveofexy’s fic ‘Into The Deep’: Neil and MerAndrew by @emry-stars-art, mer!drew by @moments-au-crayon22, Katelyn and MerAaron by @deelebee, and Andreil in Crow's design by @tropical-lycan

mer aus masterpost art and hcs by @emry-stars-art

Neel by @thefluffiestbird

mer!neil in the pool by @capcavan

octoneil by @capcavan

🐠 If fishes were kisses we all would be rich 🐟 by @faevorite-main-blog

pike!drew by @messmagu

if you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you by @luneillusoire

“The flower reminded you of me, did it?” by @tidalst

happy mermay! by @boneappetart

merdreil by @marjo4rt

merman Aaron by @lovelymerch-blog

some foxes as mermaids by @nerdzewordart

my girl renee by @fandomtrasho

MerDrew and MerNeil art by @teomoy

merneil n andrew art by @twohiddenhalves

mersharkneil art by @02511213942

mer!andrew art by @tycutiovevo

terribly adorable mermaid Neil art by @fighto-art

Being a bath slug is boring, Neil fish, sea man and Stop feeding him art by @rhyva

Ocean Blue art by @kazzyboy (tw: blood & injury)

Renee+Riko meer AU and Rikoi AU art by @capcavan

Koi Riko went flop art by @noomyart

Neil for MerMay art by @yeehaws-art

My first ever MerMay piece art by @amityillustration

merman!neil for @unkingly by @catastrofizz

I based Mermaid!Andrew on a leopard shark art by @ninjasandnightmares

the little siren au art by @allfortheslay25, wip 1, pre render, wip 2 + comic doodle + siren neil/merman andrew + world building

FantasyAU Jeremy Knox and Jean Moreau! art by @linecrosser

glittery merm neil and more merm art by @mistykaru

Week 4: Dead Sea art by @chemdoodles

Siren!Andrew art by @midgart

Mermaid AU with palace guard Andrew and deep sea sorcerer Neil art by @redskiesandsailboats

Kicking off MerMay with a collab!! and Surprise MerMay collab!! art by @fortheloveofexy and @rhyva

Mermay Andreil and NSFW version art by @Adell_Moretti on twitter

mermay andreil art by @caraleadraws on twitter

[wi11owbird]

ACCURATE. YOU DO NEED TO READ THIS BOOK.

I read it and I love them so much I love the whole book so much. Had to draw them when I finished. Would recommend absolutely. Also isn’t the cover art gorgeous??

very excited because my school has jewish good omens (when the angels left the old country) and I’m one chapter in and already obsessed

[mehoymalloy]

last line game

rules: in a new post, show the last line you wrote (or drew) and tag as many people as there are words (or as many as you like)

Thanks @sharkodactyl!! Behold, a rare look at the Judicator AU (specifically ch 19 of 23)

Imogen subtly reached one hand back to nudge Otohan backwards.

Can I do ten... @foibles-fables @meg-noel-art @melikochan @immult @lavendertheys @steampunk-raven @willowbirds @pi-seas @phararaph @soudeorabisk