#why does this have to be so difficult?!

[bunnies-and-sunshine]

Bunday morning traffic.

Amos is mildly annoyed that he has to wait to give Mr. Giraffe a nose-bonk hello.

He already said 'hi' to Baab the sheep, so now all he can do is sit there awkwardly and try not to make eye contact with Baab, which would make things even more awkward. It's kind of like when humans keep running into the same person they just said 'hi' to repeatedly at the grocery store while they do the rest of their shopping...like seeing them in every aisle kind of awkward.

[sigh] Being a polite little bunny is hard sometimes!

[technically-human]

Ooh askask, hiw do you imagine they spend their birthdays? Like any of the AUs I love them all. OH, does classic Stone even know Eggman's bday? I get the vibe he just chills and doesn't ask questions.

May 19th is St. Ivo's feast day. Patron Saint of lawyers and abandoned children (yeah)

Some people look up saints' feast days to name their kids, and I've decided that's what his parents did.

ko-fi

[bonefall]

"How big should a Clan territory be?"

For the dozens of people who have asked this over the last couple of years!

This question comes in a lot of forms; "How big are the Clan territories?" "How much space does one Clan need?" "How much land should I give my Clans to exist in?" The answer is a bit complicated, and depends on the type of land, what you're going for exactly, the setting, so on.

But, broadly, there's TWO particular factors at play here; How anthropomorphic you're portraying your warriors, and how productive the land is.

Factor 1: The Anthro Scale

I'm starting with this one because it could you the simpler answer. The Erins write Clan cats like humans in cat bodies, with massive social units and communal living. Realistic feral cats don't act like Clan cats. They are only semi-social, due to domestication.

See, a Clan cat will "share" territory between all of its members, and some Clans have canonically hit populations of over 50 individuals. Real feral colonies consist of "overlapping circles" of somewhere between 2 - 15 cats, most of them related females.

This is relevant because, even in densely populated areas with as much food as they can eat, truly feral colonies will have about 2 cats per 5 acres, capping out at about 15 members. Queens will hang out together and raise their kittens communally, but they will hunt and patrol in their own "circle." These boundaries are violently enforced against outside cats, especially if it's too crowded.

(Toms have circles 5x as big as a queen's, overlapping several territories. They're also considerably less social.)

So, if you wanted to incorporate some cat behavior into your Clan's mindset about how big their territory should be, while still being willing to sacrifice a bit of "realism" for groups over 15-ish members, simply take Clan population and multiply it by 2.5 acres.

30 cats = 75 acres. That's a little under 57 football fields, if you're American, or 50 football fields, if you're European.

Extra reading: How realistic cat territories work. Contains the numbers I'm referencing.

It's also very important to know; feral cat density is completely tied to food availability, the big numbers numbers are for cats whose needs are met. Cats are solitary hunters, and when they feel like they have to work for their food, they become VERY territorial. The density of cats in rural areas can be as low as 1 molly per 15 acres, even lower for toms, and they will leave if hunting is not easy.

THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD NOT FEED FERAL CATS. Please GOD they are SO invasive, please do not give colonies food, they still hunt when they're full so you just end up concentrating a ton of predators in one place. They are not warriors with a law against disrespecting food, they are just kitty cats with silly kitty instincts

I have a suspicion that most of the people who are asking the question aren't really looking for a "realistic cat" answer, though. We LOVE our big cat Clans with their complicated politics around here. You're probably wondering how much land you need to feed your population!

Factor 2: Land Productivity

The exact amount of space is going to vary a lot, because it's more about productivity of the land to sustain a prey population than it is raw size. Remember what we learned back in Warrior Bites: Dietary Needs; a 30-cat Clan will need approximately 3 pounds of meat (10,500 calories) per day, which is about 2 rabbits, or 105 mice.

Here's some visual examples of what I mean. This one (1) acre homestead...

Has 20 patches of high-value crops, plus an orchard, AND livestock pens. This territory alone could attract enough crows, mice, rats, rabbits, and sparrows to feed all those cats daily. That's not even counting the humans themselves, who may be friendly enough to the colony to toss them kibble occasionally.

(this is why cats domesticated themselves. Even without the free food from the humans, farms are extremely productive hunting grounds.)

Meanwhile, the Edmonton Mall, which is a whopping five (5) acres...

Would be utterly barren. Best food you're going to get out of this wasteland is the leftovers humans toss out, and maybe the rats and pigeons that scavenge as well. It's 5x the space, and yet, infinitely harder to feed the same amount of cats.

So, the most helpful bit of advice I'm gonna give you is this; DON'T ask yourself "how big should this territory be?" You're starting with the wrong question. Start with a real location, and think about how you'd find 3 pounds of meat a day in that area.

It will be a LOT easier to think about the logistics in those terms, and this will lead you to the waaay more productive (and fun) worldbuilding questions. Such as;

"Where would the good hunting spots be?"

"What kinds of animals would they be eating? What sorts of beasts can threaten them, here?"

"How many of these animals would my 30 cat Clan need to hunt a day to equal about 3 pounds?"

"Where would these animals be getting THEIR food?"

"Is there enough habitat in the area for the prey to breed and nest? If not, is there more land beyond the territory that the prey is coming from?"

"Where would infrastructure like dens, walls, and dirtplaces go? What would these be made of?"

"Are there any neat spots for the cats to casually hang out on?"

"What would make for a super cool arena for my climactic narrative boss fights?"

"Does this area have unique stage hazards that my cats would have to learn to deal with?"

"Which sorts of plants and herbs would they encounter?"

If your Clan is tool-using, like BB!Clans are, then you can ask even more advanced questions. Like, where you'd find kindle for fire, what objects you can use as crafting materials, and what might make for unique trade goods.

Think about other things related to your Clan's biome-- in a tundra or desert, there will be less for prey to eat, so the territory will be large to cope with the low density. If there's a major body of water, they might have a constant supply of aquatic prey from upstream. Hunting grounds might change based on the seasons.

Also remember not to underestimate how fast small animals breed, and how many of them there can be in one area. Even using low estimates, 1 female mouse has 6 pups, 7 x 6 = 42, 42 x 6 = 252, 252 x 6 = 1,452. It takes only 4 months for mouse population growth to get exponentially ridiculous.

Finally, remember that prey can vary. A well run Clan would be able to generally understand when they've been overhunting one particular species, and start shifting gears to lift the "pressure" off that population.

(In my cultural expansions series, this management task is assigned to one of the new roles-- the Head of Hunting.)

[s0fter-sin]

still thinking about gaz doing ghost’s skincare

even when they’re on base and the worst of the all-encompassing exhaustion is held at bay, he knows ghost doesn’t have the energy to spare to do any kind of in depth routine; knows as much as it makes him feel good to feel soft and clean and cared for, he won’t be able to keep up with it by himself

gaz just didn't expect how good it would feel to do it for him

how accomplished he'd feel when he figured out the right combination of products to soothe ghost's sensitive neglected skin without him breaking out or getting even more dehydrated, the best moisturiser for his scars, researching no-wash products so he doesn't have to get up once they've started; all ghost has to do is lay back and let gaz work

it's an honour, not only to be trusted enough with ghost's - with simon's - face but also to watch him lose every ounce of tension in his body

they usually - and how amazing that they have a usual, that this has become a routine - end up with ghost's head in his lap, a soft pillow beneath his head so he can just rest. it's not uncommon for him to fall asleep entirely as gaz follows his steps

bottles of cleansers and serums and moisturisers all bought just for him, each one dutifully researched with ghost's skin type in mind, all stored in a black leather bag moulded into a skull bc gaz found it browsing one day and thought it was too perfect. ghost doesn't even know what they all do, just knows how blissful it is to feel the gentle pressure of gaz's fingers massaging his face; following the contours of scars that haven't pulled or flared since they started doing this

gaz never tells him about the rollers he could use instead, the applicators that are technically better for his skin bc it would mean he'd know that gaz uses his hands just for him; that he can feel how much he craves his touch and knows he enjoys it just as much, if not more than the actual results

gaz just tells him that a thorough massage after everything is applied is necessary for all the products to marry up and sink properly into his skin and spends the next half hour smiling down at his superior as he lets go of all his pain and trusts him to keep him afloat

[thegreendiamondart]

Heres a little traditional Sozo doodle I did with a Speedball ink pen! Love drawing the mushroom cryptid :DDD

Also if any of yall have like drawing requests or ideas related to COTL please drop em i am running out of ideas while figuring out how to comic properly

[asha-mage]

I'm a come out and say it: the show has taken Faile's already pretty substantial transmasc vibes from the books and doubled down on them and I am incredibly delighted by this.

[nekkyousagiart]

TF One Starscream being an absolute bully, as usual.

[menlove]

I have to be so open and honest if I never had to be in the same room as a dog again ever in my life I'd be so happy. why are dog owners soooo nonchalant about their dogs constantly jumping on people who clearly are not comfortable w that like it's actually heinous. if my cats were clawing up people's legs and biting them or hissing/screaming at them I would put them away and yet Every Single Dog Ever does this and the owners are like "haha ooooh he's a silly boy! down! haha he doesn't listen DOWN! he's so silly!" well I'm about to be sillier!

[pyroguesstuff]

ashton doodle from in between classes

[joshuamj]

Linktober Day 8. Tunic

[wishchip106]

eughh dark phoenix cherik i don’t miss you but i’m thinking about you

HOW DID THEY ONLY INTERACT THREE TIMES IN THIS WHOLE GODDAMN MOVIE???

the new x-men reboots better have a side plot of just cherik’s relationship istg 😒 (not likely 😔)

[sanseru]

Decided that Arthur and John would be my subjects for some figure/rendering practice.

I think I'mma just... lie down for a bit......

God I love these bastards too much. Someone free me

[haematoclan]

my curse is that i love Big Mama, i find her fun and interesting, i'd love to write some Big Mama-centric stuff but writing her is like pure torture. like. while watching the show i do love how she talks, it makes her fun! but also. why is she talking like that 😔

[reagent-leon]

Greetings, Reagents!

EDIT: I've been really overwhelmed by the reaction to this post! Honestly, I feel lucky to be a part of this fandom. Thank you to everyone who reached out. I've found someone willing to work with me, but I'll leave this post up so we can all admire Coyle's posterior.

I’m looking for an artist open to a long-term commission arrangement. I have eight OCs (plus Coyle) “living” in The Outlast Trials universe, and while I probably can’t commission them all at once, I’d love to work with someone on an ongoing basis.

I’d prefer a digital artist—someone experienced who I can show my magpie’s stash of references and trust to bring my characters to life. While I appreciate cartoony art styles, since Outlast has a fairly realistic aesthetic (don’t mind the nanobot swarm), I’ve designed them to fit that same tone. Not photorealism by any means, just not Cal-Arts level of cartoonish. Flat colour or minimal shading is fine by me, I just really want to see my babies 😂

I have tons of lore for these characters, but OCs tend to get overlooked without art, so I’ve never introduced them online before, beyond a few one-on-one conversations (blows a kiss to @misa-bun). That’s where I need an artist’s help! 

I’m looking for someone confident in drawing:

Women with strong jawlines

Men with big, sad, wet eyes

Middle-aged characters (in this house we support MILFs) 

Kids aged 3 to 17

1950s fashion, including old-timey police uniforms

Leland Coyle (pre-Sinyala edition)

Scars, missing limbs, symptoms of chronic illness, other Outlast-ish things

Tumblr’s setup makes it unnecessarily difficult to tell who’s open for commissions, so I’m putting out this blanket request to the community. If you’re interested, either drop a message in the comments (so others looking for commissions can find you too!) or DM me with your rates and portfolio examples. I’d love to discuss pricing and a timeline that works for both of us!

I prefer PayPal but I’m open to other payment methods. I’ve commissioned artwork before, so I promise I won’t be breathing down your neck the entire time. Thank you for reading and I'm looking forward to working with someone!

Now back to our regularly scheduled content: Coyle's butt.

[sysig]

Happy Pride, gay therapists (Patreon)

[whimzycle]

When I think about Tooth, I get sad.

Because she's a Queen, royal and regal.

And the only thing she rules over is herself.