#coev: lotus

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Some caracal studies turned Lotus family sketches (I THINK i've settled on these designs for them lmao)

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Dunno if I'll finish so have this sketch of Petra and Caph investigating some ruins together

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Main character-chan and their older sister <3

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what are some scenes from warriors you're excited to adapt into coev?

this ask have been staring at me for two days and the reason why i cant seem to think of any is because ive only been thinking about the mundane shit

like

imagining Asphodel touring Lotus through the different animals as he trains them, telling them about the stories he knows ("Heavensmite come from the distant islands of land seen far, far above"), about how they are to be approached ("Though corloons look like prey, they are affiliated with the Moons, seeing what her eyes cannot, and must never be hunted"), the laws and rituals of each ("The hopchomp must be flicked ten times, or its flesh will taste too bitter"), and Lotus putting such tender passion into learning it all

or thinking about the living root bridges, and Aspen (p. raven) teaches Lotus how to weave new twigs (Don't be to harsh, even the most tender of roots can be snapped), guiding the vines into place whenever you pass by, a collective effort of many to create something over the span of generation

when Lotus goes to their first Trading and sees EVEN MORE cats than they've ever seen in their life (Delphini (p. grey) doesn't care, he just wants to start a game of play, mates, or vanquish with all the pretty mollies), passing through the wide array of goods, things they never would have seen otherwise

or like Goldspring all spending a chilly, rainy day in the springs and just fucking vibing (Fuchsia (new) and Larkspur (p. spot) cuddling in the hammock (you can hear them giggling about something)) (Amaranth (p. oneeye) has a hard time in the water so she settles for a couple paws dipped in)(the kittens keep splashing and getting scolded)

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The aligis got me thinking, where would a AFAB they/them non-binary cat rank? Would they (because you said the mollies generally rank higher than the toms) be under the mollies but above the toms?

Either way, I love your work and I hope you have a good rest of your day/night! :]

This is actually what gets explored, cus the prides don't have a place for nonbinary identities. They barely have a place for binary trans cats, something that Asphodel confesses to Lotus as he trains them. Lotus's arc is very much going to be one of figuring out where they place in the world, both between their identity as an outsider versus their identity as a valley cat and their identity as neither jiving with male or female (which in an of itself is representative of how they feel othered within the pride)

The plot of COEV as a whole is the beginnings of change casting turmoil onto what had been a stable, well-established society for decades. The entire way of life over the course of the story gets re-examined and turned over. Wherever Lotus ends up, they're a part of why this little society started accepting change in the first place because they demand space in their traditions, and that space will be ceded to them.

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Nother potential lotus design .o.

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what's happening with Petra in this?

Petra is a complicated figure in Lotus's life. She's their older sister, but she was the one who raised them. She'll represent everything they come from, the meaning of family and the truth of gods, what it's like to live in a changing world.

She'll be disdainful of the valley prides' unyielding attachment to their traditions. She teaches Lotus that change is natural and that no rules can truly define the world. She'll teach them that there are no pure goods or pure evils, ideals that lead them to challenge Goldspring and Asphodel on everything, always wanting to find that underlying thread.

And Petra will show them that to love is to teach, to know things about the world and then to share them is a gift. Knowledge is power, and power should be shared. She instills in them a burning curiosity about the world that becomes fundamental to how Lotus approaches pride customs.

I'm not so sure about her son. I think if anything, she would give him over to Lotus because of that same sense of wanting them to have family in the pride, but also giving them the gift that she was given herself: the opportunity to raise them and teach them and love them. I do know his name will be Coriander, though.

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Is Caph’s earth-and-ice color palette permanent? It’s very striking, but I haven’t seen a lot of Fire-inspired characters with such a color scheme!! /pos

Yes!! That's my intention!! Lotus's design, down to the very bones, is meant to depart from any hint of fire because...well, that's Warriors. FIRESTAR is Warriors. and COEV is becoming my own thing, so removing the aspect of Fire from my main character felt like an essential part of that process for me :P

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Wait why is lotus high up on the paws and kits? Aren’t they an outsider?

They're still a molly, and all mollies outrank all toms (and Cinquefoil is actually younger here than in the rewrite, for the aligis she was only just born so age is a factor as well)

Basically, status is a combination of factors including (but not limited to) sex, origin/bloodline, age, achievements, personality, and friendships.

You might be thinking of it too rigidly as well--this is a family group, not an army. Lotus isn't going to be giving out orders to Delphini. There is no sense of one, singular leader, though there are specific cats that others will naturally look to.

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AND FINALLY an old Lotus design that I completely forgot about and still really dig. I think I'll repurpose these to windswept :3c

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They're at the First Waking Trade (It's lotus's first)

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Nother stab at Lotus...close but I don't think it's quite what I'm looking for

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YES OFC I DO, ALWAYS:

Who is currently the character that’s taking up the most space in your brain?

What tools are you most excited about incorporating into this world?

Do the prides sing? If so, do they each have their own unique sound, or do they branch off from one primary musical style?

Who currently has your favorite design of those you’ve shared thus far?

Has there been any major developments done to Caph that we, your audience, have yet to see?

Been kinda musing on Lamprey (p. Sunfish) lately and how her methods and motives might begin to change from how they were in the Rewrite now that the setting and story have undergone so many changes, n especially what might her connection with Sakenti (if any?) be

this is shameful but i only very recently realized that walking sticks would absolutely be a thing, especially for travellers, and i need to hit an object design hyperfix so bad so i can draw more tools. the ACCESSORIES. ugh.

the prides definitely sing but i am deeply not a person who knows music. i listen to the same 4-5 songs on a daily basis and they're all SIAMES and Glass Animals i am not qualified to talk about music (aka headcanon zone. have at it fjfjf)

THAT I'VE SHARED...honestly i reallyyyy like Hemlock's I'm so glad I went for the browns with her.

Actually here's something: Caph is a bit older, comparatively, and has a bit more involved history/experience living as an outsider before they join Goldspring (Asphodel would jokingly say that Lotus needs to catch up, Lotus thinks that Asphodel would be surprised how easily they can keep up). They didn't just grow up raised by Petra, but with two others: Bellatrix (Petra's littermate) and Polaris (Petra's Uncle/Mentor)

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Lotus design??? Gotta make them look as different from fireheart as possible lol

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Wait when lotus decides to be nonbinary will they be able to stay with the pride or will they be force to go with the other males?

It's gonna be a big question in their arc! They're very much torn between what the pride expects of them, what Petra expects of them, and what they want for themself. Lotus doesn't fit any binaries, and the cats around them will have to figure out how to work with that.

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Wait is Lotus a Transwoman?

They'll be non-binary .o.