#his legs and hooves are also still the best and most natural looking Satyr Look I've seen yet

[blujayonthewing]

so I'm making a full satyr costume and my intention for the hooves was to more or less follow this guy's concept, with the hooves on a hinge (not pictured but he explained that they're also attached from the top center with elastic, so they don't fall too far downward), and I like this in theory because it preserves the way the bottoms of platform heels are curved for a more natural gait, where a lot of Hoof Shoes build a platform onto the bottom and make it completely flat

... but in practice I WAS intending to make my hooves out of apoxie sculpt, and I am a LITTLE concerned that if hooves like this made of a hard solid material instead of soft eva foam swivel down too far and catch on the floor when I'm trying to take a step I'll eat shit and break my neck

[twistedroseytoesy]

Heartslabyul monster AU

First big monster AU post!! woooo!

Here's an In-depth look and rambling of the Heartslabyul monster boys!

This is a long one so I'm putting it under a cut!

first off is Riddle! The gorgon! I thought it very fitting with his UM. Since he can collar people and take away their magic, why not make it so not only can they lose their magic, but if he's angry enough he might turn them to stone for a bit!

Description: riddle looks relatively the same as he did before, but instead of his bright short red hair, he has a mass of Crowned False Boa on his head. The snakes are fairly tame and stay still through the day, staying in his normal hairstyle, he trained them and himself to now scare others as much. his eyes are bright silver with snake-slit pupils. he has a normal face structure with a few red scales along the sides of his head. He also has slightly snakelike fangs in place of canines. He wears magical contacts to nullify his stone gaze so he's not turning everyone to stone with accidental eye contact. he can bypass the contact's abilities if he focuses or gets angry enough to allow his gaze to pierce through the contacts onto his target. when he gets angry his snakes start to writhe and flail adding extra danger to those near, cause they do bite when Riddle is angry.

His overblot form is fairly different, his "hair" is down to his shoulders, his gaze free and piercing, turning many to stone under his gaze. his legs change into a long serpentine tail like that of a striped coral snake. His fangs grow to poke out of his mouth and drip with the viscus blot.

fun fact: Once back to normal he has to wear shades for a bit due to the viscus blot destroying his special contacts.

Next is Trey. Honestly, he was a difficult one to find a "monster" for, the most fitting it seemed was more of an elf. He looks almost like his normal self, just with pointed ears and sharp eyes, also the clover mark on his cheek glows green in the dark. the tall elf still loves to bake and clean and care for those around him. one of the nicer "monsters" at NRC for sure. Honestly not too much different with trey, just a lot more agile than one would think and surprisingly good with nature.

fun fact: elvish trey favors cooking with fruits for often than just normal baking ingredients that wouldn't usually use fruits. If there isn't a fruity version, he will make one.

Cater is an alpine satyr. very carefree and able to find enjoyment in just about anything. very addicted to his phone and loves to share nature pics and follow nature themes magicam accounts too.

Description: upper body looks the same. The only big difference is the two horns that sprout up from his orange hair. His eyes are like that of a goat with horizontal pupils, he doesn't like his eyes very much so he uses contacts to have "normal" human looking eyes. the horns grow up and back from his head moving in opposite directions as you near the tips. His lower body is that of a goat. With semi-short, rough, white-furred goat legs and strong dark hooves. he of course likes to make sure his fur is well taken care of and wears the equivalent of horseshoes to protect his hooves and look stylish too. he also likes to add some little anklets just above his hoves.

fun fact: The best way to know which cater is the real one is the anklets, the real cater wears one that has a pattern of orange diamonds and red hearts.

Duece is up next. poor guy can't catch a break. As a pygmy goat sater, he is known to be easily startled and freezes up, and usually ends up knocking something over. at least he's got a tough skull and nice horns with a bit more growing to do.

description: upper half of his body is fairly normal. missing 1 tooth in his smile from some of his more delinquent years and a nice set of horns that curve back from the top of his head. He too has horizontal pupil eyes like that of a goat. he doesn't care about how his eyes may look so he doesn't do anything about them. His lower half is that of a pygmy goat. His fur is a grey color that transitions to black past his knees. His fur is short and very rough and unkempt most of the time. his hoves are battered and could use some TLC but he doesnt need to wear any "shoes" due to toughening it out in his rougher years.

fun fact: can climb a wall for a good distance, and won't even notice he's walking on the wall until he hits the ceiling sometimes if he's too deep in thought. sorry buddy

Ace last 'cause he's a meany why not. Ace is a sylph, a mischievous air elemental spirit. seemed pretty fitting with his knack for trouble and air headedness.

description: ace looks mostly like his normal self, the only big difference is that his skin is somewhat translucent and his hair looks like it's constantly being moved by a bout of wind. anything loose on the guy looks to be blown around as well. He has the ability to turn invisible, the only way to know he's there is to try and feel for a gust of wind when it wasn't windy that day. if it was windy good luck soldier. will use this ability to mess with people and hide from people he pissed off with a prank. Likes to float around with his arms behind his head. Can carry another person if he wanted to but it's hard to fly with a passenger. Usually only picks up yuu or grim to mess with them.

fun fact: during book 1 he wasn't able to fly or turn invisible when he got collared due to also being partially turned to stone, grounding him. he tripped many times and ate shit.

[multiworldiary]

Grover Underwood Headcanons

He can get really emotional. But when he became the lord of the wild, he slowly learned to grow out of it.

He sings in the shower. Like, he’d literally be screaming his lungs out. He even choked on the water once cause he used the shower head as a mic and water got in his nose and mouth

When he’s mad, he grumbles to himself. When someone irritates him, he doesn’t want to hurt them so he just stops off and you can hear him grumbling

He’s really really fidgety. If he wasn’t completely focused on something, he’d keep moving. He’d either tap his hooves to the ground or bounce his legs. And the council of cloven elders had to get used to it. Though they were visibly annoyed and Grover knew it. Somehow, that made him satisfied

He likes pissing off the council of the cloven elders just for fun cause he didn’t really like them to begin with. Dionysus finds it amusing

On a way to a meeting, he’d spot Dionysus finishing up a pinochle game with Chiron to attend the meeting with the cloven elders. So, he’d sit down and they’d go for another round and they end up late and the rest of the council is irritated but they can do nothing about it

Grover is the kindest in the council and every satyr just loves him.

Sometimes, he’d accidentally slip out secrets. Not like, really big secrets, just small embarrassing stuff like the weird things Percy does or something embarrassing that happened to him. He usually does it when he’s nervous

He hates humans for polluting the earth and it shows and sometimes, the campers get scared of him. He’s really scary when he’s mad

When he sees improper segregation of trash at camp, he looses it. He once dumped the trash out and made the campers properly segregate the trash. All of them. There were no exemptions

He give lectures that would last for hours about taking care of nature and the campers despises it

The only one among the cloven elders who still helps the kids at camp half blood train

If he wasn’t chosen as the Lord of the wild, he probably would’ve put up an orchidarium or something like that

He’s the most responsible among all of the cloven elders, he’s the only you’d see helping Satyrs preach about the death of Pan and he also helps look for demigods

He always looks down on himself and Annabeth, Thalia, Percy and everybody else has to give him a lecture about why he’s the best satyr to ever exist

He has nightmares too. He’s been through so much and people should remember that. He’d have constant nightmares of being pulled towards Tartarus again or being in the cyclops cave. Most of them were about the war and watching so many people die

He has several marks around his body. Most were gotten from the war and everything before it. But some were also really recent ones

He’d accidentally bleat in public and he’d immediately dashes off when he does that. There was even once when he ran off and his cap fell and a kid saw him

You can easily tell what he’s feeling through his body language or expression

He’d torture Percy and Annabeth by reminding them about baby Percabeth

He’d also go on and on about how much they irritated him cause they were both so oblivious. And Annabeth plays along and agrees with things Grover says about Percy being so oblivious and they’d just stay there both torturing him

He does a canon ball whenever he gets into the water

He would brag about his friends at any chance he gets

He tends to over exaggerate things when he tells stories

When people praise him, he first acts bashful then he’d tell them stories and stories of all his adventures

He makes sound effects and even acts it out sometimes

Everyone just loves him. It’s rare to find someone who doesn’t like him

[blooeyedtroll]

Home on the Range

Rated PG-13ish Lolz. For occasional cussing and maybe innuendos(?). Lolz. This can also be read on Ao3. Feel free to read it there if you prefer.

More art scattered though out this fic, hope you like it!

Hello friend! Welcome!  

This is a One shot fic that takes place in mine & @messybitch802 ​‘s : 

Efflorescence AU. 

This is the beginning of our tale, I hope you enjoy.

This is in Hickory’s POV. I thought this would be a fun way to introduce Bloo and Messy. It also seemed fitting since Hickory will play a larger part as our tale unfolds.

However, I’d like to think this could be enjoyed as a fun one-shot Hickory & Dickory fic as well. This fandom needs more Yodel Brothers content!

Big thanks to @jade-green-butterfly ​ and her random ask that kicked my butt in gear, giving me the inspiration to finally start writing:

Anyway, let’s get to it. Enjoy!:

HOME ON THE RANGE

"Rock Trolls... no doubt about that.”

The rugged, orange haired Troll put down his hammer and stepped away from the task at hand. Fence work could wait. This needed his immediate attention.  Around this time of day he'd expect to see, at most, a tumbleweed passing by the entrance to the Ranch. Maybe. Nobody ever came out this way. Not since he'd been here anyway. At a good clip, it was about an hour trek away from Lonesome Flats. Which suited his needs perfectly.

The perfect place to lay low and still blend in.

"Bist du sicher?" whispered a muffled voice behind him.

"Of course I am. Now hush, I'm gonna check it out. Stay in character. An’ be ready, just in case."

The orange haired Troll patted the front of his jeans, freeing them of a satisfying amount of dust from the day’s hard work and checked his reflection in a nearby trough. Grinning as he placed a straw of wheat that was kept in the brim of his hat; between his teeth.

Perfection.

Who would guess otherwise, that the reflection in that water, was anything but a genuine Country Troll?

It took a lot of work shopping, trial and error, but he did it.

Well, they did it. The four legged, rugged, handsome, Country Troll was in actuality...two Trolls.

Two brothers to be precise.

Yodel Trolls by the names of Hickory and Dickory. 

The last Yodel Trolls by their accounts, and they happened to be the best damn team of Bounty Hunters and Mercenaries in all of Trolldom.

For good reason.

The best tool to their disposal was their ability to blend in. So much so, it was only until it was “too late” for their marks, by the time their true colors were revealed. And this disguise has been their best yet.

Hickory, though the youngest brother, was the much taller of the two. So he was the face to this particular get-up. Making Dickory to be left with the tail end. Literally. Understandably, this was not ideal for him. 

And he definitely made it well known on many occasions how he felt about having to play a literal “horse’s ass”.

But by gum, was he the best ass you could ask for.

At this point, Dickory had mastered the art of synchronizing with Hickory's movements, in such a way, it was now practically impossible to spot anything amiss. It was as if they shared one mind while under the guise of this centaur-esk being.

And while Dickory was fairly sour about the whole situation, Hickory found himself more and more, fond of living day to day as a Country Troll. Very much so to his brother’s shagrin. The look, the music, the lifestyle...everything.

It had been two months now since the brothers found themselves here, in Country Music territory. However, last anyone on the outside had heard about them, was that they had "yodelled so hard, an avalanche fell on them"...or something? Which was just what they wanted. For the time being anyway.

The brothers had struck a deal with their last mark. 

For his freedom, he was to spread said rumor, so the Yodelers could lay low for a while.

Queen Barb, of the Hard Rock Trolls, was no stranger to the two brothers. As a matter of fact, she was one of their most frequent clients for the past few years. Which suited them just fine. Well, almost. The last few jobs they did for the young Queen, left a bitter taste in Hickory's mouth. Not so much for the tasks she asked of them, but because of something she said and what he saw on their last few visits to Volcano Rock City. Maps. Marked up. Plans of some sort. Hanging everywhere. The young ruler, looking the most tired he'd ever seen her, yet looking as if ready to burst from being too tightly wound, at any moment.

"Hopefully next time I see you dudes, one way or another, we'll all be singing to a different tune. It's gonna be so Rad."

Whatever was going on, both Yodelers agreed that it was definitely not worth getting caught up in. They could just feel it. Deep down. They were hired to track Trolls down and do what needed to do, to get by.

Both of them could be shady characters at times, but they had decent moral compasses to live by. So they told themselves.

That's why the presence of Rock Trolls at this moment made Hickory's blood run cold. Could it be possible somehow, some way, they had been found out? That whatever Queen Barb was up to, she was looking for them? What is it that she’d need them for anyway?

No. Their plan worked perfectly. Blend in as a Country Troll, lay low for a while, only do the occasional "job" when the opportunity presented itself, just until the Queen of Rock cooled her head or went through with... whatever she is planning.

Not a soul knew about Hickory and Dickory being here.

Well.

Unless you counted, July.

Miss July, the owner of the Ranch. A rather interesting Troll.

A Pop-Country Troll. The only mixed genre Troll around these parts. Unlike her four legged, centaur, Country loving neighbors; she walked on two legs... well, hooves. Her appearance could be compared to a more "Satyr" like build, with a perfect blend of both genres in her appearance. The bright colors of a Pop Troll, but the sturdy build of that of a Country Troll.

A Tough, stern older lady-Troll, with a heart of gold.

Running this place all on her own, while tending to her extremely elderly parents.

That's one of the reasons he never expected any visitors here. Nobody in town wanted anything to do with Miss July or her family. Didn't much like associating with “their kind” if they could help it. Though you'd never hear them say it in polite conversation. But that suited Miss July just fine. That's how she liked it. Ever since Miss July and her folks suffered a terrible loss to their family, decades ago, she rarely went into town if she could help it.

Which on one such occasion, is when she stumbled upon the Yodelers, in their first attempts at putting together their  “Country Persona”.

They had been camping not too far from her Ranch and the Town, when she found them both, struggling to even walk in time together, in a pair of poorly made four legged pants.

July took their word as Gospel. That they were just fulfilling a lifelong dream of wanting to, in some way, be a Country Troll. So she offered them a place to stay and to show them the ropes on what it meant to be a Country Troll. If they agreed to work for her at her family’s Ranch.

"Until you feel you can stand on yer own four hooves!' She teased.

It could be easily wagered that July being an outcast in her own community, could be a factor of sympathy she felt towards them, making her wanting to help any way she could, and possibly what made her not judgmental in the least. That, and as tough as she put herself on as, she was sweet as apple pie, through and through.

Which did make Hickory especially, feel guilty about not being more upfront with her. As much as he could be anyhow.

Especially so, when the occasional “job opportunity" presented itself around Lonesome Flats during the Yodelers free time. Turns out, there were plenty of Trolls who had a bone to pick with others, or needed matters settled around these parts. Not to mention, crooks-a-plenty to turn in.

But both brothers always repented.  By being very diligent working for Miss July on the Ranch. Anything she needed done, got done. It was the least they could do for what she had done for them for these last two months. So the last thing needed was for anything to get ugly around here.

As Hickory approached closer and closer, he could feel his brother tensing up.

"Easy.” He whispered under his breath, smirking, patting behind him in attempts to calm his hotheaded companion. While still maintaining a nonchalant and calm demeanor.

Having spent a fair amount of time in Volcano Rock City for past jobs, and even on several occasions for other clients; needing to spend time incognito as Rock Trolls, it was fairly easy to recognize them from afar.

Upon closer inspection, it did come across as rather curious to see them wearing Country attire. They couldn't be trying to blend in, could they?

No. Not by the way these two held themselves.  

One Troll in various shades of blue in appearance, the other in peculiar shades of green from toe to tip. Both faces, still covered by wide brimmed hats. The blue Troll's demeanor was nervous right from the jump. Their green companion, holding them by the hand, grounding them. As if to keep them from sprinting away at a moment's notice. Both looking tired from the trek they must have taken from town to get to the Ranch property and from the sun's unforgiving afternoon rays.

Nothing but what seemed to be electric guitars and simple backpacks on their backs. However, these were definitely the most impressive guitars Hickory had seen in all his life.

The blue Troll’s, from what he could make out, was sage in color and looked as if it was made of some large critter's battered wing. Almost bat or reptilian in nature. The green Troll’s guitar, an imposing, venomous violet, crafted by what could only could be guessed as being once the claw and stinger of some scorpion-type critter. One he certainly wouldn't want to tango with. 

Lackeys of Queen Barb’s? No... couldn't be.

"Nobody knows we're here"

"We've been so careful."

He repeated over and over to himself. Almost mantra-like. He really had no reason to be this paranoid he kept reminding himself.

“Who are the most feared Bounty Hunters and Mercenaries in all Trolldom?”

“The Yodel brothers. That's who.” He smirked at that last thought. Puffing his broad chest a bit more, in response to his inner pep-talk.

And no Troll, no matter now--

"H--Howdy!" The blue Troll, clearing their voice, shakily called out.

"Right fine day, isn't it?"

The traveler seemed to ease into the drawl like putting on an old pair of comfy shoes, and with each word, their confidence seemed to boost. Stepping forward from their green companion, they removed their wide brim hat and gandered up at Hickory, with a small smile that damn near made his heart leap through his throat. In a good way?

That was...unexpected.

His usual quick witted mind and tongue, on the spot turned into a train that just left the station.

Those eyes. Absolutely pierced him right through. Large, inquisitive, pale, cerulean eyes. Staring right at him under dark lashes, and surrounded by a cascade of cobalt freckles.

The closest shade of color he could compare those eyes to were a color he hadn't thought of in ages. Snow. Snow that as a Trolling he played in. Usually when you found yourself making forts or laying in heeps that came up so high, you would look, and you'd catch the glimmering sunlight, shining through it. A shade of blue that just melted you to the core and drew out a smile, without you being the wiser.

"Right fine.”  he responded. Recovering from his wandering mind.

No time to be side tracked by an adorable, freckled, blue-eyed Troll. With sweet, curvy features, who has solid looking muscles that look they could easily crush--

"How can I help you? You folks seem a bit far away from home. Don't get a lot of Rock Trolls around these parts.”

Thank goodness his voice seemed to be the one on track; at the task at hand.

“Oi! What’s that supposed to mean?”

The green Troll stepped forward, hotly, removing their own hat, as to glare directly at him. Sizing him up. Only a tad taller, but much more lithe in figure to their companion. Definitely much more fierce. Not just in attitude, but in appearance. Their eyes, deep as sapphires. Teeth, the bottom row protruding two large tusk-like lower canines. Ears, pointed back and just as sharp as their claws, which he found himself one the other end of, being pointed at. Just as he felt his hair prickle, preparing himself for what was bound to happen next, the tension was immediately neutralized.

"It's okay Mess” The blue Troll cooed, calming the green one.

"Sorry to just come on over uninvited, but uh, does a Troll named July still live here?"

"You mean Miss July? Sure does. Why, if You don't mind my askin’?"

"Well you see, she's my... can--can I please talk to her? If she's around here today?”

A good long pause washed over the three.

Hickory could feel the trepidation radiating from Dickory behind him as he swished "their tail' in annoyance. Normally, if this was any other situation, it'd be too bad for these two. He'd send them right on their way, or worse if it came to it. They seemed capable. They had guitars, they were Rock Trolls. Random Rock Trolls, showing up, asking for not himself or his brother, but Miss July. Out of all the Country Trolls in Lonesome Flats.

But the waves of anxiety radiating from this freckled Troll were massive; and when their friend wasn't staring daggers at his direction, they were gazing so tenderly and sympathetically at them. These weren't agents of Queen Barbs. These seemed like folks on a sad mission of delivering news, or something of the like. They looked as though this was the last place they would ever want to be.

Dickory always insisted that Hickory was too quick to let his heart think first before his head when it came to their line of work. He didn't see it that way though. Hickory thought himself a good judge of character. Hell, that's why they found themselves in this situation now. Tipping his hat in a friendly manner, he smiled at the two.

"Well, why dontcha follow me then. I'm sure Miss July is making lunch right about now. You folks are just in time. Name's Hickory"

"Messy." replied the green.

The blue Troll remained silent.

"Adorabull got yer tongue cutie?" he teased

Those freckled cheeks lit up in seconds, a flushed lavender. Too cute.

"Somethin' like that' They smiled sheepishly.

All the while, as Hickory walked with the two up to the main building on the property, they stuck to idle chit-chat. About the weather or the nearby town. They passed by many of the fences that housed just some of Miss July's critters. As well as a few stables, paddocks, a decent sized workshed, and the small house the Yodelers had been staying in since they arrived here. It was once they passed that particular building, the blue Rocker stopped in their tracks momentarily. Just staring. Almost trance-like. They only moved again once Messy had firmly grabbed their hand and they followed.

Finally, they reached the main building's porch. The family home. Without any prompting, the two travelers waited at the bottom steps of the porch. Hickory nodded, thinking that might be best. He walked up to the open door. The wafting aroma of today's lunch filling his nostrils. Chili with sweet rolls? If he wasn't mistaken, he could smell fresh squeezed lemonade too. Knowing better to barge in while she was in the Kitchen...

"Pardon me, Miss July?" he called out.

"Dammit Hic, I told ya once, I'll tell ya again. Lunch is on when I ring the damn bell, that's when it’s good and ready!"

Hickory couldn't help but chuckle. That July was a firecracker.

"It's got nothin' to do with that Miss. You see, You've got yourself some visitors."

"For the last time Hic, just call me Jul--"

July emerged from the doorway, holding in each hand a glass of lemonade with mint garnish. No doubt as something to appease the Yodelers until lunch was done. As soon as her eyes met the two travelers, she stopped dead in her tracks. Glaring at them something fierce.

"These two are the visitors I was talkin' about."

"Rock Trolls, huh? Here? Whaddya want?"

The blue traveler, clearing their throat, voice cracking; they smiled, eyes glazed and sparkling with unshed tears. Staring at July as if a secret wish had been granted.

"Aunty Ju-Ju? It's m-me. It's Bloo. I'm home."

Bloo? That Bloo? Could it really be? Hickory didn't need to dwell on that too long though. July suddenly yelped out loud, in such a way that it startled absolutely everyone. Including herself apparently because those glasses in her hands dropped and shattered to bits.

"You couldn't be-- w-what kind of game are ya playin’ at?!"

July at a loss for words. This was serious. There she stood, knees buckling, lip quivering, tail thrashing. Unable to look away from the Troll in front of them at the end of her porch. A look of torment across their face.

Slowly, the freckled Troll smiled sadly, and reached behind their back for their instrument. Hickory acted quickly, putting himself between the two. Staring intently at the Rocker. They stared back, as they slowly brought the instrument forward.

"Please. Let me play?"

Hickory's nostrils flared, biting down hard on the straw in his mouth. How was he so stupid? Well, he wouldn't be fooled this time.

*~strum~*

Though the guitar was imposing and electric, with a stroke of their hand, it played a long, twangy, unmistakable, Country cord.

Silence.

Laying a hand on Hickory's shower, July gently moved him aside, her attention almost trance-like on the player. Waiting.

As if they understood, they shifted and picked up their guitar in earnest. Strumming again, but to a much more upbeat melody. Much more upbeat than most Country music Hickory had heard around town that he grew to enjoy. This sounded more... Pop? Much more like something he'd hear July singing on a day she was in a particularly good mood. Or something July’s elderly mother, the Pop Troll of the family might hum.

That's when they began to sing along, starting off slowly and gaining strength with each note. A large smile on their face as tears cascaded down their round cheeks. As if putting on the show of their lives. It was raw, and beautiful.

"She loves rock ‘n’ roll,

they said it's demons’ tongue,

She thinks they're too old.

They think she's too young,

And the battle lines are clearly drawn.”

“She's a wild one,

with an angel's face,

She's a lovely Troll in a state of grace,

When she was three years old on her daddy's knee,

He said you can be anythin’ you wanna be.

She's a wild one.

Runnin' free."

“She has future plans,

and dreams at night,

they tell her life is hard,

she smiles, sayin’ “that’s alright”, yeah!”

“She’s a wild one,

With an angel’s face,

She’s a lovely Troll in a state of grace,

When she was three years old on her daddy’s knee,

He said you can be anythin’ you wanna be.

She’s a wild one.

Runnin’ free.”

"She's a wild one”~~

"~~Runnin' free.”  July finished and sobbed the last line.

"That was the song I wrote for your Mama... all them years ago..My Bloo. My little ‘Bloo-Jay’ came home!"

Hickory stood fully aside now, allowing the two to embrace, for what he now had realized had been the first time in more than two decades. An embrace that both warmed and broke your heart, all at the same time. This was July's pride and joy. Her niece. Bloo, the only child of July's older sister June.

June and July were extremely close sisters. Best friends even.

June was a very free spirited Troll who fancied herself a part-time singer at one of the local bars in town. On one of these trips to town, she met a traveling Rock Troll by the name of Ziggy. Busking for food and drink. Let's just say, it didn't take long at all until wedding bells were ringing and Ziggy was part of the happy family here on the Ranch. The couple waited a while before having a Trolling. The two were busy enjoying married life, Ziggy took June traveling, fulfilling her dreams of seeing life outside Lonesome Flats. And wherever they went, they were singing up a storm. When they returned home to settle down, at any bar or club, or bingo hall that would have them, they continued singing their hearts out. Occasionally even dragging July along. The three of them became inseparable. Especially after Bloo was born. The townsfolk even seemed to warm up to the entire, oddball family. It was all turning up roses for the family finally, after what felt like ages of trying to live in harmony. But it all came to a crushing end. 

Shortly after Bloo turned five years old, a serious, contagious illness spread throughout Lonesome Flats. Most folks who caught it, eventually recovered, but there were eight fatalities in the end. June was one of them. The family was torn to pieces by June’s passing. Ziggy just wasn't the same Troll after. A year passed and just as they thought things might slowly start looking up, Ziggy and Bloo were gone.

Apparently he had packed himself and Bloo up one night, and just left without a word. July knew he had family back home in Volcano Rock City, and figured that is where he would take Bloo to raise them. But July dared not go there. For good reason. A Pop-Country Troll, travel to Volcano Rock City?  Demand her niece back from a heartbroken father? While leaving her extremely elderly parents to fend for themselves? No. July would be turned away or torn to pieces. King Thrash at the time was feared for good reason in those days and most Trolls feared Rock Trolls the most out of all the other Tribes.

July and her folks basically moved on by learning to mourn the loss of June, Bloo, and Ziggy. They never expected to ever see Bloo or Ziggy again. Yet here Bloo was. Embracing their aunt, while Hickory and Messy looked on fondly. His smile grew wider as he realized how overjoyed July's folks: Clay and May, would be to see their grand-baby again. Something they thought they'd never live to see.

He could see it now that he got a better look at Bloo, as they were bombarded with kisses and hugs, that they did share a little resemblance to their Pop-Country Aunt. Though without a doubt, they took after their father Ziggy the most. No wonder Bloo wasn't easily recognizable at first glance, they looked so different in comparison to how they looked back then as a Trolling.

Who would have thought that he'd meet the Troll who's childhood pictures adorned the home he and his brother were staying in? Which happened to be Bloo's Old family home on the Ranch. The same house they had stopped to stare at on their way to the main house.

"Small world we live in!” He barked with laughter.

"Welcome home Miss Bloo, glad to meetcha." And he meant it, whole heartedly.

"Glad to be home again.”

END.

(Song used was Faith Hill’s ‘Wild One’. Tweaked for this story)

[askkrenko]

Krenko’s Guide to Pokemon: Tyrogue Line ( Hitmon- )

POKEMON SHOULD NOT WEAR PANTS.

DESIGN: 

I’m fine with how humanlike this looks. I’m fine with the bands on his wrists that look like bandages, and around his waist, but he’s clearly wearing shorts and shoes. I’d much rather a design that gave the illusion of shorts and shoes, like making his hip-section very furry and giving him hooves like a satyr.  I accept the simple appearance in the early games, but it could really have used a redesign at some point.

I do love the way the side of its head looks like it’s wearing protection over its ears. Tyrogue is very clearly some kid ready to wrestle in school, and I’m totally on board with that... but actual clothes are wrong.

My other issue with Tyrogue is that it’s a male-only line without a female equivalent. See, female-only lines make sense because of how Pokemon breeding works. Sure, there’s no male Chansey, but that’s because every male Clefable, Wigglytuff, and Grimmsnarl is lining up to fertilize that egg. But with Tyrogue, there’s... nowhere for Tyrogues to come from other than Dittos.

Now, this may explain the relative scarcity of the Tyrogue, and maybe they are all the result of dittos, but it’s really weird to me if that’s the case. You’d think by now we could have a female Pokemon that could lay Tyrogue eggs the way Illumise can lay Volbeat eggs.

Now, Tyrogue has three evolved forms, and the first numerically is Hitmonlee. Hitmonlee is made of kicking, and its body really shows that. It doesn’t wear clothes, it doesn’t have a head, and those leg bands stretch for super kicks.  Now, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this thing in various mythologies, the headless man with a face on its chest, but Hitmonlee’s just got eyes. It’s a pretty simple design when you think about it, but it’s cool and striking and looks like a monster that fights like a man but better.

Hitmonchan has boxing gloves, a skirt, and booties. Look, I’ll get on a lot of Pokemon’s case for being too humanoid or whatever, but HItmonchan is seriously just some dude. His shoulder pads don’t even look like part of him, they look like he’s wearing them. I can’t even begin to imagine what a Hitmonchan might be that it just looks like that in nature.  Its Pokedex entry mentions it has the “spirit of a pro boxer” and while that seems metaphorical, but when you see entries like “A Hitmonchan is said to possess the spirit of a boxer who aimed to become the world champion” you have to wonder if this is one of those supernatural things like how so many Ghost pokemon are actually dead humans.

Hitmonchan is an interesting design for a creature in a video game, but it’s not a good design for a creature in a world, which is what Pokemon need to be. I just can’t accept that your Tyrogue grew up into this without you buying gloves and booties for it.

Hitmontop mostly fixes the issue of inexplicable clothes. Yes, it looks like it’s wearing some sort of V-Neck leotard like a professional fighter might, but as it doesn’t pop off the Hitmontop’s body in any way, it could just be blue fur which is pretty normal in the Pokemon setting. 

I don’t particularly like Hitmontop’s design overall- I think it looks too toylike, and much less badass than Hitmonchan or Hitmonlee. It feels like something you could just avoid by taking a step to the side. But unlike Hitmonchan, nothing in its design actively offends my sensibilities. It just feels more like a middle form than a final form.

Art by MajMajor

EVOLUTIONS: 

I mostly love the design of this evolutionary line. While HItmonchan and Hitmonlee were introduced in gen 1 as a matched set, Tyrogue and Hitmontop came in generation 2. Tyrogue is the best use of a Baby Pokemon, adding a pre-evolution to turn two previously unattached Pokemon into a branching path. They haven’t done that again since, even though there’s multiple paired lines that could really use it (most notably Tauros/Miltank and Cubone/Kangaskhan.) Also, Tyrogue evolves at level 20, but what determines its form isn’t some weird item or what time it is, but simply how its stats fall out. This means that to a novice it’ll seem random which one you get, but a skilled trainer can ensure Hitmonchan or HItmonlee (and a more skilled trainer can ensure Hitmontop.) 

Also, with base stats of 455 each, Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee are much more deserving of getting a Baby Pokemon than things like Pichu and Jigglypuff, whose baby forms don’t do anything for gameplay but get in the way.

Art by IDunnoLawl

TYPING: 

Unlike most Pokemon with multiple forms, all three of Tyrogue’s evolutions are pure FIghting type. Fighting is pretty evenly balanced offensively and defensively, and is notably super-effective against Normal and Steel types. The lack of a second type really hurts, though. Fighting is bad against six types, and that’s not something you want to see on all your STAB attacks.

STATS: 

All three Hitmons are physical attackers with 50 HP and 110 Special Defense, but the rest of their stats vary.  Hitmonlee has a mere 53 defense, making it the most fragile of the three, but its 120 Attack and its 87 speed make it the fastest and most damaging. Hitmonchan has a lower attack and lower speed, but higher defense, and Hitmontop has the lowest attack and speed of all three, but a 95 defense which actually compensates for its low HP. 

None of these stat arrays are particularly impressive, but they all have solid attack stats, and their high special defense means their low HP is only a problem when confronted with physical attackers. Speeds for all three are about average.

Art by mcgmark

ABILITIES: 

Interestingly enough, Tyrogue’s abilities are different than all three of its evolutions... but Tyrogue’s incredibly weak so there’s no reason to talk about building it.

Hitmonchan has Keen Eye (prevents accuracy loss) and Inner Focus (prevents Flinching and Intimidate) but what sells it as a Pokemon is Iron Fist, an ability that increases its punch damage by 20%. It’s not Earth shattering, but 20% on attacks is a very solid boost and Hitmonchan learns a lot of punches.

Hitmonlee can get Limber to prevent Paralysis, but nobody cares. Its other options are much better. Reckless adds 20% damage to any move with Recoil or a Crash chance. Unfortunately, Hitmonlee only has one of these. Fortunately, it’s Hitmonlee’s signature attack, High Jump Kick. Hitmonlee’s other ability takes a bit more work to use, but is even better in competetive battles. Unburden doubles Hitmonlee’s speed if its held item is lost or used.  While berries are an option, a White Herb can be forced with Close Combat, turning Hitmonlee into a potent sweeper as long as it survives that first attack.

Hitmontop has the basically useless Steadfast (increase Speed when flinching), but has the ever-powerful Intimidate, as well as Technician. With Hitmontop already being the most defensive of the three, Intimidate just makes it a bit more survivable by lowering enemy attacks. Technician increases the damage of any moves with a base damage of 60 or lower, and Hitmontop has a variety of attacks that can take advantage of this. Most notably among these is Triple Axel, a three-hit move with an increasing power of 20, 40, and 60. With Technician, these hits become 30, 60, and 90 for a total of 180 power, albeit with problematic accuracy.

Art by Zilvan

MOVES: 

Despite all three being physical attackers, all three use different Fighting type moves. Hitmonlee gets its signature High Jump Kick with Reckless, or can use Close Combat + White Herb with Unburden. Hitmonchan uses Drain Punch. Iron Fist bumps its attack to an effective 90, and the healing increases proportionately.  Hitmontop, unfortunately, doesn’t have any great options, so Close Combat is generally the way to go. Revenge is an option with its slower speed and Technician fixing its ‘failure state,’ but unfortunately Revenge and Technician don’t stack if Revenge activates.

Coverage comes next. Fighting type is resisted by Bug, Fairy, Flying, Poison, and Psychic, and Ghosts are outright immune.  Hitmontop’s Triple Axel is going to work just fine against all of those, even without Technician. 

Hitmonlee has a decent lineup of options- Blaze Kick, Earthquake, Stone Edge, Poison Jab, Knock Off- but which you pick is really dependent on what you expect to face and what the rest of your team has coverage for. Earthquake’s the strongest, but it still doesn’t work against Flying or Bug types.  Stone Edge covers them both, but is a much weaker move. Of course, Hitmonlee could take both. 

Hitmonchan has great coverage options with Iron Fist enhanced elemental punches, plus the aforementioned Earthquake and Stone Edge, as well as Throat Chop.  There’s no real right or wrong answer here, just be prepare for whatever you’re most worried about.

Tyrogue’s evolutions share a lot of utility moves. Rapid Spin, Mach Punch, and Bulk Up can be useful on any of them. For each of the three, I’d suggest a build of a fighting move, an off-type move for coverage, Rapid Spin for Rapid Spinning, and then whatever feels right to you of Bulk Up, Mach Punch, or another coverage move.

Art by birdmir

OVERALL: 

Despite the three Pokemon here being very similar, they each have abilities and stat differences that give them different niches, with Hitmonchan’s being the best defined. I do wish Hitmonlee got more than one attack that worked with Reckless and Hitmontop’s signature attack were stronger (triple kick still only ends up at 90 power with Technician), but overall they’re not too bad, just a bit on the fragile side. A 10 or 20 point boost to each of their HP stats would make me feel a lot better, and small stat boosts between gens is something Pokemon occasionally does. 

Hitmonchan and Tyrogue wearing clothes is really dumb, though, as are the ecological issues of a species that can’t reproduce without the help of a DItto.

In the future, I’d like to see a trio of regional forms for them, granting each a second element, but different from each other. Bonus points if the alternate Hitmonchan has Protean for his elemental punches. That’d be a cool Pokemon. 

Little Asskickers by Aniforce

[raybidtickles]

Trapped

I decided to start writing again and like how I’m redrawing the tickletober prompts, I’m gonna be writing out some of the prompts until I get back into the swing of writing more.

Summary: Collin gets into more trouble than he anticipates when he gets left behind by his friends, and meets new ones in the process!

Collin could not believe his friends ditched him.

Well, no. Collin could definitely believe his friends ditched him. Never on purpose, but they had the habit of getting out of hand and out of sight quickly. Galen and Jaritri were magnets for trouble. If trouble didn’t find them, then they went out looking for it. Collin, who was convinced he was the only voice of reason at this point, always struggled to keep up. Not that he necessarily wanted to help terrorize the local human population, but the satyr’s worry compelled him to follow anyways.

Now he was stuck in an unfamiliar part of the woods with no sense of direction where home was. There wasn’t any way this day could get worse-

Collin’s right leg was quickly ripped out from under him and he landed on the forest floor with solid thud. His right dangled high above his head from a rope.

"Oh, seriously?" An exasperated sigh escaped Collin as he tugged at the rope, only to secure the rope tighter around his ankle. Just his rotten luck. He needed to get out before whoever set the trap got back. The last thing Collim wanted was the attention of whoever set the trap. Collin stretched upward, the knot of the rope only inches from his finger tips. The satyr fell back onto the ground in a huff, regretting the decision to not carry around the knife Gelasia gave him. Collin backed himself up on the grassy ground and yanked. He pushed against the rope around his ankle with his free hoof. If he could just loosen the knot just enough.

"If we didn't get anything this time I'm gonna be pissed." Collin's ears twitched at the sound of voices approaching. The sound of snapping twigs followed and Collin's heart raced to his throat. He wanted to frantically tug and flail to get his leg out of the trap, but his entire body locked into place. His eyes the only part of him able to move, frantically darting across his field of vision.

"Ah, calm down. Don't blame nature because you suck at hu-" Three figures emerged from the brush directly in front of them. Two tall and identical looking fellows along with a shorter man with black, spiky hair. The left twin's voice died the moment the group's gaze turned to Collin.

"Well, you sure caught something." The right twin commented, a confused, but none the less amused smile etched across his features. The smallest of the group huffed in exasperation that reminded Collin far too much of Galen.

"Oh, well this is just perfect!" A heated blush rushed to his cheeks as he glanced between his hunting partners gesturing at Collin's predicament. "Yeah, yeah of course this is what happens. If it's not just a completely empty trap it's this." One of the twins quickly grabbed the back of his cloak's hood and pulled it over to eyes. The short loudmouth yeld and swat at his hands in a struggle to obscure his vision.

"Bix, buddy. I don't think our fair friend over here appreciates being referred to as this." The second twin shoved his head down further as he smiled down at Collin.

"Heeeeey, sorry bout all this uh…" The duo leaned on their smaller friend's head and shoulders, attempting to keep him quiet and down. "...we aren't normally like this we swear." The fear that gripped Collin's chest slowly dissipated. He knew humans could be eccentric, but didn't realize they'd also be giant nerds.

"It's uh...no trouble really?" Collin bit back a smile at the ongoing struggle. He gaze glanced up to his still trapped hoof and he tugged tentatively on more. "Do you think you could…?" Collin's question came out just above a whisper when he pointed up.

"Ah. Right. That." The twins let 'Bix' go, causing the man to nearly trip over himself in a struggle that suddenly stopped. One of the twins rummaged around their bag as they approached. He retrieved a small hunting knife from the bag and flashed Collin a confident smile and wink. "We'll get you out of there in a-"

"Hey, no! Caiden, dont you fucking dare!" Bix latched onto the arm Caiden held the knife with. Caiden immediately shook and yanked at his arm to throw him off. Collin had to give the angry little man props for the persistence.

"What?! What is your problem? We aren't keeping him that's messed up man!" An uncontrolled noise of offense escaped Bix's throat as he narrowed his eyes up at him.

"What-no! What's wrong with you? I can untie him, you don't have to cut the rope." Caiden raised a brow, his eyes lingering over his friend's scrunched up face to decipher if he was serious.

"It's just rope man. What's the big-"

"It's your last length of rope isn't it?" The other twin interrupted, fully enjoying the performance at that point. Bix's composure stiffened, his angry glare quickly turned down to the ground. 

Yep. Bix definitely reminded Collin of Galen.

"...shut up shut up I didn't think it would be this bad today." Bix's face burnt bright red while the twins snickered.

"Alright, alright. You wanna try? I'll give ya a few minutes." Caiden finally shook Bix off and plopped the knife back into his satchel. "Aiden and I'll just wait until you admit you can't do it."

"Sorry, you're probably gonna be here for a while." Aiden chipped in, sticking his tongue out at Bix as he grumbled. Bix's glare reached down to Collin, a small shiver ran up his back. His glare softened a bit as he gripped around Collin's ankle.

"Don't listen to them. You'll be out of here in a second. Just stay still…" His thoughts seemed to trail off as his focused turned to the knot. Despite Bix's rough nature Collin could feel how nimble his fingers were. Each gentle brush against his ankle as Bix tried to loosen the knot sent a small ticklish jolt up his leg. Collin bit his lip and tried his best to keep his leg still. Each little twitch made Bix huff a bit out of his nose.

"Can you just sit for a second?" Bix grabbed Collin by the hoof, his thumb pressed slightly against the bottom. Collin couldn't help the startled yelp and twitches that followed.

"W-wahait! Don't press there please!" Collin yanked back, his free hoof digging into the ground to try and scoot away. The three hunters shared a quizitive look before Bix ran his thumb down the length of Collin's hoof. More giggles poured from the saytr, quiet objections went unheard.

"Awww, guys he's ticklish! That's so cute." Aiden cooed.

"On his hooves? How's that even possible?" Bix used both of his thumbs to rub into each toe of Collin's cloven foot.

 "Ahahaha! Dohohohon't do that!" Collin's free leg flailed, just barely missing Bix's leg.

"Who cares?? It's adorable!" Collin was forced on his back when Aiden snatched up his other ankle. "Ohhhh I wanna see." Aiden tapped his finger nails across the edges of Collin's hoof. His laughter became punctuated by small shrieks as the constant drumming sent electric ticklish shocks up his leg.

"Plehehease ah-! Please stohop!" Collin set himself up on his elbows, one hand reached out in vain to stop the gentle yet relentless assault.

"How can you expect to stop? You're laugh is just adorable." Aiden teased further, a micheveous smirk tugged at the edges of his lips. He traced an index in circles around the soles of his hoof that made Collin shiver with goosebumps.

"Yeah, besides. Maybe this'll teach you to watch your step next time." Bix allowed himself to smile down at the saytr. Hr glanced down at his satchel, his smile turning to full grin as he reached inside. He pulled a small hand brush out, making a show of pulling it out slow.

"W-wait, what are you gonna-aH WAHAHAIT! NOHOHOH NOT THAHAHAT!" The most the brush connected with his hoof Collin's laugh raised several octaves. He flopped flat on his back, his arms crossed over his stomach as hysterical belly laughs were torn from him. Small tears pricked the edges of his eyes and a small, but distinct bleat cut between his laugh. Almost like a snort or hiccup. After a moment the tickling stopped and Collin was able to breath again. He twitched and shivered as the tingle could still be felt on his hooves. Collin wiped his eyes and glanced up at the hunters, both with faces three shades dark and hands covering their mouths.

"Ohhhh that was really cute." Aiden's voice was muffled by his hand, but Collin heard it plainly and felt heat raise to his own cheeks.

"Alright, that's enough you two." Cadien quickly brandished his knife and with a quick flick Collin's leg thumped to the ground. An annoyed outburst followed from Bix that went ignored. Caiden reached down and gently gripped Collin's upper arms and slowly pulled him upward. Collin's balance wavered slightly, but he managed to stand on his own.

"Sorry bout that. Still swear we aren't normally like this." Caiden chuckled and clapped Collin on the shoulder.

"O-oh, you're fine it was ah..." Collin glanced nervously around, his gaze landing to the grassy ground. "It was kinda fun actually."

"Oh reeeeeally?" Aiden slipped an arm around his brother's shoulder, a large grin plasterd on his face. "Maybe we should meet up again hm? I'm sure Bix would love to." Bix couldn't deny or agree simply for the fact he already slipped away into the underbrush. "...he'd love to I'm sure uhhh…"Aiden glanced him down expectantly."

"O-oh! Collin. If that's what you were asking." Collin crossed an arm over his chest and hesitantly held out his hand. Aiden slipped off Caiden and clapped his hand between both of his.

"Aiden! Though I'm sure you already heard that. You got an address Colli? Lemme send you a letter and maybe we can-ah!" Aiden was quickly tugged away by the back of the coller.

"Aid, I swear if you don't stop." He twirled his brother around and shoved him in the direction they came from. He glanced back at Collin with a small wave. "Sorry about...aaaaall of that. Do hope to see you again though cutie!" Caiden left Collin alone with butterflies floating around in his stomach.

...he needed to lost around here just a bit more often.

[arwenkenobi48]

The Fiend and the Fugitive: Character Profile - Onoskelis

Full Name: Onoskelis

Age: Unknown, most likely around 400, although she appears to be in her early 20s

Gender: Female

Sexual Orientation: Lesbian, but biromantic

Eye Colour: A cold, icy blue

Hair Colour/Style: Dyed a silvery blonde, although naturally black. Onoskelis either gives it a Nordic style braid or girly pigtails. Whatever she likes best.

Clothes: Onoskelis is a Goth girl and boy, does she show it. The only item of clothing in her wardrobe that’s not black is a pair of very short cargo shorts. If it’s black, makes her look alternative and preferably with an 80s style, Onoskelis will wear it. That, combined with black lipstick, black eyeliner/eyeshadow/mascara and foundation designed to make herself looks as eerily pretty as possible, Onoskelis is without a doubt a Goth through and through.

Personality: Onoskelis is like a little sister to Mephistopheles; she spends a great deal of time irritating him but would also take a bullet for him if necessary. Many of their interactions revolve around Mephistopheles bragging or monologuing about something, Onoskelis noticing he’s about to do something stupid (like spilling soup or walking into a lamppost) and trying to point it out, only for her warnings to fall on deaf ears, resulting in Mephistopheles being pissed and Onoskelis getting a great laugh at his expense. Desire their bickering, occasionally competitive brother-sister dynamic, Onoskelis still cares a lot about Mephistopheles and is always the first one to try and console him when things so wrong. It’s a strangely wholesome villain/henchman dynamic.

Miscellaneous facts:

Onoskelis’ nickname is Oni, which means ogre or demon in Japanese. Her actual name translates to “the one with a mule’s legs”.

Unlike Mephistopheles, Onoskelis doesn’t have cloven hooves, but solid hooves like, well, a mule’s hooves. Despite that, she also sports a pair of small, deer-like antlers and has fluffy, deer-like ears. Her tail resembles a satyr’s.

Onoskelis’ primary inspiration came from a succubus of the same name mentioned in the Book of Solomon, from depictions of fair folk in English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish folklore and from another character that didn’t make it into the final project.

In the early stages of the story’s development, Onoskelis’ role was given to a talking barn owl named Minerva, who would act as an Angel on Mephistopheles’ shoulder and representing that final spark of goodness inside him. I liked the idea, but found it to be too bland when it came to writing, so I made Onoskelis instead.

Onoskelis has the ability to shift to an owl, a deer and a cat. Her beast form looks like an amalgamation of all three. She boasted once that she made a “stiff-upper-lip British man exclaim ‘Good Lord!’ and faint in King’s Cross Railway Station”, but nobody really believes her.

Her favourite music is Molchat Doma and her favourite movie genre is horror (particularly slashers).

Despite pestering Mephistopheles about how unhealthy drinking beer is, Onoskelis vapes. A lot.