#my life is full of goofy creatures

[alilbabysprout]

life as of late 🐛

[choochooboss]

Sketch dump! Vol. 3 August 2022

Literally dumping all the presentable works here as promised, whether I’m proud of them or not!

The first image was inspired by a color palette of a random YT playlist thumbnail! I really loved it and wanted to turn it into a cosy travel & rain scene with colorful city lights smeared like dripping wet watercolors. The second one is a KH3 reference! Do you recognise this scene? I don't know how he would possibly end up there in the first place, but he sure is determined to find his dear brother by breaking through the edge of the world!

How to make Ingo smile, step 1: Make him spell "Emmet"! And a goofy cartoon collision moment ahah!

They are very satisfied after a challenging match, win or lose, and they want you to come back for another ride! I love the twins as they appear in Pokémas the most and try to capture the personalities their English VAs give in my art. They are adorable, excitable, cool and very much admirable!

Emmet always wants to look cool, and Ingo surely gives the most heartfelt handshakes! This piece was to celebrate 1K followers on Twitter! The first three months were wild as so many people found my works!! I fondly reminisce that time, not only I was doing well with my first fanart account, I also felt very happy in general! I was so in the zone with art, being super creative free of worries. It's awesome to see most of the people who commented this back then are still posting/in contact with me!! Thank you so much for sticking with me and my little shenanigans!

I still really like these sketches here, love to see this trio having a blast together! The clips are from a movie classic "Singing in the Rain", and below is the final piece:

Doodles~

Early Breakmas AU sketch (Team Break Submas); going full speed after trainers to collect their pokémon... What would you do if these two giant traffic cones approached you at high velocities?

Excadrill & Archeops, the soft & fluffy guys! Some of my first sketches of the submas mons. Excadrill has become my no. 1 submas mon, I adore that tough little missile knight! Archeops is definitely one of the most appealing ones! I love how he kinda has 4 wings he glides with. However I cannot unsee the snake in a parrot suit ahahah, pardon me! Also I pity the poor guy's in-battle idle animation where he has to flap SO HARD just to stay afloat!

Also Durant & Galvantula! I never was a fan of Durant but I've found ways to have fun drawing this little mischievous creature. They're after your ankles nyehehehe~ Galvantula also wasn't appealing to me until submas fever hit but now I think it's a pretty cute beast! I really like how I drew that fur, which is funny because it was that bristly blue fur that didn't strike my fancy back then!

Still enjoying this sketch! Took me some time to read the lines though ahah, the sketch so loose. He's leading a complete opposite life now...

Surprise!!! I held an art raffle on my Twitter account once but I never finished the piece for no good explanation other than getting stuck with the depot agent designs. I wanted to finish this so badly but just couldn't get over that mental block. It still bothers me I couldn't do it!

More KH inspired attempts, this time the stained glass!

Some expressions! Those snouts I draw for them are so silly ahah

Oh yikes, mood shift! The situation is looking dire, is his brother okay?? I like how the pose & water turned out!

'How's it hanging bro?' Who hung him up there anyway?

Another intense situation, what could this Team Break guy possibly want from him..?! Man, this piece feels so old now but I still like the movie like vibe! That's all just from August!! I was extremely productive back then ahah, it's cool to see how creative and varied stuff I could do!

More and more sketches & WIPs are waiting in the queue! Hope you had fun checking these out!

UPDATE: I had accidentally uploaded some sketches I had already shared in the July 2022 sketchdump so I replaced them with other sketches I had actually forgot I made in August!

Sketch dump Vol. 1: April-June 2022 Sketch dump Vol. 2: July 2022

[z3rinn]

# #. KINGDOM CALLING !!

Being a Keyblade Wielder you thought you'd have seen everything by now. But you never expected to end up in a world where the villains you defeated were worshipped.

more twst x kh content because i’ve been hyper fixated on it for the past few months T_T speaking of, the reason I've been gone for so long is because I’ve now got a fic in the makings- using this exact concept! it’s posted on my wattpad and quotev, but I’m also debating if I should put it on this site… it’s quite long though! lmk if you guys think I should :]

Twisted Wonderland was weird.

You thought you’d have seen everything by now. Being a Keyblade Wielder, your job was to travel across worlds, defeating the darkness and hate spread by those willing to conquer.

You’d experienced stories and magic you could barely comprehend, standing on the sidelines as you watched fairytales play right before your eyes.

Creatures and supernaturals were considered friends, being far different from the monsters you imagined them to be. Even talking animals were a common thing now, having traveled with Donald Duck and Goofy for a better part of three years now.

You never thought you'd miss them.

Your life back on Destiny Islands was simple. Back there, you had a home; with small rowing boats and hammocks on the tiny island a quick swim away. You had proper food, with star shaped fruits said to bind your soul with your loved ones. Most importantly- you had your best friends; Sora, Riku, and Kairi— all eccentric yet lovable characters that held your heart. You would do anything for them.

The island was a sanctuary, a place for comfort and familiarity. If you had known what you did now, you would've trapped yourself there, basking in the warm sand and cool water brushing across your body. But then, being young and immature, you just wanted to leave.

Three years have passed since then. Years full of mystery and surprise.

You had undergone many things on your journey; battling against Heartless and monsters. Falling down rabbit holes and encountering princesses every which way you turned. Meeting leaders of all kinds of worlds, binding your hearts to create everlasting friendships. You had even sided with villians, willing to set aside your differences to accomplish your goals.

It was odd… working with Maleficent.

At one point you even had your heart stolen. Ripped away from you to create a husk. And that was just the surface.

You thought you had seen everything by now....

But Twisted Wonderland was weird.

Everything happened so suddenly; kicking open an overly fancy coffin ( far different from the ones Jack Skellington used ) only to be met by a creature that looked oddly like Stitch. But before you could ask anything, he gave chase, demanding you give him your robes— how did you even get these on?

Panic stricken, you ran. Running across classrooms, hallways, and courtyards- all while trying to get away from the cat.

Questions and concerns began to gush through your mind. How could you have gotten here? Where was everyone?

And where were you?

The next thing you knew, you were in a regal library, cornered by the monster. Floating books and dancing lanterns surrounded you, all approaching with intrigue. They all seemed to be observing you, like they were anticiping something.

Blue fire brushed across your skin, the flames flickering against your robes. You realized they were waiting for a spell, like they knew you would cast it before the thought could even pop into your mind.

Just as you raised your hand, getting ready to summon your Keyblade, a whip wrapped around the cat.

Both of you jumped, eyes darting to the double doors, finding a crow-looking man standing there. He looked oddly disappointed. Your eyes immediately narrowed, hands tensing.

Just looking at him made you feel on edge.

He was radiating darkness.

His golden eyes seemed to be staring right into your soul, gazing deep and pulling you apart from the seams. They pierced through your own. Entrancing. Like they were studying and discerning your moves. You didn't like them.

They looked like a villians.

You were wary of the man, raising a brow when he introduced himself. Crowley was his name; Descendant of a Hero. An odd name for someone whose heart seemed so full of darkness. He led you to a chamber room, surrounded by floating coffins and magic. Dark energy overfilled the room, whispers and cackles echoing from robed figures as they eyed your form.

You thought back to Organization XIII.

You didn't like robes all that much anymore.

They were traumatizing.

Crowley huffed, pushing you in front of— the magic mirror? Was that the one The Evil Queen used?

The mask in the mirror spoke, blank eyes narrowing at you as if you'd attack it at any second. Of course, it had every right to be afraid. Your friend literally threw a giant key at it once. Hopefully it could get passed that though, and you could ask it how you got here?

It bullshitted something about you not having a soul, ( you had a strange inkling it was being petty but whatever ) but before it could finish, the cat broke free.

He yelled, claiming he was strong enough to be at this school, and that he deserved your spot. You tilted your head at his outburst. Was that all he wanted? You gladly would've given your spot to him. You weren’t meant to be in this world in the first place. Hopefully you’d be out of here soon.

You had Heartless to go fight.

You had to go find Sora.

A quick mishap occurred, with Grim ( you remembered his name ) setting the room on fire. Apparently he was trying to show off his magic; an odd way to do so but you digress. A red haired boy chased after him, along with a boy with glasses.

Their magic was strange, coming out of a jeweled pen of all things.

Wind magic was casted, similar to your own Aero spells. Water attacks were aimed at it, easily dousing the blue flames. It was honestly amazing, watching so much magic come out of a tiny pen.

The redhead stopped in front of the cat, pointing his pen at him with narrowed eyes. Your own widened as he shouted a curse.

Off with your head.

That sounded awfully familiar.

…

Crowley was going to kick you out.

The magic mirror- or rather the dark mirror- explained that you didn't have a home to go to. You guessed it was because Destiny Islands was a whole other world, and simple mirror travel wouldn't be able to reach that far.

No matter, you could simply contact Donald or Riku on your Gummi phone and go home.

But of course, the first time a phone specifically made to communicate between worlds doesn't work is when you need it most.

So you did the only thing you could.

And showed him your Keyblade.

He muttered something to himself, widened eyes never leaving the blade in your hand. His feathers ruffled in surprise and intrigue, the slight curl of them being… strange. 

It was as if they were smiling.

Your eyes flickered to his own- noticing his scary… intense gaze.

You didn’t dare break contact, being far too focused on those piercings eyes. 

Those haunting, golden eyes. 

Eyes that looked just like Xehanorts.

The Headmage led you to a rundown cabin, home to a variety of ghosts and cobwebs. The building reminded you of the ones in Halloween Town; rundown with mischievous creatures inhabiting the spaces. These ghosts just looked like marshmallows.

You let out a low sigh, allowing yourself to fall on the dusted couch in the lounge. Debris flew up under your weight, flying into the air before dissapting. Your gaze was focused on the ceiling above, dazed as rain droplets fell to your cheeks and the wooden floors below.

The building was silent, aside from the rain. Wind blew against cobwebs, flying past your face and sticking to the rotting wood. Splinters and jagged pieces spiked up, parts of the walls ripped apart from age and student endeavors.

It was lonely here.

You didn't have anyone in this world.

Not even Jiminy fucking Cricket.

You hadn’t been alone in a long time.

The door creaked open, "Myah- it's really pouring out there!"

...

Twisted Wonderland.

That's what this place was called.

A world very befitting for its name.

Everything about this world was off— or at least— Night Raven College was.

Students seemed to love and adore the beings you had tried so desperately to keep away. They had dorms dedicated to them, embracing their darkness and allowing themselves to fall under its curse. Darkness that you had to get rid of.

Of course, they didn't actually know about the dangers you faced, finding these villians to be great and kind. They didn't know of the death and tragedy caused- the mistakes you had to fix.

It was strange though. Worlds weren't supposed to know of one another, otherwise chaos could ensue.

So why was Twisted Wonderland a combination of them all?

You suppose that's how this place got its name.

Everything in this world was twisted. Villians were considered heroic; great and all mighty beings that you and Sora definitely didn't beat.

While in the botanical gardens you sometimes laugh, imagining Leona's face if you told him you helped kill Scar. He gives you weird looks, telling you to shut up and go back to sleep. You try. It doesn’t work.

It wasn't until the Riddle incident did you realize why you were sent to this world. Darkness and hatred had been accumulating in the corners of this realm, seeping into the depths of people's hearts.

It was at times like this that made you miss Sora.

You turned over on your bed, eyes focused on the ceiling above. Moonlight seeped in through the wooden cracks, bits of the glowing celestial body peeking in. It was almost speaking to you, luring you towards it with the promise of comfort.

Kingdom Hearts.

Your eyes shut, turning away from the beckoning moon.

Well whatever. You had another long day ahead of you.

…

Thoughts? This was just a quick wip that I made in like an hour lolll. I’m thinking of doing another part tho, where we dive into character interactions and such. Rlly wanna write for Silver and a KH! MC!

[thatsbelievable]

Pssst…

A gentle reminder that our middle-grade debut novel releases August 6, 2024 from HarperCollins!

THE MONSTROUS ADVENTURES OF MUMMY MAN AND WAFFLES tells the story of 11-year-old Wen as he and his new friend Tanya accidentally bring a basement full of old horror movie props to life. The only good monster in the bunch is MUMMY MAN, a goofy, big-hearted movie mummy who adopts a creek turtle named Frank. Together, they battle the bad movie monsters to stop an all-out creature invasion.

This has been a labor of love for me, the first in a new spooky humor middle-grade series dedicated to my love of old-school fright films, movie monsters, and super heroes — written purely for my inner 8-year-old.

Fans of That’s Believable will find that I write for kids pretty much the way I write here. And with amazing illustrations by the incredibly talented Robb Mommaerts, it’s going to be a great time!

If you like what we do, if this sounds interesting (and/or you have younger siblings/nieces/nephews), and you’d like to support us, a great way to do that is to PRE-ORDER the book HERE!

Thanks for listening, and we return you to our regularly scheduled nonsense.

[solargeist]

I love that you went from the watchers being this mildly terrifying force that doesn’t realize they’re terrifying (and traumatizing Grian) side eyeing that one 3L comic you made about the watchers making it a “game” for Grian (still very much thinking about the “yaaaaay you won!”) to now Oh My Gosh A Tiny Being Can We Adopt Him pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease

ehehe i was trying to get my footing !! I think I have a grasp now on how I like writing them now ....

However !! The Watchers still very much traumatize Grian, even though they genuinely do love him, I've said that since the beginning, thats their babeyyyyyyyy Watcher, but still a Watcher nonetheless.

Aethers not exactly excused from this either, she loves him and cares abt him, but shes an angel, she just doesn't understand. She has an issue with..... Toxic positivity ? Shes not very confrontational and doesn't want to have hard conversations with him, its easier to hide things or just comfort him by rubbing his back or hair when hes upset. When Grian asks to visit Evo again early on, she already knows all the players have left, but lets him see for himself anyway. Its like when a kid begs to eat something like cocoa powder, not understanding how bitter it is, so you just let them. So its not a big deal to her, but is to Grian, its the horrifying realization that he is completely alone, all of his friends left, he feels abandoned and betrayed. All good things must come to an end though, she says, nothing lasts forever, except us ! haha !

Not to mention the purposeful sleep deprivation and isolation, the full control over what he eats, where he goes, what he does. Its not very fun being a kid, its hard and no one understands.

Aether didn't originally want to be a parent, nor was she exactly ready for that, so she just did a lot of things that were normal to her, what she went through or what other Watchers had told her. But ! She does care abt him, enough to bend the rules just a tinyyy bittttt sometimes bc ~technically shes allowed to since he's her kid, yes he can go home if he has a headache or eat fish if he asks for it wym.

Theres also Flora, his aunt, she has no interest in kids and sees Grian just as a Watcher in training, this means she's a lot harder on him, but bc he's her sister's kid she doesn't act on this all the time. She also projects her own issues on him, how can you survive or do anything in life if you're not strong ? Here fight this phantom creature you've literally never seen before. Thats as far as their relationship goes, she teaches him to fight. She pets his head sometimes anyway. (kind of like how parents will sometimes force their kids to play sports, or take extra classes, or get frustrated with you over math and you cry over disappointing them)

I don't think the Watchers are intentionally evil, but I don't think they're goofy dumb birds with baby fever either, they're complicated !! There something abt how people who love you can hurt you, and religion can try to save you and it'll doom you instead. (ok they can be a little bit dumb birds sometimes, but they're also righteous angels at the same time)

Its also kinda scary being 25 years old, and then being brought to some place you thought you had equal grounds on, but everyone is taller/stronger and treats you like a child or even a pet, that alone would have some side effects, i imagine.

They're very fun to write abt.

Grian also doesn't often get to see the sun.

[pancakes4two]

figured it was about time i write a dadrry blurb. look out for a short fic to accompany this as well! face claim is summer rachel warren 🤍

MASTERLIST | SEND ME A REQUEST

yourinstagram

Liked by harrystyles, harris_reed and 2,967,726 others

yourinstagram something to share with you…

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harrystan OMG WHAT WHAT QHAT

harryflorals WE WERE NOT EXPECTING THIS!!!

harryfan1 A LITTLE BABY HARRIET

hsdaily CONGRATULATIONS

harris_reed divine mother ⭐️

yourbff the hardest secret to keep.. so happy for you

gigihadid congrats MAMA!!

kyliejenner playdates soon ❤️‍🔥

harrystyles

Liked by yourinstagram, niallhoran and 9,828,918 others

harrystyles Baby Styles. Coming to a belly near you.

View all 2,838,711 comments

harrystan HE’S SO GOOFY

harrygirl casually breaks the internet w/ a baby announcement at 9am on a monday

harryfan1 this is the most harry way to announce a pregnancy ever

harryfan2 in a few months there’s going to be a tiny little harry running around and i’m not ready for it

niallhoran So overjoyed for you, congrats man.

jefezoff 👶🏻

liampayne My brother!! All the love to you

kaiagerber Oh yes

zendaya Couple of the year becomes family of the year

taylorswift What a beautiful mama. So happy for your family ❤️

beyonce ❤️

your instagram stories:

enews

1,727,123 likes

enews Harry Styles was papped this morning rushing off to the airport in between two sold out nights at the Kia Forum. A source close to the star said his girlfriend, Y/N L/N went into labor late last night, and we can only assume he’s jetting off to support her through her birth. Do we think they’re having a boy or girl?

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harrystan IT’S HAPPENING OMFG IT’S HAPPENINGGGGGGGG

harryfan1 SHE HASN’T POSTED ON STORIES IN 24 HOURS IT’S DEFINITELY HAPPENING

harryfan2 he’s going to be a dad so soon omg i’m so sick with excitement

harry4ever can you imagine him with a little baby girl 🥺

harryfan5 ok but a boy would be so cute too like what if he’s literally just the tiny version of harr😢😢😢😢

harryfan6 nooooo i hope my show doesn’t get postponed

harrygirl The fact that y’all are worrying about shows when he’s going to the birth of his literal CHILD is concerning. Read the room

yourinstagram

Liked by harrystyles, annetwist and 14,892,717 others

yourinstagram baby beau styles is here and he is everything we could have possibly ever dreamed of & so much more.

a little backstory behind the second picture: last week, exactly 7 days before my due date, harry scheduled a 2-day break from his tour. i thought nothing of it, figured he was just taking some well-deserved time off—we all know how hard he works. it turns out, he did just about everything but rest. he spent nearly all of those forty-eight hours in the studio, recording lullabies for our yet-to-be-born son. he took his golden voice and pressed it into vinyl form, so our baby can fall asleep every night knowing he is so loved and safe with us.

so incredibly thankful for my body for nurturing sweet beau until he was ready to join us earthside. i keep counting his little fingers and toes and thinking he is the greatest gift life could have ever given me. half of me + half of h. one perfect tiny human.

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annetwist ❤️

gemmastyles Time for me to get into the Aunt Gem uniform.

harrystyles The greatest gift. Couldn’t be more in love.

yourbff stop it!!!!!!!! need to know what’s on the record now!!!!!

yourinstagram he recorded beautiful boy, sweet creature, and songbird. how did i get so lucky.

harrystan I ACTUALLY NEED TO BE SEDATED THIS IS THE SWEETEST CAPTION I HAVE EVER READ

harryfan1 IT’S A BOYYYYY!!! BABY BEAU🥺🥺🥺🥺

harryfan2 congrats y/n you’re gonna make the greatest mama

harryfan3 y/n don’t be shy let us make bootleg copies of the vinyl

yourinstagram thank u all for all the love🤍🤍🤍 my heart feels so full.

TAGLIST:

@crazygirlinthisworld @grapejuice-rry @b-reads-things @s8tellite @olivialovesh

[tadc-harlequin-au]

Depressed!anon here. Thank you for inspiring me 💜 heres the concept for my goofy lil oc(art coming soon)

---

OAKE 13 Model-D, The Ochre City/ Oakley, the Wistful Vivarium!

A multi-die Puppet designed as a moving city, meant to be capable of housing a sizeable population. Well, for the rich, of course. Multiple soul dies were used to make the entire city move, with Oakley at the head, and seven additional soul dies for the legs, windsails, and tail of Model D. OAKE stood for Oct-Alma Automotive Kinetic Environment, with three models being prototyped. OAKEs never made it to full-scale production, due to the immense resource requirements and the fragility of the sanity in the soul dice. Oakley was one such prototype, Model Dragon. 

As 13 M-D, Oakley was old enough to witness the fall of humanity. His immense body contained a giant vivarium, a completely enclosed mobile city. As the other seven soul dice slowly became corrupt and caused the destabilization of the vivarium, Oakley did his best to lead his collapsing body to what he hoped would be a safe haven, before he too gave into madness. He gave up his fight not far from the City of Circuits, an immobile head attached to a rusting hull.

As a rebuilt Puppet, Oakley has a smaller frame, and his own body for once. Now a dragon Animatronic, he can freely roam to his heart's desire, providing a method of fast travel for Pomni when they cross paths. Oakley's one and only wish is to see the world rebuilt.

WOAH

WOAHHHHHH

WOAHHHHHHHHHHHH /VERY MUCH POS

if I had a nickel for everytime someone created a dragon OC with such a fleshed out and intriguing concept for this AU, I would have two nickels

which isn't a lot but it's SO AWESOME THAT IT HAPPENED TWICE AUGH

My brain immediately thought of Shadow of the Colossus for this big guy and I think that's so amazing, I LOOOOOOVE giant creatures colossal beings my absolute beloved I wish we had them in real life but as friends

I'm getting sidetracked I'm just so excited for this concept like WHATTTT, A GIANT MECHANICAL DRAGON THAT'S ALSO A FLOATING CITY?!??! FOR THE RICH!???!?!?! I WANNA SEE THAT SHIT JUST TO WITNESS HOW SUCH A THING TRAVERSES FROM POINT A TO POINT B AUGHHHH THAT SOUNDS SO COOL (but also... very tragic.... 7 dices were used... containing multiple souls... Oh, these poor, tragic people who had to be subjected to such cruelty. I hope they found peace somewhat, if the dices were destroyed)

The concept of fast travel was something I've been considering for this AU too, mostly with the idea of "soul magic + device that causes object displacement" (or more commonly known as "teleportation") BUT NOPE, GIANT DRAGON NOW, LOVE IT, PITCH IT, SELL IT

(also reminds me of The Last Stag from Hollow Knight, would Oakley also be giving Pomni the option to go from city to city? All the major, largest cities of this world are neighbors, and they kinda form like, a weird giant cog)

OH, this makes me SO excited to see your concept art for it. like, oh my lord. Goodness gracious, it's going to be amazing and I just know it. As usual, take your time, don't feel pressured, I await the lad's visual concept with all the patience in the world teehee :3

[medi-melancholy]

i love karna fate grand order so fucking much because in serious grail wars he’s an extremely fascinating, imposing, and badass character who just has this unique, grand air about him, he looks almost otherworldly and speaks with such purpose yet personality, and he has a huge amount of power, but he's dangerous because he does hold back until he either feels the need or is instructed to just explode everything

but nearly all the rest of the time he exists he is an autism creature in the shape of a gender man who just happens to have godly powers

he may look pretty and composed but do not be fooled. this is the glowy body horror god baby. he is a Huge Dork(tm). he never knows what to do with his face. when given the choice to wear whatever casual clothes he wants he dresses like an arts college student who just tossed on 2-3 layers of whatever was laying around on their dorm floor before heading to the nearest whole foods. his ass is the posterchild for flat fuck friday. he absorbed the meathead jock braincells from the guys he hung out with in life and during christmas he goes full unga bunga about it

in vibes alone karna is like a goofy baby albatross compared to his brother who may as well like the perfectly sleek and beautiful adult ones with the perfect eyeliner in comparison. which is ironic, because karna already has the natural makeup (also, once again, do not be fooled, arjuna is a screaming disaster on the inside, but that's a love post for another day)

i think one of my fav examples of the contrast between ~beautiful ikemen~ karna and absolutely clueless fucking loser karna is that bit in the 5th anni pv where there's that shot of him oh so cooly popping open a bottle of champagne, and he's got the bishie sparkle going on, and looks sooooooo pretty in his fancy clothes,

and then you realize

he just soaked arjuna with it, probably entirely obliviously

tl;dr karna good. yes he is cool. yes he is dorky and silly as all hell. duality of mankind

[homestuckreplay]

turntechGnostic? gardenGodhead?

(page 381-387)

Dave is a cool guy, yknow? A cool dude whose default face is complete neutrality, who doesn't show emotions besides anger, the only acceptable feeling for men. If he's feeling something positive, he'll show it with a nod of the head or a twinkle of the sunglasses, not-

HEY. WHAT'S THAT SMILE ON YOUR FACE, COOL GUY????

What's fun about meeting Dave is that we get to see him talk to all three of his friends in pretty quick succession, while with John it was far more spaced out. Dave loves John so much but I think he kind of talks down to him, and with Rose, it's the witty banter of equals. With GG, Dave is the one who seems lost in the conversation. GG throws Dave for a loop multiple times, and also blatantly makes fun of him with 'bro! hehehe' and 'feeling cool today? mr cool guy?' I didn't expect Dave to like this, and it's not obvious in the conversation that he does, but that tiny smile kinda says it all. I can honestly see these two becoming my favorite dynamic of the four main characters.

We get more GG lore too! They have a 'goofy' fetch modus which I'm super curious about. It turns out they have a granddad who's a big presence in their life, not a sister. They also have a pet who TG refers to as a 'devilbeast', and who is hard to feed and can overpower GG. Could be an unruly, badly trained dog, or perhaps GG lives on a farm and this is some kind of farm animal? Or an exotic pet their grandad attempted to tame (since he's apparently a 'total badass') but who shouldn't really be kept as a pet.

Also GG might have some psychic powers, or at least believe that they do. Which definitely puts their earlier conversations with John in a new light - instead of urging him to get the package now because they're excited to see his reaction, which is what I originally assumed, they're just emphasizing how important the package is, so that he'll know opening it is a priority if and when he finds it later.

The TG lore we get is.... less delightful. He mends his window with gaffa tape, which makes it objectively less functional as a window, definitely can't help with the heat, and doesn't even cover up the full hole. Like, just put a poster over it. More effective for less effort. Also his 'takedown' of monster movie tropes on p.386 is identical to 'guy who hates musicals because people sing in them' and is just exhausting to read. Also he thinks a white puppet ventriloquist rapper is the coolest shit ever, which is inexcusable. Basically, he needs to hang out with GG more so that they can chill him out and make him more tolerable.

I missed John so much. I've been thinking for a couple days about how I miss John, and here he is! The oil in his room has gotten significantly worse compared to p.253, which is a shame, because John is a fairly neat and clean kid when his sylladex isn't totally ruining his life.

But I guess this little harlequin beastie doesn't care about that? I love this thing's design, it's so fun. It looks so angry but somehow so incapable of causing any real harm that isn't oil based. What a silly hat for something that wants to be intimidating so bad. This will probably confirm to John once and for all that clowns are bad.

We've seen a couple other jet black, #000000 creatures so far. The Wayward Vagabond, linked from p.271, has smaller and rounder eyes but the same clawed hands. And the members of the Midnight Crew, seen on p.328-331, are visibly shinier (including their clothes?) with no visible teeth, but the rightmost two have those same elongated horizontal white eyes. Notably, all of these characters wear distinctive headgear. They all have really different roles in the story, so this could just be a shorthand for characters outside of the main four and their families, but it would be cool if some or all of them were connected.

[crazy000567]

Ok I wanted to talk about this on my twitter but realized it will appeal to no one so its going here. Being autistic about critter character designs. VERY LONG

Pim/Charlie/Allan/Glep have interesting designs to me like they are some of my favorite character designs possibly in any cartoon cause they're all very well balanced - easy to draw, cute, but slightly ugly also. Well maybe not ugly but certainly not Conventional.

(Glep applies slightly less there, he's just straight up a cute lil guy, how plushies don't exist of him yet baffles me)

I like their slight offputting quirks, like, Allan's spine is visible, Pim's Teeth. They are just strange creatures and I enjoy that. Of course there's also the fact all of their frontfacings (maybe slightly excluding pim's) are just kinda goofy and bizarre looking.

Its just, the choices being made here are really good, okay. They're very appealing lined up, yknow.

The fact they are just kinda cute sometimes makes the expressions being pushed and the weird quirks funnier. If pim was an ugly lil freak all the time it would be less effective when he does that weird awkward toothy laugh. Which brings me to my next "Point" which is like, I really enjoy that they are some of the only critters that arent.... fugly as hell

There are some few exceptions with BG/side characters (just look at amy, shes a pretty gal) but like, most of the side critters that have gotten screentime are very very strange. Allan's landlord is a prime recent example. Look at that guy. Jesus christ.

This is not to say the uglier designs are Bad, quite the opposite, I love when they are hideous <3 But the whole thing is, if the main characters we see every episode were on the same level as them appearance-wise it would get very tired. This is probably like, entry level design stuff for a cartoon, and not very interesting to anyone lol, but with adult cartoons it feels like it can go way too hard on the ugly scale.

Onto the next thing thats been on my mind lately when it comes to critters - I enjoy that their appearances truly are pretty random. Its fun to make things like crittersonas cause like, you can almost do whatever the hell you want lol

I like that some of them just dont feel like wearing clothes, this was talked about by Michael on twitter at some point a few years back I think.

Their hair is a topic that kind of mystifies me lmfao like we see the wiry sparse hair a lot (gnarly, filmore, etc) but then there are characters like amy, pims dad and duncan that have more full human-esque hair. This makes me wonder if its like, randomly possible for some critters to get full heads of hair, or if wigs/hair transplants are a thing, or even if hairloss is just more common which results in the wiry hair later in life. Really NOT important or compelling to anyone but me but I seriously do think about this. Critter Hair Essay coming soon (i'm kidding ............. or am i?)

Also just like, the concept of what critter beauty standards or smth could be sort of interests me, but this is getting incomprehensibly long and stupid anyway, and I would have to be going into heavy Speculation Mode there. so BYE Goodbye

[toweroftickles]

The Boy and the Heron - Tickle Headcanons

I have been so excited for this movie for so long! Obviously, more “Ghibli Giggles” drabble collections are going to spring out of this, but in the meantime, here are my immediate out-of-the-theater thoughts.

Mahito Maki

Ticklishness Rating: 7.5/10

Most Ticklish Spots: Armpits, Feet

He does not like being tickled at. All. 😆 He’ll get all pouty and mad if someone tries it.

The only person he ever allowed to tickle him without elbowing them in the face was his mom, but even that made him sulk.

His preferred form of retaliation is to push, shove, and (if necessary) punch.

One of those boys who doesn’t “laugh” as much as “yell and scramble in the opposite direction.” (You know the trademark “Ghibli run” that every single character does at least once? Where they sprint and hold their arms out like geese? That.)

Sort of lonely growing up. Schoolmates and friends don’t usually tickle him; it’s pretty uncommon and comes as an unpleasant, embarrassing shock.

Will hold his breath, squeeze his eyelids tight, and suck his lips in between his teeth to keep from laughing. His record is about 15 seconds.

⬆️ This frog incident (not to mention that time the pelicans swarmed him) really tickled, but he was too nervous to laugh. XP

Himi

Ticklishness Rating: 9/10

Most Ticklish Spots: Feet, Tummy

Always covers her face and shrieks whenever someone pokes her. Maybe a tiny bit embarrassed by how ticklish she is. ^^

Definitely a screamer. And a kicker. Her laugh is bubbly and cheerful and she seems to have fun with tickling, but she can’t hold still to save her life.

Be careful - she’s usually got a firm control of her pyrokinesis, but too much tickling can cause her to expel fire blasts all over the place!

The only people she ever tickles are her little sister and Kiriko. (She tried it on a parakeet guard once…ineffective.)

She’s a sneaky one, fond of surprise attacks. Has spidery fingers that love to poke.

A daydreamer. Sometimes when she’s cleaning up her little house, she pretends that her feather duster is tickling the furniture. That makes her giggle.

The world created by The Granduncle is stuffed to the brim with sentient bird species, and one of Himi's hobbies is collecting their discarded feathers. (Not directly related, but she does know which ones tickle the most!)

Kiriko (Young)

Ticklishness Rating: 8/10

Most Ticklish Spots: Balls of the Feet, Ribs, Armpits

Unusual Ticklish Spots: Upper Back

Loves being tickled on her ribs and her tummy until she can’t breathe…that’s a super-fun endorphin rush for her…but can’t handle it on her feet. Armpits are 50/50; that depends on how much she likes you.

She struggles - needs to be restrained or held down. Her toes get very wiggly when she’s tickled near there; it’s pretty adorable.

Big sister energy. A fan of rowdy horseplay, of all kinds - wrestling, noogies, tickle fights, the works. (She’s also a dirty cheater.)

Her first-choice method of cheering up a grumpy Lady Himi is to mercilessly tickle her until she's too happy to frown anymore.

Uses aggressive attacks; really digs her fingers hard into her victim’s vulnerable spots and scratches wildly. Can be very mean if she wants to.

You can hear her amazing laugh for miles. She always throws her head back and lets loose a hysterical smoker's cackle that makes everyone around want to laugh along with her. It's fun and contagious and full of life.

Both she and Himi always get a case of the giggles when swarmed by friendly Warawara.

The Grey Heron

Ew. And furthermore, ew.

Not ticklish at all. (Again: ew.) BUT…

The Grey Heron's feathers possess many magical properties. There's a supernatural energy rippling through their fibers thanks to their constant transformation (see, in the film, how they can provide homing magic to arrows and have a biochemical bond with the Heron’s body)...a goofy side-effect of which is that they're much more tickly than normal feathers.

Suffice it to say, this creature should be captured and studied immediately. For science.

[theneworchestra]

The next move into the modern era is NOW! Here at the Kinito Leisure and Entertainment Company, we pride ourselves on always looking ahead into the future. And it couldn't be clearer to us: folks, the future IS digital desktop assistants on your personal computer! And that's why we, along with our top programmer Sammy Chamberlain, are excited to take this first step into the future with our new line of virtual desktop companions! Each one is tons of fun, and offers a variety of different functions!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SamBUD:

Are your kids in need of some excitement in their lives? Or are you just looking to relax after a long day? Either way, look no further! Your old pal Sam the Sea Anemone is here to light up your world with goofy jokes, exciting games, creative story writing, and most importantly: endless amounts of fun! Your little ones (and little ones at heart) will be entertained for hours by this funky little fella! Let's go with the flow! Download SamBUD today, and have some sea-soaked fun!

JadePAL:

Whether you're a student buried under mountains of homework, or an adult drowning in a sea of responsibilities, don't worry! Your old friend Jade the Jellyfish is here to streamline your life in a new and exciting way. From managing your system and keeping your computer safe from threats, to assisting with homework and tackling all sorts of busy work, your friend Jade has got your back! So don't get swamped with busy work any longer! Install JadePAL now, and rest easy at last!

KinitoPET (NEW!!!):

Finally, at long last, the most awaited addition to the lineup is finally here! Your dear friend Kinito the Axolotl combines the best parts of his buddies' work, and then goes one step beyond! With his new-and-improved R.R.A. technology, there's no limit to the things this cuddly little creature can do! From entertaining the kids (and kids at heart), to managing your system and preventing dangers, and even engaging in realistic conversations, Kinito truly is the ultimate companion. So why wait? Download KinitoPET today, and make a new friend for LIFE!

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With so many options at your disposal, we understand that it'd be hard to pick just one. But don't worry! For just $5.99, or by entering the unlock code you recieved with your physical purchase, you can upgrade to the Kinito & Crew Friendship Club, which will not only enhance your current desktop assistant, but will also allow you to have all three companions on the desktop AT ONCE!!!

This also means no more having to switch from one to the other; now they can all work together, like best friends should!

So why wait? Unlock the full potential of Kinito & Crew, and join the Friendship Club today!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey, so uh... yeah! This is a new thing I decided to do for the heck of it. I know I tagged it as an "AU", but I dunno if I'd call it an AU in the traditional sense... it's more like a "what-if" kinda scenario, ya know?

What if Kinito wasn't the only one to get a desktop assistant made?

Do those count as AUs? ...Eh, maybe.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy, nonetheless!

(Also, please try to ignore the specks you see. I've tried to clean my phone camera and it hasn't worked out, so just... yeah. Just bear with me on this one. Anyways... yeah. See ya.)

[gravitycavity]

Sunshine (Pomni x Ragatha) - Chapter 3: Helpless

Cover art by @blukiar

[Click here to read from the beginning on AO3!]

The forest was as dismal as it was dark.

“H-Hello…?” Pomni let out a feeble whine, wrapping herself in a tight hug. She squirmed at every little sound — creatures skittering through the underbrush, leaves rustling in the howling wind, a distant choir of wolves serenading the sky. “Ragatha? A-Are you there? You’re supposed to be my partner, right?”

A bead of cold sweat raced down the length of her face. Was she alone? Please God, don’t let that be true. Please be there. Please say something. Please—

“There you are!”

Pomni flinched at the sudden voice.

“Wait right there, okay, new stuff?” the voice spoke again — friendly, familiar, and soothing in timbre. “I’ll come to you! Don’t move a muscle!”

Pomni had a lot of strengths — she was observant, organized, and a whiz at math, but she never was very good at following directions. Immediately, she ducked her head forward, charging toward the voice as fast as her feet would carry her.

Something felt off the moment she started moving. Her whole body felt twice as heavy, and the sound of clanging metal rattled her ears with every struggling step.

Her path cut through a shallow puddle; scummy, stagnant water splattered the ground as Pomni shoved her hands close to her face. She squinted. A pair of leather gauntlets existed where those stupid rubberhose gloves had been before.

What in the world was that about? Had Caine put her in an even wackier getup to humiliate her even further?

Still sprinting, Pomni shot a glance toward her torso. An ornate sword was hitched to the belt around her waist — but that’s about all she could make out before she crashed into Ragatha at full running speed, sending the patchwork doll tumbling to the ground.

“Ack! Ragatha! I, uh—” Pomni glanced around the dark woods, not quite sure what to do. In a moment of clarity, of course, it dawned on her that it would probably be polite to help her colleague up. Trying her hardest to not make the situation even more awkward, she looked away as she offered her hand.

Ragatha grabbed hold, and Pomni helped the doll back to her feet. “Oh my gosh, Ragatha, I-I-I’m sorry!” Pomni stammered, taking a deep breath, “I know you told me to stay put, but I—”

“Hey, hey. Don’t sweat it.” Ragatha gave Pomni’s fingers a light squeeze before finally letting go. She dusted off her mud-splattered dress to absolutely no effect. “We’re both safe. That’s all that matters.”

“You’re not hurt, are you?”

“Fit as a fiddle.” Ragatha smiled. “I can’t say the same for my costume, though…”

“Your…costume?” Pomni shuffled slightly closer, eyes not quite adjusted to the dark yet. Ragatha’s typical patchy dress was nowhere to be seen, replaced by something one might expect a goodhearted queen to wear in a medieval fantasy story. A small tiara crowned her head where her bow had sat before. Her short sleeves were twice as poofy, and her silky skirt, now a more royal shade of purple, flowed all the way down to her ankles.

Something deep inside of Pomni fluttered to life. Ragatha’s new look was…different. The redhead had always been pretty easy on the eyes, but now? Pomni found it hard to look away. Ragatha’s coordinated outfit contrasted perfectly with the elegant asymmetry of her face, and—

“My eyes are up here, Pomni.”

Pomni yelped. “Ah! Sorry, I didn’t mean to—” she shook her head, “I wasn’t—”

“Oh, stop it. I’m just kidding around!” Ragatha elbowed Pomni. Pomni barely budged. “Don’t get your pantaloons all in a twist.”

Pomni blinked rapidly. Her what?! Her fingers spread across her breastbone as she studied herself — she’d been so fixated on Ragatha that she'd totally forgotten about her own new threads.

The existing puffiness of her goofy jester’s outfit had been turned up to eleven — puffy sleeves, puffy pants, puffy everything. A pair of oversized boots protected her feet. Her collar was larger and frillier along the edges, covering part of the loose tunic draped over her body.

“I’m a…” her chin dipped toward her body, “…Caine turned me into a musketeer?!”

“With the feathered hat and everything! How delightfully dashing!” Ragatha covered her giggle with her hands, absolutely eating up Pomni’s shrinking stance. “Gosh, the only thing you’re missing is the pencil mustache. If only we had some grease paint…”

“Yeah, yeah. Yuck it up, why don’t you?” Pomni scrunched up her face to be as intimidating as possible — which wasn’t very much, considering she was also blushing — and drew her rapier from its scabbard. “I’m the one with the sword!”

“Please. You wouldn’t hurt a fly.” Ragatha booped Pomni’s nose. “And besides, sweetheart, I’m two heads taller than you. I could take you down with one arm tied behind my back, sword or not.”

The shy smile that had been tugging on Pomni’s mouth did more than break through — it bloomed into a tiny little chuckle. “Whatever.” She pushed Ragatha’s hand away and glanced at the path up ahead. “Aren’t we supposed to be doing something?”

🎪 🎪 🎪

Pomni planted another shaky step upon the uneven terrain. She didn’t pay mind to the crunching of leaves and snapping of twigs beneath her feet — the constant sound had long ago faded into the background.

Pale moonlight filtered through the canopy, illuminating the processions of twisted trees flanking either side of the winding path. The ancient timber swayed to and fro with the rhythm of the breeze, wailing a neverending requiem of haunting creaks and miserable moans. Intricate nets of spider silk stretched between each pair of knotted branches.

Pomni exhaled. Her knuckles, sore from clutching onto Ragatha’s skirt for so long, pulsed with nagging pain. Her aching legs begged for mercy, and her feet didn’t fare any better. Her annoyingly over-padded costume, though offering her thermal protection from the chilling wind, greatly restricted her range of motion. And it chafed like hell.

The young woman had every right to be absolutely miserable — yet at some point since she and Ragatha had set out together, a warm feeling had snuck its way into her chest, and hadn’t faded since.

The sensation wasn’t unwelcome — just odd, considering her horrifying predicament. Where had it come from? Was it the chance to finally stretch her legs after so many sedentary days? The simulated scent of earthy woodland air? Perhaps Pomni’s near-abstraction had scared her straight, and her subconscious was just clinging to Caine’s adventure to keep itself sane.

Pomni sighed, rubbing Ragatha’s medieval dress with her thumb. Discerning exactly what enchanted her wasn't worth the worry. For once, she wasn’t holding back tears, screams, or the urge to break something — and she would bask in that glow for as long as it would shine on her.

Swinging her other arm, Pomni glanced up to greet her pretty partner’s silhouette, and—

Oh, for #@%&’s sake.

“Hello? Earth to Pomni?” Ragatha was staring right at her. “Anyone home…?”

Pomni’s guts — or whatever it was she had stuffed in there — tied themselves into knots. Zoning-out mid-conversation was a forgivable mistake. Doing so two or three times in one day was embarrassing, but laughable after the fact. But four? Pomni was suddenly overcome with the distinct urge to plunge her head into the nearest hole in the ground.

“Ah! I’m sorry! I was listening! I was just, uh, thinking of what to say—”

“Humor me.” Ragatha palmed her shrimpy companion’s shoulder. “Before you ended up here, did you ever do any acting? School plays, community theater — that sort of thing?”

“N-No…?”

“Yeah. I can tell.”

Pomni’s eyes widened, but narrowed twice as quickly. “You—” she grumbled. She was already boiling to death in this stupid musketeer getup — she didn’t need Ragatha’s help to look any more like a bright red lobster. “Just repeat your question!”

“I said…” Ragatha practically sang, sticking her arm out to halt Pomni’s stride. She pointed her head down the path. “This looks like a nice place to sit down for a bit. What do you think?”

Pomni followed Ragatha’s gaze. Up ahead, the narrow tunnel of trees flaking the path eased away to form a sizable clearing. A colorful community of wildflowers, fed by a trickling stream, punctuated the carpet of grass that covered the flat expanse. Lichen bloomed upon half-decayed logs scattered randomly throughout. In the very center loomed a single, old-looking redwood; a thick beard of moss wound around its impressive trunk.

Pomni thought she was eager to return to the relative ‘safety’ of the tent (whatever that meant) but the serene sight — and the idea of sharing a moment of pause there with her adventure partner — made her reconsider. Caine’s adventure didn’t have a time limit, so it wouldn’t hurt to take it easy for a moment, would it? Besides, Pomni’s feet were absolutely killing her.

“Well…?” Ragatha looked at Pomni, “You’re allowed to say no.”

“No, it’s not that.” Pomni wore a whimsical smile — she sure had been doing that a lot lately. “I was just thinking. That sounds nice.”

🎪 🎪 🎪

“Okay. Your turn.” Ragatha prodded Pomni’s shoulder with a playful poke, “I’m talking way too much.”

“Oh! Um…” Pomni brushed her hand across the fallen log on which she and Ragatha sat. “That’s okay. I don’t mind just listening.”

“You misunderstand. I insist. It’s hard work filling up every little lull in conversation, you know.”

“Sorry.” Pomni kicked her feet with a sigh. She wasn’t exactly an introvert, but no matter how hard she tried, socializing just wasn’t her strong suit. “I guess I just don’t have anything interesting to say.”

“Just talk about whatever’s on your mind. I like hearing your thoughts.”

Pomni eased a bit at that. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded.

“Well, I wasn’t going to say anything, but…” Pomni flicked the ornate sword hitched to her belt, “If this adventure is supposed to be haunted house themed, then why the heck are we dressed for a day at the renaissance faire?”

“Yeah…” Ragatha rubbed the back of her neck. “You can blame Caine’s AI for that one.”

Pomni swallowed. Her warden being nothing but a jumble of computer code didn’t change her circumstances — yet the reminder still made the sour flavor in the back of her throat taste even worse.

“I don’t know how it works,” said Ragatha, “but something about his adventure-generating algorithm likes to create funky anomalies like that. You’ll stop noticing it after a while.”

“I wish I could stop noticing a lot of things about Caine.”

Ragatha’s ladylike giggle made the gloomy grove feel just a little brighter. “Get this. One time, he put us in these elaborate Victorian ballgowns for — wait for it — a sandcastle building contest.”

Pomni’s snort was the exact opposite of graceful. She could only imagine how disastrous that particular adventure had turned out. She pictured Zooble broken into pieces, cursing at the tide as their triangular head washed ashore; Kinger would be of little help, preoccupied with staring at the little crabs skittering across the sand. Gangle, Pomni imagined, would tackle the sandcastle-building with aplomb, and Jax would be equally enthused about playing the part of the stereotypical beach bully.

And then there was Ragatha. Pomni figured that the beauty would mostly keep to herself, sculpting sand with diligence and grace — but her daydream didn’t concern itself much with what Ragatha was building. There was a far more pressing issue to settle first, namely:

“What did yours look like?”

“My sandcastle?”

Sheepishly, Pomni pulled down the brim of her feathered cap. Her voice was suddenly a lot quieter. “…Y-Your outfit…?”

“Oh! Okay! Well…” Ragatha grabbed a handful of her flowing skirt; she almost looked nervous, although her face was difficult to make out in the dark. “I don’t have the sharpest memory, but from what I can remember, it looked about as ugly as the little number I’m wearing right now.”

“What? No! I think it looks nice!” Pomni turned away, idly tapping her fingers. “To be honest, you’d probably look great in just about anything…”

“I appreciate that you’re trying to make me feel better, but let’s be real. This style went out of fashion five centuries ago.”

“I’m not just being nice! Promise! I think you’re beauti—” Pomni hacked up a lung, standing sharply. “It! It’s beautiful! The dress!” Head spinning, she leaned against the nearest tree, face turning redder by the second — it’s anyone’s guess as to how she didn’t pass out right there and then. “It’s a real keeper! A-plus!”

Ragatha tilted away. “Thank you…?”

“D-D-Don’t mention it! Anyway, this was a great break. Ready to head out?!” Pomni sped toward the other end of the clearing.

“Hey! Get back here!” Ragatha’s voice called after. “It’s barely been fifteen minutes! Where do you think you’re…”

Ragatha hesitated.

“…going…?”

Pomni, still feeling a distinct burning behind her ears, kept up her pace, approaching the large tree in the center of the clearing. She mindlessly traced her fingers across its jagged trunk. Her and her big mouth. Why did she say that? Why did she have to make it weird?!

The tree twitched its rotten branches twice. The wispy breeze stilled, and the forest fell silent.

“Pomni!” Ragatha huffed, wet moss squishing beneath her racing feet. “Stop!”

“Rest all you want!” Pomni grumbled. She was still terrified of the forest, but she wasn’t about to give up on her bluff. “I’m going ahead — the others are probably way ahead of us by now! Do you really want to give Jax another thing to—”

“I said STOP!”

Pomni’s hair stood on end as Ragatha grabbed hold of her arm.

Scowling, the jester whipped around — but her face softened once she noticed how hard Ragatha’s arm was shaking.

“Are you…” Pomni’s voice was small. For a moment, she considered wrapping her hand around the ragdoll’s quivering arm, but with her latest faux pas still fresh in her mind, she simply said: “Are you okay?”

High above, the giant tree’s branches twitched again, knocking loose a handful of crisp leaves that had still been hanging on the ends. They fluttered to the ground, settling atop Pomni’s feathered cap.

“Get behind me.” Ragatha’s voice wavered, “Right now.”

Pomni’s stomach hardened — Something was wrong. Very, very, wrong. She opened her mouth to ask what, but her persistent stutter strangled her voice into silence. Nothing would come out. Not a single sound, no matter how hard she forced it.

Giving up, Pomni just did as she was told. Pupils the size of pins, she peered around Ragatha’s back. Her twitching gaze stumbled around her periphery.

Only then did Pomni see it — the tree. Its massive trunk looked to be breathing, gently expanding and harshly contracting on a steady pulse.

Lazily, the monstrous redwood shifted its massive weight toward the intruders, scattering the congress of ravens perched upon its limbs. Pomni, Ragatha, and everything else under the moon shivered at the shrill moan of creaking timber.

Pomni shuddered. “What the…” She took a step back, “What the #%@& is—”

With a deafening crack, hundreds of thorns erupted from beneath half-decayed bark.

“Your sword!” Ragatha shouted, “Give it to me, now!”

Pomni scrambled to pull her rapier from its sheath — but the very moment she overcame her shuddering fingers to do so, a massive branch pounded the ground, knocking the woman cleanly off her feet. Her blade skidded across the ground.

“Pomni!” Ragatha slapped her hands over her mouth.

A thorny branch seized the jester’s leg, wrapping it tightly. Pomni unleashed a string of angry curses, grasping desperately for her weapon — but it was no use. A few rain-soaked leaves still clung to her face as she was yanked into the air, squirming, flailing, and utterly helpless.

“Ragatha!” Pomni screamed. Helpless, helpless, helpless. After so many repetitions, the word didn’t even sound real, devolving into a random assortment of meaningless phonemes. Helpless, helpless, helpless. Yet no other word could so succinctly describe her harrowing predicament — to be trapped in mortal peril for which the only escape was the selfless act of another.

Helpless. The concept felt so horribly familiar.

“No! Leave me alone!” Pomni grunted at her own psyche, squeezing her eyes shut. Her throat felt tighter as unwanted visions of the recent past besieged her mind. “Go away — go away!”

No matter how hard the shameful memory was suppressed, how many layers of denial it was buried beneath, nothing could stop that persistent nightmare from stalking her from the shadows.

She was never, ever safe — not even in the waking world. One second, she was fine, and the next, the wire had been tripped, and nothing Pomni could say could possibly release her from its snare.

Hallway. Kaufmo. A beaten and bruised Ragatha, paralyzed by the beast’s corrupting touch. The ragdoll’s own body had turned against her, grotesquely twisting and warping and flickering and twitching as her very existence fell apart at the seams.

Ragatha’s wincing expression had looked Pomni straight in the eyes. “Do ̸y̴ou̸ ̵think̴ y̵o̸u̵ ̵c̵o̸u̵l̵d̵,̴ p̸erhap̵s̵,̵ ̸hel̴p m̴e̸ ̸o̴u̸t̵, he̵re?” she’d politely pleaded, pain soaking into every disjointed word. “I̵ u̵n̵de̵rst̸and ̸i̸f̴ ̴yo̸u ̴do̵n'̵t̴ w̴a̴n̵t̵ ̵t̸o̸, t̴h̵o̵ugh̴.̸.̵."̸

What had Ragatha thought as she watched Pomni hesitate to help? Had she felt relief when the jester finally extended a hand? What about when Pomni had flinched away, discarding the doll the very second her own safety had been put into question? What had gone through Ragatha’s mind after Pomni had left her for dead, uttering a simple “I’m sorry” to soften the blow of her selfish flight?

The surreal beast had pursued Pomni, and Ragatha had been spared — but Pomni knew that had not been her plan.

“What was I supposed to do?!” A second thorny branch slithered around Pomni’s waist. “I’m not a bad person! I didn’t—” The woman’s terrified cry stopped short as the branch squeezed her stomach flat, emptying the breath from her lungs.

She heard nothing but the sound of her own thumping heart. Where was Ragatha? Was she still by her side? Would she put herself in jeopardy for the coward who had deserted her, or would she even the score, fleeing for her own sake while she still had the chance?

Pomni didn’t dare open her eyes to see for herself, and therein lied her answer. Alone, afraid, and abandoned — that’s how Ragatha had felt.

A familiar, tingling pain nibbled at Pomni’s fingers as her thoughts began to spiral. Ragatha,, the rock keeping her tethered to this meaningless existence, was a victim. Her victim. Ragatha had every reason to thoroughly despise Pomni — which meant her affable nature could only be a pragmatic facade.

The dark clouds returned. The world grew darker.

The creeping abstraction, hidden beneath Pomni’s clothes, wrapped around her wrists and skated up her arms. A dozen eyes, large and small, bloomed across the corruption like a malignant rash. Tremors shook Pomni’s whole body, and she groaned as the horrendous pain overtook her.

Weakly, she resisted — but her despair was stronger.

Twitching eyes and blackened skin raced up her neck, across her chest, around her back. Thoughts flickered out before they could finish as her mind decayed, and at long last, Pomni felt herself falling. Was this it? Was this what it felt like to—

Pomni’s back slammed into the ground. Hard. Her pinwheel eyes flung open, and she would have gasped had she any breath left to do so.

Dead leaves fluttered down from the dense canopy above. The rocky soil below prodded her backside. Somewhere close by, a mature, feminine voice—

Pomni sat up in a flash, clutching her fluttering chest. Her heartbeat — as well as the slithering darkness wrapped halfway around her face — halted at the sight before her.

Stiff, severed branches littered the forest floor, curled in on themselves like a nest of swatted insects. Oozing stumps enveloped the monstrous redwood where its branches used to root.

Before the monster’s corpse stood Ragatha, sword in hand. Her skirt was cut to ribbons, and lumps of cotton tumbled out of open cuts on her arms, legs, and torso.

With one final grunt, Ragatha drove the blade cleanly through the towering beast’s trunk. The redwood recoiled as if to scream, its dying pose frozen in time as the cadaver it left behind hardened to stone.

Only after the petrification had encased the beast entirely did Ragatha’s powerful stance finally wither. Heaving, she collapsed to the ground, quaking arms barely catching her fall.

Pomni’s eyes glistened; the creeping black was gone.

“Ragatha! No, no, no!” Pomni scrambled to Ragatha’s side. She shook the woman’s drooping shoulders. “Get up — get up!”

Ragatha’s battered body still clearly roared with pain — but somehow, she still found the strength to lift up her head. “Don’t be so dramatic.” She laughed weakly, embracing Pomni’s hand with her own. “I’m just catching my breath.”

Pomni shakily swallowed, forgetting to blink. Ragatha was in bad shape. Very bad. Her face was pale. Her chest trembled greatly with each labored breath. Parts of her stuffing, poking out from her wounds, breathed in a black, inky substance that flowed steadily from her insides.

She squeezed Ragatha’s hand, trying as hard as she could to keep herself together — but the moment she opened her mouth to speak, it was all over.

“Why—” Pomni’s voice cracked. A tear traced the curves of her face. A second followed, and then a third. “Why did you—”

Ragatha’s brows came together. She grasped the little jester’s face and thumbed away her tears. “Why did I what, sweetheart?”

Pomni shook her weary head. Too exhausted to even begin making sense of it all, she surrendered, diving into Ragatha’s strong embrace with a whimper and a sob.

---

Whew! This one sure took me a while. Thank you all for your patience. I hope you enjoy it!

My Ko-fi - Tips are very much appreciated! :)

[First Chapter] [Next Chapter]

[t00nyah]

t00nyah explaining project moon without actually explaining project moon

after posting lcb trigger warning i wanted to do this

or

me explaining project moon in the shortest way possible except its goofy af bc im eepy and lazy but im in a desperately talkative mood (i post mostly about limbus company since it came out cmon)

what the fuck is projmoon:

project moon is the coolest ever indie game development team we love them; they've made three games so far, also have an unfinished novel, a...idk, just another novel that was initially a comic but im a hater (im sorry(not)), and another comic

they've been doing it for like 7 years almost and still have no idea what optimization is but its okay we love them

there's a lot of killing and just amoral guys in general who can and will kill thousands. its THE 'your meow meow killed thousands of people' 'and they looked good doing it!' universe. everyone is fucked up there guys. but UMMM thats kinda the appeal

so the games! we all here are gamerzzz!

LC

it all started 6 years ago, when lobotomy corporation released in early access and my gf was like hey look what i found

lobotomy corp is a game where you're a manager in a big company, L corp, and you have to get your guys, employees(lucky ones who got the job) to work with abnormalities(fucked up creatures) so they would generate enkephalin, a big energy resource

except your guys will probably die when you're already so attached to them so you just restart the day each time this happens

theres like a maaassive plot, it is the beginning of literally everything, like some stuff still haunts us in limbus company (looking at a particular individual) and there are more characters that you'll fucking love(sephirahs) and then learn their fucked up story (and then learn your fucked up story and not be happy about it)

ah yes while im on it theres no actual self incert in project moon games im sorry but every character IS a character

gameplay-wise you just have to organize your guys, give them equipment, assign them to a job, make them suffer and struggle to suppress abnormalities if they try to make a mess(kill everyone) and do hard tasks your besties make you do

LoR

later, in like 2018 i think, they almost immediately after full release of LC announced a sequel, library of ruina

library of ruina is a game that continues the story(duh) and i can't tell you much about it without spoiling lob corp too, but in this one you have to USE BRAIN like A LOT because its a STRATEGY CARD GAME

in this one you dont even have a character you play as, you just follow the characters' on their journey. but dw! you'll get your own customizable guys to adore here too!

basically in this game the characters from LC and your guys are called librarians and you have to greet guests of the library, that were specifically invited there and /tp-ed, basically fighting them. every battle has its own story and eventually it branches off into four arcs and oh gott i love library of ruina a'right you meet characters for like one story and then have to fight them knowing their issues and how life fucked them over enough to get there</3

gameplay-wise you build cool decks from cards of those you've killed for your guys, pick guys for fight and then pick cards. simple. i think. not so simple in game but i simplified it

there's also a lot of amazing lore drops, bc in LC we were kinda isolated and focused on the corporation, but in LoR? we get to see all kinda of people of The City, we learn about The City, we learn about factions and all, we get all the lore we missed by being stuck in that manager chair

LCB

okay and now we're here. limbus my fucking company.

limbus company was, again, announced almost immediately after LoR's full release(PM are CRAZY), and released february 27 of this year, and already has more story in word count than lor does or so i've heard...

limbus company is pm's first mobile game(but dw there is a steam release if you're more of a pc person or your phone will explode if you try to install it(and it will)) and their first...(behold) gacha game. yep. but no dont get scared it actually has the best gacha system ever known to men

they've also tried to make it enjoyable without getting into previous games but to me it doesnt feel right i dunno i feel like it's just not that cool without knowing the context and going insane screaming at carmen or connecting the dots, also like the events of LCB are all connected to LC and LoR, so ummm if you try to get into limbus without at least learning what the other games contain be ready i'll personally explode you

in this game you basically play as dante(they/them for the sake of mysteriousness of 'who TF they are') and you have 12 deranged guys named the sinners who are ALL BASED OFF FUCKING CLASSIC LITERATURE did you fucking know pm are fucking literacy nerds and cant have a game without book references without exploding??? well they are.

so the characters (IN CASE YOU'RE INTERESTED) are:

1. gregor (metamorphosis, franz kafka)

2. rodion (crime and punishment, fyodor dostoyevsky)

3. (emil) sinclair (demian, hermann hesse)

4. yi sang (the wings, yi sang (kim hae-gyeong))

5. ishmael (moby dick, herman melville)

6. heathcliff (wuthering heights, emily bronte)

7. don quixote (don quixote, miguel de cervantes)

8. hong lu (dream of the red chamber, cao xueqin)

9. ryoshu (hell screen, ryunosuke akutagawa)

10. meursault (the stranger, albert camus)

11. outis (the odyssey, homer)

12. faust (faust, johann wolfgang von goethe)

also don't forget dante is based on the divine comedy by dante alighieri!

also dante DOESNT FUCKING KNOW SHIT. faust seems to know all shit and never tell dante.

i mentioned it being a gacha game. so like. you dont pull characters. instead you pull the initial deranged guys' alternative versions where they end up on another job like cult leader or a terrorist idk

the best part? you dont necessarily have to get them from gacha in most cases, you can get special currency, ego shards, to get whatever you want separately. also pm added ideality that you get from unfortunate pulls that you can spend on the special identity from the banner. but tbh i think its way easier to get the shards needed than pull that much, not really worth it

gameplay-wise? well. you have to basically just choose your guys' identities(those alt versions, they use them in fights to be stronger), choose their skills, a little similar to ruina (except TBH lcb lets you fuck around and put it on auto until it doesnt really work out (please dont autoplay with r corp ishmael or at least check what they're doing you silly goop they might do friendly fire if you're stupid enough)). the game consists of cantos, chapters that tell you a separate story of a sinner(in the order i gave earlier, not everyone knows that), that have story-episodes(cool ones), story-and-fight-then-episodes(epic ones), and sometimes just-fight-episodes(who the fuck thought those are a good idea?). and in the end of a canto there's always a dungeon. honestly, first two cantos are easy enough to just learn basics yourself, im rambling at this point

there's also hellish grind options and paid stuff like battle pass with the coolest perks ever

also LoR and LCB have mili songs, which is fucking cool, they're such bangers. no no projmoon games' ost in general. just fuckign bangers my guys and i mean it.

well that was fun and games. like i mentioned theres also:

Distortion Detective

im such a fucking fan of this unfinished novel, im so upset they abandoned it </3 pm did say they're probably going to rework it as a game or smth later but in my opinion it just loses its charm if its not a novel

distortion detective ... i cant explain it without spoilers to the games but its basically about moses, the distortion detective, who solves distortions which are like uhhmmm... people turning into some funky shit(that expresses their feelings). and she has a parthner named ezra. they're both poor traumatized women. and stuff happens. thats all i can say without spoiling everything. you learn a lot about the distortion phenomenon from moses' perspective.

WonderLab

wonderlab is a comic made by artist mimi, that follows taii, rose and catt. its about another lobotomy corp branch that actually introduces us to the concept of abnormality aberrations (slightly similar but different abnormalities like we have a little red riding hooded mercenary's(do you remember me mentioning pm being literacy nerds?) team fortress blue team version or whatever) that is used in limbus quite a lot so we old people from LC can be like 'heehehehe this is like like snow white's apple's aberration, so funny, reminds me of good ol' days...'

Leviathan

my main enemy. initially it was a comic, but i think they had to stop working with the artist for some reason and continue it as a novel instead.

issue?

i didnt read it. im so sorry i failed you. but i cant. first vergilius, main character, is ugly AS FUCK and he's STUPID i hate his guts. BUT OH DEAR LORD HE APPEARS IN LIMBUS COMPANY AND I HATE HIM EVEN MORE. AND NOT JUST APPEARS, HE'S THE GUIDE OF THE BUS, HE'S KINDA ALWAYS THERE. I HATE HIS GUTS. oh hey lap-- charon, no, you're good, you're amazing, vroom-vroom, yes, right, you're so right.

i'm pretty sure it has A LOT of important context for some stuff in LCB but i just CAN'T MAKE MYSELF TOUCH IT. please read leviathan for me.

i'm sorry it turned into a looong ramble but here's t00nyah's awful brief guide to project moon. in case you want to know about world-building or the story in particular...i'm always here to dm me. please do. i really love telling people about project moon. there's just a lot to unpack.

edit. okay apparently it was easy to misinterpret my leviathan commentary so im putting this here for the sake of clearing the confusions for future!! tl;dr: i know it wasn't continued as a comic for REASONS, it's OBVIOUS!! and yes, leviathan is important, i just can't make myself read it therefore don't have enough knowledge to write about it(cool idea: write your own post about leviathan if you're seeing this and are enthusiastic about it! i just won't.), i still don't like vergilius, it's just a me-thing. DO read leviathan if you're interested</3

edit2. after thinking for a while, decided to add this just in case: i was given a summary of leviathan! well. it IS something. (opinion on vergilius hasn't changed much sorry not sorry, still a me-thing.) but yeah 👍 all good 👍 still not liking it much, mayhaps because i couldn't read it myself, but. it can be found here in the comment section.

[natlacentral]

I'm not gonna post my full write-up, but this was a really enlightening listen and clocks in at about 20 minutes if you want to give it a whirl. Here are a few of my favourite tidbits from Albert Kim and Jabbar Raisani's commentary on the official trailer.

They try to visit lots of locations because Avatar is a road show and they want to show the expansiveness of the world

Kim loved the eco message of the original and wants to convey it in the adaption as well

Raisani says Appa is a core member of the team who they wanted to bring to life as much as any of the humans

"Katara is the character who really recognises Aang for who he is, and that is a symbol of hope. And the return of the Avatar for her means that hope has returned to a world that essentially has lost hope for the last hundred years. She's the first one to see that, and over the course of the season, we're gonna see that message of hope spread throughout the world."

The juxtaposition of Katara's POV and Sokka's POV and their clashing opinions is an important dynamic especially in the beginning of the season and informs who they are as brother and sister and their journey coming together to support Aang.

They chose to choreograph and shoot the first Agni Kai, which they describe as the defining moment of Zuko's life, because you understand a lot more of Zuko's character when you see it in real life.

The Agni Kai goes to the core of Zuko's story. "What did his father really want? Does he want him to succeed and find the Avatar and come back? Is he using him against his sister? What is really required of him or desired of him by his father, and then is he going to do that or is he going to do what he thinks is right?"

Momo is a digital creature. They use a puppet so the actors know what they're doing.

It was important to them that Sokka not just be the butt of the joke but have his own humour

"Despite the burden that all these characters are facing and the fact that the fate of the world rests in their hands, they are just kids, y'know? Aang's a goofy twelve-year-old and Katara and Sokka aren't much older and we wanted to make sure that we conveyed that, because that's a really important part of not just the characters but of the story. And if they are gonna be these harbingers of hope, as we said, they needed to express that through their kind of childlike sense of optimism."

Commander Zhao is one of the main villains of the first season and primary antagonist for our heroes. Ken Leung brought humanity and ambition to the character. We see his ego swell over the course of the season as he gets more and more power and comes closer and closer to capturing the Avatar.

Suki will talk about how when you're not a bender, you have to be better than the benders. The Kyoshi Warriors have refined their combat to the point that they can more than hold their own against firebenders.

Sokka and Suki will have a "beautiful journey" in finding commonality in not being benders and what it means within this world.

While Kyoshi can exist in the real world, Omashu can only exist in fantasy, so they built it from scratch. Kim and Raisani would have conversations about the colour of the rooftops and mechanics of the delivery system. They want Omashu to be a city that even new audiences will look at and think, "Wow, that somewhere I want to go to. That's a place I want to visit."

They tried to do practical wherever possible. They'd start with actors and everything around them, build out as far as they possibly can, then extend from there. For the shot of Aang flying over Omashu they started with actors on rigs, filmed on green screen, then did a full digital shot.

They call the sequence, "The Joy of Flight." Like the animated series, they have scenes that are just fun. Aang and Teo could fly from Point A to Point B but they want to make things engaging and fun to watch.

All actors doing bending had to go through extensive training before shooting. The core cast did a six week bootcamp where they had to learn all four bending techniques.

Utkarsh Ambudar (King Bumi) was eager to do everything himself. While they did use stunt performers for parts, he was always down to do another take despite being exhausted.

The Avatar State is the ultimate power, to be treated seriously, so they don't have Aang going into it as much as the original first season so it felt special and communicated that Aang could only access it in specific circumstances. They've tweaked the rules for when and how he can access Avatar State.

"There are certain things we are going to modify, going to change, and hopefully fans will see that it's all for the good of the story as a whole and in dimension-alizing the story and bringing it from one medium to the other."

[astrocassette]

put together outfit and team refs for my trainersona milo!! (they/them) i am very excited for art fight :]

notes under the cut

pokemon team

ettie ♀ - milo's first pokemon, met as a woobat the night milo got isekai-ed! trainerless but taken to a pokemon center for mild injuries, she managed to escape containment and stick herself to milo's cheek, and has been with them ever since. she's goofy and sweet. she's also a service pokemon, using calm mind to help milo with their anxiety.

julian ♀ - originally caught as a venipede in a subway tunnel by ingo helping the interpol survey the line milo dimension-hopped on. he gave her to them a few months later so they'd have a slightly stronger pokemon to look after them while training ettie. she's now milo's ace, and their main form of transportation in hisui.

peridot ○ - caught in a visit to celestial tower! a gaggle of elgyem started following milo, fascinated by their non-native psychic vibes. peridot was the boldest, and came with them after a friendly battle. it's incredibly curious about human objects + technology and will frequently pick things up to examine with them with the utmost care

dewdrop ♂ - fished up during milo's time in hoenn! he's a spunky creature, very personable, and the most enthusiastic battler on milo's team. has never quite gotten the hang of using healing moves.

outfits

isekai - their usual winter gear from earth, what they were wearing when they got isekai-ed. their giant thrifted ski jacket from the 90s is exceptionally warm. you can only see the straps, but they had their backpack on them as well! earthly belongings that came with them include several class notebooks, a tarot deck and journal, a box set of their favorite horror ttrpg, a deck of cards, their phone, headphones, and a phone charger. they were on their way back from visiting friends when they got eeby deebied to the pokemon world.

casual - an average outfit they end up with while in the process of settling in! they wear this and similar outfits in their everyday life, going to their galarian language lessons and to work in the quilt shop in nimbasa. the grey tank is band merch from a hard rock/metal band called Destiny Bond that elesa introduces them to. :]

events - when they're going out somewhere and want to Look Good, milo goes full 70s twink! nothing like some good fruity androgyny. they are incredibly glad historical fashion trends of the pokemon world mirror earth's.

hisui - the first few months in hisui they spend in the couple sets of plainclothes they brought with them from the future, but once they get to jubilife, milo does a LOT of trading to acquire various outfits from the clothier's! they favor women's hakama and geta sandals when in town. their original glasses from earth get lost early on in an incident with a flock of staravia, so they go a few months without until they're able to get new ones.