#squab art

[marshyoftheblobs]

There aren't any doves on Gunsmoke, but it's about the aesthetic and the symbolism.

[viric-dreams]

Rubbery Romance in the Neath?

[+12 Outlandish Copy]

It took The Rubbery Barber Surgeon an exceptionally tense evening to convince Darcy that his intentions with the Surgeoness were purely romantic and that he had no plans whatsoever to poach his assistant.

(thanks @waterlogged-detective for letting me run with this and your adorable character)

[cartooncreaturelover]

Banjo (Main Outfit) Reference Sheet | (they/them) | Clip Studio Paint EX

I FINALLY made some sort of reference sheet for Banjo, a character I’ve had since 2018! They’ve went through multiple design changes, & I think they look pretty cool now, now inspired by a Mourning Dove for their colors & some of their markings!

I also included Banjo’s magical satchel for size comparison (Banjo is smol) & some close ups on what some of their clothing looks like since they have wings that would need to be accommodated for!

[ID: A digital reference sheet of Banjo, an anthropomorphic cat-bird beast, on a light blue background.

On the upper left, the handwritten text reads, “Banjo, they/them, two foot six.” Along the top of the image are multiple circles featuring the colors used to color Banjo with notes under each, specifying what part of Banjo that color is used for; from left to right, they read, “Underfeathers & paws. Belly, palms & inner ears. Main Fur. Feathers & Markings, Brown. Feathers & Markings, Dark. Feeties. Eyes. Cowl. Shirt. Pants. Shadows, Blend dark & light on face.”

On the bottom left, is a full-body drawing of Banjo. They have green cat-like eyes with black eye bags for their dark grey-shadow obscured face, taupe brown fur, with cream colored paws & inner wings, light brown skin on their palms & inner ears, dark grey tipped ears & hair on their tail, & hot-pink bird feet. They’re wearing a mustard yellow, long & puffy sleeved shirt, dark brown puffy legged pants with a blue patch sewn onto their left knee, & a brown, hooded, triangular cowl.

To the right are two small drawings, both showing the backs of their clothes; the top one is of their shirt while the bottom one of of their cowl. The text over the two drawings reads, “Clothes have openings for wings!” The text under the shirt reads, “Buttons!” referencing the two buttons below the large holes in the back of their shirt for their wings to go through.

To the right side of the image is a drawing of a pastel blue, patchwork-styled satchel, magically floating with a light blue & sparkly magical aura around it. The text below the satchel reads, “Banjo’s, to scale, magical satchel they keep their many belongings in, can only be summoned & desummoned by Banjo by them clapping their hand-paws twice!” End ID]

[blakeandaffairs]

Phew HOO BOY. Haven't been here in a while.

Compilation of some more Food Souls!!

[uwmspeccoll]

A Pigeon-fluencer Feathursday

This week’s post was inspired by a recent Guardian article on the rise of Pigeon-influencers on TikTok and their role in reviving the popularity of the oft-derided and underestimated birds.  

Throughout history, pigeons have provided sustenance (“squab”), labor (in the form of the “pigeon post”), and companionship to human populations. Though these days we may typically associate the Rock Pigeon (Columba livia, otherwise known as the common pigeon) with other animals classified as “pests” in urban landscapes, they are in fact understood to be the world's oldest domesticated bird. Historical documentation of pigeons can be found in hieroglyphic texts and art dating back as far as ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. According to Colin Jerolmack, professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies at NYU and author of The Global Pigeon, pigeons “have been in cities as long as we’ve had cities” and, prior to the technological innovation of the telegram, were “the most reliable messaging system in the world”. While “fancy” pigeons (like Frillbacks, English Magpies, Jacobin, and Archangel pigeons) were bred and kept as prized pets in the Victorian era, the North American Passenger Pigeon (or “wild pigeon”) was hunted to the point of extinction in the early 20th century.

To illustrate the complexity of our love-hate relationship with the birds we've selected a variety of illustrations and text from our collection and featured them alongside some images from outside sources.

The engravings in images #2 & #8 from The Illustrated Natural History: Birds (London: George Routledge & Sons) were created by the Brothers Dalziel, a wood engraving shop in Victorian London founded in 1839 and operated by George and Edward Dalziel. Image #1 from Birds of America; Fifty Selections (with commentaries by Roger Tory Peterson) (New York: Macmillan) is a reproduction of a hand-colored lithograph produced by the shop of J. T. Bowen of Philadelphia from a painting by naturalist and artist John James Audubon in the early 19th century.

--Ana, Special Collections Graduate Intern

Other image sources:

#3: Western Crowned Pigeon (Goura cristata) in TMII Birdpark - Western crowned pigeon - Wikipedia

#4: Keyla Rose with Tony, her pigeon, on a walk in New York. Photograph: Alaina Demopoulos/The Guardian. August 23, 2024.

#5-6: from City Creatures: Animal Encounters in the Chicago Wilderness Pigeons (poem) by Chicago-based Puerto Rican poet and community activist David Hernandez, DH+BH (image of tattoo) by Camilo Cumpian.

#7: Ceiling Fragment Depicting Pigeons in Flight | New Kingdom | The Metropolitan Museum of Art (metmuseum.org) (ca. 1390–1352 B.C.)

#9: a Memorial to the extinct Passenger Pigeon at Wyalusing State Park in Wisconsin (1947)

#10: from Nikola Tesla's Obsession with Pigeons, Electricity, and a Plan to Wirelessly Connect the World (nautil.us)

[asongofstarkandtargaryen]

Arya and cats

Catching cats was hard. Her hands were covered with half-healed scratches, and both knees were scabbed over where she had scraped them raw in tumbles

AGOT, ARYA III

~~~~~

She pretended she was chasing cats … except she was the cat now, and if they caught her, they would kill her.

AGOT, ARYA IV

~~~~~

No one saw her, and she saw no one, only a grey and white cat creeping along atop the godswood wall. It stopped and spit at her, waking memories of the Red Keep and her father and Syrio Forel. 

ACOK, ARYA X

~~~~~

 Cats never weep, she told herself, no more than wolves do. It's just a stupid dream.

AFFC, CAT OF THE CANALS

~~~~~

She had liked being Cat, more than she had ever liked being Salty or Squab or Weasel or Arry. 

ADWD, THE BLIND GIRL

~~~~~

And for a time it seemed that she could see them too, through the slitted yellow eyes of the tomcat purring in her lap

ADWD, THE BLIND GIRL

(Art: Her favorite pets - Sophie Gengembre Anderson)

[aquinnix]

Febuwhump Day 4 - Obedience

This one turned out way longer than I meant it to be so it is also on AO3 if you would prefer to read it there but I will also post the entire thing under the cut.

It had been one month and three days since Ren took power. Two and a half weeks since his skin had paled and his hair turned grey with corruption. One minute and twenty six seconds since Xisuma has decided to do something about it. It had been fun at first sure but… things were starting to get out of hand, people were getting hurt. This wasn't the Ren that X knew, and it was X’s responsibility to keep everyone safe. X took a deep breath as he stepped outside and paused, looking back at the sword he had left behind. No, this needed to be peaceful, just thinking that he might have to defend himself showed a lack of trust in Ren, and X still had faith that Ren wouldn’t do anything rash. He forced himself to take his eyes off the blade and make his way to the Crastle.

The towering building casted an ominous shadow down the mountain side. Each roof pointed like teeth towards the sky. The entrance, although grand and imposing, still managed to be claustrophobic. As X stepped inside, the sheer height of the room forced his eyes to the floor. X’s mind must have been playing tricks on him, it was this large so everyone could fit in here. It was a place of community. Still, he couldn't help but feel small, insignificant.

He shook off the nerves and made his way to the throne room, eyes wide the moment he stepped in. Ren sat on a throne at the end of the room, its large back forcing him to spread out over the seat in order to not be drowned out by the opulence. The tiny golden crown on his head catched the light coming in from the windows and threatened to blind any who dared to stare for too long. Bdubs stood off to the side of the throne, placed perfectly so he was hidden in the throne’s shadow. The hood of his mossy cloak was pulled to cover as much of his face as it could. Just being under Ren’s piercing gaze made X want to shrivel up into his suit. That was the good thing about his helmet, it hid every twitch of fear in his face.

“Ren, I’ve come to talk to you about…”

Ren sat up straight as a board and placed his hands on the armrests of the throne to push himself up even taller. “That is Ren The King to thee, peasant.” He practically spit the last word.

Bdubs moved just out of the shadow. “That’s right! Squab!” Ren glared at him and that was enough to make Bdubs slink back into the shadow.

X swallowed hard. “Yes, sorry, my King.” He gave a fake bow. “That’s actually why I've come. I know how much you love getting into character like this, and trust me I wouldn't be stepping in if it wasn't important. I think this whole ‘king’ thing is getting a bit out of hand.” X held his breath.

“Out of hand! How dareth thee speaketh to thy king like that! I should throw thee in the dungeons for those words alone!” He leaned over to Bdubs and lowered his voice. “Bdubs, do we has’t dungeons?”

Bdubs cleared his throat. “Uhh no, my liege.”

Ren pounded his fist on the armrest. “Well what art thee waiting for? Get some cells built immediately! I have a feeling we will be making good use of them.” He glanced back at X and Bdubs hurried out the side door.

X took a few steps forwards. “Ren, I’m not joking. This has gone too far, people are getting hurt, it isn't fun anymore. You need to snap out of it!” X kicked himself for letting his voice raise that much. He found his hands subconsciously moving to where his sword would have been had he brought it.

Ren stood, slowly walking towards X who forced himself to remain still. “Doth thee understand who is’t thou art talking to thou insolent tyke? I am thy king, and thee shall treateth me as such. Art thou so idiotic that thee art under the impression this is some sort of make believe fairy tale?” X could feel Ren’s breath as he spoke.

It was at that moment Bdubs shakily walked back into the room and put a hand up to cover his mouth as he whispered in Ren’s ear. With each word, Ren’s eyes grew wider and more enraged.

Bdubs quickly exited the room and Ren turned to face X once again. “It seems there are other more… pressing matters to attendeth too.” He paused. “But that does not mean thy disrespect shall go unpunished.” He grabbed X by the shoulders and shoved, the shock bringing him to his knees.

Ren took a step towards the door and shouted. “Scar!”

Scar soon ran through the doorway, dressed in a black spandex suit with orange and blue accents. A bow fitting the same colour scheme was held tight in his hand. “Never fear! Hot Guy is here!” He looked over to see Ren’s stern expression. “My umm king.” He gave an over exaggerated bow.

Ren rolled his eyes. “Scar, please escort our… guest to the vault.” He turned back to X. “I think some time shall sticketh some sense back into yond treasonous mind of yours.”

X turned and started to run, whatever hope he had at a peaceful conversation was gone. This was no longer Ren. He had only managed to take a few steps before an arrow whizzed just past his ear and stuck into the carpet on the floor.

“I woulds’t not do that if I were thee.” Ren’s voice echoed behind him.

X didn’t look back. “You know if you kill me I'll just respawn right?”

Ren only laughed. “True but, receiveth a hit in the right lodging and… you shall wish thee were.”

A deep panic took root in X’s chest and he struggled not to hyperventilate. Still, he didn’t move. Slowly, his hand made its way to his communicator, if he could send out a quick call for help… a hand landed harshly on his shoulder.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Scar’s strict voice sounded more like that of a Disney villain. He spoke again, quieter. “I’m sorry, but I don’t really have a choice.”

X didn’t have a chance to respond before he was forcibly spun around and made to walk out of the room. Ren’s manic laughter fading behind.

As soon as they were out of ear shot X planted his feet and looked Scar in the eye. “What are you doing? This whole king thing has obviously gone to Ren’s head. This isn’t make believe Hot Guy time, this is we need to get out of here and get help time!” X’s growing anger seeped into his voice, taking Scar aback. “Sorry I didn’t mean to snap it’s just…”

Scar cut him off. “You need to keep walking.” The poison in his words made X’s legs feel like jelly. Since when did Scar talk like that? Where was the playful man that had walked into the throne room only moments earlier?

“Scar, you don’t have to…”

“Walk.” The grim look in Scar’s eyes zipped X’s mouth shut. On they walked, down into the belly of the castle. There was a small dent in X’s suit now from how many times Scar had hit him with the bow to urge him onwards. The bright sunlight streaming through the windows was soon gone, replaced by shadows lurking in every corner and crevice. Soon, they stood at the edge of a balcony, overlooking what X knew all too well to be the royal vault.

“I need you to hand over your bag.” Scar’s voice called out from over X’s shoulder. X turned to find Scar’s hand held out expectantly.

A lump formed in X’s throat. “Scar, you're not really going to go through with this are you?”

Scar only gestured for X to hand that bag over, eyes filled with a new found guilt. The two stood there for a moment, silent. X sighed and gave Scar the bag, not having any other choice.

“Turn around.” The simple instruction made X’s heart beat even faster. Still, he did as he was told.

He heard the sound of a bow string drawing taught behind him. “I’m sorry.” Heartbreaking humanity filled Scar’s words. The first sign that the real Scar was still there, somewhere.

Pain.

A sharp pain dug into X’s shoulder blade, the force from the impact knocking him over the ledge. Down he fell, the spot the arrow had hit filled with warmth. The glass floor got closer and closer. X sucked in a breath, preparing for the impact and then… nothing. He kept falling. The glass wasn’t there. Even further down he splashed into the water below, the impact stealing the air from his lungs, his helmet trying to force air back in only making him cough more and more violently. After getting his breathing under control, he looked over to see the tip of an arrow sticking through the meat on his shoulder. The sharp pain became more unbearable as the adrenaline from the fall wore off. He felt around until his hand met the end of the arrow, if he took it out, it would only bleed more. X stood on shaky legs, the reality of the situation starting to sink in.

Ren had ordered for him to be thrown down here, not only that but Scar of all people had gone through with it. What was happening? X was supposed to protect everyone, it was his job to keep things like this from happening. He had failed, and everyone was going to suffer for it. X could only blame himself. He shook the thoughts away, he needed to focus on getting out of here, and getting help.

He could barely see a thing in the inky darkness, still, as he looked down at his comm, it was obvious there was no use in calling for help. The fall must have broken the well… everything. X was surprised it was still attached to his wrist. He looked up, small tenderals of light filtering in from above, he was too far down for anyone to hear him scream. X wondered if that was the point, so Ren wouldn’t be annoyed by his shouts. Maybe Ren would want to hear him, some sadistic part of him taking pleasure in X’s pain. No, X couldn’t think of his friend that way. Were they still friends? Friends didn’t do what Ren was doing. X blinked hard, he needed to get out of his own head.

X felt his way around the dark room until he met something solid, a wall. He placed a foot against it and pushed himself up, only to slide right back down again. Still, he tried, over and over again. Nothing. It was no use.

That was when he heard it. A low yet piercing call, a deathly shriek from the dark. X’s heart threatened to escape his chest, hands once again moving towards where his sword would have been. He was kicking himself now for not bringing it, he was supposed to be prepared for things like this. Well, as prepared as one could be for being thrown into the abyss.

A soft teal glow appeared in the distance. Then it got closer. Closer. Soon panicked footsteps echoed through the space, both X’s and those of his pursuer. Enraged groans called out behind X. That’s when he realized what was chasing him, and how big of a mistake he had made by running. The warden was getting closer, so was the wall ahead of them. X patted himself down for anything he could use to distract the… bingo. X ripped his comm off and threw it as hard as he could in the opposite direction and came to a quick and silent stop. The creature jerked towards the noise the comm had made and started racing towards it. X was safe, for now.

As the panic started to make its way out of his system, X’s mind cleared. Why was he fighting it? The warden was his ticket out of here. All he needed to do was let it shatter his bones with its call. It would hurt like nether but he would be free. The pain in his shoulder was making itself known. If he ripped it out, let himself bleed to death, would that be better? It would be slower, but it wouldn’t hurt as much, he didn’t think. X hadn’t actually bled out before, something he had been happy not to check off the list, until now. What if the warden didn’t kill him right away? What if he was left a shattered blob drowning in his own blood? That would certainly be worse than a little hole in his shoulder. He had to make a decision quickly, otherwise it would be made for him.

X let himself slide to a seated position against the wall, hand wrapped tight around the back of the arrow. He took a sharp breath, and pulled, hard, clenching his jaw so as to not scream and re-anger the warden. Warmth started to flow over him as the wound opened, fighting off the bitter cold of the dark. X had vastly miscalculated how long it would take for him to bleed, each excruciating minute feeling like hours. He looked down at the arrow laying by his side, tentatively wrapping his fingers around it. X placed the tip against the soft fabric that covered his neck. Another broken breath and he pressed, then a little harder, harder. The fabric and skin gave way and the arrow head sunk into his flesh. X pulled it out, vision hazy from blood loss. Still not quick enough. He stabbed again, this time hitting an artery. The world swam, X barely even felt the pain anymore, every part of him growing numb.

Then everything stopped.

[auburnflight]

Random facts about Jasper:

His full name is Jasper Oscar Wilde. And then, whatever last names FE characters have, if any, idk. Assuming they have them, he takes both Aki's and Rinkah's last names, which means he has a Very Long Name.

He calls Aki "mother" and Rinkah "mom."

He partially took inspiration from the player character by the same name whom I made for my Awakening playthrough.

At first I couldn't decide which parent's color scheme to use for him, and I was NOT about to mix vivid red and vivid blue. (Way too much contrast.) So I had a random generator pick between the two for me, and red it was.

His class is Strategist and he wields staves and tomes.

His fursona is an owl. Originally that was going to be Aki's fursona, but their personalities ended up matching each other's animals better, so they switched.

Tangentially related to the previous point: sometimes Aki calls him her little squab.

He has fallen asleep in the library on more than one occasion. Aki still looks for him every morning that he hasn't been seen the night before, because what if this is the one time it's different and something bad happened.

He favors dense, technical books and books about art, but will read pretty much anything, including the romance genre that Aki has such an aversion to. (She supports his interest in it anyway.)

I also still have to write his paralogue. So, more to come.

[synchronicobject]

Replica Coronation Throne & Stone of Scone The Crown

Gold-painted and simulated oak fibre-glass throne faithfully recreated after the Gothic original, the arched panelled back with downswept arms mounted with tan leather, with Gothic arched panelled sides above a solid seat and pierced quatre-foil frieze enclosing a fibreglass copy of the Coronation Stone of Scone (Stone of Destiny), supported by four lions on a plinth base, with red velvet upholstered squab cushions, together with golden canopy used during the filming of the scene, with turned handles, to be held by bearers; and the Art Department design drawing for the Coronation canopy, the chair: 117cm wide x 72cm deep x 211cm high, (46in wide x 28in deep x 83in high) (3)

via: https://www.bonhams.com/auction/29243/lot/20/a-reproduction-of-saint-edwards-chair-the-coronation-chairseason-1-episode-5-smoke-and-mirrors-3/

[squishysquab]

byleth: THIS IS A LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION sothis: it’s???? tea???? it’s literally not that deep

[purple-pigeon-art]

baby pigeon sketches

[parakeet]

baby sphynx griffin.. i have no fur or feathers therefore i must scream

[tandemunicycle]

I felt nostalgic about some old warrior OCs.... so I redrew them all! Didn’t realize how many related characters I made until I connected them

[cartooncreaturelover]

Banjo (Nude) Reference Sheet | (they/them) | Clip Studio Paint EX

And here's a reference sheet for Banjo that shows off those new Mourning Dove inspired colors, as well as show off their tail & wing feathers!

In order of when I made their reference sheets, the nude version actually came first! (It's easier to add clothing to a character afterwards than it is to remove clothes!)

**Also, thank you to the folks who have been giving Banjo some love when I showed off their initial ref sheet yesterday!**

[vampireamon]

The pigeon army in all it’s glory! These are all varieties of domestic pigeons. Done for my information illustration class.

[dogbreathv]

inktober 5