therantingsage

[therantingsage]

Doubt this scene would actually happen in the AU, and if it did it would definitely happen after she turns full Harpy. But here's this anyway cuz her basic crow form is easier for me to draw

#Murder Drones #Finders Keepers AU #md Uzi #Uzi Doorman #Doodles #Birds used to give me a lot of trouble #They still do #But crowzi is helping work past it

[therantingsage]

Haha anyway. Got around to posting chapter three so here's the link

#Nuzi #biscuitbites #Murder Drones #Look I couldn't help myself #Big big chapter full of these two being cute and flustered #aaaaa

[therantingsage]

do you want a borflefloff?

Hm idk dude....this might count as spam....

[THIS IS SATIRE HE IS MY HUSBAND]

#The Sage #I wish I got real asks sigh......... #Doodles

[therantingsage]

Feeling this again where did all of you come from

Surprised by how many notes and followers that post got me lmao. Feel like I invested in the Nuzi stock market or something

((shameless plug look at my au tag I made N a cool werewolf and Uzi works for the grim reaper))

#Bruh #MD fans too powerful #Nuziers your swag..too strong.... #Almost done with chapter 3 of the secret dating fic #Once I do I'll post the link to the story here properly #Because #y'know #might as well #hhhhh the urge to spoil my narrative is strong but I am stronger #No spoilers #Delete later

[therantingsage]

I've said a lot of Nuzi stuff recently but genuinely I think one of my favorite things about it is that neither of Uzi's parents approve. Khan thinks the DDs are bad influences and Nori finds personal offense to her daughter potentially dating one of the things that killed her.

Like genuinely what kind of stereotypical angsty teen would she be if her parents approved of her choice in boyfriend? Made even funnier by the fact that N is genuinely really good for her. Like usual applications of such a trope would have the guy be an actual bad influence and the girl like "you just don't understand him like I do!" but that's actually just straight up the truth of it. N is the goodest most wholesome boy who loves her so much and softens her rough edges and is just SO good for Uzi-

But no parental approval. Because Uzi's parents are just like that. And Uzi's just like that. It's a whole family worth of like that

#Murder Drones #Nuzi #biscuitbites #Anyway still writing the secret dating fic #Having fun #I shoved them in a closet

[therantingsage]

Listen I love fankids and I love character design! Unfortunately I have no plans of making any fankids for these two in actual Finders Keepers canon because like...literally no way to do it they're too different biologically. So I adapted some instead! These are the only people I follow with fankids I think, but it's enough to make a decent spectrum as far as which parent they pull from. A few colors here n there have been adjusted just to make them look more related to my versions (super vibrant stuff makes them look like sparkledogs with how my designs work aksdjfhaskhf sorry Nyx specifically ily I promise).

Beanie by @electrozeistyking

Nyx by @thecosmiccrow

Colt and Akita by @lilblucat

#Finders Keepers AU #Murder Drones #Nuzi #biscuitbites #Nuzi f #nuzi fankid #md Uzi #Uzi Doorman #md N #Beanie Doorman #Nyx Doorman #Colt Doorman #Akita Doorman #Doodles #Maybe sometime I'll design?? Something of my own? idk #But for now!! Fanart!! #Me sprinkling in lore hints for my own thing while making fanart for other people oops #Pulled a lot of design details from my werewolf Uzi design #And also N's mom #Because genetics and theoretical genetics! #Sorry I made all your guys furries aksdjfhaksdfh aside from Akita #Who ironically is the one named after a dog breed #The irony is not lost on me

[therantingsage]

It was like everything at once, for the Wizard. He had yearned to go where no creature had gone before; to touch the stars, commune with the great beasts that dwelled there. Become a Storyteller in his own right, like their own Guardian Constellation.

But what he had set out to do was impossible for a reason. No one had done it, it was meant to be a physical impossibility for a reason. The laws of his world always had exceptions, but this one? No, no this was the one rule no one could break. It had never been done for someone unattuned, nevermind someone proficient in the opposite magic system.

It shouldn’t have worked. And when it did, the very fabric of the universe shook in defiance of it.

He didn’t even fall asleep, no, they wouldn’t wait for that natural call, they dragged him there, into a dream that was meant to be impossible.

It was like he stood on the brink of the end of the world. The sky flickered rapidly between unnatural brightness and total darkness, storm clouds tearing between them at frightening speed to strike the earth with lightning. The air was a torrent of movement, his claws only barely keeping him grounded. And then the ground too split open, jagged stones bursting forth as if to strike him, none reaching their mark but all too close for comfort.

From those cracks came water, surging to engulf him and receding just as quickly, over and over again, until it gathered somewhere else. But in its place, magma pooled up from the ground, surrounding him and singing his fur and feathers.

The ground beneath him, miraculously not ablaze, suddenly struck him with pain. His gaze shot down, and he saw that he was rapidly being engulfed by thorny vines. They grew faster than he could stop them, and every movement drew blood by the sharp thorns surrounding him on all sides.

Then the cycle rapidly began to repeat, all at once. He couldn’t see, then he was blinded by the brightness, he was drowning, then he was burning alive, his body was punctured by thorns and stones, then he was ripped from the earth by the wind and beseeched on all sides by violent lightning.

It was all to much to bear, too much happening at once, but this had been his goal, hadn’t it? An attunement dream of all eight Elements. Thought to be impossible, but here he was, in the midst of an incomprehensible trial by the Elements themselves.

He wouldn’t give up. Not when he was here, at the end.

He spread his limbs, wincing with pain, and cried out the sound of his soul, so clear in this space of dreams that it rang truer than true.

The sound of his cry pierced through the cacophonous noise. And suddenly, the chaos ceased.

All the noise drifted, swirled, fainter and fainter until, soon, all was silent. His eyes, which had forcefully closed long before, crept open. And he saw them.

The Elements themselves. In this space of attunement, they take on the form of the dream’s recipient.

All attunement dreams before this has only ever been one Element. But the Wizard was now witnessing the impossible: all eight of them, surrounding him on all sides. Bursting with energy barely contained by his own shape.

It was only silent for a few moments before they began to speak.

It was Light first, their shape barely discernible, their outline so bright a gleam.

“You Blasphemous Creature! How Dare You Meddle In This, The One True Law!” They bellowed, voice booming, underlaid with a low hum.

Then came Darkness, just as indistinguishable a silhouette, no distinction between limb, torso, head or tail. “A Cunning Plan, Brought To Completion, And For What? To Nearly Be Torn Asunder? With Nothing To Tether You To Reality?” Voice loud, too, but intoned almost like a whisper.

Lightning growled next, crackling the space around them. Their shape shifted and changed one moment to the next, falling back to the Wizard’s own, but only often enough for it to be noticeable if one was staring. “We Do Not Mingle With One Another! You Have No Place To Bend Our Wills To Bring Us Here, In One Dream!” They crackled, bristling, shaking the air like thunder.

Fire burned hot in agreement, their form livid and untethered like flame. “Mortals Like You Have No Right To Choose Our Battlefields! We Would Be In Our Right To Destroy You For Such Insurgence!” A voice like bubbling magma.

Wind was almost invisible, only noted by the movement of the space they occupied. But their voice whistled and screamed all the same. “Quite Miraculous A Crime You’ve Committed, Magic One. To Bring That Other Kind Here, Is An Act Of Boldness That Simply Cannot Be Ignored.”

“There Is No Simple Answer To This.” Continued Nature, body a bustling plant growth that shifted to a new plant each moment, shape consistent despite it. Voice overlaid with calls of insects, each reaffirming their words. “This Dream Is Paradoxical. No Living Creature Is Built To Contain Us All. Not While Maintaining Their Own Will.”

Water let out a sigh, like a wave breaching the shore. “And Yet That Is The Very Thing He Hopes To Accomplish. To Attain Attunement, However The Method, Is Something That We Are Lawbound To Reward. Thus, The Question Remains: Do Any Here Deem Him Worthy?” Their body dripped and dissolved, swaying too and fro like the tide as they looked between their fellow Elements.

Earth stamped their foot, shaking all present. Body a shifting mass of stone, features more clear than the others, but still changing moment to moment. “These Are Unreasonable Circumstances To Abide By! We Are Not Lawbound By This One! Wizards Cannot Be Mages! A Mage Can Only Have One Element! These Are Not Difficult Rules To Follow! What Has He Done To Deserve Any Of Us, Nevermind All Of Us?!”

“I am here, am I not?” Spoke the Wizard, the Elements blazing furiously around him. “I have withstood your test. I have outlasted you, and I have stood my ground. I have done the impossible. Surely there must be something that can be done for me. What if another discovers the secret I have? Surely none of you want this difficult discussion to come up again with no solution?”

Light bloomed brighter with fury. “You Proud Thing. You Think you Deserve Special Treatment Because You Shut Your Eyes And Sang? We Are Not Indebted To The Likes Of You. I Pick My Vessels Sparingly, And You Are Not The Type I Would Choose Without Good Reason.”

Lightning scoffed. “You And Your Hypocrisy, Light. Such Privilege That You Can Afford To Be Picky, And Yet You Call Him Proud?”

“It Has Been An Age Since We Have All Gathered, Could We Please Not Spend This Chance Bickering?” Interjected Darkness. The space around them went fuzzy as shadows thickened.

Water nodded in agreement. “Yes, Indeed. I’m Sure All Of Us Have Things To Say. Perhaps We Can Come Up With A Compromise While We Do So.”

“No Compromise Can Be Made With A Wizard. Our Natures Are Too Polar. No Offense Intended By My Phrasing, Nature.” Interjected Wind.

“None Taken.” Replied Nature, blooming like a hedge. “I Agree With You, Besides. We Elements Work Through Pacts And Channeling. Wizards Forge Magic From Themselves. There Simply Isn’t Room For Us There, Within Him.”

“Actually,” the Wizard interjected, “there is! I did a great deal of research before this. All my paper notes are in the waking world, so I cannot prove it, but there is room. For one Element.”

Fire and Earth both made noises of anger, crackling embers and crumbling stones. “And Yet You Are Here, Seeking To Bind With All Of Us?!” Hissed Fire.

“Fool Mortal! What Reason Have We To Believe Your Word Over Logic?!” Bellowed Earth.

“Eternity. Eternity possesses all Magic. Thus what you say is impossible, isn’t so.” He replied, firm in his resolve.

Silence from the Elements. And then, a crushing pressure in the air.

“How Dare You Think Yourself An Equal To The Endless.” Hissed Light, blindingly bright.

“The Endless Ones Are The Seldom Exception, Mortal.” Growled Darkness. “You Would Be Wise To Know Your Place In This World.”

“Is it not the nature of my kind to carve that place for myself? Is that not why us mortals seek you Elements out in the first place?” Countered the Wizard.

“We Are Sought For More Than Purpose, Proud Mortal.” Fire replied, blaze burning higher. “Some Seek Power. Many Seek Me For My Power.”

“Intimidation, More Like.” Earth corrected. “You Are A Warm Light. I Am Substance, Force. I Am Sought For Power, And Shelter Too.”

Fire crackled again, bitter. “Oh Please. You Have But One Little Mountain. Your Little Creatures Leave, And Their Children Lack Any Power At All.”

Earth just scoffed. “And What Do You Have? Volcanos? Temporary Places That Get Claimed By Empty Dragons And Die?”

“I Wish You Both Would Not Be So Dramatic.” Said Nature, prickling with thorns. “None Of Your Personal Quarrels Have Much To Do With The Situation At Hand.”

“Agreed.” Said Darkness. “The Fact Remains, We May Be Sought By Mortals, That Is True Of Both Their And Our Natures, But That Does Not Mean We Grant Our Powers To Every Creature That Asks Nicely.”

“Unless They Are Born With Us, Of Course. Plenty Of My And Darkness’s Vessels Have That Luxury.” Remarked Light.

“And You Have The Audacity To Complain About That.” Said Lightning, sounding annoyed.

Light just huffed. “Give It A Rest, Lightning. There Is Plenty Of Time In The Endless Eternity For This Quarrel. The Issue At Hand Is Still The Entitlement Of This Wizard. And How There Is Absolutely No Way We Are Giving Him What He’s After.”

The Wizard, of course, wasn’t going to leave without what he wanted. “I’ll share how I got here with everyone, then. Then you’ll have to have this argument a thousand times over. I’m sure you all don’t  want that.”

“You Are Not In Much Position To Make Threats.” Commented Water, swirling like a whirlpool. “We Made These Rules Ourselves, Though. There’s Nothing To Say We Cannot Give Him Another Trial. Or Many More.”

Darkness tilted their head at that. “Are You Suggesting We Test Him Indefinitely Until We Are Satisfied? Can An Attunement Dream Last That Long?”

“They Aren’t Meant To, Not Typically.” Replied Nature. “But This Situation Is Far From Typical.”

The Wizard squinted in genuine confusion. “What do you mean? I survived your test. I have already proven myself worthy. Anyone who survived all that would be.”

Wind shook their head in turn. “It Is Not About Surviving. It Is About Being Face-To-Face With The Pure Concentration Of An Element, Suffocating In It, And Coming Out Stronger Against The Odds. Like Finding Peace In Freefall.”

“Like Being Lost In The Dark, Finding Your Way By The Solace Of Your Own Shadow.” Added Darkness.

“You Did Not Overcome Anything.” Confirmed Fire. “It Simply Happened To You, And It’s Not Anymore. Barely Singed By My Lava Before Wind Lifted You Away.”

The Wizard was angered by this. “You think I didn’t face anything? That that wasn’t a trial? Any creature could easily be killed by all that!”

Wind whistled in laughter. “Ah, Mortals. That Was Not Our Pure Forms, Not Anywhere Close. You Would Know. Pure Concentration Of Me Is To Have No Ground To Stand On. Earth Was Very Much There.”

“Yes, And You All Were Bursting Through My Crust Like Impatient Things.” They replied, gemstone-eyes twinkling. “Fair Enough, Though, Both Of Us Can Suffocate In Our Own Ways, When Pure.”

Wind whistled again. “Hm Hm. Yes. Air Pressure And Physical Crushing Can Overlap In Sensation. Such Is The Nature Of Opposite Things. One Of The Laws Of Reality.”

Lightning crackled loudly, gaining the others’ attention. “Cease The Philosophy! We Cannot Test Him!”

Nature swayed, wilting in slight confusion. “Whyever Not? What Other Option Do We Have?”

More crackling. “Because, Simply Put, Us Speaking Of Attunement, In His Presence, Is Allowing Him To Mentally Prepare. That Ruins The Entire Point Of The Dreams. Are Mortals Not Meant To Be Thrown Into The Storm With No Context? It Feels More Tangible To Them That Way.”

The rest were quiet, until Fire, light dimming, replied, “That…Is A Fair Point. With Prior Knowledge, He Would Have No Fear. And Fear Is Necessary, Or Else The Triumph Is Meaningless.”

“That’s a matter of perspective.” Argued the Wizard with a frown. “And I knew how Attunement Dreams worked before this anyway. I read up on it when I was doing research.”

“Bah!” Scoffed Earth. “Doesn’t Matter Much, In The End, Does It? What Difference Does It Make? After One, He’d Have A Decent Idea How The Rest Might Work. You Both Overthink.”

Fire and Lightning both grumble. “This Whole Situation Is Ridiculous And I Stand By That.” Replied Lightning.

Light gleamed brighter, gathering the others attention. “I Say We Put This To A Vote. Yay Or Nay, Do We Test This Mortal Individually? I Say Nay. Making One Exception To The Base Laws Is A Road Toward Making Many. Far Too Easy To Cascade Into A Problem.”

“I Second That Nay!” Shouted Lightning. “He Is Entitled And Proud In Excess. Our Powers Combined Would Be Wasted On A Creature Like Him, Whether He Passed Our Trials Or Not!”

“I Doubt We Could Decide A Thing Like That So Soon. I Say Yay.” Replied Wind. “This Is Not Something That Has Ever Happened. He Is Not Wrong: Were This To Happen Again, It Would Be Best That We Know How To Proceed.”

“….I Am Surprising Myself With This, But Yay. We Have Never In The Endless Eternities Ever Been Given A Chance To Work Together In This Manner. Does This Chance Not Excite You All? We Never Speak Like This, Nevermind Cooperate!” Water cried, the top of their form frothing with sea foam as their voice grew excited.

“I Would Like To Agree With You, But I Say Nay.” Said Darkness with a sigh. “This Is…Volatile. The Mere Fact That This Wizard Has Arrived Here Shows Signs Of Recklessness And Lawlessness, And Not In Any Of The Good Ways. Giving Him Our Powers Would Be Unsafe.”

“In What Ways Have We Ever Abided By The Sensibilities Of Mortals?” Nature chirped curiously. “I Agree With Water, Yay. We Could Learn Much From This. In The Same Way We Would Be Tethered To Him, He Would Be Our Vessel. Ours. It Would Be A Curious And New Thing.”

Fire and Earth stared at each other, not speaking.

Lightning huffed at them. “We Are Even In Number, You Both. Pick A Side Together or Condemn Us To A Tie.”

They continue to not speak for a moment.

The Wizard tries his luck, appealing to what he’s observed of their personalities. “I could make you powerful. I could allow you access to the world in a new and tangible way, like Nature said.”

It’s the wrong thing to say. Earth rumbles like a quake. “We Do Not Need Someone Like You For That.”

“When Our Powers Are Used By Any Vessel Of Ours, We Exist. I Am In Every Breath Of Dragon Fire.” Said Fire, shedding embers with each movement. “We Are Tangible In Each And Every Speck Of Us. I Say Nay. You Think Yourself Too Special.”

“Seconded.” Grumbled Earth in their anger. “We Have Our Vessels, And We Have Our Sites. You Need Us. We Do Not Need You.”

The finality in the statement is potent in the air. The Wizard’s wings shake as his body trembles. 

Light barks out a laugh. “Bah! What Folly, Proud Mortal! Awake And Be Cursed With The Memory Of This Failure!”

“There’s No Need For That Degree Of Harshness, True Or Not.” Said Darkness. “It’s Not As Though We Can Ever Leave Him.”

“Yes, I Know. But It Pleases Me To See A Proud Beast Laid Low And Pitiful.” They replied. “With All Your Research, Surely You Know. We Will Be Here, Every Time You Rest.” Their luminance grew suffocating. “I Will Not Let You Rest. Not For Even A Moment. A Fitting Punishment For Such Lawbreaking.”

The Wizard growled. “You stay by choice, or are you really incapable of untethering?”

“Mortals Cannot Go Back On Their Choices.” Says Nature with a nod. “To Attain The Initial Attunement Dream, Whether You Pass It Or Not, Is A Point Of No Return. The Dream Will Repeat Until One Passes And Gains Access To Our Power.”

“Not You, Though.” Crackled Lightning, smug. “For You, This Will Be A Curse And Nothing More! Entitled Thing!”

The Wizard’s trembling body suddenly lurched forward at Lightning with a snarl. “That’s not an answer!”

Lightning went still with shock, and the Wizard flew right through them, coming out the other side trembling still, but now for a different reason entirely. Bolts of them traced the Wizard’s form, visibly painful.

All the Elements went dead silent, watching. And then, for the first time, one of them stood. 

“What Do You Think You’re Doing, Proud Mortal?” Said Lightning with a startling quietness. They reach out with a flickering claw and make to grasp at the Wizard’s tail. 

The Wizard launches himself at Lightning again, and again, only passes through, crying out in pain. Electricity arcs across his frame with heightened intensity.

“Curious.” Remarks Fire coldly, standing as well. “Surely You Know This Is A Fight Cannot Win.” They also approach the thoroughly electrocuted mortal.

It’s clear that he’s already having trouble standing, but the Wizard swipes a claw towards Fire’s face, and being just as intangible as Lighting, the attack passes through. They crumble to the ground, clutching the burned limb.

One by one the rest of the Elements stand and approach as well, and their large circle becomes a much smaller one. They watch the pitiful display with impassive eyes.

“Do You Really Not Understand What We Are?” Nature inquires with a tilt of their head. Thorns and flowers alike bloom across them. “This Space Of Dreams Is Our Turf. Our Home. We Exist Here With No Limitations.”

The Wizard slashes at them with their other claw, bleeding on thorns and dislodging a few petals worth of Nature’s form. They grow back before the claw even escapes them. “I don’t- I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t c- don’t care!” The Wizard wheezes out, tail lashing despite burns and cuts and static.

“You Should.” Says Darkness, gentler than the others. “You Only Cause Yourself Unneeded Suffering Fighting Us Like This.”

“You don’t, you, you don’t-” His breathing is clearly labored. “You don’t get to, to stare at me w-with my own face! My own face and, and say I can’t have you!” He summons as much of his strength as he can muster and tries to attack Darkness too.

It’s predictable and Darkness doesn’t even try to dodge. The blow passes through.

The Wizard’s vision goes dark.

He cries out in distress. He flails wildly, trying to harm the Elements, to only failure. Anyone he hits just harms him.

Something thorny wraps around his ankles, dragging him flat to the ground. Ice shackles him there. The breath is stolen from his lungs, and a suffocating weight presses him down.

In the end, the voice that condemns him is Light’s. “I Understand Completely Now. We Were Generous Before, Merely Calling You Proud.” Even blinded, their light shines through. “What You Are Is Greedy. The Immense Power Required To Bring Us Here, And Yet It Wasn’t Enough For You. You Demand Us. Demand What You Do Not Deserve.”

He doesn’t have the strength to speak, but even if he did, his beak was trapped in ice.

“And Yet, The Opportunity You Present Us Cannot Be Ignored. A Vessel, Containing Us All. A Permanent Link Between Us Eight.” The light gets brighter, just enough for his vision to faintly return.

Light is closer than advisable, enough to nearly blind him anew. “But I Fail To See Why You Deserve To Be Present For It. There Is No Room In You For You.”

Fear grips his chest. He can’t scream.

“All In Favor?” Says Light.

And they all said “Yay.”

-----

The wreck of the Wizard’s home was visible for miles. The location became cursed once the possession was complete. The Artifacts and incantation he’d used suffered the same fate. No one else could follow in his footsteps now.

In the end, he’d accomplished something monumental. He became one of the most elusive figures in Mythcrean history, as no one else had even known what he’d done or how. His body, even if very little of him remained in it, became one of if not the most powerful creatures to ever live.

No one would remember his name, but he would live forever.

#This thing is like #A skeleton key to like half of Mythcre's lore #And I worked on this for months before I was finished #So I'm booping it again because not enough people saw it the first time #Also I really need to draw The Wizard at some point #So I can have a fullbody ref #Both pre and post-possession #Cuz post possession he can shapeshift kinda #Well #It's not exactly up to him anymore is it #Delete later

[therantingsage]

Regional Variant Durant and Shroomish lines, based on Termitomyces mushrooms and the termites that grow them! 

The Durant and new evo Durmite (based on Termite Queens) are Bug/Rock. The Shroomish is still mono Grass, but the Breloom is Grass/Electric.

Durmite evolves in a similar manner to Salazzle. The Shroomish sheds and regrows those little buds, and the Durant harvest them for food. They’re very tasty to both humans and Pokemon.

#Speaking of bugs I remembered I made these #Genuine pet peeve of mine is when media makes ant queens look like termite queens #On one hand I get it cuz actual ant queens just look like. Bigger ants #Whereas termite queens are very VERY unique looking to put it politely #But also c'mon be accurate a little #So the Durant evo is supposed to be a termite. Not an ant #Because otherwise I would've drawn this with a twitchy eye as I betray my principles #I like bugs #Delete later #Also might be changing my mind on the Shroomish's typing? #Might be making it Grass/Ground #Idk

[therantingsage]

Got very sad at work yesterday because I'm a very open bug enthusiast and I was sharing the experience of befriending the wasps in my yard last summer and was hit with the "um actually wasps are pure evil and I go out of my way to kill them". By three different people

And I'm scared of confrontation so all I could manage was "my bug-loving heart is wasted on you haters" spoken comedically

Guess I can't infodump at work anymore :(

#Heaven forbid I have love in my heart :'( #I said “there's no such thing as an evil animal” #And got looked at like I'M the crazy one #Like???? What #Wasps can recognize human faces and remember them #And I think if an animal is smart enough to remember you specifically #It's worth the effort to be nice to them?? And try to get on their good side??? #Like that's not rocket science??? To me that's just common sense????? #Delete later #Feel like making venty sage art about this :'( #Maybe later when I'm not in a rush

[therantingsage]

All four of the Werewolf pups were stolen from their parents before being sold to the Elliots. None of the parents survived. While V and Jay had two parents, Caelu was a single mother.

#Finders Keepers AU #Doodles #Made Nati blind cuz in canon both J and V have eye stuff going on #V needs glasses and J gets stabbed in the headband eyes #My favorite way to do character design is to make kids then design the parents #Because I get to extrapolate #Oh here's some traits that get passed down and a few that don't #Here's how a trait presents on parent vs how it presents on offspring #Y'know. Stuff like that. It's fun #Also just so its said: Caelu isn't related to either of them #Different shades of grey are just really common werewolf colors

[therantingsage]

Another Critterphon! Lumia is the younger sister of Anthea, who I've posted before. When Anthea and Arrogull are out doing important research stuff, Lumia comes over to petsit.

The nature of Critterphons means that there's not much familial resemblance usually. Aside from stuff like patterning and color scheme. Anthea and Lumia are lucky they resemble each other even this much, considering they both ended up with feather-wings and antenna things. And similar eyes.

Anyway, Lumia has trouble balancing when she's not flying. She's not hiding any extra arms under those four wings she's got, so all her legs are on her back half but she's not built to walk upright. So she's usually flying when she's got the space. She's probably got some kind of mobility device for when she doesn't but I have no idea how to design those so I'll figure that out later.

#Mythcre #Critterphon #Where Anthea's wings are functionally useless Lumia flies as her primary movement option #They've both got the lighter stripes #But otherwise their bodyplans are entirely differnt #Doodles #Lumia also has a crush on Arrogull but since Anthea is aro and romance repulsed she has no intention of acting on it #Since that would make their friendship a little weird #She's a good sister and content to admire from afar

[therantingsage]

Drew Frozenclaw again but like....made her look more Warrior Cats™

#Warrior Cats #Warriors oc #Definitely like this better #But I still feel like its missing something....hm #Remembering the kid I gave her but not remembering actually making up a mate for her #Mitosed or smthn idk #Goldenfire apparated into existence I guess #Just been nostalgic today because heaven forbid I have consistency in what I wanna draw

[therantingsage]

Misc additional observations/notes relating to the implication analysis post that I either forgot to add or omitted for pacing reasons.

This one's embarrassing to admit, but I literally did not remember this until the post was done and posted:

N being bad at keeping things to himself is literally the first thing we learn about him when he starts talking. "Inclusive reflexes" isn't what teaches Uzi this, it's literally the first thing she finds out about his character, so she has no excuse. There is no plausible deniability she knows her boyfriend can't keep secrets.

((Unrelated to anything but since I'm talking about the pilot like. Why does he fan himself here. Dude you don't even have feelings for her yet bro what's this about. Guy who really likes strong personalities I guess))

N's tiny little smile in Promening when Uzi admits to wanting his help. He's like, critically underappreciated by the people around him before this so Uzi reaching out to him here must be so meaningful to him. He wants to be helpful and she's letting him be.

And Uzi, too, despite being stubborn about it. N being so eager to offer help in the first place isn't something she's used to, either. I'm pretty sure the (correct) general consensus is that this is the episode she falls for him, and honestly all the blushing has very little to do with why I think that's the case.

Because, like...no one really bothered even pretending to get along with her. Like, aside from Thad, but that's for like one scene total before N enters the picture, and Uzi's "how do you know my name, people willingly talk to you" implies to me that they didn't have a lot of, if any, meaningful interactions before that point anyway. And then here comes N, who despite how they'd parted, doesn't even seem upset with her. They both spent their time apart terrified of things being bad between them....but it all just melts away when they reunite and the mutual genuine concern shines through. It's great.

N maybe has fragments of memories of life at the manor, not a lot, but he probably has the vague sense that people used to be nicer to him in general. So it's not as foreign to him. Uzi does not have that luxury so having N be so enthusiastically in her corner definitely touches her heart. And it shows through in how she interacts with him in this episode.

There's lots and lots of little moments in Cabin Fever that I like but this tiny sheepish blush is a funny one. Like he just. Alluded to talking about her. And that flusters her for some reason. We have no idea how much time has actually passed since the last episode but its clear from how little it takes for this reaction to happen that her feelings have grown stronger. She likes him and its cute.

This scene is one I want to talk about in more detail, though. Home establishes that V still has faint lingering feelings for N, so it's not that hard to assume that her behavior here is at least partially motivated by jealousy. She's petty and vindictive and jealous...but most importantly she's perceptive.

Uzi has abandonment issues, which I think is easy enough to understand so I'm not going to elaborate on it. But V figured that out, and makes this threat with the knowledge that Uzi is worried about being abandoned. Uzi fears the idea that she wouldn't be missed if she disappeared, and here comes V, claiming that the one person she cares most about wouldn't care either. Hitting her where it hurts, trying to convince her that her fears are justified and inevitable.

It's likely that this moment contributes to her eventually going feral. That the stress overheats her faster.

She's incredibly vulnerable, when she snaps out of it. Shares that specific fear with N, who reassures her. Because this whole scene is him telling her that no, he wouldn't be able to just get over it if she was gone, because their brief time apart in this single episode was already something that scared him. That she's already become important enough to him that her absence was keenly felt.

It's probably around here, or a bit after this point in the nebulous timeskip between this episode and the next, that N falls for her. Scratch that, his whole speech, as I said in the prior post, just...really feels like some kind of romantic-adjacent confession. But I don't think it WAS explicitly them confessing feelings for each other. N figures out he likes her in this episode I'd like to think, but that speech was the closest he could come to admitting that. Cuz. Y'know. Uzi needs reassurance in other ways right now, no point in muddying the issue.

((and also not news to anybody I'm sure but the song that plays during that scene is LITERALLY called 'Falling...for you??' so. y'know. hindsight is 20/20 this is genuinely the moment he realizes his feelings for her are romantic))

And additional thing I like that I think about a lot, but the way he deliberately choses to switch his hands to claws when he pries her wings open. "I'm a monster, leave me be" she says, to which he replies "Hey, look, I am too, see? It's ok". It's great, he's mirroring, trying to make her feel seen. And by the vulnerability of her next line, it works. They really just, understand each other so damn well.

Home stuff. The fact that the first word that comes to mind to describe him is 'cute' is funny enough, but the fact that she even goes so far as to SAY it out loud before hastily correcting herself. Looking at her bf's baby pictures-coded. Has to keep her image up tho, this version doesn't know her so she can't be too weird or open about it.

But she still wants this version to think she's cool cuz she's a dork who likes him. It's unclear how much of this episode is diegetic when you subtract Uzi, but since these are memories and not proper time travel, we don't know to what extent Uzi's trying to avoid affecting the events. She might not care at all. Did the real N even go down to that basement willingly at any point? I doubt it. But we don't know! And also that's not what I'm making this post to talk about.

Funny Solvercam-Uzi body language on display. Delighted he recognizes her finally, spits out something edgy to play it cool (genuinely my favorite Uzi line of all time), sheepishly looks back at him, and shyly averts her gaze when he thanks her before looking back. Had she her regular face I'm sure she'd be smiling and blushing about it. It's cute as hell. It's very open delight, when you think about it. But still awkwardly teenage. It's easy to see this and have it make a whole lotta sense if they were already dating at this point. Got that meaningful eye contact going on. She likes making him happy so she's proud she succeeded.

Him trying to help steady her when they land. She blushes and slaps his hand away like 'dude I'm fine people are LOOKING at us stoooooop >:('

Her tail chewing on him is fine tho because we don't know if she controls it fully or if it does things subconsciously. And also the others aren't actually looking at them in this shot. Neither of them make the tail stop chewing so at the very least N doesn't mind.

Still flustered easily when he shows her he cares tho. Early-relationship 'hehehe he likes meeee' moment, adorable. Still clearly giddy that someone cares about her.

He's so conflicted after 'Tessa' tells him Uzi needs to die. He loves her, he loves her so so much, but Tessa is his oldest friend. All the memories he has of her paint a picture of someone he's supposed to listen to. Someone he can trust. Someone who wouldn't lie to him. He spends the rest of this episode bracing himself for a goodbye he doesn't want to give and its heartbreaking.

And despite his fear...Uzi still manages to comfort him the best way she knows how. And it gets him to smile! Because that's what the two of them are to each other. He's scared...but she's with him, so its less scary.

They've both caught up to the moment. 'Oh. We're still holding hands while the other two can see oh god'. They're both tight-lipped. She bumps him and they let go, maybe N thinks 'oh, right, yeah, not in public' but then they hold hands again but with intent this time.

And once again, it gets N to smile! And a second later Uzi does too! Awkward little moment of intimacy that must be so refreshing for them because there's so much heavy stuff happening but now they get to be distracted thinking about something lower-stakes.

To me, this bit is an interesting parallel to the Cabin Fever falling scene. He tends to be pretty perceptive about Uzi's worries. He's a good listener. Uzi fears abandonment, he fires back with a promise to stay with her.

But here, the thing Uzi fears is that things are being kept from her. That these two are keeping secrets from her. But instead of assuring her that they'll talk later, like they said they would, he instead chooses to use this moment to put his foot down with 'Tessa'. He just lost V maybe, and he's not willing to lose Uzi too, so he's decided she must be wrong about this being the only solution to the problem.

Up until that very moment, she didn't realize hurting her was on the table. It comes out of nowhere, freaks her out, and confirms her fear that she's not being told something. So she runs.

And the guilt he feels for scaring her off is heartbreaking. Half this episode is limb-chopping, genuinely, so the fact that he chooses this bone-saw to cut himself free instead of the litany of other things he has that he knows are quicker can't be a coincidence. He's punishing himself. And, additionally, probably reminding himself of V, hiding things because he worries the truth will hurt. Which makes the V hologram showing up moments later thematically very appropriate.

Can't add anymore pictures to this so maybe I'll make a part three later lol

#Murder Drones #Nuzi #biscuitbites #md N #md Uzi #Uzi Doorman #These aren't as vital to my point last time but I still think about them

[therantingsage]

Fun fact that's more obvious in the fic than it is in random art I share here, but Finders Keepers is a partially fantasy-inspired AU! I lump things like Werewolves and the Death Bird stuff in with that, but here's some more classical mythical creatures as they'd appear in the AU! In fact, the forest that's the story's main setting is chock full of magic stuff, more concentrated the deeper into it you go. Uzi and N live nearish to the edge, for reference. So they probably won't interact with this stuff particularly often, but not never. I've got a few scenes planned.

Firstly, Dragons. I'm a dragon guy more than anything so I wanted to do something unique. They live in subterranean caves, both naturally occurring and made by them via digging. The yellow bumps are bioluminescent, and they don't have particularly good eyesight.

Fairies! Halfway between 'little pixie who's covered in fairy dust' and 'vindictive fae who will curse your bloodline', FK!Fairies are physically frail and reclusive but mischievous to a startling degree, and they're out of touch with mortality to the point that you have to be very careful around them lest their pranks turn deadly.

Out of these four, Unicorns are the ones you'll see first as you go deeper into the wood, being the least outlandish. They have above-human level intelligence but lack either desire or capability to communicate with them. They can't actually cast anything close to a spell, to the surprise of most. But any who interact with them find themselves feeling incredibly unsettled as long as they're in eyeshot, so there isn't as much poaching as you'd think.

And finally, the most divergent I think from most common depictions, Cockatrices! They've evolved past the need for their wings, and are smaller than you'd expect. The obnoxiously bright colored spots are a two-purpose natural defense. It's both the classic 'don't eat me I'm poisonous' and also 'hey look at my spots and get distracted' because yes, they can turn you to stone. The spots attract your attention so they can do it more easily.

Like N, they all have multiple soul baubles. All Magic/supernatural creatures do. The more powerful the soul, the more baubles. Of the ones here, from most to least: Fairies, Dragons, Cockatrices, then Unicorns.

Obviously there's more magic stuff in the forest than just these four. These are just the four I've settled on designs for.

#Finders Keepers AU #Doodles #Me when random lore #And creature design #The fairies here are the closest thing to humanoid I'm willing to draw lmao

[therantingsage]

Raised by the Elliots as if he was a regular dog...the other three are all girls...he's much chiller than V and Jay are in the present...

Might make a poll about it /hj

#Finders Keepers AU #Not maintagging this LMAO #I know I'm mean to my characters usually but this would be low even for me #Not like his relationship with Crowzi would ever go into that territory anyway for obvious logistical reasons #But like #GOD would it be funny if it was for this reason too #Doodles

[therantingsage]

Unrelated to any recent stuff I’ve been posting, but Stanley Parable Narrator vs Slay the Princess Narrator.

They’d both get SO frustrated SO fast if put in each other’s games. STP Narrator would try and gaslight Stanley into thinking there is no broom closet (tbh he’d probably gaslight Stanley about everything honestly). TSP Narrator gets irate the second all the Voices try and talk to him like the character he is instead of treating him like the narrative device he’s trying to pass as

Philosophical debate. Trying to convince each other their endeavors are pointless. They’d have the most petty passive-aggressive beef imaginable. They’d despise each other. They’d shake hands and laugh when anyone else is looking at them but internally they’re just “can’t stand his fake ass”

Pitting their protags against each other despite being so annoyed with them constantly in their own games. “Oh my hero would speed run your trivial little story” “Well Stanley would stab your little Princess the moment I ask nicely because he loves pressing buttons when prompted hmph”

Someone agree with me on this it’s driving me crazy

#The Stanley Parable #Slay the Princess #tsp narrator #stp narrator #Also both these games nearly have the same acronym?? #Like just rearrang the ‘the’ and it’s the same two letters in the same order #Legit have been thinking about this for days #Help me

[therantingsage]

"And yet, I still feel nothing."

#tw blood #Finders Keepers AU #Murder Drones #md V #I like the design I settled on for her #It's fun! #Anyway take a shot every time I draw a werewolf covered in blood #There's a bunch of those in the fic lol #Doodles