The Nerd Corner

Welcome. You have entered the nerd zone! And my name is Nerdling! You're probably wondering if I'm a Koopaling. Well, I guess you can say that I am, but don't confuse me with the actual Koopalings; that, I'm not a part of...

[askthenerdling]

Some days, Kisno just wants to spend his birthday relaxing. While Nerdling, just wants to show the "newest" feature on his sparkly new phone!

Tbh, I didn't expect to keep this blog going, just by coming back every year to post about Kisno's birthday. The Koopaling hype mellowed out very long ago... But I still love these two. I still draw Nerdling every now and then. Kisno's a bit of a rarity, but I still like to update him when I can.

I know by this point 10 years ago, Kisno was already somewhat conceptualized. And he didn't make his debut onto the blog until a little bit later, and his arrival was still a bit unexplained! I had a whole idea about that but it never really got fleshed out, sadly. Not just this blog, but several others!

Even after moving on for ask blogs, I thought about making an OC, something completely original, and that wasn't necessarily based off an existing IP. That one has been a WIP for almost 3 years now. It's kinda wild how up in the air my ideas have gotten. The only thing I can really say is- I don't really know or have any idea on what can come next. But I do know this, it won't happen if I just sit on things, it'll happen when I actually get myself to the tablet and start.

[askthenerdling]

A CHALLENGER APPROACHES!

(( Low-key wondering if anyone happened to notice this little pattern I've been doing for the last 7 years...

Practically the only tradition I've managed to keep alive, because... this blog's got no updates outside of this yearly post. Basically, with Kisno's lore, I determined his birthday to be on April 2nd.

The reason for that, I'll just say something happened ten years ago to the day, left me in such a dark cloud. It's still pretty personal so I don't really want to elaborate too much, but I do want to finally at least share a part of it.

I still sometimes think back to it and wondered if it was just a very cruel April Fools joke, but technically it all took place in the wee hours of the next early morning. Even though I had class that day and I shouldn't have stayed up, I didn't care because I tried to mend things, to no avail. With the rest of the day feeling super numb.

All because I had this random idea of wanting to start my own Nerdling blog, and it came crashing down from there.

It didn't happen immediately but a couple of months later, after I felt better and separated myself from the scenario as a whole, I thought up of this comfort character, just thoughts that would pop up and then a couple sketches being drawn and a simple outline. That's where Kisno came to be. This... interesting Koopaling who was then written to be Nerdling's old friend, turned co-star of the blog. Writing and drawing about Kisno really helped me move past what happened. I was writing A LOT of stories with this Koop... and I hope those stories aren't lost to time, I need to dive deep into my hard drive.

But when it came back to that particular day, I wanted to focus on replacing it with something a little more positive. Instead of, "Oh, it's the day where this happened." I could now say "Oh my gosh, it's Kisno's birthday!"

Thought I'd write a little story time since it has already been that long, and I hardly think about it anymore. Heck, compared to how I was before when recalling it gave me chills and butterflies in my stomach; now when I think back, all I can really think about is Kisno's birthday and my head no longer brings me back to that night, so... it worked!

Any who, what did Kisno get for his birthday this year? Aside from oodles of goodies from today's Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, how about a WHOLE FREAKING NEW CHARACTER?!

Well, okay, they're not a Koopaling. They won't be joining the blog. They're not even related to Mario! But they are a character that's not specifically tied to any kind of IP... They're actually a character that I wanted to represent myself a bit more personally. I think you know where I'm going with this so I'll stop there. :')

Thing is, they're still unfinished. STILL, unfinished. I thought up of them almost two and a half years ago, and I'm still wishy-washy about it. Character creation is already hard, but... creating a character for ME?! Goddess of Hylia, help me...

So, they're in the hazy, "?" Super Smash Bros. mystery character silhouette for now. I may drop a couple hints on some of my socials but... that remains to be seen.

Hope you're all doing well and taking care of yourselves! See you next year! This has become a thing, why stop now? =w=;;; ))

[askthenerdling]

Kisno's been gifted a power-up and it's no wonder he's having fun with it!

((Another year goes by, another revisit for this curious Koop. With Super Mario Wonder coming out back in October, a game I still haven't finished. :') I wanted to let Kisno have a little fun with that new power-up! I could've given him the Elephant Fruit but... they weren't in season yet...

Still enjoy drawing him to this day. ;v; Also, purple looks really lovely on him. ;v; ))

[askthenerdling]

Kisno: “Almost got me with that one, Clawroline!”

((It’s pretty much become a tradition now where every year, I would post a little thing for Kisno here. As I made April 2nd to be his birthday for a variety of reasons. Kinda spontaneous decision a while back but I’ve since embraced the idea.

Originally it was gonna be Kisno receiving a new video game as a gift. But then I had him playing, and then I made it late at night- just for funsies. Haven’t drawn ‘dark’ scenes like this in forever. I feel the last time I did, it was a ninja frog in front of a computer.

As for who got him the gift? Welllll, that can really be anyone. I know Nerdling’s around Kisno a lot, but I like playing with the idea Kisno knows other folk out there, as unseen fellows.

Maybe some day, this blog will come back to life. ;v; ))

[askthenerdling]

Kisno: “He doesn’t forget.”

((Even though this blog’s not very active anymore, every year, I have the need to draw a little something for this Koop. His birthday being on April 2nd is an entire story and a half but this character means a lot to me so why not give him some time to celebrate?

Last year’s was a bit melancholic, so it’s nice to see him smile again! <3))

[askthenerdling]

Reflections...

Kisno: “What a difference time makes...”

((Well well, here we are again. Just like last year, and the year before- I celebrate a little day for the Koopaling above. I established this date to be his birthday and- I always felt the need to do something for it.

This year I wanted to do something a little different. There was this story I’ve always wanted to tell on this blog- which was how Kisno suddenly ended up on Nerdling’s ask blog and where he came from. He seemingly came out of nowhere and while I did have something planned, throughout time, I just kept adjusting the story and never seeming to find solid ground with it, but by now, I’ve kinda got a good idea of which direction I wanted to go with.

As for this piece specifically, this was something I did on my sole day off of the week and honestly- I’m a bit surprised. I struggled a lot to draw anything for a while. The only times I did was when I cracked open my sketchbook and drew several quickies for others. But to sit down and focus on one work like this... I did do a major no-no as an artist and not looked at any references when I seriously should. So I’ll definitely take any mistakes on the chin, but this was really me pouring my mind out in a visual sense. I’ll probably revisit it in the future, while looking at references and with a well-rested head.

That being said, I also wanted to bring forth an update on what I’ve been doing- as in, the mod. As the case with so many, countless unexpected things happened in the last year alone. Certainly way too much to list here, and just thinking about it is not easy. As the year wrapped up and I let a lot sink in, dozens of thoughts crossed my mind. There are so many things, not just last year, but years prior where I could’ve handled/solved situations differently and had better outcomes. Now, I wanna take my time. Reflecting on what I can do to be better and improve myself. Physically, mentally, and all else. To stop dwelling in the past and start acknowledging instead. Just, day by day, I’ll get there. Bare with me, I’m not the fastest at it, but I do want to achieve that growth.

Hope every single one of you is doing well. This went on a bit longer that I expected, but it’s a good thing to air it all out, y’know? I’m sure I would’ve had more to say and I probably do, but for now, I’ll wrap it up.

Take care of yourselves.))

[askthenerdling]

Another Year~

Nerdling: “GUESS WHOSE BIRTHDAY IT IS TODAAAAY~”

Kisno: “Ay! Where’d you come from? Don’t sneak up on me like that, I could’ve knocked on ya.”

Nerdling: “It’s fine, I just had to drop by and wish you a happy birthday!”

Kisno: “D’aaw, what? Thank you so much, you little pibb!”

Nerdling: All right, now lemme take this off- *Yanks at his strap*”

Kisno: “Hey! Hey! Don’t pull at my goggles, you’ll break them! What are you tryin’ to do?!”

Nerdling: “You need to put this blindfold on, and this cap, it’s your birthday and I’ve got a surprise for you!”

Kisno: “A surprise, huh? Hasn’t your grand entrance been a surprise enough?”

Nerdling: “No! But you’ll love this, I promise!”

Kisno: “Oh, fine. I can take off my own goggles, thanks. Gimme that thing, and- you can keep the cap.”

Nerdling: “It’s your birthday, you! >:3 *plops the cap on his head*”

Kisno: “Aw, come on! *adjusts his hair* All right, it’s on, blindfold’s on... You’re not pranking me, are you? April 1st is over, you know.”

Nerdllng: “Why would I prank my best friend? Here it is, you can look now!”

Kisno: “Gee, Nerdling! You... shouldn’t have. =w=“

Nerdling: “Weeeelll? Didn’t I tell ya? Isn’t it great?”

Kisno: “It’s... New Horizons?”

Nerdling: “C’mon! You know you wanna play it~ You can build your own island from the ground up!”

Kisno: “Fine, fine, I’ll give it a try!”

[nintendask-secret-santa]

I couldn’t find the correct color for his stomach or muzzle, so I blended a lot of similar colors to get something close, it was fun drawing this guy! Happy holidays, Nerdling, and a have a happy New year!

To: @askthenerdling​

From: @cartoonkoopalings​

[askthenerdling]

((WAAAH!! ;A; LOOK AT HIM!! A KISNO IN A BOX, THE BEST GIFT EVER!! ;___; Thank you so much omg, he’s so adorable <3 <3 <3

I’m gonna hug him forever ;__; ))

[askthenerdling]

*running to Kisno* *huff huff* Hey, I hope I’m not late! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! *gives Kisno a gift*

Kisno: Heyo there! Sorry I gotcha so late, I got your gift, thanks so much!

[askthenerdling]

((Just a little personal art this time around for this particular day. April 2nd, I’ve made to be Kisno’s birthday.

Kisno’s not reflecting anyone I know, or once knew, by the way. It’s just that, this Koop means a whole lot to me. I love drawing him and having him around. And with him being all smiles on his special day, hopefully he puts a smile on everyone else. <3 ))

[askthenerdling]

Hey Nerdling, so I see you and Kisno are best friends. But I’m curious though, do you have a crush on him?😘

Nerdling: Okay… what can I say… we’ve known each other for a while… since we were young. And then we kinda drifted apart… now we’re back. When he popped up it was like- you know, I never forgot about him and now he’s here. I’ve always looked up to him… and he’s really cool.

I’m trying not to blush, too. But he’s seen that on me, especially when he gets all cheeky with me, heh… I think he needs to be here, ‘cause maybe I can tell him a little something…

[askthenerdling]

Kisno, why does your eyes look so dark?

Kisno: Don’t know if you didn’t notice, but these things have pretty dull lenses. So, of course they’re gonna make my eyes look dark.

[askthenerdling]

Have you heard of the “Koopa Bros” by any chance??

Kisno: SHUSDSSHHH!!! DON’T SAY THEIR NAME! HE’S GONNA HEAR YO-

Nerdling: I wrote my thesis on the Koopa Bros.!!!! There’s just so much you need to know about them.

Kisno: Anon! You woke the monster! I am going to tear you a new-

Nerdling: Did you know that each one has a nickname that’s based on their ranks?? Red goes by “Leader Bro,” Black goes by “Big Bro,” Yellow goes by “Kid Bro,” and Green goes by “Baby Bro!”

Did you know that Green went on to participate in a couple events, like racing? For a Troopa who seems all around shy, he’s pretty outgoing!

Sometimes I look at Koopa Red and think he’s the scariest but then I think of Koopa Black and his composure, and that’s what sets him apart from Red, because when you tick him off, oh boy, you’ll wish you’d never been born! He’s got a stare that can scare the daylights out of you!

Yellow’s notorious for having such a bottomless pit for a stomach! He can eat almost anything except eggs, and it’s so rare that he actually suffers from any sort of tummy ache!

We don’t see them in recent games ‘cause they do work a whole lot behind the scenes! Without them, who knows where Bowser would be? I mean- why can’t we have more of them?!

All this info is several years old by now- but I can write a whole new one if I learn more about how they are today! But lemme dive further into their backstory and-

Kisno: FOR ALL THAT IS GOOD AND HOLY, SOMEONE MAKE HIM STOP!

[askthenerdling]

I find the small Koopaling tasty, but the tall one doesn't look as appetizing.

Nerdling: ….I, don’t know how to answer this…? Uh, don’t eat me! >:( I prefer to live and not be steamed. And this isn’t the blog for that.

Kisno: Whaddya mean I’m “not as appetizing”..?

Nerdling: I won’t judge if that’s something you like, I just- don’t really like thinking about it!

Kisno: You don’t think shady anons would eat me..?

Nerdling: Maybe it’s the fact that you’ll never be seen again, I mean, how else can you survive that??

……

Kisno: I mean…. Yeah, what Nerd said. Not the blog for that.

[askthenerdling]

Are you both boyfriends? lovers?

Kisno: Lovers? Well of course! I love messing with this Koop. He’s such a big ol’ ball of nerd, you can’t help but poke at him all the time and give him the ol’ spin-a-roo!

…As for your question, nah. We’re none of that, just friends bein’ friend.

Nerdling: Ki–i-i-i-i-i-snooo!! Pu-u-ut m-e-e- d-o-o-wn!!

[askthenerdling]

Do you admire your own padded paws?

Nerdling: …Well that’s kind of an odd ask… I uh, well, they’re definitely useful if I need to go anywhere rocky. Koopalings like myself don’t usually wear shoes.

Although the same can’t be said for Koopa Troopas, they don’t have padded feet, so that explains why they need to wear shoes. Admiring their usefulness, of course! Admiring them for- admiring them, uh, not really. ;v;

[askthenerdling]

Kisno, show us what your eyes look like!

Kisno: Oh, now I’m part of this trope? Gee, figured I would get an ask like this sooner or later. I don’t have to hide them, I can show them off now and get it over with!

...But now this sounds like heaps of fun messing with ya, I’m in on this motif.

You wanna see ‘em? Fine. You just gotta catch me without them, or have my goggles fly off my head... what else is there- uh, be a special somebody, okay?

Kisno: Where’d you come from?! You don’t count! Go poke at that Roy guy with this, get out of ‘ere!