Rosie’s familiar is Pippin, a red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) . His fur is rich shades of auburn with a pale underbelly; his eyes are gold and he wears a tiny ear cuff to differentiate himself from his non-magebound kin. He helps Rosie by gathering small reagents for magic, acting as a kitchen helper, and as a “lets not blow up the city just yet” sort of moral compass.
Pippin was something of a belated sixteenth birthday gift for Rosie. While recovering from the injuries she sustained when a feral boar attacked her on her birthday, she and Asra would take walks throughout the various marketplaces in Vesuvia as a way to regain the strength in her legs. On one such visit through one of the many meat markets in the Heart District, she felt a strange pull to one of the cages in a vendor’s stall.
The cage was small, the dull mesh barely containing the dozens of frightened squirrels that swarmed inside. Through the frenzy, she met the eyes of a squirrel who sat in the eye of the storm.
‘Hallo? Can ya hear me?’ A tiny, desperate voice echoed through her mind as she leaned closer. ‘Please, lass, tell me ya can hear-’
“Wee beastie?” Rosie breathed. She knew of familiars, her aunt's old gelding and her dearest friend’s serpent, but she never thought-
‘Ya can!’ The squirrel sprang at the bars, but Rosie didn’t flinch.
‘Please lass, get me outta here, they mean to kill us!’ The squirrel’s tiny hand frantically reached through the cage at her.
‘Seared, souped, and fried! Please, I don’t wanna die!’
Rosie smiled, reaching out a finger for the squirrel to grasp. She had started to fear she would never meet her familiar.
“Dunnae worry, little one.”
She glanced over her shoulder—Asra was looking through the stacks of parchment the trapper’s wife made. He was always so particular about them, preferring certain textures or color for his spells.
“Asra,” Rosie swayed over to him, her voice a honeyed sing-song as she draped her arms over his shoulders.
“Rosie,” he returned her song, his cloudy curls tickling her skin as he turned. “Which do you think?” He held up two nearly identical parchment sheets.
“I think I’ve found my familiar,” she grinned, resting her head against him.
“Really?” The indigo of his eyes danced. “Why didn’t you say so?”
“Just did,” she laughed, taking his hand in hers and twirling before leading him back to the cage.
“A squirrel? Hm, I would have thought your familiar would be more feline.”
Rosie had thought so as well, or if not a cat, some breed of horse. Both her aunt and mother’s familiars had been horses. Regardless, she already felt a deep fondness for the squirrel.
“You mentioned a ‘belated birthday gift’,” Rosie grinned, tangling her fingers in the trim of his shawl. “D’ya think-”
“Of course!” Asra smiled brightly as he pulled her into a tight hug. “Your familiar, oh, Rosie!”
They both laughed as he spun them around, gleeful and proud.
‘Excuse me!’ The squirrel’s voice echoed in her mind again, no longer panicked but instead slightly annoyed.
“Oh, sorry!” Rosie knelt down again, running her hands over the cage, searching for the latch. “We’ll get you out of there.”
Her nails clinked against the latch. She could hear Asra speaking with the trapper, but couldn’t bear the thought of her familiar being caged any longer.
The squirrel scurried up her arm, his fur soft as his tail brushed against her skin where he’d nestled on her shoulder.
“There, there, you’re safe now, wee beastie,” Rosie purred as she rifled through her bag, offering him a handful of seeds. “An’ what’s your name, then?”
The squirrel chattered indistinctly, before she heard him speak again.
‘-but you wouldn’t b’able to say that. So call me whatever you like.”
He seemed truly relieved and unbothered, happily chewing away at the seeds in her hand.
“Oh, sorry,” The trapper had lumbered over, burlap sack in hand. “Did you need-?”
“No, no, we’re fine! Thank you,” Asra waved as he hooked his arm in hers. “All set?”
They left the stall, Rosie’s face still split in a grin as she scratched the squirrel’s chin.
“What to call you, hm?”
“He doesn’t have a name?” Asra watched the squirrel, who was now carefully picking out the tiny knots in Rosie’s curls.
“He said I wouldn’a be able to say it,” she giggled. “Squirrel-speak.”
“Acorn, maybe?”
The squirrel huffed indignantly.
“He says that’s the name of five of his cousins,” Rosie laughed. “How did you name Faust?”
At the mention of her name, the serpent poked her head out of Asra’s bag. The sun glittered on her iridescent scales as she nosed curiously at her master’s hand.
“Ah, her name was simple,” Asra smiled as she wound up his arm. “Taken from a story my mother used to read to me, before she went away…” he trailed off, his expression only briefly clouding. “It’s funny, I can’t remember much of it, I can only remember the name, Faust.”
“Aye, but it fits her,” Rosie brushed the squirrel’s tail as he shimmied around her neck, keen to put distance between himself and the python. “She didn’a tell you?”
“She was a baby,” Asra smiled. “She had only just hatched.”
They stopped to rest under one of the many lantern trees, snacking on dried fruits and nuts as their familiars curiously introduced. Rosie watched the squirrel—how even in the relaxed shade of the tree he was alert, his eyes a bright, shiny gold as he took in the world around them. Visibly intelligent, even moreso than a regular squirrel.
A vindictive Hedge Witch who will do anything to protect what she loves.
Its been some time, hasn't it ?
New intro post for Rosie - cooked up just in time for @arcana-echoes !
Born on the outskirts of Vesuvia, Rosie has kept to herself for the most part, never venturing too far from the forest, her garden, or the local tavern. Her quiet life will soon be upended though, and she will have no choice but to meet the future with bared tooth and claw.
🌹 Playlist
🌹 General Tag (grab bag of everything - art, writing, and shitposts.)
🌹 Aesthetic tag
Her Sun sign is Aries ♈︎ ; her Moon sign is Leo ♌︎
5'8" // 173 cm tall; curvaceous and visibly strong.
Her magic is focused on hearth, home, and garden. She has deep connection to the 8th Tarot, Strength. The manifestation of her magic is closely tied to her emotions, and can be seen in the form of teal colored sparks crackling over her fingers.
Her familiar is a Red Squirrel (Sciurus Vulgaris) named Pippin. She rescued him from the meat market many years ago. He frequently helps her in the kitchen and garden, brining her ingredients or small tools as needed. He often scolds her and tries to keep her from flying too much off the handle.
Her main Love Interests are Julian, Muriel, and Portia.
A retelling of she and Julian's story can be found here. (Perpetual WiP, but hey there's 20 chapters already!)
Based this girlie on the very popular 909 dachshund. Very pleased with how she turned out, I modified the design to fit the mould better (i.e., added pink on the tail to make up for the fact that the polka dots on the ears aren't easily visible from the front.
Aradia for @homestucklineup ! Submission version and a variant with a quick background.
Initially I was going to do the fashion mini style I've done in the past, but given the size requirements I figured there was no reason to not do something detailed, that and I do still love the interpretation of her outfit I drew on the lineup I did a few years ago.
RIP Nepetavember gang sorry the month took a dive into the shitter with my cat getting sick (he's better now, but he's 15 years old so I'm sure you can understand how worried I was) and I also had the worst period I've ever had so you can see how stuff fell by the wayside...
Anyway. Should have some new stuff soon like more fashion minis, and I DO still want to draw up the trickster design(s) I had in mind for Nep
Something I am going to do going forward with Nepeta-vember's Fashion Fridays is plan them out with these little paper dolls, and also because I can compile them together in a fashion board at the end of the month.
Cheated a tiny bit with todays Nepetavember entry - but I wanted to get some kind of collage / vision board together for when I draw her trickster outfit for tomorrow's Fashion Friday! :3
Now that they've arrived home safe and sound, I can share pictures of these little guys!
A surprise gift for my dear friend @bottomvalerius <3
These are 3D printed resin models from Sunny's Pet Garden, an artist who makes amazing Littlest Pet Shop inspired creations
