So sorry for the delay! I underestimated how long this ome would take.
This one will be a tiny bit different, since this is an AU that I'm actively working on. You can actually read this one! Because of that, this post will avoid spoilers.
Anyways! What do we have today?
Unstable Recovery!
Based off of: The Amazing Digital Circus (mostly episode 9)
...and fueled by my obsession with computer science.
Synopsis:
It's been 9 months since Caine got deleted to who knows where. Caine returned, sure, but everything still holds scars...
To Pomni, everyone might as well have moved on. But she hasn't. She still remembers what she say the day Jax abstracted, and she does everything she can to keep him in the loop. When she finds a book that claims Jax could come back- to be part of the group again... Pomni takes it. She'll do anything to give a second chance, even if it kills her.
Caine, meanwhile, has his own problem. He told everyone he'd stop keeping secrets. But he still isn't ready to talk about his past. And everyone seems so interested in prying deeper. So maybe he could tell one more lie- a half-lie. It isn't like those have ever ended badly... right?
More Art:
Fun(?) facts:
Right now the first five chapters have been posted to AO3. POV will swap between Pomni and Caine (though more Pomni than Caine, ngl).
The basic plot outline has been drafted, and it looks like there will be 30 chapters.
I somehow managed to write the entirety of chapter 27 before I could finish Zooble's monologue in chapter 4. 27 was just some divine inspiration, I guess.
AU was inspired by an old headcannon I once had about Abstractions. That HC fuels a lot of this AU, causing the fic to lean into as much computer science as I can get my grubby hands on.
Hey! Just a head's up, but today's Lore Library is gonna be late (took too long to make enough art for it).
So I guess I'll just use this time to ask about a bug. For some reason I keep seeing my inbox as having 4 things in it... but every time I click to check I only see one? The number fixes itself after that but then it happens again? Does this happen to anyone??
Oh, "Make another Fanfic," I told myself. "It will be a lot shorter than the last one," I thought.
Yeah, sure, it is shorter than the last one... but by 13-15 chapters.
The last one was FOURTY-THREE CHAPTERS. IT TOOK OVER FIVE HOURS TO READ!!!
THIS ONE IS THIRTY!!! THAT'S STILL NOT SHORT!!!
Anyways here's some sketches I've been making to get in the zone for what I've been writing for the past two months. I'll talk about it more on Monday!
If these are somehow enough to interest you, the link to chapter one is right here! Assuming I don't hit a roadblock (or have another hit of the AO3 curse), fic should update every three days.
Monday time! You know what that means? LORE LIBRARY! :D
This week's topic?
In Your Head!
Aka the Ghost Irratino AU
Based off of: Murdle Volumes 1 & 2
Synopsis: this takes place sometime after V1 Case 45. Logico goes to the prison to "solve the murder of Inspector Irratino..." only to find that Irratino isn't there. In fact, he's apparently been dead for years now. But... but that doesn't make sense-
...and he just had to go double check on the grave, huh? The ghostly man begs for the Deductive's help, saying he's the only one that can sove his death and how much he thinks it wasn't an accident.
Logico doesn't believe in ghosts, but... if there's truly a murder to be solved, maybe doing this will make him feel less crazy.
Art:
Fun facts & more lore:
This is the AU that has the really large fanfic I talked about! It has around 4-5 logic puzzles in it, with the last one being solvable using only the plot of the book!
The book has 42 chapters, was fully uploaded Christmas day 2024, and according to Wattpad takes over 5.5 hours to read.
Being a book, it has OCs when needed. The main one is Inspector Goldenrod, one of Irratino's cousins. She solves cold cases and doesn't think before she speaks.
While making this book, I also developed a "ghost dictionary/manual" that the characters read from time to time. The I never finished writing the dictionary, but the draft has much more lore than what the fanfic divulges.
The fanfic has two content warnings: one for references to abuse, and another for a scene involving saltine crackers... no I will not explain.
I went to a courthouse and watched a trial to learn how the legal system works for the fic. Before you ask, the trial was open to the public.
I do have a plot in mind if I ever made a sequel fic, but I currently have no plans to work on it.
How about round two for AU lore dump Monday? (I need a better name for this...)
Today, we got:
The Tower!
Based off of: Animator vs Animation (episode 6... ish.)
Synopsis:
It was supposed to be simple- help The Chosen One flee from some mercenaries and go back to a normal life. But The Second Coming was not prepared for the oncoming fight. He was not prepared for a tazer dart to his side. He was NOT prepared for them to take Chosen while he was blacked out.
And now, here he was, lost in a forest... alone. Or, well, rather... alone with three ghosts claiming to be his past lives.
He had never seen them before- they were nothing like him! They had different colors, some had powers, and none of them seemed to be friendly with Alan. But maybe they could help him? Maybe they could break into Chosen's prison and get him out. Or maybe not. Maybe they'd all just fight over who got to use his body.
There was one thing that was certain, however...
He was never going to have a normal day again, huh?
Art:
Additional plot notes:
So, there isn't too much to talk about: I'm waiting for Season 3 to be finished before I finalize what happens in "The Tower." But- I can talk about the ghosts.
There are three of them, being named Victim, Killer, and BEAST respectively. Victim is the oldest, while BEAST is the youngest (and also the strongest).
The ghost form of Victim is a clone/a copy that didn't escape in time during Victim's season 1 clone shenanaigans.
Killer and BEAST do NOT get along AT ALL, with Killer being more lawful evil and BEAST being a chaotic good.
Victim (ghost) is very much neutral, believing he didn't live long enough to really care.
When a ghost posesses TSC, they force his soul out of his body. He can do the same to return, but the others (minus Victim) tend to run off before he can try.
There is a GvA version of this AU, and all of the ghosts have TDO as their acronym.
Fun fact: I started working on this AU before AvsA Season 3 came out- with a gang of three (non-Alan) Chosen Ones taking the role of antagonists. After watching Wanted, I realized I could reflavor my AU by using people/places seen in that episode. That's also when I added the ghosts!
Funny story: last week's Lore Library was supposed to be the fourth in the series. But I accidentally scheduled it for June instead of July. So... yeah... I had to frantically rework this post to match the current formatting. ANYWAYS- today's AU?
JSAR!
(AKA Just Shapes and Redemption)
Based off of: Just Shapes and Beats
Synopsis:
It's been 8 years since the Monster was defeated. 6 years since the Treeangle went missing. So Nova(the Square) and the team she gathered to beat up the monster have been spending their time cleaning up the corruption the Tree never caught. It's been a slow process, but it's been moving faster since Sunny (the Triangle) brought on Devon, a pinkish-red septagon with a scar on his forehead. He seems to know a lot about the corruption- how to cure it AND how to handle it without breaking.
Well, one day a hexagon named... well.. Hex... comes in. She claims she's Sunny's sister and blames Devon for everything that's happened to her. The thing is... nobody there knows her. Not even her "sister." And she seems to be corrupted- a pink liquid courses through her constantly.
But it seems Hex wasn't lying after all... The corruption is spreading again. And if nobody starts speaking out about how it spread to begin with...
Then they might have to deal with worse than the Monster.
Art:
Fun facts and more Lore:
This AU mostly revolves around Sunny (the triangle), Hex (a hexagon OC), and Devon. Specifically, their ties to the source of JSAB's corruption.
Sunny and Hex were originally born corrupted. Both grew up in the heart of the corruption.
Devon, believe it or not, is NOT an OC. At least, I don't count him as one. He's a victim of the corruption, but also the Monster that caused it to spread.
Sunny calls the Monster Dep, and mourned him when he was defeated. She was the first to join Nova's crew.
The Treangle makes blue/"guardian" shapes when threatened. Only one "active" guardian is out at a time.
This means... Dep was defeated by a literal newborn and the three teenagers/adults she convinced to come with her.
Sunny wears a pink triangle on her belt. It is the triangle Devon used to teach her how to uncorrupt.
Level triangles can be dangerously addictive in this AU, especially when they puncture a shape's skin.
Since I am working on the Lore Library now, I decided to play a bit of a game! I like to socialize by having people guess things. So... I have a number in mind. That number is the exact number of OCs I have made in my lifetime.
How many OCs do you think I have?
1-50
51-100
101-200
201-300
301-350
350+
There's NO way you know the EXACT number.
Voting ended onJul 6
You can probably get an idea for how many I have by scanning my blog, but maybe I haven't shared a lot! Here's some that might help you get a feeling for what I've made over the years.
Okay- I want to try something new this week! I have a lot of stories (AUs and original)... and since my love is in worldbuilding, why don't I divulge in what I've made? So, what's first on our list? How about:
Shattered Souls!
Based off of: Cuphead (base game)
Synopsis:
"The shattered souls of Blue and Red. One in the heart, one in the head."
Mugman's life is in shambles.
One moment, he's watching his brother gamble their lives away. Watching him go on a quest across the isles to fix it.
...Alone. Because Mugman is "too fragile." He had to fight to help combat the debtors. A journey he found solace in.
...The next thing he knew, Mugman was running for his life, taking all the contracts he and his brother collected. Cuphead was no more. He gave up his quest so he could save everyone else.
Mugman included.
Everything else is a blur. But nowadays, he lives with Elder Chalice and Collin. Collin is... what's left of Cuphead. A demonic shell of his former self. He doesn't know why Collin hangs around with him and the debtors. It's still torture either way.
A storm is brewing. If nobody defeats the Devil, he's bound to take definitive action. But how can Mugman act when the hero he's always looked up to now sides with the villain?
...And what happens if the Devil isn't their biggest threat?
Art:
Fun facts & More Lore:
While Cuphead needed a potion for the powers, Mugman was born with his. This results in the cracks all over his body.
The boys have magical jewelry that shows their stats & equipped items/attacks.
This AU is hard to recite to other people. Most of my stories I can recite the events, like telling a friend about a movie they say they'll never see. This one... I can give everything but a plot analysis.
My notes on this date back to 2020.
"Wally sued his healthcare providers" -my notes.
What's in my notes:
Why all the debtors sold their soul.
Everyone's eye color (Cuphead has 3 different entries on that list)
Debtor appearances before/after selling their soul.
What happens when the Devil finalizes a contract.
2 prophecies, both written in rhyme.
A description of the Calix Animi, who I was planning on making the antagonists after the Devil was defeated.
What's not in my notes:
A timeline of events.
How each (applicable) character got ahold of the contracts.
I am horrible at grasping the scope of my ideas. I'm not talking about Scope Creep. I'm talking "Oh this story Idea I just came up with is 20 times larger than I think it is."
I love storytelling, but struggle with turning the plot in my head into a readable story. Like I got the plot but not the dialogue.
My pride and joy is mostly in the worldbuilding.
So I think, once I start posting regularly, that I'll start showing off AU ideas and concepts I've made for my hyperfixations.
What that means for Cyber!Charles? The comic/AU that's in my pinned post (cause I thought I could get a page out every week)?
I... I don't know. I've proven to myself before that I can finish my projects, but the question is if I can finish before I lose motivation. (More details below. Post is long)
I honestly think Cyber!Charles would fare better as an Ao3 story rather than a comic. I burn out FAST with comics, but I still want to tell that story.
The big success story is "In Your Head," an AU I made for Murdle V1 & V2... the fanfic took almost a year to write. Some "oh it's going to be a short project" of mine took almost 365 days to write and supposedly takes 5-6 hours to read.
Right now I'm working on a TADC Ao3 fic. I don't know how long it will be, but my attention is on that for the moment. When I'm done with it, I think I'll convert the Cyber!Charles prologue into a written story, too. I also don't know when the story would end, but I remember the main plotpoints, so that's a good start.
...
But I have a problem with scope creep in my fics, too. I see a story, think people like it, and then try to push it much farther than I intended. What ends up happening is that I get burnt out. Fast.
I am NOT good with scope. And for the promises I've made about stuff I don't finish... I'm sorry. Even if the only person I'm apologizing to is myself.
I think this blog might end up becoming a place where I just loredump about all the worlds (original or AU) I've made over the years. You know... if if means I keep those stories alive, then I don't think I failed in telling them.
Favorite Colour: Green, gold, or red depending on the day
Last Song: Change The Formality by Infected Mushroom
Currently Reading/Watching: The only media I'm consuming right now is Slay The Princess and that's a game. Sorry!
Currently Craving: Painkillers
Coffee or Tea: I love both so so much :( but coffee I guess since its like my brand
ummmmmm @problemcore @goldeneclipsee @microwavethecat1 @moss-the-clown-guy @idontdrinkgatorade @cryptic-vale funny how most of these are tbcu people... anywayz anyone else can join in too :]
Currently reading: The hunger games Catching fire!
Currently craving: sushi….
Coffee or tea: hmmmm, coffee but it’s close
No pressure tags!! @pawsdraws @field-s-of-flowers @jesskasb @nyaz-chys @acesophiewalten @forecast-rain @zephlampeee @ace-and-the-rpg-horrors @iamthepulta or anyone else who’s like to participate!
Favorite colour: both pink & purple, so typically say magenta.
Currently Reading: Well I started writing this I was reading Murdle Vol. 3... Now? It's a bunch of TADC AO3 fics (Think of Tomorrow has me in a chokehold). Though if we're talking last thing I read, it was a paper for work.
Last song: was something on the radio... forget what. But I know I had Transmissions (STARSET album) on yesterday.
Currently Watching: Youtube. It is 90% Youtube, 10% Dropout (I swear I need to get off Youtube more often)
More of the Heartful AU as I've been dubbing it, pretty much an entire potential character and redemption arc for Caine where he's brought back from being deleted and he's no longer in charge of, well, anything really except for his own actions.
And it begins with Pomni sucker punching a heart she conjured into his chest. (Though no one except for really Kinger knows that it's nothing more than a placebo)
When the humans are building a world for themselves in the ruins of another, he has to build himself up from nothing. He wasn't coded to be empathetic or genuine, or to even love himself... But doesn't stop him from learning how to.
Has anyone ever heard of @thegvaconnoisseurs Animator vs Animation AU? It's a really cool swap AU called GvA. If you're in the AvG discord you've probably heard about it, but I still think it needs more love.
So! I made some fanart! Except I don't have any paper and the only whiteboard marker I could find was black... Hopefully you can tell who is who!
Oct. 2023 was my first ever inktober. I didn't get through all of them, but I got a decent portion. I used a mix of Inktober, Sticktober, and Goretober.
I decided to limit my canvas size to a single index card, which allowed me to mess with techniques and attributes I don't usually get to.
I'm not gonna show all of them, but here's a highlight reel (minus Goretober).
(Images below the read more!)
Day 1: Dream
My very first Inktober piece! Triangle Head (the guy Space is dreaming about) is an actual character I've dreamt of; his appearance marked the end of my reoccurring nightmares.
Day 7: Drip
By now, I was taking more than a day on certain pieces. This was one of them. I really wanted to show off my abyss lady's goop-ness.
Day 12: Spicy
Space returns again with her pal Mushi. This time to mess with lighting as I show why I have a -1 spice tolerance.
Day 13: Tool
Here's probably my favorite Sticktober piece. This is based off an AU of mine called Autosaved, where Dark (nicknamed Darce) is making a set of crutches for Red. Why? Well... maybe I'll reupload the story sometime! ; )
Anyways, this is my first time using this lighting style, and I am all over it.
Idk if this is the finished piece, but it's what I got in my phone so...
Day 16 and 17 were Angel and Demon, respectively, so I took two days to work on this piece. One day for the characters, and another day for the background. These two are OCs that both have a crush on eachother.
I was asked to do a portrait of Conan Gray this morning during our live and I only got to finish the inks because I was having so much fun with their hair.
So, I'm uploading the inks for anyone who wants to color along with me.
Wait- how did I not know you were on Tumblr!
If nobody reading this knows who Scott is, he is an amazing artist on TikTok & Youtube who I found while scrolling through shorts one day. Love his process and he streams his stuff often.
Beach days: love 'em or hate 'em, they're definitely a unique time.
Around three weeks ago (give or take) I started working on a love letter to the Murdle fandom. I grabbed as many Irratino designs as I could (one per creator) and threw them all in a Draw-the-Squad template. Today, I am finally done.
This was my first time doing a Draw-the-Squad, so hopefully I did it right! I also wanted to challenge myself to represent the styles of everyone I put in there: that includes line color and shading. I think it adds to just how creative everyone here is: all of our designs look so different from one another, even though we have the same info to go off of.
If you didn't see your design, then I'm sorry. Eleven characters is a lot to work with, and I really tried to include everyone I could.
My sources are under the read more, along with a little blurb for each one:
@itzr4v3n. This is a mix of her Gacha design and non-Gacha design. It was too hard to choose!
@coconutvoid. I really hope I did the red outfit justice. I love this design's facial expressions.
@dreaming-mushroom. Super sweet person: when I showed the first WIP to the fan discord they helped me out with the colors.
KitKat (Discord). Pigeon Irratino! I went with Kat's Vol. 2 design: I'm a sucker for scars.
@snozzlefrog: specifically her mermaid AU. A lot of the memes I found early on in my Murdle hyperfixation can be traced back to Snozzlefrog, so I knew I had to put one of her designs in here.
Me! My three-eyed, triangle-headed guy.
@marble-running. The only art of him I could find was on paper, so I decided to emulate that. I think it looks great.
@ruburnz. This is such a unique style, and any excuse I get to pull out the opacity brushes I will eat right up.
@berrypass-de-murdler. I think a goat is a really fun spin on things, and everyone I know just adores the design.
@puffydove. I was told Dove's design has a glitter phone case, and who doesn't love that?
@greenunless. I have this one listed in my file as "Fun Glasses." I LOVE this design.
Draw the Squad Source/Base by @copperyy: https://copperyy.tumblr.com/post/142089297465/happy-april-fools-day-heres-a-draw-the-squad
I really cannot emphasize enough how much I LOVE all of your designs/work. If I did we'd be here all day!