Main blog: Sleepvines In a world where modernity and arcane science go hand in hand, where the lines between the fantastical and mundane blur, the denizens of Hodpod find themselves in an era of peace and freedom. Contemporary technology and fantasy meet slice of life as odd characters find ways to enrich their lives.
You’re welcome to send as many asks as you’d like, directed at the characters or not. No lewd or sensitive topics please! Roleplay is welcome!
So what’s HodPod?
Hodpodge (HodPod) is a setting for my miscellaneous characters, and is relatively lax & for fun! It takes place on an alternate earth with a renewed flow of magic in the modern era, leading to new discoveries and possibilities! "People" ranges anywhere from humans to anthropomorphic creatures, constructs, and so on. It's common for folks to change appearances for the hell of it anyway!
The setting is very optimistic and low-conflict for slice of life purposes—we like to write more dramatic and troubling situations for story-focused settings usually, so it's nice to change it up. You can expect a lack of things like contemporary warfare and depictions of discrimination, etc. as this is a playspace.
DO NOTE: This doesn't mean the lore is without historical violence, or that characters are without trauma, and/or flaws. The setting is influenced by real life, of course, and is not without its biases, its downsides, and imperfections.
Hodpod mainly focuses on the coastal city of Tercula, and characters within.
Character List (under readmore)
This list is in a perpetual state of change. Some details may be outdated.
Marlin Ford: A marine biologist, and a construct created with the appearance of a blue mammal with glass legs. They work at the local aquarium, and share their enthusiasm for the ocean with their queerplatonic partner Puffin. (Species: Construct, they/them/any pronouns)
Puffin: Marlin’s partner, a banta with an intense interest in the ocean and it’s creatures! (Species: Banta (dream eaters), They/them)
Quay: Once a completely normal orca, Quay was transformed into a person through strange and magical means. He’s learning more about life on the land, and himself! He frequents the aquarium Marlin works at. (Species: Orca?, he/him)
Tooth: Thomas Ruth, or, “Tooth”, is a palaeontologist and friend of Marlin’s! He’s energetic and easygoing. He learned how to shapeshift after years of study, and uses this ability to change into various kinds of dinosaurs/prehistoric creatures! (Species: Human, Dinosaur (???), he/they/it/hae)
Sundae: Puffin’s sibling, a banta who revels in bright colors and summer fun! Sundae has a sweet tooth, they love bright neons and saccharine color schemes. She’s really into fantasy and sci fi. Dreams from Sundae are usually really vivid and wild! (Species: Banta, she/he/they)
Astra: An alteration mage who runs a body-modification parlor. Much like a tattooist, she works hard to alter parts of people’s bodies to what they desire. (Species: Canine, she/they (doesn’t mind he))
Morrigan: A dragon with a grumpy attitude. Morrigan is “friends” with Astra, as she runs the bakery next door to their parlor, and they often interact. (Species: Dragon, she/her)
Cassius: A construct, originally intended to be a pet, but created with unintentional intelligence. He was raised like a son by his creator father, Jed, once it was clear he was sapient. (Species: construct, he/they)
Kat: Kat Boygir is somehow, simultaneously, a high profile food journalist, a casual foodie, and a blogging addict wrapped up in one bubblegum pink hoodie and energetic personality. They’re friends with Sundae and Zeke! (species: catboy (self-identified), they/he/she)
Atlas: A former temple guardian who sought to live a stress-free mortal life once released. She struggles with maintaining her naturally high temper, and toning down her aggression. (species: dragon?, she/they/he)
Zeke: A skateboarder, obsessed with early-mid 2000’s culture. Good friends with Sundae, Kat, and Citrus! (Species: Vampire, xey/xem)
Jed Arcane: A mage and researcher of Arcanium, as well as Cassius’s father. The surname was his deliberate choice. (Species: human, he/him.)
Lydia Erwin: One of Jed’s younger colleagues, and the head of the semi-corporeal metaphysics department. Not very easy to get along with, but passionate about what she does. (Species: human, she/her.)
Spage: One of Erwin’s lab assistants. He frequently has graphic nightmares with a reoccurring plotline. He's a hobbyist artist. (Species: construct, he/they)
Maul: A precursor to Spage, and one of Erwin’s assistants. He has a strong memory and fondness for soft things. He is quite soft himself, and often comforts Spage. (Species: construct, he/him)
Jovia: A cheerful man who loves to make friends as much as he loves to visit the the fantasy faire and cosplay as a knight. Some think he's always putting on an act, but his chivalrous personality and naive nature is genuine. (Species: Unicorn, he/him)
Citrus: An energetic arcade fiend who enjoys the little things in life. Always seems to look on the bright side of things. Good friends with Zeke and Sundae! (Species: Daiten, she/he/they)
Donny: A Banta who loves the beach and his pet reptiles. He's chill, outgoing, and likes to make friends. (Species: Banta, any pronouns)
Earworm: Local DJ, electronic musician, and musical sensation! Earworm is here to provide good beats and a bumpin' atmosphere. Magical sapient hammerhead worm who commissioned a construct body to pilot. Their actual name is Egan! (Species: Hammerhead worm (canonical), Terralien (visual design only), she/he/they)
Kat if she was in Earth2 instead of HodgePodge! I drew this as a paperdoll of sorts to test outfits on but I kindaa ran out of steam to put any polish on the outfit designs haha. Below the readmore is a lil breezy look for him since summer is approaching, and a HodPod compliant ref. This is already pretty darn close to how Kat looks already just without the cat-person bits. And yes, he still has his hair dyed to look like a burger. Wouldn't be Kat without some burger.
It was fun getting more expressive with this one, I focused less on strict anatomy and more on the pose/expression, which I think was really beneficial. A lot of my human art comes out stiff, so I want to work on that!
small update, going to see about toying with more writing-based content here! We still think about hodpod now and then and could use it's bright vibe these days
A breeze ruffles your shirt as you exit the bus, eyes turned towards tall towers and hills, bustling streets full of lively conversation and even livelier crowds. All kinds of people roam the neatly-paved walkways; the sun glints off of a camera lens hung from the neck of a vulpine passerby, a man in a hi-vis vest is taking his lunch break with the rest of the construction crew, and you find your eyes follow the sight of a banta dip into a tattoo parlor, who's cape is already a tapestry of ink. Pines are planted along the city streets alongside ferns, and carpet the landscape wherever the urban sprawl meets the surrounding nature. The cool air of the Puffin Bay rolls past you again. A relief from the summer heat of a long bus ride. From any nagging thoughts still hanging in your head.
The rest of the passengers trickle out, and the bus sputters back into action before slowly ambling away. The purr of the motor fades behind you. Finally, you made it. Tercula.
Where will your curiosity take you? Only time will tell.
Some hodpod stuff I've been sitting on. Spage has frequent nightmares and terrors (based on the previous scrapped iteration of his character and storyline) in which his creator Dr. Erwin made him as fodder for her other creations and he escaped. I thought it would be fun and a low stakes way to keep that part of him alive.
Tercula's most notorious DJ, Earworm! Egan is a magically sapient hammerhead worm who lives in a constructed body. They commissioned it to reap the benefits of having hands, vocal chords, and a way to meaningfully socialize. They don't know their own origins, only that they are a worm, and they're here to party.
This is Donny! They're a banta who keeps their cape hidden so it doesn't get in the way of their fun outfits ;]
He has issues within the part of himself that processes language and speech, so words tend to slide around, and he's got a stutter. Doesn't stop her from talking about all her favourite reptiles though!
Would you go picking shells by the shore with him? 🐚 🏝️ 🦩
Marlin speaking at an ecological conference on the problem with artificial fish being released into the wild.
(Transcript under readmore)
Text reads: "The invasive fish situation is dire. I and my colleagues, of whom may be seated in the audience, have lost countless hours of sleep, effort, and time to the onslaught of magically introduced species."
"We propose that the magical creation of species, fish or not, should occur solely within captivity so as not to interfere with our beautiful natural ecosystems."
"As a constructed creature myself, the ethics surrendered the creation of life are tricky, to put it lightly. There is an incredible amount of skill and passion that goes into creating living beings."
"However... all too often we see 'joke' animals, which disregard the creature's functionality and needs for sake of humor."
Even considering Arcanium and conventional magic, many phenomena go entirely unexplained. There’s a layer to certain things that are untameable in the ways of science. Things that do not have an answer, or, have an answer in line with their own bizarre rules.
There was a decline in magic for an era, which many historians believe had to do with the rise in ecologically damaging practices that have since been curbed. Now, magic has been reinvigorated, and its growth has resulted in many strange and wonderful changes for the world. Populations of magic inclined creatures sharply rose, dormant spirits have returned, and unexplained phenomena is now just another facet of life.
These events are known as The Decay, where magic threatened to wither, and The Bloom, where magic surged back into circulation.
The Post-Bloom world is much different from the Pre-Decay world it once was. The progression of technology and general understanding has changed significantly since then. Magic has assimilated into many Post-Bloom lineages, resulting in naturally acquired nonstandard features in humans, such as tails, fur, animal appearances, anomalous markings and patterns on the skin, and rarely, shape-changing abilities. Luckily, the cultural landscape of most of the Post-Bloom world regards these traits with pride.
To note, magically saturated lineages extend to non-sophontic animals as well. Apparent mutations in fauna have resulted in animals with capacity for language and higher cognitive function in line with humanity, and fauna with the ability to wield Arcanium. Some species utilize Arcanum in their survival strategies, such as undergoing a drastic metamorphosis in the life cycle, or hunting methods (for example, flashing a myriad of bright colors to confuse and stun their prey). Some animal lineages are artificial, in which they were initially constructed, and then successfully created offspring. This is a method that has been used to help save endangered species from the brink.
“Magic” is a physical element (Arcanium) that can mimic or transform any other element. It can appear in any state, and almost seems to have a “will” to be used. Arcanium also appears universally, both on the world planet and outside of it, as well as in most living things' atomic makeup.
To wield Arcanium, a connection must be established through dutiful study and meditation before someone can become a decent magic user. Otherwise, those born with an innate connection to Arcanium (spirits, magically saturated creatures, and the like) do not require the same preparation. It’s best to treat Arcanium as if it has feelings, (even though it likely does not) as it seems to respond to creativity and motivation positively.
Some schools of thought regard Arcanium as being a feeling entity, one that forms bonds and connects on an emotional level with its wielders. Others theorize that it is solely a tool of divine creation, gifted to the world's inhabitants. More rational theorems consider it to be a highly populous element with abnormal properties. Its behaviour is so strange that many scholars don't even categorize it as an element at all. As you might guess, the conversation surrounding Arcanium and magic is tumultuous and varied.
In reality, unknown to the world, Arcanium's main purpose is driving creation forward in opposition to destruction. It’s actively keeping entropy from occurring, which luckily due to the physics of this universe, is literally impossible.
Arcanium has the ability to intervene in the process of energy loss, recycling and renewing the energy into something else if needed. This occurs on both a cosmic and mundane scale, day to day.
It is, also, extremely versatile. It doesn't strictly follow the laws of itself as outlined here, and some expressions of magic are theorized to be flat out miracles.
MAGIC-USE CATEGORIES
Alteration
The use of Magic for changing an aspect (or the whole) of an object or organism. This includes aesthetic changes, material changes, substitutions, size or mass changes, shapeshifting, etcetera.
Creation
The use of Magic for creation. This includes producing material, the creation of constructs, objects, ‘elemental’ effects, etcetera.
Jovia is a fantasy faire enthusiast with a love of swordplay and duels. He's a gentle soul who will gladly pose for a picture.
Another fascination of his is heavy armor, which he dons as a costume for fun. He has a custom made set with his family crest embossed on it. Speaking of which, he's really quite proud of his heritage, having come from a distant country with a large agricultural scene. Now he lives in Tercula to admire the sea and engage in the faire scene!
What if body mod artists in Tercula shared tips and advice with each other? Could be fun if they had a forum or group chat going. Basically a tattoo artist buddy circle.
I'm also thinking they'd be called transformation artists or "taf" artists for short. And like how tat artists practice with fake skin or oranges, etc, I think transformation artists would do the same with non-living constructs or leather/animal skin, other odds and ends. It would be easier to get the right feather texture for example or limb alignment with reference material after all.
