Can I- Can I tell you about Starnival Tom??? I SURE CAN!!!!!
Meet the circus' living puncushion, living blockhead, living target- whichever you see fit in the moment for a given act!
He's having a blast with the circus! Running around, reunited with his brother. The facepaint is made to resemble a target crosshair, and the bodypaint is made to be the divisions for cuts of meat on a human.
The Starnival AU belongs to my pal @eyedrateanatomy
Further info on how he became a carnie and the important parts of his act and appearance explained below the cut:
He had survived for a while, hiding with others and pushing forward however he could. Then, he came across Bob- Bob had been dead. But, there he was right in front of him, and he was offering kindness through all the harsh struggle. Of course Tom had known his brother had become, one of them, something to be feared perhaps even more than before he'd died, but he was so tired and he missed his big brother despite everything and the kindness he was offering to him was just so tempting, he wanted that if even just for a moment before he had to keep running.
Bob held out his hand and Tom took it, only to feel claws digging into his wrist, pulling across his skin and drawing blood. One moment of vulnerability and that was the end of it, that's all it takes for the infection to start, and he knows it. The survivors know that.
Once he knew things had gone south, he just, really he gave up. Bob brought him back to the circus tent and sat him to the side to go through his metamorphosis!
Then, after the fact, once he had completed his metamorphosis, it really becomes The Objectification of Thomas Velseb. He is the human pincushion, yes, but he also is very circus animal-esque. It all serves to objectify and dehumanize him.
Many other carnies treat him like a circus animal, and he cannot speak. Thomas can make animal noises such as grunting or huffing or even growling- he can also SING! But he cannot simply speak. At least the other carnies typically know what he's trying to convey due to the hivemind, as he is still entirely communicative. He doesn't always walk standing upright either, he often crawls around on all fours slinking around low to the ground. He has become like the livestock he had once raised and cared for.
His acts, which are a category of impalement arts much like Bob's, also contribute to his objectification, he is like a walking knife block and storage for weapons held by other carnies, for sharp objects especially such as Bob's spare swords for his sword swallowing or all the spare knives for throwing. Nails, pins, etc, all also plenty viable. Sometimes he looks like a porcupine if the sharp ends were inside of them instead of away from them. He has also become like the storage for what he once had used to do his job as a butcher.
The bodypaint designs on him only further the themes of objectifying him!!!
Sorry for if any of the writing is disjointed at all I got really excited to write all this out!!!!!
Dr Teeth and Floyd pushing little Animal on a tire swing, but Animal keeps chewing on the ropes. :3
This one might be one of the cutest doodles I've ever made
It looks like they're not paying a ton of attention, but I assure you, Floyd is watching Animal carefully and Teeth has his arms in prime ready catching position in case Animal chews through the rope because this is definitely not the first time this has happened LOL
this is probably the hundred request you get about it from what you said (/silly) buut Tr Teeth and Floyd being dads to Animal for the requests if possible!!
YOU GOT IT !!
This has beaten the tire swing doodle with these 3 for my cutest doodle ever, this one is SO CUTE I care about them so much X]
