FOUND AU ask; The Corn Maze Debacle

 

Zach: I think it speaks fer itself that I don't exactly like bein' lied to in the first place, 'specially when it comes to my boy. On top o' that, I don't exactly appreciate wastin' police time. *Scoffs* Here I am chasin' an imaginary goose while fer all I know someone's house could be bein' broken into or Oldwyn knows what else?

Vanna: I'm sorry Zach...I didn't really...I mean...

Dorian: Ain't like it was just us monitorin' the calls Zach. The station is always runnin' full shifts leadin' up to Sam Hain. If somethin' more serious had come up on the radio, y'all can guarantee we woulda' diverted to workin' that job. *Chuckles* And as for the Corn Maze thang, wasn't my idea...but I don't tend to win arguments with yer Ma, whether I'm in the right 'er not...

Audrey: The fact that y'all think yer right some of those times is real cute Sweetie...

Dorian: What? I am!

Audrey: Y'all keep tellin' yerself that Darlin'...*Giggles*

Zach: Well all of y'all were wrong with that little stunt ya pulled on Marcus and Aiko. No wonder it blew up in yer faces...

Ada: Aww Comon' Goofball, lighten' up. We was just tryin' to help deez kids along...

Zach: Forcin' 'em more like! And don't call me Goofball! *Zach crosses his arms and pouts*. Y'all are obsessed with forcin' them pups into a romantic relationship...I already told y'all ya just gotta leave that sorta thing alone, and let it happen naturally iffin' it's bound to happen...not that I want it too 'er nothin'...

Ada: And youse wonder whys we had to keeps yous in the dark about dis...*Chuckles* You just don't want yas kid to grows up on yas...

Zach: *Huffs* O'course I don't! We didn't even get to raise Marcus from birth! So much lost time already, and now he's gettin' older and gettin' feelin's fer girls and...*Whines* Look, okay, I know, I know I'm holdin' on to tight, and I'm workin' on it...really...but...can ya fault me for wantin' just a little bit more time to be a Pa to my son a'fore he starts spreadin' his wings and fixin' to leave the nest?

Vanna: Goofball...

Dorian: *Puts a paw on Zach's shoulder* Son, I can't say I fully understand what ya'll are goin' through, since me and Auddey never adopted ourselves...but you know, bein' a Pa doesn't end when yer pups grow up and start a life on their own. Marcus is always gonna want y'all in his life, you have to know that.

Zach: *Whines* I-I know...I just...Raisin' Marcus...things feel like they're just flyin' by sometimes...and I just...I wanna enjoy what little time I have left to really be involved in his life...iffin' that makes sense?

Audrey: Aww...Darlin' I understand...

Zach: So that's why I ain't lookin' to rush thangs...o' course I'd still be hesitant to push Marcus and Aiko together even if I wasn't worried about makin' him grow up too fast...

Vanna: Because you think that's something they should figure out on their own?

Ada: But it's soooo obvious! Dey've been dancin' around dere feelin's fer months now! What's da harm in given' 'em a 'lil push?

Zach: It could ruin their friendship fer one, especially iffin' things don't work out...which more often than not tends to be the case with yer first girlfriend.  *Zach starts counting on his paws.*  Then there's the fact that pressurin' them like that, even if they ain't fully aware of it, could make them even more scared o' makin' that first move. *continues counting* And iffin' they do get together, findin' out you were nudgin' them along might complicate thier feelin's...should I keep goin'?

*The other Hunters look down guilty* 

Zach: I mean, what did y'all actually accomplish with this crazy plan that couldn't have been accomplished by just lettin' 'em go through the maze themselves...chances are their friends woulda went and split them off anyway, 'er they woulda gravitated together cause they have feelin's fer each other... All that trouble and y'all probably woulda just got 'em to the same place regardless...in fact, it probably woulda went better fer 'em iffin' ya didn't meddle at all...

Qali: *eyes now brimming with tears* O-Oh no! We messed up big time, didn't we!?

Ada: Ehh...I wouldn't go dat far...but it's hard to disagree wit Zach on dis one...what was youse tinkin' Kit Kat!?

Vanna: *Shocked and clearly irritated* M-Me!? You were the ones who dragged me into this little scheme!

Audrey: I'd be lyin' if I said it was a success, that's fer sure...but...I-I still think them two made progress fer the better...

Dorian: Are y'all sayin' that cause you believe it, or cause you were the mastermind behind this little plan Darlin'?

Audrey: *Glares at Dori* Now don't you start!

Dorian: I'm just sayin' maybe if y'all let me be right a little more often, these little plans of yer's wouldn't blow up in yer face so often...*Chuckles*

Audrey: *Huffs and storms off* 

Zach: I think y'all just earned yerself a spot on the sofa tonight fer that one Pa...

Dorian: I count bein' at a loss fer words a win in my book, so I'd say it's worth the cost. *Laughs*

Ask; School Hours for Pups

 Dawn: That's about right, in terms of hours. Everything before high school is relegated to a roughly five-hour period. With an hour for lunch.

Vernon: In High school, the hours stay the same, but y'all get an added day. So, Monday through Friday, skippin' Wednesday. The added day is largely dedicated to pre-college er' tradin' school classes. Basically, that's the time set aside fer young pups to help 'em figure out what they got an interest in doin' fer a career, and help them get a foothold in that.

Dawn: I'll admit, depending on the family it can be quite stressful to manage your work week around the odd scheduling in terms of hours and days. With Vernon and myself, we're quite blessed that one of us is...well for all intents and purposes, a stay-at-home parent.

Vernon: Dawn gets our Pups up...and me too...*Chuckles* Preps 'em fer school, sees me and the pups off, and is right there waitin' when they get home.

Dawn: While not every parent has that luxury, it's considered the best situation for the healthy development of a lamb, and makes sure they feel loved and connected to their family. And I'm grateful Puppy and I are in a situation where we can do that.

Vernon: O'course it helps that much more I only work in office four days a week. And I'm gonna be whittlin' that down to three soon enough.

Dawn: Oh, are they cutting your hours down?

Vernon: *Chuckles* Naw, there's just less of a need to be in the office these days. The better technology gets, the less time we gotta spend actually chained to a desk.

Dawn: OH wonderful Puppy! The Lambs will be so happy to get even more time with you at home! *Dawn flutters her eyelashes suggestively at the wolf* And so will I for that matter...

Vernon: *Tugs at his collar* Phew...Thank the gods fer the internet!

-----

Wasty: I appreciate the well wishes. Granted this is quite old by well...anyone's standards at this point. I'm currently doing better...certainly getting by at a reasonable pace as of late, though it's been hard to balance all the work on my plate in terms of Asks, Fics, Commissions, Personal Projects, Et Al...As you can tell since I've totally floundered at keeping up that 'weekly' goal. I'll still do my best to try and crank out asks as my side gig, but I'm making a dedicated turn toward putting that energy towards fic writing so I can get on a more reliable schedule with long form stories. We'll see how that plays out I guess with my health...

Thanks for your ask!

FOUND AU ask; Marcus' Guilt

 

Zach: We'd been toyin' with the idea of settin' the boy up with a therapist fer a while...

Vanna: Pretty early into our adoption it was something that those in charge of handling his case had recommended to us. While Marcus hadn't really...opened up about his trauma by that point, it was very clear to everyone that he had been...*winces* abused...

Zach: And that's before we knew about the scars...

Vanna: But we were concerned that thrusting him into therapy while he was still in such a vulnerable and...well turbulent situation, it might put greater pressure on him.

Zach: We wanted to make him comfortable, and make sure he had...well...that he felt like part of the family. That he knew we weren't gonna let him go, and that'd he'd always have us before we went and broached that subject.

Vanna: When we heard he started opening up to Dawn about his time on the ship, and the guilt he felt...that's when we well...we started discussing with Dawn if she could ask her therapist if he knew of any good child psychologists that could help Marcus.

Zach: Not that we was aimin' to just shove him into therapy er' nothin' then either...we wanted him to come to talk it out with us...and then present it as an option that he could y'know...think over and pursue if he felt he wanted to.

Dawn: Which I think is probably the best way to handle the situation. Although, granted I'm not a therapist myself.

Vernon: Yeah, y'all don't want it to come off like ya don't want to lend an ear, and er' pushin' his problems off on someone else, but ya want them to know they got resources they can make use of if they want 'em...

Dawn: It's a difficult tightrope to walk, in some ways, it's similar to Vernon and myself trying to find a balance between encouraging and fostering Lily's talents and interest in policing while discouraging her from putting herself in danger while she's still so young.

Zach: He has opened up a bit more since the talk y'all had...and we've been sorta...tacklin' things as best we can in little bite-sized chunks...*Chuckles* With lots o' hug therapy fer good measure.

Vanna: Though we suspect he...still is holding on to that guilt despite our reassurance. *Sighs somberly* Which I'm sure will take more time, and a great deal more of reinforcement to help make him see that nothing was his fault.

Dawn: That's how therapy works...among family and friends, or in practice. Dealing with one's trauma isn't something that can be fixed with the snap of one's hooves. It can be quite a long, treacherous road, and it never truly ends, it only gets easier to walk over time.

Vernon: 'Turn that suitcase into a carry-on bag' Right Floofs?

Dawn: *Giggles* You got it Sheepdog.

Vernon: As fer our pups knowin' about the whole documentary...well...it was unavoidable.

Dawn: *Sighs* Between a bunch of their classmates having seen it, and it even being assigned watching as part of Alice's homework barring our request to have her excluded, it was a bridge we were going to have to cross. 

Vernon: Basically we all had to have a little sit-down, and discuss what it all was, and what was shown that featured Marcus *winces* ...though we did softball the gritty parts.

Dawn: And we instructed them to keep from discussing it with or in front of Marcus until...well...Zach and Vanna had their own talk with him.

Zach: Which...*Zach rubs the back of his neck in clear discomfort.* we're still figurin' out exactly just how we're gonna tackle that...*whines* It's a difficult conversation...and I don't think we got a lot of time before he stumbles on it through school, er' his friends, er' some other way...

Vanna: We're just scared it could...*Glances down at the ground* It could cause him to...it could undo all the progress and strides he's made thus far...

Dawn: I don't...want to sound insensitive...but...that really comes with the territory when recovering from trauma...Sometimes you slip, and sometimes you stumble. It does happen. Still, I think the best way to minimize how badly that possible backslide will be is if he hears it from...well, both of you...

Zach: I suppose yer right...at least he'll have us to lean on, and to cry too iffin' it comes to that. I just...I wish I could hug that boy till the end of time iffin' it meant takin' away all his pain...I just want to hold him till it all goes away...

Dawn: It will in time Zach, in the meantime, while you can't hug him forever, a steady administration of smaller hugs throughout the day will surely help. *Giggles*

FOUND AU Ask; Swiner 49er!

 

Vernon: Look, okay...I'm tryin' to make a sorta peace with Lily bein' a natural in term's of takin' to crime solvin' and law stuff. I don't wanna make the same mistakes my Pa made with me, 'er my Grandpaw made with him...

Dawn: But...?

Vernon: *Whines softly* I jus-why does every case she's gotta trip into be some big honkin' conspiracy er' cold case e'r whatever with real, dangerous criminals?  *whimpers* Is it too much to ask she finds someone's lost chameleon er' parrot or somethin'? Somethin' that won't scare me half to death to hear about? Least til she's an adult?

Nick: Something more like a Nancy Ewe book mystery rather than something likean episode of CSI; Maimew Mice?

Vernon: Yes! That, please...At this rate my lil' princess is gonna put me in an early grave with all the heart attacks she's flirtin' with given me...I need a break here!

Dawn: As much as I also don't want to...dampen Lily's enthusiasm, or quash her natural talent. I have to agree with my Puppy on this one...*winces slightly* Our lives can be pretty hectic as is, and it would help if Lily solved a case or two that wasn't groundbreaking from time to time...

Judy: Well, I wouldn't exactly call the 'Swiner 49er' a really 'groundbreaking' case. It was really more of a cute little urban legen-.

Nick: Jealous you didn't solve it when you were a kit huh Carrots?

Judy: *Groans, placing her head in her paws.* YEEEESSSSS...*She hisses*  I honestly didn't think it was real! So I barely ever acknowledged it as a kit! *Shakes head* If I had any inkling the whole thing was an actual crime that was ongoing, you bet I would have been all about solving that as a kit!

Bonnie: To be fair, we assumed just as much.

Stu: Granted, I think that ol' billy wasn't actually playin' the part of the ghost until after me and Bonn had kits of our own...Before that it was just an endurin' myth that had kicked around since the 'Goldrock Den' drainage tunnel eruption in...oh, 1889 I think it was?

Bonnie: 87'.

Stu: Right, anyway folks would swear they saw a ghost skulkin' around in that old house ever since. Supposta' have been one of the miners who got kilt in the disaster floatin' around his old home...It's been around so long most of us adults took to ignorin' it.

Nick: I suppose that's what made it such a viable hideout for those chips, and what made it so easy to scare the occasional nosey pup or kit away from by the ol' mam' when they got too close. The local police wouldn't follow up on anything like that...but by that logic, I suppose it means Lily wasn't in any real danger.

Judy: The suspect wasn't exactly armed bu-.

Vernon: I'm just sayin' I want to be able to take my eyes off my pup fer two seconds and know she's gonna be there when I look back...without havin' to resort to...*Growls* the leash...*Glares in Nick's direction* or a chip...fer that matter...

Nick: *raising his paws defensively.* It was a harmless suggestion, that's all.

Vernon: Eventually my poor pup is gonna wander into something way over her head, and she...could get real hurt...and I- *Whimpers*

Dawn: *Petting Vernon Comfortingly* There, there Wolfy...I know...

Vernon: That's why I want to discourage her from doin' this stuff...but I mean...I don't wanna turn her away from what she wants to do...I just want her to be safe...*Shakes head* Last thing I want is her sniffin' fer another local mystery and stumblin' into a gang's drug peddlin' operation, er' some crazy serial killer's trap basement...*Whines*

Dawn: I know Puppy, I know...*Dawn cooes sweetly* Maybe I can ask Dr. Gnu for advice on how to handle this...I know he's not exactly a child psychologist, but he may have something we can work with...

Vernon: *Nods weakly* T-that sounds good Honey Lamb...T-thanks...

Dawn: *Giggles* Thanks? We're in this together Puppy Love, I'm just as worried as you are! *Dawn pats the wolf gingerly on the knee.* Let's go inside for a little while and you can try and wind down...that's more than enough blog questions for the moment.

Vernon: *Nods* A-Alright...

Dawn: Besides, everyone knows where we stand on the other half of this question. If you guys want to answer, you can...just, wait till we're out of earshot.

*Dawn and Vernon make their way off the porch, and into the burrow, Vernon ducking significantly low to enter the Hopps home before the pair disappear inside.*

Nick: Pretty sure we answered this one too before...it comes up a lot whenever Lily's exploits make the local news.

Judy: Or international news for that matter.

Stu: She's really solvin' cases that big on the regular?

Judy: *Nods* Oh yeah, it actually has the top brass at the ZPD arguing a little bit...they aren't too happy big cases are being solved by a middle schooler...it's not a great look for us.

Stu: Dang, she sounds like a real prodigy. 

Nick: To a comical degree I'd say. So much so that had I not seen the aftermath of a lot of these, I'd think it was something straight out of a kits series.

Judy: I...hate to say I honestly don't blame Vernon for trying to pull Lily back just a smidge. And considering my upbringing, I think that speaks volumes...

Bonnie: *Grimaces slightly* I know we weren't all that encouraging of your dreams sweetie...and we're still sorry for that...

Judy: And I wasn't even out there stumbling over cold cases and smuggled gold...If my kit was doing that weekly, you bet I'd probably try to distract them with cartoons about princesses and stuff. 

Nick: A little research into Princess Isabelle would have helped ol' Puppy in the long run though...I'm sure that was a very uncomfortable watch once Isabelle was made the sheriff as well as a princess...*Snickers*

Judy: Dawn's told me plenty of times before that when Vernon's worried or nervous, he tends to act before he thinks...She says "His heart's bigger than his head sometimes."

Nick: That's not a stretch, wolves have brains the size of walnuts.

Judy: *Tries to stifle a snicker while scolding the fox* NICK!

Nick: What!? *Laughs. *It's true, I saw a video that proves as much on Zootube...Then again, the host was also trying to sell 'all-natural brain vitality' pellets for a good portion of the video so...y'know, take it with a grain of salt.

Ask the Ruminerds; Barklyn 99

 

Gus: Eh...I don't watch police stuff...comedy or otherwise...sorry Vern.

Vernon: Why are you apologizing to me? I don't watch 'em either...I prefer to stay far away from police stuff fer...obvious reasons.

Dawn: I used to like crime dramas...not really comedies though. Granted that was before the...*Ahem* Night Howler Scandal...Since then, I've taken a very similar stance to my mate...I.E., I don't watch most of them for...obvious reasons. Comedy or otherwise.

Vernon: Wade says it's purty good though. I think Trent watches too...

Joel: Don't look at me mam'-I don't watch-like-I mean, I'm sure it's also on a streaming service...but It wasn't something I would generally go looking for myself.

Megumi: Mostly because you watch Japandese Animalme...

Joel: And you're no better, most of your non-western cartoon watches are strictly South Boarean Soap operas.

Megumi: *Snicker* Guilty as Charged. The males are always so pretty...

Broomie: Sorry...I don't watch either...I just...I'm more of a movie and comic book guy...I didn't even watch Breaking Baah'd....Or Better Call Sowell...

Vernon: Neither did I...though...well....er...*Flashes Dawn a sideways glance*

Dawn: What is it Puppy?

Vernon: *Ears sag* Well...I don't wanna pick at old wounds...but er...I mean it's...well...

Dawn: *Eyes widen in realization* Oh! You aren't talking about how two of the rams I worked with during the Night Howler fiasco had the same names as the characters in Breaking Baah'd? Jessie and Woolter?

Vernon: *Nods* That's what I was hintin' at...

Dawn: *Scrunches muzzle* Yeah, that was a really freaky coincidence...At first, I thought they were using assumed names...until we were arrested and I found out their names were actually Woolter White, and Jessie Pinkram. It was their actual birth names.

Vernon: *Snickers* What are the odds of that?

Dawn: It's like someone named them purely to be easter eggs in a movie script or something...it's absurd really...

Gus: *Laughs* A little on the snout for a big-name film...probably more fitting for a kid's flick or tv show...A weird gag for the parents to snicker at...

Joel: *Chuckles* Clearly we're all just fictional characters living in a kids movie universe...it's the only thing that makes sense really...

*Everyone looks momentarily in the reader's presumed' direction with a silent gaze. Almost like for the briefest moment, they are aware you're there...staring into your very soul with a quiet intensity.*

*Abruptly the moment ends, everyone breaking into a laugh.*

Vernon: *Laughs* Now yer startin' to sound like Ully there Joel! Iffin' we was fiction, I don't think what we all do behind closed bedroom doors would fly well with a bunch o' parents...

Gus: *Snorting laugh* Now that's for sure!

-----

Wasty: I've never actually seen this show to be honest. I haven't watched tv shows in years, and these days I basically have to be dragged away from my work to actually sit down and watch a movie...and watching a show is asking even more of me. That said, I don't really feel qualified to start assigning animals to characters I would have to spend a good few episodes or more watching in order to get a bead on them and what might suit them for animal counterparts...unless I just went by just visuals and names, which I could but...seems silly since I'm not even going to be drawing this one.

Sorry, I'm out of my depth here. Thanks for the ask though!

Ask and Writing Update

 Hey all, just wanted to keep you posted on what's going on. I'm currently working on the latest chapter of The Family Vulpes, and am nearly done.  If you check the 'writing progress' panel on my Trello schedule you can see I'm just at 27 pages, and rounding out the end. Ideally, I will finish it tonight and pass it along to my editor so that it's out of my hands by the time I have to entertain visitors here from Monday to Friday which will kind of stall work on everything for a bit.

Trello:

https://trello.com/b/wKNUeHQt

As such, I will aim to try and get some ask answers in on my blog on Sunday if I can, but getting the chapter finished has become my priority one. In fact, going forward writing will maintain being the most important thing, with the blog coming in behind all else in terms of balance. That doesn't mean it's dead or anything. But the fact that it's easier to pump out blog answers that are...essentially short little fanfics in and of themselves, it became clear to me I should be rerouting that energy to the actual fics first and foremost. The blog was meant to be supplementary after all, a companion to the fics, not the primary outlet.

I'm tentatively aiming at having a chapter or side fic get written at least once a month while playing a balancing act with other work. So long as my health holds, I think that's doable. So now I leave you and head back into writing to round things off...although I'm going to eat first.

As I said, I'll aim to squeeze some asks in come Sunday. We shall see.

Thanks for reading and following guys!

-Wasty

The Only Thing Hopps Have to Fear (Special)

 

This was a commission/blog post for my Askdawnandvern blog. We were discussing Zootopia stuff in the Patreon Server and the talk went in the direction of the Hopps family, and sheer size of rabbit families in general. I think we were specifically talking about the tithe in aLAW, and mammal marriages. Particularly the bouquet toss and the showdown between Ada and Melly. That drifted to talking about the brutally violent event a bouquet toss at a rabbit wedding must be like,  and me joking it would look like the Doom box art.

So the commission was pitched pretty immediately, and I was paid on the spot without my consent. Lol.

In context, I'd imagine all bunny bouquet tosses at weddings are like this, and the Hopps family are no exception. In context I'd imagine Judy would warn Nick about this, which of course the tod would not take seriously at all. Judy would go on to reassure him she doesn't take the whole 'bouquet' traditional seriously anyway, and that she's not pushing him to marry her. She actually intends to stay out of the toss altogether. But much like with the bouquet landing in Clover's lap by chance or fate in aLAW, the bouquet ends up in Judy's lap. In that instant, it's like a switch flips, and suddenly the doe is all in on defending the bouquet and her mate as the bouquet brawl continues. Now Judy stands against the horde, protecting her prize, (both the bouquet and Nick) from the encrouaching mob of Hopps doe's looking for that wedding blessing. Can Judy run out the traditional '10 minute fre-for all' timer and secure that tod? Well if anyone's got a shot, it's Judy. After all, a Hopps doesn't know when to quit...but I suppose that goes for most of the other girls too doesn't it?

(DOOM MUSIC INTENSIFIES)

Thanks for the Comm!

-Wasty

Let the Writing Commence!

 Let's get to the Patreon 'Thanks You's' first and foremost, because I've got a lot to go over and I'm not sure how long this is going to run on. I should probably do more bite-sized updates more often, but we'll see going forward.

PARISHIONERS

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Eric Johnson

Martin Nilsson

So let's talk. First I'll cover health stuff briefly because, quite frankly it's been a little better than usual. The less time I spend on that the less chance I'll jinx it. So let's move on.

Current workload as it stands looks like this; 8 commissions, and five Personal projects that are currently on my queue board. I've also got the next chapter of tFV and a Tales from the Bellhunterverse thing on the writing board. So I'll start with the writing and work backward.

I wanted to start work on the chapter about mid-April, but I took a detour thinking it would be best to re-read my previous stories and take notes on stuff introduced in them on the fly in order to better prevent accidental retconns in the future. As I've stated before, when I write a long story, half of it is pre-planned in an outline. This covers characterization, major plot arcs, key events, b-plot and little undercurrent background stories, and so on. But the other half is made up of stuff that just comes to me as I write it. Ada punching Ana in aLAW is a good example of a major hook that came to me out of nowhere, but there are also a lot of little characterization moments or allusions to life experiences that I don't have in my series bible. Thankfully my accidental contradictions haven't been so bad in Rehab or aLAW, but there's definite evidence of stuff put in that hadn't counted on a sequel or series.

One major one coming up in the next chapter I'm writing starts talking about Vernon, Dawn, Nick, and Judy's double date. And that's largely due to timeline conflicts. The double date is supposed to be late October or November, Dawn's book has come out but Gus doesn't have his new store yet. So essentially I'm going to move forward with what fits the story and correct the old fic in the future. Anyway, long story short, that note-taking took longer than I thought, and I probably took twice as many notes as needed, so it'll have to be cut back. Still, I did all of Rehab, and about a little over half of aLAW before I decided I should just jump in and keep taking notes as I go. What's important is I have the notes for Clover's back story, and more than enough of Dawn's to navigate the next chapter. So I'm gonna get writing asap!

Now, onto commissions. I'm about eight comms deep currently. Trying to work through about once a week, while intermittently injecting my own projects in. Commissions are still open, but that's the line size ahead of you. On top of that, I don't really take payments until someone's commission is next in the queue as I don't want folks to be stuck waiting long-term should something medical-related come up and throw a massive wrench in everything. So that handles commissions, let's press on to personal work.

Comparatively, there are not as many personal projects on the docket as there are commissions...but that hard docket is also subject entirely to the whims of inspiration. For instance, I was sketching Queen Orianna last week, and now I've got a nearly finished and colorized piece featuring her and my OC plowing. (Expect that eventually.) There's also a Dawn Daki Pillow design I want to work on over the summer that's for personal use. (Depending on interest, otherwise, I gotta find a company to partner with to make a public release happen.) And Dierdre's sheet is still on the docket, as well as perhaps one for my Moose Girl, Shaundi, who's only seen sketches at this point. If you want to keep tabs on the projects I have listed on the queues, I'll link them underneath.

Personal Art Plans

https://trello.com/b/6IgMcWPz

Story Progress

https://trello.com/b/wKNUeHQt

Commission Queue

https://trello.com/b/QRDyCOOZ

Last leg, let's move on to Merch! As shared previously, the next sticker set on the docket is Husian Typhlosion, Which is going to be a set featuring my Husian Typhlosion gals Ashe And Synder. One just Ashe, One Just Synder, and one featuring both. And some clean versions...so six variants minimum. However, the next set, well...I was looking at my etsy stats, and my top sellers are my OC gals, and Keenie and Deerie. So I'm planning to revisit Helluva series while it's hot. Initially, I was thinking it was time to Draw Millie or Loona, but then I remembered they'd both get summer pins and standees and shit at the Vizie store anyway. So I decided to shift my attention back to sinning Cherubs. This time around I'm giving Deerie the Summer Sticker, and when Fall rolls around I'll give Keenie a Fall sticker. A fun inversion of what I've already offered. But that still leaves about 2 months of summer unaccounted for, and a serious question I wanted to ask you all.

One of the ideas I had for summer was doing a Summer Collin sticker pin-up as well. One with him in a speedo and him...well...without. How would you guys feel about that? Would you guys be interested in some saucy male stickers to go along with the female ones moving forward in the future? Just leave comments, I can't be assed with a poll. If not, maybe I'll move on to another lady cherub like Rachel, or just Millie. Anyway, comment below.

But we aren't done yet! That's right! There's a second layer of merch to discuss. That's right, starting in June I'm going to be learning and acquiring the materials to make acrylic products. This will include standees and keychains, more than likely starting with keychains until I get more confident with the materials. The first real planned project I have is turning that Dawn Head sticker into a keychain line as well, but after that it's sort of wide open as I decide who's going to get standee pinups. Also, probably will start editing some of my old pics to offer as Glossy prints. So I'll set up a poll at some point regarding some older pieces that are fan favorites to be turned into prints. Of course, you're welcome to leave your suggestions below as well. I'll say this much. The motorcycle Val one has been long overdue for a print.

Jesus, writing all that out, it already seems daunting, and a bit of wishful thinking, so please look at this as a sort of...soft time frame. I'm always terrible at correctly predicting my timetables, even casting aside my fluctuations in health, I always take a bit longer on jobs than I anticipate. Always take more time at errands than I think I will, and so on. Probably because of a combo of being scatterbrained, and becoming fixated on adjusting minute details on stuff no one cares about. Case and point, the backdrop of that Legosi Family pic was supposed to be 'simple', but I got carried away and basically gave away extra work for free.

Anyway, that's all for the May Update! Thanks for reading, and again leave feedback below. And if you haven't already those outside of my Patreon, please check out my etsy store! It will not disappoint!

Thanks again to my backers! And thank you to my fans who've followed along on my weird art and fic journey thus far!

-Wasty

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https://www.etsy.com/shop/WastedTimesArtShoppe?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

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Glitz and Chips AU; Gazelle

 

WT: I spent a lot of time pondering this one over, exploring the ideas for Gazelle you proposed when all of the sudden an idea hit me like a ton of bricks that felt so right, I had to go with it.

Basically, my idea is that "Gazelle" Would in fact be a sentient AI that was designed by Clawhauser to help run their whole 'underground shadow organization' that Nick and Judy are inducted into. This version of Gazelle is built to manage their base and operations and help them with missions and scanning and infiltrating surface channels. At first, this version of Gazelle is very...robotic...(Think the dancing app voice from the movie). She lacks Gazelle's general warmness and the smooth butteriness of her tone. However, she was designed by the genius Clawhauser to learn and grow, and as she does she develops a personality, that warm demeanor we all know and love, and develops a penchant for singing while she 'works'.

As she becomes more of a 'mammal' she becomes the 'face' of the underground, creating music videos and propaganda rallying against the corrupt companies and ZPD that have a stranglehold over the innocent citizens' lives. By the time Nick and Judy join they are floored when they discover that Gazelle is a machine, as by that point she's so convincingly mammalian she had the entire ZPD and companies with a vested interest in putting down any counter-narratives marking her as the ring leader of the rebellion.

By this point, Clawhauser has developed a bit of a crush on his own creation, but with Gazelle's own growing personality, independence, and increasing fascination with 'actual flesh and blood' mammals, she finds herself growing increasingly chummy with Finnick, the resident mechanic, implant and bionics expert. This would cause a sort of love triangle thing to crop up, which in turn leads to a mission requiring both Finn and Clawhauser to go completely sideways, and nearly compromise and erase who Gazelle is in the process. After the close shave, Clawhauser elects to stand back and allow Gazelle and Finn to pursue a relationship, and the close call, essentially a near-death experience for Gazelle, pushes Clawhauser to invest heavily in back-ups and safeguards to ensure her consciousness is protected, eventually going so far as to line up a job that gets his claws on a top of the line synth mold, which with a little work between him and Finnick, is able to provide Gazelle with a physical form at last.

So here's "Glitz and Chips' Gazelle, AI turned Synth. The machine with a heart of gold, and a voice to match.

Ask Bogo: A Doe Wife?

 

Bogo: *Presses a hoof to his forehead* FINE! Fine...yes, my mate is a doe...

Joyce: You make it sound like you're embarrassed to introduce me...

Bogo: *Huffs* I want to protect you, you and our calfs...

Joyce: *Glares at her mate* Oh? And I can't handle myself?

Bogo: *Slightly flustered* I-well...*Coughs* I just...I'm not embarrassed my Forest Lily...I just... This is a very public forum these mammals are asking from and...I wanted to protect our family's right to privacy.

Joyce: Relax Boogie...I understand. I'm not upset *Lisa wraps an arm around her mate's waist and hugs him from the side* But you can be a little overprotective sometimes,  you know that?

Bogo: *Huffs* I have made a number of enemies in my time at the ZPD...it's not an unrealistic fear that they may try to hurt you or the calf's to get to me.

Joyce: Well it's not like I'll be reading off my address, workplace and hours, and social security number. *Giggles*

Bogo: *Sighs* I suppose...

Joyce: *Ribs Bogo playfully.* So are you going to introduce me or what, big guy?

Bogo: *Blushes slightly* *Cough* Right, *Ahem* I'd like to introduce you to Joyce Bogo my mate. 

Joyce: *Smirks* A pleasure to meet Dawn and Vernon's audience...As my mate said, I'm Joyce Bogo. I'm a Doe, a mother to three wonderful adopted children, *Flashes Bogo a sly smirk* And one very protective mate.

Bogo: *Coughs* Yes...well...

Joyce: I'm also a soccer coach, or football coach if you prefer. I started doing it for our calfs, but really enjoyed it, so I still do it part-time. But my primary job is 'self-defense' instructor.

Bogo: So between the two of us...I'd think twice about trying anything...

Joyce: We also have life firearms in the house...so, keep that in mind as well...

Bogo: She's better with a pistol than I am. *Chuckles*

Joyce: I still can't best Clawhauser though, his shooting is immaculate *Giggles*