Rwrof Au - Blog Posts

In RoF AU, Arti is more nuanced than just straight-up evil and follows a trope of "did a terrible thing and realized too late that it was terrible so now regrets are eating them up from the inside but they can't do anything about it and have to live through this personal hell", but I will still make fun of her

girl /gender neutral

the cycle

I swear I'm cooking up something evil for this au but for now it's shitpost hours enjoy Saint-Arti shenanigans AU discord here

(reupload bc I was bothered by the format + forgor about some tags)

That weird estranged-cousin-whatever-guy is kinda chill actually

Yay bonding

AU discord here

monk: its upturned today survival: whats up turned turned: its me enot

gurt: yo

I think I lack some sort of degree in meme culture to understand this joke 100% but I hope this suffices

for minimal context for new people: in my anthro au Inv's name shortens to "Upturned" you gotta trust me this makes sesne

FORESIGHT

RAIN WORLD ANTHRO AU COMIC

[MORE UNDER THE CUT]

I have to make a better summary post of this AU but if you're interested by any chance you can check out this post here

Heeeey, for no particular reason I was curious about cycle length in your AU [in relation to March], since apparently in downpour, something like 25000+ cycles went by between SRS sending the golden pearl and then sending Spearmaster again to check up on Pebsi. And like.. regardless of the length of a cycle, 25000 is a LOT, and I saw a post [that I naturally can't find right now] about how because Spears is the one who delivered the golden pearl and obviously is the one you play as in the campaign, that means Spearmaster is.. REALLY old. Got any thoughts on that idea?

Oh man I didn't even catch that canon Spearmaster would be this old.......

Overall, a really average cycle in RoF would be equal to a week;

I felt like that made the Slugcats' nomadic lifestyle a bit more interesting, relaxed and easier to tackle without rain coming to kill them at the end of each day.

Rain World's timeline is really wack for me because of some events being thousands of cycles apart from each other, while some of them (like Hunter's playthrough) last only a few (in RoF, she managed to live a LOT longer than a few weeks, keeping the 19 as is in game would be terrible). I'm pretty loose when it comes to RoF's timeline as well because of that.

The exact number of years between certian events are noted down for my eyes only to not make a character vacant for like. 20 years for whatever reason and have them do something in the background while someone else is in the spotlght, so I don't really share those notes around

When it comes to March - for this AU, they're specifically made for the Golden Pearl's delivery and go back with the Dark Red one no more than around 3-5 years as well. I imagine that purposed-organism Slugcats somehow spawn in as adults already, so funnily enough Spears and Hunter, despite being fully-grown, would be absurdly young if counting their years spent on earth since their creation. As much as a vision of an Iterator babysitting and training a baby Slugcat would be super wholesome, I didn't go that route.

Lyrics are from "Windmills of your mind"

That song hit HARD in the context of Rain World and its messed up cycles and ripples, Watcher content be upon ye (also I recommend checking out its lyrics in full, they're insane)

If you're interested in my anthro AU check out this post here

Mentorship

Figuring out the AU's timeline made me realize potential interactions I wouldn't even think of before + finally got to draw anthro Spearmaster with more casual clothes!!!

If you're interested in the AU check out this post here

Since I've been playing the Artificer campaign recently (badly), scavengers have been on the brain. I know the AU mostly focuses on the slugcats themselves, but what are the scavs like? Are they similarly enlightened to stuff related to the Benefactors? Or are they just doing their own thing and interacting with the scugs like a friendly neighboring nation or summat?

Mostly doing their own thing, and yes - they also dug up and stole a bunch both from Ancients' knowledge and what they left behind physically. Funnily enough, I think they're far ahead in their "reasearch" comparing to Slugcats and quickly realized that whatever the Ones Before were doing doesn't really apply to the reality they're living in right now, so to Slugcats they might even appear a bit weird and like they don't care about the sacred past of those lands.

While whatever Slugcats learnt about the Ancients was spread by word of mouth and was full of speculation, Scavenger's system of living in more organized, bigger groups with larger, hidden settlements scattered throughout the land made it way easier for them to both have more more unified outlook on things AND shape their own, unique identity. That's why, alongside simple drawings, I also gave them theater as characteristic way of creating art in their culture and decided on highlighting that pearls would work as currency to them more than just a more valuable trade object. Slugcats' culture and group identity is, in contrast, really fluid. Sure, they have things like shelter-usage savoir-vivre, drawing, sharing stories with other nomads when crossing paths, but all of it is overshadowed by the idolization of the mysterious, past residents of the earth they walk on now.

The biggest problem Scavs and Slugs have is the fact that they were mostly avoidant of each other and the language barrier is probably a big obstacle. Moreover, to Scavengers, a Slugcat would probably be way scarier than a Lizard or a Vulture - they know that the intentions of the latter are simple, to just hunt and eat. Slugcats are smarter, possibly cunning WAY more unpredictable strangers, which makes them a way bigger, potential threat. The only means of communication they have is either by trade, body language or simple Ancient symbols (all the karma + passage ones most likely) they both are familiar with.

So yeah - mostly neighborhood nation that doesn't want anyone to meddle in their buisness and they won't meddle in others', but when it comes to friendliness... Yeah that varies. Communication between the Scavenger settlements is top notch, so if one Scav saw a Slugcat acting like a vicious beast to them (or, on a more positive note, saved them from a Lizard or something) - all the other, nearby Scavs WILL know about that sooner all later.

And we have one particular, funny Slugcat lady that went a bit too overboard.

Yeah basically the Outer Expanse slugcats didn't visit the terrains near 5P and LTTM for a longer while after this incident worrying that their presence may be not too comfortable for the neighbors that'd need the time to heal.

---

reminder that this AU has both a tag here and a DC server

Looking all cute (based on the popular ms paint meme)

Check out #rwrof au for more content with the anthro scugs designs auu

howdy, got some questions about the designs themselves [maybe also as a break from the tangle of existential cycles among cycles inside cycles]. Why does Upturned have four arms? Is it related to him being an anomaly? Also who do you think takes the longest to get dressed? And on the same subject, does Fallen's tongue ever dry out from dangling out of her mask from day to day stuff for so long?

Thank you, that is a needed break (*sounds of bleeding out onto the pages of the masterdoc* /j)

Honestly when designing Upturned I didn't even have an AU in mind. The figure on the left of the violence karma mural appeared to have a decorative, second pair of arms, so I thought hey, who else deserves weird four arms out of nowhere if not her. I'll probably leave it as it because it just signals that something about this guy is not exactly how a standard Slugcat should be. From the story standpoint (and to not get in too deep into the timey wimey branches-timelines-cycles) I see Upturned as somewhat of an antithesis of Dancing.

Dancing is a careful watcher working outside the cycle and all the madness of different, convoluted paths, while having the potential to have most impact on them, while Upturned would be an oxymoron of someone who's "whole when shattered", always inside the system and under its rule, but with the aspiration to experience and adore it all as is (funnily enough being on two ends of the RoF anomaly spectrum leads them to getting along better rather than somehow making them antagonistic), NOT being in constant torment, but being rather fine with ascension or reincarnation, by choice, not really being on the table for him. In the context of that role - the four arms are a visual representation of that nature of wanting to interact with everything. Origin story wise? I don't think I want to tackle where Upturned would even come from exactly, that'd take away from her being a bit of a cryptid. Maybe I'll change my mind, for now she's vague as a treat.

To answer the second question - probably Upturned because she's a diva. All Slugcats that doomed themselves with using bandages and ribbons tied around them as clothing are also victims of a long morning routine though.

And for the last one - probably doesn't because it isn't always out, she's a cultured being. On a tangent it made me wonder if Sliver of Straw, as that's her maker in this AU, would bless her with not having taste or doom her with having to taste rusted metal and moss when actually using it as a grappling hook. Also she probably looks super funny when doing that. Thankfully, we're talking about a fanfiction and not a platformer game, so tongue-grapple-hook can be limited to a last resort option/useful tool to get all the fruit growing high above down without much struggle.

Obligatory wip to not just leave a wall of text there. Thank you for the ask!

Ah the endless matryoshka

Join my rain world anthro AU server to see me struggle with translating ascension lore into a linear written form (hell and lowkey impossible) and for more art I didn't show here yet giggles (CLICK)

How do Iterators work in your AU? Sorry if you have explained it already!

I actually haven't, they only have like... One paragraph about them in the masterdoc that will be expanded upon.

Iterators are pretty close to the original game when it comes to what they do and how they treat Slugcats, the thing that differs most is how Slugcats react to that. (scug centered content creator there, ahh).

(small sneak peek of a thing I'm working on right now as a bonus illustration)

They all still kinda live in their own world, one which is day by day crumbling apart more and more, with communications failing and more Iterators collapsing. There's a big gap between Iterators and Slugcats, mostly because Slugcats, more often than not, treat them like authorities or god-like figures since they were the closest to the Ones Before.

That reputation is slowly confronted with the facts and experiences of Messengers and Scugs who stumbled upon Iterators independently, making them realize that they are neither the smartest and most divine beings alive, nor are they tyrannical rulers who think too highly of themselves - they are also flawed creatures, ones that aren't exactly comfortable that their time in the cycle is coming to an end.

Reminder that this AU has a discord server for anyone interested ->(CLICK)

Hello it is I, the Popcorn enjoyer anon, no longer anon because like.. I'm not really hiding anything and I have no reason to be anxious on tumblr of all places. I've got a question about the wholeness of Dancing. Since she doesn't splinter off into multiple timelines and is a Whole Being, what happens if she dies from something? Would she still get the information from the future she technically hadn't lived through yet?

Hello there #1 Popcorn fan!!! No need to hide we all chill here

[Small spoiler warning to the Watcher DLC? AU sillytalk based on in-game mechanics, NOT canon lore]

What I was thinking is that instead of all of Dancing's memories traveling through time, time literally fully rewinds in the case of her dying. For normal creatures, dying would go like this, for reference:

Both of those realities and timelines exist, it depends who's perspective we're watching them through right now. That's why Ringing's children are dead - we are watching the one branch where that was the case from her perspective.

I imagined Dancing to be kind of a "representant" or "ambassador of the world" itself, she's somewhat of a higher point of reference, a guardian of said spacetime (which she'd become during the equivalent of her in-game plotline in RoF) working alongside it. Spacetime which she doesn't really want to meddle with if it's not needed and there isn't anything endangering the Cycle (put a pin in that :-) ).

Time would also probably rewind to the last time she slept, for the sake of consistency with the hibernation respawn mechanic and the whole "sleep is like a demo version of death" type of deal.

So any realities that managed to branch off during that period of time (a short one as well, a Slugcat can't go long without some rest once in a while) would also be erased and turned back to the time of Dancing's last nap she took somewhere in time, somewhere in space, but with no memories being sent back in time, rather seamlessly. Events in all those realities would also go how they did the first time, unless Dancing was one involved with them and chose to do something differently this time. But that's something she doesn't really want to do (get it? She's the Watcher. The one who watches [absolute cinema]).

Reminder that this AU has a discord server for anyone interested in similar rambles, added here so it doesn't get lost under the cut ->(CLICK)

[FIRST DLC ENDING SPOILERS BELOW - Bonus doodle and additional Dancing lore]

Bonus doodle for that train of thought, because after all her fun adventures with the mischevious Echo child, she found a place to call home in Ancient Urban, where there's not much to worry about in the department of "things that could kill me". Honestly after years of wandering dozens of dimensions - she deserves that break.

I was reading through the info about your RoF scugs and I've learned about Popcorn, please show us a typical Shine and Popcorn interaction please!

Popcorn is quite a sweetheart, but looks a bit scary. They'd love naps and playing fetch

Reminder that this AU has a discord server for anyone interested ->(CLICK)

I honestly expected like. 4 votes on the RoF discord server poll. not almost 30

HERE IT IS THEN!!! Join the Rhythm of Falls Rain World AU server TODAY!!! (CLICK)

I currently archived all drawings, made short character descriptions, have a worldbuilding masterdoc in progress and most importantly:

I have emojis to offer. 10 for now, more to come.

EDIT: THE SERVEEEEER is real -> here

Hey if I made a small Discord server for Rhythm of Falls AU rambles would you guys be interested and would join yes or no

no chatroom (I have 0 time to moderate), just a board of read/react-only channels with art and rambles (longer than ones I post here), irregular pings for new content AND emojis for all the nitro users with the anthro scugs

^ yes I made a typo in impatient (dies) (im👖ient)

Overall I'm more focused on my original content, but I really don't want to loose spark for this pastime project and if there are people willing to listen, I'd love the audience and the motivation kick

Wanting to be found

Check out #rwrof au tag for more content with le anthro scug au

smthng smthng like father like son *

*minus the fact that Gourmand eats lizards instead of befriending them

Check out #rwrof au tag for more content with those designs

Finished all "references" for the anthro Scugs/Rhythm of Falls AU since it has a name now. Also - they come with a full list of names and pronouns because I got attached to my headcanons. You can find all content related to the AU under #rwrof au tag.

Taking on the common approach of pinching the timeline so they all can meet and interact with each other during their lifetimes, moreover - some of the scugs get familiar bonds that weren't in game (guess who based on my shipping preferences and design traits)(hard /j)

I plan to post a family tree soon enough + I have *some* ideas floating around in my head about them all and possible canon timeline for this AU but it's still very unstable and rough. If you have any questions/drawing requests for those guys, feel free to send them my way! It'd be super cool to dwell on this AU more and would serve as a huge motivation kick.

I always somehow imagined anthropomorphized Rivulet as a very gnc guy and it stuck to me + the moustache is one of my favourite design decisions from the whole lineup.

Couldn't bring myself to separate Upturned and Fallen so now we're going in groups of threes

Also, just noticed that Enot's/Upturned's full name got messed up in the process (fitting) - the full is "Crack of Shells, Nine Colors Upturned"!

Monk/Shine is still the younger sibling, but this time - not the smaller one! I really wanted to imagine him as a "gentle giant" sort of deal.

+ he matches with his sibling when it comes to the zebra pattern sleeve.

Ancient-style anthro slugcats part 10, Survivor!

Emo. Or "Countless Ways of Voices Below", seemed fitting!

And we're done!! Technically I'll still make a lineup in ms paint for clearer colors for the guys, I actually started already. Clearly all the designs slowly turned into a small AU which, for now at least, got a cool little name of "Rhythm of Falls", relating to both the rain and another thing that comes around in circles in Rain World. All posts with those fellas will now #rwrof au

PART 1 - ARTIFICER

PART 2 - GOURMAND

PART 3 - RIVULET

PART 4 -HUNTER

PART 5 - SPEARMASTER

PART 6 - ENOT

PART 7 - SAINT

PART 8 - WATCHER

PART 9 - MONK

PART 10 - SURVIVOR (YOU ARE HERE)

Check out #rwrof au tag for more content with those designs

Ancient-style anthro slugcats part 9, Monk! Because I'm saving Surv for the last as the og

ah, so Monkful! The name this guy is getting is "Blooming Fields, Shine of Gold". Has a spear but uses it as a walking stick.

PART 1 - ARTIFICER

PART 2 - GOURMAND

PART 3 - RIVULET

PART 4 -HUNTER

PART 5 - SPEARMASTER

PART 6 - ENOT

PART 7 - SAINT

PART 8 - WATCHER

PART 9 - MONK (YOU ARE HERE)

PART 10 - SURVIVOR

Check out #rwrof au tag for more content with those designs

Do you have an ancient anthro design for Survivor & Monk?

Not yet, but I'll finish them in a few days!

I can give you a teaser of the two, because I made them small icons

Check out #rwrof au tag for more content with those designs

They were called "slaymaster" and a "diva" in one cool server once so I had to do it

Check out #rwrof au tag for more content with those designs

Ancient-style anthro slugcats part 8, Watcher!!

The whole world laying on your shoulders

forgot to add - her ancient-adjacent name is "Ten Dancing Ripples, Singular Shadow"

PART 1 - ARTIFICER

PART 2 - GOURMAND

PART 3 - RIVULET

PART 4 -HUNTER

PART 5 - SPEARMASTER

PART 6 - ENOT

PART 7 - SAINT

PART 8 - WATCHER (YOU ARE HERE)

PART 9 - MONK

PART 10 - SURVIVOR

Check out #rwrof au tag for more content with those designs

I need to think of a name for this AU

edit: I did. Check out #rwrof au tag for more content with le anthro scug au

Ancient-style anthro slugcats part 7, Saint!

Or "Three Fallen Sparks, Tens of Dreams", as this is the names she's getting for this au thingy. Very glad I got to draw her next to Inv, you all can await some interaction art of the two soon enough. Also - there won't be any more polls since I'm doing pairs - Watcher is next, then Monk and Survior.

Anteater face, designing the mask was a nightmare (edit: And Saint will be the only one to get a mask, wanted to make them the closest to the whole ancient fit from all of the designs)

PART 1 - ARTIFICER

PART 2 - GOURMAND

PART 3 - RIVULET

PART 4 -HUNTER

PART 5 - SPEARMASTER

PART 6 - ENOT

PART 7 - SAINT (YOU ARE HERE)

PART 8 - WATCHER

PART 9 - MONK

PART 10 - SURVIVOR

Check out #rwrof au tag for more content with those designs

Ancient-style anthro slugcats part 6, Inv/Enot!

Ancient-adjacent name this guy is getting is "Crack of Shells, Nine Colors Upturned" 💥💥

PART 1 - ARTIFICER

PART 2 - GOURMAND

PART 3 - RIVULET

PART 4 -HUNTER

PART 5 - SPEARMASTER

PART 6 - ENOT (YOU ARE HERE)

PART 7 - SAINT

PART 8 - WATCHER

PART 9 - MONK

PART 10 - SURVIVOR

Ancient-style anthro slugcats part 5, Spearmaster (halfway through!)

Royal messenger, it's ancient-adjacent name I've given it is "First March, Many Whistling Throws" (started doing that since this post as a fun addition to the designs)

PART 1 - ARTIFICER

PART 2 - GOURMAND

PART 3 - RIVULET

PART 4 -HUNTER

PART 5 - SPEARMASTER (YOU ARE HERE)

PART 6 - ENOT

PART 7 - SAINT

PART 8 - WATCHER

PART 9 - MONK

PART 10 - SURVIVOR

Check out #rwrof au tag for more content with those designs

While wating for the poll to conclude I wanted to draw something with those designs!!! Barbecue for the win

Also I wanted to start giving them ancient-adjacent names for fun and have "Two Pearls, Endless Ringing" for Artificer and "Share of Warmth, Hands United" for Gourmand!!! Ik that the canon naming system is focused more on objects than sounds and feelings, but I don't want to limit myself and give them something that actually fits their vibe. I have all of the scugs named and will probably include those with the refs soon to come, Hunter and Riv will have to wait until I make a final lineup... Or draw something separate with them

Check out #rwrof au tag for more content with those designs