Taking A Bit Of A Left Turn On The Usual Formula Since I'm Running Low On Traditional Plants In The Compendium

Taking a bit of a left turn on the usual formula since I'm running low on traditional plants in the compendium (theoretically still have enough to make it through, but motivation towards those remaining is low).

Haven't talked a whole lot about Buddys (tis the species name so funny spelling) here lately, so a lot of this info may come out of left-field or be hard to contextualize, but here goes.

Flower Buddy Lilypods

Also known by their more scientific name, Flowering Amicans, Flower Buddys are a unique species of Buddy that are born from Lilypods, as featured here. As they're an accessory to Flower Buddys themselves, Lilypods deviate from the traditional model of flora categorization quite a bit, and as such aren't typically listed in flora compendiums. Nevertheless, seeing as they are very much like flora, they could be counted in an annex of an extended compendium in theory.

Lilypods are found naturally in the Flower Buddy Dimension. The first Flower Buddys grew there inside their Lilypods and emerged into the world proper along the coast of Reline Ah, where the Flower Buddy Dimension is connected to. Flower Buddys used to be a lot more outgoing, sailing to many different places on their Lilypads and sleeping in their pods at night. However, after the first Shadow Buddy War, the Flower Buddys retreated back to Fuline Ah and hid there for many years. Some millennia later, brave new Flower Buddys emerged from their dimension and began to explore again. Though there are thought to be others still living on the continent in seclusion, brave explorers are still few. Though they emerge now and then from their dimension, Flower Buddys are still scarcely seen worldwide in JI proper.

As for the Lilypods themselves, Lilypods can be manipulated by the Flower Buddy born from them and have two forms: Pod and Pad Form. Pod Form is featured above as is the Lilypod's default state. When Flower Buddys wish to use their Lilypods to sail without their natural reeds getting in the way, they can will the reeds to recede back into the center of the Lilypad. They can will the reeds back up when they wish to sleep or hibernate within their Lilypods, and can control the internal environment of the pod depending on if they want to sleep for a night or much longer.

Being an extradimensional plant, Lilypods' needs are quite different from a traditional plant's. They are sustained primarily by the dimension itself, sometimes even while outside it, though they may change to a darker shade of green and act a bit more 'sluggish' when apart from their home dimension. When in an environment suited to their needs, they can also rely on it for nutrition in a similar way that they do in their home dimension. They prefer a medium temperature, rich sediment, dispersed light, and for their roots to always be submerged in water. When any of these conditions are not met, they can rely on their connection to their home dimension to provide for them, but as mentioned before, may change appearance and act 'sluggish' by comparison depending on how out of their element they are.

Lilypods can only spawn in their home dimension, and do so independently of Flower Buddys themselves. Flower Buddys themselves bare children the normal Buddy way via Heartegg (though there is scarce documentation about this due to Flower Buddys' reclusive nature and dubious success rate, especially with non-plant species partners) and may select an empty Lilypod for their child to mature in back at the dimension. For this reason, Flower Buddys developed this way may or may not know who their parents are as they emerge from the Lilypod fully mature. That said, not all Flower Buddy pairings choose this method, or may only make use of it for the duration of fetal development, so some Flower Buddy hybrids may indeed be raised by their parents in a more traditional manner.

The Flower Buddy dimension itself is an expanse of water and mist with no discernible sun, though it may still have a day-night cycle that corresponds with JI's day-night cycle. Anything else in the dimension is constructed by Flower Buddys or whoever else has found their way there, typically Flower Buddy partners. There are no other known flora that grow there aside from Lilypods, though there are likely microorganisms and perhaps fish, but there has not been much research in that area as of yet.

First attack of the year! It took me forever to complete because there's lots of little hidden details. Featuring @chrystallink's Clysmia, Blake and Cider, as told from the perspective of my fan Gaunto character. We'll see if I can get any more of this done before ArtFight is over. Took way longer than anticipated. Hidden details under the cut.

Hidden characters!! @quarkycadet's Pogo (didn't realize you weren't participating this year rip!!)

Yanderedile (offsite)'s Plum! There's gonna be a lot of Katamari OCs because they're perfect for hiding in places :)

So colorful! Wish all these guys weren't hidden in the dim lighting. I'll have to do a proper attack of all these guys someday. XD; @jestersunite's Crumb!

Now we're getting into the very hidden characters, mostly obscured by figures in the last panel XD; @madame-photon's Octavia, who got almost completely obscured by Blake. You can see a little bit of her form between Blake's shoulder and his hair. Love her design too, I've got to do her justice someday :')

@kirobotdx's Kijori, who ended up getting pretty much entirely obscured in the end. There's a tiny bit of his head visible under Cider's head and beside Blake's shoulder. :') I've got to better with him next time.

Now for other secrets/cool things!

I really like how this poster came out. You can see most of it, but I thought I'd give it a spotlight here.

The record player! I'm thinking it's Clysmia's brand ;3

The VCR/DVD player

Friends' stories on book/(album?) covers

Razzisky Zazzleflower

Images of two Razzisky Zazzleflower specimens were among some of the first images recorded of the newly discovered Razazzle Dimension. The dimension itself is hostile to JI matter, so the initial machines sent to document it did not last long in R.Z.'s energy-charged ethos. The flora in the dimension seem to thrive on this hostile energy despite the parched fragments of ground they exist on. Though it's hard to say at this point what the soil composition is, as the rovers sent to scope out the dimension did not get that far before their signal got eroded, the specimens seem rather anomalous compared to standard JI flora, so it might be safe to assume that the energy they're enveloped in plays a non-negligible role in the flora's persistence.

Something else we can glean from the images sent back by the machines is that the Razazzle sky is strangely patterned and extremely bright. Some analysts proposed that the patterns could have actually been from the machines themselves as the energy in the dimension began to affect them, but a comparative analysis with other images sent back reveals that these patterns are too inconsistent across the photos to have been an effect produced by the cameras themselves.

The discovery of this high-energy dimension poses some concerns, as an external data analysis reveals that the Razazzle dimension has begun to root itself in several locations on the JI Planet. If this trend continues, civilians may be at risk of being exposed to the dimension's high-energy field if any of these locations are somehow unlocked. Though there are some suspicions that the Razazzle dimension may have inhabitants capable of opening these gates from the inside. If the gates are opened from the inside, serious measures will need to be taken against a potential influx of high-energy into the JI proper.

January: A painting study from this pinterest pic. Full image here.

February: Theoretical design WIP for Virame, a side character from Tsuname's story.

March: Image of Lily for my Knights & Lilies PowerPoint.

April: Six of the Torn Apart sisters, plus another, snoozing in a library. (The bookshelves are full of references to me and my friends' stories as well as OCs, webtoons I like, animes, and even a manga magazine.) Full image here.

May: Shiido work doodle. I put his name through google translate and wrote down his name in as many unique scripts as I could find. Bonus points to whoever can pick out the script(s) that are actually from one of my constructed languages. :3

June: Sz'nami in water form. It's a thumbnail edit of this pic from June 2021.

July: @crystallinkcreations's Penelope for ArtFight! You can find the full image in this post.

August: Waizu, the pontificating scientist-philosopher father figure to Naru and Shiido. He teaches them that evil must be destroyed from the worlds he purges. You can find his post here.

September: @a-random-cc's character, Tares, from Torn Apart! I'm sorry I never finished this. :') Full image here.

October: A little running animation I did of Paria from my story Knights & Lilies.

November: A visual representation of a certain Herr's sound perception, based on my experiences in a crowded lunch room. I have a couple extra frames where he's walking, but I decide to save those and freeze him on the frame I showed in the summary of art since the animation isn't finished. :P

December: Part of yet another animation WIP, this frame of Sz'nami. I decided to render it in the summary of art picture at the end of December to make it look even nicer. :P

Lots of WIPs and sketches this year, haha. Sometimes I really need somebody to kick me to finish things. XPP

Madazumi Mystilief with Pachipachi Vine

This well-like plant draws water from the ground. It is native to Coraln Sing, the continent known for its abundance of water and flooded desert aesthetic.

Since the plant acts like a drain on surrounding land, sometimes plants with lower water needs find shelter by it, such as the Pachipachi Vine.

Madazumi Mystiliefs also tend to become incubators for seedlings that find its way into its expansive blossom, lending to their nickname "Mother Mystilief"

Pachipachi Vines are thought to be related to the Spotil family because of their similar fruits. The fruits themselves have a sour, almost electrifying taste well-balanced with sweetness. Since they only grow around Mystiliefs and other land-draining plants in certain conditions, they're a rather rare find. Nevertheless, their fruits are sometimes used during the Tea Festival when enough of them can be found, either as refreshments or as part of tisanes. Their particular flavor and biological make-up help prepare one for the Ultimate Tea, as their powerful flavor is connected to the amount of ultiminium they contain.

Parts of Madazumi Mystiliefs can be used as decorations, and the sprouts that grow in its water are particularly flavorful. Though the hard texture of Mystiliefs makes them inedible, the water they pull up from the ground is particularly sweet and powerful. It is also thought to infuse ultiminium into the water it pulls up, which could explain why Pachipachi Vines thrive near them, as they require ultiminium to fruit in large quantities.

Water gathered by Madazumis is thought to be an ingredient in the Ultimate Tea, but given the vast amount of it served each year, it is likely that there are other sources of similar ingredients that can be found in larger quantities.

Blua Elektraika

A flower found in the Bleuka Stormana Zone of the Storm Dimension. It grows only where lightning strikes blue, and lightning strikes themselves are thought to seed the ground there with Blua Elektraikas. Not much is known about these flowers at this time, as the Stormana Zones are usually found high in the air, only easily accessible to Electric Buddys that can withstand the storm and fly.