Wing Tutorial~

got a new blanket for my nest yesterday, my cat loves it as much as i do <3

I think a lot of therian discourse would go away if we all adopted the idea that It’s Not Up To You. how someone identifies is really not up to you. And i know that can really suck because yeah, sometimes people Do get it really Really wrong, and they might not be a therian at all but listen to me. It’s not up to you. You can yell at someone all you want for being a therian the “wrong” way, you can insult them, you can suggest other terms if you really think it would benefit, but if they reject all of that there’s nothing more you can do but ignore them. You won’t convince them of anything, and you 🫵 don’t know Someone Else’s identity more than they do. You just don’t. So it’s not up to you. All you can do is exist as yourself.

Maybe I am stupid to think this way, who knows.

It isn't fair that the human body cannot perform this

me: okay forest make a cute and relatable sticker design next

me 20 minutes later: dead salmon hat fashion orca

I’m sure this isn’t an uncommon sentiment, but I find that, even as a wild, non-domesticated animal, I am (somewhat) glad to have experienced human society.

Don’t get me wrong, I would have loved to be born like my theriform counterparts. I would have loved living as a bird, surviving as one. It pains me that I do not. I long for the anatomy that was never granted to me and the life I feel I was destined for.

But human society has given me knowledge. I might not know how the world looks with shades of UV, but I’m aware of the electromagnetic spectrum. I might not have a hooked beak to tear into my food, but I’ve learnt how muscles work. I would do so much for the chance to fly with my own wings, but at least I know how an airfoil can generate lift. I am able to read books, visit Natural History museums, access the wondrous internet. Human society has satiated my curiosity, stoked it even, and I enjoy knowing what we’ve managed to puzzle out from our world.

It’s also granted me relationships, with both humans and otherwise. One wouldn’t expect a kestrel to wind up with a vulpix, but alas, I love my girlfriend so, so much. My best friend is equally important to me; I don’t think I’d be as happy going to school without her. I also have the internet — those I’ve conversed on here, on Discord. It’s amazing how I’ve managed to meet others with experiences similar to mine! Kestrels are mostly solitary birds, and while I’d have been happy with that life, I do not regret knowing these wonderful people.

As right as it’d feel, living the way a non-human should, there’s a degree of privilege that comes with appearing human-like. It is a misfortune that I, an avian, have found myself in, but it is not the worst fate that could befall me. Not with what it has brought to me.

I can sympathise with the want to separate yourself from it all, and to exist as you were meant to, but there are some things I know I will miss.

An orca breaching. From Ocean Souls (2020).

not an overwatch post but here’s some animals i drew 🫶

Killer whales hunting herring (BBC, Blue Planet II)

Hi! Do you have any tips for drawing people with wings? The main character of my comic has wings, but i… can’t draw them. This is becoming an itty bitty (read: massive) problem. Any help helps at this point honestly haha

I'll share some pictures I find useful.

Here's a bad picture of using the basic shapes for the wings

And then you can see how I used that as the base to tell me where to put feathers

The trick with wings is not to get TOO detailed (IMO). You don't want to make the picture so busy you can't take it in but, mainly, you may be miserable drawing allll the feathers. That's how I approach it. Some people do all the feathers and add more details and it looks great!

For putting them on people, you can see from the back that it's sort of like putting a pair of arms on the shoulder blades. Yes, technically that wouldn't work sooper well, but none of this works when you think about it lol.

You can also check my wings tag, which has a lot of references.

Hope that helps and let me know if you have any more questions!