Latest Posts by nimbusclan - Page 3

🔮 Which cat is the most superstitious?

For either Moonstar or Fogfreckle; 🌷Quirks or other mannerisms?

Asks are from this ask game!

RIP to a real one. Also Hazel scaring children in death just like she did in life~

(Mintclan cats are top to bottom: Mistswirl, Shystar, and Sunstorm)

Moon 0

Prev Moon | Next Moon

🌳

🌳 What does their family tree look like?

Like this! I only did direct lineage for this family tree, 'cause otherwise with various mates and cousins and distant relatives it would've taken forever to draw and, frankly, it's not important.

And yes - though most of these relatives are not important lore-wise, they DO have backstories. So, if you're curious about any of them, feel free to send in an ask!

Ask was from this ask game!

Moon 1.10

Better read on ComicFury!

I'm retconning the name of Moonstar and Fogfreckle's dad!

It's not much of a big deal, it hasn't even been mentioned by any cat in the comic (though it has in the story portion), but it's been nagging at me that locusts (his name being Locuststripe) don't actually exist in their environment. Ergo, his name makes no sense. So,

GOODBYE, RNG NAME! WELCOME, CLIFFSTRIPE!

A late thank you for all the kind words on this ask! Y'all are too dang sweet 🥹🫶

Featured kitties and kind word sayers from left to right are: Mapledash of @whirlclan, Mousethorn from @cutieclangen, Gutterrat from @gutterclan, Oliveshade from @ranchclan, Clawstar from @direclan, ??? from @astray-clangen, and Greyswoop from @boughclan-clangen!

I promise promise I'm working on Nimbus stuff!! I've got like sixty things I'm tryna draw at once, forgive me

Work has been rather hectic for me lately and I've been swamped with petsitting in addition, so I haven't had much time to draw - but I'll get around to it!

Why is there a snake awake during winter, i ask the Cat RNG

because, replies the Cat RNG First | Previous | Next

Skykestrel! And poor Clove, they did not ask for this…

Wonder what Brackenleaf wants to warn Oakspider about.

Moon 0

Prev Moon | Next Moon

Moon 1.1

Better read on ComicFury!

and im back!! couldnt stay gone for too long! and a new format, as i experiment with how i draw comics! let me know what you think! also goldkit is missing. uhhh

Moon 6

[Previous] [Start] [Next]

Cold wind whistles through the rocks Moonstar and Fogfreckle are hunched under, bringing the crisp scents of first leaf-fall. With a shiver, Moonstar presses closer to Fogfreckle for warmth, but startles back as he lets out a pained hiss. She rests her gaze on her brother for a moment, eyeing the bristled, spiky fur of his pelt that sticks up around the cobwebs she did her best to wrap him with, stiff with dried blood.

The talon marks that are sunk into his back worry Moonstar. She wishes she had listened better when she was an apprentice, when their old medicine cat, Loudtalon, had been rambling on about herbs. She doesn’t want to try mixing a poultice for her brother in case she gets it wrong; she wouldn't even know where to begin. The most she can do is change his cobwebs when the blood starts to soak through and pray to StarClan that infection doesn’t set in.

She’s been doing her best to keep his wounds clean, but he’ll need new cobwebs soon. With a heavy sigh, she rises to her paws as much as the rocks crushing in around them will allow, her shoulders brushing the ceiling. Her ears have been pinned to her head for so long now that she thinks they may get stuck that way.

Moonstar moves towards Fogfreckle to give his ear an affectionate lick before she leaves, but he ducks away from her, wincing at the movement.

Moonstar halts and pulls back, chin wobbling.

Puffing her fur against the biting wind, unseasonable for this early in leaf-fall, she squeezes her way out of their makeshift den in search of three thing: cobwebs for her brother, fresh-kill for the both of them, and someplace they can finally call home.

With Fogfreckle injured, her search is limited.

Moonstar pads across the mountain, eyes sharp for the movement of prey but mind elsewhere. Before Fogfreckle was confined to his nest to heal from the eagle attack, they were constantly on the move. So far, they haven’t found anywhere that would make for a good camp. They’ve slept in abandoned dens, up in the branches of trees, tucked under scrubbly, thorny bushes – but a place big enough for two cats to sleep is nowhere near large enough for a camp.

They will rebuild NimbusClan. StarClan decreed it – StarClan chose her as leader. It has to be for something, she has to have something, some trait or destiny or something that StarClan can see that she can’t, or they wouldn’t have chosen her. Her stomach churns uncomfortably at the thought.

Her mind strays to worse thoughts, the sharp glide of golden wings slicing through the air a constant in her mind this past moon. She can’t shake how odd it was – sure, it’s not strange that a mother would want to protect her eggs – but the way it shifted its beady black glare from Moonstar to her brother seemed tainted with something more than just a mother’s protection.

With effort, she shakes the subject from her mind and sets to canvassing this section of mountain. She doesn’t want to stray too far from where Fogfreckle is, so she’s been going out in a different direction each day in the hopes she’ll find something suitable. Today, she pokes her head into a shaded clearing of pine trees, only to be met with the blinking eyes of several racoons peering through the needles – sniffs around the opening of a fox den that smells very clearly occupied (hurrying away as quickly and silently as her paws with allow) – and shrinks back into the shadows of a leafy bush when a pair of twolegs turn a corner onto a twolegtrail, speaking loudly in their foreign tongue and likely scaring away all the prey in the area.

She only manages to catch one meager mouse – but that’s fine, because it’s Fogfreckle’s favorite, and with a cobweb-coated twig cradled carefully between her teeth, she doesn’t think she’d be able to carry more than one piece of fresh-kill at the same time, anyways.

Fogfreckle stirs as she presses back into their den, her head angled awkwardly so she can get through with the stick clamped in her jaws. He glances at her as she pushes the mouse towards him, and then looks down at his paws as she sets to working clearing the old cobwebs from his fur. She tries to be gentle, but she’s no good at this medicine cat stuff. Fogfreckle grimaces the entire time and lets his mouse go cold, not sharing a single word with his sister as she rasps a tongue over his wounds, cleaning the dried blood from his fur.

Moonstar goes to sleep when she’s done, stomach rumbling, and tries not to cry.

[Previous] [Start] [Next]

Moon 6

[Previous] [Start] [Next]

Cold wind whistles through the rocks Moonstar and Fogfreckle are hunched under, bringing the crisp scents of first leaf-fall. With a shiver, Moonstar presses closer to Fogfreckle for warmth, but startles back as he lets out a pained hiss. She rests her gaze on her brother for a moment, eyeing the bristled, spiky fur of his pelt that sticks up around the cobwebs she did her best to wrap him with, stiff with dried blood.

The talon marks that are sunk into his back worry Moonstar. She wishes she had listened better when she was an apprentice, when their old medicine cat, Loudtalon, had been rambling on about herbs. She doesn’t want to try mixing a poultice for her brother in case she gets it wrong; she wouldn't even know where to begin. The most she can do is change his cobwebs when the blood starts to soak through and pray to StarClan that infection doesn’t set in.

She’s been doing her best to keep his wounds clean, but he’ll need new cobwebs soon. With a heavy sigh, she rises to her paws as much as the rocks crushing in around them will allow, her shoulders brushing the ceiling. Her ears have been pinned to her head for so long now that she thinks they may get stuck that way.

Moonstar moves towards Fogfreckle to give his ear an affectionate lick before she leaves, but he ducks away from her, wincing at the movement.

Moonstar halts and pulls back, chin wobbling.

Puffing her fur against the biting wind, unseasonable for this early in leaf-fall, she squeezes her way out of their makeshift den in search of three thing: cobwebs for her brother, fresh-kill for the both of them, and someplace they can finally call home.

With Fogfreckle injured, her search is limited.

Moonstar pads across the mountain, eyes sharp for the movement of prey but mind elsewhere. Before Fogfreckle was confined to his nest to heal from the eagle attack, they were constantly on the move. So far, they haven’t found anywhere that would make for a good camp. They’ve slept in abandoned dens, up in the branches of trees, tucked under scrubbly, thorny bushes – but a place big enough for two cats to sleep is nowhere near large enough for a camp.

They will rebuild NimbusClan. StarClan decreed it – StarClan chose her as leader. It has to be for something, she has to have something, some trait or destiny or something that StarClan can see that she can’t, or they wouldn’t have chosen her. Her stomach churns uncomfortably at the thought.

Her mind strays to worse thoughts, the sharp glide of golden wings slicing through the air a constant in her mind this past moon. She can’t shake how odd it was – sure, it’s not strange that a mother would want to protect her eggs – but the way it shifted its beady black glare from Moonstar to her brother seemed tainted with something more than just a mother’s protection.

With effort, she shakes the subject from her mind and sets to canvassing this section of mountain. She doesn’t want to stray too far from where Fogfreckle is, so she’s been going out in a different direction each day in the hopes she’ll find something suitable. Today, she pokes her head into a shaded clearing of pine trees, only to be met with the blinking eyes of several racoons peering through the needles – sniffs around the opening of a fox den that smells very clearly occupied (hurrying away as quickly and silently as her paws with allow) – and shrinks back into the shadows of a leafy bush when a pair of twolegs turn a corner onto a twolegtrail, speaking loudly in their foreign tongue and likely scaring away all the prey in the area.

She only manages to catch one meager mouse – but that’s fine, because it’s Fogfreckle’s favorite, and with a cobweb-coated twig cradled carefully between her teeth, she doesn’t think she’d be able to carry more than one piece of fresh-kill at the same time, anyways.

Fogfreckle stirs as she presses back into their den, her head angled awkwardly so she can get through with the stick clamped in her jaws. He glances at her as she pushes the mouse towards him, and then looks down at his paws as she sets to working clearing the old cobwebs from his fur. She tries to be gentle, but she’s no good at this medicine cat stuff. Fogfreckle grimaces the entire time and lets his mouse go cold, not sharing a single word with his sister as she rasps a tongue over his wounds, cleaning the dried blood from his fur.

Moonstar goes to sleep when she’s done, stomach rumbling, and tries not to cry.

[Previous] [Start] [Next]

GET OUT OF MY DREAMS

Moon 0

Prev Moon | Next Moon

🍁 Moon 2

Lynxmane is really living up to his childish nature

Previous - next (TBA)

moon 0, page 12.

>putting the cat before the paws.

PREVIOUS || NEXT FIRST

with that, moon 0 is done!! thank you all for your patience! depending on whether i get any lining done today, i may take a small break to get the next couple of moons sorted. if i do, the next page will be up on sunday, march 9th. if i dont, the thursday/sunday schedule will continue as planned! from hereon (until i change my mind) pages will be double length to try to cover a little more ground with each update. thanks for sticking around so far!

moon 0

Moon 5 pt 1 isn't in the moons tag!

Ooh thank you so much for bringing that to my attention, I'll fix that right now!

Moon 3 - Part 1

Gutterrat’s friend says nice things about Longpaw, but it just makes Gutterrat feel guilty.

Start / Back / Next

SOMEONE HELP THEMMMMMMMMMM I’m manifesting anything good to happen to them rn cause they deserve it

and for the ask game:

🐀 for both cats!

🤝 for the author!

he literally never stops daydreaming about mice in game

🤝 If you could collab with any other clangen creator (or just want to shout out your favorites), who would it be?

OH MAN THERE ARE SO MANY GOOD ARTISTS HERE!! I'm open to collabs with anyone (I don't bite!) but some of my bestest friends (even if we're only friends in my head) I'd love to collab with are basinclan, ranchclan, direclan, cutieclangen, tidalclan, boughclan-clangen, astray-clangen, cycloneclangen, featherclan, gutterclan, canary-clan, and castaway-clan! I love this community, and I'd be down to collab with anyone who is interested 🫶 (and I think crossover events are so fun and cute!)

Asks are from this ask game!

moon 0, page 11.

>hopeful. desperate.

PREVIOUS || NEXT FIRST

From the ask game - 📝 What do your notes look like?

(your comic is gorgeous btw the traditional mixed media thing is SOOOO COOL)

Hello, thank you!! I've loved following the Nimbus duo 🥺

For notes, I have a big messy doc where I just screenshot + paste game events that I find interesting / important, sometimes with little notes added on

And then I have a neater doc with notes on characters, worldbuilding stuff which wont come up for like. months lol but. , etc. My memory is pretty shot so as the clan gets up to like 9, 10 members I need some notes to keep all their personalities & relationships straight lol.

For the comic itself, once I've played far enough I'll jot down a general story arc for those moons to give them a direction, & take rough notes on the events & emotional arcs of the main characters for that storyline. Then I break that up into events going moon-by-moon.

THEN I write out scripts for each moon more in-depth, referencing my rough arc outline & the events that happened that moon for flavour (I'm finished rough scripts for this whole first arc, though a few still need a bit of work to make them. gooder).

Then on to my really janky thumbnails, and then I'm ready to actually draw the page!

TY for the ask! :-)

✍️ What inspired you to make your clangen

comic/ other media?

*twirls hair* haha so actually nimbus you were one of my big big inspirations for starting Ranchclan, we started posting around the same time and just I’ve always been a fan of your work and think you’re super cool 🧡

Otherwise of course @/fallenclan, @/rippleclan, @/loudclan-clangen, @/splinterclan (jfc that most recent update moonpaw and Bess my poor girl), @/direclan (! Hi friend), @/sporeclan, @/circusclan, and so many more there’s so many good ones.

I’ve been absolutely loving @/astray-clangen, @/canaryclan, @/forestclan-clangen (HIGHLY SUGGEST), @/smoke-clan, @/midsummerclan, @/hillclan-ruins

But I think the real truth is I got really inspired by @/crypitdclaws clangen from like a million years ago, Meowymanstar lives permanently in my brain. Their work with Bignose is super cute to me as a borzoi lover

HOLY FOX MOONSTAR IS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS I'M RUNNING LAPS

THIS IS SO GOOD WAAAAUUUGHHHHHH framing this, hanging it on my wall, kissing it every day for good luck

"Let's all be grayscaled" said everyone, while Ginger and Ripple had airpods on.

Badgepach is from @nettleclan-clangen

??? Is from @astray-clangen

Clonwi is from @circus-clangen

Gingapa is from @direclan

Monsta is from @nimbusclan

Ripolcla is from @echoes-in-echoclan

(typos in name for comedic charm, in order they're Badgerpatch, ???, Clownwish, Gingerpaw, Moonstar and Rippleclaw)

🌍 and ✍️!

-Direclan

i'm gonna put some of this under a readmore because it got SO long hahaha

🌍 What are some of your irl inspirations for the lore/worldbuilding of your comic?

hmm! this is tough, i'm not sure if this includes media (but if it does i'm going to include it later because i'm in a rambly sort of mood, haha).

so as far as the kitty cats go, i definitely take a lot of inspiration from my own dreams. i am very bad at taking my medications at the correct time and i currently take one where the first withdrawal symptom that makes me definitely aware i forgot to take it is that i have really vivid, sometimes very scary dreams. i kind of seek to depict these vivid dreams, so i will likely be doing a lot of experimentation during future dream sequences to capture that feeling of dreamlike unreality.

i also have a small document that includes a list of common foliage in the alaska wilderness. i so far have not taken a whole lot of time to depict it in my art but the chugach mountain range has been a particular focus of mine when i do research about shrubbery and tree diversity. i was a dual ecology & math major in college, so if there's anythign i'm kind of determined to get at least sort of correct it's the environment. (that said, there are tidepools on the coast of this setting where reefclan hunts, so take it with a massive grain of salt. it's fantasy)

my partner's d&d campaign has also had a massive (and i really do mean massive) impact on just like. how i create and how i conceptualize characters, symbolism, colors, and the rest of the works. we've been playing a 1-20 campaign since 2017 and we're in the end-game right now--it's a world-spanning, time-spanning adventure and i am NOT the same person i was coming out as i was going in. half of that is other life stuff but the other half is just that it's made a very profound impact on me as a person, and i consistently seek to emulate the sheer depth of the world he has built, the decades of thought he put into it, the strength of even the most convoluted mechanics and stories. it's rock solid. i'm normal. i'm so normal I PROMISE.

and, as far as media goes, i've definitely taken a lot of inspiration from the lore and worldbuilding of the destiny duology. it's kind of hard to get a handle on the story, but once you do, it really opens up into this incredible saga and some of the worldbuilding is just, SO sick. the idea that you could use conway's game of life as the origin myth for a whole universe really gets me so good. i said this earlier but i have a degree in applied math and i NEVER looked at any numbers or proofs and thought "i could make an origin myth out of that" and it's just SOOOOO cool to me that someone did do that. also it's like sword and sorcery with guns. which rules.

there might be some visible star trek (tng/ds9 specifically), bloodborne, nier automata, pokemon, ffxiv, and hollow knight, but it might be a bit of a challenge to point to anything directly. i think it corresponds to what i've made playlists for, really, hahaha.

✍️ What inspired you to make your clangen comic/ other media?

i've been wanting to publish a comic for a really long time! i've always been hesitant to because i have a really hard time sticking with anything long-term--i tend to cycle between several activities, where i do one or two very intensely for a few weeks to a few months and then switch. not something i do consciously, it's just naturally how my interests tend to manifest. you can actually see my first attempt @/starclan-clangen, which............................. i plan to return to eventually but lost the file for hahaha.

but i never wanted to do a comic sort of half-interested that way--i always wanted to make something that was good, that i could be proud of. it wasn't until i saw other folks making clangen comics that it clicked for me that a comic doesn't have to be my magnum opus and that i can just have fun with it if i want to. folks like @/ranchclan, @/direclan (hehe, thats you), @/nimbusclan, @/cutieclan, @/fallenclan, @/splinterclan, @/sporeclan, @/juniperclan, and @/vaporclan helped me realize i could just... do it, that i didn't have to wait until my art or my writing were more honed in order to like. make something i liked and have fun with it. there are SO many more that i haven't listed here that i love very dearly. the clangen community in general has been such a wonderful galvanizing force for me.

other inspirations that aren't clangen-related include my friend earthtonequeen on comicfury, who does more short story comic work. they've been making comics for a long time and their work is such a huge inspiration to me--i love the stories they tell.

@/jumalanpelko, WOW. the style is so gorgeous, their color work is absolutely phenomenal, and i love love love the worldbuilding.

@/whatlurksbean, what lurks beneath was HUGE for me in the past year or so. i found them after there were already like 500 pages and binged the entire comic. they write characters with such skill, it's incredible to see a story where there's such nuance to each player.

@/thewhalesheart is such a beautiful comic. i love the way they draw lambpaw, it's influenced how i differentiate characters!

@/milosfromhome is a HUGE inspiration to me. this is one of the comics that helped me really decide that comics were what i really actually wanted from my art, and helped me realize that seeing someone's improvement throughout a comic is actually really sick, so i just gotta hit the ground running. huge, huge inspiration for sure hahaha.

the comic "i didn't know" on comicfury has also been a recent but huge inspiration, it addresses real-life issues in a very nuanced way with kitty cats and i'm a huge fan.

@/caemidraws has been an inspiration to me as an artist in general and recently she's started her own comic so i recommend checking her out too! her compositions and general symbology are SO cool.

if i think of further inspirations i may come back and add them but off the top of my head, those are the ones i've been checking back with regularly recently! thank you so much for the ask, i love your work! <3

🌙 for Magpiepaw! (from talesofcloverclan)

@talesofcloverclan hi thank you for the ask! 🧡

Interlude 5-6

[Previous] [Start] [Next]

now who could this be

🌷fo both fog and moon! (Im pretty sure this hasnt been asked yet 😅)

-Direclan

🌷Quirks or other mannerisms? Both Fogfreckle and Moonstar are very picky about their nests! They like them ✨just so✨, so having to find somewhere new to sleep every night while traveling often leaves them both irritable in the mornings.

Question is from this ask game!

Commissions open! Here's a link to my kofi! Reblogs much appreciated <3

Moon 5 Part 4

[Previous] [Start] [Next]

Fogfreckle’s body hits the ground hard, rolling halfway down the slope as Moonstar slides down after him, pebbles skidding out from under her paws as she rushes to his side.

“Fogfreckle?” Moonstar’s voice wavers as she reaches him in a spray of stones, hovering a scraped paw gently over his bleeding body as she hesitates. He’s just lying there, chest rising and falling shallowly, as blood oozes from thick punctures along his back that stains his pale fur red. Should she roll him over? What if his bones are broken? He’s not dead, by the grace of StarClan, but she’s no medicine cat – she has no idea how close he is to death or how much worse she’ll make it if she tries to move him.

The circling shadow of the eagle drifts over them with another ear-splitting, screeching cry, and Moonstar’s fear makes the decision for her. She grabs Fogfreckle by the scruff of the neck and begins to haul him farther down the slope. She doesn’t want to injure him more than he already is, but she knows it’ll be worse if they’re caught out here on the open mountainside once the larger predators in the area catch scent of his blood and come to investigate.

Fogfreckle doesn’t make a single nose of pain as she pulls him through the dirt. She drags him as far as a tumbled collection of boulders and stones, squeezing into a space between the rocks that is just big enough for Moonstar to fit her body through and drag Fogfreckle in after her. The space is tight, without a lot of room to move, and Moonstar has to swallow panic and bile as the walls seem to press in around them. 

“This is best,” she says aloud to herself, “foxes or fishers can’t reach us in here. It has to be here.” The self-soothing doesn’t do much to abate her claustrophobia, but Fogfreckle makes a pained noise in response to her voice and all thoughts of herself vacate her mind.

Fogfreckle whimpers as Moonstar licks his wounds clean, flinching as she clears dirt from the punctures with her rough tongue. She doesn’t say anything while she works, but she nearly sags in relief with every flinch and whimper from her brother. He’s okay. He’s okay. He’s alive and he’s okay.

“Stay here,” she says at last when she’s cleaned most of the blood and debris from his fur. It’s still oozing sluggishly from his wounds, bright and wet. “I need to find cobwebs. Do you think you broke anything?”

“I don’t think so,” Fogfreckle murmurs, voice weak and faint with exhaustion. 

“Reckless,” Moonstar murmurs back, licking his forehead once. “Alright. Okay. Stay safe. Please, please, stay safe. I’ll get us help, okay? I’ll find someone to help.”

Moonstar scrambles out from under the claustrophobic press of rocks and pelts back up the mountain, swerving trees and boulders and leaping roots as she climbs higher and higher. Panic and grief strangles her thundering heart, pushing her to run faster and faster until her legs are burning. She reaches a break in the pines, a ledge buffeted by the wind, and yowls at the top of her lungs until her voice runs ragged.

“HELP! SOMEBODY, HELP! PLEASE! HELP!”

Her voice echoes back to her across the mountain, mimicking her fear. When it fades, there is only the sound of the mountain. Wind in her ears, the rustle of leaves in the trees, insects that hum in the sun. A sob escapes her, then a full blown wail, and her body collapses beneath her as the lack of response presses against her.

They are alone. At sunrise, she awoke as the leader of this clan, and at sundown she is so terribly, horribly, awfully alone.

[Previous] [Start] [Next]