@Toadlett's patreon monsters

[futurejake]

originally posted on cohost.org on 15 Jan 2023

I am a big fan of Letty Wilson (toadlett)'s work: their webcomic Owl People is amazing, as is her one-shot comic The Beechwood Helm. I just generally love all their illustrations.

One of the cool perks of supporting Letty on Patreon is that you get a custom monster drawing! Mine recently levelled up and became more monstrous [note: I think this may have changed and the yearly levelling-up is no longer part of the membership perks, but you still get a custom monster!], and I wanted to share it in all its glory. I haven't given it a name yet—suggestions welcome!

Level 1. Image description: A black-and-white line drawing by Letty Wilson (toadlett). The monster is long and low to the ground. It has three pairs of simple chicken-like legs: three-toed and a bit spindly. Its front half looks like the head and neck of a slightly perplexed and/or mildly irritated chicken, and its back half resembles that of a sausage dog, complete with a stubby little tail.

Level 2. Image description: A second black-and-white line drawing in the same style, also by Letty Wilson (toadlett). This one shows the same monster in an evolved form. The chicken-like front half is now super beefed up and bulky. The front two legs still resemble that of a chicken, but have become thick, scaly, taloned, and now have four toes. The chicken's expression, with its wider eye and dilated pupil, could be interpreted as 'omg what is happening?' or a more menacing 'what're you looking at?'. The back half has evolved beyond a mere sausage dog: it is longer and contorted, squished up into an uncomfortable wormy undulation. The tail has grown longer and sprouted leaf-like barbs. The back two pairs of legs are now clustered together. They are more spindly and, most importantly, now have KNEES. Like the backward kind of knee joints you might associate with insect legs.

dreamwidth addition, 09 Nov 2024

Since the above post, my monster has levelled up again! Here's what it looks like now:

Level 3. Image description: A third black-and-white line drawing by Letty Wilson (toadlett). The monster has evolved again: its head now has more appendages, which seem to me reminiscent of the style of traditional Chinese dragon puppets—as does its tail, which has become long, winding, and feathery. The monster's body has become bumpier, and it has sprouted an extra pair of spindly legs on its back end, which are attached to the body with bulbous joints. The back two pairs of legs have been lifted into the air by the undulation of the tail and have shrunk a little, feet waving around in the air. The creature has lifted one of its front chicken talons, and its beak is open as if it is hissing.