Old King Cole

I wrote this Homestuck parody song for 4/13 and thought I would post it. It's a spoof of Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini by Brian Hyland, but based on The Condesce’s life.

Unfortunately, this man is my kryptonite in every universe...

It's fascinating to me that in the three second snippet of this aquatic themed universe, the seeming king of the water is Martin...

𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝐇𝐔𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐒 - Gelos Humor

Gelos Humor is Thalia and Ronaldo’s firstborn. At seventeen, this self-appointed “black sheep” wants nothing more than to be taken seriously. Yet while he may take after his mother’s more monochrome appearance, Gelos completely lacks the patience and precision of his Harlequinade heritage. Unfortunately for him, this angst-ridden Juggalo inherited most of his father’s pratfalls.

Unaware of his own schadenfreudic tendencies, Gelos resents his father’s slapstick buffoonery and unfaltering optimism. The boy’s constant countercultural rants and dramatic posturing are fueled by his identity as a Juggalo, a new-age, theo-political movement that rejects the comedic foundations of clown society.

𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝐇𝐔𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐒 - Thalia Humor

A Pierrot in her early 30s, Thalia was designed as the elegant foil to her colorful, chaotic husband, Ronaldo Humor. While he embodies the ‘bumbling stooge,’ she carries the refined artistry of the Comédie-Française—her cabaret, doll-like design reflecting her grace and precision.

Once an acrobatic prodigy, Thalia grew up under the strict eye of her perfectionist grandfather, Dottore Legrand, within their family's prestigious traveling circus, ‘Commedia dell’Grand.’ Though she mastered the trapeze at just four years old, she felt trapped by his strict standards.

𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝐇𝐔𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐒 - Ronaldo Humor

Ronaldo is the quintessential clown, clumsy in body, yet earnest in heart! Visually a blue-tinted Auguste, Ronaldo’s turquoise-on-teal features are a play on white faced circus clowns like Ronald McD. (A clear inspiration for his name.)

While not the shiniest balloon in the bouquet, Ronaldo puts his all into every aspect of his life. As a father of two, his mastery of dad jokes pales only in comparison to the love he has for his family. Much like the wider world, his family is an eclectic mix of characters. Despite their differences, Ronaldo loves his children for who they are.

Coulro-nomically speaking, Ronaldo is a “Circus Clown,” but that identity has little to do with his occupation. In fact, Ronaldo is an office worker, metaphorically slaving away at the bottom of the corporate ladder.

✨🐙 𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒶𝓊𝓇𝒶 𝒾𝓈 𝑔𝒾𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑜𝒻𝒻 𝓈𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝓅𝑜𝓈𝒾𝓉𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝓋𝒾𝒷𝑒𝓈. 🐙✨

Humanstuck AU (7/12): Feferi Peixes

Humanstuck Lore: I thought about making Feferi the popular "Queen Bee" archetype or a beach-obsessed "VSCO Girl." Both would make sense for her aquatic theme and social status within Homestuck. But my goal with this project is less about "making the Trolls human" and more about recontextualizing individual personalities.

My Feferi is a tarot-reading, crystal-loving, astrology girly. Somewhere between Manic Pixie and Art Hippie. She is a bit of a social chameleon, applying 100% of herself to whatever she does. A CPR-certified babysitter with glowing parental recommendations, who parties harder than anyone else at the function. (𝘓𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘻𝘦𝘦.)

I've always headcanoned the Peixes as African American. It makes The Condesce's weird urban slang feel slightly less... idk... minstrel-y? Plus, with Meenah knowing how to braid, to me it makes sense to draw Human Feferi as Black.

Like Eridan, Feferi comes from an upper-class background. She's 𝘙𝘐𝘊𝘏-rich but doesn’t talk about her family's wealth. Her parents are strict, Catholic, and conservative. Her free-spirited personality, reckless abandon, and abstract spiritualism are a direct response to the strict, controlling upbringing.

Fef is a ride-or-die kind of friend. Opinionated, overprotective, and aggressively supportive. She's nice to everybody and will put up with a lot of personal abuse. But the moment you're an asshole to someone she cares about, it's on sight. She does a lot of activism and volunteer work—in part due to her empathic nature, but also because of her "Rich Gill-t." (Get it!? '𝙂𝙞𝙡𝙡-' like a fish!!! ☝️🥴 🐠)

She started dating Eridan at 13 and spent the next five years waiting for him to come out as gay. Eridan's always been a bit elitist, but when he began making passive-aggressive comments about her race and body, a scrawny computer nerd came in to deck his ass. Long story short, Fef is happily dating Sollux, and now Eridan is an incel...

~𝕯𝖔𝖙𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖊 𝐋𝖊𝖌𝖗𝖆𝖓𝐝 ~

👾🌱𝕁𝕖𝕤𝕦𝕤 𝕗𝕦𝕔𝕜𝕚𝕟’ 𝕕𝕚𝕖𝕕 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕦𝕤 𝕞𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕗𝕦𝕔𝕜𝕖𝕣𝕤. ℙ𝕣𝕒𝕚𝕤𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕗𝕦𝕔𝕜𝕚𝕟’ 𝕃𝕠𝕣𝕕. 🌱👾

Humanstuck AU (6/12): Gamzee Makara

Humanstuck Lore: Despite my clown obsession, I’ve never been a huge Gamzee fan — but he's by far the easiest to drop into my High School AU. Most folks make human Gamzee a punk because of the drugs and murder, but I think that mischaracterizes how nerdy potheads can be. He’s way more ‘California Stoner’ than ‘Edgy Hot Topic.’ (No skinny jeans for Gamz!)

I went back and forth on his race — Latinx, Black, or White Albino. I landed on him being Colombian American. I usually think Hemophobia = Racism, but I’m trying not to make all the Highbloods white. I already made Equius and Eridan Aryan-af, and the Peixes are 100% Black. (Don’t fight me.) So I made Gamzee brown, but still visually distinct from Karkat.

Most of his tattoos are shitty stick ‘n pokes, but his cousin runs a parlor. (It’s Kurloz… 🙈) That’s why his arms look like a Chipotle bag, despite just turning 18. (Everyone is 14-18 in this AU.)

I think people forget how religious Gamzee is in the comic. Alternia’s Mirthful Messiahs ≈ Occult Clown Christianity. Similarly, my Gam is super chill, but if you ask about his religious tats he’ll get scarily intense about his love for Jesus. Very Boho, New Age, Born Again Christianity. His intense love of the Lord also plays off him being a servant of Lord English. 🛐

Karkat’s probably his closest friend, but Kk finds him annoying as hell. Doesn’t stop Kar from bumming his DS at lunch or asking for free weed. Gamz only really beefs w/ Terezi. They both think the other is a bad influence on Karkat. (Facts) Obviously, Gamzee and Tavros are close, but I think we all know that’s more flushed than pale.

Help me come up with a name for my new Clown OC.

All of my characters have some sort of meaning or pun behind them. Thalia is the Greek Muse of Comedy, while Gelos is the Greek God of Laughter. "Gelos Humor" is a play on "gallows humor." Gelos' girlfriend, Souri, is derived from the French Creole word for "smile."

The character pictured above is Ronaldo's mother (name TBD). She’s partially inspired by the "Bag Lady" clown archetype, the female equivalent to the "Circus Tramp" or "Vagabond" stock characters.

In my canon, she's part of an itinerant group of clowns who traveled across 'The Old World' (my clown analog for Europe) to peddle wares and goods. Consequently, she’s also inspired by 15th–17th century Central Europe.

Her body markings are loosely based on Sicanje, Serbo-Croatian tattoos that helped prevent women from abduction and assault under the Ottoman Empire. While my clown world isn't one-to-one with real-world history, I imagine her name could draw from broader Balkan culture.

She IS Mother...

I did a BTS for Souri, but I haven’t talked about the designs for any of the main Humor Family.

Thalia Humor:

The Monochrome Matriarch of the Humors and my favorite OC, Thalia is a Pierrot in her early 30s. Designed as a contrast to her colorful, chaotic husband Ronaldo, she embodies the elegant, old-world artistry of the Commedia dell’arte. Her cabaret/doll-like design reflects this refinement. A former acrobatic prodigy, she is flexible, precise, and often overcompensates for Ronaldo’s bumbling antics.

Thalia’s History: Born Thalia Legrand, she was raised in the prestigious traveling circus Commedia dell’Grand, known for its artistry and craftsmanship across the "Old World" (a clown analog for Europe). Her strict, humorless grandfather, Dottore Legrand, demanded perfection. Despite mastering the trapeze at four, Thalia felt stifled by his impossible standards. She found joy for the first time when she met a raggedy young tramp, Ronaldo. Knowing her grandfather would never approve of their love, they eloped to build a life in the New World.

Thalia’s Design: Thalia’s look blends influences from 1920s, 1940s, and 1960s fashion, inspired by vaudeville and silent films. Initially envisioned as a mute, black-and-white pantomime like Charlie Chaplin, her style evolved to a more modernized, Mary Tyler Moore counterpart to Ronaldo’s Dick Van Dyke. Her sepia-toned palette evokes vintage celluloid photography while contrasting with Ronaldo’s cooler colors.

Her hairstyle, between a shingle bob and a bouffant, mixes 1960s stay-at-home mom and 1920s flapper. (I never draw it consistently) Her features, inspired by Claudette Colbert and Clara Bow, include a small mouth and spidery eyelashes. True to Pierrot design, her costume emphasizes a sleek silhouette with minimalistic shapes—tight-fitting jumpsuits instead of bulky dresses—favoring clean white space over colorful clutter.

Thalia’s Name: All my characters’ names reference humor types. Thalia, from the Greek muse of comedy and idyllic poetry, reflects her romantic, nurturing nature and vague Mediterranean heritage (French?/Italian??/Croatian???) While 'Koalemos' represents stupidity and 'Atë' symbolizes mischief and ruin, Thalia’s name embodies a natural, simplistic beauty in line with idyllic Greek poetry.

(Stay tuned for Ronaldo!)

I had an idea to draw Thalia and Ronaldo as Heat Miser and Snow Miser. I feel like every time I draw these two they're a little different. I'm gonna try to get more consistent moving forward.