Site News

Have you heard the news?

April, the "Mule" deer "Faunid", has arrived to Atalav ahead of schedule! That's how you know she's legit. She's not a joke. She's real, and she is a Faunid, and she is NOT for sale.

Her favorite holiday, which is also your favorite holiday, is called April Mule's Day!

This is because it's her day.

Luckily, April is a benevolent FAUNID, and has decided to share joy with all the rest of the FAUNIDS on Atalav. When April's around, the party's in town. She won't tell you why, but when she's here, strange things tend to happen.

Keep an eye out for some... unusual, but completely pleasant, surprises around our website.

April loves spending her day with FAUNIDS so much that she's decided to stick around for a whole WEEK. We are so happy about this. All of us.
And she's not just here to sit around. No, no, she also brought some presents for us this year!

How exciting, we all say at the same exact time!

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Spin the "Mule" Deer

From today until April 8th, YOU (that's you) can ask April to give you a little twirl. It's very beautiful, we all say at the same exact time again.
April has a whole smorgasbord of FABULOUS treats for us. She hopes you enjoy each and every one of them!

Please be careful not to ask her to twirl too much, or she'll get sick. Once a day is fine, though.

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...but that's this?

April brought us another friend!

This FAUNID shares her joyful and exuberant love of hijinks and games. This punchy little fella is in charge at this playground.
With their tail, they don't just hold objects, they can juggle! Heck, they're even the reigning champ of dodge ball in their multicolored kingdom!

KING SILLY PLAYTIME

This Auction Faunid was drawn and designed by MUTT and L0sw, allegedly, but both of them would say that our wonderful KSP just sprung to life on their own. This auction ends Wednesday, April 8th at 8:00PM CST. You may place bids in either the official Sales post on-site, or the #auction-bids channel on Discord.

Official Sales Post

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April hopes you enjoy your favorite holiday. She really did work hard to make it special this year.
Make sure to thank April if you see her (and make sure you mean it)! 

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Once granted, all/any of April's Treat(s)(TM)(C)  are non-refundable but highly tradable. They have no montary value because money doesn't exist in the Faunids universe.  You are free to discard them if you wish but April (and all associated entities) would be very happy if you enjoyed them instead. If you do not want to keep them do not discard them in the presence of April or she (and all associated entities) will be very, very sad. Frowning while receiving your gift is strictly prohibited under clause 11.b.132. 

This month's short newsletter will give a lot of timeline info and updates to the currently ongoing Fawning Event, Trait Updates, a new Mini-Event, and an upcoming auction adopt!

The purpose of these newsletters is to keep our community informed about site updates, upcoming events, official artist commission openings, new user guides, highlight different bits and pieces of our species, and build on community engagement. The content of these newsletters will vary by month.

To sign up for a Faunids account, message a moderator for an invite code. Once you have that, you can register on the sign-up page.

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Trait Updates

In preparation for Fawns who will be born with Wild Traits, as well as for future adopts and customs, we are making distinctions to the following traits, which will be reflected on the site archive soon: 

Fluffy Cat Tail and Cat Tail will now be broken into the following four traits, similar to Canine Tail. 

NEW: Feline Tail (Bobtail) - This trait will appear visually similar to cat breeds like the Kurilian Bobtail. 

Feline Tail (Shorthair) - This is the existing Cat Tail trait. 

Feline Tail (Fluffy) - This is the existing Fluffy Cat Tail trait. 

NEW: Feline Tail (Lion) - This trait will be visually distinct from Kirin Tail by its thinness and a less ‘unicorn’like tuft of fur at the end.

Additionally, we are returning to a name that was once used for Rat Tail with some new additions. 

Prehensile Tail (Rat) - This is the existing Rat Tail trait.

NEW: Prehensile Tail (Guardian) - A new Exclusive trait.

NEW: Prehensile Tail (Chameleon) - a new Wild Trait.

NEW: Prehensile Tail (Pangolin) - a new Wild Trait.

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Character appreciation

We want to appreciate all the hard work that goes into turning designs into full-fledged characters.

As part of the Newsletter, we choose community members with well-loved Faunids to tell us a bit more about them! 
This month, we thought it would be a great chance to interview some community members about the lore they have for their Fawns.

Our first Fawn is Miami, who is owned by @c0rvid19! 

Does your fawn know their parents? What is their relationship like? If not, how did they approach being reborn into Atalav alone?

Yes! Though not biologically related, Miami knows who was involved in the process of his creation. He was taken in by Caspian and raised as his child.

Miami has grown to see and love Caspian as a father and is close to him and his siblings. 

What does your fawn want to do when they grow up? Do they have ambitions of a specific job, a specific location in Atalav they'd like to be?

Miami would like to branch from his father's business and do his own twist with clothes focused more on colors and creativity. He likes bright colors and has plans to move to the salmon coast to take inspiration from the gorgeous scenery for his designs.

What does your fawn do for fun?

Like others in his family, Miami has taken to making jewelry! He made an earring that Caspian wears on his left ear. Cas wears each piece his children have made for him.

Will your fawn be attending Summer Camp this summer?

He's unsure right now, but he'd like to if he has the time. It sounds like a fun experience! Maybe he will go if one of his siblings want to.

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Our second Fawn is Nerium, who is owned by NotSo0FFset! 

Does your fawn know their parents? What is their relationship like? If not, how did they approach being reborn into Atalav alone?

Yes, he does know his parent! Nerium was born in the quaint Atalav city of Veritam. From fawn-hood he did not have the best relationship with his only parental figure being his father, nor much of a relationship at all. Conversation was slim as was adequate care but he remained resilient! Feeling moreso like a roommate than a fawn to care for. He now has a happy relationship with his father in a much better environment.

What does your fawn want to do when they grow up? Do they have ambitions of a specific job, a specific location in Atalav they'd like to be?

He wants to be a seamstress and lapidary! Using silk and gems to create beautiful works. Nerium craves to hone the skills he’s learned in his hometown somewhere bigger! His goal is to make the trip to Makino and make a name for himself .. to leave inspiring hoof prints for other lost fawns to follow.

What does your fawn do for fun?

He spends his time with a needle and thread in hand and glimmering gems surrounding wherever he sits. Nerium takes great joy in quiet projects! Finding his own little corner to tuck into whilst learning to embroider fabric with shimmering thread and crystal beads. He’s not the most talkative and is rather shy, so these moments of silence are put to great use in honing the skills he uses later in life.

Will your fawn be attending Summer Camp this summer?

Maybe! He has never been the most outdoorsy fawn. If it were up to him he’d be hulled up in his room working away to fill his time, but unfortunately for him, he has good friends ready to drag him outside! Some sunlight would do that pale fawn some good anyhow.

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april mule's day

Last year, you might have seen a mysterious… Faunid… on what happens to be the best day of the year. It happens in Spring. Yep, you know it, of course you do, everyone does:
April Mule's Day! 

What's your favorite holiday? 

It's April Mule's Day. 

What's your cherished friend's favorite holiday? 

Don't even bother asking. It's April Mule's Day! 

Our ever-benevolent April Mule has been hard at work preparing for the best day of the year; April 1st! She’s… um… liable to make an appearance.
Who knows what gifts she’ll bring!

One thing we can tell you is that she’s bringing a special friend!

While the April Mule can never be bought, this Faunid will be an extra special Auction designed by L0sw and MUTT. 

This Faunid includes four additional chibis along with it. Here’s a sneak peek at one of them: 

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fawning event reminders

Fawning is in full swing at this point! Our first official batch of releases will come this Saturday, and will continue every week, but we did have a mini surprise release this Thursday to showcase the first two: 

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Here’s a quick reminder of the Fawning Timeline:

- March 28th (Saturday) -

First batch of Fawns are released by the artist team.

- March 29th (Sunday) -

Submissions to the Public Helper form close. 

- April 4th (Saturday) -

Second batch of Fawns are released. 

- April 10th (Friday) -

Submission forms are closed.

- Fawning event news post -

- fawning information hub -

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Art Challenge

Thank you, everyone who participated for an incredibly stellar round of submissions in February!

Our winners for the raffle were:
20 Barters - HatoKnight
20 Barters - hedavampiric
30 Barters - DarotheWolf 
Fawning Voucher - FatalChimera
Fourth Fawning Slot (For a User) - Zorkia
Fourth Fawning Slot (Faunid) - Sh3Draws

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There is still almost a week left to submit art to this month's prompt!

How does your Faunid handle danger?
Do they respond differently to Flora, Fauna, or peer danger in Atalav?
Do they respond with fight, flight, or fawning?
For this challenge, think about how your Faunid might react to a dangerous situation, and how this response might change the outcome.

Remember that in order to enter for this prompt, you must submit your entry into the art challenge gallery and submit a prompt.

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Monthly shout-out

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FAWNING SUBMISSION FORMS ARE NOW OPEN!

Oncoming lunar activity has made the local spirits restless in their Middling Plane, and now they gather at the Rosen Forest in search of a new life. This year, there is a strange, energetic thrum in the air. The spirits are restless and eager to rejoin the world of the living.

The quest to search for new life cannot be done alone. You must meet with a companion, and together embark on a long and arduous journey to discover the newly-born Fawn brought into existence. This requires trust in both yourself and the living soul in your company.

Will you help guide a new life in need?

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

Welcome to the 2026 Fawning Season! 

This news post contains all of the information (including all relevant links and user guides) that you need to get started. 

Event hub and other links

Fawning Event Hub - In-Depth FAQ - Item Purchases

Fawnid Form Submissions - Faun-to-Fawn Submissions

Public Helpers - Artist Queue/Fawn Rolls - Fawning Item Shop

Event timeline

This year, Fawning will run similarly to last year's Corruption event. The staggered start made the event much more accessible to our newer users experiencing the event for the first time. It also allowed us to promptly send invoices and communicate with users to answer questions and organize our artist queues. 
This year's timeline is: 

- March 1st (Sunday) -

Event News is posted. Item shop opens. Item purchase forms open.
Participants have time to read through every element of Fawning, discuss helpers, ask questions, gather/purchase items, and talk to artists/moderators.
Artists who require pre-approval will make official lists of approved pairs and post them in the Artist Queue/Fawning Rolls spreadsheet. 

- March 14th (Saturday) -

Fawning Submissions and Faun-to-Fawn Submissions open.
They are addressed in the order they are received. 

- March 28th (Saturday) -

First batch of Fawns are released by the artist team.

- April 4th (Saturday) -

Second batch of Fawns are released. 

- April 10th (Friday) -

Submission forms are closed.
Two releases of Fawns before the prompts close allows anyone unsure of whether they want to participate or which artist to go to time to make those decisions!  

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

New User Referrals

Know someone who might want to join Faunids? Now’s the perfect time to get them involved:

Any user who is listed as a referral for a new user in a Fawnid form will receive a Fawning Item of their choice as a reward. Additionally, the new user will also get to choose a Fawning Item of their choice. 

Note: the new user must put in a form and order a Fawnid for the referral to be counted for this referral program.
Simply put the name of who brought you here to Atalav at the bottom of your form submission!

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

Ordering a Fawnid (Quick Guide) 

You may only submit one form per 24 hours.
All users may submit up to three forms unless they have a Fourth Fawning Voucher (User) in their inventory.

Step 1: Find your pair of adult Faunids.

You do not need to own either Faunid. You may use Public Helpers, your own Faunids, or private helpers as long as you have permission to use them.
Each individual Faunid may Fawn up to three times per year. Adult Merfauns, Minodae, Hybrids, Quad Faunids, and Anthro Faunids may all be eligible for this event. Fawns cannot participate in Fawning; they're babies! 

Some Public Helpers may be free, while others may charge for their slots. View the Helper spreadsheet here: 

If you use a Faunid from another user to create a Fawning pair, you must have permission from the owner in the form of a screenshot. Please use Imgur links so they don't disappear when reviewing forms. These are most commonly something simple like this:

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Step 2: Choose your Artist

Two of our artists, MUTT (Jaquiri) and pebb (the.pebb), are taking limited slots, as this is their first year participating in Fawning as artists.
You must speak with them over DMs to confirm your pair before submitting your form.

If you previously confirmed with an artist for pre-approval and do not see your name on their list, please check in with them to make sure you are added. 

GoryTeeth and Necrologia are not limited in slots, but it is good practice to ask in advance if an artist will take your pair. We all have our own strengths!
If you have no preference for your artist, you may state ‘any' on your form.
All of us on the artist team communicate with and support each other, so we may collaborate on forms with no preference.

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Step 3: Obtain your Items

There are multiple ways to obtain items this year!

1. You may trade them with other users. Some users may have items they won through other events.
You may not purchase items from users with real money, but you may freely trade art, Faunids, Fawning slots, etc. 

2. You may purchase them with Barters (our site currency) from the Strange Baubles Shop. 

3. You may purchase them with real life currency via Paypal invoice through the Item Purchase Submission form.

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Step 4: Submit your Form

You must attach all items you plan to use for the pair when you submit.
The only items that can be added later after the roll is finalized are Herne’s Gamble, Herne’s Grace, and Herne’s Blessing. 
You do not need to use items if you do not want to. They are entirely optional for those who want to add more RNG or control specific elements of a Fawn.

Fawnid Submission Prompt

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Step 5: Wait for Approval

Your artist will approve your form on-site. Once it is approved, please wait for your artist to contact you regarding payment.
Your artist will also contact you to show you the roll for your Fawnid if you would like to see it! All of the rolls will be available on the Fawning Rolls spreadsheet.

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

If you have questions that are not answered by these guides, please feel free to reach out to a community moderator or administrator.
You may also ask questions in the #event-chatter channel on our Discord server! We have a lot of very helpful community members who love seeing new faces. 

Thank you for participating in our first Fawning season hosted entirely on-site! 

Event hub and other links

Fawning Event Hub - In-Depth FAQ - Item Purchases

Fawnid Form Submissions - Faun-to-Fawn Submissions

Public Helpers - Artist Queue/Fawn Rolls - Fawning Item Shop

This newsletter will give a lot of information and updates to the upcoming 2026 Fawning event, site updates, and more!

The purpose of these newsletters is to keep our community informed about site updates, upcoming events, official artist commission openings, new user guides, highlight different bits and pieces of our species, and build on community engagement. The content of these newsletters will vary by month.

To sign up for a Faunids account, message a moderator for an invite code. Once you have that, you can register on the sign-up page.

View the Faunids Policy Handbook

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Welcome to our newest staff members! 

Please welcome areallifeonion as our newest coder, as well as our newest community and site moderator, Kardinal!
We are so happy to have them both with us.

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Character Appreciation

We want to appreciate all the hard work that goes into turning designs into full-fledged characters.
As part of the Newsletter, we choose community members with well-loved Faunids to tell us a bit more about them!

Our first character, Blithe, is owned by twentynyne! 

Describe Blithe's upbringing (relationships, hobbies, location?):

Blithe doesn't know her parents, she somewhat raised herself, found a section of woods and on the outskirts of town where she founded her Orchard from one apple tree she found. Blithe likes to dance and decorate her kart with paint, plants and shiny gems. Her orchard she tends to is slightly outside lavandul.

Does Blithe have any moral/religious convictions?

Blithe often find herself in a balance between earning a living and over-farming her orchard, tho she is the one that tends to the trees, she is also the one that sells the apples and more apples sold gives her a better life. Therefore she teeters on the edge of being ethical and pleasing Herne.

What does Blithe do for work? How is her relationship with coworkers (if any) and their clients (if any)? 

As stated, Blithe works her orchard, she works alone or occasionally with other traveling merchants, she has a great relationship with them, as Blithe is a people pleaser and very to herself for the most part. 

What does Blithe do for fun?

Blithe likes to create pigments from plants and minerals, and using her hooves and occasionally with a paintbrush, she will paint panels or leathers she gets from other merchants.

What is Blithe's relationship with other Fauns?

She keeps to herself for the most part and doesn't talk much unless she is doing her merchant stuff. When Blithe does spend time with other Fauns, it tends to be around Merchant meets where she has a merry time sharing her apples with mostly Ben and Demi, her traveling merchant friends.

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Next up is Vaelen, who is owned by FatalChimera! 

Describe your upbringing (relationships, hobbies, location?):

I grew up in Makino by the Rosen Forest, but I never stayed there long. As soon as I was able to sneak off with the merchants, I was gone. I loved traveling with them, hearing their stories, seeing new places and new faunids! The downside though was having to sit through the gatherings that the merchants sit through, having to be cleansed of the outside influence. Oh and the scoldings! The scoldings were fine though,I just hated sitting around. When I got old enough, I decided to leave for good. I loved the Rosen Forest, but traveling and adventure were far more appealing! When I settled, it was in Lavandul.

Do you have any moral/religious convictions?

Due to my upbringing in Makino I have a strong belief that gift giving to those in your life is essential. I would much rather give a friend or a partner a small meaningful gift than anything else! I actively partake in this by sending Prisma perfumes of her favorite scents at least twice a year. However, living in Lavandul has led me to develop a religious practice of bringing my fawns and any partners I have to the “Blood Grove”. I did this for Halo Vire and for Javrik when they were both young. Though, I think Javrik appreciated being in the grove a lot more than Halo Vire did. 

What do you do for work? How is your relationship with their coworkers (if any) and clients (if any)?

I make perfumes and Colognes! My job is the main reason I decided to settle in Lavandul actually! With its rich agriculture and heavy trades going in and out, it was just the perfect place to set up! I don't really have coworkers though, unless you count some of the merchants I trade with when they come in. It's a small at home business I run, but I wouldn’t have it any other way honestly. My favorite part of my job is the clients. I love meeting new faunids and seeing different cultures!

What do you do for fun?

I mostly travel for fun! I travel to Makino to see Prisma from time to time, I travel to the Bullran Cliffs to see Luka. I just love to travel, doesn't even have to be for a reason! My most exciting travel was recently to the Wild Wood, I was looking for new plants and flower to use in my scents when I realized I was being stalked.. 

What is your relationship with other Fauns?

I usually have a good relationship with other fauns! Prisma has been my bestfriend since fawnhood, and now she is an aunt to my, currently, two fawns Halo Vire and Javrik! I also have a really good relationship with my partner Luka. He lives far, but I make a point to see him very often. It's always a great time when I get to see my loved ones again. 

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Site updates

We are just about at the point where we can shut down Atalav, our secondary website, as it is significantly more expensive than Faunids with less functions and image storage. As of now, all of the pages that are staying the same have been ported over to Faunids.com. 

Here is a list of updates made to front-end HTML by kojoty:

1. Updates to the World Expanded page, with a new set of links on top to make navigation to various site lore pages easier. 
2. Every City/Location has been updated with their relevant information and tabs. Some of this information will likely be updated and reworded or reformatted as we develop more.
3. Springtide, Fawning, Gachafawn, and Corruption pages have all been updated and formatted. 
4. All of the User Guides and Species Specific Guides have been populated and formatted.
5. Corruption Items have had their descriptions updated to reflect information that was previously only hosted on Atalav.

Additionally: 
1. Fixes to broken links to Filegarden and other peripheral updates to the site have been logged and worked on to update accordingly. 

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Fawning Season

The Fawning Hub and in-depth FAQ are now live [CLICK HERE]!

This FAQ includes all the information for the 2026 Fawning event; information on how it works, pricing, how the items work, artist information/availability, and all the relevant changes and updates to previous Fawning seasons!

All three prompts (Ordering items, ordering Fawns, ordering Faun-to-Fawns) are now live on-site under the Explore dropdown. You cannot submit them until they are open, but you can view all of the forms and review how the process works. 

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Hybrids

We’ve been working as a team to simplify the percentages for Faun/Mino/Merfaun Hybrids for fawning, and have come up with a bit of a rehaul to the whole system.
These infographics will be added to the Fawning FAQ, and will apply for the 2026 Fawning season. No more pesky 37.5%’s!

Here is a visual guide for how the percentages work when using either a Handy Dandy or Wild Child. The percentages listed are the base odds if not using these items.
Since these are new percentages and might change some of your fawning plans, feel free to reach out and ask if you have any additional questions.

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The Strange Baubles Shop

Starting this year, you may purchase Fawning Items with Barters, in addition to USD!
While you can still purchase your items through the Fawning Items prompt, we are also happy to introduce a new friend. This friend is very interested in Faunids and how they live, and happens to have stumbled on a treasure trove of items they can't figure out what to do with! No matter. They have learned through their experience living among Faunids that sharing is caring, and are happy to trade some shinies for other more practical and informative items. 

 

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Fawning Base Prices

We have modified the prices for the upcoming 2026 Fawning Event! 
All Fawns will be $60 USD.

This change was made with a lot of in-team deliberation, and through community feedback from our multinational community. Thank you all! 
This will be reflected in the Fawning Hub and the Fawning FAQ document.

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2026 Policy Handbook Changes

We have updated the Policy Handbook after suggestions for clarity and internal staff consensus.
The current handbook linked on the Discord (and linked below) is the current reflection of the rules.

Edits have been made to: 

1. Discord conduct rules. 
2. Clarity and definitions for the Forgotten policy have been edited.

View the 2026 Handbook [HERE]. 

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Art Challenge

Thank you, everyone, for warming up this year with some 30-minute timed works! 

Our winners for January were: 

20 Barters - Sh3Draws

20 Barters - L0sw

30 Barters - Elk_Montauk

Full-body Character Artwork from Zorkia - MothDad

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There's still one week to submit your entry for February's Art Challenge!

How does your Faunid express love? Do they have a love language? 

'Love' can mean a lot of different things. Everyone expresses it differently! 

For this challenge, think about how your Faunid might express self-love, familial love, romantic love, or love and appreciation for their friends.

Remember that in order to enter for this prompt, you must submit your entry into the art challenge gallery and submit a prompt.

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Additional Art Challenge news

There is a new on-site prompt for users to make suggestions for upcoming Art Challenge prompts, which you can submit as many times as you want! 

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What's Coming Next?

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Community Suggestions

At our staff meetings, we have been going through the list of existing suggestions to discuss whether we should implement them and how. Here are a few we discussed. Not every one we talk about will be here, just the ones we have longterm plans for 

Traits

1. Curly Feathers - We are not adding this as a unique trait, but we will be adding some clarification within the trait notes to existing traits that already allow for texture. AKA, [Hair/Feather texture is allowed so long as it does not mimic other traits and is within other applicable trait standards.]
2. Nose Ridge Fluff - We will be adding this trait.
3. Upright Ears - We will be adding a trait that is similar in expression. 

World

1. Plants related to Fawning/Corruption (which had mock-ups drawn by msmydeer within the Discord server) - The Tender Plant would be perfect to represent the companion-boosting item during Fawning next year, as well as both of these plants being associated with these events in-world!
2. Stagwagon rehaul/official information Release - Yes. This is part of our Fauna release plans. 
3. Reptile Mounts - Yes. This will also be added to our Fauna release plans. 
4. Peryton Fauna Concept - Yes, pending more concrete concept design. 

Community

1. Trait Replacement Token - Yes. This item will allow users to remove and replace a trait in the same area with one token. This will likely be released during the summer. 
2.  Suggestions for Art Challenges by users - Yes! This is implemented as of this newsletter. 
3. More updates on community suggestions and what we're working on internally: You're here right now!! 
4.  Faunid 'Redesigns' - In the summer, we will be opening a testing process to figure out how we would like to roll something like this out to users. There will be a submission process to apply to 'redesign' a Faunid so we can work with an initial group of users to iron out what this can and should look like. We want to structure this with the goal being for the person who submits a Faunid to end up with a Faunid that member is happy with while also maintaining existing species standards as a team. 

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Monthly Question

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Lavandul is known for our agricultural exports, our biggest specialty being lupine flowers and other fragrants.
However, we're also known for our unique wildlife who love to eat our crops. Convenient isn't it?​

Of course, we don't want to harm these creatures... but their population still needs to be monitored.
We were hoping that you could go and catch some of these lapines and chimebirds and bring them back here to be adopted out to potential adopters! They're very popular as companions recently.​

The weirdest coincidence has been happening as of late with these adopters though.
I've noticed that when a creature is brought in, an adopter with remarkable similarities comes in soon after.

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You can view all of this year's full Gacha previews (as well as Springtides from past years) and all the information you need on the Event Hub page [HERE].

Each day, starting Wednesday the 4th, a winner for one of the Springtide gachas will be rolled by RNG.
Thank you to all of the artists who contributed this year. Everyone went all-out with creative, thoughtful designs that we are so excited to share.

The artists who made Springtides this year are Hyenadayy, Necrologia, L0sw, pebb, Loutta, BelPlasmawolf, Banriion, GoryTeeth, kojoty, WinterTigris, and Cockroach!

You can enter for the Springtide gachas through the Google Form linked on the event hub, or:

[Entry form for springtide raffles]

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the floral whorl

The Floral Whorl will be our interactive wheel for this event. It will run from the 7th to the 19th.
Prizes will be granted as Barters, shared in-universe between Faunids as gifts freely given. These are gestures of goodwill to help one another climb out from the bitter chills of winter. 

This is the last chance to save up Barters before Fawning begins! 

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Our newest Lore Development is, collectively, a 28-page comic following one small chunk of the strange meteor that landed in the deep sea beyond the coasts of Atalav. L0sw and MUTT worked for over a month to collaborate on the first 23 pages, and the rest... well, you'll just have to find them. 

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Cameo Vouchers

These Vouchers were in the pool of prizes for last December's Winter Gala. Our plan with these was this exact comic! We made the storyboard together based on what each owner shared about their characters, such as what they do in their daily lives and what they might trade for an unusual rock.
Thank you to everyone who allowed us to use their characters as cameos in this comic! We had a blast including them. 
We would love to know if there would be interest from the community in making more Cameo Vouchers for projects like this. 

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Without further ado, touch this meteorite to start your journey! 

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Our first Community Newsletter of the year is a short one!

The purpose of these newsletters is to keep our community informed about site updates, upcoming events, official artist commission openings, new user guides, highlight different bits and pieces of our species, and build on community engagement. The content of these newsletters will vary by month.

To sign up for a Faunids account, message a moderator for an invite code. Once you have that, you can register on the sign-up page.

View the Faunids Policy Handbook

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Official Artist Commission Openings 

Two of our official artists, Necrologia and pebb, are open for commissions.

Necrologia is open for customs, age-ups, and re-references, with single-view commissions being preferred. 
[View prices and examples here!]

pebb is open for any type of commission from headshot/sketch to scenes/painted illustrations. 
[View prices and examples here!]

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character appreciation

This month, we've called in a very special little wet beast to ask him some questions. 

Eeekel, our newest NPC, is on the loose and owned by nobody. He's just too slippery. 

1. Tell us a little about yourself, Eekel! 
Eekeel loves trinkets and doodads and whatzits and hoozies and doohickeys and gizmos and wants to look at them all with both eyeballs one at a time. Eekel gets bored very fast but not because he doesn't like the cool stuff but there's always gonna be new stuff to find you know I bet you could find new stuff every day if you looked I do it every day! Eeekel's not good at talking but he is good at looking at things if you have any. 

2. Where did you grow up? 
Big blue ocean. Eeekel lives in the big kind of ocean that's so big and so far away from rocks and sand but a little while ago the big ocean got too big and too weird scary for Eeekel. There's good scary and there's weird scary and it was that one which is bad and Eekel didn't like it so he got closer to the not-big ocean. 

3. Where does your name come from? 
Eekel can't remember not being Eekel. (Eekel's name comes from "ekel", the German word for disgust, with an eel-like extra e.)

4. What do you do for a living? 
Oh mostly swim around. Eekel doesn't have a 'job' Eekel lives by eating soggy soaked stuff that's usually green and sometimes Eekel swims around with fish until they get too fast or too shy and don't like Eekel anymore or they just get tired. Eeekel likes collecting but what Eekel likes more is talking to see what other collectors have in their collections that Eekel can see and maybe touch if it's a lucky day for Eekel. He just lives to live because living is the coolest thing to do as a thing that lives and is alive. 

5. Are you spontaneous or do you always need to have a plan? 
What's spontaneous? 

Spontaneous means that you don't plan what you do, it just happens. 
Yeah that one. Eekel doesn't plan at all. 

6. What in the WORLD is up with that meteor? 
The big rock? That's what made things weird scary. It got hard to move around and made the water feel wrong and too heavy and all the fish and other beasts got lost and didn't know where to go. Eekel got lots of headaches and there was a big storm and now the bottom of the ocean isn't happy and a lot of us had to leave. It kicked up so much sand and other stuff Eekel's never seen before.

7. What kind of stuff? 
Like rocks that are smaller than big and new stuff under the sand. Eeekel even got a piece of the big rock! 

8. You touched the meteor? 
Well at first nothing could get close to it but Eekel heard about it and had to see with both eyeballs one at a time. Eekel got a little piece of it when it broke all over the place. 

9. Do you still have it? Can we see it? 
Nooo, sorry, Eekel got something else to look at that's waaaaay more cool.

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Site Updates

Thank you as always to our coders for making all of this possible! 

1. Added a new "Bases" page. Added all approved site bases to page with download links [HERE].

2. Updated Barter Shop Coupons to be a 'box' that has all choices for use within it. No need to contact a Moderator to get your items. 

3. Theme Selection exists for users now (though please keep in mind that these themes may not be as up-to-date as the main theme for now). 

4. Users can now use basic HTML to make descriptions for their characters. 

5. Notes are updated so that there is now an option to indicate whether a Faunid has a Trading Clause (such as with Fawning). Users cannot edit their own notes (though they can put a note in the character description), as our moderator team uses this section to document important updates and changes as well. However, all Fawns this coming year will have any relevant trading/sale clauses added to the character when they are uploaded.

6. Some dropdown tabs have been updated to be easier to get to certain pages. Clicking 'Browse', then 'Guides' leads you to a page containing quick access to many different pages. Some of these are empty at the moment as we continue work on getting Atalav ported over, but many of them are accurate. You can view all Lore pages here, as well as species-specific information and FAQs/User Guides. 

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Self Age-ups/Re-references

We are keeping the price of self age-ups $20 for streamlined submissions. A new option, mentored, will be the original $30. Mentored submissions allow us to get more in-depth earlier in the process, providing guidance as early as the initial sketch phase that includes more detailed redlines, resources, drawn visuals, etc.
Other than the price, Streamlined submissions remain the same as they always have been, including critiques on anatomy, layout, and design translation. 

Submissions have been taking our team quite some time to work through and we have been putting our heads together internally to figure out how to conduct them best. In the past, submissions were not handled as a team and, unless an artist made a design, they were not included whatsoever in the threads. Everyone on our team has different strengths and we do these submissions collaboratively. 

At our most recent meeting, we decided to focus on these things related to submissions: 
- Creating a checklist to guide users to check their submissions for common errors. 
- Creating pre-threads amongst the artist team so that we can come to a consensus on all critiques we want to give, so they all come at the same time. 
- Reworking the Age-Up Guides page with updated wording, and including more directed supportive guides on that page to help with trait presentation and more clear guidelines overall. We have had to prioritize many other things these past few months, but this does need to be more of a priority ASAP. 

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Upcoming lore development

Our next update has been a lot of work behind the scenes. Cameo vouchers won by users during the Winter Gala were used to add community Faunids to a comic you can expect to drop at the end of January. In total, it is nearly 30 pages long! 

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Springtide event

Our yearly Springtide event will start early February this year! While it may not always occur in February, our timeline worked best to have it a bit early this year. 
The event hub page is nearly done, only needing some text changes to reflect updated information. You can also view past Springtide adopts on this page [HERE]! 

This year's theme is: Strange and Unusual Plants. 

Important changes and updates this Springtide: 

• You can expect Springtide to start early February. 
• Companion previews for all adopts will be viewable at the start of the event, similarly to the Nostalgia and Advent gachas. 
• Adopts will be rolled daily. There will be no alternating days where tokens are won. Instead, you can expect a new wheel later into the event. 
• No custom or on-base companions for the event this year. We plan to roll out a new site feature as part of the Summer Camp event related to this.

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Fawning Event 

We hope to have the Fawning Event page fully up-to-date by February 1st. At minimum, the Public Helper List will be viewable on that date. 

While you cannot view the spreadsheet yet, you may start submitting your helpers now with the [GOOGLE FORM].
Having an early backlog should help us make sure we can get through the bulk of them before the hub even opens! 

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Art Challenge

This month's Art Challenge is still open for another week:

Let's warm up this winter and bring the energy we want to see in this new year!

For this Art Challenge, you'll need a 30-minute timer. Your task is to draw a Faunid as silly and loose as you'd like, while making as much progress as you can within that time. If you need to step away, pause the timer and come back to it. No matter how unfinished it looks, stop at that 30-minute mark! 

Due to the nature of this challenge, there are no color, clean-line, or amount of the body requirements. However, use this as a chance to get outside your comfort zone. Try not to spend time correcting mistakes. Draw over them, play with them, and see what you can do.

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Monthly Question

This Festival is a celebration of life, where Faunids focus on a species they share the earth with and celebrate their existence as part of a greater ecosystem. The timing of this celebration is meant to bring a spark of color, glimmers of hope, in the heart of winter to remind one another that hardships will pass. Life will persevere.

Since this is our first year hosting Hues of Lifesource, we still wanted to recognize the year of the Horse with a Faunids twist.

Introducing: Bolters! 

Bolters are the evolutionary descendants of draft horses. They are hardy, stocky creatures who have adapted well to the mountaneous climates found near the settlement of Vinnde, and may even have herds deeper in the Cold North.

While they are highly social herd animals, their lack of exposure to Faunids mean that they are generally wary of them, though it's not impossible to gain their trust with dedication and persistence. "Bolter" is an accurate description of both their high endurance and ability to escape danger unscathed, with Bolters being capable of quick thinking and navigational awareness to use the terrain to their advantage.

Bolters are much more familiar with the presence of Minodae, and herds are more commonly present in areas inhabited by Minodae. They are willing workers when faced with a challenge, and they display an impressive stamina to travel great distances at consistent speeds. This makes them exceptionally beneficial for farm work that includes logging, plowing, and hauling even in unpredictable weather conditions.

[Read more about Bolters on their Fauna page here!]

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New Trait category: lifesource aspects

A disruption of Lifesource has bled out from the initial shock of the meteor in the deep sea, spanning all across Atalav.

Many signs are as subtle as a strange chill in the air where there never was before. The Spirits are restless. Strange phenomena trickle in from the coasts, passing through waterways and falling with the rain. Herne's presence feels closer than ever, seemingly keen on protecting life on Atalav from unpredictable hardships.

Stories travel fast. Two tales emerge of lives touched by Herne's will, undeniable evidence of potent magic woven into the very bones beneath their skin. Lifesource Aspects are not mutations or traits. They are explosive interactions between a living soul, the forces of nature, and the manifestation of Herne's connection to Lifesource. As such, the way they may possibly present themselves is as unique as the narrative we all possess inside us. Our story. Due to this, they do not pass from parent to Fawn.

As for those twin rumors shared across Atalav, you can see for yourself.

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Auction Faunids

These auctions will end on Friday, January 23rd at 8PM CST. You can view their sales post [HERE] or bid within the Discord!

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Loch Revival 

By GoryTeeth and MUTT. 

"This Faunid may appear unsettling to many, yet all who know them describe a truly unique character full of warmth, kindness, and grace.

Often seen guiding wayward Fauns through a mazelike series of freshwater channels, they possess a deep understanding of the life in nature around them. Frequently, they are seen teaching travelers about the local wildlife and how to respect the waters they tread.

Following the meteor's impact, changing tides led to flooding channels and perilous currents. Still, they persisted, putting their own life in peril to protect all who needed guidance.

Nature's claim to the water became unforgiving. One fateful day, this Faunid helped a boat that had fallen off-course avoid a channel full of sharp rocks and torrential water. Unable to fight the currents, they were swept up and battered by the rocks along the riverbed. In an act of strength, fortitude, and hope, they used the only limb they could still feel to pull themself up to the nearest bank.

In an act of grace befitting the life this Faunid led, Herne used the source of their devotion– the very waters that turned against them– to repair what was possible to recover, granting  them another chance to continue their work."

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Forged in Flames

By pebb and Necrologia. 

"This unusual Minodae's conviction and spirit were so strong as to catch the attention of Herne himself.

When the meteor crashed into the deep sea, a shock wave spread outwards, disturbing the flow of lifesource as far as the Cold North and beyond. This triggered a dormant volcano's eruption in the heart of the Bolter's herd lands.

While others fled, this soul stayed behind, defying the wrath of nature to save all they could. As molten heat spread behind them, the last life they saved came at a cost; heat spreading, burning down to the bone, consumed by smoke and ash. Yet they kept running, fighting, and pulled their way out of the debris all to protect another life. By the time they both reached safety, they were different in ways they could barely comprehend."

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