Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · 20h

#orctober day thirteen! Steed. For #tockthegnome Orcses, had to be a Hogdragon 🐽💚⚔️

#orctober2025 #orc #orcs #orcwoman #boar #beast #fae #faerie #fairyart #fantasyart #drawingchallenge #bodypositiveart #sizepositive #indiecomics #queercomics #bonusart

A pencil drawing of a plump, feminine-presenting orc with her arm in a sling, drawn from the middle up and standing in front of and smiling at a large hog-like beast behind her. Speech bubbles coming from each of them contain stylized hearts.

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Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · 1d

#orctober day 12! #message 💚 #tockthegnome and forgotten #faerie nature, oh no…..

#orctober2025 #orc #orcs #orcwoman #orcfemale #fae #faerie #fairyart #fantasyart #drawingchallenge #hope #spiritual #devotional #bodypositiveart #bodypositive #sizepositive #indiecomics #queercomics #bonusart

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Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · 2d

#orctober day eleven!! #look 👀 Sibling to an existing background #tockthegnome character, methinks 💚⚔️

#orc #orcs #orctober2025 #drawingchallenge #orcwoman #anger #fae #faerie #fantasyart #fairyart #indiecomics #queercomics #bonusart

A pencil drawing of a feminine-presenting orc from behind and the shoulders up, looking over her shoulder as if she turned her head rapidly, her expression indicating irritated puzzlement.

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Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · 2d

💚💚💚👏👏

Líf Vixen ΘΔ🦊 @lif-vixen.bsky.social · 3d

Here's my first humble contribution to @rachelillustrates.bsky.social alternative prompt list for #orctober 2025. I was particularly inspired by day 11's "Look" prompt. This drawing mean so much to me!
#noai #drawingchallenge #fantasyart #orc #orctober2025

A pencil drawing by Autumn Dreamleaf, dated to October 2025. It features an orc looking in a mirror while crying. The orc as a light green skin and big blue eyes with a black sclera, contrasting with their red flannel worn over a black shirt. They also have long and wavy brown hair and dark green freckles. Above their reflection are three eyes looking down. The background is purple and seem to have been in done roughly.

A prompt list declaring itself for the month of Orctober, crowned with an illustration of a feminine-presenting orc and a butterfly. Text beside them reads “# Orctober 2025 alternative prompt list,” with daily prompts in three columns below, and a queer and trans inclusive message over a banner of the Progress Pride Flag at the very bottom of the image.

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Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · 2d

Oh my goodness Líf, I love this so much!! As mentioned before (sorry if I'm being redundant!!), such a powerful and perfect message 🫂🫂🫂💚💚

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Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · 3d

#orctober day ten!! “Move.” AND, #thankgnomeitsfriday – SO, absolutely some kind of #tockthegnome cut scene 💚⚔️

#orc #orcwoman #orcs #gnome #gnomes #faerie #spiritual #devotional #gaslampfantasy #steampunk #fantasyart #fairyart #dance #dancing #bodypositiveart #drawingchallenge #joy #friendship

A pencil drawing of a Viking-styled, feminine-presenting orc dancing with a gaslamp-fantasy/steampunk-styled, masculine-presenting gnome on stilts, both looking very happy and sound effects to the left and right indicating others clapping and stomping their feet off-screen.

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Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · 4d

#orctober day nine!! #tusk 🦷

#orctober2025 #orc #orcs #fae #faerie #drawingchallenge #fairyart #fantasyart #bodypositiveart #plussizeart #sizepositive #pencildrawing #traditionalart #indiecomics #queercomics #bonusart #tockthegnome

A pencil drawing of a feminine-presenting orc, in close-up, focusing on her from the nostrils down and the shoulders up. One of her tusks is broken in half, and while her remaining unbroken tusk bears a ring for decoration, its matching ring now sits at the tip of her pointer finger, visible as she props her chin on her hand. From the set of her jaw, she is not amused.

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Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · 5d

#orctober day 8!! #friend – AND thusly, #tockthegnome #worldbuildingwednesday with #orcs and #dwarves ‘ history… www.patreon.com/posts/140609... ⚔️🤝💔

#drawingchallenge #orcs #fantasydwarf #faerie #friendship #bodypositiveart #sizepositive #indiecomics #queercomics #worldbuilding

A pencil drawing of two sets of orcs and fantasy dwarves, one of each together in friendship, conversing. One pair is drawing amongst cloud-like swirls above the other, who sit as if at the edge of an airship’s railing, as indicated by riveted bars behind them. Several empty speech bubbles coming from the bottom pair further indicate their discussion.

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Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · 6d

#orctober day 7, #fight ⚔️ AND thusly, #tockthegnome page update time! www.patreon.com/posts/140504...

#orctober2025 #orc #orcs #indiecomics #comics #queercomics #gnomes #sapphic #queer #romantasy

A cropped preview of a panel of the most recent page of “Tock the Gnome,” focusing on a feminine-presenting, broadly-built orc (Onna Kin-breaker) from the chest up, driving one shoulder into the stomach of some other figure above her as red energy begins to spill from her eyes. The panel is surrounded by a background of foliage, and glimpses of other panels’ corners and written sound effects throughout imply much going on in the rest of the page. The preview, and indeed the whole page, is drawn in black ink on white paper and finished with olivey-green wax pigment highlights.

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Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · 7d

#orctober day 6!! #song . And 🦡 Happy #nationalbadgerday 🦡 So, #tockthegnome #orc and #brogh ( #badgerfolk ) together, in unusual harmony…..

#orctober2025 #drawingchallenge #orcs #badger #americanbadger #anthro #faerie #music #friendship #bodypositiveart #sizepositive #indiecomics #queercomics

A pencil drawing of an orc and a badger-person sitting together, eyes closed and smiling with mouths open, their being in song indicated by lined of energy curving up from between them with music notes floating throughout that space, up and off the page.

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Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · 8d

#orctober day five!! With my boy #lurtz from #lordoftherings. And battle-rush, probably one of the first moments that he felt something even akin to joy, and life-worth-living-for.

#orc #orcs #drawingchallenge #fanart #tolkien #tolkienart #lotr #lotrfanart #pencildrawing #fantasyart #fairyart

A pencil drawing of Lurtz from Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring” film, without makeup, hair unbound, and in loose clothing, drawn from the chest up in closeup, his weapon and shield just visible at the edges of the page. The look on his face is manic and grinning with several diagonal lines drawn around him, and three exclamation points above his head, indicating a high energy and positive experience for him when combined with his facial expression.

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Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · 9d

#orctober day four!! Laugh. And a big ol’ flashback – who do you think this is, dear #tockthegnome readers?

#orctober2025 #orc #orc #baby #orcbaby #drawingchallenge #indiecomics #queercomics #fantasycomics #bonusart #fae #faerie

A pencil drawing of an orc baby, stomping their feet and laughing as a sprite-like faerie drops daisy petals all around them.

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Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · 10d

#orctober day three!! #capture 💋 And * #thankgnomeitsfriday * 💗 SO, #tockthegnome TockOnna schmoop, with prints available at my Patreon.

#orctober2025 #gnome #orc #gnomewoman #orcwoman #queer #queerart #sapphic #demisexual #romantasy #fairyart #fantasyart #bodypositiveart #drawingchallenge

A pencil and ink drawing of a feminine-presenting orc and a feminine-presenting gnome in a sweet, romantic embrace behind and atop a stone wall.

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Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · 11d

#orctober day two!! #flower 🌹 With #tockthegnome Orcishness, harkening back to the importance of winter #roses , in the Lowlands…..

#orctober2025 #flowers #orc #orcs #orcwoman #bodypositiveart #plussizeart #faerie #fantasyart #drawingchallenge

A pencil drawing of a plus-size, feminine-presenting orc walking through a winter landscape, which includes rosebushes that thrive despite the cold. She wears a crown of the same flowers, hands raised toward them, and smiles happily, an expressive heart floating up near her head on her left.

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Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · 11d

#orctober #promptlist time!! More context: patreon.com/rachelillust... , BUT basically I feel the need to do my own again, and here we are. Today’s entry will be up later, with yesterday’s still counting for the first ⚔️💚⚔️

#orctober2025 #orc #orcs #fantasyart #faerie #drawingchallenge

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Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · 12d

HAPPY #ORCTOBER EVERYONE!!! Traa gra’laera Lar haera, largrai!! 💚💚 Full context here – www.patreon.com/posts/139756... More context tomorrow.

#orctober2025 #artchallenge #faerie #orc #orcs #nonbinary #queer #foundfamily #love #exodus #exile #fantasyart #tockthegnome #worldbuilding

An illustration of two Orcs. They are drawn in full color without a background, both dressed for travel and carrying many bags and other items, including weapons. Both look pained, one clinging to the other’s back with their head turned back toward where they’ve left, eyes closed, and the other looking straight forward, her eyes open and blazing red, a pendant clutched in one hand.

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Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · 17d

#showpromo !! Artist feature at #startreestudioithaca , for the month of October. #gallerynight reception 10/3 from 5-8pm 💗 (And my work’s up there for the whole month, if you can’t make the 3rd!🖤)

#artshow #ithacany #visitithaca #fantasyart #queerart #faerie #gaslampfantasy #romantasy

An advertisement, utilizing a full illustration of several fantasy/faerie beings including two Gnomes, an Orc, and a badger person meeting a tall, feminine-presenting anthro deer in the forest, surrounded by birds and small sprite-like faeries. She holds a pointed Gnomish cap out to one of the Gnomes, who looks intrigued. Text at the top of the image reads “Rachelillustrates @ Star Tree Studio!! October 2025,” followed by an address and Gallery Night reception information.

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Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · 22d

😍😍😍

Kelli @lladyllama.bsky.social · 22d

All of my hand dyed warp yarn has now been wound for the Samhain themed towels! Three of my weft skeins needed 2nd layers of dye which have been applied and they are now batching. The rest are rinsed and drying. Hoping to be on loom in the next couple of days! #weaving

A closeup view of a hand dyed warp on a Kromski Harp Forte rigid heddle loom that is flipped over into it's warping board configuration. The yarn is eight two hemp and organic cotton that has been dyed a light cool grey and then speckle overdyed.

An upward angled view of a corner in Kelli's studio. The hand dyed hemp and organic cotton yarn warp chains for their next towel warp are hanging from the skeinwinder. Some chains are a repeating handpainted gradient purple and some are a light cool grey with speckle overdye. In the background a Kromski Harp Forte rigid heddle loom is set up in it's warping board configuration. A black mannequin torso named Sheila and part of an Ashford Traditional spinning wheel are also visible.

A closeup view of the hand dyed warp chains hanging from Kelli's skein winder.

Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · 22d

Hello dear followers, including any new eyes on this page from CNYPPD!! As I shift into readiness for the next thing, I need to take a bit of a breath. So all usual posting will be on pause for this week.

Thanks for your patience, see you on the first with Orcish vigor! 💚

A photograph of part of a Gnome-themed needlefelted piece propped up against a tree, the bark in closeup. Text over it reads “posts paused until Wednesday 10/1” with the artist’s handle and hashtag “tockthegnome” in the bottom corner.

Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · 24d

** #thankgnomeitsfriday !! ** Blessed early #mabon / #autumnequinox , everyone 🍂🧡🍂 (And Ostara/Spring to anyone in the southern hemisphere!)

#gnome #gnomewoman #faerie #fairyart #fantasyart #paganart #fall #autumn #pagan #gaslampfantasy #bodyposiart #joy #hope #tockthegnome

A pencil drawing, digitally tinted sepia, of a feminine-presenting, gaslamp-fantasy styled gnome dressed for autumn weather, holding an empty basket in one hand, and raising the other to cup at three leaves dancing in the air above her, her smile open, laughingly, eyes closed. Beside the leaves, a small, vaguely-defined sprite-like faerie is placed as if the motion of the wind that lifted the leaves may have come from their movement.

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Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · 25d

Finished up a certain recent drawing! Prints are available at Bard level on my Patreon until 10/1. Signup/details here – www.patreon.com/cw/rachelill...

#gnome #gnomewoman #mushroom #mushroomfolk #plaguemask #gaslampfantasy #faerie #fantasyart #fairyart #bodypositiveart #tockthegnome

A pencil and ink drawing of of a feminine-presenting gnome with a veil under her pointed gnomish cap. She lifts a plague doctor’s mask to her face, the lines of her body fading out into nothingness the further they travel down the page – in fact nearly blending with those of a ink-cap mushroom person who rises behind her, facing the opposite direction and raising a single arm to guide spores that float upward, curving back toward the gnome. The background has been filled with more lightly penciled in mushrooms, as well as several bones and keys on the gnome’s side, and shaded in from the top down.

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Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · 26d

#tockthegnome #worldbuildingwednesday with three (current) Gnomish creation takes….. www.patreon.com/posts/138696... 🌱🍃

#worldbuilding #faerie #gnome #gnomes #indiecomics #queercomics #bodypositiveart #fantasyart #fairyart #fantasyreligion #creationmyth

A pencil drawing, inverted to show white lines against a black background, of three vaguely-defined gnomes surrounded by stylized leaves and stars. Three different symbols rise over their heads – a ribbon forming the shape of a heart, two wings crowned by a four leaf clover, and a sprouting seed with roots growing over an antique-looking key.

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Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · Sep 12

** #thankgnomeitsfriday !! ** Watermarked and tagged for #tockthegnome as I imagine this is clergy of the goddess Kimmer, in days of old…

#gnome #gnomewoman #fae #faerie #spiritual #devotional #fairyart #fantasyart #bodypositiveart #bodypositive #sizepositive #indiecomics #queercomics

A pencil drawing of a plump, feminine-presenting gnome standing facing the viewer’s left, hands dirtied with soot or soil cupped at her chest, small lines there indicate something unseen or hidden. The barest hint of very large faerie wings sprout from her back, and shading around her and them indicate that they’re glowing.

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Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · Sep 10

#tockthegnome #worldbuildingwednesday !! With a certain forgotten diplomatic incident….. www.patreon.com/posts/138168... 🗯️💢

#worldbuilding #fairyart #faerie #fantasyart #fantasycomics #indiecomics #queercomics #backstory #gnomes #fantasydwarf #dwarves #elves #argument

A pencil drawing of a high fantasy elf and a high fantasy dwarf mid-argument, as a gnome with a crown at the base of their pointed cap peeps up from behind the dwarf in the bottom right corner. The elf cradles a sphere of magical energy at their middle, echoing several other similar spheres that float around their head.

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Rae Terwilliger @rachelillustrates.bsky.social · Sep 8

#rugeth !! As in Elketh and Ruga from #thesapphicorcsoftorden by #lilagwynn , which I enjoyed immensely lately. lilagwynn.com/books/sapphi...

#fanart #inspiration #sapphic #queer #lgbtqia #orc #elf #romance #queerromance #romantasy #fantasyart #bookrec

A pencil drawing, digitally tinted purple, of a thin, feminine-presenting elf, and a broadly built, feminine-presenting, horned orc, drawn in a sweet embrace back to front from the ribcages up. The elf looks back to smile at the orc with a quirked eyebrow, while the orc gazes at her in open, confident, innocent affection. The background is filled in with roses to frame their forms, and a single heart surrounded by expressive lines rises above and between them.

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