Frequently Asked Questions
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general questions | lore, anatomy, and behavior
transformations | boundaries and biomes | designing an esk | modifications
npcs | prompts | trading and transfer rules | scoring | trackers and point tracking
general questions | lore, anatomy, and behavior
transformations | boundaries and biomes | designing an esk | modifications
npcs | prompts | trading and transfer rules | scoring | trackers and point tracking
I have a question about my idea ...
Please send us a group note if your question is about any of the following:
The TWWM Staff Team are always happy to answer your questions about anything at all! :)
- a personal design question (whether about a future esk or a current one)
- personal scoring advisement
- checking if a story idea will work
- mistakes on the Masterlist (include a link to the esk in question!)
- passed grace period (please include a link to your review!)
- if a previous note about passed grace period has not been answered yet, please send us a new note instead of replying to the previous one
- if a previous note about passed grace period has not been answered yet, please send us a new note instead of replying to the previous one
The TWWM Staff Team are always happy to answer your questions about anything at all! :)
how do I apply for a Guest artist position?
Guest Artist applications are opened by us roughly once per year. Announcements will be made on both Deviantart and Discord. Keep an eye out for these announcements, they will have all the information you need!
do i have to post my work on deviantart?
Aside from prompts (Origin, Wanderer and Monthly) and Event submissions, all other artwork may be hosted on different sites. As long as we can access your submissions during review processes without a password or the like, it does not matter where you host your work.
can i sell merch of my esk or anything related to my esk?
For esk you have designed yourself, you do not need any additional permissions to create merch. In case the esk wasn’t designed by you, or belongs to someone else, you will need explicit permission from the original artist and/or the owner of the esk to create merchandise.
In both cases, we do ask that you please credit the group ThoseWhoWentMissing.
In both cases, we do ask that you please credit the group ThoseWhoWentMissing.
how did esk originate? where did they come from?
If your character wishes to know more about the history of esk, they can ask 000 for a story.
who can see esk?
Esk can be seen by animals, very small children, and of course by those that are lost beyond all help. Adults or older children whose retelling of these encounters will not be taken seriously (due to impaired mental states, intoxication, or the like) can catch glimpses of an esk, as they are in a place nearing becoming lost. As they aren’t fully lost yet, the esk can’t clearly manifest for them, and their understanding of what they are seeing should be vague.
how do esk behave towards humans?
Esk all have their own personalities and perceptions of humans; some are kind and others are spiteful. There is some more information on human interaction on the TWWM Canon page.
what do people think about esk?
Most esk only appear to people when they are at their most lost or on the brink of death, so 99% of people who see Esk do not return to tell the tale. The ones who do will remember it in their own way — a cryptid or strange animal, a hallucination, a ghost, an angel, a deity, or they may never want to speak of it to anyone. Many esk interact with humans in a subtle or invisible way that will not reveal themselves, and humans may interpret these as funny coincidences or as divine intervention depending on their perspective. Esk may be integrated into folklore, urban legends, conspiracy theories, or other aspects of culture.
are esk affected by human pollution?
Yes, they have an emotional bond with their environment and pollution affects them. This affect can be emotional, spiritual or physical to the esk. Many esk like to clean up their home environments.
They can also accumulate human materials or garbage in their form as accessories, which you can read more about here.
They can also accumulate human materials or garbage in their form as accessories, which you can read more about here.
can esk die? can they get sick?
They do not age and die like animals do, but they can give up their form. This leaves a mark in their environment that holds their memory — it might be a patch of plants related to the plants of their form, it could be a relic or unusual natural formation, or the mark could be some kind of phenomenon or subtle essence. Esk can only give up their form by requesting it from another esk — it is a form of Transformation. Esk may remain immortal if they choose.
Please note that the above is not a gameplay mechanic.
Esk can become sick but not from pathogens. Sickness for an esk is a "soul sickness" where they may be depressed, slow-moving, or feel malaise based on poor emotional state. Their nature features may change in appearance to reflect this illness.
Please note that the above is not a gameplay mechanic.
Esk can become sick but not from pathogens. Sickness for an esk is a "soul sickness" where they may be depressed, slow-moving, or feel malaise based on poor emotional state. Their nature features may change in appearance to reflect this illness.
can esk have non-physical effects on others or their environment? what abilities do they have?
Esk can use telekinesis to move things. They can also feel warm or cool and emit vibrations or subtle feelings of unease. These powers do not require enchantments.
Esk can also teleport to any place they have previously visited!
All esk are able to levitate, use time travel, and access the Conservatory from anywhere on Earth. Whether your individual esk chooses to use their abilities, or understands them at all, is up to you.
Esk can also teleport to any place they have previously visited!
All esk are able to levitate, use time travel, and access the Conservatory from anywhere on Earth. Whether your individual esk chooses to use their abilities, or understands them at all, is up to you.
can esk time travel to the future?
Esk can only time travel into the past and up to our current present time.
Can esk interact with themselves when time traveling?
Esk can not interact with themselves when they travel to the past, including their original forms. If they try, what they may see or experience is up to interpretation.
can parts of their plants break off? what happens if they break?
Esk's nature features can be broken and regrow. However, esk that manifest with broken branches or stumps do not regenerate. If they started off with broken plants in their ID, they stay broken. If they started off with intact plants, they will regenerate.
can a human or animal eat an esk's nature feature? what happens?
If fruit or berries drop from an esk’s nature features, they can be eaten by humans or animals. What effect this has on the individual is up to your interpretation - perhaps they feel sick, invigorated, or like they haven’t eaten anything at all.
what do esk eat?
Esk do not eat, they do not have mouths, tongues, or teeth. They are ethereal and do not need nourishment.
do esk make sounds?
Esk do not speak or make vocalizations, but can create sounds in other creative ways. Some might give off a humming sound or cause tinnitus in humans, some might make clacking sounds with their nature features or jangle something around that is hanging from a branch, etc.
can esk make facial expressions?
Esk are psychically attuned to each other and what's around them, so the need for expressive facial features is very limited. Esk do not have external eyelids so they cannot blink fully, but they can "scrunch" their face a bit or protrude their eyes to indicate different emotions or blink their nictitating membranes. Some have a neutral expression where the eyes are somewhat closed or squinted.
can esk interact with each other physically?
Yes, esk can interact with each other and other beings/objects physically. They can change their form to either be more solid or more ghostly or transparent.
are there baby esk?
Esk do not age like animals. They may appear or seem youthful based on how they were in their past life. If they were transformed into an esk at a young age, they are more likely to appear as a young-seeming esk, and if they were older then they might appear as an older-seeming esk.
The appearance of age can also represent a youthfulness of spirit and not necessarily the age they were when transformed. An esk may have existed for a very, very long time and still remain in a childlike state, appearance, or frame of mind.
The appearance of age can also represent a youthfulness of spirit and not necessarily the age they were when transformed. An esk may have existed for a very, very long time and still remain in a childlike state, appearance, or frame of mind.
Do esk mate? Can they have romantic relationships?
Esk do not mate or breed, they are only created by transforming other beings into esk, but your esk is free to have whatever romantic relationships you'd like.
what are the limitations on sex/gender?
Esk do not breed to reproduce, so they have no physical sex characteristics. However, esk can have a gender identity, be gender-fluid, or agender. Their gender does not have to match the sex/gender of their original form.
are esk intelligent?
Yes. Some individuals are smarter than others. Most are as smart or smarter than they were in their previous form, but some become less intelligent after transformation. This is open to interpretation.
do esk have names?
Yes, esk have names. They either retain the name from their past life or have a new name after being transformed. Their new name might reference their old name or past life in some way — it could be just a part or syllable of their old name, or a different arrangement of the letters. It can also be an entirely new name of any kind. How they gain or choose their name is up to you.
what do esk do?
All esk have their own interests. For the most part, Travelers like to act as guardians of their environment and will assist those who enter it and the plants and animals that live there, while Trespassers are usually not so helpful and may be isolated or destructive, but these are not rigid roles and esk can have very diverse personalities. Esk interact with humans in their environment in all different ways. Esk may also have their own interests based on their past lives.
Please see our Transformation page for more information!
what happens to an esk's original form when it's transformed?
When a human or animal is transformed, they can either have a bodily or spiritual transformation. A bodily transformation means the original form is transformed and no longer remains, while a spiritual transformation leaves behind a body. You can read more about them here.
With object or plant original forms, either the entire original form is transformed, or part of it. An abnormal transformation never leaves behind a whole “body”.
With object or plant original forms, either the entire original form is transformed, or part of it. An abnormal transformation never leaves behind a whole “body”.
what is a transformation like? how long does it take? does it hurt?
How long a transformation takes is largely up to interpretation. It can take less than a second, or up to a couple of hours. How long it feels can be different from how long it actually takes.
How your esk feels during a transformation is up to interpretation. Their origin, traveler or trespasser, will surely affect how they feel during the process. It can be painful, soothing, confusing, enlightening, or over so quickly they don’t even realise what has happened to them.
How your esk feels during a transformation is up to interpretation. Their origin, traveler or trespasser, will surely affect how they feel during the process. It can be painful, soothing, confusing, enlightening, or over so quickly they don’t even realise what has happened to them.
can a transformation be rejected?
Yes, transformations can be rejected if the creature or human being transformed does not give their consent. What happens after that is up to interpretation.
Please see our Boundaries and Biomes page for more information!
can i use a real world location for my esk's boundary?
We advise against using real world locations for your esk’s boundary name, as it locks all future transformations in this one specific place. You are of course free to be specific about where the boundary is in your esk’s story and in their tracker information. However, for boundary names we suggest using more open ended terms.
Can a very small esk live on a really large esk? Can that be their boundary?
An esk of the same biome could live on another esk if they want, but just keep in mind that an esk cannot be a boundary — the boundary has to be a location, not an object or being. So if you have a little forest esk and a big forest esk, little esk can live on big esk and keep their nature features and all, but once little esk rides the big esk away from the location of their boundary they won't have their transformation ability anymore.
can environments have more than one biome?
Yes, it is of course possible for an environment to be part of multiple biomes. We call these overlapping biomes. Esk that visit these areas can keep their nature features visible and any Modification intact if they belong to one of the biomes that are present. For example, in and around a forest stream, both freshwater and forest esk can keep their nature features and abilities.
Can an esk be part of two biomes in the case of an overlapping boundary/biome?
No, esk can only ever be assigned to a single biome.
What happens when an esk's biome environment changes (for example, forest to park)?
The esk’s assigned biome does not change and it will stay forest, even if the forest has turned into a developed plot of land. Feel free to explore how this makes your esk feel, how it affects their abilities, or use it as a reason for why they might seek a re-transformation.
can my esk create a new esk in a different biome?
This is only possible for abnormal esk. Normal esk can only create new esk in their own biome. Even in a case where a boundary might overlap multiple biomes, normal esk still can only create esk from the same biome.
Please see our Design Guides for more information!
do nature features have to be to scale?
They do not! A nature feature can be as big or as small on the esk’s design as you’d like, regardless of how big it would be relative to the esk in reality. You can also mix and match sizes of your nature feature on the design, and for example have very big flower petals around the neck, and smaller flower petals in the tail.
do nature features have to be naturally colored? or should i use the palette for them?
Nature features should always be naturally coloured, regardless of the esk’s color palette. Nature features can only have an unnatural colouration through the unnaturally coloured nature feature mutation or unique trait.
can we mix colors on a greenhouse/nursery palette? can we make colors lighter or darker?
Colors can be blended between each other so long as they are still recognizable, and not blended to create a new color. Slight variations with regards to lighter, darker or more or less saturated colors are fine, so long as they are clearly recognizable as part of the palette.
can any esk create a morph esk?
So long as the morph requirements are fulfilled for the new esk (as in have the correct biome or nature feature), it can be any morph. Whether the creator is a morph or not has no bearing on the created esk’s appearance.
I have an abnormal esk with a previous esk form that doesn't exist in the game. can i design it and make it official?
Yes! Please send us your design through group note, and we'll review it as normal. When it's made it through review, it'll be posted as the esk's past form on its Masterlist entry.
can i use a real person as my esk's original form?
No. We ask that you please not use real people in the game. Using them as a base for inspiration is fine, but refrain from using the actual person.
how big or small can esk be?
They can be any size that is able to realistically inhabit the Earth. At minimum, they must be visible to the naked eye.
Please see our Modifications page and drop-down menu for more information!
what's the difference between enchantments and elementals?
Enchantments are enhanced extra-sensory perception abilities (ESP) that give esk the power to have supernatural effects on their environment or beings in their vicinity. Some examples include inducing certain feelings (like paranoia or playfulness), physical sensations (like feeling a chill, tingles, vertigo), and having smaller effects on the esk's environment (like stabilizing rickety structures or causing things to fall down around them).
Elementals are an esk’s attunement to a force of nature that allows them to manipulate and manifest that element. Elementals are things like snow, rain, mist, lightning, and plant growth.
Elementals are an esk’s attunement to a force of nature that allows them to manipulate and manifest that element. Elementals are things like snow, rain, mist, lightning, and plant growth.
can different modifications affect each other? like an enchanted familiar, etc?
Yes, accessories, familiars and elementals can be enchanted.
Accessories and familiars can have an elemental applied to them.
Accessories cannot be applied to familiars, and enchantments cannot have an elemental applied to them.
Accessories and familiars can have an elemental applied to them.
Accessories cannot be applied to familiars, and enchantments cannot have an elemental applied to them.
what are blessings and curses? how do I get one?
Blessings and Curses become part of an esk's existence when the esk completes a biome-specific quest.
They are distributed by Wanderers who want to reward or punish an esk for the impact they have made on the land. They embody the reputation that your esk has acquired through quests, and are effects that the environment will display towards your esk when they enter a specific biome.
An esk cannot control its Blessings or Curses.
Blessings and Curses can currently be acquired by completing our Developed and Mountain biome quests, which you can find in the event archive.
They are distributed by Wanderers who want to reward or punish an esk for the impact they have made on the land. They embody the reputation that your esk has acquired through quests, and are effects that the environment will display towards your esk when they enter a specific biome.
An esk cannot control its Blessings or Curses.
Blessings and Curses can currently be acquired by completing our Developed and Mountain biome quests, which you can find in the event archive.
Please see our Wanderers page for more information!
can wanderers visit the conservatory?
Wanderers never leave their biomes, and so will never visit the Conservatory.
does 000 leave the conservatory?
Yes; while 000 spends much of her time there, she does leave on occasion to see the Wanderers, or the larger world.
What kind of transformations do the Wanderers do? Would this Wanderer work for my idea?
Please refer to our Wanderer Transformation Hub! It has examples and ideas for how each Wanderer behaves with regards to who and what they transform and for which reasons.
who are fawn and keahi?
These NPCs were introduced in the Plains biome quest. You can find out about their journeys by reading through the event archive!
do origin prompts have to be done in order?
No, prompts do not have to be done in order.
do origin prompts reset with ownership changes?
Origin prompts reset with ownership. You get to keep the points from the previous owner’s Origin Prompts and will earn the origin prompt bonus again for completing them yourself.
Likewise, you do not need to stick to the previous owner's ideas for the esk's story, and are free to completely change it.
Likewise, you do not need to stick to the previous owner's ideas for the esk's story, and are free to completely change it.
can i do wanderer prompts for the same wanderer more than once?
Yes. They can be completed multiple times, but only earn the Wanderer Prompt bonus for completing them the first time for each Wanderer.
can i gift wanderer prompts? how does it work?
Wanderer prompts can only be gifted if you are also performing the transformation and using the TF slot for the prompts you have made. In this case it's treated the same as any other transformation swap or gift.
Just gifting the prompts alone is not possible.
Commissioning users to create the Wanderer Prompts is perfectly fine. Only the commissioner gets the Wanderer Prompt bonus in this case.
Just gifting the prompts alone is not possible.
Commissioning users to create the Wanderer Prompts is perfectly fine. Only the commissioner gets the Wanderer Prompt bonus in this case.
are sightings a prompt?
Sightings are not an official prompt and do not earn a prompt bonus, but you are free to use Sightings as inspiration for Wanderer or Origin Prompts!
do i need to submit prompts to the group?
Yes. All prompts (Origin, Wanderer and Monthly) and event art needs to be submitted to the group.
Sale esk
Sellable Witherlings, Guest and Staff Reward Esk
Can be resold, traded for other esk, transformations, art and TWWM unrelated characters and species.
Can be resold, traded for other esk, transformations, art and TWWM unrelated characters and species.
free premade esk
Free Raffle and Event Reward Esk
Can be traded for other esk, transformations and art.
Can be traded for other esk, transformations and art.
MYO (Make your own) esk
Esk created via Nursery, Greenhouse, Wellsprings, Transformations and Rewards from Events
Can be traded for other esk, transformations and art.
Transformations Slots and Wanderer Prompts Transformation Slots
Can be traded for other esk and transformations.
Undesigned Wellspring MYO wishes
Can only be gifted.
Sellable MYO slots
Can be resold for the same price or lower, traded for other esk, transformations, art and TWWM unrelated characters and species.
Can be traded for other esk, transformations and art.
Transformations Slots and Wanderer Prompts Transformation Slots
Can be traded for other esk and transformations.
Undesigned Wellspring MYO wishes
Can only be gifted.
Sellable MYO slots
Can be resold for the same price or lower, traded for other esk, transformations, art and TWWM unrelated characters and species.
extras
Event Vouchers
Can not be traded or gifted.
Undesigned Greenhouse, Nursery, or Event MYO claims
Can not be traded or gifted.
Non-MYO granted Wellspring Wishes
Can not be traded or gifted.
Can not be traded or gifted.
Undesigned Greenhouse, Nursery, or Event MYO claims
Can not be traded or gifted.
Non-MYO granted Wellspring Wishes
Can not be traded or gifted.
cooldown
Esk can only be traded after a 2 week cooldown period. This period starts after the esk has been uploaded to the ML or at the time the previous owner leaves the new ownership transfer comment.
esk removed from the game
Same Owner: Can be added back into the game after a 3 month cooldown period. An appeal explaining why you'd like the esk added back into the game is required via group note. Please note that sending an appeal does not guarantee the esk will be returned to the game.
New Owner: Cooldown period does not apply and appeal is not required, but need to inform staff via group note how the esk was obtained if the previous owner does not leave an ownership transfer comment on the ML (must include proof of ownership transfer).
New Owner: Cooldown period does not apply and appeal is not required, but need to inform staff via group note how the esk was obtained if the previous owner does not leave an ownership transfer comment on the ML (must include proof of ownership transfer).
Please see our Scoring Guide for more information!
When does the personal work bonus apply?
The personal work bonus applies to any work you've done that wasn't a commission or an exchange for an asset (like in trade for an esk). Art trades receive the personal work bonus!
When can I add the NPC bonus?
When the NPC present is depicted as fullbody (>75% of the NPC is visible) or 100 words is written about the NPC.
how does the interaction bonus work?
When two or more esk are depicted in the same scene, each esk earns the interaction bonus. As an example, if you depict three esk playing together on a log, all three esk gets the interaction bonus, for a total of 10*3 = 30 AP. This bonus cannot be applied to sketches, but otherwise has no minimum requirement.
In the case of large group images where esk aren't directly interacting with each other but are sharing the same scene, you may choose to take the interaction bonus or not. You may of course utilize our flexible scoring philosophy to take the interaction bonus only for esk that are directly interacting.
The interaction bonus does not apply to NPCs. If your esk is interacting with an NPC, you only score the normal esk's interaction. So two esk interacting with a Wanderer earns you 10*2 = 20 AP.
In the case of large group images where esk aren't directly interacting with each other but are sharing the same scene, you may choose to take the interaction bonus or not. You may of course utilize our flexible scoring philosophy to take the interaction bonus only for esk that are directly interacting.
The interaction bonus does not apply to NPCs. If your esk is interacting with an NPC, you only score the normal esk's interaction. So two esk interacting with a Wanderer earns you 10*2 = 20 AP.
how do batches work?
When you have a group of separate artworks in the same image (such as pose sheets), this is called a batch. The most common way to calculate the score for your batch is to multiply the score of a single artwork times the amount of works in the batch - but this method only works for works that are of the same category across the board.
In the case of batches that feature varied categories of art, you should calculate each piece individually and then tally up your total at the end.
Each artwork in the batch must qualify as a standalone artwork that can be cropped and treated as a complete illustration.
There is a maximum of 20 pieces allowed per batch submission.
In the case of batches that feature varied categories of art, you should calculate each piece individually and then tally up your total at the end.
Each artwork in the batch must qualify as a standalone artwork that can be cropped and treated as a complete illustration.
There is a maximum of 20 pieces allowed per batch submission.
how do I score comics?
Comics are scored as batch submissions. Each panel that features an esk can be scored as an individual standalone submission. Panels that feature the esk but only small parts of it (like a closeup of a paw or a glimpse of the tail) should not be scored.
Panels that features the Conservatory do not need to feature an esk to be scored.
Comics are not limited to the 20 submissions per batch rule, so they may feature more than 20 panels per page.
If your comic features writing (speech/narrative bubbles), you can score the writing by counting all of the words that appear in your comic and applying the writing score to it. Please note that the 50 word minimum still applies.
Panels that features the Conservatory do not need to feature an esk to be scored.
Comics are not limited to the 20 submissions per batch rule, so they may feature more than 20 panels per page.
If your comic features writing (speech/narrative bubbles), you can score the writing by counting all of the words that appear in your comic and applying the writing score to it. Please note that the 50 word minimum still applies.
What needs to be submitted to the group, and what can be kept off deviantart?
All prompts (origin, wanderer and monthly) and event art need to be submitted to the group. All other art is optional to submit to the group gallery.
Please see our Point Tracking Guide for more information!
If I'm using sheets, can the tracker be split up into multiple tabs?
Yes!
can I host my tracker off-site, or otherwise make my own?
Yes, as long as all the required info is listed on your tracker and it is accessible to us for review.
