We are excited to introduce our next shining star for the Creator Spotlight… @Tanukibby!
This is a member’s only activity where we reach out to one of the talented people in our community each month to find out all about them and their kakairu creations, and then show them off to the world!
We hope you enjoy learning about Tanuki & their creations as much as we did. Please give them some love 
Pronouns: They/Them
Type of Creator: Artist & occasional writer
Where to find them:
1. How long have you been creating KakaIru fanworks?
I have been creating KakaIru fanworks since December of 2021.
2. What are you working on right now?
I am currently working on a piece for pride month, I haven’t figured out all of the details yet.
3. What is your favorite trope to create for?
My favorite trope to create for would probably have to be Rivals to Lovers/misunderstanding. I always find myself doodling Iruka and Kakashi being a bit fractious towards each other. I made up an entire B-plot for my magical girl AU just for this trope. It’s kind of a slow burn, Kakashi and Iruka horribly misunderstanding each other and then can’t stand each other as a result. It slowly clears up and they fall in love with each other in the end.
4. Which of your creations is your favorite, and why?
My favorite creation is this one I made about Mermaid Iruka and human Kakashi.
This is older art for a February prompt in the KakaIru discord server, I was thinking about that scene in The Little Mermaid where Ariel saves Prince Eric from drowning. I remember being really proud of it when I finished it.
5. Do you have any WIPs you’re excited about?
There is this one fic that I have been working on for a while, it needs some reworking and an ending but I am really confident about it.
6. Do you have any original characters? If so, tell us about them!
Haha I have way too many, a handful of them I have made just to ship them with my favorite characters. My most recent one is Yoshi Amamiya, she is 27 and a Jounin sensei who specializes in transformation jutsu (more specifically animal transformation) with water nature Chakra. Her birthday is July 19th, she has short red hair (heavily inspired by young Chariot Du Nord from Little Witch Academia), yellow irises, she is tall, 5’9 or 175.26 cm, yet slender with a more rectangular body type. She has a prosthetic arm and leg on the left side due to an ambush involving excessive paper bombs.
Yoshi is a sensei to a team of 2 girls, Suzu and Mai, and 1 boy, Akio. She is very close to her team but she has the tendency to mother them instead of being a teacher to them. Her favorite meal is Tamago Kake Gohan (a bowl of rice with raw egg). Her favorite thing to do when she isn’t on missions or busy training with her team is going for walks in the forest and finding a nice soft area of grass to rest in. She also knits occasionally.
7. What was your hardest piece to create, and why?
The hardest piece I have created was my Secret Santa gift, everything had to be just right, or at least close to it. The lights, the snow, the height differences, I wanted this to look good for the person receiving my gift and it took a long time to finish because of that. They loved it though and that’s what matters.
8. Do you have any favorite scenes from something you’ve created?
Yes, there is this one scene in my fic “Squeeze You” where Kakashi is messing with Iruka and mocking the Hallmark movies she is currently watching. It’s so sweet and I love it.
9. Where does your inspiration come from?
My inspiration for my more moodier pieces comes from my personal experiences, songs that really speak to me on a more emotionally raw level, and anime with a deep meaning and emotional maturity. Houseki No Kuni and Violet Evergarden are a few examples.
The others I create are inspired by scenery, pieces of fiction, and upbeat anime. Ghibli films are a big inspiration, I hope to one day be able to portray whimsical or comforting scenes, wonderful scenery, and also tell an enjoyable story like the creators in this company does.
10. Which of your creations is the most meaningful to you, and why?
This was my first collaboration with someone for the KakaIru Reverse Bang, I pulled the mood in the piece from times where I felt lonely and inadequate even when I had someone I hold dear near me. Projection through my art is part of my process so I was in a solemn mood the entire time I was making this piece. The event was fun and my partner, Badger, was so nice and did wonderful on the fic that they wrote for it.