metiee

[metiee]

Are Shaymins secretly evil or innocent?

@metiee asked: also who wants to go to shaymin village

Malachi: Neither! At least, nothing that you can use as a blanket statement for the whole species. As for visiting, that sounds kinda neat.

Eilwyn: I dunno... They have a whole village where if you wanna kiss someone who isn't a Shaymin, you gotta move out. Sounds kinda messed up to me...

Malachi: Well yeah, but that's to preserve their culture! And they can still fall in love with who they want to, there's just some ceremonies that non-Shaymins can't participate in.

Dielle: ... I think I'm with Eilwyn on this one. You can't really control who you fall in love with. What if a Shaymin fell in love with a tourist? They just get kicked out? And what if their kid ends up being a Shaymin? Do they just miss out on that part of their identity forever?

Malachi: Well if they have a Shaymin child, the kid can migrate back and join the village!

Dielle: And then the kid has to choose between having a Shaymin partner or getting ripped away from that culture again...?

I mean, I wouldn't say it's outright evil, but it's an upsetting system to live with...

[metiee]

is it crime to eat poke

Yohann: Not a crime, but that's gonna be one heavy meal. If you know what I mean.

Rune: ... What?

Yohann: You know. Like the currency. Explaining the joke kinda ruins its punch.

Rune: It's not a very good joke if you have to explain it.

@metiee asked: *I forgot to add that I don't want my favorites like fletchlings or togetics from becoming chicken nugget 😭

Rune: Wait, what?! Nobody's out here eating other people, that's insane!

// referenced post

[metiee]

Omg ok Rune maybe don't kiss the cat she keeps putting weird things in her mouth 😭

Rune: W-Who said anything about kissing, anyway??

// referenced post

[metiee]

I wonder how team mealstorm would look if they design was gender swaped (for inigo female nidoran)

I know that they can change the gender easly but the design don t change then much i belive but if they design would change there would be a lot more changes in details abaut them

// they would look the same because their personalities, hobbies, and self expression would be the same regardless of gender B)

I can however offer you other swaps, such as this species swap

and this swap that turns them into ponies

[metiee]

Say Dielle, who is your girl friend?

Dielle: Rune, obviously! She's the only friend I have right now who's a girl!

[metiee]

... And that, finally, is the end of the chapter! What a doozy, huh? Explorers was really set on stuffing quite the dungeon gauntlet in this chapter, and I almost considered forgoing my goal to keep chapter breaks consistent(ish) with the game and add a split when the team actually began the expedition. It's kinda fun having a huge dumpy chapter though, can't wait to do it again in chapter 10. Also, a big shoutout to ShuSquirrel for sponsoring one of OBT's Monster House Marathons this year! This chapter would've gone on until November without your support, and I know I for one am very happy to have the support to work on my dream project without worrying about bills for a month!

As per usual, OBT will be going on its planned hiatus while I prep for the next chapter! OBT will be returning September 26th- a month long break instead of my usual 2 week break because this chapter was quite large, and I need a little time to decompress and get my buffer back. And maybe give my hand a break, I actually injured it during this last 20 page stretch to the point that many backgrounds were done with a mouse on my non-dominant hand lmao (it's mostly healed now, so worry not)

In the meantime, a new special episode is updating on Patreon for $5+ tiers, featuring a certain Nidorina hosting a definitely-not-D&D campaign! Like all special episodes of course, it'll be releasing publicly as well at a later date. I'll also be adding onto OBT's buffer during this break, with $5+ patrons seeing up to 10 updates ahead of schedule and $15+ patrons getting to see all pages as they're completed! Not able to support monetarily but still want fun content? OBT's ask blog is still updating during the comic's hiatus. Head on over there if you want to find out what Eilwyn's mouth water tastes like.

As always, thanks for reading, and I look forward to seeing you all again soon!

[metiee]

hello

loski

[metiee]

To woo

Any tips for making side stories beetwen main story for comic making

I am trying to make a script for a comic that i will try to make after i finish learning how to draw got inspired to finally try making one after reading yours

// for getting the creative juice: I personally save side stories for content that I think is interesting but not necessary to move the main plot along. some things are trimmed out from chapter outlines and expanded upon in their own story, others I just kinda started thinking about and went "oh that'd be fun to write about". I cannot express enough that optional side stories should not be necessary to understand your main comic- if you refer to a side story in the comic, make sure that context for the side story is given (otherwise it's not a side story, and should just be part of the main story!)

I also use side stories as an exercise in various things. for Dielle's Wish I wanted practice writing a child character, for the upcoming Dungeons & Damages I wanted to practice making a scene full of talking heads still look visually interesting, and a future special episode gave me practice in writing a character I struggle with!

for executing the story: a good rule of thumb for comic-making is to release pages at a slower pace than you make them so you can naturally accrue a buffer. part of the reason I was able to slap out Dielle's Wish in less than a month was because at the time I had 40 pages of buffer in OBT's main story, so I was able to take a month off from the main story to work on it. this is also just helpful if you're working on a comic in general, it can keep the ball rolling and prevent unexpected hiatuses (I actually injured my hand a few weeks ago and have been living off of buffer while it heals)

and finally, keep your side stories short! I like to try and keep mine under 50 pages on average (similar to chapters), it's a good way to tighten up your script and also makes sure your short little project doesn't become its own behemoth.

of course, usual disclaimer that all advice here is just based on my own experiences, and the process can be different for everyone! this is just what i've found works for me.

[metiee]

BLESSED

Are Shaymins secretly evil or innocent?

Sandy: Shaymins aren't evil, sir or ma'am! They actually migrate across the region every year, and we have a festival when they visit. I think their flowers are really pretty, hehe. And did you know they can change forms? That's how they can fly!

Marie: They're really fun to fight. When they first come in their flying form, that's when it's the best. I hope there's an evil shaymin one year. I wanna defeat them in a battle.

Matt: I still have to arrange the music I'm performin' at this festival... Oh, ach, it's comin' up soon. With everything else goin' on, it's gotten away from me a bit.

[metiee]

You know, you have the cutest smile, Rune.

Rune: Uh... Thanks.

Dielle: Aw, it's totally true!

Rune: Y-you really think so?

[metiee]

What if RUNE were the rock?? The real questions.

Rune: Maelstrom should chuck me at Malachi's head and see how he likes it.

// referenced post // related post

[metiee]

If you were to rank the mystery dungeon from your favorite to least favorite and why, what would that look like?

Eilwyn: Thank you for asking me specifically... My top dungeon is Serenity River, because it's really nice and calm. The pokemon there are really nice and like to trade good moisturizing tips. Then I like the Surrounded Sea, because it's fun to bump into the invisible sea walls there that form. It's also fun to explode them with a cool orb. Then I like the Marine Resort. That one is a dungeon inside of a town, but they made it kinda like a vacation spot. There are sea cucumbers that grow there that aren't sea cucumbers the animal but cucumbers that grow in the sea and are really nice to put on your eyeballs. Then I like Drenched Bluff, because I don't have to worry about getting rehydrated there. Then I like Lapis Cave, because the temperature is always nice and it's pretty there. Then I like Waterfall Pond, because there are a lot of nice Feebas and Milotic there. Then I like Fantasy Strait, because every time I go there's a group of pokemon that try to mug me and it's a great way to test my orbs on pokemon that don't exactly consent to it but it's alright because it's self-defense. Then I like Apple Woods because the jobs there are easy and the apples there are great for when I try making Apple Orbs which are apples that are inside of orbs. Then I like Pitfall Valley because one time I helped a Latios get his sister out of a hole and they gave me some cool feathers that I used to make the best Decoy Orb I ever made. And also the holes there are really cool. And funny if someone steps on one. Then there's Illusory Grotto which is disorienting because it's like the whole dungeon and the pokemon inside are using a forever Decoy Orb so it's hard to explore. Then there's Mt. Thunder which isn't very fun at all because I have to eat so many Cheri Berries whenever I'm in there because I keep getting paralyzed. Then there's Silver Trench which I almost died in because I wanted to keep diving and forgot to eat. Then there's Northwind Field which is really dry which makes me thirsty and it's also cold. Then there's Northern Desert which is a desert and it sucks because it's a desert. I probably forgot a bunch of dungeons, but hope this helped.

[metiee]

Malachi and Inigo, what are your thoughts on Rune and Dielle’s relationship? They seem close, right? :)

Malachi: Yeah! They seem like they're pretty good friends!

Inigo: Yeah. "Good friends".

Malachi: Yep! That's... the thing I just said!

[metiee]

author ask!

How did you come up with the core personalities of rune and malachi?

// I guess it just kinda happened that way! To begin with I already like a grouch/bubbly dynamic (so much so I realized I accidentally made the same dynamic, just switched, for a secret original project I'm working on, haha). I think it allows for some fun banter when one character can speak their mind freely while the other is able to let those comments bounce straight off of them. Though as a result, it does appear to some readers that Rune is genuinely bullying Malachi... I promise that's not the intent! She'll know when to reel it in if she strikes a nerve.

There were definitely growing pains in creating this dynamic, though! For that I point to the preboot of On Borrowed Time, where Rune and the then-called Kodali frequently got in fights due to their dynamic, and it really wasn't very fun to write and I don't imagine it was fun to read, either. In that iteration of the comic, I wanted to make Rune into a genuinely bad person- and the comic would have ended with her dying. Hence the "on borrowed time" phrase used for the title!

Meanwhile, Kodali (who later magical girl transformed into Malachi in the reboot) was experiencing a sort of dependent relationship on this iteration of Rune, and was subjecting himself to get hurt by her over and over and over again. Maybe if I had some more self-awareness at the time I could have spun the story into one about toxic relationships? But experiencing many of those myself at the time, I didn't recognize this is what I was accidentally writing. So these iterations of the characters never found their way out of this cycle, and just kept repeating it without any reflection. Which uh, sounds really depressing when I put it that way! But it's part of the comic's history, so it's worth mentioning.

Modern Rune and Malachi takes this dynamic and resets it back to zero- after all, if we're gonna be stuck with this duo for the majority of the story, and if I want a generally happier tone, they should probably get along a lot better! So taking them back to their roots, Malachi still looks to Rune for an (initially) one-sided relationship... But instead of taking the route of manipulating him, she instead deflects obvious issues regarding his attachment towards her and tries to set the pace for how quickly they get to know each other. Of course, she's not fully aware this is what she's doing, and she definitely needed practice on her delivery.

But when he finally slowed down to form a genuine connection with her rather than just jumping to conclusion after conclusion, she was much more willing to open up to him.

And this isn't to say this analysis is what I intended from the start... I think it's pretty rare to write a story with specific purposes for character interactions in mind! This is just kind of how the story ended up evolving as I wrote it. I quite like their dynamic now, and I'm excited for you all to see how their friendship grows and develops in the coming chapters!

[metiee]

Rune: Why do you have a crush on Dielle anyway? Like what is it specifically that you like about her? I wanna hear it in your words.

Rune: Well, I dunno... I don't wanna say it's just because she's nice to me, because that puts the bar pretty low. I guess I enjoy hanging out with her? And I want to keep hanging out? There are nights when she goes home and it feels like a little pit forms in my chest, and I just want to keep being around her. I dunno, it's not a very elegant explanation, but it's what I feel.

[metiee]

I’m glad you’re doing okay. I’m overjoyed to see you active again. Metie, you’re still a very good friend in my heart. Sorry to be on anon, I’ve grown into a very shy and anxious person. You’re doing great! 💙

Thank you you wonderful person 🥺🥺 Whoever you are I hope you have a wonderful time too~ 🌈✨ <3

[metiee]

Hey gang! what would you do if the timegear thief ends up being a tiny adorable snom?

Inigo: Well, a Snom is roughly the size of one of my feet. I think you can guess.

Dielle: You would crush a tiny pokemon to death?!

Inigo: No, I just said it to be funny! Sheesh!

Inigo: But if someone is crazy enough to steal a Time Gear, they probably won't go through with the rehab programs. And I wouldn't be surprised if they're sly enough that they'd escape prison.

Dielle: Huh... What would happen when they catch the thief...?