sinstring-manor

[sinstring-manor]

20-1-24

long time no sinstring! rendering is so tedious, so here's a sketch of lymphette's next (and likely last) design.

[sinstring-manor]

i know i've been inactive here, i'm just busy lately. i'm still working on this project!

[sinstring-manor]

12-31-23

haven't posted in a few days, i've been busy lately... but feel free to ask questions about the story. for the new year, i want to put more focus into this project!

[sinstring-manor]

12-27-23

once again unfortunately i have no art to show, so i'll explain the main characters.

MC (whose name i still cannot decide) - the protagonist and the only child of mister and missus sinstring. the fly is the one who cut her strings - at first, i thought that it would be fine to just have the fly observe her for years and "prepare" her for her string-cutting, but i'm not really sure how that would make sense, so as of right now the fly just partially cuts her strings. so, the main character has to both avoid fully cutting her strings - which, while at a lower level than others, would probably still take a major toll on her in her current situations - and escape the mansion. i think that she should have certain skills that aid the puzzles that'll appear in game; for one, having a talent for instruments, so that she can play them to solve puzzles or distract pursuers. she's the kinder type and is very empathetic to the family members, and her weapon is a pair of fabric scissors, of which she can use to cut the strings of others.

crow - he is the child of one of the servants, i'm not sure which (as of right now, there is the head gardener, maids, cook, and butler), and he actually accidentally cut his own strings at a very young age. because it was at such a young age, his mind was not developed enough for a large impact on his sanity. he's been faking being under control for many years, and is rather standoffish and blunt. his skills include hiding and evading - being able to fit into cupboards and small places, and his weapon is a broken broomstick, which he can use to fight in a more effective way than MC.

the fly - the most mysterious of the main characters. i think he's a lot like the cat from coraline but i'm too tired to explain how, sorry. his motivations are different to the doll characters', but i won't tell them.

[sinstring-manor]

12-26-23

no art today, so i'll explain the story and logistics of "strings" in more detail -

each resident of sinstring manor is a doll which is controlled by strings. these strings basically dictate their entire life - none of their actions are their own, but rather dictated by whoever controls the strings. they don't actually know who does, but that being is revered as god by the family. if a doll's strings were cut, then that doll would regain full control over their mind and actions. HOWEVER, if the strings were just suddenly cut no problem, it'd be the equivalent of giving an ant full sentience - overwhelming to the point of insanity. only in certain circumstances can someone come out of a string-cutting with their mind unscathed - like at a very young age, or having their strings partially cut.

the main thing i want to explore in sinstring manor is how different people would react to suddenly being given sentience after not having it their whole lives. it's a story all about control and autonomy.

[sinstring-manor]

24-12-23

late night sketches figuring out the MC's design. in terms of names, i'm split between amygdala and lymphette - lymphette sounds cooler and is more unique, but i feel amygdala fits the design better. anyway, i gave her braids (though i might change that - i really like the loose hair as it kind of implies reclusiveness - no need to do up your hair if you're never going outside) and a big bow (with smaller bows as well!). also, changed the dress a bit. i'll probably go into more detail with this design tomorrow.

[sinstring-manor]

i was thinking of renaming minette to something more "odd" to fit a certain theme in the story. some good names i think are maybe amygdala (my personal favorite because of the implications of fear), vena (for vena cava), or lymphette (for lymph nodes). what do you guys think?

[sinstring-manor]

12-22-23

late night sketches. trying to figure out minette's hairstyle once and for all, and sketching out the fly. i think the design i made up works well - but the red is an issue. from the beginning, i wanted to give characters pops of red (maybe to symbolise something? not sure what), but the exact red is a bit difficult. also, it'll take a while to figure out minette's weapon, the fabric scissors - i wanna give them a really intricate design. hopefully i'll be able to explain more about the story soon.

[sinstring-manor]

12-22-23

crow color sketch. his hair is really fun to draw. i want to give it more of a wool-like flair, like a lalaloopsy doll, and make his eyes more similar to buttons - maybe put 'X's inside his pupils?

[sinstring-manor]

trying to solve the minette hair problem.

[sinstring-manor]

main inspirations for sinstring manor:

- mad father

- coraline

- trolls 2016 (yes really)

- the promised neverland

[sinstring-manor]

pinned post

sinstring manor is a horror-survival RPG that i'm developing. it follows a young girl, minette, trying to escape her family home after a shocking realisation.

this account will chronicle SSM's development in all factors, save for major story spoilers. asks about the content of SSM are welcome!

current status: pre-production

[sinstring-manor]

trying to change my banner and layout stuff but tumblr is annoying so you get a half-assed layout...

[sinstring-manor]

12-21-23

first color sketch of minette. i might change her shirt color to white to contrast against the dark manor, but i'm not sure. i also want to give her a headpiece, but again, not sure on that. i feel like she needs a little "something" to let her stand out, because she looks a little boring right now...

[sinstring-manor]

21-12-23

very first designs of MC and her friend. of course i want minette to have an EGL aesthetic, but i find those dresses so hard to design, so i think she'll be in the oven for a while before i'm happy with her. crow, on the other hand, will probably be more simple (though i'm not sure of the logistics of having him be a different type of doll). the fly is just a fly so my only issue will be how to stylise a fly.