#designing Cassidy was fun too I especially like the way I did her hair

[chloesimaginationthings]

FNAF Cassidy knows how to “help” Michael Afton

[psiirockin]

I absolutely adore how you make the human characters resemble their animatronics its so fun to notice and point out. like how liz has those big pigtails and the skirt also her shoes and charlie has stripes on her shirt which idk if that was intentionally connected to puppet butit reminded me of her. and cassidy has the buns in her hair that look like bear ears oughgh they r so cute i love them. I also love love LOVE ur ennard and molten freddy designs!! they look a lot more like freaky bundles of wires (especially molten freddy!!! i am obsessed with the centipede vibes :3) and your art in general is so nice to look at!!! its so pretty!!!

and also im curious if there was any other animal imagery that you added to the mci kids the way you did with the aftons and their bunny faces?

OH WOW you hit everything spot on!! I'm so happy that the little details came through, I was really hoping it would all translate hehe!!

The stripes are intentional! Her sleeves are also long and thick at the bottom like Marionette's arms! I also tried to theme her clothes with some Puppet colors: the purple/black/white/red combos!

And I still need to finish my MCI lineup drawing (so take this old WIP from my other drawing of them for reference RN LOL..), but Gabriel has Freddy's colors + the freckles on his face! Jeremy has big bunny teeth, and Bonnie's colors too. (Mix of blue/purples).

I'd like to think that the top of Susie's dress resembles Chica's bib a bit! Though it initially was not intentionally at all haha.

Fritz has physical disabilities, mainly regarding walking-- and one of his hands crunches up a lot. So I guess you could see that reflected in Foxy having his own physical issues. (And Foxy's hook!) So while it's not much of a little design detail in the way the others are there's still a parallel. (I might have given him a few crooked teeth though, to make them jagged like Foxy's?)

Fritz in particular also comes from a very bad household + is on the chunkier side! He's shy, and a little more emotionally distant. Which y'know, has its similarities with Michael, who is THE Foxy bro haha. I think that Michael would have been really affected by his death, maybe he saw himself in Fritz & wanted better for him. And that's why he uses Fritz' name in FNAF 2's location; in honor of him.

[lifeisstrange-blog]

‘Designing the Cast and World of LiS2′ with Rachele Doimo

At its core, Life is Strange 2 is a road trip game. Sean and Daniel’s journey from their home in Seattle takes them all across the western states of America: from the snow-covered gardens of wintery Beaver Creek, to the drifter camp under the giant redwoods in California, to the arid Nevada desert. Each environment adds something to the story and they are carefully crafted to feel unique but real: places you could almost go and visit in real life.

But locations only come to life when you put people in them. The biggest part of world building isn’t just where does this prop go, but asking yourself: why is it there? Who are the people that live there and what effect do they have on the environment, and the environment on them? Creating a world that feels lived in and is a place that makes sense narratively requires both careful environmental and character design.

To explore the creation of the memorable locations of LiS2, and the diverse cast of characters who live in them, we’ve sat down with Square Enix Art Director Rachele Doimo to discuss how the incredible art teams we work with at studios like DONTNOD bring everything to life

Let’s start with Environments first. And remember, as with our previous blogs: beware spoilers!

Can you tell us what research went into some of the environments covered in Life is Strange 2?

Everything started with a trip that the game directors did a few years ago across the USA. It was a journey through a continent that made quite a mark in their life and work. All the memorable places they visited and people they met have contributed to their vision of Life is Strange 2.

What were some technical challenges for the larger scope of Life is Strange 2?

Performance had to be monitored constantly from asset creation to final lighting pass on each shot. A high number of lights can significantly slow down performance, but at the same time, they can make a huge difference in the quality of each single shot so all assets in a scene, from character models, to props, to lights, to total number of polygons, have to be managed in order not to reduce the framerate.

Given the changing environments in each Episode of the game, were there any environmental assets you were able to re-use, or was it a case of starting with a fresh palette of trees, rocks, and ground textures every time?

Each location had to be bespoke. Only a small amount of props could be reused, which also impacted development time. Generic grass, for example, is used in multiple locations, but trees and specific flora needed to be consistent with the part of the country that each episode is set. Every asset and material contributes and builds towards the unique, captivating look of an environment in Life is Strange.

Into the woods in Episode 1 is the biggest environment to date. Do we see something similar in Ep4?

At the beginning of Episode 4, when Sean is heading to Heaven Point, the Nevada desert area is probably the largest location in the game, in terms of visible distance. Although not the highest in asset density, it hopefully successfully creates a sense of loneliness and highlights Sean’s separation from his brother: walking on a vast unknown road through an unfriendly territory.

With Life is Strange 1 we had a broad cast of characters but one that remained in a single location: Arcadia Bay. The town had a set number of inhabitants and wasn’t changing in the same way the environments do in LiS2. Though new characters were intermittently introduced, the cast broadly focused on a specific set of people. In Life is Strange 2, the boys are on the road, passing through all manner of towns and communities on their journey south, which, out of necessity, required a much larger supporting cast – from the handful of major characters Sean and Daniel each Episode, to the innumerable secondary and background characters needed to populate each stop on their journey. More characters were designed during the Episode 1 and 2 concept art stage than were designed for the whole of LiS 1. Rachele, with that in mind, we’d like to talk about how the art team develops characters that fascinate us, whether they feature in an episode, a scene, or are just seen in the background.

What’s the process of designing a cast of memorable secondary and tertiary characters? The art process starts when an approved character biography is provided by the design team. This is the foundation of what the character should actually look like, the details of which all have to speak about who this person is and what they went through in life before the player encounters them.

Facial features and body shape are extremely important, but clothes and accessories play a crucial role too. Even small details like a pin on a jacket can add a lot to the character’s “visual story”. Designing a character is a rather long process that goes through many  concepts and revisions, from the mood board stage to digital sketches, to the very detailed in-game model, which can itself be revised multiple times – but it is extremely fun and rewarding when you see them being brought to life in the game.

The design process for Cassidy's tattoos went through a lot of development to make sure they represented her personality and character. No detail is too small!

Some characters obviously get more attention in the narrative of Life is Strange 2 than others. Do lesser-seen characters get the same special treatment in art and design as more primary characters? What does this process look like? The main cast obviously is where the art team has spent most of their time, especially at the beginning of the project, but secondary and tertiary characters are no less detailed or less looked after.

Main characters, in this case Sean and Daniel, are designed and created at the beginning and then serve as a benchmark for the rest. What is built during this process sets the style for the entire cast, the level of detail, the level of definition in the textures and the overall rendering style. In Life is Strange 2 there was a major need for extras and minor NPCs in every episode. While those didn’t need the same “uniqueness” as the leads, they certainly still had to be consistent to the narrative, place and role in the story.

Similar to the intricacies of her tattoos, Cassidy's overall appearance went through many iterations to get her style just right.

Who is your favourite character featured in Episode 3?

Very tricky question… I like all the drifters, of course! They are fun to play and watch. I have a particular soft spot for Cassidy – she is visually very interesting, without being conventionally dressed or styled, it really allows her personality to shine through. Her punk-inspired style, with worn-out clothes and purple hair, makes her a very iconic and memorable character. She is both contemporary and unconventional, both with her style and her charismatic personality.

Many thanks to Rachele for walking us through these elements of environment and character design. What were your favorite locations and characters on the journey so far – do you have a soft spot for a background character?

Join in the conversation, and stay with us all the way to #JourneysEnd!

[bazwillendinflames]

Happy Birthday Enano

Daniel’s birthday! A short little fic for the best bros. 

Ao3 

Daniel had always been an early riser but now it was torturous as he watched his alarm clock tick over to 6:52. Eight minutes until he was allowed to wake up Sean and Dad.

He wasn’t allowed to turn on his Playbox this early and all the breakfast foods were hidden in high cupboards because Sean kept complaining he had his cereal (which was only once).

Daniel had been trying to distract himself by guessing presents. Dad had hinted he’d be getting some new games for his Playbox and there was a whole collection of new Hawt Dawg Man comic books he was hoping for too. He’s asked for cool sport sneakers so he could actually keep with his track star brother (and actually outrun the big kids at school).

It was harder to guess what Sean would get him. Daniel had almost worried his older brother would forgot his birthday all together, given all he did was act like Daniel was a pain. But, when he had investigated (not snooped, like Sean would say, he was just looking), he’d found wold patterned wrapping paper in the trash. Sean had a job too - even if he didn’t like it and always came back smelling like fast food - and he’d been shopping with Lyla last weekend.

Daniel flopped back on his bed, seeing only two minutes had actually passed since he last checked the time. Ugh.

There was a quiet knock on the door, almost scaring him.

Then, a quiet but familiar voice through the door. “Dan, I can hear you pacing. You’re up already, aren’t you?”

Daniel scrambled onto his feet and pulled the door open. Sean stood on the other side, rubbing at his eyes. his face hidden by his hoodie.

“Dad said I had to wait until seven before presents but I was super excited and I couldn’t sleep!”

Sean rolled his eyes, but he was smiling too. “Hm, sounds like an important day, have I forgotten something? It can’t be Christmas yet. Nope, just another boring Saturday.”

“Sean.”

He broke the act and ruffled Daniel’s hair affectionately. “I’m kidding man. Happy birthday Enano.”

Sean only used that nickname when he was being nice and Daniel felt himself smile at his older brother.

“I get you’re excited but let’s go grab Dad some coffee first before you pester him.”

“Will you make me a hot chocolate?”

He made a big show out of being annoyed but the first thing Sean did when he got into the kitchen was pour out milk for his drink.

Daniel watched as he pressed a few buttons on their trusty coffee machine. He wasn’t allowed to touch it but now he was nine, maybe he was old enough… until he thought of the last time he’d sneaked a bit of Sean’s coffee and decided he’d prefer hot chocolate, especially the way Sean made it.

“For the birthday boy.”

He put the drink in front of Daniel, a slight smile on his face. Sean must be really tired still if he was smiling - he usually had the grumpy teenager act perfected, angsty grimances included.

Daniel sipped his drink, exactly as sweet and comforting as it always was. Sean used to always make him hot chocolate during winter when the water heater didn’t work and they’d drink together, playing board games until Dad got back from work. Now, with Sean’s job and new high school friends to keep him busy, Daniel was pretty sure the last he’d had the hot chocolate was his last birthday.

Sitting opposite, Sean drank his own coffee, grimacing at it. Daniel was sure he didn’t actually like the bitter drink either, he just wanted to seem grown up. He did a lot of things to seem grown up, like smoking and pretending he was too cool to play Minecraft with his younger brother.

Daniel glanced at the kitchen clock and saw it had ticked over to five past seven - he was in the clear. But, he didn’t mention it quite yet. Truthfully, he liked hanging out with Sean, watching as the golden streams of the sun reflected in their garden. Daniel may be an early riser but his brother stayed in bed as late as possible, sometimes Lyla got there before he had re-emerged in whatever hoodie was closest. Sean never spoke to him either, communicating in half-murmurs and groans that Dad called ‘Teenager Talk’.

Maybe it was just because it was Daniel’s birthday and you always had to be nice to your brother on birthdays but it was just like how things had been before and Daniel was going to savour it, even if it involved waiting for his presents a bit longer.

-

Daniel had to wade through crumpled wrapping paper to reach his last presents. He’d purposely left the gifts that matched the wrapping paper Sean had used. It was cute - bright red with cartoon wolfs and roundish moons - and came with a hand drawn card, showing Daniel in his last Halloween costume as a pirate, surrounded by treasure, with Sean’s cartoonish self as his second mate.

“Wow, that’s awesome.”

“Get to the presents,” Sean said, although Daniel could tell he was pleased with himself. “Open the small one first.”

“Hey, this one’s from Lyla!” Daniel held up the carefully painted decoration. “She thought of me!”

Dad laughed. “You must have made an impression on her.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Sean snapped a picture of his grin. “I guess I’m going to have to tell her you hated it?”

“No!”

“Don’t tease him Sean.”

“Sorry.” He went back to typing and then put his phone away. “Don’t worry enano, I’ve got your back here.”

It was so weird for Sean to be nice to him that Daniel momentarily forgot about the presents yet to unwrap. Until Sean made a gesture towards the box on his lap.

He tore the paper off more carefully - the wolf design was pretty cool - and found a whole set of books inside. The books were old and worn but after Daniel flipped the first one open, he figured it out.

Dear Sean,

Hope you enjoy this magical adventure!

Love Mom x

“But this your copy of Harry Potter! I’m not allowed to touch them!”

“You’re old enough to now. I don’t like to be reminded of Kar- Mom. But you’ll love them. Just be careful, they’re the original editions.”

Daniel hugged the old book to his chest. “Thanks Sean.”

“Open the last one.”

The final package was soft and squishy. A t-shirt with ‘Wolf Pack’ printed on. Sean had a matching hoodie.  

Dad smiled between the two of them, clearly enjoying the facts his sons were getting along for once.

“So, know that Dan’s got his stash, his about some breakfast?”

“Can I have choc-o-crisp?”

“I bought pancake mix but later, okay?” Dad ruffled his hair. “It’s going to be a fun day, promise you. No birthday like it!”

After he left, Sean gathered up the pile of playbox games, holding up the top one. “Hey Dan, bet I can beat you at this!”

“Race you!”

(They were so busy playing that Daniel didn’t hear the mail come or have time to check if Mom had remembered or not. For that, he was extra grateful towards his brother.)

They spend the rest of the day hanging out together, grabbed lunch at his favourite pizza place, including the new choc-o-crisp milkshakes. Before bed, Sean will say he loves him for the first time in a while and Daniel will think it will be the best birthday with the three of them.

(And later, he’ll realise it’s the last.)

-

One year later

“Sorry it’s not much.”

Daniel looked at the offered package, even wrapped in red tissue paper with a gold bow - Sean must have spent some of their work money on it, even if he told Cassidy he’d only spent it on essentials.

“I kinda forgot it was my birthday.”

Sean played with the sleeves of his hoodie. “I know it’s been rough the past few weeks. It’s not exactly as good as Dad’s birthday breakfast or that nice pizza place. But I wanted to give you something.”

Carefully, savouring the only present he had, Daniel unwrapped his gift - a pair of new-ish hiking boots. Sean must have picked it up from a thrift store nearby.

“Boring I know, but I hope it’ll save your feet next time we go walking.”

“Thanks Sean, really.”

“One more thing.” Sean held out a bag of choc-o-crisps. A big bag, one that must have cost at least $15 and the kind of thing he had gotten used to not asking for. “This year at least you can have some for breakfast.”

Daniel leaned over to hug him, almost knocking over the tent in the process. Sean laughed in surprise, holding on just as tightly.

“Happy birthday enano. Next year, we’ll have it somewhere better, promise.”