#i will try to get to prof callenbach tomorrow

[simandthedimbulbv2-0]

Mmperhaps blips lore if you haven't done that? Been thinking of them nonstop .. your design for them is so fun!!<3

You got it, pal 👉👉

Lore: Was originally an overweight arcade employee and maintenance man named Bil Soupy. Often teased and dismissed for his physique and fascination with electronics, Bil spent his life as an outcast and became more than a little misanthropic. His few sources of joy were the upkeep and programming of the machines at the arcade where he worked. Over time, the cabinets consumed his life; not only did he adore them, but he also took note of the attention they received from the customers at the arcade which he saw as a kind of affection. Eventually ‘unraveling’, Bil somehow transplanted himself into a cabinet he’d been working on and left it behind for his boss to put into the arcade. The media eventually reported him missing and presumed dead, but as we know, he was doing perfectly well inside the box.  Assorted info under the cut

The ‘Blips You!’ game is almost never the same twice, but always extremely engaging, to the point of being addictive. Both infuriating and hypnotic, it has a tendency to drive people with certain dispositions to madness.

It is somehow possible to cheat, but nobody has ever been able to ‘win’ the game.

Speaking of, although he’s unwinnable, Blips likes to reward worthy opponents for their hard work with little ‘prizes’ like bonus stages, cutscenes and unique music. 

While his mechanics are pretty much those of a classic 80’s cabinet, Blips’ processor being a human brain allows him a lot more leeway when it comes to the game’s actual content. For example, he can display a tonne of colours and sprites at the same time without flickering, as well as produce more fluid animation, complicated gameplay and long running storylines. He can even ‘save’ the games of particular players if he wants, and pick back up with them when they visit the arcade again. 

Blips aspirates coins to improve his conductivity. 

Despite rarely moving, the near constant flow of electricity prevents his muscles from atrophying. He’s unnervingly strong, though not at all speedy.

His metabolism is extremely slow so he only really gets ‘hungry’ when he’s been injured in some way and requires more biomass to heal himself. Anything he can’t ‘digest’ (clothes and plastic, usually) he coughs up in a sort of owl-pellet-like clump. 

Smells fucking awful but nobody really seems to notice.

Bil’s body initially retained a human shape inside the cabinet, but over time it deformed and mutated into the disturbing flesh blob he is today. He doesn’t particularly care though; as far as he’s concerned, his looks haven’t changed much, and it’s not like they matter anymore anyway. 

(My initial concept for him was an actual man who was half living in and half fused to his arcade cabinet; he had the appearance of a partially flayed corpse with wires mimicking muscles under tattered skin. This was, however, a little too gruesome (and beyond my artistic abilities) so I turned to the secondary concept of the arcade machine being completely full of flesh and organs like a living creature. With a little extra inspiration from Migi (of Parasyte fame) I ended up with the flabby goofball you see here)

While usually surprisingly level-headed, Blips can go a little crazy when his game is involved. He also tends to be rather petty and jealous when it comes to attention from the arcade-goers. Hand-held devices drive him nuts. 

It sort of goes without saying, but his moral compass has become a little warped since becoming a flesh eating video game hybrid. Even so, his main interests are simply having fun and being adored.

Though initially not particularly interested in romance, he eventually meets and falls head over heels (er, screen over coin drawer?) for a certain Sexy DVD who ends up at his arcade by chance. 

and here are some of the concept sketches and later silly doodles of him outside his box

(tungl may have murdered the quality)