#one day balan wonderworld will consume me

[ninootny]

balan posting

Sorry i need to talk about Balan sometimes, euuheuhm so i said before i was obsessed with balan wonderworld but i'm still into it i just keep it to myself most of the time but aaaa

old art old art old art aaa I just love him so much he will never leave my mind i love him i love him he's jsjust aa it's really painful not many people have read the novel because I LOVE HIM BECAUSE OF THE NOVEL i need to reread it again--- He's such a dramatic bitch at the beginning,

just to become gentle with the inhabitants

and then to be the pathetic soggy guy that is facing feeling emotions and not becoming the next villain tm

ILovehjhiM HUHfhffgfhkjjjjjjjjjjj I also wrote some thingies with my OC but,,, need to rewrite it,,, and one day i'll share it sobsobs,,,, im a human balan truther, balan was human balan was human balan was human

ilovethem aaaaaaaaaaaa,,,,,,,,,

i need to redraw this

it's still one of my favorite drawings sobs i love it so much they're just so cute sobsbvdsisidv i love them

people are still asking me to make my balan vn come true, which is a project i have for a while. but they asked because of this fake screenshot i drew for april fools and i find this so funny

[animatedaf]

It’s that time of year again, time to look over the last twelve months of creative productivity! This was my busiest year for freelance animation EVER, with six projects all pretty much one after the other, some of which lasted several months! For the first time in over ten years animation actually felt like my main job! Read on for full details on each month (with links to things in bold)!

January:

I kickstarted the year with an attempt to keep myself busy (haha) by coming up with weekly personal illustrations to work on while livestreaming. This included a couple based on childhood toys, followed by fan art of games I was playing at the time. 

I also started my first freelance gig of the year about visiting a recycling center for Love Essex, which was finished and released in early Feb.

February:

I continued the weekly art streams (though I did skip one week while I was wrapping up the animation work) that included more Balan Wonderworld fan art and another nostalgia trip based around old TV game show Fun House which was seen and approved by Pat Sharp himself!

I also made some Valentine’s day silliness for CherryT and with her help also created this ridiculous Art Data-Blast video featuring all of my art over the years with a 90′s TV inspired intro.

March:

A big turning point for my livestreams arrived here when I decided to create a PNGTuber using Veadotube Mini! I livestreamed the majority of my experimentation and process and the cutdown videos about it became some of my biggest hits on YouTube yet! Going forward I would now use this animated avatar instead of a webcam, though this would actually end up being the last month of the year that I’d have any time to livestream because...

April:

..April would be the start of one of the biggest projects: six one-minute animated shorts for the Scottish Illegal Money Lending Unit about the dangers of loan sharks. This month was spent mostly storyboarding most of the films and completing the first one.

At the same time concepts were being developed for another six-minute piece of animation that I would need to juggle alongside the above project over the coming months!

I should also mention here life-wise I changed my daily job from working in a cinema to...working in a smaller, closer to home cinema!

May:

This month was mostly spent storyboarding for the second big project and waiting around for approval while the Loan Shark project was put on hold, so while I had a bit of spare time I gave my website a new lick of paint (including some new art of old characters) and made several illustrations including my favorite Eurovision 2022 act (now my most popular Tumblr post ever for some reason!), joining in on the Catoon Network CMYK art fad, and fan art of a fellow PNGTuber. I was also commissioned by Jadypie to create some cute animal Twitch emotes!

June:

After two pieces of quick art including another obscure game character and another excuse to draw Amy Rose, me and CherryT took a couple days away to visit the theme park Alton Towers, which I made a travel vlog about! 

The 2nd film for the Stop Loan Sharks series was completed this month and this was when the 2nd big project was given the official go ahead! The six-and a half minute long film has yet to be released and might end up staying in the private sector but it was a pre-birth social work training video for Essex County Council  with a similar subject matter and art style to the Annabelle’s Journey film I made last year. Clips of it can be seen in my latest showreel.

I also drew these guys for some reason.

July:

This month was almost exclusively knuckling down to get the un-released film fully animated. Much like the Annabelle film this was a massive amount of hand-drawn animation squeezed into just over one month! I also made time to do this commission for PCWzrd.

August:

With that long, time-consuming project out of the way it was time to jump back into the Loan Shark films. Two were completed in April and June but I still had four to go, so this month and most of September was day-to-day animating again!

September:

I was getting these Loan Shark films done at a rate of roughly 10 days per film, though the last one took a little longer as it was yet to be storyboarded until now. This project was finally complete midway through the month and released near the end!

Somewhere in the middle of all this I managed to fit in some livestreams of the Sonic Fan Games Expo and some reactions to some gaming events.

In the last week of the month I worked on a pretty exciting commission that I need to stay tight-lipped about for now!

October:

This month was started by wrapping up the above commission and jumping into another, thankfully much shorter 1 minute animation for the English Stop Loan Sharks company that has also not yet seen the light of day, but you can see a short clip of it in my latest showreel. As soon as that was done another big project approached!

November:

This freelance gig started at the end of October and lasted all through November and up until the middle of December! This one has released in January 2023, a short film called What a Waste! 

There was a break at the end of November when me and CherryT went to Birmingham for a few days to finally go to a concert we booked back in early 2020 that kept getting delayed!

Mid-month I also quickly doodled up my OC a couple times.

Above: the moment I finished an 8-week long non-stop project on a to do list!

December:

What a Waste ended up taking longer than I anticipated at around seven or eight weeks total, most likely because it’s quite unlike anything I have done before. After what felt like roughly nine months of almost non-stop animating the last half-month of the year was spent last-minute Christmas shopping and finally chilling out a bit, including going to a local video games expo for the weekend! The last piece of art I did this year was for the Newgrounds Secret Santa.

That was an intense year! I can’t wait till you get to see the stuff that’s not out there yet and in terms of 2023 I do already have a couple things queued up for January so we’ll see how it goes I guess!

Previous years: 2021 - 2020 - 2019 - 2018 - 2017 - 2016

[balanceater]

Arabella Markeli's In-Game Dialogue

*In the opening of her story* I'm acing every test I take... So why does it still feel like I'm failing?

*In her ending* My head is pounding... Did I have another fever dream or something?

*Arabella looks around the room and recognizes it as her old bedroom in her grandfather's home* Why am I at Grandpa's house? Wasn't I at home?

*Arabella gets up from the bed and sees that she is in her pajamas. She rolls up the sleeves and notices injection marks on both of her arms. Suddenly, her bedroom door is opened and her grandfather walks in. He asks her about how she currently feels* What happened to me... Why do I have injection marks on both of my arms?

*Her grandfather responds that due to constantly drinking all of those energy drinks and the fatigue that came with it ended up resulting in her having a heart attack that almost killed her. Luckily, she was able to survive but was in a coma and had to stay at the hospital for four days* Where are Mom and Dad?

*Her grandfather goes silent for a moment. He responds that both of them are on the run and basically abandoned her. Arabella begins to sob uncontrollably* Why... E-Everything that I did... All those nights... W-What was it all even for?

*Her grandfather tells her that they were going to take out all of the money in the scholarships Arabella had gained because all of her perfect scores due to the father losing his job and took multiple loans out from their insurance company* So they... Just saw me as their cash cow. Makes a lot of sense now...

*Arabella embraces her grandfather and closes her eyes* Grandpa... Am I failure to you too?

*Her grandfather returns the hug as he says that it does not matter if Arabella has perfect grades or not. He will always be proud of her no matter what she decides to do. Arabella smiles and once she opens her eyes, she sees Balan encircling both her and her grandfather into a group hug* Balan? You WERE real!

*Balan gives Arabella a smile as he says that she is now safe and can now allow peace into herself. Her grandfather looks up and seems to sense Balan as well and gives a warm smile, as if he was greeting an old friend*

*In her secret ending* Thanks for helping me out at the bank, Grandpa.

*Her grandfather smiles and says that it was not a problem. He asks her if she was feeling more like her old self yet* Yeah. Also, I am NEVER consuming those energy drinks ever again.

*While they walk, Arabella hears a familiar voice and looks in front of her. It's Archie Dirkorte who was with his father* Wall Tagger?

*The two run up to one another and Arabella is relieved that the events of Balan Wonderworld were real. He asks how her latest test went* Well, I have been studying a little less... Still got that A+ though.

*Archie says that he is glad and says that he recently joined an art studio that supported his graffiti art skills. Suddenly, Arabella's grandfather walks up and asks how his granddaughter and Archie know one another and why they called each other those "odd nicknames". Archie tries his best to explain without telling the real truth that he called her Schoolgirl because she was always studying every time he saw her, and she called him Wall Tagger because he does wall art. Arabella's grandfather seems satisfied with his answer and introduces himself. Archie's father also walks up and introduces himself as Archie's father to Arabella and her grandfather. Archie then says that he and his father were going to go to a diner and asked if they wanted to come along* S-sure. Can we go, Grandpa?

*Arabella's grandfather seems to ponder for a moment and then says yes. Arabella's grandfather and Archie's father walk ahead while Archie and Arabella hang back for a moment. Archie thinks out loud about how Balan and Lance are doing since the last fight* Who knows? Maybe we'll see them again someday.

*Archie's father calls to the children and says that if they don't hurry up, then they'll get to the diner first. Arabella and Archie smile at each other and run to catch up to the adults as the screen fades to white*

*In the bad ending* I failed... Everyone...

*If the player chooses to play as her* What do you need me for?

*If she sees Leo/Emma wear her default outfit* Hmm... If you were taller, you'd look more like me.

*upon having her outfit changed* Is this what you wanted?

*if Negati appear in front of her* Let's just get this over with.

*to the Tims* I guess they are kind of cute.

*upon wearing her representative costume* I feel a bit more energized.

*Upon being defeated* No...

*collecting items* All part of the path to success.

*if the player goes near her illusion* Don't fail.

*If the player is near her illusion and Negati appear* Take them out immediately!

*If the player gets lost* You're supposed to go that way. *Points in said direction*

*If the player puts on her Representative Costume* Grant us the victories we need.

*After being saved*

*Arabella is kneeling and trying to catch her breath. Balan asks if she wants to rest for a moment. She nods and he conjures up a comfortable chair and she sits down* Am I in a fever dream or is this reality?

*Balan explains to Arabella that she is currently asleep in the real world but does assure her that she is physically fine* Okay. Just wanted to make sure of something.

*She looks at the player and gives a small smile* Thanks for the help, I guess... You probably saw what was happening, right? About how I was basically shunning myself from everyone else just so I could get straight A+'s and 100's. Guess all the stress that came with it culminated into that "Nega Boss".

*Balan asks if she had a reason to not interact a lot with the others. Arabella merely sighs and grips one of the chair's arms with her left hand while she held her head with her right*

*If the player gives a positive response* I should get some rest, huh? You're... probably... right... *Arabella then falls asleep in the chair with a content smile on her face. Balan conjures up a blanket and puts it on her. He then motions the player to leave her alone for a while*

*If the player gives a negative response* *Arabella just glares at the player and tries to get off the chair but is still exhausted. Balan sits her back down and says that she needs to rest. He pats her head as she finally falls asleep. He conjures up a blanket and puts it on her as he gives a stern look at the player. He then motions the player to leave her alone for a while*

*If the player gives a neutral response* *Arabella falls asleep immediately. Balan conjures up a blanket and puts it on her. He pats her head, and she smiles. He then motions the player to leave her alone for a while*

[talesofsonicasura]

Balan's Promise

Practice for writing Balan in any future Balan Wonderworld fics. Characters that always rhyme tend to be difficult to write. Edit: Minor blood warning at the end.

The Maestro couldn't say his mental health was as bright as many people really think. He only put up a brave smile to hide the stress and fear he held at becoming consumed by his own inner demons. Falling into the darkness as he shares the same fate like his negative counterpart.

Then the Phantom Thieves entered his life and turned everything upside down. Despite not needing their hearts fixed, all of them had trauma that they overcame with pure inner strength. Inner strength that took the form of their Persona. Humans that saw the truth behind a seemingly brave smile in mere days.

"You don't have to be perfect, Balan. Just try your best, everyone has their ups and downs even semi-immortals like you./ Hey Balan, want to try some ramen I got from the new restaurant that opened up recently? Can't put on a show with an empty stomach, dude./ Mr. Balan I think you should take a break. It's important to take your health seriously so you can be at tip top shape."

It was the first time that someone was able to help him, allow himself to ask for help from others. He actually felt better alongside the Phantom Thieves despite the danger they throw themselves daily to save others. Something that brought the Maestro hope in the face of darkness and despair.

Yet, he could only stare down at the false copies of himself that surrounded the guardian of Wonderworld. None of his companions were in any proper shape to face these shadow duplicates. Balan himself was weakened too, his hat stolen and true form on display to all.

"So that's what is under the hat. You are nothing but a snot nosed brat like the rest of them! Hiding by the visage of a whimsical freak!" Shadow Heinecke laughed much to the Thieves' anger. What silences the room was a soft chuckle. Eyes were on the chuckling form of Balan.

"You know, that is actually the first time you are right. For so long, I have hid behind a shroud of endless light. The truth is that I was scared, afraid to fall into my negativity just like the fate my predecessor beared. I probably would've fallen sooner if it wasn't for these aspiring children."

A soft smile greeted his pale face but none were blind to fire in those amber eyes. "All of them pulled me up from the fate that would've been. To remind me that I am as human as the guests who I heal. Phantom Thieves are not just my wards, they are my fire that sharpens my soul like steel!"

Balan then glared at the human's shadow, the fiend who dared to harm his own friends, his children in all but blood. "That is why I shall make this promise. I vow to never let my heart descend into a negative demise. My spirit will burn brighter than any star. And this shall be my stand as I wage war!"

It happened like a bolt of lightning. "You made me wait too long, my dear boy." Balan clutched his head, pain shooting through his brain. It felt like someone was trying to carve out his still beating heart. "The wait was well worth it, even a performer needs preparation for the next act. All it took was for you to realize that even the proudest magician needs a stage hand."

He couldn't help the crystal tears pouring from his eyes but these weren't normal. Each drop didn't fall, instead they attached themselves to his face forming something from their hard crystal forms. "Let's forge our contract, what do you say my boy? Ready for the next chapter?"

Balan didn't know who this voice was but he did know one thing. He could trust him. "Yes, let's form a pact!" The Maestro's voice was strong, the fire making the unknown voice laugh merrily. "Very well! I am thou and thou art I! Every showman has an art that defines their soul. Give these heathens a sample of your craft. Bring hope just as you brought smiles to many audiences! Call my name and we shall begin this Ultimate Show!"

Balan placed his hands on the chilly crystal mask, the pain growing as he pulled with all his might. A bubbling sensation building in his neck, it needed to come out. Gold ichor tore from under his flesh as a name howled out of his throat.

"Take center stage, Chapplin!"

Snippet is based off this particular post and Shadow is based off the marketing manager for Square Enix, John Heinecke. Balan's referenced Persona is based on Charlie Chapplin.