#this has been in my drafts for quite a while and I have been tweaking it when I remember

[theemporium]

Thanks! My request, please, for Jack is with shy, new to hockey reader, maybe with him getting busted for spoiling her in ways she didn't know (I love every single dynamic you write). After the first game she attends Jack has to brush off Nico's comments that he got her a front row seat, claiming it's just because it was her first hockey game. Especially Luke teasing because Jack just so happened to give her his jersey from his best game, and the skates Jack got her are coincidentally top of the line. All the while he's trying to not seem to desperate to go all in with her bashful self. This is so bad tweak or ignore all of this please and thank you.

thank you for requesting!🫶🏽

.

Everyone had noticed it, yet it was none other than Ellen Hughes who pointed it out.

It was a somewhat surprise to the people in Jack’s life when he told them he had a girlfriend. Like a proper, ‘she’s the one for me’ kind of girlfriend. Ever since he had been drafted, Jack had been hesitant to dive into anything serious, anything beyond a fling or a situationship. 

He was the new face of the franchise. He had the weight of everyone’s expectations on his shoulders. He had to prove that he wasn’t just some pretty boy who was decently good at hockey. He had to prove he deserved to be in the NHL, that he deserved to be first pick of the draft.

And at his age, a serious relationship wasn’t exactly high on his priority list.

Until he met you. 

The boys had noticed a shift in his behaviour in the early stages of Jack’s relationship with you. The way he would be quick to check his phone after games and practices. The way he seemed quick to shrug off any advances in bars, more than happy to nurse a few drinks and giggle away to whoever he was texting before he disappeared early into the night. The way he just seemed…happier.

Luke was the first to notice something really odd.

“Yeah, my job means I travel around a lot,” he overheard Jack one day, when the boy hadn’t realised Luke had returned early from the option skate. “They are, uh, like road trips, I guess? We are heading down to Dallas tomorrow.” 

And then Dawson heard something weird after a game.

“You don’t have to watch,” Jack reassured the person on the other side of the phone, a giddy smile on his face and a blush on his cheeks. “It can get quite long. It doesn’t last twenty minutes, just twenty minutes of actual playing time. It pauses when calls need to be made.”

And then it was Nico.

“No, not a suite seat. I need it beside the glass,” he overheard Jack asking one of the workers at the front office. “Preferably behind the bench. For the next home game.” 

It was easy to piece together that Jack was seeing someone. It was clear that she didn’t have much knowledge on the hockey world or how the sport itself worked. And it was clear that Jack seemed eager to teach you, splurging on you in any way he could without you really catching on.

But that plan quickly failed when you finally met Ellen Hughes. 

It was coming up to almost a year together when Jack asked you to come to the family skate. It wasn’t the first time you would be meeting his parents, but it would be the first hockey event you showed up to outside of the games. It was the first time you would really be setting foot on the ice yourself.

“Are those your own skates?” 

You lifted your head, finding Ellen standing a few feet away with a kind smile on her face. She was already laced up and ready to get on the ice, wrapped up warmly in a similar fashion to yourself. After all, she was the one to give you tips after Jack was unhelpful with his ‘I don’t know, my jersey is pretty warm’ response.

“Yeah, Jack got them for me!” You answered, unable to bite back your smile as you glanced down at your unlaced skates. “He said they were a good starter pair, nice to have a pair of my own so he could drag me out on the ice more.”

“A starter pair?” Ellen questioned, something quite like amusement in her voice.

“What? Are they not?” You asked, a hint of hesitation lacing your words as you glanced down at the skates with doubtful eyes. 

“I mean, they are hell of a pair to start with,” Ellen said with a gentle laugh. “Recognise the brand?” 

You glanced back at the older woman, shaking your head. 

“They are skates for professional skaters, quite a renowned brand too,” Ellen told you, still seeming like there was an underlying joke you weren’t understanding.

Your brows furrowed together. “Oh god, are they…expensive?”

Ellen simply smiled in response.

“Oh my god,” you breathed out, staring down at the skates with a conflicted expression. 

“I think I’ll let my son explain everything,” Ellen said before she wandered off, the silence quickly being replaced by Jack who approached with a huge smile on his face.

“Need help?” He asked, but never gave you a chance to answer as he kneeled in front of you, already reaching for the laces of your skates to begin tying them.

You watched him closely. “Jack?”

“Hm?” 

“How much did these skates cost?” 

The boy froze, his fingers pausing for a few moments too long before muscle memory began to take over. 

“Uh, I don’t remember,” Jack eventually blurted out, making a point of keeping his eyes on your skates. The swift movements were quickly slowed down, like he was purposefully dragging it out so he wouldn’t have to look up. 

“Jack,” you scolded, though your voice was softer than he expected. “You have to let me pay you back.”

His head snapped up. “Baby, no—”

“You can’t just spend insane amounts of money like that on me!” You argued before he had the chance. “Especially on skates I’ll hardly be using!”

“But we could make you use them more?” Jack bargained with a bashful smile.

You shot him a look.

“Baby,” he sighed as he placed his hands on your knees, squeezing them softly. “I want to splurge on you sometimes. I just wanna show you I care, you know? And I wanna share my love for hockey with you. Help you love it just as much as I do.”

“You don’t need to spend stupid money to make me love it,” you retorted, but you melted at his admission as you placed your hands over his. “No more big purchases without telling me, okay?”

He sighed deeply before nodding. “Okay. Promise.”

“Good,” you smiled as you leaned down to quickly peck his lips whilst you had the chance with no cameras on you. “Now, c’mon. Teach me how to actually use these skates and make them worth your money.”

Jack snorted. “I’ve got you, baby.”

“Good because I haven’t even stood up and I still think I’m about to fall over.”

.

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

Good Omens graphic novel update: December 2024

We promised a graphic novel treat for December to send off 2024, which we have at the end of the update, so let's dive in!

Colleen has been working diligently ahead of the graphic novel going to print next month, which she discussed over on Patreon. For those looking for more behind the scenes on both Good Omens and Colleen's work more broadly, we recommend either following her Substack, or subscribing via Patreon, as she approaches the finish line.

A snapshot from our production HQ where dummy books of the graphic novel, slipcase and other editions of Good Omens have been arriving thick and fast. The graphic novel (slipcased version shown) has quite the heft to it. It's going to be such a magnificent object inside and out.

Here, we're testing out the various papers, finishes, embellishments and more – everything is falling into place!

Merch-wise, some more delights. The A.Z. Fell & Co tote bag design is in, one side in celebration of our favourite angelic bookseller, the other as if it's been purchased from the bookshop itself, so you can take your pick.

We've got more pins that will be available in the 3-pin set add ons. While the full list will be available in 2025, we're happy to share a few more to get excited about:

On the trading card front, have a look at some of the base deck designs by Steve Gregson and Kirsty Hunter in situ as this all comes together rather nicely, and causes a heated game or two behind the scenes.

And, a quick admin note to wrap up that we always recommend checking the FAQ page as a first port of call for any queries. If you have questions tied to specific tiers, we'd suggest checking the last few updates if your answer can't be found on the FAQ. If there is any information required for your pledge, we will be in touch. We will be back at full steam in the New Year!

Thank you.

So, to wrap up this year's updates, we give you the draft of the full first scene of the graphic novel, artwork by Colleen Doran and lettering by Lois Buhalis. If you'd like to wait until the graphic novel publishes in Spring, skip everything after the ducks!

To 2025 🥂

Until next time.

+ post from Colleen Doran:

Good Omens: You Get...Stuff Like This

In the most recent Good Omens update at the Kickstarter, a few people got upset at the suggestion that you have to get past my paywall here to see Good Omens updates.

Except you really don't, and the post doesn't actually say you do. You get a bit more, like pics of my studio, a discussion of tools and process - but not all of that is exclusively about Good Omens.

I think the Dunmanifestin team just wanted to draw a little attention to my blogs and other works, for which I am very grateful.

As my Patreon supporters already know, Good Omens info posted here gets to the Substack and Kickstarter eventually. And since most of my posts here aren't just about Good Omens, but my other projects and personal stuff, as well as links to our weekly Virtual Art Studio sessions, I think I'm justified in keeping that material behind a paywall.

In fact, I don't think I've posted much stuff about Good Omens since the summer: pages of flats like the one you see above, a few studio photos, and color tweaks.

Also, me boo-hooing about my nerves and health.

But for those who feel left out missing even this small amount of stuff, then the screen shot above is for you.

That's called a flat.

It's a prelim color before adding final color.

Here's what the final color looks like.

So I've posted a handful of this sort of thing since this summer, but frankly, there's even more of my sketches and so on posted at my Instagram that aren't here at all.

For those who don't know, I am doing most of the color myself on the book, but I am working with assistants. I'm not sure how much the Dunmanifestin team wants out there before the big reveals, but here's a snippet of a sky.

In the first image, my flat color.

And after my assistant worked on it.

Here, I've done a repaint. Sometimes I do very extensive repaints after the assistant works on a page. Sometimes not so much. I didn't use assistants on many pages at all. About 80% of the labor on the color of the book is my work.

However, the assistants have been a big help, and I am very appreciative of them.

I will make a point to go through all my prior posts and get every single bit of art that you haven't seen and make it public for all of you in the coming weeks. I need to excise it from previous posts. As I respect the privacy of all my readers, I never make prior posts public without their permission as they may not want their comments or identities to be public.

Thanks so much for everything!

[knarme-art]

@recom-week

RETURN TO PANDORA MONTH

DAY 1 - MOUNT DESIGN (1.12.2024)

Ikran Series - Ngulya, Kxasi's Ikran

Name meaning - 'gray air' Bonded to - Kxasi of the Kxayltirey people Age / sex - nearing an older adult's prime, female About - Ngulya's psyche has a calming, comforting effect on Kxasi. She enjoys complex tasks that require good memory, making her an ideal companion to Kxasi, who is very ambitious and energetic.

Above: Only minimally shaded, mostly flat color reference missing the glow effects on the bioluminescent markings.

Above: Ngulya's bioluminescence in dim lighting

Above: Ngulya's bioluminescense in night lighting

History of Ngulya's design

Above: February 18th in 2023 - Here you also see Kxasi's old design. The purplish-gray look and orangeish/reddish bioluminescense have been a part of my vision for Ngulya from the very beginning.

Above: March 9nth in 2023 - Here is my first take for a full reference for Ngulya. This is the point where the pale head and neck became iconic traits to the otherwise dark purple design.

I've always been torn between oranges/browns and actual purples for many of the color areas in this design, as you see from that earlier color draft.

Above: This year, I wanted to finally make proper ikran templates for the sake of more comfortable designing of all my ikran characters.

This is an early version of the final template set I created, and two different drafts of Ngulya.

Sadly I never saved these drafts, so these are just badly compressed screenshots from my Bluesky and Twitter accounts.

The one on the right is my last draft before beginning work on the final one, as I started to be happy with the markings.

The orange one on the left of the 2nd image is not Ngulya, but a draft for another ikran entirely.

Above: For a very long time, I could not make the bioluminescent highlight markings fit anywhere into this design, so I almost called it 'done' in this stage.

The color pallette was more brown than purple. It was a really hard decision to tweak the pallette once more, so I could make it all good-looking with the highlight color.

About my thought process...

I create my ikran OC designs entirely via body/emotional/visual synesthesia. This intuitive process doesn't contain conscious thought, but rather letting an 'inner eye' show me things.

This method lets me get ideas I couldn't otherwise get, unlike when combining my old clichés in a calculated manner etc. Instead of such calculated process, instead I succumb to a more dreamlike intuition where my brain can just fire whatever.

For these ikran, I must feel like I am them, to create their appearances. For the same character, like Kxasi, even for a long period of time, I've been getting the same results with this process...

I imagine the na'vi during their 'Iknimaya' (or equivalent), the type of feeling I would have about them as a person, as if they stood in front of me.

Then, I imagine I'm indeed an ikran looking at them, - what kind of a mental and emotional being would I be, to feel particularly drawn to this na'vi? I imagine the feelings.

These feelings inform me of the ikran's whole design, as well as personality.

Kxasi's ikran Ngulya is a character I can understand, put myself into, imagine her feelings and personality/temperament from the inside, and how she'd feel even when connected with Kxasi's consciousness via tsaheylu.

I can also imagine how Kxasi feels connected to her.

Their personalities contrast each other. Kxasi is hot-headed and energetic, while Ngulya is a calming presence. Usually, Ngulya even discourages Kxasi's antagonistic impulses when they're connected.

However, if overwhelmed by the need to protect, Ngulya's mind will be drunken on quite the berserker's adrenaline, - also affecting Kxasi that same way. Their minds will melt into one demonic entity with the sole goal of turning someone into minced meat. This can be triggered by putting their loved ones or personal home etc. in danger.

Ngulya resembles my favorite, now-deceased dog Lola a lot by her personality. Her 'feel' is very much like what Lola was, even though I did not intentionally create her in Lola's image.

She's funny and silly like Lola, obsessive and persistent in tasks like Lola, has basically endless energy to run (fly), hunt and play, - and there is a soft comforting energy to her. She's also fiercely territorial and protective, - just like Lola... I definitely see her as a Pisces, like that dog was, also.

[louroth]

IT IS UPDATE TIME! For those of you who missed the dirty draft in the discord, the original play link has now been updated with 35 thousand words and two chapters sizzling with exposition, and heated rivalry. I'm so excited!

Here's what's new:

Before we start, it took some honest critique for something to click for me, plot wise. I have been meandering with the plot, partly because I had no idea what I was even doing, and part because I really wanted to meander around in this new medium. But, the plot I have planned is very high octane and epic in scale so I don’t want to bore you to death before we get to the good stuff.

So, don’t hunt me for sport when I tell you that (for the time being) I have removed the entire section of RO 101’s. I was so stubborn with shoehorning them in for the better part of a year, leading to writer's block and utter despair since it just wouldn’t fit; it wasn’t how you were supposed to learn about the RO’s. I have put them aside for now and tweaked Lenas scene once more so that it flows better- I am hemming and hawing over Id’s 101 because that one actually makes sense to have there, plotwise. It might go back in where it was, but I am still thinking about it.

Ok, for real this time though:

The scenes where you scream and your RO busts down the door Kool-Aid man style are there now.

A meeting with Oma and a blast from your [origin] past!

A whole chapter of lies and deceit, but it could literally be anyone lying. Careful who to trust.

Is that… [REDACTED]?? Surely not.

Another chapter where you get to choose your weapons and the way the Surge manifests with your hunter.

On topic of the surge, the magic in Ouro, it is now a default for all players; you can choose from 4 different classes. The Battlefrenzied Zealot, The Beastmaster, The Etherweaver or The Vox Psion. I had a terrible time writing the codexes for these classes, so some are partial and others missing, but if you continue you will experience them in actual action-scenes instead, weaponized. Don't forget to save! For now, each class comes with its own weapon, but I will add more whenever extra time strikes, or when the draft is done.  I am going to remind you as I remind myself: This draft will get rougher around the edges, a little bit messy, as I am going to try to just draft the whole thing without even looking back. It will make my life so much easier when it comes to figuring out key scenes and motivations. While I wrote quite slowly as I treated OUROBOROS as a hobby, now I am working on it, which means skipping content I cannot think of on the spot just to keep the ball rolling. If you don't want to read the alpha draft, please wait with reading until the edited twine demo is out. Thank you!!

Now, ENJOY!

[kurenai-works]

Hello everyone, today is my 29th birthday.

With that in mind, I figured it would be the best time to talk about this, so I'm proud to present to all of you 東方雷秘儀 ～ Strike in the Holy Apex, my very first Touhou Project fangame!

The game's story will be centered around a mysterious thunderstorm that's raiding the entirety of Gensokyo, so it's up to a group of heroines to investigate the situation and save the day.

As some of you may know, around November of last year, GameMaker has become free to use for everyone, which prompted me to take the opportunity to create an engine that looks roughly similar to ZUN's original Touhou Project games. I showcased it in greater detail on YouTube sometime around late February and I was very pleased by the generally positive feedback it got.

Taking that into account, I continued to expand the work I've done and it has grown a lot during the past four months; menus function properly, game settings can be modified, controller support has been added, several gameplay tweaks have been implemented, and so on. There's still a number of things that need to be ironed out by the time I'm writing this post, but considering the progress I have done on it so far, I have faith that a trial version for the game will be ready for release soon. This has to be the biggest project I've worked on... by a country mile. Speaking of the trial version's release date, that will be disclosed at the very end of this post.

GameMaker being free to use has given me a joy I genuinely can't describe, and I bet my inner child would’ve been happy too by hearing those news. After all, I've had experiences with GameMaker for well over 15 years, basically almost half of my entire life!

So, what should you expect by the time the trial version is released? First things first, it'll obviously consist of only three stages.

Secondly, you'll be able to play this adventure as the usual duo; Reimu and Marisa. More playable characters will be available in the full version.

Thirdly, the game's main mechanic. It's called the Brave Gauge, and it has functionality almost similar to the Season Gauge found in Touhou 16: Hidden Star in Four Seasons. It's not the most original idea I've had, but for the record, and coming back to my familiarity with GameMaker ever since my teenage years, this system was taken from a very old draft which dates all the way back to 2014, while making some adjustments to it. Here's a little bit of proof:

I'm going a bit off tangent here, but seeing these filenames kinda makes me feel embarrassed. The game has "Ascii" on the name because all of the graphics in there were made using ASCII characters, which was done during a time when my artistic talents were non-existent, so they looked quite messy and overall made the game have a goofy aura to it, haha.

And lastly, considering that I'd like this game to be played by a wider demographic, it's gonna be available in three different languages: English, Spanish (my native language, hooray!) and Japanese. These can be selected anytime via the options menu.

I don't know any people who are fluent in Japanese, and the few friends that I have don't seem to know much about the language either, so that translation is gonna be handled 100% by myself using tools like DeepL. I know that translating all the stuff in one go can lead to heavily mistranslated results, so I'll be making sure to convert my game's text as meticulously as I can. If there's anyone out there who understands Japanese fluently and is willing to translate the text for me, please hit me up because that'd be really appreciated. In case that happens, I won't be able to reward the translation financially, but I will be adding your name to my game's end credits.

So yeah, I don't have much else to say. The game's trial version will be available on Itch.io this August 30th.

The game has a long way ahead from being completed, so anticipating a release date for the full version is not feasible, at the moment. Regardless, I'll make sure to update on that once I have made abundant progress on it.

Both versions of the game will be released as pay-what-you-want. In simpler words, they'll be available free of charge with the optional choice of depositing a sum, in case you're feeling generous. After all, not to brag, but it goes without saying that I'm handling every detail in the game; not just the programming, but also the art, music and writing. While I have used some code libraries to facilitate the inclusion of certain aspects in my game, most of the heavy lifting is carried out by me, so it'd be really appreciated to have some compensation for the work I have been doing for almost half a year. It's not by any means mandatory, so it's fine if you can't for whatever reason, hahaha.

Anyway, I hope you look forward to this game of mine as much as I do! See you then!!

[simularsimmer]

Discontinued

Introducing (づ ◕‿◕ )づ

The Garcia Brothers! This is a storyline I have been workshopping in my pea brain, in my spare time over the past couple of weeks. I've already introduced Zealand to some, but he also has a little brother.

As I weave their story, their mysterious past and dynamic pair will be explored in detail, when and if I decide to go through with sharing it with the world, which is looking very very likely. There's still a ton of worldbuilding to be done, but I have decided that I want to share some of the progress with you all.

As some of you may already know, I am a huge Life is Strange enthusiast. I always have been. My favorite installment of the franchise is the second. So, you might spot some similarities to the game's plotline, characters, and plot points in my work.

While I plan to stay loyal to the series, I'm also obviously aiming to keep things fresh and original.

I've been working on some worldbuilding, and this rough draft of a dingy little house is the result. While this is far from complete, the basic structure is in place.

As for the landscaping, it is still in the works. Coloring may also not be accurate, as I am colorblind and can't always tell if something isn't quite right.

Overall, this a work in progress but a decent start, so far! Here are some shots of the interior:

This house might not be in tip-top shape right now, but this is their new home for the foreseeable future. As Oscar started unpacking his belongings, the first thing he made sure to unpack was his video game console and all his games. Gotta keep busy and entertained during the move, you know?

Right now, it may be more bare-bones than Oscar and Zealand desire. But it's alright, considering the current situation. Having just moved in, there isn't a whole lot of cash for furniture - as the basics are more important. So, for the time being, this place will have to do!

Alright, let's move on to something you guys may be familiar with.

You know him, you love him.

Let me remind you all of Mason, one of the focal points of my story. As I have mentioned before, I tend to play loose with the plot as I go along, tweaking and changing things to suit my evolving vision.

I can't guarantee any level of consistency as I am known for taking liberties with how quickly I can change things up. That being said, don't worry. If he goes, everyone else will follow!

Totally almost forgot to mention, the story will be taking place in the beautiful town of Copperdale.

Thank you for reading and giving me this opportunity to lay down my thoughts and plans. For me, Tumblr is like a way to document all my ideas and visions.

As a reminder, this is all still a work in progress, and nothing is set in stone just yet. That said, I am feeling optimistic and confident about this story.

As I take things slow, I aim to connect with not only the Sims, but also the world and story they inhabit. There are so many more characters and locations to be created, so I feel like I've only scratched the surface.

Can't wait to share more with everyone as I continue to create this narrative!

[crescencestudio]

Devlog #33 | 07.26.23

Hi everyone!

It's only been a month (per usual) since the last devlog. But it feels like so long ago! Very weird that last devlog I hadn't even released Intertwine yet. But here we are, back with another one!

Before we get into things, I want to extend the biggest thank you to everyone who has played and supported intertwine!

if you havent played yet, here it is. this is me on my knees asking because i am quite proud of it and what our team accomplished in two months!

in the almost month it's been out, we stand at almost 15k total plays and 200+ reviews which is so crazy to me. i never would've expected that kind of reception for our little game and when i say it has been so motivating for alaris!!! u dont even know!!!

thank you again for all the kind words---i know you are all Sick of me talking about it but i don't know how else to express my gratitude <3 it means so much to me ;_;

I wanted to make sure I inserted an official section for it in the Devlog just to really thank you all for the support. But with that, I shall get into the updates!

But not before a quick belated happy birthday to Fenir!

Writing

I posted it earlier this week, but I HAVE!!! THE MOST EXCITING NEWS!!! At least for me.

I FINISHED DRUK'S FIRST DRAFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We all know how long this has been in the making. I've been talking about his route for what feels like an eternity. Evidently, it's Very Normal to experience burnout, struggles with motivation, creative ruts, etc. etc. at this point in development. The initial and final stages of development are easier because your motivation is up. In the beginning, it's like Wow!! This is Fun!! And towards the end, it's like Wow!!! I actually Fckn Made It!!!!

And so the middle part of development, aka the stage I just entered with Druk's route, is the slog.

Now that I've overcome that initial hurdle, while I'm not near the end of development, I do feel like I will have a better handle of progress on the following routes since I have a better set of expectations and tools on how to get through this stage (compared to when I initially started Druk's route, and I was like what are all these Feelings?? Why am I Struggling so much??).

That being said, WE ARE OVER HALFWAY DONE WITH THE SCRIPT! It currently stands at 200k words including the demo, and with how each of the routes have been shaping up, we have about 150k left to go. Wow!!!!! It is crazy to know I've written that much for Alaris, and this feels like such an exciting milestone to know that I'm over halfway there for the script!

We also have just about wrapped up Fenir's developmental edits, so that makes Kayn and Fenir's foundational versions of their routes done (all that would be left at this point is line tweaking and/or revisions based on beta feedback)!! Overall, this was a really exciting month for writing updates, and I'm so happy to feel back on track with Alaris development <3 I also finished my dissertation proposal in case anyone is keeping track of that HEEHOO

Art

Most of my attention for art was (un?)fortunately on Intertwine this month AGAIN. I really had anticipated being able to dive right into Alaris and irl work this month after Otojam ended. But the reception to Intertwine made it so I needed to dedicate some time to "marketing" artwork aka the artwork I like to make when reaching certain milestones of support (e.g., 1k downloads, etc.). Obviously these aren't necessary, but I like to show my thanks and appreciation in some way, and the artwork is what feels best conveys my gratitude.

Because we hit milestones relatively quickly, I ended up having to make those pieces faster than I anticipated prior to release. So I spent the first half of this month mostly on intertwine "promotional/apprecation" artwork. Near the tail end of this month though, I've prioritized Alaris artwork and have made progress on both the Kickstarter physical rewards and some CG sketches!

sneaky peeky of pretty mermay Aisa

Vui continues to hit it out of the park with the backgrounds. Most of them are spoilers at this point. But I do have one that isn't too bad of a spoiler! And because you all have been so supportive and patient with me, I show hehe

vui and his bg mastery: a preview of the dragon springs

The demo mentions dragon springs (I..... think......... LMAO), and here is a preview of what those dragon springs can look like. Wonder what the context will be in which we visit them, teehee! I'm in love with the way Vui brings the fantasy world of Alaris to life. I am so grateful for him ^^

Market Research

My wrist was feeling ~delicate~ this month due to Otojam crunch and then post-release pieces. So I don't have any actual art pieces to showcase this month for market research. I did play Otojam games and started Cupid Parasite (ryuki and allan my beloveds). But crescence's wrist needs to relax LOL. So no art pieces more than necessary for this month!

I will send some love to my besties over at Ravenstar Games though! If you haven't heard, they have a game currently in development called Lost in Limbo. It looks sick as hell, and the team is unbelievable talented and hardworking. This month to celebrate Barbie, they were able to sneak this promotional piece in, even while working on their Master's ((Do you see...... a familiar group of people..... heh))

Alaris x Lost in Limbo x Barbie the collaboration of the century

That's all from me for now. Thank you again for all the support and love on Intertwine! I've truly cherished all the fanwork, reviews, kind messages, etc.

That being said, while it was a bit of a struggle getting back returning to the Alaris world initially (I was literally like what.... was the plot of this again... LMAOsazodujf), it's been so rewarding to return to my OG gang. The intertwine release and return to Alaris work has also been strangely sentimental since it's reminded me how far I've come in the two years I've been in this dev Thang. As always thank you for your continued support (and for supporting Alaris since it's inception when I was a Wee Dev), and I look forward to bringing you more updates in the future <3

See you all next month, and stay safe!

[thinkpink212]

A life update

The summer started out with lots of rain, a new job at a museum where I get to work with crystals, cool books, butterflies and just an overall gorgeous environment. I quit from my massage job after they played one too many times in my face — long story short, I was being overworked despite protest, had immature colleagues with conflict resolution issues, incompetent employers and just not enough pay. Gave up for a while on the idea of opening up my own massage place due to how expensive it can be to rent a place. Eventually my birthday came around, tears were she’d, laughs were had. Managed to read 14+ books at this point (on book 17 now) and a week later my roommate tells me she’s convinced her boyfriend to move in, so I have to move out. No thoughts were put towards me so I have till end of august to be out, which broke me but after a good cry and some slandering to friends and family, I’ve calmed down and am actively searching for a new home. I realized I’d asked the universe for a new place to live after realizing just how dirty, inconsiderate and just overly unpleasant it was to live with this girl, to show me a new way, bring me a new home. So, looking at it all with newfound optimistic eyes. It’s still unsettling and nerves wrecking, I have moved 13 times now and you can imagine a girl is tired. But no more shitty roommates, no more unfortunate situation. I will find my home soon. With dreams of finding my own place, studying next year (Fall start) and writing a book, I have loads on my plate. Being busy feels nice but I’m still working on tweaking the perfect schedule for myself so I can do it all. I was ready to give up on opening my own studio, but after announcing to my #1 loyal costumer it was my second to last week, he offered helping me with guidance, website, taxes etc setups as he’s a seasoned entrepreneur (and has helped many). His enthusiasm and encouragement relit that fire and I thought ‘yeah, why not have it all?’

By the end of 2024, I will be a business owner (part time), have my own apartment, have finished my 1st draft and glowed up to levels beyond my imagination. And next year, I’ll have finished my book and started on the sequel, been accepted into University, have a booming business and continue to thrive! never give up never what, NEVER BACK DOWN! hope you’re all doing well, hope this was a bit of a motivator. Life will have its upset and downs, so please don’t give up. Step away and take everything in shorter strides. You can and will have it all, if that’s what you desire.

Xo Thinkpink

[metatronhateblog]

The Opening Sequence Pt 2 The Cemetery

Welcome back to the opening sequence breakdown. It only took me forever to get back to this thanks to con crunching (curse you Crowley's leather vest), split attention, and work. Today I will be, you guessed it cause you probably read the title, talking about the cemetery sequence.

Now there isn't too terribly much here, and I'm sure a lot of this has already been talked about. I've no doubt people were smart enough to already find all this.

But as I have no self control and am in fact procrastinating finishing my Crowley cosplay, here we are. I promise we'll get into some more....weird? Less noticeable??? I don't even know? Stuff as time goes on. We're just starting off with the basics cause it's easier on my brain.

So in the cemetery, we already know that Jim is hiding out behind some headstones next to the mausoleum they enter. Nothing too weird there, aside from the fact he's hiding. BUT WE'RE NOT HERE TO TALK ABOUT JIM.

Instead I'm here to talk about all the weird little things on the headstones. Again, I wouldn't be surprised if it's all already been found, I just personally haven't seen anyone talk about it?

We start off seeing this little mausoleum that says 'ARCHER' on it

Which we also see make an appearance in episode 3, when our beloveds are in Edinburgh.

(Did I start this draft then immediately drop everything to lighten/color correct all of season 2 episode three so I could see if there was anything in the background? Maybe...)

Then we have our lovely statue of the one and only beloved yet self absorbed Gabriel. Again, nothing too fancy.

And this little cross with an very interesting symbol on it right next to Gabriel. The symbol from a glance looks to be a money sign but when you take a closer look, I think it's actually three crosses? Or maybe one cross with two little lines on either side and a big 'S' slapped over top.

Then we have our 'Everyday' headstone which is of no surprise due to reoccurring song appearances in the season.

But then something else caught my eye while I was making this post that I didn't notice previously... See that little guy up in the corner of the everyday headstone?

Him?

yeah well idk who he's supposed to be but he's not the only one...

And then a third that is hidden behind a cross

Perhaps important characters? Or maybe a little hint about something that I don't know yet. Or maybe even just put there to fill in the background with no meaning....who knows.

Either way these gentlemen (or ladies) appear in the actual episode behind the Gabriel statue.

Then here we have two...stone caskets? Above ground graves? Where they both look the same, but one appears to be crossed out, maybe worn away with time, and you can't see the other because it's hidden by a headstone that says 'Peter Paintball.'

I have no clue who Peter paintball is. Maybe it's a reference to Season 1, or maybe it's someone on the crew or something. But I have no Earthly clue.

Moving on. As our boys continue their cemetery date with a trail of people and creatures and...objects? Behind them. We see the mastermind behind our Clerkenwell Diamond Robbery. Miss Austen herself.

I'm just as unphased at her name being in this cemetery as I am 'everyday.'

From here, I've had to do a lot of tweaking and playing with the lighting, and I won't lie, some things are still kind of...not quite able to be made out imo. So now we have...

A two for one that kind of leaves my brain churning questions like butter. I'll start with the more legible one.

"Here lies the former shell of Beelzebub."

I mean 'they're just such a little ray of sunshine' so of course this headstone makes sense. But also...why? What exactly does this mean. Like what's it referring to? I get that demons are dead inside which...mood. But could this possibly be referring to whoever Beelzebub was before falling? Or maybe the fact that Beelzebub feels some sort of happiness after meeting Gabriel and therefore the shell has been buried? I don't know. I just sit here and mull this over sometimes and maybe it's not a detail I should agonize over, but still.

Then we have 'here lies...Adam...' with the words underneath that I can only barely make out some of. I have tried fixing this so many different ways, and maybe it's just my lacking photo editing skills but still. I believe Neil has said this headstone is referring to Adam as in Adam and Eve? (Correct me if I'm wrong.) And if I squint I can make out....(from my best attempt at cleaning this up enough to see it)

"I do not understand, surely your very existence requires....of the world..."

Some of the words I can't make out, and the whole bottom line is a mystery to me because it's blocked entirely by the shadow that I can't fix.

Buuuuuut using my skills of deduction I'm going to assume this is a quote from Adam in the show? Gonna assume show and not book all things considered. (Upon further investigation it's Death who says this to Adam.) I can't remember. But the quote is something like

"I do not understand, surely your very existence requires the ending of the world. It is written."

Which...well hell that's a very interesting thing to put on a headstone (once again questioning which Adam Neil said that headstone belongs to...)

(Maybe it's a reference to Adam Young but Neil is saying he's not dead? Because he never actually confirms which Adam this is a reference to but I suppose it could be either considering it begins and 'ends' with an Adam.

But the thing I find really interesting is actually the headstone right next to it, also a take on something Death says in season 1.

'Left early to beat the rush.'

Which. Hell this one took me by surprise the first time I read it. Death says it to the mail man in Season 1 'Think of it as leaving early to beat the rush.' And if I recall correctly (I don't know where the source is) Neil has said something similar about Terry? So for all I know this headstone could be a nod to Terry Pratchett....or it could be two very interesting Death quotes on back to back headstones.

Could the Adam one possibly be referring to the fact that Adam, by the end of season 1, technically reversed the end of the world? Or something along those lines? I just find it weird that amongst a bunch of (i'm using this word lightly) joke headstones we have two very intriguing Death quotes....

Finally, we have this little interesting bit on the side right here.

We have that symbol from before but a little clearer now...and? A head? There's a bust here in the corner in front of Gabriel.

At first glance it reminds me of the Gabriel angel statue...and maybe this is supposed to be Gabriel...But if you look a little closer...you can see a button up.

Now this is the best shot I can manage of it.

This looks specifically like Jim. Not Gabriel, but Jim. It's dressed similarly and I think that's his hairstyle. The face looks similar. I momentarily thought it might be Aziraphale or even Crowley but that wouldn't make sense...right?

So for now, I'm thinking that this is a bust of Jim. Very interesting considering Jimbriel is hiding right in front of it and there's a different statue of the Archangel Gabriel earlier in the cemetery....So what the heck is this all about...

Now if I missed any, or if any of the headstones in the background have writing that is hard to make out, let me know and I'll update this post.

But as I said before, I'm sure someone has already done this. Consider this a reference post, maybe let your gears turn a bit about some of the epitaphs because they're certainly some head scratchers if you ask me.

Thank you for reading this, and keep a look out for more of the opening sequence breakdown series in which I slowly lose more and more of my mind staring at this thing and picking out little tiny details.

[vainvenus]

hi vee!! did u watch the last few races?? i think theyve been the root of my stress for the past weeks ngl😭 not even my job has got me this stressed fr

and btw, ive been rereading ur fics like crazy, literally cannot get enough of them!!

GIRL. UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE KEPT UP WITH THIS ENTIRE TRIPLE HEADER AND IM GROWING GREY HAIRS BECAUSE OF IT.

Like as a Lando and Oscar fan I've been yay but as a Ferrari and 1644 fan? I feel like I'm entitled for compensation especially when that double DSQ happened in Shanghai. I quite literally screamed into my pillow.

And like Charles being consistent with P4 but not happy with it made me tweak even more like cmon now give me either a double podium or a Charles podium or I'm genuinely gonna rip out my hair like???

BUT SAUDI ARABIA HAD ME ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT? THE FACT THAT WE HAD FOUR DIFFERENT RACE LEADERS IN THAT RACE WITH MAX, CHARLES, OSCAR AND LANDO WAS LITERALLY INSANEEE.

But towards the end I was literally yelling at my TV for him to go faster because the gap between him and Lando literally had me feeling like I was in the garage as his strategist like shut uppp he drove so so well and I'm so happy he finally got that podium

All in all it was such a good race and not just like the top teams, a lot of the midfield teams had so many good overtakes like Ollie and Hadjar like they were seriously pushing those tractors and double points for Williams was so so satisfying to see

So that's not all I wanna say I'm sure I'm forgetting more but I would ADORE it if we could keep doing these race week debriefs because Miami is coming up and while ik a lot of people don't like it because it's the most cringey and full of celebs who don't care much for the sport I love the energy of it and ofc the edits to Miami by Will Smith

ALSO THANK YOU SMMMMM LOVE! I'm planning on posting the next parts for my main ones and since I have a busy weekend coming up I'm trying to get all the drafts for them done and upload them Friday, no promises but hopefully!! 🤞🏾

[ggitty]

(JN anon) My memory is a little hazy but pretty much been there when Jimmy was interrupting other Nicktoons and the airing of those promo shorts. THE ICE CREAM AND FUNKY FRIES. Cereal too. Its own website. There was also a promo during the Kids Choice Awards for the huge reception to the movie and marketing the show; which was thankfully uploaded. Another I remembered was that they had Jimmy, Carl and Sheen commentating over several episodes as a lead-up to the movie airing on the network, which they also talk over. Only the latter is archived sadly. (Long story short, it wasn't simply "3 seasons and a movie", those are just the easiest things to obtain from the series now. You got to search for everything else.)

The movie was basically like an indie studio who had just started its foundation vs two of the biggest entertainment giants and was good enough to be nominated with them. Didn't win but it was an accomplishment in itself for them to be noticed. (Fun fact: The winning animation for it does exist and has been uploaded; apparently it along with Shrek and Monsters Inc. submitted both winning and losing animations for the Oscars.)

*nods* It was very smart on their part to reuse movie assets with tweaks here and there for the show to save on resources. (Like, it's very easy to tell TV budget vs Movie budget when it comes to shows and can be distracting or determining factor for some) Some things from the 2000s have aged worse; Jimmy now just looks like the WIP of a current series that hasn't added the finishing polishes yet. (Which is a pretty good leg to stand on compared to certain "Baby's first CG" I've seen.)

It had started out as "Nickverse" on Roblox and they had certain Nick characters playable. Then I believe they changed it to just Spongebob and TMNT. (Strangely, they had some Jimmy and Danny Phantom accessories drop not to long ago) There was also the now defunct "Pixel Town", that never released outside of Asia. (How ironic that this is where the OG Unite gang reunite. *stares at All-Star Brawl*)

Yeah, animation in general isn't a good place right now. Here's hoping there is a light at the end of the tunnel for that industry. (I will give Nick credit for trying to get stuff out that Paramount and Netflix dropped long enough for fans to legally get it then archive immediately.)

I remember when that show first aired, I couldn't quite place why [inwardly] it felt different from the original show back then. But then I remember Barnyard; more the show than the movie, and it kinda clicks. Planet Sheen's vibe felt like Barnyard with a Jimmy Neutron skin, but it couldn't quite get away with it. (Even Sheen himself felt like something about him was missing. While I agree with the writer that said Sheen is a character that works better in short bursts, it didn't help that some characters had the same problem)

I will laugh if they do just make it Sheen's fanfiction in a reboot. But, also knowing Jimmy Neutron, they likely would toss in a "maybe it did happen, you'll never fully know though". (*cue Nesmith being at a zoo and Sheen doesn't know him, but can't place why he looks familiar*)

Funnily enough, *the "A New Wish" crew said if they get a 2nd season and had the 'ok' for it, they're not against the idea of doing another Power Hour with Jimmy. (Would be hilarious if this is used as a stealth test for a Jimmy reboot.) *Source is KTLA 5 news, if curious. They were promoting the premiere on Netflix.

The show has been smart in the way it did things that I feel it could handle that with grace without losing much of its charm. (As far as characters, there's really one I could see not coming back period without some overhaul being made.)

OH GOSH SORRY I JUST SAW THAT THIS WAS IN THE DRAFTS INSTEAD OF POST

Yeah, I saw a lot of this while I was surfing the internet archives and sites ( apparently trying to absorb all the media I can lol) But it was still a reveal when I found out about it a few years ago, you should have seen my reaction when I found out about the promo prequel shorts to the movie lol

I'm still giggling a bit at the fact that the movie was nominated, but nevertheless, an achievement is an achievement

Yeah, I mean the show doesn't age half as bad as people say it is!

(the whole art field is not in a good place right now, I live and breathe it, and now its feels like a sharp breath)

Haha, “Barnyard with a Jimmy Neutron skin” is a pretty accurate comparison from what I remember of Barnyard. I honestly never thought about the connection, but now I remember that they were really made by the same studio and maybe the “vibes” from one project could migrate to the other along with the people who worked on it

Oh I heard about it. Like, I really like New Wish and I see that the authors really approached the “soft reboot” with great care and attention and I will always appreciate them for that! But uh this crossover thing will probably always going to give me an odd feeling in guts lol

I hope so! (and yes some things need to be reworked lol)

[rusakkowrites]

For the AO3 wrapped, please :)

3, 9, 10, 18 & 27

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

A Knightly Rescue. I had to juggle more plotlines in it than in any of my previous fics, it has a plot twist that I think is really fun, it's my longest completed fic to date and I'm just really happy with the way it turned out.

9. Favorite pairing you wrote for this year?

To absolutely no one's surprise, Emma Woodhouse/George Knightley.

10. What work was the quickest to write?

Sailor Boi, which is very short and based on existing song lyrics. I think I finished the first draft in two or three hours and then just tweaked it a bit the next day.

18. The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year?

Maybe Lady Dorothea in The Beginning and End of a Very Brief Freindship, because she's a character we see very little of in canon. I didn't have a lot of material to work with when trying to imagine what her perspective might be like.

27. What do you listen to while writing?

Mostly nothing! I often find even instrumental music distracting when I'm trying to write. When I do listen to something, my choice of music varies quite a lot, though I'm more likely to pick something instrumental than anything with lyrics. If I'm writing a fic that's inspired by a specific song, I obviously listen to that (with Sk8er Boi as an unfortunate example from this year). I might also try to find something that fits the vibe of what I'm writing, whether it's the mood or the time period. And sometimes I just put on whatever I particularly like at the time, which has lately mostly been Nordic folk, particularly Frigg.

Thanks for the ask! :)

[pulim-v]

Talk Shop Tuesday: what's your process for designing a new character? How do you determine things like their color scheme or what animal they're going to be? Do you usually spend a while refining your characters, or do they come to you all in one burst?

Okay so it's been a while since I last designed a character, but there is some method to my madness lol

For Mist and Spark, I wanted there to be a lot of contrast between them while also having stuff that ties them together - hence both of them sharing an accent color (yellow) and being dogs, while their main colors are complementary and their other species are very different

For the rest of the main six, I just asked my friends for two animals they like lol (with the stipulation that apart from Fern all of them had to be mammals)

Their colors... I don't remember how I did that part. I think I was going through the color wheel trying to pick something interesting for all of them, but I do know there was a lot of tweaking involved - Rowan's color scheme used to be a lot lighter, Dew used to be purple instead of orange, and Fern took quite some time to get the pink and black color scheme. For the girlie ever Basil, her color scheme came about just from her species, since she is a coral snake

For the side characters, most of them are just one-off archetypes that I end up messing with until they're something unique; like with Basil, I wanted her to be this sort of really sporty person and gave her a slightly more butch appearance than my female characters at the time, but that developed into her current style that I *think* can be categorized as punk, with the leather jacket and combat boots and all that.

Believe it or not whether I go with the first draft really depends on the character LMAO like with Dew and Via I had three separate design phases for each (Dew especially took a lot of tweaking and experimenting to get his hairstyle and color palette right), meanwhile Mist has been pretty much stagnant design-wise if you don't count his outfit changing as I got more and more experience with drawing clothes

The amount of designs I do also depends on a lot of stuff, like I did a whole burst of eight side characters at once (and haven't drawn any of them in months lmaooooo) but sometimes I just don't come up with anything for a while, especially right now that FGCC has hit a point where it has a good amount of characters and the other stories are mainly developing dynamics between characters I already have established

Now, with all those messy ramblings out of the way, here's how I would design a brand new character right now:

Think of a role that needs to be filled. Like, uhhh, the Calculus teacher.

What sort of basic premise can I go for here? I already have a concept for the Chem teacher (he'll show up for a bit on Rowan's Birthday) and he's a really chill teacher that doesn't mind if the students' methodology isn't perfect as long as they understand the concepts and get the right results, so I could go for the polar opposite: a really strict teacher that wants every aspect of the subject to be done perfectly, with little room for error

In terms of species, I think I could go for some more non-mammalian characters, as a way to make my lineup a tad more diverse, so how about an owl? It's a tad stereotypical, but I think it could work to kinda show their more strict and stern nature. Plus, there's a ton of visual variety in owl species irl, so there's a lot of design potential both if I limit it to a single species and if I mix and match them

Then I'd actually draw the design, mostly paying attention to their build, clothing, and animal features (I tend to forget stuff like wings at this point so it'd probably involve a ton of tries lol)

After I'm satisfied with how the design looks, I take a picture of the final sketch and draw over it on my phone, and this is where I actually choose the color palette. For this one, I'm thinking a simple palette is best since they'd be a very minor side character, so maybe something like a mix of grey and either blue or red. Blue for the usual color theory associations (and also tying them to Mist a bit since they're both rigorous) or red to tie them to Via, since Via's plot has a few ties to Calculus specifically

And done! After that I'd probably draw the character a lot until they've ship-of-theseus'd into something unrecognizable (like Dew who has changed almost everything in his design lmao)

Thanks for the ask! Sorry for the really rambly answer akjsdhaskjhdjkas

[ask-st-ccchoir]

(You hear a conversation in the hallway…

Nurse 1: hi Becka! It’s been a while, you enjoyed your vacay,

Nurse 2: yeah.. crazy how the returns been.. like you just came back 4 days ago then wham you’re in charge of 6 choir kids from a roller coaster accident. I’m gonna die… the head nurse (whisper) Virgil has been breathing down everyone’s necks!

Nurse 1: Hey have you heard the news lately?

Nurse 2: no why?

Nurse 1: that’s surprising there was a buzz about it in the break room, apparently Mrs Blackwood you know she owns the caffé in town. Has adopted Mischa from an unstable home life and judging from the news report she might be planning to do the same for Ocean.

Nurse 2: good for her!

Nurse 1: but there’s been proven to be some complications, they might block her given..

Nurse 2: she already has 3 kids under her care

Nurse 1: yeah, maybe.. there’s been worse suggestions though

(Apparently nurse Virgil yells something at them, but you can’t hear exactly what)

Nurse 1: yeah no totally I was just catching nurse Becka up to speed for when she starts her rounds

Nurse 2: I’m on my way right now to send the report …. yes it’s already finished, I just need to tweak it…

//hospital person here, been working on this for quite a bit hope you enjoy. Draft 3//

// RAAA😇😇😇 ILY/p //

I imagine the chaos in that household like, 2 teens always at eachothers throats living together

[griseldabanks]

Desire, hate, and wound for Shard, from the not-so-nice oc asks.

-Rain

desire: What's one thing your OC wants more than anything in the world? Are they open with that desire? Why or why not? What would they do to fulfill it?

This is something I've been puzzling over lately, while trying to think through my characters' goals and how to use them to make the protagonist more proactive. For the most part, Shard is more reactive, reacting to issues that come his way rather than setting out to achieve some goal. But I think what he wants most in the world is peace and safety - for him, and for the people he loves. Ironically, that desire is what initially pushes him out of the safety of his hometown and out into the big, scary world. He realizes that his new dragon friend will probably be killed if he stays home, so they have to run away together.

As they continue on their journey and eventually join up with the Ambassadors, this desire for peace for himself and Shynael expands to include everyone. He realizes that everyone is scared. Everyone wants to live peacefully, but they're living on the brink of war, so when they feel their security is being threatened, they lash out against someone else's security. And Shard realizes that, if he's ever going to have the hope of living in a peaceful world where he doesn't have to keep looking over his shoulder, he's going to have to do something about it.

hate: What does your OC hate? Why? How do they act towards the object of their hatred?

Shard would say, "Hatred is against my religion."

But you know what the first answer was that came to my mind? The person he hates the most is himself. Anger and rage he has plenty of, but there aren't a whole lot of people that I would say he actually hates - at least not for more than a few minutes.

But himself? Oh, there is so much he hates about himself. Especially once that rage gets the best of him, and he finds himself saying and doing things he regrets as soon as the anger wears off. He always thought of himself as a kind, quiet peacemaker like the priest who raised him. He always thought the best thing to do with any anger he felt was to stuff it away, not think about it, and wait for it to dissipate. But due to the nature of his new life away from his usual safety nets and routines, confronted with the cruelty and anxiety of the world around him, suddenly he finds that anger exploding out of him...and onto others. He ends up hurting people. Seriously hurting people. What kind of person does that make him?

So yes, one of the main things Shard has to grapple with in his story is not only how to control the rage inside him so it doesn't hurt anyone, but also how to live with these two sides of himself - the one that wants to tear the world apart, and the one that wants everyone to live in peace.

wound: How does your OC handle being wounded? Are their wounds mostly physical? Mental? Emotional? What's the worst wound your OC has ever experienced?

>:D You know me! I love my angst and I love my whump, so when I get a world and characters all of my own, you can bet I put them through The Trials.

As you can see from the previous question, Shard has some mental/emotional wounds, mostly self-inflicted, he has to deal with. At his lowest point, he teeters on the verge of ending it all.

But one of my favorite scenes, predictably, is a scene where Shard gets stabbed and nearly loses his life. I'm definitely going to have to tweak the circumstances, because the way it happened in the first draft just...doesn't work, on multiple levels. But I want to keep the scene itself in, because there's just too much delicious whump potential there! Shard's bleeding out, Shynael comes to his rescue, the poor baby goes in a panic to Vesper, who patches Shard up and nurses him back to health, which jump-starts their friendship. Originally, I had dragon blood have healing properties similar to phoenix tears in Harry Potter, but I haven't quite decided if I want to do that anymore (it would make dragons even harder to kill, for one thing). But if I do go that route, Shynael gets to donate his blood and then you get to dwell on how they really are brothers now that Shynael's blood runs in Shard's veins.

Not-So-Nice OC Ask Game

[insomniaccipher]

EDIT (24/3): so um, I posted this way way too early. In my sleep deprived state I guess I posted it rather than save it as a draft, since it's clearly not done. I'm not going to private it, people have already seen it so expect this to be updated with the remaining notes. Sorry and thank you for understanding!

(tw for mention of depression and a depressive episode)

After a few days of me being absolutely fucking drained and progressively chipping away at this, and having a surprise d3pr3ssiv3 episode

(seriously though, don't do what I did and work yourself into a depressive episode. I'm okay now, but I should have rested before I crashed.)

And I can finally present the original sketches, notes (internal dialogue included) and with additional notes provided by present me.

Thank you to the few people who showed interest in my little character for being patient with me, I know I wasn't super loyal with the time frame and kept having issues arise but here it is. I apologise for not having a full illustration of them, It's one of those things that I have to be 100 percent satisfied with and right now, it's not there.

Thank you so so much again and I hope you like them, please feel free to critique them or ask questions but try to keep it polite please. Love you all!

Page 1 (left) - Bits and bobs

- Originally I was thinking of giving Arc moving tattoos. This was because I wanted them to have a more clear connection to ink since they would already be around it quite a lot also I imagine it would have been funny for Arc, who is a very calm and collected person, to be in a frustrating situation but can't express it so their tattoos just fucking loose it showing that they are fucking fuming but looks calm as can be.

After I decided on the hat with a veil however I decided to scrap the idea, or at least save it for a different character, as I realized the character would feel too busy and between the two ideas I liked the hat and veil more.

- There was a short-lived idea of them having blackout tattoos but after a bit of research I decided not to ask I wasn't sure if they had any cultural significance, so better safe than sorry.

- Arc, as stated in the notes, is seemingly always calm. That doesn't mean they can't feel frustrated, sad, embarrassed it just means they can keep their composure and level headed. They're like one of those people that if you upset them they'll walk out the room yell and throw shit and walk back in calm as can be.

- Their role has by now developed more than just being an archivist, as now I see them as just a general records keeper. They find and keep old records and text organised, while also writing down new information and such. I'm not changing their name though, cause honestly I've just grown attached to their nickname.

Page 2 (right) - the first note and ideas

- Weirdly enough, the very first idea I had for this character wasn't their story or personality: but their hat and veil. Yup. I just liked the idea of a character with a big halo hat and a veil hiding their face.

- There was another character at one point or they might have been the same, I don't exactly remember and the details between them were similar enough that it's possible that they were just the same character just with minor tweaks. But that character was more connected to the band (again as in the personas/characters they play, not the irl people) while Arc is more of a solo unit.

Mentioning this other character is relevant because, and this is purely based on memory, I think the whole reason they were reworked/scrapped/whatever-the-fuck I did with them was because a hat and veil wouldn't be practical on stage.

- Anyway whenever they do take the veil off, either for more delicate work or they have to be in public, they'll put on a basic mask that covers the majority of their lower face.

- A lot of stuff I see, so forgive me if it's not actually a popular concept, seems to make the band members some form of inhuman. Which I fucking love, however to be honest the inhuman stuff was always kind of going to be part of them no matter what, even if I hadn't chosen the hat and veil concept (See top bullet point for the moving tattoos concept).