#i fucking hated drawing his cowboy hat the first time so he doesn't get a hat now

[noshowjericho]

DISCTOBER DAY 8: SKILL

IM SO PROUD OF HOW THE SKILL PORTRAIT LOOKS!!! LIKE I THOUGHT I WASNT GONNA FINISH IN TIME. Anyway- This au is set during the initial attacks that Delores Dei's Army of Humanity launched on Mesque. Steban is still a revolutionary, trying to pull his people together while they get massacred. Ulixes (bless him, I've focused solely on Steban. I promise I'll do his sheet at some point) is a Gottwaldian run away, a petty criminal camouflaging with whatever group will get him the furthest.

As you can see, their dynamic changed quite a bit! Steban is forced into a position where his values, the thing he holds closest, can no longer be validated only by talk. He sees the action first hand, he knows his decisions can and have killed innocent people. On the other hand, Uli's survival instinct is pushed to the limit. This may be my own gross misunderstanding of the characters but Ulixes is different from Steban because his subconscious reason for being revolutionary is individual fear/helplessness and a want to eliminate the outside source of that fear. In this case, he is not initially a revolutionary. He wants to join Steban's band for simple protection while he stays in town but ends up becoming trapped there by the enemy army. This leads to them talking and developing a relationship similar to what we see in the game (but a little sadder as they're stressed and angry up til their last moments).

I do have a three act story planned out for this au but I'm still workshoping it!! For now, this is what I have (I know I also want to refine Uli's backstory a bit but that will come with his character sheet :3).

[mamamittens]

I'm making another shippy drawing, this time with Izou since I haven't given him proper 1:1 love with Nikia.

It's not a bad time to think about their particular dynamic, actually, since I am, once again, not falling asleep as I should when I really should already be passed TF out

It won't hurt to establish Nikia's with Thatch just as a reminder for myself honestly.

Thatch and Nikia are a bit dorky. Thatch acts suave, enjoys sweeping romantic gestures, and is very bold about his affections. You will know if he hates you and if he loves you to pieces.

Nikia is, predictably, very embarrassed but pleased about this. Quieter, she likes smaller moments. Bigger gestures are overwhelming for her. Not very good at being loud and proud, so to speak. So naturally most of their moments are small. Personal. Intimate gestures.

Passing kisses and touches. Small "I'm thinking of you" gifts. Thatch not one for trinkets finds himself with many, each one a gift from her because he's weak for the "I saw this and thought of you". He loves that. The thought of being thought of even when he's somewhere else. And he makes an effort to space out his very loud, public displays of affection to meet her in the middle. He can't always control himself. Partly because he's usually so busy, so what little free time he has he wants to make it memorable.

Now! Onto Izou and Nikia!

Izou is a lot more subdued. He's not secretive about his affections but he won't be singing on rooftops anytime soon. He will make his feelings known, however, regardless of what free time he has. Which is a little more than Thatch given he doesn't need to plan meals for a massive crew and overlook kitchen staff.

Okay, it's a little misleading to say he's subdued. Actually. It's really fucking loud and clear, he just doesn't use his voice for it. So he gets away with being a bold bastard a lot more, especially since a lot of it is pirate etiquette that goes over Nikia's head. Thatch, not so much, but he keeps his mouth shut if he knows what's good for him. And he doesn't argue with it either.

The silk foulard is a gift from Izou after all, and has a subtle pattern from Wano weaved in.

So she finds her wardrobe subtly tailored to suit her better, a side project of Izou's. And also pieces slipped in from Izou himself. A spare yukata trimmed to function as a loose jacket since she gets cold easily. Hair ribbons and chokers with silk in his colors or with Wano exclusive patterns.

She doesn't realize how damn possessive his actions are for someone not a tailor because he's not crass enough to just give her his actual yukuta to wear. Like Thatch will drape his foulard over her shoulders when she's cold and Izou nearly smacks him for it.

For those that know, it's like wearing a cowboys hat lol

So anyway, Izou sinks his claws into her wardrobe in whatever way he can and is the first to offer his services if she wants a makeover or hairstyling. If she wants to try hair jewelry, he gets it. Maybe with Thatch's help if he's being generous.

He enjoys showing how he can provide since Thatch has the literal food and dramatic displays handled.

Basically, in pirate speak, Nikia is SUPER spoken for. If they can't tell by who, they can definitely tell it's someone from Wano. And anyone who is bold enough to ignore that earns a bullet in their ass at minimum.

Izou enjoys his trinkets and adores when she secures him crafting materials for clothes. New thread and needles, silks and fabrics. The works. She may ask for assistance at first to get a good idea of what he prefers to work with, but once she has it down, he'll be pleasantly surprised often. Which is quite practical and sweet.

Her favorite thing is getting him jewelry with flowers. Roses if she's being overtly romantic. Delicate cherry blossoms or other such small flowers for cute variety. Even if he doesn't wear them anytime soon, they're displayed beautifully alongside his practical, daily pieces.

Once she learns how bold both of them have been while courting her, she's very flattered.

And they're very interested in how flattered and flustered she is about that.

Very much integrated into dirty talk anytime they give her a particularly bold gift. Notably, she still wears them.

And they very much like that.

And then they'll both use gifts she's given them just to fluster her with their newfound meaning.

It's like ongoing foreplay for them and everyone else thinks they're insufferable. Like, "just fuck already" but worse, because clearly fucking has not helped lessen the tension.

A pirate giving away treasure is a very intimate act, after all. And decorating someone in your colors or home patterns/fabrics equally bold. To keep doing so I'm new ways... Well, it's a lot. Let's put it that way.

Only way they could be more overt is if they just got married already and got matching tattoos.

They're very happy for them but... Yeah. It's kinda obnoxious lmao

[cybersixed]

wasn't expecting this to get notes at all and we're at 40 damn ok y'all liked the dudes I guess? thank you 💜

just for that here's some thoughts I had while making them, I didn't go hardcore Overthink Every Detail like I do other character designs but I still had some ideas while making them

First up Hippie Dude (let's call him that)

As you can probably notice Hippie Dude has dark roots on his hair! Idk why but I thought it'd be funny if there was a Dude that wasn't naturally a red head

I also wanted there to be another Dude with long hair bc that fucking slaps hardcore and I also thought it fit the aesthetic

I also thought it'd be sorta funny to have a Postal Dude be a hippie guy, sort of a dichotomy between who he is and what he looks like. Yes he still kills people, he's a Postal Dude after all. Maybe grew up in a hippie doomsday cult like the one in the movie???? idk

Also, steel toed boots are a detail I put 100% on purpose! idk sort of the idea that he should be a Peaceful guy but you look at the boots and you're like? why do you need those? he has those for Kicking People In Their Dicks

Also his sunglasses have a golden frame idk if that's noticeable, just a little detail

Main inspirations for him were P1 Dude and Movie Dude, P1 mostly for the coat and hair while the color scheme resembles more that of Movie Dude's last outfit in the movie... wanted him to have lighter more "cheery and happy" colors

Cowboy Dude

In my head he definitely exists in a different time period y'know.... in actual cowboy times

Darker hair bc... idk I just felt like it fit him

Idk if it's too noticeable but he's got real messy facial hair, doesn't give a damn

Smiley face pin replaced with a horseshoe because well duh that didn't exist back then, Catholicism did however LMAO

He's holding his stupid cowboy hat because I couldn't draw it on his head correctly or without hiding his hair so don't @ me for it

Yes I looked up a ref of a typical cowboy pistol bc I ain't no bitch, forgot to draw a proper holster for it tho just pretend it's there, please?

Yes he's got the spurs yes he's got a whole horse he rides around, probably a whole what's called...caravan? carriage? I don't remember the english word rn but I assume he'd have an equivalent to regular Dude's trailer home bc this bitch does NOT stay in one place

Main inspirations were P1 Dude and P3 Dude, as evident by the use of black and red and other warm tones on the entire design

Punk Dude

I had to, what can I say?

Def spends about an hour spiking his hair everyday

Idk why but I imagined him being younger than the prior 2 Dudes, not a teenager by any means but definitely not in his 30's either

I wanted him to have very immature and childish vibes idk if that's reflected too well

Also wanted him to have 2000's vibes which I hope are there

Cross pin is replaced by an anarchist symbol pin because he is a god hating demon (that's a joke)

Probably gets his piercings infected more than once because he doesn't take proper care of them like the jackass he is

Looked up a ref for a gun for this one as well but I also just kinda winged it a bit 🤷ehhh

Main inspiration was P2 Dude, went as far as sorta replicating his color scheme which to me is sorta more blue-ish than the other dudes as well as doing a direct parallel to his alien t-shirt but... with a skull because duh what else should it be? ... he'd wear a shadow the hedgehog shirt tbh

Japanese Delinquent Dude

I know it's got a genre/style name but I for the life of me can't remember it right now.. is it bancho??? Bancho Dude?????

He mostly exists because I thought it'd be FUCKING HILARIOUS and I was RIGHT and I will NOT listen to anyone saying it isn't

Dude should have a katana as a weapon, I rest my case

Also think that dude with a pompadour is both funny and sick as hell but I am highly biased as I love pompadours a huge amount

His trench coat sorta blended in perfectly for the sort of design a lot of delinquent characters had/have

Just like Punk Dude, Delinquent Dude is younger than the first 2 Dudes I mean it's obvious from the moment his outfit is based on the stylized version of old Japanese school uniforms

Was inspired by the biased things I mentioned before but also by the actual Postal 1 levels where Dude is... in Japan??? for some reason??? And I thought a scenario fully utilizing that for comedic and violent purposes would be entertaining

If he had his own game I think it'd be cool if it was like- a fast paced beat em up with monsters and it needs to be the most bizarre anime bullshit in it possible, I'm talking Godzilla, I'm talking a level where he just gets Isekai'd, I'm talking his girl classmates have purple hair and shit and go kyaaaa and Dude is just standing there like "This fucking sucks, why am I here?" they also call him "Dude-kun" because duh

This Dude isn't Japanese he's just IN Japan for seemingly no reason, maybe he was fucking adopted who knows????????

Main inspiration was P2 dude as well as characters like Mondo from the first Danganronpa game and Yusuke and Kuwabara from Yu Yu Hakusho as well as a bit of JoJo inspiration. Debated drawing the pompadour differently but I ultimately thought it'd look funnier this way

That's it for my rambling at least for now, idk if I'll ever draw them again?????? Didn't really intend to make ocs, I mostly just wanted to mess around and see how malleable Dude's design was if that even makes sense to anyone but myself

If you like them and would wanna see more of them then please let me know, I work best with encouragement 👍

I passed out and before I knew it I made up 4 whole Dudes and I don’t know what to do with them, they’re an invasive species after all