#i swear this is the most vibe accurate i could get with this games clothing choice
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idk how they expect you to do a viking theme in this game when there's No Viking Clothes but she kinda ate regardless
#i swear this is the most vibe accurate i could get with this games clothing choice#what they want you to do is to have her in a bikini made of fur with bandages and bones but thats just like one suit#lacks creativity and stupidly sexist#this is still probably pretty sexist but it's a dress up game.. so ...
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I don’t normally share personal projects here but I'm happy with the art so why not. Anyway these are some character concepts for a game pitch assignment I've been working on. It's still very much in its infancy but the idea is a dating sim/visual novel-style game based around the concept of a support group for the henchmen of supervillains, called "Henchman Anonymous."
You-- the player-- are the familiar to Carmilla de Villeneuve, the Vampire Princess (pictured left). No, she isn't royalty. Yes, you're pretty sure she stole her name from popular vampire media. But yes, she's actually a vampire, a vampire supervillain more specifically, and a very mediocre one at that. After years of thankless work executing her extravagantly stupid schemes (that might also just be a wee bit genius) and styling her finger waves you've about had it. That's what Henchman Anonymous is for, breaking up with your abusive boss! Only one issue you might sort of actually be a bit in love with her... Perhaps what you need is a little help getting over her.
As of right now I only have two main routes planned.
Route #1: Amélie is one of Ring Master's many henchmen and she is also her daughter. Let's just say crime runs in the family, as in they're literally a crime family. Amélie is the fourth eldest of eight, meaning her smack dab in the middle and often overlooked. Between the size of her family and her mother's controlling tendencies, Amélie feels more than a little stifled. She hopes that Henchmen Anonymous will help her break free and lead a normal life. It's too bad her boss just happens to be your boss' villain rival— not that Ring Master knows that.
Route #2: Dorian is a man of mystery, well it's more accurate to say he's a stubborn jerk who refuses to share anything, despite being in a support group. You swear he looks familiar though. Little do you know the reason Dorian won't talk is because he's not-so-secretly the sidekick to the Ebony Knight-- your city's resident vigilante-- who's undercover trying to get insider information on supervillains so that maybe his boss will fully take him under his wing. Unfortunately for you, the reason he looks so familiar is that the Ebony Knight might just be Carmilla's nemesis and absolute obsession. (Lego Batman and Lego Joker vibes)
Main Route:
Ideally, I would like to have a non-romance-based route for those who want to explore the plots of both stories. This route would allow players to learn about both Amélie and Dorian's connections to Carmilla and allow you to befriend them. There are also a couple secondary non-romanceable characters that I haven't mentioned because I don't have concepts drawn up for them that would get more emphasis. I haven't decided if it would be something activated by not scoring high enough with either of the romanceable characters or if it's something I would let players choose.
Secret Route:
In my head, I'm calling this the "I can fix her" route, because that's basically what it is. It would focus on getting to know Carmilla. In all versions of the story, there would ideally be a plot about learning to set boundaries with Carmilla, but this secret route would basically allow you to then romance her. Unlike the other routes, Carmilla wouldn't be something you could choose, you'd have to earn it through the main route.
Notes on the designs:
Carmilla died in the 50's and is old Hollywood-inspired, specifically Marilyn Monroe who I used as a clothing reference. Overall I wanted this whole series to read very campy and lean into tropes, so I tried to also capture as many vampire motifs as I could. While she loves to look glamorous she's actually not all that good at styling herself. I sort of based her on the wwdits vampire logic of them being dated but not completely tied down to whatever century they died in. Committing to the aesthetic is the most important factor.
Amélie is based on court jesters and is absolutely supposed to be a Harley Quinn knockoff. I mixed several eras for her clothing. Court jesters are associated mostly with being medieval so I pulled some references there with the headdress, which I heavily stylized to look like devil horns. The ribbons are a call back to the veils women used to wear. The collar and sleeves are more Elizabethan, while the stays are based on 18th century fashion. (I've been drawing too much ofmd fanart my bad everypony) Don't ask me where the chemise is, maybe it's cropped. For the bottom half I referenced DC comics silhouettes. It might also be worth mentioning that I was listening to Chappell Roan while drawing her initial designs, so that really carried over in the make-up, but I swear she was always going to be a redhead!
Dorian's outfit I have to be so real about, I'm not super satisfied with. I wanted to do a more modern, street-wear look. The best way to describe the vibe I wanted to go for is "if DC's Nightwing were to try to style Marvel's Prowler." I wanted this sort of uptight, hyper-serious sidekick to dress like what he thought villains dressed like. So I opted to put him in stereotypical "bad boy" clothing; leather jacket, studded belts, fingerless gloves. I looked at a lot of Shadow the Hedgehog gijinka fanart. I don't hate what I came up with, but I definitely want to push the design more next time, really amp up the emo, bad boy-ness of it all.
some notes on the design of the game:
Because I'm still very early on in the hypothetical process I don't have backgrounds or specific graphic design elements selected. However, my initial idea would be to use the classic comic book style font with the text bar emulating speech bubbles-- well, closer to the bubbles they use for inner dialogue or establishing shots. I want to play up that comic book vibe.
And for funsies here’s a facial sprite in action:
(ingore her lack of feet it's a sprite draft)
#i don't know if it's obvious but i go to art school teehee#txt#long post#oc#oc art#original art#original character#henchman anon#my art
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Roman Gets Help 1/5: Bad Nights
Part One: Virgil
Part Summary: Roman is always trying to make his anxiety more manageable with a bunch of different tactics. But a disorder is a disorder, and some days are worse than others. But at least his best friend Virgil is around to help.
Part of the Service Dog AU!
Pairings: Platonic Prinxiety
Warnings: Past panic attacks, medication, anxiety, Remus making poop jokes because he’s Remus, swearing and food mentions
Word Count: 2,751
Taglist: @hold-our-destiny @pricklyfish777 @romansleftshoulderpad
Notes: Cornybird on Ao3 deserves Many Squishmallows for editing so much of my stuff, including this. So send visual squishmallow vibes to her, she deserves it
Virgil really should have known something was weird when Roman didn’t text back.
The two had made plans during lunch to meet up at Roman’s house so he could help with Virgil’s Spanish homework. Roman was infinitely better with language stuff than Virgil could ever dream to be, and even when the work was done, it was always nice to hang out in his room and get away from his wild parents every once in a while. But since Roman left school early and Virgil had to stay after for band practice, he hadn’t heard or seen Roman in a while.
That in itself wasn’t weird, though. What was weird was that when Virgil texted him that he was on his way, Roman didn’t respond. Not even with an emoji reaction or a simple ‘okay’. But even then, what was even weirder was that Virgil was right outside his door, texting Roman to open it for him, and he still wasn’t responding.
Virgil checked the last three messages he sent to Roman’s phone. All of them were marked as delivered but not read, which was also very concerning. What could Roman be doing that he hadn’t checked his phone in thirty minutes? Virgil got anxious when he didn’t read messages immediately, let alone waiting half an hour.
Virgil sent him one last text before putting his phone away. You there? I’m outside.
No response. Virgil knocked on the door and shoved his hands in his pockets, waiting and shifting on his feet for someone to open the door. After a couple minutes, he started to think Roman had just forgotten.
However, a slight spark of hope rose up in him at the sound of the front door opening. But when Virgil looked up from his shoes to the person at the door, he felt his shoulders sag.
It wasn’t Roman who had opened the door. There was no shy and apologetic smile with Princess right under his feet. Instead, it was his bastard brother in ripped jeans and a green tank top, blowing bubblegum like a bully in a 90s Nickelodeon show.
“Well if it isn’t my favorite emo! What brings you here, Raven Way?” Remus asked, leaning on the door frame with a cocky smile.
Virgil rolled his eyes. “You’ve already used that one.”
“It’s my favorite nickname for you. It’s the perfect brand of insulting. It has spice to it.”
“I’m glad you’re entertained then. Is Roman out somewhere?”
Remus cocked an eyebrow. “No, he’s been up in his room. Last I checked he was as passed out as a corpse.”
“Okay...can I come in then?”
Remus smiled and opened the door for Virgil, taking a bow as he stepped inside. Virgil rolled his eyes again. This guy is so fucking weird. “You know where his room and the shitter is. Just follow the trail of dog hair to his royal highness.”
“You terrify me, Remus.”
“Good! That’s the aesthetic I’m going for. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with a bigass thing of chili dip in the fridge that may or may not be expired. We’ll see!” Virgil’s eyes narrowed as Remus skipped back to the kitchen and right to the fridge, but he really didn’t want to be around for that mess. Instead, Virgil went upstairs and turned left to Roman’s room, the colorful Disney decorations covering his door. Virgil knocked twice, but when met with no answer, he came inside anyway.
The first thing Virgil noticed was the lights. The windows and blinds were shut tight so no sunlight could get through while Roman’s fairy lights around his room were turned on. The soft twinkling gave the room a feeling of calmness, but the sight on the bed was more concerning than tranquil. Princess was sat down on top of the bed comforter with two arms wrapped around her, Roman blending in with the sheets he was under as he shoved his face in his dog’s fur. At least she didn’t seem to mind.
Roman looked up at the sound of the door opening. Virgil felt his heart sink when he saw the tear streaks down his face and his messed up hair, but Roman tried his best to respond to Virgil anyway. “Hey…”
Virgil took off his shoes and threw his backpack onto the floor next to the door. “Hey, dude. You look like shit.”
Roman made a strange huff sound, probably meant to be a laugh. “Thanks.”
He buried his face back into Princess’ fur, and Virgil felt that pang of worry grow stronger. He moved to the other side of the bed, sitting alongside Roman and his pile of blankets and pillows. “You okay?”
Roman shrugged. “I’m doing better.”
“What happened?”
“Panic attack.”
Virgil sucked the air through his teeth as a way to say yikes. “Seems like it was a pretty bad one.”
Princess rolled over onto Roman’s chest, and Roman cuddled even closer than what Virgil thought was possible. He looked so small when he did that. “Worse than usual.”
“Do you know what caused it?”
“No. Sometimes it just happens.” Roman kissed the top of Princess’ head. “Anxiety just...does that.”
“Yeah, I get it. Trust me, out of everyone you know, I’d probably be the one to understand it the most.”
“...Yeah.”
An awkward silence fell between the two of them. Virgil didn’t actually know what to do when Roman was like this. He’s stopped him from having panic attacks in the past, but he’d never seen him look this bad. Roman was curled in on himself under the covers, gripping onto Princess for dear life in an attempt to soothe himself. His pile of stuffed animals usually spread around the bed were now in a giant pile around his body, and his weighted blanket poked out from under the comforter too. It looked like he was trying his hardest to get comfortable, and Virgil didn’t know what else he could do. A distraction? A nap?
Well, only one way to find out.
Virgil took a deep breath in. “...Is there any way I can help?”
Roman shrugged again. “Not that I know.”
“Did you take a nap? That usually helps me the most.”
“I just woke up. My meds knocked me out.”
“Your meds?”
Roman took a pill bottle from his nightstand and showed it to Virgil. He read the confusing label that all medicine bottles have, but the name of the pills was long and unfamiliar in Virgil’s mind. Roman placed them back once Virgil got a good look and curled in on himself more. “Panic attack meds. They help you calm down really quick when you’re having an attack. They always put me to sleep after. Remus likes to call them my tranquilizer dart.”
Virgil snorted. “I mean...accurate name. I’ve just never seen you with those before.”
“I only take them on bad days. My therapist warned me about how I shouldn’t take them after every panic attack, because then I’ll never learn how to deal with them on my own, and I might get addicted. Which I’d rather not.”
“Yeah, I know about the addiction thing. I used to be on anti-anxiety until last year.”
Roman tilted his head up to look at Virgil for the first time. “Really?”
“Yup. I got eased off them after a while, though. Now I just take an antidepressant, which honestly isn’t much. I think everyone in our friend group is on some kind of meds.”
“...Patton?” Roman asked.
“Patton’s one depressed mother fucker. I say that out of love, but yes, he’s also on antidepressants.”
“And Logan?”
“...Dude. Epilepsy.”
Roman let out a silent oh. “...I forgot you take meds for that.”
“Our brains are fucked up and we accept this.”
Roman flashed a small smile but didn’t respond. After that, the two had fell silent as Virgil awkwardly patted a beat on his leg to put his nervous fidgeting to use.
What do you do for someone getting out of a panic attack? It was obvious Roman wasn’t in a talking mood, but it was killing him inside to just...sit there while he looked so helpless. But he’d never had to deal with this with a friend before. The worst he’d dealt with were Patton’s bad depression days, and those had nothing on how horrible Roman looked right now. And if he already took a nap...what else were you supposed to do after a panic attack?
Virgil thought back to his own experiences. Of course, Virgil’s anxiety was nothing compared to Roman’s, but it was better than nothing. And comfort worked no matter how bad you felt, even if it was only a little.
He thought back to his own parents. How his mom would hold him and let him cry into his shoulder if he needed to, but that was too awkward for him to do with Roman. His dad would let him curl up and watch him play games on the console, which could maybe work…
...Then Virgil remembered another thing his mom did once after one of his worst panic attacks. It might be a bit embarrassing because of intimacy, but it would help Roman feel better. And that’s all that matters.
“I’m gonna go get some stuff, okay?” Virgil said, “You stay right here.”
Roman hummed. “Wasn’t planning on going anywhere, but okay.”
With that, Virgil hopped out of Roman’s bed and left the bedroom.
First, he needed a water bottle. Roman probably had some water when he took his meds, but it likely wasn’t enough to stop a headache after all the crying. Virgil went downstairs to the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. While he was there, he looked through the rest of the fridge and noticed that there was no container of chili dip in there anymore. Gross.
Expired chili dip aside, he would need a face rag as well. Virgil went through a hallway on the first floor to the older bathroom downstairs, looking through the drawers for a decent cloth. A small one was hidden in the back of the drawer with some bottles of face wash and lotion, so Virgil grabbed that and took a mental note to put it back later. He stood in front of the faucet and stared at it for a while.
Was cold or hot water better for getting tears off someone’s face? Warm water seemed like it’d be more comfortable, but cold water could also be more refreshing. He thought about the possibilities for a while and settled on warm based on his own preferences, turning the hot and cold handles to where the water was only slightly warm, wetting a side of the cloth then turning the faucet off.
Before he left the bathroom, Virgil grabbed a couple squares of toilet paper and then headed out the door. He was back in Roman’s room not even five minutes later, setting his stuff on the nightstand for a second as he grabbed his DS from his bag and turned it on. Roman glanced up from the bed with a confused look, but didn’t say anything. Virgil came back next to the bed and motioned for Roman to move to the middle. Reluctantly, and with some shifting of Princess still at his side, Roman did so.
Virgil sat in Roman’s old spot and grabbed the wad of toilet paper. “Here, sit up and blow your nose. The last thing you need right now is more breathing problems.”
Roman grunted as she shimmied out from under his weighted blanket to sit up against the headboard of his bed. He took the toilet paper from Virgil and blew. “...Thanks.”
“No problem. Now just stick with me for this next part, because I’m not good with touchy-touchy shit, so this’ll be a little awkward.”
Roman gave Virgil a confused look, but he didn’t say anything. He grabbed the damp cloth and silently tilted Roman’s head to face him. Virgil tentatively lifted the cloth to his face and wiped the tears from under his eyes, the gesture mixed with the warm water making Roman hum in content. Virgil didn’t acknowledge what was happening, he just wiped off his friend’s face, flipping to the dry part of the cloth to dry him off after.
“There. That should help you feel less gross, anyway.”
“Thanks...it helped.”
“Yeah, don’t mention it.” Virgil set the cloth to the side and handed Roman the water bottle. “And drink this, it’ll help with that nasty headache you probably have.”
Roman twisted the cap open and chugged the bottle, finishing half of it in record speed before putting it down again. Virgil could tell by how fast he chugged it that his head was probably throbbing.
“Feeling a little better now?” Roman nodded. “Wanna watch me play Harvest Moon until you probably pass out again?”
He nodded again, Virgil scooting closer to him so Roman could place his head on his shoulder as he watched. His hand combed through Princess’ fur as Princess trapped the other under her paw to lick. Most people would think it was gross, but considering licking was one of her grounding techniques, he was desensitized to it by now. “Which one do you have?”
“A New Beginning. I’ll show you all my cows because they’re bomb as fuck. My first cow is named Oven and I have a baby one named Chaos.”
Roman laughed as Virgil started up the game. “Awesome. You play it often?”
“Eh, sometimes. It’s not my favorite game, but I carry it with me because it’s good for calming anxiety down. All I gotta do is feed my animals and mine and shit. Nothing else matters, you know?”
Roman nodded as best he could from Virgil’s shoulder. Virgil loaded up his save file and started to show Roman around his farm, mostly skipping the crops and going straight to the pets and farm animals with the most ridiculous names Virgil could get away with using only six letters. Virgil chatted away about his game and read all the speech bubbles out loud, showing off his wife who he swears he married platonically since his character was obviously gay and talking about his rivalry with the hair stylist. Roman wasn’t responding much, just a few hums and little laughs here and there, but Virgil didn’t mind. So long as his friend was feeling better, that was all that mattered.
A while later, Virgil was baking desserts for a contest being held in town when he spoke up again. “I’m shit at cooking good stuff in this game, but I can make some neat pancakes, apparently. I’m gonna make this contest my bitch.”
There was no response. That wasn’t very strange in itself, but usually when Virgil sweared, Roman at least made a small huff of a laugh from his shoulder. But this time, he was completely quiet. Virgil looked over at his shoulder when he almost awwww’ed out loud.
Roman had fallen back asleep, his mouth open slightly with his arms cuddling Princess extra close as she seemed to relax alongside him. He was adorable, and in a moment of softness that Virgil would deny to the end of his days, he helped Roman to lay back in bed and brushed the hair out of his face. Roman still clung slightly to him even as he slept, so Virgil accepted his fate and moved to curl up alongside him, continuing his game with a smile on his face.
“Your sleep schedule is gonna be absolutely fucked, dude.” Virgil said. There was no response, obviously, and Virgil didn’t talk to his sleeping friend after that. He just took a mental note to tell his parents he was staying the night before it got too late and kept caring for his farm.
Maybe later he’d wake Roman up and get him some dinner, letting him recharge and take a shower before they actually had to go to bed. He’d be too awake to actually sleep at first, but the company of his friend and the comfort of his dog would keep him calm through that, even when Roman hated being awake past eleven. Patton may even find out and tease Virgil about having a heart after all, which Virgil would deny until the end of his days. But his edgy reputation wasn’t what mattered right now.
Instead, Virgil smiled and cuddled closer as Roman slept peacefully.
#sanders sides#thomas sanders#service dog au#ts roman#ts virgil#prinxiety#platonic prinxiety#food mention#panic attack mention#ts remus#remus sanders#medication mention
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Truth Seekers spoilers
okay so I have a lot of thoughts surrounding the characters Dave and Jojo and I’m gonna talk about them under the cut so don’t look any further if you haven’t watched the show yet and don’t want to be spoiled!!
so... what exactly ARE Dave and Jojo?
I think we have three main options: gods (more specifically God and Satan), angels and/or demons, or aliens, and there’s a decent bit of evidence for each thing/stuff that could be interpreted to link to each thing, and I’m gonna delve into that in this post. So buckle up lads this is gonna be a long one.
First I’m gonna go over the possibility that they’re aliens since that is the one I personally think is least likely since most, if not all, of the evidence that suggests that they’re aliens is linked to Dave and not Jojo. Anyway, Alien Evidence: - Dave pulls out the Pioneer Plaques to show Jojo what he based his human appearance on. So they could be aliens that came across the Pioneer spacecraft and decided to investigate Earth further - Dave himself is a huge Carl Sagan reference, as listed by this tumblr post here, so his appearance could have been a result of him being inspired by one particular human he happened to like a lot (similar to how he appears to like Gus and Astrid a lot) - the slogan on the side of Gus’ van says “connecting worlds”, and we can safely assume that that is Smyle’s slogan, the slogan of the company that Dave is in charge of. So this could be a similar situation to The Network in The World’s End in the sense that Dave could be an alien aiming to connect different intelligent civilisations throughout space. Although it definitely seems like Dave isn’t seeking to aggressively convert and control these civilisations that he connects like The Network... right? I’m fairly confident that he’s supposed to be a Good(TM) character and not some surprise twist villain but y’know we’ll never know
So yeah while there is definitely some stuff to suggest that this mysterious pair are aliens, I personally don’t think they are since I’ve found more evidence suggesting that they are something else. They appear to be too in tune with Earth, the creatures inhabiting it, and “the other side” that souls pass on to after animals and humans die just to be aliens from another world that are observing the planet. Plus the use of the phrase “Super Being” for some reason doesn’t feel alien to me, because unless they’re very self entitled aliens (and Dave definitely doesn’t give off that vibe) then I don’t think they would consider themselves as above humanity, which is the energy that the phrase “Super Being” gives off. I heard that phrase and interpreted it as meaning ‘beings that are above humanity and above human comprehension’. Aliens for the most part are depicted as being just another race of beings, not above humanity despite how much further advanced they are. There is the possibility of Dave being the only alien of the two but then how did these two creatures meet? It just doesn’t feel right since they both appear to be on the same level as each other and have some kind of mutual understanding as if they were both the same thing, not two different creatures.
Anyway next I’m going to move onto the things suggesting that they’re angels and/or demons. This seems more plausible to me than aliens but I’m still not 100% sure on this one but I will say that there is a lot of evidence/interpretations that could suggest both this possibility and the possibility of them being gods. Angel/Demon Evidence: - the name ‘Jojo’ could be a link to the angel Jophiel - there is a mention of a ‘bigger picture’ so we could have a Good Omens-type situation where there is a plan in motion that both Dave and Jojo are a part of and are making sure that it is played out - the “what did you come as?” “same as always, a man” bit obviously suggests that their actual forms are definitely not human and probably not even humanoid (whereas an alien would be at least humanoid in some capacity). Bibically accurate angels do not look human/humanoid in the slightest, and demons, while a bit more humanoid than angels, are still very animalistic in appearance. Also, imagine an innocent angel that has never pried to look at what a human ACTUALLY looks/acts like suddenly panics about having to look and act like a human and pulls up that one thing the humans sent out to the aliens as a reference and goes entirely on that (listen I really like Dave he seems like such a Good Boy who isn’t the brightest but he’s trying his best) - Dave’s aversion to swearing, links to the theme of purity which is obviously an angel thing. Plus ‘Good’ characters will often have a trait of being against swearing to reinforce the idea that they are Good and Pure - Gus makes a comment about Dave “never not being [at Smyle HQ]” so he’s clearly there all the time, which could suggest a lack of needing to go home and do basic human functions such as eat and sleep etc (I do want to bring up that an alien still would probably need to continue with some kind of basic functions that have similar purposes). Plus while he does have a coffee cup on his desk, it’s only filled with pens - in a similar vein, Jojo appears to spend all of her time in the abandoned Happy Eater, and even though it’s an abandoned restaurant, it’s been abandoned for over 20 years and therefore won’t have any edible food still in it (except for the crisps but let’s be real Elton why did you try and get those out they’re probably horribly out of date). The still steaming cup of tea/coffee and the crisps in the vending machine I feel like were put there by Jojo to play to the gang’s curiosity and prompt them to explore further and find her
there are a few things here that could also be used to suggest that they are gods/God and Satan, plus there’s a few more bits that would also go in this section but I’m saving them for the next bit. Anyway there’s the stuff pointing to them being either both angels or Dave being an angel and Jojo being a demon, and there’s plenty more evidence compared to the amount of things that suggest that they’re aliens.
Finally we have the things linked to the idea of them being gods of some kind, or more specifically God and Satan. This is the idea that I am the most sure of. Gods/God and Satan Evidence: - as I mentioned already, the idea of the ‘bigger picture’, but instead they are the ones in charge of carrying this out. This feels more likely especially when considering the way that Jojo talks about her ‘use’ of Toynbe. Plus the way that the two go about doing everything, the ambiguous vibe that the two are either having the equivalent of a friendly card game against each other or are actually on opposite sides. Consider the placement of the rose in the field and the planting of the cameras etc - also as mentioned earlier, the implication that Dave never leaves Smyle HQ and Jojo stays in the abandoned restaurant. Also I want to add on the fact that neither of them appear to have cars, like Dave outright says “I don’t have a car” and yet knows how to drive the one he borrows, and there’s no sign of a car at Jojo’s hideout. Plus the way she doesn’t make any kind of journey and just appears in Dave’s office: he doesn’t look up to see who’s walking through the door and there is no shot of Jojo walking through the door, he simply smiles as if he senses her presence appearing in the room before looking at her - Dave wears blue, white, and grey clothing, which are also the same colours used in his office, and the lighting whenever he’s in shot is always either bright and white or a light blue, especially in that last scene where Jojo and Dave are chatting in his office; every time the camera is on him, the lighting of the shot is always blue. White especially is associated with holiness and purity, as well as being a colour that is associated with God, angels, and heaven. Blue is similar in the sense that heaven is always depicted with white clouds and bright blue skies, as well as blue often being a colour used to represent ‘Good’ characters - speaking of colours, Jojo is also linked to certain colours, with those colours being red and black (but primarily red). The abandoned restaurant is dark and barely lit, and her hideout in the basement is primarily lit with red lighting, both in the scene where she encounters the Truth Seekers gang and at the end where she rings Gus and orders that guy to send a cleanup crew. Also, once again in that last scene, she not only is wearing a black item of clothing, the lighting of her shots are always red to oppose Dave’s blue lighting. Red obviously is synonymous with hell, evil, the Devil/Satan, sin etc. Red is also often used to represent villains and evil characters, and black is similar with its themes of darkness and it’s use for villains. I like to think that Jojo got that blue rose for Dave partially to mock him, especially when considering that apparently blue roses are often used to symbolize mystery or attaining the impossible. (Also I want to point out that we already know that these boys do love their colour coding/theming as evidenced by the Cornetto Trilogy) - once again I’ll bring up the phrase “Super Being”, which really does sound like a phrase that a god who is very much above humanity would use, like that just screams ‘gods’ to me - I used this as alien evidence but Dave looking like Carl Sagan could also be applied to him being a god and just deciding to base his appearance on a human he liked a lot - same with the “connecting worlds” slogan, since I think that part of Dave and Jojo’s game/contest involves experimenting with and/or influencing the boundaries between the ghost realm and the living realm, this slogan could have something to do with that - the way that Jojo says she “shouldn’t have used [Toynbe]”, which reminds me of the story in the Bible where the Devil tempts Jesus, except Toynbe succumbed to the temptation and “focused too much on the immortality” - speaking of that line in particular, it also makes me think that Dave and Jojo are the ones ‘in charge’ of whatever game or contest or battle that the two are having, as I mentioned already. But that line, as well as other things, also gives the impression that they are alone in this, like Dave isn’t just one of many angels or a god with loads of angel lackeys to do things for him, and the same goes for Jojo. They do appear to have human ‘lackeys’ to do more basic tasks such as Jojo requesting the cleanup crew and Dave having a company with human employees, but overall the humans are unaware of what is really happening. Whatever thing that these two have with each other, whether they’re friends having a casual game or are on opposing sides and having a serious battle of some kind but are remaining friendly with each other because there isn’t anyone else like them, it definitely feels like these two are pitting against each other alone, with nobody else who really knows what is happening
Overall, I think the two are some kind of higher entities that are above humanity yet they are still very strongly linked to and woven into the fabric of the Earth and the human race, so like they’re not outsiders to the mechanisms/forces of the planet. They seem more knowledgeable on the ghost realm/afterlife than humanity is, but whether they can actually control/influence it is still a bit of a mystery, like part of their game/contest could be one big experiment with the living realm and the ghost realm. Who knows? Not us, since season 2 isn’t going to be a thing, so I’m just gonna theorise until I die /j
So there ya go, all of my current evidence and thoughts on what the hell is going on with Dave and Jojo. I will probably update this post if I come up with/find any more things to add, probably by reblogging it. Also of course do feel free to reblog and add your own theories!
#my brain apparently remembered that it did English A Level while writing this all out#but yeah these two characters have captivated me#literally have been thinking about them 24/7 for the past few days#especially Dave I really like him#NO not just because he's played by Simon Pegg#truth seekers#truth seekers show#amazon prime#jojo74#truth seekers dave#truth seekers jojo#simon pegg#nick frost#beef speaks
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Alt-Lithuania Concept Art
I said I would write an introduction for Alt-Liet, but then I thought I could maybe do it in picture form instead! After all I would get less distracted that way probably, and show how he would look in my stories too! Consider this my first actual concept art (?).
(I’m sorry for the lack of posts. But I almost have another fic done. It’s just that these past few weeks have been emotionally hectic due to my councilor of 2 years leaving yesterday. I do hope to get the rest done today and after my dentist appointment tomorrow. Hopefully I’ll be able to submit more art too, but I overestimate myself.)
More description under the cut!
I’m not so sure on a lot of things yet, but here’s my ideas for him and his possible personality. Also I tried copying Hima’s style a bit but that was a bit hard (and I can’t draw chibi it seems). Especially in color. Also damn you eraser burn- And I wish I could get the ash grey shade I wanted for the hair... looks like I brought bad quality colored pencils. And I got a bit lazy at the end. And it’s a bit off-model. Yay.
Mainly I wanted to see if I could halve the length of his hair and change his eye color and his personality and still make him resemble Liet. And... I might have succeeded? Idk. But I think I did to an extent. Though I swear at times he started to resemble Switzerland or Hong Kong or even Japan. Or a Team Rocket Grunt. Though that’s probably a good thing since those definitely don’t look girly. Or even Adult!Red from Pokemon or Link.
But to explain: the hair is shortened due to the fact that his canon haircut would definitely get him labeled gay in his culture. I even saw a post on Quora specifically mentioning that long-haired guys are almost never seen there. ...Though I definitely struggled with how short or long his sideburns should be. Sideburns, especially huge ones, have long been a symbol of masculine hotbloodedness in anime (and I find nice, fluffy ones really cute), but I think I made them a bit too long so he still looks a bit girly/a bit too much like a rockstar... as for eye color, I heard that grey-blue eyes are common in the Baltic region, and they can be very striking, which depending on the direction I go with his character would be very fitting. But I might go with a pale greyish teal, invoking his forests. Both can give him a mysterious feel, something I also want to incorporate into his character. That’s why his face is shaded so heavily here (and why his eyes lack visible pupils) btw; I thought they would really bring out the pale eyes and give that mysterious, even slightly unsettling effect. Though since I also heavily shade Finland and Russia’s faces I might be overusing the idea. Just not jade green, since Hima overuses that color when that color is very rare in general, even in places where light eyes are common.
One thing I know for sure about Alt-Liet; he’s a pretty bad alcoholic. Nowadays probably even worse than Russia. Hence the ubiquitous bottles of mead and that one little drawing of him blacked out. He definitely gets “Oh, your capital is Riga, right?” or “Oh, you’re... Latvia?” a lot, to the point it’s basically his Berserk Button lol (Also included a reference here no one reading this would probably get). The “blyat” here because his curse words are... not very strong. And unfortunately by modern day he’d be aware of it so he wouldn’t go around shouting “Green rue!” or “Gritty flour!” when he stubs his toe or gets cut in traffic (Yes, really). I’m not sure whether he’d be as (apparently) fashion blind as his canon counterpart or actually be the least fashionably questionable of the three Baltics, since I may have heard the latter would be more accurate, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of Lithuanian men are as blasé about their clothing as most Eastern European men are.
I’m thinking I would draw his teeth to look kind of jagged to give him a somewhat wild vibe. And combined with his rough hair as a child it would give him a “Wild Child” look.
Also have an earlier version too. Changed because an intended “game” face looked too scary.
I feel bad for adding the cap. Oh well.
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A Story A Day Keeps COVID Away – 05/20/20: Very Naked
Keisha was quiet for a long time, trying to figure out how best to phrase her next words without utterly shattering the nervous excitement on Mark’s face. Stalling for time, she slowly lowered herself onto the couch next to his workstation, instantly regretting it when it put her directly next to his hopeful eyes.
“She’s…”
At her hesitation, his face began to fall, causing Keisha to scramble. “No, no, she’s not bad, she’s just… very naked.”
Now, Mark was incredulous. “Wha- what does that even mean?”
“It means exactly what it means,” she bristled. “She has less clothing than a Victoria’s Secret ad.”
“Yeah! Doesn’t she look awesome?”
“She looks like a supermodel in…what did you show me last week?” Keisha snapped her fingers. “Cosplay! She look like a supermodel trying to cosplay!”
Mark groaned. “This is another one of those ‘I-don’t-get-it-because-I-was-raised-in-the-stone-age’ things, isn’t it.”
“Hey.” She gave his hair a retaliatory ruffle, which he swatted away. “Stone age and highly limited wi-fi access are different. I turned out alright, didn’t I?”
“If by ‘alright’ you mean ‘boomer in a millennial’s body’, then sure,” he muttered. With one hand, he grabbed Keisha’s fingers before they could reach his head again. He used the other hand to pull something up on his phone and offered it to her. “Look, here’s the whole team’s character concept designs.”
When she took the phone, she stared transfixed at the first image. “Wow. Is that a samurai?”
“Yup.” He proudly lounged in his swivel chair. “Took ages to get those decals just right.”
“That one is yours?” Keisha zoomed in to better examine the finer details of the armour. “This is amazing.” She scrolled through more character sheets, marvelling at all the designs. “All of these look amaz-”
Suddenly, she stopped. Scrolled a bit. Stopped. Scrolled a bit more, and then up, and then down, and then she just. Stared.
She looked up at Mark. “Why are all the women shite.”
“Excuse me?!” Indignantly, he sat up. “I worked on some of those women!”
“Doesn’t make them any less weirdly dressed. You said this was a fighting game?”
“3D third-person mobile MOBA.” Keisha stared at him blankly. “Yes, it’s a fighting game.”
“If that’s the case, why are more than half of them dressed for a striptease?” She squinted at one of the characters. “Is that one even wearing a bra?”
“Give me that.” He snatched the phone from her hand and examined the photo. Quickly, he zoomed out. “I’m sure that was a rendering error. Bryan’s computer is really laggy. Anyway, that’s just one.”
“Just one?” She snatched the phone back and scrolled to a different avatar. “Who walks into a battlefield wearing thigh highs and garters?”
“Badasses, that’s who!”
“They chafe! A lot! It’s hard enough to dance in them, let alone run in them!”
“That’s not the- wait.” He narrowed his eyes. “How would you know how hard it is to dance in garters?”
“…you must be a level 4 boyfriend to unlock that part of my backstory.”
“I sent you that meme!”
“Yeah well, next character.” She swiped up. “This one is an actual 5 year old.”
At that, he crossed his arms and smiled smugly. “Read the description.”
Keisha zoomed in on the lore paragraph next to the design. “Fine, she has the body of a 5 year old.”
“See, there we go.”
“That doesn’t excuse the miniskirt!”
“Now you’re just moving the goalposts!”
Keisha stared at him in shock until he processed what he had said. “Yeah, okay, I’ll take it up with Bryan. Still, they’re not all garbage.”
“You’re right. Look.” She scrolled to the bottom of the page, to a woman piloting a mech suit, and turned the screen towards Mark. “This one I like.”
When he saw the character sheet, he blushed furiously. “Oh. Uh. Um.”
“What.”
“That one is… kinda… based on you?”
“What?!” She zoomed in on the face, looking for a resemblance.
“I didn’t make it look it like you!” he protested. “It was around the time we first met, but before we really got to know each other. You were just ‘that really cool smart woman who made mechanical engineering sound like interesting and not like a death sentence’. I just took your field of study and general vibe and ran with it.” Mark focussed on the wall behind Keisha, face scrunched up in the way it always did when he was flustered. “I swear, I didn’t copypaste you into the game, and I can change her more if you’re not comfortable or anything.”
“No. It’s okay.” Keisha smiled, her face growing warm. “It’s really sweet of you.”
“Oh.” His face went even redder. “Well, that’s a relief.”
Keisha leaned back on the couch, carefully examining the character. “This one is the most… real. Of all the ladies. And I’m not just saying that because she’s based on me.” She scrolled up. “The men look like people. The way they look has practicality, purpose, personality. The women either look like lingerie mannequins or 500-year-old immortal toddlers.”
“5000. But-” he defensively raised his hand before she could interject- “I see your point.” He stretched an arm towards her, and she gave him back his phone. Mark scrolled through the designs. “These don’t really appeal to you, do they?”
She shook her head. “I know I don’t play games much, but I doubt I’m the only one would think that boob windows are a bit much.”
“Alright, I get it. And there’s only one character with a boob window.” Keisha gestured at the phone, and Mark scrolled farther down. He sighed, rubbed a hand over his face, and turned off the phone. “Goddammit Bryan.”
“You’d probably get better characters if you did what you did with me.”
Mark glanced up. “What? Oh no, that felt like borderline identity theft, I really don’t want to do that again.”
“No! I mean, yes, but – just make them like real people.” She nudged Mark’s workstation. “You did some research for that samurai, right?”
“Yeah. It’s not totally historically accurate, but learning about the Satsuma Rebellion made me think about samurai in a whole new way.”
“So try to put that same sort of effort into making the feel women real. Backstories that justify a child wearing a miniskirt won’t cut it.”
“I’ll be sure to let the crew know.”
“Especially Bryan?”
“Especially him.” Stretching, Mark rose from his chair, and looked at Keisha. “Hey. Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For market testing my concept art? For pointing out something I probably wouldn’t have picked up on? For being the best girlfriend on the planet?” Keisha giggled at the last one, and stood to give Mark a peck on the cheek.
“Good thing I’m such a boomer, or you wouldn’t have someone noob enough to call you out on your nonsense.”
Mark grinned, wrapping an arm around Keisha. “Your vocab is getting better all the time. Maybe one day you’ll be current enough to pick up a game that isn’t Tetris.”
“Sure, when you beat my highscore.”
He laughed. “Well, then I guess you’ll always be my stone age girl.”
#astoryadaykeepsCOVIDaway#coronavirus#covid-19#writing#writers on tumblr#this story is brought to you by:#my frustration with nearly every female character design in Arena of Valor#inspiration/motivation that came to me an hour before midnight#and the particular brand of exhaustion unique to a procrastinating summer school student
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