theawesomeidea

[theawesomeidea]

These are 3 entries to a t-shirt contest for an app game.

These are not a trace-over or copy of a model - every detail is 100% handmade. If you could be so very kind as to follow the links and give my entries a vote and/or comment, I'd be forever grateful. The contest is largely judged on votes, and there’s only a few days left, so every last one I get would be gold to me.

https://www.designbyhumans.com/vote/detail/717294

https://www.designbyhumans.com/vote/detail/717318

https://www.designbyhumans.com/vote/detail/717304

[theawesomeidea]

☆ Hello, traveler.

♔ Dedicated to: @theawesomeidea

[theawesomeidea]

☆ Greater Dog wants some TLC.

♔ Dedicated to: @theawesomeidea

[theawesomeidea]

☆ Is something burning?

♔ Dedicated to: @theawesomeidea

[theawesomeidea]

☆ Long ago, two races ruled over Earth: HUMANS and MONSTERS. ♔ Dedicated to: @theawesomeidea

[theawesomeidea]

Undertale-?!

250 followers!!!

As for celebrating 250 followers, the first 15 people who reblog this will receive a theme based on their blog/music request having to do with Steven universe or undertale. Anyone can participate.

[theawesomeidea]

The Understory Project, Entry 17:

Hello there! I’m very pleased to introduce to you the second clip of the Understory! This is the start menu!

Yes I know, “start menu” isn’t 100% accurate in relation to the game, but it’s the first menu that appears in the animation, so… start menu.

You might be asking, though: “Why Chara, of all names?”

This name was chosen for the fallen human after careful consideration, and there are many reasons why which can’t all be explained yet (without giving away major spoilers). So I’ll just leave you with this question: if the Understory is an animation about a video game, then who’s the one playing the game?

Music by the incredibly talented @hellish-sherbet

Thank you so much for all that you've put into this Project. You're an amazing artist and an amazing person, and I'm so lucky to have met you.

[theawesomeidea]

*DON’T CLICK THE LINK IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS*

@hellish-sherbet

The “Once Upon a Time” scene plays to explain some backstory.

Frisk finds himself face-to-face with a talking flower, who proceeds to say the first lines of the Understory. Flowey speaks in a squeaky and overly cheerful voice.

Toriel rescues Frisk and takes him on a tour through the Underground. She speaks in a soothing and motherly tone to settle the child down. At this point, the viewer can’t tell what her intentions are.

The episode ends with Toriel bestowing the cell phone to Frisk. Frisk does not have any lines yet. When he does speak in the next episode, it will be very significant.

[theawesomeidea]

[theawesomeidea]

Basically me now.

Also I think I've completely lost my ability to draw, heheh.

[theawesomeidea]

Hey.

Saw you weren’t feeling well and I thought, “Don’t I have that little fan sketch of Emily and Eva sitting on my computer? Bet that would cheer him up.” So here you go!

I was originally intending to make it a larger and much more detailed picture, so what you’re seeing is a basic foundation of what I had in mind.

And I don’t think Eva is cute. At all. What gave you that silly idea…

(By the way, let me know if the legs are wrong - I kept going back and forth with the shape, because none of your sketches are drawn below the waistline, so I had nothing to base it off of.)

[theawesomeidea]

The Understory Project, Entry 16:

for @neon-pigments

Need I say more than these two beautiful images?

The Battle System is built and ready to go (and so is Flowey)! There are just a couple of minor differences between it and the one seen in Undertale - the first is the resized spaces above and below the HP meter (decreased so that the System crowds the screen less), and the second is the monster’s dialogue font. I just stuck to the normal menu font.

But doesn’t this look beautiful?! I EVEN GOT THE FRIENDLINESS PELLETS RIGHT! And if you look very closely, especially in the first image, you can see that the System is textured with a pixelated glowing look, as well as a dusty surface texture, as if… you’re really looking into a game screen…

Now I wonder why that is…

[theawesomeidea]

your dismissal of nonbinary characters/people in your post is disgusting. they're not food to be eaten or a pet to keep, they are normal people too. their gender is NOT up for interpretation and not having a binary gender changes absolutely nothing about them. they're the same person as before, with personality, traits, skills, talents, likes, dislikes - not being a girl or a boy does not change that. whether or not that applies to frisk and chara, you can't treat REAL LIFE nb people like things

WELL HELLO AGAIN, MY BEAUTIES!

I DON’T SUPPOSE I NEED AN INTRODUCTION AT THIS POINT! YOU ALL KNOW WHO YOUR FAVORITE STAR-STUDDED IDOL OF THE UNDERGROUND IS! CHEERS, DARLINGS!

NOW THEN, ON TO YOUR MESSAGE, MY ANONYMOUS BEAUTY!

*ONE MOMENT… ALLOW ME TO READ THIS OVER…*

… FOOD? PETS? DARLING, THE ARTIST NEVER MADE A COMPARISON BETWEEN PEOPLE AND THOSE TWO NASTY THINGS. WHAT AN UNFABULOUS THOUGHT..! OF COURSE NB’S ARE NORMAL PEOPLE. WHATEVER GAVE YOU THE IDEA THAT THEY WEREN’T?

AS FAR AS INTERPRETATION OF CHARACTER GOES, THE ARTIST WAS ONLY REFERRING TO AMBIGUITY, IF YOU’LL LOOK BACK TO THE ENTRY. INTERPRETATION OF AN INDIVIDUAL’S IDENTITY IS AN ABSURD THOUGHT, IN MY OWN OPINION. HOW WOULD YOU INTERPRET ANOTHER’S RACE? OR ANOTHER’S RELIGION EVEN? GENDER IS JUST LIKE THESE THINGS - A TRUTH AT THE VERY CORE OF THE PERSON, WHICH DOES NOT CHANGE! DARLING, WHAT I’VE JUST MENTIONED - AND I BELIEVE OUR ARTIST WOULD AGREE - IS AN INDISPENSABLE FACT OF IDENTITY.

OH! AND OF COURSE A PERSON CAN HAVE… WHAT DID YOU MENTION HERE… “PERSONALITY, TRAITS, SKILLS, TALENTS, LIKES, DISLIKES”, REGARDLESS OF THEIR IDENTITY. OF COURSE, OF COURSE! SAYING THAT A NB IS NOT CAPABLE OF THESE THINGS IS PURE RUBBISH. WHY WOULD IDENTITY KEEP ONE FROM EXPRESSING SUCH FUNDAMENTAL THINGS? MADNESS!

WELL THEN, DARLING, I HOPE THAT ABOUT CLEARS UP THE CONFUSION HERE. AND I HOPE, DEAR AUDIENCE, THAT I WAS ABLE TO WIPE AWAY YOUR PUZZLED FACES REGARDING ENTRY #15! AND IF NOT, I’D BE HAPPY TO GIVE YOU ALL ANOTHER PERFORMANCE! YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE THE STAGE~

GOODNIGHT, AND SWEET DREAMS!

[theawesomeidea]

Elaborating on Entry #15

This is in response to someone’s criticism about my Entry #15, and what I wrote in it. This is to clear up any future confusion or criticism regarding the post. I received permission from the person to reference their message when responding. So from this point forward, I’ll be addressing them personally.

You said you did not understand what the Understory was. If you don’t mind my saying, this is what made the majority of the things I said seem offensive to you. I was making a progress update - an Entry - to the development of a story I’m making based on Undertale. What I wrote, I wrote from a literary perspective, so my wording is going to seem a little cut-and-dry.

I never said that non-binary meant a conglomerate of cismale and cisfemale characteristics. I did say that a non-binary person COULD express traits of both genders, and I called it an “advantage” as far as writing is concerned, but that’s not what is defining about them. And I did not consider the gender as something “new to try out for a thrill”. Non-binary gender is not a ride, or an experience, obviously. It’s an identity.

I did not accuse non-binary people of lacking depth. In some cases, they actually have more depth than cisgender people. That goes back to the “advantage” I was talking about.

I think you’re confusing the way I was referring to “traits”. I was not talking about personality. That would make it seem like I think non-binary people have no personality, or any distinguishing details whatsoever... and that is the total opposite of the truth. Remember the context - I’m talking about characters from a writing perspective here. I was referring to “traits” as story-driving elements that the character possesses. Set aside personality for a moment. How does the character interact with others? How do you set friendships with some of them, a brother/sisterhood with another, and a romance with still another? Sure, a non-binary character would be easy to write about - just as easy as anything else - until you get to the interactions. Would a non-binary Frisk fall in love with Sans? Papyrus? Undyne? Would they become “pals” instead? When they meet Asriel, will they see him as a friend or a brother or a lover? Why?

Do you see the “writer’s chaos” I mentioned?

As far as the dish analogy goes, again, I was referring to story-driving elements. Interactions. A character, regardless of gender, obviously can’t have every type of relationship with every person in the story, just like a dish (sorry) can’t have every flavor. But as a viewer samples the story, the possibility of any single person becoming the character’s friend, or love interest, or simple acquaintance would be overwhelming. There’s nothing to tip you off that the character may bond with someone a certain way, so how would you know? In a literary sense, there’s not enough flow. Until it actually happens, we’re just left guessing.

I was not picturing non-binary people as a “blank canvas” or a “buffet”. That doesn’t even make sense.

You said “you make it sound like a female character can’t be loud and boisterous and that a male character can’t be passive or demure”. I’ve looked over my words again and again and I can’t figure out how you came to that conclusion. I wholeheartedly believe that a character, male or female, can have “non-stereotypical” qualities. Hell, if everyone in this world just had cookie-cutter, gender stereotyping personalities, then this would be a pretty boring place to live in. Scratch that, it would personally drive me crazy.

“People can exist in so many different ways no matter their gender identity.” Something else we agree on.

You said that I was making the assumption that the Understory’s audience would be all cisgender viewers, and that furthermore I was assuming they wouldn’t be able to relate to non-binary characters. Sorry, but both of these claims are wrong. First, I know very well that when the Understory attracts a substantial audience (God willing), a large portion of it will not be cisgender. Second, I do not believe that this audience will feel disconnected from the characters because of a gender issue. What you’re referring to is the third part of my entry - about ambiguous characters. Let me assure you that this is a completely different topic. Ambiguous characters, at least the way I was referring to it, never have their identity confirmed in the story and therefore are left to be interpreted by the viewer. And due to this lack of confirmation, the viewer experiences a hidden disconnect. I was not melding “ambiguous” and “non-binary” into the same definition, nor was I saying a non-binary person can’t be relatable. That’s ridiculous.

The analogy of the dog is just an extension of what I said. I was not inferring that non-binary people were the same as pets. Or... food. That’s absurd. I’ll admit the dog analogy may have been a poor example (at the time I thought it was a clever nod to Undertale’s obsession with omnipotent dogs), but come on. I can’t be dehumanizing people because I mentioned a pet.

In conclusion, friend, the entry I wrote was not a stab at non-binaries (or people of any other gender), and it wasn’t hinting that non-binaries are undefined, 1 dimensional creatures with no personality. May I stress again that you please look at the CONTEXT of the writing. What I wrote was an explanation of my decision to make Frisk and Chara both male. I was proving that I had explored every other major possibility before making this decision, because I know how much the community, of which you are a part of, cares about this topic.

If there’s any reason my response to you wasn’t satisfying, please shoot me a message.

God bless you, friend. Have an awesome day.

[theawesomeidea]

The Understory Project, Entry 15:

What will Frisk and Chara’s gender be?

This is a tough question to answer, because everyone has their own take on it, and there’s been many a fight break out over it. Well, allow me to try and explain my own personal take.

I’ve decided that both Frisk and Chara will be boys. This was a decision that I arrived at after weighing every other option possible. So, here’s my reasoning…

First of all, Frisk and Chara in some senses can be regarded as twins in Undertale. I’ll stress SOME senses, since they aren’t actually related. Undertale hints at how strikingly similar the player is to the first human, down to their choice of clothing. To preserve this kind of similarity between the two characters (which Toby constantly reminds us of throughout the game), it is appropriate that they share the same gender. Otherwise, there will always be a slight yet bold distinction between the two that could take away from the story.

Now, why can’t the humans be girls, or non-binary, or simply ambiguous? A delicate question. I’ll answer one at a time.

The truth is, they could EASILY be girls. Essentially nothing would change in the story; in fact, there are advantages to this option. But here’s my reason - by design, girls are always the highlights of any story, whether they be protagonists, side characters, or even foes. Look at any book or film. The girl, no matter what role she’s playing, is a highlight. A peak of interest. A treasure, in her own right. Girls always draw attention. They make the story worth reading. They make everything better, and I love that.

That’s why it’s best that the two main characters - Frisk and Chara - are NOT girls. They already have the spotlight. In order to make the world of the Understory seem even bigger and more diverse, there should be girls placed outside of protagonist roles. The attention will be drawn to them regardless. And when that happens, when the audience’s interest is stretched between the main characters AND the side characters, then the world seems large enough to be swept into.

And don’t worry - I’ve already got some characters in mind…

Now, what about having Frisk and Chara be non-binary?

The advantage of being non-binary is being able to express qualities of both genders at once. It’s an admirable advantage, and it’s fun to experience. But as thrilling as it is, it’s also a problem waiting to appear. It’s writer’s chaos. At first, things will feel perfectly fine and even exciting for the characters, as they express a limitless freedom of personality. But over time, the details will start to get blurry. The characters will have no qualities that truly define them, because they express all qualities freely. It’s like tasting a dish with an unlimited number of flavors. It might be wonderful at first, but after awhile, you start to crave distinction. You start wanting the dish to be one definite thing that you can enjoy, instead of being an explosion of every food in existence.

How would a non-binary Frisk react to Sans, or Papyrus, or Undyne? Should they blush when Sans compliments them, or should they chuckle instead? Should they fall in love with Papyrus on the date, or should they act confused and ready to laugh? Should they try to tackle Undyne when she serves tea, or should they sit quietly and hum a tune to themselves? How can they make decisions if they’re capable of fitting into all of them?

Finally, what if the characters were ambiguous?

Again, there’s definitely an advantage to this. It would make my job as the storyteller easier, since I don’t have to bother with gender at all. The characters could act and talk as they please without the need to be consistent. But the single greatest problem would be found in the connection between the characters and the viewers. In exchange for the freedom of the audience interpreting Frisk’s gender themselves, the audience would lose that personal attachment they have with Frisk. The vagueness of something as basic as gender will create a disconnect with the viewers because there is nothing for them to take hold of. There’s nothing to relate to, because the character’s gender is left undefined.

Let’s say you decided to keep a dog as a pet. If you never, ever figured out the dog’s gender, don’t you think there would be a disconnect between you two? Now imagine how much more this would be the case for a person. If a character’s gender is simply “undefined”, then you can’t ever truly relate to them. Sure, you could make it feel personal by interpreting their gender yourself, but wouldn’t it be nice if that part was already take care of, and all you had to do was enjoy the character in the story?

I’ve been ranting, sorry! I just wanted to cover all possible options to this decision, because I know how personal it gets with people. As you can see, I’ve looked over every way Frisk and Chara’s identities could be portrayed, and I truly believe that making them boys is the best choice for the Understory.

And if you don’t share my opinion, perhaps the Undestory will convince you!

[theawesomeidea]

Hey all!

I apologize for the lack of activity recently. When I first started recording the progress of the Understory, I had hoped I would never fall into a situation like this, where very little is happening. But oh well.

Yes, I’ve been very busy with other matters for awhile, some of them actually quite serious, so animating took a temporary back seat (not that this is the case anymore). I’m very excited to get back on track with the Understory’s development! An official entry should be on its way shortly!

Oh, and one more thing. Recently, I was talking with someone about the Project, and (don’t worry, this is NOT actually going to happen) I might have mentioned that I had thoughts on cutting the Project short (again, this WILL NOT be happening - I’m currently working on it as I type this). I had been a tad frustrated with something for some time, not to make excuses, so I suppose that’s why I blurted it out. But I’m saying this now because soon after that little fluke, I remembered why I was making the Project in the first place. I had dedicated its message and meaning to someone awhile back, so there’s no possible way I can stop now!

As for that someone, you know who you are. If by some crazy chance you happen to read this, know that the Project is STILL in full swing, because it’s my gift to you.

[theawesomeidea]

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This is beautiful...

this cute cover photo was made by @jenkuhaha ! !