DDT(not the pesticide)

Every RPG needs some fancy character portraits~. It’s been a while since I posted any sketches here…

I think I’ve been making good progress with the preparation for B_P– the first batch of manga pages is fully drafted, and I’ve made up a bunch of banners to put these character portraits in once they’re done.

I’m hoping to get a lot of mileage out of these…not only am I gonna use them for status report banners (‘character joined the party!’, ‘upgrade acquired’, etc.) I am also planning to use them as emotes for the ‘heart-to-heart’ convos, and bases for alternate costumes (if I actually implement that…maybe I will, or maybe I’ll just make some for funzies). I hope I do a good job coloring them, because you’ll be seeing them very often. ^^;

Someday…

Yoooo, I finally finished writing and testing the first few areas of BLADE_Princess! I think I’ve set up the beginnings of a good game for y’all, and hopefully something to keep me drawing on a more regular basis. ^^;

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been more into writing lately…and I don’t mind that; I love to write. But I also love to get projects done occasionally, which is hard when you’re constantly fighting off the script brainworms. 6_6 So please tell your friends, participate, and do your part to help me stay anchored in reality! 8D

In case you forgot how this goes: so B_P is structured like an RPG, but really it’s more like a visual novel, where your goal is to earn Affinity Points between Blade and Magolor (pictured) to determine the nature of their relationship. But, since the decisions will be made through polls, the only way to steer things the way you want is to follow the game and vote. ;)

Since there ARE branching paths in this game, that does mean you will potentially miss out on certain content depending on what you vote for…but I’m going to show you as much of the missed content as possible at the end of each area (i.e. whatever I have written/prepared…as we get deeper into the story and the branches diverge more, I probably won’t be able to do everything ^^; ). 

All that is to say, just focus on getting Blade and Mags to do what you want them to do, and if you’re curious about the alternatives you’ll get to see them later. Or just ask! 

I caught a really bad cold during my trip last month, to the point where I could barely talk for a few days. And by now, my normal vocal range is pretty much restored, but there's still an *entire octave* of my singing voice that I can't access yet. Like, the notes aren't even hoarse, they're just nonexistent. Silence and air hissing.

I apologize for taking so long to get to this ask, but you see, character design is my whole entire life, so I needed some time to distill my thoughts. I could answer this question with a full series of textbooks and probably still have more left to say. XD

My first piece of general advice, if you’d like to learn from me through character design critique, would be to check out the Doki Draws channel. 😉 My Xenoblade series (and that one video I did on Pokemon…and the Pikmin one…basically, any time I’m talking about a video game besides Splatoon) probably features the most discussion about design principles– what certain choices mean, and how they affect the viewer, and how to adjust them to get the effects you want. And the angrier I get, the more I go in-depth. ^^ I still feel that my Lanz and Sena video, despite having the highest dislike-to-like ratio I’ve ever gotten on anything, is the crown jewel of my design commentary so far; I spent half the video tearing into a single design and it was really fun. 

(I chalk the dislikes up to the fact that Xenoblade fans don’t really seem to like criticism or engage with it very often within the fandom…and since that was a pretty negative video, it was inevitable. ^^; But I don’t mind; it was worth it)

Now for some more specific advice– like, let’s pretend I’m trying to make any given design; what’s my thought process??

First, I start with artstyle and animation– an optional step, only for those who happen to share my particular brain problems. ^^; I like to invent new artstyles along with designs, and visualizing the character as a vague blob moving around helps me to decide what they should look like. Are they a big hulking figure stomping through the setting; are they a thin wispy figure flipping and jumping over rooftops? Are their limbs visible; are there any capes or skirts or big hairstyles moving with them…? Do I want to adjust the artstyle to emphasize any of those things…?

After I’ve narrowed down a vague silhouette, I start on the colors. Sometimes this happens automatically during the animation step, but other times it takes some extra effort. Should this character feel modern and grounded (emphasis on calm neutrals, dark colors on the legs)? Or should they feel ethereal and fantastical (emphasis on dramatic colors, less predictable color blocking)? Or do they have a specific vibe with a specific color scheme, or maybe even an outside inspiration with a specific color scheme (in the case of gijinkas and redesigns) that I need to work with?

After I have an idea of the colors I want, I pick a main color for the outfit (or their ‘form’, if I’m still not sure about the outfit) and try to arrange the other colors around it until I get something I like. Sometimes this takes a lot of trial and error. ^^;

While I’m working on this, I’m usually simultaneously working on the construction– figuring out what goes on the ‘form’, the specific pieces of clothing or armor or anything the character should wear. Sometimes this is aided by the colors: if I envision a big blue blob in the middle of their torso, it could become a corset or a vest or a pattern/logo in construction. The artstyle I chose also feeds into this by determining the complexity of the design, i.e. how much detail and greebling I need to add. A character who belongs in Fire Emblem needs more than a character who belongs in The Powerpuff Girls; and certain clothing items/accessories may not feel appropriate for one or the other. This is where style study and fashion study are really important: it’s a lot easier to craft a design in a way that feels ‘correct’ to the viewer when you know which items tend to belong together, and how certain styles tend to depict them.

It's an incredibly long script for a....I guess it would be a comic, but there is no way I could draw all this, not even in 10 lifetimes. ^^; I just wanted to write it; que sera sera.

Thank you! ^^

BTW, it might interest you to know that I was recently planning on reviving the project... I drafted the entire first arc of the "game", and I was gonna test it out and start running it with the audience polls and everything-- unfortunately, I started my preparations a bit too late. ^^; I'm gonna be leaving on a trip next week; I don't have time to do a manga-TTRPG with y'all right now...but hopefully when I return, I'll get back to it, and we'll get to see how Blade's story plays out~

But today I doodled this and I realized in post it looks very Doki-style lol

Thanks for the extreme expressions you’ve imprinted on my subconscious XD

*wipes tears* It's beautiful... 🥺

BEAR SWEEP BEAR SWEEP

…I’d like to take a little of the credit for this win. ^^ Because I was on FIRE last weekend; between the spirit of Mr. Grizz burning in my veins and finally having a decent internet connection; this was the most engaging Splatfest I’ve played in a while. Shoutout to ‘Saphira><>’ who accompanied me on a 5-game Tricolor win streak– wherever you are, I hope you know it was an honor to fight beside you. 🫡

The Lead Member is AI-Generated?!

So I was watching this random YouTube video talking about unrealistic beauty/diet/behavioral standards for K-Pop idols, and it mentioned these industry pressures culminating in the creation of a digital idol to star in a certain group…

...The video was from 3 years ago; I dunno if they’re still active or anything (I’m not a K-Pop fan, clearly; I’m just passing by the discourse). But the situation struck me as darkly comical, considering the context. ^^;

Like, if I were your average K-Pop idol, who probably spent my entire childhood slaving away in idol bootcamp, signed contracts that allow my agent to shoot me in the leg if I even imagine eating a cheeseburger, gave up my right to a love life or even basic privacy for the next 15 years…and not only did my company saddle me with an AI coworker that I have to pretend to be friends with (and will never be able to compete with…) but they have the audacity to give that mfer the center spot and make me a backup dancer for a CGI model…?!

Still Life

...Jazzed up a bit, of course. ^^; I don't have any President Haltmann-themed Pringles in my room right now, unfortunately...

Anyway, this is a weird moment for me...I don't often post about my IRL personal life, but I feel like the time is right for a little story. I usually do something Magolor-related on Easter anyway~

So once upon a time, when I was a young college student working myself to death trying to pass exams (and keep my scholarship...), I turned to my Mago plush hanging in my closet, and promised him that I would try my best to get my degree, make some decent money, and give him a good home someday.

I don't remember what I was thinking at the time...this was like a decade ago at this point; bear with me. XD I think it may have been my attempt to snap myself out of a depressive episode-- I was living away from home for the first time, had no close friends, felt my family was glad to be rid of me, if they were thinking about me at all...just generally stressed and scared and aimless constantly. And I think it just hit me all at once when I came back to my dorm after a long day...like "what is all this even for??"

I mean, I like my life; even back then I usually did. ^^; But I do lead a very solitary existence, and every time I have a major depressive episode the prevailing emotion is a sort of 'shame' over it. Like, in a nutshell: I don't get depressed because I want to kill myself; I get depressed because I DON'T. I will puzzle that out at a later date.

Anyway, anyway-- I wasn't about to let ND self-hatred get in the way of my homework, so I guess I was like "Y'know what? Fine. If it's not worth it to endure all this misery for me, then I'll endure it for Magolor. Are you satisfied now? Or are you gonna tell me Magolor isn't worth it??"

And my brain was like "oh no, of course not; Do It For Him" and that pretty much settled it. XD For the rest of my time in school, and for the years afterward as I started seeking full-time employment...any time I felt overworked and alone and started losing hope, I would give Mago a little smooch and try to remember what I promised him.

And now...well, I've finally fulfilled that promise, because I just became a homeowner! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

It still doesn't feel real...not just because of *gestures at the world around me* but also...I mean, I can't believe I actually did that. I half-jokingly swore on a character plush that I would make something of myself, and in the end it came to fruition. ⊙‿⊙; I really did manage to give Mago a good home...his own room, even, once I get my office set up. ^^ For the moment, he's chilling in my room with me, so we can bask in our success together.

So, that's the end of the story. And the end of an entire chapter of my life, I guess...I don't know what's in store for me now. Finally get back to work on *gestures at all my projects*? Try to live and be happy? Finally accept that I'm an adult and deserve to be viewed as one...? (highly unlikely...I think I'll remain a kid until I'm at least 78 years old ^^; )

this one would use the hydra as a base, but with IV bags instead of the usual pill bottles

pros:

+slightly more damage than a regular hydra

+shots fire at full force and range regardless of how far it was wound up [even tap shots are brutal enough to one shot chum]

+armor penetration

cons:

-slightly longer windup than the basic hydra

-cannot move while firing

-swim cancelling does not refund unspent ink [unless you swim before firing]

-100% more ink-thirst [in which a full windup consumes your entire tank]

So two whole years ago, someone sent me this ask detailing a fan-made Grizzco Splatling concept. I don’t remember why; maybe they just caught on to my Mr. Grizz simping and figured I’d be interested…in which case, they’re not wrong ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Anyway, someone find Anon and tell them I always liked their idea; I just never got around to illustrating it until now! >_< As in, now that BOOTSTRAPS has gotten me used to drawing Grizzco weapons, and I think Van was born to wield a splatling~

Anyway, as a player, I thought this was an interesting concept– splatlings are highly underrated in Salmon Run, and I would definitely be interested in this if it actually existed. I like the longer windup/full force shots tradeoff; I think that’s fair. ^^ A splatling that could hit hard with tap shots would be a bit broken in the main game, but awesome in Salmon Run, and I think that’s the kind of craziness that makes for a good Grizzco weapon. ‘Cannot move while firing’ might be a bit controversial, but I’d be willing to accept that too. >:] One of the challenges of Salmon Run is learning to fight when your movement is highly restricted; I think it would be interesting to force the player to plan around having to stand still.

Oddly enough, ‘100% more ink thirst’ is the one con that I find iffy…I could see that getting annoying quickly, especially in the EVP ranks. ^^; You say “a full windup consumes your entire tank”, but what I hear is “never do a full windup”, and if you’ve ever been fired at by two Stingers at once with a Scrapper on your heels and a Flipper Flopper about to jump you…you know why. If attacking already forces you to stand still; letting it ALSO rob you of mobility afterwards is just suicide…

(From an Interview with Sakurai about Kirby Air Riders development)

So in the end it was a secret third thing.

Actually, I think in the japanese narration of Road Trip there is some sort of implication that something messed with Zorah's wish to Nova in one of the memories. Guess it was maybe just bad translation like Star allies then.

Link to the interview :

[https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/by-director-mr-sakurai-kirby-air-riders-development-insights-part-4/]

Yeah...I've been hearing about this, here and there...

...And I kinda hoped that it would turn out to be untrue, because the fact that this had to be cleared up in an *outside interview* is an utter failure of direction. Like, embarrassingly so. :[

I would almost (almost!) prefer it if Nova had been retconned into an antagonist, because that was actually what the story showed us. But instead, we're supposed to accept that there was a mysterious third party pulling the strings the entire time, despite there being so little indication of this that a simple mistranslation could essentially delete it from the plot.

Like, if this was truly supposed to be setup for someone/something we should look forward to in future Kirby games-- SHOW US, maybe?? Actually set it up by actually putting it on screen??? Would that not be interesting and fun and cool???? What is the point of skipping and hiding and glossing over all the interesting and fun and cool stuff; literally what are these story modes for if the information that actually matters is ALWAYS somewhere else???????