DW Dead End AU Archive

DEAD END AU IS OFFICIALLY CLOSED

TW (Most things are briefly described rather than drawn but just in case.) Cannibalism, Death, a lotta Death, Alcoholism, Probably gonna be some drug use eventually

A voice calls through the radio. It is your own. Seek information from those who can answer. Ask what you wish, they have nothing more to do. Some may answer with more clarity than others. Some will withhold information. Expect everything, expect nothing.

These are the toons who are currently alive and/or available for questions. As questions are asked, more toons will be revived, revealed, or brought into the Dead End.

Certain toons returning will result in new knowledge being unlocked.

Your interaction progresses the story. Ask away dear observers.

LINKS

INTRO POST CHARACTER PAGES MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS

COMICS ART / DOODLES 1 ART / DOODLES 2

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

DIRECT QUESTIONS CHARACTER QUESTIONS PT 1 CHARACTER QUESTIONS PT 2 CHARACTER QUESTIONS PT 3

POWER / FORM QUESTIONS WORLDBUILDING QUESTIONS PT 1 WORLDBUILDING QUESTIONS PT 2

This is all the leftover, unposted artwork from the Dead End, mostly from status sheets of characters who had yet to arrive/respawn

Connie and Gigi were the only 2 to have respawn designs planned out, as their deaths were the first established during the major event.

Gigi would have the shattered form, meanwhile Connie's would be a mixture of mauled and infested

Gourdy, Eclipse, and Soulvester never got the chance to arrive in the Dead End, but their designs were completed and ready in waiting.

And lastly, Squirm also had his design complete and ready. He was going to arrive shortly after Brightney's revival (the next planned after Boxten) but motivation didnt allow.

This is something Ive been thinking on for a long while, and with the recent controversies surrounding Dandy's World, I feel like now is a good time to do this.

As of now, I am officially ending the Dead End AU, or at the very least putting it on semi-permanent hiatus.

Dandy's World and its characters still mean a lot to me personally, even if the people behind it arent as great as I had though. However the drama isnt the main reason for the AU's cancellation, but still something that made me further think on and eventually decide on this choice.

The main reason for the end of Dead End is motivation. As time has gone on I realized I bit off more than I could chew, and what started as a fun AU to doodle and talk about started feeling more like chores and obligations.

I adored making fun doodles, and answering questions, and working at a pace with a work size that was manageable. But as I tried for more and more and aimed bigger and bigger it just started to get exhausting.

Im sure with the AU being ended youre wondering: What was the end of Dead End going to look like? Unfortunately, Ive got nothing. Another big issue is that Dead End was almost completely made up as I went along. There never was a planned ending, which is absolutely another contributing factor to the burnout. instead of having a set goal to reach for I just kept throwing in ideas and plot points and moving the finish line further and further back.

So. Thats it. There will likely be no new Dead End content, at least not for a long while. I figured just coming out with an official closure would be better than more months of insisting I'll get back to it only to struggle to put out a consistent amount of content.

Rest assured, all of the previous posts will stay up, nothing is getting taken down, so youre free to go back and look at whatever you want. I also encourage you all to make your own takes on Dead End if you have ideas on where the plot should go. But for the time being, Im closing it off here.

Theres a few bits of art that never got shown, designs for characters not yet in the dead end and a few for characters who had yet to respawn. I'll be putting those into a separate post for you all to see.

Finally, I want to thank you all. Dead End was my first big public project, and even with the burnout and motivation issues at the end it was still great experience, and helped me see that people are interested in the things I make. Your support means the world to me, and if you stick around for my other projects or not, I thank you for being here now.

I have no regrets. I still dont know everything, but I wouldnt have learned as much as I did if I was curled up in a tent sipping herbal tea all day in New Gardenview. I knew what I was signing up for following Sprout. Sure it was terrifying, but the knowledge was worth it, and once we're done camping out here by the portal, Im getting right back to my work.

-Boxten

I have... a few mixed feelings. On one hand it feels great to have a goal to work towards, and I like stayin active. I wouldnt have wanted to sit around twiddling my thumbs hoping someone else would fix my problems. I suppose we were just in a bit of a rough spot before all this. Not much good progress, whole lotta failed experiments. It was rough, real rough. But I want to try again once everyone is back. Cant speak for the rest of em though, considering theyre all dead.

hey Finn, do you still have barnaby in your head or is he somewhere else?

I used to keep him in my head! But after the whole boat incident, and the recent chaos, I put together a small tank for him to stay in, just so hes always safe.

The entire group says Shrimpo in unison.

With the exception of Finn, who says Rudie.

Uh, Ive got a few!

How does a mollusk take a picture?

With a CLAMera!

. . .

It was mostly over leadership stuff and how they wanted to run the place.

Sprout wanted to prioritize safety, exploration, and research into finding a way to leave.

Dandy wanted to focus on comfort, community, trying to establish a sense of normalcy before jumping headfirst into things.

Eventually tensions rose enough that Sprout gathered up our crew of like-minded toons and just went off on our own.

The bees. Definitely the bees.

Did I mention Im severely allergic?