#azmayca

Alright so I know in the past I've alluded to my Fakemon Region, dubbed the Azmayca Region, and even posted old designs for my starters, but feel that now that I've redesigned my mons, I should properly introduce it!

So, with that said, welcome to the Azmayca Region! My Fakemon region based on Mexico, some parts of the South West US (mostly Texas, Arizona, California, and New Mexico), and bits of the rest of Central America. I have loads more about this Fakemon Region than I'll share in this post, but for now, let's start your Pokemon journey by meeting the protagonists and Starters

Starting with the protagonists! Gabriel and Isabella.

You may notice how on the drawing, it says Player/Rival. That's because which ever player character you don't pick, becomes one of your rivals! (The other rival to be revealed at a later time). So assuming you pick Gabriel, then your rival would be Isabella or vice versa!

The story of this Fakemon Region (like if it were a game) is you, the player character, moved to the Azmayca Region with your Mom to live with your extended family a few months ago. Now that you and your mother have properly moved in an had a bit of time to get somewhat used to this new climate and region, you decide you want to explore it to learn more.

Shortly after deciding to set on your journey, you run into your rivals, the first one being the opposite player character (so either Gabriel or Isabella), who's your cousin. They're a little rude and act more like rivals like Gary or Bede, however still being related to you, they will also beat up whoever tries to mess with you. Only they get to make fun of you.

After you meet your rivals, all 3 of you head to meet the professors of the region (who I'll reveal at some other point) and get your starters!

Starting off the regional dex, we've got the grass starter of Azmayca, Cubalje!

Cubalje's name pulls from cub, copal, and alebreje. Elements of which will show later in its evolution line.

Stated in the dex entry, Cubalje are fun and playful. They enjoy bathing in warm sunlight to replenish their energy through photosynthesis and can often be found in lush forests or grassy grottos. They have surprisingly long, orange tongues to slurp bug types or honey out of hollow branches and if a Cubalje likes you, they might give you a nice gift of colorful leaves or berries!

As some might've guessed based on Cubalje's classification and looks, it's based on a sun bear. Orginally it wasn't supposed to have any sun bear inspiration, instead taking after the speckled bear which ties into it's final stage's megafauna inspiration. However while redesigning it, the simplified patterns ended up looking like a sun bear on sorta accident so...? I guess sun bears and speckled bears are, sorta related? They have kinda similar patterns I guess, lol. Rest assured though, the second stage should take more after the speckled bear.

Next up we've got Coaltro, the fire starter!

Coaltro's name comes from coal, colt (a male baby horse), foal (also a baby horse), and potro, Spanish for, you guessed it, a baby horse.

Coaltro are rather shy and skittish, often running away from those it doesn't know by kicking up sand or dirt as a distraction. Once a Coaltro gets used to you though, it is a very loyal Pokemon. Because of this loyalty and the hardiness and speed of its evolved form, these Pokemon are often used on farms, making them common place among other farm based Pokemon on ranches in Azmayca. Other than farm work though, Coaltro are also sometimes used for entertainment such as races or rodeos. Coaltro's front hooves are always coated in a thick layer of mud as this Pokemon enjoys playing in dirt or mud to relax. Its also said to possibly be related to Ponyta and Mudbray

In case it wasn't obvious, Coaltro is based on the Azteca horse, a breed of horse native to Mexico. Also yes, I did follow the fire zodiac theory even if Fuecoco broke the trend. I don't care. I made this region before Paldea and before Fuecoco. I can continue with the silly fan theory made by the community even if the canon broke it. The only thing Fuecoco does to the zodiac theory is give Fakemon creators more leeway if they don't wanna use the zodiac. ... okay little rant over, in reality, I love Fuecoco (its evolved forms are... kinda mid bit still cool inspiration wise) but just felt I should explain why I still went with the horse on the zodiac, even though it's likely debunked.

Finally, we have the water starter, Swavink!

Swavink's name comes from suave, swamp, visón (Spanish for mink) and mink

Swavink are crafty little tricksters of Pokemon. They like to steal and swipe things, primarily jewelry or other shiny objects, which they hoard in their own little nests of shiny things. Even though most find Swavink a nuisance or pest, Swavink honestly just doesn't have a sense of someone's personal property. They just like shiny things. For trainers or people who keep them as pets, they're often able to get their stuff back if they find Swavink's not so hidden nest, and Swavink will barely notice. Until they spot the shiny object again outside their nest. This behavior however gets more annoying when this Pokemon evolves so... watch out. Also Swavink are often found in swamps or urban areas.

Alright, I think its obvious that Swavink is well, a mink. It's right there in the name! However this little trickster also pulls a bit from cats and ferrets, given both creatures' more crafty depiction and knack for mischief. Also the idea of a little mink cat creature is adorable. Yes it'll steal your gold necklace and loose change, but also its smooth and cuddly! It'll smuggle up on your chest and trap you with cuteness! It could almost make you forget the amount of jewelry you've lost because of this thing! ... almost. Just wait till it evolves, that theft thing will likely get more annoying but for those that can look past that, Swavink and its line are pretty good companions. Like cats, they'll love you and give you snuggles... occasionally. If they remember your existence or aren't demanding food. (LOL, I'm joking. I love cats and own two of my own. One of which is a very snuggly cuddly boi who's even in bed with me right know as I write this!)

Aaaaanyways, that's all I have for now! If this post gets any attention, I might draw the professors and other rival or even the redesigned evolved forms of these starters!

Alright everyone! New year, new updates for all my stuff!

Starting with ...

AtDFF and AYC

(The new signatures for my main art, AtDFF, and AYC)

As some, and by that I mean most of you have probably noticed, I rebooted AtDFF... again. I technically started a revamp all the way back in 2020 where I was redrawing the older updates to better match the current style and reformat the asks and text for better readability, but that didn't impede on the main updates (well, besides putting more onto mine and the rest of the team's work load.)

The Reboot

This past year though, I made the decision to completely reboot the comic for a few reasons. One was an attempt to renew my motivation, another was wanting to rework some of the lore, yet another was being inspired by @askfallenroyalty to remake the comic and post to ComicFury, but I think the main factor was... I wasn't all that happy with it. I think I kept comparing it to other comics, especially Fallen Royalty, which is my own issue, please don't go blaming anyone else. I knew I could do better, especially after over 5 years working on this, but now looking back, part of me feels that, rebooting it again is, in a way, diminishing those years. Even with the 2020 revamp, prior to it you could go through the updates and really look at how my art has progressed, and though true you can still scroll and find the old updates, it's just... not quite the same. Same can be said for the 2023 reboot.

Does that mean I'm going back on the reboot? No. I already have the next updates planned (I just haven't had a chance to work on them that often) and I really like the new lore of the world that I've come up with. I just think this will be the last time I ever reboot the comic. Whatever happens, happens, and I need to just roll with it. Even if what happens is our little roadtrip getting derailed into a corn field again, lol.

Comic Fury and New Comic?

With that said, what do I have in store for the new reboots of AtDFF and AYC? (yes AYC got rebooted too, I just haven't posted the first update like I did with AtDFF) Well, I mentioned a Comic Fury, which surprise. Both AtDFF and AYC have their own Comic Fury pages now! Don't worry, I still plan on posting to Tumblr as well, but now you can also find them on Comic Fury. Along with another comic I'm planning to do (eventually), Undertale-ish: The Comic. Ever wonder what Ish Frisk's journey through the Underground was like? Want to see what happened in most (not all) of their 800 runs? Want to see this child grapple with their self insecurities, perfectionism, and the responsibility of having full control over time and an entire civilization's lives in the palm of their hand? Want to see Chara as a ghost? Well that's what you'll get with Undertale-ish: The Comic! Coming I don't know since I such at scheduling and time management for these things!

Schedule

Speaking of scheduling! When are any of these comics coming out? Well... I just said I suck with schedules, and I can't promise really... anything when it comes to release but like... I know I for sure would like to release things... regularly? Even with the start of the reboot, I started it in April, and that stuff extended until at least August. Every summer I naively think "Oh! I'm gonna have so much time to work on the comic!" and then I get a summer job. Because I'm nearly 20 and going to college and even if I'm still living under my parent's roof, I can't entirely rely on my dad to pay my tuition. Only for half the year. Then during the school year, I have classes, and I feel burned out by the time I get home, and- It's a whole thing I need to find someway to work around or else nothing gets done and my brain just screams at itself. So, I think scheduling is something I'm gonna figure out throughout January, and try and get a backlog of updates ready throughout February to April or May so maybe we can start posting again in summer. Does that feel like a long wait? Even being near a year from the first update of the AtDFF reboot? Yes. But also I'm trying to over estimate and give myself the time and space I need while still attending college, and I wouldn't just be working on one comic update, but multiple. I'm trying to give myself space and some grace instead of making promises that feel hollow after a while of being unfufilled.

Lack of Motivation and How to Fix

Another thing to address, is my motivation when it comes to these series. I don't think it's accurate to say I've felt completely unmotivated to work on either comic, I mean, I was motivated for some of the beginning of last year to full on overhaul them, but I will say that, these comics have started to feel like a job. It's been something I've felt for a couple years now, where I've been having less fun with the comic as it's begun to feel like actual work. Believe me, I'm super excited for some of the later plot points of both AtDFF and AYC, and I love Undertale-ish and these characters but to get to those points or character moments, it feels like I'm slogging through what comes before it, which isn't good. This is something that sure, rebooting helped for a bit, before I got caught up in school and other stuff, but it's not a permanent solution and I've felt myself slipping back into the comic feeling like a job.

So how might I remedy this? Well, I think the solution might lie in another series I started this year, Drawing Junior Secret Squad until Chapter 3. Even if DJSSuC3 is more Deltarune focused, I've enjoyed drawing Chicago and my other fankids pretty much daily as, there's not that much pressure on it. Definitely not like there is with AtDFF or AYC. I don't have to line, or even color them since, they're just little doodles. I don't have to worry about missing a day since, I'll just do multiple the next day. They're quick, they're easy, I can just draw whatever idea I have with the characters I want, I'm having fun. Back when Ask the Dreemurr-Font Family was nothing but an ask chat on Amino, that's what I did it for. For fun. I wasn't worried with popularity or being like other creators, I just did silly little character driven roleplays for fun. I think that's been my issue with the comics. They aren't fun anymore. They're work because, I feel it's my job to tell this story rather than just... telling it because I want to. So, I think going forward, I'm gonna try to have more fun with the comics and Ish in general. For you all, that's probably gonna look like more sketches and doodles getting posted and maybe even just sharing small comics based off ideas that pop into my brain or from roleplays that happened in my server. Little things to help me regain the enjoyment I had with these comics and world.

Deltarune: Fool's Fate

I think that's all I've got to say on the Undertale based comics, so how about now we move onto something Deltarune related? As I was doing DJSSuC3, I introduced an idea called Deltarune: Fool's Fate. Aka, Chicago and Co's adventures through the Dark Worlds after Kris denied their destiny. So far, this has just been little doodles, character designs, and a roleplay I've been doing in my discord server. I've been having quite a bit of fun with that RP, we're nearly to the end of what would be the first "chapter" and have been fighting Dorothy, the secret boss of the Attic Dark World and who some of y'all might recall I made a real life doll of when my old computer finally kicked the bucket earlier this month. (I've still yet to make her dress or crown) I think roleplays have always been the thing I find the most enjoyable when it comes to character exploration as, I don't have to spend forever drawing comics and I get to sorta live through the characters. It's something I've been doing for characters from even before I was in this fandom. With the Fool's Fate roleplay too, I've also got to come up with elements that could feasibly be in an actual video game without, you know, actually coding a video game.

I don't know where Fool's Fate will go from here, while it'd be cool to have it be an actual fangame, I don't have that sort of skill. Nor the budget to pay a team. (My team for the comics is really just a bunch of friends I convinced to help me out for free.) Even with a sprite comic, it'd be too much. So, for now, it'll likely just remain a concept and roleplay. But, who knows. Maybe someday I could make it into something. I mean, after watching this year's Underevent I wanted to.

Other stuff

With all the UTDR stuff out of the way, what about some of my other stuff? (Because, surprise, Undertale and Deltarune aren't the ONLY things I do. Just the things I hyperfixate on the most.) Well, I've got my Fakemon region, Azmayca, POW-R, Dragon Riders, and Kinder Eyes which I started last summer. I don't really have any plans for them, asides from bugging people for ideas and doodling whenever I'm in the mood. However I think starting this year, I'm gonna try to post more of the doodles I make. Either ones in my sketchbook since DJSS gave me the confidence to post sketchy silly little doodles like that, or sketch doodles I draw digitally as warm ups. Though who knows. Maybe a hyperfixation swing some time during the summer will cause me to actually try to do something crazy like outline the whole Azmayca region and hypothetical game. Hopefully not something like that though. Making the evolutions of my redesigns of the starters might be nice.

Commissions

Another thing I'd like to finally do next year is update my commissions sheet. It's something I've had in the work for a while now, and was working on along side launching the comic updates. But, like the comics, school and work got in the way so... I sorta forgot about it. Regardless! I'm gonna try to post my updated sheet some time within the next few months, it's mostly just been havin to draw or find recent examples of my work. Hopefully then I'll actually get some more commissions because, um *looks at the whooping $3.94 in my checking account* I could really use the extra money. I might work during the summers and get grade payments from my dad but, that stuff is to pay my tuition and some of my lunches during the semester, and even with lunches, 500 dollars is spread thin through 17, 16 ish weeks. That's like, only $30 a week, which is maybe enough to cover buying lunch at the campus food court like, once or twice from the food court. Maybe three times if I'm lucky and conservative with my spending. Not to mention that $300 of that went to my new laptop, and even if I should be getting $300 from a paycheck I was never paid back when I worked at Arby's 3 summers ago, I still haven't gotten that gift card in the mail so... Yeah. If I was living on my own, I'd be screwed. Which is why commissions and Patreon are like, my only source of income during the school year. (I still need to look into getting an on campus job for this upcoming semester but that's its own whole big can of worms.)

Patreon

Speaking of Patreon, that's another goal I want to set. Actually posting to it again. I had a burst early last year were I was regularly posting to Patreon with early access chapters of The Puppet and the Real Boy (before I retconned that with Fool's Fate) and thanks to my only Patreon ever @kierangecko, I managed to make around $50 bucks which ended up being used to help get blanks for some of my Christmas gifts for people (thank you Gecko. I know I did stop posting after like, May, but that money really came in handy.) So for this next year, I'm gonna try to post to that again. Be it WIPs of the comic, scripts, little doodles I don't post on Tumblr or whatever, I want to make Patreon another source of income. Which involves posting to it at least monthly. And even if I don't, then you guys won't have to worry about anything since I've got it set to not charge for months I don't post anything.

Resolution Review

So, to review some of my... I guess you could call them resolutions, though I'd rather think of them as goals I don't absolutely have to hold myself too but would just like to accomplish, I'd like to...

Have more fun when with AtDFF and AYC through drawing and posting more loose, silly comics and doodles

Try figuring out a posting and work schedule for AtDFF and AYC by then end of January

Hopefully get a back log of updates for both comics ready to release by summer

Start on and release Undertale-ish: The Comic sometime this year

Keep doing Drawing Junior Secret Squad until Chapter 3 until Chapters 3 and 4 of Deltarune hopefully come out sometime this year.

Possibly design hypothetical secret boss predictions for Chapters 4 and 5 of Deltarune before the next chapters come out.

Keep working on, designing characters for, and coming up with Dark Worlds for Deltarune: Fool's Fate. Perhaps even drawing some tarot cards with the chapter bosses.

Post more about my other projects, even if they're only sketchbook drawings or warm up doodles.

Update my commissions page and hopefully take more commissions to earn some extra money/save up for college or to move out.

Post regularly to my Patreon, also to earn some extra money.

Generally have a better year than 2023 and to find more enjoyment in my art and projects.

Closing

YEE!!!

I've actually got the full list of the gyms! However perhaps for the sake of suspense, (and something later I've got planned) I'll only say the first gym leader for now. If you want to hear more about the rest, just ask!

After getting your Pokemon from the professors, the first gym new trainers face in the Azmayca region is Andy, a fighting type specialist. Andy's gym is a small fight pit dug out on the outskirts of the first "town". (Really its more like a small settlement) Andy's a ruffian teen and the rest of his gym's trainers are similarly something of delinquents or ruffians. Their ace is a new pokemon called Rascamigo. Which iirc is a pure fighting pokemon I based off typical "mean dogs" like Doberman or pitbulls. Really though, Rascamigo make great pets. They're loyal great companions, and actually really sweet despite what they're typing and appearance might say. Much like Andy. For as tough as he acts, kid's really just a big softie at heart.