#herbington

FEATURES.

unravel a mystery that will change your family legacy for generations.

prove yourself a capable heir through arrangements, alliances and key decisions. 

party! balls, galas, festivals and the like are hotbeds of opportunity for business and pleasure. beware what goes on in the dark.

discern who you can trust and who to be wary of — no shortage of falseness surrounds you now. 

try to denounce the game, play it reluctantly or get a taste for it yourself. 

influence the trajectory of oracle city.

who bleeds the most when everything is set in motion? 

LOVE INTERESTS.

HEBE HALE. 24. the best friend. (she/her, cis)

6′0. 6′5 in her favourite heels. bleached blonde, glamorous and slender. brown-skinned like her mother and square-jawed like her father with golden-brown eyes full of laughter. often keeps her hair slicked back. looks as effortlessly good in jeans and a sweatshirt as she does in a cocktail dress. supermodel exterior hides a loyal lion heart and geeky tendencies. daughter of the most powerful man on the island. she works as a digital artist for a popular comic series.

you’ve known her since you were eleven and have been friends for almost as long. most only see that she’s a rebellious leader-type with the kind of humour that has people snorting into their champagne glasses, but you know how much more there is behind that. you’ve seen her cry from creative burnout, fall in love with the oldest dog at the animal shelter, speak at length about everything she’s afraid of and talk her younger sister down from panic attacks. you know she only wants the best for you, but things are different than when you were kids; what some find protective and endearing, others find overbearing.

WINDO WINDHAM. 22. the other best friend. (he/him, cis)

5′6. petite. mousy brunette with shaved sides and hair that falls purposefully over his forehead. eyes are a greeny shade of hazel. white, somewhat ruddy complexion that isn’t helped by the fact he prioritises fashion over comfort regardless of the temperature. enjoys mismatched clothes, faux fur, pleather, PVC and colourful tinted glasses. youngest adopted son of one of the windham family. he’s studying hard to be an attorney.

you’ve known windo longer than hebe, but circumstance brought you all together as friends. as the youngest of an all-adopted family, he considers himself a patchwork of everyone that influenced him growing up, and the perpetually frazzled, neurotic and enthusiastic windo has always felt he has something to prove to those who think him too emotional or fragile to land a serious career. he refuses to let his generosity or perceived naivete be considered weaknesses. instead, he prides himself on resilience and adaptability, believing those are what give him the strength to be sincere. whatever he can do to help you, just say the word.

SAILOR BONES. 23. the live-in valet. (they/them, genderfluid)

6′2. broad-shouldered with tan skin and thick black hair that starts neatly coiffed in the mornings but often ends with locks out of place by the evening. their eyes are reddish-brown beneath thick eyebrows, and their full lips combined with a resting sardonic face give them the impression of pouting a lot. their uniform is almost always adjusted, with buttons undone and sleeves rolled up. 

your relationship with sailor will always be more complicated than the average employer-employee whether they’re your ex, your friend or something else. they signed when you were both 18 to train under your head of staff, but things were more simple back then. nowadays, although they enjoy a degree of informality with you, they’re far more careful about how your relationship appears in front of people that might judge. because of that, few other than you know that their cool exterior hides a soft heart. they will stretch the bounds of decorum to complain about their job, but somehow that doesn’t stop them from trying to take on extra hours elsewhere. 

JELLY SISSEL. 21. the aspiring trailblazer. (she/they, non-binary)

5′5. pale-skinned, round-faced, button-nosed and fat with long purple hair, often bolstered by extensions and hairspray and tied into pigtails. their eyes are a rare blue so dark they appear almost black, naturally wide as though they’re always surprised. like windo, they dress outlandishly, but with more precious metals and gemstones. the heir to the sissel family, a new money household rapidly rising the ranks. they’re considering a political career.

you spent more time with jelly when you were little, but you’ve always existed in the same social circle. though she’s charming and extroverted and always offers a shoulder to lean on, you know there’s a more cunning nature behind sugar sweetness. she’s never been one to hide her penchant for mischief, especially in cohorts with her best friend twenty, but she’s expressed before that she’s both excited and afraid to influence more than petty games someday. has a reputation for being a player, but never details any of her experiences.

TWENTY ZU. 20. the contradiction. (he/him, cis)

5′11. 6′1 in the heeled boots he normally wears. tawny-skinned and sharply handsome with an aquiline nose and light brown eyes, he has a near-perpetual scowl and an underbite that obscure the boyishness of most of his features. his brown hair is just long enough to cover his eyes if unstyled — which it often is. wears green a lot, usually sweaters that cover his neck. wears his large square glasses very occasionally. is the affair child of penelope zu, mars zu’s deceased ex-wife, but mars claimed custody of him in the divorce anyway. in his second year of studying genetics.

it’s difficult to get close to twenty, but you know him better than most. a genius with a maverick style, twenty has always liked exploring the realms of the theoretically impossible and chasing down the mysteries of oracle history. since he never felt like he belonged to his family, he found that connection in jelly and takes the position of friend incredibly seriously. has severe trust issues due to past relationships and the obscure details of noir’s estrangement, so getting past his barriers requires a lot of work.

NOIR ZU. 27. the pariah. (he/him, cis)

5′7, or at least close enough. fairly broad, but rather drawn from stress and tiredness. he’s a few shades lighter than twenty with jet black hair that curls slightly around his ears and frames his wide face. his jaw and cheekbones could cut glass, and his eyes are so brown they seem to swallow all the light around them. twenty resembles him in the mouth, but noir has a wider, less pronounced nose. estranged fourth son of the zu family. struggling investor.

most of the things you know about him you heard from twenty, and the half-brothers stopped speaking four years ago after noir stopped rebelling and got boring and adult. what is common knowledge is that he’s friendless, avoidant and his reputation for disappointing his powerful father follows him like a cloud. most people write him off as a lost cause and are just waiting for him to sink, but it might not be too late for him to change.

HONEYSUCKLE ‘HONEY’ GOLD. 22. the enigma. (she/her, cis)

5′7. honey is buff with an athlete’s physique and white, freckled skin. she has a small, sharp nose, pale heart-shaped lips that match her face and watchful light grey eyes. her hair is dyed a few shades paler than her eyes and often held in a utilitarian ponytail. you’re so used to seeing her in her work uniform that you can’t begin to guess at her personal style. she works kitchen and bar in moon tower, the tallest building in the city. 

you barely know anything about her, but you’ve become used to having her around for your trips down to moon tower’s basement kitchen during various charity events and parties. most of the time she keeps her head down and focuses on the job, but hebe has built a rapport with her through playful banter and teasing that has some of her true colours showing through. she’s careful and considerate and more on the serious side, but she’s still deliberate with what she reveals.

JARETH JANUARY. 23. the media rival. (he/him, cis)

5′10ish. strong without being ripped, extra padding on the thighs, stomach and chest. has a light peachy complexion. his hair might be naturally blond (though it’s debated) but is currently dyed inky midnight blue and most often perfectly lacquered into a dramatic side-part. his eyes are a striking blue but usually dimmed by various coloured contacts, and his hooked nose contrasts the soft lines of his face. he wears ~intellectual~ rimless glasses. though he has no moneyed parentage, his success as an actor only continues to grow.

for some reason, jareth has chosen you as the beacon of what he wants to challenge. since arriving on the scene he has cultivated a brand of creative pretentiousness and declared his disdain for the elite he has carved a place amongst. though most see his act as an entertaining novelty, some are impressed by his boldness. his serious acting talent bolsters his credibility, but it’s hard to tell when he’s being honest for better or worse. in times like these, that’s more dangerous than ever.

CLAREMONT ‘MONTY’ KAMYA. 24. the media darling. (she/her, cis)

5′1. monty is chubby with a wide face, slight bunny teeth and a soft-sloped wide nose. she’s dark-skinned and has back-length curly black hair that falls around her face, often threaded with rings and silver charms. has a signature black lipstick, a septum, a medusa and a vertical labret piercing. her eyes are a true brown that get richer in sunlight. goth fashion icon. jareth’s co-star and first ever onscreen love interest, though she comes from a well-known family within the top 30 on the list.

 a few months ago, monty’s older brother unexpectedly passed away, leaving her as the family heir without notice. there’s been a lot of gossip regarding what the kamya family plan to do now that their heir is already successful in her own career field, and rumours have been slowly circulating about an upward marriage. you’ve yet to meet her in person, but from what you know of her reputation, monty is gentle, well-spoken and organised. 

LUDO LEE. 25. the rebel. (he/him, trans)

6′4ish. ludo is large and athletic with pale skin and thick muscles. has a black-blond shag cut that falls over his eyes unless tied back. brown eyes with a black outer ring, giving them a cool hue. a delicately curved nose and a face that suits an open-mouthed smile. honey’s roommate. 

as of now, he’s far from your world.

NOTABLE ELITE.

VIOLETA VINTEREN. 56. (she/her, cis)

5′7-8. rest of appearance determined by MC. 

your party-loving, colour-embracing, seemingly ditzy and careless mother. the ex-head of your family and architectural company. currently awaiting trial.

BENZ HALE. 56. (he/him, cis)

pale skin, grey-blond hair and icy blue eyes. at least 6′4. 

the current most powerful man on oracle island with a monopoly on most technological patents and your best friend’s father. for years he was your mother’s ally as he climbed the list of elites, and shall be yours unless you choose otherwise. known for being a ruthless businessman.  

MARS ZU. 52 (he/him, cis)

tawny-skinned with dark, intelligent eyes. seems taller than he is due to his dignified appearance.

a shrewd businessman with a cutting wit, mars is the hand behind the operating of the most popular broadcasting channels on the island and benz’s biggest competition for power. is rarely seen interacting with any of his children publicly other than his eldest daughter.

LISSO WINDHAM. 59. (she/her, cis)

small and mousy, lisso windham appears more a kindly grandmother than a powerful hotel tycoon. 

you’ve met her and her wife a few times through windo, and both women have been kind to you. you know little of her as a businesswoman. all of her children are adopted. 

MELONY SISSEL. 47. (she/her, cis)

a fashionable, bright woman with a rosy complexion, you can see the resemblance between her and jelly. 

the head of the only family in the top 10 without generational influence, melony makes it obvious she doesn’t share the dreams of her late father. owns some of the most resource-rich mines and oil rigs. 

TADLEY WEATHERBROOK. 26. (he/him, cis)

pale, with messy blond hair. his tall and gangly appearance belies his brutish attitude. 

since his father is in the hospital with a terminal illness, tadley has taken over as the acting head of his family and the weatherbrook health and life insurance company. his abilities remain to be seen, though he’s faced with public doubt. 

LAUREL TRAVERS. 32. (she/her, cis)

blonde-haired and blue eyed, she has almost no features that she didn’t inherit from the father that turned his back on her.

benz’s daughter and the head of the travers family. in charge of an event planning business to promote the travers’ beverage company. your mother liked her despite her self-obsessed attitude and opportunistic unwillingness to tie herself to anything. hebe has a functioning relationship with her. 

OTHER CHARACTERS.

MYRTLE COFFEY. your head of staff.

TALLULAH ETHERIDGE. your old tutor.

VOLTAIRE VOLTAIRE. frontman of a rock band.

FAYE LASSETER. dedicated reporter.

You don't have to read this if you don't want to. This is my rant and criticism space, it's really more for me. Thanks 7 years of conditioned behavior.

I considered this piece abandoned a few months ago. Just as I was starting the first pass of shading I saw a massive error. I'm pretty vigilant with my layers, keeping copies in case I need to go back and fix something, but I thought I was all done and dusted. Ready for the next stage. So I had no backups. At this point I'm too far in to easily fix it without making a huge mess and it was a massive motivation killer. I couldn't stop thinking about it and I didn't want to continue, so I left it.

Months later I came back, the work I hadn't finished was perfectly fine, I thought it looked good. I decided that I was going to finish the piece even if it killed me even with the mistakes. It happens to all of us. And man I am so happy I continued.

I could've kept going on it to be honest, but I had to put a stop somewhere. There are problems, things I wish I had or hadn't done, but for what it is I'm damn pleased with myself. So I'd say it was a success :)

The last 45 minutes were spent on the background (look too close and I'll kill you). There wasn't even going to be one before then. Glad I stuck out the extra time even though I was fucking exhausted and ready to have my hand completely crushed by a large object.

Around 75% of the way done I notice that my auto-saves are causing my laptop to freeze. I know hefty files can do this but it's only a full body drawing, not what I'd consider hefty. Well it turns out that past me thought so highly of this piece, before it was even a sketch, to have it be in 4K RESOLUTION. That shit is crisp as hell, drink in all that clear detail, so long as Tumblr doesn't nuke it from orbit. (Future me here to say that yep, it got nuked. Guess I'll be the only one who gets to see it in high def, just what I wanted lmao 😒)

It sucks even more because I'm noticing the lack of clarity on another piece I'm doing, but I 1. don't need 4K quality and 2. my laptop can't take that level of a beating every time CSP auto-saves. Yeah I could turn off auto-saves but that feels like just asking for trouble.