A game to turn achievements into agony (+ your link)

Leyelle 2024-02-18 11:52:07 UTC #36

mkay, so I've been out and sick for the last two days and I got 8 likes while i was away so here we are

Etan Sosa gets his last name from "Sammy Sosa" the baseball player. it's also what my father's last name "Mesa" has been confused for before on receipts.
yes, Etan is Dominican
Alicia only dates other Hispanics...apparently, though tbf, she's only dated one person with a crush on another
All of the main characters of Damsel in the Red Dress are Hispanic, and with the exception of Emelia, that trend will continue in book two.
this is not an intentional bias, it just happens to be how I imagined the characters. and not one of the characters that have been shown (just evil little Etan in the flashbacks) or the same kind of hispanic as me, but maybe i'll add another Dominican in later.
Kattar used to dye his hair a lighter shade than it naturally is (chestnut brown from his natural black) and his natural complexion is between cashew and peanut butter brown. Since being hospitalized, he got paler, and his hair grew out very long, in it's original color, so his complexion sort of flip-flopped light to dark.
Mrs. Moon is the oldest sister of three girls, with a single working mom, which explains why she's never seemed to have to submit to anyone.
Alicia's aunt Maria who raised her was sort of the out-cast sister between Alicia's mom, and the oldest sister. She is also the nicest.

KevinReijnders 2024-02-18 12:47:26 UTC #37

Nah, when it comes to stuff like that Old Nan's pretty chill. She's a big advocate for freedom of expression and finding your true self.

Kyara gets into trouble with her with how nonchalantly she throws herself head first into dangerous situations and flagrant disregard for saftey protocols.

(Take this as fact nr 32, since I've gotten a new like today haha)

Leyelle 2024-02-19 15:21:10 UTC #38

Two likes today:

The hospital Kattar is in is inspired by Mount Sinai pediatric hospital in Baltimore Maryland where my older brother was hospitalized during his teens. The place is still vivid in my memory, so I can have the characters walk through the setting and know what takes place where, like a 3D map
Kattar's room is (probably obviously) My brothers.

Leyelle 2024-02-20 14:23:21 UTC #39

three likes yesterday

When writing the story I was worried it would be too open and closed, but the addition of Mrs. Moon created a whole story with lots of depth and detail to go into, as did the mention of Alicia's parents divorce
I debated given Andrew a Hispanic name but opted against it
the only person named Alicia I've ever heard of is the older sister of Diego (from Nick Jr.) lol

PoppyTheMerpasaur 2024-02-20 16:26:34 UTC #40

As of the time I wake up, there are only two likes, so...

I originally began writing Reaper's Storm when I was 14, so the original plot was about magical animatronics fighting intergalactic threats. This is not a joke. The story is very different now
The story of Reaper's Storm started out as a group project on Newgrounds in hopes of making an animation, devolved into an attempt a webcomic, then devolved once more into a solo project to write a novel, only to resurface again a few months ago as a webcomic again. It's been one hell of a development cycle <.<""

igneriss 2024-02-21 10:32:28 UTC #41

I got 8 likes yesterday, so let's go

My story's title was supposed to be a pretty big spoiler. However, during those 10 years of drawing I changed the story so much, that it's no longer valid. I just hope no one asks 'so what does the title mean' question on a end-of-series Q&A
A big part of one of the characters' story is highly inspired by one Polish legend. Even the way how this character ends up in the end.
In 6,75's word, cats have two pairs of eyes- one pair is opened during the day, the other one during the night. In the evening or early morning, they have both pairs slightly open.
I love playing 'what if' scenarios for my series- how different would be an end result, if one character didn't say something that seemed unimportant earlier in the story? How much would it change if another character didn't made that one decision? I was actually considering making a game with all those possible endings
I tried to give all my characters unique features. While I was already quite far with drawing the story, I've seen in a bus a guy that looked almost exactly how I would image my character Jerzy to look like in real life.
In one chapter cover illustration, on the first glance it looks like two main characters, Jerzy and Blanka, are holding hands. It wasn't done on a purpose and brought disappointment to some of my readers when they realised they are not, in fact, holding hands
Jerzy is the only one who refers to Kestrel with her real name, Blanka. Most other characters don't even know her name and never bothered to ask.
Jerzy leaves food for house spirits around the house, it can actually be sometimes seen in the background.

igneriss 2024-02-21 10:34:27 UTC #42

okay, this actually got me curious about your story : D

sams_cartoon_shack 2024-02-21 14:09:02 UTC #43

I still only have a single like for my latest update on Monday, so here's one fun fact:

When I conceived the idea of The Shapes as a kid, the setting was originally supposed to be Sham Island before realizing what sham meant and switching it to Shap Island.

BlueJourney121 2024-02-21 14:31:49 UTC #44

Leyelle 2024-02-21 16:11:44 UTC #45

No likes yesterday, so here's one question:

Do you pick favorites? If so, who is your favorite of your own characters?

Leyelle 2024-02-22 14:59:10 UTC #46

No likes yesterday either, so here's a question, inspired by someone else's thread (https://forums.tapas.io/t/i-have-a-problem-with-most-villains/81210?u=leyelle)

How do you like your villains? Crazy? Masterminds? Scary? Silly?

I like a combination of them all, so I might comeback to talk about this later with other villains, but I'll just say that the way I've characterized villains in "Damsel in the Red Dress" I would have to call "glamorous insidious." the sort of villainy so subtle and smooth, you don't even realize you're being abused or misused, and even once you start to realize, you doubt yourself. It's possibly the scariest kind of evil, imao, because it's the one you never think to fight against. Sort of like a Kaa the snake in "The Jungle Book."

igneriss 2024-02-23 09:33:14 UTC #47

5 likes yesterday : )
1. In Kestrel's very first design, she had a normal coat instead of a feathered one, and only bird-like accessory was her mask. In the second design, it still was a normal coat, just with cuts on edges that would look like feathers. I don't regret changing the design, but not gonna lie, would be SO MUCH easier to draw if I decided to stick with it
2. ...but the character I regret changing the design for from the original draft, is Ellie. Why, OH WHY did I give her pigtails??? in the original design, she had her hair down and swept over one shoulder.
3. At the start of the series, I'd image Kestrel's voice to be like a slightly nightcored Amy Lee. Currently I'm not sure anymore if it suits her. Mayba? Kinda? Depends?
4. The empty dream world where Mergim is, is a connecting place between a lot of my stories, even ones that have completely different settings.
5. Sometimes I forget my characters names. To be exact, if it's Willhelm or Wilhelm (...and sometimes, 'was it William...?'), and Tobias or Tobbias. I'm pretty sure there might be incorrect versions somewhere in the comic.

Leyelle 2024-02-23 15:03:56 UTC #48

One like yesterday so:

One of my favorite parts of writing 'Damsel in the Red Dress' has been naming the magazines, and I wonder if anyone can guess the reason behind Mrs. Moon's magazine being named "Gossamer and Ambergris."

Leyelle 2024-02-25 12:34:09 UTC #49

Two likes yesterday so:

Melissa is the first character where i've allowed myself to write her dialog how she's saying it, rather than how the words should be spelled.
when i first introduced her character in the form of a letter, i didn't expect her to become relevant, but her personality was so defined from day one that it only makes sense.

igneriss 2024-02-26 08:15:47 UTC #50

Four likes yesterday
1. Kestrel was supposed to have a backstory chapter, but I removed it completely from the script because it disturbed the story's flow too much.
2. Jerzy was named after saint George, because saint George killed a dragon : D
3. Jerzy's surname was taken from the depths of my family tree. I don't have any living relatives with this surname (as far as I know), but I really liked the sound of it.
4. I came up with name 'Corhir' while studying chemistry & periodic table.

Leyelle 2024-02-26 17:43:12 UTC #51

I got one like yesterday so:

I hadn't originally planned for how GIGANTIC Shannon is to be relevant, but I like the contrast it created between how big he is and how tiny Alicia is.

Leyelle 2024-02-27 13:54:22 UTC #52

Two likes yesterday:
1. Spoiler: the name planned for book four of "Damsel in the Red Dress" is "Angel with Painted Nails"
2. I debated calling it Devil with Painted Nails, so there is still some decision making needed there.

And Hushabye Prince got 8 likes yesterday so:

In the original draft of Hushabye Prince, Jinwoo was not into Princesses
Kimberly is Melanesian and African American, hence why she has blonde hair (though she could have been yellow-bone.)
Kimberly's fashion statement is going to be the most princess-y thing i could imagine a working adult wearing
Jinwoo is going to be a new fashion statement i created called "Soft Boy Regal."
It took me a very long time to learn which part of "xs and os" stood for hugs and which stood for kisses
Jinwoo find things most people would never even think of amusing
Jinwoo always refers to his sister as if everyone knows who she is
Jinwoo orders the same thing from Hummingbird Cafe everyday

Leyelle 2024-02-28 17:56:27 UTC #53

one like yesterday:

Up until a few days ago (read: yesterday) I wasn't 100% sure what Alicia's red cocktail dress was shaped like. Details just added themselves throughout the story.

Leyelle 2024-02-29 02:04:48 UTC #54

one like today on "Hushabye Prince."

Jinwoo's favorite food is gingersnaps

Leyelle 2024-02-29 16:32:33 UTC #55

I got 5 likes yesterday so

To this day, when Alicia refers to her hair as black, I don't know if it's actually black or very dark brown, but I think it's the latter
I like male characters (okay, and real guys) with very long hair, so even though Kattar's hair was not very long when the story starts, it's getting longer. the excuse is that he got no haircuts while in the hospital, and then staying home as a shut-in.
I don't know why I love making Alicia so tiny, with such long hair, but I think it's because it makes her seem very sweet, and delicate, an idea that I very much want to remain a part of her character. Even as she becomes more assertive, she's still delicate and needs to be treated with love.
This delicacy is actually echoed in Kattar being shrouded by his own black waterfall of hair, because yes, he's delicate too, and this is especially seen in chapters like "Black Bile" and "Tangerine Acedia."
One of my favorite things about Mrs. Moon's character is her ability to be extremely feminine and a girl boss at the same time because they don't cancel each other out.