Dean & Chloe Behind The Scenes Rambles
or, what happens when i answer this oc asks post for both of my current blorbos.
1. What was the original thought that led to the creation of this character?
"I wanna make a cute doggirl and a cute catboy like i've seen in artfight!" — end thought. LWNFIENDJE. just never had kemonomimis before and thought they looked super fun to design. i know there's an odd thing about gendering dogs as boys or mascs and cats as girls or femmes, (which is why i suspect my good friend fio decided this combo rather than a catgirl and dogboy, which is the other set option i had available) so i didn't make dean masc and i didn't make chloe fem, but otherwise hadn't the time to think about anything further than that. because then i just decided that they should be stupid as fuck.
2. How long was the process before the character reached its final version? (or a version that would be clearly recognizable as the character?)
for the dean version we have right now? one sketch finalized her perfectly. i got her right on the first try ZWOJFIJFRI i remember drawing what i did and thinking "yo is this the most fire design ive ever whipped up???" it was like she got blasted straight from my mind fully formed. changed only her colors since. (and i think i gave her freckles and made her a little fatter.) chloe's was a lot harder to finalize, but his initial design - much simpler than dean's - was perfect for the time being too. and quite recognizable as current day chloe, with less bells and whistles (and more generic hair).
3. What was the first thing you decided on, the character's name, appearance, personality or their role in the story?
personality was decided first for them both. i knew i wanted two people who were energetic and loved each other, but i also knew i wanted them to have different behaviors a little bit based on their kemonomimi types. so chloe was a little more quiet and dean was a little more boisterous. make no mistake, though; under that shallow impression they are both goblins. for lack of a better word. appearance was easy, just worked with the names and it came up smooth, then i guess technically their roles in the story took me the longest to decide—years after i've last touched them i picked them back up and gave them a slice of life as the main characters.
4. And reverse, which one of the four things did you struggle with the most?
i guess i kinda struggled to make chloe look like how i wanted him to in my mind when i redesigned him years later. not too much of a struggle; i settled on the design i have now, and it has grown on me considerably since. his pants were difficult, but then i got those perfect. the hardest thing was probably his sweater.
5. How did you choose their name and why? Was it simply based on vibes or is there any specific meaning behind the name? Are the reasons behind their name different in- and out of universe?
i've always wanted to name one of my beautiful baby girls dean... i looked up top girl names that start with c to get chloe's name. took me a while to go against changing it to something cooler like camilla, but eventually it really grew on me. on top of that i did it particularly like this because i wanted to make a soft friendly statement. like isn't it more fun this way? when everybody can be named anything? in universe this is most likely just how it is, but i choose to focus on the people named the opposite of their "gender suitable" names specifically because, in our world, the girl being named chloe and the boy being named dean is preferable. and i wanna push that notion until it breaks under my heel. also dean's parents specifically probably named her after their favorite football player or something.
6. What was the thought process behind their appearance? Did you go mostly for the aesthetic or are there other reasons they look the way they do?
only god knows why i designed dean like this ✌️ but the 2000s fashion was intentional because i've just never had a character with that sense of style and thought it would be super fun to have one. she is also notably the only one in my character lineup to EVER be curvy. this is heavily intentional. i chose it as a specific shape statement so she has more circles per circle, i think. chloe has more reasoning for it; my idea being that he's a former gang member and current laidback book and dnd enjoyer, so i blinged him up while also giving him a big comfy sweater + pajama pants and some softcore e-boy looking things. as a matter of fact, i think at some point e-boy was the main thing i was going for...
7. What is an aspect of their appearance that you like the most?
absolutely adore both of their whole faces. something about them is so satsifying to me, and god knows i love it when i draw them right. they're so distinct! i used to have same face syndrome and thought i'd have it forever, y'know!
8. What is the origin of their personality? And let's be honest - how much of it is projecting?
i'm gonna level with you, i will never know that i'm projecting if i'm doing it. the goal is to make blorbos totally separate from me. friends and acquaintances are gonna hafta tell me if any of these behaviors are me shaped. of what i do intentionally give them, i project like a small dosage of my apathy towards dean so that she's a genuinely good person; not doing things blindly by wavering feelings of what's right without any thought, but committing niceties DESPITE how annoyed / upset / icked out she might be. because she wants everyone to have a good time on this earth (or she wants as many people as possible to like her, i haven't decided). with chloe i projected a small dosage of my anger issues and occasional mysterious nature. no doubt he has some ego from being essentially top cat and commanding so many goons under him way back when.
their origins are just as mysterious to me as it is to you... i looked at them and went "oh yes, okay. i got your entire base demeanor down pat now probably." and then, as with all characters, the rest was their personal decision with not much outside input from me. coming to me in flashes of abstraction.
9. How big is their role in the story? Do they make a frequent appearance or are they a character with little "screentime" but big influence? Or are they just a favourite background guy?
there is no story so they can't really do much to "influence" it, other than that their whole college will take on any trend they start (purposefully or not) because they're so #popular. otherwise, they probably have a bigger slice of the screentime pie than the usual leafstone lodger. just a bit. i do wanna distribute stories equally, though, because there's a reason the series is named after the building and not the people; it's kind of like a series of memoirs related to leafstone lodge itself. my lodgers are my miis, you see. and they live on this island of "plot" purely to cause drama and funny.
10. What is their main character arc in the story? Where do they start and how do they develop? Do they get a happy ending or is their story a tragic one?
11. Is there any existing character from other media that your character resembles? Was the resemblance intentional or was it a coincidence?
yes, absolutely! especially for dean! i am so sure she got like, a little too much of her appearance inspired by betty from kid n' teenagers (the only sign that i was ever so obsessed with those comic strips) and a little too much of her personality inspired by aoi asahina from danganronpa. also dean itself is probably a name i had stored in mind because of jack and dean. i think i was watching their job hopper series at the point in time that i initially designed dean and chloe. i'm not sure who chloe was inspired by, if anyone, and i'm not sure if he resembles anyone i know of specifically... maybe he got some of ted's (kid n' teenagers again) facial features accidentally. i swear i had some inspirations, but i've forgotten them. gumball watterson?
12. Do you have a playlist for the character? What songs do you associate with them and why?
oh, i wish! how i wish and wish and wish! someday if i try my hardest...!!! i will say, be around me by will joseph cook and chloe moriondo is a song they'd both totally cover and love. it's lighthearted, it's groovy, it has that weird "backyard boy" esque sound of nostalgia i think they'd super dig.
13. Do you have a voice claim for the character? What do you imagine the character sounds like?
YAYYYYYYYY I JUST GOT THESE LATELY. sq from gnosia for dean, trey clover from twisted wonderland for chloe! chloe's voiceclaim i had to settle for - many such cases with chloe's whole everything process, dean is just easier to do things for, sorry chloe - but dean's is near absolute perfection. like it's so good i listen to sq voice clips from time to time just to hear my girl dean. i've always imagined, even before i got these voiceclaims, that dean has some sort of generic peppy girl voice, and chloe some sort of raspy fuckboy tone but deeper.
14. Do you have any quotes tied to the character, either from the story itself or from another source that fit them?
i did some made up quotes for their sketch sheets mainly as a gauge for how they'd talk and respond to situations of varying feels—it was an extremely fun endeavor, by the way, the process gave me so much satisfaction to do—but otherwise have never thought of it. i'd have to draw the comic first to get quotes, and lord knows i'm too chronically depressed for that.
15. Have you ever made a moodboard for them?
no, but now that you mention it, i totally could! i could come up with colorings, too, to use on the moodboards... oooh...
16. Is there any memes or running jokes associated with the character, both in- and out of universe?
not yet! this is another something i'd have to make the comic first to be able to answer. i guess chloe's previous gang being his lackeys for totally innocent activities nowadays is a running gag in my head, but. we really will have to see.
17. Are there any motifs or symbols associated with the character? How are they represented, in their design, personality or in some other way?
not any super strong ones beyond the typical fishbones for the cat and normal bones for the dog. why is it always bones, now that i say that? it's all bones. they keep boning up these animals. chloe's kind of a street rat, though, so i guess stuff like the curb and vending machines are kinda his style. dean is associated loosely with charity and festivals, sparkling water, stuff like that.
18. Does the character have other characters connected to them? Do you have a family tree and "offscreen" connections made up for them or do they exist in a vacuum purely for the purpose of the story?
connected like they know each other, or like they go to the family reunion and see each other? because the former is a yes, and the latter is a no. they don't have parents or siblings yet. but i am heavily tempted... one day this might change yet.
19. What is your general favourite thing about the character? What is your least favourite?
my favorite? that they kind of inspire hope in me. and hopefully if i ever get their story running, they'll inspire hope in others too. also when i look at them i kind of don't have to think about gender norms. i tried to break what i could, and their wardrobes are honestly pretty gnc i think, plus though chloe is definitely masc and dean is fem, they got wiggle room about it like in a cartoon. dean DOES default to suits that make her look square as fuck for formal events, and chloe WILL be wearing a super long grandma skirt to the function if he wants to be comfortable. the only reason they don't wear each other's clothes is they totally think the other person's wardrobe is a little bit fugly. and are open about it.
my least favorite general favorite thing is that they're a little bit aimless right now. i know slice of lifes are supposed to be that way, but i would like a little more affiliations for them; social groups, buildings and places, bits, family drama maybe... the concept for their story could be stronger and funnier, i think.
20. Bonus question: share any additional thoughts, art, favourite scenes, anything you've been waiting for a chance to ramble about
not applicable! one day i'll be so annoying about them, maybe. hopefully. for now they've got basically no substance. i haven't played with them enough.
