Chthonic Crown Studios

"Sovereign design from the depths" Solodev

[chthoniccrownstudios]

The Dev & The Studio

Chthonic Crown Studios is a one-person operation run out of the shadows. The studio’s motto, "sovereign design from the depths," isn't just because I like the way it looks on a banner (though I do). To me, "sovereign" means code that is actually maintainable, a UI that makes sense, and an uncompromising aesthetic.

I’m a lifelong student of the craft, currently holding a Bachelor’s in Software Engineering and a CompTIA Project+ Certification (among other digital merit badges). I’m planning to start my Master’s in a couple of years once I’ve caught my breath.

I believe in human-written code. While AI is an excellent tool for research or yelling insults at when a debugger fails me, I’d never have a program I actually understood if I let a machine write the whole thing for me. If it has the Chthonic Crown on it, a person (me) actually touched every line. It's software that has a soul.

Current Project

I am currently deep in the vaults building a Gothic Pomodoro Timer for Android. It’s designed for those who want to conquer their focus blocks while surrounded by cathedral-inspired aesthetics.

Platform: Android Mobile

Target Release: June 30th, 2026 (pray for my sleep schedule)

Status: Active development; occasionally haunted by bugs

Get in Touch

I am always hunting for alpha/beta testers who aren't afraid of a little darkness to give blunt feedback or suggests features I haven't thought of yet.

Email: [email protected]

I am actively seeking a human graphic designer to commission for permanent studio branding. My current logo is a placeholder, and I'd like to be rid of it as soon as possible.

[chthoniccrownstudios]

Gothic Pomodoro Devlog: 05/27/2026

I'm debating adding tags to each session so that the user can filter by their custom tags, maybe based on what they were working on. That feels like a later problem though.

I finished setting up the basics of the database and CRUD operations. I'm excited to get back into the UI and watch it all come together. It's only now occurring to me that this is the final module I have planned for the app so far. This means I'm making very good time, but it also means I have plenty of time to get stuck in UI design hell later.

I think my biggest problem with UI design is picking one vision. The aesthetics here are very important to me, which wasn't a big priority in most of my collegiate projects. It's not the implementation so much as it is deciding what exactly to implement. Balancing my desired dark, gothic aesthetic without it turning into someone's MySpace from 2007 is proving delicate.

I think I'll go hunting for inspiration and see if that is of any help. Feedback and tips are welcome and appreciated!

[chthoniccrownstudios]

UI Feedback Poll - Gothic Pomodoro Timer

How do we feel about the scale of the current UI?

I like the small boxes/text

I think you should scale everything up (easier to tap)

A secret third option (please specify in comments I'm begging)

Voting ended onJun 2

The entirety of the UI is subject to change at this point, but this is one thing in particular that's been on my mind.

[chthoniccrownstudios]

Gothic Pomodoro Devlog: 05/25/2026

I think it's going well.

In all seriousness, I think this friction is happening because I'm using the older UI framework because I didn't know that Material3 existed because I actually live under a rock. I intend to finish this out using the older framework since I've already gotten this far, but it does make me wonder whether the app is worth publishing or if I should just gg go next.

I'll probably base that decision on how happy I am with the final product and the level of general interest. The idea of recreating the whole app doesn't please me too greatly, but I guess the logic itself would be the same which would make it easier.

Current Progress/Features:

Start, pause, and reset timer functionality. Reset button includes a confirmation pop-up to eliminate accidental presses.

Ability to adjust work, short rest, and long rest lengths, as well as the number of working rounds before a long rest happens.

Bottom bar navigation with 3 tabs.

Home tab UI mostly complete (pictured above) until I stare at it and decide I hate it again. It's already been through a lot of iterations, but I imagine I'll end up redesigning the whole thing based on feedback.

Next Steps:

Settings Tab UI Update - It exists, but I think it's all rather small for a smooth UX. Do you prefer thicker buttons for accessibility or a more compact, journal-esque look?

Archive Functionality - The archive is going to function as a built in notes feature. A new note will be automatically created when the user starts a session that tracks the number of rounds and their lengths and provides fields for notes.

Let me know what you think!