Name: Phineas Smith
Status: Hunter
Age: Died at 26 {born in June 15}
Height: 188 cm / 6′2
Nationality: French
Sexuality: Bisexual
Sex: Male
Weapon: Cane with a spear
Rumor: Phineas Smith was a young Showman and also the owner of the famous Circus “Butterfly Of The Blue Moon” that was run by his family for generations. It was known for its unique performances like no other, which made the Circus ranked No.1 of all the circuses. Which he is proud of and the reason for him to love the Circus even more and everyone in it to the point to see them as big happy family. but one day, Phineas decided to visit a guy named Mr. Bernard so he can have a Collaboration with his circus "Hullabaloo" to make the best show that on earth! And Mr. Bernard Agreed to it happily. But after months of the agreement, and the day of the show is approaching… Phineas was found DEAD inside the Sauna he always goes to by his younger brother Flynn, It seemed as if the door was broken and he couldn't get out so the heat killed him slowly and painfully, and his skin turned gray because of that. but Mr. Bernard will not let that stop Phineas' “Dreams" of the Greatest Show to be canceled, so he gladly allowed the show to continue under his own name...poor Phineas got KILLED before he could see The Show...he will not forgive HIM for this.
Other Character:-
{Flynn - Poppy - Carina}
{The Blue Fog} When The Showman hit his cane at the ground, The fog will create a fake version of the survivors he is against for 30 seconds, he can see for 5 seconds where the survivors are when he control the fake survivor, and he can teleport where the fake survivor is if he wanted, although he need to wait after that 60 seconds before he can use it again.
{Pranks} The Showman love to pranks people sometimes, he can create a fake version of the Ciphers and the Pallets and puts them wherever he wants to trick the survivors, they will stay for 30 seconds before they despair, or if a survivor touches one of them they will despair and will make a sound to let The Showman know.
{Show-Off} The Showman uses this ability to travel 5% more faster by transforming into his hat and starting floating around the map for 15 seconds.
Fourth Year Anniversary ♡ METHOD TRACK .. Lunar Ridge
‘ A GAME OF HUMANITY AND ANOMALY. ’
What do you do when you've entered a world so distinctly different from your own, yet so fatally familiar all the same?
Four years ago, I embarked on a journey I've never done before ♪, and I've had so much fun ever since! ( This post is admittedly a little early, since my original Lunar Ridge starting date was the 10th of July, 2022, and it's the 1st of June, 2026, as of typing this. )
In other words... I had made my very first essence, completed with my own skins for my friends and the friends of my friends, and complete lore that I remembered being sooooo proud of. Back then, I had a really, really good time!
It kind of started a legacy, if you will ♪
Over the four years of the Lunar Ridge series, I've created a lot of cool essences with cool lore, featuring a ton of cool people! There are so many that I don't think I could name every single one, completed or not.
However, the original essence, and the one that really did kick off my love for creation and storylines, has to be the Theatre of Darkness ♪ Elysia's debut essence and the first essence I ever took sign-ups for! I consider it my first ever major project... and I'm still super proud of it and how it showed me what I was able to accomplish!
And, with my fourth anniversary for Lunar Ridge coming up... I wanted to celebrate it with something fun and unexpected ♪ This time, I took inspiration from my original essence, my Neon Theatre. I remember the mindset I was in when I was making it, y'know? I wanted to make everyone proud. I wanted to make everyone think, "Wow, I'm glad I signed up for this!" I was seeking validation for my work really badly at the time... so a lot of the work ended up getting done on the spot.
The lore was kind of messy, a lot of things were left to interpretation, the designs were kind of cluttered... I didn't put enough thought into the story I was telling, the characters I was bringing to life. I had fun, but I knew I could do better with the concept I had built it off of.
Entities and horror were always kind of my thing! Things that don't exist organically, things made to scare you, to scare us, I've always centered many of my original works on the idea of something cosmic and otherworldly. The Theatre was like that. So it is.
Which brings me to the METHOD TRACK essence ♪
I wanted to make an essence that tells the story I always wanted The Theatre to tell, without erasing what the Theatre was and what it had meant to me. I don't want to overwrite the Theatre and the people within the Theatre, I want to add onto it, I want to expand upon it without unruling its history. The ACTS of the theatre were so important to me. The Tracks of the METHOD TRACK serve the same purpose as those ACTS did... although I have fewer tracks than I did ACTS.
In the end, for this essence, I decided I wanted to focus more on the story than the design, which is what I had wanted to do for the Theatre at the time, but didn't have the skills to really.... do so. I actually prioritized the story of the METHOD TRACK so much that I wrote character notes for each character ♪ by hand ♪ because I'm stupid ♪ (/j) But, the gist is that each track has (typically) one human and one entity in it, and a story solely contained to that track, even if characters and elements may connect outside that track.
Now, I just want to say this isn't the Theatre revitalized! The Theatre will remain as its own thing of the past, just as I wanted. I'm not going to erase the past that brings me to this present. Even if that story isn't relevant to the world I've built as "Lunar Ridge", it's still an important story to me. An important story that should remain just as it was. The METHOD TRACKS... I hope you'll see it as an extension of the world the Theatre started building. An extension with a more complete and finalized picture. But, that's enough words, I want you guys to meet the actors of my latest play! After all... is this "long time no see," or "nice to meet you?"
..
TRACK ZERO - Rotten Beauty
METHOD TRACK Zero is the Rotten Beauty Track. It features my two "main" characters, Sabrina and Remnant! I decided to make them Track Zero, because they're the watchers, the observers, they're witnessing the tragedies of Tracks One through Six, without directly involving themselves in them.
If I had to describe them, they're... kind of like us? In a way? We're simply watching the story unfold from an outside perspective, as are they. Sabrina will come to learn about and love characters in the tracks the same way you guys learn and love characters in the story, while Remnant is kind of like me... the storyteller of the inevitable tragedy being told. It revels in its craft, in the tragedies of its own making, in the same way I enjoy making the stories I later get to tell.
They're both simply... watching. Just like us.
It's the reason they ended up playing themselves, as opposed to having a canon character or an original character play them like everyone else. It's a poetic symbolism that I can't truly get if I ended up giving this role to someone else.
Remnant... I did want to talk about it a little bit, since it is very similar to the Agent of Darkness in terms of the role it plays. Remnant was very loosely inspired by the concept of the Jezebel Spirit and the idea of "temptation" and "control" as something not quite humane. I wanted Remnant to embody everything I was told not to be growing up as a tiny tot in the church. I wanted it to be disarming at a first glance, but something truly dangerous and disconcerting if left unchecked. (I don't want to get too much into the religious background of Remnant; I don't think this is the place to do it.)
The Agent of Darkness served a similar role to Remnant as the projector of tragedy, the one who reigns over this world with great control, but not absolute control. They are the curator of tragedy and misfortune. They serve very similar roles in their own stories.
TRACK ONE - I Miss the Quiet.
Track One is the I Miss the Quiet track! It is the first track in the main track list, and it is the first track that Remnant shows Sabrina. It follows the story of a high-schooler named Robin A. (Played by Bethany Anastazja, the Baker) after she stumbles into the domain of the Windwalker (Played by Ithaqua, the Nightwatch) on her way home. Robin is kind of... the main character of her own outside story in the Lunar Ridge universe (Robin and Andie, her brother, share a story in the Lunar Ridge series, but that's for another day!), but she makes an appearance in the METHOD TRACKS as a part of track one.
Robin has her own story, of course, but her story in Track One is really important for setting up the stories of the later tracks, as well as setting the standard of tragedy. In Track One's case, the tragedy actually lies... with The Windwalker.
Track One takes place in a liminal space known as the Winterwoods Forest. The important part of these woods is that the forest itself is alive and conscious. It's not the Windwalker who is the entity, but rather, it is the entire forest that is the entity, and the Windwalker is just an extension of it. The Windwalker, although I will be calling it "Wren" for short (thank you, Tae, for helping me come up with a short-hand name for it!), is just a piece of the much bigger puzzle. Wren was inspired by the concept of being reclaimed by nature.
Now, I wanted it to be a bit more on the horror story side, which is why I opted to make Wren a more instinctual and animalistic character as opposed to someone conscious of their actions, someone more humane in appearance but still something off-putting about them. And, you know the concept of the wind being alive/carrying your words on the wind? That's where the name comes from... the wind is "walking". The wind "walks", Wren is The Windwalker. Eh? Ehh?????? (I raise a brow with a smug expression off-screen.)
Wren is part of the forest, and the forest is part of Wren. Wren was actually a young man (roughly 19-ish in age) who died in the Winterwoods Forest and had his corpse seized by the anomalous forest, essentially being made a part of the forest. Its existence is tied to the forest, its life taken by the forest, its body used by the forest. Wren... probably isn't even conscious inside his own body anymore. It's being driven entirely by instinct, but not even its own instinct, but rather the instinct of something entirely beyond it. Which ends up being the real tragedy.
Robin's found another person she can't help. She's found another person she has to watch fade away into nothingness. There's nothing Robin can do to help Wren or to lay Wren to rest. The only thing Robin can do is live on, to carry on, and to keep looking forward to tomorrow. Robin's only choice is to... keep marching forward. And leave everyone else behind.
Track One not only introduces the concept of human vs entity or liminal spaces, but it also introduces a key aspect of the METHOD TRACK storyline, the concept of daybreak, and what that means for someone trapped in the liminal. Daybreak is basically... the condition for someone to become free from the liminal space. Daybreak, sometimes called "Sunrise" is basically the dawn but for liminal spaces! Liminal Spaces entrances open for a limited time at the dawn of a new day and at the dusk/ending of a new day, which means people can either enter a realm at dusk (usually by accident) or exit a realm at daybreak.
In order for Robin to escape the Winterwoods, she had to survive until daybreak, when the realm becomes the thinnest and intersects with the real world. This means Robin can escape the realm and return to the real world again, but only during that "daybreak" time period, which is different between each liminal space. If she missed it, she has to wait for the next "daybreak". The Windwalker's (and other entities') job is to capture and deal with the humans before daybreak hits. In Track One's case, The Windwalker doesn't capture Robin. In fact, Wren is the one who ejects Robin out at the last second using its wind, launching her backwards and out of the realm. Because Wren is a human foremost, the Windwalker retains a part of Wren's human will and sometimes will act out of "character" because of it. While the Windwalker wants Robin inside the realm, Wren wanted Robin out, and Wren won that struggle.
Not to discredit Robin's own survival instincts, since Wren's intervention only came in at the end. Robin earned her rights to survive; she earned her rights to make it out of that track alive. Robin learned the Windwalker's patterns, she learned the lay of the land, she fought back when she had to, she fought and struggled. She had even broken the beloved guitar her brother had given her when she was younger in her struggle. Robin deserves her survival, every bit of it.
A lot of Robin's character and her interactions with Wren/The Windwalker originate from that close bond she had with her brother, Andie. In Robin's view, Wren is like Andie, someone who's been lost and has someone waiting for them to come back home. Wren is the worst-case scenario; Wren is her fear actualized, Wren is the "brother" who will never come home. Wren is everything about a "missing person" that scares Robin. Wren's fate is the thing that scares her the most.
Wren is the monster in the dark that scares Robin. Which makes it the scariest entity of all in my opinion. Wren's anger warms the forest's heart now- but it will leave the forest cold and empty once it extinguishes.
As far as Beth and Ithaqua go, I chose them for very specific reasons. Beth as Robin was probably the most... drastic choice I could have made, to be honest? Beth is gentle, sweet, a lover and not a fighter, while Robin fought- or rather fights- tooth and nail, through the things that hurt her and the things that destroy her. Beth comes back from the world stronger, but Robin lets the world break her to the point that she wants the Windwalker to win. Robin doesn't overcome her grief; her grief overcomes her. Beth is alive and still fighting, Robin is alive but slowly breaking down. I think the difference between Beth as a character and Robin as a character is very... distinct. In a way, I want Beth's role as Robin to show the real Robin that there is a different way. Through Beth's Robin, I think the real Robin can get stronger, too. And rise from this tragedy just like Beth rose from her own. The casting was an opposites casting, in a way.
As for Ithaqua and "Wren", they have very similar roles in their own stories. "Wren" and Ithaqua both became the nightmares/monsters that people are scared of. They're not just the victims of something beyond them, but they are the punishment as well. Wren takes the role of a tragic villain, but Ithaqua gives it that depth that makes it hurt. Ithaqua brings The Windwalker to life, even if the person behind the mask has long since been forsaken. They are the final destination; they are what remains of something rotten that's long since disappeared. Even Wren's human version is meant to reflect a survivor, while The Windwalker leans more into a hunter visually. The victim and the monster are one and the same, and I think Ithaqua lends himself and his tragedy to my story perfectly.
TRACK TWO - Sinister
Track Two is the Sinister Track! It's the second of the main tracks, and it takes place in a liminal space that looks like one of those racecar tracks. This track is super unique because it has three characters in it, as opposed to the two characters in each track. There's Majin ( Played by Phineas Smith, the Showman ), Tyler B. ( Played by Laurence Godfrey, the News Reporter ), and Boundary ( Played by Avery Star ).
For this track, there were two entities and one human. The two entities have their basis in the shadows and things you can't see, things that lurk in the dark. I always imagine a racetrack would look unsettling, completely empty, and I know my brain tends to make up things in the darkness where I can't see. And in that darkness, you don't know what might be friendly... and what's less than friendly. However, I wanted Majin and Boundary to be starkly different side by side, since a lot of the entities share similar features to one another, such as hair color and eye color. This is also keeping in mind what Legacy entity they originated from, since they both originate from different Legacy entities!
The way the IMtQ track introduced daybreak as a mechanic, the Sinister Track introduces its own important mechanic to the story. This time, its the Legacy Entities. This is very important to figuring out what is truly harmful and truly harmless... in their own sense of the word.
There are four main legacy entities: Legacy Disco, Legacy Alice, Legacy Faker, and Legacy Erebus. Every entity originates from one of the four legacy entities and gains its distinctive traits from these entities. Love (Disco), Playful Curiosity (Alice), Hatred (Faker), and Morbid Curiosity (Erebus). Most of the entities from the METHOD TRACKS originate from Legacy Faker, and they all gained "hatred" and "disdain" at their cores, even though that looks different for each entity. (Alice and Erebus are only lore background for this track; none of the entities share ties to these two, but I do have entities who originate from these two!) However, Majin originated from Legacy Disco, and instead of gaining hatred at its core, Majin gained "love" and "affection" at its core. This makes Majin different from an entity like Boundary on a fundamental level, because the cores of their beings clash. While entities of different fundamentals can get along (See: Nero and Majin), it takes a lot of work and effort from both parties. Disco and Faker saw the world extremely differently, and that's where the conflict herein lies.
And its that unique fundamental with Majin that makes its interactions with Tyler so much different than the other entities and human interactions in future tracks. Majin wants to be Tyler's friend, not his foe or his enemy. Tyler doesn't realize that desire of Majin's is genuine as opposed to manufactured, and that's what results in Tyler's downfall.
For this track, I wanted to test the concept of incorporating more colors into my designs as opposed to the colder and more calculated colors of the following entities. Darker greys, crimson reds and white, with their grey eyes and blue hair, they're all pretty monochromatic across the table when it comes to their schemes. I wanted to experiment with the colors, so I used Majin as my experiment... so it got to have more unique colors in it. I also wanted Majin to represent something fun, so I gave it racecar rights.
Enough about Majin, though... Boundary is also pretty interesting design-wise. For me, Boundary has this like... marionette vibe going on where it is puppetted by its own clothes, its not wearing its clothes but rather its clothes are wearing it. It's been restrained like an animal, and now it behaves rashly so it can survive. Bit ominous. I like it. Boundary doesn't capture Tyler because it wants to, it captures Tyler because it has to. Boundary doesn't enjoy being the Ranger, it doesn't enjoy relying on the mercy of the other entities, it doesn't enjoy being a hunted hunter, but it has to be in order to survive. And in the end, the deal Boundary got from Solace is much, much more valuable to Boundary than whatever Majin would have been to give to it.
In the end, Tyler was nothing more than a trading chip. Both in his own industry and in the Round-A-Bout Racetrack. Similar to Robin, it's his own fears actualized. For him, that inability to escape from something bigger and more powerful than him is what scares him the most. Losing his girlfriend to the mass of fans he has and losing himself to the deals worth more than his life, those are the same thing for Tyler. Its something he can't come back from, something he can't get back, something he can't recover from. Tyler is stuck in the middle, and there's no way out. Boundary is like Tyler, being stuck in the middle, and that is what terrifies Tyler the most about Boundary. He sees himself and his life in Boundary and its life, and that's what scares him.
Tyler always idolized the stars because they were free with no strings attached. To Tyler, although this revelation only comes afterwards, Majin was like those stars he so heavily idolized. Free and without chains. Majin is what Tyler always wanted to be, while Boundary is what Tyler was, and now... Tyler is nothing at all.
As for Phineas, Laurence, and Avery, I chose them for certain reasons. I chose Phineas for Majin due to Phineas' fun-loving personality and generally adaptable wardrobe! Phineas generally lends himself to Majin's character really well... and I think that, if the real Majin met Phineas, they would be the best of friends! They both have a really sweet and intoxicating personality that makes them really fun to be around. I don't think Majin would understand the concept of being a "showman" though... it doesn't understand things like "jobs" or "titles", but Phineas sounds like fun, which is what Majin mainly cares about.
For Tyler and Laurence, it was mainly the fact that they're both men in news/announcement-related fields. Despite that, Tyler and Laurence share a lot in common, like their relationship with the women closest to them, their love for their job, and their tendencies to keep notes on current events and whatnot. Tyler and Laurence are very similar in that way, but I also think of Laurence in the same way Tyler thinks of Majin. Laurence has something that Tyler wants, mainly the freedom to be himself. Tyler envies Laurence's ability to be himself no matter what happens. Tyler is- in my mind, anyway- a less fortunate version of Laurence. Tyler and Laurence walk on the same paths in a lot of ways, but Tyler's path was cut pretty short. I imagine that, if Tyler got the chance to, he'd end up like Laurence, someone free and beloved, unshackled by personal tragedy. But that path Tyler had was cut short. and there's no fixing it, unfortunately.
As for Avery and Boundary... Shamia gets too much shit from me (/j) Originally, I was gonna go with Shamia as Boundary, but I remembered Avery and decided I wanted to give her a little more love <3 Sorry Shamia, mmmmmaybe next time haha (/j) I don't know all too much about the current Avery, but I remember the old Avery, and how she was a fallen angel prior to the possible(?) rework, which matches up with/works in tandem with Boundary and its story. Boundary and old Avery were both people who had fallen from grace and were punished by something beyond their own power and twisted into something unrecognizable. Power and the imbalance of those who hold it are a large part of Boundary's character, and it was a pretty significant part of Avery's old story too.
TRACK THREE - RUNAWAY
Track Three is the RUNAWAY track... which is my favorite one, lorewise I think? This one also had some of the most one-for-one match-ups muse-wise, like so on point it kind of hurts. Like... I don't know if you guys think roles are made for the muse or what, but its usually a coincidence when muse and role match up. Speaking of muses and roles, our skins for Track Three are Hannah C. ( Played Tatya Baudelair, The Go-Go Dancer ) and Solace ( Played by Asmodeus, the Heir of Despair! If anyone is curious, this is Taegan's OC! )
This track is a little unique in the sense that it does a couple of things for the story and the stories set in the METHOD TRACK universe. The main thing, and the most important thing, is the idea of entity created entities. Solace is the most unique entity next to RED (introduced in Track Five), in that it doesn't originate from one of the four Legacy entities, but rather it was an entity created entity. Solace was not born like other entities, but rather made by another entity instead. Solace is unnatural as an entity in every sense of the meaning because it was never supposed to exist; it was never supposed to be made. There is no root behind its existence... which is exactly the story about how I came to Solace to begin with. Solace should not exist and that's the entire reason for its' existence. There isn't a fear or a driving force behind Solace's existence like there is for the Windwalker or Boundary; Solace exists because of Remnant. Remnant has a fear or a terror tied to its existence, deception and temptation, but Solace doesn't. Solace is someone who should not exist. It's just... kind of wrong, in a way?
As for Hannah, her story is a little tragic... Hannah is a recovering alcoholic whose boyfriend pretty much spiraled her out of sobriety. Hannah's unique as a protagonist, as the entity that preys on her isn't tied to her or her fears. Hannah is just an unfortunate victim of an unfortunate circumstance, at the end of the day. Hannah isn't scared of Solace, and Solace doesn't scare her in the same way Wren scares Robin or Boundary scares Tyler. The thing that scares Hannah the most, although only for the briefest moment before total darkness takes over, is how easily Solace gets people like her to turn on her. How effortlessly it gets former humans to turn on Hannah, and how eventually it will get Hannah to turn on someone like her in the future, and how that cycle will continue on for the rest of eternity. Solace doesn't scare Hannah; it's what it's capable of doing that scares her. The entity doesn't represent the fear; the entity is the fear.
In a way, although it wasn't entirely intentional, Track One and Two set up a critical rule about the entities, and Track Three just completely turns that rule onto its head, maybe even breaks it completely.
As for roles, the matchup was kind of foul to be honest... Hannah got Tatya as her matchup due to both being recovering alcoholics and having this entire theme of being..... more than their body and more than just the sum of their parts. They're unflattering to some, but they're loud and proud, they live their lives on their own terms without a damn to give for those who will never get to know them. They have rough pasts, but given a chance, they'll outgrow it and evolve into something a younger them would have never imagined. Hannah, like Tyler, was cut short on that path, but through Tatya (and Laurence), may they get the chance to finish walking that path, even if it only ends up being an illusion after all.
As for Asmodeus and Solace, their matchup hinges on the fact that they shouldn't exist. Asmodeus is the continued existence of someone who should have died a long time ago, someone who had no future but persisted through their fate and ultimately came on top of it. Solace is similar, but in an opposing way. Solace shouldn't exist in the same way Asmodeus shouldn't exist, but rather Solace is the past looking back on itself. Solace has no past, no future, and it shouldn't exist in the present. Yet, it persists despite that fact. They should not exist in the forms they do, yet they defy all odds by being here today. Their existence is proof that the world can be defied, it's kind of poetic. Even when all logic and sense break down, they will always remain, everlasting.
TRACK FOUR - Saint of a Martyr
Track Four is the Saint of a Martyr Track! This is actually... the first track I started with, funnily enough. I went all kinds of out of order drawing these tracks (Four, Three, Two, One, Five, Six, Zero, ????), but Track Four was the first track I designed! Can you tell? I hope not, I want everything to look like its okay,,,,,,,,,
For this track, I decided to cast the OCs of Al and Fifi. For this track, I wanted someone old and someone new... I wanted someone classic and a fresh face for my essences. I settled on Liam Hubert for my "old" OC, due to a lot of factors... I feel like, out of everyone, Liam's grown up with me the most. He's not in every essence I've ever done, and at some point, I mentally excluded him so I could give love to Fifi's other OCs, but Liam has started in a majority of my Lunar Ridge projects, especially the original essence that I'm indirectly celebrating! He wasn't the only one to make a re-appearance, since I also got Beth and Amy, but to me, Liam was... the best choice. He grew with me, and I'm really thankful to have him and Fifi at my side at each creative turn. As for Sally... Al's one of my more recent friends? I mean, not super recent, but I don't make friends all that easily, to be honest... I'm extremely shy and extremely quiet. Al is super cool, I love their vibes and their OCs, they're soooooo creative. I chose Sally for the same reason I chose Liam... the idea of growth and evolution. Even though Sally didn't grow with me, I feel like she'd be someone who would appreciate the journey I went through to get to this point? Sally and Liam lend themselves to my journey as a designer, and I couldn't think of any OC or any mun who deserves the roles of Rosemary and Nero more than Al and Fifi.
As for inspiration, Nero was based on the concept of angel numbers. It's not the first time I've explored characters representing/represented by an angel number, but there are a few things behind it. Track Four is, well, the fourth track in the series. Nero is the fourth entity. The Martyrs' Church is the fourth location. The number four appears a lot... and that's because the angel number Nero was based on is the angel number 444. You guys probably don't know it off the top of your head, so let me save you the Google search. 444 is an angel number that represents protection, encouragement, and a reminder of being on the right path in a lot of interpretations. In which, that's the core of what Nero represents. Nero breaks the mold; he breaks the theme of danger, he is something frankly divine in nature. Nero is, in the depths of his heart, someone who chose to protect people rather than harm them. Everything about Nero centers on that concept. As well as being a church official, I wanted Nero to be someone professional and presentable, but still be represented by the ugly and twisted parts of it. Nero is not a perfect protecter and I wanted that to be represented in his clothes too.
Rosemary is similar... she's also centered on the angel number 444, but instead of representing the concept in her story and character, Rosemary is the one who's seeing the number. She's the one being protected, being encouraged, being on the right path. There is a change she's helping to make, even if it's small and hard to see. Rosemary isn't perfect, but she is amazing as she is. I wanted her to represent the sanctioned in a way... she's pretty much dressed and styled like someone holy and righteous. I like Rosemary's design a lot, its simple, but I feel like she's extremely pretty... and really effective as what she represents.
Rosemary's story surrounds the entities of the Martyrs' Church a lot more than it does Nero... but it's kind of heavy. Nero represents the angel she fears is judging her, watching her every move, deciding what she is and isn't worthy of. Nero is her judge, her jury, and she fears he will also be her executioner. Her kindness and faith, while it comes from a place of genuine love, also come from a place of genuine fear. Rosemary and Nero... they're also really important to me because they represent religion to me as a whole, as someone who grew up in a secondary household who weaponized angels as both a blessing and a fear tactic. Nero is the double-edged sword that angels are portrayed as, something you can't control, something you don't even know for certain is there, something that is different for everyone else. Nero is... for a lack of a better word, Nero is my own angel, in both its beauty and its terror. And, Rosemary is a representation of a me that no one really knows. The more Rosemary helps, the more she earns, not just from Nero but from herself, deep down in her own heart. Love comes from everywhere, after all.
Similar to Track Three, Track Four SoaM also breaks the rules previously introduced. Nero breaks the rule of daybreak, where he totally eclipses the "sun" that causes daybreak. Nero prevents the day from breaking; he takes the matter of "freedom" into his own, which ties a lot into the concept of being an angel. He's not, but he represents one in his own way. He either forces you to do good or to cease existing altogether. You can't outwait him, you can't outlast him, the only way out is through him, and he makes sure you know that.
TRACK FIVE - MEATSHOW
Track Five is a silly track! It started off as a bit of a joke track, if I'm being honest? For context, I started concepting the METHOD TRACKS back in late March, early April time... It's been 3 or 4 total months of work on this project. Track Five was a joke track originally... a track I created to play around with. It was never... supposed to exist? It was actually one of Tae's friends that caused the MEATSHOW track to exist as it is now... I became friends with them by total accident, actually. Apparently, Tae talks about me so much that people I don't know... know ME/are aware of my existence. It's kind of cute in a way? I said hi to them all once; it was cute. The rest was history. But this track exists because of that one friend of Tae. It was my idea of a fun surprise! I do think that it ended up being my favorite track design-wise... and lore-wise, its pretty high up there, actually. It was my first time working with said friend's OC, so I kept it pretty tame? I didn't change much, used the base colors, and kept it really simple. I like Alex a lot, they're a cutie!
RED is... hard to explain. RED, similar to Majin, brought something new to the table, except RED brought the idea of The Mourning Actor to the table! RED is a specific, special kind of entity that has the natural ability to turn other people, specifically humans, into an entity just like itself. RED is actually the original Mourning Actor, not someone who was turned into one and continued the chain. RED is up there with entities like Kikumune and Faker as being the first type of their kind, but RED doesn't make a big deal out of it. To RED, it's the act, the performance that matters. Alex is their newest improv performer, and RED is judging them on each and every aspect of their "performance". RED's existence is all a performance, and that makes them super unique. It's not a fear like Windwalker, it's not a fantasy like Majin, it's a dream, a desire. RED doesn't exist to fear and to intimidate; it exists as a deep-seated and rooted desire to dream and pretend. It bemoans the death of the performance and the dreams of the world. RED is the actor who mourns the death of itself. Dreams. Desire.
Track Five, Meatshow, went from being a joke track to a track about the death of dreams and the burden of reality. RED punishes you for trying to bring reality into its dream. It kills you for disrespecting its very existence, and that's the hard reality that kills dreams like it. It's...... a little dramatic of a shift, but it's really in character, oddly enough.
I chose Kazuko... or, rather, Tae chose Kazuko for me. That's kind of all there is behind it. I gave Tae a task, and Tae completed that task, and now I can add Alex onto my shelf of silly little goobers.
As for RED and Dearil... it was a joke track originally. Kazuko and Dearil were joke picks. In the end, the joke picks became solid, and then, like RED, I made them real. But, if I had to say something for a moment... Dearil lended themself to a character as unserious as RED perfectly. Dearil's mannerisms, way of speaking, and overall personality blended with my vision for RED so well that, in the end, I had to keep the role. I know Four has IDV OCs, I know Four has a lot of them, but Dearil was so perfect as RED, as well as an OC of theirs that I hold so deeply in my heart. In a way, RED is a love letter to Dearil and what they meant to me as well.
Oh... I should actually get into RED a little more, since I wanted to talk about how canonically, RED is the one who brought the likenesses of the humans and the entities to the manor. RED is the one who chose the "actors" to play everyone, with the exception of Kikumune. RED chose its actors, and now everyone gets to play their part in bringing to life a story no one else may ever get to know. Even Dearil, who plays RED, was chosen by RED and indirectly gets the ultimate reward a mourning actor can give.
Turning you into a mourning actor yourself, so you too can spread dreams to a world that's forgetten how to.
Seemed like the perfect role I could give Four.
TRACK SIX - Chorus of an Audience/Chorus of Applause
Track Six... the final of my main tracks in the METHOD TRACKS. This one connects all the way back to the beginning, and honestly, she's pretty lore-heavy! Allow me to quickly introduce our duo, Cassidy Fitzgerald ( Played by Emma Woods, the Gardener ) and "Chorus" ( Played by Richard Sterling, the Knight )
Of all the entities, Chorus looks the most "human", and that's on purpose. Chorus is a pretender, a fake, make-believe; it's false in every sense of the word. It is not who it wants you to think it is. And that's the ploy. Canonically, it's using the likeness of Robin's missing brother, Andie A. That's right, Robin A. from Track One! It all comes full circle, baby. I don't think I have to explain why I chose Richard for this role? I'd be mad at myself if I didn't.
Cassidy... she's many things. She's the first victim. She's the only victim with a canonical last name. She's the cause, the catalyst. She's the love, the light, the force that drove Robin forward through her pain, and even from her grave, Cassidy continues to move the METHOD TRACKS forward. Cassidy is what allows the story of the METHOD TRACKS to occur.
And as Cassidy was the first human, Chorus was the first entity in its own special way. Chorus also does a lot of firsts. It's the first to use likenesses against people. It's the first to delay daybreak. It's the effect, the catalyst, its the consequence. It's the hatred, the darkness, the force that will halt Robin in her tracks, and even beyond the fog, Chorus moves the METHOD TRACKS forward. Chorus is what gives the METHOD TRACKS its conflict and its pain.
Chorus is going to haunt the narrative until it dies, and it'll even persist beyond the narrative's demise. Cassidy is the one person that Chorus never should have killed, because now, they've set something in motion that's far... far beyond anything either of them would have ever imagined.
They haunt the story long beyond the end of their own, and their track sets into motion what I can only describe as Round Two.
TRACK ???? - AND THIS IS WHY THIS IS ROUND TWO !
And... my final track. I nicknamed it Round Two. No one besides me has a character that belongs to Round Two as a track, so I'm not going to focus much on its story. This post is already kind of long as it is, and their character cards say a lot about them as it is. So, yeah, I'm gonna brush past them unless you guys really want to hear their roles.
...
That's kind of it for the reveal ♪ I just wanted to end it off with... a bit of a thank you note, if you even read this far. 4 years ago, I never would have imagined getting the chance to truly design for people I admired and looked up, let alone do it multiple times for multiple years.
I'll never be able to thank you guys enough, honestly. These words, these skins, they'll never be enough to truly express my love and gratitude for everyone, those old and new. Those who watched me as I grew and expanded, and those who only recently got to see me flourish.
To be trusted with something so deeply personal to you all is beyond an honor, and I strive to serve your fantasies once more ♪ Thank you all for being a part of my journey once again.
Essence Skin Reveal ♡ The Rite of Farewells .. Within Grief's Hands
‘ THE RITE OF FAREWELLS ’
Nobody grieves the wicked. History only remembers you as a bird found dead outside its birdcage. But, don't you wonder what those birds looked like when they were still alive?
╒═════════════════════════════════════════╕
Hello, and welcome to "The Rite of Farewells" essence skin reveal! I'd like to thank everyone who participated! I had particular fun with this one, since it's been such a long time since I've gotten to do one of these...
And I will admit, I did spoil all participants a bit more than I usually do. You'll see what I mean in a few moments, but first... what everyone came for, right? The skins, the skins! What does each muse look like now, following Lyrith down into the Rite?
( Please note: Not all the original slots were filled. What you see below is what slots I did manage to fill! Should some of the previous slots get filled, I'll update this post. )
──────────────── ESSENCE SKINS ────────────────
S-Tier: Thorn Briar (Leviathan and Lyrith played by: "The Deliverer", Phainon Elysiae, and "The Finality", Mathéo Blanchet // @m1ss-detective )
"I can make you better. I can make you right." - Lyrith
**can be acquired through the Rite of Farewells essence.
"Thorn Briar" is an essence s-tier costume depicting the main antagonist of the Rite of Farewells event, featured in his corrupted divine vessel (1st form; Leviathan) and his true form (2nd form; Lyrith). He is played by Taegan's Mathéo Blanchet (more commonly known as "Finality") and Phainon of Aedes Elysiae, the latter of which is canonically related to the true identity of the original universe Lyrith. In addition to the forms switching every time a special skill in the kit is used, Thorn Briar's Lyrith form comes with a special interactive emote that can be used by both survivors and hunters called "Flower Crown".
Lyrith is the original god of the Rite of Farewells universe, as well as the creator of the white lily flower. However, as he fell from grace and was corrupted by human sin and mortal death, all his white lilies were turned into dead drop roses and dead drop spider lilies. Lyrith's divine vessel would eventually corrupt into Leviathan, with Lyrith's divine consciousness separating from the vessel. (Leviathan is essentially the corrupted empty doll Lyrith left behind.)
With Lyrith's (and Leviathan's) design, I wanted to expand upon his duality as an antagonist, both in physical character design and in character motif. Leviathan's color scheme is mainly black and red, as the outwardly corrupted and stereotypically "evil" counterpart. His motif features a lot of the dead-drop rose plant, as well as the motif of the spider and skeletal remains. He is the outwardly villainous one, detailed with two sets of devil horns and a spade tail. Meanwhile, Lyrith's color scheme is noticeably lighter and more innocence-invoking with mainly white, gold, and blues. Paired with the several types of flowers found in his flower crown and decorating his hair, Lyrith's long hair, long dress, and butterfly accent pieces give off a very young, childlike innocence to his character. The thorn briar wings by Lyrith's sides act as his "tail", capable of moving on Lyrith's command.
Lyrith's outfit is actually based upon his original concept art, which I'll show off down below if you're interested in it! But Lyrith's essence design is actually completely lore-accurate. To make a long story short, Lyrith's dress and flower crown were given to him by a young child named Aeilene over 200,000 years ago. Meanwhile, his staff and the butterfly lining and pearls were all gifts from land dwellers 200,000 years prior to his corruption. Many of these items were corrupted alongside Lyrith and were effectively ruined/changed in the physical plane, but in Lyrith's alternative form on the alternative plan, they are part of Lyrith's consciousness and effectively preserved as a result.
However, despite Lyrith's physical appearance and motifs, Lyrith is very calculating and cold. He is responsible for the many events of the RoF storyline, including the death of the Frostmoon Goddess, the death of the Deliverer (Coronation), and the spiritual fracture of Lunaes (Nocturne Night), just to name a few. He is also responsible for the physical distortion of "Guest" (Without Tomorrow), and is overall a very petty and vengeful creator after his corruption. In fact, Lyrith is SO powerful and deeply connected to the land he had created that his corruption quite literally tore the Isle of the Rite apart and caused the land around it to decay beyond repair.
Leviathan, on the other hand, is the corrupted divine vessel Lyrith's consciousness used to reside in. After Lyrith's consciousness shattered and separated from his physical form, Leviathan formed from the human corruption, inhabiting the empty vessel. It carries out the will of Lyrith's vengeful spirit subconsciously, observing the Isle of the Rite and punishing the humans in his name. Despite this, Lyrith retains no loyalty to his old vessel, even going as far as using the thorny briar to tear it into pieces, effectively killing it.
Exclusive S-Tier Accessory: The Last Lily
The white lily slowly faded out, replaced by the more well-known "dead drop rose". Now, only one white lily remains, preserved within timeless glass.
Lyrith and Leviathan's exclusive s-tier accessory is The Last (Spider/White) Lily, which takes the form of either a red spider lily or a white lily, depending on which form is active. This accessory is also the only accessory that is technically non-canon to the character it is associated with. Technically speaking, it is a representation of their influence through the Isle of the Rite through their respective flowers.
S-Tier: To Where Grief Flies ( Dove played by: The Mechanical Designer, Contract Kuzentsov )
"I will mourn the wicked... even if it kills me." - Dove
** can be acquired through the "Birdcage" package in the shop.
"To Where Grief Flies" is a shop s-tier costume depicting the main protagonist of the Rite of Farewells event. The s-tier costume (alongside the s-tier accessory, "Ode to Love") can be acquired through the "Birdcage" package in the shop. She is played by my own Contract Kuzentsov! She has two forms, although it isn't as drastic as "Thorn Briar" is.
Dove is the current protagonist of the Rite of Farewells universe. She is associated with the Angel Dove, who is commonly known as the griever bird. In the event lore, Dove is a normal girl whose death brought her to the Isle of the Rite, although Dove herself has forgotten this fact. Throughout the event, she is determined to return home. However, as she travels through the Isle's different parts, she meets different people who shape who she becomes by the end of the story.
However, the journey catalyzes and changes during the first death, in which Dove discovers the River of Time and its ferryman, a man named "Guest", as well as the endless timelines of the Rite. Determined to save everyone, Dove willingly travels through the River of Time with "Guest" to enter certain points prior in the timeline in hopes of preventing the others from dying.
Dove's character motif is that of "grief", as in her name. She is extremely emotional and gets attached easily, and grieves people in a way that is self-destructive in its own way. Yet, due to the erosion of the Rite after Lyrith's corruption, Dove's grief is much more powerful than it initially seems, as it can quite literally break the laws of the timelines. She grieves both the dead and the living, and has a deep love for those she's come across. She also has a deep determination to protect those around her, both in the physical and in memorial, believing everyone deserves a chance to be mourned, even if they were "wicked".
Her character design is inspired not just by doves, but also by angels. She is dressed in all whites with a white winged hairpiece, light blues and pinks complementing the light cream/white on her outfit. Her hair is a stark contrast; however, it brings much more attention to her outfit and headpiece. She floats, similar to angels and birds. In her second form, she gains a set of double halos, as well as golden leaves in her hair and a long pink veil. In this form, her eyes are also open, instead of being closed. Something something metaphor about no longer being afraid anymore.
Exclusive S-Tier Accessory: "Ode to Love"
You once told them that you'd always love them, despite the terrible things that happened. That ring is proof of such a pure resolve.
Dove's exclusive s-tier accessory is the "Ode of Love" ring. Canonically, this accessory is the physical manifestation of the love derived from the pain and the grief in her journey. (Contract wears the ring on her finger, no matter if she's equipping the "To Where Grief Flies" costume or a different costume.) It was created by Couture using the powers of "Starborne".
A-Tier: Nocturne Night ( Lunaes played by: Night Watch, "Ithaqua" // @/ask-idv-night-watch -- @m1ss-detective )
"Show me how deeply you can grieve." - ????
**can be acquired through the Rite of Farewells essence.
"Nocture Night" is an essence a-tier costume depicting one of the several characters of the Rite of Farewells. "Nocture Night" depicts Lunaes, a folklore god from the Rite's past, known for guiding lost souls to rest. However, in current times, he takes up the mantle of a lighthouse keeper on the Isle of the Rite. He is played by Taegan's interpretation of Ithaqua, the Night Watch.
Lunaes is technically the only original folklore god who remains alive in the current era. In the event lore, he resides in the most dangerous, darkest, most corrupted and decayed parts of the Rite, utilizing his cleansing fire to keep wanderers in the night safe. He oftentimes keeps to himself, only answering basic questions and keeping everyone at arm's length. It's later revealed that the main cause of his self-imposed isolation is due to his fractures, causing him to spiral out of control and eventually become consumed by it, shattering completely and ceasing to exist as "Lunaes".
As Dove's journey continues, a dark truth about Lunaes is revealed. Lunaes' spirit was fractured by Lyrith during the fall of the Frostmoon Goddess, causing Lunaes to fracture in reality. Because of Lunaes' fractured soul, his lifeline within the timelines foresaw by the River of Time was distorted and corroded. While Dove can save everyone else due to their lifelines remaining intact, Lunaes ended up being someone Dove would be unable to save. In every possible timeline, whether he is killed, kills himself, or is consumed by his own agony and ceases to exist as Lunaes, there is no timeline in which Lunaes survives Dove's journey.
Lunaes' character motif is that of "passion", specifically fiery passion. His main color is blue, due to blue fire typically being recognized as the color of the hottest flame. Additionally, his palette included black and deep greys as well as elements of blue butterflies and the phases of the moon, due to his connection to the Frostmoon and the region of land he resides within being dark and gloomy. His costume starts off as the lightest blue, and as more ciphers are popped, the darker blues slowly appear until the lightest blue is replaced by the darkest blue. He also has dead drop roses in place of his left eye and on his collar, as dead drop roses are the local flower found in the land. Beneath the roses is supposed to be Lunaes' left eye; however, what is underneath the roses in his unshattered state is unknown. (He is, however, canonically only able to see with his right eye, so it's safe to assume that whatever is there isn't a working eye.) In his shattered/consumed state, however, the roses fall off due to Lunaes losing his physical form, revealing a completely white eye in its place, most likely replicating the eye from before Lunaes was fractured by Lyrith.
Lunaes' outfit is mainly designed with his environment in mind. The part of the Rite where he resides is very cold and snows often, as well as always being very dark and having dense fog, meaning I had to design him to traverse through the cold often, as well as giving him a portable light source, and a weapon that doubled as a walking staff. (Lunaes uses his staff to grip onto things, pulling himself up eroded cliffs, and more.) Canonically, Lunaes uses stilts to reach high-up places such as trees, cliffsides, and certain places within the lighthouse. Therefore, Ithaqua's stilts are based on Lunaes' canonical stilts that he keeps inside his lighthouse.
Oh yeah. Due to him having fire as his ability, Lunaes made his coat fire-resistant. Oftentimes, he uses the coat to protect wanderers or guests when something in the forest goes astray, and he needs to burn it away.
Canonically, this man does nothing but die. However, here are the most notable ways he dies through the timelines.
He is consumed by agony and shatters completely, ceasing to exist anymore as Lunaes. This death branches out into two paths, either where he exists as his shattered self and becomes one of the many monsters in the Nocture or where he burns up entirely and ceases to exist altogether as Lunaes or as his shattered self.
He kills himself as he's shattering, preventing him from becoming his shattered self.
He kills himself as Lunaes, Halos, Dream, and Mel in a giant forest fire he created.
He kills himself (mid-shatter) and Dove in a giant forest fire, burning both of them to ash.
He is impaled by either Dove or Dream while he is still Lunaes.
He is poisoned by Dove with Mel's help, but he technically does not "die" in the traditional sense. It's closer to being completely asleep, effectively preventing him from shattering. This death is not reversed by Dove.
Lunaes is one of the only two characters to avoid being killed by Lyrith; however, this is due to Lunaes being out of commission by the time everyone else gets to the point of being killed by Lyrith.
Exclusive A-Tier Accessory: "Ablaze"
There's nothing left to save. It's already been reduced to ash.
Lunaes' exclusive a-tier accessory is his gloves, but specifically his gloves set ablaze. Canonically, you can see how this accessory ties into Lunaes. I hope. However, the more interesting aspect of his gloves is the actual accessory effects, depicted in the doodle to the right side of Lunaes' reference. Basically, the a-tier accessory (when equipped on "Nocture Night") brings Lunaes' shattered form into all of his effects, such as Ithaqua's dash or Ithaqua's wind. When used on non-Lunaes' skins, it just kind of sets Ithaqua on fire, giving all his skills a burning blue flame effect, as well as the carry animation, depicted in the middle upper right.
Basically, when Lunaes uses his skills, he temporarily transforms into his shattered version during the skill's duration before reverting to his regular form. It shows the inevitability of Lunaes' death in a way.
A-Tier: The Frostmoon ( Halos played by: The Keysmith, LeRoy Smith // @manor-tea-time -- @/asystemerror )
"You must understand what it's like to be saved, but unable to save others. Only then does your grief bloom as bright as the Frostmoon itself." - Halos
**can be acquired through the Rite of Farewells essence.
"The Frostmoon" is an essence a-tier costume depicting one of the several characters of the Rite of Farewells. "The Frostmoon" depicts Halos, a folklore god from the Rite's past, known for the worship of the moon and protection of the forest. However, Halos is simply a direct blood descendant of the real Frostmoon Goddess and not truly a folklore god. She is played by Al's IDV OC, LeRoy Smith, the Keysmith.
Despite being called a folklore god, Halos isn't a true folklore god. Rather, she is the direct blood descendant of one. Saved by Lunaes after the Frostmoon fell, Halos dedicated her life to continuing what her ancestor had started, as well as trying to find a way to repay Lunaes for saving her that day. In the event lore, Halos is the first person Dove meets after awakening in the Isle of the Rite, traveling to the main land of the Rite with her. Later, the two girls reunite when Dove has to travel through the land of the Nocturne, the land where Lunaes resides. Taking it upon herself, she guides Dove there. In the original timeline, Halos is killed by Lunaes while protecting Dove and Dream when he shatters for the first time. (It’s unknown what happens to that timeline’s Lunaes, but it’s safe to assume he died.) This death is what strikes Dove and causes her grief to overflow into the River of Time, giving her access to time through her own pain of losing a friend. Due to Dove rewinding time and preventing Lunaes from getting to the point of shattering, Halos original death is overturned, resulting in her surviving her original death node.
Halos’s character motif is that of “peace” or “tranquility”. Her main color, similar to Lunaes, is blue, however while Lunaes’ blues have their origin in destruction, Halos’ blues have their origin in peace and moonlight. Through the storyline, Halos brings those around her a sense of peace and relief, acting as a calming and caring source in the chaos. She Carrie’s a sense of both responsibility and desire concerning those around her, wishing to protect them all the way she was once protected a long time ago.
In a similar fashion, her costume was designed with flowiness and openness to it. Being a comforting and supportive force, I wanted her costume to reflect something more open and visible as compared to Lunaes and Dove, whose clothes hide themselves, making them appear to be more closed off. However, as a pseudo goddess, I wanted Halos to retain an aura of elegance, beauty and importance as well. Therefore, I kind of gave her outfit a lot of layers, a lot of lighter portions and overall sometimes fit of a worshipped and well revered goddess. Which is what she ttttechnically is.
Halos dies a few times through the timelines and nearly dies in others. The deaths and near deaths are as follows:
She is killed by a shattering (but not fully shattered) Lunaes for the first time, protecting Dove and Dream.
She is killed by Lunaes alongside Dream, Mel, and Lunaes himself in a giant forest fire that she is unable to escape from.
She is nearly killed by Lunaes' shattering, but is dragged to safety by Nether. Nether dies instead of Halos.
She is killed by Lyrith's thorn briars.
Exclusive A-Tier Accessory: "Phases"
The Frostmoon blesses your journey. Love will always watch over your growth.
Halos’ exclusive a-tier accessory is the Frostmoon Phases, shortened down to simply “Phases” for convenience. Canonically, it is the physical manifestation of Halos’ unique abilities she gained from the Frostmoon. In addition to having a deer form she can switch between freely, she has control over water. However, her control over water is limited and considerable weaker compared to Nether’s control over her lightning or Lunaes’s control over his cleansing fire.
A-Tier: The Price of Pride ( Mel played by: The Opera Singer, Sean // @/yaboimitzu )
"The price of pride means nothing to me." - Mel
**can be acquired through the Rite of Farewells essence.
"Price of Pride" is an essence a-tier costume depicting one of the several characters of the Rite of Farewells. "Price of Pride" depicts Melbourne, or simply Mel, a survivor of one of the worst societial collapses during Lyrith's corruption. Mel was an academic professor in the past, teaching a class about alchemy and magic research before the collapse. In the current day, however, he spends most of his time by himself, absorbing himself in the pursuit of forbidden knowledge. He is played by Mitzu's IDV OC, Sean, the Opera Singer.
After meeting Lunaes for the first time, Dove travels to the remnants of Startorch Academy in order to seek out old books about the myth of the River of Time. She ends up running into Mel while there, forming a friendship with the prior professor as he shows her around the academy. Mel sees his late wife in Dove, both being curious and sweet souls. Despite this, he holds a certain level of contempt towards her because of this. To him, her presence feels like reopening old wounds. With Mel's guidance, Dove learns more about the history of the Rite and even introduces Mel to things he never knew, such as the River of Time being a real place. Throughout the event lore, the two bond and become closer.
Mel's character trait is that of... well... I mean, you probably could have guessed it, but his character trait is "pride." Although not too outwardly present like some other character traits, Mel is extremely smart and well-informed, and he constantly seeks out more knowledge. Oftentimes, he can come off as cold or uptight and sometimes even prideful (both of himself and his abilities), though in truth, Mel is simply scared of being hurt again emotionally, and closes himself off as a result. The only one he allows himself to feel comfort in is his puppy, Penny. She was named after his late wife, whose name was Penelope.
His outfit, similar to Lunaes, is designed with the environment in mind. Being in a dark, snowy area, Mel is required to dress warmer than most others. Underneath his massive coat, however, a bit of his professorial profession shows through. He wears a white sweater over his brown turtleneck shirt and a green vest with deep grey pants. He presents himself constantly in a clean, neat, put-together manner. His outfit is meant to express structure and reliability, being someone you can trust. Additionally, he's also coordinated his outfit to match with his dog, Penny, giving her a green neckscarf.
Mel has been killed the least amount of times out of everyone, with the exception of Comett.
He is killed once by Lunaes, alongside Halos, Dream, and Lunaes.
He is killed once by Lyrith's thorn briars.
Exclusive A-Tier Accessory: Letters to Nowhere
“My Cecelia, my darling... I miss you every day. Even if we never see each other again, I hope you know I've always appreciated the lease on life you've given me.”
Mel's exclusive a-tier accessory is "Letters to Nowhere", a notebook filled with letters he had written to his late wife following her passing. Canonically, it captures his grief and his journey as he's forced to live without her, as well as giving insight into his day-to-day life. All his letters are addressed to "my Cecelia", since Penelope's favorite flower used to be the Cecelia flower. It's called "letters to nowhere", since he knows that these letters will ultimately never go out, they will never be real, and ultimately, they will always stay by his side until the day they may be able to meet each other again.
A-Tier: Without Tomorrow ( "Guest" played by: The Unknown, Heifu // @/idv-ask-the-unknown -- @klai-16xoxo )
"I've been here before. Why is that?" - "Guest"
**can be acquired through the "See You Tomorrow" package in the shop.
"Without Tomorrow" is a shop a-tier costume depicting the ferryman of the River of Time, a young man named "Guest". "Guest" is later revealed to be the remains of two prior residents of a prior timeline of the Isles of the Rite known as the Isle of Woe. The a-tier costume (alongside the a-tier accessory, "A Real Heart") can be acquired through the "See You Tomorrow" package in the shop. He is played by Klai's OC, Heifu, although he is specifically played by his IDV counterpart, The Unknown.
"Guest" takes the role of the ferryman who escorts Dove across the River of Time as a rare spoken guide. He, similar to his prior timeline counterpart, has amnesia and cannot remember much of his past. He can only traverse upon the River of Time and see where it takes him. He is canonically unable to leave his ferryman boat when he leaves the River of Time. This is later revealed to be because "Guest" does not belong to this timeline, and his physical body is incapable of accepting him on in-time land. If he steps outside of his boat for too long, his physical body starts to decay and cause him intense pain and discomfort. Because the area where the River of Time resides, also known as the Catacombs, resides outside of "time", he can freely traverse it without issue.
Canonically, “Guest” travels with a small hand-sewn doll named “Lily”. Lily was with him when he woke up in the ferryman boat originally, and he feels a strange sense of familiarity towards it and a strange warmth. It’s revealed that Lily is what remains of two people from a previous timeline, someone that Lyrith himself had personally killed and erased from existence permanently for unknown reasons. Both Lily and Guest are different combinations of what little of them escaped intact, combining into one person and one small doll.
“Guest”’s character motif is that of death, as he is made up of the remnants of two prior residents that persisted after their deaths. This is further pushed by the physical presence of red spider lilies on his attire and in/on his skin, since red spider lilies usually signify death in the Isle. Lily’s name also originates from the flower.
“Guest”’s outfit is directly inspired by the two characters he is the remnants of. In addition to that, the human skeleton motif also crossed over into “Guest”’s new design. On multiple parts of his outfit, you can see the different bones in the human skeleton, including the chest, hand, legs and feet. The reds, while a part of the original designs his is based on, also double as the “muscles” overtop the bones. (Although, that’s only somewhat in theory.)
Canonically, "Guest" cannot be killed in any manner, due to not having vital organs.
Exclusive A-Tier Accessory: A Real "Heart"
A "heart" given by someone who no longer exists. The roses are as fresh as the day he tore them out of his chest.
“Guest”’s exclusive a-tier accessory is the heart-shaped dead drop rose bouquet that he inherited from a past life. Originally (in canon), those roses replaced someone’s heart when they didn’t have one. However, when they were ultimately broken and erased from existence, all that was left of them were the scattered roses. In the current day, “Guest” has all the roses preserved in a heart-shaped bouquet.
B-Tier: Star Bakery Owner ( Comett played by: The Baker, Beth Anastazja // @ask-idv-baker -- @/beth-bethar00 )
"Welcome to the Star Bakery! I see you've completed some commission, Miss Grief lady!" - Comett
**can be acquired through the Rite of Farewells essence.
"Star ☆ Bakery Owner" is an essence b-tier depicting one of several characters of the Rite of Farewells. "Star ☆ Bakery Owner" depicts Comett, one of the three owners of the local bakery on the Isle of the Rite, the Star ☆ Bakery. Comett is the owner of the bakery on paper, gaining ownership over it after their guardian, Lilith, disappeared one day. She is played by Bethany's IDV OC, Beth, the Baker.
When Dove goes to the town of Woe for the first time, she enters the Star ☆ Bakery while exploring the town. There, she meets Comett for the first time. Comett and the Star ☆ Bakery acts as something similar to a reputation system afterwards, tracking Dove's progress and how friendly she's become with the town. Canonically, Comett is what pushes Dove forward while on the Isle of the Rite. She is the reason Dove meets many townsfolk, such as Meliodas and Nether. Despite being younger than most (Comett is 15), she's very caring and rather mature. This is attributed to the events that occurred before Dove arrived on the Rite, such as her original guardian going missing, the death of "Coronation", the decline of "Cluttered Stars" health, and more.
Comett's character trait is that of "community". Through the canon story, Comett is one of the few characters who are capable of bringing everyone together. She uses the bakery as a spot for everyone to gather, chat, and overall have a community together. She considers everyone in the town to be family of some kind as well, believing they are each extremely important to her. She also tends to be grateful to those around her, especially Meliodas, for taking it upon himself to care for Annahime after the fall of "Coronation", in which she was seriously injuried in.
Comett's outfit is based on the original outfit of Comett's original counterpart. It takes part inspiration from the original counterpart, but it also takes part inspiration from the kidcore aesthetic, with lots of yellows, pinks, and a giant, puffy coat. I wanted her to look very soft and very cuddly, someone you could get a nice and warm bear hug out of. Heh. Bear hug. Bear. Similar to her sisters, she also wears gloves and a scarf with bells on the ends.
Canonically, Comett dies in several timelines and is critically injured in others. Dove has experienced timelines where Comett is critically injured, but Dove has not experienced any of the timelines where she dies. The timelines in which Comett is critically injured are:
When attacked by Lyrith's thorn briars. She is saved by Nether, who is killed instantly by Lyrith.
When attacked by "Coronation"s corrupt corpse. She is saved by Meliodas, but they're both severely injured in the process.
When she dives into the River Styx to save Dove after she gets pushed in by false "Halos". She nearly drowns, but she manages to get them both to the surface in time.
Exclusive A-Tier Accessory: Star Purse
It's like a Mary Poppins bag, if it were somehow even smaller, and star shaped.
Comett's exclusive a-tier accessory is her star shaped purse. Canonically, it's one of those plush purses with a small pouch inside it. Usually, Comett carries around small items in there, like gummy bears, keys, picks, flashlights, and more. It's similar in concept to the "Mary Poppins bag", where it's deceptively deep.
B-Tier: Verse and Vow ( "Couture" played by: Reverie )
"You can't rewrite the ending if you don't have a feather pen! You can borrow mine!" - "Couture"
**can be acquired through the Rite of Farewells essence.
"Verse and Vow" is an essence b-tier depicting one of several characters of the Rite of Farewells. "Verse and Vow" depicts "Couture", a recent arrival to the town of Woe. She resides in the town as a record keeper. She's played by my IDV OC, Reverie.
"Couture" is one of the many residents of the town of Woe, mainly being a record keeper of sorts. She has a deep interest in the history of the Rite and enjoys traveling around the Rite whenever she's got the chance. However, she can be a little airheaded at times. She believes in the concept of fate, designating it as a "romantic" thing as opposed to scary, frightening, or any of the other ways one might describe the concept of fate. Couture is also capable of breaking the fourth wall, since her main role is that of the storyteller and archivist in the lore. Her true form is that of "the audience", kind of like you guys. Yes, she would talk ships with you guys. She's a dork.
Couture's character trait is that of "romance". To her, she believes every interaction is "fated by the stars" in a way, she believes there is no such thing as a coincidence. She is a hopeless romantic at heart! She believes Dove's dedication to saving everyone is another sign of a "romantic story" and a "love like no other" and wants to do her best in helping Dove achieve it.
Couture's outfit was based upon the dress code on the town of Woe, combined with the colors of romance and love. She sports a similar outfit style to the townsfolk who live there. Her design is meant to blend in and complement everyone else in the town while keeping design elements unique to her specifically.
By the end of the event lore, Couture ceases to exist, having sacrificed herself to utilize "Starborne"s full power to grant everyone a different ending.
Exclusive A-Tier Accessory: “Starborne”
“Thank you for giving me the courage to rewrite this story.”
"Couture"'s exclusive a-tier accessory is her "Starborne" feather pen! Canonically, "Starborne" functions the same way as "As We've Written", in which it's a physical record of the events of the story. Most times, when "Couture" writes, she is seen using her "Starborne" feather pen. It writes in colorful ink.
Canonically, "Starborne" has the power to overwrite the timelines and create new endings, due to being originally created by Lyrith, causing it to have an immense amount of power. So far, the only person capable of using "Starborne" at its full power was its creator, Lyrith. It is also connected directly to the River of Time, which is what gives it the ability to technically turn back time.
B-Tier: Beyond the River ( Nether played by: Castorice Styxia )
"I always wish we had more time to say goodbye. You can't follow me beyond the river." - Nether
**can be acquired through the Rite of Farewells essence.
"Beyond the River" is an essence b-tier depicting one of several characters of the Rite of Farewells. "Beyond the River" depicts Netherite Mei, more commonly referred to as Nether. She was the former royal retainer to "Coronation" in the past; in the current day, she is a gardener and a graveyard attendant. She is played by Castorice of Styxia.
Nether used to be the royal retainer and assigned swordswoman of "Coronation", a young man with ichor for blood. Prior to his death, she spent most of her time by his side, both as his guard and as his friend. However, following his death, she had become displaced and felt lost as to her purpose in life. For her, she had been trained from the first moment she could remember to protect and serve, and now that there is no longer someone for her to serve, she felt a great deal of confusion, sorrow, and generally felt lost. In an effort to cheer her up, Meliodas suggested she keep a garden.
After Dove's arrival, Nether offers her services as a prior retainer. While escorting her between the different areas in the Rite, Nether and Dove become closer, where Nether accidentally lets her confusion about Meliodas slip. They had been friends prior to her friend's death, and even then, she had always felt strangely about him. However, due to both her position and her personal shyness, she never got that level of personal with anyone. Has she unknowingly had a crush on Meliodas for over 2000 years? Yeah!
Nether's character trait is that of "loyalty", but also that of "guilt". Being a loyal retainer and protector, she had dedicated her life to using her gifts to keep those around her safe. Yet, when she fails to keep them safe, she feels an immense sense of guilt. She often believes she has no worth if she cannot protect others, and something without worth and honor has no place in warm circles such as the town of the Woe. However, she knows that if she disappeared one day, it would make everyone sad, especially Annehime, who sees Nether as a motherly figure. She struggles a lot with her self-image and her self-worth, but stays by the side of those she cares about nonetheless.
Nether's outfit is based on her profession as a gardener. She dresses simple and light, but respectful as well. It also draws inspiration from her Japanese heritage, with the kimono sleeve and her footwear. (Additionally, her a-tier accessory also takes inspiration from her heritage, although that headpiece was a gift from her friend "Coronation".) Her color scheme is majorly purple in association with her innate abilities with lightning.
Nether dies a couple of times throughout Dove's journey, each one reversed when Dove reverses the timeline. The most notable times are:
When she fights "Coronation"'s corrupted corpse and wins, but ultimately dies from ichor poisoning her body.
When she sacrifices herself to prevent Comett from getting impaled by Lyrith's thorn briar.
When she sacrifices herself to save Halos from the fire caused by Lunaes' shattering, when the force of the explosion knocks Halos out.
Exclusive A-Tier Accessory: "A Gift From a Friend"
“This gift isn’t for my retainer… but rather for my dear friend and greatest partner, Nether.”
Nether's exclusive a-tier accessory is the hairpiece her friend and the person she used to guard gave her for her birthday. Canonically, it was just a fan headpiece; however, he has added a pair of fake purple flowers that he had come across on one of his solo travels, due to them reminding him of Nether's eyes, as well as two strings of pearls. He had gotten her this gift, as a friend rather than her master/leader because he had genuinely cared about her and wanted her to have something special and truly unique just to her. Nether keeps it inside the box that he had gifted it to her in, in an attempt to preserve it and keep it safe. However, sometimes she does wear it in her hair.
When equipped by Nether, she will wear it in her hair where the large black bow is. When equipped by non-Nether skins, Castorice will wear it on her back instead, usually attached to the bow on her dress.
B-Tier: Daydream ( Meliodas played by: The Gogo Dancer, Tatya Baudelair // @tatya-time -- @/littlegloriosa )
"To hell with unavoidable goodbyes. I'm not letting you sacrifice yourself because you feel guilty." - Meliodas
**can be acquired through the Rite of Farewells essence.
"Daydream" is an essence b-tier depicting one of several characters of the Rite of Farewells. "Daydream" depicts Meliodas, the owner of the Daydream Hotel, a famous large hotel in the town where most of travelers stay at while traveling the Isles of the Rite. He is played by Emma's IDV OC, Tatya Baudelair, the Gogo Dancer.
Meliodas is first introduced when Dove first enters the town of Woe. He offers her a room in his hotel for the night due to her helping Comett with something upon her arrival there without having to be asked to. Eventually, the two of them become friends when Dove offers to help Meliodas with a hotel event, acting as a waiter bringing food to guests' tables. Meliodas later on joins Dove's journey as she prepares to confront the god of the Rite. In response, Lyrith resurrects the old corpse of "Coronation" as a challenge to the townsfolk of the Woe.
Meliodas's character trait is that of "protection". He generally acts like a guardian to those around them and provides safety and protection in any way he can. From running a hotel to offer food and shelter to quite literally taking bullets and getting impaled for people, he's the definition of protective! He wants to see those he cares about safe and sound, and he doesn't really care what happens to him in the process. He cares in a way much deeper and intensive than anyone else.
Meliodas' design is heavily based on his own personality. Flamboyant, strict, yet blasey and chill. He prefers to be free, to be able to move around freely, to captivate presence but not demand it. He's kind of chill, but like... in a hot girl shit kind of way. In the best way possible... he was designed to be completely comfortable in his own skin and unafraid of the world around him. That's why his shirt is open, and he wears a ton of jewelry. He's shiny but not quite flashy... he can control a room, but he doesn't need to command it. Respect makes up his presence, not fame or control, even though he can have it easily. In addition to this, he wears a shoulder pad with a flowing scarf similar to Annahime. He does this out of respect to the Star family, showing a certain level of gentleness and thoughtfulness to those around him. He also has a butterfly-shaped belt buckle out of respect for Nether and her butterfly motif.
He is also one of the only two characters to enter the River Styx, the River of passed on souls, and make it back out alive. He is also the only character to directly prevent someone else from dying in a timeline besides Dove.
Meliodas dies several times during the timeline of the event.
He dies after being impaled through the chest by "Coronation"s corrupt corpse.
He nearly died in the past after pulling Annahime out of the River Styx when she nearly died. However, he survived by his own strength.
He is killed by Nether's Slash of Euythmia alongside Coronation while holding "Coronation" down, sacrificing himself to save the rest of the town of Woe.
When Nether nearly passes from ichor poisoning, Meliodas risks his life again by going into the River Styx to drag her out. (He does not die, due to already having faced the River Styx once before and emerging stronger from it.)
He dies being strangled by Lyrith's thorn briar.
Exclusive A-Tier Accessory: Dango Snack
A soft, chewy, sugary treat. Perfect for shutting assholes up and bribing rowdy children.
Meliodas' exclusive a-tier accessory is a pair of dango snack skewers. Canonically, these dango snacks were handmade by Meliodas himself as treats for Annahime and all the small children on the Woe. He dabbles in cooking and baking on his off-time, and often gives out food to the homeless and the less fortunate. But he's most infamous for the tri-color dango he carries around.
B-Tier: "Your Color" ( "Dream" played by: The Librarian, Elaine Schreiber // @idv-thespians -- @/eucharist-eulogy )
"You can't save everyone. There's no way to. Someone has to die." - "Dream"
**can be acquired through the Rite of Farewells essence.
"Your Color" is an essence b-tier depicting one of several characters of the Rite of Farewells. "Your Color" depicts "Dream", an entity that resides in the town of Woe. She places herself as Dove's main companion throughout the story, and often tries to keep Dove on the right track.
"Dream" is one of the first people Dove meets after awakening in the Rite. She positions herself as Dove's companion when they meet, offering her a tour around the town and introducing her to all the residents of the town. Throughout Dove's journey, she sticks by her side, trying her best to guide her and keep her safe. However, she takes issue with Dove using the River of Time to save everyone (herself included), as she believes that death is inevitable and Dove shouldn't waste her efforts on something that she cannot change. While she only wishes the best for her, she can be cruel and harsh with her word choices.
In truth, "Dream" also shattered a long, long time ago, doing something similar to Dove in the current day and age. She had to pull herself back from the brink of insanity, and is constantly worried about the same thing happening to Dove. Not many people can will themselves back from completely shattering like she had, and even then, you're never quite the same ever again.
"Dream"'s character trait is that of "transcendance". Her entire character revolves around the fact that she has transcended death itself and transformed into an entirely different person. She has grown and changed and quite literally morphed into something beyond human. In a similar fashion, she's transcended the known limits of the natural world, and she's broken the rules in a way that she can't repair. She transcended limits she never wanted to, and now she can't find a way to turn back.
In a similar fashion, "Dream"'s outfit is representative of her changes from a normal human to a shattered being. Her entire premise is something inhumane, something ethereal, something quite literally out of this world. I wanted "Dream" to give off almost... uncanny vibes. She's mysterious, yet she glimmers and glistens. She is dressed in dark colors, yet the purples in her outfit make her stand out in the perfect way. Her outfit is inspired by the deep sea, where the most mysterious and odd creatures are usually found. She invokes a deep-sea fish aesthetic with her colors and the silhouette of her outfit.
Dream canonically dies once in the timeline, as well as once prior to Dove's time. Those are:
When she gets trapped beneath a burning tree during Lunaes' quadurpale kill.
When she shattered originally, the human part of her died and ceased to exist all together. However, she managed to pull herself back together and rebuild herself as the "Dream" we know in the current day.
Exclusive A-Tier Accessory: Stunner Shades
She thinks they make her look cool. The shards keep scratching the lenses though...
"Dream"s exclusive a-tier accessory is her Stunner Shades. Canonically, they are the sunglasses "Dream" used to wear before she had shattered. It's the last thing left of her when she was still human, and she wears them to feel a little closer to the version of herself she lost along the way. She does genuinely believe they do make her look cool and badass.
────────────────────────────────────────────
And that's everyone's references complete! I'd like to thank everyone who joined off the bat for trusting me enough to lend me their characters and their muses! I had a lot of fun doing this after not doing one for so long. I was afraid I wouldn't do everyone justice, so seeing everyone here is just... such a treat to be honest!
Honestly... I've already done more than I usually do for these essences, but I wanted to really challenge myself with this essence to make something worth remembering! So this time, inspired by my friend Al's Music of the Night essence, I also gave a shot at adding some lore-related accessories!
But, you might wonder what else I did if it wasn't just costumes, accessories, and tier cards? Well... I did say I wanted to try something different, something challenging! Therefore, I present...
───────────── ESSENCE EVENT ASSETS ─────────────
Title Screen: "Thorn Briar" and Phainon
"Welcome to my garden, dear brother. You should stay a while! I'd prefer it if you stayed forever."
I had always wanted to try my hand at one of those Identity V style crossover title screens where there's the essence high-tier and the person who got the high-tier on the same artwork together... this is what my attempt looked like, although its moreso in my style rather than the Identity V artstyle? Anyways, the point IS I tried my hand at it for this essence, and I had a lot of fun with it! (I actually streamed part of my sketching it out <3)
Might try to make more... maybe I will in the future, but for this collection, this is the title screen concept! Been told it might make a cool wallpaper, but someone never got me back on that. (/j)
Loading Screens: Lunaes, Halos, Mel, and "Guest"
What do you see in those blue flames? A friend? A foe? Or something... different?
The other thing I really, really wanted to try my hand at making were those transition/loading screens when you load into a quick/rank match! I figured I'd give it a shot with my 4 a-tier skins, and I had the idea to make them all blue. (And it made for fun lighting practice too!)
I only made 4 of them (again, as a test) to see how it came out, and honestly? Super cute, I enjoyed it a ton. It was nice to be able to draw the a-tiers again after the initial time, too.
Skin Package - Birdcage Poster (Dove)
"I love all my friends! They are what give me the courage to fly free from this birdcage."
This is the package "poster" for Dove's skin, To Where Grief Flies! Every shop skin has one of these posters, and I figured it'd be neat to make one of them myself... or uh, two of them, since I had two "shop" skins! I also included Contract's "Ode to Love" accessory. I thought the idea was cute to have both skin and accessory in the poster.
Skin Package - See You Tomorrow Poster ("Guest")
"See you tomorrow... I've always liked that idea; it's not a farewell, but rather an invitation for more to come. I'll see you tomorrow."
This one is the other "shop" poster, although this one is for "See You Tomorrow"! He ended up being the a-tier who went into the shop, since usually I have at least one a-tier who ends up in the "shop". I wanted to include his roses and whatnot, as well as his boat, so it focuses on "Guest" inside the tunnels on the River of Time! It's a simple poster, but I think it looks nice.
And, if you think about it, now Klai doesn't have to spend all her life savings to get Heifu's costume! She's just gotta sink like... 50 bucks to buy his package from the shop.
Original Concept Designs: Lyrith, Nether, Couture, and Comett
I did mention original designs/concepts, and I have three (four?) of them here! These are the original designs/concepts for Lyrith, Nether, Couture, and Comett!
For Nether and Couture, you can see their full original designs there. Not much really changed? Well, not much for Nether. Couture got a few changes haha.
For Lyrith, you can kind of see his design stayed similar, but he definitely got an upgrade! I fleshed out the dress a ton more and reworked his flower crown more! (I also gave him horns and adjusted the markings on his neck.) Lyrith's original design came from the Halloween Concept I had for 2025, which is why it's a different title there entirely. This entire essence is based on the Rite of Souls AU from my Halloween series, actually. Not sure if you guys knew that.
And then there's Comett. Comett is based on our little pal in the corner there! RoS Tribbie! Similar to Lyrith, Comett got an upgraded design based on the original design there. Replaced the rose with a scarf, gave her a hat instead of the rose headband, adjusted her sweater, etc.
Doodles and Mock-Ups:
And finally, my doodles and my mockup drawings! My doodles are from when I was at work for 7 hours and dying inside haha. That's why the quality is..... honestly kind of low and scribbly. You'll all be pleased to know I've bought a proper sketchbook now, since I quite literally did not have a physical one since August 2025-ish. It's mostly Dove since her design was the one easiest for me to remember at the time (it was right about the time I finished designing her character reference sheet.)
The one on the bottom left is my poster mockups! Originally, I was gonna have the title screen be Contract and Dove, with Dove's second form peering from outside the birdcage, but I ended up going with Lyrith and Phainon instead... but the behind-the-scenes is interesting nonetheless, right? Right. I also have the shop poster mockups for Dove and "Guest". They both had their changes to them, but I overall think they came out super cute.
I also had my mockup for the loading screens. I ended up ignoring that completely KJSNDFKSJEFNDKSJFND.
And the last one I have here was... Leviathan. I don't remember what this sketch was for, to be honest? It coooould have been for the essence poster? I don't know! But, it looks cool. I think? I don't know. Him and that damn bonefish, sassy bitch duo.
────────────────────────────────────────────
Okay. I'm done, dare I say, after two months of work? I did it! Obviously, I'm not done with it, but I am at a point where... I think I'm happy enough to share everything in full! I'm very, very proud of myself and what I accomplished in time passing! I also like the lore bits I got to add into the text sections for each... outlining the characters and who they are within universe... it really gets you thinking, you know?
I hope everyone else likes it too? I hope everyone else is at least somewhat pleased, god i'm gonna sob if you guys aren't. I might actually die. perish. explode. become one with the confetti.
Kidding, kidding! Or am I?
It's been so long since I've done one of these, I'm at a quite literal loss for words right now. This never happens! Like, ever! Unless you compliment me, but I'm literally incapable of taking a compliment, so I don't think that should count.
Okay! That's it! Hopefully, you guys got some kind of kick out of this! Bye!
I doubt anyone still around but I just like to mention that due to me slowly coming back to my idv hyperfixation, I will organise and rewrite some parts of the characters lore here cuz I have improve a LOT in my writing the last few months and seeing how I was basically were just slamming in whatever with my ocs lore here make me wanna throw up!!!!/jk
Soooo~ idk when or if I will ever actually post about their new writing lore anytime soon but I just wanna mention it anyway.
But for now here some fun fact!
Did you know; the last conversation the smith brothers had before Phineas’s death were an argument!! One that weight so heavy on both of them after the incident~… sooo~ do with tha knowledge as ya may lol
And also- YES Phineas is in alien stage but is (yet again) dead as fuck and unlike any other universe, his ass is not coming back so Flynn gotta suffer with that…. But at least he has his hallucinations to help!
Ngl when drawing this I felt a bit emotional cuz LOOK AT HIM!-
I know I do not talk about Flynn a lot in my blogs but I do yap and brainstorm about him with friends that I just grew so attached to him and seeing him like this now is like watching a child growing up!… sobs- my baby I put you through a lot so it’s only fair I give you a slaying new outfit!
I will probably make a post of his new bio cuz a lot has change about him so he probably gonna need a new one along side everyone else cuz their lore is outdated and also their art so~ yeah!
THSI SI TOO FUCKING GOOD WTF- NOT ONLY A FULL ON ANIMATION FOR PHINEAS IN CRK GACHA STYLE BUT ALSO VOICED?!?! HOW CAN I EVER REPAY THAT?!?! AAAAAAAAAAAA
But really- I a, so happy and thankful for my friend Guilty for randomly kidnapping my son Phineas do all of that just on a whim! It took only around two days or ss do make it! MF be working fast and hard it kinda worrying lol- but regardless I am happy! I was having a shity weak but their gift made my day!
Pls go heal them out on discord! They do commission so if you wanna support them :3!
I made this under 4 hours so the coloring and everything else may be a mess lol- I kinda tho wanted to go all out with red so that why their color palettes kinda change to be more reddish :3
After what Flynn went through recently, is only fair I give him a break and let him go on a date with Koji (ps:- in the drawing, they are adults so around their early to mid 20th)
RAAAAHHHHHH- finally done with this dame story arc, I kinda rush this part cuz 1- I was and still am busy with irl and 2- am not that good of a writer so I struggled here and there so it may sound kinda rushed and not what you were expecting but meh! What important you get the idea of the story. I also kinda wanted to draw some of the scenes for this part but I do not think I have the time sooo yeah! Apologies 😔
Anyway enjoy the story!
What should he do?! What could he do?!!!!
Phineas stood still while his mind was racing like a horse race. He had managed to get Flynn’s attention but now what?
Should he rush over and pull him away from the edge? Or should he try to approach the matter carefully? But God- why now of all times was he at a loss for words? His brother was standing there, ready to end it all and he… he was just standing there! All silent and useless!!
But then he looked closer into Flynn’s eyes. They were dull and lifeless, any lights that were once reflected on them were gone like they never existed to begin with... His brother was hurting so deeply, and yet here he was speechless, when Flynn needed him most!
Taking a trembling step forward, Phineas forced himself to speak. “Flynn… Brother… I know you’re going through so much right now but please… let’s just talk, yeah? Take a step back a-and let’s figure this out together!”
“Do you?”
Phineas blinked in confusion.
“Huh?”
“You say you know what I’m going through… But do you? Do you really?”
“Flynn, what… What are you talking about? If there’s something you haven’t told me, then tell me! Please! I want to understand! I want to help you!”
Phineas was trying to remember all the unfortunate events that Flynn had to go through from early age to the ones that Flynn has told him about after reuniting at the manor, is there even more that his brother hasn’t told him?!
“I might not know everything but whatever it is, you can tell me! I swear, I’ll do everything I can to help you through it!”
For a moment, there was silence and then Flynn laughed a broken, breathless sound that chilled Phineas to his core.
“You think I don’t want to tell you?… oh brother~… It’s not about wanting to, Phineas... It’s that I CAN’T.”
Phineas took a slow and careful step forward but Flynn noticed immediately and Without hesitation, Flynn climbed onto the railing.
“Don’t move!” Flynn screamed at Phineas.
Phineas froze. Despite not having a beating heart anymore he swore he could feel one beating in his chest so fast right now alongside every muscle in his body that is screaming at him to do something right now but he stayed frozen, ready to spring to action if the worst happened.
Flynn chuckled while suddenly dancing on the thin metal rail. His movements were eerily graceful just like the ones of his days in the circus when performing.
“This cycle… this endless and pointless cycle. No matter how many times it repeats, it always ends the same way… I thought… I really thought this time could be different… I wanted to believe it so badly.”
“What cycle? Flynn, what are you talking about?”
But Flynn didn’t answer and he kept dancing, his movements felt like a ghost, a ghost of the boy he used to be.
“My existence…” Flynn’s voice grew softer, almost a whisper at this rate. “It’s a bad omen for you, Phineas. Don’t you see? Everything was perfect for you before I came into this cruel world.” He let out another bitter laugh “But the moment I was born, everything fell apart, wouldn’t you agree? One disaster after another~ all because of me.”
“That’s not true!” Phineas yells out “You’re not a bad omen, Flynn! You’re my brother—”
“Stop!” Flynn yells back, silencing Phineas.
Flynn raised a trembling hand to the bandages on his face and with one swift motion, he ripped them away, revealing the burn scars that covered half of his face alongside his damaged eye.
“Flynn…”
Flynn’s lips formed into an empty smile. “All of this… happened because I existed… happened because I tried to cheat fate and now…” He took a shaking breath. “Now karma’s chasing me, hunting me down every second of my life no matter where I go, no matter what I do… it always ends the same way.”
Another chuckle escaped Flynn’s lips, as if he were trying to make light of his grim situation. However… This laughter was now mixed with occasional sobs and cries. Phineas felt like crying too by just witnessing how much his dear little brother was suffering, but he maintained his composure.
“Flynn… I might not be able to truly understand what you are going through and especially when you refuse to tell me but…” Phineas took off his top hat and placed it over his chest and looked at his Brother’s eyes with a guilty and sorrowful expression.
“Just give me a chance… you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to but PLEASE give me a chance to try and help you! Let me be the big brother that you needed by your side the last few years!”
“You say that my life would have been better without you but you are wrong! Do you know just how much your mere existence helps me through my roughest of years? Do you know how happy I was when I learned I was gonna have a little brother? How happy I was to be reunited with you in this cursed manor!”
Phineas didn’t notice that his voice was getting louder while holding tightly to his top hat.
“You are the only reason I cling to whatever is left of my sanity! And you're telling me I would be better off without you!?”
“…”
Flynn wasn’t sure if he should reply or not. Regardless, Phineas continued talking while slowly approaching him. Flynn tried to threaten him to stay back by taking a step backward, but Phineas kept advancing, one step at a time.
“I told you to stay b-“
“NO! AM NOT GONNA FUCKING STAY IDLE WHILE MY LITTLE BROTHER IS TRYING TO THROW HIS LIFE AWAY!!!”
“PHINEAS-“
“OH GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE, FLYNN! YOU THINK YOU THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS WHAT IS BEST FOR US? IF SO THEN YOU ARE DELUSIONAL!!!”
“I AM NOT! I AM JUST BEING REALISTIC HERE!”
Phineas finally approached close enough to grab into Flynn’s wrist, in which Flynn tried to break free from but Phineas wouldn’t let him go.
“THAT'S ENOUGH FLYNN!!… T-that enough…”
The sudden change in tone left Flynn feeling confused. He took a moment to look at Phineas' face and… he had never seen him have that much sadness and fear in his eyes ever since their father's death. Phineas’ grip on Flynn's wrist loosened and then he gently yet firmly took both of Flynn's hands in his own, as if he were begging him.
“Flynn, trust me when I say this. no matter what, I will always be there for you and protect you no matter in life or death… even if you claim to be a bad omen I still NEED you in my life!”
When he said that, Phineas could feel how Flynn’s hands seemed to tremble slightly.
“…I know you're scared too… you act brave and act as if you have it all figured out but you are also confused, aren’t you?!”
Phineas waited for any kind of answer from Flynn to that and after what felt like forever, Flynn only nodded while his trembling kept increasing.
“You want to scream… you want to call for help yet you can’t find the voice for it, right?…”
Another nod.
Flynn didn’t even realize tears had begun to form in his eyes until a couple of them slipped down his cheeks, landing softly on his brother’s hands that were gently holding his. When he finally noticed, he started to shake even more and occasional sobs and hiccups started to come out of him while also still keep trying to say something, ANYTHING to try to still Stand up to his original decision but words kept betraying him… why is his well just now started to shake? He was so determined to end it all right here and then…
Flynn’s behaviour now is all that Phineas needed to finally pull him off the rail and embrace him to a tight yet gentle warm hug, hugging him so dearly as if he was afraid if he let go, he would lose him forever.
Phineas himself started to tear up and his voice was shaking yet trying to sound gentle and reassuring.
“Is alright… I am right here now and am not going anywhere again… I-I will try my best to help you, I promise!”
As cheesy as it sounded to Flynn and knowing so well it would not be that easy, it still managed to make him finally give in and hug his brother back and just.. cry out, crying in his brother's arms as if he is a child.
.
.
Who knows how long they stayed like that and how long Flynn cried his heart out but eventually, they made their way back to Flynn’s room all while Phineas carried his brother. Flynn cried so much that he just fell asleep… When he finally reached the room he put his brother to bed and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead and sat next to him on the bed. He wouldn’t leave his side anytime soon that for certain.
“Sleep well, Brother…”
He placed a hand on his brother’s head and patted it while starting to hum a soothing melody.
Flynn, even when asleep… smiled softly to the soothing melody.
Promise that I am still working on the final part of the story, just give me a bit of time to try and figure out how to write the rest of it… until then have this silly doodle of my son
I may come back to answer questions and doing RPs after the story but idk- we gonna see :3
