They're supposed to be rogue/bard, and will leave you without coin – because it will be performance worth your time&money! (Cousin is accompanying them today)
So, this was my plan for making a goblin that went a bit sideways on first try. You ever find fabric so cool you buy it without specific idea? That's what happened here. I try not to accumulate fabrics without goal in mind bc I'm slow at actually using them, buuut I'm really glad I got this diamond pattern, it's so great for this scale!! Wasn't easy to make sharp corners tho ><
Initially I planned not a hat but a hood (homestuck flashbacks), but this black isn't cotton and isn't very cooperative unfortunately. And I had to add wire in its tail to make it behave as I wanted
Flute made out of toothpick is also a backup plan, I wanted to use lyre aaand can't find it, it might be somewhere in storage x_x Maybe it's for the best, flute worked pretty well with that face!
Just as previous, this one used slightly modified Mini13 as base, head + hands + torso + feet modelled by me. And I even remembered to take a photo this time. They nekkid ><
Idk if/when I'll be done with any of this so here's a bunch of WIPs
Spent some days practicing sculpting, using some doll photos as ref... and only after was hit with "Wait is this ethical?? Even if I don't plan to share it??? Even if it's not direct copy???? Even if I modelled it from scratch?????"
One was some unidentified doll head I've seen listed for sale, possibly disney? (that listing had other disney heads so maybe some limited release? I could not find it aaanywhere else) that went down before I decided I kinda want it... bc blank head looked like perfect option for flocked/puffy hair...
(Ref photos from the listing but it doesn't exist anymore) I thiiink my version is different enough but... hm
And other one was... Momoko. Result doesn't really look like one to me bc I could not figure out that extreme profile they have. Tbh this one reminds me of Tinkerbell/early barbs/etc. Maybe I could lean into it, add pointy ears...
What's funny, despite being different stylistically, their profiles turned out very similar >_< Also I probably need to up polygon count but blender was already a bit laggy x_x
And a bunch of goblins, also for practice. I printed winking one (slooowly working on outfit) but idk about the rest, I don't really need full party of goblins >_> And they do look a bit too sameish atm
And... This... I've been stuck on it for awhiiiiile. First draft started in 2023(!) and current this year... I'm just not that good at designing robots & struggling with liiiimbs
When will I finish you, wheeen will you be reeeaaal
Another bracelet to cheer myself up. Frog & lilypad beads modelled by me. It turned out a bit awkward to wear thanks to beads size but so cute otherwise...
This mod was a bit experimental, I tried to step away from dummy13 frame+armor approach specifically for limbs, to keep them proportionally thin – bc Ena already has pretty big head comparing to my other guys, and I want to keep my gang loosely in same scale (13 series models fall roughly in 1:12 scale meaning quite a lot of props you can find). My solution kiiinda worked, with drawbacks such as very inconvenient printing for several parts, some hard to assemble parts, some sanding and "seams"
Also this time there was a bit more painting involved bc I didn't have exact color matches for them. And faces weren't easy to paint. But I think it worked pretty well overall!
Behold, my squad! (with umbrellas bc weather turned rainy again)
Bot: Damn, that's alot of ppl (was here first)
Beheaded: I'm gonna smack someone with that
Drifter: Cold but I have my cape and B
Collector: Big Umbrella u_u
Diver: Rain!! :D
Ena dbbq: Lots of business opportunities :)
Ena web: Aw lots of ppl I don't know :\
Creachurs: :< OuO ### owo :>
This is of course subjective reading and up to interpretation but I think some messages are Very Direct once you step away from weirdness lens of fever dream. This is that kind of dream your subconscious throws at you at your worst times and leaves you with ~revelations~
Spoiler warning etc etc, and this got Pretty Long
Ena falls asleep (under red skies filled with planes*) and dreams about working a job she probably didn't want but asked for anyway <- current job market says hi.
First chapter is literally "everyone is looking for relief, and you will too, even if you don't want it, not like that".
There are two ways to get there.
One route is longer and involves "unspeakable, had to be done (and not) sacrifices" to make a staircase – you're literally filling graves and walking over heads to get higher and higher, to the very top <- hello, every career that feeds into competition, as well as society as a whole seeing ppl only as resources.
Other one is faster, and it's route most ppl take – it's well-known and advertised(!) – and it's a party that will cost an arm and a leg to get in. Nevermind that you will be pressured to intoxicate yourself, nevermind that you're giving away your body for this, nevermind that you're seen as "bringing mood down" for trying to get this over with asap.
And Ena gets eaten in both routes.
First is in company of "breakfast" she helped to find – we're sorta throwing them under the bus bc it's just business, right? So are you any different, even at the top?
And another is party/purge where everyone is both encouraged and shamed for participating in "fun" – think capitalism and trying to find any joy in endless cycle of misery inflicted on each other. Whole party turning into hungry animals and tearing each other apart <– hellooo lack of class solidarity and consumerism culture. There's no way to win/get out/do anything. System consumes all. But at least you get short term "fun", right??
^ And another thing, it takes Ena's intervention for Taski Maiden to get employed – otherwise she ends up at this party too, making her another casualty (to be fair, atm we don't know if she gets out of Lonely Door after being employed)
Next up is the river blocking your way to final relief, and you're pretty wasted, you have either your man-staircase to make another shortcut, or you have to jump all the way over while fighting nausea.
If you reach your relief you're "granted forgiveness" except NOT FOR YOU because you're ENA(*), so tough luck, get insulted instead. If you fail to cross there's a roundabout way where the idol is cracked <- religion as another relief for people vs religion being hidden/swept under progress –> robot legs only for king figure while everyone is living under unsteady roofs, tall stone walls keeping everyone inside (hello, country borders and censorship), everyone is pointing in different directions, and one guy pointing left gets beaten so he changes where he points under pressure.
But at least you're able to fiiinally finish what you came here for. Get rid of smoke by smacking it's source <- this could be "no smoke without fire" maaaybe? So silencing protests, or in context of employment union busting? Not sure tbh. Edit: or this could be about smoke breaks? Which are common practice while on clock. So, no more smoke breaks.
After that you come back to some sort of "afterlife" of the same place that was once a dusty falling apart desert but it's Gotten Worse Somehow. Instead of being full of colors it's now white and gray, giant TV plays for graveyard of dead, there's a house market crisis where only realtors are, robot legs king is there somehow, and also you're running out of time to get out before door closes/reality collapses.
Also, going back a bit, that one secret way to get into Luxury Room where you can only look but not touch. And it's all ridiculous stuff for insane prices and a windows to look down at everyone. And it's a giant ship stuck in dry desert. All while giant mechanical chimeras speak something barely understandable (Propaganda? Something that's going on behind the scenes where citizens don't look?)
*And finally, references to War. It's always looming over you, even when you're not looking. It's always somewhere in background of your mind. We don't see any of it directly but there are many remarks. We even start with Ena misinterpreting her job of the day as some assassination in planning – discarding morals & lives when job demands?
Ptsd flashback is another big moment. But I'm not 100% sold on Ena being actually responsible for anything, at least yet. She pleads innocence and it's unclear if anyone believes it. There's also that line from Taski M: "Rude entities like you get punished for the sins of others" and another from Theodora: "No punishment. Just like how nobody needs to be punished for being born. Except you, of course."
Ena being seen as ENA and actively blamed for it <- grouping ppl by traits/race/nationality/etc? Considering there are multiple languages spoken, most of which Ena understands (even if doesn't speak them), this might be about immigrants & international connections. Because people are people, no matter where from, most of them messy.
Ena showing interest in "fellow entrepreneur" Coral Glasses, and an option to help Taski Maiden to get employed feels like seeking companionship through only way that is available – by making connections on work hours. There's no way to know if any of that will give results – because while you might be interested in making friends, everyone (including you) are here for the job first.
But it's a lonely life to live, and every time it kills you. And if it doesn't, you're thrown right back to where you started.
Ena masking with Customer Service Voice, making it a big part of personality vs being always tired and frustrated and ready to shout/throw hands is a personal conflict many ppl experience. Gotta comply or you'll be seen as a threat to society. Also I think this parallels Potluck episode – happy mask failing and not fitting quite right. That's just what living in our times is like.
