Hey guys! If you'd like to support me and get prizes for it, I started some low-cost commissions on Ko-Fi!
This doesn't mean I'll stop replying to asks with art! It's still fun for me to do that; these are just for if you're looking for something very specific. Or if you just wanna support me!
On this topic, Amy Rose fans who dedicate 90% of their art to her are the most beefed soldiers imaginable. It's like she lives in their brains for real and it's insane. They're so cracked at drawing her, too. Five million art styles and yep you can tell each one is Amy at first glance.
Honestly, that second pass I did at her design was pretty solid, so there's minimal changes to her design compared to everyone else!
Design notes!
Noémie: She's got a passion for fashion, specifically she likes to collect magazines from the 2000s/2010s. "Old world stuff" she calls it, oh boy. This is why she tends to overdress, layers upon layers and making a dress out of a jacket. You know how Red in Hoodwinked wore a skirt and jeans? That kind of stuff. That era of fashion is also reflected in the specific design I chose for her mouse-themed buckle disguise for her miraculous.
Mousie Beaucoup: Simply, I wanted her outfit to sort of reflect those colorful and transparent computers from the Y2K era. A very sleek look. I also wanted the dress and hood to reflect her civilian jacket, since out of all the characters, her behaviors in and out of costume are pretty much the exact same. Her confidence and sense of self are really tight, so that "magic makes you more confident effect" doesn't really matter for her.
Thread and Needle: I wanted to do something similar to the skip rope but make it more mouse themed. Mice are tiny! In story books, sewing needles are the most popular choice of weapon for them, it's just something to be cute! Sort of, she also utilizes her weapon to "sew" things together to protect people, like keeping debris in one spot by tying it down. Holding a building together. That sort of thing.
Mullo: I was going for a sort of fetus symbolism here. Since Mullo is very playful and a bit of a prankster. I think it fits with Noémie also being seen as the "younger twin" between her and Audrey, even though there's really no reason too.
I never understood the Almond Water thing in backrooms games like I kinda figured the mention of almond smells and tastes were to imply cyanide?
But they're usually used as healing items or something in games. Not that this is a bad thing that ruins anything! I just think it's interesting.
Honestly, if the decision of Almond Water being a healing item was on purpose that's kinda cool. This thing that's probably poisonous is essential to your survival now. There's a lot of things you could say about that.
I was gonna include his prologue design, but decided I can put prologue designs all on one ref later. Since not everyone is going to get one.
Design notes!
France: He's a sporty kid and also cool as a cucumber. So he has some stylish but casual street wear that works with movement! He also does not try that hard to keep his identity a secret, so he wears all the bee inspirations on his sleeve. Literally.
Able: Instead of fluff, he gets puff! It's fitting for the street wear vibe while still mimicking the hive/bee themes. I also opted for blue instead of black like I did with Coccineus because it just looks a lot nicer. I hope for this character's overall sense of style to come across like he cares about his appearance but likes to keep it simple, too. He's also incredibly comfortable with his identity, so the feminine touches are deliberate.
Stingers and Candy: The stingers are designed to look like acupuncture needles! And the candy is part of a new addition to the bee moveset I personally added. I originally was going to give him a weapon to go alongside these, since I considered them just part of his powers, but I feel this will do. Able plays a heavy support role over any real physical combat, so he didn't need a weapon.
Pollen: Still pretty submissive and formal. She still gets to call France "My Queen" since gender stuff doesn't bother him at all. The two are a lot like a brother and his bug sister, with Pollen playing into France's interest in fashion as a model by helping him pick his outfits for the day. Of course, it's all bee themed.
I was going to put Noémie in here, too. A whole sister set. But I got impatient.
Design notes!
Audrey: She's cool shit and she knows it. But the more uniform palette with only slight bits of gold represents that she's not really trying to be. She's a pretty antisocial person, even pushing people away on purpose sometimes. She also takes her job seriously, even if she didn't really want it at first, so she keeps her miraculous hidden on top of the bracelet disguise. Her hair is meant to resemble snake fangs around her ears, and a tail for the hair-tie.
Pypan: I added a secret heart theme to the costume! She's scared of affection and closeness but cares deeply for things and people around her. She gets along well with Coccineus over this. There's not much else to say about it other than there's also inspiration from modern qipao in there. Her hair has the same motif as her civilian design, but to a more exaggerated degree.
Jormunanger: Good time to mention I do not plan to akumatize all the miraculous holders. This sort of event I feel should mean something and have impact on the story and characters. Audrey is the first one to get this treatment! I'm going to be very up front on my inspiration: Tumblr User Bixels' Sirens Designs. I hope to also utilize the fangs as prison bar symbolism, as The Snake gets bigger as time and destruction passes, while Audrey does not. She will end up further and further consumed by her own monstrous shell, having a harder time seeing with her real eyes instead of her snake's blind ones.
Fang Gauntlet: Pypan's miraculous IS her weapon. And with the snake-like design wrapped around her arm, it's very difficult to remove. The persona is tied to her identity and the gauntlet reflects that. Down to the "fangs" extending from a heart-shaped snake head. However, her time abilities are still tied to strings, which are located in the middle of her chest. There's four to represent a pipa, specifically!
Sass: Still wise and highly respected by the other kwami. Despite disagreeing with her temper, he knew how responsible Audrey is with her powers, and thought the responsibility suited her more than her sister. He knows Noémie would've been a lot less happy as the snake holder than she is the mouse holder. I'm leaving it up in the air if he saw that coming or not. In general there's going to be a mystery around his intuition. Though I'll say outright he can't just predict the future in detail or anything.
Having an old AU brought up to me was crazy because around that time my media literacy was a lot more on a fandom level where I just Did Shit. Most of the time for attention. (Mentioning that "1010 wasn't even my favorite," was important. I made the swap about them for attention, even if I did genuinely find the potential interesting.)
I'm not like, embarrassed or anything. It's just interesting to see how over time I put more of an effort in engaging with things on their terms instead of how the fandom typically would. And I care so much more about my own feelings and fun than other people's perception of my work.
I'm sure the latter half is something everybody and their mother understands. The desire to be seen sure is a bitch, but it's okay we get better.