poffzy

your average character artist, working on webcomic named A.C.E [18 | 🇬🇧 | insta- @poffzy]

[poffzy]

Some doodles of Mista and Giorno enjoying winter together and making snow angels

[velphinizen]

My Thoughts on Giorno Giovanna and The Allure of Potential:

- Spoilers for Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Part 5 -

Seriously, If you haven't watched Golden Wind or JJBA as a whole, then do yourself a favor and watch it. Please. It's amazing.

So I've been thinking a lot about Golden Wind since I finished watching it a few weeks ago. For the record, I liked most of it better than Diamond is Unbreakable and the other previous Jojo parts. Keyword there being "most".

I loved the setting, the characters, and (most) of the overarching plot. It was well paced and the characters' powers were utilized in creative ways that kept me guessing while remaining within the world's established rules.

I even liked Giorno, a character who's largely considered to be the worst Jojo protagonist, and I just couldn't understand why he'd earned that reputation.

After all, his powers were cool and he had a charisma to him that, even now, makes it hard to hate the guy.

But then I saw the ending, and god was it disappointing.

Diavolo finally got the Stand Arrow only for it to just... not work? Like the vibes were off or something and he lost because of it.

But Giorno? Well, Giorno WAS gifted the power of Requiem. Why? All we're given to go off of is that the Stand Arrow itself chose him and not Diavolo. That's it.

And that feels so cheap, like Giorno was just handed a win out of nowhere. The head-to-head fight had only really started, but then Giorno sort of just snapped his fingers and sent Diavolo to super hell.

It was cool looking, sure, but hollow.

And then, the detail that finally made me realize why Giorno was so disliked, was that he didn't even really have anything to say about it. Just a cold, conclusive explanation that Golden Experience Requiem decided to send the big bad to super hell.

It felt so strange at first, but I've come to realize that Giorno was almost ALWAYS like that, and it doesn't make much sense for him to be.

He's Dio's son, after all. You'd think he'd have a secret sadistic side. He even says "muda" when attacking, but his personality feels too milquetoast for it to register as anything other than a reference.

Hell, the other members of the Bucciarati Gang are portrayed as FAR more sadistic than he ever is. They dance while torturing a captured assassin, beat the shit out of an innocent civilian over the faintest possibility that he might be an assassin, and taunt/insult their enemies upon winning fights.

But Giorno never seems to engage in any of that. Outside of his fight with Cioccolata, or his aforementioned use of "muda", he doesn't really taunt or insult his enemies. He doesn't take pleasure in harming people, and is even shown to care about the innocent lives caught in the crossfire.

The only morally dubious thing he does beyond petty theft and joining the Mafia is that he, like his teammates, kills his enemies, which other Jojo protagonist teams usually don't do.

Still, he spared Bucciarati in their initial fight because he believed him to a good guy, so he does try to avoid killing people he believes aren't irredeemably evil.

And, to top it all off, his initial motivation for joining the Mafia and undertaking his journey is to rid Naples of the drug trade, a rather noble pursuit to be sure.

You'd think, then, that the point is that he's the opposite of Dio. He is, after all, Jonathan's son too. But even his positive, more caring traits aren't focused on very frequently. He tends to his friends' wounds as the team healer, sure, but only ever reacts with grim acceptance when one falls in battle.

Bucciarati is the only real exception to that, as the few times Giorno genuinely shows emotion and the cracks in his unbothered facade are when Bucciarati is injured or dying.

Meanwhile, his Stand sentences a man to eternal purgatory, forcing him to die in gruesome ways over and other again until the end of time, and all Giorno can muster up is cold indifference.

Like, yeah, Diavolo was a REALLY bad guy, but it could easily be argued that even HE didn't deserve that fate.

But Giorno remains relatively unbothered, just as he remains unbothered about most events that happen to him and his friends.

He even assassinated Capo Polpo, Bucciarati's boss and an extremely influential member of Mafia, but never speaks about or dwells upon it again. He could be killed for what he did. Killed by his own friends, even.

But that thought never seems to bother him, assuming it even crossed his mind to begin with.

Polpo's death, narratively speaking, only serves to make Bucciarati the next Capo so the gang can be tasked with locating and delivering Trish.

The few hints of character and personality we're shown are never focused on long enough to develop into anything of note, leaving us with a Giorno Giovanna who just sort of... exists?

He goes through so many bizarre and actively dangerous experiences in such a short time, but he almost never has anything to say about it or any feelings to express. It's not even that he's growing numb to it all as the story progresses, as he just sort of starts and ends like that.

He doesn't grow more evil or sadistic from witnessing the casually cruel behavior of his peers or the constant life-threatening engagements he finds himself in over the course of a single week.

And that's insane to me because, again, he's the son of Dio, one of the most memorable and well-known characters in JJBA for his personality alone. He even has a similar backstory, with a deadbeat dad and a mom he barely remembers.

We could've gotten such an interesting dichotomy between good and evil, one that could've been taken in several different directions.

We could've seen Giorno struggle with ultimately wanting to make the world a better place whilst being forced to commit worse and worse actions to accomplish that, silently reassuring himself through it all that the ends justify the means.

All while Dio's influence, the cruel vampire's blood which runs through his veins, threatens to drive him further and further into becoming a sadistic soon-to-be tyrant. It would whisper in his ear like a gentle caress, convincing him that, actually, hurting people feels GOOD. That he shouldn't feel bad for his enemies, and that those with power can and should do whatever they please without remorse.

But we didn't get anything like that, and are instead left with a blank slate coated in a few chisel marks here and there.

But I think, in some strange way, I kinda like that about him? Despite being a static character with very little personality to begin with, his potential, what he could've been, captivates me.

See, I love taking the time to imagine how stories, gameplay, and characters could've been taken in different directions, filling in the pieces their creators left blank.

The lost potential in both characters and the media they inhabit has always been alluring me, and maybe that's why I still can't bring myself to dislike Giorno.

Missed potential is a flaw, to be clear, just as a bland and underutilized character can drag down the quality of the work they inhabit.

But that unexplored potential still holds value to me, a value separate from the objective or even subjective quality of an art piece.

And that's why Giorno still doesn't feel like the worst Jojo to me. Honestly, I don't think there even IS a worst Jojo. They each bring something unique and interesting to the table.

And Giorno, for better or for worse, brings with him the allure of potential.

[velphinizen]

Okay, so there's a slight correction I want to make real quick.

I've rewatched both Narancia and Abbacchio's death scenes, and Giorno was noticeably shaken during both events.

In matters concerning the safety of his friends, Giorno is shown to care quite a bit more than I initially gave him credit for.

I think the overall point I was trying to make still stands, but I'm also willing to admit when I get details wrong.

[poffzy]

I hear a lot of people think Giorno has this push and pull between Jonathan and Giorno, since he's got both their genes. Though, to me it doesn't make complete sense to have this push and pull because Giorno is his own seperate person(though its fun to imagine that push and pull, it just isnt accurate to his canon characterisation, imo).

A kid has both their parents characteristics plus their own, people dont usually push and pull against "good and bad" traits. Say, Giorno fighting off his "Dio side" and going toward his "Jonathan side". It lowkey sounds like someone going through an episode LOL. A fun idea but its not really realistic when your portraying Giorno who seems generally stable. Push and pull like that would more likely come from insecurity, being a teen or outside influence(like wanting or being forced to be like your parent). And it wouldnt be portrayed as if trying to evade your fighting your Dio demons.

What I saw when I was watching was Giorno simply having both characteristics of Dio and Jonathan while being his own person through his life experience. I heard someone say once that Giorno does Jonathan things in the most Dio way possible, and I think thats fairly accurate to his character. Like how he used murdered Polpo and made it seem like a suicide, removing all ties to Giorno himself. But doing it because he was selfish, gluttonous and killed an innocent man.

I PERSONALLY think Giorno is an interesting character because he's more subtle than the other jojo's and the characters around him. He's also inexperienced compared to the other members of the bucci gang and actively grows because of the fights he has with his friends. Which also help his friends grow too.

For example, the fight against Ghiaccio. Giorno is mostly being led by Mista during that fight, sees his resolve and learns he has that in him too. Which helps them win the fight together.

Thats what I think the intent of his character was, he's someone in constant movement. Its why he hates to repeat himself, it stalls conversation. Its useless to repeat something you already know, it stalls movement.

He's a direct contrast to Diavolo, who constantly stays in hiding, goes on long speeches and doesnt grow.

ALTHOUGH, YES, it would have been cool to see a bit more of this but it doesnt mean Giorno has done nothing and has no growth. Like, I think it would have been cool to see him struggle a bit more with how he failed to heal his friends. Especially with how Narancia yelled at him after Abbachio died. But im not too mad, since Jojo's never really had characters wallowing for long or at all.

He's my favourite, I cant understand why people might not like him

[poffzy]

Dania concepts

As the little sister of Constance, she's been unofficially dubbed everyones little sister. Which is incredibly annoying to her.

She likes tinkering with tech and just wants to skate around and have a bit of cheeky fun here and there. She's a really valuable asset but generally a good friend, even if her advice seems blunt it comes from a place of genuine care.

She sort of carries a weird sense of responsibility, being the only Patchwork in further education- under Constance's orders.

Her goggles also double as microscopes, turning the notches changes the zoom.

Her skates also have compartment spaces and are pretty flipping decent weapons when need be.

I like thinking of Dania as a creative and a little bit of a dreamer. She idolises people and wants them to see her as on their level. So she overcompensates, making sure she's seen as tough and smart- which she is but she feels like she's always pushing against being the little sister.

[poffzy]

Some rough concepts, I'm working towards making final reference sheets for the gang.

Constance's design is final, others still need some workshopping.

Guy uptops called Bahari. He's an egoistic mute- not by choice. During a particularly rough night out, he got his throat torn by a rival gang. He's incredibly lucky to have survived, but the wound and situation left him mute.

He's the brute of Constance's close commodore. He has a high respect for her and Achlys, secretly craving compliments from them.

[poffzy]

"Can I borrow a cup of sugar? Thanks, love."

Constance is SO outgoing. She got the confidence of 10 bodybuilders.

Her tattoos represent her gang, the Patchworks. The skull on her back is very literally their gangs tag, but a more smoky stylised version to match the vibe of the rest of her tattoos.

I'm still experimenting w my style while I work on A.C.E, so it's why my art looks like it shifts a lot since I work on it a ton without sharing, but hey ho it looks nice

Rn I'm working on scripting chapter one

- A very canon and out of context part of chpter one.

Constance never lives this down. Her closer members sometimes call her chewtoy or puppy to piss her off. It always works. Without fail.

[poffzy]

Achlys is Constance's number two, but she's worth 10× that in Constance's eyes. They're equals in the best way, there's never a situation where one wouldn't be there for the other. They have a really deep respect and trust, even if they're pissed at eachother that in itself would never change.

Constance can- and does- get pretty rowdy and Achlys anchors her. Achlys is almost like another leader but really Constance is the one who has the final say. Achlys often gets really annoyed at how childish Constance can be, but can never deny that Constance always gets results. No matter how unpredictable she can be thats the one constant that Achlys fully trusts.

[poffzy]

SO.

My arts changed a bit.

I've been studying a lot this year, since im planning on going university for animation. A lots changed for my characters in A.C.E too, especially since now im moving onto SCRIPTINGG

Constance's design has changed, she got a mohawk now and I've sort of finalised her personality. She's best described as a british lad in a thin womans body. She's super tall, seen as really intimdating by most. Especially since her coat is half drenched in dried blood, but we move.

But when you actually meet her, its a bit of whiplash cus she's... really chill? Almost bodering on stupid, but a real danger. She likes to joke and is at her local pub consistently- almost every day. She loves her area, despite it being run down and neglected. She's a protecter who appreciates her roots.

Next to her in a lot of these drawings is her besg friend and number two, Achlys. She's a lot more serious and has a thing about respect. Especially when someone else is being disrespected. She's responsible and doesn't like to waste time, but secretly enjoys being where she is. She really appreciates what Constance has done for her, before meeting her she felt really aimless. Having been through multiple different foster homes and having her university application rejected. She's the glue that propells the Patchworks forward.

They work really well together, they're relationship is bound in a mutual respect. They see eachother as on the same level, being able to rely on eachother without guilt.

[poffzy]

I've been doing TONS of reworking for A.C.E, it made me realise I really need to slow down and focus on the basic stuff before I get back to working and reworking plotlines I already have.

Its kinda funny cus i sort of vaguely outlined the whole story first in one go, no worldbuilding or anything. Dont get me wrong, it REALLY helped cus I was stumped on a story BUT now it means I need to go back and build a foundation.

That being the setting of A.C.E, the city Haven.

I made a small schedule/checklist to help organise the project better. Its a checklist of stuff I need to get done before I can start scripting the official comic. First thing on the list is worldbuilding. I'm listing off all the Boroughs in Haven, giving them names and a small general description. This is Constance's Borough, Feldin:

The place is like a maze, its poor and forgotton with narrow roads leading you down every which way. Most things are made with brick and some buildings have fallen apart and left for years. Warehouses are abandoned and employment rates are at an all time low.

Most of the tech there is stolen, hacked and resold. Some try to make their own, trying to be like Casimir and start up their own company- but what they make is far from normal. In a weirder sense, like a therapy vending machine. Worlds Grace still holds their prescence through the tech used to garner energy.

A lot of old folk live here from when the place was a booming industrial area where import boats would come and go. While the young are left to survive the best they can.

"Feldons where things go to rot"

[poffzy]

HAVEN,

A mess of a metropolis. One stop your in fields of wheat, the next you need a gasmask as you stumble through floods of people. Havens a place that never stops moving, if you don't keep up you might slip.

I've been working A TON on worldbuilding and research recently. I sort of neglected this step a bit but it really is important to flesh out the story, it also really affected some story beats for me.

Mainly the relationship between the Patchworks(Constance's gang) and the Links(A large prison gang with outside influence). Almost every character I have is deeply interwoven with other characters, which includes the Links. But seeing the scale they had compared to the Patchworks it made me have to rethink some stuff and edit some characters and answer some questions.

Constance lives in HOLLOWSEND, where quite a bit of stuff happens considering its PW's turf. There are a couple of other gangs in it and the Borough is pretty run down and neglected.

I'm still working a lot on a lot of the worldbuilding and towns and stuff not everythings set in stone but this is about the amount of work I've done for it? It really helped me define what I want in my first chapter which I was struggling with for a good couple months

The woman with the stick is a concept for a member of Constance's gang! She doesn't have a name yet but she's the artist of the main group, she's the one that puts up the PW tag. She attaches all her supplys to that giant log, which also doubles as a weapon and work out tool! She's pretty literally quiet but thats because she always has sweets in her mouth. Which she probably uses as an excuse why she's being quiet.

The rest of my drawings here are just practice, what do you think? :>

[poffzy]

Silas and Merav, a dangerous duo.

Silas, her father, raised her and trained her to be the soldier assassin she is today.

Merav feels like she owes her entire life to him, and to repay him she gives her undying loyalty.

[poffzy]

"You gotta watch where you go, y'know. Before you start slippin' lines—goin' OT. Think 'bout where you're gonna end, 'cause that's where this life’s gonna get you. Ain't no one never findin' you if you're slippin' too far."

Constance knows the streets like the back of her hand. Every corner’s a story, every move pays a price. She built The Patchworks from nothing- just a bunch of street rats with nowhere else to go. But with her gang on the rise, they're grabbing the eyes of people they don't expect.

Infamous gangs like The Links, undergound crime rinks and- surprisingly- the most influential tech company in the UK- Worlds Grace. Known for how they push the boundaries of whats possible in our reality.

Sure, The Patchworks can adapt fast. But they'll need to slow down around the bends.

If they slip, it's on sight.

------------------------

A.C.E. is a near future sci-fi, crime thriller comic set in the UK. Exploring gangs violence, shifting powers and the endless evolution of technology. There's a fine line between progress and control, and if you love stories with incredibly morally grey characters, stick around.

[poffzy]

"I did knock..."

Avius is a tired, lonely man. There aren't many people he can rely on... apart from maybe Silas, who's starting to become a more and more prevalent prescence in his life. Being friends with your dealer isnt the BEST option, but if it's all you have, best you can do is see where it goes.

Avius went to school to become a surgeon, as directed by his overbearing, used-to-be-upperclass family. But keeping to his title as 'failure', he passed and lost any job god graced him with. But it's not his fault! Not his fault he got hooked on pills, not his fault he steals from work, not his fault at all...

There's gonna be a part two to this :p SO WHAT DO YOU THINK??

[poffzy]

Hii!! I really really like your characters and your story!! You have a very pretty artstyle!!!!!!

I don't have any questions, but I would love to know more about the characters? Anything you can give us? I just wanted to let you know your blog is Really Cool

(Ps. It's so funny to me that your story is called A.C.E, an acronym which is a name for an organization, BC MY STORY IS CALLED D.O.V.E WHICH IS ALSO AN ACRONYM FOR AN ORGANIZATION HELPPPP)

Sorry, hope I don't come off weird, I just rlly like your blog!!!!

I LOVE THE COINCIDENCE THAT'S SO FUN!! And thank you soo much, i'm really glad that you like my art! I can't wait to see what you're doing for your story too :D

A.C.E is still a wip because there's still a lot of stuff I need to iron out which includes characters I haven't drawn yet because I need to decide how relevant they are to the story :p

The majority of the main cast works under A.C.E, an organised crime syndicate who perform assassinations given by outside clients (similar to your own story :>). They used to be a really influential gang before this, it changed because the leader of the gang(Silas) struck a deal with the CEO of the most influential tech company, Worlds Grace. His name is Casimir and they actually knew eachother since they were kids.

BACK TO THE MAIN CAST,

Constance is the most important character, she's also the gang leader of the Patchworks. This gang started when they were all really young and they only really recruited young strest kids as way to protect eachother, and as they grew older they started becoming less amateur and more big time. That was until she was scouted by A.C.E. She started making TONS of money and she used that money to get members of her gang out of that life as best as she could. She's still the leader of the Patchworks though, they've just gotten much smaller.

She's got a sister, Dania, who's a tech whizz and a massive superfan of Worlds Grace. She isn't adept at fighting and doesn't work under A.C.E, but does hope she could work for Worlds Grace one day.

Constance's partner in A.C.E is a women called Merav who's been working for A.C.E since she was a child. She's soilder-like, no nonsense and doesnt enjoy comedy. But loves drinking tea(my story is set in fictional london).

AND MY FAVOURITE CHARACTER, Nika. There's a big fact about my story I haven't exactly mentioned yet but I think I'll leave it for another post, it relates heavily with Nika and her plotline. Nika is Merav's sister and often comes off as her polar opposite. She's charismatic, reserved and surprisingly down to earth. But she's also observant and very manipulative. She often uses the fact that she's smaller, thinner against other people who underestimate her.

At the point of the story starting she just got out of a VERY intensive surgery, she's the lady with tons of scars :]

I DIDNT MENTION ALL THE CHARACTERS but here's some info on a few of the really important ones! I hope it was interesting for you! :]

[poffzy]

Made a one page comic strip for Constance, I was kinda just sick of drawing still poses and wanted to do something with more story/life in it

It does help me decide what I'd like to do for the actual comic, its kinda hard deciding what specific look to go for but i think im going in the right direction and all

[poffzy]

Did some concept sketches for Constance, still needs some edits and changes but going in the right direction

It's definitely important for me to get her right cus she's SO essential to the first arc of the story. Im probably gonna be designing some new chrs soon for her gang and for other gangs in the story

[poffzy]

Since you can't read the text properly, I'll type out the details of how this design works :>

The robotics aren't meant to completely replace the human parts, it's supposed to support it and prolong your life. Nika's the first person to have this many implants.

She has multiple metal incasings that cover her bones to keep their structure, especially around her skull. The hope is the bone will grow and fuse with the metal in some way.

There are two larger incasings that cover her organs. These incasings moniter her organs to see how well the natural parts of her body are adapting to the machinery. They also work to keep them safe from outside influences. It's planned that they later add features that can influence the state of the organs. Some organs have been completely changed, mainly her lungs. Her knew lungs can store air so she never runs out of breath, cleans dirty air and allows for generally better breathing.

There is also a chip implanted into her brain to closely moniter how the brain is functioning alongside the other implants. It logs thoughts and reports how the body is doing to HQ. It's coded with AI that learns how the natural body functions to mimic it, this allows for the chip to keep the brain alive and therefore the rest of the body (if it isnt severely damaged). There are also nueron wires that further connect the chip to the rest of the body, they also let body reports send to the chip.

Last feature is her right eye. It improves vision and also specialises in recording her memories and current experiences. It also has smaller features like adjusting to the light and an analysis function.

ARGG AND THATS ABOUT EVERYTHING??? So yea, what do you think?

[poffzy]

A.C.E ART DUMP!!

I still have a lot of finalising to do with some character designs but story-wise things are going a bit better.

I seperated the general narrative into 4 parts, part one focuses mainly on Constance (white hair lady), her gang/found family and Worlds Grace.

Small recap: Worlds Grace is a extremely fast growing tech company that, for reasons you'll find out, employ assassins to complete certain tasks. Most of the cast work for them, including Constance.

Constance is a confusing character for me to understand because her character is centered around contradicting ideals. Like being a 'loving assassin'. And also wanting to be posh or fancy but she's ghetto. She's generally pragmatic, being the leader of a gang. Confident with a strong gut feeling