Hi! Long time, no see! Been a bit busy these past few weeks - and I've come back with a little surprise!
I'm planning to start on a new, long-term project - an original work that will explore some of the characters that I have created in the past year! If you enjoy my art or my stories, I hope you might join me on this new adventure! :D
I will continue posting fan work for various fandoms, of course, but will also start posting some WIPs from this project as well!
This has been in the drafts for quite a while! Here's my version of Gabriel Agreste - I love seeing people's varying takes on him and thought I'd give it a go! 🦋
Unlike the other character posts I've made, I'm not going to write out his whole bio, and just include my design notes for now. I go deep into what I imagined for his background in my fics, but it's a little too complicated to explain it all in a post lmao :3
Design Notes/Character Study
Uses his artist hands to create a torture chamber for himself in his mind - both beautiful and horrifying; it's not long before that prison starts bleeding into his reality
Major traits: emotional, protective, cowardly, hot-headed, awkward, single-minded
Inability to mature properly leads his psyche to fracture and lead him down his dark path
Drives: perceived family unit
Merely a tool for the council - does not have the same standing as the other members
Financial insecurity in childhood (refer to economic downturn in 70s-80s) leads him to overcompensate
An artist restricted by the demands of consumerism, capitalism, and commodification
Show through restrictive clothing in civilian mode
Did NOT want to be a father; was pressured by society's picture of an ideal family and his love for Emilie
Dark clothing - mourning attire; his self-image, ego, and sense of self would be destroyed with Emilie's death
White lily - symbol of mourning; extremely toxic to cats :0
Gabriel company branding
Layered clothing
Initial Hawkmoth form based on the Purple Emperor butterfly (Apatura iris)
reference @odeu-m's hawkmoth designs
For different forms, reference different types of butterflies
Villain design becomes more and more abstract, organic, nonhuman as character degrades due to overuse of Miraculous
Changing costumes between seasons should show progression
Becomes less and less like formal attire (powers feel like a form of freedom from his corporate cage)
Note: The Miraculous does not "drive him insane"; rather, it exacerbates negative traits that he already had
Designs (both as villain and as civilian) and akumas reflect mental state
Play with dark/light values, textures, and saturation
Akumas act as an outlet - reference haute couture, impressionism, pop art, horror games (Souls games, Layers of Fear, Funeralopolis), @nn-ee-zz's art
Akumas are a mix of empowering and horrifying - mixed public opinion
Fake eyes - cover actual eyes
Art References: Bryan Charnley, Bryan Saunders, Vincent van Gogh, Yayoi Kusama, Francisco Goya
Fashion References: Dior, Chanel
Forms - beautiful but intimidating; pieces of art
Play with effects like chromatic aberration and such distortions
Picture of Gabriel, Nathalie, Emilie in childhood - emphasize that he is stuck in the past
With the introduction of Nathalie's father in the latest episode, I decided it was time to finally put my interpretation of him on paper so I can catalog how my perception of him changes. Below are some design notes, backstory, and character study comments. (Warning: it's a lot) Of course, spoiler alert for my fic!
Background:
Victor = reference to Frankenstein
Serdtseva = derived from the word "heart" in Russian
Gave Nathalie “Sancoeur” as a way to distance himself + as a cruel joke
Born circa 1930 in Obukhivka, Ukraine to a lower-middle-class family
Family had connections to the Russian Orthodox Church.
Early Life & Imprisonment:
His early experiences during the Holodomor sparked outrage at the government
Moved to Leningrad and was raised there after Kaminne was wiped out
Arrested in the late 1940s during the Leningrad Affair while a university student for:
Openly practicing religion in an anti-Orthodox Soviet state.
Expressing interest in banned Western philosophy and literature.
Possible possession of prohibited texts or being reported by a peer.
Sentenced to several years in the Gulag system.
Endures brutal conditions.
Experience deeply affects and distorts his worldview.
Post-Stalin Release & Academic Career:
Released after Stalin’s death in 1953 during the Khrushchev Thaw.
Quietly reinstated into academic life as a professor.
Next in the council series is "The Machine", Tomoe Tsurugi!
Though for ArtFight, she'll go undercover as Tachibana Nagi!
Now that I have 3 council members up, I think I'll make a pinned masterpost on my blog if you want to see the others! 3 down, 9 more to go!
Background
Tachibana = noble samurai clan name symbolizing honor and legacy, deeply tied to Japan’s warrior history
Nagi = meaning “to mow down” or “to sweep away”; often used to describe the motion of a naginata, a sword, or wind in battle
Born 1967 in Tokyo to a strict traditional family, proud of their samurai lineage
Learned various martial arts and weaponry, but excelled in swordsmanship
Raised on stories of Onna-Musha, Tomoe Gozen, and the codes of bushidō
On her mother’s side, descended from survivors of the Nagasaki atomic bombing (1945)
Childhood During Japan’s Economic Miracle:
Raised amid Japan’s postwar boom, a time of gleaming technology and rising prosperity
While her father, a bureaucrat in the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, embraced modernization, her household remained steeped in samurai values: discipline, tradition, duty
Unbeknownst to them, Nagi had inherited genetic mutations from her hibakusha grandparents, survivors of Nagasaki’s blast
Frequently ill as a child (chronic fatigue, joint pain, unusual sensitivities), she was in and out of hospitals
Medical professionals were evasive, classmates cruel; whispers of “tainted blood” followed her
Early medical trauma and social alienation planted a seed of hatred for human fragility and societal hypocrisy
Early Signs of Blindness (Age 13):
Began experiencing night blindness, trouble reading, and disorientation in dim light
Eventually diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa: a progressive, degenerative eye condition
Her doctors quietly suggested the condition may be linked to her family’s radiation exposure, a lingering curse of Nagasaki
For Nagi, the diagnosis became not just a personal tragedy, but proof that the past can reach forward and rot the present
University Years:
While studying engineering and mathematics at the University of Tokyo, her sight deteriorated rapidly
Already known for her genius and prowess, she was approached by the council, who provided her with the resources to adapt her skills for her failing sight
By 24, she was legally blind
This coincided with the peak of Japan’s Bubble Economy: wealth rising, but so was corruption and moral decay (Recruit Scandal)
Rejected from elite job programs despite top academic performance
Her fury crystallized: flesh is weakness, society is hypocritical, and machines do not discriminate
She vowed to build a future where the flawed human body and corrupt human systems would be rendered obsolete
Founding Tachibana Tech (Age 24–28):
As Japan entered the Lost Decade, Nagi founded Tachibana Tech: a cybernetics and AI firm based on one principle: refining the human form through technology
She personally underwent neural interface surgeries, experimenting on herself to convert her remaining senses into data streams
Her vision did not return, but she received augmented perception - a new kind of sight born of code and signal
No longer “blind,” she became The Machine - detached, calculating, and unbound by human limitations
1995 – Kobe Earthquake & Technological Control:
Great Hanshin Earthquake devastated Kobe, exposed fatal weaknesses in Japan’s infrastructure and disaster readiness
Nagi quietly offered her AI to the state for predictive modeling and emergency logistics, then used the data to expand her surveillance reach
The state was incompetent. The people were panicked. Only machines-maintained order
Solidified her belief: Japan doesn’t need democracy - it needs an operating system
Rise of Tachibana Industries:
With Japan’s population aging and its political system paralyzed, Nagi’s company became indispensable - providing predictive governance tools, infrastructure AI, and covert intelligence services
Privately, she orchestrated digital blackmail campaigns, economic disruptions, and political reshuffling to consolidate influence
2011 – Fukushima Nuclear Disaster:
The Fukushima meltdown reopened national trauma - once again, revealing humanity’s hubris and helplessness
To Nagi, it was the final confirmation:
Nagasaki made her blind
Kobe made her a player
Fukushima made her sovereign
Emotion, tradition, empathy - these were relics
Only through data, order, and engineered governance could civilization survive itself
Present Day (Age 49):
Leads a corporate-state hybrid that quietly shapes policy, surveillance, and commerce across East Asia and beyond
Believes that Japan must return to its warrior roots - but not through swords or blood, through discipline, hierarchy, and machine logic
Her mission: eradicate human fragility; a society where order is no longer maintained by the fallible human hand, but by precision systems
Design Notes/Character Study
Character Inspo for main outfit:
Garuda (Warframe), Shen (Kung Fu Panda)
Note: Garuda is based on Indian mythology, while Shen is based on Chinese - use other references for cultural nuance, as this character is Japanese
Modernized kimono
Red, black, white
Tech inspo:
Neon Genesis Evangelion, PCB, Signalis
Parallels to Gendo Ikari
Evangelion Unit-01
Cultural/historical references
Mu = nothingness
Oni
Onna-bugeisha and Tomoe Gozen
Nagasaki
Seismic patterns on shirts
Rising sun/chrysanthemum seal on obi = authoritarianism/conquest
Wields a naginata
Watched videos of national women's competitions @ 0.25 speed T-T
Has devoted her life to the council
Retinitis pigmentosa does not usually have any physical symptoms
Her eyes are pale red/pink from the tech implants
Glowing for artistic flair
Glasses are blackout glasses (opaque)
Company emblem is a sword
Believes her mother gave her weakness
President Snow: No objections to violence; but always with reason
Okay, next on my list is Dr. Leo Anders, formerly known as Levko Andriienko. He would be a great conversationalist!
I'm going to go back and make minor changes to some of the bios that are already up (just color corrections and making sure everything is updated), so just letting y'all know!
Background
Born Levko Andriienko
Levko = means “lion,” representing strength, courage, and a fierce will to survive (ironic)
Diminutive form - implies a boyhood identity, or something emotionally vulnerable.
Andriienko = Ukrainian surname from Dnipropetrovsk region, symbolizing resilience and intellectual tradition; rooted in family and place, it connects him to the past
In Soviet context, his full name subtly marked him as "not quite Moscow"
Born 1933, in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukrainian USSR, into a modest family of engineers and educators
Showed early aptitude for physics, studied nuclear science in Moscow during the 1950s
Raised with strong faith in Soviet ideals, believed in science as a tool for progress and societal good
Chernobyl Disaster (1986):
Senior scientific advisor involved in emergency response at Chernobyl nuclear plant
Was one of the scientists who proposed the use of boron compounds to absorb neutrons and limit radioactive fallout, a key but little-known intervention
Witnessed firsthand Soviet government secrecy, misinformation, and chaos during crisis management
Worked as one of the liquidators who was not compensated properly
Exposed to high levels of radiation, suffering long-term health consequences
Deeply traumatized by the disaster and the suffering of victims, burdened by survivor’s guilt
Post-Disaster Years:
Emigrated to Graubünden, Switzerland soon after the disaster, rejecting the Soviet system and Ukrainian identity publicly
Chose Switzerland due to its priority of safety in science field as well as for its advanced healthcare
Changed his name to Leo Anders
Shedding a name with history for one that sounds clean, Western, untraceable
“Leo” is still “lion,” but now generic - a hollow echo of his true self
“Anders” is Scandinavian/Germanic - means “different” or “other”
Lived in relative isolation; worked on independent research, disconnected from official scientific communities
Haunted by memories and guilt, avoided public attention and political engagement
The Council’s Contact (1988):
Approached by the council
Initially skeptical, but accepted their offer for renewed purpose and resources
Began advising the Council on sensitive, secret projects with far-reaching ambitions
Bound by secrecy and loyalty, conflicted over his role and the Council’s shadow agenda
Life in Switzerland and Personal Struggles:
Experiences recurring nightmares and PTSD symptoms tied to Chernobyl trauma
Has obsessive behaviors and is very concerned with health/safety
Torn between hope for positive change and fear of complicity in the Council’s morally ambiguous plans
Uses work as a custodian of classified scientific and nuclear data for the Swiss government to channel his need for control and order (irony)
Present Day (2016):
Age 83, physically frail but mentally razor-sharp, a man who exerts power through knowledge and control
Custodian of classified nuclear and scientific data for the Swiss government, guarding secrets that could unravel nations - or rebuild them
"Order and method are his Gods" - Agatha Christie about Hercule Poirot
Every piece of information is meticulously cataloged and controlled to maintain a fragile balance
Obsessed with control and precision, he micromanages access to information like a vigilant, overbearing guardian - protecting the world from chaos, even if it means suffocating it
Deeply cares about the world’s survival, but his care manifests as relentless interference - an unyielding “helicopter parent” who won’t let anything deviate from his plan
Ruthlessly pragmatic, he believes the ends justify the means; innocent casualties and moral compromises are unfortunate but necessary collateral in his vision of stability
Haunted by his trauma at Chernobyl, he projects his guilt into a compulsive need to prevent further disasters through absolute order
Uses his position to manipulate political players and shadowy organizations, ensuring no secret slips, no chaos erupts
His “children” are watched closely and corrected swiftly
Lives behind layers of secrecy and detachment
Privately struggles with the suffocating burden of his responsibility and his inability to truly protect those he cares for
Design Notes/Character Study
Mirror to Victor Serdtsev
Both academics around the same age who were under the USSR but each turned out VERY different
Inverted color schemes
Take design points and swap them
Holds a handkerchief for his mild hemoptysis
Hunched
Shaky hands
Obsessive behaviors
See Poirot for reference
Very concerned with health and safety
"Helicopter parenting" - authoritative ideology comes from care, not apathy
Associations with Boron: Boron has 3 valence electrons, like the symbol on the atom
Years in isolation made him awkward in social environments
Formally dressed, but with a deeply casual, cerebral, sometimes haunted energy; rumpled, disheveled
Neutral palette
References: President Snow, David Attenborough, Richard Feynman, Noam Chomsky, Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer)
Time has not been kind - emphasize his age
Speaks Romansh
Pictured:
Reference to Gloria Ramirez tragedy: emphasizes his ideals of utilitarianism
Reference to Polonium-210 assassination: ironic given his hatred towards the Soviet Union
Assigned a brown color scheme: he is stuck in the past despite his attempts to leave it
Heyyyy :P
I actually have a few announcements but I'm gonna try to space them out a little lol.
I've officially posted my next fics - continuations of Beneath the Wallpaper!
First is the Project Ouroboros: Longitudinal Asset Study, files on the council members which will be updated and changed as the series progresses. I taught myself HTML for this :')
Then we have Portrait of Decay - a sequel to Beneath the Wallpaper but can be read on its own! It's ongoing but I've already posted 3 chapters so anyone interested can get a feel for it and decide whether to read on! Please stay safe and mind the tags!
I'm still learning a lot about writing so feel free to give feedback, comments, or just yap with me if you can. I loved meeting new people while writing my last fic and I can't wait for more!
