#kindlefic stuff

[nihilnovisubsole]

i've wanted to do mermay for several years, and sure enough, as soon as i had the energy to take it on, my schedule got in the way. i'm a whole month late, but i told myself i wasn't going to post the thing until i'd finished it properly. who are we kidding? i'm a 90s girl. mermaids are an all-summer deal.

i had a lot of fun researching which fish would best suit each character, so i added extra graphics to share some of my findings. did you know red mullets got so expensive that tiberius tried to regulate their prices? i didn't!

[nihilnovisubsole]

Picrew Update: Outerwear

new month means new picrew update! another big, complicated section down. gave these guys some extra screenshot room so you can see the details.

i've tested all the outerwear with the top and sleeve layers, and they layer seamlessly in most cases, but not 100% of the time. there are some edge cases where there's a shirt corner peeking out somewhere. there's nothing i can really do about it, i'm afraid. i think it was a worthwhile sacrifice to have this much variety in shape and style. now to figure out which section to finish next!!

[nihilnovisubsole]

Picrew Update: Hair Edition

i'm alive! the picrew exists! i wanted to wait to do the hair update until i really had something to show off. this is, by a wide margin, the biggest section of the game, and whew boy is it a relief to have almost all of it done.

now, let me Q&A myself for a minute:

how are you still not done with this thing? i don't know, but i have good news: after six months of PT, i've made moderate improvements in my drawing arm. i've gained 15 pounds of grip strength! i still can't draw all day like i used to, but it's something, so i'll take it. and even if i could, i have a full-time job. i also developed a plan to divide my drawing time into intervals and do more sketches before i commit to lines, which will save me work in the long run.

wait, "almost" all of it? you're doing MORE hair? i have one more planned section for buns, ponytails, and other things that go on the back of your head. it'll be simpler to design than the rest of the hair, which is why i saved it for last.

have you spent more time on this picrew than you did writing dangerous crowns in the first place? probably!

can i make the sailor senshi on this? of course. asking the important questions here

[nihilnovisubsole]

THE BIG OLD JANUARY 2023 PICREW UPDATE

so another kind soul reminded me about picrew updates, and i realized the last time i'd posted screenshots was... november 2021?! man time moves fast in a pandemic. the silver lining is that, when you wait that long between updates, there's a lot of new stuff to share!

as of today, the unique item count is 186. obviously, there's a lot more in the game than what i show in these posts! the amount of categories is more or less set at this point - now it's a question of adding variety to what's already there. i'm at peace with the thought that finishing it will take as long as it takes. it's a for-fun project, and it's still fun, so on we go.

[let's not wait another year next time, though!]

[nihilnovisubsole]

throwing another picrew update to the wind: i can't believe i'm saying this, but i've finished all 30 base outfit styles! it may not look like much, but this was one of the game's biggest, most challenging sections. man, it feels good to have knocked it out. [for those showing up for the first time, these tops will be further customizable with decorative trim/accessories and different sleeves.]

"hey, AK, why do you keep using comic sans for these picrew update graphics?" to poke fun at how absurd the development process has been. i've been at it for so long now that picrews went out of fashion and came back in again. you know, like bell-bottom jeans. the grind continues!!

[nihilnovisubsole]

somebody asked how the dangerous crowns picrew was coming along earlier this week, so i thought i’d post more shots of what’s been going on under the hood. obviously it’s still a work in progress, and there are many more items/colors than these. just wanted to show i was alive. hope everybody’s well!!

[nihilnovisubsole]

To celebrate Dangerous Crowns’ second birthday, I’ve got something to announce: I’m working on a Dangerous Crowns OC Picrew! This has been lurking in development for a while, but after months without much to report on Tumblr, I wanted to show you some of how I’ve been spending my time.

I’ve fantasized about making my own dollmaker for over a decade, but always lamented that they were difficult to program. Thankfully, with the rise of Picrew from the ashes of Flash, I don’t have to worry about anything but the art. The maker will feature multi-part hairstyles with separate bangs, as well as mix-and-match bodices and sleeves so you can design your own outfit. The shots you see here are far from the final tally of customization options - I hope to keep going until I run out of lore-compliant ideas.

Unfortunately, due to my golfer’s elbow, I need to take extended breaks between drawing days. So as much as I’d like to, I can’t give this project a concrete ETA. But I can tell you that I’m working on it steadily, and I’d rather take longer to do it if it means more versatility. Happy Ides of March! 👑🔪

[nihilnovisubsole]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANGEROUS CROWNS!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉

yes! in a few hours, dangerous crowns will be three! it's out of the terrible twos and, uh... riding a tricycle? washing its own hands? i dunno, i'm bad with little kid milestones.

frankly, i'd hoped to finish another dangerous crowns-verse book by now, but having that new job is a massive weight off my back. i don't have to worry about trying to make money off selfpub work, which means i can focus on making personal projects good on my own time. in the meantime, as i always say: if you had a fraction of the fun reading it as i did writing it, then it was worth it.