sakura twins redesigns + potential new artstyle? it may need to be tweaked a bit if i’m gonna stick with it since this was just a test, but if not… i’m gonna have to redraw spiral’s hair 😭
individuals below cut ⬇️
spiral is taller than swirl so that’s why she takes up more of the canvas but i can assure you the heights are to scale
color theory practice with swirl in different times of day for my independent study digital art class! lineart on ibispaint, colors on photoshop (still learning how to do my shading and so-so rendering on there, though)
like obviously river would still be PART of her name, like her middle name, but for the first name, maybe i’ll think of something cookie run related bc ykw I LOVE COOKIE RUN KINGDOM
maybe pearl like black pearl bc i see the resemblance like hear me out
lore drop part 3?!?! >:3 river cosmos (interesting name, whats the meaning behind it?)
i don’t have much for river just yet, unfortunately, since i just made her and am still working out all the kinks, but for now, i can tell you about the name!
i don’t have any ocs related to water, so i decided to name her river because of it. possibly because rivers give a home to various different creatures, and she provides something to other people (just to use them, of course, but that’s only for ps3)
as for the last name, a friend of mine has a character named johnny cosmos who’s honestly just a shitpost character but he’s so funny we made him canon, and i was like “well river doesn’t have a family, let’s make him the dad” BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE
when i actually get her lore finalized, i’ll @ you and let you know! sorry for the wait 😭😞
river cosmos concept (she’s a massive bitch actually until she reaches adulthood and we see her again in pjsakura 5 part 2 so don’t expect her to be a fan favorite at all)
Another novel-length lore drop under the cut! Sorry this took so long :3
BIRTH/CHILDHOOD
IMPORTANT NOTE: Ceri didn't come from Earth, but instead a parallel planet called "Endymion" in a different galaxy. It's not until the end of Project Sakura 4 that she comes to Earth with Swirl.
Unlike most children, Ceri was abandoned at birth almost instantly. Her mother did not want her, her father abandoning her mother as soon as he learned she was pregnant. She was left on a cold mountain to freeze and die, which is really heartless, but Ceri was soon found by the family of Kori, a boy who wanted to become a mercenary when he got older.
Ceri and Kori became fast friends and spent time with each other almost every day. The two began to start undergoing training to become mercenaries at around the age of 13, and had a pretty damn good time doing it. Eventually, Ceri started to fall in love with Kori, and the two became a thing for a while.
But what about Kori?
Kori, well...didn't really like Ceri back. Even when they were growing up alongside each other, he viewed her as a nuisance who was constantly impeding his progress. So he figured he could take advantage of her love for him and order her around.
Eventually, Kori came out transgender (MTF) and Ceri was fine with this (she had come out bisexual only a few weeks prior) but Kori threw her heart in the cold snow, saying she was nothing more than a dog faithfully obeying her master's orders.
EMPLOYMENT (2023)
Ceri was filled with rage after her betrayal and left the mountain, swearing to never look back. She was roughly 15 years old when this happened. When she entered the Kingdom of Ether, she was founded by Aubris, the young princess, and brought back to the palace, quickly hired by Queen Selene to become a royal mercenary. Since Ceri had nowhere else to go, and nowhere else to put her skills to use, she accepted, and became one of their top connections.
PROJECT SAKURA 4 (2025)
Long before Swirl showed up on Endymion, Ceri was (begrudgingly) tasked with a mission regarding that mountain again. She accepted, and decided to go alone to "settle a score" if she ever came across the woman who broke her heart in two.
Swirl, after residing in the palace for a month or so, is tasked to find Ceri and bring her back to the palace, since Ceri had gone radio-silent since she left, and the Queen was growing anxious. Swirl finds Ceri, and at first, Ceri pushes her away and is cold and rude, but with Swirl's persistence and kindness, Ceri comes back and softens up to the hero, eventually falling in love for the dumb, kind idiot that just happened to find her way to warming the mercenary's heart.
Before Swirl was to return back to Earth with her friends, Ceri begs Lynette Sakura (Swirl's mother) to go with them, since she didn't want to leave Swirl. Lynette agreed to this, and Ceri got to reside on Earth.
But Ceri came from a different place! How does that work?
This requires a bit more context involving the plot of PS4: Swirl and Spiral are dragged to Endymion in a ploy by the King of Hell to finally take over the world and plunge it into chaos. Earth is so messed up by the time they succeed that Lynette has to rewind time and they must start again from the day the chaos began to strike (2/20/25, which is also my birthday if you didn't notice!)
Ceri was given a new family, Marlow and Damian Huntress, and they provide Ceri with the love and support she never got to receive growing up. She thanks Lynette for this every night before going to bed.
PROJECT SAKURA 5 PART 1 (2027-2029)
Ceri joins the Hero Association alongside Swirl, Spiral, Kels, and Tre. She puts her former skills as a mercenary to good use here, and looks out for Swirl, since she knows her girlfriend has a tendency to get a little too fired up on the job. She wasn't assigned to the Assassins Order case, but she would always tell Swirl to fill her in and call on her whenever she was in trouble (supportive girlfriend, we love to see it).
When Swirl gets taken by Ianira and Makura for the 2 year period, Ceri falls into a state of mental collapse. With both Sakura twins gone (Swirl being taken and Spiral undergoing divine rehabilitation, more on that in another post, probably), Ceri is next in line to be Acting Boss of the Hero Association.
Why is Ceri the Acting Boss?
Makura and one of her former partners, Yasu, were taken in to Hero Association custody. The former boss, Allen Aref, killed "Yasu" in front of Makura, and she went ballistic, her power overtaking her as she killed every human in the building and demolished it from the inside out. Rizu (the automaton) was the only survivor. Swirl became the boss of the Hero Association due to being the leader of Squad 5 (Squads 1-4 died), and Spiral would naturally be next in line. But since they're both gone...it fell to Ceri.
PROJECT SAKURA 5 PART 2 (2029-???)
Naturally, Ceri is ecstatic when Swirl returns, but she (much like the other heroes) don't trust Makura one bit. Why would she have a reason to, when this was the girl who hurt Swirl? Ceri stays cold and distant towards the reforming girl, until Swirl puts her foot down and forces the two to bond. Eventually, Ceri and Makura grow closer, and they become good friends, even going so far as to call themselves "The Hero Association's Bisexual Baddies."
Ceri and Makura also help Swirl through her rough "Rebuilding" Period, the time when all of humanity casts its negative gaze upon her for being forced to work for Ianira Damon for 2 years. Without Ceri, Swirl would not have been able to regain (most of) her popularity and support.
Ceri grows into a fine young woman with large amounts of support that keep the Hero Association going. She becomes level-headed and tough, and is the perfect counter to Swirl's boundless, excitable energy. It's the only thing she can do to repay the woman who saved her life.
Aaaaand done! Of course, this was just a summary (again). And I'm a little sleep deprived, so it might not have been the best, but I hope this was okay! If you have any questions about Ceri, just let me know!
