I really ought to have written a devlog sooner but GOTTDAMN there's lot that I've done in terms of fleshing out the cast and soundtrack and I still haven't coded much. And I'm either so busy sleeping or working at a casino that I usually don't get too much time to model and code. Even through covid-19 quarantine I was struggling to muster the energy. But, I have managed to get some big things out of the way. For example, I updated Raziya's armor! And throughout this blog I'll write out bios and backstories.
Raziya Vrede
Gender: Cis female Age: 23 Height 6' Weight: 125 lbs Race: South African (Xhosa tribal descent) and Japanese (Osumi Hayato tribal descent) World Origin: Lightning Blood Type: B Positive The great granddaughter of Khotso Vrede the slain emperor of Ypos-Erets who was assassinated by the main villain Dwezil Bezique when Raziya was 3. She is the top prospect soldier of the Archangels. A guerilla vigilante task force formed to stop the tyrannical rule of Bezique, restore the elemental gems to the sages he usurped, and piece the world back together chunk by chunk back to the way it used to be. Besides fighting to piece the world of Ypos-Erets back together and restore peace to every land, she also wants justice for what Bezique did to her great grandfather and the years of anguish he caused her family and the entire population. She has the power of electricity passed down to her from her father Kunta Vrede, who learned his magic from his father the Electricity Sage Baruti Vrede. Making her able to shoot bullets of electric energy, slash with a retractable plasma blade, and do much much more should she upgrade and equip new technology, improve her electric abilities, or become strong enough to be bestowed the Electricity gem. Raziya's mom, Hiroka Ito-Vrede has given her extensive combat and self defense training, which you can further improve to strengthen her striking, grappling and athletic ability in addition to her tech and magic abilities. In order for her to be strong enough to eliminate the repulsive toxicity that is Dwezil Bezique, she must learn and earn the magic and technology of 8 to all 10 elemental powers, (while improving and expanding her already superb physical combat skills,) eliminate Bezique's guards, and return the gems to the sages they belonged to in order to restore the planet of Ypos-Erets and make it whole once more. She's openly bisexual, has a fiery charismatic adventurous personality but is normally cool headed, she has a high metabolism and loves to fight. |
I felt she needed a bit more muscle mass, more meat on her arms to distribute proportions and that her armor needed to be more like a knight and less like a cop. Which I also did for her team mates which you'll see on this entry, but first, let me get to. The armors that have purple shields on the forearms shoulders knees and toes and extra armor all around, will only materialize in battle while the armor that looks like a suit is for when you're walking around outside of danger zones. When you're in areas with a low potential for battle. I also felt that making the armor become bikini armor due to a heat reduction feature wouldn't make that much sense, so instead I'll have it comically short circuit under intense heat only in the fire world.
The bosses
I've finally finished making main villains! This took weeks of brainstorming, weeks of 90's anime art style research, weeks of perfecting the lines an shading, a few redraws and a bunch of fortitude. But they're fleshed out! All they need are sprites and extra poses. Not to mention dialogue when I finally get to making scenes and scenery.
In case you missed it, the middle guy in that picture is the main villain Dwezil Bezique, and this is his backstory from about 3 devlogs back with some provisions.
A vicious maniacal tyrannical dictator hellbent on maintaining an iron fist clenched on owning the planet Ypos-Erets (or what's left of it anyway) solely for the sake of domination. He's a psychopathic self indulgent bigoted tycoon media turned terroristic emperor of the world he destroyed. He may have guardians from different elements working for him hand picked by him, but he feels his element is the superior breed. So much so that he doesn't employ anybody but native residents of Stainless Steel City to be his servants at his plants which he has stationed across the split up mini worlds that used to be Ypos-Erets. And should any of them or any of his guardians speak up, he'll telepathically manipulate the iron in their blood steam to spiral fracture every bone in their bodies except for the spine and skull just so they can look in horror at their immobility as they scream in agony. Should anybody break into his kingdom, they shall be tried as infidels and based on usefulness, he will execute them, or enslave them. Should anybody on the chunks of Ypos-Erets he owns rebel, he has them enslaved and their town demolished and the strongest turned by force into his troops he calls the Pacifiers. He sees his skin tone and his sex and his mode of thinking as superior hence why he went so far as to blow up the planet when he became emperor to in his mind, prove he is a god. He is this insane.
His pride and joy and obsession besides galactic domination is his horses. So much so that he wears the hollowed skull of his childhood steed Puissance in tribute. He became obsessed with them as a child because his laugh and face are not unlike a horse and they gave him comfort whenever anybody at school picked on him.
In case you missed it, the middle guy in that picture is the main villain Dwezil Bezique, and this is his backstory from about 3 devlogs back with some provisions.
A vicious maniacal tyrannical dictator hellbent on maintaining an iron fist clenched on owning the planet Ypos-Erets (or what's left of it anyway) solely for the sake of domination. He's a psychopathic self indulgent bigoted tycoon media turned terroristic emperor of the world he destroyed. He may have guardians from different elements working for him hand picked by him, but he feels his element is the superior breed. So much so that he doesn't employ anybody but native residents of Stainless Steel City to be his servants at his plants which he has stationed across the split up mini worlds that used to be Ypos-Erets. And should any of them or any of his guardians speak up, he'll telepathically manipulate the iron in their blood steam to spiral fracture every bone in their bodies except for the spine and skull just so they can look in horror at their immobility as they scream in agony. Should anybody break into his kingdom, they shall be tried as infidels and based on usefulness, he will execute them, or enslave them. Should anybody on the chunks of Ypos-Erets he owns rebel, he has them enslaved and their town demolished and the strongest turned by force into his troops he calls the Pacifiers. He sees his skin tone and his sex and his mode of thinking as superior hence why he went so far as to blow up the planet when he became emperor to in his mind, prove he is a god. He is this insane.
His pride and joy and obsession besides galactic domination is his horses. So much so that he wears the hollowed skull of his childhood steed Puissance in tribute. He became obsessed with them as a child because his laugh and face are not unlike a horse and they gave him comfort whenever anybody at school picked on him.
There now I feel better. This will also explain why everybody has a horse or horse skull themed accessory. So onto introductions!
Guardian of Lightning: Che Esparza.
Guardian of Lightning: Che Esparza.
A somewhat vampiric pretty boy, he's a night club rocker in Electronic Fields. He uses his melodic voice to brainwash club goers into being his devout followers, aiding him in syphoning electricity from the heart of the Electronic Jungle to power Bezique's generators for generations to come. This is making power scarce for the inhabitants of Electronic Fields as many outside of the city have little to no power for their homes and slower internet connections. Esparza's fans are dedicated and vicious ensconced so deeply in his music that they fight on his behalf out of worship even if he sees the female ones as vapid objects of desire if he finds them attractive and entertaining if not, and he thinks the male ones are stupid desperate and lonely thinking his female fans will find them interesting. They along with the Pacifiers will do everything they can muster to stop you from stopping his literal power trip. His musical rival is a vampiric soul and rock singer by the name of Hench Vamp Sorcerer. His ex-bassist whom he had a falling out with over who can swoon the female fans better while appealing to the male ones.
The design I based off of numerous glam rockers, visual kei rockers from the 90's and flamboyant villains in 90's anime. Except I gave him a weird neck and a neckbeard to make him just a little gross looking if you pay attention.
Guardian Of Water: Kyung-hwa Park.
The design I based off of numerous glam rockers, visual kei rockers from the 90's and flamboyant villains in 90's anime. Except I gave him a weird neck and a neckbeard to make him just a little gross looking if you pay attention.
Guardian Of Water: Kyung-hwa Park.
A former Archangel medic, an old play-cousin and rival of Raziya's from kindergarten through high school and her doppelganger, she was kidnapped by Bezique a week after she started college and given a brainwashing broach shoved into her chest to be Bezique's guardian of the dam in the Aquatic Sanctuary. Syphoning the water, her instructed dirty work has dried up local rivers and crops making it hard for the fishers to survive. What makes matters worse is that Bezique's machines have polluted what's left of the water strangling the seagulls, making aquatic life go haywire and making the town's people have to resort to filtering it themselves before they drink it or bathe or cook with it. Not only with the Pacifiers be stationed but also mechanized sharks and stingrays impervious to most grappling attacks. Kyung-hwa hates Dwezil but is constantly fighting with the device that makes her do and say things she doesn't feel. And is plotting her revenge even if she hates to fight despite how she's so great at it.
Every great protagonist needs an evil shadow doppelganger of some variety, so that's literally why I drew Kyung-hwa. Just to make her further different from Raziya Vrede, a half japanese half south african bisexual woman with electric powers, I made Kyung-hwa a half west ghanaian half north korean pansexual woman with water powers.
Guardian of Ice: Fjord Gangestad
Every great protagonist needs an evil shadow doppelganger of some variety, so that's literally why I drew Kyung-hwa. Just to make her further different from Raziya Vrede, a half japanese half south african bisexual woman with electric powers, I made Kyung-hwa a half west ghanaian half north korean pansexual woman with water powers.
Guardian of Ice: Fjord Gangestad
A former cave hermit who was indoctrinated into Bezique's forces when he lost his father and sister to a great fire and Adolphus Pio in disguise told him it was the Archangels who carelessly started it. Bitter, cold blooded and hot tempered, he has become a berserker for hire who has been on a rampage against the local viking wing of the Archangels convinced they're out to steal his post and eradicate his kind from existence. Not realizing in his drunken stupors that Bezique is making him slaughter his own and who could be his greatest allies. He is the physically strongest boss there is besides Dwezil and his son and a strong wielder of the ice magic from the gem he guards.
What's more indicative of an icy land than a viking or berserker? I repurposed a few assets from my old Mega Man Legends fan-animation to pretty good effect just to try and speed production long in a fashion I won't get sued for out of sheer creative burnout by the end of I think July? Damn it's been too long.
Guardian of Metal: Switchblade The Clown
What's more indicative of an icy land than a viking or berserker? I repurposed a few assets from my old Mega Man Legends fan-animation to pretty good effect just to try and speed production long in a fashion I won't get sued for out of sheer creative burnout by the end of I think July? Damn it's been too long.
Guardian of Metal: Switchblade The Clown
Dwezil Bezique's half son whose real name is Gauge, he is a violent murderous sociopath addicted to a drug made from shavings of the metal magic gem, that raises his metal magic almost to the ultimate level of his own father. He performs in the well lit streets of Stainless Steel City as a circus clown under a bright colorful outfit and friendly mask. He is assumed by too many to be the glimmering beam of hope for the children who live in poverty because of Bezique's rule. But there's more than one reason why it's referred to as "Stained Steel City" by outsiders. Switchy there lures children into what's on the outside, a magical castle of promised joy and wonder. It used to be an amusement park before low funds and endless health code violations got it shut down. Gauge founded it himself! But the children never make it back... When not in his full uniform, he stalks the bus stations at night making sure no passers by heard the screams from the street. Anyone who has gotten close has felt his blade. And like dear old daddy, he has metal magic abilities. Which some allege he uses to turn the iron in his body to form the iron mask neck brace and vest he wears when entertaining his future victims. He just wants to make his father proud but feels he's distant.
This is directly inspired by a scary encounter with a real life switchblade wielding clown in Cincinnati that my sister experienced on her way when we were all moving to the mid south after losing our house in Hammond IN some years ago. (read about it here) I asked her if I can make him a boss, and with her permition and some creative rewrites and workarounds, here he is ready to terrorize your nightmares. He is also the only boss you cannot purify besides his dad Dwezil.
Guardian of Earth: Mikayla McCallum
This is directly inspired by a scary encounter with a real life switchblade wielding clown in Cincinnati that my sister experienced on her way when we were all moving to the mid south after losing our house in Hammond IN some years ago. (read about it here) I asked her if I can make him a boss, and with her permition and some creative rewrites and workarounds, here he is ready to terrorize your nightmares. He is also the only boss you cannot purify besides his dad Dwezil.
Guardian of Earth: Mikayla McCallum
Che's main lover and an expert wine connoisseur, she's a news pundit and a spokeswoman for BZ Distilleries. Relaying what Conquerant News labels as "true news from the source," she brainwashes masses with propaganda blaming the intergalactic war that blew up Ypos-Erets on the old guardian of earth before Bezique rose to power, her own deceased father Michael, and making them complacent to the fact it was Bezique who has left much of their world a dessert with no food or water for miles. Her rhetoric has caused civil unrest among the townspeople as some know she's drunk and mad and her rhetoric makes people blind to the actual facts, while her followers will spend every last coin they have for her wine thinking it makes them younger and will drunkenly fight the smart people in the streets for dominance. Some have already become Pacifiers. And some of the largest and strongest Pacifiers of them all. In order to get to the bottom of this, you'll need to break into BZ Distilleries and take her down.
I'm already making the narrative of this game anti-fascist as fuck might as well lampoon conservative news media as thuddingly unsubtle as possible.
Guardian of the Skies: Jin Al Jarfin
I'm already making the narrative of this game anti-fascist as fuck might as well lampoon conservative news media as thuddingly unsubtle as possible.
Guardian of the Skies: Jin Al Jarfin
A narcissistic guru up high in the Vertigo Pillar Fortress, he literally thinks he is the ancient Griffin. He has convinced the less educated members of society that the Archangels are out to take their homes and rob them blind of all their most priceless possessions and that he'll guard their treasure if they just give it all to him. As the Griffin was a protector of gold and treasure. Sadly for those believers who have been tricked into thinking he's literally the Griffin, he hoards all of their stuff, and pawns off what he doesn't need over to Bezique who melts them down into materials to armor his lair. Educated members of the air world society know he is a conman and is disrespecting his own culture. and whenever he plays his magical ney, the vibrations from it generate earthquakes that have toppled over landmarks and even the homes of who he has duped. His followers are non-violent, the only dangers in the Virtigo Pillar Fortress are Bezique's Pacifier minions and the debris falling from years of structural damage and decay.
I felt that since the earth world was a decayed dessert like arizona, it would be different to make the egyptian world sky themed. less about the sandy ground and more about the massive tombs temples towers and fortresses they built. Jin will be one of a few more light hearted villains you'll encounter.
Guardian of Grass: Rafael Garo
I felt that since the earth world was a decayed dessert like arizona, it would be different to make the egyptian world sky themed. less about the sandy ground and more about the massive tombs temples towers and fortresses they built. Jin will be one of a few more light hearted villains you'll encounter.
Guardian of Grass: Rafael Garo
He has been instructed by Bezique to deforest the mountainous plains of the grass world for future Pacifier recruitment and engineering plants. Garro, a genius roboticist and a naturally gifted orchestral conductor since his school days, he decided to combine his love for classical music and his fear and loathing of the forest by building giant mechs controlled by the power of music just to make his job more enjoyable. He hates the forest because he used to be a lumberjack in his 20's, and a near fatal accident cost him his eye, his leg, half his pelvis and his arm. A surgeon working for one of Bezique's hospitals gave him his prosthetic limbs and sewed his eye shut and from that day on, he enrolled in Bezique's private college, got a degree in robotics and gleefully has been Bezique's personal composer for luncheons. He's been devoted to the cause both because they saved him and because he already admired Dwezil's views leadership and affinity for classical music. He is clearly insane and must be stopped before the forest is no more and the people of the forest can't eat or obtain medicine.
With this one, I just wanted to make him straight up silly. A silly motive, a silly look even if his facial structure is based off the Westboro Baptist Church guy but with facial hair, this one will just be a more goofy petty type of dastardly yet still indefensible in his actions as opposed to bone chillingly corrupt or nightmarish like Gauge is.
Guardian of Fire: Abebi Chukwu
With this one, I just wanted to make him straight up silly. A silly motive, a silly look even if his facial structure is based off the Westboro Baptist Church guy but with facial hair, this one will just be a more goofy petty type of dastardly yet still indefensible in his actions as opposed to bone chillingly corrupt or nightmarish like Gauge is.
Guardian of Fire: Abebi Chukwu
A masterful dambe fighter proudly showing her jebu marks, she's a hired gun. Exiled by the Archangels for several incidents of shooting her team members in space combat and recklessly damaging buildings and endangering animals and towns people in hot pursuit, and disgraced by the Intergalactic Fighting Championship Syndicate for at least 7 casualties and disconnected from her family of her own volition for years of abuse in her youth, she accepted Bezique's offer to guard the Fire world ever since Dwezil brutally executed his old fire guardian for telling the truth about his iron fisted reign and how he's burning their streets and blaming the Archangels. She doesn't guard it out of support of Bezique. She only does it for the money and because she's under the assumption her homeland won't accept her and the Archangels don't want her back. Raziya feels she can talk her back into the force. The rest of the Archangels want her captured. And truth be told, Abebi has a lot of dirt on how to get to the center of Bezique's lair and stop him for good. She even butts heads with Kyung-hwa about who may assassinate Dwezil first if Raziya doesn't get there faster. But just to be cruel, she's turned up the heat so bad that Archangel armor may short circuit.
I did some research on Nigerian facial marks for this one just to make her feel authentic. I felt that there needed to be an on-the-fencer. Not just somebody who was forcibly brainwashed and fighting their mind control like Kyung, but somebody with no place else to go who can be easier to purify than say Jin.
Guardian of The Light: Adolphus Pio.
I did some research on Nigerian facial marks for this one just to make her feel authentic. I felt that there needed to be an on-the-fencer. Not just somebody who was forcibly brainwashed and fighting their mind control like Kyung, but somebody with no place else to go who can be easier to purify than say Jin.
Guardian of The Light: Adolphus Pio.
Spiritual advisor of Bezique's battalion wearing a mask he sculpted as a child, he is the ruler of the world of light spreading religious propaganda across all the worlds except for the dark making sure people pray to Bezique. He rules the land of light not out of love or kindness, but with fear and nativist rhetoric making everyone confuse outsiders for demons or those possessed by demons. Nobody is allowed to show any skin except for the face and hands. Nobody is allowed to pray to any figure but Dwezil. He tells his followers that those of fare skin are sure to get into heaven, but anybody even tanned by the sun is a demon who must perish, that anybody who identifies outside of their birth assigned gender or who so much as idolizes let alone loves or lusts for someone of the same sex is a demon out to eat children, and that anybody who doesn't credit Dwezil Bezique for everything they recieve or accomplish is a heathen destroying the fabric of Ypos-Erets despite how wrong these beliefs are. he has brainwashed 85% of the world of light into this terroristic belief and recruited over a third of that percentage into the Pacifier army. But getting to the light world without indoctrination from Adolphus requires a back door entry through a dangerous spell much like the world of darkness.
This is an allegory for theocratic shit like the KKK, the spanish inquisition, evangelism and even jihadism. Religious fascist extremism and belief. The stuff that has caused many of the bloodiest wars but in a game where you fight it and there will likely be a T rated game's amount of blood.
Guardian of The Darkness: Tupe Enoksen
This is an allegory for theocratic shit like the KKK, the spanish inquisition, evangelism and even jihadism. Religious fascist extremism and belief. The stuff that has caused many of the bloodiest wars but in a game where you fight it and there will likely be a T rated game's amount of blood.
Guardian of The Darkness: Tupe Enoksen
A brat, he was formerly a cook on the Arkangel Citadel because try as he might, he had absolutely no combat or magic talent what so ever. His sisters became Arkangel soldiers, he did not. So he started watching sketchy videos on the internet from Pacifiers touting what he thought were benefits of joining them, he stole some dark magic and went rogue, failed pretty bad at becoming a Pacifier but Dwezil thought he was hilarious. So he altered his chef's uniform, (he still cooks from time to time and everyone loves his culinary concoctions) put him in charge of making conspiracy videos recruiting people on the dark web into becoming Pacifiers and has instructed him to commit crimes in the streets of the other towns disguised as an Arkangel. The darkness world is full of sketchy individuals most of whom are awkward and out there, but don't believe him for a second. Some of the more aggressive types have become his cult following playing a little dirtier than some Pacifiers. And there are townsfolk who don't know who he is, don't like his whiny little voice and want him wiped off the face of existence itself. Part of him still wants to be an Arkangel, but he's full of rage that they won't accept him even now that he's gotten really powerful with that dark magic and isn't nearly as bad at magical combat as he used to be. Physical, that's another story. He also has a massive crush on Kyung-hwa but clams up whenever she's so much as 9 feet away from him and he hates that he wants to protect her this much.
With Tupe there, I wanted to make him an allegory for every whiny self-entitled troll on the internet, the dark web and edgelords, where it will be really hard for you to want to purify him. But there will be a better turn in the story as satisfying as it would be to execute him. Both the light and dark worlds are optional bonuses to complete in tribute to Bomberman 64 The Second Attack.
Each of these villains took 5 weeks to a month to get just right except for Adolphus. Balancing a sleep schedule and downtime and a night job with developing this game asset by asset makes things take longer than necessary.
Before I started getting to work on the bosses, (which I really ought to have done years ago) I was working on the game engine. It was goddamn trial and error getting the sprites to billboard right, for the sprites to stop falling through the floor, for the controls to work so you can move all 8 directions with 360 degrees fluidly without it going the wrong direction if you pivot the camera, it was even trial and error finding asset packs on unity that could make that easier! But I finally managed to. I have no jumping animations yet but with a combination of the PSX Shader and Spriteman 3D, this is a nice preview of the alpha I last left behind in the spring I can show you (prior to changing Raziya's armor) apologies for video quality and frame rate, my computer needs to update as I'm typing this and it's been on a Windows update loop making my CPU an absolute potato.
With Tupe there, I wanted to make him an allegory for every whiny self-entitled troll on the internet, the dark web and edgelords, where it will be really hard for you to want to purify him. But there will be a better turn in the story as satisfying as it would be to execute him. Both the light and dark worlds are optional bonuses to complete in tribute to Bomberman 64 The Second Attack.
Each of these villains took 5 weeks to a month to get just right except for Adolphus. Balancing a sleep schedule and downtime and a night job with developing this game asset by asset makes things take longer than necessary.
Before I started getting to work on the bosses, (which I really ought to have done years ago) I was working on the game engine. It was goddamn trial and error getting the sprites to billboard right, for the sprites to stop falling through the floor, for the controls to work so you can move all 8 directions with 360 degrees fluidly without it going the wrong direction if you pivot the camera, it was even trial and error finding asset packs on unity that could make that easier! But I finally managed to. I have no jumping animations yet but with a combination of the PSX Shader and Spriteman 3D, this is a nice preview of the alpha I last left behind in the spring I can show you (prior to changing Raziya's armor) apologies for video quality and frame rate, my computer needs to update as I'm typing this and it's been on a Windows update loop making my CPU an absolute potato.
#QuestOfRaziya dev @HandlebarOXD here, a devlog is in the works, and I forgot to show you all but here's where I last left the alpha. Production on assets has slowed down production of coding. pic.twitter.com/QaAdZ9CMfX
— Quest Of Raziya OFFICIAL ACCOUNT (@QuestOfRaziya) October 28, 2020
Yeah I need to do more. I need to actually get a build up and running and improve my production schedule so it's not like draw a dozen characters, make like 5 songs for the OST and code only basic movement through a month of trial and error, put it down and start drawing and composing more than actually developing. If only I had more downtime at home and could focus more of my downtime on getting this game done! Or if I had a new laptop! My old laptop is dead.
For the purposes of promoting a narrative of egalitarian humanism which includes feminism and racial awareness, LGBT awareness and even religion, I'm trying to make characters that represent every stretch of the human species as best as I can. So here are some side protagonists I've finished drawing some time after I got that portion of the build running. As well as updated profiles of protagonists I previously showed off in old blogs. You may have to scroll up and down if one character's bio references another as there's a lot of connections.
For the purposes of promoting a narrative of egalitarian humanism which includes feminism and racial awareness, LGBT awareness and even religion, I'm trying to make characters that represent every stretch of the human species as best as I can. So here are some side protagonists I've finished drawing some time after I got that portion of the build running. As well as updated profiles of protagonists I previously showed off in old blogs. You may have to scroll up and down if one character's bio references another as there's a lot of connections.
Archangel Soldiers
The offensive line of the Archangels going to war with Pacifiers and other enemies in space, in the air, underwater and on land. There are thousands of them but these are the most note worthy.
Brindabella Primairre
Gender: Cis Female Age: 24 Height: 5'7 Weight: 100 lbs Race: Aboriginal Austrailian (Bininj tribal anscestory) World Origin: Water Blood Type: B Positive Chief strategist of the battalion. She has a fierce personality and seems like she won't rest until the task is completed. And when your tasks are completed, she does indeed go to sleep. She lives in the strategy room literally. Full fridge and stove by her desk, access to TV and the internet on the screens, a bed hiding underneath the holographic strategy table, that room doubles as her loft. She dreamt all her life for this responsibility ever since her dad died in combat when she was 8 and she heard the news at 17 that her mother was tortured to death in Bezique's camp. With barely any family left, all of them Bezique's slaves, she wants this regime destroyed by any means necessary. She has a massive thing for Bwanbele Wambuzi of the Hawk's Eye division. They've only dated once and she's the only one he went the distance with as opposed to getting distracted mid-date and taking off. |
Hiroka Ito-Vrede
Gender: Cis Female Age:47 Height: 5' (wearing lifts to make her 5'6) Weight: 98 lbs Race: Japanese (Osumi Hayato tribal descent) World Origin: Lightning Blood Type: O Negative Head General of the soldier division and Raziya's doting mother, she taught Raziya everything she knows about combat (barring a few things Namono taught her) She has the health and strength and speed of somebody 32 years younger and a big appetite. She has a sarcastic sharp witted sense of humor, she's mentally sharp as a tack made of titanium, and she's constantly frustrated that her duties with running her division and training new recruits make it hard for her to have any down time for romance with her husband and general of the medic division Kunta Vrede. A champion in every combat sport she ever competed in until she ultimately retired from sports at age 39. Sensitive about her height and sometimes cries because she's proud of her daughter, slightly jealous that Raziya stands at 6' and because she needs downtime with Kunta. |
Namono Wambuzi
Gender: Non-Binary (she/they but preferring she) Age: 39 Height: 6'10 Weight: 250 lbs Race: Ugandan World Origin: Fire Blood Type: A Negative Assistant General of the soldier division second to Raziya's mom Hiroka, she's been like an older sister figure to Raziya all her life and the blood older sister to Adora and Bwanbele of the medic and Hawk Eye divisions. They've never been married, but is in an open relationship with both a man and a woman on the citadel (yet to be created as of this blog) and has a son in college she conceived at 18 with a man who died in combat. Raziya calls her Mono-chan and it absolutely tickles her pink. They taught Raziya some of her palm strikes and throws in her teens when Hiroka was busy battling or training. |
Nathaniel Axton
Gender: Cis male Age: 25 Height: 5'10 Weight: 207 lbs Race: British World Origin: Grass Blood Type: AB Husband to Leo Winter-Axton from the Hawk's Eye division and younger brother to Maxwell, he is speedy on the battlefield. Fashionable and charismatic, but a total clutz tripping over and into things when trying to look cool. Striking a pose after he falls down the stairs or trips on something as if he nailed it. Yet he's precise in battle strangely enough. An intelligent intellectual and a food connoisseur, he is a consummate gentleman and a noble soldier. His clumsiness is worse without his monocle hence why it's pinched to his nose. |
Maxwell Axton
Gender: Cis Male Age: 28 Height: 6'7 Weight: 222 lbs Race: British World Origin: Grass Blood Type: AB A noble gentleman in his own right but often cluelessly doofy, he is the loving older brother to Nathaniel. terrible at fashion, not dimwitted per se but sometimes a little late on the uptake when it comes to alertness or certain terms like "fiancée" or "deja vu" thinking they sound like a tytpe of pickle or something. He loves food but somehow hasn't gotten fat. Madly in love with Quanna Enoksen but he's laser focused on taking down Rafael too afraid to ask Quanna out as he knows he's easily distracted. But he feels a deep connection to her since childhood. |
Quanna Enoksen
Gender: Cis Female Age: 31 Height: 7' Weight: 200 lbs Age: 32 Race: Greenlandic World Origin: Ice Blood Type: O Negative Older sister to Tupe and Sialorta, she and Sia are on a mission to save Tupe from Bezique's empire and convince him to return to the Arkangels as a Cook. A muscular super strong tank of a woman, really powerful with ice magic as she is at throwing around her enemies as if they weighed nothing. She knows Maxwell Axton likes her a lot and has been a friend of his since kindergarten, she thinks he's adorable but isn't ready for a relationship yet, doesn't really contemplate romance or her sexuality and sees him as an old friend. She's laid back and likes to read books when not deadlifting 650 lbs or fighting Bezique's forces. |
Sialorta Enoksen
Gender: Cis Female Age: 22 Height: 6'8 Weight: 111 lbs Race: Greenlandic, Indonesian World Origin: Ice Blood Type: O Positive Openly demisexual little half sister to Quanna and Tupe from their enslaved mother's second marriage, she and Quanna are out to aid Raziya in saving Tupe and convincing him to return to the Arkangels as he was their best chef in the Cooks division and take revenge for Sia's father's slaughter at the hands of Pacifiers. Pretty good at her ice magic, decent at hand to hand with battle scars already to prove it, renowned for her elbows and living with fragile X syndrome. A quirky dorky ska punk and the fiancée of Dane Jairus. As a cheesy inside joke, Raziya tells her "see ya later Sialorta!" when departing for battle. |
Dagmara Sawicki
Gender: Trans female Age: 27 Height: 5'4 Weight: 199 lbs Race: Estonian World Origin: Grass Blood Type: B Positive Loving wife to Hyo-Rin Seon-Sawicki of the medic division, she's a stealth strategist and pretty damn good at it. She's known Hyo since after completing her transition in her college years, and they're thinking about starting an adoptive family with once the war is over. She already raises 60 different reptiles in their loft on the citadel 20 of which Hyo has raised since before they met. All she ever talks about is reptiles and her affinity for alt rock and video games. |
Dane Jairus
Gender: Cis Male Age: 32 Height: 6'11 Weight: 300 lbs Race: Israeli-American World Origin: Metal Blood Type: A Negative Stoic, he's out for revenge on Switchblade The Clown because Gauge brutally slaughtered his sister 3 brothers and his parents when he was 6 before the Arkangels took him in. he has frequent nightmares because of this event. His 7 year old cousin has been missing for a year and he knows he has been captured by Switchy and fears the worst. Both Sialorta and his drinking buddy Dagmara often have to console him. Losing his family has made him obsessively protective of Sialorta despite how she can defend herself and is a slightly better fighter. His wrath makes him powerful but reckless of his own safety. But when he sees a cat or dog especially a stray, he absolutely melts. But he forgets more of his troubles when around Sia especially when she proposed to him. He's a devout renewal jew. |
Tex Moghadam
Gender: Cis Male Age: 22 Height: 5'4 Weight: 205 lbs Race: Yemeni-American World Origin: Air Blood Type: A Positive A space sheriff patrolling space traffic making sure that people can travel safely and that Bezique's army doesn't infiltrate the Archangel turf. Instead of a pistol, he has his trusty traditional Jambeya at his waist which he dances with at family gatherings, uses in battle like the highly trained assassin he is, and to prepare meals on the starry trails. He spends his off duty time hanging out at space bars, chatting with colleagues and enjoying some home brewed coffee. He never touches alcohol it's against his beliefs. He inadvertently enchants everybody with his good looks and gentlemanly charm. But there's only one woman on his mind, and she quite fancies him too and that's Hawk's Eye spy Karun. |
Archangel Medics
Primarily there to rehabilitate the sick and/or injured on the citadel, purify ex-Pacifiers into citizens and even Archangel soldiers, they can also aid in battle. and some are even battle ready to defend themselves and attack enemies. Just usually not as strongly as the soldiers.
Kunta Vrede
Gender: Cis Male Age: 41 Height: 6'7 Weight: 199lbs Race: South African (Xhosa tribal descent) World Origin: Fire but representing Lightning Blood Type: AB Positive A cool laid back hippie with terrible dad humor, a doting father to Raziya who cries both because he's proud of how Raziya has grown and because he can't find the downtime to be with Hiroka. he taught Raziya her magical skills even a little bit of fire. A medical genius, he is the General of the medic division. Perhaps the most powerful man magically of anybody on the citadel. What makes him powerful is constantly reminiscing about raising Raziya which he babies her about and thinking about his wife. Electric Power is always surging through his right hand which gives him his only combat skills. |
Fely Dalisay
Gender: Cis Female Age: 34 Height: 4'8 Weight: 99 lbs Race: Filipino World Origin: Lightning but representing Fire Blood Type: AB Positive A cool and funny beatnik with acute vitiligo, she's the head surgeon of the medic team specializing in robotics for amputees. A scientific genius who really just wants this war to be over with. She handles injuries much the way a mechanic would handle a car and sort of has the sense of humor of one. A good friend of Quanna since they both really like books and jazz and surfer rock. Also an anger management therapist for her hot tempered husband. |
Adora Wambuzi-Dalisay
Gender: Trans Male Age: 30 Height: 6'11 Weight: 205 Race: Ugandan World Origin: Fire Blood Type: O Negative Albino twin brother to Bwanbele of the Hawk Eye division, he has a hot temper. He specializes in testing blood and is often playfully called a vampire by Bwan because of his gothic clothes sharp fangs and specialty in testing and taking blood which drives Adora up a wall. He knew Fely ever since he was transitioning and they married before the completion. He took her last name out of rebellion toward tradition. he's a total tsundere around her often acting shy and annoyed toward her affections and blushing uncontrollably when onlookers go "awww" at him when he admits he'd do anything to protect her. He has great combat skills for a medic knowing a few strikes and wielding respectably strong fire magic. He denies he looks or acts vampiric but is n expert on vampire and goth metal |
Hyo-rin Seon-Sawicki
Gender: Cis Female Age: 20 Height: 5'2 Weight: 100 lbs Race: South Korean World Origin: Lightning Blood Type: B Negative A loving wife to Dagmara, she has a warm and motherly personality but becomes flustered when she feels Dag or her pet reptiles are in danger. But she never gets mad at Dag. She has a very elegant prim and proper demeanor for the most part but lets loose and rocks out hard with Dag whenever they blare their alt rock metal and punk albums with a perfect metal yell when singing along. She likes wine and classic cartoons. She doesn't like to go into combat, but should Dagmara get hurt she will become your worst nightmare and is better at hand to hand combat than Dag is when in protective wife mode. |
(medic adjacent)
Evanora Dimitrou
Gender: Aliagender Female (and born female) Age: 29 Height: 5'3 Weight: 190 lbs Race: Greek World Origin: Darkness Blood Type A Positive A dark witch, bartender and beer brewer on the citadel, she wears the hat only when making and serving her delicious brews and cocktails at the bar. Friends with benefits with Fukayna with an active casual dating life that has spanned about 40% of the citadel with no plans for settling down. But she doesn't date around all the time only when she can intellectually click or she really finds a certain guy or on some occasions a girl really attractive. Xer dark powers are at the ultimate level but she rarely uses them so not to burst the entire space time continuum much like how Fukayna does the same about light magic. She plays video games and performs ancient witchcraft rituals in her spare time. Specializes in offensive dark magic but can heal. She certainly heals people's emotional troubles not just with beverages and alcoholic ones, but with humor and comradery. Likes chicken nuggets. |
Fukayna Emam Sakory
Gender: Maverique female (and born female) Age: 21 Height: 7' (not counting her 13 inch long fade haircut) Weight: 130 lbs Race: Egyptian World Origin: Light Blood Type: A Positive A light witch, spiritual healer and friend with benefits of Evanora, she helps out at the bar because it's where people bond together and let go some of their emotional hurtles outside of any mental help appointments. Religious, but not forceful or conservative. Not a therapist but a great listener. She's overwhelmingly kind and to a point pacifist. Combat makes her panic and close her eyes when doing anything violent. Almost as great clerically as Kunta Vrede. Not very romantically or sexually active but it's not out of the ballpark for her either it just takes the right personality and some intellect for her to be interested and ze has experience with 22% of Evanora's 40%. Magically the mirror image of Evanora just for the light rather than the dark, they are the gateways to the light and dark worlds but going to either is dangerous and can be fatal for Raziya or anybody else. Fukayna has lost livestock like chickens in past experiments and ze still has occasional nightmares. But will still eat chicken strips. |
Cyber Division: operation Hawk's Eye
These don't battle at all. They're there to warn the combatants of dangers on their way, relay information and to spy on Bezique's empire recording evidence of the crimes against humanity he and his guardians commit. They guide Raziya through her missions via occasional voice and video messages over her helmet and earpiece.
Bwanbele Wambuzi
Gender: Cis Male Age: 30 Height: 6'11 Weight: 205 Race: Ugandan World Origin: Fire Blood Type: O Negative A computer genius on the autism spectrum, he's a practical joker almost incapable of getting angry outside of the prospect of Bezique's tyranny. He's beloved by many for his energy and one liners and has dated every woman on the citadel who has an interest in men at least once except for Raziya who treats him like the rambunctious little brother she never had. Most of his dates end abruptly mid-dinner when urgent calls to aid the Archangels in war distract him but the only two he ever went all the way with were Brindabella and Aiko. With Brinda desperately wanting to continue the relationship. Bwan is a major anime nerd and avid toy collector. He usually doesn't mean to go on dates, but his conversations with girls just escalate that way. Most assume he's 19 because of his personality. |
Aiko Shumay
Gender: Femme Age: 22 Height: 5'11 Weight: 101 lbs Race: Peruvian with Japanese descent World Origin: Earth Blood Type: AB negative Ex-girlfriend but now a best friend of Raziya who has known her since College, she's a smart-alecky happy scene goth who wears her mom's dingy old hippie as hell shirt because it was the last thing she left her before she got captured. It's unknown whether or not Aiko's mom is even still alive and slaving away at BZ Distilleries but Aiko enrolled in the forensics program just so she can find out what's in that wine and where she can be found. She has dated Bwanbele and some assume she's his current girlfriend enough that Brindabella hates her, but she's more interested in women than men and Bwan is just about the only man she ever had any romantic fling with. She is deceptively intelligent despite her seemingly airheaded personality. |
Karun Acharya
Gender: Cis Female Age: 23 Height: 5'1 Weight: 119 lbs Race: Punjabi Indian World Origin: Lightning Blood Type: B Positive A very tight college buddy of Raziya, she's a wild cybergoth livewire of enthusiasm and a force of personality that refuses to let anything stop her from being an Archangel. She used to patrol alongside Raziya in her division of the Archangels, but she lost her lower legs and right hand in a brutal fire fight and was taken off the force. But luckily her tinkering skills and computer genius lead to her crafting her own holographic computer in her hand, which along with her cybernetic prosthetic legs give her mobility. She is one of the absolute best in the Cyber division. She uses her hacking abilities to offset Bezique's troops in space, and figure out the electronic security Bezique's guardians have set up in their fortresses so Raziya can beat them and collect the elemental gems she needs. She and Tex have a mad thing for each other but they haven't started a relationship yet though they're practically dating. |
Leo Winter-Axton
Gender: Cis male Age:40 Height: 5'3 Weight: 300 Race: German World Origin: Ice Blood Type: B Negative Doting husband to Nathaniel Axton. He fixes machines in the Hawk's Eye surveillance room. He worries heavily if Nathaniel is in danger. he has the strength to be in combat, he just doesn't like getting hurt and fighting. He raises huskies. |
Misclaneous
Orla McCallum
Gender: Cis Female Age: 18 Height: 5'7 Weight: 111 lbs Race: French Cajun American World Origin: Earth Blood Type: O Positive A cook on the citadel. Daughter of Mikayla. She wants her mom to be converted away from the hate and propaganda that made her a villain. She also wants Tupe back because he was the best chef and she has no confidence in her cooking though it's actually pretty good she just needs to lay off the herbs. Pacifist. Openly asexual with no interest in romance. Has self esteem issues but abides. |
Ebmarah Gammon
Gender: Cis Female Age: 19 Height: 4'11 Weight: 150 lbs Race: Australian (British descent) World Origin: Water but residing in Lightning Blood Type: AB Negative A wild immigrant with a wily side, she was raised in the Electronic Jungle by her environmentalist parents to protect the endangered gorillas before Bezique's forces killed her mother and enslaved her father when she was only 11. Now that she's just turned 18, she still lives in the springs of the jungle. Battling wild predators along side the gorillas and hiding them from Bezique's forces who wanna poach them for their fur and for their meat. She communicates with the gorillas through sign language and has developed superhuman strength. She can lift heavy boulders and suplex large beasts the weight of hippos with ease! She admires Raziya greatly and has a bit of a crush on her. Despite the darkness of her past, she maintains a chipper demeanor unless there's a battle going on. Her tattered pants are made of synthetic gorilla pelt and she's had to rip off parts of her clothes to heal old wounds she suffered in brawls with wild predators that have tried to eat the young of her gorilla comrades. (She quickly becomes Raziya's main female romantic interest and a future Archangel soldier) |
Ramesh Acharya: The Night Skipper
Gender: Cis Male Age: 22 Height: 6'1 Weight: 206 lbs Race: Punjabi Indian World Of Origin: Lightning Blood Type: B Positive A hardcore punk and a former Archangel, he is now part of a vigilante group called Chronos Templaria that is neither friend, nor foe to the Archangel network, yet also anti-Bezique and they do business with the Archangels on shaky ground. A more radical group than the Archangels, they aren't cops and they don't see themselves as saviors. They travel time and space not to change history and cause any paradoxes, but to investigate the history of their target's actions and politics, who they work for, where it all ties together, and then capture and interrogate, or if the time is right, they try to assassinate who they feel are the true villains regardless of if their actions break any intergalactic laws. They aren't right wing, they aren't left wing, they certainly don't believe any unfounded propaganda or work with any crazy person who thinks they're a whistle blower. They are nihilist to the core on just about everything. All but with one exception. Their main target, the all mighty tyrant and main villain Dwezil Bezique. For abusing his way into power. For having political opponents assassinated. Enslaving millions, and causing the destruction of the planet Ypos-Erets. For these reasons alone is why he is their primary target. The only reason why they were founded is that they believe the Archangels are too corporate and imperfect like a traditional police force. Ramesh and Raziya used to be very passionate lovers. But their differences in their beliefs of justice as well as their loyalty to their respective forces are what put their relationship on hold. Even if they still have feelings for one another, and still cross paths and fight together on occasion. He is still on good speaking terms with his sister though. Just as long as motives between the Chronos Templaria and Archangels aren't brought up. (He is Raziya's main male love interest and will grow to be more of an ally even if you fight him) |
Hench Vamp Sorcerer
Gender: Boi Age: 35 Height: 5'2 Weight: 100 lbs Race: Jamaican and French Canadian World Origin: Fire Blood Type: O Positive Intergalactic rock star icon and rival rocker former band mate of Che, he has an entourage/polyamorous collective of 20 men and 80 women. As well as legions of fans all over the globe. His real name is Carnell Nelson-David Bouchard. He is believed to be an alien vampire, but he is indeed human. His mom is a witch. His dad was a preacher. Nobody in his family is affected too hard by bezique's chaotic rule, but he doesn't like him or what's going on. He performs rock pop soul jazz hip hop psychedelic rock metal and even a little reggae and adult contemporary. he just shows up with his band and jams in every world without warning. He can teach you magic if you dig his grooves. |
Marsala Gutieres Rosita-Ito. AKA Joshikaiju
Gender: Cis Female Age: 25 Height: 6'3 Weight: 130 lbs Race: Mexican-Japanese World Origin: Earth Blood Type: AB Positive Raziya's cousin from her mother's side of the family. A world traveled champion luchador, she helped teach Raziya all of her most brutal submission holds and dives, and she is rarely without her mask. Both because of lucha libre tradition and because she is incredibly shy and insecure about her looks despite actually being stunning if not adorable. Her face and back were scarred brutally in a deathmatch so she's afraid to ever show her face in public again, afraid that she'll scare everyone away and she'll remain single for the rest of her days. She considered joining Raziya in her fight against Bezique in the Archangels, but turned it down to continue to pursue her passion. And that is fulfilling her goal of being the very best wrestler in the galaxy and one day finding love and starting a family. She visits the citadel every once in a while when Hiroka invites her to go help train the soldiers on submissions and counters when her back is bugging her. |
Shop Keep(s)
Just shop keeps. A nameless tribe of brothers running shops across Ypos-Erets who all look the same. All of every racial origin thinkable through years of their ancestors spreading across the globe for centuries when it was whole. They wear the same clothes, talk the same and don't seem to care about what's going on around them. Some believe they're robots or something but nope, just hard working men. |
Each of these characters take and took as long to draw and paint and get just right for my art style of desire as the villains did. Which is way too long because once again, I have to balance this work with my job at the Blue Chip casino, sleeping and downtime to do other shit like play some video games or watch wrestling and anime or go pay the bills and buy groceries or obscure video games and wrestling merch etc. I either spend too long on this, or spend too much time procrastinating to get this done and overthinking what portion of humanity I wanna make a character represent as respectfully as I can try, or I'm at work cleaning up after people. And I haven't had nearly enough time to 3D model or to code which I need to get back to doing. I love drawing, I love composing, but I need to get a build out there. It's taking a tole on my mental health but at the same time I love to create.
Speaking of composing, I finally got some important music done. The battle themes. I won't put them all here, just the basic battle themes. The first one is the RPG battle theme, the second is the shoot 'em up stage theme for when you're fighting in the sky entering a new world, the third is the space shmup theme for when you're traveling to a new world.
Speaking of composing, I finally got some important music done. The battle themes. I won't put them all here, just the basic battle themes. The first one is the RPG battle theme, the second is the shoot 'em up stage theme for when you're fighting in the sky entering a new world, the third is the space shmup theme for when you're traveling to a new world.
The RPG battle theme of course was majorly inspired by Final Fantasy IV and VI, Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG Legend Of The Seven Stars even if those are SNES games because that's what I grew up on. I added a bit of an R&B flair and some really good rock chords to the guitar, I used a slap bass instead of fingered, and I feel confident in it. The air based shmup theme literally came to me in a dream one morning and I just had to replicate it by memory as best I could and add some gospel chops to the drums. And the space shmup theme is heavily influenced by a PC Engine game called Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire. Using soundfonts like everything else I compose of course as I don't own an electric guitar but I really like fantasy metal.
The only other thing I can mention is that I'm still not done with attack animations for the RPG land based battles let alone sprites. But I can show you both of Raziya's urakens. Mind you these animation tests are using Raziya's short circuited armor as a skeleton that I can add full armor onto.
The only other thing I can mention is that I'm still not done with attack animations for the RPG land based battles let alone sprites. But I can show you both of Raziya's urakens. Mind you these animation tests are using Raziya's short circuited armor as a skeleton that I can add full armor onto.
It's strange that I'm inspired by fighting games like Garou Mark Of the Wolf and Waku Waku 7 for attack animations for a JRPG, but I just wanna be different and test my abilities.
The RPG system I have planned will be like nothing I've seen before. Similar to Chrono Trigger, the battle zones are the world you walk around in and not a separate battle screen. And when battles start, the overworld sprites of the enemies will jump out of where they were hiding or spot you to start the battle, again like Chrono Trigger. But when the battle starts, the camera pans to a side view, everyone's sprites go from the prerendered 3D overworld sprites (like you saw in the alpha test video) to drawn pixel battle sprites (like above) and then you can optionally summon Archangels and allies into battle and start. Battles are turn based with a cat and mouse like free-roaming element. When it's your turn, you attack and your opponent tries to dodge or counter. When it's their turn, they attack and you have to move and dodge. Just to make the gameplay more exciting than your typical pick an attack-see the attack-wait RPG system. And similar to Panzer Dragoon Saga, battle areas have save spaces to hide and attack from, open areas where you'll be in danger, and traps that can land you or your opponent in some real stiff danger.
And... That's basically it! There's still far too much I need to get done, I might draw more characters when I feel like it but I REALLY need to model and code more. Follow the official twitter @QuestOfRaziya for more. See ya net time! Pretty soon I'll plop these bios on the QOR page too.
The RPG system I have planned will be like nothing I've seen before. Similar to Chrono Trigger, the battle zones are the world you walk around in and not a separate battle screen. And when battles start, the overworld sprites of the enemies will jump out of where they were hiding or spot you to start the battle, again like Chrono Trigger. But when the battle starts, the camera pans to a side view, everyone's sprites go from the prerendered 3D overworld sprites (like you saw in the alpha test video) to drawn pixel battle sprites (like above) and then you can optionally summon Archangels and allies into battle and start. Battles are turn based with a cat and mouse like free-roaming element. When it's your turn, you attack and your opponent tries to dodge or counter. When it's their turn, they attack and you have to move and dodge. Just to make the gameplay more exciting than your typical pick an attack-see the attack-wait RPG system. And similar to Panzer Dragoon Saga, battle areas have save spaces to hide and attack from, open areas where you'll be in danger, and traps that can land you or your opponent in some real stiff danger.
And... That's basically it! There's still far too much I need to get done, I might draw more characters when I feel like it but I REALLY need to model and code more. Follow the official twitter @QuestOfRaziya for more. See ya net time! Pretty soon I'll plop these bios on the QOR page too.