Haunted 1-22
The good news is that if there’s just one illustration, I can finish it on time!
The bad news is, you have to wait another week for Iliana’s monologue.
BREAKING NEWS THAT IS ONLY PARTIALLY RELATED TO SHITPOSTS: Catastrophe Theory/Haunted is now on Discord!
If you’re looking for serious discussion, behind-the-scenes extras, Chantel emojis, SHITPOSTS, or just to chat, do come join us at The Leafbearers! I also may start streaming on weekends in the near future.
Membership is open, because—let’s be real—neither work is popular enough to have haters, so anyone who stumbles into the site probably belongs.
Indoctrinate. Indoctrinate.
Discord invite link for CT/Haunted server, The Leafbearers: https://discord.gg/wxRKge62wm
O_O
I can feel the… uh.. killing intent radiating from her in the pic. 👀
Hi, Mercury! I’ve been thinking of you! Hope you’re well!
Hi Cathy! I’ve been thinking of you too! I got my medical results and can finally go home so I’ll be around more hopefully. 😭😄
Good to hear!
Killing intent! Ok, maybe she’s dangerous, but you know she doesn’t end up killing Yuan in the end.
Uh. What im trying to say got lost in translation. Killing intent is supposedly the english word for ‘杀气’, but its a lousy translation. It doesn’t mean the person is dangerous, my sister has this energy too. (but now i see how dire it sounds in english). I was trying to say that the way you’ve drawn her, posture and facial expression, stance and shoulders, that she’s radiating energy that speaks driven, determined, assertive, has her eye deadset on the prize and is not to be messed with. Those are a lot of words and even then, it doesn’t fully describe 杀气. 😅 anyway the end for random nerdy essay from nowhere.
Ok, I wish I could post gifs here b/c I’m giving you a standing ovation IRL, but that’s hard to communicate over the internet. AAHHHH!! Schooling the author on Chinese phrases is probably THE best thing to do in the Haunted comment section. Thanks for including the characters, too, b/c I have no idea how to translate 气 without also writing an essay, and would probably just end up saying “you know… qi.” So that helped.
Ahahaha, this is just the coolest. The. Coolest. Poor Yuan deserves to be co-written by a native speaker, but I can’t justify hiring a cultural consultant at this stage and I don’t want to make anyone do all that work for free.
But she seemed so relaxed in the previous episode!
She did, and thank you for pointing it out! If you look at her hand positioning on the previous page, she’s also mirroring the gesture Ray uses when he’s thinking, before he does it himself. It’s almost like she knew what would get him out of the room…
Yeah, I noticed that with the hands.
Oh this is just divine. I think I love her more. The switch from “everything is fine, nothing to see here” to “ITS ABOUT TO GO DOWN” is chef’s kiss. Also, I feel like the angles make her smile sinister and I’m here for it. Everything is very triangular and pointed, without being cartoonish, and my brain reads that as: danger, Will Robinson, danger!
I don’t know if I’m making sense.
I want this framed and on my office wall.
You’re making a TON of sense because Iliana was designed with shape language in mind! Using a lot of rounded elements in a character’s design will make them seem cute and friendly, squares make them seem serious and dependable, and triangles make them seem menacing and sharp. Iliana here is dangerous because of her intellect and has a lot of sharp angles to reflect that. Good catch!
Hahahaha, that also makes sense: it’s oddly motivating to have her watch me while I work. Kind of like how being chased by a pack of lions would motivate someone to take up running again.
MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH
OK I was just gonna do like Pink and make a short comment instead of telling you shit you already know, but I need to nerd out about Iliana’s triangle design. I know you did it on purpose, so this is not new to you, I just appreciate the hell out of it.
SO MANY (TRI)ANGLES – an unnecessary list:
Starting from the top – the widow’s peak (but I love how the loose hair swoop is soft and break up the sharpness)
The eyebrows – it’s not as clear here because of the expression, but in earlier drawings of her, the eyebrows also have a sharp point.
The angle of the eyes, combined with the almond shape.
The point of her nose
The ICONIC V-smile
The chin!
Dem collar bones tho!!!
The shirt – strong combo of both v-neck and boat neck line, even adding little v’s on her shoulders
The angle of her hips, making the bottom of the shirt also deform into a slight v between her legs
The crossed legs making the outside of her thighs slope into a V
The pointy shoes!
And also the position of her arms, making the negative space of her armpits into upside-down Vs, or rather, makes her upper body into an M-shape.
Even the fucking chair she sits on is a design that naturally contains triangles at the base and I am here for your design choices, Dolly. Overall this all pulls her design into one big sharp arrow and it’s just amazing how well the entire picture and the character design comes together and I adore it, ok? I know I’m rambling, but just… just know that I see what you did here.
(Also – obligatory “Step on me, pointy-shirt lady.”)