AyeeJ's Site

Where I’ve Been

Okay. So first off — I’m really sorry for skipping last week’s post.

I had a deliverable due for work, and had 40 meetings! Not a huge difference on paper, but it meant the whole week was basically a write-off. By the time I had any brain space left to think about the game, I was exhausted — not in a “burned out” way, more in a “please just let me lie on the floor and stare at the ceiling” way. So I didn’t write anything, and then suddenly it was Monday again.

Also, I hit a bit of a wall.

I’ve gotten through most of the GDD now, and what’s left is largely systems learning — stuff like actually building the prototype, getting comfortable in the engine, figuring out workflows, etc. Which is good! That’s real progress. But it also left me with that weird sense of “okay… now what do I write about?”

And then I remembered: I haven’t actually designed the rest of the NPCs. Nor have I finished the giant terrifying spreadsheet of all the game’s item data. I’m still avoiding that, to be honest.

So I sat down this week and got back to character work. Two more NPCs are now sketched out — Mara and Hollis — and I’m actually really proud of how they’ve turned out. They both feel personal in a way I didn’t expect.

Mara – The Earthy Alchemist (and Bush Turkey Nemesis)

Mara was the first character I worked on this week, and she’s inspired very heavily by my late grandmother — who passed away last year.

There are certain things I always remember about her. The most distinct one, visually, was her nose — which she passed on to my dad. Not in a bad way at all, just… memorable. Long and mostly straight, with a shape I’ve always associated with her side of the family. I tried to bring some of that into Mara’s design. The first face I drew looked like a straight-up demon, so I had to redo it with something gentler and more recognisable — straighter nose, older lips, a little warmth.

In her later years, my grandmother let her hair grow out a bit more. It was never curly — not like my mum’s mum, who’s Indigenous and has an afro — but it was soft and short and neat. I imagined what she might’ve done if she lived in a slightly more fantasy, cottagecore world, and designed Mara’s hair with that in mind: practical but soft, a little volume, a lot of silver.

The rest of Mara is shaped around that same spirit: someone who loved being in the garden. My grandmother had a massive garden. Legit huge. And she had this bush turkey that nested in it — and absolutely tore it apart. (If you’re not from Australia: you’re not allowed to kill bush turkeys. Even if they’re ruining your entire backyard, which this one did.)

So Mara is someone who would also love her garden. Someone who’s a little bit whimsical, very down to earth, and has probably declared emotional war on at least one semi-protected species.

Her outfit is… I don’t even know how to explain it. Sort of old-lady chic meets herbalist vibes? She wears calf-length pants (not a skirt — she’s working!), a big draping blanket that I want to colour in that specific pink-purple my grandmother used to wear, and a mushroom hat. Not because my grandma wore one — just because I think they’re fun. I love mushroom hats. And for a whimsical forest-witch type, I feel like that’s a must.

She has a satchel for herbs and potions, bare feet (not at all inspired by real life — my grandma never went barefoot), and a bunch of jewellery. Anklets, bangles, rings, maybe even a necklace with a little bone charm. I like the idea that it’s a bush turkey skull. A small tribute to a lifelong feud.

One of my favourite parts about designing Mara was how natural it felt. I’ve been putting her off for a while — maybe because I didn’t want to get her “wrong,” or maybe because I didn’t feel ready. But once I started, it all just sort of came out. She’s the first character you meet in Level 1, and I wanted her to feel warm, familiar, and grounded. I think she does.

Hollis – The Friendly Stone-Mason (Hot??)

Hollis is a bit more complicated, mainly because he’s inspired by my partner.

When I showed the first version of him to my partner’s sister (The very very first one, mostly a collection of inspiration images and AI slop), she just straight-up said, “That looks nothing like him. That guy’s way too attractive.” Fair call.

So I redid the face. Still ended up hot, though? I don’t know what’s going on. Apparently I’m incapable of designing ugly characters. Maybe I’m biased. Sue me.

Hollis is supposed to be one of those “looks intimidating but is actually really nice” guys. He’s mid-game — later on than Mara — and works as a sort of travelling bridge-repair guy for the castle. I debated making him look like a troll under a bridge (how fun would that have been?) but went for something a little more grounded. Still big, still friendly, still strong enough to move literal stone. But someone with clean clothes, a decent apron, and good posture.

I ended up going with more of a blacksmith vibe for the outfit — loose pants, big boots, leather apron, gloves, vambraces. I figured if you’re working with rocks all day, you’d want some kind of arm protection. Also: I don’t like leaving character limbs bare. I like every part of the outfit to feel deliberate. So, vambraces it is.

His hair is directly inspired by my partner’s current cut — sort of side-swept, shorter, with a bit of texture. I almost gave him the middle part from five years ago (In the first actual iteration, his own Prince Charming era), but couldn’t bring myself to do it. I also gave him a popped collar. Because popped collars are hilarious, and I will die on that hill.

He’s got a softness to his design. A little awkward. The kind of guy who probably says things like “How’s the weather up there?” to people shorter than him and then instantly regrets it. Big golden-retriever energy in a linebacker’s body.

So yeah — shoutout to my partner for being so influential. And shoutout to my grandma, too. I don’t know how these characters will land with other people, but I’m really happy with how they turned out. Whether or not anyone recognises the inspirations behind them… I guess we’ll see.

Life Stuff

This weekend I was meant to be going to a horse event with Lenny, but now I’ve got a bridal shower. My partner’s sister’s wedding is next week, which I’m actually really excited for. I found a dress — navy — and it took me three shopping centres to do so.

There’s another horse event on the 24th — a campdraft practice day. Lenny’s not very good at campdraft (he’s slow), but I think it’ll be fun. I’ve gotta ride him a bit more beforehand, though. No idea when I’ll squeeze that in.

Work-wise, I’ve been moved onto another engagement, but I haven’t been onboarded into the client system yet. So I’ve got a little slice of downtime. I’ve mostly been catching up on training and sketching characters in between modules. The new engagement runs for 12 months. Not thrilled about it — the work is fine, just not particularly inspiring — but I’m hoping it stays low-stress enough that I can keep working on this game alongside it.

Other life admin: rates. God, I hate rates. Nobody tells you how much admin goes into owning a house until it’s too late. I keep entering the lotto. Still holding out hope that I’ll win and be able to work on this game full time.

Next Week

I’m still putting off the spreadsheet, but I need to tackle it soon. I think I’ll keep working on characters for now. The item formatting question is still lingering in the background too — like, do I sort them by rarity? By level? Function? Not sure yet. But I’m thinking about it.

Also, I hit Bronze II in League again. Slowly making my way back to Silver. I’m not grinding, just playing when I feel like it. It’s nice.

Thanks again for reading — and for sticking with me through the gaps. Hopefully back on schedule now. Probably.