We are now at the close of another month. Winter has come and gone, and we are now officially in spring. And as you will see with this blog post, the coming of spring saw quite the spark of inspiration for me. Unfortunately, it also saw the passing of one of the most influential animators the medium has ever seen. Let’s get that sad/bittersweet one out of the way before we get to the more fun ones…
The Slimeball Tetrad
Uploaded March 8, 2024. Drawn as a tribute to Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump creator, and Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger artist, Akira Toriyama. I made this as a submission to an art trend of drawing Dragon Quest slimes; I added my own spin to it by drawing my characters, the Oddball Tetrad, as slimes. The Japanese text translates to ‘Thank You Toriyama’. Rest in peace, Toriyama-san, and thank you for all you have made throughout your legendary career.
And now, onto the more light-hearted stuff…
Chartreuse Duo on a Chartreuse Rock
Uploaded March 19, 2024, the start of spring. Since Ellen Ketcham has been established before as a fan of 1980s culture, I decided to give her a period outfit of her own, to go with Gilda’s.
Nice getting to draw Gilda and Ellen again finally; Gilda is Ellen’s closest non-Tetrad friend, and Ellen… has a lot in common with Gilda. On a side note, I love how the scenery on this one turned out. Turns out that the magic wand tool and some choice blending and color mixing goes a long way.
Beware the Ides of March Madness
Uploaded March 21, 2024. Yep, a piece featuring Shaun and Roxanne (Margo’s uncle and aunt and the Ketcham quints’ parents), how ’bout that?
Anyways, since Shaun is from Boarston and Roxanne is from upstate New Pork, I found it only fitting that they’d have a bit of a rivalry when it comes to their favorite sports teams, with Shaun favoring the Boarston teams and Roxanne favoring the New Pork teams. In basketball, that means Shaun likes the Celtics and Roxanne likes the Nicks. It’s not visible here, but they’re also both wearing number 33 jerseys. The number 33 is retired on both teams; Celtics for Larry Bird, and Knicks for Patrick Ewing.
Nicole and the Karner Blue
Uploaded March 24, 2024, and showing how much of an upstate New Yorker I am here.
The Karner Blue is an endangered butterfly that lives in various areas of the northeastern United States, including in New York’s capital region, the area that inspired Albaneigh county in OTOG. I imagine Grunvale’s northern neighbor Rotergarten is home to some of the Karner Blues, and that Nicole Wyler is a fan of them. This piece is an exploration of that idea.
Blackbean in Spring
Uploaded March 26, 2024. Featuring the return of Wendy’s mime sciurona (sciurine persona), Blackbean! This is her way of staying in touch with her French part of her heritage.
I experimented with a 1.66:1 aspect ratio on this one; it’s not a common aspect ratio for American films, but it is more common in European and arthouse films. In this case, I think it suits the piece well. Shows just what needs to be seen with just the right amount of negative space, and nothing more. I should use this aspect ratio more often.
Love Is a Sickness
Uploaded March 29, 2024. This piece was made to explore Holt Klug as a character more; I imagine him as intelligent (hell, his last name is the German word for ‘smart’, after all) but clumsy, and often tries too hard to appear dignified and sophisticated. Like here, when he tries to power through a date with Nicole despite his allergies acting up. I also gave Holt another redesign here; he now has acne instead of freckles, and his fur has a slight brown tint to it. If one were to few this image in black-and-white, they’d see that his fur has the same lightness value as the Wylers’.
Aren’t They Coot Together?
Uploaded March 31, 2024. And reminder to those that forgot that Nicole is poly, in a V-shaped polycule with Holt Klug and Murray Rose (pictured above). Love how this one turned out despite how little outlines were used on the background. The flowers in this one came out more colorful and with better perspective than in ‘Love is a Sickness’, and the use of perlin noise for the shadows of the leaves in the midground and the far-off trees in the background came out effective.
Also, if I had a nickel for every time in 2024 I’ve drawn an artwork of Nicole booping somebody’s nose to cap off a month, I’d have as many nickels as there are Dan Povenmire shows that’ve done this joke. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s funny it’s happened twice.
And that’s all for this month. See you again at the end of April! Or whenever I finish another graphic novel chapter, whatever comes first. The bigger and more important point is, follow this blog for more! And until next time, take care, stay safe, be good to each other, keep AI out of the creative process, and have a good one.
Grunvale/OTOG is owned by me. You’re free to draw fanart or write fanfics of it, as long as you credit me as the creator of the series. Dragon Quest is owned by Square Enix.
I apologize for the lack of updates around here recently. I’ve been hard at work writing and drawing the graphic novel, as well as growing my YouTube account, which you can subscribe to here if you aren’t already. As of writing these words, I need 972 more subscribers to go before I can start making money off my channel! Which is a lot, but my channel’s bound to ramp up eventually!
As for now, I’ve decided to compile all my artworks I do in a given month, into a single, monthly post, at the end of each month. I mean, no better or more interesting day to start than Leap Day, am I right? Don’t expect ficlets out of these, though, especially not on a regular basis. I’ve got work at UPS, video production, and graphic novel production to juggle. I’ve not time for ficlets anymore; I barely had time for them when fulfilling my New Year’s resolution. Those ficlets will be sparse from here on out. Besides, I’ve always meant them as practice for writing OTOG, anyway. As in a temporary thing.
But I’m always glad to upload the artwork I do have to show monthly, so you can see what’s going on in my life from a hobbyist art perspective. And since I didn’t do a post for January, I’ll be combining my January and February art here. Hope you enjoy this series of smaller-scale posts, and happy Leap Day!
Small Gamer With Big Energy
Uploaded January 1, 2024. Depicted is a coccinelline version of Scarlett, an OC created and owned by Cesar Jimenez/JIMENOPOLIX. As Scarlett is canonically a short, freckled redhead, I decided to make her a Grunvaliverse-style coccinelline for this artwork. As for her small size shown by the Super Nintendo controller, insectoids in the Grunvaliverse, such as this version of Scarlett, are 1/12th the size of the mammalians, reptilians, avians and other classes.
April Being Cute
Uploaded January 4, 2024. Just a simple artwork of April Lowry being cute; a facet of her personality that may become underseen in comparison to her brashness. Used a screenshot of Andrea Davenport from The Ghost and Molly McGee as a reference for the pose. Speaking of which…
The Ghost Friends
Uploaded January 13, 2024, the airdate of the show’s series finale. From the top: June Chen, Ollie Chen, Molly McGee, Libby Stein-Torres, Darryl McGee. This pentaptych is seen in the background during the credits of my video “A Ghost and Molly McGee Analysis – How ‘Mazel Tov, Libby!’ Doubles As An Autism Story”.
Botched Selfie
Uploaded January 31, 2024. Drawn in celebration of me crossing 1100 followers on Twitter and not X. Features some minor redesigns to Margo’s and Wendy’s business attire, most notably Margo’s tie being in a trinity knot, and Wendy now wearing a dark red lipstick (the same color used for her nose freckles) instead of a purple. This artwork also serves as the banner on my YouTube, Newgrounds, and main Twitter account.
Gilda Grime – Decades AU Template
Uploaded February 27, 2024 (National Retro Day). Like I’d forget. Some of these outfits are established part of Gilda’s canonical wardrobe. I think Imma make the 1990s one, new to this artwork, part of that wardrobe. It fits her well despite the dark colors. Also, feel free to imagine the 1960s one as her grandmother Sharon, since, as established before, Gilda looks nearly identical to Sharon when the old procyonine was her granddaughter’s age.
Boop!
Uploaded… well, today (February 29, 2024). And also one of the reasons for the blog post you’re reading now. I wanted to get out an artwork on Leap Day, and this is what I was working on. I wish I was friends with my own older brother like Wendy is with her older sister. Well, Dolly too, but specifically Nicole.
Grunvale/OTOG is owned by me. You’re free to draw fanart or write fanfics of it, as long as you credit me as the creator of the series. The Ghost and Molly McGee is owned by Disney through Disney Television Animation. Scarlett is owned by Cesar Jimenez/JIMENOPOLIX.
[It’s December, the holiday shopping season. Gilda is at the Grunvale Mall with her grandma Sharon] Gilda:[looks into tote bag] “You think Wendy’ll like this acorn-scented candle? Or should I have gotten the lemon-scented?” Sharon: “You’re buying for her, Gil. Not for you. Besides, she’s a sciurine. You know that. It’s in her blood to love any woodsy scent.” Gilda: [beat] “I don’t know, I guess I just feel like I could do better. I mean, look what I got for Nicole and Dolly. A fruit bat plushie and a vintage-style Strawberry Shortcake figurine. Wendy’s the one I’m closest to, and yet the best I can think up is a candle.” Sharon: “You ever hear the phrase ‘it’s the thought that counts’?” Gilda: “Yeah, but…” Sharon: “If she truly values you as a friend, and I know she does, she’ll appreciate the fact you got her anything at all. You’re lucky to be eleven years old and have an income, let alone enough to spend on Christmas presents.” Gilda: “Hanukkah. The Wylers celebrate Hanukkah.” Sharon: “Oh. Right.” Gilda: “Although I do need to do shopping for the Hynde triplets and Lowry twins, too, thanks for reminding me.” [Gilda sees Margo from a distance, holding a giant cotton candy. Margo notices her] Margo: “What the hey? Oh, hey, Gil!” [walks up] Gilda: “Speaking of.” [backs away as Margo gets closer, eyes on the cotton candy] Margo:“Hey, Gil. Whatcha doin’?” Gilda: “Uh, nothing. Isabella.” [glances the cotton candy] “That’s a… that’s a big cotton candy you got there, Mar.” Margo: “Yeah, I know, right? Got it at Zucker’s kiosk. I, uh… hey, would you mind taking it off my hands? I had two subs earlier and overestimated how much room I’d have in my belly after.” Gilda:[beat. Her eyes dart around nervously] “Uh… you… want me to take it?” Margo: “Yes, please. It’s the season of giving, after all. And I know you’ve got a thing for sweets.” Gilda: “Uh, more the sour kind. But sure.” [takes the cotton candy as she fake-smiles] “Thanks, Margo.” Margo: “See ya ’round, Gil!” [notices Sharon] “And Grandma!” Sharon: “Not your grandma.” Margo: “Just testing it!” [Margo laughs lightly as she runs off. Gilda stands silently for a while, staring at the cotton candy, before hesitantly taking a bite out of it. She lets it dissolve in her mouth, before another long silence] Sharon: “That was nice of your little friend there, wasn’t it?” Gilda:[takes a deep breath] “It was.”
It’s December 7th, and you know what that means!
…well, the start of Hanukkah. More importantly in the grand scheme of things. But in terms of the fulfillment for my 2023 resolution (the final one!), National Cotton Candy Day! And I came prepared with this artwork of Gilda, looking… less than enthused about it.
Here’s an element of Gilda’s personality that only a few people probably remember, but I’ve actually had canon for a while. Gilda despises cotton candy. And the reason for it, is rooted in her being a procyonine/raccoon. You see, much like smell is for dogs and hearing is for rabbits, a raccoon’s dominant sense, is their sense of touch. Their highly sensitive paws, help them identify their surroundings and what lies in them, including, most notably, and relevant to this description, food. Raccoons are known to often dip their food in water, to help them better identify what it is they’re about to eat. Of course, cotton candy dissolves in water. So any raccoon that tries this natural habit on cotton candy, is in for a confusing and upsetting surprise.
Of course, Gilda’s an anthropomorphic raccoon. A procyonine, with a human-level understanding of the world. So she has reasons for hating cotton candy, that go beyond it just dissolving in water. Quite a lot, actually. How unsatisfying it feels to bite into. The feel of its stickiness feels on her whiskers. The lack of a sour taste that she craves from candy. Flies and such always getting into it. And how it becomes small and hard when exposed to the air too long. She may have a bubbly personality, she may have a sweet tooth. But Gilda does still have standards. And cotton candy fails to reach them.
Now to the ficlet…
Since today is the start of Hanukkah, and the Wyler family is Jewish, I felt it appropriate to acknowledge the holiday here, by having Gilda shopping for Hanukkah gifts for the Wylers. Representation matters, after all, and inclusivity is always appreciated. So for all my Jewish readers, and to the Jewish side of my extended family if they happen to be reading this, Happy Hanukkah!
As for myself… holy shit, I actually stuck to my resolution all year round. And… I still want to make an effort to acknowledge National [thing] Days even after this. So I think I will. But at least I can say I stuck to my resolution, unlike the vast majority of people. Wooooo! I’m… getting to have bragging rights about something that doesn’t mean much except to me and maybe some others who’ve been following me as I go about this resolution!
…ahem.
Stay tuned for more National [thing] Day artworks and ficlets to come… whenever I feel like it in 2024 and beyond. And now… it is time for the Phoenix to fly off. Until next time, take care, stay safe, be good to each other, support an Asimovian amendment for AI, and have a good one.
Grunvale/OTOG is owned by me. You’re free to draw fanart or write fanfics of it, as long as you credit me as the creator of the series. This artwork was made at a resolution of 3996×2160 (aspect ratio 1.85:1).
Entry eleven of twelve to fulfill my New Year’s resolution for 2023! For this one, we’ve got another piece of Ghost and Molly McGee fanart, featuring Ruben and Esther Chen, who… I never thought I’d be drawing for TGAMM fanart, let alone before their kids Ollie and June, who have much more major roles in the show, with Ollie in particular basically being a main character in season 2. And June being some of the best autistic rep in animation to date. And no, I don’t mean implied like Marcy from Amphibia or Jack from Bluey. She is explicitly established to be autistic from her debut appearance. And in case you’re viewing this from a future where the video I linked to is taken down by a copyright claim, or you don’t have the patience to sit through the ads YouTube doesn’t let us block anymore, the line is ‘I’m autistic, and I guess not everyone can handle my unbridled truth’.
Actually, you shouldn’t be blocking ads on YouTube anyway now that I’m making content there. Those ads will eventually pay for my paychecks I hopefully will one day start to earn from YT. So if you want to support me on YouTube once I can monetize my videos, stop blocking the ads there.
Anyways, the day I write this is November 20th, #NationalAbsurdityDay. I knew it was National Absurdity Day I wanted to tackle for this month, what I didn’t know is how I wanted to depict absurdity. Then I remembered the scene from South Park‘s “Dead Celebrities”, of the ghost hunters pissing and shitting their pants out of fear, and claiming it to be paranormal activity.
So then the idea popped into my head: wouldn’t it be funny to draw Ruben and Esther paying tribute to this scene? Both because it’s funny to see characters from kids’ shows reference shows for adults, and also because ghost hunting is absurd, let alone the idea of making a career out of it. Also Ruben and Esther haven’t come around to realizing not all ghosts are bad in the show, so clown away on them I shall.
Nothing much more to be said on this, other than, since the Chens are ghost hunters, and are seen ‘ghost hunting’ in this scene, I thought this artwork should have a night vision filter on it. The original South Park scene depicts a black-and-white night vision filter, but I’m familiar with night vision filters also showing in black-and-green. So I decided that this artwork would be the latter. Also, I’m back to using cel/CRT-inspired filters. This time, using a combination of effects presented in Doc Shoddy’s video on the Pokemon art style. I’ve found it quite effective, and will make an effort to use it, and refine it when I feel it needs to be, on any artwork I feel can be enhanced from the filter.
And now it is time for the Phoenix to fly off. One more artwork to go to fulfill the 2023 resolution! Until next time, take care, stay safe, be good to each other, support an Asimovian amendment for AI, and have a good one.
The Ghost and Molly McGee is owned by Disney through Disney Television Animation. South Park is owned by Paramount through Comedy Central. This artwork was made at a resolution of 3996×2160 (aspect ratio 1.85:1).
[Swan household on the Redfeather commune. Flannery sits on her bed in her room, darkened by sunblocking curtains as a storm rages outside, playing on her lute.] Flannery: 🎵 A pox on Zeus, for canceling mine LARP this day — 🎵 [Lightning strikes close by, making her jump from the loud boom of the thunder. Outside, she hears Gilda] Gilda: “WOAH! What the fu — I better get inside!” Flannery: “Heheh, loser.” [feels heartbeat] “That was scary.” [beat] “Pox on Zeus!” [goes back to playing]
[Meanwhile, in the kitchen, the rest of the Swan family are storing herbs. The elder sister Whitney and younger brother Kelsey sort them into trays, the patriarch Morgan fills jars with water and puts the herbs in them, and the matriarch Parker puts the jars in the freezer. They react to the lightning] Morgan: “Yikes, that was a close one!” [to elder daughter Whitney and son Kelsey] “See, kids? That’s why you don’t play in the rain. You never know how close that lightning’ll be.” Whitney, Kelsey: “Yes, dad.” Morgan: “Actually, Whit, can you go check on your sister? Just make sure the curtains didn’t fail.” Whitney: “On it.” [leaves to check on Flannery] Kelsey: “Dad?” Morgan: “Yes, Kel?” Kelsey: “Why do we grow these plant things? Why not carrots or potatoes, why these things?” [Morgan pauses] “And why do you say that Flannery needs them?” Morgan: “I… haven’t told you before?” [Morgan looks over at his wife, Parker, as she closes the fridge door] Parker: “They’re not just plants, Kelsey. They’re called ‘herbs’.” [picks up a tray of an herb bearing white flowers] “This one specifically is what we use to treat your sister.” Kelsey: “Oh, so that’s why you’re always talking about fall-rain.” Parker: “Valerian.” [beats] “It’s what’s called a sedative, it relaxes the ner –” [doorbell rings] “Come in!” [the door opens, and into the house walks Flannery’s macropodine friend, Melba Fremantle. She smiles as she walks in. Then again, she’s a quokka. So she rarely doesn’t smile] Melba: “G’day, Swans! That was a frightnin’ bit of lightnin’, wasn’t it?” [shakes off the rain] Parker: “Oh, hi, Melba. Always nice to have you around.” Melba: “I take it Flan’s feelin’ a bit sour ’bout our LARPin’ session gettin’ canned by the rain. Figured I’d come over and cheer ‘er up.” Parker: “Oh. Well, she’s in her room right now. Enter quickly before –” [lightning strikes again] “You let any of the light from the lightning in.” [the thunder rumbles outside] “That was more ominous than I intended.” [Melba goes over to Flannery’s bedroom door and knocks] Melba: “Flan? It’s Melba, I’m comin’ in.” [Whitney opens the door] “Whitney.”
[Whitney quickly rushes off. Melba closes the door just in time to avoid the light of the lightning to enter Flannery’s room. Flannery stops playing her lute as she looks at Melba] Flannery: “Greetings, Melba of Fremantle House.” Melba: “And, uh, greetin’s to you too! Flannery of… Swan House.” Flannery: “You actually came through the rain?” Melba: “But of course! I figured if we can’t LARP today, you’d at least want company from me.” Flannery:[beat] “Well, I would, since you ask.” [sets lute on a hook on the wall as Melba jumps onto the bed with her] “You’re one of the few ines in this world I actually enjoy being around. Let alone tolerate.” [points in the direction of the Grime/Griswold household] Melba:[ruffles Flannery’s hair] “So, uh, what would you like to do to pass the time? Tarot, palm readin’, 8-ball?” Flannery: “Tarot. Celtic style.” Melba: “Crikey, we’re goin’ hardcore, I see!” [pulls out tarot card deck and shuffles it around] Flannery: “You’ve got both major and minor arcana there, right?” Melba: “Well, of course! What good’s a Celtic tarot readin’ if you don’t do it right? Plus I thought we could play go fish. More fun with an extra book to go after.” [beat] “So, before I lay the cards down, what would you like answered?” [Flannery fantasizes about serenading Wendy with a song on her lute, and Gilda watching in dismay as Wendy kisses Flannery, and they walk off hand-in-hand. We then focus back on reality] Melba: “Well? What would you like answered?” Flannery: “Will I win over, the ine of my dreams?” Melba: “Ooh, romantic!” [Melba sets ten of the cards down in the Celtic cross orientation. Flannery watches in anticipation as the first card is flipped over] Melba: “In the present, we have the star. Which means you hope for something, possibly feelin’ discouraged ’cause you think it’s unobtainable. Which leads us to your problem.” [flips over second card, the problem] “The king of wands. Perhaps you feel that your pursuit to win over this ine is overbearin’.” Flannery: “I do. There is… somebody in the way.” [under breath] “Gilda.” Melba:[flips over the third card, the past] “Wheel! Of! Fortune! This could mean your bad luck in the past. Perhaps you bein’ born the… way you were. Or maybe, in terms of this ine you’re after, they didn’t realize you loved ’em when you tried to tell ’em.” Flannery: “Could it be both?” Melba: “Very well could be. Card number four, the future.” [flips it over] “Three of swords. Your pursuit will likely end in heartbreak.” Flannery: [scowling] <You better mean heartbreak for Gilda.> Melba: [flips over card number five, conscious] “Nine of cups. Likely, you are dissatisfied. Either with this ine not noticing your feelings, or even with the results of this readin’ so far. Or with the obstacle in your way, the ‘somebody’ you described a second ago.” Flannery: “Could it be all of the above?” Melba: “Could very well be. Let’s see the unconscious.” [flips over the sixth card] “Eight of pentacles. You must have high standards. Perhaps this ine meets ’em for you. Your influence is described by…” [flips over card number seven] “The five of wands. You must have some rivalry goin’ on.” Flannery:[goes big-eyed] “Yes, actually. Yes, I do have a rivalry going on.” Melba: “Mm-hmm. My cards are workin’, alright. The card that describes your external influence is…” [flips over the eighth card] “The hierophant. You’re probably seen as a conformist, or you live under a lot of rules.” Flannery: “Strict enough rules that…” [gestures to her entire room] “…I can’t even leave my room during a storm. Of course, it’s for my health, but it’s rules nonetheless. And my rival sees me as a prude. Because of the rules I have to follow.” Melba:[flips over ninth card] “King of pentacles. You seek security, possibly emotional, financial, or both.” Flannery: “Don’t we all?” Melba: “Well, the card also means you could be greedy. Or seeking to avoid feeling greedy. Let’s see what the outcome is.” [Melba slowly reaches over to flip over the final card. Flannery takes a deep breath as she watches Melba flip the card over] Melba:[flatly, ominously] “Ten of swords.” Flannery: “What does that mean?” Melba: “It means it ain’t gonna end well and you oughta stop this pursuit. Either for your sake or your rival’s.” Flannery:[long pause. Her face slowly forms a frown] “Huh.” Melba:[shuffles the cards back into the deck] “Take it or leave it, Flan. In my experience, the cards know what they’re talkin’ about.” [Flannery fantasizes once again about Gilda. This time, she imagines her crying like a cartoon character, complete with tears launching out of her eyes like a fountain.Her tears quickly flood the entire scene, and she is forced to tread water. Gilda eventually grabs hold of a golden wall and looks out. We pull out to reveal a scene resembling the Page of Cups card, with a giant Flannery, dressed in her bard outfit, holding the goblet Gilda is revealed to be swimming in. Flannery drinks out of said goblet, swallowing Gilda whole, and burps. Focus back on reality] Flannery:[smirks deviously] “Right.” [looks at Melba] “Well, thanks for that reading.” Melba: “Thanks for choosin’ it!” [hugs Flannery. Flannery’s smile turns more sincere as she hugs back] “If you like, I can teach you to do your own readin’ sometime.” Flannery: “Nah. No way I’d be as good as you at that stuff.”
Hey, look at that! I managed to carry my New Year’s resolution all the way into the fourth quarter of the year. I’m in the home stretch now! This month, I decided to make an artwork and write a ficlet, inspired by National Grouch Day, featuring Gilda’s grouchy rival, Flannery Swan.
Even grouches deserve to be happy, though. Happy in their own way. Which is why I decided now was a good time to give Flannery a friend of her own! Well, friends. Plural. I have a plan for her to have five friends. But the closest of the five, is this macropodine character, Melba Fremantle.
Melba is a quokka, a marsupial whose wild counterpart is known for having a perpetual smile. Fittingly, Melba has a bubbly personality, contrasting with Flannery’s grouchiness. Her RPG character is a healer, I imagine specifically a shajill. You know, like a shaman. But a jill. Because female marsupials are called jills. Sha-jill. In terms of Final Fantasy classes, Melba’s would be most like the white mage. Outside of RPGs, Melba likes fortune-telling, as described in the ficlet above. She’s always open to reading fortunes upon request from others, and often reads her own when she feels like it. Some say she’s crazy, but it works for her, and seems to work for her friends as well.
Also, I don’t know how well I communicated it in the ficlet, but yes, Melba is supposed to speak with an Australian/Ausnailian accent. That’s another contrast between Flannery and Melba; whereas Flannery is a Virginia opossum (one of few marsupial species found outside Australia), quokkas such as Melba, are one of the more obscure species, and of course found only in Australia. So I figured it’d make sense that Melba have the accent to go with her species.
Sorry I’ve not had much to say in these descriptions lately. Video production takes up a lot of my creative energy. You’ve no idea unless you get into editing yourself. But anyways, time for me to fly off. Until next time, take care, stay safe, be good to each other, support an Asimovian amendment for AI, and have a good one.
Grunvale/OTOG is owned by me. You’re free to draw fanart or write fanfics of it, as long as you credit me as the creator of the series. This artwork was made at a resolution of 5076×2160 (aspect ratio 2.35:1).
[Afternoon. Gilda and Nicole are at the Grime/Griswold household at the Redfeather commune, in the living room. Gilda sits at the pianoas Nicole stands] Gilda: “So, you like Bare Trees, do you, Nicole?” Nicole: “Yeah. What of it?” Gilda: “I wouldn’t have expected someone like you to know a deep cut Fleetwood Mac album. Well, deep cut as in before Buckingham and Nicks joined. The album went platinum, so it’s not really that deep a cut. But let’s be honest, ines are more likely to point to Rumours or Mirage, or even Tango in the Night as an example of a Fleetwood Mac album. Than Bare Trees.” Nicole: “Well, here I am. A girl who points to Bare Trees. Murray and I even danced to ‘Sentimental Lady’ at my bat mitzvah. Both the one on Bare Trees and the Bob Welch solo version, back-to-back. And then we danced to ‘Lady’ by the Little River Band, and then started dancing to ‘Never Tear Us Apart’ by INXS, before Holt got clumsy and threw strawberry lemonade into my eyes.” Gilda:[wincing] “Ouch! That must’ve hurt.” Nicole: “Yeah, but he turned out to be a kind and gentle boar. As well as a gentleboar! Heheh. Like on Between the Lions, you know? Gawain’s Word? Blend on, dudes!” [holds up fists and draws them slowly closer to one another] “Gentle. Boar. Gentle. Boar. Gentle! Boar! Gentle! Boar!” [smashes hands together] “Gentleboar!” [Gilda and Nicole laugh] Gilda: “That was a good show. You know, that’s similar to a bit on an older show, called The Electric Company. Heard of it? Morgan Freeman was on it?” Nicole: “Heard of it, not familiar with it.” [beat] “Anyways, that kind nature of Holt’s made me fall in love with him. And I’ve had him as a boyfriend since. Him and Murray.” [holds up fingers in a V] “V-shaped polycule, baby!” Gilda: “V-shaped?” Nicole: “Well, consider the shape of a V. Better yet, the shape of a valley like our town. Holt and Murray are like Hatcher and Yonderpine. And I’m the valley between them, the heart of Grunvale!” Gilda: “Huh.” <Two boyfriends? Good luck having the wedding anywhere but Utah!> [sets metronome to 98BPM] “So, the song’s in G. You remember what that sounds like?” Nicole: “Yeah, ‘Free Bird’.” [Nicole vocalizes the note as Gilda plays the major version of the chord on the piano] Gilda: “Very good. Now, let’s hear you sing. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve heard you sing before. Let’s see if you’ve got a hidden talent or if you should stick to baseball.” [beat] “Just kidding, I’m sure you’re good.” [sounds metronome and plays major G] “Uno, due, tre, quattro!” [Nicole stands up straight as Gilda begins playing. She taps her foot to the beat waiting for the point where the vocals come in. Gilda snaps her fingers and points to Nicole once they reach it] Nicole: 🎵 Why not lie here in my arms / And listen to the night? / You must know you have certain charm / And I feel the time is right 🎵 [Gilda looks at Nicole, amazed]🎵 So spare me a little / Spare me a little / Spare me a little of your love / Spare me a little / Spare me a little / Spare me a little of your love 🎵 [Nicole smiles at Gilda as she turns her eyes back to the keys. Gilda is also smiling] 🎵 Now I know that I feel much more / Oh, in every single way / And it’s not the same as before / It gets stronger every day / So spare me a little / Spare me a little / Spare me a little of your love / Spare me a little / Spare me a little / Spare me a little of your love 🎵 [Gilda stops playing, turns off the metronome, and turns to Nicole] Gilda: “Wow, Nicole. I mean… wow. Your voice is… it’s beautiful. I don’t know what other way to put it.” [Nicole blushes] “It’s stable across a wide range, you never go off-key, and you enunciate every word clearly. Of course, you being a mezzo is also a plus in my book.” Nicole: “A mezzo? Cool!” [beat] “What’s a mezzo?” Gilda: “The middle range of a female singing voice. Higher than contralto but lower than soprano. If you want to know what those sound like… well, Wendy’s a contralto, and Margo’s a soprano. And I’m a mezzo like you. Does that help?” Nicole: “Yep, yeah it does.” [beat] “Hey, question, Gilda. Since you’re musically knowledgeable.” Gilda: “Sure.” Nicole: “Do you know what Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks were doing before Fleetwood Mac? I mean, how’d they come out of nowhere and just join the band?” Gilda: “They didn’t ‘come out of nowhere’, since you ask. They actually made an album as a duo two years before they joined Fleetwood Mac. It’s called Buckingham Nicks.” Nicole: “Buckingham Nicks? You just making stuff up?” Gilda: [stands up and walks over to the record shelves] “No, I wouldn’t be talking about it if I was.” [runs hands over the spines of the jackets to locate the record, before eventually pulling it out and showing the not-iconic black-and-white cover to Nicole] “Here it is.” Nicole: “Huh.” [stares at the cover for a while, before turning her attention to the record shelves] “How do you have so many records?” Gilda: “Grandparents with great taste in music. And sophisticated, too.” [Sharon comes into the room, having heard Gilda’s and Nicole’s conversation] “Fitting a winemaker would have sophisticated taste, eh? I mean, not that I drink, of course. I’ve just heard wine is sophisticated.” [notices Sharon] “Oh! Hi, Grandma. I was just telling Nicole about Buckingham Nicks.” Sharon: “Bucking –” [sees the cover] “Oh, yes! That little-known album Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham made before joining Fleetwood Mac. I remember when your grandpa bought that LP, he bought it at a second-hand store along with Genesis’ ‘Supper’s Ready’ back in… ’76, I believe.” Gilda: [visibly confused] “You mean Foxtrot?” Sharon: “Oh, right, yes. Foxtrot. I keep thinking the album was called ‘Supper’s Ready’.” [beat] “Anyways, I remember that album, Buckingham Nicks, I mean. I remember Buckingham Nicks being a good one.” Nicole: “Well, let’s play it then.” Gilda: [pulls record out of sleeve] “You’re in for a good one.” [Gilda turns on a record player, puts the record on the turntable, and sets the needle down for “Crying in the Night” to play. Nicole noticeably enjoys it; she bops her head and taps her foot to the beat as the song plays]
[When the song finishes, Gilda lifts the needle off the record] Gilda: “Well, what do you think?” Nicole: “I like it! I think I want to get into record collecting myself!” Sharon: “Well, your best bet would be at yard sales and such.” Gilda: “Yeah, trust me, Nicky, you’ll want to collect older records, you can usually find those for like five, ten bucks a pop at the right yard sales. Newer ones go for like, upwards of twenty-five. Which doesn’t sound like much, but trust me, it adds up.” Nicole: “Older records, got it. So go for stuff like Buckingham Nicks. Sounds easy enough.” Gilda: “Well. I said usually five or ten bucks a pop. Unfortunately, Buckingham Nicks hasn’t had the luxury of being reissued outside of its original LP release.” Nicole:[pause] “…which means nobody wants it?” Gilda: [pulls out phone and searches for Buckingham Nicks on LP] “Oh, Nicole. If only it worked like that. Unfortunately, I know better from also being a video game collector.” Nicole: “So, you said newer ones cost upwards of twenty-five. So what are we talking, thirty? Forty? Maybe fifty tops?” Gilda: [holds up phone, showing listings of the LP] “Try a hundred.” Nicole: [goes bug-eyed] “A hundred?!” Sharon: “Again, your best bet would be a yard sale. But considering how rare that particular record is, this’ll probably be the only time you get to see a copy in the flesh and fur. Unless, you know. You have a hundred dollars lying about.” Nicole: “…is there another way? I mean, YouTube, of course. But a way to own Buckingham Nicks physically?” Gilda: “Not unless you want my teacher Chandler Spectrous to make a repro. It’d be as a CD, though.” Nicole: “A repro? Is that… legal?” Gilda: [grabs blanket off the couch and speaks in a raspy voice] “I will make it legal.” [laughs as she throws the blanket off] “Heheheh, Emperor.” [Nicole laughs as well] “But seriously, the only way you’re gonna own it physically if you don’t want to pay the money for the LP, is by making a repro. It’s not as satisfying as owning the real thing, and technically, yes, it is illegal.” [Nicole looks nervous] Sharon: “But, it’s a crime without victims. If you ask me, the real crime being committed, is by the record companies, not reissuing the album to make it accessible. Also, if Garry were still he — Garry’s my late husband, by the way, Gilda’s grandpa.” Nicole: “Sorry for your loss.” Sharon: “He’d be saying the same thing. You’ve heard of VHS, right?” Nicole: “Of course I have, I’m not that young.” Sharon: “Well, back in the day, TVs displayed a more square image than the ones of today. And for the movies that’d air on TV or release on VHS, they’d crop the movies’ picture so that it’d fit the screen. So you’d only be seeing as little as half the picture you were supposed to.” Gilda: “They called it pan-and-scan.” Nicole: “Well, that sounds like a scam!” Sharon: “My husband noticed this as far back as when we first watched Fantastic Voyage back in the 70s, when VHS first released. So he’d often go to the movie theater to discretely record whatever big movie was out, from the middle seats of the back row. Just to get the picture that was supposed to be there. And then he’d sell the VHS copies of his recordings in his store for a premium. Sure, the sound was often muffled and the audience would laugh or gasp and drown out the movie sometimes, but it was the best we had back then, and for about 20 years, before DVD became commonplace.” Nicole: “So it was a choice between cropped picture and bad audio?” [pause] “I think I’d have taken the audio. If it wasn’t too screechy.” Sharon: “Thatta girl. Remember, it doesn’t matter that piracy is illegal. It’s the distributors committing the bigger crime by not releasing it. When it comes to otherwise inaccessible media, it’s always morally correct.” Gilda: [imitates André Cymone’s pose] “It’s always morally correct.” Nicole: [whispers to herself] “Always morally correct.” [beat] “Hey, how much does Mr. Spectrous charge for repros, if you don’t mind me asking?” Gilda: “Twenty for the disc itself, an extra twenty for a custom jewel case with the front and back cover.” Nicole: “So forty bucks?” Gilda: “Well, that’s before taxes, but yeah.” Nicole: [pause, as she thinks] “Worth it.”
Yar har fiddle dee dee, being a pirate is alright to be. Especially considering today marks my ninth fulfillment of my New Year’s Resolution. This month, I decided to do an artwork honoring International Talk Like a Pirate Day!
Nobody said what kind of pirate I had to talk like. I’m the kind of pirate who tells you it’s always morally correct to pirate media that’s difficult to access. And so is Gilda Grime, in this meme referencing the cover to André Symone’s Living in the New Wave, that also happens to be a meme honoring piracy!
Nothing to add this time around. I just wanted to pay tribute to an awesome meme. And write a ficlet to go along with it. Which ended up expanding the characters of Sharon and Garry Griswold. Even if I did, though, I’ve got work in like an hour as I type this. So I’d have to fly off anyway. So until next time, take care, stay safe, reject crypto, support an Asimovian amendment for AI, and have a good one.
Grunvale/OTOG is owned by me. You’re free to draw fanart or write fanfics of it, as long as you credit me as the creator of the series. “Spare Me a Little of Your Love” was written by Christine McVie for Fleetwood Mac’s album Bare Trees, owned by Warner Music Group through Reprise Records. This artwork was made at a resolution of 2160×2160 (aspect ratio 1:1).
[Wyler household, early evening of August 13, 2016 on the strict timeline of ZP-51498. The Wyler family, minus Nicole, is gathered in the living room, dressed in formal attire] Dong-hoon: “And to think, Judith, that just thirteen years ago this day, this hour in fact if I recall, you handed her to me to hold for the first time. Dolly had yet to become bat mitzvah, the twins weren’t even in school yet.” Judy: “Mm-hmm. And a fifth daughter wasn’t even a thought we had yet.” Dong-hoon: “Yes, that too.” [Wendy glances over at her parents before going through her phone] “And after tonight, we’ll have had four daughters called to the Torah, four to have become grown sows. And the date for our last’s big day, to plan for.” Wendy:[reading the day logged] “The tenth of March of 2018. Three days after my thirteenth.” [puts phone away gets up] “Of course, Nicole has her bat mitzvah celebration right on her birthday. Mabrouk to her!” Dolly: “So much watching my little sisters grow up, so little time.” [wipes away tears. Wendy hugs her] Wendy: “Grow older, Dolly. Not grow up. Growing old is inevitable, the horizontal axis on which everyone and everything travels. Growing up are the events that happen to us, either by choice or not, and the incline or drop that event causes on the travel across the horizontal axis. For some, the line stays flat for a long time. For some, it’s like stalagmites all the way through.” Dolly:[beat] “How are you eleven years old and talking like some bearded leporine?” Wendy: “That’s not important right now.” [sees that she and Dolly are in front of photos of Nicole] “Let’s look at how vertical Nicole’s journey’s been.” [Dolly and Wendy first take notice of a five-photo frame, with each of the Wyler sisters as babies, lying stomach-down on a blanket, wearing a diaper and a T-shirt in their signature color. The photos are in landscape orientation and arranged in birth order, oldest (Dolly) on top and youngest (Wendy) on the bottom. Dolly looks at her baby photo] Dolly: “Wow, I was a fat baby.” Judy: “Yeah, you were. You were nine pounds flat and I had to have my belly cut open.” Wendy: “This isn’t about her, Mom! This isn’t about you, Dolly.” [takes breath] “The year was 2003. Stacy’s mom had it going on. Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro hit their 500th home runs. And Arnold Schwarzenegger, right before becoming governor of California, played the Terminator in an unwanted, unnecessary, cash-grab of a sequel.” [points to Nicole’s baby photo] “But most relevant to this story, Judith Wyler and Phil Dong-hoon, with the help of the nurses at Albaneigh County Medical Center, brought their fourth daughter into the world. A blue-eyed baby with a full head of blonde hair, that they named Nicole Willow.” Dolly: “I held her when she wasn’t even a full day old. And you, too!” [to Roz and Maddie] “I was still little when you two were born, I didn’t get to hold you until about a month.” Wendy: “Two years later, 2005.” [points out her own baby photo] “I’d been born for several months, because Mom and Dad couldn’t wait a full two years.” Dong-hoon: “Your mother wanted to get one last one out before she turned thirty-five. And, well, you know, that last one was you, my little Magamog.” Wendy:[beat] “But more relevant to the story I’m trying to tell.” [points out photo of Nicole as a toddler, holding a koala plush and sitting next to a large plush of a rubberhose-looking anthropomorphic baseball] “Nicole had grown into a quiet and shy toddler, barely speaking outside of short phrases, having a sensitivity to loud sounds, finding shirt tags itchy, preferring to play alone, and having a deep interest in baseball and Ausnailian animals. She was found to be on the autism spectrum, and that led to you being diagnosed soon after.” Dolly: “And with that diagnosis, thirteen years of my special interest of fashion, and my hatred coarse things and homework assignments, was explained.” Roz: “And through studying you and Nicole for the next decade and counting…” Maddie: “…we became experts on autism!” Dolly, Wendy: “No, you didn’t.” [Wendy points out Nicole’s kindergarten photo. She’s against a blue-cyan background, showing her rodentine teeth in a big grin] Wendy: “Four years later, 2009. Nicole at age six. At the advice of a doctor, mom and dad had waited a year before sending her to kindergarten. Despite her autism, Nicole managed to befriend two other girls, who happened to share her interest in baseball. A musteline named Murphy Grubenstein, and a cingulatan named Charlotte Roth.” [points out a photo of Nicole, Murphy, and Charlotte, again in kindergarten. It’s an All Hallows’ photo, and they’re dressed as the Powerpuff Girls: Murphy as Blossom, Nicole as Bubbles, and Charlotte as Buttercup] Dolly: “You know how impressed everyone was that that friendship ended up a thing, Wendy?” Wendy: “I imagine pretty impressed, seeing as I was better at speaking at four than Nicole was at six.” Dolly: “Well, yes, that. But also, Charlotte, as you know, spent most of her early years in a Gerbilman-speaking town in Texas, forgot the name of it. She barely spoke Eaglish at all when she came to Grunvale. Can you imagine being six years old, and friends with someone you didn’t understand when they talked?” Charlotte, Murphy: [from behind Wendy and Dolly] “Tell me about it!” [Wendy and Dolly turn their heads back to see that Charlotte and Murphy had been listening in on them. Their sudden appearance startles them, as well as the rest of the Wylers] Roz: “Woah! When did you come in here?!” Charlotte: “’bout the time Dolly said she forgot what town I’m from. So, like only a few seconds.” [to Dolly] “Froschricksburg, by the way. I’m from Froschricksburg.” Dolly: “Froschricksburg, there it is.” Murphy: “You’re all lucky I’m bilingual, guys. Or else the friendship between me and her and Nicole, wouldn’t have happened.” [beat] “Oder, vielleicht, es nur hätte viel länger gedauert. Ich weiß nicht.” Or, maybe, it just would’ve taken a lot longer. I don’t know.[shrugs] Charlotte: [looking at the All Hallows’ photo] “Ah, yeah, I ‘member this! My first All Hallows’ in Grunvale! It was on one of them Crunch bars I got that night, that my first baby tooth came out.” Murphy: “Mein Zahn, mein Zahn!” My tooth, my tooth! “Yes, we all remember that. Oh, and it was fun doing a group costume for my first time.” [Charlotte blushes and hides her face in her hair as Wendy points out a photo of Nicole in her baseball uniform] Wendy: “2010, age seven. Nicole played in the Grunvale little league for the first time. And turned out to be practically born talented, in the sport she’d love since toddlerhood, not just applying her natural running ability playing centerfield, but also hitting the ball around forty percent of the time. It was from this uncanny ability, that she gained the nickname ‘Little Miss 400’. Which would be shortened to just ‘Ms. 400’ around the time she hit double digits. Speaking of which!” [points out photo of Nicole and Murray Rose] “2013, age ten. Nicole ended up in the same fourth-grade class as a perameline named Murray Rose, who’d just moved from Seattle. Murray of course being a marsupial, her love of Ausnailian culture attracted her to him. They really fell for each other, however, when they found out they both liked baseball. She came to love him for his goofy and kind personality and being a marsupial, and he came to love her for her skill and knowledge in baseball, and tough but goofy personality.” [Murray pops up between Wendy and Dolly to chime in, startling them and the others] Murray: “And despite my bitch of a sister Kate’s protests that I’d gotten too easy a catch and we only ended up together because we’re both stupid and clumsy, we’ve enjoyed each other’s company and that’s all that matters.” Wendy: [pause] “Uh, yes, that. Thank you, Murray. No more interruptions.” [beat] “Anyways, it was about the time she met…” [glances at Murray] “…you. That she learned she’d be called to the Torah as a bat mitzvah right on her thirteenth birthday. Which leads us to today. August 13, 2016.” [beat] “On the eve of my sister Nicole’s bat mitzvah, I told a story recapping her life that kept getting interrupted by the rest of the family, and her friends who came into the room without anybody noticing and just started talking.” [everyone glares at Wendy] “Which leads us to now, as we…” [sniffles; voice breaks] “Celebrate how far she’s come on her journey to becoming a grown sow.” [Wendy wipes away a tear as she and everyone else turns to the stairs] Dong-hoon: [calling to Nicole] “You ready, my little Somteul?” Nicole: “Yes, papa!” [Nicole comes down the stairs, gripping the skirt of her dress in both hands as she smiles softly. Dong-hoon, Charlotte, and Murphy wipe away tears, Judy takes photos, and Murray stands awestruck] Dolly: “Nicole, you look gor –“ Nicole: “WHAAA!” [trips a step. She breaks her fall by grabbing onto the stair rail] “Hmph. Damn heels.” [gets back up. She walks the rest of the way down with her left hand on the rail and right gripping her skirt] Murray: “You look lovely, Nicole.” [takes her right hand and kisses it] Nicole: [squeals and blushes] “You are such a charmer!” [hugs and picks Murray up. Murray hugs back as everyone else gushes] Murray: “It’s gonna be great dancing with you tonight, Nicole. I take it it’s a lot of Ausnalian songs, the playlist for the party, right?” Nicole: “You know it! Ever heard of the Little River Band?” Murray: “Little River Band, isn’t that a boomer band?” Nicole: “Yes, but it’s a damn good boomer band. What did you call it again, dad? Boat rock?” Dong-hoon: “Yacht rock.” Nicole: “Yacht rock! And I’ve got their whole greatest hits album on tonight’s playlist! And a bunch of other Aussie songs too!” [sets Murray down] “Of course, there’s the Torah reading to get through first. You won’t understand anything I say. But after that, it’s par-tay time!” [fist-pumps the air and runs to the front door] “WOOOOO!” [pause, as she realizes the rest of the family isn’t following her] “Well, what’re you waiting for? Let’s get to the synagogue already!” [everyone starts making their way out of the house] Wendy: “Crikey, the energy in that girl.”
Outside of the Tetrad, Nicole Wyler feels like the character I’ve written the most of in these ficlets. To the point where she feels almost like a secondary main character in Grunvale/OTOG. And in my defense, she is a fun character to right for. She’s clumsy but caring, tough but sweet, and on the tomboy/girly-girl scale, sits just about perfectly center. And of course, she’s the sister that Wendy’s closest to, in age and in sibling relationship. Wendy picks up the slack that Nicole has in her social skills, and Nicole in turn teaches Wendy about compassion, friendship, and the simple joys in life. And also what life on the autism spectrum is like. She’s one of my personal favorite non-Tetrad characters, and I wish I had someone with her personality as an older sibling growing up.
On August 13th (Nicole’s canonical birthday), I decided to draw this artwork featuring her in her bat mitzvah dress previously seen in Holt Burns for Nicole, as practice drawing complicated poses, using fanart of Marcy Wu from Amphibia as a reference. There’s not much to say here, other than about the background. No, it’s not a glitch… well, okay, in-universe it is, kind of. But what I’m trying to say is, yes, the background is supposed to look like that.
What I was going for was that, in-universe, this is a photo of Nicole, taken with a filter that replaces the negative space with a background, that comes out looking janky as all hell, with jagged pixels around the subject. You know the ones I mean. I achieved this by putting the brown background you see under the pink, and using a pixelated and thresholded version of Nicole’s asset as a mask. Not a perfect attempt, but I think it illustrates what I was going for pretty well.
As for the ficlet, it was nice to finally write for Dong-hoon and Judy, the Wyler sisters’ parents. I… I still need to come up with a design for both of them. 😅
And that’s all for this time. Overall, I feel the artwork came out nice, as did the ficlet to go with it. If you liked both yourself, then drop me a follow on this blog, and on my socials, linked below. And stay tuned for my YouTube debut, coming soon! It’s a review of a Ghost and Molly McGee segment. I’m aiming to have it out sometime… well, now it’s this month as I write these words. But for the West coast it’s still August. Um… I’m aiming to have it out this month. It should be, it’s more done than not.
Until next time, take care, stay safe, support the Hollywood strikes and an Asimovian amendment for AI, remember to call the site ‘Twitter’ and not ‘X’ (and not even ‘the site formerly known as Twitter’, it’s not Prince), and have a good one.
Grunvale/OTOG is owned by me. You’re free to draw fanart or write fanfics of it, as long as you credit me as the creator of the series. This artwork was made at a resolution of 2160×2880 (aspect ratio 1:1.33).
[Koko’s Bowling Alley and Frankfurteria parking lot, exterior. The Tetrad and Auggie walk up] April: 🎵 I just dropped in, to see what condition my condition was in 🎵 Gilda, Margo, Wendy: 🎵 Yeah, yeah, oh yeah / What condition my condition was in 🎵 [the Tetrad and Auggie laugh] Auggie: “Hey, thanks again for letting me come along, guys.” April: “Ye ne’ah ask, Auggeh. We’ve ahwehs got room fer a plus ‘un. Ye jus’ ne’er speak up.” Margo: “Yeah, and you chose a good time to come along, too. Paddy’s out with Scarlett, Molly’s working on another dress for…” [sighs] “…me.” Wendy: “And Nicole couldn’t be here, because she and her friends had plans over at Ruby’s. Probably a book club, or something else modest.”
[Cutaway to the Eliopoulous household, Ruby’s room, interior. She and the Pentad are playingwith a ouija board. Everyone’s hands are the planchette as it moves, and they say the letters it stops on] Pentad, Ruby: “Z, O, Z, O.” Murray: “Zozo. Now that’s a cool name! Hey, Zozo my dude, how ’bout showing yourself to us? Come on, don’t be shy.”
[Back outside Koko’s. The Tetrad talk about the fun they plan to have at the bowling alley] Wendy: “Gilda, you said earlier this is your first time bowling?” Gilda: “No, I’ve bowled before. In video games. But this is my first time at an actual bowling alley. I hope the carpet and the display above the pins looks as cool as I’ve seen in the movies and… in photos.” Margo: “I’m gonna try to hit the big red button.” Auggie: “Big red button? What big red button?” Margo: “You know, the one at the end of the walls between the lanes. It causes an explosion that topples all the pins in the alley.” April: “Mahgo, ye bampot, we’ve bin o’er t’is ahredeh! Th’ big red bu’on’s a myth!” Margo: “Nuh-uh! It’s a thing! I’ve seen somebody hit it!” Gilda: “I’ll clear this up. The big red button is indeed a thing. I’ve hit it many times myself. It’s tricky, but it feels good to pull off.” Margo: “See? Gilda knows what I’m talking about.” April: “Nae she daesn’t! She explic’ly sehd she’s onleh plehed boolin’ vidya gehmes, nae th’ real t’ing!” Gilda: “Wii would like to play.” [bows] [The Tetrad plus Auggie enter the building. Gilda is taken in by the sights] Gilda: “Ooh! This place looks cool.” [sees the art above the lanes] “That looks like an add for orange juice! Except green. Maybe it’s Ecto-Cooler.” [beat] “Which is actually even better, because you know how much I like green.” [looks at the carpet] “And look at the carpet, now that! Quello è un tappeto! Squiggly lines and geometric shapes against an off-black background. Can you think of a better aesthetic for a carpet?” [crouches onto the floor and pats the carpet] “I hope that, when I own my own house one day, I can get a carpet just like this one.” Margo: “Yeah, that’ll be great. Now come on, we need to rent out our balls and our shoes.” [she, Wendy, April, and Auggie go to the rental counter] Gilda: “Our… our shoes?” [gets up to follow the others]
[At the rental counter] April: “Yea sahr, I need a size fahrty-un Eweropean. ‘at’s tehn’n a half in yer Amar’can measurements.” [clerk hands April the shoes] “Thank ye.” [clerk]: And what about you?” Gilda:[beat] “You… you talking to me?” [clerk]: “Yeah. What size shoes do you need?” Gilda: “Oh, well. I wanted to tell you, I’m actually gonna be wearing my own shoes.” [backs up to show them off] “My green Chuck Taylors. Really tie the outfit together, don’t they?” [the clerks silently stares at the shoes for a while. Wendy shakes her head, knowing an argument is about to take place] [clerk]: “Those aren’t bowling shoes, miss. You need bowling shoes if you want to bowl.” Gilda:[beat] “But these shoes, they’re… they’re part of this ensemble. I don’t wear any other pair of shoes than this, with this outfit. It throws the whole thing off. So if you could just, you know. Give me a ball?” [clerk]:[rolls eyes] “Listen, miss. If you’re not gonna wear bowling shoes on the alley, then you can’t bowl. That’s the rules.” Gilda: “Well, how about if I went barefoot? Or in socks? Would that be okay?” [clerk]: “No, that’d be even worse.” [points to sign on the counter. Gilda reads it aloud] Gilda: “‘No shirt, no shoes, no service.’ You know that rule came about to keep hippies away from businesses, right? And I would know, I live on a commune.” [clerk]: “Oh, well that explains a lot.” [beat] “Now give me your order or git, you dirty hippie.” [Gilda’s face turns red as she hisses with rage. She looks back at the others] Wendy: “Just order the shoes.” [Gilda silently stares at Wendy]
[cut to a few minutes later, on the alley proper. Gilda is putting on her bowling shoes. They’re blue on one half and red on the other] Gilda: “You couldn’t even get me any green ones?” Wendy: “Gilda, it’s just for an hour, maybe two. You can go back to your green shoes after that. Besides, aren’t the sleeves of your shirt green?” Gilda: “Yeah, you’re right, Dub Dub. Come to think of it, it is pretty hot in here.” [takes off jacket] “There we go. Now my green’s showing!” [puts the first shoe on. As she ties it, she notices something off] “Hm? It’s… it’s tight.” Wendy: “These aren’t shoes meant to be broken into, Gil. Of course they’re gonna be tight.” Gilda: “No, these are actually tight. Like I feel like my foot is getting strangled.” April:[gesturing] “Adj’st th’ toong.” Gilda:[does as told, then flicks her foot back and forth] “Nope! It’s still too tight.” Margo: “You wear mary janes or high heels almost every day you’re not wearing the sneakers, how is it bowling shoes that you have a problem with? Gilda: “My mary janes and high heels have padding on the insides! And enough space for my feet to breathe! This is completely different, my feet can’t even breathe in these things! I feel like they’re being swallowed!” Wendy: “Well, Gilda, it’s either you wear the shoes, or you can’t bowl with us.” Gilda:[looks up at Wendy] “You won’t hate me if I decide not to bowl, will you?” Wendy: “Of course not, Gil. You know I have two sisters with your condition. Complete with the sensory issues. Tags for Nicole and coarse fabrics for Dolly. If you can’t handle wearing the shoes because they’re too uncomfortable for you, I understand.” [Gilda is silent as she hangs her head down, thinking. After a while, she takes off the bowling shoe, and picks the other one and her jacket up as she leaves] Gilda: “Sorry guys. I guess bowling’s not an all four of us activity. Not outside of video games, anyway. Scusami, Margo, for being a waste of money.” Margo: “Skoo… sah…” Wendy: “Sorry. She’s saying sorry.” Margo: “Oh! Oh, don’t sweat it, Margo. You know my family are millionaires anyway, this is basically nothing.” Gilda: “Have fun, Auggie. I know you’ve been waiting to do something with us for a while. Well, including me. Sorry this couldn’t be it!” Auggie: “It’s fine, Gilda, don’t worry about it. I’m not gonna invalidate your sensory issues.” Gilda: “Hope you all bowl well! Can’t count on 300s, but here’s to 200-something! Hopefully the higher end!” [pause] 🎵 I just dropped in, to see what condition — 🎵 Margo, Wendy, April, Auggie: “Go to the arcade already!“ Gilda: “There’s an arcade here?” [turns around and sees arcade machines in a nearby room. One particular machine catches her attention] “Centipede! EEEEE!” [stims by rubbing her fingers together]
[about an hour later, after having gotten the high score] Gilda: “One hundred eighty-five thousand, eighty-four.” [stretches] “A great score, if I say so myself.” [stomach growls] “Hm. I’m hungry now. I’m gonna go see what they have at the diner.” [Gilda leaves the arcade and goes to the diner section. As she arrives, she sees Margo’s yellow-associated cousin, Ellen Ketcham, sitting in a far corner, sipping a lemonade. Although she’s mistaken about who she is at first] Gilda: “Oh hi, Molly! Fancy seeing you here. Love the dress and the flower, they look cute on you.” Ellen:[visibly confused] “Molly?” Gilda: “That’s…” [notices Ellen’s black nose, which she wiggles as Gilda stares at it] “Oh. Scusami, I… I confused you with someone else.” Ellen: “Not far off, though. I have a cousin named Molly.” Gilda:[beat] “Do you… do you also have a cousin named Margo? Margo Hynde?” Ellen:[perks up with surprise] “I do!” [smiles] “Are you the Gilda she’s told me about?” Gilda: “Yes, ciao! I’m Gilda Grime.” [raises left hand for Ellen to shake] Ellen: “And I’m Ellen Ketcham. It’s nice to meet you!” [shakes Gilda’s hand] “You seem like someone who prefers to sit by the wall. Would you like to?” Gilda: “Uh, sure.” [prepares to take seat in front of Ellen’s] Ellen: “No, no, no! Next to me.” [Ellen scoots to her left to make room for Gilda. The procyonine pauses as she looks at the empty space, then hops over the table to take her seat next to Ellen] Ellen: “Oh, and if you don’t mind me saying. Your earrings are so cute!” Gilda:[blushes and laughs as she flicks them] “Thanks. My color may be green, but pink compliments it well. And also I like how chunky these hoops are. I like dressing retro, if it wasn’t obvious. I love the aesthetic of the whole second half of the 20th century, but there’s just something special about the 1980s to me.” Ellen: “Oh, it was totally obvious.” [winks] “I know my fashion history well. Almost as well as I know the culinary arts.” Gilda: “Oh, you’re into cooking!” Ellen: “Yep. Cooking and fashion are my special interests.” Gilda:[looking curious] “Uh, I know I, uh, shouldn’t be asking this to somebody I just met, but, uh…” [beat] “Are you, by any chance… uh… like a cupcake? A cupcake among muffins?” [smiles cheesily and nervously] Ellen: “You’re… asking if I’m autistic, aren’t you?” Gilda: “No!” [eyes dart around and her cheeks flush. Ellen smirks] “Yes.” Ellen:[laughs] “Cute metaphor, Gilda!” [puts her arm around Gilda and whispers into her ear] “And yes I am, thanks for asking.” Gilda:[perks up] “EEEEE!” [rubs fingers together] Ellen: “You wanna know another way to describe autism?” Gilda:“Sure.” Ellen: “It’s like julienne fries. They may be thin and thus flimsier than their so-called ‘normal’ counterparts, like how autistic ines are socially awkward. Flimsy, if you will. But like the autistic are better than the not-autistic at taking in information, julienne fries can take in proportionally more ketchup.” Gilda:“Julienne fries?” Ellen: “Yeah, I ordered a whole plate of ’em.” [sees waiter walk up with a plate of said fries] “Here they are. Waiter, you mind if I share these with this delightful new friend of mine?” [Gilda smiles bashfully]
[many minutes later, Gilda and Ellen have eaten most of the fries. Gilda has visibly enjoyed eating them] Ellen: “Taste good, don’t they?” Gilda: “Eeeeeyup.” [burps, then covers mouth. Ellen chuckles] Ellen: “Better out than in, I always say.” Gilda: “Alright, Shrek. Now tell me ’bout your autistic experience, and I’ll tell you mine. Only the positive stuff, though. I don’t want to start this friendship with tragic backstory dumping. We’re not Batboar, especially not dark and depressing Nolan Batboar.” Ellen: “Well, I’m one of five quintuplets, I’m the second born. The one before me is Zack, and the ones after me are Drake, Victoria and Filmore. Drake’s the only one of us that –“ [Ellen is cut off by the sound and tremor of an explosion, which causes both her and Gilda to jump] Gilda:“Mamma mia!” Ellen: “Holy crap!” [Ellen jumps into Gilda’s arms as the tremor shakes Koko’s. When the tremor subsides, they hear the sets of bowling pins collapse one by one outside. They look out the window over their table to see that all the pins have fallen… and also Margo’s bowling ball is resting on the wall between the lane she’s playing on and the one to the right of the lane] Gilda: “…huh.”
Entry number eight in my series fulfilling my New Year’s resolution. This month, we have another twofer, with an artwork and ficlet inspired by both National Bowling Day and National Julienne Fries Day! Although the artwork more addresses the latter.
Since writing Tyrannia Hawk, I knew I wanted at least one of the Ketcham quints to be autistic. Zack I wrote even then to be so, but as of this ficlet… well, you’ve read it. Probably. Or you skipped over it because you wanted to see what I have to say about it. Anyways, at least on the ficlet side of things, it’s about time that Gilda has a friend outside of the Tetrad, and an autistic one to boot. And funny enough, her friend is a relative of one of her Tetrad friends. Ellen Ketcham, Margo’s girly-girl cousin who likes fashion and cooking. The latter of which is an interest she shares with Gilda. I imagine these two teaming up as a duo called… ‘Grimey Kitchen’. You know, because it sounds like their last names. XD
On the artwork, I experimented with a sketchy watercolor look, which I think works well here. Probably because of the inked-in details over it. I think watercolors fit Grunvale/OTOG well, especially with it being set in cities and towns built into and around nature. I associate watercolor with landscape paintings. I’m gonna try to practice this look with my series more outside the graphic novel; it’ll look good in a pitch bible for a potential animated series.
As for the ficlet, Gilda’s score on Centipede, 185,084, is not some random number I picked out for the lulz. It’s the score I got on my run of the Game Boy Color port, where I achieved RetroAchievements mastery. Write what you know, as they say. On a side note, GBC Centipede marks my sixth RA mastery, after Donkey Kong Country, Genesis Bonanza Bros., Spyro the Dragon, Pieces, and Crash Bandicoot: Warped.
And that’ll be all this time. If you liked this artwork and the ficlet, then drop me a follow on this blog, and on my socials, linked below. And until next time, take care, stay safe, support the Hollywood strikes and an Asimovian amendment for AI, remember to call the site ‘Twitter’ and not ‘X’ (and not even ‘the site formerly known as Twitter’, it’s not Prince), and have a good one.
Grunvale/OTOG is owned by me. You’re free to draw fanart or write fanfics of it, as long as you credit me as the creator of the series. “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In” was written by Mickey Newbury for The First Edition’s album of the same name, owned by Warner Music Group through Reprise Records. This artwork was made at a resolution of 5076×2160 (aspect ratio 2.35:1).
The Gallery of Stormy Adler 