Alora Fane

Here are four character designs for Divine Dreams, and a bit about the design process! Also, some clarification (again) about how I'm aiming to release Divine Dreams.

The MARDEK release has been the most important thing that's happened this week (∞ it's on Steam now ∞, if you're somehow reading this blog but don't know about that!), but I'll write a post specifically about that a week after release day, so next Wednesday.

Quite a few people have sent me really lovely messages, most of which I've not yet had the time/energy to reply to. Hopefully I'll be able to get around to some tomorrow!

The MARDEK release has been exhausting, though, and I spent the past couple of days retreating into drawing concept art for Divine Dreams. I want to talk about what I've drawn, but first, I want to explain (again) what Divine Dreams is intended to be, in a general sense.

The Plan

Back in 2015, I returned to MARDEK in the form of a reboot called Taming Dreams. I tried to avoid the biggest mistakes of MARDEK by planning the whole story very thoroughly before I started any production (my notes are literally the length of a novel). I built on a lot of the concepts MARDEK introduced to plan what I felt was a much more interesting story.

The main reasons that I gave that up were external to the work itself (struggles with mental illness, going to university), or were due to the stupid way I'd decided to build it (in the even-then-obsolete Flash, released as an Android app). In hindsight, though, a lot of its gameplay mechanics and the way it presented its themes were prohibitively esoteric.

Divine Dreams is another attempt at the same general story, with which I intend to avoid the mistakes of both MARDEK and Taming Dreams, and to release it in a more accessible and financially viable way.

At first, I was using the same characters - designs and all - from Taming Dreams, as I still felt quite happy with a lot of what I'd planned for that. There were some changes, but for the most part the majority of the major characters kept their names, general appearance, and personality traits largely unchanged.

As I've said in some previous posts, I've been thinking these past few weeks though about revising some of that. This is a step backwards, you could say, in that it'll delay development a bit more. But I do feel it's worth it, because I'm trying to establish a solid foundation here on which I can build for several years.

The game is structured as three Episodes, which would each be released on Steam as separate games.

Each of these Episodes would be made up of six Chapters, each of which would roughly revolve around one dungeon. If MARDEK 2 were in this format, for example, Lake Qur might be one chapter, the forest and Tainted Grotto might be another.

I've been planning to release one of these chapters (the third, set in the Dreamcave, which is Divine Dreams' equivalent to MARDEK's Gem Mine) as a free demo alongside a Kickstarter, but other than that I was expecting that I'd keep the others private until they were all done.

Recently, though, I've been wondering whether to make each of them available as they're created to members of a certain tier on ∞ my Patreon ∞. This should hopefully, ideally, allow me to have some kind of funding throughout the process rather than just in one very unreliable burst right at the end.

I'm still thinking about it, though; I'm unsure how this would work with a Kickstarter, and whether having both a Patreon and a Kickstarter would annoy people or lead to reduced support on both.

I know I've talked about much of this already, but maybe this post might be seen by some new eyes who've recently played MARDEK, so I thought I should give at least a little bit of an explanation of where I am at the moment with everything.

It's also why I see some of the revisions I've been talking about as valuable to do now rather than getting years in and regretting not making them. I don't want to build a village on sand!

Also, some of you have already seen the MARDEK notes in the Extras pack on Steam, and you've told me that you understand better now why I'm interested in revising the plot significantly. That's good to hear! Whenever I've thought about continuing MARDEK, that is the story that I've had in mind, and it leaves a lot to be desired.

Divine Dreams' story is based on events from MARDEK 1, 2, and 3, but the conclusion that follows is new. It's nice reusing this old plot skeleton just because it's easier than starting with nothing, and it's nice having the freedom to end it in a more satisfying way - and sooner! - too.

Character Designing

When I made MARDEK, I never concerned myself with character design, really. The characters just looked like whatever thing came to mind at the time I needed to add them; any thought or cleverness to designs was minimal. This is what I notice in a lot of other indie games too, as the developers are (understandably!) more concerned about other game aspects, like I was back then.

In the years since then, though, I've got much better at art, and I've specifically taken an interest in designing characters whose appearances are (hopefully) distinct, slightly silly, and which have layered meanings which convey aspects of their personality.

A lot of JRPGs - and modern games in general, really - have detailed, busy character designs which look COOOOL or ~sexy~ but say nothing beyond that. For example:

(I like both of those games - Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2 and Star Ocean: The Last Hope - but I find these designs ridiculous. Also, deja vu; I feel I've used the first one as an example before, though it must have been ages ago. Also, I notice that the ∞ ludicrously busty scantily-clad woman ∞ is conspicously facing away from the camera in that screenshot.)

Can you imagine any of them waking up in the morning, and putting these costumes on? Sitting around in them eating a slice of toast on the toilet?? They're not exactly practical.

I mean, neither are most of the things you do in games, and they'd be far more boring if all the characters just wore jeans and T-shirts! But I like to think that there's a balance, where characters can be designed in such a way that, in their world, they'd sensibly choose to wear the clothes that define them.

Well, those drawings certainly look a lot worse when put right next to higher quality art! But whatever, they get the point across!

Divine Dreams has nine major playable characters, though one of them's based on Legion and such has the multiple-souls thing (though only three this time) so it's more like eleven. There are also a few others who join briefly but who I don't consider to be the Main Cast.

Last time, I talked about the design of the Dayvha character here, and how I was considering using him to replace MARDEK as the protagonist. It felt odd keeping everyone else in their Taming Dreams designs though, so reinventing them all seems like the best course of action. It's a good opportunity, as it allows me to build on what I had before rather than being stuck with old, rough concepts. I can build the story and characters together instead of having a set of solid rocks I have to try to build around.

These four are - obviously? - based on Emeela, Deugan, Mardek, and Elwyen from MARDEK/Taming Dreams. Let's look at them all individually.

Dayvha

I talked about Dayvha in more detail in ∞ a previous post ∞, though I wasn't yet sure what to do about him, or whether to even replace Mardek with him.

I feel more certain about making that replacement now, and I've refined the design to a point where I'm much happier with it than I ever was with Mardek! As a design, I feel it's silly on the surface, but it allows for depth and character exploration to be revealed in time.

(This concept art shows the idea development; only the three on the right with glasses are the final character, but even those are rough ideas rather than a final model sheet.)

His appearance from birth has been different to those around him due to his heritage (like in MARDEK, his father has alien blood, but unlike in MARDEK, that's physically obvious), but his upbringing has been positive and encouraging, so he keeps a cheery outlook despite it (his innate personality helps too). He copes with accusations of being a monster by styling his hair into horns, making light of it.

I like the flowery (sort-of-Hawaiian) shirt and shorts look because it's so casual, in contrast with the more typical tough, spunky, or brooding RPG protagonists.

Some of these earlier concepts looked like the sort of guy who'd do triathalons and drink protein shakes at the beach, or who'd try to sell you used cars, which didn't feel right; I was ready to just give up on the idea and just go back to using Mardek.

Mardek's Taming Dreams design incorporated the letter M heavily, for the sake of silliness:

I wasn't sure how to use Dayvha's D anywhere in his design... until I was hit by the idea to use it for the sunglasses. Now, I can't look at any of the drawings with these DD sunglasses without laughing because it's so stupid but feels so right!

It's D for Dayvha, but also DD for Divine Dreams, and it makes him look nerdy, cool, eccentric, enigmatic, idiosyncratic, and cheery all at once. I really like it! You'd recognise the character instantly.

He has glasses at all because I was wondering how I could adapt Mardek helmeted look from MARDEK 3. As I talked about in ∞ the previous post ∞, this design predates any of the story; he had it because he was originally based on a faceless clip art knight with a full helm. Later, though, as I developed plot ideas, I decided that the visor was to hide his Rohoph-glowing eyes so as to remain inconspicuous (and so it wasn't as obvious whether it was him or Rohoph speaking). I like that idea, and I feel that sunglasses could work well in a similar way. It's interesting to think that glasses designed to keep the sun out would actually be hiding a sun on the other side, you could say (that is, his glowing eyes).

I'm concerned that it might limit the range of expression when he emotes, but that might actually help the story rather than harming it.

Also, I still like the thought of characters calling him 'Dave' most of the time.

Nytsky

I like the story being driven by a character whose name and appearance are based around the concept of Day... though it seemed odd to think of him being paired with a character called Deugan who wore green and represented... fear, protectiveness?

Wouldn't it make more sense to pair him with a purple-clad character, who represented night and darkness to contrast his light and day? It'd be such a pleasing fit considering those themes and colours are so heavily tied to the game's story and gameplay.

I was wondering for ages what name I could possibly use as an alternative to Deugan though; nothing was coming to mind. Nitowl? Nitrus? Something involving 'dark' rather than 'night'?

But then it hit me: Nytsky. It's a name that makes me laugh almost as much as the DD glasses!

But how do you read that? I've been wondering how many people would get it. Maybe it just sounds Russian.

It's meant to be pronounced "Night Sky", which is kind of like the pretentious, ~cool~ names gothy teenagers might give their self-insert Mary Sue characters. I'm reminded of a character from Discworld called ∞ Agnes Nitt ∞, who imagined herself with the more-flattering pseudonym "Perdita X Dream", or that awful ∞ My Immortal Harry Potter fanfiction ∞ from a few years back whose protagonist was called Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way. Nytsky even has the kool letterz thing a lot of these creators use in their names ("Vampyr").

But say that name a few times. Nytsky. Night sky. Nightsky. Nice guy!

The term 'simp' is in vogue to describe this 'beta male' archetype, which has been around probably as long as human civilisation has. I'm one of them, at least in contrast to the virile, confident, macho 'alpha chad' type who gets all the girls O woe how unfair. Deugan was one, too, though I suppose it was stressed more in Taming Dreams than in the original MARDEK (where the extent of his personality was largely "Mardek's Childhood Friend").

In addition to that, his character was defined by identity, specifically self-loathing about his own and a feeling that he needed to be someone else in order to be worthily courageous. He's of the Fear element, and his mother died when he was young. His father knew Dayvha's mother (Idalia) since they were children, but she chose Dayvha's father (Savitr) over him. This frustration - "if I were more like that guy, she'd have chosen me!" - spilled over to the child he raised alone, and so "Nytsky" grew up both idolising Savitr for his traits and resenting his own.

And so he becomes obsessed with masks, he adopts a cool name, to show how brave he is, to protect his friend, to show the girl he likes that he's worthy.

I did less design work for him than the others here, and should probably do more (hence the one crappy image there). One thing I'm uncertain about is the image on his tunic. I like the idea of including one as it allows a lot to be said about the character, and it fits with the 'angsty youth' aesthetic. In that ugly concept image, it's based on this monster design that I came up with a while back:

It's called an Anguist, and it has several layers: it looks like a skull, a spooky octopus, a tribal mask, there's a shocked/scared face in purple, and there's an additional hint of an exposed woman which was relevant to the character it was designed for but not so much anymore. I'll probably use it as some point in Divine Dreams as a Fear monster.

It fits with the mask motif for this character, but the other design I had is a wolf howling at the moon in the starry night sky, because of Deugan's eventual role as Lone Wolf (inspired by the infamous ∞ Three Wolf Moon shirt ∞, in connotations if not specifics). Alora Fane has no moon, though, and I don't know how well the wolf howling reads icon as such; maybe it just looks like a shapeless blob.

I probably need to do more work with this character, but I like the gist I have already.

Lavent

This next one didn't come to me quite as easily, so I'll walk you through the process.

This is the Emeela that I already had in the game:

The design is based on a whole bunch of concept art I did when I made Taming Dreams (the character design was elusive then too).

That seemed like a good enough place to start, though I'd been wondering for a while whether to change this character's hair colour to orange, as that's the most common colour for the Meek race that she is, and it shows 'differentness' more than the other colour she had, I feel. I also wanted to represent the dark blueness of her Sorrow element, but I also associate the colour Lavender with her and didn't want to lose that:

These are... fiiiine, but it still felt there was something missing. She looks like a sort of generic priestess or something; there's nothing about her appearance that really speaks about her personality. I mean, there's the sorrow teardrop motif there a few times, but nothing much more than that. Her hair was also largely formless, just 'long and untidy or something'. She's supposed to be depressed, but she looks too neat and presentable for that.

This doesn't though! I like the unshaven legs because it's not really something you seen in media - at least not this kind of media - but it's what someone who's both depressed and who's lived a sheltered life would do. But would she also show them? Maybe if it saved her the effort of putting on pants when everything is so difficult uggghhh what's the point anyway. I knew that feelings about it would be mixed (probably mostly negative), though, so I added what Americans call 'sweatpants', which are stereotypically associated with slumping around depressed. This looks way too bland though!

I liked this gradient, transparent dress, because it looks elegant, otherworldly, mystical, watery, plus just aesthetically more pleasing than something flat-coloured. But what would show underneath? Would underwear showing look like swimwear appropriate for her watery home, and like she didn't care enough - appropriate for the is depressed thing - or would it just be interpreted as pervy fetish fuel? I'm inclined to assume the latter, unfortunately. I mean, I'd be inclined to even have her nipples showing through her dress, but Western culture is so weirdly prudish and sexual about these things (only on women though, of course) that that wouldn't be an option without it making the game Mature Content and all that ugliness.

I could imagine the character choosing to wear something like this though. You could say it doesn't fit with her being shy and anxious, but it's more than she's too depressed to put on anything which takes effort (I know how that is), and - as previously mentioned - she's been isolated for most of her life so she's not as aware of social norms as other people.

Experimenting with colours. The pale skin makes the most sense for a Meek who's lived most of her life sealed in an underground temple. The darker blue fade seemed more Sorrow-appropriate than the more vibrant azure. Maybe the transparency stopping before the crotch could be a solution. I had the idea to use the teardrop motif for the design of the hairstyle.

More experimenting, notably with the teardrop hairstyle and hood (where I forgot to delete the hair behind her, though where would that go anyway?). The transparency revealing her underwear still felt wrong. Weird face!

(I forgot the ears in one of those, whoops!)

FINALLY, I felt like I had something that I liked! It combines that elegant transparent top with a pair of sloppy sweatpants which I find both endearing and hilarious because of the contrast. Like someone wearing a wedding dress with big clomping boots and a beer hat. I find the colours pleasing and appropriate, and I feel the design expresses the character well. It's not cool or sexy, but it's more... human, perhaps (even though she's not a human technically). And I like that. Perhaps it's likely to inspire empathy for the character? I wonder; it's hard to know what people who aren't me would feel.

She's playing her 'wand' like a flute there; I'll get to that in a minute.

This name was a difficult one too. A few ideas I considered: Lavend, Lavndr (from lavender, obviously), Melany, Melano (from melancholy), Ennuia (from ennui), Emosha, Emoena, Emoana, Emohna (from emotion, or 'emo' in particular, Emeela, moan), Requia, Elegie, Emourn, Elegee...

Ultimately I liked either ∞ Lament ∞ ("an expression of grief, suffering, or sadness" or "a song expressing grief"), or that combined with lavender - which the character was connected with in Taming Dreams - to give Lavent. I'm still on the fence about whether to stick with Lavent (it's unique) or Lament (it's familiar).

Sirena

When I started planning Divine Dreams in late 2019, I drew concepts of all of the (MARDEK/Taming Dreams) characters that I planned to include. Elwyen was one of them, though I think she's one who remained hidden behind a silhouette. Here's what I had for her:

I originally gave her the harp like in MARDEK, though I revised it a couple of months later to a ukulele, which felt more fitting for the character (harps are elegant; lots of perky young girls play ukuleles to express themselves, if YouTube is anything to go by). I also incorporated bird motifs while designing her 'Nightmare' (characters' personal demons given form as bosses), or more specifically a caged bird longing for freedom.

This was mostly just an adaptation of that design, with a few tweaks. The hair is more feathered, to go with the bird motif. The original primarily blue colour scheme has been accentuated with bold, brash, bright orange. The ribbon thing on her back (with a drawing from the back showing how I imagine it connects) is adorned with a chain pattern, and her... bandeau (I had to look that up) also has some horizontal lines that both break up the flat colour monotony and subtly hint at the bars of a jail across her heart. I also hinted at ribbons hanging from her bracelets, like manacles.

The drawing on the right was to clarify what she was wearing under the sarong thing (obviously nothing wouldn't be appropriate), though it came out looking creepy, I feel, probably largely because the breasts are way too high and the neck maybe too short? Weird, anyway. She's supposed to be a flirty character who dresses in a revealing way on purpose, though, so a tiny thong thing makes sense in a way it wouldn't for Lavent (unlike a cat girl character I see in the Star Ocean cast, who looks like a child, dresses like she's in porn, and - from what I recall - her actual characterisation was sexless; I dislike things like that a lot).

Experimenting with colour palettes. These are only subtly different, but I find the feel of the one I chose (the one on the left) significantly more pleasing than the one I started with (the middle one). I started with a dark blue because that was part of the original Elwyen design, though that's more Sorrow-related; the more sky-blue-like hue feels more appropriate for a bird-motif'd character, longing to soar. Notably, these two shades are directly opposite each other on the colour wheel (180 degree hue difference), for a bold, striking look. Her skin is the same hue as the orange on her clothes, but a different saturation and value.

I was also planning out exactly how her hair might fall; important for making a 3D model later, and keeping the character consistent. These legs are too short!

I like how this turned out. The original Elwyen had a flower in her hair, which morphed into a feather ∞ fascinator ∞, but that shape was already associated with sindrels' daemons, so it ended up like this instead. Looks kind of like a festive dancer, not inappropriately.

As for the name, I had less trouble with this one, thinking that "Sirena" - from "siren", which Elwyen was described as - seemed fine. Easier to pronounce, for sure!

Counterparts

I like the thought that Dayvha and Nytsky here both contrast and complement each other. Day and night, light and dark, bliss and fear, embracing an identity despite its differentness versus forging a false persona despite natural normality.

Both are nerds - fitting the gangling and chubby nerd stereotypes - who stick with one another because they don't feel they belong with others, and play fantasy games to bond and pass the time; the childhood imagination bit would be a D&D-like campaign in this, where Dayvha is a superpowered version of himself but Nytsky is pretending to be Savitr.

Traditionally Mardek used a sword, but I'm wondering whether to have Dayvha be a spellcaster instead. He's not exactly physically imposing, but he's intelligent and has alien blood, so it'd make more sense. Nytsky could be a bulky fighter and protector, another contrast.

An interesting idea occurred to me while designing Lavent: what if, like Sirena, she uses a musical instrument instead of a more generic magical wand?

In both MARDEK and Taming Dreams, and again in the plans for this, Elwyen/Sirena used to hang around the lake where Eme(e)la/Lavent lived, and she met this 'mermaid' who - in Taming Dreams at least - inspired her to adopt her blue colour scheme in order to be more beautiful. It established an interesting past connection between them, but wasn't a very solid motivation.

What if, though, Sirena overheard Lavent playing her instrument, and took up music herself because of the 'music of the lake' she was fond of listening to? That could be an interesting connection, especially if their personalities are so clashingly different. Lavent is passive, disengaged, emotionally flattened by despair; Sirena is extrovertedly neurotic, jealous, clingy, crazed, a ∞ Manic Pixie Dream Girl ∞ type (with a lot of trauma under the surface responsible for this).

Also, while Emela was meant as the love interest for both Mardek and Deugan in MARDEK's plans (one of the more cringeworthy aspects of the document you might have read), eventually she became more connected with Deugan, while Elwyen took the role as Mardek's love interest (of a sort). I intend to continue that here, with Nytsky trying to woo Lavent (who's just distant), and Sirena frantically flirting with Dayvha (who reacts with friendly sexlessness). Interesting angles to explore, and it's what I mean about borrowing old ideas - when it feels like they're worth borrowing! - but delving more deeply into them.

If both of these characters used music, perhaps it'd use some different mechanic. Maybe each tune would require inputting notes (shown, not memorised!) to a rhythm, or something; maybe six notes, a few seconds, in place of the typical reaction bar. I remember experimenting with that in an early build of MARDEK 3, for Elwyen, but scrapped it for some reason. Worth thinking about some more though. There's another character who could also have a musical mechanic, and I was unsure how to handle that if I already had the Elwyen character. It being an established way to stir up the miasma that multiple people use might work well.

Of course, Sirena would play light, major-mode music, while Lavent would play sorrowful, minor-mode music.

This is a very long post!! But I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you got something out of seeing my rough, quick, crude drawings and the thoughts and process and everything!

I barely draw these days, and my art hasn't really improved significantly since around 2013 or so. I should draw more! Having something to draw, as in this case, is wonderful because I can easily get lost in it for hours.

Some people expressed interest in getting art as a Patreon reward, so I could try drawing more so then I could have something to offer for that. I'm also interested in posting concept art like this to my Patreon as I do more of it! I've got some more characters to plan, which I'll likely spend next week on (though I'm already mostly happy with them so it shouldn't take as long), so I'll probably post my progress with that to patron-exclusive posts on Patreon. I'll have to figure something out!

Oh, and in case this is a concern: I've already got the plot largely written for all three chapters, though I need to do another pass to refine some things (new ideas arise as you write, so it's valuable to go back over everything again with those in mind). These character redesigns won't disrupt the overall narrative, since they're still filling essentially the same roles, but I'm going to plan them all thoroughly before doing another plot pass so then I can more fully integrate their traits into the details of the story.

(Hmm, I wonder whether making these things as videos might not be a bad idea... though social anxiety is an obstacle. Something to consider, though...)

38 COMMENTS

Tama_Yoshi82~4Y

Love these designs. I didn't realize Dayvah's glasses were D's until I saw other pictures of him, but aren't they just the PERFECT accessory, though!? It's also a kind of design detail that dawns on you; "It must be the perspective... wait... Oh!!!" For some reason, I imagine the glasses being reflected in a mirror and somehow still shaped liked Ds facing rightward. That's how PERSISTENT they are.

I somehow feel that calling Nytsky "N-it-sk-ee" more natural, more sheepish somehow. I saw ways in which certain authors invented names for things, and a tip I found interesting was to not think so much as "one-for-one" correspondences, but rather mutations. It's my feeling that making something one-for-one tends to feel more "on the nose," but if you commit to it sounding more russian, somehow that feels more subtle and clever. Idk.

I wonder what Lavent looks like when she's smiling. I do love me a depressed person's smile. I really love the idea of her cloak hiding a swimsuit. Like, when she goes underwater, her clothes become semi-transparent and reveal her swimsuit; perhaps a one-piece (looks less sexual, more formal, ritualistic maybe even). For some reason, I imagine her top opening in the front and turning into an underwater cape. Strange practically... interesting image though.
It conjures the metaphor of being "in her element," so she'd look quite different when underwater.

I somehow feel that calling Nytsky "N-it-sk-ee" more natural, more sheepish somehow. I saw ways in which certain authors invented names for things, and a tip I found interesting was to not think so much as "one-for-one" correspondences, but rather mutations. It's my feeling that making something one-for-one tends to feel more "on the nose," but if you commit to it sounding more russian, somehow that feels more subtle and clever. Idk.

I wonder what Lavent looks like when she's smiling. I do love me a depressed person's smile. I really love the idea of her cloak hiding a swimsuit. Like, when she goes underwater, her clothes become semi-transparent and reveal her swimsuit; perhaps a one-piece (looks less sexual, more formal, ritualistic maybe even). For some reason, I imagine her top opening in the front and turning into an underwater cape. Strange practically... interesting image though.
It conjures the metaphor of being "in her element," so she'd look quite different when underwater.

Astreon152~4Y

Very nice, this is evolving more and more towards an original projet, spurred by Mardek rather than inspired by it.

Not much to say for now since you're basically sharing your current brainstorming, but maybe a few suggestions:

I think Nytsky should have a tribal shield, since you said he fancies masks ? An attack might be some form of hypnosis, or status ailment, using the pattern on the shield (like, litteraly inflicting fear on the enemy, since fear is his element). He could have a small axe to go with it ? or maybe a short spear ? Not very goff, but tribal...would a retractable scythe be an in-between ?

I think Dayhva could either be proficient in throwable weapons (daggers ? Or a blowpipe, which he could otherwise smoke from, since he's so chill and all), or armed with a foil/stick (always found this went well with a nonchalant fighting demeanour). Not exclusive of a few healing spells. Or you could as well go the "enchantments" route: wether a throwing weapon, a blowpipe, a foil or a stick, he could temporarily imbue it with light/bliss magic, to alternate between physical and elemental damage.
The cool bonus with the blowpipe is he could even blow a healing or curing dart at an ally, wouldn't that be fun :)

For Sirena, would Siwren be acceptable ? That'd point as obviously to mermaids, plus would add a reference to Elwyen with the "w". And that would be consistent with the weird spelling for the boys names :)

Very nice, this is evolving more and more towards an original projet, spurred by Mardek rather than inspired by it.

Not much to say for now since you're basically sharing your current brainstorming, but maybe a few suggestions:

I think Nytsky should have a tribal shield, since you said he fancies masks ? An attack might be some form of hypnosis, or status ailment, using the pattern on the shield (like, litteraly inflicting fear on the enemy, since fear is his element). He could have a small axe to go with it ? or maybe a short spear ? Not very goff, but tribal...would a retractable scythe be an in-between ?

I think Dayhva could either be proficient in throwable weapons (daggers ? Or a blowpipe, which he could otherwise smoke from, since he's so chill and all), or armed with a foil/stick (always found this went well with a nonchalant fighting demeanour). Not exclusive of a few healing spells. Or you could as well go the "enchantments" route: wether a throwing weapon, a blowpipe, a foil or a stick, he could temporarily imbue it with light/bliss magic, to alternate between physical and elemental damage.
The cool bonus with the blowpipe is he could even blow a healing or curing dart at an ally, wouldn't that be fun :)

For Sirena, would Siwren be acceptable ? That'd point as obviously to mermaids, plus would add a reference to Elwyen with the "w". And that would be consistent with the weird spelling for the boys names :)

Tobias 1115~4Y

I'm likely going to keep the 'greatshield' weapon I already have for Deugan; no point letting it go to waste if it already fits with the revised version of the character!

Throwable weapons is an interesting suggestion! Not one I've personally seen in a JRPG before. It doesn't feel quite right for this character to me, but then again I don't know what does! A sword doesn't either.

I like that 'Siwren' has the name of a bird in it! The pronunciation would be completely different to the 'oo' sound the 'w' in Elwyen has, but it's a nice connection. Thanks for the suggestion! Even if I don't use that exact one, I might give some thought to how else I could possibly add a bird to the name.

Astreon152~4Y

In FFIV, Edge could throw items, because he's a ninja.

it's rare, but there are several JRPG where characters use throwable weapons (bowgun, slingshot like Link in Zelda, or just regular guns, also bows and the like).

Sometimes it's replaced with alchemy, sometimes with "crafts", so the character can create various items, including bombs or molotovs...

I think...didn't Yufi in FF7 have some sort of Chakram for a weapon ? Yet again, she was a ninja...

Kankus2~4Y

I think it would be interesting, if you associated Dayvha's way of attacking (or at least a couple of his moves) with his sunglasses/eyes, sort of like X-Men's Cyclops. I definitely agree that a sword isn't the way to go, and i really liked the whole thought process what with his sunglasses hiding a sun (his eyes), and i think that tying that idea to his powers would be really cool. Reading through my comment i realize this might sound kind of lame, but the best way i can show it to you is with how Slowbro is portrayed in this video: [LINK]
The concept of either using his own eyes and/or drawing power from the sun is really cool in my opinion. I definitely wouldn't mind if you gave Dayvha a surfboard as well, since i think it fits well with his general cheery-hawaiian-surfer-vibe.

RulerOfPride4~4Y

This is straying farther and farther from anything do to with Mardek. Might as well say it's a completely new game at this point. Ship of Theseus and all.

Tobias 1115~4Y

It's called Divine Dreams and not MARDEK for a reason.

RulerOfPride4~4Y

But you've been marketing as a remake/retelling of MARDEK for basically ever now. Kinda disingenuous tbh.

Tobias 1115~4Y

You'd only get that impression if you'd not been reading what I write. I don't know what more I can do.

MontyCallay101~4Y

Wow, you're on a roll! A MARDEK Steam release, reworking your Patreon, working on a Discord server and now this!

Looking at your release plans for Divine Dreams - are you sure dedicating yourself to a game series with multiple episodes is the right structure for this project? I know nothing about your production schedule, of course, but this feels like at least a 2 year project! Would it perhaps be a better idea to start off with making something that's more self-contained, in the same engine, maybe? People who just play one of the middle chapters of the game as a demo might not get a complete impression.

And those designs certainly look really cool! I can sympathise with Dayvha, being a bit of a gangly nerd myself!! From looking at the design I can really tell what kind of guy he is. I'd agree with you that he's certainly a lot more interesting than Mardek!

One of the things I feel limits me from really "getting" the character relationships and designs maybe is that maybe I don't understand the big picture like you do? They're in this really weird place for me where the characters and names are clearly loaded to the brim with metaphors and meaning but you're still "only" telling a rewritten MARDEK story. Your characters have often had the tendency to feel more like archetypes rather than actual people, and when you're trying to convey so much meaning in your designs it starts to feel like you're trying to make some greater point - for instance, when you say that Nytsky (representing both "the beta male" and "night and darkness") is 'simping' for Lavent (who represents anxiety and depression?). It feels both deep and a bit clumsy at the same time, which is really weird! But maybe I'm just missing a piece of the puzzle and that'll change once I get to play the game and see the characters in action! That's surely different from just reading a synopsis of their personality.

Wow, you're on a roll! A MARDEK Steam release, reworking your Patreon, working on a Discord server and now this!

Looking at your release plans for Divine Dreams - are you sure dedicating yourself to a game series with multiple episodes is the right structure for this project? I know nothing about your production schedule, of course, but this feels like at least a 2 year project! Would it perhaps be a better idea to start off with making something that's more self-contained, in the same engine, maybe? People who just play one of the middle chapters of the game as a demo might not get a complete impression.

And those designs certainly look really cool! I can sympathise with Dayvha, being a bit of a gangly nerd myself!! From looking at the design I can really tell what kind of guy he is. I'd agree with you that he's certainly a lot more interesting than Mardek!

One of the things I feel limits me from really "getting" the character relationships and designs maybe is that maybe I don't understand the big picture like you do? They're in this really weird place for me where the characters and names are clearly loaded to the brim with metaphors and meaning but you're still "only" telling a rewritten MARDEK story. Your characters have often had the tendency to feel more like archetypes rather than actual people, and when you're trying to convey so much meaning in your designs it starts to feel like you're trying to make some greater point - for instance, when you say that Nytsky (representing both "the beta male" and "night and darkness") is 'simping' for Lavent (who represents anxiety and depression?). It feels both deep and a bit clumsy at the same time, which is really weird! But maybe I'm just missing a piece of the puzzle and that'll change once I get to play the game and see the characters in action! That's surely different from just reading a synopsis of their personality.

Tobias 1115~4Y

The whole trilogy would be something like a 4-6 year project, if things go well. Ideally less, but when are things ever ideal? Something more fragmented is what I was trying to describe though: three big 'Chapters' which are each made up of six smaller 'Episodes'. I could probably finish those episodes in a month or so (they'd be about as long as the Taming Dreams ones, which took about that long once I'd laid the groundwork), but I wouldn't want to release them all as Finished Games on Steam as they're ready because I want the freedom to go back and revise earlier ones if necessary, I don't feel they'd individually be worth a cost, and the release process itself is so long and drawn-out that I'd be spending half my time just preparing store pages and stuff.

So what I proposed makes the most sense to me: releasing these six small episodes as I finish them to Patreon supporters (and/or Kickstarter backers or whatever), then combining them into a Game when they're done and releasing that on Steam. The production of the Game would take likely over a year, but the production of each Episode would be much quicker.

I do indeed have the big picture in my head, but can't exactly share it without spoiling everything, so there's always going to be that limitation there for onlookers! I try my best to explain at length, but I know it'll never be the same as actually playing the whole thing.

While I'm aiming to create interesting characters, the fact is that I'm making a JRPG for Steam, not writing a fancy novel people in tweed suits could read while puffing on pipes (silly way of putting it). By that I mean I'm not exactly aiming to write ~Literature~ here. It's still a game where a lot of problems are solved with swords and sorcery, where a sword slash to the face produces floating numbers rather than blood. So I quite like the bright, bold colours, and characters who are equally as bright and bold in their depictions.

I suppose it's like how a lot of mythological characters could be described as archetypes rather nuanced, subtle characters. Sometimes those are the best types of characters for the story you're trying to tell.

So what I proposed makes the most sense to me: releasing these six small episodes as I finish them to Patreon supporters (and/or Kickstarter backers or whatever), then combining them into a Game when they're done and releasing that on Steam. The production of the Game would take likely over a year, but the production of each Episode would be much quicker.

I do indeed have the big picture in my head, but can't exactly share it without spoiling everything, so there's always going to be that limitation there for onlookers! I try my best to explain at length, but I know it'll never be the same as actually playing the whole thing.

While I'm aiming to create interesting characters, the fact is that I'm making a JRPG for Steam, not writing a fancy novel people in tweed suits could read while puffing on pipes (silly way of putting it). By that I mean I'm not exactly aiming to write /~Literature~/ here. It's still a game where a lot of problems are solved with swords and sorcery, where a sword slash to the face produces floating numbers rather than blood. So I quite like the bright, bold colours, and characters who are equally as bright and bold in their depictions.

I suppose it's like how a lot of mythological characters could be described as archetypes rather nuanced, subtle characters. Sometimes those are the best types of characters for the story you're trying to tell.

astralwolf92~4Y

The new Elwyen looks like Tammy from Rick and Morty

purplerabbits148~4Y

I really like the contrasts the two pairs of characters have.

For the music angle I can see it a way of bringing back the idea of music from Sindrel song
(though probably not as complicated) I think 3 notes may be a good idea for. I think needing tk input the song every time may be tedious after a while, so maybe there is a mastery system that say if you get the song right like 10 times in a row, you unlocm the ability to cast it without needing to do the qte from then on?

With Nytsky's sweater, I am reminded a bit of the Psudolonewolf persona you used to go by.

Ampersand68~4Y

Ah, I see now! I definitely like these redesigns, as they bring a distinctive aesthetic to the game. Whereas MARDEK was a rather generic fantasy setting, this one seems more like something you'd find in a 90s adventure game, or like you mentioned, quirky fantasy series like Discworld. I'm about to make lots of suggestions based on personal taste; note that I'm not a character designer, so take it with a grain of salt.

On that note, I definitely think the change from being a swordsman to a magic-user would work great for Dayvha, both from a plot and aesthetic standpoint. Those glasses are a great addition, just waiting to get knocked off at a suitably dramatic juncture (not to mention the inevitable "Sunglasses at Night" reference)! The more "modern" look also makes me more comfortable with him being called "Dave" all the time.

Nytsky is definitely a name I'll be mispronouncing habitually, and kinda makes me feel like his weapon of choice would be sewing needles, especially since he's wearing that big old jumper. I do like the look of the turtleneck/bandana thing going on, though perhaps a muffler might be more distinctive? It'd be the kind of thing lots of teenage guys would wear in an attempt to look "cool". It could also make him look more timid if it covers his mouth, and might make for a parallel between him and Dave- Nytsky expresses himself through his eyes, while Davha expresses himself with his mouth.

I'm not 100% sold on Lavent's sheer dress thingy, but that might be because it's lacking in detail. Lace patterns might help, and could help -imply- the feeling of transparency without necessarily being so. I really like the interplay with the dress and the sweatpants though- even if the whole thing isn't transparent, it could be its own discreet skirt- or tutu-like thing, like she's some kind of frumpy Sugar Plum Fairy.

I really like the warm tones of Sirena's design. The bird symbolism is nice and subtle too, though she does evoke aquatic "surfer girl" vibes as well, which might be just as well given what she's named after. I do like the idea of slightly differing mechanics for different fighting styles as well- reminds me of how in Undertale different weapons would require different input patterns to use. Undertale only used "rhythm" elements (timing button presses) though, and I certainly think utilizing button combinations together with rhythm elements could be a fun mechanic, especially if you could learn multiple "songs" and learn more as you advance.

Overall, I think you're going in a good direction by refining the game to be more unique, with its own personality reflected in the character designs and world. I certainly wouldn't want you to regret going for a "safe" choice just because fans are nostalgic about it, both for reasons of artistic integrity as well as how it reflects in the final product. This post has certainly made me more excited to see how it turns out, at least!

EDIT: So, seeing other people talk about Sirena's name, I have my own suggestion- Cyrenna (or even Cyrene), which incorporates the sound of "Siren" while also referencing the Cyrenaic philosophy, a sensual hedonist school of thought. I feel like that fits her character quite well, and reading up on the Cyrenaics generally might provide some insight into and appreciation for the reasoning behind what you'd typically think of as a generic "flirty" character acrchetype or even "broken bird" that acts out their trauma through provocative behavior, by framing things in a more intellectual light, a kind of outlook on life defined by something more positive/proactive than a Freudian "this girl has issues so that's why she acts this way".
[LINK]

There's also the mythic connection- Cyrene was a mythological Greek princess (and possibly a water nymph) who was the lover of Apollo, god of the sun, oracles, healing, and music.

On that note, I definitely think the change from being a swordsman to a magic-user would work great for Dayvha, both from a plot and aesthetic standpoint. Those glasses are a great addition, just waiting to get knocked off at a suitably dramatic juncture (not to mention the inevitable "Sunglasses at Night" reference)! The more "modern" look also makes me more comfortable with him being called "Dave" all the time.

Nytsky is definitely a name I'll be mispronouncing habitually, and kinda makes me feel like his weapon of choice would be sewing needles, especially since he's wearing that big old jumper. I do like the look of the turtleneck/bandana thing going on, though perhaps a muffler might be more distinctive? It'd be the kind of thing lots of teenage guys would wear in an attempt to look "cool". It could also make him look more timid if it covers his mouth, and might make for a parallel between him and Dave- Nytsky expresses himself through his eyes, while Davha expresses himself with his mouth.

I'm not 100% sold on Lavent's sheer dress thingy, but that might be because it's lacking in detail. Lace patterns might help, and could help -imply- the feeling of transparency without necessarily being so. I really like the interplay with the dress and the sweatpants though- even if the whole thing isn't transparent, it could be its own discreet skirt- or tutu-like thing, like she's some kind of frumpy Sugar Plum Fairy.

I really like the warm tones of Sirena's design. The bird symbolism is nice and subtle too, though she does evoke aquatic "surfer girl" vibes as well, which might be just as well given what she's named after. I do like the idea of slightly differing mechanics for different fighting styles as well- reminds me of how in Undertale different weapons would require different input patterns to use. Undertale only used "rhythm" elements (timing button presses) though, and I certainly think utilizing button combinations together with rhythm elements could be a fun mechanic, especially if you could learn multiple "songs" and learn more as you advance.

Overall, I think you're going in a good direction by refining the game to be more unique, with its own personality reflected in the character designs and world. I certainly wouldn't want you to regret going for a "safe" choice just because fans are nostalgic about it, both for reasons of artistic integrity as well as how it reflects in the final product. This post has certainly made me more excited to see how it turns out, at least!

EDIT: So, seeing other people talk about Sirena's name, I have my own suggestion- Cyrenna (or even Cyrene), which incorporates the sound of "Siren" while also referencing the Cyrenaic philosophy, a sensual hedonist school of thought. I feel like that fits her character quite well, and reading up on the Cyrenaics generally might provide some insight into and appreciation for the reasoning behind what you'd typically think of as a generic "flirty" character acrchetype or even "broken bird" that acts out their trauma through provocative behavior, by framing things in a more intellectual light, a kind of outlook on life defined by something more positive/proactive than a Freudian "this girl has issues so that's why she acts this way".
https://www.iep.utm.edu/cyren/

There's also the mythic connection- Cyrene was a mythological Greek princess (and possibly a water nymph) who was the lover of Apollo, god of the sun, oracles, healing, and music.

Tobias 1115~4Y

I had to look up the term 'muffler', but I think I know what you mean, and that does seem like a good fit! I particularly like the idea of him hiding his mouth like Dayvha hides his eyes; I'm not sure I'll go with it, but I'll definitely do some more concept art where I play around with it!

I still need to play Undertale (one of these days!!!), so it's interesting it has some mechanic like that. I was imagining something like Ocarina of Time's ocarina playing for this, except you also have to keep in time, but does Undertale just require one button you have to press to a rhythm?

The Cyrene suggestion is a very interesting one! I just did a bit of reading about that, and I can see how it could be fitting. One of the things I've been wondering about the character is what her Abstract/Real personality rune might be. Is she abstract - or "a" if not "A" - because she feels stifled in her humdrum life and longs for fantastical adventures, has her head in the clouds? Or is she Realistic because she's very sensual, sexual, physical? Is she those things, though? Does she need to be? A name like that hints at an R, though it's also interesting that the Cyrenaics were hedonistic because of abstract, philosophical reasoning (though I wonder how many used that as an excuse, realistically), which would be A? Maybe? Using a balanced x just seems like giving up though!

It's something I'm still thinking about, but I really like the Cyrene name so I'll definitely give that some thought! Thanks for suggesting it!

I think a philosophical regard for pleasure as the ultimate good would be a bit high-minded for what I have planned for this character though. Mostly she's just felt lonely all her life because her parents often neglected her, so she's developed what psychologists would call an Ambivalent-Insecure Attachment Style which, combined with her extroversion, leads to attention-seeking. Cliche, maybe, but it's common because it's a real thing that happens! So relatable, then?

I still need to play Undertale (one of these days!!!), so it's interesting it has some mechanic like that. I was imagining something like Ocarina of Time's ocarina playing for this, except you also have to keep in time, but does Undertale just require one button you have to press to a rhythm?

The Cyrene suggestion is a very interesting one! I just did a bit of reading about that, and I can see how it could be fitting. One of the things I've been wondering about the character is what her Abstract/Real personality rune might be. Is she abstract - or "a" if not "A" - because she feels stifled in her humdrum life and longs for fantastical adventures, has her head in the clouds? Or is she Realistic because she's very sensual, sexual, physical? /Is/ she those things, though? Does she need to be? A name like that hints at an R, though it's also interesting that the Cyrenaics were hedonistic because of abstract, philosophical reasoning (though I wonder how many used that as an excuse, realistically), which would be A? Maybe? Using a balanced x just seems like giving up though!

It's something I'm still thinking about, but I really like the Cyrene name so I'll definitely give that some thought! Thanks for suggesting it!

I think a philosophical regard for pleasure as the ultimate good would be a bit high-minded for what I have planned for this character though. Mostly she's just felt lonely all her life because her parents often neglected her, so she's developed what psychologists would call an Ambivalent-Insecure Attachment Style which, combined with her extroversion, leads to attention-seeking. Cliche, maybe, but it's common because it's a real thing that happens! So relatable, then?

Ampersand68~4Y

Undertale is less rhythm per se than it is multiple timed button presses, the timing and number of presses dependent on the type of weapon (there's even one weapon where you have to mash the command button multiple times to do damage). It does have a musical puzzle based on pressing four keys representing notes (up/down/left/right) though. Interesting to note- originally the only clue was a tune you would have to listen to and copy, though later releases had the appropriate keys fade in over time for people who got stuck.

I'm glad you liked my naming suggestion (as an aside, just realized that Cyrene sounds similar to "Serene" as well as "Siren")! I find characters with "hidden depths" fascinating, personally, especially characters whose usually cheerful and carefree exterior belies a more thoughtful, contemplative character underneath. I don't even mean like, a self-constructed philosophical schema per se, but more a reflection of conscious decision-making to act and think in a certain way- which isn't to say the character doesn't also have unresolved emotional issues as a motivation, of course they should, that's what makes characters interesting! Thinking of it less as being a "rational" actor deducing from first principles than as having a -rationale- for one's behavior. Even if they're driven by id, they're making a conscious, rather than subconscious decision to follow it, which I feel allows the character more agency in their actions.

Of course, this is ultimately your character, just thought I'd articulate my thoughts on what I was thinking about when I made that connection to ancient Greek philosophy- not that I'd rather she be some high-minded scholar, but rather that she -chooses- this pleasure-seeking path after reflecting on her life experiences. A product of one's environment, but not a complete victim of it.

I admit, though, that I love the idea of a hedonistic skeptic in a world where mind is literally over matter and "gods" actually exist(ed). And the Cyreniac version of this is a lot less Naytheist arbitrary skepticism than it is a kind of solipsism, that one cannot know that which is not oneself (and that which is real is what affects me), which I do think fits the mindset of someone who's been lonely/lonesome her entire life (i.e. one cannot really -know- others or even the world at large, only one's own sensations/feelings). Which I guess would lean towards the Realistic side of things? Finding security in concrete, tangible things, rather than the promise of abstract happiness which may not end up working out (and which she's not even sure really -exists-). In a way it's a pretty pragmatic, even cynical way to think about life and relationships, which would be a nice contrast with the surface-level cheer (which is not even necessarily affected so much as it is self-aware). This could even be tied back to the bird motif- birds live life as it comes, "freely", with no goals or awareness of anything besides what's immediately in front of them- basically, carpe diem, as do the birds.

I feel like philosophical concepts in media don't need to be as high-handed as they are usually presented; for example, Nier: Automata showcases quite a variety of philosophies without reading like a college textbook, and has a big emotional payoff as a result. At the end of the day, they're observations on the human condition, in the same way that art is.

I'm glad you liked my naming suggestion (as an aside, just realized that Cyrene sounds similar to "Serene" as well as "Siren")! I find characters with "hidden depths" fascinating, personally, especially characters whose usually cheerful and carefree exterior belies a more thoughtful, contemplative character underneath. I don't even mean like, a self-constructed philosophical schema per se, but more a reflection of conscious decision-making to act and think in a certain way- which isn't to say the character doesn't also have unresolved emotional issues as a motivation, of course they should, that's what makes characters interesting! Thinking of it less as being a "rational" actor deducing from first principles than as having a -rationale- for one's behavior. Even if they're driven by id, they're making a conscious, rather than subconscious decision to follow it, which I feel allows the character more agency in their actions.

Of course, this is ultimately your character, just thought I'd articulate my thoughts on what I was thinking about when I made that connection to ancient Greek philosophy- not that I'd rather she be some high-minded scholar, but rather that she -chooses- this pleasure-seeking path after reflecting on her life experiences. A product of one's environment, but not a complete victim of it.

I admit, though, that I love the idea of a hedonistic skeptic in a world where mind is literally over matter and "gods" actually exist(ed). And the Cyreniac version of this is a lot less Naytheist arbitrary skepticism than it is a kind of solipsism, that one cannot know that which is not oneself (and that which is real is what affects me), which I do think fits the mindset of someone who's been lonely/lonesome her entire life (i.e. one cannot really -know- others or even the world at large, only one's own sensations/feelings). Which I guess would lean towards the Realistic side of things? Finding security in concrete, tangible things, rather than the promise of abstract happiness which may not end up working out (and which she's not even sure really -exists-). In a way it's a pretty pragmatic, even cynical way to think about life and relationships, which would be a nice contrast with the surface-level cheer (which is not even necessarily affected so much as it is self-aware). This could even be tied back to the bird motif- birds live life as it comes, "freely", with no goals or awareness of anything besides what's immediately in front of them- basically, carpe diem, as do the birds.

I feel like philosophical concepts in media don't need to be as high-handed as they are usually presented; for example, Nier: Automata showcases quite a variety of philosophies without reading like a college textbook, and has a big emotional payoff as a result. At the end of the day, they're observations on the human condition, in the same way that art is.

Astreon152~4Y

How about Cywren then ?

Yes, "w" is my favourite letter in the alphabet :)

Tobias 1115~4Y

Cywren has Elwyen's w, and it also hints at cyan, which her hair colour is a shade of. Hmm! I like that!

Ampersand68~4Y

I like it too, it even retains that vaguely Welsh-looking aspect from Elwyen!

Interesting side-note: Cyrene means "Sovreign Queen" and the Wren is considered the "King of Birds". Probably not relevant, but a coincidence I found neat.

JohnnyBoi45~4Y

Wow! I am so interested in this new cast now! Bullet pointed thoughts incoming:

- Dayvha's design (and the others) make so much more sense now. I think before it seemed like he was just Mardek reskinned who got a haircut, but now it's an actual new, fully realized character. He seems so fun! I fully support making him a mage character, we need more mages as main protagonists.

- I didn't realize the Nytsky/Nightsky thing until you mentioned it, and I love it because it's just subtle enough that the first time I read it I did think he was just Russian. Quality punning there.

- I like that Dayvha/Sirena seem very modern and summer/beach themed, and Nytsky/Lavent are this more wintery combo of peasant wear/pajamas.

All in all, I am quite excited to see what antics these crazy characters get into.

Refurin24~4Y

I didn't get to comment on any of the earlier posts (and thought it'd be weird to go back and post on them), so I guess I should start now.

Although I really didn't like the first potential redesign for Mardek (for basically the same reasons as everyone else has said), I do like this new one for the most part. I'm still hesitant on the changes to him as a character, but I find it easier to think of him as not Mardek at all, what with him looking different, having a different name and behaving differently. He's someone else, so of course he doesn't act the same!!!

I don't think that name for Deugan is something I could get used to, though. As soon as I saw it I did just think that it looked oddly russian like you commented on, but also I definitely read it as "nit-skee", and not "night sky", which sounds way less trying-to-be-cool and more like a generic villain-servant-goblin-man.

I think overall the names are what I'm the least fond of here, the visual designs are all nice and still feel more or less like the original characters. Names like "Lavent" and "Sirena" I could get used to, but "Dayvha" and "Nytsky" feel kinda difficult and don't do anything for me.

Although I guess for Dayvha it fits since he is meant to be different? And most people will probably take to calling him Dave anyway since it's easier (I know I would!), so that's probably fine?

I'm not sure how many in-person conversations you've had where you're talking with others about MARDEK characters but pronouncing Sslen'ck and Elwyen in normal conversation is annoying! I personally drop some sounds from Elwyen (el-oo-en) and some people I know just say "Slenk". It's just easier.

Funny that characters calling him Dave could be a part of the game though, as it reminds me of a Square Enix RPG that probably few people know of or care about called "The Last Remnant".

In that game the ruler of some big city is called "David" (pronounced Dah-veed), but the protagonist just calls them Dave even from the first time they meet them (which is treated as very disrespectful and not taken very well).

I wouldn't imagine it's inspired by that otherwise you'd have mentioned it, but I find how strongly it parallels that to be amusing.

I think I wrote too much, so I'll just summarise the actual feedback I have (if you can call it that since it's all subjective).

- For me the name Nytsky doesn't work at all. It doesn't really fit and it seems difficult for no reason.

- I'd definitely prefer if names were easy to parse/pronounce unless there's a particular reason for them not to be, since talking about characters like that is cumbersome.

- I like the visual designs. Since these are clearly the "aged" versions of them, I'm curious to see what they'll look like at the beginning (what with Dayvha being an entirely different person and all). I wonder if we'll see that any time soon.

I didn't get to comment on any of the earlier posts (and thought it'd be weird to go back and post on them), so I guess I should start now.

Although I really didn't like the first potential redesign for Mardek (for basically the same reasons as everyone else has said), I do like this new one for the most part. I'm still hesitant on the changes to him as a character, but I find it easier to think of him as not Mardek at all, what with him looking different, having a different name and behaving differently. He's someone else, so of course he doesn't act the same!!!

I don't think that name for Deugan is something I could get used to, though. As soon as I saw it I did just think that it looked oddly russian like you commented on, but also I definitely read it as "nit-skee", and not "night sky", which sounds way less trying-to-be-cool and more like a generic villain-servant-goblin-man.

I think overall the names are what I'm the least fond of here, the visual designs are all nice and still feel more or less like the original characters. Names like "Lavent" and "Sirena" I could get used to, but "Dayvha" and "Nytsky" feel kinda difficult and don't do anything for me.

Although I guess for Dayvha it fits since he is meant to be different? And most people will probably take to calling him Dave anyway since it's easier (I know I would!), so that's probably fine?

I'm not sure how many in-person conversations you've had where you're talking with others about MARDEK characters but pronouncing Sslen'ck and Elwyen in normal conversation is annoying! I personally drop some sounds from Elwyen (el-oo-en) and some people I know just say "Slenk". It's just easier.

Funny that characters calling him Dave could be a part of the game though, as it reminds me of a Square Enix RPG that probably few people know of or care about called "The Last Remnant".

In that game the ruler of some big city is called "David" (pronounced Dah-veed), but the protagonist just calls them Dave even from the first time they meet them (which is treated as very disrespectful and not taken very well).

I wouldn't imagine it's inspired by that otherwise you'd have mentioned it, but I find how strongly it parallels that to be amusing.

I think I wrote too much, so I'll just summarise the actual feedback I have (if you can call it that since it's all subjective).

- For me the name Nytsky doesn't work at all. It doesn't really fit and it seems difficult for no reason.

- I'd definitely prefer if names were easy to parse/pronounce unless there's a particular reason for them not to be, since talking about characters like that is cumbersome.

- I like the visual designs. Since these are clearly the "aged" versions of them, I'm curious to see what they'll look like at the beginning (what with Dayvha being an entirely different person and all). I wonder if we'll see that any time soon.

Tobias 1115~4Y

It's a shame you don't like Dayvha and Nystsky, since I personally like them a lot!

I do understand the issues with them though. I'm inclined to read Nytsky as "NIT-skee" (though I notice the more time I spend with it, the more that inclination fades), but I can easily imagine playing with that in the game. Maybe his real name is something very mundane like Norman or Nigell, and Dayvha always calls him that but gets corrected. Maybe Steele would call him 'Nit', which would really rile him up because that's not even how you pronounce it uggghhh!!!

(Actually, maybe it is Norman, and Dave calls him 'Normie', which really gets on his nerves!)

It seems that playing with weird names like this is something I've always liked to see in other media (annoyingly no examples come to mind though), and which I've always enjoyed incorporating into my own. I mean, I had a character called Caoimhe (pronounced 'KEE-vuh') at one point! And of course there are names like Elwyen which I had in MARDEK. The common trouble with Sslen'ck (the apostrophe is a schwha sound, an 'uh') has always confused me though since it seemed like one of the more obvious pronunciations with less room for variable interpretation to me. Not to everyone, clearly!

A lot of people I've been close to in the Real World have odd names too, and it's something that I always find pleasing. My own name's relatively unusual; that probably has a lot to do with it. Did you ever have to correct teachers about how to pronounce your name? I certainly did! Maybe a lifetime of that is where the interest was born.

I know it's not something everyone would love, but I like it a whole lot, so... hmm...

Oh, and I've never played The Last Remnant (I thought I had, but I was thinking of The Last Story), but that's an interesting coincidence! I imagine in the original Japanese that was a case of him showing disrespect by using the wrong honourifics, since that's common in a lot of Japanese work, being a huge part of their culture as it is. Using an inappropriate nickname often seems to be how it's (frequently clunkily) translated.

I'm not planning to have them start as children; instead the fantasy intro would be a D&D-like campaign they're playing at this age. Less work!

It's a shame you don't like Dayvha and Nystsky, since I personally like them a lot!

I do understand the issues with them though. I'm inclined to read Nytsky as "NIT-skee" (though I notice the more time I spend with it, the more that inclination fades), but I can easily imagine playing with that in the game. Maybe his real name is something very mundane like Norman or Nigell, and Dayvha always calls him that but gets corrected. Maybe Steele would call him 'Nit', which would really rile him up because /that's not even how you pronounce it uggghhh!!!/

(Actually, maybe it is Norman, and /Dave/ calls him 'Normie', which really gets on his nerves!)

It seems that playing with weird names like this is something I've always liked to see in other media (annoyingly no examples come to mind though), and which I've always enjoyed incorporating into my own. I mean, I had a character called Caoimhe (pronounced 'KEE-vuh') at one point! And of course there are names like Elwyen which I had in MARDEK. The common trouble with Sslen'ck (the apostrophe is a schwha sound, an 'uh') has always confused me though since it seemed like one of the more obvious pronunciations with less room for variable interpretation to me. Not to everyone, clearly!

A lot of people I've been close to in the Real World have odd names too, and it's something that I always find pleasing. My own name's relatively unusual; that probably has a lot to do with it. Did you ever have to correct teachers about how to pronounce your name? I certainly did! Maybe a lifetime of that is where the interest was born.

I know it's not something everyone would love, but I like it a whole lot, so... hmm...

Oh, and I've never played The Last Remnant (I thought I had, but I was thinking of The Last Story), but that's an interesting coincidence! I imagine in the original Japanese that was a case of him showing disrespect by using the wrong honourifics, since that's common in a lot of Japanese work, being a huge part of their culture as it is. Using an inappropriate nickname often seems to be how it's (frequently clunkily) translated.

I'm not planning to have them start as children; instead the fantasy intro would be a D&D-like campaign they're playing at this age. Less work!

Refurin24~4Y

I often had to correct teachers on my last name when names would be called out (usually every day to the same person for a long time who surely should have learnt it at some point).

I always found it annoying because it meant that I had to speak up over everybody and then everybody would be looking at me and it was very uncomfortable. I am sure at some point I just gave up entirely and accepted that the name people used sounded far worse.

I do like to use weird names in my own stuff sometimes, but usually much more sparingly. And I think also generally when I want somebody to seem very different.

I think I guess what I would say is that it doesn't really matter if people pronounce things "wrong" (they can have their own idea of how the name is pronounced), though I think it's good if everybody can easily come up with at least some sort of pronunciation, even if it's not technically the correct one.

So Nytsky does that, although I think the issue for me comes from the fact that the intended way is so radically different from what seems like the obvious way that it has the exact opposite effect (with the whole "COOL" sounding like "monstrously silly").

Unfortunately in general this seems like an issue born of using solely text, if characters ever spoke their names then you could hear it and just repeat it (and also probably look at the name and question your sanity when they don't line up at all), compared to having to basically decipher the name yourself.

Maybe an awkward roundabout solution to getting people to understand the right way to say a name is much like with "Dave", to have a nickname that sounds more like the actual name to subtly stick in their mind what it's meant to sound like. Not a good example since it kinda defeats the point but like if some people referred to Nytsky as "Night" or something similar then maybe it'd help. Or maybe it wouldn't at all! I could be entirely wrong! I probably am!

Maybe nobody would care but me, I just look back on when I grew up with friends and family who enjoyed the games and we all pronounced names wrong to each other because we had no clue how to say any of them.

Also that's a shame, the intro of Mardek and Deugan playing as kids with sticks was something I really enjoyed because it mirrored how I grew up. Me and my brother would always run around with sticks (and had a particular fondness for the long thin ones that make a very satisfying "whoosh") and pretend to be Final Fantasy Man or whatever silly made up characters we surely produced. We even made our own weapons out of wood eventually, it was quite fun!

Fun fact, did you know that my brother's name is Zach (and not the far more common Zac or Zack)? Well now you do. That was another neat little parallel between MARDEK and my life.

I often had to correct teachers on my last name when names would be called out (usually every day to the same person for a long time who surely should have learnt it at some point).

I always found it annoying because it meant that I had to speak up over everybody and then everybody would be looking at me and it was very uncomfortable. I am sure at some point I just gave up entirely and accepted that the name people used sounded far worse.

I do like to use weird names in my own stuff sometimes, but usually much more sparingly. And I think also generally when I want somebody to seem very different.

I think I guess what I would say is that it doesn't really matter if people pronounce things "wrong" (they can have their own idea of how the name is pronounced), though I think it's good if everybody can easily come up with at least some sort of pronunciation, even if it's not technically the correct one.

So Nytsky does that, although I think the issue for me comes from the fact that the intended way is so radically different from what seems like the obvious way that it has the exact opposite effect (with the whole "COOL" sounding like "monstrously silly").

Unfortunately in general this seems like an issue born of using solely text, if characters ever spoke their names then you could hear it and just repeat it (and also probably look at the name and question your sanity when they don't line up at all), compared to having to basically decipher the name yourself.

Maybe an awkward roundabout solution to getting people to understand the right way to say a name is much like with "Dave", to have a nickname that sounds more like the actual name to subtly stick in their mind what it's meant to sound like. Not a good example since it kinda defeats the point but like if some people referred to Nytsky as "Night" or something similar then maybe it'd help. Or maybe it wouldn't at all! I could be entirely wrong! I probably am!

Maybe nobody would care but me, I just look back on when I grew up with friends and family who enjoyed the games and we all pronounced names wrong to each other because we had no clue how to say any of them.

Also that's a shame, the intro of Mardek and Deugan playing as kids with sticks was something I really enjoyed because it mirrored how I grew up. Me and my brother would always run around with sticks (and had a particular fondness for the long thin ones that make a very satisfying "whoosh") and pretend to be Final Fantasy Man or whatever silly made up characters we surely produced. We even made our own weapons out of wood eventually, it was quite fun!

Fun fact, did you know that my brother's name is Zach (and not the far more common Zac or Zack)? Well now you do. That was another neat little parallel between MARDEK and my life.

Maniafig222~4Y

I still need to get around to writing a MARDEK review... But it seems many people have already written one themselves! That's good, a high positive/negative review score ratio is something I always consider when deciding to make a purchase.

I'd like to see those notes one day! A novel's length sure does sound like a lot, I can imagine there's a lot of stuff in there that can still be used for Divine Dreams.

I think early access to every episode as it's finished would be a good incentive to donate! It would also give you more feedback while working on the project, which could let you iron out any kinks before they might have lasting impact on the rest of the plot.

The MARDEK extras sure were something! It really struck me how all the best parts of chapter 3 were not part of the original plans. The whole conflict between Qualna and Rohoph, the Dreamstone segments, the play bit and encounter with Lone Wolf. It seems as if all the best stuff was tacked onto the plans rather than originally part of them.

The plans for Emela in particular were just quite bizarre! Not at all what I could imagine her to be doing considering her character in chapter 3. And everything beyond chapter 4 just sounds like a lot of Stuff Happening!

And chapter 4 itself also seemed like it's be retreading much ground covered already by chapter 3, though the bits with the World's Saviours and the segment selection did sound neat.

Whaaat?! How could you say every singular detail of Luso's outfit isn't deeply meaningful?! I'm not sure I'd even describe outfits like these as cool or sexy, but more just plain silly and ridiculous!

Female characters in particular get it really bad, having to pose in ways to show off as much tits and ass and getting very little variety in body types and whatnot.

Anyway, I do like you redesign sketches! They certainly convey more personality than all the ones above. If anything I think it's good you just stick to keeping the drawings pragmatic, conveying the point is the whole point of these drawings after all!

Time to guess the characters!!

-Dayvha/Dharma
-Nytsky
-Lavent
-Sirena
-Meraeadyth
-Gloria
-Legion (Meraeadyth's parents and Saul?)
-A Sindrel
-A Varnyn
-SUPER SECRET 12TH CHARACTER WHO IS AN ELARNA TRILOBITE GOBLIN (Did you know Goblin has six letters? It's almost too perfect!!)

Anyway, it's quite obvious who they're all based on!

I will forever mourn the loss of used car salesman beach jock Dayvha. Alas, what could have been.

The DD sunglasses are really silly, and I do like them! It also fits the Dayvha/Dharma thing well.

I'm amused you ever even considered Nitrus, that sounds like the name for a character in a racing game or something!

I shall not tolerate any smack-talking of the beautiful fan-fiction My Immortal!! It is a precious work of art. I love how the name Ebony gets misspelled 90% of the time in the work itself!

I'm glad to see Deugan does retain much of his characterization from Taming Dreams! I find the relation he had to Mardek's father interesting, it kind of combines how admiration towards Enki and Social Fox from the original in a more natural way.

I suppose the shirt design will depend on whatever best works when conveyed through a 3D model. The Anguisp one seems like it'll be simpler to render in a legible manner!

Interesting that orange is the most common colour. I think I usually used the green hair colours for the Meek in my quests, since I liked those colours the most. I was also found of the white hair option, and not just for elderly characters!

Lavent's concept art certainly gets the depressed angle across! It's really rare to see female characters looking so disheveled in games, usually they have to be as attractive as can be, or at most just cozily homely. It kind of makes me think of that silly Doomer Girl meme thing.

The thing about nipples reminds me of that time Tumblr banned nipples, but only specifically female-presenting-nipples. Which would imply posting a nude woman would be OK if you photoshopped male nipples over her nipples. Silly!!

Anyway, I do like where you wound up with her design! It certainly stands out more then her old, bland Mardek design.

A lot of those name ideas would fit right into Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way's name! I do like Lavent, anyway! It also contains the word vent, maybe she likes venting?!

I hope to see more of those silhouettes unsilhouetted eventually!!

I look forward to Sirena smashing enemies with her ukulele. Maybe every time she wins a battle she smashes her ukulele on the floor while making a crazed expression, tosses it aside and materializes a new one from behind her back. I think you've shown off that caged bird design somewhere before! Maybe in this blog when talking about the personal nightmare thing...

Anyway, I think the design came out well! It certainly conveys the character well! It's also still very recognizable as being an updated version of Elwyen!

Elwyen's middle name in MARDEK was Sirene, so her new name actually is still very similar to the old one! I like to think that somehow Dayvha still has troubles pronouncing her name though, despite how simple it should be.

But what about Steele?!

I like the contrast between the two pairs! You can tell how Nytsky and Dayvha would get along despite their differences.

I hope that when the tutorial happens and Nytsky keeps telling Dayvha to just stick with basic attacks, you can choose to tame instead and make Nytsky exasperated with Dayvha's constant attempts to derail his generic fantasy plot!

"N-nooooo!! My dark and brooding fantasy story! This isn't lore-accurate! You can't just solve everything peacefully!"
"haha friendship go brrrr"

I like the wand flute! I can already see Nytsky trying to make a meat flute joke and failing miserably!!

Having to do QTEs every time you try to attack might get tedious! It might also be annoying to balance for people who're not good at QTEs. Perhaps that's why it was cut from MARDEK 3?

Anyway, yes! It's interesting getting a look behind the scenes and thoughts on character design! I've been enjoying these Divine Dreams bogs for that reason! I look forward to them every week!

I'd like to see those notes one day! A novel's length sure does sound like a lot, I can imagine there's a lot of stuff in there that can still be used for Divine Dreams.

I think early access to every episode as it's finished would be a good incentive to donate! It would also give you more feedback while working on the project, which could let you iron out any kinks before they might have lasting impact on the rest of the plot.

The MARDEK extras sure were something! It really struck me how all the best parts of chapter 3 were not part of the original plans. The whole conflict between Qualna and Rohoph, the Dreamstone segments, the play bit and encounter with Lone Wolf. It seems as if all the best stuff was tacked onto the plans rather than originally part of them.

The plans for Emela in particular were just quite bizarre! Not at all what I could imagine her to be doing considering her character in chapter 3. And everything beyond chapter 4 just sounds like a lot of Stuff Happening!

And chapter 4 itself also seemed like it's be retreading much ground covered already by chapter 3, though the bits with the World's Saviours and the segment selection did sound neat.

Whaaat?! How could you say every singular detail of Luso's outfit isn't deeply meaningful?! I'm not sure I'd even describe outfits like these as cool or sexy, but more just plain silly and ridiculous!

Female characters in particular get it really bad, having to pose in ways to show off as much tits and ass and getting very little variety in body types and whatnot.

Anyway, I do like you redesign sketches! They certainly convey more personality than all the ones above. If anything I think it's good you just stick to keeping the drawings pragmatic, conveying the point is the whole point of these drawings after all!

Time to guess the characters!!

-Dayvha/Dharma
-Nytsky
-Lavent
-Sirena
-Meraeadyth
-Gloria
-Legion (Meraeadyth's parents and Saul?)
-A Sindrel
-A Varnyn
-SUPER SECRET 12TH CHARACTER WHO IS AN ELARNA TRILOBITE GOBLIN (Did you know Goblin has six letters? It's almost too perfect!!)

Anyway, it's quite obvious who they're all based on!

I will forever mourn the loss of used car salesman beach jock Dayvha. Alas, what could have been.

The DD sunglasses are really silly, and I do like them! It also fits the Dayvha/Dharma thing well.

I'm amused you ever even considered Nitrus, that sounds like the name for a character in a racing game or something!

I shall not tolerate any smack-talking of the beautiful fan-fiction My Immortal!! It is a precious work of art. I love how the name Ebony gets misspelled 90% of the time in the work itself!

I'm glad to see Deugan does retain much of his characterization from Taming Dreams! I find the relation he had to Mardek's father interesting, it kind of combines how admiration towards Enki and Social Fox from the original in a more natural way.

I suppose the shirt design will depend on whatever best works when conveyed through a 3D model. The Anguisp one seems like it'll be simpler to render in a legible manner!

Interesting that orange is the most common colour. I think I usually used the green hair colours for the Meek in my quests, since I liked those colours the most. I was also found of the white hair option, and not just for elderly characters!

Lavent's concept art certainly gets the depressed angle across! It's really rare to see female characters looking so disheveled in games, usually they have to be as attractive as can be, or at most just cozily homely. It kind of makes me think of that silly Doomer Girl meme thing.

The thing about nipples reminds me of that time Tumblr banned nipples, but only specifically female-presenting-nipples. Which would imply posting a nude woman would be OK if you photoshopped male nipples over her nipples. Silly!!

Anyway, I do like where you wound up with her design! It certainly stands out more then her old, bland Mardek design.

A lot of those name ideas would fit right into Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way's name! I do like Lavent, anyway! It also contains the word vent, maybe she likes venting?!

I hope to see more of those silhouettes unsilhouetted eventually!!

I look forward to Sirena smashing enemies with her ukulele. Maybe every time she wins a battle she smashes her ukulele on the floor while making a crazed expression, tosses it aside and materializes a new one from behind her back. I think you've shown off that caged bird design somewhere before! Maybe in this blog when talking about the personal nightmare thing...

Anyway, I think the design came out well! It certainly conveys the character well! It's also still very recognizable as being an updated version of Elwyen!

Elwyen's middle name in MARDEK was Sirene, so her new name actually is still very similar to the old one! I like to think that somehow Dayvha still has troubles pronouncing her name though, despite how simple it should be.

But what about Steele?!

I like the contrast between the two pairs! You can tell how Nytsky and Dayvha would get along despite their differences.

I hope that when the tutorial happens and Nytsky keeps telling Dayvha to just stick with basic attacks, you can choose to tame instead and make Nytsky exasperated with Dayvha's constant attempts to derail his generic fantasy plot!

"N-nooooo!! My dark and brooding fantasy story! This isn't lore-accurate! You can't just solve everything peacefully!"
"haha friendship go brrrr"

I like the wand flute! I can already see Nytsky trying to make a meat flute joke and failing miserably!!

Having to do QTEs every time you try to attack might get tedious! It might also be annoying to balance for people who're not good at QTEs. Perhaps that's why it was cut from MARDEK 3?

Anyway, yes! It's interesting getting a look behind the scenes and thoughts on character design! I've been enjoying these Divine Dreams bogs for that reason! I look forward to them every week!

Tobias 1115~4Y

Last time I checked, all 100% of the 50-ish(?) reviews were positive, but are there negative ones now?! Should I just not read them to avoid falling into despair when not everyone absolutely loves it even though their issues with it would be completely understandable and I'd probably agree with them?!?

Of those character guesses, I will say that "several" of them are accurate! I hope this is a satisfying answer!! And yes I did specifically notice that Goblin has six letters. Multiple times!

The villain of Crash Team Racing is called Nitros Oxide!

The Tumblr nipple thing sounds absolutely ridiculous... Did anyone ever get around it by photoshopping male nipples? And you say 'female-presenting'; could a male-presenting person with a pair of breasts post themselves topless??

"I'm Sirena!"
"You pronounce that 'el-OO-ee-en', right?", Dayvha would say, because unlike Mardek, he's intelligent.

I'm thinking of keeping Steele because it's already multi-layered! Steele steals steel stoles and steals away into the night.

Someone else mentioned that Undertale uses some kind of rhythm-based input based on weapons, but since I've not played that yet (shocking), is that completely different to the Ocarina-of-Time-like input I have in mind for these music skills? From what I recall, the main reason it didn't work in MARDEK was technical, though maybe it was just too inconvenient as well!

I wish I wasn't so tired!

Of those character guesses, I will say that "several" of them are accurate! I hope this is a satisfying answer!! And yes I did specifically notice that Goblin has six letters. Multiple times!

The villain of Crash Team Racing is called Nitros Oxide!

The Tumblr nipple thing sounds absolutely ridiculous... Did anyone ever get around it by photoshopping male nipples? And you say 'female-presenting'; could a male-presenting person with a pair of breasts post themselves topless??

"I'm Sirena!"
"You pronounce that 'el-OO-ee-en', right?", Dayvha would say, because unlike Mardek, he's intelligent.

I'm thinking of keeping Steele because it's already multi-layered! Steele steals steel stoles and steals away into the night.

Someone else mentioned that Undertale uses some kind of rhythm-based input based on weapons, but since I've not played that yet (shocking), is that completely different to the Ocarina-of-Time-like input I have in mind for these music skills? From what I recall, the main reason it didn't work in MARDEK was technical, though maybe it was just too inconvenient as well!

I wish I wasn't so tired!

Maniafig222~4Y

MARDEK is still at 100%! I'd say that anything above 90% stands out as being well-liked, that is my general benchmark for judging whether a game is appealing to its intended audience. Games with lower scores can of course also still be good, but I'd need to be made more sure it's my sort of game before I do buy it.

Several guesses correct!! I suppose it's very much possible that Gloria or Meraeadyth aren't quite on that list. Knocking one off would leave room for an Elarna character. I've not given up hope just yet!!

I wouldn't be surprised if people've tried, but I don't know if it actually works! The whole decision was very controversial, I believe the estimated value of Tumblr plummeted as a result of the policy update. It was bought for 1 billion and sold for less than 20 million, so less than 2% of its purchase value! The internet really likes its mature content!

I am curious what Dayvha would be like when talking to people. Cracking a lot of jokes? Also curious what his relation with Dharma would be like, or what Dharma himself is like in the first place!

The inputs in Undertale vary from weapon to weapon, but most function similar to rhythm games where a bar flies through the screen and you want to hit it as close to the centre as possible. Stronger weapons have more bars flying through the screen, so you need to hit several inputs to deal much damage. They all require the same input button, and there's no memorization involved.

I didn't enjoy memorizing the melodies in OoT and Majora's Mask! I also really hated doing Blitzes in FF6, I kicked Sabin out of my party whenever possible!

Paper Mario also has some attacks with a QTE where you need to input a randomized sequence of buttons, that seems similar to what you might be suggesting.

I suppose these systems could work for the basic physical combat, but considering that taming is a lot more complex, I'd rather not have to bother with the hassle of QTEs when doing those, the brainwork is already going into making efficient actions after all!

Several guesses correct!! I suppose it's very much possible that Gloria or Meraeadyth aren't quite on that list. Knocking one off would leave room for an Elarna character. I've not given up hope just yet!!

I wouldn't be surprised if people've tried, but I don't know if it actually works! The whole decision was very controversial, I believe the estimated value of Tumblr plummeted as a result of the policy update. It was bought for 1 billion and sold for less than 20 million, so less than 2% of its purchase value! The internet really likes its mature content!

I am curious what Dayvha would be like when talking to people. Cracking a lot of jokes? Also curious what his relation with Dharma would be like, or what Dharma himself is like in the first place!

The inputs in Undertale vary from weapon to weapon, but most function similar to rhythm games where a bar flies through the screen and you want to hit it as close to the centre as possible. Stronger weapons have more bars flying through the screen, so you need to hit several inputs to deal much damage. They all require the same input button, and there's no memorization involved.

I didn't enjoy memorizing the melodies in OoT and Majora's Mask! I also really hated doing Blitzes in FF6, I kicked Sabin out of my party whenever possible!

Paper Mario also has some attacks with a QTE where you need to input a randomized sequence of buttons, that seems similar to what you might be suggesting.

I suppose these systems could work for the basic physical combat, but considering that taming is a lot more complex, I'd rather not have to bother with the hassle of QTEs when doing those, the brainwork is already going into making efficient actions after all!

Falcon64~4Y

"Nytsky" certainly sounds Slavic to me. My first instinct is to read it as "nit ski". Perhaps that will change with time, but perhaps the silliness of it has appeal?

I much prefer "Lavent" to "Lament". Other regular words you've shown used as character names (Dharma, Blight) can be interpreted in multiple ways, while "lament" does not have such nuance, I feel. Names affect impressions, and a character named "Lament" would seem to me to be defined by her depression, to the exclusion of everything else. "Lavent" is a more interesting name, in my opinion, that still hints at her depression without just stating it outright. It also makes her seem potentially more nuanced (I'm sure she's more nuanced regardless; I'm talking just about the impression the name gives here)!

You seem to be reusing a lot of the story beats and character motivations from Taming Dreams. While they were certainly much more compelling than those of MARDEK (by virtue of even existing at all in some cases), the issue was that the player was being hit with them like with a sledgehammer, rather than discovering them gradually through gameplay. It was telling, rather than showing, essentially. I hope that Divine Dreams is going to be more subtle, and names can certainly be part of that.

Overall, I believe that changing the character names (and designs) is a good decision! The names of the main cast can be more meaningful rather than generic, to fit with other characters which did have their names changed already, and this does wonders, in my opinion, to stress the point that this isn't MARDEK, but a reimagining, moreso than anything else could.

I also really like the new designs, particularly Dayvha. It's even more silly than Mardek's original helmet!

"Nytsky" certainly sounds Slavic to me. My first instinct is to read it as "nit ski". Perhaps that will change with time, but perhaps the silliness of it has appeal?

I much prefer "Lavent" to "Lament". Other regular words you've shown used as character names (Dharma, Blight) can be interpreted in multiple ways, while "lament" does not have such nuance, I feel. Names affect impressions, and a character named "Lament" would seem to me to be defined by her depression, to the exclusion of everything else. "Lavent" is a more interesting name, in my opinion, that still hints at her depression without just stating it outright. It also makes her seem potentially more nuanced (I'm sure she's more nuanced regardless; I'm talking just about the impression the name gives here)!

You seem to be reusing a lot of the story beats and character motivations from Taming Dreams. While they were certainly much more compelling than those of MARDEK (by virtue of even existing at all in some cases), the issue was that the player was being hit with them like with a sledgehammer, rather than discovering them gradually through gameplay. It was telling, rather than showing, essentially. I hope that Divine Dreams is going to be more subtle, and names can certainly be part of that.

Overall, I believe that changing the character names (and designs) is a good decision! The names of the main cast can be more meaningful rather than generic, to fit with other characters which did have their names changed already, and this does wonders, in my opinion, to stress the point that this isn't MARDEK, but a reimagining, moreso than anything else could.

I also really like the new designs, particularly Dayvha. It's even more silly than Mardek's original helmet!

Tobias 1115~4Y

I also read Nytsky as "NIT-skee", but I like the idea of playing with that in the dialogue. An idea I just came up with while replying to someone else was having Steele call him 'Nit', to his great annoyance since that's not even the pronunciation. His actual name could also be Norman, and Dave calls him 'Normie' to his great annoyance.

Lament includes 'lame' (loserly, physically crippled, "(of a person) naive or inept, especially socially"), so it's not completely singular in meaning. Still, if Lavent sounds better, I'll likely stick with that!

How many other RPGs are subtle with their use of character, mythology references, etc? Maybe in high literature subtlety is best, but in an indie video game it seems less important to me! Perhaps I've improved as a writer since I wrote Taming Dreams though; I suppose we'll find out.

Falcon64~4Y

Ah, I'm not sure whether we're on the same page here. It's certainly fine for characters to be flashy and have evocative designs! You mentioned Discworld, and characters in there are, generally speaking, walking caricatures, and yet can still be compelling if need be, and even have character development!

What I meant was how, in Taming Dreams, characters tell you their entire life philosophy straight off the bat, and use their mottos, which summarize it, constantly. Essentially, I wouldn't want for Lavent to be like "Hello, I'm Lavent, I'm depressed."â€”her depression should be apparent from how she acts, and need not be stated outright!

Games actually have a lot more freedom here than books, as they can tell the story through a variety of media besides plain text. Character designs and music tell us things about the characters without text being involved. You mentioned how the Lake Hag is Sirena's "inner demon" in this version as well, which is another example of this. Even without Sirena telling us outright that she feels like a caged bird, her emotions are going to become apparent when we literally have to fight them!

What I meant was how, in Taming Dreams, characters tell you their entire life philosophy straight off the bat, and use their mottos, which summarize it, constantly. Essentially, I wouldn't want for Lavent to be like "Hello, I'm Lavent, I'm depressed."â€”her depression should be apparent from how she acts, and need not be stated outright!

Games actually have a lot more freedom here than books, as they can tell the story through a variety of media besides plain text. Character designs and music tell us things about the characters without text being involved. You mentioned how the Lake Hag is Sirena's "inner demon" in this version as well, which is another example of this. Even without Sirena telling us outright that she feels like a caged bird, her emotions are going to become apparent when we literally have to fight them!

Dingding32167~4Y

I really enjoyed reading this! Especially since I've been refreshing the page to see what you've been up to and how MARDEK on Steam has been doing.

I did have the same thought that it would be weird if Mardek was the only one changed, but with this revamped cast I'm a lot happier with the new direction! The characters were very recognizable from their original counterparts but the work you've put into them really shows, especially for Elywen. I also like that they're not all meant to be attractive as such, and especially appreciated the chubbier Nytsky compared to the original concept art you drew for him, as I feel that's also quite rare but an accurate "geek" portrayal as you mention later. I find the Sorrow blue on Lavent and Fear purple on Nytsky too similar to distinguish without having read your notes, but as a first draft stands it's very impressive. There were originally things that I didn't quite like at first, but knowing that you chose those "cringey" designs specifically made it fine in a running inside-joke sort of way.

Not much to say on Dayvha other than I'm getting way more used to typing his name and knowing the pronunciation and "day" is there on purpose helps :P

As mentioned, I find the chubby Nytsky refreshing, though the "original" concept art looks more familiar. I definitely like the war tribe purple paint stripes, and I'm glad to see they reappeared on the contrast with Dayvha if not the 4-cast picture at the top. The wolf moon design was quite obvious to me, even slightly moreso than the fear skull, but I don't think it's a huge issue either way (unless it's the exact copy of Anguist, which I doubt will happen). Incidentally, I read Nytsky as intended from the start, though I also thought about "Nitski". "Nice guy" didn't occur to me, but I like the association!

I like the name Lavent a lot more since it evokes Lavender instantly and is linked closely enough to Lament (also, who would name their children Lament??) I liked looking at her design process and the gradual changes! I don't think I've ever seen unshaven legs in this media either, so it's cool you considered that, though I agree that it wouldn't be as universally accepted, probably. I also really like the hooded version of her! I didn't realize she was wearing sweatpants until you mentioned it, maybe as it's still quite form-fitting around the thighs.

I loved Sirena's design most of all, but she was already such a distinct character to begin with that was probably easier! Her expression, palette and design represented her personality strongly, and while she was never my favorite in Mardek, it's interesting to see how this reimagining will turn out. I like the concept of magic users having different reaction systems, though I'm not sure how that will fit into what already feels like a potentially complex battle system!

I think planning is fine as long as it's not overdone and at the cost of actually carrying out tasks, but it can be hard to judge. Hopefully we're at the tail end of that process now though! You've definitely made a lot of progress and have the results to prove it.

In terms of funding, Patreon for early access and beta testing + a cheaper paid release seems reasonable so you get a bit of both-- not sure if this was what you meant, but games being exclusively available to subscribers would potentially (likely?) backfire if people try to game the system. I'm sure you'll figure something that works for you eventually!

I really enjoyed reading this! Especially since I've been refreshing the page to see what you've been up to and how MARDEK on Steam has been doing.

I did have the same thought that it would be weird if Mardek was the only one changed, but with this  revamped cast I'm a lot happier with the new direction! The characters were very recognizable from their original counterparts but the work you've put into them really shows, especially for Elywen. I also like that they're not all meant to be attractive as such, and especially appreciated the chubbier Nytsky compared to the original concept art you drew for him, as I feel that's also quite rare but an accurate "geek" portrayal as you mention later. I find the Sorrow blue on Lavent and Fear purple on Nytsky too similar to distinguish without having read your notes, but as a first draft stands it's very impressive. There were originally things that I didn't quite like at first, but knowing that you chose those "cringey" designs specifically  made it fine in a running inside-joke sort of way.

Not much to say on Dayvha other than I'm getting way more used to typing his name and knowing the pronunciation and "day" is there on purpose helps :P

As mentioned, I find the chubby Nytsky refreshing, though the "original" concept art looks more familiar. I definitely like the war tribe purple paint stripes, and I'm glad to see they reappeared on the contrast with Dayvha if not the 4-cast picture at the top. The wolf moon design was quite obvious to me, even slightly moreso than the fear skull, but I don't think it's a huge issue either way (unless it's the exact copy of Anguist, which I doubt will happen). Incidentally, I read Nytsky as intended from the start, though I also thought about "Nitski". "Nice guy" didn't occur to me, but I like the association!

I like the name Lavent a lot more since it evokes Lavender instantly and is linked closely enough to Lament (also, who would name their children Lament??) I liked looking at her design process and the gradual changes! I don't think I've ever seen unshaven legs in this media either, so it's cool you considered that, though I agree that it wouldn't be as universally accepted, probably. I also really like the hooded version of her! I didn't realize she was wearing sweatpants until you mentioned it, maybe as it's still quite form-fitting around the thighs.

I loved Sirena's design most of all, but she was already such a distinct character to begin with that was probably easier! Her expression, palette and design represented her personality strongly, and while she was never my favorite in Mardek, it's interesting to see how this reimagining will turn out. I like the concept of magic users having different reaction systems, though I'm not sure how that will fit into what already feels like a potentially complex battle system!

I think planning is fine as long as it's not overdone and at the cost of actually carrying out tasks, but it can be hard to judge. Hopefully we're at the tail end of that process now though! You've definitely made a lot of progress and have the results to prove it.

In terms of funding, Patreon for early access and beta testing + a cheaper paid release seems reasonable so you get a bit of both-- not sure if this was what you meant, but games being exclusively available to subscribers would potentially (likely?) backfire if people try to game the system. I'm sure you'll figure something that works for you eventually!

JohnnyBoi45~4Y

Now that I've read some comments, I have a few suggestions as well. Gonna make a new comment instead of editing the old because this is long:

Names are interesting - in real life, the name you have almost always has nothing to do with "who" you are, because you get it at birth (assuming you don't change it) before your personality has actually developed and it's given to you by people who don't really know "you" yet. Additionally, many English names have no inherent meaning to most people anyway. But in fiction, you have the opportunity to name someone with the full knowledge of who they are and who they will be. I feel the balancing act is picking a name that both accomplishes having some connection to the character while also seeming semi-realistic (even in a fantasy world).

Taking Lavent as the first example - it sounds like lavender and lament as you've said, but it is far enough from either word that it *feels* like a name. Lament is just a straight up word. Very obvious symbolism, but hard to see as someone's name and hard to believe someone (even a Water guardian) named their child that.

I also second, for similar reasons, other comment's suggestions for Sirena's name. To me, "Sirena" is still a bit too far on the symbolism end and just could *feel* more like someone's name, instead of just a descriptor. I think Cyrene is my favorite - Cyrenaic philosophy aside, Cyrene is also more pleasant to say than Sirena, while keeping the siren metaphor intact. Siwren has the bird thing and that's cool, though at first glance I am tempted to pronounce it like "Siu-ren" or "Soo-ren."

Dayvha is actually really good, in that its references are subtle enough that you just read it the first time without thinking about its hidden meanings. Also, having "Dave" as a nickname is just great because it's so basic.

Nytsky is a different case in that it sounds like he chose that name (?) which means you can get away with more heavyhanded symbolism because that name was given to someone who already had a personality. That said, I definitely think that leaving Nytsky's name's pronunciation up to audience interpretation might be a good thing. I know I can't look at it and not read it like "Nitski," and I definitely think that's the better pronunciation just on a subtlety level. I am aware that it's kind of your brand to make everything brimming with metaphor and wordplay, but I think keeping at least a bit of ambiguity in the name might prevent it from veering so far into that "emo/simp/neckbeard" character type that poor Nytsky is just completely unlikeable.

Looking at the names as a set, Dayvha/Cyrene/Lavent/Nytsky works because they're all similarly subtle, but if, say, you went with Sirena and Lament I'd say you'd want to change Dayvha's name (again) because it no longer matches the other ones in level of subtlety. Nytsky's name subtlety really just relies on the pronunciation; it's either completely obvious or it isn't.

I'll say one last thing though, recalling some of the names you gave places in this game (Godsmind/Godsbod, Gemsand, Lake Lachryma, etc..) - I hated those names before because they did not mesh with "Mardek," but they actually fit much better with these new characters who have much more blatantly metaphorical names. And, if this is what you feel more comfortable with, I'd say just make sure you go for it in full. It didn't work when you had the previous character names because they just weren't consistent with each other, but now there's a chance for that. All in all, whether you take any of the comment suggestions (most of which seem to be asking for more subtlety), it'll work out if it's internally consistent.

Now that I've read some comments, I have a few suggestions as well. Gonna make a new comment instead of editing the old because this is long:

Names are interesting - in real life, the name you have almost always has nothing to do with "who" you are, because you get it at birth (assuming you don't change it) before your personality has actually developed and it's given to you by people who don't really know "you" yet. Additionally, many English names have no inherent meaning to most people anyway. But in fiction, you have the opportunity to name someone with the full knowledge of who they are and who they will be. I feel the balancing act is picking a name that both accomplishes having some connection to the character while also seeming semi-realistic (even in a fantasy world).

Taking Lavent as the first example - it sounds like lavender and lament as you've said, but it is far enough from either word that it *feels* like a name. Lament is just a straight up word. Very obvious symbolism, but hard to see as someone's name and hard to believe someone (even a Water guardian) named their child that.

I also second, for similar reasons, other comment's suggestions for Sirena's name. To me, "Sirena" is still a bit too far on the symbolism end and just could *feel* more like someone's name, instead of just a descriptor. I think Cyrene is my favorite - Cyrenaic philosophy aside, Cyrene is also more pleasant to say than Sirena, while keeping the siren metaphor intact. Siwren has the bird thing and that's cool, though at first glance I am tempted to pronounce it like "Siu-ren" or "Soo-ren."

Dayvha is actually really good, in that its references are subtle enough that you just read it the first time without thinking about its hidden meanings. Also, having "Dave" as a nickname is just great because it's so basic.

Nytsky is a different case in that it sounds like he chose that name (?) which means you can get away with more heavyhanded symbolism because that name was given to someone who already had a personality. That said, I definitely think that leaving Nytsky's name's pronunciation up to audience interpretation might be a good thing. I know I can't look at it and not read it like "Nitski," and I definitely think that's the better pronunciation just on a subtlety level. I am aware that it's kind of your brand to make everything brimming with metaphor and wordplay, but I think keeping at least a bit of ambiguity in the name might prevent it from veering so far into that "emo/simp/neckbeard" character type that poor Nytsky is just completely unlikeable.

Looking at the names as a set, Dayvha/Cyrene/Lavent/Nytsky works because they're all similarly subtle, but if, say, you went with Sirena and Lament I'd say you'd want to change Dayvha's name (again) because it no longer matches the other ones in level of subtlety. Nytsky's name subtlety really just relies on the pronunciation; it's either completely obvious or it isn't.

I'll say one last thing though, recalling some of the names you gave places in this game (Godsmind/Godsbod, Gemsand, Lake Lachryma, etc..) - I hated those names before because they did not mesh with "Mardek," but they actually fit much better with these new characters who have much more blatantly metaphorical names. And, if this is what you feel more comfortable with, I'd say just make sure you go for it in full. It didn't work when you had the previous character names because they just weren't consistent with each other, but now there's a chance for that. All in all, whether you take any of the comment suggestions (most of which seem to be asking for more subtlety), it'll work out if it's internally consistent.

Dingding32167~4Y

I second the chosen names and the more subtle symbolism, which was the root of the original minor controvery about the new names of places in the game! And now everything is a lot more consistent in style compared to before, which is always good.

vladandrei199647~4Y

Are you sure about releasing each Episode as a separate game on Steam ? You could release the "Game" as the 1st episode and then when 2nd and 3rd episodes are done, release them as DLCs. Just my thought, I'd rather have it like a "complete collection" under the same game.

It's not like there would be people that want to play the 2nd one without playing the 1st episode, DD seems more story-heavy than everything you did before.

Alban12320~4Y

Tobias have you ever thought of using bow and arrow as weapon for characters, i've seen many weapons in Mardek but bow and arrow never.

It would be really interesting to do it.

MarninPL33~4Y

The desings are good, and I've come with terms with the fact that you will be changing those characters. I love Dayvha's glasses especially, he just looks so smug! However, I think it would be better for him to be a fighter than a spellcaster. He is a contrast to Nytsky, but the fact is that apart from being socially awkward and nerdy they have not that much in common - opposite, in fact. I think it would be great seeing them fighting together back to back, hitting high-fives while using melee weapons etc. Also, Dayvha as he is looks very soft and gentle, and making him a bit feral in a fight would emphasise that he is in fact a little different from others.

Sekhmet10~4Y

Wow, nice work! It is going to be great. I really love these new characters. To met, even with Mardek/Dayvha, you kep the "good" things I liked in them and rearranging the rest to make a good result. :)

I like the combination Dayvha/Nitsky or Nytsky (not fond here of the double "y" but the overall name sounds good. I'll pronounce "ee" the first vowel anyway). Nitsky has some kind of "nice metal guy" with this dark-ish-teddy-bear style. I love this. This is a contrast to the "sunny" Dayvha (don't know how to put it).

I also love the contrast between Sirena (I like the sound of Sirena, and Siwren seems to me impossible to pronounce. I'm not a native english speaker, that's probably why. I would love Sirwen, though, but it sounds nice in french only) and Lavent (nice name).

I was a bit sad about seeing Lavent so depressed, but I guess it is something important in the story. Even with that, a smile sometimes would make her beautiful, will we see her smile one day at the end of the game? :)

At first, when you showed the drawings of the two girls, I though that Sirena was trying to flirt with Lavent (which would make Lament even more inconfortable, since social interactions are complicated for Lavent). I thought that even if Sirena is supposed to be in love with Dayvha, it feels like "her" to try and play with girls too.
Even if it's not the final goal, it makes me think that one or two LGBT+ characters could be fun in the story, as long as it sounds natural and not too much like ridiculous clichés of course.

Once again, this is a very awesome job. Thank you for sharing, I'm even more excited to see the game. So hard to wait! :)

I like the combination Dayvha/Nitsky or Nytsky (not fond here of the double "y" but the overall name sounds good. I'll pronounce "ee" the first vowel anyway). Nitsky has some kind of "nice metal guy" with this dark-ish-teddy-bear style. I love this. This is a contrast to the "sunny" Dayvha (don't know how to put it).

I also love the contrast between Sirena (I like the sound of Sirena, and Siwren seems to me impossible to pronounce. I'm not a native english speaker, that's probably why. I would love Sirwen, though, but it sounds nice in french only) and Lavent (nice name).

I was a bit sad about seeing Lavent so depressed, but I guess it is something important in the story. Even with that, a smile sometimes would make her beautiful, will we see her smile one day at the end of the game? :)

At first, when you showed the drawings of the two girls, I though that Sirena was trying to flirt with Lavent (which would make Lament even more inconfortable, since social interactions are complicated for Lavent). I thought that even if Sirena is supposed to be in love with Dayvha, it feels like "her" to try and play with girls too.
Even if it's not the final goal, it makes me think that one or two LGBT+ characters could be fun in the story, as long as it sounds natural and not too much like ridiculous clichÃ©s of course.

Once again, this is a very awesome job. Thank you for sharing, I'm even more excited to see the game. So hard to wait! :)