So this image posted by this user got me to think about things enough to the point of making my a journal for it.
Consider this a thoughtful retrospective that I felt like writing for myself to refer to whenever I give myself a conniption over things not being like they used to be. If by any chance you're able to relate or connect with what I say, that's great! But this is something I'm doing exclusively for myself, because it deserves to be addressed (...to myself. So listen up, me).
(Also, I'm aware the title should be spelled "TOWARDS change", but I was one letter over the title limit, and I refuse to leave it as "chang" like some kind of Yugopotamian.)
Characters. You might be familiar with them and how often that word tends to come up whenever I make journals like this. Sometimes I like to joke about how much I overcentralize worrying over whether or not I'm using my time with them ""optimally"" or not. And the best part is that 2017 me would probably be going ballistic seeing what I'm writing now. 'Cause back then, I was (and still kind of am) a huge character hoarder, but 2017 was especially egregious; Adopting designs left and right, sketching measly headshots, and then being slammed with the immediate question of "Okay, you have all these designs now. So what are you gonna do with them?"
Then I just kinda froze and forgot they existed for several years on end. Oops.
The REAL kicker to this whole thing though? I made such a big deal about "not leaving any character behind" back then. I look back and laugh menacingly six years later.
Things change, whether you're aware of it or not and whether you want it to happen or not. And while I was thankfully so tactically awful at staying focused on my creations, none of them (with the exception of maybe Luna) ever really "took off" to the point where my very identity became synonymous with that character.
Now here I am with an even bigger laundry list of various object characters, and despite all of the self-induced anxiety I'd bring upon myself for having so many undeveloped cardboard boxes, this is the happiest I've been with these guys... ever.
Now object show characters aren't exactly the most well-liked things in the world, and I can't blame people for not being interested in the story of a candle named "Sage Candle"... but I've had issues of sabotaging myself by trying to fit into the mold of those creators with fleshed out, well articulated stories with a small, yet tightly written cast of characters, and I'm just... not that kind of person. Shoving a square block into a round hole is only going to make it crumble from the pressure.
For the sake of more analogies because they're fun to write, I'm the type of creator to leave both doors open: New ideas welcome themselves in whether I like them or not and old ones stick around for however long I feel like keeping them, and when I've had my fill with them, regardless of the amount of time they've been around, they eventually see themselves out the door again.
No character is safe from being left behind. Not even Core.
The chances are insanely low, but they're never zero.
But the point I'm trying to make is that this isn't something to fear.
In fact, I can point at a handful of OCs in these images that have already been axed due to immediate loss of interest, but what else is new, right? If I stayed locked up in my Kirby circle with the first 8-12 characters I ever made up until now, sure, my FCs would've gotten more developed and potentially gotten some killer art, but I know what kind of person I am, and I would've gotten immensely fatigued of drawing circles if I stuck to that.
And it's entirely possible the same thing will happen to my object characters as I'll fall out of interest in them one day too, but THIS IS PERFECTLY OKAY. There are MANY things that I am wholly uncertain about with this world, but as far as I'm concerned, this is the only thing that I AM certain about:
What matters is not how long we have left with something, but how we spend that time.
I'll always reserve a spot in my heart for my Kirby FCs. It's thanks to them that I found a footprint on this platform, and met loads of awesome people. Even if I don't dedicate my time to them anymore, I'll always reserve a sketchpad just for the memories. It's through those memories that I use to further enhance my strengths in my object characters (making the most out of simple concepts) to hopefully take them and whatever comes afterwards even further.
You were not put on this world to do the same thing your whole life. You'll never know what awaits you if you don't take the chance.
If by any chance, any OC makers or story writers read through this, I'd love if it you shared your own experiences with character creation! The best part about journals like these is seeing everyone's different perspectives! ^_^
I Made My OCs Compliment You!
We call this a "Good Vibes Journal".
(Or being extremely early for Valentine's Day-)
And also to help me practice how to write as each of them, but shush-
(Puts a seat down and props a mic forward)
Me to my OCs: "Tell me something nice."
Angel Doll: "You have this... angelic presence to you!"
Aquarium: "All this space, and nobody to share it with... Would you do the honors?"
Birthday Cake: "Point to whoever hurt you and I'll break their ankles."
Blueberry: "Sometimes all we need is a nice, peaceful day with the people we love~"
Borrowed Time: "Spending time with you is a worthwhile investment."
Bubble Bomb: (TV Static)
Campfire: "Friend!" :D
Candle: "If you give someone a chance, then they might be worth appreciating..."
Cinnamon: "Friendship is the secret spice they don't tell you about."
Clover: "I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have met you!"
CRT: "You are a person worth preserving throughout the years."
Cupcake: "I'm putting you on #trending for being like, the best person ever!"
Diamond: "DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH! Nailed it~"
Eject Button: "I'd like to eject myself from the sap and just say you're pretty cool."
Feather: "I really feel like I can grow wings and soar with you by my side!"
Frost Bell: "..."
Frozen Meal: "You're all I need to be happy~"
Golden Sunflower: "May you fill the world with happiness and positive energy!~"
Grandfather Clock: "You got something good going. Don't take it for granted."
Hack: "Don't throw the antivirus on me! I wanna kick back and stay awhile~"
Helmet: "Imagination's more fun with friends!"
Hibiscus: "...This one can stay."
Honeycomb: "I'd make a honey pun, but that might be too cheesy."
Ice Cube: "Get online loser, we're gaming together."
Lighthouse: "Let's cut through the darkness, one step at a time."
Love Letter: "You're the real gift to this world! It wouldn't be the same without you!"
Magma Rock: "I tolerate you."
Memento Mori: "You're still here. That's all I can ask for."
Microphone: "Let's crank it up and get loud! Live it up and don't let the party stop!"
Miracle Capsule: "I didn't even need to wish for you to show up! THAT'S a miracle!"
Mirror: "You're not nearly as pretty as me, yet I can't stop looking at you. That's an accomplishment."
Mocha: "This is one bond I would gladly come back to for seconds~"
Mushroom: "You fascinate me... Let's get lost in the forest together..."
Music Box: "You keep me wound up all day!"
Mysterious Liquid: ( B U R P ) "I feel lightheaded with you-"
Newspaper: "Extra, extra! Local anonymous user is complimented!"
Nurse Hat: "...You can skip the waiting line. You deserve it."
Orny: "If you think your life sucks, at least you didn't get just one vote out of 328."
Paper Knight: "Just think of all the possibilities a creative mind like yours has!"
Pearl: "Sometimes you need the right people to bring your true colors forward."
Penny: "If one person equals one cent, does that mean we can throw in our two cents?"
Pin: "I'll take you over a cheap imitation any day!"
Pinpad: "You've got potential, and you're not using it. Can I borrow it?"
Plasma TV: "I function off loyalty, so consider it an honor that I trust you."
Pocketwatch: "You've been lied to. The world doesn't stop for anyone... but I still enjoy you."
Pop Star: "This next one's dedicated to the one anonymous fan that's been here all this time!"
Post-It: "Note to Self: This one's a keeper."
Punching Bag: "Every obstacle in life is just another boxing match I haven't won yet."
Retro Radio: "You'll never go out of style!"
Road Sign: "We'll all turn to dust eventually, why not spend it going wild breaking everything?" :)
Rotten Apple: (DEMON APPLE NOISES)
Sage Lantern: "We're all capable of growth, and I wish you all of the best in your journey~"
Satellite: "It's not very often I run into someone like you and think 'They're worth studying.'"
Screw: "Ohmygosh,wheredoIbegin,there'ssomanygreatthingstosay,butsolittletimeto-"
Silhouette: "Stand tall and never hide in someone else's shadow!"
Silver Trophy: "You may be second place to the world, but you're first place in someone else's eyes."
Snow Globe: "I'm always walking in a winter wonderland in your presence!"
Soil: "My sister always told me that every great thing started as a seed..."
Soul Flame: "It's people like you that keep the spark in my heart alive."
Space Helmet: "I'd go to the end of the universe for you!"
Speech Bubble: "I always feel like I have so much to say around you!"
Spellbook: "I'm totally under your spell, 'cause I keep coming back for you!"
Suitcase: "Food? Check. Water? Check. A map? Check. Great company? Triple check."
Sunny: "I hope you brighten up the world the same way you brighten up my world!~"
T: "You complete the chain. I'll Triple T-Spin to that any day."
Teleporter: "I made sure I set everything up so I'd be seeing you right this second."
Trap Door: "If you're still here, it means I haven't pranked you... yet." >v>
Treble: "My next song's missing a backup singer. Wanna join me?"
Turnip: "I spin with excitement for your company!" ^v^
Tyre: "You got some smooth moves to try to hang out with a guy like me~"
Violin: "I'd have broken all my strings by now if I didn't have you around to help me."
Water: "The best thing to do is to do nothing with you! I love doing nothing!"
Water Pendant: "May you find peace of mind even in your darkest hour."
White Noise: "This whole world is meaningless white noise, but at least you're kind of okay."
Wind Chime: "The melody of my life wouldn't be the same without you."
Wind-Up Toy: "No matter what happens, keep on going. Even when things get dark, you'll make it through. I believe in you." 
Zeppelin: "I got my head in the clouds when I'm with you! ...That's good, right?"
The BEEG Voting Results!
Happy New Year, everyone! 
Using the results from this poll, you all cast your votes, and the contestant-I mean... the person who recieved the most votes will lead the charge into 2023!
We got a total of 328 votes from 21 voters, which is honestly really impressive! Thanks so much to all that participated! ^_^
Now onto the results.
With only one vote each to their names...
Bubble Bomb and Orny take up the back of the line. The oddballs in a group of normal voters. I'm not surpised to see Orny at the bottom, but Bubble Bomb got 4 votes last time. What happened? Regardless, they'll continue to sit in the back and wait for their turn.
At least nobody went voteless this time!
With 2 votes each...
A lot of people. Cinnamon, Frozen Meal, Helmet, Ice Cube, Lighthouse, Magma Rock, Newspaper, Pearl, Plasma TV, Punching Bag, Retro Radio, Satellite, Space Helmet, Treble, and Tyre will also have to continue to wait their turn.
Seeing Helmet down here after he got 5 votes last time makes me a little sad, but oh well. :')
With 3 votes each...
Once again, a lot of people. Cauldron, CRT, Eject Button, Feather, Hibiscus, Microphone, Mocha, Nurse Hat, Penny, Pin, Poison Bottle, Soil, Speech Bubble, Surfboard, Turnip, White Noise, and Zeppelin go back to the waiting room.
I'm not surprised to see such large joint positions since it's just an OC Poll and there were so many options to choose from, but it still amuses me regardless.
With 4 votes each...
Candle, Clover, Diamond, Golden Sunflower, G̵͍̀͑r̸̻̕ă̵̼̞͛ń̸̩̿ḑ̷̮́f̷͔͕́a̷͕͋t̶̝͊h̶̭̾e̶̯̜͊͛ṟ̶̾͜ ̴̻̦̅͒C̵̬̄l̶̜̪̒o̷̟̥̐c̴̖̿͘k̵͍̲̃, Hack, Love Letter, Miracle Capsule, Mirror, Music Box, Paper Knight, Pocketwatch, Rotten Apple, Silver Trophy, Soul Flame, Suitcase, and T head out for their lunch break as well.
This group has so many two word names, and then there's just... T.
With 5 votes each...
Angel Doll, Cupcake, Honeycomb, Memento Mori, Pinpad, Pop Star, Post-It, Silhouette, Snow Globe, Sunny, and Trap Door are put on hold and have to listen to elevator music.
In the land of very early BFDI voting where every vote counts, 5 votes is nothing to scoff at. It's not enough to win, but considering the scope of the poll, it's still a respectable amount!
With 6 votes each...
Frost Bell, Spellbook, Violin, Water, and Wind Chime didn't make the cut!
As I'm writing these results out, I'm realizing now just how much work I got cut out for me. A.
In third place, with 7 votes each...
Birthday Cake, Borrowed Time, Campfire, Mushroom, Road Sign, Sage Lantern, Screw, and Teleporter! I love how there's so many established characters in this group that have been reasonably developed in the past, and then there's Campfire and Screw.
The power of being funny little men compels you.
The runner ups with 8 votes each...
Aquarium and Water Pendant! I'm glad that my favorite element is getting represented well in my characters, and seeing them rank this high fills me with happiness~
And the winner of the BEEG OC Voting, with 10 votes is...
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...Blueberry and Wind-Up Toy?
We have a tie? Every time I checked that poll, Wind-Up Toy was always decisively in the lead by two or more votes, when did Blueberry sneak up to her? Well, this simply can't do. We need a tiebreaker!
So right as the New Year rolled around, I hopped online to leave a tiebreaker poll between our finalists to decide who the winner should be, and I closed the poll after 8 hours.
The REAL winner is...
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Blueberry!
...By the way, to the two chuckleheads that came in after I took this picture to make it 50/50:
Nice Try. We're not having a tiebreaker for the tiebreaker. >v>
Talk about opening 2023 with a bang. This may be the first time in Platinum Comet History that Wind-Up Toy DOESN'T win a voting (between other objects). I'm not surprised that she consistently gets so many votes in these things, she's one of my favorite designs, but it's nice to see someone else take the W to spice it up. Especially considering how Blueberry got only two votes the last time I did this, and here she is, coming out on top against an even bigger cast. So now that this is all over, time to answer the question of...
What was the point of all this, exactly?
Simple! Whoever won the poll will become the star of the show that opens up the New Year and get all the special attention from yours truly~
Every year is an opportunity to start anew. And after spending so much time running around in circles, now's as good a time as any to break the pattern. I'll get to the others in due time, but for now? It's all about Blueberry.
Thanks for everything! Let's make this year a great one!
And just for fun, I also want to include changes in vote counts from those that participated in the last poll, so here's that too:
(I'm not counting Mushroom or Spellbook since the ones from the last poll were way too different to the ones I have now. They might as well be different characters.)
Blueberry: +8 (That's a big jump)
Angel Doll: +3
Borrowed Time: +3
Diamond: +3
Frost Bell: +3
Post-It: +3
Water Pendant: +3
Cupcake: +2
Mocha: +2 (Formerly named Latte)
Sage Lantern: +2 (Formerly Sage Candle)
Teleporter: +2
Wind-Up Toy: +2
CRT: +1
Eject Button: +1
Miracle Capsule: +1
Soil: +1
Soul Flame: +1
Suitcase: +1
Treble: +1
Wind Chime: +1
Birthday Cake: 0 (This is honestly really impressive considering how well she placed last time)
Golden Sunflower: 0
G̵͍̀͑r̸̻̕ă̵̼̞͛ń̸̩̿ḑ̷̮́f̷͔͕́a̷͕͋t̶̝͊h̶̭̾e̶̯̜͊͛ṟ̶̾͜ ̴̻̦̅͒C̵̬̄l̶̜̪̒o̷̟̥̐c̴̖̿͘k̵͍̲̃: 0
Hack: 0
Microphone: 0
Love Letter: -1
Plasma TV: -2
Bubble Bomb: -3
Helmet: -3
It's BEEG Voting Time.
I love democracy.
Those of you who have been here a while know how fickle I am with my character roster. It is CONSTANTLY changing with peeps being added and removed at any time. You can see that right now in the image I used for the title; Some faces featured on there were absent from Attack of the Objects. And while I wanna keep what I do with my characters behind the scenes as my own business, I'm giving y'all the power to choose who I work on first.
This might be a bit an ask from you all, but on this Christmas Day, I wanna do something different. While I'm busy working on the fusion sketches, I'd like to direct your attention to this poll... \
v
Vote Here! https://strawpoll.com/polls/wAg3j5WB2n8
This link leads to a strawpoll that features EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER showcased in the four pages of Attack of the Objects. "Everyone Is Here", if you will.
What I want from you is to click on every character that interests you in some way. If you like their design, if you want some good ol' character development, or even if you just wanna see me draw them more, pick them. You can choose as many of them as you want, and whichever character gets the most votes will be the first one I showcase in 2023!
To some, this may be just a super grandiose and overglorified poll, but this is a big deal to me. I've spent so long running around in circles with sketching and adding/removing characters without actually taking any steps forward, and I really want to use this opportunity to break out of the loop.
As always, nothing is set in stone. Everyone showcased in those sketch drawings can be removed at any point in time, and new faces will eventually sneak into the group, but what else is new, right? I might as well embrace the new ideas while I get them. :P
Thank you so much to everyone who's followed me through all of this.
Merry Christmas, and Happy Voting (+Holidays)!
If you wanna refer to any of the sketch groups again, here they are:
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Under the Spell (of being tagged)
...Huh. It's been a hot minute since I was roped into tag shenanigans. :0
So I've been TAG-ED by XxDawnCryxX, licorish-art, and TubesAnn to reveal LO-
for Spellbook, Core, and Blueberry respectively.
Rules go as follows:
-Include Da Rules
-Reveal 8 things about the tagged kiddo
-Invoke violence by tagging others
-Mention what character you'd like to see from the people you tag
And here we go. Spellbook first.
When thinking up designs for a traditional magic user, Spellbook was originally going to be a witch hat. That's why she wears one!
Spellbook's list of spells include the following: Fire, ice, lightning, wind, nature, mind control, necromancy, and healing.
When casting high-level magic (like an earthquake spell), her face vanishes as the summoning circle on her cover glows a bright light. The book opens up, the pages flip rapidly, and then she wreaks havoc. :D
The pages in the book also serve as long-term memory; If she writes something important in an empty page, it lives rent-free in her head.
Spellbook frequently engages in puzzles of all varieties. Crossword, word search, sudoku... she even fidgets around with a Rubik's Cube while waiting for the bus. Anything to help keep her mind sharp!
One of Spellbook's closest friends is Sage Lantern. She's a student at Sage's mental health and yoga classes, which she takes to improve her composure, as psychic powers require a clear mind to work at their fullest potential.
Spellbook is very highly claustrophobic. She was once accidentally mistaken for a generic book and crammed into a tight bookshelf. She was never the same afterwards.
She wants to be your friend and help you better yourself. ^v^
Up next is Core!
Core was first created as a male, but was changed to female a few weeks after her inception. And all I did was add eyelashes and make the coat longer. :^)
Core has detached floating limbs partially inspired by Rayman, and partially because I cannot be bothered to draw actual arms. :D
Core's primary inspiration was Portal, which is where I got her colors, but her FIRST inspiration was, of all things, U.B. Funkeys. The early 2000s were something else.
The LED screen's colors shift in hue depending on Core's mood, with cyan being the default. This also affects the color of her halo and scarf.
Core's a lot stronger than she looks. She's not a worldbuilder for nothing. :)
Honestly, there's no special story behind her design process. I took the idea of "cute robot" and just rolled with it. The halo, antennae, and scarf have no real lore purpose to them, I just thought it looked cute. :'D (I also used to have a beta sketch of her wearing a pilot helmet at one point, but it was axed due to excess visual clutter.)
Her name, by definition, means "The central or most important part of something". Seeing as how she's my sona...
Core, as a character, is meant to be like an extension of myself. Since I like to create characters and organize them in their various roles, Core serves as a way to better illustrate the thought process in my head while creating, especially in pictures like this one.
And now Blueberry!
Blueberry's sprout was inspired by Psych2Go. Mental health is something that both that channel and Blueberry specialize in, so the connection made sense to me.
Blueberry has no digital footprint; The only digital activity she engages in are phone calls and one-on-one text messages. She has no intention of ever becoming an internet user. :P
She's an expert crafter! She sometimes carries a backpack around with crafting tools to build things using only what nature provides to her.
Her favorite activities are fishing, growing crops, and playing golf (regular and mini)!
The leaf growing over Blueberry's face isn't just a cool design detail... it also covers a scar on her right eye. :')
Blueberry's part of a team with her BFF Golden Sunflower called "Team Goldberry". With Goldie being the super positive and optimistic half and Blueberry is the calming and logical half.
Blueberry likes to sleep nearby lakes and rivers. The sound of rushing water is so enchanting to her.
Blueberry can best be described as "the therapist friend". She'd love to hear out your problems to help ease your nerves to the best of her abilities.
I shall now tag-ed people in return. I PICK-ETH YOU:
BreadPanda1 - Ellie
AwkwardAcronym - Pilias
MixedUpMagpie - Jules
kirbs-is-precious - Firefly
alienmako - Piñata
Have fun. >v>