Subtle Psychosis (Patreon)

the title has nothing to do with this picture of Ellie, but I wanted to include it with some shower thoughts. This is a concept art for a future costume inspired by vintage dolls. It looks sweet and benign here, but the actual context is... well, there's a lot to unpack. It involves a secret society and forbidden discussions among powerful individuals. Some people want the sweet and spicy scenes to go on forever, but I think the danger and mystery will elevate those tender and romantic moments so much more. I'm excited for the rest of the cast--even background characters shown for a panel or two motivate me to push forward because it gives me a chance to go crazy with some of their designs.

as for the title, I like to revise the script in between pages and I'm working on one of the many antagonists in SWFTD. I really enjoy the process of writing, but it's often challenging and mentally exhausting. Some subjects and scenarios require a lot of research and reflection to figure out. So when I make break throughs in my writing and solve problems that I struggled for weeks, if not months, trying to figure out a solution to, I feel a major sense of accomplishment. It's very satisfying and it reinvigorates my interest in the series [it can be difficult focusing on one project for years], but whether or not it resonates with the audience and keeps you entertained is to be determined. At the very least, I know most of my readers have not encountered a lot of the subjects I'm writing about in webtoons. I hope you all find it all as fascinating as I do~

The antagonist I worked on is kind of a minor character, but I love giving all my characters depth so, no matter how brief their appearances are, they serve a greater purpose and have some lasting power in the mind of the reader. Mentally disturbed characters are some of the most fun characters to write because it's challenging to present it in a believable way, and it allows me to write about behaviors that are out of the norm. Something I've always wanted to see in webtoons are pathological characters that are subtle in their psychosis, meaning: they're disturbed in a way that is hard to pinpoint at first. They're too calm, too controlled, too aware and often times, seemingly normal until it's too late and their crazy side comes out in full force. They're charming in one moment, and then heinous and freaky as fuck in another moment. And they're hella smart, so you have to figure how the main cast can outsmart some of these people with sophisticated backgrounds and years of experience in a field. Sometimes it requires manipulation, playing dirty, and understanding the weakness of powerful and mentally deranged individuals.

I hate having to write so vaguely to avoid spoiling surprises, but I'm just really enjoying the writing process right now lol