Ghostie's World - Tumblr Posts

Why don't we start off with the guy helping out there? This here's Ghostie, one of my oldest characters. He's a science-focused kid from a small town on Pequan Island. He may be a bit hapless—heck, one wrong lesson may have spawned his nemesis—but he always tries his best, even when he's in over his head.

When I say old, I mean it; I based him off of a sprite in Game Maker version 6 when I got my hands on it ages ago, and he kinda grew on me. Over the years he gradually changed, gaining mitts, a tail, different eyes, the works. He's a charming little fellow, one I hope to bring to other mediums someday.

Hopefully he'll grow on all of you, too!

And now, a selection of old hand-drawn art featuring Ghostie!

Here's Ghostie's father, Peter Szellem! Pete for short. He works at a construction company, specifically in demolition—using the help of some explosive bell-like creatures called Belbies to bring old buildings down safely and securely. Fortunately, demolition work on Pequan Island is sparse enough that he doesn't need to worry about not spending enough time with his son.

Much like Ghostie, Pete's based on the other built-in ghost sprite from Game Maker V6, a blue ghost with a... not sure if it was meant to be buck teeth or a moustache, but a few black pixels of something around the mouth area that wouldn't look right as a full-on character. And, again much like Ghostie, over the years his eyes have changed, he gained mitts, and now has a tail.

Pete is a good father, or at least he tries to be. One thing he loves most is just sitting down and hearing whatever's been exciting his son recently. Even if he doesn't understand it, if his son's happy, then he's happy.

Autumn has arrived at last, and you know what that means—autumn art!

This is a piece from two years ago, and I'm still proud of it, especially with how Ghostie's jacket turned out. Perfect for handling the brisk fall weather.

...Why does this jacket have sleeves if he lacks arms? Good question.

Put up your fisticuffs!

As you might expect, a world like Ghostie's is full of quirky creatures to combat, and here's a trio of ones you might find there!

Belby: When encountered in the wild, it'll rush up to an intruder and use a sonic organ inside its body to produce an explosion. However, they can be tamed, and they're used for demoltion purposes on Pequan Island and beyond (As I mentioned back when I introduced Ghostie's father).

Crawleh: While they may look like robots, these creatures are actually closer to insects in physiology. Using its wings and pointed feet, it can easily clamber up and down sheer cliffs with ease, and its long necks give them an ample view of the scenery around it—including potential predators to headbutt.

Stonehed: Stoneheds are what you would expect, a creature resembling a stone that seems to be naught but a hed—er, head. They often disguise themselves among boulders and leap out to attack unsuspecting travellers. Some say there's a kingdom of Stoneheds located in the caverns deep beneath Pequan... But that's just a fairy taie, right?

...Speaking of tales, this legend is one important to Ghostie's world. That ring he wielded a few days ago was said to be used by a great hero in the past, one who gathered up allies to defeat a great evil. Is that's what's in store for Ghostie...?

(And yes, humans are a part of Ghostie's world, alongside ghosts and bears. I hope to share a few of them at some point in the future.)

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Things have been too hectic for me to focus on art (as you can likely guess from the hiatus), but here's an old piece to commemorate the holiday.

Oh dear, that's a bit of a long fall, isn't it...?

Here's Pete again, with another character I'm surprised I haven't shown off yet—Professor Neon Greene! Well, he's a Junior Professor, working under his father Forrest Greene, but a professor nonetheless. Aside from famed scholar Thomas Devlin Bear (now the megalomaniacal T.D. Bear), he's the leading influence for Ghostie becoming such a science-oriented kid. Whether it's astrology, chemistry, or dimensional exploration, Neon knows... well, a decent amount in the subject. Most of his recent research sits squarely in geology. In case you're curious, the half-green-half-yellow color of his fur is hereditary, and it's basically heterochromia. Like Ghostie, Neon was based off a Game Maker version 6 sprite of an entirely yellow teddy bear, made half-green by me because at the time it was one of the coolest things I could think of to enhance a character. Pete's based off a GMv6 sprite, too! Though his had no embellishments, just a blue ghost with red eyes and black markings that were either teeth, stitching, or a moustache—which I dropped quick as he became his own thing. (Man, I wish I could find those sprites so I could provide comparison, but Game Maker version 6 seems to have nothing substantial recorded online...)

Time to make a plan of attack... ...And even when you're midway through said plan, don't be afraid to replan.

A coordinated heist? Two separate heists of the same castle? Two completely unrelated heists on different worlds? You be the judge. What I will say is: That's the fabricy visage of the infamous T.D. Bear on the wall in Ghostie's picture. Hopefully his plan won't have to worry about him showing up! No one wants to face their tutor-turned-supervillain...

FORE!

...Oof. Missed it by that much. (This was drawn on July 5th 2021, that flag was just mislabeled. Ghostie's not skilled enough to launch a golf ball through time... yet /s)

No thoughts Head empty

(I need to draw more of these goofy little guys. And maybe even do more of this particular artstyle.)

Wow, what a lovely flower! Wonder who it could be for?

...Oh. Well, at least he tried. Can't fault other people's opinions, I guess. This is Ghostie's crush, Felicia, though she doesn't return his sentiments... mainly from him being the odd ghost out on Pequan Island.

Oh, you've found a Crawleh! Wonder what it could be doing? Scanning for others trying to claim its territory, I'd bet... (Originally made as some pose practice, hence the tiny Crawlehs in the upper-left.)

(Here're those poses zoomed in. I like the bottom one, very philosophical for a telescoping-robot-bug-thing.)

Here are some more old sketches of Ghostie! Putting him in a platforming setting—that's what sort of game I hope to put him in someday. (I'd love to pop open Godot and get down to work making one, but it feels like I have barely enough free time nowadays...)

As a little thing of fresh art to share on this mother's day, I'd like to delve into a bit of character lore and discuss one of my OC's moms—specifically, Ghostie's.

Here's Helen Szellem, wife of Peter Szellem and mother to the adorable Ghostie Szellem. He doesn't have many memories of her, unfortunately—she disappeared from his life when he was barely a few years old. No, not in that way you might be thinking of—Pete recalls her excitement over exploring an archaeological site far away from Pequan Island, one last kiss before she rushed off to the docks, a letter or two sent afterwards about her trip... then, nothing else. No photographs, no return trips, no little trinkets she got to keep from the excavation, nothing. It's been a while since then. Pete's gotten by without Helen by his side as best he can, while Ghostie's unfazed—he was barely a hatchling last he saw his mom, after all. But both of them would be delighted to see her again... In case you're curious about the patterning she has, here's another fact: Despite being called ghosts, their species is actually corporeal—and related to snakes! So like snakes, they can have patterning to their scales. I'd say it works pretty well at keeping their appearances from looking too monotonous, and when I create more it'll mean a lot more possibilities for designs and color sets! (Though don't expect Ghostie to get prominent patterning in the future; poor kid's scales are too pale for that.)

Originally uploaded June 16, 2019 Happy Father's Day to those who celebrate.

Today, I visited my counselor for the first time in ages—something really stressful happened last week that my family and I agreed was worth visiting her over—so here's some art I made from back when I first got scheduled appointments for her. Anonymized by way of being put into Ghostie's world, of course.

Ka-BOOM! Or maybe more of a ka-BING? Belbies are bells, after all. (Might turn this into a sticker at some point...)