"Arbitrary Travels: Bunch of Bad Apples"

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Hello, and welcome! "Arbitrary Travels: Bunch of Bad Apples" is a full length fantasy story where the residents travel to Hearthsborough, normally known for being a pleasant and cozy fantasy town, but now being harassed by a group of imps with unknown motives.

While the imps actions are more petty and annoying than violent, Hearthsborough is still being destroyed as a result. Therefore, the Inn agrees to send a group of residents for a simple adventure.

However, due to poor timing and location, the residents end up right in the center of the imps' activities, provoking their curiosity and irritating habits. As the adventure goes on, the group find themselves unwillingly experiencing all that Hearthsborough has to offer - from relief teams and wildlife, to struggling to make good on their promise by working with the town, and the imps themselves.

Some notes on this story (possible spoilers):

• The full story for "Arbitrary Travels: Bunch of Bad Apples" is 32 pages. You can own the full length story as a physical book through the links on this page.
• Many (in fact, almost all) of the concepts of this story were developed during my childhood. Hearthsborough was an underground fantasy town I repeatedly drew during two-point perspective lessons, including the forest of apple trees behind it. All of the creature designs in the full length story were developed on my own, as well as the concept of the mushrooms with green dye inside, the rope bridges connecting buildings, and the relief teams.
• Yes, Hearthsborough is underground. It may not be explicitly mentioned in this story, but in my mind the setting is underground, hence the brown "sky". I imagine rainwater and some sunlight leak through to sustain life.

If you would like to own a print book of this story, you may do so by clicking here:

Thank you so much for reading! I would love to hear any thoughts you may have, so feel free to contact me however you like.

"Arbitrary Travels: Whiteout of the Heart"

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Hello, and welcome! "Arbitrary Travels: Whiteout of the Heart" is a full length adventure story that tests the bonds of the residents who are supposed to be helping others. 

When a severe blizzard arrives in the middle of a village's summer harvest season, the residents arrive to persuade the person causing this storm to reverse its effects (when the village received an initial threat, the person behind this mentioned they could heal everything if they get what they want...) Why exactly does this person want this farming village to suffer? And what could they possibly want in return? 

But, as the residents search for these answers, the culprit turns up right in front of them, and separates the group into two pairs of rivals. Now the pairs must overcome their differences and not only save the village, but save themselves.

Some notes about this story (possible spoilers):

• The full story for "Arbitrary Travels: Whiteout of the Heart" is 32 pages. You can own the full length story as a physical book through the link at the top of this post, and below
• I tried to push myself to improve a lot with this story, in both the art and writing. I was thinking of a specific kind of person this story could relate to and help, while for the art I tried new compositions and tried to add more detail than I used to.
• I also challenged myself by attempting this story on a monthly schedule. I finished all of the art within a month! Now I just have to print the books within the same month as the art...one step/improvement at a time.
• The antagonist's name in this story is Erin. I didn't realize this until more than halfway through creating the pages, so her name is never really mentioned in the story itself.
• To create the snowstorm effect for the art, I broke down the coloring process into two stages: one being my usual watercolor and colored pencil process, then on top I used white acrylic paint for the snowflakes, and watered down white acrylic paint for the wind. And yes, I ended up hand painting the snow and wind. Splattering would have been too messy, regarding both appearance and clear storytelling.

If you would like to own a print book of this story, you may do so by clicking here:

 

Thank you so much for reading! I would love to hear any thoughts you may have, so feel free to contact me however you like.

"Arbitrary Travels: The Traveler's Cave"

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Hello, and welcome! I hope you enjoy this story, where Audrey accidentally discovers the Traveler's Cave and all its powers.

While she is settling in and learning the ways of Fairview Inn, Audrey is still new to being a resident, and there is so much more for her to learn - and discover. In this story, Audrey stumbles upon the Traveler's Cave while on one of her walks in the forest. Thus, she is suddenly exposed to the world of Traveling, where she and the other residents can use the cave to go to any known place, world, or time period. Naturally, though, the other residents are unsure of how Audrey will react to this knowledge. Can they trust her with the ability to Travel? Sure, Audrey's nice, but she hasn't been taught the guidelines of Traveling...so will she abuse the cave's powers?

Some notes about this story:

• This story, "Arbitrary Travels: The Traveler's Cave" is the first Arbitrary Travels story I've ever created! Of course, the art and some dialogue have been updated since the story's first version.
• Upon entering the pool within the Traveler's Cave, the water shoots up around the person(s) who enter the pool and surrounds them, transporting them to the Goddess of Travel. Then, they may request to Travel to a certain location or time period, or even ask to be transported to the current location of another person.
• While Traveling is a wonderful opportunity for residents of Fairview Inn, and how many guests find the Inn in the first place, Traveling too much or without enough respect can anger the Goddess of Travel, preventing or disrupting Traveling.
• To learn more about how Traveling works, you can read Arbitrary Travels's About page

If you would like to own a print book of this story, you may do so by clicking here:

  

Thank you so much for reading! I would love to hear any thoughts you may have, so feel free to contact me however you like.

"Arbitrary Travels: Audrey's Beginnings"

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Hello, and welcome! I hope you enjoy this story, where Audrey takes action to try and grow closer to her new friends, accidentally finding their true home - Fairview Inn.

This full length story takes place after Audrey has befriended some of the Inn's residents, who she only knows as fun, interesting, and very kind people. But, Audrey notices her new friends are acting distant with her, much to her dismay. Fearing that they don't actually like her - or worse, that they are using her like her old "friends" - Audrey tries her best to find out the truth. The truth, however, is something even she could never imagine as being real...

Some notes about this story (includes spoilers: you can read the above first!):

• The blonde character in Audrey's nightmare is her old best friend, who bullied Audrey pretty badly and ultimately betrayed her when Audrey needed her help the most.
• This is the first time this particular spirit appears before Audrey. She seems to have quite a fondness for Audrey...why is that? Perhaps we will find out in a later story...
• Towards the bottom of Page 22, among all of the fantasy creatures, you can see two gargoyles near where Piper is standing. Their job is to guard the Inn from any danger (though it is the resident's responsibility to keep the Inn's existence a secret to those who may not be able to handle its implications). The gargoyles learn to recognize most all of the residents, and use their sense of scent and energy to determine whether others may pose a threat or not.

If you would like to own a print book of this story, you may do so by clicking here:

Thank you so much for reading! I would love to hear any thoughts you may have, so feel free to contact me however you prefer.