one time for the English/Harley birthday Jade made Jake a custom set of solid gold bullets from gold she mined and smelted herself and Jake was so excited the first time he went to shoot one he did not account for the added recoil from shooting gold bullets and gave himself a black eye with his own gun
Hey there folks, Ash here! It’s that time again: time, that is, to grab a snack of your choice, get nice and comfy, and settle in for another illuminating interview with one of the people working tirelessly to bring you Hiveswap!
In the spotlight for today’s interview is Tauhid Bondia, one of the incredibly talented individuals on our art and graphic design team who also happens to be Hiveswap’s user interface (UI) maestro! He’s responsible for most of the game’s UI design, including visual elements like the heads-up display (HUD), cursors, menus, achievement and item icons… really, if it requires a special interface, chances are he designed it! He also helps out anywhere else he’s needed on the art and animation side of things; for example, he’s done clean-up and added color to rough animation. As you read through the interview, make sure you pause just long enough to gaze lovingly upon the examples of Tauhid’s work peppered throughout… and above all, enjoy this latest sneak peek at some of Hiveswap’s visual elements!
Introduce yourself to the fans! What is your specific role on the Hiveswap team?
My name is Tauhid Bondia (Tah-heed Bon-Dee-uh) and I’m a graphic designer, illustrator, and web designer. On Hiveswap I’m the UI designer.
When and how did you get your start on the Hiveswap project?
I’ve been with What Pumpkin for a little over three years now. When Hiveswap began to take up more of the company’s time, they asked me to pitch in with some of the web design and Illustration. I said, “Okay.”
(The top image shows a “style guide” Tauhid prepared for the game’s HUD. This guide was then used to implement the HUD into the game itself, which you can see in the bottom image. – Ash)
Tell us a little bit about your career background! How did you get your start
in art and graphic design? Do you have any advice for others looking to enter this field?
I’ve worked in graphic design for 15 or 16 years now, mostly freelance and local stuff. I am also a self-taught web designer. Everything I’ve learned about animation and game design has actually been on the job!
We’re making a video game, so of course the question must be asked: what’s your favorite game of all time, and what games are you playing currently (if any)?
My answer has to be World of Warcraft, just based on the sheer volume of years of my life and personal relationships it has eaten.
Are there any games that you currently use or have used as inspiration for
your own art and graphic design work here on Hiveswap, or just in general?
Not really. I mostly draw from print and web comics.
What are your preferred programs and applications as an artist and graphic designer? What are the tools of your trade?
Photoshop, Illustrator, and Corel Draw. I do all of my drawing on a Cintiq Companion these days, but I’ve worked on some model of Cintiq since they first came out.
What’s your workstation like? Do you like to listen to any particular kinds of music while you work? If so, tell us about it!
I work in a recliner in my living room. I’ll usually put The Office on Netflix as background noise. Barring that, I might bump a little Mos Def or Chance the Rapper. Basically, any authentic hip-hop that’s got my ear at the time.
Favorite Homestuck character?
My blackest secret is that I never mustered the stamina to finish it. But I like the one with the horns. He honks, I think. Gamgam.
Favorite Homestuck ship?
It has ships? I didn’t realize it was science fiction. Maybe I’ll finish it.
Favorite Homestuck flash?
Are you trying to get me fired?
Do you have a personal message you’d like to relay to all the Homestuck and Hiveswap fans out there?
Probably just that I really hope you enjoy this game. I don’t really know if there is another project I’ve been prouder to be a part of. The amount of talent that’s been poured into this game is just obscene!
Where can people find more of your work? Link us to your own little corner(s) of the Internet!
You can find plenty of examples of my work and more – including my own comics – on my website!
Okay, but what if in the new universe, the orange hat becomes a sacred symbol as well. And the highest of the clergy wear an orange baseball cap rather than a mitre.
But also picture, different religious sects growing out of the original mythos. It may start off as just different groups giving special homage to a certain god, like the farmers to Jade and doctors to Jane. But trouble would arise if they placed a higher importance on any one god over the others.
Then there’s the people who would reject the 8 gods. Perhaps the new Troll race for instance. They may see the humans as prophets, or helpers to the true gods. The Twelve (in some sects they are the 24 giving homage to the dancestors as well). A messed up pantheon who scattered themselves across the universe. Some were traitors and some were heroes but they all played a role in bringing Trollkind to this world. They were the original gods who created a universe only to have it robbed from them by the prophets. But the prophets, learning of their act, repented and helped the gods to fulfill their original purpose. The only one held in higher honor (though not god status) is Roxy, the Human Virgin Mother Grub who stole the Matriorb from nothing and hope from extinction.
Then there are those few, those very few, who still worship the green demon and speak of the mirthful messiahs. You know why the gods have left us orphans? It is because they were heretics who went to fight the Lord, but the Lord is the most powerful. His tail (he’s often depicted as a snake to avoid confusion with the sacred skull of the hope god) swept half the stars from the sky. The remaining gods may have trapped him with their deceit, but it was all part of his plan to spread his reign throughout all the multiverse. Will he come again? No. For He IS ALREADY HERE.
And Calliope the Muse keeps a record of all these myths and stories with only the occasional embellishment. For she received the gift of eternal life from the gods and is therefore tasked to write of their stories and their universe. Not that she minds though. She loves stories.
YES. FUCK YES. HELL FUCKING YES.
The First Four
John The First Wind
Followers wear a myriad of hammer necklaces, much like followers of Thor. A common type is inspired by the Warhammer of Zillywho, showing complete mastery, while another common type is a simple hammer, showing endless capabilities
Rose The Beacon
Many tomes can be found of the Beacon, she who saw both light and dark. Frequently these novels have a dual side. In the light they have a light cover, detailing wonders and great wealths of knowledge. In the dark the book takes on dark characteristics. The book drips with endless ink of the void and within the tomb lies tales of misfortune and corruption
Dave The Time Turner
The church’s holy text consists of a massive tomb written entirely in beautiful rhymes, crafted by the god of time himself. Many tales include the whimsical bards Saint Breet and Saint Jefella. Some stories recount the dual sides to the time god, detailing the heroism of his spirit and how it grew to become a god in it’s own right. The winged god of endings
Jade The Genesis Witch
The temples for the godess of space can be found on isolated islands. Many statues have been raised in honor of her loyal companion who bestowed her the gift of godhood. A chart similar to the evolution of man can be found. First there was the dog, then there was the girl. After that there was only the Genesis Witch.
The Second Four
Roxy The Void Stealer
Many grimoires have been attributed to the Void Stealer. Bearded wizards in tall towers read these spellbooks detailing how to tap into Void in attempt to summon gifts from the Void Stealer. Common findings are pumpkins and ancient mysterious viles containing magic potions that grant extreme clarity
Dirk The Fractal
The god with many faces has special sects dedicated to each.
Ember Eye, the god of reflection.
The Dreamer, the god who awoke when the Fractal first dreamt. He Who Found Hope, the god awakened by the True Believer. He vigilantly served the True Believer as a protector and guide.
While he has many faces, all of them wear the Fractal’s glasses.
Jane The Culinary Queen
The patron godess of life and baking has many unique foods attributed to her. As the cook for the gods she is said to prepare blessed ambrosia for the sick. Birthday cakes always have a slice saved for an offering to her.
Jake The True Believer
The blue angels created by the Hope god are said to be the most beautiful beings ever seen. They serve as vigilant vanguards against He Who Besmirched Hope, the Lord.
Hi I’m marrying those descriptions of Dirk and Jake thanks
i was afraid she’d look too similar to jade so i tried making her look older!
9 hot mom janey expressions! i’ve got all the alpha kids lined up so look forward to it! (bonus sprites like canon trollsonas and tricksters to come even later!)
you must ask for permission before using!!!! thanks! ‘ o ‘
[EDIT: Updated this with the source for the artist.]
I don’t have like an essay for this or anything but my furry friend is reading along the comic now and he just got to Jade.
He reached her furry exposition page, so I informed him those reader commands were from actual readers back in 2009 who wanted Jade to drop the furry stuff as soon as it was introduced, and Hussie responded to this by doubling down on it hard as hell with that Jade speech.
But anyway that’s not the point. The point is my friend laughed and mentioned he found the furriest shit in her room. I figured it’d be like the SBAHJ poster or something but I asked him to show me. He posts this
And um, guys, I don’t think I’ve ever seen this fursona anywhere. It’s not a notable character anywhere I can remember. But like, giving it some thought…isn’t that a green furry dog girl?
And her eyes are blue, just like…Jade’s shirt. And her gills suggest amphibious qualities, linking her to Abraxas, suggesting she–
Nah i’m fucking with you. I guess I COULD link her to Gnosticism at length but I’m not sure there’s anything there and it’s not the point, I don’t really feel the need to argue in favor of this blatant truth
You can pretend this isn’t Jade’s canon fursona all you want but i think we all know the truth deep in our hearts
EDIT: Thanks to cool Tumblr user pankaeks we know who the artist for this girl is! The image can be sourced to this (only BARELY SFW, so tread with caution) art piece by tsampikos, and the character depicted belongs to Furaffinity user selucilia.
Here’s a shot of the original piece:
You’ll notice the character still has the cute cheek scruff I misidentified as gills in the green pallette, making the Jade->Abraxas link the definitive total horseshit it was the whole time. I’m heartbroken.
Of course, the picture seems to have been edited to reflect Jade’s color scheme, so it still seems pretty definitely to represent Jade in some way. I’m still willing to call it Jade’s canon fursona inside the context of Homestuck, though I’m obvs a little more reserved knowing it’s someone’s character.
But yeah Jade’s fursona…I fucking love it…I might actually work up the will to get the old tablet out and draw her. Earth C Fursona drawparty, Jade. Make it happen. I believe in you.
Reblogging this updated version since I added the artist and owner of the character respectively. Would appreciate it if peeps reblogged this one! Thanks.
@ that one 2-part anon btw
No offense but I’m not really comfortable discoursing with anons about volatile subject matter of late. You don’t seem to be hateful or anything and I don’t think you’re being unreasonable, so I’d be willing to talk about it even if you just need to vent about it or something in private but I’d really rather know who you are.
I don’t like ignoring stuff like that but also me and people I care about have been greatly hurt by this stuff and I’m pretty much done. I’m here to make people happier and to encourage people to enjoy all of Homestuck more, not to deal w/ pointless fandom infighting and cruelty.
Which is not what your messages are but, quite unfortunately, is what my context is. So yea! Sorry about that.
hm. Blogs? It’s kind of hard for me to say without knowing what you like, but off the top of my head I guess I’d mention some like Fandom Favorites or people I think are pretty cool. But like, it’s hard for me to say without knowing who you are, baasically because I don’t know if you’re a minor and there’s quite a bit of nsfw stuff out there I wouldn’t risk sharing.
@moonpaw17 and @dyonoi are good peeps to start with if you’re into davekat and cute comics and stuff. I’ve always enjoyed @heir-of-puns ‘s blog because it tends to have a pretty even distribution of homestuck fandom content. Ditto @sometipsygnostalgic who’s done some really funny post-canon comics tho im not sure if theyre as active recently.
I guess without knowing you and what you’re looking for better that’s about what i’d say?
Flying through Storytelling 