August Wrap-Up: Start of Something New

It's September already! Time flies fast especially because I've been busy with many projects, almost all involving my shop, which is what I'm going to talk about in this post.

Opening A Shop on ACG Goods

I've always been wanting to make merch but there are two things that stopped me: 1) I live in a rural Indonesia area where con locations always take in big cities only accessible by planes and ships, 2) I'm more into more niche medias, and 3) Concern with printing too many acrylics.

A couple of friends are selling merch on ACG Goods, and that's how I was introduced to the platform. Sadly my mental health took a nosedive from June to early July due to being queer in Indonesia and being unmedicated, so I can only start this project in August. I started by making Oblivion Battery merch as I want to see more fanmerch of this niche sports series (even more niche than the already niche Inazuma Eleven!); followed by Inazuma Eleven then Fields of Mistria.

I already have stable earnings on monthly basis from my existing job, so all profit from sales will be donated to various causes.

Here are the products I've made so far and some tidbits about them!

Cat Plush Badges

I made cat plush badges for Oblivion Battery and OG era of Inazuma Eleven. I want to start with easier merch to design, so I start with this option provided by Wooacry.

Oblivion Battery plush badges feature the Kotesashi main 6, with bonus of Kei's iconic "Nipple Hair" gag face because a friend of mine asked for it. I thought it'd be funny so I added him for the sake of the bit.

Inazuma Eleven is where it gets Hard. Because there are so many characters to do!! The list keeps adding!! In the end I'm taking a break from them to avoid burnout, and also because I want to focus on merch that gathers more profit like keychains so that I can donate more.

Oblivion Battery Cake Acrylic Keychains

My favorite project of the month so far! The inspiration started from me looking for the more niche keychain options Wooacry has that can be listed on ACG Goods. And here I found the eating utensil option, I want to be the first person to create a detailed review on Wooacry, haha. Because the keychain has eating utensil decoration, I thought of making cake themed arts for it. The character's cake, from left to right:

Yama: Rainbow cake with other main 6 members' image colors on it

Todo: Matcha cake

Chihaya: Orange red velvet

Kei-chan: Strawberry shortcake

Chisou / Commander: Chocolate lava cake

Haruka: Blueberry cheesecake

The other inspiration is old art style. This set is made as a tribute for my art style when I was in high school. I attended a con and only managed to sell 2 badges to an ex friend, haha. I didn't like my art style then, but I now appreciate its wonkiness, so yes the art for this is supposed to be kinda "stylistic suck".

I still keep the old badges!

I'm also showing an old art of mine here:

These keychains are also sold in more affordable options without the eating utensil decoration (price is now lowered to 13 USD for people with lower buying power)

I grinded this entire set in only 3 days.

Fields of Mistria Keychains

I also made Fields of Mistria keychains! I wanted to go all in and draw all love interests in one go, but I got too tired and my account wasn't big enough in the fandom, but now that I have a FOM following, I will add other love interests bit by bit! Celine, Reina, and Adeline were the first three I made, while Balor and Valen got added to the line-up later before I took a break because both of them are my favorites.

Other Arts

Here are other arts I made in August!

Mors Iuvenis

Background photo credit: Patrycja Polechonska.

This art is titled Mors Iuvenis ("Death of a youth" in Latin)

I saw that Wooacry has a coffin shaped badge and a lozenge shaped lace photocard as printing options (and can be sold on ACG Goods) so I immediately thought I want to make something cute but eerie.

Not sure if I achieved the eerie part but I did my best. Actually I can get very self-conscious if people see my art as cute and nothing else. It's something I now embrace but pre-therapy I had mental breakdowns over it. I saw lot of Vocaloid MVs in this cutesy art style and still managed to get their meaning across, so I think my art is able to do the same.

Anyways I made this art for self indulgent merch rather than a merch to sell to people, haha. I just ordered several merch on my shop for quality check though so I can only do for this art's merch some time.

Todo Aoi (Oblivion Battery) Birthday Art

This art is based on a recent Oblivion Battery merch set featuring Kotesashi five with sunflowers. I love flowers and Todo is assigned sunflowers in another merch set, so it set the theme of his birthday art.

I had so much fun drawing this! I hope my characteristics show through here.

Moving Fandoms, Yumeshipping, and New Labels

With Fields of Mistria's 1.0 release, I started moving fandoms from Inazuma Eleven to FOM. Reason is, I don't feel very comfortable anymore being Southeast asian in a fandom where racism, colorism, and xenophobia are heavy. I will be still drawing Inazuma Eleven, but I don't take as much effort in connecting with the community as much as I used to. I won't say FOM fandom is perfect, but I have a better time here. Mostly I'm so happy people are so supportive of each other's arts in this fandom. That being said, my shitposts tend to blow up on Twitter like what is happening!! Hahaha. I'm confused but thank you for supporting my yume shitposts???

I doodled this because I'm in love with Balor and Valen. I can't choose between them! I lost my sparks in yumeshipping with Sakuma of Inazuma Eleven, but I interpret it that I now find happiness in Balor and Valen (not that Sakuma makes me less happy, I'm just not yumeshipping with him anymore).

In yumeshipping I'm the type to see it as a real relationship. Reason is, my relationship life is kinda miserable, lol. I don't have the privilege to have a QPR (I'm aromantic) due to Indonesia's current economy and I live with a queerphobic family I can't leave. So to compesate that I have relationship with fictional characters.

And this is art of my farmer. I now identify as a small white dog therian and a moe butch (basically a cute butch). I just want to be a cute, small dog. Woof