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I've posted a Twitter thread regarding the changes I wanted to do for Raye, but being Twitter with the character limits, I couldn't fully explain a few other things. When I originally did the character reference sheets I did so with the intention of updating Raye to fit more of the current style I like to/naturally draw now. However, I had gotten too familiar with how I drew her and in many ways I couldn't envision her in any other style. I think this is in part because I was looking at it too closely and after back and forth, I drew not that much different but I never felt she truly evolved with me. She's not just an OC, but in many ways she is an extension of me. Much like  lotharhex with his old character design, I wasn't fully connecting with her but I wasn't also overall against with how she looked. It's a hard feeling to describe. My style has evolved and changed and I don't think I have allowed Raye to catch up.

This wasn't so much an issue with my other characters (listed below) because they have debuted public only recently, and I have very rarely drawn them outside sketchbooks and personal art (they mostly existed in story form, save for Amberette I used to draw her a lot but stopped for a long time) so it was easy for me to rethink them into the style I draw more naturally and change some aspects I wanted to about them. But as Raye was an extension of me and I drew her relatively often, it was difficult for me to let go of that familiarity and fall into drawing habits even though I have moved on from those habits.

However, what prompted me to do this is something rather melancholic. My brother passed away in a house fire 4 months ago. I used to draw for him a lot. And the reason drawing became such a beloved hobby is in large part due to him encouraging me. There was a comic we worked on together in which I did between 40-60 pages based on our family and turning our experiences into wacky adventures. A year or two before he died he told me that he still kept all the pages and hoped that I would either add more or maybe update the art style (Which is something I still do but not very often NSFW WARNING ). I remember our characters well, namely because they were the main ones reacting to the situation, but he loved the humour and wanted it updated. I only sketched it in pencil then having done only a few bits of stand-alone art coloured. I was so unbelievably touched he kept it so long. I gave it to him when I moved to the UK because he did like them so much, but I wasn't able to take it with me due to baggage constraints. I was touched he kept it this long and even wanted it updated and coloured.

He said he would scan them all and sent them to me, but sadly he passed away before he did this. They were all different types of cats. The representation of myself, a representation of myself, a lynx called Rochelle, he helped me design and based some of the markings I have. Such as the beauty mark on my left cheek, freckles/beauty on my shoulders and the one random ass beauty mark on my hip. A lot of this I experimented with Raye.

Sadly, almost all of his belongings also perished in the fire, which included this comic. I was only recently told this because they finally finished the investigation of the fire and were able to go through his belongings, which sadly, there was not much left.

I will not be doing any versions of the comic I made with my brother; it was mostly his concept and idea, as well as he wrote a small portion of it; it was our collaborative work and it doesn't feel right doing this without him, so I have laid this to rest, but I brought some of the elements of a character he helped me design a character that is a representation of me, to a character that is an extension of myself would be a way for me to carry a piece of his spirit with this new project. He always believed in me and always saw value in my art even though I never did. After mixing some elements and experimenting, I have finally found the design that not only I like but also makes me feel genuinely connected with my character. The change isn't massive, save for maybe the eye shape, but I feel as though this finally helps me connect with the design a bit more but it also has much more meaning.

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MORE ABOUT RAYE:

So the top part is Raye in her thief gear.

The bottom garments are her day job "uniforms" and then her leisurewear is what she wears when she wants to be comfortable of course!

I want to keep the drawing/sheet very clean and not as cluttered so I will add only some little bits of information on there that I think will be fun/cute to know.

Some additional information about Raye:

Sexuality: Bisexual
Dislikes: Aubergines/eggplants (can't stand them), arrogant people, braggarts
Bad habits:Can be a bit reckless and impulsive and tends to run her mouth which sometimes gets her in trouble which can get worse after a few drinks, can be a bit mischievous
Day Job: Private Investigator
"Night Job": Thief

Raye doesn't have many nicknames, this is because her name is short. One common nickname that gets tossed around is "Raye-Raye" but Amberette calls her "Sunshine"-- because of "Ray(e) of Sunshine", something Raye isn't too fussed about but doesn't mind from Amberette.

That's all for now. Once I finish the other character sheets I will be doing little "scenes" of the chapters me and  lotharhex written and we and a friend helped edit and once I finished all my extra work for the pantomimes I will start doing the comic. I'm excited :)

Raye belongs to me <3

Lothar's character sheet: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/45098048/
Amberette's Character Sheet: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/44335463/
Mark's Character Sheet: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/44550406/
Josias' Character sheet: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/45246150/
Steve's Character sheet: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/45656207/
Kyle's Character Sheet: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/45671128/
Joseph's Character sheet: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/45749342/


(ORIGINAL character sheet is here: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/44230726/ but this is no longer valid; it will have an edit to add commentary)