Case in point, when I was just getting started with the Tellest universe, I had also happened upon the mighty Newgrounds.  Some of my favorite artists were Splashkhat and Randy Solem.  I’ve actually since had a chance to work with the former, even though what we’ve done has never seen the light of day.  Khat was the creator of the epic Final Fighting Fantasy, and the late Solem was the creator of Rise of the Mushroom Kingdom, which was a beautifully animated tale of the Mario Bros. in a world where consequences are more permanent than what we see in the games.

Tellest Revolution was my first (sort of) foray into sprite animation. I had a trial of Photoshop that I used to create some terrible cartoons. It was a lot of work, and it came during a time when I should have been more serious about making money, going to school, etc., but it was too interesting to pass up.

The short-lived cartoon series was my way of marrying the Tellest stories with their eventual appearance as medieval superheroes. Heck, the intro even had an X-Men Saturday Morning feel to it.  We used sprites from Final Fantasy games, and music from the incredible remixers at OCRemix.

There were ultimately 7 episode halves that released, each rough 7-15 minutes long, and the more work I did with it, the better I understood the program.  Around episode 4-2, my photoshop must have run out, or my computer must have bricked, because everything simply stopped.  I don’t recall any place where those files might live on, and it was on a computer that was at least 10 years old, so it’s probably a rusted old piece of junk now.  In spite of that, I’m still strangely proud of the work I did – back then, I had a very generous score on Newgrounds.

I always think about getting back into things like that, but now that Tellest has evolved the way it did, I’m afraid we might be in danger of copyright infringement.  For one, I doubt I’d be able to get away with reworked sprites.  And even more crushing, I’d find it hard to believe we could use the music that made the series so catchy.

I’m not going to link to the videos, for several of the reasons cited above, but a little search on the internet will turn them up.  If you do happen upon them, I hope you appreciate them for what they are!

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Introducing the Bewere Bears!

These werebears are the guardians of the Lumibug Forest, and they give it their all whenever they can.  Their story is pretty robust, but we’ll save most of the bigger details for another time.  In the meantime, why don’t you spend a few moments getting to know the individual Bewere Bears?

Bramble Bear is the de facto leader of the Bewere Bears.  She can summon the power of the Lumibug Forest to her beck and call, using the mighty vines of the synoak trees to entrap any who would endanger the forest.  She’s cocky for sure, but it’s an attitude that’s certainly been earned!

Next up we have Flutterbear.  This guy might seem big and scary, but he’s actually the tamest and nicest of the bunch.  The Lumibug Forest is kind of a misnomer, because there are a bunch of awesome wildlife that live in the woods, and Flutterbear has an affinity for one species in particular: Rainbow Flutters.  When he activates his power, he can coerce a swarm of the magical butterflies to do his bidding.  On their own, the little bugs don’t realize they have magical power, but with his instructions, they become a force to be reckoned with!

Embear is a bit of a fire keg.  She’s not the calmest of the group, and she’s really easy to set off.  Still, she’s very loving and loyal, and her attitude is more often seen as funny than worrisome.  When the Bewere Bears first discovered her power, there was a lot of worry that she might burn down the whole Lumibug Forest!  As it turns out, though, Embear’s magical fire doesn’t do any damage to the trees or the animals in the woods.  That’s a relief!  Fun fact: He thinks she doesn’t know, but Embear has noticed that Flutterbear has some affection toward her…

Last up we have Void Bear.  With his mighty power, he can pull those who would harm the forest into a frightening black hole.  It doesn’t hold people permanently, but it does take them out of commission.  The only problem is, it drains poor Void Bear and he gets so sleepy!  Hibernation much?

Those are just the main four Bewere Bears.  Over the course of their story, they’re joined by a handful of other guardians.  Who are you expecting to see?

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