About TCWA
(I pronounce the abbreviation as one word, like "Tic-Wah" btw!)Welcome! This is a little site for a personal story project of mine, for anyone interested in learning more about my characters in an organized space :)This project snowballed from some initial sketches of Cyg made in 2020 while I was testing new CSP brushes.
Back when they were just a random doodle...Fun Fact their birthday (8/20) is the date I first drew them, so it doubles as TCWA's creation day yippeeeHere's some initial concept art...
Currently just throwing spaghetti at the wall and lettin' it cook in my brain for now, but I eventually would like to make it into a free PWYW visual novel-comic type thing.Here's a really old test build from when I was learning renpy!
You can keep updated with more art mainly on my Tumblr (tags linked in pinned About post) @leembeanzLately I'm more active on Bluesky than Instagram but I post random wips or doodles here and there on both.I am taking my sweet time with it. Thanks for reading!
They Call, We Answer
The Short of It
Cyg is the housekeeper of a cabin-lodge that's situated in the middle of a haunted forest, where they oversee paranormal activity with a community of ghost patrols.The meat of the story is interpersonal drama with demons and spirits butting in. Its a bunch of character introspection and ruminations on life and stuff.Genre: Speculative Slice of Life Dramedy
Age Rating: YA, 18+
Potential Content Warnings: Alcohol/Drugs (Smoking), Suicide Ideation, Abuse (Emotional, Neglect), Generational Trauma (mainly around Immigration/Imperialism/Americanization)Basic Plot
3 years prior to the current time of the story, Cyg's great aunt, Eun, gets kidnapped by a mysterious demon that attacked their ghost patrol for reasons they don't know, and throughout those 3 years, their group has been scouring for clues to her whereabouts.Fast-forwarding to the current time, a new member joins the group, who happens to be an estranged childhood friend of Cyg's, named Ursula. With fresh eyes and a new perspective on the whole situation, she uncovers clues that the main group overlooked and with the aid of Ursula's demonologist connections, they figure out where Eun might be and have a big showdown with the demon that took her. It ends with them reuniting, and some bittersweet epilogues.
Intro
In this world, all sentient beings are made up of an invisible energy that is an amalgamation of thoughts and emotions. Ghosts were the first to manifest in the world, and gradually when Humans came to be, they kept each other company in its vast quietness. Unwittingly, Humans produced the concentrated energy that would eventually create Demons; and for a time, all three would peacefully coexist with each other. Over time these origins have become nearly forgotten, shut away, and hidden in the shadows, as the world has progressed to a state similar to contemporary real life.Yet still, people who’s dormant ability to communicate with ghosts awaken, here and there, time and time again. When ghosts call, they answer. Thus they get their name, “Answers”.Today, groups of Answers make up ghost patrols, who deal with a range of things pertaining to the supernatural; and in one such group, are two estranged childhood friends: Cygna Seo and Ursula Yoon. As they go about their day-to-day lives, helping ghosts and caring for demons, meeting the people around them, and solving the disappearance of a person they both hold dear; Buried feelings and distant memories resurface as the two reconcile the wedge between them, as they long for a sense of normalcy.(Truly just a bunch of pathetic losers who compartmentalize their feelings but are learning to heal and enjoy life a little.)
m. my funney littel guys...my brain blorbos...rotating in my mind...they can fill ur head too ;3cMain Cast
Cyg, their great aunt Eun, and their GP friends! Eun was the last member of their GP's old guard to retire, handing the mantle to Kade and Felicity as co-managers 3 years prior, with Cyg as the only other member before Ursula joins. Avery is an unofficial honorary member. Rams too, but much later.Cygna "Cyg" Seo Park (They/Them, 26+), the current Keeper of an old Lodge that was once a lively hub area, it hasn't seen much use as more convenient hubs throughout the forest have taken its place. Its always held a special place in their heart, so they take great pride in keeping it up and running. They have a quick regeneration ability, its useful for being a meat shield when trouble's brewing and a fight breaks out.Eun-Gyeong Seo (She/Her, early 70s), Cyg's maternal great aunt. A cool badass old lady. You're lucky to be on her good side, she's a little rough around the edges but she's got a big heart. She's made a name for herself in her local Ghost Patrol's community as someone who Gets Shit Done good and quick. She can teleport short distances to quickly get around. She likes to eat potatoes.Ursula Seol-Hyeon Yoon (She/They, 26+), an Answer who spent the last 5 years studying Demonology, she recently moved back to her hometown to join the local Ghost Patrol. She is tall and imposing, but underneath all the stoicism is a soft-hearted awkward nerd. She and Cyg were close childhood friends before a falling out years ago.Felicity Estelle Flores (She/They, 25+), the co-manager of their branch of the local GP organization. She's learning the ropes of leadership and has always struggled with being shy or speaking her mind. She has telekinetic powers, anything she can see within a certain radius, she can move with her mind.Kaede "Kade" Hisakawa Ramos (He/They, 26+), Felicity's managerial other half, he's pretty lax, but responsible and fair. Not much of an open book so he comes off as a little mysterious. He can turn himself invisible as well as and others through touch.Avery Jang (They/Xe, 27+), an Answer whom crossed paths with Cyg in the past, they're unaffiliated with any Ghost Patrols and are pretty new to the whole concept. Xe works at an event rental agency. Xe's a playful big flirt and nosy. Can use telepathy but its one-way so all they can do is send a message with no response, they later find out they can send psychic blasts that stuns whoever is near/its directed at. The first incident was on Cyg.Ramona "Rams" Lee (She/They, 26+), a former classmate/roommate of Ursula's. She's currently an assistant researcher for their teacher, Myung. She's a lively ray of sunshine and eager to make friends. Lover of bad puns. She can use night vision.
Demons / Ghosts
Ji-Su Im (She/Her), a Kumiho that Eun befriended/adopted a long time ago. She's a big Meanie. A bit of a rascal. Pushes everyone's buttons Just Because. She used to be able to shapeshift and breath fire before her powers got sealed away by another demon. She lies about her age being like 500+ but she's really ~60-80 in human years, for a demon she's like in her 20s. Cyg grew up around her after the claims and is completely unaware of this, begrudgingly treating her like an older sister.
Fog (They/Them), a ghost taking the form of a cat who produces magic fog, creating a barrier between the haunted forest and outside world. Very aloof and not one to socialize. Often stays in the chimney of the lodge to concentrate on keeping the barrier up.The Archivist "Archie" (They/Them), an ancient demon with a fondness for tea, history, and record-keeping. You could consider them as Cyg's roommate since they spend most of their time in the library/storage room of the lodge. They rarely speak and will communicate through wordless means.Doppel (Any Pronoun), A demon-ghost that involuntarily takes the form of human passerby. While shapeshifted, they'll retain the memories of said human, they'll shift back eventually but they usually feel bad enough for the person if they're struggling and offer a little therapy/venting session. The method depends on the person.Grampy (Any Pronoun), he's not that important to the plot. But I Love Them. Look At Him. Her. They're everyone's Grampy! He has a rock garden. Their catchphrase is "SHEESH!"
Supporting Cast
Timbre Kwon (They/Them, 21) & Spruce Yang (They/Them, 22), a couple of high school sweethearts who frequent the forest and get into shenanigans with Cyg's crew. Cyg helped Timbre out when they ran away from home years back.
Doc (They/Them, late 30s/early 40s), a local doctor who offers specialized services to Answers, they were a nurse for Cyg and Ursula's pediatrician and knew Eun through tending to various Ghost Patrol members' injuries. They are accompanied by a demon Assistant (no name yet) with spacial-dimensional powers.
Myung-ji Oh (He/They, 60s-70s), A retired demonology professor and mentor to Ursula and Rams. Funny eccentric old guy. Has 2 dogs he loves very much. One of them is a demon.
Jun-Ho "June" Yoon (He/Him) & Hye-Jin "Jinny" Moon (She/Her, both 50s), Ursula's parents. They've recently separated and live away from each other but are legally still married for benefits. They tolerate each other better than they used to. Good For Them!
Edwin Park (He/They, 16-18), Cyg's younger brother of 10 years. He is simply Surviving and Doing His Best biding time til he graduates and can Get The Hell Outta Their Family! Yikes!
I have. Many more side characters and Fun Facts but I simply do not have the space on here to infinitely info-dump. If you are nosy send an ask on Tumblr or something. Teehee.
Some worldbuilding notes and terms that get thrown around a lot.Ghosts and Demons, although these are their contemporary colloquial terms, have gone by many names. Their origins have been interpreted and theorized through many faiths and mythology, but they are essentially primordial nature spirits living alongside humans.The energy they are made up up are a byproduct of human thoughts and emotions, which there is an abundance of.Every thought or feeling a person has, creates a microscopic burst of energy, and eventually they can form together to create a spirit. Basically like atoms but Different.“Ghosts” (or Spirits, they’re interchangeable) are beings made up of extremely sparse clusters of this energy. Due to how almost-intangible they are, their presence is so quiet that when they try to communicate with most humans, things get muddled and nothing gets through, all that comes out is garbled static. This has resulted in people being frightened and ostracizing them, so they usually live in places humans don’t inhabit, such as unpopulated forests or abandoned buildings. They have typical ghostly powers such as invisibility and going through physical spaces, many have additional powers like teleportation, dimension warping, shapeshifting, energy or elemental manipulation, magic, and much more. They will often befriend or employ Answers to help with whatever problems they may have.“Demons” are a branch of spirits made up of very compact, dense clusters of the same energy. They are much more tangible and have a strong physical presence, so they can freely communicate with any human. They are extremely powerful beings with fantastical powers similar to ghosts. Many enjoy the sport of mock fighting, as to show off their power. They reside most anywhere, though often in remote areas to avoid humans, but some will live amongst human populations.“Answers” are humans with an acute sensitivity to perceive and communicate with ghosts, whether naturally born or having gone through an awakening ritual or training. Many often have additional powers like elemental manipulation, invisibility, telekinesis, etc. with drawbacks that limit how much they can use them. As a whole they’re a fairly uncommon occurrence and tend to keep to themselves.A “Ghost Patrol” is a ragtag group of Answers that deal with a range of things pertaining to the supernatural. There’s no single official organization, many groups are scattered about with their own rules, occupations, and alliances. Abbreviated as "GP" in notes. GPs often start out as solo endeavors, then overtime multiple GPs will create alliances that eventually lead to large scale organizations that span across various chunks of regions."Keepers" are a common role in the structure of Ghost Patrol Organizations, they are trusted members who maintain various hubs for Answers and other GP members to congregate. These hubs come in a variety of different locations, common places being houses or storefronts, some are abandoned spots that get spruced up, and even places like graveyards can be a hub. Ghosts with dimensional powers often reside in each hub which grants access to quick travel between hubs. Generally each hub has multiple Keepers alongside assistants (who often can just be regular GP members), teamwork is highly valued, so it's not very common for Keepers to work alone.
THAT'S RIGHT BAYBE!!!! Of Fucking Course I'd Have Music Playlists!!!!!Story Playlist:
(Note: Youtube has extra/alternative versions of songs that aren't available on Spotify.)
Character Playlists: