Update

Quick update: the Project will be continuing, for those who thought Evacuation was the end. I will be resuming regular entries starting August 30th. Look forward to it!

To be continued?

This week is going to be a little different. We'll be back to Tee next week, but I wanted to take some time out to get some feedback from you guys and discuss where the Project is going. I'd really appreciate your thoughts.

In a few weeks I'm going to be putting the blog on a short pause. A mini summer vacation, essentially. The break will be a few weeks long, 3-4, and then we'll be back to our regularly scheduled (sorta) Tuesdays. I need some down time, and I want to get to work on where the Project is going.

Now, here where I really want your feedback: do I keep going? The entire reason this blog exists is so that I can share my headworld with you guys. It's essentially a presentation of the planet whirling around in my brain. The world exists regardless, and I will continue to develop it and create for it. But a presentation is only worth it if someone watches.

So, do you guys like this enough to want to keep reading? Are you enjoying the Project? Or am I putting hours and hours of my life into presenting to an empty audience? I'd really like you guys' feedback.



Regular entry will be back next week.

Sketch Dump

As you can imagine, things have been a little hectic around here. I apologize for how sporadic the project's been. You guys have been very patient with me. This will be the last week of delays and whatnot for (I hope) a good while.

Since I don't have enough time to put together a proper entry this week, here's a few bits of concept art and sketches yanked out of my sketchbook.



Anyone have questions about the blog or the Azu-nah? Now's the time to ask. :)

See you all next week for a real entry.

Flood

The rain eventually slowed and. after a few more miserable days, stopped. The days that followed were even more miserable, though.

The day after the rain stopped, one of the scouts became excited and pointed toward the sky. At first I dismissed it as yet another meteorite. Minerva sees a lot of meteorites. But this one made me do a double take; it was shiny, a distinctly metallic shiny.

Odd.

It landed in the ocean, far, far down the shoreline, so no one ended up going to look for it. I was curious, though, and the thought of that metallic glint wouldn’t leave my mind. So I pinged Ground Zero to see if they had lost a piece of equipment, or if one of the satellites’ orbit had decayed prematurely. I didn’t expect them to answer right away. It wasn’t a priority message, after all.

But after 36 hours they still hadn’t responded. A cold knot was growing in my stomach, and I kept trying to tell myself that it was just a system error and not that something bad had happened. I spent most of the morning trying to put it out of my mind, and I actually almost succeeded, until about mid-day.

I didn’t immediately recognize the noises I was hearing as Azu-nah screams. Nandi and I were harvesting sap from a tree for the Kan when we heard whooping, and agitated hisses, and shrieks.

One of the hunters was sprinting through the grass toward the clan dens. He was making wide arm motions and shouting at the top of his lungs. I could barely make out what he was saying, but I kept hearing “run” and “killed”. My pulse quickened.

“Something comes from the water,” I heard him shriek, and he gestured in the direction the meteor had fallen the day before yesterday. “It grabs, it kills. We must run!” His voice was harsh with fear, and his eyes were so wide I could see a thin sliver of white around the edges. The clan mulled around, uncertain, until the hunter looked over his shoulder and shrieked, “They come!” and sprinted away down the beach.

We watched him go in confusion, and then our heads all turned in unison as we heard a kind of squishing, squelching, slithering sound coming through the grass. I barely caught a glimpse of the creatures; a flash of colorful red tendrils, a sickly, maggot-like body, and far, far too many legs. There were hundreds of them pouring out of the grass. A dozen of them fell upon the nearest Azu-nah, a gray female with striking black stripes, and enveloped her in a horrible mass of seething, bubbling, cancerous flesh.

We ran.



Several individuals sprinted out into the water, others ran up trees and hid. Most of us fled along the beach. There were horrible shrieks and screams behind us. I tried not to think about what was happening to everyone who’d run up the trees. Nandi was still next to me, and we ran flat out until we could barely breathe. We began to slow, our sides heaving, and I risked a glance behind us.



Adrenaline surged through my veins, and we ran again. We could hear the little things slithering across the beach sand after us. More were pouring between a pair of rocks ahead. We were surrounded. My sides were aching and my ragged breathing was chapping my throat.

No way out.

Several of the things landed on Nandi and started to turn him into another shambling monster. I heard myself screaming. Then one of the horrible creatures latched onto my leg. Another crawled up my arm. A third leapt onto my chest and waved its tendrils in my face.

The last thing I saw was a ba’oh fleeing down the beach from the creatures.

Then I was nothing, and there was only the Gravemind.

---

And they all died. The end.

Okay, no, not really. Yes, the "scheduling conflict" last week was that April Fool's Day inconveniently didn't fall on a Tuesday. >__> The real next entry will be as usual on the 5th. Happy April Fool's Day, everyone! (Seriously, no one's dead, this was just a joke, so please don't hate spam me. :P)

_{The Flood, the Gravemind, and Halo in general all belong to Bungie/Microsoft. I just borrowed them to bring the funny.}

Yes, again

Okay, okay, please don't hit me, but there's another delay this week. Yes, in fact, I'm going to have to cancel this week's entry. I'm sorry.

This week it isn't that I'm exhausted or that I'm working overtime. A really good job opportunity opened up today and I don't dare waste this chance. So, I'm sorry, but getting my application polished and my resume perfect for this just has to take priority.

Double entry next week, 'cause you guys are awesome for putting up with all this.

Wish me luck!

Attack of Reality

Unfortunately, there will not be a blog entry this week. I'm sorry to disappoint, but a series of real-life difficulties have dropped into my lap and I just don't have time to make a quality entry this week. Believe me, I wish circumstances were opposite.


I will do my best to make next week's entry worth the wait. Hope you guys have a great week!

Extra! Extra!

Okay, so we're going to do something a little different this week. I've had several people ask me how they can get involved the Project, or if they can make their own Azu-nah. I think I've found a solution:

Movies and TV shows have actors called "extras." These are the people you see in the back of a coffee shop somewhere, or walking down the street while a main character is running to work. Occasionally they'll get to do something more fun like get stepped on by a dinosaur, shot by a bad guy, or get eaten by an alien.

So if you want, now you have the opportunity to create your own Azu-extra!

Here's how it works:

• Choose one of the blank line arts below (I've included one for males, females, and a blank/bald one for anyone wanting to go crazy with hairdoos or wants a skin-head).
  

JPEG versions are available if you need something other than a PNG.

• Using the medium of your choice, design your own Azu-nah! Choose a color scheme, design their tattoos or jewelry; you can even give your character a background story if you want.
• Name your Azu-nah.
  
• Send your Azu-nah to worldofazunah@gmail.com!

Tips on Designing your Azu-nah: Azu Physiology

• Skin Color/Pattern: Patterns can be pretty much anything; stripes, spots, patches, rosettes, solid, you name it. Azu-nah skin colors tend to be a little more limited. They're more or less all earthy tones. Muted blues and greens are possible, but they are rare, and tend to show up in small, secluded populations. Flaming bright stuff like neon just isn't physically possible. Sparkle-Azus don't exist. :P
• Tattoos and Skin Dyes: Azu-Nah are VERY fond of tattoos. They're also big on skin dyes, both temporary and permanent. This is where one can go a little berserk with color. Neons still aren't in the cards, but if an Azu wants fire red hair? Dye it! Bright blue rosettes? Dye! Purple skin? .. You get the idea. ;) Try to suite their body art choices with their profession (An eye-searing orange Azu would make a crappy hunter.)
• Eye Color: Eyes are generally shades of yellow, orange, or greens. Occasionally they can be shades of blue. Red eyes are found only in albinos.
• Jewelry and Hair: Feel free to give your Azu braids, a cropped mane, long, flowing locks, or any other type of hair style. Azu-nah are also fond of jewelry, both metal and woven/beaded. So if you want to give your Azu bangles, torqs, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, etc.

Rules and Regulations:

• Any Azu-nah you submit will become the property of Project: Azu-nah and its creator. This means I can use the character however I like. This isn't to be mean; I have specific plans for Tee and the Azus. I can't derail them because someone wants their submission to become Kohric's mate or something. You can specify your preferences for your character's use, and I will try to honor them, but I can't guarantee anything.
• Your character will only be an extra. This means they'll be getting simple cameos at most. They will likely not even get a speaking part. But it does mean you may get to see your submission in Project artwork or have them do something neat.
• I reserve the right not to use your submission in the Project (if you submit a neon pink Azu with seventeen lip rings, fishnet leg warmers, and rock band tattoos you probably won't see your Azu in the blog. :P)

Submissions will be open for 1 month, starting today. All submissions must be in by midnight, November 12th.

I can't wait to see what you guys submit!

Oops

Sorry for the last minute notice, but there won't be an update this week. Idiot that I am, I completely forgot today is my wedding anniversary. The Husband Unit is kidnapping me for a much-needed night out together. I won't have time to devote to the entry for this week without making it half-assed. :P Double post next week to make up for it.

If anyone has any questions about the Project or the Azus in general, now is a great time to ask. :)

Also, coming soon--create your own Azu-nah?

Time Warp

Ok. I'm breaking the 4th wall again, temporarily. Regular Project entry will go up tomorrow night.

I want to take a quick moment to ask you readers your opinion. I am going to change the day updates occur. Some new family things, as well as some work things have cropped up and Mondays have become the single most busy night of my week. This makes it very difficult for me to keep the Project entries coming in on time. I don't want to keep delaying the project, since that's not fair to you guys who are looking forward to an entry.

So here is where I ask you, oh readers. Which day of the week would you prefer to see updates? Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday? I know for those of you overseas it's probably different. If you tell me the day and what time zone you're in I can figure out the Eastern Standard Time equivalent. I am currently favoring Tuesday, since that gives me the most time in the evenings.

So, which do you choose?

Breaking the Fourth Wall

Okay, today's post is something a little different. Instead of hearing about Tee for today, I'm breaking the fourth wall. Tee will be back next week like usual, but I wanted to take the time to do a couple of necessary things.

Firstly, thanks to everyone who's been reading! I appreciate everyone taking the time to check out my work. Thank you! I hope you're enjoying it so far.

Second, I'd like to make this week for you, the readers. Now's your chance to voice your thoughts! Are there things you like? Dislike? Stuff you're dying to know? Something you can't stand? Then please comment and let your voice be heard! Or, if you're feeling shy, email them to me (worldofazunah at gmail.com). I'd really love to hear your feedback. It helps make the blog better.

And since it would be a very lame post without any kind of artwork, I bring you an archaeological relic--the first Azu-nah!



Don't hurt yourself laughing. Technically it isn't the first Azu-nah, but it's the first picture I did of them when I'd figured out who they were and what they were called. They've changed a bit, as you can see. This guy (it was actually a girl at the time) dates back to about 2000/2001, when dinosaurs roamed.

Next week, Tee will be back with a new species and D'Keda's unusual way of packing. Look forward to it!

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What the heck is this blog?
A: It's a fictional chronicle of a character, named Teagan Dodge, who is exploring an alien planet and interacting with the native intelligent life, the Azu-nah. Basically, it's a place for me to let out my geek side in an organized, hopefully entertaining way.

Q: Where did you get a name like "Azu-nah"?
A: BSing, basically. I just liked the sound. It isn't related to anything I know of.

Q: Do you draw anything other than these Azu-nah things?
A: To see my other art, check out my DeviantART site.

Q: Your profile says weekly updates, but you've skipped a week sometimes. What gives?
A: Project Azu-nah is something I do for fun in my free time. Unfortunately, it doesn't pay the bills, clean the house, or feed my cat. I work a full time job to do all that, and occasionally real life makes too many inroads on my free time for me to spend do the blog. Each post for the Project takes many hours of design, artwork, and writing. I'm sorry for any weeks I skip, but I'd much rather skip one occasionally then slap together some crap just to say I never miss a week. I update the Twitter feed if I know I'm going to be late updating or miss a week.

Q: Can I use the Azu-nah in my art/story/video etc?
A: Sure you can, as long as it's for personal use only. Please don't sell anything with them. If possible, send me a link with the work, since I love to see other people's interpretation of the Azus. If you want I'll put it up in the fan-art section too!

Q: Can I make a suggestion for your blog?
A: Feedback it always welcome. I read every comment posted. You can also email me questions, comments, or suggestions at worldofazunah at gmail.com.