[FELID_FACTOR]

[skinstealer]

5/19/416- KIERAN + ALIAS

[image description: an image of alias and an image of kieran.
  alias is a calico patterned shorthair cat type TCP with distinct abstract-style yellow eyes, and kieran is a migraine type TCP with a purple and black body, white migraine-indicating markings, and orange swirly eyes.]
 

Kieran’s apartment somehow feels even more cramped than Alias’, but that’s to be expected from a much bigger body type crammed into the same cheap space. Sure, the complex offered bigger apartments for rent, but considering Alias knew how the digital artist lifestyle went... yeah, they were pretty sure Kieran was in the same boat as them.

Dirt poor, broke as hell, and doomed to cheap, tight living spaces.

KIERAN: Can I...get you anything?
ALIAS: No, no, I’m good. I’m all good.
KIERAN: Okay...if you say so.
 

The body type sits down on the floor across from them, getting situated on a bedroll. Sleeping on the floor didn’t sound too comfortable to Alias at all, but the futon looked...surprisingly soft, and apparently those kind of things were in style these days.

Guess she keeps up with trends.

KIERAN: So you’re doing this collaboration with Remnant-
ALIAS: Remmy.
KIERAN: -Remmy.
ALIAS: Yeah. He and I are going to make plushes of the critters.
KIERAN: That’s exciting...how’s that going to work?
ALIAS: He’s going to use his ability to make the plushes based on my designs, it’s a whole thing.
ALIAS: We’re splitting the profits 50/50, which...I think he should get more, but he’s pretty insistent on it.
KIERAN: That’s a good rate.
ALIAS: Yeah. Too good.
KIERAN: Take it and run, honestly.
ALIAS: You don’t think it’s taking advantage of him?
KIERAN: Well...it’s your design work. You put the work in.
ALIAS: Yeah, but he’s doing the actual production, and these things don’t exactly take me ages to do.
KIERAN: I guess...but you guys are like, dating, right?
ALIAS: Wh-what? Where’d you hear that?
KIERAN: ...you have each other’s names on your profiles with hearts.
ALIAS: …
KIERAN: You don’t need to make an announcement for that to be obvious.
 

Alias wants to melt into the ground, their face covered in blush.

ALIAS: It’s...a new development, I guess.
ALIAS: We don’t want to make a huge deal out of it yet.
KIERAN: Yet.
 

There’s a teasing tone to Kieran’s voice, and they could just about die.

ALIAS: We’ve got this friend and we don’t want to make her feel like a third wheel, ok?
ALIAS: She knows, but we don’t...want to make it seem like a big thing.
ALIAS: She had a crush on Remmy for a bit, maybe still does, and I don’t want to hurt her.
ALIAS: Maybe I already have, I don’t know…
 

Alias looks up from the ground to catch Kieran staring at her, and panics.

KIERAN: Sounds like a lot to deal with-
ALIAS: You didn’t ask to hear about all that, th-though!
KIERAN: I mean, I kind of did? And I don’t mind.
KIERAN: We’ve been hanging out for a week, it’s ok to small talk, I think.
ALIAS: It’s romance drama, though…
KIERAN: I can handle that.
KIERAN: Are you considering opening a storefront though, together?
ALIAS: We’re going to have to, in order to sell the plushes.
KIERAN: Is it going to be just for plushes, or for critters in general?
ALIAS: Well, he’s already got a plush store, but he was thinking we’ll do something separate for this in case I wanted to open up for other opportunities.
ALIAS: Which, I don’t think I’m gonna get…
KIERAN: Why not?
ALIAS: I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m not exactly the networking type.
ALIAS: Literally the only reason why we started hanging out was because you found out about us being neighbors, otherwise we probably would have just liked each other’s posts into forever and kept it at that.
KIERAN: You met your friends, didn’t you?
ALIAS: They’re...different.
ALIAS: It’s different.
KIERAN: Hmm.
 

The migraine type folds her arms, thinking something over.

KIERAN: How many critters do you have designed?
ALIAS: I don’t know the exact number offhand, but at least a hundred and twenty by now.
ALIAS: Why?
KIERAN: That’s a lot. Too many to make into plushes.
ALIAS: Yeah...we’re going to have to make selections, and design some with plushes in mind, is the plan.
ALIAS: Some of them wouldn’t work out in the medium anyway.
KIERAN: Right. But still, merch would be nice of them, don’t you think?
ALIAS: I mean, sure, but I can’t network for shit-
KIERAN: Why don’t you collab with me too?
ALIAS: ...aren’t you like, booked to hell?
ALIAS: We literally talked about the other day, how you get...stress headaches and all that over it.
ALIAS: Wouldn’t taking another project on just add to that?
KIERAN: Usually I’d agree with you and say “you know what, you’re right, I’m being crazy right now”.
KIERAN: But at the moment, all of my personal art has been about how much my life sucks, and I think that alone is driving me up a wall.
KIERAN: I don’t post any of it, and I don’t plan on doing so. I’d like to make something nice and fun for once, but I don’t know what that would be.
KIERAN: And...I think working with a friend, even if they’re a new one, would be something I could try starting with.
ALIAS: I mean...sure, I guess. I guess I can see the logic there.
ALIAS: But don’t you have other artist friends you know better, even if you don’t know them in person?
ALIAS: Like what about that artist that does the cartoon stuff? The toon guy?
KIERAN: He’s busy with style development work, I can’t trouble him with something like this- and I want to get to know you.
KIERAN: ...If that’s not weird to say.
ALIAS: No, it’s not weird, I guess.
ALIAS: What kind of collab are we talking?
KIERAN: I was thinking miniature paintings of your critters- like the kinds you see on trading cards, that kind of little art.
KIERAN: We could photograph them like I do for the rest of my art and get them sold as prints through an online service.
ALIAS: Doesn’t that cost money?
KIERAN: Not for an on demand service, they’re a new thing.
KIERAN: They’ll take a cut out of the price and we won’t make a whole lot off of each print, but it doesn’t cost anything to upload the design.
KIERAN: If we start doing really good, we can go to a print shop and get prints made up for a fee and ship them out ourselves, but I would want to start with something that won’t cost us a lot upfront until we can guarantee customers.
ALIAS: Huh...that’s smart.
KIERAN: The good news is that my client base on Felid Factor is pretty big, and you have a lot of people interested in critters.
ALIAS: I don’t know if they’re interested enough to pay significant cash, though...I make enough off of them and doing random commissions for rent, but for prints and the plushes, I dunno, I’m worried.
KIERAN: Only one way to find out.
KIERAN: Why don’t you give me a critter to paint, and we’ll see how long it takes? Gauge how doable this is.
ALIAS: Okay...let’s do a new guy. Gimme a theme.
KIERAN: Brain.
ALIAS: Got it.
 

The two of them settle in, Alias breaking out their sketchbook and scribbling out a design quickly- Kieran looms over and watches, the shorthair type trying not to feel too self conscious. Soon enough, the critter’s done, and Kieran’s fast at work painting away. Watching the migraine type go is mystifying, and it becomes evident how she can price her paintings the way she does- she’s fast.

ALIAS: How...do you do that?
KIERAN: How do you draw your critters so fast?
ALIAS: Practice, I guess.
KIERAN: There you go.
ALIAS: But they’re so simple. They’re doodles. You’re painting.
KIERAN: Some people would struggle to draw critters as quickly as you do, some people would struggle to paint as fast as I do, it’s all about building up your technique and finding what works for you.
KIERAN: Don’t discount the work you’ve put into it.
ALIAS: ...huh.
ALIAS: Alright.
 

The two of them step back once the mini painting is completed, looking it over. It’s not so mini compared to Alias, but compared to Kieran’s other works, it may as well be.

KIERAN: ...well?
ALIAS: I love it.
ALIAS: I never would have thought one of my little guys could have been rendered like this.
KIERAN: You think we could do this?
ALIAS: If you’re sure about it, then...yeah. Why the hell not.
KIERAN: I think the thing to do is shake on it then, right?
 

She holds out a massive hand, Alias eyeing it nervously before extending their own. The migraine type grips it carefully, practically engulfing it.

KIERAN: To a deal!
ALIAS: To a deal.