Creative Process | Autodale's "FRIENDLY SHADOW"

[@chaoskilledthedinosaur27]

Can we talk about the “Freaks can art” note?

[@psychedelic5263]

Lol

[@Josuh]

i wanna hear that freak top tier music with a godly bassdrop

[@organicrobot6425]

@@Josuh I would like to imagine that if freaks did make music which if they make other forms of art they probably do it probably be similar to Jazz except that it uses precautions instead of wind and goes about as hard as metal or at least as close to that as you can get with somewhat primitive instruments. In other words non-conforming individualistic and somewhat gritty the opposite of what this dystopian city is With a nice hopeful spin as I can definitely see that being needed in their environment. But I'm not an expert

[@dancingpineapple6296]

its cool it shows ther as smart as us

[@tortis6342]

organic robot subscribe to PewDiePie do you mean percussions?

[@MrSailing101]

"Everybody shares the same voice" 1) Your vocal range is wider than you give yourself credit for. 2) I'll argue that it is a product of Autodale's Eugenics if you disagree with the above statement.

[@gamecrafter507]

MrSailing101 true 😂

[@glenngordon8595]

100%, i was looking to see if someone commented this before i wrote it myself. the fact that all the characters have a tiny tiny hint of sounding the same is what wraps them all together in autodale

[@ileanabriannemari]

It's one of the chains that bind them to their society. They aspire to be the Handymen, they think it's the norm to live in a dystopian society (even if they don't think that) They want to be them, and they'll end like them. It just shows how deep they drilled that kind of mentality to their citizens. All their actions, ideals, voices, all controlled by their leaders.

[@nonbeenary9501]

I agree

[@an8strengthkobold360]

It kinda fits. The people of auto dale are supposed to conform. This appling to their voices is fitting.

[@DeadSound]

A couple hours late, but here is the second of three "Friendly Shadow" making of videos. I expected this video to be just 10 or so minutes long but it turns out that I had a LOT more to say about this character than I thought. Next week I'll be covering Hive. Please enjoy! :D

[@stephaniea7383]

I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING ABOUT HIVE SO MUCH!! THESE ARE SO GREAT NO MATTER HOW LONG!!!

[@minibat7169]

Awesome sauce

[@russellpeterson9012]

Thx I love you vids on looking forward to your next video

[@J3LL3F1SH]

Thank you :D

[@anthraxaddict7431]

i would've been disappointed if it wasn't as long as this, ngl. listening to these videos is almost more entertaining than the animations themselves!

[@golemkid7209]

"i voice every single male character" coulda fooled me

[@saeran8079]

I skipped to voice because I wanted to know who it was

[@milesclyde5071]

So let me get this straight. You think I'm going to complain about listening to that buttery smooth Scottish voice talk in a beautifully animated series Hell no! Dude, give yourself some credit you have written, animated, and voice acted one of the best series that KZbin has ever seen

[@skelebonez1349]

YES!

[@bella_daze3092]

THIS DUDE HAS RANGE AND THATS AWESOME

[@grunt8836]

M8, this feller’s going places

[@yourbiggestfan395]

The voice was great! I wouldn't mind more voice actors but not at the expense of this world. It's great :>

[@yerro504]

I know right! I didn’t even notice that they were all voiced by him

[@Hellion912]

"He talks with his mouth closed" I honestly thought he was essentially communicating telepathically, like a radio in his head to talk to the Hive.

[@RoseVirusLV]

That's what i thought too

[@zaziethebeast1039]

Same. Its something you see in other shows like Ghost in the Shell.

[@cathyvickers9063]

Ditto. He was transmitting to Hive, not talking out loud!

[@TheNasaDude]

He's transmitting and receiving, but those transmissions are played back via some loudspeaker. The handymen have no mouth, yet they talk: Shadow is part handyman, and when his robotic side takes over, he doesn't move his mouth

[@allurajane4979]

me too

[@suttonz6067]

He purposely doesn't wear his coat to distance himself from how auto dale depicts him "You're a lot less scary without the coat" 😭😭😭😭😭

[@pokechatter]

The Hives that say “Give him the coat!” Seem pretty stuck on their headcannon formed from the episodes they saw in their youth, and seem to prefer his intimidating fictional persona perhaps to remind the citizens that his individuality isn’t admirable or worth emulating...

[@jelfishery]

*G I V E H I M T H E C O A T*

[@scoutnova9213]

@@pokechatter I think your probably right but that's probably even more reason for him not to wear it

[@jozinek876]

Indeed, it's such a clever little detail ;)

[@suttonz6067]

@Thefangirl 0110 I do indeed 😎 I love Alex Fierro

[@Jarvis-MkII]

I really have no issue with the voice, to be honest it fits in with the feel of Autodale. The people look, act and sound the same, the handymen/TV announcer speak a "BBC World Service" type of the voice and the population emulates that. In my mind Friendly Shadow has a variation of that voice but he's too ancient and too much of a hybrid of man and machine to sound exactly the same. I am so glad you made this series, you're telling an amazing and engrossing tale that keeps me riveted!

[@Munchkin.Of.Pern09]

I agree! I really liked hearing his accent in the Friendly Shadow’s voice, where he hasn’t really let his accent through into the other character’s voices; it feels like there’s that one piece of humanity in his voice that hems holding on to.

[@agariakamai6827]

“Everyone has the same voice” I find that seeing everyone with the same voice just adds to how the community is so...... connected? No- more like, creepily alike. Like how everyone sound the same, people\citizens, robots, and even the friendly shadow just adds a small bit of dreary-ness(?). The voices are just about perfection in my opinion!👍🏻

[@thecrappyportalmaster2963]

I love the fact that Friendly Shadows’s punishment was the coat. He hates how the town portrays him, and doesn’t wear the coat as a passive rebellion. Forcing him to wear it would make the people more scared of him, which he hates.

[@mikal1419]

Okay, so I know that you see yourself voicing each male character in Autodale as a negative, but I argue that from a storytelling standpoint, it really works. All the men sound the same as the Handymen, their idols. The announcer on TV also has that voice, showing how even through your speech and tone you are expected to be the same as everyone else. Even the Friendly Shadow, the only true and recognizable individual in Autodale, his voice is the same as everyone else. Modified? Sure, but it's another part of his identity that keeps him chained to Autodale and chained to Hive -- he's got the same voice as everyone else. Anyway, this probable won't change your mind and it is nice to bring fresh blood into projects, buuuuuut I still think it works :)

[@emilyhuber73]

I think this works really well! Thank you for the input!

[@TheFiteShow]

i agree entirely

[@connormcconnell7881]

This sounds like how it should be even if a big company poured money into it I feel like it should be this way

[@Torichan888]

He says Autodale has been in operation for thousands of years. So, of course everyone has the same accent, they have been isolated for thousands of years. He also said that the citizens are bred to be happy and productive. It makes sense that Autodale would also selectively breed people to standardize height, weight, vocal timbre, hair color, everything they can. And with total control of the micro-nutrients in their food, water, supplements, and medicines, a lot of variation can been eliminated. Throw in a little admiring mimicry, and it makes total sense that the male characters of Autodale sound similar. The Loner could have come from the same place as what became the default Autodale citizen or been one when younger.

[@richardblazer8070]

If freaks eventually speak they should be voiced by him, because they are normal people.

[@RyoKasai25]

The fact that Autodale has existed for thousands of years hit me like a bus.

[@CheshireCat-cm1si]

RyoKasai25 As disturbing as the society is, they do have a self-sustaining system.

[@Kaspleen]

Yes but for how long? If I remember correctly from one of his previous animations, with a stranger moving across the land to find the city of Autodale, the other cities that were like it had been destroyed or fallen. It makes me wonder what happened and why?

[@LivingDeathGuy]

Kaspleen as a quote from doctor who “you have to win every single time for the rest of time, they only have to win once.”

[@Kaspleen]

Jordan haas thank you for your reply. It makes me even more curious.

[@jj-sc1kq]

I agree, I expected maybe 3 generations. Which would suggest about 90-100 years.

[@samiwray293]

Little late over here but I just love the detail that the mother in “Friendly Shadow” legit asks him to break the rules for her daughter. Just goes to show that no matter how brain washed people can be, their humanity and care for their loved ones and family never ceases to find ways to shine through. Shadow might be the only character to openly rebel in the series, but I argue that the mother is another far more lightly hinted at character who sways away from the expectations of their society.

[@justsomeguywithaforeheadmu6209]

Exactly!

[@mightypurplelicious3209]

I thought they had limited emotions or something lol

[@bella_daze3092]

OMG I HAD THAT SAME THOUGHT!

[@TibbySparkles]

Not to mention the fact that she let her daughter interact with the kid-monster. I think that's part of why she says she "failed"

[@Kickiusz]

Another amazing subtle detail about her is that she takes off her mask right after she says she has failed. She feels like she has failed the city itself and decides she doesn't deserve to wear the mask.

[@0rbitalDreams413]

Wow,you voiced all the male characters and I didn’t even realize.Thats actually really great voice acting skills

[@iwannabeafishy]

Each one honestly sounds different

[@aidenlosee]

I don't really pay attention to what they sound like because I'm distracted by the pretty visuals

[@dermoblierteherr4707]

What impresses me is the fact, that the male characters have no scottish accent at all.

[@202mc4]

He has great EVERYTHING skills. Man does almost everything by himself.

[@matheusm.santana6527]

Hive: "he is rebeling" Also hive: "give him the coat" Friendly shadow: "NO! Not the COAT"

[@azutheboredcat2441]

Anything but the coat!

[@トーキ-g8v]

"GOD that thing's edgy!"

[@konradklukowski1009]

That the most ironic thing. Instead of making him less human they bind him to the thing he hates the most.

[@trevargrisham35]

@@konradklukowski1009 You know he's gonna find a means to tearing that coat off.

[@redactedmember]

sorry im so late to this series, but when you think about it. to him, the coat is what makes the people afraid of him, so they are actively making people not want to see or interact with him. and he loves people, so it is a punishent.

[@paskariu]

I just realised: depending on how you define the little girl's relation to the kid monster, the friendly shadow kept his promise to the mother completely. The girl didn't get killed and got to stay with her brother (the kid monster)

[@Mccheeseman]

Thats deep

[@common-placee]

Honestly, I kinda like the idea of all the male characters having basically the same voice. I think it just adds another level uniformity to Autodale. I think there’s just enough difference for it seem like separate people, but they all feel like Autodale, if that makes sense.

[@nicoangelo9928]

Yeah, me too. David if you read this, I really like that you do all the male voices. It fits

[@manleyroberts3657]

Like a common Autodalian accent of sorts. Think about it

[@ashleymartin2799]

What if cloning is involved or such similar genetics are involved as in all branching from one person.

[@gamie99]

"This cycle has gone on completely unchanged for thousands of years." *Excuse me what the s h i t*

[@Bloodlyshiva]

Why haven't they run out of people?

[@vanessawestbrook9846]

They do seem highly advanced maybe cloning or artificial womb?

[@neenm4299]

I imagine that some families raise a *lot* of kids.

[@BonaparteBardithion]

The family in Friendly Shadow has three kids, and they're all pretty young. Parents were young enough to have. Though we haven't seen more than three kids, it's not unreasonable that citizens would be encouraged to have 5-6 when the numbers get low.

[@dinostorion]

thousands of years of incest by now

[@rimfire8217]

It actually kind of makes sense that Shadow would have the same voice as the handymen (It is similar to the clone in clone wars) But their is a contrast because he Talk with a American accent as a pose to the English accent the handymen talk with.

[@loganroman5306]

Can I put this on r/boneappletea ?

[@terry2295]

"Give him the Coat" I actually want to see him with the coat just for the coat physics

[@Casual_degenerate]

C o a t P h y s i c s Y e s

[@Levowitz]

If you ever get the idea to recast the characters, please stay as the Friendly Shadow. You do him obscenely well.

[@Casual_degenerate]

Yeah! It would feel strange for the friendly shadow to have any other voice!

[@lacywestbrook3652]

I deeply agree with this! The friendly Shadow has to stay!

[@productions1203]

Honestly it seemed a bit off, especially the friendly shadows first lines delivery seemed... off

[@MoonLight-zj8iu]

I think I'd prefer the other male voices be taken up by voice actors, but leave the Handymen and Shadow voiced by himself. I think his Handyman voice is great, and seeing as Shadow is half man half Handy it'd fit well.

[@balckbelttime]

Agreed

[@x3j505]

Hive: "Change him!" Shadow: I sleep. Hive: *"Give him the C O A T"* Shadow: *real shit*

[@Casual_degenerate]

Everybody gangsta till they try give him the c o a t-

[@leyspun]

no coat

[@Sippysipmakeitsip]

Nick Valentine vibes

[@hardboiled_cat]

i'm the 666th like

[@aquaticarrow55]

They only do that because they know he hates it. Read 5:56

[@TheSpooniest]

It might be the case that having more voice actors could improve things, but I think that having the Shadow and the Handymen in particular have the same voice actor produces a very nice effect. The resemblance between their voices is faint, but present enough to be eerie in its own way, and makes sense from a story perspective if the Shadow is based on the Handyman series of robots. I'd call that a happy accident of casting.

[@SioxGreyWolf]

I actually want the handyman based on HIS voice, as an attempt from the hive to make their "friendly" shadow come off as more relatable... since he had a voice before and now, while the handyman are the ones that can be modified.

[@darrendelima2909]

I always thought "it's something like Apple's Siri", who always has the same voice, because it's made by the same brand, programmed by the same people, etc.

[@uWu-fp2lc]

"Promise me she'll join her brothers and not me" My favourite line in the short film

[@holyheckinheckohheck]

"They're disturbed by his face because they live in a society where it's the norm to wear a mask." I felt that.

[@dumbdead8835]

*Covid intensifies*

[@homosexualitymydearwatson4109]

@@dumbdead8835 except we need to wear masks for Covid for the sake of preventing further spread of a deadly disease, not to remove individualism

[@xunk16]

@@homosexualitymydearwatson4109 It still has this as a side effect though. Then again, at least here we can choose to wear personalized masks... so we kinda make our individualism now.

[@トーキ-g8v]

@@xunk16 now you can't just rely on your birth to be unique, SHOW everything and everyone that you are unique

[@xenon8927]

i love how civil this is.

[@sufferingtogether8827]

One thing I would like to see to kind of cement the lore is how the citizens of autodale actually benefit the entities in the penis tower. What exactly are their jobs? How is the power generated and why is killing them early so important? Also, what is the goal of autodale as a whole? If not to live, then why?

[@40watt53]

@METEOR STORM nah they just leave the bodies in pits, it would also cost more energy to keep humans alive than they could produce

[@zaratem0268]

I think the hive (or the matriarch) made the human experience into a machine, from their point of view they are just optimizing everything they can, but they don't want to destroy the humans the want to make them better, make humanity "prettier"

[@ashutoshsamantaray2572]

That probably still needs to be explored

[@awesomechainsaw]

Agreed. The penis tower seems to make all the robots and toys without any human involvement. So what do the men do when they go off to work? How do they get there? Where do they get their food? Water? They obviously don’t do any trading so how so they get supplies that autodale it’s self cannot provide?

[@ucLe-wg2wp]

I'm ok with all of those as metaphors

[@EMBrown-nw7jq]

I think that having David (Dead Sound) voicing the Handymen and Friendly Shadow, makes a lot of sense to me. A single unifying voice connecting each robot, and the Friendly Shadow cursed with the same voice.

[@JosephStraughn]

Not gonna lie, whenever I see this guy I think of a steampunk woody

[@wiej007]

And I think about Nick Valentime from Fallout 4

[@beep3242]

I always get major Nick Valentine vibes

[@gallery.4775]

Nick valentine or my man the Mysterious Strange.

[@LM-ml2uc]

Goodness not going to unsee that now

[@lavimps8187]

Yeah nick valentine definitely

[@Shipwright1918]

Personally think you nailed the Shadow's voice, honestly thought it was a different person until watching this. Bit of an in-universe bonus too, if the Shadow literally has a handyman's voicebox instead of his own, seeing as he hates them, he gruffs it up to make it sound different just to spite them and the Hive.

[@rocketspaceships]

Honestly even though you’ve voiced most of the characters, I never even noticed and always assumed you hired voice actors. So give yourself more credit, you’re talented!

[@ParboleumLoyce]

Honestly I think the Friendly Shadow having "the same voice" as both a Model Citizen and a Handyman just... Makes sense, you know?

[@tgbluewolf]

Right, because he *is* a model (to the point of being exceptional) citizen *and* a handyman...to be honest, I thought that the Model Citizen's voice was closest to the Friendly Shadow's, so I would've imagined that Model Citizen became the Friendly Shadow if not for the fact that Model Citizen was murdered when he became old.

[@kellybeck4579]

The detail in expression is exquisite. Friendly Shadow's eyes flinch when he is talking to the mother, showing the dissonance between both man/machine and truth/hope.

[@TheNasaDude]

Also the mother expression after Friendly Shadow makes his promise is phenomenal. You can read the pain (she's still going to die) , the relief (Shadow promised) , and the comfort (she has confirmation that trusting Shadow was a good decision)

[@spicyspagett]

Can we just appreciate this guy's doodle book. Like jesus Christ. So much art and detail.

[@mightypurplelicious3209]

It looks so on theme

[@cathl4953]

Also it is very clean

[@Jagenheie117]

forreal. could get that orinted and at a certain price point im sure a lot of the fans would buy a copy. its freakin beautiful

[@jacksvlogs9924]

I legit need a tutorial on that alone

[@IronDino]

12:28 "For almost thousands of years." That just sunk in.

[@FearlessLeader2001]

14:35 it took me this long to notice, but I love that the camera physically shifts whenever the Shadow switches from good to bad. It's really good filmmaking

[@ElsaVideoGamesUSA]

The "revolver" part of the revolver should spin to "charge" the shot, that way it has a purpose and the electricity doesnt come from nowhere.

[@SomeoneNews]

That's actually really smart

[@midgemya778]

“Everyone shares the same voice.” I think that sounds rather poetic.

[@demoncyborg5458]

Right! Different voices means individuality. Why would the people of autodale want that?? They want to be like the handyman. All the same. So having them have similar voices actually makes it more messed up, in a good way

[@mayonnaise2396]

@@demoncyborg5458 ...but the Shadow is an individual? In every meaning of the word.

[@bananaslug7632]

nobody: that one hive member: *GIVE HIM THE COAT* *G I V E H I M T H E C O A T*

[@mediatorraptor3349]

My mom durning fall.

[@Chwmrsal]

My parents anytime I want to go outside when it's cold

[@purplehaze2358]

We need to work together as a society to finally kill “Nobody:” memes.

[@ludmilagoot4977]

@@purplehaze2358 Another man of culture I see.

[@plazstic]

Dr Bright on god

[@razberry3800]

I had no idea you voiced all of those characters, I thought they were from different voice actors. I binge watched the entire series in one go, hearing them consecutively, and I seriously could not tell until you said it here. Their voices sound distinct, you're not giving yourself enough credit. You did a really good job on the voice acting.

[@chimmichunker3955]

You should get in contact with a TV studio that'll give you creative freedom. Your series is a fresh start in the animation industry, from the new ideas and the amazing, different style of animation.

[@gracethegirl8507]

I wanted to be an author in middle school, but when I hit high school, everything turned awful for me mentally, and I had no will to write anymore. When I found this series, It inspired me not only to continue creative writing again, but inspired me to bring my writing to life through film. I’m now in college working on getting my Bachelors in Fine Arts in Cinema. I hope to become a screenwriter and director so I can share my creations with the world. Thank you for sharing your work with us, and inspiring me to follow my dreams💕

[@tourmelion9221]

Cool You did good

[@v.ballantine]

Keep it up, I've always wanted to do stuff like this I'm just low on time and money... ...currently.

[@ileanabriannemari]

Awww, you can do itttt!

[@rachelbello5489]

You go girl!!

[@settixfire4592]

That's so awesome! I really hope you can make stuff you enjoy creating :]

[@justsomeguyanimations]

When he said that the Shadow was technically part of the hive but given autonomy I got so excited. I've always been interested in the hive and learning that he's part of it but retains his humanity is amazing

[@csmrookie9600]

it also brings another idea of, how many bodies are included in the hive and how old are they? Are the majority of the hive are females? How do they control all of autodale?

[@Kaiwala]

Sir, with respect, shoo.

[@mashman9905]

I loved this animation and I also realised the issue with the revolver's barrel being useless so i thought of a head cannon solution. What if it's like a battery for the gun? It could be a very strong battery which is why he doesnt have to reload often and reloading the gun could be as simple as swapping the battery-barrel.

[@liminal_fuckwit]

I agree with that idea

[@tyramirez6628]

Just saw this comment. I commented the same thing except I think that he could insert individual energy cells to "reload" the revolver, much like you would a real revolver. he could even have a speed loader that doubles as a charger (the speed loaders would be magnetized to grab the empty cells and insert to a box on his belt to charge the cells.)

[@awesomechainsaw]

I instantly figured that the cylinder had 6 batteries in it. It has two batteries chambered at all times one on top one on the bottom. Giving him three battery swaps before he needs to reload.

[@rubyrenko3649]

Kinda late to the discussion, but I think that it could be that the batteries need to cool down between uses rather than be reloaded? If it's a super strong battery (that can generate frickin electric bullets) I feel it'd made sense for it to overheat from too much use. The revolver part would just switch between the different batteries so they can cool down. I dunno if that makes much sense honestly, just an idea since we're throwing those out there .w.

[@grundall1818]

Yeah I thought the same

[@jasdanvm3845]

The fact that people find him scary, not because of his cyborg nature, but because of his individuality, and the simple fact that he shows his face is something I didn't expected at all. I love how your narrative has original elements that work around what is Society very different to our own.

[@bella_daze3092]

I hope The Friendly Shadow can escape Autodale. Also I’m happy that my “Friendly Shadow was apart of ‘Hive’ theory” was correct. But I never thought I was right. I just thought that he was an exceptional person that was instead of being turned into a rotting corpse mess he was instead turned into the “Friendly Shadow”.

[@Casual_degenerate]

Same! I really want to see him escape! In my brain I like to kind of make an au about the girl and the baby freak being like httyd and then finding the shadow and they all become a very dysfunctional trio in this weird messed up world

[@bella_daze3092]

@@Casual_degenerate I have just seen this I wanna see this AU :0 where can I find this?

[@slavishentity6705]

He will only be free when the cycle ends.

[@bella_daze3092]

@@slavishentity6705 Yeah :,)

[@bella_daze3092]

@@Casual_degenerate three years later and re-reading the comments- this idea still sounds really cool. I’d anyone knows how to write fan fics- write this

[@NXDH927]

I absolutely love his design he is so unique in the way he acts and talks. The little details is what sells his character to me like when he is fighting he turns off human physical characteristics like when he speaks while still in combat mode his mouth doesn't move.

[@beep3242]

I quite like that the Shadow and the handymen have the same voice! I feel like it's something that relates him back to something he wants to separate from. I also feel as if you could use it later for some sort of creepy effect

[@williamwontiam3166]

He probably will now that everyone’s mentioned it.

[@hazmatter0634]

Prince Caspian it also has a similar voice to mr Robinson. Combining both man and machine

[@invaderxim9893]

As someone who's working on their first novel, that happens to be a dystopian novel, this series has been a massive inspiration, and Friendly Shadow is probably my favorite installment of it. It's insane to see how far the series has come, and I'm definitely looking forward to your next animation! :)

[@lamaduckie932]

Ximena Renee Kilbourn what’s gonna be the name of your novel?

[@invaderxim9893]

@@lamaduckie932 "The Memoirs of Peony". It takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where the world ended up going to war with aliens around 2016. By the time the dust settled, most of the participants populations were dead, and the three alien races involved were lacking in other places to go, so everyone just sort of settled. The book itself is meant to be written by our lead, Samantha, or Peony as everyone calls her, in-universe. As implied it's written as if Peony is the one writing it. In terms of the actual story, it's primarily revolved around Peony and her companions takedown of the system of slavery that was introduced in the post-apocalyptic world, as our lead falls head over heels for her best friend and closest confidant, a girl raised by the aliens named Margerine. Heh heh, I've... been working on this thing for a while. I've only recently started the draft but, I have a map illustrated and I know what our characters look like, as well as most of the story planned out, so, it should be fun. :) Sorry, I may've gotten a tad overexcited...😅

[@dinoko6363]

@@invaderxim9893 bro hit me up when ur done it sounds super cool. Like seriously i want to read.

[@invaderxim9893]

@@dinoko6363 O-Oh! I, I most certainly will! Thank you! If you like, I have an Instagram account where I occasionally post things like maps and character designs and such. If you wanna check it out I plan on making a big post when I finish it, so that'd be the easiest way to do that. @cherritheweaverant_

[@kerentan9446]

ooh good luck with your novel! can't wait for the next making-of too :D

[@firechild993]

I honestly kinds want to get a Friendly Shadow tattoo. The working against the system you were made of and doing what's right anyway is pretty inspiring

[@dm121984]

Re: The revolver, if you wanted to justify it in-universe, you could make it so the wheel was apart of the cooling mechanism or something.

[@Designerlotte]

You can tell he puts his heart into everything he plans for this film series, its really inspiring

[@J-Man_Twist]

Honestly, I would play a third person “cinematic” style game about The Friendly Shadow

[@cbcastlecastillo144]

I would love that!

[@gamergoblin69]

That's called noir

[@SirDella]

@@gamergoblin69 Just noir?

[@KosherPorky]

I didn't know about this series until today, though I did make a NOIRE style game back in October that is strangely similar in concept

[@parallelbotanist61]

From what I'm thinking, it could be something like a RE-style horror thing, maybe set in a couple of his shows and alternating to what really happened. Alternatively, it could be a Telltale-style affair, being able to choose what he does and going from there (do you A. Shoot the young monster? B. Bring them in for study? C. Let them go? D. Question them?)

[@jusjae2171]

I don't mind you voicing all the male characters cause your voice is pretty soothing

[@SinTense643]

Imo it is indeed starting to show. However I'd prefer his voice and performance over anyone if they were not performing good enough for their roles, or have worse mic quality.

[@rachelbello5489]

I think he should do whatever he wants with the voices! Lol. Cuz that’s what he’s gonna do!!

[@SinTense643]

@@rachelbello5489 Agreed!

[@bella_daze3092]

Agreed. He is a good animator and voice actor!

[@bella_daze3092]

He has an impressive vocal range. I couldn’t tell he voiced all the male characters until I watched the “making of” videos

[@handoverthestromboli6715]

"Friendly Shadow" - "Friendly Shadow" -"Friendly Shadow" -David Armsby

[@speauks_4667]

Retcon: the cylinder in the gun is actually a battery that he charges on every outing

[@bottomtext5872]

Honestly, the Shadow's character is so intriguing, the way he acts, the way he is. I'm really glad to see you make a background video on him and I'm very excited to see what comes next.

[@minermemecoffee8256]

*"GIVE HIM THE COAT!"* Didn't realize the meaning of that demand from one of the hive parts until now

[@blaquerose121]

Yeah I didn’t ether till now

[@ratwithalighter4221]

Ironically, I actually find that it's more effective when you notice that Shadow's and the Handymen's voice are alike. It gives off the vibe that he's still a puppet of Autodale, just like the Handymen. However, he's different, and I think it's works wonderfully.

[@unbearablysmug2437]

I half expected the friendly shadow to say "snipings a good job mate"

[@gamerconsole2347]

I really love this character and how the whole series is coming together, kinda reminds be of cad bane from star wars

[@timefazer-fv9bw]

of course looking at that hat

[@Kingmera]

I love the concept books you’ve made for this series they almost feel like they belong in Autodale themselves tucked neatly in a shelf not to be seen by the public :)

[@marinathewise9410]

Y E S. I agree with this so much!

[@shakieltaylor9995]

I would PAY a for a copy of that book

[@Gamikane]

@@shakieltaylor9995 Check out his Patreon, you're in for a surprise

[@modil2935]

I still really want to know who the Mayor is, and how he came to be Autodale's Mayor. And your creative process and notes never cease to amaze me

[@zexalcommander7036]

Modil The Mayor’s the handyman guy who always appears on the TV?

[@kindoflame]

He said that will be the subject of an upcoming film, probably the next one.

[@tourmelion9221]

Me too

[@flamingpi2245]

I imagine him as some sort of figurehead, maybe he manages all of autodale’s media, maybe he oversees factory production or the work the fathers do

[@thatweebthatdraws1050]

@@zexalcommander7036 nope he's an entirely diffrent person than the handy men

[@kyled1650]

On the topic of the revolver, I’d like to think that “Hive” designed it that way in order to fit with his pulpy image, and as for why he accepts it well, they won’t give him a new one.

[@noizepusher7594]

Or the revolving part of the revolver stores it’s batteries

[@delcast1027]

If it actually had a reloading scene, I'd say that instead of 6 bullets, it held 6 power cells that are expended when he pulls the trigger and rotates to the next one

[@dimsufferer9951]

Delton Castleberry Well, it could be that the time between powercells allows the cells to auto recharge themselves and keep from overheating.

[@delcast1027]

Well for an electric bolt to hit with enough force to burn a hole through anything probably takes the amount of energy a large city uses in a day so that would take some powerful ass cells if they could be used more than once

[@Casual_degenerate]

Friendly Shadow: hey can you give me a gun you know, makes sense? Hive: lol no Friendly Shadow: ...f you

[@CannedInkOfficial]

Love the "Friendly Shadow" character. Instantly reminded me of "The Shadow" when watching it. Fedora, anti-hero hero detective and all.

[@beee_6374]

Friendly Shadow reminds me of Nick Valentine, with the whole robot-detective thing lol

[@DannyCiez1945]

Good to know

[@silvermaxx237]

I’ve been thinking this for SO LONG lmao

[@Pallid_Mask]

Honestly I think you voicing the Freindly Shadow adds a bit to the character because his voice is halfway between Mr. Robinson and the Handymen. It makes him a bit more eerie in that way.

[@gordonmorgan3131]

I love your range of voices My favs are actually shadow and the handys Theres a vast difference and tone in the shadow vs the handy man, yet similar in mild ways, and it sort of fits with the shadow being a cyborg and im honestly a bit envious of your vocal range and ability, mostly due to the fact it seems i can only do voices my friends would call "cursed" That being said, dont burn yourself out giving yourself too much work, its perfectly alright to bring in more voices, more actors, dont be afraid to bring in those spicy new voices man! ^^ Love your work!

[@omegaprime223]

To me your Tesla Revolver actually makes a lot of sense, we've got some amazing battery tech on the horizon (theoretical stuff, we're decades or centuries off of making it) with capacities in the kilo- and mega-watt hour, but every battery eventually runs out, a revolver system allows you to have several batteries available, and if managed correctly using batteries in place of bullets could let you hot-swap discharged cells without fully powering down the weapon. Just a though.

[@stickboi922]

Yeah I agree with you I think the taser revolver would be pretty practical Instead of bullets it’s battery’s that heat up, since they heat up then they rotate allowing the past one that was fired to cool, and the new one fires. Also since the front of it has a taser on it it could work as a regular taser to hit something with. Also it appears to be a revolver that has the middle part hollow so it might shoot from the bottom cylinder rather than the top like a regular one.

[@krel7160]

I thought this exact same thing. He was calling it impractical and I was like "No, the batteries are firing the laser, if they run out of juice, he can pop them out and replace them! This is like an energy cell, and it fits perfectly!"

[@iwannabeafishy]

Yes but one thing its thought

[@Kairos_Akuma]

I thought the barrel could be the teslagenerator itself. Spinning and creating the electricity

[@titanfallgamerwithnotitanf8187]

@@Kairos_Akuma other series do this too (like the titanfall 2 EPG-1 which has a spinning battery like cylinder in the stock or the apex legends Havoc energy rifle which also has a spinning battery like cylinder that can be replaced when it's empty)

[@Rebel37th]

I absolutely love the design of the Friendly Shadow. He embodies the “old gunslinger” persona perfectly, and like you said, he’s the first case of defiance or disagreement with the Autodale “machine”, so to speak.

[@Dubbelthor]

About the firearm, the revolver with a useless drum. In my mind as I saw it I never really thought of it, and when you mentioned it now I realized why. The drum is not useless, as each chamber I imagine contain within it a energy cell, close to maybe what Autodale use within the Heart for storage. And as they spin it builds charge within the chambers, allowing it to be released in one quick blast. That they were unable to even imagine a way to create a more normal fire arm for energy shots, as that was the easiest way to create with their technology? And thus the chamber is not needless as it's used to contain and charge the energy cells to fire the projectiles.

[@extrablandchaos2149]

I think your voice acting, how you feel about doing so much of it, is mainly positive. The Handymen and The Friendly Shadow having the same voice represents what Hive would like him to be, but can't let him be. Annoying, self aware, and disobedient, but very necessary. Though I could see The Friendly Shadow would like to change his voice, in an attempt to not mimic the mindless Handymen. And I didn't know you played The Loner, I couldn't tell.

[@TheGreatWolfYT]

I don't think that voicing so many characters takes away from the quality of it. It kinda adds to weird and different vibe of the world "why do all these characters sounds alike? That's weird". And since you do these on your own is kind off like you're a part of the world too. Obviously, you made it, but this way you're also present in it. Or if anything, it's a cool easter egg.

[@finch8703]

Every single one of you're projects are an absolute work of art. I love the hidden messages, the dark twists, the animation, just everything that goes into making these short films. Not just the Autodale series. Also, not really sure why but The Friendly Shadow reminds me of Jim Hopper from Stranger Things. Also, also, the characters having the same-ish voices adds something to it, I don't know. Maybe you could argue it's symbolic since every one who lives in Autodale has carbon-copy lives.

[@Toast0306]

Dammit I was so close to first

[@ashtonrecore8859]

Yeah they are and I remember being in awe every time I see them

[@jamesmilliken9552]

First

[@laurynmarshall3205]

I love what you said at the end. I was thinking exactly that. It’s great that they have the same voice cause it’s like a hidden message since the citizens are all EXACTLY alike!

[@cpskaggs1600]

This was my very favorite of the entire series and I really, really would love to see the Friendly Shadow make another appearance.

[@Casual_degenerate]

Sadly, I don’t think we’ll be seeing him for quite a while since deadsound said in a more recent making of that if he did an episode with an already existing character, it would most likely be the mayor. But we can still hope that one day we’ll see our favourite cyborg again!

[@darthtaiter]

Please, please, do not feel self conscious about voicing all the male characters, you do an excellent job of making them very different from one another and yet there is a wonderful undertone of you, the creator's, intention running through it all. The Friendly Shadow was and shall remain a masterpiece among your work and I was so pleased when you got it put back up after KZbin pulled it. Keep up the wonderful work.

[@walkingbrick4529]

I like how you play every male character it almost seems creepy - which is just SO perfect...

[@rachelbello5489]

David Armsby has the coolest NAME, VOICE and ART ever. So basically, David Armsby is just THE COOLEST PERSON EVER!!

[@i_have_friend6639]

Yes

[@rachelbello5489]

i_have _friend agreed

[@deathbypingpongball566]

Totally true and undeniable

[@veeasaurus]

Agreed

[@lianarice]

I’m jealous of your creativity. Like Friendly Shadow has one of the coolest character designs I’ve ever seen. The whole concept of Autodale is entertaining and keeps you on the edge of your seat and makes you want more stories

[@yasininn76]

Ever played fallout 4?

[@copeseethemald8510]

@@yasininn76 another selltlement needs you help

[@oscarov8235]

I love listening to these creative behind the scenes, when I doodle in my sketch book. They give me such inspiration.

[@Owlee_]

The friendly shadow and every other male in the series being voiced by you/a singular person I feel adds a bit of character to the series. Obviously your vision of the series is the true one but the idea that in this supposed utopian society where everyone tries not to stand out and be the same the people literally sounding the same adds to how little individuality these people have or even try to have. The friendly shadow sounding like them as well drives this home even further, he may not like auto dale or how it’s run but the fact that he still sounds like one of them shows that he is one of the them in a sort of way. He is a part of hive and in the grand scheme of thing yes he is the shady protector so hive would want everything about him to be auto dale-esque even how he sounds. Obviously idk if that’s just how he sounds or some part of him that’s machinery seeing as how he speaks with flashing lights like hive but I guess I’m just trying to get my point across. Regardless amazing film and can’t wait for the creative process video on hive!

[@dragonmaster137]

Everyone: That was amazing, so much work must have gone into this! Me: ...that O V E N M I T T.

[@i_have_friend6639]

Yes that O V E N M I T T tho

[@Casual_degenerate]

169 Nice

[@missmax2492]

Honestly, I thought that the use of only the one voice for men was a part of the vision. In this same faced, consistent society, Everyone is so similar that they've next to no visual and vocal distinction. It would be, to me, another way in which the Shadow would be unable to break out of the system symbolically

[@mayfaynezzz]

I can't imagine the friendly shadow with any other voice, you played him so well! There is a softness to him and strength to him that hasn't been seen in Autodale and I honestly didn't even think about who was playing him, the performance sold him 😁 I think this is one of my favourite shorts you have done, and the friendly shadow is a huge part of that. Such a great and cool character!

[@wolftexgaming4386]

I would totally buy a poster of the comic book cover. Keep it up! All of your content is so inspiring and creative, whenever i'm on art block I just watch one of your videos and- *boom* gone.

[@thursdayvi4591]

I think the friendly shadow voiced by you was a great choice, I don't think you should change his voice, but maybe some of the others. I personally see the differences in the voices and I think you do a really good job with voice acting, so I wouldn't say you have to change the voices, but if you feel the need, I really think the shadow is the only one you can't change because he is way more personable than the others and you have already established his character.

[@itsamelon2446]

Just for the record man, I think you made and designed the friendly shadow really well and you managed to implement him perfectly into the Autodale universe.

[@Maieveryday2]

Ah I understand now, the mother and father knew about there daughters friendship with the freaks they looked at them through the window. So it wouldn't be an unrealistic wish for her to come back in one piece since she knew they wouldn't harm her in the first place. I'm still pretty stumped why the Father ended up dead But I have a theory So the freak comes out of the sewer and alerts the handyman. The handyman comes and the father stops him from harming the daughter and in the process dies himself, the handyman rips off the freaks arm then the freak then smacks the handyman yeeting him into the fence. The adult freak then grabs the girl getting her at least halfway before collapsing from the pain. The Child then comes up and takes her to his hideout in the sewer.

[@Alpaca96]

In the short, its said that the girl and young freak played until their parents found out. I think that the father saw the girl go down the sewer and followed, ending up trying to fight the adult freak to get to his daughter. He dies and the handymen are alerted and do damage to the freak but they both get destroyed. The girl was hiding in the sewer with the juvinile freak, and her mother hopes that she is alive.

[@TibbySparkles]

@@Alpaca96 Actually they had to have known long before, because the parents watching are in the drawings. I think the problem here was that instead of the kid-freak coming out to play, the parent-freak showed up and freaked out (LOL) the Dad and activated the patrol bots, causing a confrontation.

[@palomad9648]

Well thought, I wouldn't be surprised if the handymen were the ones who killed the father

[@antonyushanov7611]

So when Hive says “give him the coat”, that means they want to punish him by turning him into his propaganda image. I mean I have to assume that Hive is very aware about The Friendly Shadow’s thoughts about auto dale and seek to bend him back under their thumb by forcing him to become what he has worked so hard to distance himself from. This is of course just speculation though.

[@hahafishands6637]

Me finally realizing what the mother meant when she was asking if her daughter was going to be ok: 😳

[@Su-metal_Moa-metal]

I just realized how much this series reminds me of “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omela’s”. The whole society works because of the sacrifice of others. Some people see through it, but they don’t start a revolution, they simply walk away, or continue working in society.

[@Hxtman]

Will we ever know why the boy in "Don't feed the freaks" looked like a boy throughout the video, but turned into a freak at the end of the film?

[@Marispider]

I think the metaphor is that the people of Autodale saw him as a freak because he didn't look like an Autodale citizen. He was obviously an outsider, a freak, so they saw him as a monstrous creature Idk if it's canon that all freaks are humans, considering Dead Sound partly did that video as a metaphor for his own life and experiences that the freaks seem to be a lot stronger than normal humans in "Friendly Shadow," but that's the explanation iirc

[@CoolColton947]

@@Marispider Well, to attest to the strength of the Freaks, if they are outsiders then they're probably much more physically impressive due to the general strain of survival. When you're running, hunting, and fighting every day you'd probably be pretty strong. Though I doubt they are humans in the lore, even if they are a metaphor for the socially outcast.

[@pokechatter]

Marispider I too used to think of them as a metaphor, but there are aspects of the freaks presented here, such as the sheer destruction in the courtyard, the abandoned claw, and even the child’s drawings, that make wonder what exactly the freaks are. Sure, we’re seeing the Shadow’s perspective and while he is more human than most, his limited exposure to the outside world may be why the true nature of the freaks is unknown to him, but I won’t be convinced until we see a little more about then, possibly when we see how growing up outside the wall with the child freak affects the girl.

[@Marispider]

@pokechatter @Colton Powell Both of you got good points. Yeah, the freaks are probably just a symbol for outcasts, not literal humans. Especially since even Hive doesn't see them as human and is amazed by them being able to draw.

[@jhanvelascocastor9697]

@Marispider, you think so? I always thought that it was a sort of looking down upon by Hive. As a mix of intellectual arrogance, and the expectation that they're uneducated. I had always subscribed to the theory that the "violence" had been played up in the sense that much of the scene had been left to the watcher's imagination. This would add to the insinuation that Freaks are different, even if I'm certain that they're only stronger due to the strains of surviving in what seems more and more likely to be a post-apocalyptic world. And the design of a Handyman does seem particularly vulnerable, built more for intimidation than practicality. I'm no robotics engineer, but I think breaking down a robot like the Handymen would be rather easy considering the amount of exposed wiring. These were just theories, regardless, and it was really nice to see what other people believe.

[@aria5614]

"This gun has an obvious wheel that doesn't do anything" He uses it as a stim toy.

[@TheSkyrivertitan]

I’m just imagining him fiddling with it all mysterious like and everyone is like “ooh he’s so cool and edgy” but really he’s just got adhd

[@crimsonscarlet5939]

Whilst that would be kinda cool then he might be more "ugly"

[@UltraBlitzer755]

In my head canon a large battery can go in and out of the cylinder.

[@ledarudbek1180]

@Crimson Scarlet While that would often be the perception in our society, I think that could very well make a person "exceptional" in autodale's society. Having ADHD it autism can often make someone very skilled in a particular interest or activity, more than a neurotypical person might be. The hive/matriarch could be aware of this, and for that reason, mark those children as exceptional.

[@lolman2118]

I kinda just want him to treat it like a battery

[@drgan4568]

Please don’t stop voicing the friendly shadow or the handymen, them sounding the same makes sense, but you have a loving following that would be willing to lend their voice

[@RecklessHobo78]

I have to say, The Friendly Shadow short film was my favorite in the series so far. I have always been a fan of superheroes, noirs, and futuristic stories and you have blended all of those aspect perfectly into this film. I thoroughly enjoyed every character in this film and thought you did a great job presenting what you wanted to convey. I am excited to see what else you'll come out with, especially if it has to do with the Friendly Shadow!

[@edmcsteve2156]

His little glowing vape absolutely sent me the first time I watched the film, I had to pause and have a giggle because somehow it was the most comical thing.

[@linne6962]

Me:sees notification My hand: I AM SONIC

[@davindestroyer]

Drawing the Future LOL

[@NyctoStar]

This is how every single fan of him is when he uploads lol

[@onomatopoeia8927]

*I am speed

[@arestheberry92]

No you're Drawing the Future, don't lie.

[@danalynch118]

Same XD

[@loraangelova4160]

Dave: *talks about how his voice acting may rob the series and how it shows that every male character has the same voice* Me:What are you talking about? The voice acting is amazing!

[@SioxGreyWolf]

You initial design was the "Friendly" Shadow the hive wanted, but not what they got. They got a TRUE Friendly Shadow.

[@lonerimortal8]

19:35 wow, after watching the entire video until that scene, it realy has a lot more layers than it initialy looked '-' it humanize hin altrough he is more machine. it shows how both he and the mother are aware that the sistem is scary. it shows that hin wanting to defy the sistem makes hin less scary and more humane. it confirms that he is in the right path, but also that it's a dangerous one for hin. thats genius :^D

[@personsomeone2760]

"There scared of him cause it's societys norm to wear a mask" that hits way to close to home