QD research sketches - key location: The Goblin's Lair

Phew, finally I'm able to show you Something with context attached (see: page 15 of QD). It's the trick with these research sketches, trying not to spoil anything and having to wait until the comic introduces some places & characters to be able to share some BTS stuff.

So, here you have it. Or at least, a little bit of it: The Goblin's Lair.

Original design, aka "old design":

This is a key location in this story, as it is the place where all our main squad gets introduced. It's supposed to be a place that looks inviting and familiar, while also being a store/a place of work. So, what better than an old re-purposed house for that (and a lot of colorful carpets)? 

Even scanned, the paper is very grainy and dirty because these sketches have been drawn years ago. This was the first concrete idea of what the Lair would look like.

Here's the most recent set of sketches for it:

A lot different, right? But still the same idea: re-purposed house now made into a store/bar.

The real-life cities that inspired this whole fictional city in QD (still haven't settled on a name for it, shame on me) are all a mishmash of VERY old and new buildings, as are a lot of French cities, especially on the western coast (Normandie & Bretagne). WWII is to blame for this weird mix, but we aren't here for a History lesson!

All of this to say: stores and bars made of very old houses are not that uncommon here. This is also the reason why the Lair has its own "living area" still on the second floor, with shower and kitchen included. This area serves as the "break room/employees room" for our heroes. There's a bar, an outside café area, a "gaming" area, and a "reading" area. Tabletop cafés are one of my favorite places to check out whenever i'm in a new city, and the Lair is basically my ideal version of it!

Oh, also, the exterior of the Lair was inspired by a very real place in my own city. I even still have the main reference picture I took of it:

Yes, this place is actually the entrance for a "tour" to some very old prison lmao.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this first bit of BTS sketches and the little bit of insight into the process of creating this whole world that is QD!
Let me know if this is something that you you'd like to see/read more of, or if I should take this tier's reward in a different direction. Your opinion is all that matters to me, so don't hesitate to share your thoughts! ♥