#I finally finished up that sketch I showed here at the beginning of the year!
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Midwinter Carol 7 / The Interrogation
Pairing: Ascended Astarion x Female Elf Sorceress OC
Word Count: 2.3K
Story navigation: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
Summary/Setting: Based on the prologue/premise from my OneShot "A Midwinter Carol."
Astarion and the OC broke up after his ascension. She left Baldur's Gate for fifteen years, only to return just recently. Following the events of "A Midwinter Carol," Ascended Astarion has been convinced to pursue a new beginning. Will he be able to change who he has become, with the help of his ex-lover? Or will he ultimately fall victim to his pride and desire for power?
Preview:
Another surge of acid through his veins. Another healing potion. The Lord sits quietly next to Ani and watches the slow rise and fall of her breath as if in contemplation. Her fever finally broke not long ago. Her arm is still deteriorating.
Astarion leans forward and brings his bloodied, cracked hand to gently stroke her cheek along that tiny patch of vitiligo. And then he lifts two fingers to his lips, kisses them, and presses those fingers against that same spot, thinking about how he used to kiss it morning and night.
Warnings: This will be 18+ / in game spoilers / Eventual Smut / Angst, trauma, fluff / Gore / Violence / PTSD / Astarion's past trauma
THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS OF VIOLENCE.
A/N: And here comes AA with some absolutely unhinged behavior.
-----
At first, Astarion hires Delilah for several hours at a time. Typically, a half day, but sometimes more.
It’s always the same experience.
He pays her to morph into a likeness of Eirianwen, based on sketches from the Baldur’s Gate Gazette and his own descriptions. She never gets the vitiligo quite right, but the Ascendant, in his desperation, will take what he can get.
In the beginning, he simply lays in bed as Delilah runs her fingers through his silver curls and hums. Sometimes he trances, sometimes he watches her without saying much at all.
For the first time since Ani left, he experiences uninterrupted, nightmare-free sleep.
And the woman is smart enough to simply follow instructions and not pry. At least at the start..
Eventually, Astarion has Delilah make private calls to the Palace. He pays a ridiculous amount of gold for this, but it’s no matter.
Most nights, she’s still a glorified sleep aid; other nights, he becomes more physical. But the voice and the vitiligo are wrong every time, and it takes weeks before he’s able to fully commit to the act. Even then, something feels not quite right. But it’s as close as he can get.
And then finally, several months after their peculiar agreement first began, Astarion, after far too many bottles of wine, reveals he’s a vampire to the shapeshifter.
“As in a true, blood-sucking vampire?” Delilah asks, eyebrows furrowed as she assesses the Lord. It’s a rare moment in which she’s in her own chosen form, rather than the likeness of Ani that he pays her for.
“Something like that,” He laughs, though it comes out quite wry, “I can drink blood; I no longer need to for survival.”
“Show me,” She responds, her curiosity getting the better of her. Delilah is wholly aware she is flirting with danger, but she’s never been one to shy away from an opportunity, especially one that comes with the allure of money or power.
Astarion stares at her for a long while, finishing off the final bits of his goblet, his thoughts entirely imperceptible. He taps his cup with his index finger as he tilts his head and watches the woman. She thinks he’s going to reject her request.
And then, surprisingly, he nods, “Very well. But you must morph, first.”
Delilah obliges, and at first the Lord brushes her hair from her neck and moves to sink his fangs there. But he retracts at the last moment, shaking his head almost imperceptibly.
It’s not really Ani, he reminds himself.
After a brief pause and a sharp inhale, Astarion takes her hand and turns it, finding the pulse point on her wrist. He keeps his eyes locked onto the distorted appearance of his ex-lover as he bites into the changeling’s flesh.
And what a terrible decision that was. He’d just invited a devil onto his shoulder and a snake into his bed.
*
The constant bashing of Astarion’s fists sounds like a poorly played drum as he repeatedly swings into Edmund’s hanging body. The human is strung up by his arms in the office, dangling so that his toes barely brush the white marble floor.
The bastard is annoyingly sturdy, and manages to stifle most of his grunts as the Ascendant continues his torment. This only angers Astarion further, and he begins to hit harder, now intentionally aiming for the man’s face every time and splattering dots of crimson around the room.
Great. He will have to call the servants into his private office to scrub the floor and walls. He might have to replace the curtains.
It’s clear that whoever turned this vampire has conditioned him quite well. It’s been an hour of repeated strikes and the human seems nowhere near his breaking point.
Between the physical exertion of pummeling Edmund and the draining effects of his ring as Eirianwen continues to burn the poison through her system in the next room over, Astarion is beginning to tire. He is sure he must escalate his methods to rip any information from Edmund, but he refuses to give the spawn a single break in his torment.
So he barks an order at one of his own spawn standing guard not far behind him, “Thrak! Continue where I’ve left off. I have more important things to attend to than beating this disgusting vermin.”
A final blow to Edmund’s face and then Astarion spins on his heels with a sneer, flicking his hand up to examine his cracked knuckles and bloodied nails in distaste.
Thrak is a large half-orc with slashes running vertically down his chin. The marks are an intentional, cultural scarification, Astarion is told; his sister, Melga, has the same ones.
Astarion focuses his eyes on Melga, where she is now watching her brother assault Edmund with mild interest. A few gestures of his hands, and the Vampire Lord communicates to the female orc that he wants to be informed if Edmund breaks.
Melga quickly gestures her understanding. Astarion is not fluent in the sign language Thrak and Melga speak; it appears to be a mixture of Thieves Speak and something else he does not recognize. Perhaps they made it up themselves. But over the years, he has learned enough to get by and Thrak has always willingly worked as the translator.
When the Ascendant first offered immortality to Thrak, the half-orc indicated he and his sister were a two for one deal. He would change with his sister or not at all; he hoped vampirism would restore the hearing she lost as a child. And the Ascendant, still thinking himself better than Cazador in that he did not change people against their will, agreed.
Unfortunately, there are some conditions vampirism cannot fix.
*
Jaheira took leave to return home and check in on her wards. The druid indicated she needed to delve into her medicinal stores and confer with Halsin on the matter of Eirianwen’s affliction.
Mention of the wood elf’s name instantly caused Astarion to bristle. If Halsin had a solution, it would not be the first time the oversized elf helped Eirianwen in a way the vampire could not. The Ascendant is quite sure he loathes that man more than any of his other former campmates; he idly thinks it’s a bit of a shame it’s Edmund instead of Halsin strung up next door.
Another surge of acid through his veins. Another healing potion. The Lord sits quietly next to Ani and watches the slow rise and fall of her breath as if in contemplation. Her fever finally broke not long ago. Her arm is still deteriorating.
Astarion leans forward and brings his bloodied, cracked hand to gently stroke her cheek along that tiny patch of vitiligo. And then he lifts two fingers to his lips, kisses them, and presses those fingers against that same spot, thinking about how he used to kiss it morning and night.
Thrak continues to pound his massive fists into the foreign spawn next door, and now the Ascendant can hear the sounds of Edmund's resilience breaking. The pained grunts and sobs are music to his ears, and he smiles in sadistic delight at the spawn’s suffering as he simply lounges in his chair, continuing to watch the sorceress breathe.
“We’ll figure this out, little love.” He whispers before he brings his hands together as if in prayer and analyzes the cries of agony from the next room.
Not long now.
*
He’s on the freezing marble floor. Cazador is straddled over him, pinning Astarion’s arms down with his knees. They’re in the spawn dormitory, in front of all his brothers and sisters. No one steps in to help him.
In the end, it’s all about self-preservation, isn’t it?
His master yanks at his silver curls and bends so close to Astarion’s face he can feel Cazador’s hot, disgusting breath on his skin.
“Where is it?!” The older vampire questions, pulling Astarion’s hair with vitriol and forcing a pained wail out of the spawn, “Where did you hide it?!”
“H-hide what? Master! Please, I don’t know what you’re–”
A solid strike to Astarion’s face causes him to stop his defenses mid-sentence.
“Petras! Leon! Bring me a barrel of water, rags, and a pillow case.” Cazador orders coolly, as his eyes briefly flicker to the elf’s siblings. The two other spawn quickly run to retrieve the requested items for their enraged Master.
“You traitorous leech. Where is it?” Cazador asks through gritted teeth, gripping Astarion’s chin so tightly he is convinced the bones in his jaw are cracking under the force.
He doesn’t know what it is. He doesn’t know where it is. If Astarion knew, he would’ve already spilled all his secrets. It never takes this much to rip a confession out of the elf nowadays.
He’s stunned into silence, staring wide-eyed at the older vampire, unsure what to do or say to make this interrogation stop.
Nothing. There’s nothing he can do or say. Astarion knows it and the thought fills him with dread.
Cazador growls and spits in the elf’s face before shoving a cloth in Astarion’s mouth and completely shrouding him in darkness with the pillowcase. Leon and Petras are instructed to hold the elf’s limbs as he emits gagged screams of anguish. He tries to break away from his brothers, but it’s to no avail.
He was always one of the weaker spawn.
Astarion’s screaming is stifled by a shock of icy water filling his nose and throat as Cazador begins to waterboard him. He doesn’t need to breathe, but the sensation alone is terrifying. The silver-haired spawn continues to thrash against his siblings as their Master enacts his violent punishment. It feels like it goes on forever. The entire barrel is emptied over him before Cazador stops.
Astarion knew it was mostly for show. Cazador often made an example out of him to deter anyone else from committing the same act he was blamed for.
In the end, Astarion was thrown into the kennels for further torture. He never truly knew what it was, though he suspects he found it much later.
*
The Ascendant is straddled over Edmund as Thrak and Melga hold onto the foreign spawn’s bound limbs. Long, pale fingers grip the vermin’s jaw, prying it open with nearly enough force to rip the mandible from its joint.
“Last chance. Who is your master?” Astarion asks, tone low and coming across as far too bored for the violence that has recently ensued within this room. He’s watching Edmund with expectant, cold eyes.
“Fuck you!” Edmund responds in a venomous hiss, glaring up at the Vampire Lord with what little expression in his face he has left after the hours of repeated blows.
“Wrong answer.” The elf sighs, and then he procures a spoon from his pocket and forces it into the spawn’s mouth.
Astarion chuckles sadistically as Edmund begins to thrash and twist against the half-orcs. The spoon is quickly wedged underneath the spawn’s gumline, and the Ascendant begins to slowly pry out the traitor’s left fang, grinning all the while.
He could do this much faster, of course, but what’s the fun in that? The bastard deserves to suffer.
The bastard deserves to die. And he will. Just not yet.
First, Astarion gets to have his fun. A chance for him to make someone bleed was a rare, delectable thing nowadays. The temptation was difficult for the Ascendant to resist.
Edmund is screaming now, flailing around in agony and fighting for an out. But it isn’t going to work; three on one is never truly a fair fight.
Especially as a starved spawn.
“WHO. IS. YOUR. MASTER?” Astarion bellows over the tortured, terrified wails of the spawn. His curls are falling out of place, dangling in front of his narrowed scarlet eyes and obscuring parts of his vision as he continues to slowly peel fang from flesh, undeterred by the useless, pitiful crying and bucking underneath him.
Eventually the left fang pops out with a spatter of blood across Astarion’s hand and he scoffs in disdain before cleaning his hand on Edmund’s barely recognizable, heavily swollen face.
Disgusting vermin.
“FUCK YOU!” Edmund screams, but his voice cracks at the end and he is no longer able to hold in the tears rolling out of two swollen sockets.
Astarion tuts his tongue against the roof of his mouth, as if disappointed. Then he sighs a long, belabored breath as he rolls his eyes at the spawn, “You are strong, Edmund, I must admit. But what you have in brawn, you certainly lack in brains, don’t you?”
And then the Ascendant abruptly plunges the spoon into the human’s gum line just above his right fang. Edmund jerks his head at the last moment and the dull instrument slices against his mouth and tongue, still causing a laceration due to the amount of force Astarion is using on the manufactured weapon.
Blood quickly pools in Edmund’s mouth and he spits it at the silver-haired elf in a final act of defiance.
The switch is instantly flipped.
Astarion’s face contorts with pure, unfiltered hate. His heart starts pounding in rapid fire. Whatever modicum of control he had over his violent desires instantly slips from his hands as his grip around the spoon tightens.
He doesn’t realize he’s wrapping his hand around the spawn’s neck and crushing it with the full force of his Ascendant power. He cannot think past his red, blinding rage as he’s stabbing into Edmund’s chest with the blunted instrument.
He pierces through the spawn’s flesh over and over and over and over.
When the Ascendant finally gains control of his senses, the first thing he sees is Edmund’s mangled body beneath him and his hands coated in scarlet. The first thing he hears, however, is a woman’s scream ripping through the office.
When Astarion jerks his head toward the source, he sees Ani standing in the doorway, both hands clasped over her mouth.
He hates what he sees.
Terror. Pure terror.
She’s terrified of him. And she runs.
#astarion fanfic#astarion x tav#baulders gate astarion#baulders gate 3#astarion fic#bg3 fanfiction#bg3 fanfic idea#baulders gate tav#astarion x oc#astarion x f!tav#astarion x female oc#astarion x female tav#astarion x original female character#midwinter carol#ascended astarion arc#ascended astarion#ascendedstar#ascended astarion fic
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The Dragon Mage's Study, 2023
72.5 hours // Photoshop
My latest painting!!
Commissions Open 🐊Follow me on Instagram!
If you are interested in a print, email me cbsorge @ gmail and I'll let you know when I get that figured out. I am planning on selling prints.
Thoughts, info, and WIP process shots below:
I started this last summer and only just now finished it!.
I kept careful track of time and logged 72.5 active work hours (not counting breaks etc) over 43 days. So I could have gotten this done much faster if I hadn't taken months long breaks from working on this. Unfortunately I love details and complexity.
File time stamp beginning and end:
While I have been working professionally for a long time, for various reasons I do not have a lot of up-to-date work to show for it. I am working on changing that with a new batch of art where I show off the skills I've built up over the years, going as hard as I can. I am hopefully going to be able to finish these faster from here on out.
I have lots of plans - merch to sell, projects and series of work to make - so stay tuned!!
I enjoy exploring a busy scene when the details all have thought put into them. With this piece I wanted to reward the viewer for looking closely, with details making sense in context. I also wanted to present a lot of "imagination fodder" for the audience to chew on.
Unlike my Willy Wonka and the Candyman piece, which was sketched out roughly and only on one or two layers, this one was done meticulously and with dozens of separate layers for a cleaner finish, necessitating several clean drawing passes. I think it worked out well, I did much less re-painting.
Process steps: 1) original sketch, 2) first pass drawing, 3)final pass drawing, 4) flats, 5) shading, 6) flats+shading combined for rough painting, 7) final painting. 75% of the work was just the final step, from rough to finished painting.
Also for this piece I experimented with a color gamut mask. I wanted to exclude all warm colors (yellows, orange, red). They only show up on the mage's skin, a focal point. I think I ended up pushing some of the yellow-er greens into there too.
Now on to the next one because I miss having painting to do every day. Yay art!!
#fantasy art#wizard#digital painting#illustration#fantasy illustration#mage#magician#dragon#dragon art#photoshop painting#photoshop#artists on tumblr
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Annual self portrait for 2022
(an entire year late I know)
Every new year since I came out as non binary I paint a self portrait to reflect back on my gender identity, my body and my experience within it. I made this sketch last year but never found the time to get it finished. Now it’s a year later and I still wanted to fill in the gap before starting to work on the newest self-portrait, so I chose a simpler approach (inks and flat colours instead of painting). Done is better than perfect, after all!
2022 was the year I got top surgery and started taking hormones. It was the beginning of a new life, where I could finally feel at ease in my own flesh. It felt like escaping a painful, invisible cage. Best decision I’ve ever made. Finally taking things into my own hands. I wanted this portrait to still reflect the struggle that had accompanied me thus far, but offer a hopeful look towards the future. A door unlocking and light finally reaching the bottom of the well. I can’t wait to get to work on the next portrait and show the changes (both physical and emotional) that I’ve gone through during this year. Can’t wait to finally draw a more confident, happy self.
Some close-ups and the inks alone because I like them:
Previous years:
2021 - 2020
2019 - 2018
A previous post about this: here
#sarielsnowingsart#TW blood#trigger warning blood#cw: blood#queer artist#illustration#trans artist#non binary#self portrait#angel#trans#transgender#transmasc
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🦇The Cryptic Tales of Coppersfield Update!!💛
Now I’m not entirely sure how many people on here actually read my fic The Cryptic Tales of Coppersfield, but incase you do I just wanna give a small update!
I’m more than halfway through finishing Chapter 10 as well as beginning Chapter 11, however, I am in the middle of final exams and essays for my first year of uni so my attention is focused on that stuff. I checked the other day and realized I hadn’t posted a new chapter in a while so I just wanted to put out this PSA incase any readers were wondering what was happening.
I’m also finishing up the designs for Lizzy and Khan, and sketched out Alice and Beau (even though they aren’t gonna show up for a while, I wanted to draw them). I think I’ll be making a new design for Uzi and possibly Thad since they were the first ones I made and looking back I think I could do better on them. To thank you for your patience and understanding, here is the intro to the next chapter!!
(Uzi uses she/they pronouns interchangeably btw, just a heads up incase you get confused reading)
TW: mention of body horror
Chpt 10, Game Plan
It was getting closer, she was sure of it. They couldn’t hear it over the sound of her own laboured breathing and the crunching of fallen leaves underneath their heavy steps; but they knew it was coming. They had been running in the dead of night for…she wasn’t sure on the exact amount of time, but a long time would suffice for an answer.
She stopped in the middle of a clearing and spun around, feeling the distinct fear of recognition growing. She had already been here. They’d gone in some type of messed up circle. But how?
Without warning, the sound of whatever was chasing her had caught up. They could hear it’s own heavy breathing and it’s snarling grin as it approached the small, tired figure. She begrudgingly turned their form to face their enemy, feeling her gut twist as the moonlight glistened off its torn and broken flesh’s
The creature cocked its head while making some sickly attempt to laugh at its preys reaction. It looked like it could have at one point been human, but its length and height were far too unnatural of any persons. Where Uzi assumed its eyes would be was covered by greasy hair while its mouth hung open. It’s not that it was opening its mouth, it’s that it no longer had a bottom jaw to close its ever gapping gob.
Long, spindly arms helped it crawl its thin yet heavy body closer to Uzi, her feet trying to move but unable too. Finally this thing stood over the terrified teen, drool dripping from its hanging maw onto Uzis hair and face. Its head drew closer and closer, its features becoming more prominent with every passing second.
The filthy hair covering its eyes slanted as it smiled down at Uzi, allowing her to be able to see the creatures face. As they looked in horror, a tinge of confusion began to swell. What gazed back at them were not eye’s necessarily, but two sagging black sockets. In the middle of each empty hole was that strange three pronged symbol Uzi had seen so many times before. They were glowing yellow and shaking sporadically.
Uzi snapped out of their trance as the thing inched its putrid face ever so slightly to her own, causing them to try and retreat. But they couldn’t. She looked back up and gazed at the beast whose warm breath incapsulated their face.
“Wha-what the hell are you?” they asked in a shaking voice. “Some kin-kind of eldritch monster?”
The thing reared back slightly, almost like it was in shock. However, this feeling quickly faded away as it brought its face right back up to Uzis.
“It hurts our feelings you don’t remember us.”
Uzi tried to pull away once again while looking at the things mouth. “How can-can you talk!? Some psychic link! You don’t even-“
“Easier to assimilate then explain.”
A large claw seemed to almost emerge from the shadows, its skin black with webbing between the talons. It rose up quickly and came back down on Uzi who readied for their painful demise, when suddenly-
———
AGN!
AGN!
AGN!
AGN!
Uzi shot straight up from their sleeping position, her alarm clock blaring it’s awful symphony. The noise hurting her very being, Uzi wasted no time scrambling over and slamming a shaking fist on the old electronic. It finally shut up.
Leaning back slightly, Uzi began to notice how much they were shaking. Their breathing was incredibly heavy with her heart rate sending small tremors throughout her body. She also began to notice how sweaty they were (gross! i hate waking up sweaty)
However, like the past week of restless dreams, it’s memory quickly faded from her mind. They couldn’t recall any of it. At least…they’d like to not recall any of it, because the one thing that stuck in her head were the unnerving words that were spoken to them before they awoke.
Spoken in that god awful, familiar monotone voice that chirped in their head.
______
#murder drones#murder drones fanfic#the cryptic tales of coppersfield#murder drones au#vampire au#murder drones uzi doorman#murder drones n#murder drones nuzi#md nuzi#mystery au#modern au#writers on tumblr#hope you liked it#lemme know what you think :D#uzi doorman
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Hi! I am thinking of taking commissions. Any idea on how to get started?
Hi! :DD here's a list of things:
STARTING:
-Choose 1 or 2 types of commissions you are confident you can do. (example: Just colored fullbodies and headshots, or just icons, or just uncolored sketches. Much easier to organise and advertise and potential customers won't have to go through a whole list of what you're offering) That's just if you're now beginning, later you can branch out.
-Set up your payment method (paypal, kofi? Getting direct bank transfers is not advised and most customers won't do that)
-Have good examples of the type of art you're offering at hand, and prefereably arrange them on a single image that will show what you're offering and the prices. Many people use carrd to list commissions but it's more complicated and if you're just starting out a menu-like image or two is fine.
-Figure out your Terms of Service. This includes what types of use you allow for your art (usually you'll mention that for commercial use of your art there will be an extra fee), how often you will give updates and how many updates of the process you'll give (usually you at least send a rough sketch for the customer to approve of and ask for changes before the final product), what methods of comunication you prefer, when you want the payment to be sent to you and things you do not feel comfortable drawing etc.
-Don't take too many commissions, in fact I would recommend starting with just one at a time.
-Don't undersell yourself, but also understand that if you're just starting out, maybe you won't be making as much as you would've liked. You can always slowly increase your prices. Also keep in mind an estimate of how long it takes you to finish a piece and price it somewhat accordingly.
Some tips on the overall process:
-If a potential customer asks for something that's beyond what you feel comfortable doing, say so. Do not take commissions you do not feel 100% sure you can handle. It's already stressful, don't make it even more so, it's gonna suck.
-this is kind of vague advice but be nice to your customers and build a good relationship with them. Not only are they more likely to treat you like a person and not a machine in return, but you also want the overall experience to be pleasant for both parties. You can have the best art in the world but people will be reluctant to commission you again if it was unpleasant to do so overall. It's like as if you're in a store, like a bakery, and you have to smile and say hi and thank you and all that to customers who come in.
-If you find yourself struggling to work on a commission and it's taking you a long time, don't leave your commissioner hanging. Simply sending a message of "hi, I was struggling/got busy but I am working on your piece, thank you so much for your patience!" Is enough to put them at ease that you haven't forgotten about them.
-This last one is maybe controversial, but I would recommend, especially if you're starting out, to not take payment in advance. This is going to make the people who commission you more confident, if you don't yet have many examples of already delivered commissions to put them at ease, and it's also going to motivate you to work quicker, because the "reward" is at the end. Send low-res files along the way, and ask for payment right before delivering the finished, high-resolution piece. It has worked for me for years and only once I had a person who due to irl emergencies couldn't pay me and delayed it for a couple months. Especially if you're not offering extremely expensive commissions, this works in my experience.
#that's a huge wall of text i'm so sorry jsdhgfjsv#hopefully it helps somehow#and if you have any specific questions or concerns I will be very happy to help!
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August Mid Month Report 2023
Hello hello, everyone!
It's that time of the month, and I've got something exciting to share with y'all!
As always, if you're interested in my work, considering checking out my story's Masterlist or my Artstation for more of my work. This month's graphic is done by the lovely @corethomas, so show them your love as well!
So without further ado, let's begin!
Project Progress
After nearly a year's work, Draft 2 of An Immortal Laid to Rest is finally complete.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
I'm just! We're here! We did it! Holy shit!
Now the next step is editing and finishing the sketches of the book illustrations. I've decided I'm going to take a couple of months to do these items so I can give them the proper time they deserve. That and also I don't have as much time as I used to.
Regardless, I'm super stoked I've made it to this point. There's still a lot to do, but we're getting ever closer to a finished story!
Goals
Here were my goals from July:
Write 3 chapters by August 15th [done]
Finish Draft 3 by end of August [done; though i meant draft 2]
Begin catching up on storyboards [in progress]
Start new short-term project [on hold until post-editing]
August Goals:
Begin editing Draft 2; be finished by December
Work on in-book illustrations (work on chpt illustration after edited chapter); be finished by December
That's all I've got this month! Thanks for reading and I hope you'll support me in my future endeavors!
An Immortal Laid to Rest Taglist: @corethomas @liv-is @flock-from-the-void @mysticstarlightduck @outpost51 @thecrookedwriterspath @justahumanmachine
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illusion.
the art of mimicking real life.
-----
BATIM is officially 6 years old..oh jeez. A little hard to believe it's been this long. Six long years since the little devil that invaded my life was created. Where did the time go? Still,it's cool to see how far it's come. The journey so far has definitely been a rollercoaster of emotions,with ups and downs,but even so,I'm still glad I discovered this little guy. He definitely brought me a lot of good moments in recent times.
I didn't have anything really new or done specifically with the anniversary in mind,but I had this drawing I was trying to finish a while ago that I thought would be nice to post on the day. As we can see,this successively failed.I had the idea for this drawing since 2021, and I tried to execute it at the time, but I never made it past the sketches. Then last year I tried to redo it from scratch and since then I've been trying to finish it and post it on specific dates and failing successively.
But eventually, I manage to find the strength to finally end this piece altogether and put it behind me. The main drawings had been finished for a while,it was just a matter of doing...well,whatever the final result became. I confess that I didn't really know how to do the "broken mirror" idea at the beginning. And that wasn't even the original idea that I have in mind back in 2021.
I'll admit the first time I stopped and looked at the glass cracks I was unsure if I was liking how it was turning out. But it's better than nothing. And at the moment I'm just thinking "Bro, stop. You've done everything you could do in this drawing. It's over. Just let it go". So I'm going to do it.
Oh and Joey is here too,I forgot to mention that. Technically it was also his birthday too. So happy day of birth,pencil man. He's definitely going through something in this drawing.
This was mainly made with one of my AUs in mind and the events that happen in it,but I think if you look at it as something more “canon related” (close to canon?),it might work well too. I think at least.
Better finish this desc before it gets too long. As a bonus,here are the two main drawings I did for this piece,unedited (because I'm not going to show the edited versions,I assume they're kinda ugly separately) :
Call me "Bendy and the Ink Machine Remix and Lyric Video" because I was AHHH AHHH AHHH trying to finish this drawing.
#The phrase at the beginning of the text is not actually a definition of Illusion it's just a phrase I quoted from TIOL#or at least it's not a real definition i found#I just thought that in the context of the image itself the phrase made sense#batim#bendy and the ink machine#bendy and the dark revival#i guess#joey drew#idk if I should tag Memory Joey on this because considering this drawing is more geared towards the events of my AU than those of canon#+ the fact that I started this drawing before the release of BATDR#the Ink/Cycle Joey here is less ''a memory/copy of the original''#and more like the real deal you know#but at the same time I say this I decided to change the design of the Ink Joey that I was using at the time#to something similar to the one of M!Joey#making it now much more similar to canon even though in the context of the image Ink Joey here is not a memory/copy and#yeah maybe i should have used the old design#now I'm bothered lol;but fuck it#as I had said#if you look at this drawing as something made with canon in mind and not an AU; it might work well too#i.e. interpret it however you want;it's still connected to an AU at the end of the day but that doesn't mean it can't be seen in other ways#what other ways?#I don't know; you tell me. if you want#but hey; at least i wont have to change my AU for the thousandth time because of new canon info haha#damn; only now I find out that there is a tag limit;if anyone has read this far;hi;hope you had a nice week;okay I'll shut up now#crookedsmileart#batdr
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The bodyguard pt2
John Price X Elvira Wolff
Summary: After 3 months of knowing each other, their bond growing stronger within them ... Elvira gets kidnapped by Ulrich's old arch nemesis.
The first three months of working for Ulrich Wolff went somewhat smoothly for John Price. Surprisingly, a few hiccups here and there... Despite Elvira's resentment for Price and still being stubborn with him on some occasions. When it almost cost her life, they'd squabble and have many disagreements, but it would always end in Price saving her life. In the end… Elvira would always say thank you to him.
Price on many occasions had scolded Elvira for going against his words, disobeying him… But she'd always return home safely back to Ulrich. He knew from the beginning she was stubborn, but not this stubborn. Ulrich himself was surprised that Price hasn't given up on her, it goes to show that he really is dedicated to his job.
The two eventually got used to being around each other, they had no other choice sadly. Price actually found out a lot more about Elvira each passing day, even the littlest of things. She loved drawing, playing the piano and reading her books. Some days Price would observe her playing the piano, or even do a simple painting that she'd finish off. Sometimes Price would leave a gift for her here and there, of course trying to be discreet about it. Professionalism aside, he was still keeping it a simple colleague friendship. Elvira would find small gifts left for her on her bed, little did Price know… Elvira had been observing him too.
Elvira smiled softly seeing the Gift left on her bed, it was another sketch pad and some pencils too. The small note simply said;
I saw these earlier when I was in town and I thought of you. Enjoy your gift Elvira
Elvira knew who it was from, she wasn't stupid. Whenever Ulrich gifted her things it was a surprise anyways, but this? This was so different. Even during these three months she found out more about Price as well, Price tried not to be obvious about the sudden influx of gifts… And Elvira played along with it. She found it cute.
The last few days had been more difficult for Elvira, it wasn't long she broke up with her boyfriend Felix. Who was also her lifelong friend, the whole thing was so sudden Elvira was struggling to process the situation. Elvira spent most of her time in her room, Price became worried and knocked on her door a few times ro check on her. After some time, Elvira allowed Price to come in to check up on her.
Elvira's room was quite large, one of the largest rooms in the mansion. Two of the walls were grey, and the other was white. Her carpet was a light grey colour as well. She had some blinds to keep the sunlight out as well, but still enough to keep some natural sunlight in.
A wooden desk was on the left hand corner in her room, where she did her studying, work and drawing. In the corner near the desk she had a bookshelf, filled with various books she had collected over the years. She also had a little reading space as well, having a large room had its perks. She had space for a wardrobe and a little vanity and had a double bed against the wall. There were also two dog beds for Luna and Ivan, though they always slept with Elvira on her bed.
Price walked into her room closing the door behind him, he found Elvira laying on her bed, Ivan and Luna were laying beside her. Their head perked up seeing Price, their tails wagged slightly.
"I just don't understand…" Elvira finally spoke hearing Price come in, as she hugged her pillow slightly. "Why be with me if he didn't love me in the first place?" She sighed saying that.
"And already the press is going crazy about Felix and I breaking up, why can't they just focus on something else?" Elvira scoffed as she stared at her phone briefly, the recent events were already upsetting her.
"Reputation? The spotlight does many things to a man… He didn't deserve you Elvira." Price simply said, sitting down at the edge of her bed, looking at her with concern. Seeing how upset she was hurt him a little, he tried his hardest pushing those other feelings down. He needed to be professional about this. Another moment of silence, he then said.
"Focus on yourself Elvira, there will be someone out there for you. I know it." Price reassured her, and he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Someone special, and don't worry about the press, I'll make sure they won't get a lookin' at ya."
Elvira smiled slightly at his words, nodding a little. Feeling a little more reassured. "Thank you John, and I will and I promise you." She said as she sat up on her bed, even if she was hurt… Elvira didn't want to waste her time, or her feelings on some silly little boy.
Price gave her a kind smile and stroked Ivan and Luna who were laying down on her bed. "Come let's take these two on a walk okay? I'll walk them this time, save you pulling your back like last time."
"Ja… But since then Ivan has been gentle, but I'm starting to feel better though." Elvira mused as she stroked Ivan and Luna gently, smiling at her dogs softly before eventually getting off her bed.
In a matter of minutes the two were outside again, the dogs following closely as Price and Elvira walked together. It was a nice evening, it wasn't too hot or too cold. Just the right temperature, perfectly mild for a spring evening. As the dogs ran around freely in the local Park, Elvira was a little paranoid… Paranoid that the paparazzi or anyone would be lurking around.
"It's okay." Price reassured her by staying a little closer to her, he also looked around. No one seemed to be around for the time being, but if he saw anyone lurking around. He will deal with it accordingly.
Elvira began to feel more comfortable around Price, as she watched the dogs run around the park together and playing. She threw two tennis balls individually to keep them entertained.
Back and forth, they would bring the ball back to Evira and she threw the tennis balls again. It wasn't long before the dogs got tired of playing and running around together. She chuckled softly seeing how exhausted the dogs were.
Elvira gave them some water to quench their thirst and they sat down on the ground panting a little to catch their breath.
"Well then… Let's take them home, I'll also get their food ready. They always get hungry after the park." Elvira would say getting the leads again, attaching them to the dogs collars again.
"Yes, good idea." Price responded, he saw someone in the distance near the other entrance of the park staying close to Elvira. When she was ready to go, Price quickly left with her keeping a hand on her back ever so gently.
"Is everything okay? You wanted to get out of the park quickly." Elvira asked a little cornered as she stared at him. "Did someone see us?" She looked around her surroundings but no one seemed to be near them.
"Yes, but I don't think they were the paparazzi. Nothing to worry about Elvira, probably some stranger staring too long." Price reassured her, fifteen minutes later they got home and Elvira was downstairs in the kitchen sorting out food for Ivan and Luna. The dogs eagerly waited; They sat down wagging their tails as they waited patiently for Elvira to put their bowl of food down.
Price was debriefing with Ulrich in Ulrich's office, everything was going well with Price protecting Elvira which he liked. Ulrich finished sorting out the last few things as he glanced at Price.
"Don't forget you and Elvira are going out tomorrow Price, she needs to attend a meeting… I wish I could be there but sadly I cannot, I trust you to take her there and get her back safely Price." Ulrich's tone was firm.
"Yes sir." Price responded in a serious tone and he soon left the meeting room, after having some dinner with Elvira and Ulrixh, and a nice hot shower after that. Price eventually went to bed early for the big day tomorrow.
Elvira woke up early the next morning, her stomach was hurting. She felt nauseous, her anxiety was beginning to creep in… She didn't know why she felt like this. Part of her didn't want to do this meeting, nor even go outside for that matter. But she had to, finally getting out of bed and having a shower, dressed for the day, having breakfast and brushing her teeth. She was soon ready to go. Elvira was wearing smart and casual clothes, fitting enough for the meeting.
Elvira stayed in her bedroom for a few more moments, saying goodbye to her dogs and kissing their heads before she headed downstairs to meet Price who was by the doors.
"Are you ready to go? Do you have everything?" Price would say as he too gathered his own things, he stopped what he was doing and saw the worried face on her features…
"You okay?" Price asked her softly, becoming concerned.
"I guess so? I don't really know, I just… Don't really feel like going out today. To do the meeting I mean." Elvira admitted, she slowly exhaled. "Maybe it's because I haven't done a meeting in a long time." She shrugged.
"Maybe, you'll do great, they love ya anyways. Take your time, even if you stutter a little." Price reassured Elvira by placing a hand on her shoulder.
Elvira soon got into the car sitting at the back seat, Price was with her as well as the driver was taking them to their designated location. That's where her nerves kicked in again, the car soon came at a stop light. After a couple of minutes the light had turned green and the car resumed.
Just as the car was resuming another car rammed into them, Price took action and wrapped his arms around Elvira putting his body on top of hers to protect her. Everything went dark for a moment… Elvira woke up, her vision was blurred temporarily and she felt Price's arms around her.
Groaning slightly she gently nudged Price. "John? John, are you okay?" She asked, concerned. Price was unresponsive which made things worse, it made Elvira worry more. She tried to sit up, though she couldn't move much as the car was upside down. The driver didn't seem to be moving either…
A series of footsteps were heard outside the car, Elvira heard them and then the door suddenly opened. She saw a large group of men, their faces were covered and wore tactical clothes. One thought went through her mind … Shadow.
Two men grabbed her and pulled her out of the car, pulling her harshly out of Price's arms. Elvira stumbled a little as she lost her balance, she had a few cuts and bruises and her head was bleeding.
"Get off of me!" Elvira yelled fighting in the mens arms as they tackled her down to restrain her arms.
Price woke up to yelling and his eyes slowly opened, a groan escaping his lips. While his vision was blurry, he could see a few groups of men holding someone down on the ground… Elvira.
"Elvira! …" Price tried to yell and get out of the car, but he placed his hand on his waist in pain. Hissing slightly as it stung, blood ran down his head trying to get out of the car.
But it was useless Elvira was taken into another car, and it quickly drove away from the scene, at the same time Price had passed out from exhaustion. Only for Ulrich's men to arrive just after that, finding the damage and only Price in the vehicle.
-
[PT 3]
#johnvira#cod oc#cod ocs#call of duty#cod mw#call of duty modern warfare#mwii#captain price#john price#oc#ocs#elvira wolff
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The Incredible Growing Viewscreen
In the beginning, before Matt Jeffries had finished designing the spaceship that would become the Enterprise, set designer Pato Guzman sketched this idea for the "control room":
About the only thing it had in common with the final set was the large window/viewscreen up front.
The first iteration of the USS Enterprise bridge included a much smaller main viewer that looked like a really big television:
This was very cutting-edge for 1964. Color TVs were still pretty new in those days, and they had pretty small picture tubes. A wall-sized one must've seemed impossibly futuristic.
For the second pilot, the viewer got a widescreen upgrade:
When the show went to series, the viewer acquired a rectangular shape with a glowing blue outline, but stayed the same size:
When the Enterprise was redesigned for the big screen 13 years later, the viewer stayed roughly the same size, but it looked more like the window/viewscreen from Pato Guzman's original concept art:
Fast forward to 1987. Larger televisions were a becoming more common; some folks even had giant projection TVs that almost required a forklift to move. To emphasize the super-advanced nature of Star Trek: The Next Generation's brand-new Starship Enterprise, the main viewer dominated the entire forward bulkhead of the bridge:
Basically, they went from having a largish TV screen at the front of the bridge to having an entire movie screen.
The viewscreen got another upgrade nine years later with the big-screen debut of the Enterprise-E. In Star Trek: First Contact, there was no screen built into the bridge's forward bulkhead; it was just a blank wall. The "viewscreen" was a holographic display that appeared in front of the wall when activated:
This was an interesting innovation that never appeared again. In the next two movies, the Enterprise-E's bridge had a plain old viewscreen. Of course, holographic nor not, the functionality of the bridge viewer hadn't really changed since the very first Star Trek in 1964. It was basically a big TV that displayed one thing at a time. That might have seemed perfectly futuristic during Star Trek's first 30 years, but the world was changing.
When J.J. Abrams' big-budget reimagining of Star Trek was being developed in the late 2000s, everybody had computers and smartphones were becoming more common. So Abrams and his team went in a new direction:
Instead of the traditional Star Trek viewscreen, the front of the new Enterprise bridge was dominated by a giant curved pane of "smart glass" i.e. a window that allowed information from various sources to be superimposed on it:
Predictably, long-time fans complained about this because they hate change. But honestly, it's cool and it makes sense. In 1964, the Enterprise's viewscreen was so futuristic that there was no way to depict it without employing special effects. Fifty years later, you could buy one at Wal-Mart. Star Trek is set in the future; its technology shouldn't be something that the audience can walk into a store and buy today.
The 2022 version of the Enterprise bridge features a "smart glass" viewscreen much like the Abrams-verse version with one important difference:
It's a whole heckuva lot bigger. I can't even imagine what the aspect ratio is on that bad boy. And what about the resolution? What is that, like an 8000000K display?
I have zero problem with this. For everyone screaming "But it's impractical!" well, yeah, probably. But so is having the bridge in an exposed and easily-shot-at point at the top of the saucer. Not to mentioning having the warp core in a big open area with zero shielding around it and people working in close proximity to it 24/7.
If you want to get nitpicky about unrealistic stuff in Star Trek, we'll be here all year.
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I just wanted to show you these guys. As evident, I never finished the page, but still
So these are two characters I made around January last year, named Felix and Helix (Felix is the left, Helix the right)
They’re identical twins, if you couldn’t tell
I got the names from a book I read a long time ago, though I don’t remember much about it. What I do remember is that the main character’s name was Felix and he got transported to another world, and in this world, people kept thinking his name was Helix, I think because that’s a more common name there and “Felix” was just odd. I thought the names worked because of the twin thing, so I used them here
They’re supposed to be based on birds, I think ravens, though as is probably clear, they aren’t the most accurate depictions of bird people, such as the lack of wings. But I kind of like how they look here. The red sketch was from me afterwards trying to figure out their anatomy for future reference (also the dot eyes was a reference to the fact that I was initially planning on Felix having dot eyes, while Helix had normal, but eventually I decided against it since they’re supposed to be identical)
The expressions you see on the page were supposed to be me trying to figure out some expressions for them for practice, the top right being Felix and the bottom left being Helix. As you can see, I never got around to Helix’s. They were supposed to be more indicative of their personalities, like these were expressions they’d reasonably make
I’ll explain the weird pictures in a bit
So why don’t I talk about the characters themselves? So as listed, Felix and Helix are twin brothers, and they’re both magic users. They were from an RPG idea I had that admittedly I don’t really have other ideas for other than these two. I think the pitch was “RPG where every character was an animal” but I’m not sure. Anyways, back to them, so Felix is the main character you’d play in the game, and he’s basically the mage of the group (it’s an RPG with a party), as you can probably imagine. Felix is an absolute sweetheart with a love of magic, always wanting to learn and always willing to do the right thing, hence why he decides to help take on the evil force plaguing the land or whatever. Oh, also another thing I should mention, Felix doesn’t talk, he’s a mute protagonist, though Helix can talk perfectly fine, and technically, so can Felix, he just doesn’t for reasons. Helix on the other hand is one of the antagonists, for reasons I’ll explain in a bit. However, he does eventually become the final party member, but again, we’ll talk about that in a second. He’s not as open and a bit more socially awkward than his brother, and he’s not that great with people, his only real friend growing up being his brother. He also gets flustered easily, but he doesn’t want people knowing that. I feel like he’s your typical “edgier foil to the goofball main character” sort of guy. Though he’s not inherently a bad person, he will go to great lengths if he feels the ends justify it, something Felix doesn’t agree with. Also he can be a bit of an ass sometimes, particularly to strangers or people he inherently doesn’t like. But another thing to mention is that their brotherly bond is very strong, or at least it used to be, with both of them loving each other and doing whatever they feel it takes for the other
So we’d first meet Helix relatively early on in the game, though not at the very beginning. If this were like a 15-20 chapter game, he’d first show up around Chapter 4. Or I suppose another good comparison for time would be like, an area soon after leaving Midgar in Final Fantasy 7. Anyways so basically the party goes to a town, and there, everyone seems to already know Felix, despite him never having been here, and they may not be too fond of him. The rest of the party questions why this is, assuming perhaps it’s an impostor trying to steal Felix’s identity for selfish reasons and/or tarnish his name, though Felix already has an idea of what’s going on. Sure enough, with enough investigating, they find this “impostor”, only for them to learn that this guy isn’t pretending to be him, rather it’s Felix’s identical twin brother. There’s clearly tension between the two but neither really go into it, as Helix is kind of vague about it (since Felix already knows the details), and Felix just doesn’t want to talk about it. We fight Helix, defeat him, and then he flees, with Felix hesitant to see him go, but has to accept it nonetheless. At this point it’s not entirely clear that Helix is part of the villain group, but we learn it in later encounters, with Felix pretty appalled at this, with Helix angrily explaining he had to for Felix’s sake, again to the confusion of the party. Throughout their encounters their conflict gets more heated, up until late in the game when Felix starts to get through to Helix, and he starts having second thoughts. Either that or Helix learns what the villain promised him wasn’t what it was, or he’s starting to think that the actions they’re taking aren’t really worth it, and his sense of morality is kicking in
So the main conflict between these two has to do with Felix. When they were young, they were both just regular kids, with Felix talking perfectly normal just like his brother, but one day something happened to Felix, and afterwards he just suddenly stopped talking, to the confusion of his parents and brother. He never seemed bothered by this, but it was odd to the rest of them. As they grew older, it was clear something odd was going on with Felix, and Helix grew increasingly concerned. While I never fully fleshed out what this “thing” was, the idea I think I had was that young Felix made some sort of deal with this eldritch entity, and they now share the same body. Felix doesn’t talk because talking had something to do with the demonic being, like letting it out. Felix is the only one with all the details of what exactly went down, and he’s always seemed perfectly fine with it, but Helix is afraid of it and what it’ll do to his brother. While he’s never seen it himself, he knows that when Felix gets angry enough, he turns into this eldritch horror being and when talking to the people affected (typically they were other kids their age), they were legitimately terrified of him. Also, as you can likely guess, those sketches I haven’t elaborated on are supposed to be ideas for that form. In Helix’s eyes, Felix was most likely cursed, and is potentially being used as a host for whatever this thing is, and he wants to get rid of it for his own sake. Felix however, disagrees, implying that the deal the two made wasn’t inherently malicious, and neither was the creature/curse. Helix however, doesn’t listen, thinking the thing is manipulating him into thinking that way, and becomes increasingly determined to stop it. This all came to a head a few years before the main story starts, with a big argument that caused Helix to leave and go off on his own, having never returned since (oh I should probably mention how they argue. Basically the idea is that while yes, Felix doesn’t talk, Helix knows him well enough that he can tell what each expression he makes means, essentially letting him “talk”, at least in that sense. Felix is a very expressive person). Felix regrets the argument, but he didn’t know where Helix went and knows he can be hard to stop, so he’s just been waiting for Helix to come back on his own so they can make up. Meanwhile Helix joined the evil team because the leader promised him a way to get rid of his brother’s curse, so long as he followed their teachings and did their bidding, and Helix agreed
Oh, another thing I should mention (which I probably should have mentioned earlier but saved for here for dramatic effect), Felix is the older twin, while Helix is the younger. I know that doesn’t change much about their ages, but it does have some effect on their dynamic, at least for them
As for the curse itself, while there are some references to it and it does occasionally somewhat manifest itself, such as in that death glare Felix has, we’re not privy to what exactly it is or what it does, at least not until the final stretch of the game
Speaking of which, so at the end of the game, when getting to the final boss area (probably a castle), we see Helix having a change of heart, whether because he had come to the realization this wasn’t worth it or he learned his boss wasn’t going to help him cure his brother, but rather use his curse for their own purposes, and he decides to try and stage a coup of his own, trying to stop the villain, only to fail horribly as he gets caught, and the others refer to a punishment, but we cut away before we see what. Then later on, once the heroes show up to the castle and to a certain area with large pits with seemingly no bottom, they see Helix bloodied and beaten on the floor, and Felix, in distress, tries to go to him, only to be stopped by the main villain who reveals themselves to the heroes and probably monologues about their plans or something (as is clear, I never really thought much about the main villain). Then, in a moment where Felix is pleading for his brother’s safety, possibly even trying to strike a bargain with the villain, the villain decides against it and instead strikes Helix potentially fatally, with him letting out a scream in agony, and then tossed away into the pits, seemingly to his death. Seeing his brother presumably die in front of him invokes a rage and despair unlike any Felix has ever felt, and for the first time in game, we hear him speak, and he turns into his eldritch form, though much bigger than any he has before, going completely feral (we also later find out the reason Helix has never seen Felix’s form is because when they were younger, he was relentlessly bullied which sometimes led to him getting knocked unconscious, especially as he’s not particularly physically strong, and upon seeing this Felix would go into rage mode). As we enter a fight with the boss, “Felix” attacks with his magic (as the creature is a magical beast, not so much a physical attacker), and it now has no magic limits and does tons of damage, it also damages the other party members as well, as “Felix” has no restraint and is just going ballistic. The battle ends once the rest of the party is down, and as we see in the cutscenes, his attacks go so wild that he ends up causing the other party members to fall into the pits too, destroying the area around them
We would then follow the party as they’re in the pits, which do in fact have a bottom, even if everything is complete darkness. As they walk around, they find Helix, who is miraculously still alive, but is only barely holding on. While the rest of the party don’t really like Helix (he’s been kind of a jerk to them and was also part of the evil team), the altercation they had above told them that he had at least tried to turn over a new leaf, and they know he’s probably their best shot at getting Felix to calm down, so they have their healer heal him. He tells them all of what he knows of Felix’s curse, explaining how he had just wanted his brother to be safe, but he thinks he was a fool for trusting the villain. He’s fully aware the party doesn’t like him, and expects them to leave him down there to rot, but they (reluctantly) take him with him, and he agrees to help them stop the villain and calm down Felix, and Helix becomes the final party member. How the rest of the story goes, I’m not sure, but the two brothers do end up reconciling at the end
So that’s about it for the story of them. Oh, but maybe I should also mention how their skill systems are supposed to work, since it’s relevant to the whole “game” part and I just thought it was interesting
Okay, so Felix and Helix are magic users, and they cast spells by reading from tomes. When you start the game, Felix has your typical fire, ice and lightning spells. But throughout the game (probably by finding them in the areas and not by purchasing them), you can find other tomes, and they give you different spells. For example, Felix might find a tome with wind spells, and he can equip it. However, he can only use the spells from the tome he has equipped, so it’s not necessarily just a case of “get new tome with better stats”, it depends on what spells you want to use. I’m not sure if this applies to just him since he’s the magic user or if it should apply to the whole party, but I feel like having all the characters being able to equip weapons where each one gives you certain abilities you can use and having to figure out which one to best use in which situation could be an interesting system. Now for Helix, while he uses magic tomes like Felix, due to his dark ties, he only uses dark magic spells, though I’m not sure how much variety you’d get out of his equipment, given you get him in the final area, though admittedly that area could be long, so there might be more tomes for him. Also not sure if he should be able to use Felix’s tomes, as you’d eventually be able to use both, and I don’t just want two of the same character. I dunno
Oh yeah, another random tidbit pertaining to dark magic, but Helix now has a transformation ability of his own that he gained during his time with the evil team, namely that he can transform his cloak into a pair of wings to fly with. We see it before this part in the game, but I thought I shouldn’t mention it before his powers. It definitely shocks Felix when he sees it
But yeah, that’s Felix and Helix. I know people usually come for my Cookie Run stuff, so this probably won’t be looked at that much, but I do like these two and was reminded of them today, and I just wanted to share them with you
#original characters#character design#mage#raven#video game idea#my ocs#my art#I don’t know what to tag this#I feel like drawing them again#felix#helix
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Top 10 Songs from “Phantom of the Opera”
“Seal my fate tonight! I hate to have to cut the fun short, but the joke’s wearing thin…let the audience in…let my opera BEGIN!”
Tonight is a big and tragic night. Tonight will mark the final Broadway performance - after 35 years - of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Phantom of the Opera.” Till now, the show has been the single longest-running musical in Broadway history, and one of the longest running stage shows in the world. While it is entirely possible the show could come back in a Revival sometime, and the musical itself isn’t necessarily going anywhere - as far as I’m aware, it’s still set to run a while on the West End, not to mention various other International and Touring productions - it is sad that such a mainstay of Broadway will, after three-and-a-half decades, finally be coming to an end.
“Phantom” is one of my top three favorite stage musicals, and so I felt it was only fair that - today - I give it the kudos it deserves by talking about what is arguably the most important thing in a musical: the music. Many would consider this to be Andrew Lloyd Webber’s masterpiece, the pinnacle and peak of his musical career, and the songs featured in it are as immortal as the Gothic novel upon which it is based, not to mention the age-old themes and ideas contained inside. It is a story of horror and beauty, of love and hate, of triumph and tragedy. The songs in the show run the gamut from lighthearted and almost farcical operetta to contemporary rock-opera hybrid mayhem, all without feeling like anything is too out of place; a hard balancing act to accomplish. There are no less than twenty-one tunes in the score for Phantom, and the show is almost completely sung through from start to finish. Choosing my favorite songs was tough, but I think I’ve managed. Oh, and while I doubt I need to say this…just for warning in case, SPOILERS!
Without further ado, here are My Top 10 Songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera!”
10. I Remember/Stranger Than You Dreamt It.
In all honesty, it’s more the SCENE than the song that gets this tune onto the list. This is the iconic moment in the story where Christine first unmasks the Phantom. The two-part sequence begins with the dreamy, dazed-sounding “I Remember,” as Christine stirs from her sleep and sees the Phantom playing his organ, sketching down notes for his “Don Juan Triumphant.” When she approaches and removes the mask, the music abruptly jolts into “Stranger Than You Dreamt It,” which, itself, has a sort of two-part structure: the first half is wild, frenzied, and psychotic, as the Phantom flies into a rage at being unmasked…but then drops down into a slower, softer, almost pleading tune, as he calms down from his fit of temper and tries to apologize and explain the deeper layers to the horrified Christine. While the song isn’t exactly one I sing in passing, so to speak, the scene is a major turning point in the tale, and the way the music swings back and forth between the different characters and emotional fulcrums makes this a memorable scene in the story.
9. Masquerade/Why So Silent?
Technically, this is two songs (sort of like the previous pick), but since one basically leads into the other, I felt I should count them both. One of the most iconic songs in the show, “Masquerade” opens up Act II on a deceptively positive note. Taking place a year after the events of Act I, we see that the main characters are attending and hosting grand masquerade ball inside the opera house. It’s made clear that, apparently, the mysterious Phantom has not been seen in a while, and that our other two leads - Christine and Raoul - are officially engaged to be married. The song itself is a symbolic piece, using the ball itself as a metaphor for several things: the way people hide their true intentions or beliefs, the false sense of security that the scene paints, the secrets that Raoul and Christine are keeping, and so on. These analogies prove to be prophetic, as the song transitions into “Why So Silent?” as the Phantom does, predictably, return, crashing the masked ball in the guise of Poe’s Red Death. While the Red Death scene is short, it’s honestly one of my favorite moments in the show: the Red Death costume, the funeral-dirge-like music that stomps down the one gay revelry, and the mysterious warnings delivered by the Phantom are all delicious.
8. Point of No Return.
A lot of people are probably surprised to see this song so low in the ranks, I imagine. The honest truth about why is simply that, while I love this song, I just don’t tend to sing it or reference it in passing as often as the rest on this list. It’s a great number, I guess it’s just not the one I most immediately think about. The song takes place when the Opera House puts on the Phantom’s own opera, “Don Juan Triumphant,” as a way of trying to trap the madman. Christine plays the main character in this play-within-a-play. The Phantom is wise to their tricks, however, as he disguises himself as the male lead - Don Juan himself - by murdering the would-be performer, Piangi, and taking his place onstage. These events lead to this song, as the Phantom uses his own composition to his advantage, trying to seduce Christine and spirit her away with it never seeming out of the ordinary. At the same time Christine realizes the Phantom is her partner in the duet, and has to find some way to reveal him without ruining Raoul’s trap for the villain. It’s a song of tension, deception, and sensual excitement, with a lot of different layers to it for the characters involved.
7. Notes.
Just as it was likely odd to see “Point of No Return” so low in the ranks, seeing “Notes” above it is probably equally baffling. The truth is that I just sort of reference and hum along to “Notes” a lot more, in general; it’s a catchy, simple beat and song that’s easy to do that to. It also probably helps that, if I had to play any role in Phantom of the Opera, I’d actually want to play one of The Managers most, and this song - based around their key leitmotif, which is reprised and reused throughout the show - is the primary reason why. “Notes” occurs part of the way through Act I, and - as the title implies - it revolves around several characters, most notably the Managers, all receiving mysterious notes all signed by the Opera Ghost, detailing his plans for the Opera House and his demands of those inside. It’s a comical, pattering sort of tune, which feels similar in nature to some of the works of Gilbert & Sullivan, and it allows for a bit of levity amidst the darker themes and sequences at play within the show, while still serving the story.
6. Wandering Child.
Another tune based around a repeated leitmotif in the show, this is arguably the ultimate culmination of the “Angel of Music” theme that plays throughout the musical. Taking place after the grand aria “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again” (more on that later), the song has the Phantom - who hasn’t been seen in a while in the show, having seemingly vanished after the Red Death sequence - making his grand reappearance before Christine. He tries to use his hypnotic abilities to entice her back to him, claiming to be the Angel of Music her father promised to send her. The song is grand, beautiful, and romantic, but with a dangerous undercurrent; a haunting tune that matches the Phantom himself, as he tries to lure Christine back to him one last time, as peacefully as possible. This attempt is interrupted, however, by the arrival of Raoul…and it’s here that things get interesting. In some productions, the three actually sing a three-part chorus, making this one of only two parts of the show where all three of the main characters are singing in tandem. In others, Raoul just interrupts at the last minute, barging in and breaking up the harmony with a verse all his own. Personally, I prefer the former approach, but the song is still great even if the alternative option is used.
5. All I Ask of You (Plus the Reprise).
Much like with “Masquerade,” this is technically two songs, but again, one immediately follows the other, and it’s all basically the same tune. This is the great love song of the show, performed between Christine and Raoul. After the Phantom commits his first murder, and Christine tells Raoul about the reality of the situation, Raoul tries to comfort her. The two end up confessing their love for each other in the process, and decide to officially jumpstart their relationship, right then and there, as Raoul offers Christine security and care, and she accepts his hopeful affections. This easily could have been a corny and cheesy sort of old-fashioned love ballad, but it actually becomes a truly sweet, lush, and powerful moment, especially when handled by excellent actors, who can bring something special to the sequence. I will never understand the hate Raoul gets after songs like this, to be perfectly honest…but with that said, arguably the part that tops this song is the reprise that follows. It turns out the Phantom was watching the scene of love serene with jealousy and surprise (bravo, if you get that reference), and - feeling dejected and betrayed by Christine - he thus vows vengeance on both the lovers and all others who dwell inside the Opera House. The two versions of the same song act as a major turning point in the show, and make for a spectacular closure to the first act.
4. The Final Lair.
“The Final Lair” is a medley of different things put together that create the grand finale of the show. I actually don’t want to go too into detail here, in terms of story, because - even though I am giving away spoilers throughout this - I feel the one thing I DON’T want to ruin for anybody reading is how the story ends. Suffice it to say, this sequence marks the moment where the Phantom - unmasked and VERY unstable - has his final confrontation with both Christine and Raoul. Christine is forced to make the toughest choice she’s ever faced in her life, completing her own story arc, all while an angry mob tries to ferret out the Phantom’s secret lair, adding a sort of “ticking clock” element to the story. At this point, the Phantom is completely out of control: different actors depict the Phantom’s rage-and-despair-fueled insanity in different ways, but it’s the moment where the performer can completely cut loose, as the monster under the mask is fully unveiled. For Christine, this is one of the meatiest part of the show for the character, and every actress is able to bring different elements of her final duel of wills with her erstwhile Angel of Music in a different way. While Raoul has arguably the weakest part of the three, his presence is still necessary and acts as the culmination of the love triangle the story hinges upon. It’s a deranged whirlwind of emotions and passions that make for a marvelous finale to this decadently delightful tale.
3. The Phantom of the Opera.
The title song of the show is an anomaly in the soundtrack, as it combines the more classical, typically operatic music found throughout the rest of the show with an 80s-era rock-and-roll vibe, complete with a bangin’ (do the kids still say that these days?) electric guitar. The song occurs early in the show, and acts as the grand reveal of the Phantom himself, in full, as he leads Christine - victorious after her great stage star debut - down into his lair, apparently with some sort of reward in mind for her after her success. The song is a showstopper with a point, as it gloriously illustrates the relationship between Christine and the Phantom, and gives the Phantom the rousing introduction such a powerful character requires. To be blunt, it’s at this point in the story where you KNOW this show is going to be good, and there’s a good reason this song is almost always featured when snippets of the show are performed for special events: it’s a great duet that gives the main protagonist AND main antagonist equal part, and it poetically and catchily describes the story’s primary focus in a nefarious nutshell. It more than deserves placement in my Top 3.
2. Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again.
I actually had a hard time choosing between my top two songs. Each acts as the focal solo number for one of the two main characters, and each has a slightly similar, highly emotional tone. Christine’s song is this one, and it is, in my opinion, the single most emotional and heart-catching of the two. Uncertain, scared, and slightly depressed after everything that’s gone down so far, Christine wanders to the graveyard to pray at her father’s tomb. The song she sings is so many things at once: she feels lost without her father there, and always has, and she’s never felt more lost than now. She remembers the good things about him as best she can, while also trying to let go of his memory…but no matter how hard she tries, all those comforting thoughts and those strong desires cannot completely erase her sorrow, more palpable than ever before. If you have ever lost someone close to you - a parent, a grandparent, even a very dear friend - then you will easily be able to understand everything the poor young lady goes through here. If you have not…you can have no idea how it feels.
1. Music of the Night.
While “Wishing” is undeniably the most emotional song in the show for me, “Music of the Night” is easily the standout piece of the musical for me. This is the Phantom’s grand solo, performed before Christine as he guides her around his underground lair, and tries to seduce her for the first time. While the “Angel of Music” anthem found in songs like “Wandering Child” certainly describes the Phantom in a succinct fashion, “Music of the Night” gives us a proper look into the mind of the so-called monster, to see the man and his passions underneath. The song is sultry and shadowy, yet never truly scary or intimidating. I always personally felt that the Phantom’s love for Christine was more than mere physical attraction; he cares for her in a very real and powerful way, and he wants her to care for him in the same manner. He’s just not entirely sure how to express that desire and that emotion. This is the song where he tries to do just that. The tune warps between a lilting, almost lullaby-like melody to something grander and more glorious, the Phantom changing tactics between soft, inviting, almost pleading methods to more forceful techniques, as he tries to seduce Christine to his side in more ways than one. It is this song that first makes us feel pity and sympathy for the Phantom, and makes us realize he’s more than just the dark and dangerous figure we’ve been led to expect up till now. As beautiful as it is important to the story and character, “Music of the Night” is, without a doubt, My Favorite Song from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera.”
Honorable Mentions Include…
Prima Donna.
Angel of Music.
The Mirror (Angel of Music).
Why Have You Brought Me Here?/Raoul, I’ve Been There.
#list#countdown#favorites#best#songs#music#phantom of the opera#andrew lloyd webber#broadway#west end#musicals#musical theatre#theatre#top 10#rip phantom on broadway
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LBSC September 2022 Sprint Challenge
The LBSC Sprint Challenge is now open for writers and artists! The prompts are:
1. "when he died, all things soft and beautiful and bright would be buried with him."
2. You did the right thing.” “I doubt it. I haven’t done the right thing in years. Somehow, though, it still falls on me to be the one making all the tough decisions.” (Source)
3. Social Media prompt:
4. Social Media prompt:
5. Visual prompt:
6. Wildcard - pick any of the prompts available from our sister blog, @mlweeklyprompts, or any previous challenge prompt.
You have until Wednesday, September 28 to complete your 3 15-minute sprints/45 minute art sprint and post the results. Once you’ve completed the sprints, you have 24 hours to edit (which can include some new writing to smooth transitions and make it feel complete, and whatever work you feel appropriate to get your art to a state you consider ‘finished’).
Please note you may sprint in the language of your choice, and you can either translate the final fic before posting, post it in the original language, or both as you choose. You can join us on the LBSC discord or sprint on your own! Just be sure to tag @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers in your final post so we will see it and reblog it. The rest of the rules can be found here under the cut.
Rules!
We’ll post a beginning and end date to the challenge, and a prompt.
Writers, If you choose to participate in the event, write for that prompt in up to three 15 minute sprints. No writing outside the sprints until you have completed all three! After the 3 sprints are complete, you have 24 hours to edit (which can include some new writing to smooth transitions, etc). You can also choose to break that 45 minutes up differently if you find a different split works better for you. After those 24 hours, post what you’ve got. Tag your posts with @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers so we can reblog it to the LBSC blog. If you post your work on AO3 or somewhere other than Tumblr, you can leave a link in our ask box or in the appropriate discord channel so we can be sure to promote it. After the designated challenge end date, we’ll compile a listing of the submissions and post it to the LBSC blog.
Feel free to sprint in whatever language is most comfortable to you! You can post it in your own language or translate it before posting, or both!
Artists, you have 45 minutes to sketch and 24 hours to do any cleanup or coloring you’d like to complete. You can split your 45 minutes up however you like, or not at all. There’s no requirements on your finished piece, just aim for whatever goal seems challenging but achievable to you. Tag your posts with @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers so we can reblog it to the LBSC blog. If you post your work on Instagram or somewhere other than Tumblr, you can leave a link in our ask box or in the appropriate discord channel so we can be sure to promote it. After the designated challenge end date, we’ll compile a listing of the submissions and post it to the LBSC blog.
If you’re wavering as to whether or not you think you can accomplish anything in 45 minutes, we really encourage you to give the challenge a try. You may be surprised what you can do! Feel free to join us in the discord linked above so we can encourage and cheer you on.
Obviously, this has to run a bit on the honor system and we won’t be tracking your times, but please do your best to honor the spirit of the challenge! If your sprint fic becomes an Entire Thing (these things happen sometimes) and you want to continue it, feel free! However, please still post whatever you’ve got after your 3 sprints with the tag. No fair busting out a fully polished fic or art without showing us what it looked like at the challenge stage!
We want to keep this a positive space and event! This does NOT mean that you can’t write or draw anything critical of a character or episode, but it isn’t the space for character bashing or hate either. Please keep the characters in character and save the more speculative work for another time. NSFW sprint works are permitted but must be tagged appropriately (please use “NSFW LBSC sprint challenge” for easy filtering on the blog) and with appropriate warnings. (More FAQ about the process here)
This is a Lukanette blog and a Lukanette event, so while Lukanette does not need to be the main ship, it needs to at least be included or referenced and considered endgame (in other words, they don’t have to be together by the end of your work, but the intent is that they’re headed in that direction). The decision about what qualifies for reblog rests solely with the LBSC moderators. If a piece hasn’t been reblogged within a couple of days, either the mods felt the piece didn’t meet the criteria or it was simply missed; you are welcome to reach out in the asks to inquire which. There are plenty of other spaces out there for other ships and OT3s, and people are welcome to use the challenge rules and prompts to write for their own ships! They just won’t be reblogged to the LBSC blog, and we ask that you please not use the event tag (a modified form is fine - “InsertAlternateShipName sprint challenge” instead of “LBSC sprint challenge,” for example).
Happy sprinting!
#lbsc sprint challenge#lukanette#endgame lukanette#lukanette endgame#luka couffaine#marinette dupain cheng#pro lukamari
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Initial concept work, fun fact Vill's arms / torso is based off an Oc I've had for several years named Starling. They have a few similarities in that department but otherwise are nothing alike. Maybe I'll show you her sometime :o).
Pass two¡ Very close to the Vill that we have now. Also the beginning of his freckles which later turn into moles¡
Character exploration of who he is personality and such also the first art pieces with his moles, then freckles still.
Original concept on how Vill and Evie met, it has sense been altered as Evie has been altered. Also the first pass on Vill's knee high boots.
Second pass on Evie and first pass on Cross who was just a concept at the time. Also second pass on Vill's boots. Also Evie's original last name which was Evergarden.
first colored image of Vill and Cross. Also Cross is still in beta here but he looks way different, if you want to see all his concept work then I'll be happy to show you but there's a lot less on him. Even less with Evie.
more character exploration and concept work to continue to get the feel for the character and to explain how he works. Basic character concept stuff. Wasn't finished because he looked off I'll probably redo this later.
Unfinished Vill and Evie character interactions to explore how they'd interact with each other. Also showing an Evie close to the final.
More character exploration and concepts for Evie and Cross before final. Cross freaked Vill out a lot when they first met and he still scares him at times as Cross is light on his feet and isn't the most talkative.
More Evie concept / Beta and Vill interactions. Also was going to explain why Vill is a cyborg and if he regrets it or not.
Height chart for scale Cross and Megagram are about the same height. Also Vill just has big hair so look a little closely. Anyhow you see Final Cross and Almost final Evie. She's just about there. Her antenna switch between being under her hat and not.
Cross and Vill interactions shown in a video I posted. Again Cross kinda freaks Vill out, mostly because Cross towers over everyone and Vill knows a lot about his specific model and make. As Vill was a lieutenant and often assisted a friend with older bots. Note Cross was in active Duty for Three years before Vill joined.
And some final poor Vill character sketches. I Don't know how well I express his personality. But I hope it comes off how I mean it too-
The reason Vill has the most character related sketches and concepts compared to Evie and Cross is because they were originally just going to be supporting characters in his overall story.
And Evie has the least as her age was changed and her story was muddled with abit so after about two passes she got her final desgin.
There's some stuff relating to Vill that still needs to be drawn out that will come out later. such as his moms and what he looked like pre-cyborg. Also his eyes started off completely normal then he just became perpetually traumatized-
His color scheme is oddly enough mostly my favorite colors. My favorite color my whole life being Purple. Which the main complementary being Orange. Green scar wounds, though the community gave Formies blue blood, green appears nicer with the rest of the pallet. I have drawn Formies with blue blood before or at least the implications of such. Will his scar colors change¿ We'll see. His eyes are yellow and yellow compliments purple nicely. Also hearts because I like hearts. The moles are left over from when he had freckles.
Finally his full name is Vilcrom Capra, so his full title is Lieutenant Vilcrom Capra. But he prefers to be called Vill and hardly if ever brings up rank.
Name pronunciation Vill-Cr-rum, Cap-prrrA.
Thanks for reading my big old thing here. I like character desgin a lot if you can't tell. If you guys want to see what I have for Cross and Evie I'd be happy to show you. Also there isn't any concept of Vill's moms or Evie's Parents at this moment of time but the process for them has started.
Thank you again for anyone who actually went through this, with my warm thanks.
-Chuwush (Chu-wush)
Ps. If anyone's wondering why the pronouncation thing there it's mostly for my own sanity I know my username isn't easy to pronounce my real name isn't either. But mispronounceation doesn't bother me just a more peace of mind that no one has to stress about saying my name wrong.
#spark the electric jester#spark tej#Spark the electric jester oc#my oc art#oc artwork#oc concept#Is this a shitpost¿ Or no I'm not sure here#Sorry for my ramble I tend to do that.#I hope y'all had a good day¡ Or night it's very apparent our time differences.
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please tell me this one is gonna send 🥹
HI VIC!! i’m here to join your Valentines + 2 years + 700 followers event :D (albeit a little late,,, i’m gonna throe a brick through tumblr’s hq windows /j)
i’m Poe, they/she pronouns!! personality-wise, i’m kinda awkward when i first meet people, but i typically warm up after i gauge their personality and spend like two weeks around them. i generally prefer interactions with lighthearted atmospheres. i’m big on physical touch, quality time, and gift giving, but i absolutely hate receiving gifts. roughly 60% of my personality is music, whether that’s listening or playing it. i’m also very food motivated. you could probably bribe me into marriage with food tbh
about my hobbies!! i love playing saxophone, marching, painting, sketching, listening to music, watching video essays on youtube, and writing from time to time! i tend to write poetry, but i do occasionally write more. my hobbies are probably my least interesting feature ngl :O
some date ideas i really like: aquarium/zoo date, concert (orchestra or ensemble) date, and hiking/geocaching date.
aaaand i’d like a matchup from demon slayer!!
love you sm vic /p and again congrats on 700 and two years!!
kjbgkjhbjk thank u for ur patience with this im so sorry
anyway. love ya hope you enjoy
your valentine's date is... KYOJURO RENGOKU
Honestly i think he really enjoys music too
I believe in rengoku & hearing loss hcs (unsure if its canon or not??) but even if he struggles to hear all of it, if its loud enough he likes the vibrations
And he knows you enjoy it so he loves it
Anything for you
He knows how to be classy too
So he says to dress nice and he’s picking you up at 6
You guys head to a nicer restaurant for dinner and spend quite a while talking and chatting and then you head to the show (that is a surprise)
So walking into the concert hall is a shock and its so pretty with the golds and warm browns of the stage its just. Mmmph i love theaters and older buildings like this theyre so pretty
The orchestra takes the stage and begins to play, and you sit entranced for the hour or so they do
And he does the same, but he’s entranced by you
You’ve got stars in your eyes and honestly he adores it
The rest of the night afterward is full of you listening to tall that music on the trip home and him smiling listening to you talk about how much you enjoyed the night
He’s not doing a lot of talking but he’s just looking at you so, so in love
Little blurb afterward because i said so. Also because domestic kyojuro rights
“Thank you again for taking me out tonight, Kyo.”
“Of course, my dear! Did you enjoy yourself?”
“I think the last twenty minutes of me talking about it says something about the fact that I did.”
“Wonderful!”
The two of you are getting around to go to bed, him finishing brushing his teeth and you sitting on the counter waiting for him. He smiles at you softly, and you notice a bit of toothpaste on the corner of his mouth.
“Hold still,” you say, reaching forward to wipe it off. He does as you ask, smiling softly at you when you wipe it off on the hand towel. “All better.”
“Thank you, my love,” he says, tone a bit softer than usual. “You know I love you, don’t you?”
“Of course. I love you, too.”
He hums in response, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to your forehead, then the tip of your nose, then finally your lips. His hands find yours while you sit on the counter, and he squeezes them gently. “Let’s go to bed,” he mutters, leaving a final peck on your lips.
As he walks away, you realize (as if you hadn’t before) just how really lovely he is.
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A lil updates and thoughts going on rn! Mostly about art again :') putting it under read more tho bc it got away from me again all rambly lmao
Hooo wheee! Life has been a little busy huh. Finally going to work again even if it is pretty much part time, other hobbies im keeping up with, trying to keep up on life admin and its going almost well! Shame im realizing i havent worked on my drawings in well over a month now 😅
Part of me is slightly dreading going back to them rn bc ive spent hours and hours on them already and they still need many hours before i post them....
You know that one guy on like tiktok/youtube shorts whos a really friendly old artist with a hobbit hole studio and does like 1hr paintings that look incredible? Obviously i dont expect myself being rusty and also not with years and years of experience to do the same but wouldn't that be the dream? To be able to just create and be done and happy with it in just an hour or a few and move on. How sad it is how many things i have started and not finished, outting in hours and hours where it doesnt really make even a super significant difference.
Also its that dinluke positivity week thing (god i hope this doesnt show up in the tag lmao sorry) i was really hyped months ago thinking its great prompts and great time to partake in my favourite fandom especially before february 2023 inevitably changes the scene in some way! But all of a sudden mid november is here and thats kinda terrifying! I have no clear idea for any of them, nothing im like desperate to draw and my current drawing doesnt really fit them either. Im thinking maybe i should try like, giving myself idk 2 hrs max to just make something beginning to end and if i hate it its ok i dont have to post it. But maybe i will and it could be fun! Sure i am too tired to properly do anything but idk, even making one post could give me excitement and hype for things i used to enjoy and something that isnt just real life and like job related.
To be fair i could also go for the much more guaranteed dopamine boost and play a video game ive been thinking of playing again for months. Sure i dunno which to choose and im not like super inclined to anything even tho i would like to play multiple of them again, just playing alone is a little boring i guess.
The more i spend just overthinking the quicker my sunday will be over and ill have to do next week and god knows ill be busy!! I should try drawing bc its there floating in my mind and could be easier to slip in into the day routine to do a little here and there rather than like, playing skyrim for 30 mins loll. Or oblivion bc for some reason ive been missing it. Or battlefront, even tho that is really hard to play without really trying my hardest and getting readjusted to the pace of it
Alright ok im gonna set up my digital art stuff, im gonna challenge myself to sketch something on theme for all the prompts and see what ends up catching my attention. If i can do 1 or even a couple of them thatd be really really neat!
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January 2023 Mid Monthly Report
Hello hello, everyone!
It’s been a while—how have you all been? Life’s been pretty busy for me recently. I’m in my third year of college now and I’m starting to feel the pressure. It’s a bit scary if I’m being honest. Time has never been on my side, an experience I’m sure many creatives can relate to, and these last few years have flown by. Some days it feels as if I’m being dragged along behind it, hitting every rock and piece of debris in my path.
Perhaps I’m being existential, but it’s something I came to realize during my hiatus. Life is short, and there is so much I want to do with my existence. So I have the same resolution this year as I did last: to do something bigger and better. What that something is, I don’t know yet. But I hope you’ll join me in seeing it realized.
Anyway, I’ve expositioned long enough. You’re probably curious as to what I’ve been up to since I’ve been gone. Well—you’re in for a treat!
If you’re interested in my work, consider checking out the Masterlist or my Artstation.
So without further ado let’s begin!
~~Project Progress~~
Sharing the Tale
On the Tumblr side of things, I’ve decided that I want to be more open and share my writing more this year. In the past, I would only share snippets I’ve written if I had been tagged in something. Otherwise, the only time I shared progress was through my Mid Monthly Reports.
This year, I want to break out of my shell and put myself out there as best I can. My first plan of action is to share weekly snippets—with how much I’ve written, it’s a shame not to share it with you all, so I hope this will create more interest in Project : Desert.
Secondly, I’ve developed the bad habit of hiding my art behind my MMRs—despite being an artblr, you’d think I’d never make art! So now, unless I’m unveiling something big (like you shall see in a bit ;^)), I’ll be posting my art more freely. So expect sketches! Expect doodles! Expect the ramblings of a madman!
Thirdly, I want to do more with the Youtube channel I created last year. Since I’ve been busy with moving and school, it was hard to create content for it. But now that I’ve lightened my workload, I hope I can start posting there again. So I hope you’ll look forward to that :^)
Art Nouveau Series
Those who may follow my Artstation might know I got a little bit of art done during my hiatus.
So it is with great pleasure to finally show you the finished Art Nouveau series for Project : Desert. Enjoy!
A heart so full of love that you’ll bleed for the dregs. You know how your story ends, but you won’t stop to rewrite it.
So small was the pup born from soot and mud. Time will move on without you, but it is finally time to forgive yourself.
Remember what you’ve seen here, my dear. Though you walk with them as support, you may be the last who will remember them.
You’ve done all you can to protect your liege, now let him grow without you. And take heed, you still have your part to play.
Draft 2
If you remember from my Hiatus post back in September, I was working on Draft 2 of Project : Desert as part of a semester project for one of my classes. Well, I have made huge progress so far! Before the end of 2022, I was able to finish the Pre-Log and Act 1; now I am currently working on Act 2!
So with this in mind, here’s the general schedule I’ll be working with for the remainder of Draft 2:
By the end of February, I hope to have Act 2 completed and some of the accompanying storyboards done.
By end of April, Act 3 should be completed with most of the book’s storyboards done.
During the month of May, I plan on editing and finishing the remaining storyboards. I will also start looking for beta readers during this time.
By June, I hope to have Draft 2 ready for betas to read.
With Pro:Des being at its halfway mark now, I suppose I should discuss what the plans are for the project. As of writing this, I plan to release Pro:Des late 2024, and should my university allow it, publish it as my Honors Capstone. This hard deadline gives the project the urgency I need to get it completed. For now, I just have to make sure I reach my current goals before I start thinking too far into the future.
So in the meantime, I’ll keep doing my thing, and I hope you’ll continue supporting me in the process.
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Oh, I nearly forgot!
I wrote all of this still referring to the project as Project : Desert. I’m excited to tell you all that I’ve finally come up with an actual name for it!
I’ve decided to call it:
An Immortal Laid to Rest
~~Goals~~
January Goals:
Complete up to Chapter 22 by February 18th (16/25 total)
Work on new storyboards for Chpt 3, 5, & 7 by February 15th
Create concept art for Clotho and Lachesis (must complete Clotho before Chpt 7 storyboard)
Create a new video for Youtube Channel before next MMR
Post weekly snippets every Friday
Make a WIP intro post (not urgent)
That’s all I have this month—it feels good to be back writing this. I really missed the MMRs.
Thank you for all the support you guys have given me these last few years. I know I’m just a small blog on this side of the internet, but it’s really thanks to y’all that I even have the motivation to keep going with this.
So as always, thanks for reading and I hope you’ll support me in my future endeavors!
#writeblr#dev log#monthly report#mid month report#MMR2023#project : desert#jasper.txt#jasper's archive
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