by Shinta Sei

Character Only ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Ravenclaw Uniform

Clio Y1

Clio Y2

Clio Y3

Clio Mandragora and Skye Parkin

Note: I don't even remember which quest inspired this...but there's a quest about being interviewed to be on the Quibbler... So, I used that as an excuse to make a character ref sheet!

School’s kept me too busy to make any illustrations or finished pieces as of late so just have some character design concepts for my personal project, Embers of Tomorrow

“For they are all my children, all that I swore to defend -- It is my duty to become both queen and trusted friend.” 

x~x~x~x

HPHM Cardverse developed by @ariparri​​ // Carewyn’s outfit inspired by this gorgeous concept art for a special edition Snow White doll

x~x~x~x

Cardverse content! Cardverse content ahoy! ❤️ 

I’ve actually had this sketch unfinished in my sketchbook for a while, but I finally got around to fully editing it...this is Carewyn at her coronation, when she first became Queen of Hearts! Yeah, she does look a little less than excited about it. But hey, when you become Queen not because you want to (on the contrary), but because it might be the only leverage you have to stop the woman who’s tyrannically taken over your country of birth as a despot queen and to somehow protect your brother and mother from that same woman...yeah, that crown is going to feel really bloody heavy. Especially when there are so many people suddenly counting on you to succeed: not just your new partner, the current King Declan, but also the previous Queen Rosalie and the countless citizens you now represent. 😞

As you can see, though, even on this grand day where she’s dressed to the nines, Carewyn still holds onto a bit of modesty, with her hair in a modest braid and wearing her regular green Club earrings that Orion gifted her so many years ago. And despite the slightly melancholy stoicism of her posture, she held her head up high and spoke with the conviction of a general, when she addressed her new people as Queen. 

“Not long ago, I journeyed here, with naught but dreams of advancing my education. Yet in my short time here, you have welcomed me, and for that, I shall always be grateful. It is for this gratitude -- and for the love I have grown for this land that’s embraced me -- that I shall fight to protect, provide, and advocate for you, as your Queen...for however long that you have both a want and need of me. Although this crown...is not one I ever would have chosen, for myself...I’m truly honored by our fair Queen Rosalie’s faith in me, as well as King Declan’s, and all of yours. Your faith in me is a gift so priceless, I don’t think I could ever be worthy of it...but I will try my best to honor that faith, all the same. From the bottom of my heart...thank you...and long may our Kingdom prosper, long beyond this Frabjous Day.”

Carewyn didn’t socialize that much at the coronation ball afterwards. Both she and Declan were much more attuned to speaking about important matters of state with their court and foreign representatives than small talk, so they almost simultaneously decided to withdraw and enjoy their guests’ levity from the sidelines. 

“Will they really not mind if we just sit back?” Carewyn asked. Even with how much she dearly wanted to do just that, she didn’t want to offend anyone. 

“Not at all,” Declan reassured her. He then offered her a slightly more mischievous smile. “Just remember to keep your head up, sit up straight and tall...and smile and nod slowly whenever you make eye contact with someone. Makes you look more regal.”

Carewyn bit her lip to hold in a laugh, before accepting the arm Declan offered her and following the older man back to the thrones at the back of the hall. The two royals then proceeded to chat more casually for the rest of the night, sometimes about politics, sometimes about the party and its guests, but occasionally also slipping in the odd reference to the works of Charles Dodgson, now and again. (Declan was very well-read, and he was actually rather happy to have someone else around who enjoyed talking about literature.) 

The best thing about the coronation, however, was what came two days later, when Orion was finally able to come up from the Land of Clubs himself. Carewyn had been surprised and delighted enough to see her old friend again so soon...but when she saw that he’d not only brought her a white Abraxan of her own as a belated coronation gift (which honestly had been overwhelming enough!), but also a blond-haired traveling companion who at the sight of Carewyn was so full of pride she couldn’t hold in her tears.

Carewyn herself was crying just as hard herself when she ran forward, right past Declan, Orion, and her dear new Abraxan horse. She paid them or any reactions from possible witnesses no mind -- chucking out all of her usual stoicism and composure completely, she dashed across the courtyard to Orion’s open carriage and threw her arms around the older blond woman standing in front of it, latching onto her as if she never wanted to let go again.

“MUM! Mum -- Mum...!”

Carewyn’s voice was as choked and adoring as a child’s -- as if her whole heart had burst, and the emotion locked inside behind that dam for so long had flooded every inch of her being. Lane’s voice was a mere shadow of her daughter’s, hushed in the back of her throat and unsubstantial, and yet overcome and aching with relief, love, and pride. 

“Winnie -- oh, my Winnie...my baby...my baby...”

The two held each other for close to ten whole minutes, stroking each other’s backs and hair, rocking each other back and forth, shaking, and crying all the while. After three years of painful separation, doubting whether they’d ever see each other again...here they were -- together and free. 

A concept art thingy?? Maaybe?

Before focusing on after hphm times (which made me think if i focus on Night's adulthood that makes them basically a Hp oc not Hphm oc) i wanted to figure out how Cyrus was in Hogwarts.

So here our Cyrus Solis in Hogwarts concept!

Hufflepuff

Seer

Bill's classmate

Pansexual

Trans man he/him

Clumsy

Can't digest anything sweet

Favorite storyteller of first year hufflepuffs

Least favorite student of Snape

Biggest heartbreak of Hufflepuff Quidditch Team because he refuses to join them

Survivor of Solis family

Pureblood

Loner

Quiet

Dreamer

Self-lover

Will be adding some tags for the Cardverse AU cause I don't want wips or minor things cluttering the main tag 😅

#hphm cardverse - The main tag for the au. This will have all official content such as stories, art, moodboards, character introductions, etc.

#hphm cardverse scenario - The tag for content that share minor scenarios for the au. These scenarios are mostly ideas or concepts to play around with or for future posts.

#hphm cardverse wips - The tag for works in progress like sketches and portions of fics.

#hphm cardverse info - The tag for content regarding information on the universe such as world building, references and inspirations, lore, etc.

On Reflection - Author’s Notes

The Circle of Khanna may be officially on a week’s hiatus because of @kathrynalicemc’s Lineage Challenge, but Chapter 14 seemed like a good place to take a breath. Not only does this chapter mark the 2/3 point, but it also is the start of a bit of a shift in tone for the story. It is also one of my favourite chapters of Year 6, has gone through a lot of changes since the start of my writing, and had a lot of thought put into it, to the point that there is even concept art!

So, without further ado, welcome to the director’s cut that no one asked for or even wanted! Cut below for spoilers for The Hexley Saga Y6C14: Reflection, and mentions of grief and trauma.

I am not a natural angst writer. The first piece of angsty/dark writing I included for the Saga was Y3C4: The Problem with Penny, and I hated it. But, in the process of writing the scene in which Penny tells Artemis about the night she witnessed the death of her cousin Scarlett, I came up with the idea for a similar scene following the death of Rowan. Originally, the plan was for this scene to echo the first one, but instead of Artemis fetching Penny back from the Room of Requirement, it would be the other way around.

The problem was that this scene didn’t allow Artemis what she really needed to start to move on: a way to come to peace with the guilt she felt over Rowan’s death, a chance to say goodbye, and Rowan’s blessing for her to move on. In the HPHM game, there is the Headboy/Headgirl sidequest that allows the MC to do those things. There is no way that Artemis is Headgirl material, nor did I like the idea of Rowan appearing as a ghost or vision, so I had to come up with an alternative.

The idea of using the Mirror of Erised actually came to me before the Mirror of Erised TLSQ was dropped, but I have taken this scene as my compulsory nod to this sidequest. It fitted my idea perfectly - Rowan alive and well and forgiving is exactly what Artemis would see in the Mirror of Erised, the Mirror canonically is kept in the Room of Requirement, and Artemis does require this moment.

There was only one problem with including the mirror: Penny. Because, as much as I adore Penny, she would not be able to focus on Artemis as soon as the Mirror came into play. The scene would shift to what Penny saw in the Mirror of Erised, and that wasn’t what was needed here.

The focus had to stay on Artemis and Rowan’s reflection in the Mirror, and there was only one character who could allow that here, because there was only one character who would be able to stand next to Artemis (just stand there and be with her, even in what is arguably her lowest moment ever) in front of the Mirror of Erised and not realise that this was not just any old mirror. That character was, of course, Charlie.

After deciding to include Charlie instead of Penny, the scene began to take shape in my mind. It gave me a choreography, because Charlie had to have his back towards the Mirror whilst Artemis was shouting at him, and it meant that Artemis could get to a far darker place and still be able to be brought back from the brink. It allowed for her to really let out every bit of rage and the tears, and thereby start to allow herself to heal. I drew the concept art that night, and wrote a very rough draft the scene down immediately after, until I eventually fell asleep at around 3am.

The scene was inspired by three things, all of which are referenced in the concept art:

Chapter 12 of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, in which Harry discovers the Mirror, and Dumbledore warns him of the dangers of believing in what you see in it.

The song “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac (I’ve been needing to bite my tongue for months after @gaygryffindorgal posted that this song reminds her of Artemis. When I said that the song inspired a chapter of the Saga, this is it!)

The Season 6 episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer “Grave”, specifically this scene, also known as “The Yellow Crayon Speech”, in which Xander brings Willow back from the point of complete destruction, just by offering his stoic and unconditional love and friendship.

The scene also references Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland (the book Artemis reads to Rowan, chosen partly for because it was previously referenced in Y2C3: The Black Quill, and partly because the specific line I took from the book is very fitting to this moment), and Sally Rooney’s Normal People (specifically the moment in which Marianne asks Connell who his best friend is, and he simply replies “you are”, and then I start ugly crying). It is probably the scene that made me want to keep writing this story when I got to the point of being so emotionally exhausted that I nearly gave up - which happened several times, like I say, I don’t do well with angst - and I’m incredibly proud of it. So I just wanted to tell you all about it.

As always, thank you for reading, and sorry for going on.

Al x

Links:

LANDSLIDE

THE YELLOW CRAYON SPEECH

20 and 22 for art ask ?✨

Thank you for the ask.

20: a piece from this year that you're really proud of.

Tough call since this year is where I tried to find my footing. But the one I am still proud of is the one of Sadie wearing a green overall. Jank limbs and all. It even sparked a few recreations.

I'm getting better with the limbs now so. You are more than welcome to mock my anatomy. I'm sure I already told myself those comments. Hahah

Post: You're Waiting For A Train

Friendly Hugs and Kisses by lisindrw - Sadie Bust Potrait by immagrosscandy - Birthday with Colin by copycatg - Spring Break Day 6: Fruits and Friends by hphm-jeniferltheman

22: what inspires you.

Honest answer, other people. I am always appalled by other people's work that gives me this sense of admiration and a friendly internal rivalry. Like, "damn it! I gotta one up these people!"

I try to look at one's skills or ideas and ask "how do I steal that for me?" That keeps me inspired and that helps me stay up to date with concepts and ideas. Although I don't do them now, I might in the future when the bulb lights up.

- Caw4B -

Hello Marta! I loove your analysis on hphm! I've had a silly idea for a while. In my opinion Merula and Talbott are related in some way. Maybe they are distant relatives, like Tonks and the Weasleys (bichromatic hair, particular eyes and her singing like a bird) or maybe Merula's parents were exiled to Askaban because they killed Talbott's parents.. Have you ever talked about it? What do you think of? :)

Hello! I’m glad to hear that you enjoy my content! 💖

I actually talked once about the possibility of Talbott and Merula being related, though it wasn’t an entirely serious idea. But remember when Holly Blackbird was first found in the datamines? Well, I thought that she might be related to both Talbott and Merula. After all, Merula means “a blackbird”. On top of that, her earrings (white feathers) could be connected to Talbott’s mother. Finally, Holly is American, and many people suspect that Talbott’s mother was a Native American descendant. Moreover, I even wondered if Rowan might be somehow involved there as well, seeing how both Rowan and Holly happen to be a type of wand wood.

Of course, it turned out that Holly has no connection to the main story, so I guess we have to assume these are just coincidences.

More seriously though, I don’t think there are enough clues to suspect that Merula and Talbott are related. It is indeed possible, assuming that Talbott is a pure-blood since all pure-bloods are said to be related to some degree. We also know that not all pure-blood families are included in the Sacred Twenty-Eight. So, we can create headcanons around it. But other than that… I’m afraid that I can’t really see your examples as strong arguments. Sorry! I don’t want to dismiss your idea entirely or anything. But here’s why I think so.

Let’s start with the eyes. I know that Talbott’s eyes often seem to be reddish, but I’m pretty sure that they’re simply brown. As for Merula’s, there’s actually information on her concept art sheet that she’s apparently using Colovaria to make her eyes violet, meaning that it’s artificial. So, I don’t even know if we should look at it in this discussion. As for Merula signing like a bird… Was it even ever said in the game? Because I remember only Rowan claiming that Merula sings like a siren. And even if this comparison was used… Again, I’m sorry, but it feels like a big stretch. Like, we’re talking about singing and the ability to turn into a literal bird (which is not even known for its singing). That leaves us with hair, but even here I’m not quite convinced. Talbott’s hair is smooth ombre while Merula has a very distinctive streak.

That being said, I suppose that the Snydes being the ones who killed Talbott’s parents is more likely. Again, I don’t think we have anything strong to prove it, but I don’t see much to disprove it either. I believe that Talbott doesn’t even have to know who was it exactly. Maybe it was never officially solved? I mean, Death Eaters could’ve been masked, right? And there were probably other crimes that’d be enough to sentence the Snydes. We know for sure that they killed an Auror, for example.

Is the orange streak of hair hereditary or just dyed? I mean Verucca’s hair’s all grey except for that section, idk if it just hasn’t turned grey yet for some reason or if it did & she just re-dyed it. They never said about Merula dying her hair in her concept art though, the only thing they said was that she changed her eye color but that’s it. So maybe it is natural?

I think it may be hereditary.

More and more as time goes on, I'm getting the sense that hair and eye colors don't follow the same rules for the magical community. At least in HPHM canon. It was implied in the books, with Hooch having yellow eyes, but it's been expanded upon a lot in this game. Talbott has red eyes. Merula has violet eyes. (Though apparently they're dyed with a spell, like you said.) Chiara has silver hair, and we know for a fact that she was born with it. Despite being Japanese, Tulip has wine-red hair, and while we don't know for certain that it's not dyed...Rosa has hair the same color - which further suggests that she's the one who shares DNA with Tulip, and that the hair color is hereditary. To me, that suggests that the orange streak in Merula's hair is naturally-occurring, and with Verucca having the same trait, I think we can safely assume that it's genetic. Does such a thing make biological sense? Probably not, but hey, they're witches. They have magic. The rules are probably a bit more loose.

thought i'd share a concept for corrupt! jacob's hyenas since im bored

by Charlene Fleming

Sorry for not posting full pieces, still working on a super late valentine’s day piece, so here’s some concept art and designs I have! The first two are bag designs Rosie would make, one for herself and the other for @rosachaotic ‘s MC Cereza!

The third one is a ball/masquerade concept art that I never ended up completing or2

Finally finished tweaking Maxima's new look! I also changed the uniforms for the Dragon Rider AU since I realized that the Hogwarts Houses would be pretty fucking useless and serve no purpose for this au lmao (which also means I'm gonna have to tweak Eileen and Rosie's uniforms haha *cries*)

In the dragon rider AU, there aren't any school houses but instead there are different divisions a student can enroll into depending on that student's chosen future career. There are four divisions, Ranger, Healer, Blacksmith and General Studies.

Ranger Division are for students who like action, adventure and a little bit of danger. They learn everything they need to know to become capable Dragon Rangers and who serve as Asevion's main line of defense. Their education focuses on teamwork, combat, flying, first-aid, field work, tracking, dragon handling and training, as well as rescue.

Healer Division is for students who wish to become doctors, combat medics and nurses. Students in this division are given education focused on learning dragon and human biology, healing spells, brewing remedies, and how to treat wounds and ailments.

Blacksmith Division students education focuses on the art of forging and enchanting weapons to help support Dragon Rangers and aid them in battle. Students in this Division also handle making saddles and other gear students in the other divisions could potentially need.

And General studies houses students who were unable to pass their intended divisions entrance exam. Students are given the best education possible so they can be free to pursue other careers once they graduate from school. This division seems to mainly focus on Science and has been known to produce brilliant scientists and researchers.

It is possible for students in all the aforementioned divisions to transfer into another division if they have a change of heart but this process can be quite tedious. The requirements to transfer to another division requires the student to have high grades and to pass a number of tests (both written and practical) all in order to assess if that student has what it takes to handle the lessons taught in the division they wish to transfer to.

Merula here is in the Ranger Division and the red stripes on the front of her skirt and top are supposed to indicate that since the school in this AU, Aramore Academy likes to keep their students uniforms color coded to indicate what division a student is studying in. Red for Ranger, yellow for Blacksmith, teal for Healer and Green for General Studies.

If you have any questions for this au, feel free to ask!

If no one has asked this before then I will

Orion for mermay pretty please

"Between the winds, between the waves --

Between the sands, between the shores...

From the shell, the song of the sea...

Neither quiet nor calm --

Searching for love again...

Between the stones, between the storms --

Between belief, between the seas...

Tá mé i dtiúin."

~"Song of the Sea (cover)" by TheIntimateAvenger

x~x~x~x

Okay, obviously this is my favorite sunshine man, so naturally I loved the chance to draw him as a merman...but also this concept was a LOT of fun to explore! Orion here is based off a manta ray, which unlike their cousins like sting rays and spotted eagle rays don't have poison in their tails and are rather amiable toward humans. They're also rather intelligent, both being capable of self-awareness and of being able to orient themselves geographically to return to familiar feeding grounds even after significant time has passed. Interestingly, despite the rather positive traits we associate with manta rays, Disney has loved using them as inspiration for villain designs, perhaps because their black and white color scheme and sweeping "wings" make for a good cape. In the Little Mermaid TV series, there was a villain voiced by the amazing Tim Curry called the Evil Manta, and in the film's sequel The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, Ursula's sister Morgana had two manta rays as sidekicks much like how Ursula had her two eels, Flotsam and Jetsam. Even Ursula herself had some concept art attached to her where the animators considered having her look be based off a manta! But yeah, considering Orion wears those poncho-like robes so much of the time, I really liked the "cape" concept for him, though it doesn't actually fully wrap around, instead just around his back half -- those are actually black spots on his shoulders and neck which end up blending in with the "wings" in back so that it looks like a cape. And just like real mantas, Orion's got some black spots and gill slits on his chest too!

Any HPHM merpeople you want to see from me, for Mermay?

Extra unfinished Carion sketch with this merman concept under the cut!

It seems this manta ray Orion's gotten caught and put on display in a 1910's-worthy freak show. Fortunately the venue he's been brought to is also being used by a group of vaudeville entertainers, which includes the pretty young starlet, Carewyn Cromwell. Fortunately they don't need to exchange a word for Carewyn to see just how badly Orion's doing in that awful tank and want to help. 💔

::EDIT::

@magical-retales “write an AU for them, I dare you”, look at what you’re doing to me, you’re making me draw these two more 😓😘

“We were sailing along on Moonlight Bay... We could hear the voices ringing -- They seemed to say ‘You have stolen her heart, Now don't go 'way,’ As we sang love's old sweet song on Moonlight Bay...”

~“Moonlight Bay” by Doris Day 

I saw your Mulan drawing and I was wondering who would be who in the setting of Frozen? I’m imagining Freya’s face if she was made to wear elsa’s dress and I’m laughing

@anon how big is your brain to realise that Chester is so well-suited in the role of Elsa? Like being the older sibling with all the expectations and pressures, and “conceal don’t feel”? Also even funnier because I headcanon him to be absolutely terrible at handling cold weather so all these ice powers are just giving him a major cold.

and Jacob as Sven killed me because all I could imagine was Jacob in a reindeer onesie who occasionally piggybacks Freyja around 😂😂

@loyalhunter bonus Freyja in Elsa’s dress under the cut 😉