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LEGENDS OF THE QUENDI

Private commission, from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Pen and ink, watercolor, 24 K gold.

Gandalf/Olorin, Cirdan, Celembribor, Gil Galad, Melian, Galadriel, Elrond, Arwen, The Elven Rings, The Elessar, and a symbolic Belt of Melian.

No, I'm not playing hooky on Good Omens, I get about 20 minutes a day to work on other stuff.

I was getting a half hour a day, but even that's too much at this point.

And yes, at roughly 25 minutes a day, a piece like this takes a really long time. Months.

I'm a big believer in making sure you pick at something else even while working on a big project, even if you only use that time for warm ups. Keeps you from crumbling under the weight of the main project.

#lord of the rings #jrr tolkien #others art #art #so absurdly beautiful #I'm in love

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The humans in Greek Mythology are the mega rich and powerful:

In my college classes people are often shocked when I tell them my favorite part of Greek mythology is the gods themselves and I'm not a big fan of the humans.

99% of my classmates prefer the humans in mythos, especially the ones that stick it to the gods like Sisyphus and feel bad for humans like Kassandra and Helen who have been wronged by the gods because "they're just like us." My classmates and teachers hate the gods and don't understand why anyone in modern times would want to worship such violent and selfish beings whenever I point out there are still people who worship them. They hold onto the idea that people in mythology embody the human experience of being oppressed by terrible gods and fate and we should feel bad for them because "they're human just like us" but they forget that the people in Greek Mythology are NOT just like us. They are more relatable to medieval royalty, colonizers and ultra rich politicians who make laws and decisions on wars and the fates of others, especially the poor and the very vulnerable.

Every hero or important human in Greek Mythology is either some form of royalty or mega rich politician/priest-priestess (of course this is with the exception of people who are explicitly stated to be poor like the old married couple in the myth where Zeus and Hermes pretend to be panhandlers). All of them have an ancient Greek lifestyle more relatable to Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, and especially to British royalty during the British empire, than the average person.

All of them.

Odysseus, Patroclus, Theseus, Helen of Troy, Kassandra, Diomedes, Agamemnon, Perseus, Hercules, Aeneas, Paris, Any human who has a divine parent or is related to one, etc. Although sometimes the story omits it, it is heavily implied that these are people who own hundreds or even thousands of slaves, very poor farmers and the tiny barely there working class as royal subjects.

They are the ones who make laws and whose decisions massively affect the fates of so many people. So no, they can't just be forgiven for some little whim, because that little whim affects the literal lives of everyone under their rule. By being spoiled they've just risked the lives of thousands of people and possibly even gotten them killed like when Odysseus' audacity got every single slave and soldier in his ships killed or when Patroclus as a kid got upset and killed another kid for beating him at a game. (A normal person wouldn't kill another person just for winning a game but royalty and those who think they're above the law do it all the time, plus the class status of the child wasn't mentioned but the way he didn't think he'd get in trouble implies the kid was of lower class, possibly the child of a slave or a foreign merchant.)

The gods get a bad reputation for punishing the humans in mythology but, if not them, who else is going to keep them accountable when they are the law?

And whose to say the humans beneath them weren't praying to the gods in order to keep their masters in check?

Apollo is the god of slavery, Zeus is the god of refugees, immigrants and homeless people, Ares is the protector of women, Artemis protects children, Aphrodite is the goddess of the LGBT community, Hephaestus takes care of the disabled, etc. It wouldn't be surprising if the gods are punishing the ultra rich and powerful in these myths because the humans under their rulership prayed and sent them as they did historically.

Every time someone asks me if I feel bad for a human character in a myth, I think about the many lives affected by the decision that one human character made and if I'm being completely honest, I too would pray to the gods and ask them to please punish them so they can make more careful decisions in the future because:

They are not just like us.

We are the farmers, a lot of our ancestors were slaves, we are the vulnerable being eaten by capitalism and destroyed by the violence colonialism created. We are the poor subjects that can only pray and hope the gods will come and correct whatever selfish behavior the royal house and mega rich politicians are doing above us.

And that's why I pray to the gods, because in modern times I'm dealing with modern Agamemnons who would kill whatever family members they have to in order to reach their end goal, I'm dealing with everyday modern Achilles who would rather see their own side die because they couldn't keep their favorite toy and would gladly watch their subjects die if it means they eventually get their way. The ones that let capitalism eat their country and it's citizens alive so long as it makes them more money. These are our modern "demigods," politicians who swear they are so close to God that they know what he wants and so they pass laws that benefit only them and claim these laws are ordained by God due to their close connection just like how Achilles can speak to the gods because of his demigod status via his mother.

Look at the news, these are humans that would be mythical characters getting punished by Greek gods which is why anything Greco-Roman is jealousy guarded by the rich and powerful and is inaccessible to modern worshippers because Ivy League schools like Harvard and Cambridge make sure to keep it that way. That's what we're dealing with. These are the humans these mythical beings would be because:

In our modern times the humans in mythos would be the politicians and mega rich that are currently ruining our society and trying to turn it into a world where only the rich can manipulate wars and laws, just like they do in mythology.

Fuck them.

I literally have so much more to add about my disdain for them and I didn't even touch on the obvious ancient Greek propaganda.

#this #I LOVE this #please DO talk about the ancient Greek propaganda #I'd read a whole essay on this theme #greek gods #greek mythology #mythology

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Now that things like Artshield exist, I feel more comfortable posting art again *cries in a corner*

"forgive me mother for I have sinned" - because Vergil doesn't need to ask Sparda for forgiveness. He has to ask it to his human heart he always belittled so much. He has to ask it to Eva.

Tried something more ~graphic~ and not really anatomically correct with how the blood flowed down his face - had a totally different idea to use more graphic colours and make it very divided between teal and red, but, alas, I cannot work with graphic styles... Yet.

Alsoooo tumblr already turns down the image quality and, as I mentioned above, I did use Artshield to protect it from AI (because fuck you AI bros and tumblr for scraping our stuff without consent) - I'm still learning how to use it and how to make the output quality better but, honestly, just being able to post without worrying endlessly my art might be stolen by those lazy degenerates is good enough for now.

And finally, I'm gonna add this one as a sticker on my Redbubble shop to replace Vergil's old design - you can support a human artist and find my shop in this link!

oh humans, we are always struggling, aren't we?

#devil may cry #art #my art #fanart #dmc fanart #dmc vergil #vergil sparda #artists on tumblr #illustration #digital art #digital illustration #also I noticed I can draw his clothes from memory down to the detail #I mean Dante's clothes are a lot easier #dmc4 Dante IS a nightmare with all the details though #same with every Vergil iteration #this bitch is so dramatic EVERYTHING needs to be detailed and posh #even the inside of his coat is patterned #I drew it ONCE and never forgot ever since #*smiles in pain*

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Ppl: “Glaze and nightshade all your art!!”

Also ppl: * does not mention that you need to have a fucking NVIDIA GPU and running nightshade on one image takes at best 20 minutes*

Like the online version of glaze/nightshade requires an account. And last time i checked they arent accepting new accounts because of the high pressure.

Like i make my art on my ipad. My MacBook is from 2014. If i tried to download and run nightshade on my decade old macbook and go throufg 10+ years of artworks i might as well just set it on fire.

#art #fanart #illustration #artist on tumblr #oh what a time to be alive #watching ai bros cry

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The Awakening of Psyche by Guillaume Seignac (1904)

#this is SO BEAUTIFUL #her body movement #her skin #her HAIR #so beautifully done #guillaume seignac #art #academicism

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hey can you do me a favour?? Can you go get that nice pristine sketchbook or journal you've been hoarding and put some kind of mark on the first page? Anything will do, like a smudge of graphite or a blob of ink, or perhaps a very scribbly dinosaur. Just put something there. Please, or the dinosaur will be sad.

#USE YOUR SKETCHBOOKS #THEY SHOULD BE FILLED WITH WOBBLY LINES #AND SCRIBBLY DRAWINGS #AND FUN \O/ #you can leave the masterpieces for later ;)

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Reclining Nude by Luis Ricardo Falero (1879)

#oh to paint skin like that #art #luis ricardo falero #academicism

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To complement my Integra's drawing, I was finally able to draw Alucard in this lifetime.

I never managed to get a single decent drawing of him. Something was always off.

But now, here we are: psycho smile, glowing eye, Carmen Sandiego hat, round reflective glasses, flowy badass walking pose, halfway-into-cryptid-Alucard hair... I'm happy with the result :)

halfway into cryptid Alucard is always one of my favourites

I'll be uploading this one as a sticker on my Redbubble shop! I recently added Integra's, so Alucard will follow! You can find my shop here: link to Redbubble shop

(if the previous link doesn't work, try this one, I changed the name recently: new Redbubble link)

#art #fanart #hellsing #alucard #alucard fanart #hellsing ultimate #hellsing alucard #my art #illustration #character illustration #artist on tumblr #I'm so happy with how this one turned out :') #Alucard was waiting for me to actually have decent skills to draw him

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happy lunar new year!! 🧧🐉

#the cutest dragon #art #not my art #others art #year of the dragon #lunar new year

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Every day I am haunted

#Goya scared the HELL out of me when I was a kid #this painting specifically made me feel a type of horror I didn't know back when I was a child #I always hated it #so when I found that out a couple of years ago I was like #'welp when I thought it couldn't get any worse this guy' #and now knowing it was painted directly on his wall which I didn't know #'welp here we go again huh my friend Goya?'

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Another character sheet I did of another character from the ~thing~ I'm writing: Elisabeta!

Like I said before, the art, the design, the writing, the character is all mine. And I'm pretty happy on how she turned out in the drawing, because I had a very specific look for Elisabeta and, luckily, I managed to achieve it *cries in artist tears*

Her looks, actually, was very much inspired by Gigi Goode. Gigi is very beautiful and terribly talented, she was the only face that popped up in my mind while writing a female powerhouse that is Elisabeta.

Also, Elisabeta is my first trans ftm character and I was so happy she managed to come out as a fully-fledged character rather than a staple - she actually matters a lot to the story and now I'm so attached I want to give her more book time :')

And I'm only saying this because, I dunno, I don't like writing diverse characters only to fill a quota. I want their characteristics to matter to them, but I don't want that to be all they are - I hope I'm making sense here. I was glad to be able to make a character that reflects her character, hopes and dreams just like any other person and any other characters - and not another one of those "here, have a diversity character whose personality is only that and who'll disappear without any actual consequences to the story"

More on her and the story below the cut!

Olympia is a city that will eat you alive if you give it the chance. Many survive in it, but few actually make it.

The Wolves of the Kárpati are known and dangerous, being one of the most feared mobsters in Olympia. They are a family and can - and will - protect themselves and eliminate everything in their way. The Alpha of the Wolves, their boss, is always one of the most respected - both by law enforcement or mercs trying to make it in the city of broken dreams.

Elisabeta assumed as the Alpha right after the passing of her father, having to prove herself fit to be the first woman to ever lead the Kárpati - born as a boy, she always hid her true self while competing with her vicious brother, Omor, who would take over; having to admit who she really was and face her father, fighting for his approval, wasn't easy - but, in the end, he died happy knowing his beloved daughter would be a perfect Alpha and make the Kárpati thrive.

Omor didn't accept things as well, though. Even if his sister is Alpha, he doesn't lose the opportunity to sting her with misgendering or bringing up her previous past when she wasn't really herself. Elisabeta only accepts this behaviour because of their sibling bond, but, after she learns horrifying truths from Omor's daughter, her most beloved person in the world that she loves as her own daughter, Elisabeta is ready to show how vicious and merciless she can be.

"I don't enjoy violence for violence's sake. But you hurt me - or worse, you hurt one of my own - I will watch you bleed slowly at my feet, with a smile on my face, having you beg for mercy even when you know, deep in your heart, there is none inside my own." - Elisabeta, sitting by her desk, regal posture, cup of tea on her table, watching you with a glint of fire in her glowing red eyes.

----

I am still learning how to write trans characters, though. if something isn't well written or too vague and seeming like I'm glossing over, please, feel free to tell me. I'm always willing to learn and I'm still developing my character writing skill!

(alsoooo English isn't my first language, so yeaaaah, it'll be nice to know if some ideas aren't as well articulated as I thought HAHAHA)

#art #my art #illustration #character sheet #character illustration #original character #oc #oc artwork #cyberpunk oc #cyberpunk aesthetic #transgender #trans character #writer #book writer #sci fi writing #cyberpunk art #original story #writing #creating so many tags to sort things in my blog eventually #a mess? a mess #but I shall persevere #organizing is so much more difficult than creating xD

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Nyx Protocol Character Sheets

A. Alastor

Last year, I have worked on some character sheets of characters from the cyberpunk book thing I'm writing.

For now it's called Nyx Protocol, but it's a very bad provisory name :')

Soooo, I decided to post some of them!

First and one of the main characters, Alastor - founder and leader of the Shield of Achilles.

(Lore and more on the character, worldbuilding and all under the cut \o/)

Alsoooo the art, design, writing, character, all that, by me, so please be nice :) don't steal

Olympia is a *perfect* city - like the Matrix, it's a simulation where humans, called Organics, can only access through the Ocularis. The Organics who know of Olympia and who can access it, though, are very few: the ones who have power or money - or both.

It wouldn't feel like a city without people, though. The Programmer made it to feel perfectly like the organic world - or even better - programming people who are their very own beings in Olympia; independent, intelligent, with their own dreams and emotions, the Artificials are as human as Organics... Even if the Organics don't think so and always feel superior - like gods who own Olympia.

Alastor, an Artificial resident, has had his own issues with Organics - the tipping point being the Bergsten Incident, where he lost a lot more than one of his legs - leading him to create a resistance group to bring down the Organics and make them see they are not gods as they think they are; and they cannot treat Artificials like numbers like they always do.

The Shield of Achilles - a lost piece of art and war that shows that in the face of death all men, king or peasent, are the same - is now in Olympia synonym of troube: and so is Alastor, the vicious leader of the group seen by rebel saviours by some and terrorists by others.

There you go, that's a little background on all the story I'm writing and my dear Alastor - he's a piece of work and unlikeable most of the time, but he's efficient at what he does. There's no time for being nice in Olympia - a city that, if your steps hesitate and your will trembles, it'll eat you alive.

"No time for being nice, babe. You shoot 'em down or they'll shot you - and they won't think twice like you do." - Alastor, probably, smiling like an asshat and looking at you over his aviator sunglasses while smoking one of his neon cigarettes.

Told you the man is insufferable.

#art #my art #illustration #character sheet #character illustration #original character #oc artwork #cyberpunk oc #cyberpunk #cyberpunk aesthetic #seriously this all started with Alastor being a cyberpunk 2077 oc #and it became something on its own #a little the matrix cyberpunk blade runner thing #with isaac asimov there somewhere #and the AWESOME works by neil bloomkamp :) #(hope I wrote his name right T-T) #writer #book writer #sci fi writing #original story #writing

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And today I bring you a very angry Astarion art - prior to BG3's whole storyline, probably mad as hells over something Cazador forced him to do.

I wanted to get that predator look in his eyes, I really like how they did it in the game.

(Still figuring out a colouring style I like though not really satisfied with it yet :'D)

And black and white clothes 'cause, you know, he poses as a prince charming to his victims, but conceals a dark secret inside.

And oh, yes, he's sporting what I call the Beethoven Hairstyle 🙃 I tried

Gotta love that I showed it to my mom, my first art teacher, and the woman immediately goes "why is his arm in half, he doesn't have it...?" (She doesn't know the game, genuine question) And I deadpan "I was too lazy to finish, I'm gonna cut the final canvas so it will seem like it's there" and that defined the size of the drawing. Artist Hack 101 :)

Also, what's the pink light source, you may ask? No idea. Looked fun too it made the drawing pop 'cause it was too monochrome before

#art #fanart #my art #illustration #baldur's gate fanart #baldur's gate #baldur's gate 3 #astarion #astarion ancunin #baldurs gate astarion #bg3 #bg3 fanart #bg3 astarion

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And here we go with a redraw of an Integra Hellsing sketch I did almost a year ago!

And of course, Alucard lurking in the back, as needed.

Below there's a comparison of both drawings! One is written "January 2023" and the other "January 2024". I really enjoyed it!

#art #fanart #my art #illustration #hellsing #integra hellsing #sir integra #hellsing fanart #character illustration #I'm really proud actually #it's nice to see how much you can evolve in just 1 year ^^

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link! long hair! big shirt!

#art #others art #fanart #this is beautiful T-T #the colours are amazing

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Continuing to post very old un-posted art

Very personal, ✨might delete later✨ art time hahaha but I really like how this one turned out.

Obviously based on Depeche Mode's Stripped, I live and die for this song. Weirdly, nothing really sexual going on and they look like marble statues. Unintentional, but I enjoyed the result

Won't get into too much detail, 'cause well, personal, but I had a dream with this song.

And the guy on the drawing? Very well, I have been dreaming about him ever since my early teens (born in 94 for context). Never met him in real life, but whenever he appears in dreams, I always remember. Can't quite remember aspects of his face, so I made them up, but his hair is always black and his eyes are always blue.

Also, what differs him from all the people in my dreams is that I know his eyes. It's the only thing I remember for sure when I wake up and there's always a moment I look into his eyes and they're crystal clear.

If I saw them in waking life I'd go Leo DiCaprio drinking beer and pointing at them meme "yep that's him right there"

So yeah. I had to get this out of my system in drawing format and try to keep the vibes and feelings I get with Stripped. That's it. Hope you guys like it and I might delete when I get self-conscious about it 🫠

ALSOOOOO ANATOMY ISN'T PERFECT I KNOW I GOT SOME THINGS PRETTY WRONG I AM STILL A PADAWAN T-T

#art #illustration #my art #anatomy study #of sorts :') #depeche mode #stripped #goth music #dream art #dream people #I'll be tagging this asshat I've been meeting in dreams on some of my art #'cause I'm done of him just hanging around the weirdest places #so he's getting into my art #I've a character on a comic I'm working on that's physically inspired by him #'cause it's my revenge on not knowing him and only knowing eyes and hair colour #hence he'll be tagged here as #dream gremlin #when we meet he can fight me

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#I have a whole comic I've been brainstorming for a year now #all characters everything #but I had a plot problem #'cause my mentor asked me what was the story about #and I said I just want to draw a bunch of punks beating up nazis #so yeah #kicking nazis is always correct :)