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I promise I’m still alive guys, just busy and tired as hell 😭

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Simple OC Ask Game

Thanks for the tag, @willtheweaver!

I’ll answer for Am’asy and Arroti both (MC and personal favorite). If you’d like to see this for other characters, don’t hesitate to ask!

1. What is something your OC would never purchase for themselves, but would (secretly?)be delighted to receive as a gift?

Am’asy: A nice dress that she can wear without worrying about it getting ruined.

Arroti: New clothes in general.

2. Is your OC ticklish? Has anyone ever dared to find out?

Am’asy: Yes, and Kys’so takes advantage of it often.

Arroti: Yes, but He would never allow anyone to find out.

3. How easy does your OC find it to apologize?

Am’asy: Not easy. She tends to find it difficult to admit she could be wrong.

Arroti: Easy—but only if He believes He actually was in the wrong.

4. When did your OC first see a dead body? If they have not seen one yet, how might they react to doing so?

Am’asy: When she was a young child, and it was fairly traumatic for her as it had been her grandfather.

Arroti: Unknown. He responds with utter neutrality, unless it was someone He was fond of.

5. Does your OC have any recurring dreams? Have they told anyone else about them?

Am’asy: Usually nightmares of being hunted by a leopard through her family’s grain fields. She would only admit something so silly to Kys’so.

Arroti: It is unknown if He dreams.

6. Is your OC stingy with their money (or other resources)? Or are they something of a spendthrift?

Am’asy: A certain level of frugality can be expected of her, living off a soldier’s allowance, but when she does have extra money she likes to splurge on snacks.

Arroti: He only takes as much as He needs of anything, but will not hesitate to share with others. So not stingy so much as… focused on subsistence.

7. Does your OC have a sweet tooth? Or do they prefer to avoid sweets and sugary treats?

Am’asy: A small one. She likes carb-heavy foods.

Arroti: Not particularly. He prefers salty or umami flavors.

8. Is your OC easily provoked by insults or mockery?

Am’asy: Yes. She has some pride and gets irritated easily.

Arroti: No. He is, however, provoked by threats of aggression, no matter how unlikely it is they would do any harm to Him.

9. Where is somewhere your OC has visited that they would not want to visit again?

Am’asy: Ny’zasaji, the jungle queendom under Yetova’s control. She would claim it worse than Deri if you asked.

Arroti: If He could avoid the Furajyan imperial palace, He would. He doesn’t fit well in it.

10. Is your OC somewhat flirtatious?

Am’asy: Not knowingly.

Arroti: When He wants to be.

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Do any of the swords in your wip have a symbolic meaning or are they of importance to the storyline?

Culturally, many warrior/soldier families pass down swords. As far as the gods’ and angels’ weapons go, a number of them have interesting lore in the future, but have no severe significance to the storyline thus far. The only one with long-standing significance is Khet’s dagger.

Some weapons are symbolic, however, like Arroti’s ax being symbolic of His practical but also very dangerous nature. I like to try to match weapons to personalities—Jalur’s is rather garish and well-decorated, because he is a maximalist and loves to collect trinkets. San’ary’s is simpler, understated, because he doesn’t like to stand out in a crowd. Things like that.

In the future I may try to develop it more, though, because I love weapons dearly as a form of symbolism.

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It's my 1 year anniversary on Tumblr 🥳

…..

Wow, didn’t realize it had already been this long.

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Seven Sentence Sunday

Thanks for the tag, @willtheweaver!

I’ll offer something from my first draft of GtM2.

“I had seen a few in the armories of certain kings and queens. But this one was massive, would reach past my waist even if I rested the tip on the ground. Heavy hardly began to cover it. My arms trembled slightly as I studied it. There was no question of my inability to wield it. The handle was wooden, with a leather grip, and the pommel had a red horsehair tassel tied to it. It was not comparable to the ostentatious, ornate weapons that Furajyan and Insu’mej warriors used.”

I love swords, guys.

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Sketch of Akasyr.

I don’t mind this one so much. Different style than usual. Mostly I just wanted to share that I changed His weapon. It’s a Kampilan now instead of a machete. More refined. I’m also still working on developing a writing system. Lots of kinks to work out in that area.

Anyway, my posts continue to flop dramatically on here and Blvesky, for some fucking reason. I guess it can’t be helped.

Expect me to make more writing posts and less art over the summer as uni lets out and I go back to work.

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Arroti.

Dropping this here first to test the waters. I don’t usually draw gore-type stuff, usually only a little blood at most. Ironic considering how much I drew it when I was younger.

Not terribly happy with how the heart turned out. Not terribly happy with the piece as a whole. But someone else might be.

Anyway, I’ll log off before my cold medicine kicks in. It’s late.

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Khet.

This is a redesign of his outfit. I was tired of the simplicity and felt it didn’t properly represent his character as a whole. Plain black is the garb of most central Furajyan priests, but Khet, being aggressively anti-monarchy and traditionalist and from the northern mountains, would never bow his head and wear it. The Naghu’al priests love color and nature and all that is beautiful and divine.

The embroidery on his sleeves, collar, and shoes features motifs of flowers, flowing natural patterns, divine symbols, constellations, and animals; using dyed thread and painted beads. His scarf is more geometric, like the common daily wear of non-clergy members. Generally he would wear boots, but he travels south often, so I thought slippers would be more appropriate. Still, he keeps his veil—although less concealing than that of central Furajyan priests.

If you want to see more redesigns or just character concepts like this, let me know!

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Writing Share and WIP Update

Thanks for the tags, @jev-urisk @wyked-original-writing @willtheweaver!

I haven’t been as active on here lately, and while that’s due in part to the fact that midterms have rolled around, it’s also due to the fact that I haven’t had much to write as I wait for GtM to be edited.

BUT, as of very recently, my editor finished her first read-through of GtM, which means the first step of the editing process is complete! This is exciting news for me, because it’s a step closer to publishing.

Now, without further ado, I’ll offer forth something from GtM2, hopefully to tide y’all over. I intend to begin posting again with more frequency as classes wind down a little.

“What Am’asy had brought into the world was something Kys’so did not fully understand. Something he felt very few people at all understood.”

I’ll let you all take a gander at what this “something” is.

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Sharisa and Akasyr. I put this to Sailor Song by Gigi Perez on my insta, it felt fitting as They’re both water gods and also queer. I swear to the gods if this piece gets suppressed as much as my other ones I’m going to eat drywall.

Anyway, I’m proud of the pose (did it myself, no reference!) and Akasyr’s beautiful flowing hair. Me personally, I’d never let mine get so long if I worked underwater, but He’s immortal and so is His husband so I suppose He can afford to spend the time detangling it day after day.

Those scales really make me wonder why I let my favorite characters be fish people.

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Huge fan of the ship dynamic where no one knows they’re dating—not because they’re hiding it or anything, their personalities just clash so hard no one believes them when they do relationship shit.

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I feel like my art, according to the algorithm at least, has entered something of a flop era, or a shadowbanning. Now, I don’t usually do the tag lists because it’s a lot of people to keep track of and I’m lazy. If people really wanted to see my art, they would seek it out. But usually my art gets more engagement than it has been… I don’t know what’s wrong. My latest piece got two likes. Generally even if it doesn’t reach my followers, it at least reaches a few people.

It’s annoying and frustrating. I know numbers shouldn’t be everything and all that. But it’s still irritating—I’m posting it on the internet on a public account for a reason, because I want people to see it and take interest in it, so they can take interest in my writing, so maybe someday I might actually land a decent publishing deal.

But it is what it is.

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Look at that stupid ahh horse badge. Idk how I earned it but it’s cute lol.

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For Valentine’s, the lovers Chaos and the Storm. Blvesky is absolutely wretched with their content moderation (for the betterment of the masses, not so much for me) and so it got nuked for being “sexually suggestive”. While I dare not suggest otherwise, HOW?!??? It’s a freaking drawing, and I know I ain’t THAT good. Anyway. May tumblr be merciful.

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What is Akasyr's favorite story/lore/folklore within your wip?

Oh, this is an exciting question. Thank you for asking!

Akasyr is actually something of a romance fan. His favorite story about Himself, therefore, is the one mortals tell of Him and His husband, Sharisa. The drifts traditionally tell this story through dance, and He especially likes how they characterize the gestures and movement of the humans’ dancing style to show that Sharisa is a god of a different people.

In the times leading up to TFE, the story of Him and Sharisa had been suppressed by nobility and priests/esses were not permitted to perform it for many years due to rules about monotheism and separation from human culture. Thus He took to listening to the way humans told the story, and other stories like it.

Akasyr enjoys intrigue and sensuality in media, even if it’s about Himself, haha. He would be the sort to cozy up for the evening with a spicy little romance in His hands.

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Chaos as the Tower tarot.

The reason I chose this card for Him was because the card represents disaster, destruction, irreversible change, literally chaos, but also learning and liberation. Arroti, being a god of chaos but also gatekeeper of blessings, seems to fit this role quite well.

Here’s a non-card version, and the sketch it was based on.

I love how every time I post about not having any inspiration to do art, I suddenly shit out a masterpiece. My hands make me seem a liar.

Please don’t nuke me for artistic nudity, tumblr algorithm.

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Akasyr and the Rain Pot

A short tale from the drift people of the eastern delta.

In the beginning, all the world was dry land. There were no rivers, no lakes, no oceans. There was only land, and all mortals lived together. They survived off the rain which the goddess Akasyr poured out for them from the pot She carried as She walked the earth every day and night. There was plenty to go around, and the people did not suffer greatly, as the goddess was generous.

Still, there were those who were not content with what they were given, who wanted more. “Why should we receive the rain only at Her discretion?” They asked. “Why do we not deserve it all? Have we not done all we can to please the goddess?”

There were those who chided these mischievous folk, saying, “You should be grateful for what you have. Nothing good comes of going against gods.” But these voices were overpowered. The people were envious of the goddess, of how She held so much in abundance while only giving them a little.

They had long known the goddess liked to dance. And so it was that they devised a plan to trick Her into giving them the water from the rain pot. The cleverest of them spoke to the most talented of them, and together they created music so beautiful that any mortal who heard it would be unable to stop themself from dancing. So powerful, it could reach the ears of the goddess and do the same to Her.

As the goddess approached on Her daily walk to deliver the rain, they began to play their music. At first She paid it no mind, so dedicated to Her task was She. But as She drew nearer, the depth of the notes and the steady beat moved Her, in body and in soul. The goddess began to dance.

At first, however, it seemed the plan would not work. The mortals watched as the goddess twirled and rolled Her hips, long hair swirling around Her in the wind, only a few stray droplets of water ever meeting the ground. They had underestimated Her gracefulness, it seemed, and no matter how She danced, the water in the pot would not spill over.

But the most clever of them had accounted for this, and as the song progressed, so did the tempo. She danced faster, forgetting Herself, and the more She danced, the more agitated became the water in Her pot.

The mortals gathered around to watch, some in awe, others in horror, as the goddess finally turned the pot over in Her frenzy.

Water fell to the ground in a great rushing wave, decimating everything in its path as it surged in all directions. The mortals fled, but they had learned the error of their ways too late. The musicians were swept up in the swirling water. Those who came to watch were quickly drawn under as well.

The more cautious of them were able to run to high ground, and avoid the worst of the great flood. These people never did come down from the ground, and with time diverged from all other mortals to become humans.

In the absence of the beautiful song, the goddess stopped Her dance, but the damage was done. She could not gather all the water back into Her pot, and could only scoop up small portions at a time to distribute over the remaining land, but in Her benevolence could not bear to watch the mortals in the water die, no matter how angry She was that they had tricked Her. She dove into the tumult of the newly made ocean, as violent and tempestuous as any great storm has ever been, and gathered as many mortals as She could. Unto them She bestowed gifts, allowing them to breathe and swim so that they might survive, but at the cost of never being able to stray beyond the many beaches that now bordered the land. These blessed survivors became the drifts.

The surviving musicians were filled with remorse and begged the goddess for mercy, entreating Her to allow them to repay Her kindness in spite of their deceitful ways.

The goddess asked for little. She only asked that they continue to play their beautiful song from time to time, so that She might be able to dance to it again.

So the song was passed down from generation to generation, from musician to musician, becoming greater with each set of hands that performs it. This is the song we play to appease Her.

I hope you all enjoy and accept this as an offering in place of new art. I have been busy and lacking in inspiration recently. Do forgive me.