#TheWayOfBullets

[convexityhunter]

Thunderwing artwork

Finally drew a Thunderwing for my original story The Way Of Bullets!

You can find more info about them here... https://www.deviantart.com/convexityhunter/art/Thunderwing-artwork-1187982920

And an exclusive short story I wrote for a contest here! https://www.deviantart.com/convexityhunter/art/A-game-of-survival-1187574015

Art and original species by me, ConvexityHunter.

[convexityhunter]

Fire Dragons!

I don't upload often, figured I should treat you with something every once in a while. These are some of my Fire Dragon characters from The Way Of Bullets, a story I'm planning. The piece was done for the Fire and Dragon DA tutorials, as well as practicing different muzzles/horns etc.

Crimson Fire - Malevolence, former gladiator and current owner of the Vengeance Arena.

Indigo Fire - Char, gladiator of the Vengeance Arena.

Green Fire - Igorr, gladiator of the Vengeance Arena.

Tawny Fire - Ervin, gladiator of the Vengeance Arena.

[convexityhunter]

Malevolence ref sheet

You know what's missing in TWOB?... Gladiators and dragons!

Info:

Name: Malevolence

Aliases: Head of the Vengeance Arena, Pit Master, Purple Ass (By ???)

Species: Dragon

Height: He's described as tall, likely around 7 feet or a little more than 2 meters tall at the head

Age depicted: 24/25 (DOB: July 14th 1993)

Gender: Male

Orientation: Straight

Element: Fire (Vermillion)

Element mastery: Talented (Class 5/10)

Personality:

Malevolence comes off as a charming, successful young dragon, having seemingly hit the jackpot already at his age. While he likes to boast about his prowess in his alleged fighting days, some people (Including his gladiators) secretly speculate that it's a lie. The rumor was stoked by his young age and the minimal amount of scars, though those who believe he was a gladiator himself think that he was simply extremely good at his job.

Malevolence is also very vain and embodies the stereotype of the treasure-obsessed dragon. A hedonistic thrill seeker, he almost always gets his way, rarely losing his cool, but mostly to keep up his enchanting façade. He relies on his fame and attractive looks to attract wealthy sponsors for his tournaments, so that he can finance the lifestyle he thinks he deserves.

However, the real Malevolence is far from the public image he portrays: he is a dragon elitist, believing that dragons are superior, which explains the overwhelming number of dragon guards in his arena and their higher pay compared to non-dragons. He shows little to no care to anyone who isn't a dragon, or deems unworthy of his time.

Malevolence is also a savant manipulator: once someone joins his roster, the only way they'll get out of the arena is inside a coffin. No tapping out. He also has the tendency to claim eye-catching goods for himself, particularly exotic pets of living and deceased gladiators... And that included Convexity Hunter's red tailed hawk, Icarus, much to her wrath.

The only exception to this dragon's cruel treatment seems to be [REDACTED], his favorite warrior, the champion of Vengeance Arena, the apple to his eye. Still, the relationship between the two remains purely transactional and highly strained.

Notes and trivia:

-Cape is optional, but he often wears it. Textures are optional as well.

-Scars aren't very relevant, except the large one on his neck (On the left reference). That's a patch of missing scales that have been ripped off, and it's an important detail.

-He set fire to a curtain at 7 minutes old.

-On average, according to his fighters, he will boast "like a peacock" 28 times a day.

-He likes to think of himself as the 'cool boss' who 'graciously runs this thankless place and keeps it together'.

-His breath smells of smoke and maple.

-Malevolence is not a fan of anime. But he often bothers his favorite gladiator with crosswords and sudokus.

-Similarly, he is not fond of videogames, seeing them as "tranquillizers" that cause people to chase meaningless virtual achievements instead of real-life milestones.

Art and character by me.

[convexityhunter]

Icarus ref sheet

Skreee! Every protagonist needs a trusty pet/sidekick. Convexity Hunter has a red tailed hawk which she called Icarus.

Info:

Name: Icarus

Aliases: Screaming ball of cotton, Downy nugget (By Hunter) Possessed marshmallow (By ???), Deadly chicken (By some soldiers)

Species: Red tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Gender: Male (Confirmed due to smaller size)

Age: Will be 4 at the end of TWOB

Minimal-spoiler history:

Icarus was found as a two weeks old eyas by Convexity Hunter, after a long lasting and impetuous storm presumably pushed him off the nest. Feeling pity (But having no idea how to care for another living being, much less a hawk), Hunter waited for his parents to return, but nobody came. Reluctantly, seeing how the little thing was peeping for food, she took him to her shelter (A mountain cave) and started to care for him.

They formed a decent bond. Progress in building trust was slow and practically non-existent in taming. Hunter often felt frustrated at his eyas antics and unwillingness to listen, but knew he couldn't help his nature. Nonetheless, against previous experiences, she grew attached and named him Icarus.

Once Icarus fledged fully, she released him back into the wild... Only for him to unexpectedly return the same evening (And eating her dinner). She tried to release him again, but the result was the same, so she just rolled with it and vowed to protect the hawk.

Ever since, the two have been quite inseparable in many of their (dis)adventures. Hunter took time to learn falconry notions and, once in the Blood Army, handed Icarus to the animal trainer, who had experience with birds of prey: Icarus learned all about the command "Attack!", but as for "Down!" or "Stop!"... It's still a long way.

Personality/Temperament:

Icarus is wild, sassy and does what he wants, when he wants. A typical bird of prey. Hunter swears he's intelligent enough to learn and know exactly what ticks her off. Already as an eyas and a juvenile, he had a knack for landing on her books, stealing morsels of raw meat, screeching without warning (Convexity Hunter's hearing is very sensitive), vomiting pellets in the hardest to clean spots and even biting for no reason.

Despite this, he makes for a loyal and useful companion. He's wary of strangers and it takes a lot of time and patience to earn his trust.

IMPORTANT:

-If you live in the US, do not handle baby hawks by yourself, unless you are one of the few who have a falconry license. Its parents will likely be nearby and in that case, you don't want to be seen near their offspring. Always call a wildlife rehab.

-This technically translates to Convexity Hunter breaking the law: however, most police forces are simply too corrupt or too scared to fight Hunters. Hunter made sure that Icarus' parents wouldn't be returning, fed him carefully and used plenty of common sense.

-The main reason she saved Icarus is because she felt responsible for the death of a raven which she had a strong bond with, something that she thought could have been avoided, and left her with a tremendous amount of guilt. She didn't want another innocent animal to die because of her choices.

Art and character by me.