apieters

[apieters]

This sounds awesome. I love the potential that all retellings of the various fairy tales could be made historically true in this universe.

I also like the subtle nodding that the “magical” characters are immortal, while the human characters reincarnate.

I also think it would be interesting to have the various princes still save the day, but in different ways depending on their reincarnation. Some reincarnations, they may legitimately jump in and slay the bad guy, marry the princess and live happily ever after. Other times, the prince may simply be the 911 operator who stays on the line and talks the princess through her harrowing journey until help arrives, and even though they never meet the princess thinks of them often.

I’ve been tinkering with the idea of an urban fantasy “All Fairy Tales Are True” setting where some fairy tale characters are mortals who reincarnate and live through their story again and again with no memory of their past lives, but other characters are immortal, carrying over biases and grudges and regrets from the last time they went through this.

Snow White’s dwarves keep her room exactly as she left it, and keep a wary eye on the horizon for the day she returns. When she does they treat her like a beloved daughter come home, cook her favourite meals, warn her to stay away from apples this time, and keep calling her the wrong name.

Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother found her a touch ungrateful last time, and has decided not to appear to her this time around to teach her a lesson in gratitude. This Cinderella, without the memory of the last time, is still a terrified, miserable woman desperate to escape her awful situation.

The Witch in the gingerbread house has developed a thousand traps to eat those goddamned kids. She’s failed every time. She lives a life of Sisyphean torment previously known only to cartoon coyotes.

[apieters]

Sorry, quick PSA because this is important to me and it hadn't really clicked in my head it's something people were having trouble with until just tonight.

If you are someone interested in reading the Bible, for whatever reason (religious, questioning, academic, etc.), and you don't have access to one but do have access to a phone or computer, go to this website right here: https://www.biblegateway.com/

It has a combined couple hundred translations of the Bible available, for free, across over seventy different languages. Some of the translations are also available in audio format. There are also reading plans if you are interested in reading the Bible but feel overwhelmed or don't know where to start.

In a time when technology has been such a blessing made it more accessible than at any other time in history, I just want to make sure nobody interested in reading the Bible isn't able to just because they're having difficulty in their hands on a physical copy for whatever reason.

[apieters]

[apieters]

saving for later

Hello, friends!

I reworked the ol' "Schweizer Guide to Spotting Tangents" lecture from my comics-teaching days, figured I'd share it here. If you want a free, printable PDF for yourself or to share (especially if you're an educator), you can find it at the bottom of this same lesson on my website.

-Chris

[apieters]

ArtFight 2025

I’m unusually excited for ArtFight this year, and I’ve added a bunch of new characters to my profile in anticipation. I hope to see some of you out there—@tzarina-alexandra, @ethanjhake, @masterfuldoodler, @meadow-roses, @epnona-the-wisp, @the-vermin @eruanna1875am @larissa-the-scribe @squishidoodles I have you all in my sites—though I might not get to you, none of you are safe (cue supervillain laughter).

The problem is, I’m realizing how little art I’ve created of some characters that play major roles in the stories I have living in my head, or who are supporting actors that I just really like. I almost want to make some art of certain side characters just so that they can finally get some screen time.

[apieters]

Alphabet Game: What Happens in Swashbucklers of the Magic Kingdom?

Andre might overcome his demons.

Brothers might be reconciled.

Cathedrals might be stained with blood.

Death will claim one of the main characters-Chris, Andre, or Kopa.

Enemies will unite to seize power for themselves.

Frollo was once and still is the arch-enemy of my main characters.

Grass Walls will feature as an important vassal kingdom to the Pridelands, and Kopa's fate will be bound inextricably with this kingdom which was once ruled by his maternal grandfather.

Histories of the Reign of Terror will be told to Kopa, revealing just how important Chris and Andre are to his family.

Injuries will be sustained.

Jafar will use hypnosis to control princes and princesses into doing his bidding.

Kopa, Simba's eldest son, is one of the main characters.

Lions are some of the most important political leaders in the Magic Kingdom, thanks to Mufasa's opposition to Tristan L'Hermite during the Reign of Terror.

Mufasa still lives--though he was legally declared dead by his brother Scar after falling into a coma during the Hamlet Incident, a mysterious benefactor paid for his medical bills for nearly a decade until he awoke.

Nala is the daughter of the last king of Grass Walls; however, since tradition decrees that only a male lion can be king of Grass Walls, Simba her mate rules as King of Grass Walls by virtue of his marriage to Nala, although Grass Walls remains a fiercely independent kingdom from the Pridelands.

"Older than they look" is how a lot of Disney characters are, including all of the main characters--aging is not a linear process like in our world.

Princes and Princesses in the Magic Kingdom serve as hereditary political leaders, but rule as part of an assembly called the Royal Assembly, similar to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's Sejm. The Royal Assembly will play an important roll in the climax of the story.

Queens play important roles in the governing of different regions of the Magic Kingdom and are expected to be the equals of their respective kings, if married.

"Reign of Terror" was the nickname given to the civil war started by Tristan L'Hermite, the Black Knight, that took place some years after Walt Disney died, just before Simba was born. Mufasa was the leader of the good characters who opposed Tristan.

Swords will be used copiously.

Tristan L'Hermite, the Black Knight, continues to cast a long shadow over the main characters' lives years after Andre Caron killed him in Notre Dame Cathedral, just before he was about to kill Sarabi and an unborn Simba; Sarabi and Andre refuse to speak of the incident except with each other, and that only rarely.

Underground catacombs were used to rescue people from Tristan's clutches during the Reign of Terror; they will be used again in the main storyline.

Vitani is Kopa's crush.

Wooden sailing ships continue to ply the seas off the coast of New Orleans Square, sailed by pirates constantly searching for caches of buried treasure.

Xenophobia is a problem in many places in the Magic Kingdom, whose principalities can be surprisingly insular.

Young characters may not be as competent as adult characters, but they do have a role to play in the major events of the story.

Zira deeply loves Scar and admires him for his genuinely heroic actions during the Reign of Terror, when he fought alongside his brother Mufasa--in fact, he saved her life from Tristan L'Hermite.

Camp Tolkien: Day 3

Welcome to another day at Camp Tolkien!

Our two-week summer camp is a chance for you to work on the project of your choice in the company of other writers. No matter which stage of the process you're in--brainstorming, outlining, drafting, revising--Camp Tolkien's activities are here to help you make progress. Bring along your projects, and have fun!

Today's four activities are listed below. Choose whichever one you wish--choose more than one if you want to.

Alphabet Game: Make a list of twenty-six things that could happen in your story--each one starting with a different letter of the alphabet.

Dioramas: Write a detailed description of one room in one setting in your project.

Hiking: Go on a walk outside and use something about the experience (a sensory detail, something you saw) as inspiration for your project.

Zipline: Write as fast as you can for ten minutes. You are not allowed to backspace, cross out, or delete anything during that time.

When you're finished, reblog or reply to this post, telling us how it went, and/or sharing what you wrote for the day.

So glad to have you all at camp! Have fun, go forth, and create!

[apieters]

Fanart Fuel right here…

If Tanner was in a RPG or in a DND campaign what class/role would he be?

Tanner would be a mage that would just start blasting the most powerful spells he had, and Sy would be a swordsman because it's more straightforward and he'd have to deal with all of Tanner's poor rolls...

[apieters]

All For One…

A concept sketch from my Disney fanfic Swashbucklers of the Magic Kingdom, where André Caron (on the left) and Chris Carnovo, the Comte de Tréville (on the right), defend Prince Kopa of the Pridelands (center) from Cardinal Richelieu’s guards after a fencing tournament held in Chris's honor goes completely haywire. If you’re wondering what the villain from Disney’s 1993 Three Musketeers movie has against Simba’s semi-canon son from a series of Lion King storybooks…well, you’ll have to wait until I finish my outline to find out.

(Kopa is the creation of Alex Simmons and is owned by Disney; Chris Carnovo and Andre Caron are mine).

[apieters]

Star Wars really said "Anakin Skywalker had issues rooted in childhood trauma that was not his fault" but also "Anakin made his own choices as an adult for which he alone is responsible" but ALSO "In spite of the truly evil things he chose to do Anakin was still capable of being loved and redeemed" and I think that's important.

[apieters]

Christus Victor in Dracone

For this past cycle of art for the evangelical liturgical calendar, I decided to draw the events of Christmas, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter as Christ's Victory over Satan, who in Revelation 12 is depicted metaphorically as a great red dragon. In fact, Revelation 12 was the inspiration for the whole suite. The idea that Jesus' death and resurrection was a victory over Satan that liberated humanity from the bondage to evil that he inflicted on us has been called by theologians the Christus Victor model of the Atonement, Latin for "Christ the Victor."

Christmas: Here, St. John's vision of the woman clothed with the sun whose child the red dragon seeks to devour (Revelation 12) is translated into the slightly more realistic picture of Mariam, the young Jewish girl dressed in a white tunic, in labor as her new fiancé/husband Joseph desperately calls for someone nearby to grab what his wife needs to give birth safely. However, unseen by them in the spiritual realm is Satan, the red dragon, his jaws dripping with the blood of countless innocent people, ready to try and devour the Child that he knows will be his greatest adversary yet.

Palm Sunday: In Matthew 12, before the events of Palm Sunday, Jesus calls the religious leaders of His day a "brood of vipers"--basically, servants and allies of Satan. In Matthew 21, the day after Palm Sunday, Jesus condemns how those religious leaders have turned the Temple in Jerusalem into a "den of thieves" instead a "house of prayer" with their corrupt practices involved in the selling of sacrificial animals. Satan's influence had thus ensnared even the religious institutions of Jesus' day, and Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem would be the way He confronted Satan's grip on even the best of human institutions once and for all. I depicted this metaphorically as Satan, the red dragon, coiled around the Temple, clutching it greedily while looming over it as Jesus approaches, shaking His fist in righteous anger.

Good Friday: In Genesis 3, after humanity first rebels against God, God condemns the serpent (which the book of Revelation identifies as Satan) and prophecies that the Seed of the woman he had tempted would one day crush his head, though he would strike that future hero's heel. Christians see the death of Jesus of Nazareth as that prophesied lethal strike at the heel of the Seed of the Woman (Jesus) by Satan, but also as the prophesied crushing of Satan. Here, I have depicted Christ, bloody and battered, on the cross, as Satan strikes at his heel. The dragon's tail wrapped around Jesus' neck refers to the typical cause of death during crucifixion, namely asphyxiation, although it is likely that Jesus Himself died from cardiac arrest induced by the combined physical trauma of the flogging and crucifixion proper.

Easter: The Crucifixion and bodily Resurrection of Jesus are a two-part event (like two sides of a coin) by which He achieved victory over Satan, the enemy of humankind. Again, in reference to Genesis 3, I chose to depict the Resurrection metaphorically as the ultimate crushing of Satan. The stone that sealed Jesus' tomb was rolled away--right onto Satan's head. Through the blood spatters, you can see blood-soaked footsteps leading out from the tomb.

Christus Victor!

[apieters]

Baylon the Black Panther

From the sketchbook archives, here is what I consider the definitive, original sketch (so far) of the villain of my untitle anthropomorphic animal fantasy story: Baylon the black panther.

The bastard son of the previous Emperor of the Rainforest, Baylon grew up in exile in the Great Northern Desert, where he learned sorcery and the magical arts, as well as martial arts. His magic helped him to pacify and dominate the constantly feuding Desert tribes, bringing peace and stability to the region. But Baylon had his sights on a greater prize: the Imperial Throne of the Rainforest.

After the death of the Emperor his father, Baylon laid his claim to the throne at the head of an army of Desert tribesman and wielding powerful magic, which he used to assert his claim to the throne over all other competitors. Baylon thus became Emperor of the Rainforest and Desert, but his lust for power soon turned his gaze to the vast plains of the Savanna, leading him into conflict with High King Edwar and his son, Prince Leo.

[apieters]

I'm riding with the Riders of Rohan in The Two Towers. I ride to my doom, for I know only the basics of horsemanship and my plot armor is not thick enough to protect me from the bolts of the Uruk-hai. Nevertheless,

Forth, Eorlingas!

Oh no, you got isekaied into the last media you read/watch. You are now a background character dead center in the plot. Are you surviving.

Yes

No

[apieters]

I’m a character artist, which means landscapes are my enemy. I have an automatic habit of rendering mountains and grass as if it was skin. I struggle to get the sense of scale right - everything feels mid-sized, while it should be epic and grandiose. It’s tough, but I will keep trying! Here’s some assorted environment practice 💪

[apieters]

If only war happened like this…

There is no reason for this to be so funny

[apieters]

4-Leo and Ariel-Swimwear

Looks like Leo’s penchant for pulling pranks is about to catch up with him—better run faster!

No idea who to credit, but I found this on Pinterest and it looked fun—ask away!

[apieters]

Had to click “Ode to Joy” because it makes me FEEL, but Toccatta and Fugue in D Minor is in fact tied.

[apieters]

If you really cared about carbon emissions, you would support nuclear power. Renewable sources are great because, you know, we won’t run out of those, but right now most renewable energy sources simply aren’t powerful or reliable enough to support the cyberpunk technological wonderland that we call modernity. That means the modern industrial world would need to switch to nuclear if we want to lower carbon emissions. And yes, it is safe, as explained above.

But I suspect that a lot of these Green Party folks have some half-baked, subconscious fantasy about living in hippie hunter-gatherer societies that ultimately comes from Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s fictitious ideas about how humans used to live in the “state of nature.” Nature is not a bountiful, nurturing Mother, but an unfeeling wilderness that doesn’t care if you have enough to eat or if you freeze or dehydrate to death. And I’m suspicious of any moral philosophy invented by a womanizer who abandoned his flings and his offspring to lives of abject poverty and misery while he continued to party his life away in Parisian high society.

We need electricity, and a lot of it, in order to not sink back into the Middle Ages where one bad winter might mean choosing which of your family members lives and dies because there’s just not enough food and fuel to go around. Other countries need to develop so that millions can be lifted out of poverty, and that requires electricity. If you don’t want the world to rely on fossil fuels, we need something that gives us just as much power without the carbon emissions, and which won’t stop working because Mother Nature decided to be cloudy or calm. I’m not saying we shouldn’t develop renewable technologies, but we need a transitional step that reduces carbon now and buys us the time to develop those technologies. That option is nuclear.

If you claim to care about carbon emissions but don’t support nuclear as the best option we have at the moment, you’re just LARPing.