nervarts

[nervarts]

Prisoner Number 001

Hello again, back with a little bit of OC lore~ This is actually Hanami's mother, Reina; how she looks in the present day. I wrote down her history at last so you can get to know her a little more. Or well, serve as a reminder too. You know how it is with me, it's going to be a long read. So sit back, relax, and enjoy. 📖 ☕

"Many would have wished to decipher who Reina was before she became notorious. Prior to her fall from grace. Even in her glory days, she would not disclose her upbringing. Her recruitment was unpredictable. She entered during the early years of the organization that would later be dubbed as the League. However, she was not a part of the Hero program; she possessed a license and lived her life as an ordinary denizen. Yet, she proved herself to be competent for the group when she stopped a supervillain on her own. Gifted with super strength and heightened velocity, the League had decided that her talent could not go to waste. She was accepted and called Lady Red due to her rich, cherry lips.

She was among the first heroines that did not conceal her appearance with masks or heavy cosmetics. Because she made her presence known to others on her sudden feat, she worried not whether villains knew her or disremembered her. Nevertheless, Reina was a face that they would eventually grow to resent or fear. In a short span, her accomplishments flourished. Throughout the years, she manifested her humanitarianism and her dedication to fight for the greater good. She was beloved by the people. She was recognized internationally as well, for she performed hero work both in the USA and Japan on a special permit.

Yet, a series of murders began to arise. There was a higher death toll throughout Reina's service than normal. Victims were turning up hacked or stabbed to death throughout the city and Japan. By then, they were attributed to villains. But when questioned, they denied any links to these kinds of homicides. Some had even turned up dead. A serial killer was in the midst. As the years passed, she became less and less open with her companions with life outside the League. When pressed, she would retort. In the beginning, she excused her behavior. But subsequently, she seldom issued apologies. Alarm stemmed as the death toll increased by the 6th year of her duty. By then, she had grown increasingly erratic and standoffish with her comrades. Suspicions bloomed. Eventually, the League became involved in the murders.

With the help of the police and investigators, they managed to track down the serial killer. They turned out to be a female that wore a Noh mask, and a katana equipped. A chase ensued; she was highly swift. In time she was cornered and gunned down. Unbelievably, she was alive. Still, the mask slipped. To their horror, their target was none other than Reina. The sword she carried was eerie, as if it possessed a life of its own. When confronted, she claimed to have done the crimes to do good. All of her heroics were a farce; for every life she saved, she took one to function the way she had. Nonetheless, she had yet to reveal her true power to them. In an impressive yet painful display, she transformed into a serpentine monster. A gruesome battle ensued between her and the League. Some members have been killed; the strife seemed to be going at her favor. Howbeit, Reina suddenly lost her strength and transformed back into a human— where she was finally detained.

She was brought for questioning. The truth turned out to be darker and more shocking than they expected. Reina was born without a gift. She earned them a year before she joined the League, through a sword with an undisclosed past. Something that had transformed her life "for the better". But, in order to keep her abilities, she had to "feed" it with blood. Prayers did not work, harming herself was not sufficient. Therefore, she required victims. But after every few months, it craved for more. In addition, the true sword was not in her hold anymore. She began to use its twin for the first time because she grew desperate. The original sword had selected its new owner. Her daughter: Hanami. That was when they learned she had next-of-kin after all. She was about to reach middle school and enter the Hero program. A deal was struck by then: they would keep her child in the courses and in secrecy in exchange for her imprisonment. However, they would not guarantee her daughter's success and a trial that could spare her life.

Reina faced charges against first-degree murder in the US and Japan. The total kill count was about fifty victims. Some presumed it was higher. Both had imposed the death penalty on her. She became the first hero to have ever been incarcerated for a major crime. The first to break the golden rule. The first to betray the people she had meant to protect. Because of her felonies, laws had to be regulated and transformed. The licenses were enforced. Enrollment to the Hero program was stricter and exclusive. The League's managed to survive its badge of infamy and move on. Bringing forth a newer generation of Heroes that were vetted.

Currently, Reina was incarcerated below the facilities of the organization. A prison fashioned just for her. Awaiting her fate. She suffered a severe withdrawal due to the blade's lack of influence on her. Her rationality also deteriorated with time— becoming nothing more than a shell of the former heroine."

And there we go! I would like to add that she's been imprisoned for— ironically— six years as of today. Same amount as her service in the League. She lost considerable weight in prison. Her emblematic red lips remained as the only hint of beauty she has. Thank you for reading this far, here's a cookie! 🍪

PS: The drawing was done in September of last year. But I inked and colored it recently.

☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆

Support me on Ko-fi:

Visit my Shop!

[nervarts]

Here to show another DTIYS entry! I drew @/speedbreaker 's (Artfol/Cara/Bluesky/Instagram) character Ting Ting as a magical girl~! 🩷 I had a lot of fun with the pose, though there are both some missing details to the original design and some that were added. Tried to stay true to her design. Hope it's good!

[nervarts]

Ladies and gentlemen, I present the first fanart I made in 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 and the first out the #sixfanart (or well, twelve) challenge I'm doing in Artfol. This is Dracula from Castlevania. It was requested by @Mamsey (Artfol/Cara).

To tell you the truth, I have never played Castlevania or watched the series. But! I have seen Dead by Daylight. I know it's a game, but I like to watch other people play and he is a very cool killer. He's known as The Dark Lord over there and his Mori (cutscene where you kill your final victim) is actually metal. He cuts people and uses a wine cup to have their blood poured in it. That's where the cup comes from. This design is based on DBD since it's something I am more familiar with.

Throughout the making of Dracula, I've been joking that he looks like a Shakespearean villain. So, enjoy the fanciness!

[nervarts]

All right! Ladies and gentlemen, I have a big announcement to make:

After a few selling events, planning, researching, and organizing, I decided to open my shop online!!!! 💕💕💕✨ I'll be selling my art through Ko-fi!

If you have any queries, please let me know! I'm really excited for this!! ❤️

Also, the girl in question is my D&D character from another campaign, Hyacinth. It's been a while since I've drawn her. Thought she would do the honors of presenting the inauguration of my online shop. 🌱🌺

Shares are highly appreciated! 🙏🏽✨

[nervarts]

I got big news to share very soon~

Stay tuned!

[nervarts]

Robin and Nightingale

This is the last artwork I did during my short hiatus.

They are both Lilyana. Though the one at the left is Lilyana Vernize, the D&D version (nicknamed "Robin" in my campaign), and the right one is Lilyana from the 1x1 RP I have with @/Mamsey (Cara/Artfol) (Nightingale).

Vernize was given the nickname "Robin" by one of the party members, who used it to both protect her identity for future encounters— but also as a compliment to her fame as a songstress (Both Lilyanas are famous singers in their universes) and beauty. Said party member is a cambion named Aurelius. Their personalities are almost like night and day, despite being nobles that have known another by reputation. With him being prideful (he's literally the son of the Duke of Pride), worldly wise and sarcastic. While Robin is a bit more naive, sheltered, and tender-hearted. Yet, they talk (A LOT) on a nightly basis. Their interactions growing progressively more wholesome than the other. A friend/member drew the braided hairstyle that she gave to Robin, so I adopted it. It's a cute look!

Nightingale is not a codename or a nickname I placed for canon Lilyana, despite that she's a spy. It's actually a reference to one of the songs that she used to play with her friend/lady-in-waiting, Frederika. Called "Nightingales and Robins" (I had a bit of trouble making up a fictional song title). She used to play the piano while Lilyana sang. I might probably stick with "Nightingale" as a codename? Since it holds sentimental value and she's seeking justice for her presumably deceased friend in a way.

I had a lot of fun doing their updos. Making Nightingale's dress was a little hard because I used an AI dress on Pinterest as a reference. I don't recommend it; the patterns and creases don't make sense. e_e But I'm happy regardless!

[nervarts]

I'm so excited to finally share this painting of Astarion! I've been working on it for over a month. I hope you like this sweet soul.

[nervarts]

Something on the simpler side.

It's been a long while since I've drawn Ísfríðr (Isfrid). I honestly love her design so much, I'm surprised I don't do her as often. Then again, that's my sentiment to all of my characters. 🫢

Since it's been some time, Isfrid is my winter child (I got a child for almost every season, except fall). She comes from a race known as the Valkaans, which are a tribe of mountain dwellers that reside into the Far North. They are partially human and share the genes of former manifestations of nature and magic known as the Volsungs. They were demigods of sorts.

Valkaans are divided in six tribes that regard their element: Fire, Air, Lightning, Earth, Ice, and Water. There was a Volsung of Light and a Volsung of Shadow, but they went to the rest of the world to create White and Black Magic effectively. Isfrid is from the Ice clan, despite having a mother from the Earth tribe. She uses Ice magic for the most part, but she can cast Earth magic as well. Just not as often.

The way magic works for Valkaans is that instead of using Mana (spiritual force), they use their own life force to summon the elements. They're first manifested through runes before the spell is released. Using life force makes their magic more powerful and widespread than regular magic wielders. The downside is that it hurts them. Abusing your magic could severely incapacitate or kill you.

Valkaans are known for their superior strength, resistance towards the cold, and their wrath. They are warriors and the original monster slayers. They are regarded as barbaric and heretical by the other civilizations because they practice Animism (the belief that all objects, plants and animals have souls), along with having multiple gods. Furthermore, they are accused of doing human sacrifices.

Most Valkaans are above 5'9 feet tall. Isfrid stands at 5'5— considered petite and weak compared to her tribe. However, she still holds enhanced strength and she's more adept (and resistant) at magic than her people. And possibly from even all the other clans. Therefore, she is seen as a sort of a deviant. In fact, she earned the byname "Black Swan", not only because of her dark hair and beauty, but due to her divergence... and also her knack of getting and creating risky situations. Likewise, she's the Ice chieftain's daughter. There is not a set social hierarchy that affects how people are treated. But sons and daughters of chieftains are held to a higher regard and given more pressure in order to be deserving of the leadership role. The Ice clan is mostly a patriarchy, however, so whoever marries Isfrid becomes the chieftain. Unfortunately for the family, she is kind of rebellious in that aspect.

I drew this in December just thinking of winter. But now that it's coming to a close, it feels a little awkward to post it close to spring.

Eh, what the heck, I always post off season. 😂

Thank you for reading this far, I hope you have a wonderful day!

[nervarts]

So, Discord has added a feature that lets other people "enhance" or "edit" your images with different AI apps. It looks like this:

Currently, you can't opt out from this at all. But here's few things you can do as a protest.

FOR SERVERS YOU ARE AN ADMIN IN

Go to Roles -> @/everyone roles -> Scroll all the way down to External Apps, and disable it. This won't delete the option, but it will make people receive a private message instead when they use it, protecting your users:

You should also make it a bannable offense to edit other user's images with AI. Here's how I worded it in my server, feel free to copypaste:

Do not modify other people's images with AI under ANY circumstances, such as with the Discord "enhancement" features, amidst others. This is a bannable offense.

COMPLAIN TO DISCORD

There's few ways to go around this. First, you can go to https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/requests/new , select Help and Support -> Feedback/New Feature Request, and write your message, as seen in the screenshot below.

For the message, here's some points you can bring up:

Concerns about harassment (such as people using this feature to bully others)

Concerns about privacy (concerns on how External Apps may break privacy or handle the data in the images, and how it may break some legislations, such as GDPR)

Concerns about how this may impact minors (these features could be used with pictures of irl minors shared in servers, for deeply nefarious purposes)

BE VERY CLEAR about "I will refuse to buy Nitro and will cancel my subscription if this feature remains as it is", since they only care about fucking money

Word them as you'd like, add onto them as you need. They sometimes filter messages that are copypasted templates, so finding ways to word them on your own is helpful.

UNSUSCRIBE FROM NITRO

This is what they care about the most. Unsuscribe from Nitro. Tell them why you unsuscribed on the way out. DO NOT GIVE THEM MONEY. They're a company. They take actions for profit. If these actions do not get them profit, they will need to backtrack. Mass-unsuscribing from WOTC's DnD beyond forced them to back down with the OGL, this works.

LEAVE A ONE-STAR REVIEW ON THE APP

This impacts their visibility on the App store. Write why are you leaving the one-star review too.

_

Regardless of your stance on AI, I think we can agree that having no way for users to opt out of these pictures is deeply concerning, specially when Discord is often used to share selfies. It's also a good time to remember internet privacy and safety- Maybe don't post your photos in big open public servers, if you don't want to risk people doing edits or modifications of them with AI (or any other way). Once it's posted, it's out of your control.

Anyways, please reblog for visibility- This is a deeply concerning topic!

[nervarts]

Lilyana Resting In the Garden

Been a hot minute since I've posted something here. A little update is that I finished my master's degree. 😌💥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Which means I am free~! (Until I find a job or make my own).

But I have not yet escaped from the uncreative titles. 😂

Both Sci-fi (canon) and D&D Lilyana frequent the gardens of the estate she lives in and falls asleep. It's her place of relaxation, tranquility, and good place to think (when she doesn't nap). This version can be either of them. The pose was referenced (except her head position). It was hard to figure out how the wrinkles of her dress should look, tried to find references, but I couldn't get any. So, it is close to realistic as it gets.

[nervarts]

Thank you for sharing! Going to be turning off my asks for a while if this is going on. Better to be safe than sorry. If you see this, spread the word.

Hello dear!

Sorry for bothering you, but it's important to remind you to turn off your asks for a few days! Bad things are going to happen on Tumblr soon...

Don t know anything about this but BETTER BE SAFE EVERYBODY!!!!!!

[nervarts]

[nervarts]

Amadeus (Commission Work)

Hello everyone, I am back! Well, for now. Honestly between the events and uni work (which I am almost done with my degree!!✨✨), I haven't been able to do much this November. But! I present to you a commission work done for @/Mamsey (Artfol/Cara). This is his character Amadeus Lagrange, the leader of the Bureau of Principle Legitimacy— the very organization that Lady Lilyana (my character) is rebelling against. Basically, he is her enemy; someone she must tread around carefully. He's a special kind of something. To quote directly to Mamsey's description of him (Warning, long read ahead):

Amadeus Lagrange is an enigma. To some of the peasantry, a ruthless enforcer that represents all that is wrong with the Empire; to others, a sign of hope that even they can become great if they show their loyalty doggedly enough; to the nobility, a mere dog of the Emperor who lucked into his position by getting into His good graces and wants to play at politics, a brute. None know his true nature: a man of great intelligence and greater ego who will achieve his goals by any means necessary. He lies as easily as he breathes. He meticulously plans and manipulates and schemes to control every detail of every life of every person within his power.

He always strives to be perfectly punctual and well-kept, with an unflappable and entirely unconcerned demeanor. While he uses any means necessary to complete his objectives and those of the Empire, Amadeus strives to use the least extreme options where possible. He does not like unnecessary suffering, due not to morality, but to efficiency. He sees no issues with the heinous acts he commits, for the truth is a tool, and there is no truth beyond his influence.

Fun facts: Amadeus is a musical prodigy; he can play by ear and often composes orchestral arrangements. He does so as a hobby and does not share most of his works with the public. He has performed some of his works for the nobility, by the Emperors decree, much to their reluctance (they refuse to accept such talent from a lowborn). Being the head of such a complex organization means that Amadeus is a highly organized and capable leader. The Bureau has been ruthlessly efficient since he “lucked” (aka. caught the previous leader in league with the rebellion) the position. Amadeus has a collection of pocket watches in his personal suite. He is adroit in repairing clockwork machinery, and from time to time enjoys tinkering with them. Also, he likes to read. Usually classics, as well as a smattering of now-censored texts, a special privilege of his.

_______________________

I used watercolors and acrylic paints. This painting was a challenge to do since I am 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 trying to get used to watercolors and it's been years since I've used acrylic paint, but it was fun drawing this conniving menace gentleman. I am happy with how the eyes came out especially. I'm glad I did this commission, thank you once again for trusting me with your character, @/Mamsey !

[nervarts]

Transformation

A while back, I was in the mood for some horror art. Well, here it is! However, the quantity is not what I expected (this is the only horror art I did for the month). But I hope the quality makes up for it. 🖤

Every year, I always pick Hanami as the subject for my horror artworks because of her powers and their terrible drawbacks (she suffers from hallucinations). This year, I decided to go with her mother, Reina. Because nightmare fuel apparently runs in the family.

Both Hanami and Reina are owners of a demonic sword that can grant power. Hanami inherited Necromancy/Heightened senses and agility. Reina has the ability to transform into a monster, which grants her super strength and even speed as well.

The lore behind this artwork:

Reina used to be a beloved superheroine that moonlighted as a serial killer. She eventually got caught, exposed for her crimes, and imprisoned. However, she didn't go down without a fight. She metamorphosed into the monster, killing most of her allies before suffering a sudden and severe withdrawal. The league of heroes took advantage of that and put her away for good, with high security and surveillance 24/7. She awaits a potential death penalty; they are still deciding on her fate. In prison, she lost a considerable amount of weight and is constantly exhausted. Her beauty withered away, only her red lips remained. But what if she has a final trick in her sleeves? One where she can ultimately exact revenge and begin another reign of terror in the city?

What happens if she does recover her abilities?

This is an escape scenario— that may or may not be canon— where she's in mid-transformation. In prison, her hair grew, but here it is getting longer. Her eyes are also changing. She takes down a guard or two. This is what they'll confront when she breaks free: a changing, serpentine Reina.

Fun fact: her prison number is 001. She's the only superheroine that has been incarcerated.

Fun fact 2: The transformation process is actually painful for Reina and it takes time. But because of the adrenaline and power boost, she can bear it.

That hand pose was funky to do. I improvised on the vignette, too.

☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆

Support me on Ko-fi:

[nervarts]

Page 62

I don't think I've ever announced officially (aside from putting it on profile) that I was working on a graphic novel. Well ladies and gentlemen, this is one of the newer pages. I will say it's been ages since I have published an update about the graphic novel. I've been working on it since August 2019. The reason why it is taking me so long is because 2020 killed my muse for it. I got deeply depressed and instead of making pages on a daily basis like I used to, I just drew them sporadically, when I had the inspiration.

Likewise, I had problems drawing more complex scenes like this one (making that crowd was NOT easy.) So I decided to practice a little more on things like drawing large groups of people and perspective. I also realized that as time passed, I made a few mistakes. Like how the kimono is meant to go from left to right instead of right to left 🤦🏽‍♀️ (apparently only dead people wear it that way), among other inconsistencies. I thought I needed to redo the whole thing. Because while the story is vague historically (it takes place between 12th-14th century Japan— just between the late Heian-early Kamakura period), I didn't want to make too many deviations to the point that it becomes insulting to a culture and history that I love. That's the least I want to do. But drawing ALL 62 pages took me forever, so doing them again would undo five years of progress. I might end up redrawing some anyways, but who knows? I want to finish it first, then go through the "editing" process.

I highly doubt the rest of the pages will take me 5 extra years. I want to continue this novel, as it is personal for me. It has been a difficult journey doing this, but I don't want to give up on it. So I will try to draw more pages on a fairly consistent level. I was even thinking of changing the title of the graphic novel. It's called, "Flowers Chasing Horizon". But as you can tell from the scene... it's not going to be a flowery story. I made the title because I love flowers and the story is about two vagabonds of sorts who are escaping from their ghosts, literally and figuratively. Trying to find a place where they can achieve peace. The problem is, I don't know what I should change it to. I'm bad at titles.

I apologize that I haven't given any art for over a month, but this is the only artwork I finished recently. I still have more that I am yet to do, but they are big.

This was done with Micron pens, pencil, and for this graphic novel, the color red plays an important role. I would give context for this piece, but I feel like I would ruin the what's going on. Plus, I want to keep it a surprise too.

☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆

Support me on Ko-fi:

[nervarts]

[nervarts]

the witchiest of vampires and her sad girlfriend I think