#keeper: the angel

[emberglowfox]

Keeper -- a short comic about an angel meeting a robotic lighthouse keeper that doesn't know the world has already ended. Made in about 18 hours for a 24-hour 24-page* black and white comic challenge (that I arrived late to, ha.)

*the actual submission does not include the cover, which was created after the fact for this post.

This was a really great learning experience as someone who's... never really made a completed comic. I ended up really attached to the story by the end of the project (possibly due to all-nighter deliriousness lol) and ultimately am very proud of what I made.There are some things I'd still like to change, particularly text placement, but in keeping with the spirit of the challenge I've elected to leave it as is.

[vintagecandy]

So I've been sort of in a rut lately uh-- and when that happens I know I need to stop every bigger project and just draw whatever random thing I most feel like. this is my equivalent of doodling monsters on my math homework but its angels

[doberart]

Doodle dump time! Took some character suggestions on Twitter for some warm-ups.

[fabuloustrash05]

[After finding out about his crush on Husk]

Cherri: I can’t believe you’re getting worked up about some guy!

Angel Dust, absolutely smitten: This one is different! He’s honest and sweet!

Cherri, rolling her eye: Please…

Angel Dust: And he would never do anything to hurt me!

Cherri: HE’S A GUY!!

[kinoselynn]

valentines batdr doodles(please note they are not all meant to be romantic and their relationships are up to viewer interpretation)

[magicicephoenix]

Happy Holidays! I made an animatic

[absurdumsid]

woah. name reveals

Keeper! Sans, Angel! Sans, and Pills! Sans all surprisingly belong to me

[labyrinth-guard]

Heehee my faveotie creatures

[clarity2electricboogaloo]

Hazbin hotel, helluva boss, mean girls, and kotlc are the only things that have lived in my brain for the past few days

Help me

[drinksss]

[one-silly-cart00nist]

Creek Week Day 4: Favourite Friendship

Listen I KNOW they haven't had a meaningful interaction in canon but they're the official gossip girls of the creek. Angel probably knows many secrets about the creek kids from their younger siblings!

[emberglowfox]

keepers as a stream request. hangin out :]

[flamboyant-king]

TBOI: Brother's Keeper AU - Cain

Yes yes, I've come up with a name, round of applause, everybody. I wanna be like all the cool kids and have my own tag for people to block HAHA

This set just focuses on the "older folks" relations and dynamics, mostly Cain, the ultimate Brother's Keeper.

To keep it simple, he's a smug, angry, greedy, suicidal, alcoholic, scumbag who lurks in the sewers waiting for coins to roll on in. At least the Keeper has class.

Hoorah!

[albasface]

Guys I just had a fucking huge realisation.

Reya is Ava.

Ava will grow up to be reya.

Which is a total mindfuck Ik!

But think about it. Why would they cast this actress to play reya? Why someone so similar to ava. They could have go for Latina or black or redhead or a man or Nb or idk! But they specifically chose her. And they’ve done this trick before. With Michael.

And Ava never really said what happened on the other side that made her change her mind. She suddenly understood and that was it.

Also, near the ending, when reya was dragged to this world by Adriel ava knew her, knew her name, She said “reya”. But minuets later, when all was done and reya gave her final nod before returning to her world, looking like a fucking older Ava I’m not joking see pics, bea asked ava who was she and Ava just said “idk. Idk anything anymore” but she supposedly knew! She knew exactly who this woman was. She could’ve just say, “that’s god basically”. Or “that’s reya” or “nvm I’m dying here”. Anything could’ve been said. But the writers chose this.

Idk am I reaching hard?

[wellthebardsdead]

I found another short story I’d written in high school called ‘Dairy of an Angel keeper, the Swans of Versailles’

The premise is angels are essentially extra terrestrial beings that humanity merely formed a religion around centuries ago, but when several begin turning up on the planet to observe humanity, mass panic breaks out believing they’re here to begin the rapture, and when the angels are met with violence from the world governments. That’s exactly what happens. Until that is, they realise the angels are extremely easy to manipulate. How so? They noticed they would stop attacking if a human pleaded for mercy or forgiveness, and with that knowledge, they simply pacified them with their own nature.

However containing them became the next issue. They couldn’t simply allow them to roam freely knowing the level of destruction they were capable of, but a large public outcry from those of the Christian faith against locking them away they came up with ‘the heavenly bodies initiative’ in which the angels would be ‘housed’ on public display. Essentially, placing them in zoos, because capitalism.

The ones in Rome were housed in the Vatican. I’m England they were housed in one of the many palaces etc.

And in France, the Angel of our story was housed in Versailles. Gabriel.

Despite all the angels living in different locations they all had the same set routine as a means to keep them calm and passive. They’d be awoken each morning, given the same breakfast even if they didn’t require food to survive, they’d be dressed and taken on their daily tour of the facility they’d come to call home. They’d greet guests with a wave, then go to the study, the gardens, then be given their lunch, after which they’d be entertained further before a nap followed by dinner, desert, and their nightly routine before bed.

Just living comfortably on display for the general public to see at a distance, and higher paying visitors to witness up close but never interact with.

And who keeps them set to their routines? Their keepers.

Young men and women all selected specifically based on their looks for one reason and one reason only, angels have no concept of death. They understand it happens. They know it happens to mortal beings, but they don’t understand how it works, why it happens, or why human beings simply wither until they simply expire.

It wasn’t an issue at first, the angels were content with their keepers, until one of them abruptly passed away and was replaced with a keeper that looked different to their previous one. The Angel grew distressed with the unfamiliar humans presence and when they enquired as to what happened to their original keeper, they fell into a deep despair and lashed out at anyone who would come near them, until that is, they found another human who looked like the original keeper. The Angel of course having no full understanding of death, swiftly returned to a state of peace upon seeing them and behaved as if they had merely forgotten the grief that just plagued them.

And so it became routine for keepers to be chosen by a strict set of rules based on appearance and appearance alone and rotated out every 5 years without the angels knowledge. Keepers would be selected, and assigned a name, the same name of the original, which is where our protagonist comes in.

Michel was placed on a waiting list as a potential keeper due to his resemblance to the current keeper of the Angel of Versailles, and when it came time to select a new keeper, he was called in to join the lineup for selection, of which, he was picked.

And after a month of being trained up to behave like a completely different person, he was finally introduced to his Angel, Gabriel, and he had to act as though he’d known him most of his life. And respond to his new name at all times, Joan.

The story is written from Michel/Joan’s perspective via his diary entries, documenting his life with the Angel and keeping note of the angels behaviour, health, mood etc all the while slowly coming to the realisation he’s falling in love with him, because Gabriel is very much in love with Joan.

It becomes pretty obvious early on that Gabriel is in love with Joan, as are all angels with their keepers, it’s why they become so unhinged when they lose them too, and yet none of them can recognise them enough to tell that they’re completely different people. None of them know they’re in love with one person who is actually several people over the course of decades.

And so the keepers have a set of strict rules they must follow at all times.

1. Never mention your life outside the facility, your life must revolve entirely around your assigned angel.

2. Only respond to your assigned name.

3. If your Angel asks you a question you think your assigned identity wouldn’t know the answer to, do not answer it, simply reply with ‘im not sure’.

4. Do not stray from their set routine beyond assigned enrichment to avoid over excitement.

5. Do not cause your Angel distress, failure to keep the Angel passive and content will result in termination.

6. Never, tell your Angel you are leaving. They cannot know you are leaving.

And of course what happens? Gabriel overhears that Michel/Joan is leaving him and loses it.

The day Joan is supposed to leave to be replaced Gabriel locks him in his chambers with him and essentially kills him, turning him into an Angel as well so he can stay with him.

The story ends with a diary entry from michel reading:

“-the butler woke Gabriel and I this morning, at least I think he did, I couldn’t see anything past his wings, he loves holding me in them.

- The maids dressed us after breakfast, they won’t tell me what day it is, time is starting to fade from me. I can’t remember my families faces anymore since Gabriel changed me.

- our morning study and walk in the garden has been cancelled. They won’t tell us why, Gabriel’s unhappy, I’m unhappy. My feathers are falling out, is this normal?

- lunch was so exciting, we got to meet our keepers. They look… the same.”

My handwriting is pretty messy so I can’t make out much beyond this but I thought I’d share it. I can’t find much on Joan’s description but he’s a well built healthy man with curly brown hair and long eyelashes. His personality as Michel is aloof, rude and overall he behaves like a bit of an asshole. But as Joan he’s gentle, patient, and attentive, he has to be, the threat of execution will make you do that.

And gabriel like all the angels stands about 8ft tall. They all vary in appearances but Gabriel is described as swan like, pale marble like skin, wheat blond hair and eyelashes, pink lips and sleepy blue eyes. He’s thin and physically androgynous and he has one set of large swan like wings. Personality wise he’s gentle, playful, innocent and quite bubbly, when he’s happy at least. When distressed he’s volatile, vicious, and cruel. He kills Joan in a particularly painful way while begging him to not leave him before turning him into an Angel as well to keep him at his side forever.

[kinoselynn]

JDS all star music review