Aylagraham - Just A Random Place

A few of these are probably referring to the date posting bug thing, but AAAAAAAAAAAH!

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The Matthews Family (fanfic cover)

Even if you are not in the fandom, guys believe me this is one of the the strongest story I ever read. Maybe because it is truly deeply personal. I can't be sure, but the writing is amazing and feels real. I had to do this cover even because the Author is an amazing person, who helped me without knowing it. Life can be so cruel but, when you realise it's ok to keep fighting is still ok, even if you feel like a completely disaster, even if you feel alone, you re not...If you are curious and have time, it's here : https://archiveofourown.org/works/23781100

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Shall Never Surrender Project

Hey there, little stars! Hope you are all doing ok!

Like I said some time ago, I want to organize a project Devil May Cry related - and thus, Shall Never Surrender Project is here!

(do apologize eventual mistakes, I'm typing on my cellphone)

What is it?

The Shall Never Surrender Project is for people to request me full illustrations tied to the Devil May Cry series and something personal to them - as something to give them strength to keep going, no matter what.

DMC has given me strength and hope when I had none - and I know how, sometimes, we need something visual to remind ourselves of our inner power.

The illustrations will be allowed to be used as tattoos, stickers, wall arts, notebooks, mugs... Whatever the person who requests it needs!

The only requirement: at the end of the day, they need to have a deep meaning to the requester. Something that will inspire and warm their heart ^^

What's the motivation behind it?

Devil May Cry is really important in my life - it has helped me with some really heavy stuff, and I want to give it back to the people who need it too.

13 years ago, Dante helped me understand my depression and isolation, being the friend I needed and never had. Some time later, Nero appeared and held my hand, helping me push through pain, without ever surrendering. And now, Vergil is walking by my side, teaching me to endure through failure and reclaim my name.

I know how important some stories and characters can be to some people - and how, sometimes, they are the only strength we have during rough times.

How it works?

If you're struggling with anything - for example, depression, self-harm, PTSD, anxiety, shortage of money, family issues, toxic relationships and many other issues (I can't list everything here, but it's open to other things too!) - and Devil May Cry is your comfort place with your comfort characters, I want to help you.

There isn't much I can do - but I can illustrate something for you!

You want a sticker of yourself with Dante having strawberry sundaes? You got it.

You want a lockscreen of Vergil with a part of the lyrics of Bury the Light to remind you of your strength every day? Done.

You want Nero holding your hand and crossing through Angelos screaming that none of you will ever surrender? Sure, I'll do it!

You need a tattoo saying "no hiding in the shadows anymore" with your pride flag? No worries, I'll help design it.

What to know before requesting?

This is to help and inspire people to survive and never give up. I want you to remember someone in the world cares and wants your heart to stop suffering.

Therefore, the requests must have a meaning to you.

If you request something just because you want a free DMC drawing, I'm sorry, but this isn't for you. There are SO many artists, much more talented than me even, who can do something amazing for you!

But if you request because you want something as a reminder, something that gives you that motivation you need every day to keep going, then I'll be more than happy on working on it for you!

What I do and don't do?

I don't work with NSFW/sexually explicit art, nor will I do anything Spardacest related.

Regarding gore, I don't do crazy heavy gore - but I'm ok with scars. I know some of them are important.

*Do remember these are motivational. I won't depict someone actually getting hurt, but I will deaw Kyrie tending to their wounds, for example.

I will do self-insert, original characters, characters from the series and such.

But if you request Agnus or Mundus I will severely judge your sanity.

What info should you send me?

I need to know a few things:

Why does this matter to you? What's your story? How does DMC help and what can I do for you? The more detailed the description of the illustration, the better. Feel free to send me references, pinterest boards, parts from the game... Everything! Don't worry about "talking too much", there's no such thing in this household. You're not annoying me, I find it endearing;

What will you do with the illustration? I need to know so I can choose the right dimension and quality of the file. Will it be a lockscreen? A sticker? A print? A tattoo? A shirt? A mug? A notebook? Something else entirely?

Is there a quote you want to add? Be mindful, it's only DMC universe related (manga, games, novels, songs... Poems for good ol' Verge and V);

Where do you prefer to contact me? I prefer tumblr or instagram, but feel free to choose whatever you prefer. I'm not available on astral projection at the moment though, my energy is a little off;

Where can I send you the finished file? Email? Drive? I'll need to know it, so keep it in mind.

And after the request?

I'm currently ill and low energy (think V dragging himself around everywhere, that's literally me) and this is a personal project, so it might take a while. I will do it whenever I can, but sometimes I spend whole weeks on doctors and hospitals - with some patience, we will get to your final illustration!

I might take a week or a month. It will really depend ;)

After it's done, I'll love to see what you did with it! Feel free to post on social media and tag me or send me a picture - it will be yours and I hope it will brighten your day!

Questions & Answers

What if I want to request but I don't have a clear idea on what I want? Feel free to message me! If you have a general idea, we can chat about it and I can sketch some samples to see if you like. Do research a bit on some artworks on pinterest and such, of many styles (art nouveau, classic painting, modern art, manga covers, manga and manhwa artworks, instagram artists, traditional tattoo, fineline, game concept art... the options are endless!) it could help you find something that suits what you want;

Does it NEED to be DMC related? Yes, it does. It's the whole point of the project;

Do I need to send you a quote or lyrics? No, it isn't obligatory. Although, I think it can add a lot of motivation to keep going!

Can I request couple interactions? This is a tricky one. You might, if it really matters to you. For instance, you and your favourite character hugging in the rain and such, but I wouldn't say the same for character ships;

Would you refuse a request with characters' ships? Well, I don't see how a drawing of, let's say, Dante and Lady kissing would help your rough days. I know it can be an escape and quite endearing, but I want to do something with deep meaning for you, not just something anyone could've requested with no special meaning. But if it REALLY means something to you having some characters as a couple (as a teen, I'd picture me as Trish, so I'd always ship her with Dante back then), please, do explain to me so we can think about it!

So, if you're drawing couples, can you draw them kissing? I'd prefer not to. Holding hands and hugging is the most I can do right now - kissing and beyond is not on my art skills at the moment;

Any other question that didn't show up here? Send me an ask and I'll answer you!

I see the Devil May Cry as this place we all eventually call home. We're all on different roads, doing our own things, but every once in a while, one of us drops by the shop, spending some time with Dante and the crew - and now, with each other, even if just a little.

And I want you to remember that, no matter what you're going through, you'll always find support at the Devil May Cry - with Dante, the crew and us.

I've been looking for some voluntary work, but currently I don't have much physical strength or energy. I can draw, though, and I want to do something with it - so far, for now, this is what I can do!

I hope I can help you guys to keep fighting. And I hope this will be the light so many people are needing to remember that we shall never surrender 🖤

*I don't think there'll be too many requests, but I'll eventually open spots if there are too many at the same time for me to handle ^^