Day 1 - Tender

Day 1 - Tender

When I go to sleep at night Eight legged dreams arise Cobwebs in my eyes Never, never gonna wake up -- "8 Legged Dreams" by Unlike Pluto

The modern Original Character Creator experience.

Denizens of tumblr, the answers you seek often lay in the tags or the image descriptions…

Day 8 - Morning Routine

If an evil villainess wants to get anything done, she's GOT to have a morning routine~

Old-ish sketch of Sweet Nightmares' leader of the Hunters' Guild, Felix Hundsmann. 

He was also known semi-infamously as "mage-killer" in the past, though that tidbit about him has been rather lost to history. So has his real first name, rather than the one he took on as a gladiator, and the fact that before stepping into the arena as a slave he had been a king once. (I mean, I'd be grumpy enough to take out a the mages who pointed the Romans to my doorstep too, after that.)

He used to pal around with MyungJin's parents, and if not estranged by certain events, he would likely have been something of an uncle/father-figure to her. He's currently leading the polls in Ambitious Bad Guy Vibes among the cast. But he's got a contender... 

*Art by Ismaire

Day 1 - Tender

His hands are oh, oh so tender Providing sweet protection While around you shadows render Shapes of wild, toothy nightmares

Your name on his breath a reminder Of his unbridled, fearsome power To throw your heart into the grinder But the want outweighs the fear

Sensual and fond, he raises you Above the doubts you drown in But praising whispers melt into Warnings of the coming fall

Your soul bows in brief surrender Before your body catches on Because this new master is tender Unlike all who held your leash before

-- poetry by Ismaire

Boy, Ashe has a lot of contenders for Darr's... heart. Yeah.

DTIYS of an illustration by Kazuya Minekura. Needed a subject that I wanted to experiment with workflow and brushes. Plus, meditating over old fandom is so therapeutic.

TL;DR: Life is short. Just go ahead and write your story and draw your art. If you want to do something with your art, know that it won't be easy but it's possible as long as you keep learning, make good connections, and don't stop.

(Reflection of current art journey under read more)

This is of one of my favorite illustrations by Kazuya Minekura. If there's one big, major influence in my art journey, it's the creator of Gensomaden Saiyuki. I was maybe in 5th grade when I discovered the manga, which coincided with me seeing the anime on cable. A retelling of a Chinese folktale with a Japanese perspective: this was so appealing to me from harmonizing different cultures into one story, to beautiful men getting mixed with supernatural horror. This may as well have been my queer awakening then.

There was so much to be introspective about while drawing this… like how 6th grade me couldn't comprehend why people treated gay/queer as different from straight, my love for Asian folklore and mythology, and this burning desire to draw anything and everything. It only seemed appropriate that I'd gravitate towards Minekura as an art idol. And despite people's criticism for it, this is a foundation that I have no regrets in.

I remembered how much I wanted to emulate Minekura when I was younger. It's such a striking style! Unfortunately, my art journey has seen a lot of stop-and-go to the point I couldn't comprehend the progress made. There have been times where I just resented my art because I felt directionless with my creativity. Thanks to Ismaire and some art friends, though, I'm actually happy lately to see how much my "art style" evolved to where it is today.

[***]

While I was finishing up the rendering, I couldn't help wondering how Ms. Minekura had been doing since I last read Saiyuki Reload Vol. 4. Was she even still around? What about her other works, like Wild Adapter? I knew that she had a blog, but whenever I took a look at it in the past, the updates were sporadic then that it may as well have been a dead blog.

Then, after one more bout of curiosity, I came across her twitter/X profile.

It was both relieving and energizing to see so many works that I didn't know she had drawn then! I was so happy to see she seems to be thriving with her works, but I was surprised to see that she was still contending with many health problems. I had to pause in my scrolling through her profile at one point. How she could sound so positive and cheerful while she's dealing with Cushing's syndrome now? Last I heard anything major, she was about to undergo surgery for a tumor on her jaw -- and I only found out about that update through an online fan news years back o-o;;

I can't assume too much about Minekura's personal life, but with what she was willing to share with her fans online, I have a more nuanced respect for her as an adult creator.

It's so reassuring to see a creator like Minekura continue growing her creativity. I only hope to aspire to her level of good attitude despite IRL hurdles, while having the means to share such a prolific world for everyone else to enjoy.