First off – yes, I cheated on the grass. Srsly, my attempts were looking pretty sad. Also – yes, the mountains look kind of bare.
BUT.
I like the smudgy tree things, and Ceniro himself didn’t turn out too badly.
It is based off this pencil sketch. I did the background all in the computer.
I’ve been putting up recordings on YouTube! Organ recordings! They’re not as good as the actual performance but that was because I kept falling off the organ bench! : P
IT’S DONE WHOOOO
Oooh, a big coloured picture. I did one. Took me multiple days, but it’s better than the other ones that I was doing a while ago. I really tried to make the lighting look right. It was hard and is still lacking (though good for a beginner). But I discovered how to do the sparkly tool and also I used a filter on the background.
Sorry for taking so long. I know I said I was working on it but then I got busy. Busier.
Apologies for everyone who has been taking my raving about the Tour. I’ll shut up now, I’ll really try. I just love it so much, and not many people around here will let me fill their ears with my opinions. 🙁
Chapter 8: Landing at Taizel Chapter 10: Father and Son
Chapter 9: Fluorspar’s Oath
We marched east along the road quickly all that day. Myrrh could fly, but she was small and could not go fast. I hoped we would catch up to her soon. The horse-mounted scouts were busy; everyone was on edge all that day. We were surrounded by the land of Grado and enemy soldiers could be over every hill.
We came to the wide region of Hanarka, where rivers spiralled and corkscrewed their way down from the northeastern mountains into the western lakes, which fed more rivers leading to the southern sea… There, we found enemies. A whole army of Grado, with more on the horizon, was lining up between the riverbanks.
I discussed tactics with Syrene, riding alongside me.
“The general is distant, but it appears to be Selena Fluorspar,” she said.
I nodded. I had met Selena once or twice. She had not yet been a general when I met her, only a commander. She was kind, if reserved.
Rachel pushed up beside us. “I’ve heard of her. It’s said in Rausten she is feared by bandits for her use of Bolting, the lightening spell that strikes from afar without mercy.”
“Thank you, Rachel. I will use caution against such magic… Anything else, Syrene?” I asked.
“Vanessa reports there may be bandits in the southeastern mountains, and there are some strange people to the east who do not wear Grado’s uniform…”
“How strange?”
“One is a woman, dressed in a short skirt more suited for Jehanna; the others are all big strong men. Perhaps a noblewoman is travelling.”
“Then we needn’t worry about them just yet. Deussel!”
“Yes, Lord Ephraim?”
“Your company will sweep south along the eastern side of the rivers. Remind your men to look out for the travellers and not to hurt them.”
“Understood.” Deussel waved his axe and a number of knights, including Gilliam, and also Rachel, headed off with a rumble.
“As for the rest of you, follow me!” I cried, waving my own lance and running down to the west side of the rivers. Continue reading
Chapter 7: Phantom Ship Chapter 9: Fluorspar’s Oath
Chapter 8: Landing at Taizel
Our ship drew in to the port of Taizel the next day, as planned. All the soldiers and Myrrh were below deck, hidden from view. Syrene and I stood in the door to the cabin, sheltered, watching the sailors rush about. No arrows and fire had rained down on us as we entered the harbour, so I assumed we were not suspected yet.
“There’s no sign of enemy troops, either,” Syrene said, reflecting my thoughts.
“Let’s move quickly and prepare to go ashore. The capital is straight down the highway but we’ll be fighting for every step of the way.”
“Yes, and it will grow fiercer the closer we come,” the pegasus commander said with concern. “My lord, I would like to make a suggestion about troop distribution…”
“Yes?”
“The Grado Army outnumbers us by a tremendous amount. We’ve noted this many times. We have ready reservists to protect our supply convoy, but it is no good to defend the supplies if we lose the front. We should bring up all our soldiers to strengthen the van.”
“No, Syrene, that won’t do. I cannot approve of sending reservists to fight on the front lines, and we cannot abandon our supplies in enemy territory!”
“Prince Ephraim, we have talented soldiers, but that counts for nothing against those numbers!”
I looked quickly outside, but no one seemed to have noticed our heated argument. “Syrene, I know you only want to improve our chances of success, but when we are flanked on both sides by hostile armies, maybe towns, too, we will need that convoy. I also know that you make these suggestions to try to keep me from harm… but I have no intention of changing my mind! – Myrrh?”
The dragon girl had padded up behind me silently, her hands clutched to her chest. She reached out and touched me, and I had jumped and whirled on her.
“Oh… pardon me…” she stammered, looking rather frightened. “I-I… nothing…” And she fled deep into the ship.
“Myrrh…!” I called after her, apologetic. I had not detached myself from the discussion with Syrene, and turning the full intensity of my attention on Myrrh had probably not been the best thing to do. I sighed. I hoped she would forgive me. Continue reading
Y hello thar
Hey, a colour thing! A thing I did yesterday! It’s of Ceniro. I was messing around with Photoshop now that I have my tablet working again. I am going to be doing a bunch of colour pictures over the next few weeks as I find out how to paint. This picture only took about an hour or something, so I’m looking forward to doing bigger pictures. I picked a bunch of pencil sketches from the archives that would do well with some colour, some of them going back to about 2004 or so. Maybe I’ll start with that one. Maybe not; it would benefit from me having some actual knowledge.
Soooo…… I’m going to learn realism, hopefully. This picture is colourful, but it’s pretty plastic! Or I could learn how to colour in a cartoony style… like Wayrift… There are a few pictures I’m going to do in greyscale, too! <3
Chapter 6: Turning Traitor Chapter 8: Landing at Taizel
Chapter 7: Phantom Ship
A few hours, we were in the middle of the great Western Bay of Grado, also known as the Falisean Sea. It was getting close to sunset; we would dock in the port of Taizel close to noon on the next morning.
I was looking for Myrrh; she had been hard to find the last few days. I wondered if she’d been avoiding me, or if I was not paying enough attention to her. I resolved that I would hang out with her for the rest of this voyage, assuming Syrene had nothing important to say.
At last, I caught up with the small indigo-haired girl near the bow, gazing far across the waves as if she would never grow tired of the ceaseless swells. There were clouds and fog ahead, shrouding the far-distant shore which would have just been visible otherwise, making it look like the ocean went on forever.
“First time on the ocean, Myrrh?” I asked quietly, leaning on the rail beside her.
She looked at me quickly, surprised, I think. “Yes… It’s so blue, so vast.”
“It certainly is,” I replied cheerfully. “It’s my first time on a ship, too. It’s hard to appreciate just how big the sea is from land.”
“I would never have guessed,” she answered, shyly. “You seem so calm…”
I shrugged. “If I’m to properly lead us, I have to be somewhat stoic. You know?”
She slumped over the rail and I wondered if it was something I said. “Ephraim…”
I leaned towards her, wondering what she was going to say next. She had definitely been reclusive since we had set out with the army. ‘She must be lonely,’ I thought. We had been pretty close back when it was just me and my knights; I had chatted with her and encouraged her, and she had been hopeful and sweet as the child she appeared to be, even though I knew she was much older. Continue reading
…What are you looking so smug about?
Hi! I just got back from Ontario yesterday, visiting the whole family. It was splendid. But I like being back.
This is, obviously, a picture of Ceniro. I don’t remember the circumstances. Judging from the title I was listening to the Alan Parsons Project song of the same name, which is his temporary theme song… But maybe I just wanted to draw him. He didn’t turn out that great, though. He has a really weird smile.
I have decided to start wearing jewelry. I was given more on the trip, and it’s very pretty, and so is the stuff I already have. So that’s my new resolution – get fit, learn to draw realism, and wear sparkly stuff. (And finish my silly fanfics and my Hallowe’en costume. And learn to play all my music in an impressive fashion.)
I played some Fire Emblem on the trip, too. I can write a whole bunch of Ephraim’s story now, and I also played the first four chapters of Shadow Dragon. No fanfics forthcoming on that, though, as the manga is already awesome. Not that I own it or anything. I should look into that.
Also! The Museum of Civilization is pretty cool and so is the War Museum. I love the statue of Justice in the hall where the Vimy Memorial maquettes live. And they’re right by a painting that gave me shivers. But the War Museum also makes me cry pretty easily. Some people have asked me why I’m writing about a war, and I reply something about it needs to be recorded in the hopes that it inspires at least a few people in some fashion. And not in a warlike fashion, either. : P
Also KevT is back in town so there should be some D&D happening in the next month.
I thought someone might find this interesting, so here it is! – It’s the two sides of the piece of paper that I used to help me plot out Pent’s Story. On the one side, like so:
is a map of all the characters and how they relate together. As you can see, some of them I didn’t name at first – or at all, until it came to actually writing. And I did some digging on the Fire Emblem Wiki to find out all I could about Etruria. This chart was an amazing help to me. I recommend this method to everyone writing about a group of more than three characters. Continue reading
Chapter 9: Holy Maiden Rekka no Ken: Vol 3: The Tactician and the Black Fang: Chapter 1: Taking Leave
Chapter 10: The Farseer
Pent walked forward and touched the ice that sealed in Eshan. The defeated lord’s eyes were nearly bugged out. Pent’s eyebrow twitched and he turned away.
Yodel bent to pick up the Holy Maiden Staff and touched it to Pent’s shoulder. The staff glowed a little, and Pent’s colour returned and he didn’t cough anymore. Yodel went next to Roger and then Erk.
“I hope you are unharmed, Your Majesty,” Pent said to King Mordred, who was cleaning and sheathing his silver sword.
King Mordred nodded. “I am, and so are my wife and son. We are completely shocked, Reglay, completely and utterly shocked. What could have happened to Lord Eshan?”
“Lust for power,” Pent answered. “I still can’t understand what was going through his head…”
“But if you had not come, we do not think we would be alive now. Eshan would not only have taken over Elimine’s Church, he would have usurped the monarchy.” The door of the throne room came unlocked and several troops of guards poured through. Douglas motioned to them to take the iced-up Eshan away.
Pent bowed. “It is always my duty to serve Etruria.” Continue reading
Chapter 8: The Cost of an Amethyst Chapter 10: The Farseer
Chapter 9: Holy Maiden
It was dawn the day after the next when Pent and his company finally reached Aquleia. The day intervening had led them to Deis, where Ocery’s son Roger not only approved his soldiers’ travelling with Pent, but enthusiastically joined them. He was understandably furious at Pent for the death of his father, but the allure of an adventure with possible battlefield action against Lord Eshan excited him even more. Phil, his captain, and Paul, the second in command, had their hands full trying to keep their young lord calm enough to react reasonably to anything. He seemed most unwilling to listen to anything Ceniro said, even after both Phil and Paul told of how well he directed the group. Ceniro shrugged at the two guards after a twenty minute discussion with all three of them.
“It’s all right. Just stick to him like limpets and make sure he doesn’t get swamped. He should be able to take care of himself; just point him in the right direction.”
Phil nodded. “Will do.”
So at evening, they had set up their growing multitude of tents by the road almost two hours ride from Aquleia. Pent had tried to use the contact staff to talk to Douglas, but nothing happened.
The next morning, bright and early, they were entering the white towered city of Aquleia, the centre and jewel of Etruria, and found it in turmoil. The citizens were standing around, buzzing like angry bees; ordinary business was conducted, but an air of tension and excitement pervaded everything.
“Interesting,” Pent commented. “Eshan’s not interested in the common folk, and they’re not certain what to do yet. I suppose we shall see what happens later. Let’s see if we’re stopped heading for the castle.”
They were not stopped along the road to the castle, and indeed when they reached the castle gate, it was devoid of guard except a lone pair of soldiers with Eshan’s livery, who scurried away as soon as the armed group swept up. Continue reading