Sensible Girl

I've been rereading the broken earth trilogy and finally managed to nail down my Essun design

2015 vs. 2017 Passing of the Elves With different style, and more vivid color :’3

snake and poppies

One more for @xiranjayzhao's Iron Widow, because when I read the descriptions of Yizhi's tattoos I knew I had to draw it. (I think there were other flowers mentioned, but my copy is back home so I couldn't look it up). I am rather happy with this turned out. :)

when i play what could have been

burrich, patience, fitz, & chivalry

on some more gentle book criticism it's wild that both of wu zetian's love interests in iron widow are highly educated & there are references to the aesthetics and structures of a scholar system, but there is utterly no casual reciting of classics, tactics, nor poetry from anyone. there are references to adapted forms of the classics, but it doesn't inform how characters talk or think (li shimin seems more like a guy who never got education than someone who memorizes poems to the point it destroyed his vision). I understand the whole "peasant frontier girl half literate" thing to an extent (even though it feels an odd choice) but there aren't even like idioms really. it feels very simplistic & uniform in characters' speaking style, and the world, language, and culture all read very flat because of that. tacticians like sima yi, an lushan, and zhuge liang too might have a more creative way to call someone a bitch or what is the point of reimagining them in this world is all I'm saying.

i think there was also a big miss of not even referencing half of the incredibly funny things that a star studded historical fiction cast could provide like zhuge liang never did something funny with a feather fan? no one had to bother him into working? no pranks with corpses? where is his ugly intelligent wife?

why not posture that an lushan's son gave the thumbs up on his murder? historically accurate and hilarious

ramy and his bird

best notification possible

Le Belle Fool Sans Merci - December 2022

My last piece from 2022, in which I tasked myself for some reason to a redraw of la belle dame sans merci with my favs. Closing off the year with this art piece was a little major for me (backgrounds ugh) but super excited to get into 2023 with renewed creative vigour!!

another interesting thing about letty's interlude is that, despite seeing herself as equally discriminated as robin and ramy because she is a woman, she does not think about victoire at all, who is both a woman and a person of colour...

“Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can't go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.”

Margaret Atwood - The Penelopiad, 2005.

Marcelo Jorge - Lemanjah is the Queen of the Sea.

Source: Ravenous Butterflies