tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66857084528404242192024-03-18T11:44:08.907-07:00T. K. ArispeSci-fi and fantasy writer. Illustrator. Dinosaur dressage competitor.T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.comBlogger420125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-91921934436026114482024-03-18T11:42:00.000-07:002024-03-18T11:43:12.859-07:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">More old art. I was so worried I'd lost these, so I'm really glad I found them floating around my hard drive.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These are portraits I did for Blynn, Hyren, and Suhel (I guess that's obvious) for some profiles I did of them. I still like these pics despite their age, and now I can link to them in Neopets stories that I put here on the blog.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1TIbIKiDk04Cg5gj7ngy69if0aH-CkxNFMFPvGijE8YNMQjQD3gBHJMI0AHwxKksJoFPMAPPcBIS2l20VZerF3C-AMGC3t6lf1T5g0CxGVJz3ZYDjrz0xH1DdU2GbNk2-V6RPOXNJ8ehkvYuWt0tBGM_mwLL-8FH4xyWln5LShSc_WUELHI2nkcimsSkD/s532/Blynn%20Portrait.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="281" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1TIbIKiDk04Cg5gj7ngy69if0aH-CkxNFMFPvGijE8YNMQjQD3gBHJMI0AHwxKksJoFPMAPPcBIS2l20VZerF3C-AMGC3t6lf1T5g0CxGVJz3ZYDjrz0xH1DdU2GbNk2-V6RPOXNJ8ehkvYuWt0tBGM_mwLL-8FH4xyWln5LShSc_WUELHI2nkcimsSkD/s320/Blynn%20Portrait.png" width="169" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0bxig4FE3NlnIwl0PoOJM5UnYrzePJDVA8sNGGWlWUKpSuHCBLKm15xtgOAR2Oo546FMQrScHGsJU3XVUeyncGobkxTLFSLWvFj9YMex_uwZDc8IJ3sijyFs_3PNZZpxc9ftgqYZpm3hnM6KhcKjFfrSImAxInilzaFK5WcGKMz-wtU84X21TFmnqCbu/s451/Hyren%20Portrait.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="415" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0bxig4FE3NlnIwl0PoOJM5UnYrzePJDVA8sNGGWlWUKpSuHCBLKm15xtgOAR2Oo546FMQrScHGsJU3XVUeyncGobkxTLFSLWvFj9YMex_uwZDc8IJ3sijyFs_3PNZZpxc9ftgqYZpm3hnM6KhcKjFfrSImAxInilzaFK5WcGKMz-wtU84X21TFmnqCbu/s320/Hyren%20Portrait.png" width="294" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-q9lkuV72wlQdB8iOXwuj7QXpR75ABMEAbWkMeXBIJEX6yBBKmXsVaTm2HH8IH6AoUFuwH3UKCHbZsGSvFxzLFTjo8qQcK4YCAQ9aGhHcBTdyuLbSWOeEJ1kNZqnTZYXuhYG1FQkSFHMqnVbjQeKEgIugFBzpDy-dj3HcLFXl4_uEL1OiuWC-C8iVfWTz/s627/Suhel%20Portrait.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="627" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-q9lkuV72wlQdB8iOXwuj7QXpR75ABMEAbWkMeXBIJEX6yBBKmXsVaTm2HH8IH6AoUFuwH3UKCHbZsGSvFxzLFTjo8qQcK4YCAQ9aGhHcBTdyuLbSWOeEJ1kNZqnTZYXuhYG1FQkSFHMqnVbjQeKEgIugFBzpDy-dj3HcLFXl4_uEL1OiuWC-C8iVfWTz/s320/Suhel%20Portrait.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-9834616360652478082024-03-15T14:10:00.000-07:002024-03-15T15:52:19.788-07:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_w0dWlsYBnQxTFHFlTc7j2v1jgIcTjRlSNVZdJsPXmem24Mtvo37poT3qdpzTqBM93WqyQBYAK5BGuoFQAj-TaR7_Eu2jrp3hnLYkfTdPaqKUPkC1rEIMWFOBxOl3d5F2bFRltQWfnoXI1ppAwxw1X1kqNTUj0oLSALRpquKW4tv2PcvXss-HSH8m9yd/s1296/cremerepublicans.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1272" data-original-width="1296" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_w0dWlsYBnQxTFHFlTc7j2v1jgIcTjRlSNVZdJsPXmem24Mtvo37poT3qdpzTqBM93WqyQBYAK5BGuoFQAj-TaR7_Eu2jrp3hnLYkfTdPaqKUPkC1rEIMWFOBxOl3d5F2bFRltQWfnoXI1ppAwxw1X1kqNTUj0oLSALRpquKW4tv2PcvXss-HSH8m9yd/w400-h393/cremerepublicans.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />I just wanted to do a sketch of Financier Cookie and Clotted Cream Cookie from the Crème Republic storyline in Cookie Run: Kingdom, which was <i>awesome</i>. Financier rocks.<p></p><p>This picture is actually based off of <a href="https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/cookierunkingdom/images/4/4a/GingerBrave_Instagram_Art_Cookie_Time_Cover.jpeg" target="_blank">this illustration</a> which was posted on the official CRK Twitter account.</p><p>When the Crème Republic storyline first started, I was absolutely certain Clotted Cream Cookie was the bad guy. With that smug smirk and charismatic demeanor and super fancy clothes, I just <i>knew</i> he was hiding something. </p><p>Okay, that's not the first or last time I've been wrong about someone being the villain. Maybe I have trust issues.</p>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-78853635858338355202024-03-12T11:07:00.000-07:002024-03-12T11:07:56.447-07:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiiwPesMkyV7XibhxvrcJiV8RaAUgAqlrX5dBjcZgx69_l_A5XHsj6qoXPGxb_Zyd75nDHALQ0D8eCms_dBojzeVAZt-t5M_98LO-a_xnkG8Tgs3jfq0W34S3QjNNzggrpXDoQmeORLbX2u9sUWgnAS6J5v9vctjyq9pKGpIA48XxyF5Q2UJTCAhomKZ9_f" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="713" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiiwPesMkyV7XibhxvrcJiV8RaAUgAqlrX5dBjcZgx69_l_A5XHsj6qoXPGxb_Zyd75nDHALQ0D8eCms_dBojzeVAZt-t5M_98LO-a_xnkG8Tgs3jfq0W34S3QjNNzggrpXDoQmeORLbX2u9sUWgnAS6J5v9vctjyq9pKGpIA48XxyF5Q2UJTCAhomKZ9_f=w382-h400" width="382" /></a></div><br />More old art. This is from when Pokémon Go first came out and I was so totally psyched to have a Pokémon adventure in real life.<p></p><p>Then I moved someplace that didn't have nearly as many Gyms or PokéStops, and that kind of killed the fun a bit. So I'm looking forward to Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link, which has a somewhat similar concept but the ability to actually move your character on the map independently of where you happen to be.</p><p>(Don't get me wrong, I still play Pokémon Go, just not as often nowadays given the circumstances.)</p>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-28770044507553075502024-03-11T11:25:00.000-07:002024-03-12T08:17:09.786-07:00<p>Updates have been kind of sparse because I've been busy, and because it's been really snowy here which has impeded my ability to get to the museum to sketch. <span style="font-size: x-small;">And also because I am - I think understandably - a bit miffed that people don't seem to be paying attention to my work despite my best efforts, so I'm not exactly feeling super motivated to produce/post more of it.</span></p><p>Anyway, that's neither here nor there. I said I'd be uploading more old art, so here are a few pieces I submitted to the Art Gallery on Neopets. I can't remember which of them actually got in, and unfortunately the AG does not have a function to search submissions by username like the Neopian Times does, but if you're feeling really bored, you can go through the thousands of AG pages and try to find these. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizXiI6FO7zjbDNHRr6JNbHpZEnJYlBBFAl8190xeYkK4ymL7dQ6WSS2_Gl9r6eGKQGF0lMkqER5UFUw28wkGI6MHOs6Ox-8bRsWSIEVqFf8FVW_rYD60w6t-9pz2i1S_fd02vHDgdDysKAHA9wrXru-AHArPc2fb-td3QmHDbvKKVU0-N64lbBR_Z8NSt3" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="575" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizXiI6FO7zjbDNHRr6JNbHpZEnJYlBBFAl8190xeYkK4ymL7dQ6WSS2_Gl9r6eGKQGF0lMkqER5UFUw28wkGI6MHOs6Ox-8bRsWSIEVqFf8FVW_rYD60w6t-9pz2i1S_fd02vHDgdDysKAHA9wrXru-AHArPc2fb-td3QmHDbvKKVU0-N64lbBR_Z8NSt3=w400-h315" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is how Blynn solves the Negg Cave puzzle. She's not really interested in being normal.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFbzUitAPm1jf7aW7CDzlSqgqqY-vf-YQB6RYT0d510sSjByJGR2nKWTKVcnS8r6QNVtsJ1W46FqLtklcHjE07GjShmX2z56cp1npbmAQ8fgB-LgsvAzG0S2zymrcODcCmkAX4cFaM_81wdMhiZJFHPPTCIZ8iuvTf2dvg66kdck9Yupwxfhyedlmv-mbJ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="700" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFbzUitAPm1jf7aW7CDzlSqgqqY-vf-YQB6RYT0d510sSjByJGR2nKWTKVcnS8r6QNVtsJ1W46FqLtklcHjE07GjShmX2z56cp1npbmAQ8fgB-LgsvAzG0S2zymrcODcCmkAX4cFaM_81wdMhiZJFHPPTCIZ8iuvTf2dvg66kdck9Yupwxfhyedlmv-mbJ=w400-h329" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A clever way to lose friends quickly.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqxMC4BLV8LEG19DtIoIUiBAVonSOmO9FsIfNVQ-C-UF7BShWRJGozYHBRoWxYPAlXnjfwXaRv9vu0Px2AktMU3W1EDdA1EddFdqxAXTOG_fVjlKFnqUyJ_H_8aaXO-9aRbuuETXPL2xnKkkSUXRpcfA4alx-1OBWXkY7PY39_yHVD_gYzhyscEZTQ-SVw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="700" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqxMC4BLV8LEG19DtIoIUiBAVonSOmO9FsIfNVQ-C-UF7BShWRJGozYHBRoWxYPAlXnjfwXaRv9vu0Px2AktMU3W1EDdA1EddFdqxAXTOG_fVjlKFnqUyJ_H_8aaXO-9aRbuuETXPL2xnKkkSUXRpcfA4alx-1OBWXkY7PY39_yHVD_gYzhyscEZTQ-SVw=w400-h328" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mostly I just wanted to have fun painting the Ghost Lupe's flowy ghost tendrils. Ah, the joys of obscure and underutilized canon characters.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjF4zgDHjndKIV5fyO-9NHmJFccgP9VxpolIOwvZMsrPZW5YCy_RsXLLAXEwaKHEwiTEvXCzwpGKpqEtW41QmN_NT2ha81nNUta4YHvd5w4XxNjgMcc73rFPCEeCkcRKT-BY6MHW7OM9m7ZQXv3s1dA_X7xhNUEChhciVLR24eB0Xx2ThRH3JT3273fOxY0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjF4zgDHjndKIV5fyO-9NHmJFccgP9VxpolIOwvZMsrPZW5YCy_RsXLLAXEwaKHEwiTEvXCzwpGKpqEtW41QmN_NT2ha81nNUta4YHvd5w4XxNjgMcc73rFPCEeCkcRKT-BY6MHW7OM9m7ZQXv3s1dA_X7xhNUEChhciVLR24eB0Xx2ThRH3JT3273fOxY0=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Okay but when will that storm on Lutari Island <i>ever</i> end? (For those not in the know, this is the in-universe excuse for why an area exclusive to a dead mobile app can't be accessed on the website.)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiiw-8wjiA-Ly3ZwhJOTg82DsfQ0LA4uQDyRmNTg1PL2nkm4QXZlFjK9kZ8ThVIzxs-v4Uw48PcjgTOd82sftetnAxJlrrS9GHC5gJFiSWzzxZhL_fsEqf1N_Y4QeMuHsG6orgi65WaAmd9ZdjHb9AHeK7hNmTnYJQZukuGaiT44LWMKLpMUcsgpuoR4RsE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="700" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiiw-8wjiA-Ly3ZwhJOTg82DsfQ0LA4uQDyRmNTg1PL2nkm4QXZlFjK9kZ8ThVIzxs-v4Uw48PcjgTOd82sftetnAxJlrrS9GHC5gJFiSWzzxZhL_fsEqf1N_Y4QeMuHsG6orgi65WaAmd9ZdjHb9AHeK7hNmTnYJQZukuGaiT44LWMKLpMUcsgpuoR4RsE=w400-h358" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Grey Neopets and Petpets are just not my thing at all, but Grey Day was coming up, so. Although, Millie Browning from my fanfics is a Grey Ogrin (albeit a non-emo one). And I did have fun incorporating the lore of Grey Faeries into <a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/10/the-spirit-of-black-keep-chapter-1.html" target="_blank">The Spirit of Black Keep</a>.</div><p></p>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-5320613635009236882024-02-07T14:41:00.000-08:002024-02-07T14:41:51.241-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpoOcaUwKkNdp8CDnL9AcM5v5X9SJFLuZ2tVOWTSP755QFME92e2FifO8bfcXbuf35vUZKD84VhVKogbwbMkZvR13PqM3qCTQzvtpUYivikutIOjH8Vb8ssp7F-ZRFa8o4cA8K2_dmt73sZcgFy0Bv2wKoNgvpdTa4hV0M9FtxKslj8uU9gef3CT1cVI-/s1575/IMG_3557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1386" data-original-width="1575" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpoOcaUwKkNdp8CDnL9AcM5v5X9SJFLuZ2tVOWTSP755QFME92e2FifO8bfcXbuf35vUZKD84VhVKogbwbMkZvR13PqM3qCTQzvtpUYivikutIOjH8Vb8ssp7F-ZRFa8o4cA8K2_dmt73sZcgFy0Bv2wKoNgvpdTa4hV0M9FtxKslj8uU9gef3CT1cVI-/w400-h353/IMG_3557.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>More sketching fun from the Idaho Museum of Natural History! They've got a <i>Protoceratops</i> mount in their current fossil exhibition about fossils from the Wayan Formation. While no fossils from the Wayan have yet been identified as <i>Protoceratops</i>, there are a few fragments of ceratopsian fossils that may have belonged to a close relative, as around that time there was a land bridge between Asia and western North America, and the fauna of the Wayan is very reminiscent of parts of Asia (including my homies the oviraptorosaurs).</p><p>I gave it whiskers because <i>Protoceratops</i> remind me a bit of pigs (in a good, cute way). It could have happened!</p><p>Another thing that's fun about sketching paleoart from fossil mounts in real life is that you can choose whatever angle you want; most photos of fossil mounts on the Internet are side views, sometimes face-on, but in this case I was standing right next to something about the size of a golden retriever and wanted to try drawing it from my vantage point looking down at it. I think the result actually gives more of an impressions like you're taking the family pet out for a walk; much more nonthreatening than dinosaurs are often portrayed. </p>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-51473527266527858862024-01-31T16:31:00.000-08:002024-01-31T16:31:37.903-08:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6UMYsKdAfYRnulmv_cHr9RvQ68pfW8rdx5eZEFdM_IYz_nU75mXTvKiyeXpqman_8MIDRNdsJzSoiyLCPohWQR-OeiLgtWad9SdLbfP0ZGBqceJhD5mGbOnLE2mN3enfZ-qI05p1JuDRuoWkCwdZTwHsTQ9BJTxiHN0J4apnJSsI2Z0SOAYolThbheij1/s1917/IMG_3543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1917" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6UMYsKdAfYRnulmv_cHr9RvQ68pfW8rdx5eZEFdM_IYz_nU75mXTvKiyeXpqman_8MIDRNdsJzSoiyLCPohWQR-OeiLgtWad9SdLbfP0ZGBqceJhD5mGbOnLE2mN3enfZ-qI05p1JuDRuoWkCwdZTwHsTQ9BJTxiHN0J4apnJSsI2Z0SOAYolThbheij1/w400-h223/IMG_3543.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />More sketching from the Idaho Museum of Natural History! Have I mentioned lately how much I love living five minutes away from a natural history museum?<p></p><p>This one was inspired by a chat with Dr. L. J. Krumenacker at a recent museum event where we discussed the mobility range of <i>Oryctodromeus</i> tails (pro tip, if you come give a paleontology lecture at the museum I will badger you with weird questions afterward). Oryctos, like most ornithopods, had tails that were strongly reinforced with tendons, limiting up-down flexibility (so no, no tail-dragging hadrosaurs like you see in older art), but Dr. Krumenacker said these tendons didn't affect lateral movement. I was seeking to understand how it is that oryctos had tails longer than their bodies but lived in burrows only 25 centimeters in diameter, and I suspect they curled up rather like this.</p><p>If you'll notice, a little friend is peeking in to say hello; fossil orycto burrows have indeed been found with much smaller burrows off to the sides, strongly suggesting that mammals co-opted the tunnels like a Cretaceous apartment building.</p>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-24993727682008486742024-01-25T12:10:00.000-08:002024-01-31T08:08:09.146-08:00Why I'm not going back to Neopets<p>It's time for another highly opinionated rant, and with a provocative title like that, you know you want to read more. Actually probably nobody cares, but sometimes it just feels good to blog out my feelings, especially when it's a subject that I feel passionately about and has been a big part of my creative life. Besides, on the off chance that people actually pay attention to my Neopets work and are wondering why I no longer submit to the Neopian Times, am not pursuing a more prominent position in the fan community, etc., this post will explain it.</p><p>Spoilers: If you actually like the direction Neopets has been going lately, you will not agree with this post. You have been warned. I'm not trying to start an argument, I'm just feeling some feelings right now and want to air them for anybody curious, since at one point I was a mildly prolific Neopian Times writer.</p><p>Also, this is a long read, so buckle up. I've got several bones to pick.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><br /></p><p>I started playing Neopets in 2002 and quit in 2019; you can <a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2019/03/the-toymaker.html" target="_blank">read my reasons why in this post</a>. For four years, I had been patiently waiting for the website to regain its sea legs, so to speak, not only on the technical end of things but also creatively. The creative team up until 2015 was amazing. They were skilled artists and writers who knew how to craft a vibrant, unique, compelling world. After Viacom sold Neopets to what I can really only describe as a money-hungry faceless gaming corporation (which was then bought by another money-hungry faceless gaming corporation), not only did the site suffer massively on the technical side (anybody else remember the insane lagging and glitches?), but, to be frank, the creative facet of the game completely went down the drain and also simultaneously went up in flames.</p><p>Now, okay, I understand that for people who mainly play(ed) Neopets for reasons <i>other</i> than the excellent worldbuilding and eye-candy graphics, like the social aspects and getting to play around with website coding, rubbish artwork and writing isn't a big deal. But for me, it was the straw that broke the <a href="https://images.neopets.com/template_images/apis_drinking.gif" target="_blank">Apis</a>'s back <span style="font-size: x-small;">(I think I'm so clever)</span>. The pre-JumpStart (and [shudder] NetDragon) creative content was absolute joy and perfection, holding itself to the highest of professional standards. Then JumpStart laid off the <i>entire. creative. team. </i>and replaced them with - I will phrase this diplomatically - people who I don't believe were qualified for the job and who really needed more training on not only how to write better, how to draw better, but how to <i>not steal fan artwork and use it for official site graphics</i>. </p><p>Yes, <a href="https://items.jellyneo.net/item/60825/" target="_blank">that actually happened</a>. And I hope people lost their jobs over it because that is totally unacceptable. Being incompetent is one thing (but still not a good thing), but being unethical? That will get you kicked out of art school, but to be brutally honest, I don't think the JumpStart art team even had a proper art education with the horrible graphics they were churning out. No wonder they stooped to stealing. </p><p>And the writing, oof, the writing. First off, for almost three years there were no big creative content updates <strike>except for items made with stolen artwork</strike>. In 2017, there was the Wraith Resurgence plot, which was... okay, not great, definitely not up to the standard of the Viacom creative team, but I didn't hate it (it even inspired one of my original characters for a Neopian Times series). Then in 2018 they got us all excited about a new plot, Lyra and the Lost Heirloom. And it. Was. Awful. <i>Awful. <b>Awful.</b></i> The main characters were abrasive and irritating. I zero percent care about a whiny entitled teenager (with color-clashing hair and fur, yuck) and an edgy bad-boy thief whose "friendship" consists entirely of vaguely teaming up while slinging insults at each other. </p><p>I also legitimately hated that Aurrick (aforementioned thief) was additionally the protagonist of a (really bad) mobile game called <i>Legends and Letters</i>, which portrayed him as an adult, still being completely unlikeable. I played that game for about a day and a half before I realized I was doing it entirely to support Neopets and not because I was deriving any sort of enjoyment out of it. I'm not sure why the writers tried so hard to push Aurrick on the players with both the game and the site plot, because if your beloved brand new canon character is a thief, he needs to actually have some redeeming qualities. Aurrick isn't trying to right societal wrongs like Robin Hood, kindhearted and chivalrous like Disney's Aladdin, or just trying to help make ends meet for his group like <a href="https://bookofages.jellyneo.net/characters/68/" target="_blank">Tomos</a> and <a href="https://bookofages.jellyneo.net/characters/67/" target="_blank">Nabile</a>--he's a self-serving jerk who has no interest in the greater good or helping others, and has nothing but snide remarks and backstabbing for everyone he meets. And it's not even like this changes over the course of the two storylines he's involved in--he just continues to be an irritating one-dimensional anti-hero all the way through. I'm not sure what kind of demographic the writers were trying to appeal to with him, but it definitely wasn't the me demographic.</p><p>The canon characters in Lyra and the Lost Heirloom - from a previous plot I actually liked, no less - acted completely out of character. The same Princess Amira who utterly refused to surrender during a prolonged siege on Sakhmet is now a quivering pansy who falls apart under a little political unrest, and General Dacon, who for Pete's sake is the commander of the Sakhmetian army, a seasoned war veteran, and Amira's personal guard, gives up when rebels confront him because he apparently decides he is just too old to protect the princess, and lets her get placed under house arrest with no more than a defeated shrug. Hyren would have some strong words for that kind of treasonous behavior. "When your assignment is to guard someone, <i>you guard them with your life, blast it!</i>"</p><p>Also, why didn't Qasala react sooner? That kingdom has strong political and blood ties to Sakhmet, and the whole situation with the coup was set off by Sakhmetians disliking Sakhmet providing financial aid to Qasala (although the reason for that is not ever actually given and just seems like a lame excuse to have something dramatic happen in Sakhmet), but why does it take until the climax of the plot for them to show up? Wouldn't King Jazan and Queen Nabile have noticed something going on in their neighboring kingdom a lot sooner than that? Like the fact that financial aid would have been suddenly and mysteriously cut off? </p><p>Further, it's waaaaay too unbelievable of a coincidence that Lyra, upon running away from home, randomly decides to steal the one family heirloom that unbeknownst to her is the key to saving the city. (If you're running away from home, it's also just a terribly stupid idea to additionally steal a prominently displayed, large and unwieldy weapon that you don't know how to use.) And why does having a flaming sword automatically make General Dacon unafraid of the mobs? The dude is a tank, but suddenly he just needs his sword to be on fire to successfully take down his enemies? The plot is just riddled with so many holes and weaknesses that it makes me sick. Like I audibly said "blech" while reviewing the plot summary to make sure I had my info straight while I was writing this. </p><p>And the illustrations, oh, the illustrations. Besides the color theory issues, there were all sorts of things wrong, from <a href="https://bookofages.jellyneo.net/assets/imgs/events/pages/lyra-and-the-lost-heirloom_the-wall.png" target="_blank">minimal-effort environments</a>, to <a href="https://bookofages.jellyneo.net/assets/imgs/events/pages/lyra-and-the-last-heirloom_the-battle.png" target="_blank">unconvincingly-gripped swords, conveniently silhouetted extras, and a disturbing lack of muscular structure (don't even get me started on that face)</a>, to <a href="https://images.neopets.com/themes/049_thelostheirloom_nov2018/rotations/5.png" target="_blank">recycled</a> character <a href="https://images.neopets.com/themes/019_sloth1_7f914/rotations/9.png" target="_blank">artwork</a>, to (this one makes me laugh and that's not a good thing) <a href="https://images.neopets.com/desert/latlh/rtU732Qs53HaoEH2.png" target="_blank">actually copying and pasting a character to fill a scene like we weren't going to notice</a>. </p><p>Also, as a paleoartist, creature artist, and animal enthusiast <strike>who actually bothers to do research</strike> it annoys me more than it would probably annoy most people that Aymas has a <a href="https://bookofages.jellyneo.net/assets/imgs/characters/lg/7802.png" target="_blank">tattered. feathered. wing.</a> when in reality, avians regularly molt their feathers and regrow new ones, effectively regenerating their wing structure. Feathered wings cannot, in the long term, display the same kind of damage as membranous wings (bats, pterosaurs, dragons, etc.). Okay, you say, that's fair, but what if the damage was recently sustained? I admit that's a possibility, but then you have the fact that <i>there are holes in the wing and then feathers on the other side, which is physically impossible</i>. If something tears a hole in a feather (which is really difficult in the first place since feathers are basically dense collections of very pliable filaments), the severed end of the feather drops out. As in, there's nothing to hold it in place anymore. In real life, birds with damaged wing feathers have feather-long gaps in their wings. <i>Not holes.</i> I actually laugh at Aymas every time I see him because the designers were obviously just trying way too hard to make him look tough and edgy and decided to ignore the laws of physics and believable biology.</p><p>And yes, I know these are cartoon characters and I should not take them too seriously. I am already cutting the Neopets art style as a whole a lot of slack for doing the whole Disney <a href="https://images.neopets.com/games/new_tradingcards/lg_bfm_kass1.gif" target="_blank">flexible-beak thing</a> with their avian creatures, but that's mostly because overall the art is just so awesome, I mean look at Kass there, he's such an epic Draconian. (Please note that when I draw avian Neopians like Kass, I keep their beaks rigid because I am pedantic.) But I believe all good fantasy illustration has a foundation in reality, and it just stretches my suspension of disbelief too far to see a character defy the laws of animal biology and physics for no good reason. (Trying to make someone look edgier and more villainous is usually not a good enough reason.)</p><p>I will admit I wrote a rather cross email to Neopets at the conclusion of this plot kindly suggesting that they hire better writers and artists. It's not that difficult to find a skilled artist. Even an art major still in college could have done a better job than this wreckage. I'm not sure if the NetDragon staff actually couldn't afford to hire a real artist, or hired an art team that just thought they could get away with rubbish graphics. Neither possibility is particularly comforting.</p><p>Plus, maybe it's just me, but I felt like this plot dipped into some subjects that hit a little too close to real-world issues for my comfort, and it made me concerned about other players' emotional well-being as well. Past Neopets plots were heavily steeped in fantasy/sci-fi elements, and the threats in them were things like power-hungry sorceresses, vengeful faeries, and malevolent galactic overlords. They were worthy foes, sure, but not super relatable to anything going on in the real world, and in my eyes, that made them feel safe. Players could have fun outwitting Xandra or defeating Dr. Sloth's troops in the Battledome without being reminded of really unpleasant stuff they may have seen on the real-world news, or even experienced personally.</p><p>Lyra and the Lost Heirloom, however, dealt with political turmoil, civilian revolts and military corruption, riots in the streets, and a misguided attempt to overthrow a government that wasn't actually doing anything wrong. Characters who had been heroes in previous lore were unfairly antagonized by the citizens they served. It's all too uncomfortably reminiscent of a lot of unfortunate incidents that have happened in real-world history and are still happening today. I don't actually want gritty, bleak political upheaval in my fantasy. We get more than enough of that in the real world.</p><p>And the relationship between Lyra and her father Aymas just really hit some sour notes with me. Aymas is an absolutely terrible father who not only evidently has a strained relationship with his daughter, but when he finally tracks her down, actually attacks her with the apparent intent to kill her. He's not only abusive, but murderous, and the only resolution the two find is for Lyra to get far away from him while he shows no remorse for his actions toward his own child. Parental abuse is a really, really sensitive subject, and I'm not pleased with the plot writers for going this direction. There are a lot of Neopets players who use the game as an escape from their own stressful family situations, and stuff like this can be really triggering. It's also just not pleasant or fun to see, even when it's between badly colored cartoon characters.</p><p>The old Neopets staff were very adamant about the idea of Neopets being a safe place where players of all ages and sensitivities could rest from their real-world worries and immerse themselves in a world full of wizards and space troopers, fantasy sports, and annual events dedicated entirely to chocolate. Behind the scenes, they were very self-aware about what kind of content they not only allowed players to present on the site, but what they themselves presented. It was a big part of what made the website and franchise a happy place for kids, teens, and adults alike. And I feel like the Lyra and the Lost Heirloom plot made me lose faith that the JumpStart staff were adhering to that same standard. Few things disturb me more than media creators who don't have an adequate awareness of what they're creating and why.</p><p>Fast forward to 2022, when I was mildly excited about a new Neopets mobile game called <i>Faerie's Hope</i>. I say "mildly excited" because based on the information I was seeing about it, it didn't look all that great, but I wanted to believe in Neopets again. I wanted to think this was the start of a return to excellence.</p><p>Well, I was wrong. <i>Faerie's</i> <i>Hope</i> has some pretty decent match-3 gameplay, but the story and graphics are so cringey. It takes place in Faerieland--not <a href="https://images.neopets.com/wheels/h5/excitement/images/bg.png" target="_blank">Faerieland on the ground</a>, but a patch of cloud somehow left over from when Xandra crashed the city. So everything is almost painfully pastel. The main character is, sorry not sorry, a really ditzy-looking light faerie with an uninteresting personality, and her sidekicks are a collection of preteen-looking Neopets with bad fashion sense and similarly dull personalities. The storyline is super eye-rolling; while it starts out somewhat interesting with Fyora tasking the main character with rebuilding the old Faerieland, it quickly devolves into mundane drivel such as the main character placing random knickknacks in her house and trying to figure out slumber party arrangements. </p><p>The whole game, including the cutesy and horribly off-model Petpet figures used in the match-3 puzzles, looks and feels like it was designed for preteen girls, and only for preteen girls. It's the sort of game I would not have enjoyed even when I actually was a preteen girl, and it just feels really alienating for anyone who is not interested in pastel pink and fashion design drama. Maybe it doesn't help that I'm not super into Neopets faeries (I'm more of a Werelupe girl), but if there must be faeries, I really like the idea of them being demigodly supermagical immortal entities with phenomenal powers and more interesting agendas than recoloring hotel windows, not sparkly ditzes in nightgowns who squeal every time I complete a level.</p><p>I think what makes things worse is that I feel like the general idea of the plot would have worked much better as a city-builder type game; if the whole idea is to rebuild the old Faerieland, I'd like to see gameplay that actually reflects that, instead of irrelevantly playing match-3 levels to earn Wocky Jelly (how does that tie in to Faerieland at all?) to perform linear tasks. The whole game just feels like a quickly cobbled-together cash grab instead of an experience worth my time. It's like whatever development team they outsourced this to wasn't even trying to match the creative vibe of the IP as a whole, they just zeroed in on Faerieland and faeries and sparkles and what else can we do to attract the type of people who shop at Claire's. It's rather shameless and a pale echo of what brought me to the site and kept me playing in the 2000s--fantastic lands, endearing characters, original and fresh creative design, and a commitment to keeping content kid-friendly while not intellectually alienating adults of any age.</p><p>Which leads me on nicely to my next point. I am fully aware of the recent administrative changes at Neopets. It's a story I've been following closely, and I'm very glad to see Neopets break away from NetDragon's string of terrible business decisions (NFTs? cheap mobile games? a Metaverse with a sociopathic social media team????) and become an independent IP again. It's also really nice to see that the current CEO is a Neopets player who truly cares about the franchise and is trying to revive it. And already I think they've made some really good steps in that direction.</p><p>However, despite that, I don't think I'll be returning to Neopets anytime soon, because I feel like they're taking the creative direction and the overall spirit of the site down paths that I'm not fond of. Despite still claiming to adhere to child-safety standards on the website, the staff has made it evident that they are mostly trying to appeal to young adults who played the game as children/teens and are now looking for a more "adult" Neopets experience. </p><p>I'm baffled as to why they now allow discussing certain sensitive, personal, and highly inflammatory subjects on the Neoboards, despite the fact that the boards are supposed to be safe for children--while usually only accounts 13 and over can access the Neoboards and other social content, parents can write in to Neopets to allow their underage child to access these areas, and historically the Neoboard admins have been very strict about keeping it a child-friendly environment. Neopets is not the place for anybody to be airing sensitive information about their personal lives. If players aren't allowed to discuss things like religion, dating/romance, or real-world politics/current events on the Neoboards, personal stuff (including stuff relating to dating and romance) has no place there either. It seems obvious to me with this move that Neopets are trying to cater to a specific community, which I don't feel is fair to people who don't want to hear about it, or to children and their parents who don't want them exposed to such things. It's a definite double standard.</p><p>(Although, in my honest opinion, I feel the Neoboards themselves are really outmoded, especially with the proliferation of social media as a much more versatile and well-equipped way for the player community to communicate with each other. If I was in charge, I'd kill the Neoboards and guilds and de-emphasize the social aspects of the site, because a) that's what social media is for nowadays and b) kids under 13 shouldn't be communicating with random strangers over the Internet anyway.)</p><p>I also hate that a fair amount of the more recent merchandise has been obviously tailored to adults. Neopets tarot cards, seriously? Please don't jump on that idiotic fortunetelling fad bandwagon. And the upcoming Battledome TCG (CCG? what's even the difference?) has been promoting itself as allowing you to relieve the nostalgia of Neopets, as though the IP is a thing of the past and the appeal of the game lies solely in giving you fond memories of junior high, rather than portraying Neopia as a living, breathing world that still has so much potential for expansion and further adventures with beloved characters and new ones alike (like the Faeries' Ruin plot, which did an awesome job of blending new and established characters into a cohesive cast, thank you old writers). As someone who is not in the age group they seem to be targeting, is not interested in seeing Neopets as merely a nostalgia jaunt, and also dislikes fads especially when they're stupid ones, all this stuff is just falling flat with me.</p><p>I'm also a bit miffed that the creative side of the IP is still really lacking. The new CEO promised some shiny fun stuff on that end back when he bought Neopets, like a new mobile game and a new plot, but it's been some months now and they haven't said anything new about either of those, just done a lot of technical fixes and upgrades. Which is not unwelcome, but it's been uncomfortably reminding me of 2015-2017 all over again, when the entire site was just one big bugfix <strike>with stolen graphics</strike>. </p><p>And after what happened with Lyra and the Lost Heirloom and the mobile games, I'm feeling really wary about the creative direction of any new plots or mobile games. Already I haven't exactly been thrilled with some of their latest creative content on the website. I'll say it again, the Viacom-era (and even pre-Viacom, yes, I am old and remember those days) creative team was absolutely top-notch. I can't bear to see Neopets be reduced to creative mediocrity and trend-chasing. So unless something drastically changes, I really am hanging up my Neopets hat and self-identifying as a former player. I loved the old Neopets. The new Neopets is just not something I'm a fan of.</p><p>As a final note, I also have to say that on a more personal level, I've also become disenchanted with Neopets because my Neopian Times writing is not garnering any attention whatsoever. After a years-long hiatus, I submitted a two-part series to the Times this past December for their Giving Day issue. It was a story I had worked hard on and derived a lot of enjoyment from, and had an important message that I wanted to share with anybody who might need it. The series was accepted, and even made the front-page quote of the Giving Day issue, which was an immense honor.</p><p>But I never received any Neomails about it or received any feedback on social media. And that was really disappointing and disheartening to me. I'd gone through all the effort to not only write the story, but format it and submit it, so that people can enjoy it, and as far as I know, no one's even read it. It brings me so much joy and fulfilment to know that my writing is positively affecting people, so to get zero reaction from my audience hurts. It makes me not want to submit anything to the Times anymore because it just doesn't feel worth the effort.</p><p>So, as I said, I'm stepping away from Neopets for the time being. I don't like the direction it's going and I don't like how my creative efforts are being treated by the player community despite my best efforts. It's an IP that's not giving me anything I want, and I don't owe it anything in return. I've got better ways to spend my time.</p><p>That being said, I remain way too invested in my fanfic cast. I am still working on archiving my fanfic here on this site, so if you've been enjoying those, there's more to come. Like a lot more. </p><p>Until then, later taters.</p>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-27077369531396620932024-01-19T16:04:00.000-08:002024-01-19T16:40:52.026-08:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1flFoG8F7XMKaEXuyMuC34MaM8vDqEqPJsB4fbrGqqvpn3yh7QgWoi-nG-1J6mFjC9s9VfPoZbBkhUdp_Z3GmchpJLxVAm5BUAh3QTJ1Kafedhn_1Q25wamYeDzh9yjQIfgkHm57NLMR8BMmT_z04Eg5N7XI4UArAcCCL3kFjrcF3FR19V3VVqj91G9vL/s1503/Toba%20wardrobe.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1503" data-original-width="1068" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1flFoG8F7XMKaEXuyMuC34MaM8vDqEqPJsB4fbrGqqvpn3yh7QgWoi-nG-1J6mFjC9s9VfPoZbBkhUdp_Z3GmchpJLxVAm5BUAh3QTJ1Kafedhn_1Q25wamYeDzh9yjQIfgkHm57NLMR8BMmT_z04Eg5N7XI4UArAcCCL3kFjrcF3FR19V3VVqj91G9vL/w284-h400/Toba%20wardrobe.png" width="284" /></a></div><br />A bit of costume design doodling for one of the novels I'm working on. These are the outfits Arun and Liu use when the Plainsmen winter over in Toba, a coastal desert city that stays nice and balmy in winter (which sounds really good right about now). In Toba, the Plainsmen go into vacation mode and dress up a little more than their usual lifestyle allows.<p></p><p>Also, that really is the size discrepancy between them. Plainsmen are huge, and the Xiaohe (Liu's ethnicity) are a bit on the small side. That's why Xiaohe don't ride kelenken--they're just not tall enough to get into the saddle. (Kelenken are about six feet tall at the hip.)</p>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-64244740548015784802024-01-10T14:32:00.000-08:002024-01-15T14:08:15.065-08:00<p>A few more concept sketches for that novel idea I've been tossing around.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17RArDSb33EMpgOxGFsBU6fl07f6lZCaQ0XIwHBez_PvPPlt1vfH_-N8z72NlQkLIMRCxYitHKvX2LEj0jJaYQNC7h3GF9s6GWl1ihMfbCRyhPnF1p9u73QvlSNGnafeNDvOTLNg-1UqyPugkTtjRohLmiwPeEB00cBKiNWlCN9HF4EKuRyqE1bwub0ki/s1620/Pashta.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1620" data-original-width="901" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17RArDSb33EMpgOxGFsBU6fl07f6lZCaQ0XIwHBez_PvPPlt1vfH_-N8z72NlQkLIMRCxYitHKvX2LEj0jJaYQNC7h3GF9s6GWl1ihMfbCRyhPnF1p9u73QvlSNGnafeNDvOTLNg-1UqyPugkTtjRohLmiwPeEB00cBKiNWlCN9HF4EKuRyqE1bwub0ki/s320/Pashta.png" width="178" /></a></div>Pashta is Arun's kid sister. High-spirited and a bit mischievous, she is curious about the culture of the simplefaces (the Plainsmen's somewhat derogatory term for non-Plainsman humans), and is excited to have a simpleface join the tribe so they can both learn from each other.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggPLLZEnS6r0fQVIpcMzI2Y4scDUYLEWgKZcjNiqS6P1MI8VWsTHikwxGT9GLebwPODEPefAyHRZ5AjVlVVjC-Djhcfl7Vyfh20bK9phE1xtAb7znv8PCLZZPsHMYUWseXQEOaM9sFGkDaL4CdQS7F2ldLLjIkzaXxsmGsl5zXnRy_37hz6RDqwN4PYqaG/s1753/Liu.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1753" data-original-width="660" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggPLLZEnS6r0fQVIpcMzI2Y4scDUYLEWgKZcjNiqS6P1MI8VWsTHikwxGT9GLebwPODEPefAyHRZ5AjVlVVjC-Djhcfl7Vyfh20bK9phE1xtAb7znv8PCLZZPsHMYUWseXQEOaM9sFGkDaL4CdQS7F2ldLLjIkzaXxsmGsl5zXnRy_37hz6RDqwN4PYqaG/s320/Liu.png" width="120" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Liu is a most peculiar simpleface from a small, remote village who learned to read and write from traveling merchants, and is always hungry for more knowledge. She hated her life in the village, so at the nearest opportunity she joined the Plainsmen, and upon discovering that they transmitted all of their history and culture orally, she invented a writing system for them so they could keep things documented better. She wishes the Plainsmen and simplefaces could get along better, but perhaps the key to peace between them can be found in the mysterious origins of the Plainsmen.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I actually came up with the idea of Pashta and the Plainsmen waaaaaay back in high school. Back in my initial concept, Pashta was the main character, but I struggled to come up with a plotline other than "Pashta doinks around". It wasn't until very recently that I realized the sort of narrative I wanted to tell involved an outsider from another culture finding her place among the Plainsmen and helping them resolve centuries of conflict. It may have relegated Pashta to being a secondary protagonist, but her effervescence adds some levity to the plot and it amuses me when she messes with Arun just to see him squirm. She's a good little sister like that.</div><p></p></div>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-14182473553342323052024-01-09T13:55:00.000-08:002024-01-09T13:57:21.708-08:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaUORUgq2_q5m-ss5zglWYa5Sp1pOsFv4wXnteizmsLRbF28C5xDWDT5Xzbfi069K5Ata8SQ9VqfYGnMte8N3ssJjk5qhygDFxvQ0N5bVFG3gR02c871Ww6ODm7ZBo_9jVKqyMX2yb-dRhpr8u2uTZkRbmLHcxitw0wkhowKBrr7EWeR3Bf1-IE1MP47n0/s1559/Vy.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1559" data-original-width="1244" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaUORUgq2_q5m-ss5zglWYa5Sp1pOsFv4wXnteizmsLRbF28C5xDWDT5Xzbfi069K5Ata8SQ9VqfYGnMte8N3ssJjk5qhygDFxvQ0N5bVFG3gR02c871Ww6ODm7ZBo_9jVKqyMX2yb-dRhpr8u2uTZkRbmLHcxitw0wkhowKBrr7EWeR3Bf1-IE1MP47n0/w319-h400/Vy.png" width="319" /></a></div><br />I've been tossing around ideas for a new novel and I couldn't help but do a sketch. The Plainsmen are a race of nomadic warriors who inhabit the Sogen, a vast steppeland. They ride giant birds called kelenken, and are distinguished from other humans not only by their larger and stronger build, but by the fact that they are all born with blue markings on their faces, with designs unique to each individual. The Plainsmen have an oral history that states their ancestors sailed across a vast ocean long ago and landed their ship on the Sogen, which is peculiar since the grassland is hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean. <p></p><p>This is Arun, one of the main protagonists, and his mount Vy. While a formidable foe in battle, Arun is a super nice and friendly guy who is very devoted to his family.</p><p>(Also, I totally based the kelenken on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phorusrhacidae" target="_blank">phorusracids</a> because I can't resist a good paleontology reference.)</p>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-14169899609601230322024-01-02T11:59:00.000-08:002024-01-02T11:59:21.360-08:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTTXZruY-gZPz9GNE6mMvDEcYfN88Q3-gOLnrZ_gSX6SANHqn1gnH_FhINpYLFR9vlgSk0h70WN3VbBmM82qxvjYC30tTTVZNQyZtSNdxnu0m7lmlcTQQpwPAopvXzF_7NAjiDmWc4H8c8IUZeuH9r3i5eWOsQ7gMtDzLGDfh_5UKN5yB67CzHGTmPDF0c/s1730/91.%20The%20Celts.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1730" data-original-width="866" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTTXZruY-gZPz9GNE6mMvDEcYfN88Q3-gOLnrZ_gSX6SANHqn1gnH_FhINpYLFR9vlgSk0h70WN3VbBmM82qxvjYC30tTTVZNQyZtSNdxnu0m7lmlcTQQpwPAopvXzF_7NAjiDmWc4H8c8IUZeuH9r3i5eWOsQ7gMtDzLGDfh_5UKN5yB67CzHGTmPDF0c/w320-h640/91.%20The%20Celts.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />More old art, experimenting with a more vertical format.<p></p><p>A lot of these older pieces were from two 100-picture challenges I worked on over a number of years. I challenged myself to create one finished piece for each item on both lists, so it took quite a while. That'll teach me to hop on the bandwagon of people doing things on the Internet. :)</p>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-54016220832240990622024-01-01T11:55:00.000-08:002024-01-01T12:00:10.926-08:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />I was going through my hard drive and realized I actually have a lot of my older art still floating around, so I thought I'd share it here on the blog. A lot of this art was previously shared on social media accounts that are long dead, so if any of this looks familiar, that's why. I think my blog is a much better and more permanent home for it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">First off, here are my best pieces from my sculpting class in college. It was the only art class I took that semester, and definitely my most challenging and work-intensive class that semester. It doesn't help that I'm rubbish at working with my hands (just keep me away from any home improvement projects), so going outside of 2D drafting was a big stretch. My teacher was fantastic, though, and I somehow managed to pass the class.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I decided to try for an overarching theme with most of my work in the class, trying to make them look like artifacts from a vanished civilization. The exception is that first piece, where the assignment was to make a kinetic sculpture out of objects purchased at a grocery store, so I tried to make a representation of microbes on a microscope slide.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7wAzfJ4gTyCWB2Gxb_PLxL8MVIcjpXZFS0nwWg25SUP2nP1Vz_ZHdUl67T0kBD9YLlHCzZrLtmmk9GIJ8oyksPoodz2RRR4ubFpACRmcVF7_-tKEqcL5q3_FkNgPLlvne8CQtECvCUXrpSkPjc9ZPdeC622IGPh1Ncm3oXbsVx8017Ys4hXc8AsT9Ae3/s912/Microcosm.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="912" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7wAzfJ4gTyCWB2Gxb_PLxL8MVIcjpXZFS0nwWg25SUP2nP1Vz_ZHdUl67T0kBD9YLlHCzZrLtmmk9GIJ8oyksPoodz2RRR4ubFpACRmcVF7_-tKEqcL5q3_FkNgPLlvne8CQtECvCUXrpSkPjc9ZPdeC622IGPh1Ncm3oXbsVx8017Ys4hXc8AsT9Ae3/s320/Microcosm.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPgDuwEDCEhFEH9z8-1GUtK2YSzLVehajPgeB4Xkw4jdZN16HZ6YF2dZ5VdIQ15XgzbtTX0R62Y3PNKekKoKGm-xiKtzhhMUA-OcpiNVoPYo_evPk3xLYVHwOnPOmDfcmW0OpCD4kaMyV_K4sieyVpcoHca0Qm6igdK5QdTHh3y_HTkBEyqXoSBepxVl5/s1005/MonLostKnowl.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1005" data-original-width="949" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPgDuwEDCEhFEH9z8-1GUtK2YSzLVehajPgeB4Xkw4jdZN16HZ6YF2dZ5VdIQ15XgzbtTX0R62Y3PNKekKoKGm-xiKtzhhMUA-OcpiNVoPYo_evPk3xLYVHwOnPOmDfcmW0OpCD4kaMyV_K4sieyVpcoHca0Qm6igdK5QdTHh3y_HTkBEyqXoSBepxVl5/s320/MonLostKnowl.png" width="302" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTrI5G5UzxK7KI_MjFF7EbIn8kr7nzgdWTjzv18UwVyYwgWjmihaaxbe4pRimUwDb6QiHw1bsg1_R9BmO8XzLxd0-poU79gTdcI7UHGqQlLNOUx5DlD5NQYZRF4NxUTurRIA2Mvr0NPB6qmdtLslYZNfz2Lf2SDCTWI61Qphn9sls-shipkXi06EZLDThO/s850/PandorasBox.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="850" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTrI5G5UzxK7KI_MjFF7EbIn8kr7nzgdWTjzv18UwVyYwgWjmihaaxbe4pRimUwDb6QiHw1bsg1_R9BmO8XzLxd0-poU79gTdcI7UHGqQlLNOUx5DlD5NQYZRF4NxUTurRIA2Mvr0NPB6qmdtLslYZNfz2Lf2SDCTWI61Qphn9sls-shipkXi06EZLDThO/s320/PandorasBox.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUrZJaQ7ptKYB8wXb0x5L0WLDUw6LcxpbaXNIX9uFvRkyZp94EsVziOg2b6nNGV0L8e0vC50TWF-eyRjXmAHDUYMe_xLhbftm_c3g9x9UqTfDgRx6TPbxZ4eKeEQHdjmckaKrZHuUgwlAoqqpRPaWgbAkK0CpkiztshS9-qUdAp960qYKfWKpxE4I-dvM/s675/MagurBoat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="675" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUrZJaQ7ptKYB8wXb0x5L0WLDUw6LcxpbaXNIX9uFvRkyZp94EsVziOg2b6nNGV0L8e0vC50TWF-eyRjXmAHDUYMe_xLhbftm_c3g9x9UqTfDgRx6TPbxZ4eKeEQHdjmckaKrZHuUgwlAoqqpRPaWgbAkK0CpkiztshS9-qUdAp960qYKfWKpxE4I-dvM/s320/MagurBoat.png" width="320" /></a></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4iyRN_IpRIfjKCO528UJsCzzL2OCAuOX3EF14KjyGEf0j2HPJgjqo81zFYQLkkxUWaKrTjThyphenhyphenALsavpl4Zlbcg3b0DMH77FmYVhBWMk9mA6ramIbnAq0P3bPFe7bhKIvYmroUGPxz1mwoOrvcrpaCsTzMgunw-rXSlG5YZ1czMhD6skzAPz4Gb-bAgLG/s1044/RiddleOfTheSphinx.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="902" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4iyRN_IpRIfjKCO528UJsCzzL2OCAuOX3EF14KjyGEf0j2HPJgjqo81zFYQLkkxUWaKrTjThyphenhyphenALsavpl4Zlbcg3b0DMH77FmYVhBWMk9mA6ramIbnAq0P3bPFe7bhKIvYmroUGPxz1mwoOrvcrpaCsTzMgunw-rXSlG5YZ1czMhD6skzAPz4Gb-bAgLG/s320/RiddleOfTheSphinx.png" width="276" /></a></div><p></p>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-36578856838815622772023-12-28T11:56:00.000-08:002023-12-28T11:56:11.727-08:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUrCXWAiLMpGAdRI0VIUGNwGRuL2zGVxMVbRfKLFQW-ESfHz8QsW63mvQoGocGS0s9ieyEOF0UVUWSXGYTYw-4f6104XMxtZfp99LqMMk7sFYDU2YzaqIJCSedkGSLH4y8os4oWNQoSh1evCu-IaI7nCKSB0OAw9BU5cLBGWiufGjHWN2GNdd5SYbl6ERs/s940/Your%20paragraph%20text.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUrCXWAiLMpGAdRI0VIUGNwGRuL2zGVxMVbRfKLFQW-ESfHz8QsW63mvQoGocGS0s9ieyEOF0UVUWSXGYTYw-4f6104XMxtZfp99LqMMk7sFYDU2YzaqIJCSedkGSLH4y8os4oWNQoSh1evCu-IaI7nCKSB0OAw9BU5cLBGWiufGjHWN2GNdd5SYbl6ERs/w400-h335/Your%20paragraph%20text.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />Big news! I'm visiting the Idaho Falls Public Library on January 13 and I'd love to see you there! I will be discussing some of the themes in my science fiction disabilities novel <i>On Borrowed Wings</i>, as well as introducing my other books. Come ask me questions, get books signed, and exchange Pokémon GO friend codes with me!<p></p><p>I'm hoping to have paperbacks on sale at the event, but no guarantees, so if you want a book signed, I advise buying it from Amazon ahead of time.</p><p>I'm very excited to share my work with the Idaho Falls community and I'm very grateful to the library for letting me put on this event. I hope everyone has a great time!</p>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-7630549597016798212023-12-25T12:20:00.000-08:002023-12-25T12:20:03.304-08:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUOB1FYvylYnz4Xia1R1rrfZZ1J9-Oox-OD1e1F-9DbZ4ID_xs78CIRX9t4h1BKSlwq0BJNFiXm9se59OepnuOJ9YcdoqzxDJzgqzCsubtnQyKA6TZvfCxwdfwpGgzogPQXEuYtukZS052f3fHm673QYGUf7T122YMEIyp6ittO8QCkLo56TDVLpOrtHDn/s1776/MERRY%20CHRISTMAS.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1776" data-original-width="1668" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUOB1FYvylYnz4Xia1R1rrfZZ1J9-Oox-OD1e1F-9DbZ4ID_xs78CIRX9t4h1BKSlwq0BJNFiXm9se59OepnuOJ9YcdoqzxDJzgqzCsubtnQyKA6TZvfCxwdfwpGgzogPQXEuYtukZS052f3fHm673QYGUf7T122YMEIyp6ittO8QCkLo56TDVLpOrtHDn/w376-h400/MERRY%20CHRISTMAS.png" width="376" /></a></div><br />Wishing everyone a blessed and joyful Christmas, a wonderful holiday season, and a good year ahead!<div><br /></div><div>Featured dinos are <i>Pachyrhinosaurus</i> and an unnamed troodontid from the Prince Creek Formation in northern Alaska. Even back in the balmy Cretaceous, those polar regions could get a bit chilly in winter!</div><div><br /></div><div>By the way, I have an announcement to share soon, so keep an eye out for some news coming in the next few days!</div><p></p>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-89948114119493535122023-12-19T15:02:00.000-08:002023-12-19T15:02:13.382-08:00<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbfE6HXiHhBjlCJ4NTtZOBprfdZByuaGHBXK9eT5nVlB82Pru3nE63Jbm7eylQMPxQUosICDQnY6r7ZTF0keENXtH2lA3fQ93H0sFxdqNjUTAAqdCAZUOvl1H5xgMn88F04QEMyLkxXvc_7xeRjY3HPlI4jmEHXZNE2S501NyXsHFf2RgGf0e764Cq4US/s1962/IMG_3481.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1962" data-original-width="1293" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbfE6HXiHhBjlCJ4NTtZOBprfdZByuaGHBXK9eT5nVlB82Pru3nE63Jbm7eylQMPxQUosICDQnY6r7ZTF0keENXtH2lA3fQ93H0sFxdqNjUTAAqdCAZUOvl1H5xgMn88F04QEMyLkxXvc_7xeRjY3HPlI4jmEHXZNE2S501NyXsHFf2RgGf0e764Cq4US/w264-h400/IMG_3481.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Another sketch from the Idaho Museum of Natural History! Went for a portrait view of <i>Oryctodromeus</i> this time.<p></p>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-38189221824564819582023-12-18T12:37:00.000-08:002023-12-20T11:38:04.838-08:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxds6-efpzSlRvA9Ye4p25uqyE_iWRlSkT_masVKE4zk5rxtn6q7jgrkeeK_r9eayRla1BCWT7xMloweREZYzqtWX8YC5SJqzsF4iIXNIQUR_no5daE3FfPUmWci8txKwDye0r7mhXnDihUpw9P19uirbo_YIkwwH696JwsU-NOqeYPSO9XqiP19r7sHF/s1579/crunchy%20chip.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1579" data-original-width="1326" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxds6-efpzSlRvA9Ye4p25uqyE_iWRlSkT_masVKE4zk5rxtn6q7jgrkeeK_r9eayRla1BCWT7xMloweREZYzqtWX8YC5SJqzsF4iIXNIQUR_no5daE3FfPUmWci8txKwDye0r7mhXnDihUpw9P19uirbo_YIkwwH696JwsU-NOqeYPSO9XqiP19r7sHF/w336-h400/crunchy%20chip.png" width="336" /></a></div><br />Crunchy Chip Cookie from Cookie Run: Kingdom--an epic bro and a great wolf dad.<p></p>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-61038432518648352023-12-15T11:57:00.000-08:002023-12-15T12:00:48.511-08:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5gbgbAs2wWiPVTaU_t6p6ztjrISno2oANIjiUi7E9taydRlZMhMqO_IWgWFzsbiU5HPWSYo87o8YI8hZ-ILmJ0xcN8yyOU3yvaa3wv5eXuKU_wLFPuo6xC9FHyRaibmebo4SfqIyKiNIIh3f9GLjEDdzjIO9i0hyB5kjNPnM3zjFxTxi_f1BR5elAqfv/s640/IMG_3477.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="640" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5gbgbAs2wWiPVTaU_t6p6ztjrISno2oANIjiUi7E9taydRlZMhMqO_IWgWFzsbiU5HPWSYo87o8YI8hZ-ILmJ0xcN8yyOU3yvaa3wv5eXuKU_wLFPuo6xC9FHyRaibmebo4SfqIyKiNIIh3f9GLjEDdzjIO9i0hyB5kjNPnM3zjFxTxi_f1BR5elAqfv/w400-h272/IMG_3477.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Had another sketching day at the Idaho Museum of Natural History! Here's <i>Oryctodromeus</i>, Idaho's state dinosaur, and interestingly enough the only (currently) named dinosaur from Idaho. Quite a few dinosaur remains have been found in the Wayan Formation of eastern Idaho, but they're mostly so fragmentary that not enough material has been found yet to establish any new species. Except for the oryctos which were evidently everywhere.<p></p><p><i>Oryctodromeus</i> means "digging runner", and most illustrations show their burrowing habits, so I thought I'd draw one living up to the other half of its name and running! They actually had rather long tails that this illustration doesn't do justice, but I ran out of room on the paper.</p>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-85280016501389765512023-12-14T11:50:00.000-08:002023-12-14T11:50:13.983-08:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0kgx5Kq6HE0Oiei3fnzpREXNZnOK3KR0C429wC6u_8xEK_VUL5P5hWb_EybzTWIebDglu5cAkaBdZMKmgVfY4IyHnvqJauiMrpwBn5YnBrhpqgGQF0UvxxR3cxwOIF3tPHCqdLvBVtQsoKEZc0dpKgi36SSHsaivTzXwysOnYiKjoEM0Vz4YoAf62Xv6x/s1440/Tujiaaspis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1186" data-original-width="1440" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0kgx5Kq6HE0Oiei3fnzpREXNZnOK3KR0C429wC6u_8xEK_VUL5P5hWb_EybzTWIebDglu5cAkaBdZMKmgVfY4IyHnvqJauiMrpwBn5YnBrhpqgGQF0UvxxR3cxwOIF3tPHCqdLvBVtQsoKEZc0dpKgi36SSHsaivTzXwysOnYiKjoEM0Vz4YoAf62Xv6x/w400-h330/Tujiaaspis.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Finished up another piece of paleoart for Wikipedia. Here's <i>Tujiaaspis</i>, a recently described galeaspid (jawless fish) that's notable for having two long ventral fins running the length of its body, giving insights into the evolution of fins. Also galeaspids are adorable.<p></p>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-52529430778715006712023-12-13T14:29:00.000-08:002023-12-18T11:38:50.379-08:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibz44rAR6sPGPtz0eyqmo8jWSoy5mBbcL-mAnNqkgIGlSqeKJiSWve_ry78PCiEHFFSRdchUQLCI6EB3Odvh8t47QAFxRGkRW0bg05ltxN2VLYxUwtAFmIqIzNgdd75T65neILjyAotZChZtsc8p8mVCNX2d4DvLnZcOM-ElZ3RSDByXCRM6H6QpIn5MB1/s1324/linzer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1324" data-original-width="943" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibz44rAR6sPGPtz0eyqmo8jWSoy5mBbcL-mAnNqkgIGlSqeKJiSWve_ry78PCiEHFFSRdchUQLCI6EB3Odvh8t47QAFxRGkRW0bg05ltxN2VLYxUwtAFmIqIzNgdd75T65neILjyAotZChZtsc8p8mVCNX2d4DvLnZcOM-ElZ3RSDByXCRM6H6QpIn5MB1/w285-h400/linzer.png" width="285" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I actually can't stop drawing Cookie Run characters. Here's detective novelist Linzer Cookie from the new Cookie Run: Kingdom update.<p></p>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-11683111433027199512023-12-11T13:55:00.000-08:002023-12-11T13:55:37.784-08:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoushf94cc2s6sUOlnR6lvVIlEbVdmhtOCDy1pZH8Zu7ngUsMz3cfp0Nr3pRU1eSX9w13mKJuXd-z2sCQwleybvXgIOLZKU47iI36leNJGkAYZ6ccc9nx05fvlQBiDe5VAiBkNOrez_qdSEbZLb1H_4wumK0joOJCZO87zXMi2p2H4X6ZXiN1zm9GpmJk/s1492/hollyberry.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1492" data-original-width="1201" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoushf94cc2s6sUOlnR6lvVIlEbVdmhtOCDy1pZH8Zu7ngUsMz3cfp0Nr3pRU1eSX9w13mKJuXd-z2sCQwleybvXgIOLZKU47iI36leNJGkAYZ6ccc9nx05fvlQBiDe5VAiBkNOrez_qdSEbZLb1H_4wumK0joOJCZO87zXMi2p2H4X6ZXiN1zm9GpmJk/w323-h400/hollyberry.png" width="323" /></a></div><br />I needed a break from paleoart, so here's Hollyberry Cookie from <i>Cookie Run: Kingdom</i> in her awesome armor from the Legend of the Red Dragon storyline.<p></p>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-59493230459089086542023-12-08T12:48:00.000-08:002023-12-08T12:48:36.321-08:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJy-kTxhMGhlwAc8q5mQ7zkCgOxqxI-xCMrkfB9LfI0UFU9Xr86n9ikwKAj4_hWqByM-0r9kUwYvsK_JxSmHI9ODov74H_FygtFZrO_LzAA4ihuTOy0E2PVNm7nHQstt4SSUzGfaQS5NwUgY5wyKZeR337xRDkv8KZn5qs-_GHgU-nBBu0nZLBjpAXUadb/s1199/Dorypterus.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJy-kTxhMGhlwAc8q5mQ7zkCgOxqxI-xCMrkfB9LfI0UFU9Xr86n9ikwKAj4_hWqByM-0r9kUwYvsK_JxSmHI9ODov74H_FygtFZrO_LzAA4ihuTOy0E2PVNm7nHQstt4SSUzGfaQS5NwUgY5wyKZeR337xRDkv8KZn5qs-_GHgU-nBBu0nZLBjpAXUadb/w374-h400/Dorypterus.jpg" width="374" /></a></div><br />Did another illustration for Wikipedia--this time for <i>Dorypterus</i>, a Permian fish whose previous illustration on the wiki was a really cursed-looking (and more importantly inaccurate) drawing from like 1907.<p></p><p>(It makes me kinda happy that if you do an internet image search for <i>Dorypterus</i>, this image is actually one of the top results.)</p>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-31654266501872199812023-12-07T12:44:00.000-08:002023-12-08T07:25:50.665-08:00The Holly and the Ivy, Chapter 2<p style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/12/the-holly-and-ivy-part-1.html">Chapter 1</a> - Chapter 2</b></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNormal">A powerful smell, acrid and rich, filled Nan’s sinuses. She
sneezed—and her eyes flew open.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The world around her was bright and unfocused, but pungent
aromas filled the air and something crackled and popped nearby. And she felt
warm, positively hot, wrapped in an enormous fur blanket.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The blanket removed a pawful of leaves from under Nan’s
nose. “Ah, there you are,” it said in a deep, husky voice.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nan blinked and looked up into the green eyes of the
dusky-furred female Werelupe that held her. Nearby sat a lighter-furred male,
inspecting the chunk of meat that roasted over their fire in a forest clearing.
At the sound of the female’s voice, he glanced over and grinned toothily. “It
is good that we found you, little one.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nan knew these two creatures well. After their king had
saved her village from a <a href="https://images.neopets.com/games/tradingcards/lg_201.gif" target="_blank">Monocerous</a> the previous year, he had dubbed Kirven and
Nusa the stewards of Caxton Bank.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Techo broke into a grin. Monsters had indeed found her, much
to her advantage. “I’m glad, too,” she said. “But—“ She looked at them in
confusion. “I’m supposed to be asleep.”</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nusa nodded, tucking the herbs into a pouch on her belt.
“Aye, we found you in torpor. But icky fruit leaves, when bruised, release a
scent that wakes reptilians, so long as they’re in a warm place.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nan’s eyes widened and she laughed, clapping her hands. “I’m
glad there’s a real use for that awful fruit! I needn’t sleep ‘til Running,
after all! What day is it?”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“The eve of Giving Day,” Kirven replied. He sniffed at the
meat and his pink tongue lolled out of his jaw. “Breakfast is ready."</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nan sat up and pushed herself off Nusa’s lap. “That means it
hasn’t been long at all! There’s still time!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Time for what?” Nusa asked as she accepted a hunk of meat
from Kirven and tossed it behind her onto a snowdrift, where it sizzled itself
into a dent.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“The harvest was poor this year,” Nan said, “and Dad said
that’s why we won’t have Giving Day! But I want Giving Day to come, and so does
Mum, and everyone’s going to be so sad if it doesn’t!” She reached into her
pocket and pulled out the ivy. “Mum said holly and ivy have the magic of the
season, and I thought perhaps if I gathered them, they would bring Giving Day
to Caxton Bank!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Her shoulders slumped and she sniffled a bit. “But I c-can’t
find holly, and I’ve looked everywhere! Please, Lord Kirven and Lady Nusa,
you’ve got to help me!” She looked up at them pleadingly. “Dad says I ought’nt
to trouble you, but I went round the house withershins—and here you are—and it’s
got to work out, it’s just <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">got</i> to!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The two Werelupes looked at each other and smiled. Nusa
plucked the meat from the snow and handed it to Nan—while still warm, the food
did not scorch the girl’s sensitive finger-pads as it would have fresh from the
fire. As the Techo greedily snapped it up, Nusa said, “You were brave to come
out here by yourself, little one. And to keep trying when others gave up.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nan shook her head. “I wasn’t brave, I was rather foolish. I
knew the risk I was taking.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Kirven put a large paw on her head. “No. Courage is knowing
the risk and doing what you feel is right anyway. Fear not—Giving Day shall
come to Caxton Bank because of your efforts.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Aye,” said Nusa, “but first let’s worry about breakfast.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The three ate together. Kirven and Nusa told Nan stories of
their greatest hunts and the time Lord Isengrim attended the <a href="https://images.neopets.com/games/new_tradingcards/lg_chocolateball_2005.gif" target="_blank">Chocolate Ball</a> in
far-away <a href="https://images.neopets.com/themes/h5/newyears/images/hp-bg-mid.png" target="_blank">Neopia Central</a>, and Nan related tales of the biggest marrow she’d ever
seen and the time she nursed a <a href="https://images.neopets.com/backgrounds/sketch/800_ukali.jpg" target="_blank">Ukali</a> back to health with the help of her
parents.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When the Werelupes finished crunching the bones, Kirven put
out the fire and Nusa handed Nan her now-dried clothes. “Now then,” the female said,
“about that holly.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I can’t find any,” Nan said as she pulled her mittens back
on. “Anywhere. I looked.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Kirven grinned. “But have you smelled?” He lifted his snout,
nostrils flaring. For a moment he stood still, analyzing a spectrum of scents
that Nan’s Techo nose was only dimly aware of. Then his ears perked and he
looked back down at his companions. “Under the crooked oak. The one on which
the <a href="https://images.neopets.com/items/hoovle_purple.gif" target="_blank">Hoovles</a> rub the velvet off their antlers.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In response, Nusa picked up Nan, enveloping the Techo in
warm fur once more. “Let’s go,” the Werelupe said.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The two beasts bounded away through the snow. Kirven
scampered on all fours while Nusa kept to her hind paws in order to hold Nan
and shield her from the cold air. They leaped over streams, scaled boulders,
and sent up sprays of snow, and Nan let out a laugh of delight as the forest
flew by. Already she felt her courage had been aptly rewarded.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Finally the Werelupes slowed in front of a gnarled old oak
tree. And there, nestled in the roots, was a clump of green spiky leaves,
decorated with round red berries.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nan let out a gasp. “You found it! Oh, thank you so much!”
Kirven plucked a sprig from the holly bush and gave it to the Techo, who tucked
it into her pocket next to the ivy. “Now Giving Day will come for certain!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Aye, that it will,” Nusa said with a hearty laugh. “But for
now, let us get you home.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“What can I ever do to repay you?” Nan asked as the three
set off through the woods again.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Trotting through the snow, tail held high like a tawny
banner, Kirven shook his head. “It is not a matter of payment. You are our
subject and we, your lord and lady. We are happy to see you happy. Never doubt
that, despite what the cynics may say.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nan was warm from the inside out, and she couldn’t stop
smiling, not even when they arrived home to find her <a href="https://images.neopets.com/pets/happy/ixi_green_baby.gif" target="_blank">Ixi</a> neighbor distraught at
the girl’s disappearance—and then bewildered at her arriving in the company of
two Werelupes who told him to keep this a secret. She was still smiling when
her parents returned home none the wiser to her escapades. And her cheeks
positively ached by the time her mum and dad had settled down to sleep, and Nan
snuck out of bed to hang the holly and ivy above the hearth.</p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">***</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nan was awakened by a rapping on the window and a “Happy
Giving Day!” It was one of her playmates, a <a href="https://images.neopets.com/pets/happy/kacheek_fire_baby.gif" target="_blank">Fire Kacheek</a> from down the lane who
Nan sort of envied for never having any problems with winter.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Techo scrambled out of bed and flung open the door. “Has
it come?!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Nan, you’re letting in all the cold air!” her father
groaned.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Kacheek child outside jumped up and down, her flaming
tail melting a puddle in the crusty snow along the road. “It has! It has!” she
squeaked. “Oh, Nan, you’ve got to come to the village square and see—it’s
lovely!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I’ll be right there!” Nan said, reaching for her scarf.
“Mum, Dad—hurry!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mum’s ear flicked quizzically. “Whatever’s going on?”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Dad squeezed his pillow over his head. “Noise, that’s what.
Dreadful business.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Kacheek pointed down the road. “It’s Giving Day, ma’am!
Hurry or you’ll miss it!” And with that, she turned and scampered off.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">By that point Nan had on her scarf and shawl and was pulling
on her mittens. “It worked—it really did!” She grabbed Mum’s hoof and tugged
her toward the door.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Her mother looked over her shoulder with a teasing smirk.
“Thomas, you can’t tell me you’re not the least bit curious.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Peophin opened one eye to look at her. For a moment they
stared at each other, and then with a “harrumph” Dad pulled himself out of bed.
“Someone might as well go knock some sense into them,” he muttered under his
breath as he grabbed his scarf.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Outside, Nan hoisted herself onto her mother’s back, and the
Uni and Peophin set off through the slush. With their long legs and strong
hooves tromping through snow and mud, the ride into the centre of Caxton Bank took
no time at all.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And there, Nan’s wish was granted.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the middle of the road, an enormous bonfire blazed up
toward the sky. Around it were laid out tables full of food—roasts and
puddings, carrots and pears, and even dishes that Nan didn’t recognise, that
must have been brought in from outside Meridell. Neopets mulled around the
tables, eating, talking, and laughing while their children played. To one side,
a group practiced for a singing contest.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Standing near the fire were two Werelupes, regally bedecked
in furs and bones. One wore a wreath of ivy on her head, while the other had a
crown of holly perched between his ears. Their tails wagged as Nan and her
parents approached.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As the Techo alighted from her mother’s back, to the
astonishment of her parents the Werelupes bowed deeply.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Dad tried to look annoyed, but his wide eyes and flaring
nostrils betrayed his astonishment. “Wh-what’s all this, then?”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The male Werelupe looked to Nan and said, “The Holly King
and Ivy Queen have heard your request, and have brought Giving Day to this most
deserving place.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Nan?” Mum nudged her with her nose. “What are they talking
about?”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nan grinned at her. “I wanted Giving Day, and I was brave,
and it came!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The female Werelupe smiled. “The Lord of the Solstices sends
his regards. We informed him of your plight and he sent us with these
provisions for a bountiful Giving Day feast.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nan couldn’t help herself. She rushed over and gave the Ivy
Queen a big hug around the knees. “You’re the greatest!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The king and queen of the season laughed, and the queen
crouched down to pat Nan’s head. “This was your doing, young one,” she
whispered, her whiskers tickling Nan’s ear. “Your spirit is brave and true.
That is what allowed the magic to work.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Holly King folded his arms and nodded. “Now, what is
this I hear about a singing contest? I am of a mind to join, for Werelupe song
is legendary!” To demonstrate, he lifted his muzzle and let out a long,
piercing howl.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Everyone flinched and froze for a moment, except for Nan,
who laughed. “I can do that, too!” She pursed her lips and gave her best howl.
“Awoooooooh!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Let’s have a trio!” the Ivy Queen said, arching her back
and baying her own howl into the morning air. As the last cutting notes echoed
off the hills, the howlers collapsed in laughter, which spread to the rest of
the villagers. Soon all the children were getting howling lessons from the
spirits of Giving Day, and with their help soundly defeated the adults in the
singing contest.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Afterward, when everyone had gone back to eating – and even
Dad looked like he was enjoying himself – the Ivy Queen knelt down and
presented Nan with a necklace, a leather string with a single sharp tooth
strung through. As the Werelupe put it around the Techo’s neck, she said, “The
Lord of the Solstices wishes to recognise your strength and courage. I am sure
you will earn many more fangs before the sun of your life sets.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nan thumbed the fang and smiled up at her. “This is the best
Giving Day I’ll ever have.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Ivy Queen grinned. “Do not discount the others so
easily. Let this be but the beginning of your joys, young one. And do not ever
give up the hunt.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I won’t,” Nan said, and she looked forward to even brighter
days ahead.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b>The End</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/12/the-holly-and-ivy-part-1.html">Chapter 1</a> - Chapter 2</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/p/neopets-fanfiction.html">Back to all Neopets fanfiction</a></b></p><b></b><p></p>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-25233795050532736302023-12-06T16:11:00.000-08:002023-12-15T07:51:02.347-08:00<p>Did more sketching at the <a href="https://www.isu.edu/imnh/" target="_blank">Idaho Museum of Natural History</a>! One of the things I've really been enjoying about sketching fossils from... erm... life...? is the ability to actually view them in three dimensions instead of being relegated to whatever angles are represented in imagery available online. It gives me the ability to pose them much more dynamically and understand their physiology better.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGzq082ss-ItIqcbdhPBrTIeYaKZjLgnoz3Ro7uUmWfbWcZPUykn7RFLAdqxwCfYRRFUXwhyGvNStDiXl2pSDC3LL3eEEihoh9K2vDaOfq3q5Klmite3sItuR8rQanXgHu9VHOxC3fuFJ-NvcXas-qT6rxCQWsE6gxYYi2U7Ndmln3NzCOEUGaHe0fsR4/s1957/IMG_3467.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1192" data-original-width="1957" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGzq082ss-ItIqcbdhPBrTIeYaKZjLgnoz3Ro7uUmWfbWcZPUykn7RFLAdqxwCfYRRFUXwhyGvNStDiXl2pSDC3LL3eEEihoh9K2vDaOfq3q5Klmite3sItuR8rQanXgHu9VHOxC3fuFJ-NvcXas-qT6rxCQWsE6gxYYi2U7Ndmln3NzCOEUGaHe0fsR4/s320/IMG_3467.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Maybe I made their tyrannosauroid a bit too happy, but I just can't help but imagine him living his best dino life.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xGuY5vt4_o4CCNcdqmb8DNAKDa2ywm8gyQTRGzAYgjAkTIvAPaSRyrEfZsMcj3LXYf-YSJt-cmqm0W9mY-7iV64XZOB6lgzxNu1hyphenhyphensQ_I4kKQAlCK0-EJ88y8p_W-Bll42tL4353zCer2vORRmr4wG39qmTJmeMh-RhLLRXqo8vyaSdma0UGlED_TWtn/s2016/IMG_3466.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1353" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xGuY5vt4_o4CCNcdqmb8DNAKDa2ywm8gyQTRGzAYgjAkTIvAPaSRyrEfZsMcj3LXYf-YSJt-cmqm0W9mY-7iV64XZOB6lgzxNu1hyphenhyphensQ_I4kKQAlCK0-EJ88y8p_W-Bll42tL4353zCer2vORRmr4wG39qmTJmeMh-RhLLRXqo8vyaSdma0UGlED_TWtn/s320/IMG_3466.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Idaho's giant oviraptorosaur! (I know the neck is a little wonky, I was trying to fit the whole thing on the page and maybe didn't succeed.) I suspect these guys had a little more of an upright posture than the average theropod, because with those relatively short tails, spending all their time with their necks extended more horizontally may have presented some balance issues. Their tails were also probably heavily feathered, which helped to provide more weight to counterbalance the front end.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBi9qPBzvKACDsNl5nWq7LnomPUp17PRRvkfYBtun1ljdAPl7spNW36YMyreHMnexiMIwjasIYPnsU7PKRFsK-tFoVidazYpy92fFOLq-0I5AmCwmQ93asci0tryk5D2XBj730t273qEiIUM3vy81r0yFcKVPITMhAItQQxmNyQgH2FMObsrOiP6dDTfMP/s1966/IMG_3464.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1466" data-original-width="1966" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBi9qPBzvKACDsNl5nWq7LnomPUp17PRRvkfYBtun1ljdAPl7spNW36YMyreHMnexiMIwjasIYPnsU7PKRFsK-tFoVidazYpy92fFOLq-0I5AmCwmQ93asci0tryk5D2XBj730t273qEiIUM3vy81r0yFcKVPITMhAItQQxmNyQgH2FMObsrOiP6dDTfMP/s320/IMG_3464.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">Took a stab (pun intended) at <i>Dinogorgon</i>, one of the species featured on the museum's cool timeline wall that gives a great picture of the history of Earth's biota over the past 400 million years. I've drawn plenty of gorgonopsids before, but <i>Dinogorgon</i> is a rubidgeine, a subclass that were more heavily built. They also have these wide bony flanges on either side of their skulls that probably helped anchor powerful jaw muscles because they were bitey boys. I probably make my gorgonopsids look too mammalian but that's okay because it's cute.*</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*This is why I am banned from professional paleoart.**</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">**Just kidding. I think.</span></p>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-53031857301541177902023-12-04T12:59:00.000-08:002023-12-10T09:36:39.425-08:00The Holly and the Ivy, Chapter 1<p>Time for a little holiday cheer!</p><p>I really enjoyed writing the Caxton Bank chapters of <a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2020/06/worth-searching-for-chapter-1.html" target="_blank"><i>Worth Searching For</i></a>, and it made me want to do more with the characters. I thought it would be fun to write a <strike>Christmas</strike> Giving Day story that draws less from the Victorian Christmas traditions that much of modern celebration is based on, and more from medieval British customs and folklore, as befitting the Meridell region. "The Holly and the Ivy" (the carol) is based on very old English Christmas traditions, so it seemed suitable as the inspiration for this tale.</p><p>I also wanted to follow up on what was established about Caxton Bank in <i>Worth Searching For</i>, and show that although the Werelupes started off on the wrong foot with their vassals, their relationship has grown and improved, and it's making everyone's lives better.</p><p>I admit I was pleasantly surprised by how little I actually had to edit this one to bring it up to speed with my newer writing. Aside from just a handful of minor prose fixes, I also slightly altered a few details to fall in line with what I later established as canon.</p><p>Have a happy and blessed holiday season, everybody!</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Chapter 1 - <a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/12/the-holly-and-ivy-chapter-2.html">Chapter 2</a></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4g3bS3d2PNOoNEXkkrffEENZzferY-gaVZQ-3w9J_zU0sYCM184x7b2Sodd2qCA-g0DFd_dNJNiG3nAMExprwaCb_yswaA5i3r3NY6so0whcspJzj47whk1hjlCZ7F_rrZ0KF9mRs0CMrMO-FAeKCYwntnha5TU70kXVCPlFxPrPlmUds7VGDan3ilSwI/s1461/The%20Holly%20and%20the%20Ivy.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1305" data-original-width="1461" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4g3bS3d2PNOoNEXkkrffEENZzferY-gaVZQ-3w9J_zU0sYCM184x7b2Sodd2qCA-g0DFd_dNJNiG3nAMExprwaCb_yswaA5i3r3NY6so0whcspJzj47whk1hjlCZ7F_rrZ0KF9mRs0CMrMO-FAeKCYwntnha5TU70kXVCPlFxPrPlmUds7VGDan3ilSwI/w400-h358/The%20Holly%20and%20the%20Ivy.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNormal">“Don’t go outside in winter,” Nan’s mother always told her.
“There’s a reason most <a href="https://images.neopets.com/pets/happy/techo_blue_baby.gif" target="_blank">Techos</a> are born on <a href="https://images.neopets.com/surveyimg/sur_cards/04_island/018.jpg" target="_blank">Mystery Island</a> instead of the woods
of <a href="https://images.neopets.com/surveyimg/sur_cards/02_meridell/016.jpg" target="_blank">Meridell</a>.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“But Mum!” Nan would say, tracing pictures on their
fogged-up windows with her blue reptilian fingers. “All the other children get
to play in the snow!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Her yellow <a href="https://images.neopets.com/pets/happy/uni_yellow_baby.gif" target="_blank">Uni</a> mother would then pause from her mending and
stoke the fire. “That’s because they’re warm-blooded, love. If you get too cold
you’ll fall into torpor, and you won’t wake up ‘til Running.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Running?! But I’ll sleep right through Giving Day!” That
was all the incentive Nan needed to stay in their cottage until the
snows stopped. And that was how winter went in the little hamlet of Caxton Bank,
nestled in the foothills of the Werelupe Woods.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Most years, anyway.<o:p></o:p></p>
<span><a name='more'></a></span><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“You can forget about Giving Day, Mary,” Nan’s father
grumbled as he trudged through the door one chilly morning. Frost bristled on
the blue <a href="https://images.neopets.com/pets/happy/peophin_blue_baby.gif" target="_blank">Peophin</a>’s mane, and he slapped his tail flukes against the doorframe to
shake off the muddy slush they had accumulated.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nan let the shirt she was washing fall back into the tub.
“What?!” she squeaked. Mum’s ears pinned back in confusion as they both stared
at her father.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“This year’s harvest was too poor.” Dad unwrapped his scarf
and set it to dry over the hearth. “<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GmNHOeQYvp4CmbRbQREwP12-SmzTCO42rWDedZSJ4oEKun_Es244xL_1NkK064KFllRkXPhoOP_eczd3qlvlOmGQVK0WsxvqGSiWRY8UtFeLGQ8jyt8V5k1QfmYHgn4PsGIScyHphtl9/s1600/King+Under+the+Mountain.png" target="_blank">Lord Isengrim</a> and his thanes have done all
they can to ensure we’ll have supplies to last through the winter—so we’re
certainly not going to ask them to support something as frivolous as a
holiday.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mum shook her head as she went back to scrubbing at a
difficult stain. “Oh, Thomas. There’s nothing wrong with Giving Day. I think
it’s a beautiful sentiment.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Waste of time and effort,” Dad grunted. “And resources.” He
tossed his muzzle to their cupboard. “Mary, let me know when you’re low on
flour—I’ll pick you up another bag at the mill. But let’s try to make this last
as long as we can.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nan stood up from the washing. “But what about the pudding?
The roast? The games and the singing?” Giving Day was her favorite part of
winter. She loved the excitement and cheer, and best of all it was the one time
her parents let her play in the snow with her furred and feathered friends. The
adults would build a huge bonfire in the centre of the village, and everyone
gathered round for merry-making.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“No pudding this year,” Dad snorted. “Couldn’t afford the
ingredients. From what I heard, all of the Meridell region had a bad growing season.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mum put an arm around Nan’s shoulders and said, “We’ll roast
some potatoes, love, and the three of us can sing.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“But it won’t be the same!” Nan said. “The village always
has a singing contest about holly and ivy!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“No singing,” Dad groaned, putting his hooves over his eyes.
“I’ve a headache.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mum sighed. “Aye, holly and ivy have always stood for the
spirit of Giving Day—a spark of life and hope when the winter’s bleak and the
days are at their shortest. There’s an old magic in those plants, it’s said, a
bit of power tied to the season.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Well, it should have come sooner,” Dad said, “in time for
the harvest. Could’ve used some magic then.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mum flapped her wings in irritation. “Thomas, make yourself
useful and help us with the washing.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Dad eased himself up from by the fire and clopped over to
the washtub. “No more talk about Giving Day. It’s just noise, and I’m happy to
see it go.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Dad!” Nan’s eyes welled with tears. “How could you say that?”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mum gave him a dirty look, but Dad didn’t seem to notice as
he plunged a pair of trousers into the soapy water and said, “Because it’s
true! No point getting your expectations up, is there? This winter’s going to
be horrible, and there’s not a dratted thing we can do about it but accept our
fates!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">His words left an awful pit in Nan’s stomach as she wrung
out the laundry. Dad sounded so sure of himself, but something in her didn’t
want to believe him. They couldn’t just give up. There had to be some way to
bring Giving Day to Caxton Bank.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They finished the washing in silence, but Mum’s telling
about the magic of the holly and the ivy rattled around in Nan’s head the whole
time. Mum knew lots of things passed down from their ancestors, who had worked
this same land for as far back as anyone could remember. If anything could
cheer up Caxton Bank, it was those two plants.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But Nan couldn’t go outside. If she fell into torpor, she
would sleep the entire winter away and miss out on her most favorite time of
year.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It was worth it, she decided. Even if she missed Giving Day,
she wanted the village to be able to experience it.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now she just had to bide her time until she could get going
on her adventure.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">She waited and waited, until the waiting became unbearable—and
then she waited some more. Finally, on the eve of Giving Day, a crisp frozen
morning near the end of Celebrating, Dad said, “Your mum and I have to attend
the village council.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nan’s heart jumped. “How long will you be gone?” she asked
as innocently as possible. She was sitting on her bed with a ball of yarn,
pretending to practice her knitting. The needles were slippery and her loops
clumsy, but she just needed to look occupied.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“All day, probably,” Mum said, wrapping her shawl around her
shoulders. “We’re going to plan for next year’s growing, and draft a letter to
Lord Isengrim to negotiate monthly tributes.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I don’t understand why he can’t just call it ‘taxes’ like
<a href="https://images.neopets.com/surveyimg/sur_cards/02_meridell/011.jpg" target="_blank">Skarl</a> and <a href="https://images.neopets.com/surveyimg/sur_cards/05_hannah/076.jpg" target="_blank">Hagan</a>,” Dad muttered, tossing his fiery mane.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mum whinnied a laugh. “Who can understand anything that
Werelupe does? But he takes good care of his subjects, so he’s all right with
me.” She went to the door and turned to Nan. “You’ll mind the house while we’re
gone, won’t you, love?”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Yes, Mum,” Nan said, staring intently at the single row of
what was supposed to be a scarf.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Remember to keep the fire going,” Mum said. Dad opened the
door and stepped out, but Mum lingered in the doorway, watching Nan worriedly.
“You absolutely <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">must</i> stay warm,
remember that. I’ll send someone to check on you at lunch.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Yes, Mum.” Nan was
now genuinely occupied trying to untangle a knot. That felt a little cold, so
she glanced up at her mother and smiled. “I’ll be all right.” How could she
not? She was going to bring back Giving Day, and then everything would be well
again.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mum returned the smile. “Good girl. We’ll be back in time
for supper.” She closed the door, and Nan sat for a while, listening to the
crackle of the fire and hooves crunching through snow.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When they faded, it was time to put her plan into action.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Casting aside her knitting, she leaped from the bed and
pulled on her hooded shawl and mittens before wrapping her scarf around her neck.
This was going to be fun. She had never ventured outside in the snow by herself
before. It would be a grand adventure.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Going to the door, she paused, looking at the fire. Mum’s
words sunk in. Nan knew she could not dally—that the colder she got, the more
likely she would fall into torpor. She squared her shoulders. She would not let
that happen.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped
outside.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The world was blindingly dazzling. A layer of freshly fallen
snow coated everything, and thin clouds scattered the sunlight until it filled
the whole heavens. Silence pricked at the air and brooded over white hills.
Down the lane, smoke puffed merrily from the chimney of the neighbor’s house,
but that was the only thing that moved in this frozen picture, besides the
clouds of vapor that appeared every time Nan exhaled.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And her feet were cold. She looked down and wiggled her blue
Techo toes, watching them slap into the half-frozen mud at the doorstep. She
would have to make this fast. Holly and ivy, and then back home before lunch.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thankfully, she already knew where to find ivy. Grinning,
she bounded around the corner of her cottage, to the back wall where a trail of
ivy had grown ever since she could remember. And there it was, just as green as
in summer, reaching up to the thatched roof and spreading over the window.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nan reached out and brushed the snow from a sprig of leaves
before plucking it and putting it in the pocket of her dress. That was easy,
but holly would be harder, for no holly grew in the village. It could only be
found in the woods, where Nan had never gone.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">She rubbed her nose and looked over the fields. The forest
rose up behind them, dark and grey and ancient. Without their leaves, the trees
looked like an immense thicket of briers, ready to ensnare anyone foolish
enough to breach them.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But in there, somewhere, was holly.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nan’s feet and tail felt a little numb, but her head, body,
and hands were well-protected by her thick woollen clothes. She could make it,
she decided. It wouldn’t do to try to bring about Giving Day with ivy alone.
The magic wouldn’t be enough.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">She moved to leave and a pang of fear sliced through her. If
she fell into torpor in the woods, she would sleep until spring. Things lurked
in the forest, things the Werelupes kept at bay, but suppose the monsters from
the stories found her while she was asleep?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The breath-cloud in front of her vanished, and for a moment
no breath came to take its place. Then Nan breathed again and set out for the
trees. She wanted to do this. For Giving Day. For the village. Her courage
would keep her warm.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As she crested the rise behind her family’s cottage, she
glanced over her shoulder and realised she’d gone round the house withershins,
counter-clockwise. The direction of magic.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The village children told stories of those who went round a
building withershins. It was said they simply disappeared, spirited away by
malicious Faeries—or other beings of powerful magic that roamed Neopia.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nan decided to take it as a good omen. The magic of Giving
Day was her companion, and she did not fear it. Besides, she had not
disappeared, so there.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Her grin widened and she slogged through the snow, into the
woods.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The forest was just as unnaturally still as the village,
although occasional sounds echoed in the distance—the groans and cracks of
shifting ice, the chirp of an avian Petpet, and the heavy whisper of snow
sloughing off a branch. The trees towered above Nan, bare and prickly against
the sky.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And everywhere, she saw the white of snow and the black of
wet rocks and bark. But no green, no red. Nan frowned and kept walking.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Her clumsy footsteps aroused a family of <a href="https://images.neopets.com/items/med_pet_albat.gif" target="_blank">Albats</a> nesting in
the hollow of a tree. Their big yellow eyes stared out at her as they ruffled
their tawny feathers, irritated at the interloper. Nan trudged on. She hadn’t a
moment to spare.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As she let herself down a ridge, the fatigue hit her all at
once. It had crept up on her so subtly that she hadn’t even noticed it until
her body felt like lead and she had trouble keeping her eyes open.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And she was cold. So, so cold.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Panic surged through her. She couldn’t torpor, not now. She
had to get back home—and where was that holly?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Perhaps Dad was right. She’d gone chasing after a wild dream
and would regret it.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But something in her refused to give up. Nan felt she would
regret it even more if she’d sat at home, resigning herself to whatever life
threw at her, instead of fighting for good things, for herself and for the
village.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Her stumbling steps became more frantic as she scrambled
over rocks and fell into snowdrifts. Desperately she swept snow away from
bushes, hoping to see pointed leaves and red berries. The holly had to be around
somewhere. She would snatch it and then run all the way home, back to warmth and
waking.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A wide, dark stream barred her path. Nan clenched her jaw
and splashed into the freezing water. Numbness shot through her body. Crying
out, she fell to her hands and knees and dragged herself to the other side,
where she collapsed in the snow.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">She wanted so badly to lay there and close her eyes, but she
knew what would happen if she did. So with a determined frown she pushed
herself to her feet—and fell again. Her limbs and tail were heavy and her head
swam. She tried to will herself to move, but her body refused to cooperate.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As Nan’s eyes drifted shut, she summoned the last of her
strength to reach into her pocket for her sprig of ivy. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Please, Ivy Queen,</i> she begged, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bring
the Holly King and Giving Day to Caxton Bank.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And then she fell asleep.<o:p></o:p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Chapter 1 </b><b>- <a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/12/the-holly-and-ivy-chapter-2.html">Chapter 2</a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/p/neopets-fanfiction.html">Back to all Neopets fanfiction</a></b></div><p></p>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685708452840424219.post-55432568245492296222023-11-20T12:24:00.000-08:002023-11-27T16:23:05.294-08:00The Spirit of Black Keep, Chapter 11<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/10/the-spirit-of-black-keep-chapter-1.html">Chapter 1</a> - <a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/10/the-spirit-of-black-keep-chapter-2.html">Chapter 2</a> - <a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/10/the-spirit-of-black-keep-chapter-3.html">Chapter 3</a> - <a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/10/the-spirit-of-black-keep-chapter-4.html" target="_blank">Chapter 4</a></b> - <b><a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/10/the-spirit-of-black-keep-chapter-5.html">Chapter 5</a> - <a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/11/the-spirit-of-black-keep-chapter-6.html">Chapter 6</a> - <a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/11/the-spirit-of-black-keep-chapter-7.html" target="">Chapter 7<br /></a></b><b><a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/11/the-spirit-of-black-keep-chapter-8.html">Chapter 8</a> - <a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/11/the-spirit-of-black-keep-chapter-9.html">Chapter 9</a> - <a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/11/the-spirit-of-black-keep-chapter-10.html">Chapter 10</a> - Chapter 11</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvGg8EizhcMDIRjEI3If7L94mJ7j0mPrdCeqcrt9McBqNInCHwpdVKK9FHiyhZcfzMVTb4RP3I_faMc-Oo_z_NoYVzEG7QgHemHlFXrp3lH62gvWErNVd6ZFD45ykAWVMdR7CPxwOmVIeHBIUgeGOLyKkqytSs_fq3NjZx_ODL-TZbFoz0qMPmCQeI5u6/s1245/The%20Spirit%20of%20Black%20Keep%20ch%2011.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1113" data-original-width="1245" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvGg8EizhcMDIRjEI3If7L94mJ7j0mPrdCeqcrt9McBqNInCHwpdVKK9FHiyhZcfzMVTb4RP3I_faMc-Oo_z_NoYVzEG7QgHemHlFXrp3lH62gvWErNVd6ZFD45ykAWVMdR7CPxwOmVIeHBIUgeGOLyKkqytSs_fq3NjZx_ODL-TZbFoz0qMPmCQeI5u6/w400-h358/The%20Spirit%20of%20Black%20Keep%20ch%2011.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal">Pharazon swallowed hard and felt a pang of emotion run
through him. This was who had been calling him. Quietly, he crept across the
rug toward the figure.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It was a large, brown, bearded Skeith wearing black armour.
Helmet cradled under one arm, he stared out at the ocean, his expression stern
and melancholy. Pharazon thought he resembled Skarl and Hagan slightly, and he
seemed thin somehow—not in girth, but in existence. Like a spirit.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As Pharazon approached, the Skeith’s ears pricked and he
turned to regard the Draik. “Hello,” he said in a voice so tired and sad that
Pharazon instantly felt sorry for him. “Are you trying to resurrect me, too?”</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pharazon blinked, and quickly shook his head and said, “No,
sir.” He squared his shoulders. “My friends are downstairs, trying to stop the ones
who are.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“They won’t be able to,” the Darkest Knight murmured. “They
don’t know the Dark Faerie Sisters’ names.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Malice, Spite, and Vanity, right?” Pharazon said.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Darkest Knight sighed and shook his head. “Their real
names. You cannot bind or <a href="https://images.neopets.com/surveyimg/sur_cards/01_base/119.jpg" target="_blank">grey</a> a faerie unless you know her real name.” Seeming
resolved to his fate, he returned to staring out the window.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pharazon frowned. This could be a problem. But it was not
why he had come up here, and as the Darkest Knight had spoken to him, Pharazon
realized something. “You don’t want to be resurrected, do you,” he said.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The knight turned to regard him again and said, “Long ages
ago… I fell to the allure of three phantoms who promised me if I did as they
said, I would become lord of my own kingdom. As I listened to them more and
more, I became ruthless and selfish, a tyrant to my people. Of course they
turned on me. And when I appealed to the Three for help… they called me a
failure and watched me fall.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He set his helmet on the couch beside him and held his head
in his hands. “But my spirit lived on, and I am tormented by my regrets. Every
day I look out on this fair city, and remember how I oppressed it, and all of
the opportunities I have forever lost. My only wish now is that I could have
been a better lord to them.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I’m sorry,” Pharazon said.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“When the Darkest Faerie returned eleven years ago,” the
Darkest Knight said, “she wasted no time in resurrecting me. I didn’t want it,
but she used her evil magic to override my will. Although I was back in my body
again, I was her puppet, and I had to go through the nightmare of watching her
terrorize Market Town through me.” He closed his eyes. “It was a relief when
that knight and sorceress defeated me once more.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pharazon didn’t know what to tell him. Everything seemed a
proper mess. His friends weren’t going to be able to stop the Dark Faerie
Sisters, and the Darkest Knight would once again have a slew of events to add
to his long list of regrets. He reached over and wrung his tail, unsure of what
to do now.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then an idea formed in his mind. His eyes lit up and he
dropped his tail. “The Dark Faerie Sisters can’t resurrect you if you’re not
here,” he said.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“What?” the Darkest Knight asked.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pharazon held out his paw. “Give me your hand. I’m going to
heal you.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Skeith gave him a sceptical look and said, “You can’t
heal me of anything. I’m already dead.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I think I can release the energy binding you to Black
Keep,” Pharazon said. “Please, just trust me. I want to help you.” If he could
sense energy so sensitively, perhaps that meant he could work with it easily as
well.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Darkest Knight hesitated, but slipped his large gloved
hand around Pharazon’s claws and said, “All right…”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pharazon hoped that his heart would show him the way once
more, and then he remembered how Jhudora had looked at the ley lines through
him. He wondered if he could replicate that vision, and he pooled his
concentration into doing so.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The world lit up with energy again, surprising him so much
that he nearly let go of the Darkest Knight. Magic of all types networked
through the world around him, but Pharazon focused on that surrounding the
knight.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This was the sad and forlorn magic Pharazon had felt when he
and Celice first came to Black Keep, he realised. Centuries upon centuries of
regrets had piled up here, creating a net keeping the Darkest Knight from
leaving. He was swarmed by knots and tangles of energy.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pharazon reached out with his free hand and gently teased
the lines into place. As he did, the tension in the air ebbed, and he could
sense the feeling around Black Keep getting better, as if the entire fortress had
taken a deep breath of relief.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Finally only one strong cord remained, and Pharazon couldn’t
get it to budge no matter what he tried.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“What is it?” the Darkest Knight asked.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“You have to forgive yourself,” Pharazon said. “That’s the
only thing holding you back.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Skeith ducked his head. “I don’t know if I can.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Well, I’ve forgiven you,” Pharazon said, “and I think
you’re strong enough to do the same. Just let it go. You’re okay now. You’re
going to do better from now on.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Darkest Knight scrunched up his face and nodded. He
looked pained for a second, and then he relaxed and looked back at Pharazon.
“Yes… you’re right,” he said. “Thank you.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The cord of magic snapped and the entire air around Black
Keep felt different. It still felt old and carried the weight of history, but
all of the sadness and fear was gone.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Darkest Knight stood up and grabbed his helmet, a smile
on his face and a twinkle in his eye. “They’re coming,” he said, sounding
choked with tears as he stared at something past Pharazon. “They’ve forgiven me
too, and they’re coming for me.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I’m so glad,” Pharazon said with a weary grin. The magic
had left him exhausted, but it had been worth it.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Darkest Knight stepped around him, already looking
thinner. As he began to fade, he paused and looked back at the Draik.
“Typheles, Arza, and Lacuna,” he said in a barely audible voice, and then he
was gone.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pharazon wrinkled his snout, wondering what the knight had
just said—and then he figured it out. His eyes bulged and he raced to the door.
“Typheles, Arza, Lacuna,” he muttered under his breath. “Typheles, Arza,
Lacuna!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Pharazon!” a familiar voice called from down the stairs.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Draik’s face lit up and he soared down the steps,
colliding with Kass who pulled him into a fierce hug. “You’re all right!” the
Eyrie said. “Thank goodness, you’re all right!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I knew you could do it!” Pharazon sputtered. “You got rid
of the Three, didn’t you!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“So did you!” Kass said. “They’re gone—they won’t bother us
any more, I know it!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I did it!” Pharazon said. “I released the Darkest Knight!
He’s left, the Dark Faerie Sisters can’t bring him back!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Kass’s beak hung open and then he laughed. “Of course! What
an elegant solution! And one only you would think of, I’m sure!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“We have to get back to the great hall,” Pharazon said. “He
gave me the key to defeating the Sisters.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Well, let’s not waste our time with stairs when we know
where we’re going,” Kass said. He led Pharazon to the next floor down and found
a window that opened. The two plummeted into the air and spiraled down around
the tower until they reached the great hall level’s terrace.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pharazon nearly skidded onto the stone, and scrambled
inside, back down the hallway, toward the room where he’d made the fateful
decision to teleport two days ago. Even mistakes could be turned to great good,
he decided, as long as one didn’t give up.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The doors to the hall hung askew on their hinges, and past
them echoed flashes of light and battle cries. Pharazon slowed his pace lest he
be hit by an errant spell.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Kass hovered behind him, and the two took a moment to
observe the fight. The faeries fluttered around in midair, lobbing spells at
each other, while Celice tried her best to keep up from the ground. If anyone
targetted the spell circle, one of the Dark Faerie Sisters would swoop in and cast
a shadowy vortex that absorbed the magic, leaving their summoning arrangement
unscathed.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“You shall not win!” Misty shouted, swiping her sword at
Malice from the back of her Lupe mount. “We shall be your bane!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Malice flipped back through the air and laughed. “You say
that, but you have yet to best us!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“And it’s too late now!” Spite said with a giggle, thrusting
a wave of darkness at Jhudora. The good dark faerie clutched her wand in
shaking hands as she diverted the magic blast around herself. Spite sneered.
“It’s time for the summoning!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pharazon glanced out the windows. The sun had set. “Go ahead
and try!” he shouted, striding into the room.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At first, no one heard him above the cacophony of battle,
but then Celice noticed him. “Pharazon! Kass!” she called. “Get out of here!
They’re going to bring back the Darkest Knight—we’ve failed—“</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pharazon shook his head with a bit of a fierce grin. “And I
say, let them try. Go ahead!” he shouted to the sisters.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Is this some sort of bluff?” Envy asked. “Do you think
you’re smarter than us, you little pest?” She swooped past the fire faerie and
the earth faerie knights to hover near the spell circle. “I’ll show you who’s
smart! Malice, Spite! C’mon!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Now’s our chance! Attack!” Misty said.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Don’t you dare!” Jhudora said, flaring her wings in front
of the knight. “Don’t you know anything? Summoning spells are incredibly
complex—if we interfere and it goes awry, it could destroy all of Market Town!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Well,” the fire faerie said, “maybe if you’d done a better
job helping us hold them off, we could have stopped them sooner!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pharazon ignored their bickering and shot Celice a
reassuring glance, and the Lupe edged closer to him and Kass. “Please tell me
you know what you’re doing,” she muttered.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“It’ll be okay,” he said, giving her paw a squeeze. “I
promise.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The dark faerie trio stood around the circle, raised their
hands, and began to chant. The circle flared with energy for one awful
moment—and then it unwound like a musician playing a wrong note. The sisters
screamed and staggered back, and the magic flickered and died.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Wh-what happened?!” Malice wailed, holding her head as she
tried to regain her balance. The other two looked equally disoriented.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“You can’t resurrect someone who’s not here,” Pharazon said with
a smirk.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Spite grimaced, her wings stretching in pain. “You—little—!”
she hissed. She stretched out her hand toward Pharazon, and dark magic began to
coalesce around it.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pharazon ground his claws into the stone. “Typheles, Arza,
Lacuna! Those are your real names!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“No!” Spite screeched. “How did you know?!” Her face twisted
with hatred and her attack spell grew larger.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A wicked blast of silver energy hit the three. They stood
rigid as the magic jolted through their bodies, and Pharazon looked up to see
it coming from Jhudora’s wand.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The dark faerie’s hair and dress swirled with power as she
glowered at the three. “I revoke your power and remove your wings!” she
bellowed in a terrifying tone Pharazon had never heard her use. “Typheles!
Arza! Lacuna!” At each name, one of the faeries crumpled to the floor and the
magic coalesced around them.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When it faded, it left three huddled bundles around the
broken remnants of the spell circle. The sisters’ clothes had faded in colour,
and where wings once sprouted from their backs were nothing but a few wilted
feathers. Slowly, painfully, they moved to their hands and knees, moaning.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“She greyed them,” Celice said, putting a paw to her muzzle.
“I—I’ve never seen a greying before.” Her voice was quiet and she shook
slightly. “I don’t think I ever want to again.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Kass put an arm around her shoulders and said, “Me either.
Although I don’t think I’d mind seeing that stupid faerie phantom greyed.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“That might not be possible,” Jhudora said, alighting next
to them. “There are some fell entities that roam the planes of reality, and
it’s conceivable that three of them decided to take the forms of a faerie, a
Gelert, and a Skeith.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I’m so glad they’re gone,” Pharazon said.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Did you bring containment bottles?” Jhudora asked SQUAD Squadron.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Of course,” Misty said, unfastening some from her utility
belt as her Lupe mount flew her down to the three grey faeries. She gave one
bottle each to the earth faerie and fire faerie, and simultaneously they popped
the corks.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Out of the bottles swirled a vapour of magic that encircled
the Dark Faerie Sisters, stretching and pulling them into their glass holds
like they were made of taffy. When the mist fully retreated into the bottles,
the knights pushed the corks back in.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Fyora’s going to want a word with these three,” Misty said,
inspecting the miniaturised grey faeries who moped against the glass walls. The
water faerie shook her head before attaching them to her belt. “Well, that’s
that.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">She and the others looked over to Pharazon and his
companions. “Thank you for your assistance,” Misty said. “However in the world
did you know their names?”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pharazon smiled. “A friend told me.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“We had best be off to Fyora,” Penumbra said, shooting an
irritated glare at a smug-looking Jhudora.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Fare thee well, dear Neopians,” Misty said with a sweeping
bow. “May truth and goodness always guide you!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I think it does,” Pharazon said.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Just dispense with the theatrics and leave already,”
Jhudora said, flicking a hand at the knights.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Penumbra took a moment to smudge out the remnants of the
spell circle with her boot, and then joined the others as they retreated toward
the doors. She paused and tossed a smile over her shoulder at the three Neopets
and the other dark faerie. “Well done today,” was all she said before she left.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Celice glanced up at Jhudora and said, “You’re not going
with them?”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“They can manage on their own,” Jhudora said with a smirk.
“Things have gotten rather interesting here. I think I’ll stick around for a
bit.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I’m glad to hear it,” Pharazon said. He looked over at the
Lupe sorceress who had been there for him through all of this. “Celice… do you
really think I’d make a good mage?”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">She put a paw on his head and said, “Well, I’ll give it to
you straight. You’re not the most powerful wizard I’ve ever met. You’ve got a
long way to go in the skill department. And you’re certainly no
naturally-talented Chosen One destined to fulfill prophecy or anything like
that.” Her muzzle broke into a grin. “But you have potential. And the most important
part of the whole thing is what you use your abilities for—and you used them
for great good today.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Thanks,” Pharazon said. He turned to Kass. “The Three kept
trying to get me to think I was making a mistake. They kept telling me I was
doing the wrong thing. I don’t get it—I thought they were supposed to appeal to
a person’s greed, ambition, and wish for vengeance.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Do you possess any of those things?” Kass asked.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Draik thought a moment. “Well—I really don’t think I’m
greedy or ambitious, but I thought for sure they’d talk to me about revenge.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Do you have anyone you would like to seek revenge on?” Kass
asked.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pharazon thought again. A feeling of peace settled in his
heart and he closed his eyes with a smile. “No… I’ve forgiven them all.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Kass patted his shoulder and said, “Then they could not
tempt you through any of their usual methods. Think no more on it. You have
passed your test. Move on to better days ahead.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“It’s getting awfully gloomy in here,” Celice remarked. The
sun had sunk below the horizon, and the great hall grew darker and darker with
each passing moment. “We ought to head back to the Traders’ Guild and report
our mission complete.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Good idea,” Pharazon said.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The four made their way back out to the terrace. The stars
had come out, creating a celestial counterpart to the lights that glittered in
the city below. Past them, the hills and mountains receded into the dusk, and
off to the south, a layer of fog had begun to roll in from the sea like a
fluffy grey blanket that would soon envelop Market Town. Even Celice, who
initially clung to the inside wall, gradually crept closer to the balustrade to
peer out at the landscape.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pharazon folded his arms on the ledge. “I think I want to
focus on healing and mana manipulation.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Oh?” Celice asked.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Well, I seem to naturally gravitate toward the former,”
Pharazon said. “And as for the latter, I’ve seen what happens to spellcasters
when magic isn’t channelled properly. I don’t want to make those same kinds of
mistakes.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Celice pulled her cloak around herself to keep out the night
chill. “Those fields aren’t too widely studied, you know. Most mages prefer
flashier pursuits—combat magic, magitechnology, that sort of thing. I think
you’d be a great asset in your areas of choice. Like you said, they’re ones
most people tend to forget about, and that can be dangerous.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Not to mention,” Jhudora said, “you’ve got something many
magicians lack.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“What’s that?” Pharazon asked.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“You have heart,” the faerie said. “You’d be surprised how
many magic users struggle with that. It’s why so many of them turn to evil and
selfish ends.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I won’t,” Pharazon said.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I know,” Jhudora said. “Because you listen to your heart.”
She climbed up onto the ledge and stretched her wings. “Well, I’m certainly not
going down the land-bound way. Are you all joining me?”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pharazon clambered up next to her and said, “Sure. I think
we should all go out for a nice, big dinner after this. We all deserve it.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Do you mind?” Kass asked Celice.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Lupe chewed on her lip before letting out an exasperated
sigh. “If we must. I do trust you won’t drop me.” Kass picked her up and spread
his wings, and she smiled at him, but still grabbed onto his mane with one paw.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jhudora led the glide down from the tower, and Pharazon and
Kass followed her, spiralling around the enormous structure as the rooftops
rose to greet them. The exhilaration had worn off, leaving Pharazon feeling
mostly hungry and exhausted—but satisfied. Things really were going to be okay.
He had triumphed, and no one could take that away from him.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Banking closer to Kass, he asked, “What are you going to do
now?”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I have to return to Darigan Citadel,” Kass said, “and
answer for my crimes.” His jaw clenched and Pharazon thought he saw fear in the
proud Eyrie’s crimson eyes.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Let me come with you,” Pharazon said. “You’re my friend,
Kass, and I’m not going to abandon you now.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Same here,” Celice said. “Lord Darigan’s got to go easy on
you after everything you’ve been through. Especially if we’re vouching for
you.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jhudora soared close to them and laughed. “Oh, yes, I’m
definitely not leaving now. I want to see how this will go down. And… well, you
have my testimony. I’ll put in a good word for you to Lord Darigan.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“He’ll be okay,” Pharazon said. “I have a good feeling about
it.” But Kass still looked tense, so Pharazon wanted to change the subject.
“What about after that, Kass?”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“You mean if I’m not thrown in the dungeons?” Kass asked
with a hoarse chuckle. His smirk faded and he looked up at Black Keep. “Well…
I’ll be honest, I’ve been doing some thinking. It’s a real shame to leave
something like this empty and abandoned. I think, with a bit of fixing up, it should
be livable.” He paused. “If Lord Darigan and King Hagan and the Traders’ Guild
give the all-clear… I’d like to be the new lord of Black Keep.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Lord Kass of Black Keep,” Celice said. “I like it. Has a
nice ring to it.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The three winged individuals alighted on the ancient paving stones
outside the tower, and Kass set Celice down before turning to look back at the
fortress. “Thank you,” he said. “I think so as well.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“And of course it’s unwise to leave such a powerful magic
nexus unguarded,” Jhudora said. “I think you’d do a fine job of protecting it.”
She folded her wings over her shoulders and ushered them back toward the gates.
“All right, let’s see what they’ve got for food in this corner of Brightvale.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Yes, let’s,” Celice said. “I’m starved, and we’ve still got
some travelling to do.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pharazon found himself trailing behind, and glanced over to
see Kass doing the same. The two fell into step with each other as they made
their way over cracked flagstones and patches of encroaching grass. The place
still seemed worn and a bit sad, but the negative energy was gone. Now Black
Keep just seemed still and sleeping—waiting for a new lord to claim it.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Draik looked over his shoulder at the dark tower, and
then back to his Eyrie friend. “You know,” Pharazon said, “I think Black Keep
would make a really great lighthouse.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Kass smiled. “I think so as well.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pharazon didn’t know how much longer he would be away from
home, but he didn’t pine for his books as much as he had before. He had other
things to focus on right now—friends who needed him. He would return to Altador
when the time was right.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Already he had begun to mentally compose a Neomail to his
family. Perhaps he wouldn’t tell them the whole story just yet, but he would
thank them for their faith in him and say that he was doing well and getting a
lot done.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And he would let them know that he’d found himself at Black
Keep.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b>The End</b></p></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/10/the-spirit-of-black-keep-chapter-1.html">Chapter 1</a> - <a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/10/the-spirit-of-black-keep-chapter-2.html">Chapter 2</a> - <a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/10/the-spirit-of-black-keep-chapter-3.html">Chapter 3</a> - <a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/10/the-spirit-of-black-keep-chapter-4.html" target="_blank">Chapter 4</a></b> - <b><a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/10/the-spirit-of-black-keep-chapter-5.html">Chapter 5</a> - <a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/11/the-spirit-of-black-keep-chapter-6.html">Chapter 6</a> - <a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/11/the-spirit-of-black-keep-chapter-7.html" target="">Chapter 7<br /></a></b><b><a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/11/the-spirit-of-black-keep-chapter-8.html">Chapter 8</a> - <a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/11/the-spirit-of-black-keep-chapter-9.html">Chapter 9</a> - <a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/2023/11/the-spirit-of-black-keep-chapter-10.html">Chapter 10</a> - Chapter 11</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.tkarispe.com/p/neopets-fanfiction.html">Back to all Neopets fanfiction</a></b></p>T. Arispehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03384209171396117798noreply@blogger.com0