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ImNotTheBestArtist
♀️
[46847386]
[2018-10-08 21:12:10 +0000 UTC]
"Improvement takes practice."
(United States)
# Statistics
Favourites: 897; Deviations: 7; Watchers: 12
Watching: 28; Pageviews: 1845; Comments Made: 119; Friends: 28
# About me
Hello.I am Marie, and I like to draw sometimes
I am currently pretty busy with school, as well as changing up my lifestyle a lot (less social media and other distractions). I have not been having much time to work on drawing, so I haven't been posting many things unfortunately. I apologize for that.
If you have any drawings/creations of yours you'd like to share with me, feel free to! If you'd also like to chat with me about your works, feel free! I absolutely love to hear about people's creations.
Aside from drawing - I enjoy writing. I have massive universes in my head, and putting these universes into words is such a fun thing to do. I'm a huge daydreamer, and I'd probably assume that most of my day is spent daydreaming, lol.
I hope to do something good with my life. Helping others is a dream of mine. I have so much I want to accomplish, but helping those who might not have the chance to accomplish their dreams, is one of my goals.
# Comments
Comments: 118
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Aw thank you, I wish I had been on to see this but I just now have seen it. I hope you've been well! I want to post some drawings I've done in the time I've been gone but it isn't letting me post anything so that sucks :/
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Your welcome!
I have been doing well! Hope you are as well!
That does suck, I hope you will be able to submit them at some point.
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Some info about the elves of Tír na nÓg:
While I based the wood elves' culture off of various cultures (The Middle Ages, along with elements of indigenous tribal, Celtic, Arabic, Roman, Greek, Tibetan, Indian, Chinese, and Far Eastern cultures) the main culture that they are based off of is Imperial Japan (with a bit of Thai mixed in). Some of their customs include honor, warrior spirit, technological advancement, respect of nature, and tea drinking.
The elves don't age like we do and can be thousands of years old, a thousand elf years is equivalent to ten human years.
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Interesting. I've always really liked elves. Sorry about not being on here in so long, haha. But I'm posting more on IG if you're interested (planning on putting my drawings on there) All of the drawings on it right now have already been on here, but I guess I'm kinda switching over to IG, but I'll still be on here. And I'll probably post some stuff if I really want to.
If you want to check it out you can, my Instagram is: amhensley5
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Some info about King Auoberon and Queen Titania (if your gonna ask, yes they are inspired by and are the same characters as the faery king and queen from William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream).
King Auoberon has a crown of tree branches and deer/stag antlers coming out of his head. His royal crown is actually emerging from his head. He is, biologically, a regal figure. He also wears a plate like mask on his face, a lot of elven kings wear these masks as a symbol representing the kings before them, to represent their authority, and to carry the weight of their ancestors. Because of this you NEVER see King Auoberon's face. Both Princess Fiachna and Prince Etarlam have hardly ever seen their own father's face but due to curiosity they once snuck up to his chamber. There they witnessed him relieve the mask. And what they saw they would never forget. They saw that King Auoberon's facial features were deformed, lifeless, and gaunt with skin like stone. His eyes were glazed over with a milky white substance, and nothing but a cold emptiness behind them. Personality wise King Auoberon treats everyone like they are his nephew/niece. He is jovial and kindly and he is quite chatty, provided you speak to him in Gaelic. Because he can understand English but he cannot speak a word of it himself. He is passionate and benevolent.
Queen Titania is the tallest female elf in Tír na nÓg (she's 6'4"). She is strong-minded, strong willed, motherly, and free spirited, though she will maintain an air of regalia in front of people. She is sassy and not afraid to speak what's on her mind. She can be patient but when it runs out she will send dogs to attack those who annoy her/waste her time, or cast a spell to send them away from her. She can come off as prideful sometimes. She also isn't fond of wearing shoes (take a guess where Fiachna got her preference for going barefoot from).
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I think I'll check it out!
It's okay if you haven't been on here in so long.
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Even though I love to write about fantasy, one of the things I really want to do is make a horror manga/anime. The hard part is coming up with a story for it.
I would like it to be a ghost story because those are my favorite kind of horror stories. To me, ghosts are a metaphor that can be interpreted in so many different ways. There's no ending to what you can do. You can make it a fun ghost story or you can make it a deeply disturbing, psychological ghost story.
When it comes to supernatural things, I have heard ghosts, but I've never seen ghosts. I do seek ghosts and I would love to see one, but I would most likely scream like a little girl, haha.
My favorite ghost story of all time is Casper (as in the 1995 film with Christina Ricci). The things I like the most in a ghost story is an element of sadness and an element of scariness (and I don't mind some anger in there as well if you wanna go down the Poltergeist path). I find the story in Casper to be really devastatingly sad. The story is completely interested in the fact that Casper is the ghost of a kid. In the film you find out that Casper died from pneumonia when he was 12 years old and he chose to stay behind as a ghost rather than moving on to the afterlife because he didn't want his dad to be left alone. Unfortunately his dad was just destroyed by Casper's death and so he invented a machine that could bring Casper back to life. But everyone thought he was crazy and so he was sent to a mental institution. I also like the character of Casper, both because I like stories about misfits who just don't fit in and because he's one of those characters that can unearth beauty from the grim and bizarre. He's full of more life than most people on Earth.
What is your favorite ghost story (from legend or from popular culture)?
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If my Tír na nÓg comic was to have a rating, it would probably be rated PG. I kind of want to keep the darker and gothic tones that were used in fairy tales (such as ones made by The Brothers Grimm). I think that children need stories that are frightening, because being afraid is a natural and healthy part of life.
Even though Tír na nÓg will be an overall sweet, cheerful, and innocent manga, that doesn't mean it's not going to have some super scary moments. There will be some terrifying things such as vivid portrayals of horrific biological mutations, ridiculously murderous monsters, serial killers, utterly hellish warfare, and a sadistic fire-breathing dragon.
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I agree that being scared is a healthy emotion for children. I think it's important that we are careful of what is causing that fear though... Because, when you are young, you might be afraid of monsters that are under your bed, but it doesn't truly horrify you. Whereas something much darker could possibly traumatize a child since they are so innocent.
Obviously I'm sure you wouldn't have anything super dark in your manga, so I wouldn't have any concerns with that I suppose. I grew up not knowing a lot of things kids my age knew, and I probably didn't even know what a serial killer was till I was 12, haha. But, I don't really have an issue with that, because it just made my childhood less scary. And now I'm older, and am aware of so many terrible things that exist.
To be honest, I think it's quite scary to be a young woman in this time period... I guess, all I can do is try and learn some self defence and hope for the best.
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I am somewhat mildly fascinated by serial killers (for example Charles Manson, real life monster Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Ed Gein, and John Wayne Gacy), and I think it's because I like hearing about how they came to be and what makes them tick. Or maybe it's because I personally have never loved quote/unquote following the rules.
Serial killers are people who really don't give a crap about the rules and they break the most taboo rules we have in society (rules that I actually don't want to break by the way). Assault, kidnapping, torture, murder. And then the sociopath serial killers, they don't even feel remorse over the horrible things that they've done. I feel guilty when I do something wrong, like forgetting to feed and water my pet dog. I feel guilt and shame over little things. Serial killers suffer NO guilt, NO shame, and in a very sick disturbing way it's like they're more free than the rest of us. They do whatever they want within the realms of trying to not get caught because that's their only motivation a lot of times, they just don't want to get caught. And it's fascinating how in some ways they can be just like the rest of us, they can be born the same way, they can get sick, they walk, talk, breathe like the rest of us, but they are NOT like us. They are almost like a different species.
I think people are fascinated by them because they want to learn more about them so that they feel safer, they want to see the monsters coming. They don't want to feel vulnerable to the darkness. So they watch, read, listen to their tales, so that they don't make the same mistakes their victims must have made.
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It's normal to be interested in true crime/serial killers in my opinion. My dad is, and to an extent I personally am as well.
I think one of the things that intrigues people is: "how on Earth is a human capable of something so terrible?" I think we often look for an explanation as to what prompts these people's actions.
Serial killers (in my opinion) are just completely disconnected from human emotion. There's absolutely no feeling for others at all (which I find hard to understand, because I often spend hours of my day wondering how people I know are doing and feeling.) The idea of taking a human being and looking at them in the eye and saying "Your life doesn't matter" is monstrous to me. I can't imagine being able to not care for others.
I would say there isn't a single serial killer who actually feels sorry. How could they? If they had it their way, they'd continue murdering innocent people the rest of their life. And I'm convinced of that. I've watched a lot of serial killer documentaries, and some of them will say (one A FEW) "I'm sorry", but it's just so not convincing. Those are the type of people who will claim to be sorry because they just hope someone will feel pity for them.
"They aren't sorry that they did it, they're sorry they got caught."
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Some art I think you might like:
Dave Stevens. He was an American, a nonconformist, and a diligent artist with infrequent but brilliant output. The father of The Rocketeer (one of my favorite comic book movies)!
Some of his art: (www.comicbookdaily.com/wp-cont… delorean27.files.wordpress.com… evilgeeks.com/2015/05/21/a-col…
And also I'd recommend The Rocketeer for you since you said you were a fan of any kind of superhero movie. It is right up there with Indiana Jones as one of the best homages to the serial heroes of the 1930s/1940s.
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Some info about my comic:
Some of the elements where based off of fairy tales (particularly ones written by The Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault, and Hans Christian Andersen). For example, Emma was designed to look like the heroic children of classic gothic fairy-tales, with pale skin and brunette hair. Also one of her faery friends is a trickster phooka named Sìth Feumar, was inspired by The Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland.
When it comes to fairy-tales I like Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Puss in Boots, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and The Beast.
However there is one that I really like that not many people know about, it is a very old fairy-tale written by The Brothers Grimm. It is called Hans mein Igel or Hans My Hedgehog. I like it because it's the old fairy-tale of a prince hidden in the guise of a beast. It's one of the earliest versions of Beauty and The Beast ever. It's a variation of one of the main sort of universal matrixes or roots for all fairy-tales in which a young princess needs to learn to love the prince that is hidden in the guise of a brute, of a beast. I kind of relate to that, because I know what it's like being different from others.
There is an adaptation of the story that was done in an episode of The Storyteller, I think it's a great adaptation.
If you wish to hear the story, here is a link to it: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu3ds1…
And here is the episode of The Storyteller, if you'd like to see it: www.dailymotion.com/video/x59x…
What is your favorite fairy-tale and why?
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Other than designing elves, I also did some designs for goblins:
While drawing these disease-ridden, smelly, and toad-like creatures, I was inspired by the Gremlins from Gremlins (1984 and one of my favorite horror movies of all time) and The Orcs from Lord of The Rings.
The goblins are the most common soldiers of The Sigre along with minotaurs, ogres, giants, trolls, ghouls, evil dwarves, evil dryads, hags, wraiths, and gorgons.
Their hard skin is riddled with conditions like herpes, boils, gangrene, tumors, cuts, burns, bruises, and countless rashes. I modelled them to look like they're part toad, part angler-fish, and part bat. They're about the size of small dogs, but run and hunt in packs of ten or less.
When you hear the term "savages" used to refer to aboriginal cultures, it's usually an insulting description of someone with a different culture. Goblins, however, have a culture that I think the word was made for. Ugly, smelling like urine, wearing scant clothes made of human hair and teeth and small animal bones, and driven to feral insanity. They're not particularly intelligent and are prone to squabbling, but are adept at hunting small animals, particularly dogs, cats, and even human children (so you best keep your animals inside, or else they might end up as goblin food). They don't have any teeth, and substitute with sharp rocks and bits of glass they find lying around. They're kind of the vermin of the faerie world, but unlike the rest of the fay they're able to thrive in our modern world by sorting through our refuse. Tomato Sauce, vinegar, oatmeal, and salt are effective at hurting goblins, as well as sunlight, cheerful music (other than goblin music), and pressure on their sensitive feet.
What do you think?
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I love those designs! The detail is fantastic. Everything from the nasty bumps on their skin, to all of the hairs poking out!
Goblins are such interesting creatures in fantasy worlds, and you've managed to make them even more interesting.
The Gremlins is also one of my favorite movies. I grew up watching that movie with my father, and he even had a Gizmo plushie for a long time that I loved to hold. I've always thought Gizmo was really really cute for some reason lol.
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I'm glad you think so!
The goblins in Tír na nÓg are also inspired by the goblins in Harry Potter. Even though a lot of goblins are savage creatures, some are civilized and can hold down steady jobs. Some of them work as cooks, bankers, faerie club owners, and janitors. So not all of them are just savage creatures. And this is just me, but wouldn't say that these goblins have herpes, I'd say that they have something FAR WORSE.
When I first watched Gremlins it actually scared the heck out of me! I do think Gizmo is really cute as well!
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Just some random information about me:
I find the world very confusing and chaotic because my mind is very literal and logical. I have trouble understanding the expressions on people's faces. I am over that but I still have trouble with some people. I have bad handwriting, I am hypersensitive, clumsy, and can get very concerned. I like solving problems (such as Rubik cubes) and I have trouble expressing my emotions such as admitting when I have a crush on someone.
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I understand having a hard time expressing your emotions. I also am not too well with that. Often, I can't even let someone know that I care about them properly, because I have such a hard time getting the words out. Often, I don't even know what words to say. That probably all goes back to me being shy though.
You don't need to care about what others think of "the way you see the world." You are very intelligent from what I've heard from you, and wether or not you have trouble understanding others emotions can't change that. I have a sibling who has a very hard time understanding others, and he can't seem to grasp emotion. However, he's smart and kind.
Hopefully I said everything right, lol. Sorry for the late response, too.
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Thank you!
I'd say you that you did say everything right.
It's okay if the response is late.
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Here are some things about me since I don't feel like I ever talk about myself:
When I was younger, I was really extroverted but now I'm pretty shy and prefer to be by myself.
I enjoy reading and writing, though I don't like them as much as drawing.
I am really fond of the outdoors, and some of my favorite places to visit are places with a lot of trees and wildlife. I feel really peaceful when I'm outdoors.
I really enjoy the X-Men movies. They're probably some of my favorite movies I've seen. I like all of the characters. But, it's really hard for me to say that they're my favorite movies since I like so many, haha. I'm just a fan of any kind of superhero movie in general I suppose.
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Fun fact: My spirit animal is a spider.
"The spider is a remarkable figure of feminine energy and creativity in the spirit animal kingdom. Spiders are characterized by the skilled weaving of intricate webs and patience in awaiting their prey. By affinity with the spider spirit animal, you may have qualities of high receptivity and creativity. Having the spider as a power animal or totem helps you tune into life’s ebbs and flows and ingeniously weave every step of your destiny."
What is your spirit animal?
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I would say that it is most likely a butterfly. I don't put much thought into those types of things, but from what I've seen, butterflies seem to represent "self change", or things to do with changing one's own mind.
I've been through a lot, and just in the past few years I've changed so much. I think I will keep changing, because there will always be room for improvement in my behavior, and just who I am in general. I would say one of my biggest strengths is the ability to convince myself of things. When I convince myself of something bad, I am able to convince myself to not think that way anymore. It takes a lot of thinking, but that's one of the things I do best, lol.
I have always been fond of butterflies. Not only are they so beautiful, but they're just so calm. When I've had butterflies land on me, I just take the time to admire their wonderful patterns and colors. Even the "simple" looking butterflies are beautiful to me.
Spiders are also such beautiful things. I will admit that they do give me the creeps, I'm not a fan of the long legs and the body shape. Even so, I can't deny their brilliance and their gorgeous design. Their webs are also absolutely stunning, and they're so intelligent to know how to do these things. Once again, I'm not a fan of getting close to spiders or their webs... After all, I've walked through webs many times before and it is NOT a pleasant sensation, haha.
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Some other things about me:
I'm a bit of a goth.
I have a fear of bees, wasps, and hornets.
I'm also fond of the outdoors, trees, and wildlife.
I cope with stress and anger by being by myself in my room, having quiet time.
I'm not good with math and I need a calculator. I'm good with numbers sometimes but not all the time.
People often confuse me, but I try not to let them worry me.
I like to stay in routines and I don't know what to do with myself when I'm taken out of them, though I usually adapt to them.
I don't understand how being honest can be improper. Maybe this is why I don't have any friends (outside of internet friends).
I really want to be in a relationship with someone, but I have a lot of anxiety when it comes to it and when I see someone who I like I don't know what to do or say around them. I feel love but I can't articulate it.
I have a strong sense of justice and I get livid when I see something unjust (particularly violence towards a child or a woman) because I can't stand to see injustice around me, even if it’s not directed at me.
My dream house would be a suburban house (either regular or Japanese style) by a river, with some oak trees or willows. This is because I'd like to live somewhere quiet (like the moon).
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I also have a fear of bees, wasps and hornets. Actually, last summer I was outside and I stepped on a bee and I still have a scar from it's stinger on the bottom of my foot.
When I am upset, I often like to be on my own too. I feel like most of my friends like to be with others when they are sad, but I'm really not like that. Privacy allows me to sit and not care about others seeing me, and it also allows for me to just sit in thought with no bothers.
I've never been in a romantic relationship with anyone, but I do think it would be nice. There is no doubt that relationships are very stressful and having someone you like can cause you to be anxious. I have had a few people who have liked me in the past, but I've never "liked" anyone back. But when I DO like someone, it makes me feel weird and I have no idea how to speak to them.
I think it is very nice to hear that you stand against injustice so much. There is so much violence in today's world, and it's good to have people who don't stand for it. I'm all about love and peace, so I would say I'm the same.
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I work at a child development center with kindergarten kids. We have a playground outside and in the summertime wasps constantly swarm around the tops of the slide areas. I think they nest in them, the playgrounds just get infested with wasps. They are dangerous, evil wasps and they come out whenever they want. The center told me that they frequently call people but the wasps keep coming back.
When I was younger I got stung on the top lip by a bee. I imagine that getting stung on the bottom of the foot is even worse!
You like to walk outside without shoes?
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Haha, not always. But I like the feeling of the grass on my feet, so sometimes I do. I believe my dad and I were outside playing with a football when I stepped on it. This wasn't the first time I was stung, but I recall a sharp pain sending through my whole leg. Wasps are even scarier because they tend to be a lot more mean than bees. Bees don't sting unless threatened, so it makes sense that one stung me after I stepped on it. To be honest, wasps are also a lot scarier looking than bees.
Also, you work with children? That's very nice! I personally really want kids when I get older, they're such a joy to play with and be with. Of course, being a parent is a real challenge, and it's not all rainbows and sunshine lol.
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Another thing about me:
I don't consider myself a hip guy. I was born on October 15th, 1999 and I mostly grew up around 2000s stuff like I-Pods, Nintendo 64s, Gameboys, Ps2's, and Ps3's (Ps3 is my favorite gaming platform and I prefer them over Ps4's). I'm not a guy who is aware of the latest MTV music or whatever. The way I find that I'm very current in is manga, anime, video games, cartoons, and film.
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Oh, despite being born in 2003 I grew up with Gameboys even though most of the kids my age had a DS or something. I can recall playing Yoshi's island on my Gameboy, and it was one of my favorite games ever, I still think it is very fun. My dad collected Gameboys I think, so that's why I had like 4 that I shared with my siblings.
I am DEFINITELY not into the latest music, haha. Its not that I don't like music, but much of the popular music these days I don't really enjoy. In fact, I dislike a lot of the meanings of the popular songs. But that's just me, and I by means have an issue if someone wants to listen to it.
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There is a thing I've heard of called "Earthing". Earthing is the process of absorbing earths free flowing electrons from it's surface through the soles of ones feet. Its one of the best things to do everyday.
Also, without bees we wouldn't have honey and I respect that. Ask Winnie the Pooh, Pooh Bear loves honey. But they buzz around and are attracted to humans wearing bright color clothes like orange, pink, definitely yellow since bees are the color yellow along with black stripes. People get stung whether they are bothering them or not.Thats one of the reasons I'm afraid of them.
I agree, it is a challenge. Especially preschool kids. I find preeschool kids to be impossible to work with. They wont listen, they get disruptive,and sometimes destructive or violent.
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When I was younger I was shorter than most people in my classroom. Everyone grew taller while I remained short. I was quite shy as well and flew under the radar frequently.
I as well enjoy reading, usually fantasy and gothic literature.
Wow! You like superhero movies as well?
Here are some superhero movies I love: The Spider-Man trilogy, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Transformers, Blade trilogy, Donner's Superman and Lester/Donner Superman II, Batman 1989, Batman Returns, The Dark Knight, Black Panther, Unbreakable, X Men and X2, Guardians of The Galaxy, Favreau's Iron Man, Logan, Wonder Woman, Dr. Strange, Thor Ragnarok, V for Vendetta, Watchmen, Man of Steel (though I'm a bit mixed towards the ending), Chronicle, and Split.
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Some short surreal horror films I recommend to you:
1) La cabina. An A+ short. Amazing short film of surreal horror. Give it 30 minutes. You won't regret it. (www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKkfGG… )
2) La puerta (1968) It's Spanish and I can't find a version with subtitles. Despite that I do think it's worth watching. (www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwVELT… )
3) UPA's Telltale Heart. I absolutely LOVE Edgar Allan Poe. I give this short an A+++. (www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJb150… )
4) The Cat with Hands. A great horror short. Prepare to be chilled to the bone. (www.youtube.com/watch?time_con… )
5) Kakurenbo (Hide and Seek) A perfect little nightmare. (www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7K5Q1… )
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Oh, awesome! I'll check them out when I get the chance
Telltale Heart is probably one of my favorite stories of Edgar Allan Poe. I remember hearing the story when I was younger since my father is a big fan of his writings. It sent chills down my spine.
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My favorite stories from Edgar Allan Poe are Telltale Heart, The Raven, The Pit and The Pendulum, and Masque of The Red Death.
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Here are some horror movies that I think are actually scary.
1) The Haunting 1963
2) The Innocents 1961
3) Alien
4) Jaws
5) Gremlins
6) The Fly 1986
7) Something Wicked This Way Comes
8) The Watcher in the Woods
9) Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1974 (for sure!)
10) The Exorcist. Demons scare me in general and The Exorcist is pretty scary for me now and I think it will be a lot more scarier when I actually become a parent.
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I've come up with a villain for my manga/comic!
Her name is Mary Tudor I of England, but most know her as The Mirror Queen or Bloody Mary (she is given these nicknames because some people, particularly teenage girls, think it's funny to have their little sleepovers and go into their little bathrooms and say her name five times in the mirror. They find it less funny when she actually shows up and feeds their lungs to the family dog. Arf!)
When creating her I was inspired by both the legend of Bloody Mary and certain literary villains (particularly gothic literary villains) such as The Evil Queen from Snow White, Jadis the White Witch, Lord Voldemort, Dr. Frankenstein, Dracula, and Jekyll-and-Hyde.
She is the former Queen of England and a vampire/lich (a powerful witch/wizard who has transformed his/herself into an undead creature to achieve immortality) who wishes to use The Elemental Titans to conquer the world both faery and man. She also manipulates Prince Etarlam, motivates him, and encourages every ounce of evil that he does. Like a lot of gothic villains she is only concerned with the eternal life of her mind and body instead of the eternal life of her spirit, heart, and soul.
What do you think?
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I love her design! And her color scheme is very nice - I have to say, whenever I hear of Bloody Mary, dark colors came to mind. However, the colors here look very well for a villian! She sounds very interesting
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I also decided to give The Mirror Queen a personal servant/man-at-arms. He is a bull goblin known as Redcap.
When creating Redcap, I was inspired by many different fictional servant characters such as Renfield from Dracula, Igor, Mr. Smee, Ginarrbrik, Blix from Legend, and Wormtail.
Redcap gets his name from soaking his cap in the blood of his victims. He has been the Mirror Queen's servant ever since she was 16 years old. He leads The Queens army and is never far from her and is almost as renown for his cruelty and she is. He is a huge pervert and was born with a condition that made his skin smell appalling. He tries to hide the smell by bathing 3 times a day and wearing flowers in his beard, but nothing helps at all. He is also not a smart fellow. He is a smelly dumb fellow. His weapon of choice is a cutlass.
What do you think?
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He sounds like a very interesting character! I love the idea of him wearing flowers in his beard! It is very unique.
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Fun fact:
When it comes to Redcap, his name isn't actually "Redcap" (As a redcap is a certain type of goblin species that haunts battlefields where many soldiers have fallen. They soak their hats in the blood of the slain and in that of their own victims. Appropriately, they are called "redcaps".) His real name is actually Julie. I am not even kidding! ^^
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I'm glad you love her design! ^^
Some info:
In my comic there are only three ways to become a vampire: You are bitten by a vampire, you are born a vampire, or you are a witch or wizard who has stretched yourself so thin making Horcruxes and straying so far from the light side that you barely resemble yourself.
I also had this idea that not only does the Mirror Queen have sharp vampire fangs, but also a stinger on her tongue and a nictitating membrane. When she opens her mouth and sticks out her tongue, a small thorn emerges from its tip and secretes a liquid. When she bites you, the vampire virus (Nosferatu) spreads, parasitic organs grow next to your heart. They suffocate the heart. The patient dies, and then the vampiric heart starts beating and the vampire wakes up. I have a fascination with the origins of vampirism, and in eastern Europe, the vampire, the strigoi, has a stinger under the tongue.
When it comes to vampires I feel like in Modern Times they've been "defanged", mostly because of Twilight and other shows. I think that the moment of the birth of the vampire myth in English literature is with essentially there is few writings here and there, a poem and this and that. But in fiction most everyone agrees that it was born through John W. Polidori with a short story, "The Vampyre." The fact that Polidori had a mixed relationship with his master and friend, Lord Byron and he based the character of the main vampire in that story, Lord Ruthvren on Lord Byron. This immediately gave birth to a vampire that was both a loathsome parasite and a dandy. A seductive character that is later absorbed by Stoker in "Dracula" and you know, you can trace it all the way to Anne Rice. And I think that right now, we have an unbridled sort of melodramatic, romantic, fantasy with the vampire which is only one half of the myth. The bad boy romantic lead myth, which is essential in Gothic fiction. It can be Heathcliff in "Wuthering Heights," or it can be Robert Patterson in "Twilight." The thing that it tells you right now is that human relationships, intimate relationships have become so completely demythified, they have become so prosaic, whenever you talk about a relationship, you’re talking about it in very prosaic terms. How much does he or she make? What job security? Double-income household, Nest egg planning. It’s all very materialistic. It all becomes very unimaginative and it’s almost impossible to dream romantic things without sounding clichéd. So you know, of the fascination of romantic fiction with a bad boy gets sublimated and dark angels are created, angels of the night that create a physical and spiritual bond with a love interest that is permanent and eternal. So through that fiction you can lose yourself to the lull of a romantic fantasy without feeling silly or dumb. What I find indicative I think that for the first time in the history and culture of mankind, the vampire has been sort of defanged by making them celibate and asexual as opposed to polysexual, like what Anne Rice did. I feel as though vampires have been Mormonized (for lack of better words), into being a sanitized creature. I’m not in favor or against it. I’m intrigued by it, because I think it is a very strong symbol of where we are today. I find it interesting and I try to watch the phenomenon unfold without judging it. But it’s quite strange to me.
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I think it is very refreshing to hear of such vampires. Like you said, in our world today, I think vampires have definitely changed from what they were when they first started appearing in literature.
Vampires have definitely been used a lot in drama/romance related works. I do believe the reason for that is how it makes romance so "interesting." Romance can be very "boring" if it isn't made into something so dramatic and interesting - and I think a lot of people long for an "un-ordinary" relationship (if that makes any sense - wish I could word it better, haha). That would explain the obsession with vampires and other non-human beings when it comes to romance. At least, that's what I think. I do enjoy romance, but I'm not a fan of a lot of the romantic things that are made these days.
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When it comes to designing mutants, monsters and marvels, I think that I’m interested in monsters not because they have a specific value, you know, I actually think they have multiple values depending on the way you use them. They are symbols of great power. I think that at some point, when we became thinking creatures, we decided to interpret the world by creating a mythology of gods and monsters. We created angels, we created demons, we created serpents devouring the moon. We created a mythology to make sense of the world around us. And monsters were born at the same time that the angels or any of the beatific creatures and characters were created. I like to be very mindful of the way I deal with them when writing a story because I assign them a specific function and I try to take them to the extreme with that. I make them victims or I make them sympathetic or I make them brutal parasites. And they become a metaphor for something else. Obviously, monsters are living, breathing, metaphors. For me, half of the fun of designing monsters or writing about them is explaining them socially, biologically, mythologically, and so forth.
I think the moment we made our interpretation of the world as this sort of binary type of interpretation, night and day became separate entities—light and dark. And we went through the process of creating the world by an understanding of the world through opposites. We needed to mythologize. And I think what it tells you is that it’s mostly Western culture thinking. There are Eastern philosophies that accept "the good and the bad" as parts of the whole. And that the good flows with the bad and the bad flows right back into the good. And I think that is a beautiful way of understanding the world and the Universe. But Western culture tells you that we understand the world through opposites only. There’s a great phrase in the Tao (and I'm probably going to misquote it) saying essentially that whenever we consider something good at the same time we are deeming something bad. When we consider something light is because we are considering something dark. And it’s better to just understand everything as the everything and abandon ourselves to it, and so forth. But I think that’s what it tells you.
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When it came to designing the elves the main thing I took inspiration for was the elves in Lord of The Rings and the Hobbit (the most popular design for elves in fiction). I also thought it would be cool to do the elves as albinos, light skinned. They are ghostly white and their skin resembles wood and marble. They have long silvery hair that ends in gold and eye color that ranges from amber, to sienna, to even gold. They also have a golden colored nail polish on their finger/toe nails. The adult elves are tall, ranging from 6'4” to almost 9' (274 cm). The young elves (like Etarlam and Fiachna) would probably reach 5'3", 5'1", or 5'4".
I looked up the term "hemophiliac" and I found a Wikipedia page that said that a lot of royal families in Europe were hemophiliacs. In European royalty, it was a sign of purity to be white. And the less you took the sun, the better. It's a sign that they don't have to work, they don't have to be out in the sun. They are not labourers, they are these almost ethereal creatures. I'm attracted to the idea that the elves are connected, they bleed easily, and yet they are fighters.
At one point Prince Airgetlám bleeds from the nose when he is hit in the face by an opponent. The key is that nobody gets the prince. He is very fast, unlike humans. A lot of the human opponents he faces have the same fighting style that a lot of people have, which is taking a lot of punches until you get a little closer and then we hit you once. But the prince, you don't touch him. He's so fast, you don't touch him. But if you touch him, he bleeds relatively easy.
I showed my drawings to my parents and their friends and they said my design for the elves looks like something out of James Cameron's Avatar!
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Your characters have excellent designs. I can tell the thought you put in to creating each character. I think anyone who is looking to create a fantasy comic/story would find inspiration in The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit. Till this day, some of my favorite movies I have ever seen remain to be The Lord of the Rings movies and The Hobbit. I recently got the book set of The Lord of The Rings for Christmas, and I am so excited to read them when I get the chance. Everything is done perfectly in the movies, and i can only imagine the books have so much more to add to the story.
And your design for elves are exactly what I invision when I think of elves. Well; I invision many types of races within the elves. And many different things inspire my different ideas for elves - but I think that when I think of an elf, a tall and pale person with the pointy ears comes to mind.
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When writing a fantasy story, other than The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit, I am also partially influenced by Game of Thrones.
Whenever I'm working on a drawing I usually listen to music or audiobooks. This one time I decided to listen to an audiobook on A Game of Thrones. At first I wasn't really into it, I was thinking: "Why do people like this? There's so many names! And I have no idea where they are. They seem to be on Earth, but not really on Earth, it seems to be modelled after medieval England or Scotland." I decided to keep listening, though I was pretty sure that I was going to stop listening pretty soon. Then suddenly it hit me. It was during Chapter 4 when Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark and King Robert I Baratheon where talking in the catacombs underneath Winterfell. And again, there was all these names of random people and references to things long since past. I was kind of confused, but the feeling of the story and the vibe that George R.R. Martin was trying to give off got to me. I don't care that I don't know all the references, I like the story. I know enough about each of the main characters to follow the story and it feels like a real world. Because there is all these names that they keep throwing around without really explaining. Similar to Tolkien, when you read The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit it's the same thing. You can follow the main characters but you get all these references to this large world and it makes it feel "realer" (for lack of a better word).
I consider Peter Jackson one of the most gifted directors ever to tackle the fantasy genre, and I consider J.R.R Tolkien to be one of the most gifted writers to have ever tackled the fantasy genre. I believe that Game of Thrones, however, operates at a different level within the same genre. Game of Thrones has a social and sexual complexity that makes it a very different innovative post-Vietnam Era fantasy story that deals with not only an impending enemy, or the purity of evil, but the relative evil that lurks within the hearts of all mankind. Therefore, tonally, I think that the works of Tolkien provides a completely different experience to Game of Thrones, but they are both masterworks of world building.
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Some other information about the elves of Tír na nÓg:
Their species is known as "Wood Elves".
Their large pointy ears affect how strong their hearing is. This makes them incredibly attentive to sound. Their eyes can be luminescent in the dark, and their pupils are narrow and cat like. This affects their biology with heightened vision and an excellent ability to see in the dark.
Dark elves (who won't be appearing in my comic, but do exist) are able to do this as well but they also have dark purple/blue skin which makes them difficult to see in dark areas and at night (hence the name "Dark Elves").
Almost all elves have sharp teeth. Their teeth are cat like and they have pointed canines.
Elves have heightened senses, including their sight, hearing and their sense of smell. Their sense of smell is so strong that rotting fish can actually stupefy them a bit. They also have advanced healing and can recover from injuries pretty quickly.
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One of the minor parts of my manga/comic I would like to do is the fact that one of Emma's friends, Ernst Eifrig, has a crush on Fiachna. To describe their relationship, they have the mannerisms of two shy Victorian-era school children who are "twitterpated" with one another. They bond over art, literature, music, and poetry.
A story featuring someone being in love with an otherworldly creature is something that I've wanted to do for a long time. Stories about this sort of thing fascinate me (for example: Aragorn and Arwen in The Lord of The Rings, Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula, Edward Scissorhands, and of course Beauty and The Beast aka The most beautiful love story ever told.) I would describe myself as being someone who loves love. I love beauty and romance. And I find beauty within the monster/creature.
I feel like we live in a time of fear and hatred and rage. Everyday on the news and everyday on social media and everyday in our lives, we're told to fear something. For example: fear the "others", fear the other religion, fear the other immigrants, the other this, the other that, the other gender and I think it's time to embrace the fact that there is no "us" and "them", but only "us" and that's what we have.
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I also think romance and love, especially between two different beings, to be very interesting. I'm a really big fan of romance anything really, but I think the ones that I love the most are ones with two people who you wouldn't really expect to be together. Like elves and humans, one is to live forever and the other is such a fragile being. Why would they be together? Because love is... Love. I know that sounds so cliche in our current times, but it is definitely true.
What you said at the end is beyond true - people need to stop being afraid of others and putting everything into different groups. There's no different races, we're all one. We're all people with different stories and feelings, no matter skin color, or where you're from, or even what religion you practice, we are all still human.
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