NERV

Anyway, I am opening commissions!! I decided not to do it on Ko-fi because I wanted a little more flexibility in this (I am not sure how commissions function over there).

I hope the information provided on the sheets are clear. If you're interested or have any questions, please reach out through DM! Spreading the word is heavily appreciated!

Okay, I actually posted it last week, but I forgot to post it here. I had to abbreviate the title, because otherwise, it would have been too long. 😂😂 Anyway, this is a commission for anqel on Discord! These are the characters from our D&D group: Shadows Beneath the Crystal Veil. We are a very large group as you can see. 😆

The story of the campaign is that a High Sorceress named Morgana was murdered by an unknown demon one day. She was the protector of the Crystal Heart, which kept Arcadia safe from the demon realm. However, it has been stolen. The king calls forth a group of adventurers to have them venture Hell in search of the artifact. These are the chosen ones.

Honestly, the story is both dark as hell yet hilarious (like every D&D story 🤣) because man, do we get caught up in the weirdest situations... I shall list the characters from left to right— then front right to front left— and give a short description of them, because everyone is so awesome, I swear.

🍷Aurelius: A young Cambion (half-devil, half-human) ambassador and future Lord of the Pride District. He's both a warlock and a sorcerer. He is sarcastic, a diva, and unusually charismatic. Generally the one who gets us out of trouble. He also is a bit of a debauchee. He likes to give people nicknames for some reason.

🪽"Robin" (D&D Lilyana): She is my character. Like in the original universe, she is a Human lady and a singer. In our D&D campaign, Lilyana is a healer (sorceress) and forcibly engaged with a Celestial named Amadeus (he's different from OG Amadeus). She's a sweetheart, maybe a little too good for herself and a horrible liar. Fun fact: Robin is a nickname Aurelius gave to her. "A lovely name for a lovely songstress."

🥀Seharis "Ris": an Eladrin Elf who works as an assassin. She is an enigma, but she was once a consort of Grazt'z, the Demon Prince of Pleasure and one of the main antagonists of this campaign (Amadeus is becoming a close second). Their relationship is... very complicated. I honestly love her, but she can be shifty. >_>

🗡️Bohdi: A human fighter and former guardian of Morgana. He carries guilt over his failure to protect Morgana. He now guards the newly appointed sorceress, Emma. He's... not the sharpest tool in the shed, but it's extremely important that you know that he's shiny and very good with crows XD

👹Heron: A Cambion paladin, former gladiator, and Hound of Horus, the Duke of Wrath. He's very passionate about fighting (he's in a contract to kill 10,000 people, he has claimed 6,000.) But he's quite jovial and a man with strong family values. He has a sister and a mother who he adores. He also has a panda named Chicken Nugget. So he's friendly, nothing too bad.

🌿Eillenae: An Eladrin Elf druid with a very mysterious past. She's bubbly and sassy to a degree, but when it comes to questioning, she becomes dodgy, more so than Ris. Her appearance changes with the seasons or moods (right now, this is her autumn form). She's also crazy powerful and has a scary but adorable rabbit named Mr. Waffles.

😺"Pouncing Dagger" Praxis: A Tabaxi ranger who is on a search for their brother, Arrow. Their past is also a bit of a mystery and they are in constant survival mode. Fortunately, they do find their brother and embark on a different adventure (the player left for scheduling reasons, but I wanted to include them because they were an integral part of the team). They also happen to be a bartender. A very good one at that.

💜Mamsey: A warlock Plasmoid (slime) who works as a chef. They belong to well... @Mamsey 😆 They used to be a human man, but a very sickly one. They made a pact with an unknown entity (who later turns out to be the Duchess of Gluttony) in order to give them another body. Now they're a slime and very happy about it. They are goofy, chaotic, but can be serious when the occasion calls for it. Honestly the comic relief of this campaign. They also left, but I wanted to include them with the muffin they heavily promote because... Yes. 🫡 They HAVE to be in.

I actually have a scenario written when I finished it, which I will share with you all~ ❤️

This is a commission piece for an anonymous user. The character (they're the same person) is Gigi from the game, "Dandy's World." I never played or heard of it, but she sounds like a sweetie, and her twisted version is kind of sick! 🔥🔥 I finished it literally in New Year. The holidays aren't over here in PR 💃🏽🌲 It's no longer Christmas once SanSe is over. Just in case, SanSe or "Las fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián" is a 4-day traditional celebration in Old San Juan at a specific street where people party, dance to bomba and plena, there's like a sort of a cultural parade and there are LOTS of artisans selling. Thousands of people go there every year— and for context, the street is very small. So it gets extremely crowded. Nights are very crazy. Anyway, I am going on a side tangent. 😅

It was quite an interesting commission. I've never drawn characters based on objects or that they have a more cartoony art style compared to my own, which is a weird blend of anime and semi-realism. I know this is an unusual artwork from what I do, but it was fun to do. Especially with markers, Ohuhus are neat to use!

I am still open for commission if anyone is interested! :D

Or if you want to support me in some other way, you can donate on my Ko-fi page or visit my shop!

A little train-of-thought about 2025:

Around Sunday, I was sorting through books at work. Because my job involves vetting books to make sure they don't have explicit content, don't have black spots on top of the paper, or are too old, wrinkled or wet to then take them to the bookshelves. All books are donations we get, so they need to get that quality check. The arts and crafts section was getting empty, so I needed to add more or bigger books for it. I came across one that was called "Romanticism." It was a large, heavy book containing all the works and descriptions about the arts in the Romantic era and its artists.

I sorted through ALL the pages to make sure there were no explicit content— because even nudity was a yellow flag. Which I find it a little unfair, but I understand that people tend to be conservative. There was a lot of it, alright. But... I couldn't help but to admire those and the rest of the arts that were displayed. The amount of detail and dedication these artists had to depict every single crease of clothing, every dash of color, backgrounds involving stormy clouds, forest, mountains, crashing waves, and buildings... They were the ones who coined the word "sublime". Because experiencing these works are something else. It's bone-chilling in the best way. It was just... beautiful. I personally love the Romantic, the Baroque, and the Renaissance era for many reasons. They feature the most breathtaking works you can imagine.

Throughout all of this, I thought to myself: is this what AI and all these dystopian companies want to replace? Do they really think art is that discardable? That weak? That worthless? So easy to replicate? The human mind is a very powerful thing. No matter what they say, human creativity will always outperform computer-generated images. Because art is not about only looking pretty and perfect (though AI "art" is not at all perfect, but it tries to be) and fast results. It's about the experience, the process, the emotions they provoke on people's psyche. That touch of awe or that sense of discomfort they bring, because ugliness can also be artistic. But it's different when you count six melted fingers, uncanny-valley smoothness and robotic movements. I mean ugliness in the psychological sense. When you see something that deeply unsettles you or makes you think about something (there's no such thing as bad art). AI will never reach the level as these artists did. And though they were underappreciated at the time, their works remain timeless and precious for us. Something that can never be replaced or imitated. And the day they say, "Look, AI art can look just as good as the Mona Lisa and you won't ever be able to tell the difference," I will still lean over the original (though there are better works than that to tell you the truth.) Because at least I know it was made by human hands that aimed to draw us in for centuries.

More than likely that book will never see the light of day because I showed it to my supervisor and he said that it might not even be placed in the display cabinet because there are so many nudes and sensual works that it might be too much for the general public. But honestly, I hope it is hidden behind the cabinet for someone to take, appreciate, and know their value as a person. Because more than ever, we are being classed as obsolete or inferior.

Moral of the story: don't ever stop using a pencil, a brush, or a stylus because the world is telling you to. Keep making art because in the end, under a sea of AI-genetated images, your works will be the ones that will stand the test of time. And history will acknowledge it as the new Vanguard, who knows? Let's be the new Romantics in an age where technology and automation are making waves.

Hello! It has been two years since I've drawn this character, and I thought she needed a resurgence. I know this is not a Halloween-y picture for sure 😂 But her backstory is probably good for a spooky day like this.

For a brief reintroduction: This is Kimmi Moon Stanfield. She's a half-Korean, half-American fashion designer and model. She exists in the same world as Hanami and Reina, so she has a superpower. She can manipulate metal through hand movements alone. She also has the ability to harden her skin like steel, making her slower, but very strong and resistant. The downside is that she has to consume food with high degrees of Iron and Calcium or else, her bones will begin to weaken. Sometimes, she goes to extremes and eats real metal— which greatly enhances her power, but makes her sick.

Now it's time for the backstory that I promised to tell long ago (It's going to be a long read). 📖

Hey everyone, Dahlia is back again! 🖤

There is no deep symbolism behind this piece, that I thought of (because I've been asked). I just wanted to make something cute and a little mystical. So why not draw my favorite goth girl hanging onto the crescent moon? 🌙

This is the first time in like a decade or more than I draw a chibi version of an OC. Yes, this is chibi Dahlia. 😆 It's completely different from how I used to draw chibis. Doesn't look chibi-esque, but I love it. Anyway, this is a new sticker design, too! It was meant to be showcased for the first time in an event on October 18, but it got cancelled. So I am going to sell it for the first time at the annual Japanese Culture Fest at my old uni (UPR- Río Piedras Campus, Student Center) instead. It'll be on Tuesday, October 21st from 10am-4:30pm.

Is it too early to post a winter-themed artwork in October? 😅

I'm back from my unexpected hiatus!!! 💕 Though I admit I don't have much in my arsenal because I have been drawing more for myself (and a couple of videos, which don't worry, you will see). I have also been working on my graphic novel here. It's been very busy few months.

Anyway, I want to start off with an entry for @/bemdraws 's (Artfol/Cara/Bluesky) challenge to present one of my characters as a boss fight. It was made all the way back in... June. Dang. I picked Ísfríðr (Isfrid) because she's the strongest OC I have— yes, stronger than Mikaela, Dahlia, and probably Wynona, Hanami, and Reina (there are more of them, but they're not fighters). This is thanks to her kindred. Valkaans are very resistant to physical and weapon attacks. They can withstand deep slashes and even stabs. What kills them are: over-bleeding, d3captication, extreme heat (they live in snowy mountains, they can't handle the heat, except the Fire clan for obvious reasons), sliced in half and stabs at the skulls. They are quite brutal fighters and monster hunters for a reason. Valkaans have superhuman strength; sometimes I describe Ísfríðr as being stronger than five men together. However, she is considered weak compared to other Valkaans. Imagine how mighty they can be. 😅 All of them wield Rune Magic— which is more powerful than White and Black magic. Being from the Ice clan, she can summon ice magic. The runes she's summoning are Ís, which means "Ice", and Hagalaz— which means "Hail". The combination of those runes are often not a good sign for those on the opposite side. She can also use a bit of Earth magic because of her mother, but I never showcased that. Plus, she wields a seax.

In short, good luck with her. 👍🏽

Agh, I almost forgot to post this week. I'm still cookin' some art 😗 (Aka. working on the projects. I tell you, they are long. But also among other things I have in store.) Here's an artwork of Dahlia. I haven't drawn this girl in a while, I honestly missed her. Likewise, it's been some time since I've done something... experimental? Like my works lately are either fully colored or not. So it felt nice to mix things up a bit.

Alright, back to our semi-regular posting! Here is an artwork of Hanami that I drew on June, and finished coloring during my vacations this month. I always draw her with the same stoic expression. Though it is her personality, it can get a little too repetitive to make the same face. So I thought of giving her a slightly different look.

(Do you think she's bothered by the bubbles?)

Hello again, back with a little bit of OC lore~ This is actually Hanami's mother, Reina; how she looks in the present day. I wrote down her history at last so you can get to know her a little more. Or well, serve as a reminder too. You know how it is with me, it's going to be a long read. So sit back, relax, and enjoy. 📖 ☕