#auralie

4. Tell me about a character moment you really enjoyed! I'm going to talk about one from the Fourth World, and then throw one in from Marvel if that's alright lmao So, in Mister Miracle, the whole story is about Scott Free after his escape from Apokalips, and we've known him as a kind person who has escaped terrible, crushing trauma. At this point in time, given this is a comic from the 1970s, most people know "the twist" that Scott Free is really the son of High-Father of New Genesis, the kindly ruler of the heroic New Gods, and he and Orion were traded in what is essentially a peace pact. The general impression that could be assumed from this, and what tends to be the typical outcome in stories with this framework, is that Scott has some sort of "inner goodness" that made him different from everyone else in Apokalips and that's why he is different from most other people on Apokalips.

But in Mister Miracle Vol 1 9, we see a flashback to his growing up on Apokalips and it includes this moment:

[ID: Scott Free, standing in a rigid pose with his hands behind his back, looks at Auralie with disdain as he says, "Show me the value in this female, Himon! She does nothing but stare into that mind-video!" Himon replies, "How do you know she does nothing? Because she created visions that dance? Auralie's thoughts are beautiful! She creates beauty! Imagine-- doing this on a world like Apokalips!" End ID]

Why yes, this is the scene where I got my username from, why do you ask lmao

Anyway, this is completely incongruous with the Scott Free we've come to know and it's ironclad proof that he's not "different" from anyone else on Apokalips, he doesn't have some special immunity to fascist propaganda. He was raised in the machine like everyone else, and it's only because Himon sought him out that he's able to break free of it.

(there's a parallel Orion moment that ties into this thesis very well and is a close, close second, but I like it when characters show their warts so this one edges ahead just a bit :3)

From Marvel:

This bit from the Carey run (X-Men Vol 2 189) lives in my head rent free:

[ID: Rogue and a de-iced Iceman stand behind a bored-looking Emma. Rogue says, "I could soften 'im up a little by boiling his brain inside of his skull, Emma. Just a suggestion." Sabertooth leans in close to Rogue, saying "Yeah, you're big and brave when I'm on a leash, Rogue. Otherwise--" End ID]

[ID: Iceman surges forward, iced up, and shaping one of his arms into a blade. Getting between Rogue and Sabertooth, he says, "Otherwise it'd be a whole different kind of conversation, Creed. And you'd be holding your half of it with punctured lungs." Iceman rests the blade on Sabertooth's cheek as Sabertooth replies, "Just get me Charley-boy. It's the organ-grinder I want, not his monkeys." In the hall outside the cell, a de-iced Bobby raises a hand toward Emma and Rogue in mock attrition. "Okay, show of force-- unnecessary and uncool. Sorry." Emma replies, "We're hardly operating under Geneva Protocols, Robert. If it comes to that, we've no right to detain Creed in the first place." End ID]

IDK about y'all but he doesn't look a single bit sorry to me.

I'll be the first to say that Bobby's been very inconsistently written over the years, but his tendency to choose violence when he thinks someone close to him is threatened, I think, an underrated narrative thread. Granted, I'm pulling from some of the earlier 60s comics, which weren't exactly known for their stellar character work, and from the 2019 Marauders run which has a very inconsistent Bobby at best, but I think it has enough of a presence that I think it could be used to ground some very interesting conflicts with some of the others.

And i really really REALLY want the Rogue Bobby Sam triad to make a comeback PLEASE Marvel I'll do anything--

Barda (2024)

Barda (2024)

Barda (2024)

Last month, Children of Everfree hit the 20-patron mark over on Patreon! Since I don’t really have much to offer people in return for their support, the least I could do was reciprocate with a few gifts. And so we have...

@pseudocitrus‘ Auralie! We came up with this OC way back toward the end of 2013, and I still don’t know what to do with her mane. I love that the one half of her head is buzzed, though, it’s so cool

@pixel-prism‘s Belfry, from her comic Tamberlane! She’s a little clumsy and probably doesn’t want to tell Mama Tess what she broke this time; also she’s the sole guardian of a very sweet and scared baby, oh no

@hermajestysmod‘s... I don’t think she’s been revealed as of yet in @hermajestysmonsters​! I still think drawing WIDE OPEN DRAGON MAWS is weird but in this case I think it turned out OK!

@legendofmoriad’s Fang! This was a lot of hatching, but I hope you like it! His mane was actually fun to do!

@amras-felagund‘s Cobalt Rook, a writer who moves his characters and plots around as if playing careful games of chess. His mane was almost like an R63′d Pinkie Pie’s and was really cool to make as well.

I have yet to hear back from a bunch of my first 20 as to whether or not they want something drawn for them. Check your Patreon messages and let me know!

And a few of you have already declined a sketch and I’m touched that you’d rather see more Children of Everfree, but I’ll be happy to do one for you if you change your mind later!

Auralie and Evelise Ambersong, completed portraits with repainted additions, put together in the same image.  It was supposed to be for a banner image, but I’ll have to get the exact dimensions in order to know how wide to make it.

Painting in extra material was actually really easy. I am pleased.