#demonstein

Okay, so I'm working on a lot of different art projects right now (two drawings for old friends, two more wrestling OCs inspired by Sukeban, eventually outlining older sketches (and shading them too), and fantasy art because I'm head over heels for fantasy stuff right now). BUT I redesigned and finally fleshed out this old OC and gave him purpose! His name is Daigo, and his companion is Ayano (who rests across his shoulders). His story is currently complex and a work in progress (the same goes for Ayano), so for now, I will share what I typed up for his Art Fight bio:

Daigo (he/him) was once a cursed, enraged demon. The curse placed upon him shrouded him in an overwhelming anger. Daigo fought against the curse's veil, to combat the rage that was beginning to seep into his soul, but it was too late. He was trapped by the shroud and left to rot. As time slowly passed, he succumbed to the curse and used the rage that was building inside him to break free from the entrapment. He was free, but his mind had been driven mad by all the time spent trapped within the shroud. Daigo brought chaos and harm to anyone who crossed his path until he was greeted by Ayano. Ayano was a wandering water elemental who used her abilities to soothe Daigo's rage. She was able to calm his soul, which ended up breaking Daigo's curse. Finally free, Daigo was able to find himself again, and slowly find a life of peace. Daigo now spends his time in a small mountain home, learning about teas and tea ceremonies. He also spends his free time by the coastline, hoping to trade his teas for different tea varieties. Daigo does not know who cursed him or the specifics of the curse used on him, but Ayano knows about such dark magic. She has decided to guard Daigo to make sure that the original curse caster does not return to inflict more damage. (Ayano is the dragon resting across Daigo's shoulders btw. She will have her own profile on Art Fight after character art is created for her.) Daigo (and Ayano) exist in the same world as Fauke and Stein. Eventually, they will cross paths, and Daigo will join Demonstein, hoping to encounter the curse caster in the hopes of bringing retribution upon them. Ayano will be hesitant to join, but eventually agrees in order to continue to protect Daigo.

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Here are some more unfinished characters (and one that's mostly finished) that I've worked on from January through March. 1). Frauke redesign(s) of the current Frauke armor and of the more traditional Frauke bone armor. I am thinking of rewriting Frauke's backstory and giving the amulet that she wears a personification or something... just a thought for now. I also decided to change her weapons to two short swords instead of the great sword. 2). Ayano's current design. I have planned a few other design options, but haven't sketched any of them yet. Her backstory is also still a WIP, so more on that once it's actually finished... 3). & 4). REIN redesign WIP. Showed his original creator and she said "He seems younger here, before 90+ fatal injuries". In the past, we discussed the ownership of REIN, and I was told he's basically mine in a way, so that's why I gave him a wild new coat of paint at the moment. Now, I gotta finish him up... just like the rest of these... (Just drew him the other day tho, so he's the most recent WIP. Also felt like giving him color, so there is the color version (for now).) 5). & 6). Hattie's final linework for her wrestling outfit. I still need to outline the casual outfit and her mechanic outfit tho... I've been working on/off the same sketch of Hattie since 2022... 7). & 8). Kohaku's redesign. I think I need to improve a lot on her most recent WIP of her wrestling outfit, but for now, I just wanted to show that I have been working on her... I think more "armor" elements would really help, but not sure how to go about that yet... also not sure if I should keep the purple in her design...

Re-Introducing Frauke, the vengeful demonic warrior! 

Before I get into her brand-new backstory, I want to talk a little about why I haven’t posted more Art Fight art. Sadly, I was unable to complete my planned attacks before the end of the fight. I was overwhelmed by the family event I was a part of in July, and needed more time to recover than I had initially realized. So, I plan to continue/finish those attacks in next-year’s Art Fight.

Now, back to Frauke! As you may know from my post about Stein, Frauke’s partner, the team have been nicknamed as Demonstein. But before they were Demonstein, Frauke was brought over from her homeland by force... Frauke (she/her) was born and raised on an island west of the vast forest where she now lives. Growing up was simple for her until her village was invaded by outsiders. Frauke's home was demolished, and her family was captured. Frauke and her village were hauled onto the outsider's ships. As they said to the outside invaders homeland, they were attacked by an ancient, rotten skeletal army. The skeletons slew the invaders and Frauke's family during the night and disappeared at dawn. Frauke was the only one from her village to reach the forested mainland alive. Once docked, Frauke escaped from the port and traveled deeper inland. She overheard a rumor telling of the skeletal army originating from the center of the forest landmass. Frauke was obsessed with avenging the slaughter that was unleashed onto her captured kin. 

Frauke traveled constantly and gathered information on the exact whereabouts of the skeleton army. Each bit of information would get her closer to satisfying her vendetta.  

Along her journey, Frauke came across a hidden cave hideout, where three reanimated skeletons were dwelling within. She waited till nightfall to ravage the trio into dust. Once she emerged from the cave, Frauke began to feel the side effects of her raid. Wounded and bleeding out, she dragged herself towards a frequently traveled road. As she neared the route, the sky opened, and a powerful downpour spilled across the land. Frauke was hurt, her vision was blurry, and without warning, she passed out into a puddle of mud. When she woke, she was greeted by Stein, who had cleaned her up and tended to her wounds. When Frauke saw Stein, at first, she feared her large, imposing figure.  But was later charmed by her kind personality. Frauke grew a strange affinity towards Stein, and decided to give Stein a chance to prove she could be trusted. Stein was delighted, and the two formed a mercenary duo after Frauke's wounds had fully healed. 

These days, you can find Frauke and Stein combing villages to find bounties and quests. Whatever it takes to earn their keep, as well as extract Frauke's revenge upon the accursed skeleton army. 

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Phew! Another lined character finished!!! ^_^ I’m not fully satisfied with how she turned out, but I wanted to share her with you anyway. Fun Fact: I posed for this myself. :P Also, here’s the old post about Frauke before she had a name.

Meet Stein, the Franken-Frog Mage! 

Stein (she/her & they/them) is a Franken-Frog Mage and the companion to Frauke (she/her), a fearsome demon warrior (yes, she has a name now too!). Here’s a little backstory I whipped up: Stein's original purpose and origins are unknown. All she can remember is waking up in a destroyed cabin. The only items left to her were instructions detailing how to keep herself "alive" (by staying powered up with a constant electric charge) and a lantern that can store excess electric energy (a portable "power bank"). Stein can wield and channel electricity by using her symbol-covered left arm. She believes that the arm belonged to a powerful mage and that she has inherited a portion of the power that was leftover within the arm. Stein keeps excess electricity with her at all times, as she can only acquire her power during lightning storms. If she runs out of energy, Stein will return to a corpse-like state, motionless, stiff, and frozen in her last moments of life. Stein hopes one day she will learn how she came to be, how to power herself without needing to recharge, and why she was given a frog's tongue (a reference to her 2021 artwork). Stein encountered Frauke on the road while she was searching for answers to her creation. Frauke was covered in what looked like mud and was passed out in a downpour under a pine tree. Stein upon seeing Frauke, saw a similarity between them, and eventually was able to convince Frauke that they could be friends. These days, Frauke and Stein work together to earn their keep, taking on and expelling supernatural beings that threaten villages they encounter along their journey through the vast forests of the unknown. The two mercenaries have earned a reputation, and rumors have started calling them Demonstein.

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Here is a quick update for the sketch I was working on in 2020. I call the two of them Demonstein! Both of them came from this post. One was a fanged warrior, and the other was some kind of frog Frankenstein character with the bolts coming out of their head. The Demon character is fully colored and outlined, and was the first time last year that I really liked the line art I did. :)

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