And first blorbo getting an update! ALSO designing some of the high level Nephilim! Nephilim in general look like metal birds, so decided to go with it more obviously with Nerosis's design having pigeon colors. The colorful bits are the "fleshy" parts of their old angelic body before they "died" and were made to reincarnate in a "prison of metal".

The Seraphim soul used to create them was divided into four and Nerosis is one of the four Omens and of course, is the one that is known for a "Divine Disease" they will sometimes unleash on those that earn their ire, one that eats through any being if it is in possession of a soul.

Personality wise, Nerosis is often dismissive and easily agitated by the plights of the "lesser souls" as they see it. Will scare the crap out of people on purpose and if anyone threatens their flock, they don't hold back. Can be blistering sarcastic and blunt and sassy. Not above lying to "lesser souls" for their own amusement. Will spread a plague at times if really miffed.

Inspired by Coldplay's "Yellow". I don't consider myself that much of a music nerd (might have an auditory disorder tbh bc most songs I can't follow the lyrics to to save my life even if I really like it) But Yellow is one of those songs from childhood that I heard rarely but always fell in love with. Something about Yellow nearly makes me want to cry, and one of the few songs I can actually sing along with without effort).

As for the subject matter, I was feeling really indulgant. As time goes on I adoreboth of these character's perspectives on eachother. Mar and T'zoria love eachother with all their hearts, but that love manifests very differently between them, and their respective "worlds" eventually drive them toward the worst versions of themselves.

Mar was T'zoria's calm, and T'zoria was Mar's joy.

Nowadays, thinking of how they turn out just makes me sad, but as their characters develop they went from a coldhearted relationship held together by political benefits and sex appeal and now they're like:

"I would be besties with you but you'd bake my friends alive at the drop of a hat" and "I would be besties with you but I don't deserve to be happy and the longer im around you the more I want to marry you bone, and start a whole family and you don't want that"

Also some Yin/Yang imagery

This here was just a design exploration, going for more simple, but still lanky/heavy look that's distinct; something that doesn't make me think of other characters and isn't so reliant on a specific outfit to look like a distinct character (as opposed to a bkgd character)

The tiger tail comes from an increasing prevalence of the tiger in Mar's theme. Before she was heavily wolf themed bc of the whole "Mars" thing, so I was trying to make her look wolf-oriented-- I was having problems doing that without either making Mar's hair a different texture or pulling out Inumimi design choices that felt like it would actually mislead or distract people toward thinking she's an edgy inumimi girl) but since I've become more comfortable with the Tiger as a Yin symbol (before a tiger just didn't seem to sit right with the Yin concept), now I'm trying it out in her design, and honestly I feel it's doing wonders for her silhouette and shape language-- and now I have an excuse for her big round HUMAN ears besides "I like the way it looks".

Idk, I just feel like it's important to minimize overtly animalistic traits to avoid miscommunicating that Mar's character is animal-themed rather than the animal traits being symbolic of a different theme.

The tiger tail not only communicates her personality better but also flows better with design traits that existed long before she took on any particular themes.

Face scar may be getting a change too. Before it was a literal physical scar, but everytime I draw it it leans further and further into a supernatural mark.

CW: Spooky eye contact imagery below

does that actually happen to people?

"Neurosis is a psychological disorder characterized by anxiety, guilt, or depression. Although an individual can be deeply upset by these factors, the person still has a clear idea of reality and can function reasonably well in society. Sometimes neurosis may develop from an extreme use of the normal defense mechanisms. In general, the neurotic still has an understanding of reality, some measure of judgement, a certain degree of social adjustment, and an awareness that he or she is ill.

Nuerosis is characterized by the fact that some function of the personality escapes conscious control. Here are some factors that will identify neurosis:

a loss of memory for a group of ideas

an uncontrollable fear for which no cause is apparent

a malfunctioning of a bodily organ for which there seems to be no physical cause

an odd behavior pattern such as a twitching muscle, a curious movement of the hands or speech difficulty

The most distinguishing characteristic of neurosis is excessive anxiety. The person is in a state of continual fear that something terrible is about to happen. Anxiety neurosis appears without any real cause. It is often so intense that it can only be described as a panic. People with neurosis may experience lingering feelings of uneasiness. Sometimes their feelings of dread become acute. The neurotic person has the tendency to overreact to many routine incidents which the average person takes in stride.

Sometimes a neurotic person experiences intense fear which generalizes to include anxiety about anything and everything. Anxiety may be free floating or not attached to any specific object, event, or situation. Bound anxiety is associated with a specific object, even, or situation. Both types of anxiety may occur in neurosis. 

Most neurotic individuals feel inadequate, tense, irritable, and dissatisfied with life. They are rigid and guarded in their thinking and are unable to withstand much stress without becoming emotionally disturbed. The physical signs of fear are often present including rapid heart beat, difficulty in swallowing or breathing, perspiration, tenseness, nausea, exhaustion, dizzy spells, cold sweats, headaches, insomnia, loss of appetite and the inability to do work.

Because neurotic people believe there is so much anxiety in their lives, they tend to use the defense mechanism repression to hide what they find unpleasant. Another reason feelings of anxiety are repressed or denied is because of guilt associated with the event or because there is emotional pain when recalling it. When an idea or feeling is repressed, the purpose is to reduce anxiety by denying the existence of the idea. When people use repression too frequently, their contacts with the real world become limited. 

Causes of Neurosis

emotional disturbances were frequently recorded in members of the neurotics family

as a child, the neurotic may have experienced trauma, sexual repression and ostracism