Waking up is always the hardest

Finished writing part 1 of the script for my graphic novel! Yay! Part 1 establishes setting, main themes, Junar's family, upbringing, and Jaya's struggles to fit in. All leading up to Junar's climatic decision to begin his journey with his sister, Jaya.

thank you

hi again, anon! so glad you sent another ask! that's very true, it makes total sense that showing a dinosaur's cloaca is considered more appropriate/non-gratuitous than showing human genitalia. though i figured it was a long shot, a little part of me wondered if the show would parallel mira's eventual childbirth with fang laying her eggs, preserving the graphic nature of bringing life into the world in a way that's honest, raw, and beautiful. of course, we don't need to see mira's poor cervix dilate ten whopping inches to convey that, but i'd find it pretty bold if they made some sort of gesture in that direction.

even giving the portrayal of mira's childbirth some implications of raw messiness would be an effective compromise, i think; it would parallel the clean, "pure" childbirth in mira's nightmare when she's surrounded by phantoms of her trauma--here, the childbirth is complicated and traumatic and primal, but her surroundings are safe, comfortable, and she's got two nice trained midwives to help her through it. what would that mean, exactly? idk. but i think it would be interesting!!

i would also have loved to see more of spear pondering the mating rituals of humans. i would love to have gotten more detail on how his courting of his neanderthal mate differed from the more sophisticated kind practiced by Homo sapiens. imagine spear trying to woo mira in the way of tribal tradition only for her to prefer to be wooed in the style of his people. wacky sitcom shenanigans abound! 🤪

but yeah, ugh, it would have been so nice to have more quiet moments for spear and mira to rekindle their bond through physical affection. i feel like spear’s mind would short-circuit if mira kissed him 🥺

I'd have loved to see more affection between Sapiens and Neanderthals, just in general. We know they kissed. We're certain they cuddled -- it's what Humans do. And Sapiens and Neanderthals are both humans!

The idea of Mira preferring a Neanderthal's idea of wooing is actually adorable. (Especially if it had been that most Neanderthals did have spoken language, and in reality they may have - they had the physical hardware to do so.) Spear being nonverbal might be just a Spear thing - and Mira could do without needless lip service. :)

The show does a great job of portraying raw and real and ...primal, within the parameters its allowed to portray.

Spear WOULD short circuit. Did you see the way he reacted to being hugged? Oh, my heart...

Extended Family III A'ko Homo heidelbergensis

A'ko is an aspiring warrior who takes great pride in his skill with a spear. He wants to prove himself to his community by facing the ultimate challenge: to track and kill a lion by himself.

Likes: the look on his siblings’ faces when he comes home carrying a whole pig, war paint

Dislikes: flies, damp caves

—-

This is one in a series of portraits featuring different hominids under an intimate and humanizing light. Take these reconstructions with a grain of salt, but ask yourself: how similar to ourselves could our cousins have been?

Human model edited from DAZ Studio mesh.

Extended Family I Andor Homo neanderthalensis

At the ripe old age of 28, Andor is a brave hunter - but also a sensitive soul who appreciates art and cultural expression.

Likes: the sound of the women singing to welcome the sunrise

Dislikes: slushy snow, bears

——

This is one in a series of portraits featuring different hominids under an intimate and humanizing light. Take these reconstructions with a grain of salt, but ask yourself: how similar to ourselves could our cousins have been?

Human model edited from DAZ Studio mesh, horse teeth models from vetanatMunich on Sketchfab.

"Dislikes: bears" gives me a hint into what the quests were.

Clay stained mother and child — Neanderthals sheltering from the winter outside

I’ve been wanting to draw Neanderthals for a while as I, quite frankly, love them and find them unbelievably fascinating… that being said I noticed that nearly every depiction is a static standing pose or some kind of hunting or aggressive scene. I think it is important to remember the Neanderthal made jewelry, made art, had music and medicine and culture. They had caves they would generationally return to. They were, in nearly every way, human. If not for genetics, I truly think they should be considered as human as we are, for all the considerations of what makes us human, can be applied to them in some way.

A suggestion for the next time you're in the mood for more cute Neanderthal people? 👀

Kimmuriel is based on @steamclouds design of him, and the painting as a whole is a wonderful capture of when Kimmuriel, “urged” by Jarlaxle, agreed to tutor the dangerous mage in psionic arts.

The sketch altered my brain chemistry a bit and I asked Zeno if I could commission them to finish it.