hainab stole my pants!

Crossroads

This one is about the contrast of beauty and pain, nerevars inner conflict of having to prioritize his goals of becoming king over his adoration of voryn, about nerevars past and why he does not want to be in love, his fear and trauma, about voryns dedication to nerevar and attempts to comfort him even when he does not understand him, the tenderness between them. The strip on the left is hard to understand if you dont know my headcanons, but it is supposed to be nerevars past "lover" I also just really wanted to draw nerevar in pearls, i usually portray him as quite a traditionally masculine character so i wanted to make something different this time. This artwork may look a bit different because i decided to use yet another different brush on this and the process was quite messy, i never did the lineart stage. I kind of dont like how messy the anatomy for nerevar is, atleast it always looks wrong to me, but whatever

Yes i did say last time im gonna work on Sil and yes i did infact get distracted

close ups:

Rules: Choose a bird that fits your OC (or blorbo), no matter if it's based on behaviour, looks or pure vibe and tag your friends after to see which fun oc-bird-combos they come up with!

tagged by @theoneandonlysemla thank you! This tag game is perfect for me 🤩 love birds so fucking much. Not sorry for the long list!

Warning: two bird photos have dead prey in them

Lilliandra

Harpy Eagle! it's one of the largest eagles in the world! Visually magnificent, almost regal, but also built to seize and break things. This matches with Lilli's height and her more predatory streak. She's not a delicate songbird; she is a canopy predator with gold eyes and terrifying hands. Their talons are similar in size to a grizzly bear's claws!

This also matches that she has a pet harpy eagle for falconry (that was originally her father's). Which, when it dies, she'll make into a undead familiar. :)

Miraak

Miraak is a hard one for me. I'm stuck between Bearded vulture and Golden eagle.

Bearded Vulture are a severe, solitary, bone-eating mountain bird. It feels right for someone who has survived in a hostile place for far too long. Golden Eagles are also large, solitary birds that are apex predators — just a bit more majestic looking.

Ophelia

Barn Owl! Quiet, strange, observant, soft-looking but eerie. Barn owls feel almost ghostly and I think they fit Ophelia quieter traits: watching from stillness, noticing small movements, being present without being loud. Also, even though it's a predator, it has a softness to it compared to the birds I chose for her parents!

Elikar

Northern Goshawk! They're intense working predators: practical, watchful, and dangerous when something enters their territory. I think it fits Elikar's soldier background, his protective streak, and his sense of duty without making him feel flashy.

Serana

Raven! I feel like this is so "expected," but I still wanted to add Serana to the list! :) Intelligent, tied to death, memory, and survival — I feel like it fits her well.

Cinnara

Cinnara gets two birds as her arc progresses.

Weaverbird for her beginnings. They're makers: delicate, precise, domestic in a skilled way, building intricate nests with care. It works for her clothier/tailor identity. Nightjars are for her later arc. Hard to notice, hidden in plain sight, dusk-associated, almost impossible to track until it makes itself known. :)

Psylia

Shrike! Pretty, precise, and horrifying. Shrikes are small predatory birds known for impaling prey. Not the largest predator in the room, but one that knows exactly how to pin something in place and leave it there. This fits Psylia's smaller height (for an Altmer) and her ruthless spymaster identity.

Vandoril

Grey Heron! Patient, still, careful, and always looking toward the larger waterline. I think it suits him: someone with a broader political vision, someone trying to act carefully in a corrupted world.

Alcanaro

Peacock. Proud, beautiful, status-conscious, loud in presence even when silent. Anyone that knows him knows how arrogant he is and about his inherent superiority complex.

Calithil

Black-Crowned Night Heron! Night herons have that patient, still, predatory quality — elegant but not flashy, quiet until they strike. I think it fits both his public and private face. He's not a hawk tearing something apart in daylight. He's a patient bird at the water’s edge, waiting for the exact moment to spear something.

Aluvus

Cormorant! They're a medium-larger coastal bird that I feel fit my Maormer cipher. :) They feel right for someone tied to secrets, depths, and survival in a place like Apocrypha.

vivayth for @lambasi !!!

I have a long way to go, but I’m nearly done with the major arcana.

Here are some of my favorites:

I set myself a design challenge (as I often do). I wanted to limit the color palette and the brush styles to create a very consistent look.

And since each card focuses on black cats, it forces me to think deeply about symbolism and design to make sure the meaning of each card is clear and each design is unique.

But there’s still a lot of variety coming through. It’s not all class, or all silliness - just like cats

I have a forearm tattoo of the cats in this one ☝️

I’m so happy with how both of these two managed to feel dark, but adorable at the same time.

And then there’s this one absolute diva:

Most of these used my own feline friends for reference.