pentapus

art: Pacific Rim, Mako, Stacker, and Tea

Mon, 27 Jan 2014 00:40:31 GMT

For everbright, who asked for Mako, Stacker, and tea.

This is on tumblr here. Because I am trying to be a trendy fannish kid.

Oh, I just read this tumblr AU story for an anime -- you know the kind where the characters exist in the same morass of pop culture as the fans writing the fic. It was cute, but hahaha, I understood one in twenty references for all the internet pop culture the characters were into. I'm an old fan now. XD

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Yuletide reveals! Super late! Ronin Warriors/Yoroiden Samurai Troopers (plus some gifts)

Tue, 21 Jan 2014 01:22:20 GMT

I wrote:

The Mountain of the Rightful Emperor by pentapus
Ronin Warriors/Yoroiden Samurai Troopers, Sanada Ryo/Xiu Rei Fuan a.k.a. Kento, Ensemble cameos
"Welcome to the Middle Kingdom," Kento said, switching to Japanese.

"Uh, yeah -- it’s nice," Ryo said.

So I was the worst anon ever this year. Even forgetting the egregious use of geology, my backpacking trip to China, and a Ryo headcanon I mentioned in my yuletide letter (Ryo dancing! Come on, who doesn’t want that?!), I literally told Spoke two years ago that I wanted to write her a story where Kento and Ryo worked at Kento’s Uncle’s guest house. ( lots more rambling )

I received:

Yoroiden Samurai Troopers

Rites by penitence_road
Ronin Warriors/Yoroiden Samurai Troopers, Mia, Kayura, Ensemble
If purity were in the work of purification, they'd be all set. But that's not really how these things work. Or, The Netherworld's Trust-Building Exercises Are Pretty Hardcore. Features everyone, but stars Mia and Kayura.

Longfic! With Mia and Kayura! And Kayura trying to be a proper traditional girl while also ruling a demon underworld. I loved Mia and Kayura feeling each other out. The background that penitence_road gave Mia (French Catholic) made her even more of an outside observer, an interested academic observing Shinto practice in the netherworld, and I really liked that take on it.

Sleeping Arrangements by alessandriana
Ronin Warriors/Yoroiden Samurai Troopers, Mia, the Ronins
In the aftermath of the first battle against Talpa, they go home.
(Blatant fluff.)

Nrrrgh, so good. Exactly my kind of fluff -- cuddling with an air of hurt/comfort and lingering peril. Like, Ryo literally does not wake up for the entire story. He is so wiped out from all that Killing-Talpa business that he has to be carried from room to room by Kento as the story progresses. I DON'T KNOW WHY THAT WORKS FOR ME, BUT OH GOD, DOES IT WORK. Also, the Mia POV was great here as she tries to keep track of everyone while being wiped out herself. There’s a bit where she has to stop and stress by herself for a moment, but instead, she falls asleep leaning on the laundry machine – I have done that! I have totally done that! I mean, it was more college finals than demon attack, but it still happened.

Torii by Shusu (Sameshima_Shuzumi)
Ronin Warriors/Yoroiden Samurai Troopers, Kayura, Ronins
We're the unsung handymen of the netherworld. Only because Lady Kayura banned karaoke.

This was hysterical, and what really made it for me was the solid world-building underneath. There are some great descriptions of magic and the netherworld in here. And then everybody’s characters are fantastic. It gives it that real feel that just makes humor for me. And Kayura’s POV!

Books of the Raksura – Martha Wells

Too Wise (to wait till those wolves make nice) by mpatientdreamr
Books of the Raksura - Martha Wells , Moon, Ember, Song, Chime, Jade, Malachite
Indigo Cloud Court has a couple of visitors.

Malachite! Moon! And some perfect Raksuran characterisations. Loved Ember especially – Moon thinks of him as basically the same as the royal clutch, Ember only listens to Moon when he wants to! Also, the author said she had been worried about making Moon cranky enough, which, yes, haha, perfect sum up of the Moon writing process -- always make him crankier.

Lonesome Son by mpatientdreamr
Books of the Raksura - Martha Wells , Moon, Ember, Pearl
Pearl and Moon talk about Ember.

And then she wrote me another thing about Ember!

Alien Song by mpatientdreamr
Books of the Raksura - Martha Wells , Frost, Thorn, Bitter
Frost, Thorn, and Bitter during Flower’s funeral.

This was a neat look at the Royal Clutch and their position as outsiders to Indigo Cloud.

Lilo & Stitch (2002):

Leaving the Nest by trollprincess
Lilo & Stitch (2002), Lilo, Nani
Lilo takes one last surf before she leaves.

This was great. Introduces a very real source of worry while also letting good things happen – and all told nicely through dialogue and character interaction. A great glimpse of Lilo and Nani’s future with David and Lilo’s unusual babysitters. AND LILO CRIES AT E.T. FOR TOO LONG, OH MY HEART.

Jhua Tehrqua by failsafe
Lilo & Stitch (2002), Lilo, Stitch
Stitch struggles with listlessness and fears of being replaced one night when Lilo's all grown up.

This is a sad one, guys. A very depressing future in which Lilo and Stitch go to space, but Stitch is still not considered a free citizen. An interesting read since it wasn’t a vision I would have had of the Galactic Federation. She’s got some great descriptions of Stitch’s body language in here, really brings home the ouch.

The Death of the Necromancer - Martha Wells

A Lady’s Education by misura
The Death of the Necromancer - Martha Wells, Madeline
They all have things to teach her.

Really nice, quick glimpse of Madeline’s interactions with the main cast.

The Hanged Man’s Prodigal Son by misura
The Death of the Necromancer - Martha Wells, Arisilde
Arisilde on the brink.

Arisilde, oh my heart. ;_;

and she is the woman by misura
The Death of the Necromancer - Martha Wells, Madeline
Two choice pieces of gossip arrived from Vienne that week, in short succession of one another.

I fucking love gossip in fic, guys. A quick spin on the existence of a Sherlock/Watson-like duo in the books canon. Madeline gets to be a novel heroine! And the way each character reacts differently is great. Madeline’s reaction being my favorite. :D

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Treehouse? Challenges?

Thu, 16 Jan 2014 15:31:54 GMT

I have my yuletide reveal plus gifts post about half-coded. I am going to squee about all of my gifts even if it takes until October. Also, I keep getting home from work and planning to draw but sleeping instead. But it feels so good.

ON THAT ENERGETIC NOTE. Are there people interested in more Treehouse? (See tag). Which fandoms? Is there someplace else I should ask about this? Are there changes you'd like to see to the format? Or possibly, please just go back to drawing cute stuff without stories, please?

And are there any neat challenges I should know about? Pimp me into your fandom, please.

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Yuletide letter

Sat, 12 Oct 2013 19:12:10 GMT

HEY YULETIDE SIGN UPS CLOSE MONDAY

Sat, 12 Oct 2013 18:06:50 GMT

I spent my morning making this hopefully eyecatching reminder because I don't want you to have the same fannish scare that I did. #fannish-world-problems

Self, I thought, you should check on Yuletide and see if the ball has started rolling yet. ANSWER: YES, DEAR GOD.

PSA for all those like me:

Yuletide signups close Monday, October 14, 2013.

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THREADLESS: THE LION KING

Fri, 20 Sep 2013 23:36:36 GMT

It's that time again - I submitted two designs to Threadless' Lion King challenge! You know what that means - Yep, 7 days of me posting every day!!! To remind you! Plus Bribery!

Dear Fandom,

Please vote for my designs! (Remember, 5 is good! Vote 5!)

If you link my designs or reblog or vote for my designs, please leave an art request here! I will try to fill as many of them as I can over the next week (as I continue bothering all of you with art posts about my designs). :)

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Treehouse Reversebang: Orphaned images + AO3 collecion

Sat, 24 Aug 2013 13:28:51 GMT

Two things:

One
I added all complete Treehouse Reversebang stories to a Collection on AO3. There are 10! Wow.

Two
I have 2 orphaned images from previous rounds of Treehouse Reversebang. (And thank you to those authors for letting me know they wouldn't be able to write for these - knowing was much better than not knowing.) These were intended to be prompts for stories, but I think they look pretty cool on their own.

(If you would like to write for one of these, let me know. First I will squee, and then I will take the image down until you can post image + story to AO3. Otherwise, like I said, I think they look pretty cool on their own. :) )

Doctor Who

Inception (Or any fandom with scruffy blonde dudes in plaid, I guess :P)

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Some stories I recently posted to AO3

Fri, 09 Aug 2013 20:58:50 GMT

Today I started posting my old Yuletide and some other stories to AO3 (yes, I know one of them I just posted last night, but I forgot AO3 was a thing!):

King's Sword, Kingdom's Own (NYR 2008)
Tortall - Tamora Pierce, Raoul, Alanna, Jonathan, Thayet, Gary

"This," Raoul mimicked Haryse's gesture, "is the natural outcome of too many days spent reading about supply line logistics. I'm preserving my health of mind."

As Jonathan gathers the pieces of his kingdom in the wake of the coronation rebellion, Raoul can't shake a feeling of creeping stagnation.

The Protection Racket
Leverage, OT3 UST, Parker, Alec, Eliot

Eliot doesn’t look at her when she sits down. He’s got his fingers pressed against the bridge of his nose like he’s got a hangover. That’s when Alec notices they aren’t speaking to each other.

Transitions
Books of the Raksura, Moon, Jade, Chime, a little bit OT3, a little bit not

“You are not going to get stolen,” Jade said. It was almost the only thing she’d said since it’d happened.

Searching for Sharks (NYR 2008)
Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Mendanbar/Cimorene, Modern AU

"Sharks, sir? Really?" Willin said. "Forgive me, it's just--are you sure this is the image the company wants to send?"

The Enchanted Forest meets the Pacific Northwest, academia, virtual reality -- and Cimorene.

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Pacific Rim

Tue, 30 Jul 2013 23:05:50 GMT

I would like a hundred co-dependent Jaeger pilot stories, please. Complete with management protocols/training/flyers about Do Not Fuck with Drift Partners. At least one AU for all of my fandoms. And then the rest can be about Mako.

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Rec me some challenges?

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 02:45:00 GMT

Not too long ago I started a job that doesn't give me a lot of time to spend surfing the fannish corner of the web. As a result, I am woefully under-informed about anything happening in fandom, and I've been relying on the kindness of my flist to let me know when something fun is happening. On that note -

Are there any challenges that accept art going on in your fandom? Please let me know! I would like to sign up.

My main fandoms are Hockey RPF, Naruto, Avengers, and Highlander, but also FMA, The Losers, various animes, ST:Reboot, XMFC, new Bond, Temeraire, Vorkosigan, Neal Stephenson, Martha Wells. That said, I am always interested in being introduced to new fandoms. :)

(Also, 2 new Treehouse Reversebang fics were finished and posted while I was gone! Fantastic! I will posted links + art for them tomorrow.)

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Art and Icons: Avengers, Raksura, Death(s), Hockey, Community, Person of Interest

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 13:28:34 GMT

Finished! Here are the completed icons.

Preview:

1-2. Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, requested by ithildyn and mizz_destiny and astridv
3-4. Books of the Raksura, requested by monanotlisa, everbright, snarkydame, and sort of ileliberte and (even more sort of) spoke
5-9. Deaths: Death of the Endless (Sandman), Methos (Highlander), and Death (Discworld) requested brilliantly by lillian13
10-17. Hockey RPF, Sid and Geno, requested by james and thehoyden
18. Community, Leslie Knope eating a waffle, requested by runpunkrun
19. Person of Interest, Mr. Finch and Mr. Reese (maybe those are their names?), requested by astolat

( Avengers, Raksura, Sandman/Highlander/Discworld, Hockey RPF, Community, Person of Interest )

And here's the large versions...

This was a totally brilliant suggestion by lillian13. And I love the big picture. Making icons from this that were recognizable as, like, people with faces, was awful. Looking at you, Methos. Thanks for nothing.

( The rest of them... )

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important work

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 15:17:47 GMT

Chibi icons to do list:
Redheads: Pepper, Natasha, Alanna (pics 1, pics 2) DONE
Person of Interest: Reese/Finch (primer) DONE
Raksura: Jade, Moon, or Chime DONE
The three deaths - Sandman, Methos, DEATH DONE
H50 - McGarrett, emperor or benevolent dictator
Hockey RPF - Sid & Geno (primer) DONE ...uh...DONE again!
Parks & Rec - Knope waffle DONE
Community - Abed batman & Troy spiderman
John Sheppard (and possibly tentacles?)

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Ok, it's chibi icon time

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 16:48:10 GMT

Been awhile, but here goes nothing. Chibi icons look like this:

If you would like a chibi icon, please leave a prompt! The finished icons will be free to share.

Rules

1. Please don't make a request unless you plan to use the icon.

2. I am more likely to pick prompts that include: [1] an intriguing advert for the character, [2] a pretty reference photo, or [3] a link to a relevant primer/picspam (love these, though sometimes they get me into trouble: see rule #3).

3. Any fandom welcome, but my current top four are Martha Wells, Avengers, Naruto, and ... uh... *facepalm* hockey RPF for the Pittsburgh Penguins. I don't even know, guys. I guess this is what happens when I stalk thehoyden's journal for ninjas and instead find Sentinel AUs about hockey players. Also there was a primer. This is why you write primers, guys, so your fandom spreads like a disease. But anyway, other fandoms are also good.

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Art: Jade, Moon, Chime from the Books of the Raksura by Martha Wells

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:56:51 GMT

So marycrawford won my yuletide guessing game (immediately and with no hesitation -- which also happened with my KakaIru fic, so I guess I was predictable this year), and she asked for an illustration from Children of the New Court and gave several options. I chose the scene where Chime is putting jewelry on Moon.

(marycrawford,by the way, wrote a fantastic yuletide fic of her own in another Martha Wells verse:

When the Sea is, Fall of Ile-Rien, Tremaine, Ilias, Gilead
Tremaine had been living in Cineth for more than a month now, and so far, none of her more pessimistic predictions had come to pass. She hadn’t gotten anyone killed, not even Cletia; she hadn’t added Ilias to her previously dismal record of broken relationships; and she hadn’t been homesick for Vienne at all.

which I enjoyed immensely.)

Anyway, here goes:

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Dear Yuletide Author letter

Sat, 03 Nov 2012 15:34:33 GMT

Dear Yuletide Author,

Before I say anything else (and I’m going to say a lot, it’s just my way), thank you for signing up to write some of my favorite wee fandoms. Every fandom I requested this year is a fandom in which any story, of any shape or size will make me happy. So write the story that grabs you.

I threw a number of prompts at you because I know for me, "Write anything!" is the most difficult thing to write. I am a sucker for world-building, plot, and fully-formed characters, even in small doses. If you want to come up with a plot arc and then write me 1000 words of the second to last scene or 1000 words of the first, I will be right there with you.

Now, as far as I'm concerned you can take that paragraph and go, but if you would like more clues, what follows is an extended digression on likes, dislikes, and those wee tiny fandoms I've requested.

( More on that... the infamous optional details )

Fandoms:
(Last year, when I was binge-reading everyone else’s yuletide letters, I realized that I wanted to read everyone’s prompts and their comments, not just their comments on their prompts, so I included my prompts in mine this year.)

( More optional details: The Books of the Raksura by Martha Wells, Scrapped Princess, Ronin Warriors/Yoroiden Samurai Troopers )

That’s all for my requests. I hope you found something in there that helps you. If not, no worries. You are writing a story in a wee, tiny fandom of my heart. I already love it. Thank you!

Cheers,
Pen

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Book rec and art: Jade and Moon from The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 02:06:59 GMT

Okay, so you should just read all of Martha Wells' books on principle, but in particular, you should read the The Cloud Roads. It is extremely fandom compatible.

The first books by Wells that I read were magical steampunk stories rooted in different eras of Western history -- the baroque era, the industrial revolution, the 1930s -- populated by characters and cultures very recognizable to us. I loved them. The Cloud Roads... it's like Wells took the idea of a fantasy universe and decided to go with it all the way.

How to describe the Three Worlds? Basically, take every Star Wars, Star Trek, and Tolkien species and all their crazy, overblown concept art architecture and stick them on one planet. There are cities on flying islands, giant pyramids draped with vines in the middle of rivers, and magical societies living inside of trees as big as mountains. Think Pandora times 10. Even the "normal" humans you meet tend to be blue or green or maybe just have tusks, which is a lovely reminder that there is no "default". For the huge variety of made-up species in the books, the world is deliciously coherent. Because you see it through the eyes of its inhabitants, it all feels like it's supposed to be there, duh.

Unlike a lot of stories with this set up, our main characters are gloriously not-human. Moon, the POV character, is a shape-changer who can shift between two forms -- a human form and a super badass gorgeous gargoyle form. When the story starts off, he's been orphaned at a young age and has spent the last few decades trying to fake it among the non-shifter societies he's encountered. He's kind of awful at faking it, it turns out, but he knows by now that he can't stand living alone, so he keeps trying. It doesn't take long for you to figure that he can handle himself, but you still want to bundle him up and hug him a lot.

Also, guys, I know lots of you have an interest in reversed and/or altered gender roles. Wells has created a central species for her stories with some key, fundamental differences that lead to a whole host of really interesting implications for gender politics in the story. I want to read so many stories about the politics, but I guess it's okay that there's also, like, fights and stuff. Also, I won't lie, it is kind of hot.

So, guys, if you have even a little bit of a kink for world-building or found family or playing with gender roles or just the right amount of hurt/comfort, read these books!

By the way, they are also FUN. Yes. The world it builds is so much fun you will want to read about a hundred fusions where all your favorite fannish characters end up in the Three Worlds. (I still can't decide if Steve Rogers would be a consort, a warrior, or a soldier. Is Jane Foster a mentor or a queen?)

Trust me, you are going to want fic.

And when that happens, come find me because I want there to be a fandom for these books, like, yesterday. It can't just be me and ileliberte squeeing over IM at each other, right? (Well, okay, it demonstrably can).

And guys, I'm not even telling you about the taciturn, badass old guy that will instantly become your favorite character. Mainly by standing around and being inscrutable and then letting children climb on him. And he likes kids because -- did I mention the gender roles? -- he's basically the world's equivalent of a dowager queen. A dowager queen who can tear your house down with his bare hands. Seriously.

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Reversebang Fic/Art: Highlander/Valdemar by MarbleGlove and Pentapus

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 14:04:46 GMT

The next Treehouse Reversebang story is done! Actually, it's two stories, because marbleglove wrote two separate possible scenarios to the prompt. Understandable I think, since she prompted me with a Methos crossover and then listed freaking Valdemar as a possibility. GOLD, RIGHT THERE. One is a fantastic, warm story with a bit of Teacher!Methos. The other gives us angst and Curmudgeon!Methos. I cannot decide which companion I like more. Read both!

Seventh Times a Charm
Story by marbleglove
Art by pentapus
Methos does not ride white horses anymore but a Companion can be, if not patient, at least highly determined.

Every Ending a Beginning, and Every Beginning an End
Story by marbleglove
Art by pentapus
A Companion without his Herald is only half a person, but Methos is determined to never again be who he was, riding out all in white..

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SGA and Glee art: Teyla/Keller and Santana/Brittany

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:22:07 GMT

And now: Back to your regularly scheduled silliness, brought to you by ileliberte and her prompts. :D

prompt 1: SGA, Teyla and Keller + fighting lesson

prompt 2: Glee, Santana and Brittany + period costume, in this case 1920s.

The first one took about a half an hour, the second more like two hours. I don't know why I don't have control of the switch in my brain that says "Oh, I don't mind if the lines are a mess", especially when spending the time to make them smooth doesn't necessarily translate into a better picture. XD

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Chibi Icons: icons of multifandom prints + others

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 18:20:04 GMT

Icons preview:

001

002

003

From these:

Set 3: SGA Xfiles Merlin Due South YST/RW Naruto
Set 2: H50 Dr. Who Inception Temeraire Glee XMFC
Set 1: H50 Dr. Who Leverage SGA SPN Highlander

Most icons are from the multifandom prints, with some re-posts from past chibi icon posts to make this something of a masterpost of fannish chibi icons. If an older icon isn't on here it's because I looked at it and winced (old art, ouch) or because it already has its own special post.

( The icons! )

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Finished Art for Prints: SGA, Xfiles, Merlin, Due South, YST/RW, Naruto

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 06:06:21 GMT

Twenty days until my dream trip to China. I leave September 26, and I won't be home til Christmas. Wish me luck. \o/

Previous images:
Set 2: H50 Dr. Who Inception Temeraire Glee XMFC
Set 1: H50 Dr. Who Leverage SGA SPN Highlander

FANDOMS: SGA (Team!), Xfiles (Mulder/Scully), Merlin (Merlin/Arthur), Due South (RayK/Fraser), Yoroiden Samurai Troopers (Team!), Naruto (Kakashi/Iruka)

( The best giant orange-flavored hard candy in the universe. )

( Scully: You are my favorite. )

( The most adorably innocent yet really phallic image ever. )

( Dief knows what's up. )

( Mia, you were my first beloved, badass lady. Even if a lot of people didn't think so just because of all that pink. )

( Would this face lie? )

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OK, IT'S CRUNCHTIME: Line Art, YST team, Due South, Merlin, Naruto, XFiles, SGA team

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 15:40:25 GMT

Line Art for the final round of prints. There was a Sherlock sketch as well, but I ran out of steam. If you need it for your happiness, uh, let me know.

FANDOMS:
Yoroiden Samurai Troopers (Team!)
Due South (RayK/Fraser)
Merlin (Merlin/Arthur)
Naruto (Kakashi/Iruka)
Xfiles (Mulder/Scully)
SGA (Team!)

YST! A.k.a. Ronin Warriors. The first fandom of my heart. That little triangle on the right with the black-haired tiger-hugger and the two star-gazers is my favorite trio. (Star boy is my default DW icon.) So many book-smarts and people-dumbs. Well, Ryo is more like sword-smarts, impulse-control-dumbs. ♥

( THE REST! Including the most adorable, perfectly innocent, yet immensely phallic image ever! Thank you, Merlin. )

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Finished Art for Prints: DW, H50, Temeraire, Glee, XMFC, Inception

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 10:00:21 GMT

Finally--the images for the next round are finished! \o/ Previous images are here.

AND NOW, PICTURES:

( HAWAII 5-O, team, or 'Sic 'em, Steve.' )

( DOCTOR WHO, Amy & Rory, because--capes. )

( INCEPTION, Arthur, Eames, and some light (read, blonde) forging. )

( TEMERAIRE, Laurence + Temeraire, who is a dragon, FYI. )

( GLEE, Kurt and Blaine, because ileliberte plays favorites. )

( XMFC, Charles and Erik, why not. )

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and again

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 17:57:50 GMT

4/6 line arts done. 2 more and then I can start coloring them. So far, temeraire + laurence, arthur/eames, amy/rory, and now kurt/blaine.

Next is still a little fuzzy -- Sherlock and Watson? Kakashi/Iruka? Team SGA or H50? -- but I'll get there. Then again, I already have sketches for Clex and for Thor and Charles/Erik. We'll see. :)

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Rough sketches: DW, Temeraire, Xmen, Smallville, Inception, Thor, XF, Glee

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 03:54:09 GMT

Rough sketches, brainstorming for the next two sets of prints.

( Did I mention they were rough? )

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H5O art: Danny, Hawaii

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 23:36:23 GMT

I swear this somehow came from lillian13's prompt here for H5O, danny, steve, and "How am I supposed to know where my feet are if I can't look down at them?" which is a quote from the surfing lesson Kono attempts to give him. Anyway.

(Danny's opinion)

and

(Steve's opinion)

Icon free to share, please credit me in your icon's comment section.

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