Damn I Am Pretty Art Laboratories

Whoa.  A heat wave this week made it so much longer than necessary.  As is my job, I took to art to combat the evils of the dark Daystar.  The bastard might've won the day, but I at least got some ink sketches done. On  twitter  and  instagram  I post these sorts of images every day.  If you are looking for some place to follow and get these in your feed, check those out. Also, if you want to support images like this, the stories on this blog and more, check out my  patreon .  It isn't necessary for this stuff, but it'd help with expanding some of my projects a bit.  I also take commissions, so don't be afraid to message me about that.  :D Starting off with a Bear.  I like how this turned out, especially the grass.  The grass feels authentic in it.  Also, that is a bear look of "wha?" Something weird.  Possibly inspired by Changeling the Lost.  As that is the current RPG I'm running, I expec...

Something brief for Wednesday.  Two little things for #Crux as a setting.  Duels, and a mixed-culture and its music, Bluegrass. Bluegrass. Blending between different cultures has shown more visible than ever before.  In Crux, they represent a growing group of different mixed cultures.  The recent population boom has led to even more mixing.  Even if some prominent icons in the City of Curses dislike it. The Sabizi and Tomasi families are known as the Herbatus, a Tomasi term referring to grass.  Herbatus families have their own culture in parts of Crux.  They have emerged after decades of blending between the two tribes.  Tomasi look down at most Herbatus.  Tomasi think Herbatus lack the capacity for sorcery they obsess over.  Herbatus almost always seem to possess some bardic capacity, despite Tomasi disregard of that. The Herbatus struggle against Tomasi discrimination.  Sabizi caravans lack the political means to aid...

To call Gaming Materials a review is probably a disservice.  When I write these, I channel my thoughts and inspirations of something I've read.  I don't go over the gritty details on rules or whatever.  There are better people for that.   Gaming Materials ends up being a ramble, a review and me going over what I think is worth stealing- er, borrowing from games I've encountered.  I use things I've taken for new campaigns and other things.  Sometimes those things have knives. Just kidding.  Not knives.  Cleavers. Powered By The Cleaver Apocalypse. Having acquired Urban Shadows , I consumed it readily.  John Wick had referred to it as "As Dungeon World is to D&D , so is Urban Shadows is to the WoD."  WoD being the World of Darkness .  The new World of Darkness ( nWoD or Chronicles of Darkness or whatever fancy name they've obtained) is one of the settings I've loved over the years. I've read Dungeon World a bit. ...

Another week, another pile of inksketches! On  twitter  and  instagram  I post these sorts of images every day.  If you are looking for some place to follow and get these in your feed, check those out. Also, if you want to support images like this, the stories on this blog and more, check out my  patreon .  It isn't necessary for this stuff, but it'd help with expanding some of my projects a bit.  I also take commissions, so don't be afraid to message me about that.  :D   Starting off, a tree on a stone bridge.  One of those dreamy landscape pictures.  As is my fave motif, some random ruins too.  This is one of those images you know comes with it being summer, y'know?  A symbol for the Horned God or Moloch or whatever.  Always I like to do a bit of iconography, especially for elements from my own imagined universes.  One day, I'll really get to explain what all this means.   Whilst Pokemanni...

Here is part 5 of the story Maralda is getting from Unatoly.  How a young woman fled her homeland for  #Crux .  The price of revolution for a noble girl who didn't know any better.  A tale of a refugee from a #magicalwestern #fantasy setting. Start  |  Previous "And then I got on the next ship south.   I ran as hard as I could.  I found my way here to the City of Curses."  Unatoly shrugged.  "For a young woman with no skills, Crux is such a frightening place.  But I never would've gone back.  I found an apprenticeship, learned a trade, and found a home here." Ueda studied a series of leather boots along one wall.  I looked over at her.  The Tengu hadn't stopped listening, but she hadn't asked a question for a bit.  I guess I had to keep the conversation going. "What happened to your brother?  You didn't say."  I asked. "I never could find out."  Unatoly pulled down a placard full of let...

Here is part 4 of the story Maralda is getting from Unatoly.  How a young woman fled her homeland for  #Crux .  The price of revolution for a noble girl who didn't know any better.  A tale of a refugee from a #magicalwestern #fantasy setting. Start | Previous  | Next Unatoly groaned. Her body felt like it had been buried under a pile of rocks.  She couldn't move her arms.  They were bound together. Too tight.  It hurt. She couldn't see.  Wherever she'd ended up had no light.  Pitch dark, and rough.  Unatoly could feel the hard planks underneath her. Unatoly toyed with the ropes binding her.  They had a bit of flex in them, but not enough for her to pull her hands out.  Twisting, Unatoly found her left hand almost could come out.  She yelped in pain before she could. To get her left hand out, she'd have to dislocate it, maybe even break it, to get out.  She hesitated to do that.  Una didn't wa...

Another week, another pile of inksketches!  No commentary on them this time, I'm trying to get this post up. On  twitter  and  instagram  I post these sorts of images everyday.  If you are looking for some place to follow and get these in your feed, check those out. Also, if you want to support images like this, the stories on this blog and more, check out my  patreon .  It isn't necessary for this stuff, but it'd help with expanding some of my projects a bit.  I also take commissions, so don't be afraid to message me about that.  :D

Here is part 3 of the story Maralda is getting from Unatoly.  How a young woman fled her homeland for  #Crux .  The price of revolution for a noble girl who didn't know any better.   Start |  Previous  | Next Una and Zhamon rode four hours in the night.  The horse stayed to the road.  Una knew how to get to Selas.  Grandmother and her father had never understood her constant wish to ride on horseback.  On her own.  Not a in carriage. Una would always ride on her own to the little port.  It had been a way for Una to be free.  To do something outside the manor.  To get to know the people she'd govern one day. But now she rode with her little brother to escape this place.  His long, unbraided young hair was mussed.  A sound sleeper, he hadn't woke since they'd left the Draketor estate.  Like her hair, it had Salish white mixed with Tomish black.  Una didn't know what she was going to tell h...

Ok, so I started to research Dog stuff.   Dog Days sort of came about as a dare from a friend, and I've always thought FAE looked like the basic means for any narrative with competent characters in it.  Here's a copy of the updated text.  Maybe it's better.  Maybe it's not. Le shrug.  This remains untested, and still is a living document- it'll change more.  But I like how it's ending up.  It's still less than 2000 words long, which feels fine to me. The Dog Days.   A Fate Accelerated Canine Disaster Survival RPG romp. Theme Song, yep, I went there: The Dog Days Are Over (Florence + the Machine) Fireworks launch on the 4th of July.  When the explosions end, though, human civilization is no more.  You wake up after the electricity is gone.  You wake up after most of the people have fled in the night.  Your eyes blink open, your ears sting. The earth is exploding around you.  But you aren't human. ...

Here is part 2 of the story Maralda is getting from Unatoly.  How a young woman fled her homeland for #Crux .  The price of revolution for a noble girl who didn't know any better.   Previous  | Next "Una?  Wake up." Her father, not a maid or some other servant, shook Una.  His black beard looked unkempt.  His clothes were ragged, dirty.  His bloodshot eyes oozed with concern.  He stank of sweat.  Bruises covered his face. Una rubbed her eyes. "Papa?"  She asked.  "Where is Taria?" "Away.  I sent them all away.  Una, get dressed." "Father, it's late.  What time is it?" "After midnight."  He said.  "This is the best time, Una.  You and Zhamon need to leave.  If they see you leave Draketor in the morning light, they'll just take you." "Take?"  Una tried to straighten her back.  "Father I don't understand what you're saying.  What is going on?  Did Grandmoth...