A Tale of Two Bards

A long-running, two-person, tabletop roleplaying game turned serial blog about elves being dicks, puppies, airships, and daddy issues.

[ann-chovi]

Finished commission for @samw1se of a scene from her and her partner’s d&d campaign! Poor Ilti’s gotten into a bind, thankfully, the oh so dashing and heroic Oran is ready to save the day! (though fluffy doggo Amatuile could probably have it covered)

~I have a Ko-fi!~ 

[ataleoftwobards]

CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT HOW AMAZING THIS IS

[musingsofahistorymajor]

https://twitter.com/northumbriana/status/846454474654781442

[little-scribblers-heart]

There’s this feeling I sometimes get watching humans do the cool things that humans have been doing for thousands of years. It makes my chest expand and my heart thud and I love it. I love this.

[laceys-notebook]

Absolutely brilliant

[samw1se]

Life got in the way of me finishing my OCtobers this year. I moved, I got a kidney stone the width of a knitting needle, had the flu, and a subsequent allergic reaction to the flu medicine. But I’m finally on the mend, so I did a wee doodle of my favorite idiot and his pupperino. Her name means, “I’m so glad you’re here,” and he’s always glad when she’s around. So am I. I made a little pattern of foxes for his under outfit there, but it deffo looks like he’s wearing ducky jammies. I’m cool with it. 

[samw1se]

OC-tober #4: An OC with blue in their color scheme Ilti

Hello friends, I didn’t do a #3 because I am an old lady and I spent last night at the urgent care getting treated for tennis elbow ughhhhhhh This is Ilti, from my WIP, A Tale of Two Bards. One of the titular bards, Ilti plays the harp, says hi to every dog he meets, and talks to dead gods daydreams while doing his yoga. 

[ataleoftwobards]

Haven’t uploaded anything in a long time due to tablet issues with the new computer. But now that it’s working again, have some asshole protagonists.

[samw1se]

[samw1se]

Somehing I have been working on for a while. The Ryuutama group, traversing the Sea of Thorns and avoiding those pesky gryphons. Learned a lot about color in this; view for the deets.

From left to right: Fracas Underhoof the Fool, Eirene Andelgalapus the Baron’s Daughter, Corbin the Smith, Ashe the Healer, Turnip Stew the Farmer

[samw1se]

“You be good at Magical Elf with Facial Tattoos and Black Hair School, son.” Earlier this week, the beatific and stunning @pocketoflight surprised me with this awesome drawing for OC Kiss Week, so I decided to repay the favor, like a moth weakly beating against a spotlight to show it that it, too, is warm. This drawing was originally of two completely different OCs– both of them! But then Azzy posted this amazing drawing of her character Calumet last night and my I knew my Hiru had a love connection. So things had to change. Guys, Azzy was my first friend in high school. I transferred into her AP World History class and we did a project on the Iranian Revolution together and the rest was… history pretty cool too. We have literally traveled the world together– and I don’t just mean in AP World History. We have taken some pretty damning pictures of each other on foreign soil and I love those pictures and they’re on my fridge. We also happen to share a boyfriend who lives in a painting in Tennessee. She’s truly one of the best people I know. Azzy, I know you said that Calumet is not grumpy normally, but Hiru is kind of an overbearing and over-affectionate hippie so, I don’t know, maybe his breath is bad? Maybe he always greets Calumet like this even when he just came back from the bathroom? That sounds like something Hiru would do.  Calumet is from Crystalis by @pocketoflight. Hiru is from A Tale of Two Bards by me. 

[samw1se]

As much as I like doing this nerd up all pretty, my favorite version of him is right after someone’s punched him in the face (which is always). I guess that’s what happened when you have magic glow bracelets. I wanted to do more with him but this week has been so long. So maybe later. This is Ilti again, one of the titular bards from @ataleoftwobards.

[samw1se]

Let’s pretend I can draw hands. And other things, too. This nerd is Ilti, from @ataleoftwobards, looking a little scruffier than normal.

[authoroflions-deactivated201712]

Apparently it’s oc kiss week from the 10th to the 16th, and I will use any reason whatsoever to draw my GODCHILDREN.

This OC October I had the privilege of meeting lots of new godchildren from the spectacular Samwise. I was really excited to draw Ilti from A Tale of Two Bards the moment I saw him. Who could resist a blind, ragamuffin, Elf bard prince?! Not me, that’s for sure. I wanted to draw Ilti with Gwystain, who is also a prince, though one of the Merfolk, who has a passion for singing songs, telling stories and hot men. (I hope he turned out okay, Samwise! My GOD Ilti was fun to draw!)

Ilti belongs to Samw1se and A Tale of Two Bards c: <3

[samw1se]

Draw your OCs like this.

I needed something stupid to do while cooking today. Left to right: Threnn, Maria, Oran, Eylandir, Zuli, Ilti.

[samw1se]

OC-Tober 14 of ??: Siralure A memory came to me then then: a particularly warm summer in my youth, before the loss of my eyes. An older girl with hair like ivy and a laugh like bells. She always favored me with a sly tug on the braid whenever we were forced to meet during our parents’ boozy proceedings. I was too young back then to realize what her beauty meant, although the fact that she was beautiful never escaped me. Wherever she went, Goldfox folk were stricken by an awful plague, which my mother playfully named, “Numb Tongue.”

“I suppose you wouldn’t remember me.” Judging by the pout in her voice, she must’ve been trying to play coy.

“How can I forget the beauty that set my entire flotilla on its head?” I asked, bowing to her. “Siralure. I was a child the last time I saw you.” “No need to flatter me. You were a child the last time you saw anything, Prince Ilti.” She tutted her teeth at the quip. “Ilti. I like the new name. The old one was a mouthful.” 

Siralure is a character from A Tale of Two Bards, a story I have been working on with my meatbag for the last couple years, which I hope to begin posting soon. Siralure is the first lady I have done for this who I didn’t hate drawing 70% of the time. Her jewelry has a opal and cicada motif which was really fun to play with. If you have a really embarrassing dad, if your hair is unnaturally colorful and no one knows how you manage it, if you are more than just a pretty face but don’t mind pretending to be just a pretty face to get what you want, if you cheat at cards, you will like Siralure.

[samw1se]

OC-Tober 14 of ??: Salleth

Despite the feeling that the task was futile, I acquiesced, settling back against the wall and eating the chocolate. As my teeth cut into the hard, crumbly chunk, I felt a chill pass over my spine, sending goosepimples across my flesh. The strange, ominous feeling grew until it was all encompassing, the sensation that disaster lurked behind every corner. I turned my head, terrified of what I would see, and found Salleth staring at me from the shadows of the gloomy house. He approached me–no, he just sort of was there, beside me–and all about me the world darkened until only his softly-glowing eyes remained. I sat, stock-still, understanding nothing until the moment when I understood all.  I broke off a piece of the chocolate, and handed it to the wraith in the darkness. A pale hand emerged and took it from my palm, a silent acceptance, and Salleth faded back into the corner, allowing my world light once again. I stared at him, munching his chocolate as though nothing had occurred, before looking around. No one else seemed to have noticed. 

Hello! I have been a little absent lately, but now I am back to post more characters from A Tale of Two Bards, the story I have been working on for the past couple years with my beloved meatbag. Salleth is another character who comes around much later in the story, but that doesn’t mean I love him any less. If he looks familiar, that is because I have already featured his twin, Jaren! I have drawn Salleth an awful lot since beginning this project because he makes good faces and I like practicing expressions on him. So I decided to tried a few new things with him, like his pose and his scars. His mouth gave me a boatload of trouble, but not for the reasons it did while I was writing his character. If you find sweets and drugs pacifying, if you are the very annoying sibling, if riding on other peoples shoulders is your favorite form of transportation, if you feel things very passionately and can’t really explain why (and don’t really think you should have to explain why), if you like the noises they make when their heads pop off, you may find a kindred soul in Salleth.

[samw1se]

OC-Tober 10 of ??: Freep

But in truth, I’d named my ship for the old lullaby. She was only a small caravel with a crew of five, not counting Ama and myself. I liked her small and fast, and a small crew suited my intentions well. But when I was being honest with myself, I did daydream quite a bit about her growing tall and wild as the older ships from my home flotilla. I suppose that’s the hope of any ship’s master, though.

Spring made her sweet with scent. It was too early for the apple trees to blossom, but I could almost smell their buds forming and it filled me with a delighted anticipation for a couple months’ time, when they’d grow fecund with fruit. My excitement kept me among them, strumming my lap harp and singing to a few new saplings Zuli had caught sprouting up around the forecastle to encourage them to spread their leaves. Silent Freep was unabashedly fascinated with the music, finding reasons to stray in her duties to linger close to me. It was usually up to Threnn to catch her. He’d be roosting in his nest high above the other trees– in the lone oak, transplanted from my father’s ship as was the unfortunate tradition, and far older even than me or my ship put together.  He’d remind her, with a sharp whistle, to mind her duties before the Captain came along.

Freep is from the project I’m currently working on with my meatbag, A Tale of Two Bards! Another fast one, but I am more pleased with Freep that my first sketches of her should let me be. Freep is one of two identical twin humans who make up a certain elf’s crew. She is the quieter of the two, and I have such a very soft spot for her. She makes me think of sunflowers, so I tried to make her very sunflowery. If you are small and like it, if you don’t need to be loud to make yourself heard, if you like sharp knives, painting, and pretty music, if you like really sharp knives, if you are good at origami, if you make people exceedingly nervous whenever you’re around… you might be a Freeper.

[samw1se]

OC-Tober 9 of ??: Bosh

“Prince Ilti, if I may offer some insight,” Galad’s voice peeped up from beside his surly fellow. “Ceringol has a point. It’s not that we don’t want to. But we– I mean, he– he doesn’t want to upset–”

“Woah, hold up. I thought this kid was your prince?” Bosh rumbled like a storm from the back of the group. “Ain’t you gotta do what he says?”

Galad and the two companions he’d chosen said nothing. And then–

“Exiled prince,” Agriel said. There was no opinion to her voice, just fact. And she was right.

“Well he ain’t my prince,” said Bosh. “But I follow him anyway. And putting aside the fact that he owes me a shameful amount of money,” I smiled awkwardly, “I follow him still. Good kid. Kind of squirrelly sometimes, but good kid all the same.” “Cheers Bosh,” I said.

Bosh is from the project I’m currently working on with my meatbag, A Tale of Two Bards! Boy oh boy this is one of the fastest of these that I have done and it probably shows. Bosh is a half-orc. I originally gave him a very Skyrim-esque orc skin color (green/grey) and then decided I wanted something a little warmer and realistic. I think this suits him better. Are you resigned to carrying lesser mortals on your strong, burly shoulders? Do you like fancy booze? You probably have a lot in common with Bosh. No, really, that’s all you need. That’s it. That’s the only requirement. Nice work.

[samw1se]

OC-tober 8 of ??: Threnn “But I can’t imagine what it feels like,” I stopped. I wanted to say, “to feel like you have nowhere to go,” but I knew that feeling far too well, “to be so torn between the two sides of yourself.” “I’m not torn,” he said, completely unapologetic. I couldn’t be offended. It was Threnn’s way, and I liked Threnn. “If I could pick one, I know which one it’d be. Looks like this is it.” A bell clanged near my head. “Who’s there?” a wizened voice called from somewhere high up. “A song of peace and light,” I called back, which was enough for whoever this was to give a sharp cry of realization and run off. There was the clang of an iron gate opening, and our little party slipped into the courtyard of my cousin’s home. It was tiny, as most things in Chundeetha are, but it still seemed to cut out the rest of the noise of the Forthright.  “That some kind of code?” Threnn asked. “Something like that.” He didn’t ask further. He rarely did, which was one reason I was so fond of him

Threnn is from the project I’m currently working on with my meatbag, A Tale of Two Bards! I started and re-did Threnn about a thousand times, in all honesty, but I feel like I finally got him settled today Do you have a general distaste for kids but a love for dogs and a personality rather similar to one?  Need a pal to keep you safe and occasionally remind you the emotions are pointless and accomplish nothing? Do you drink only bad whiskey? Threnn will be your friend, or as much of a friend as he can stomach.