PROLOGUE DONE. for more details on whats happening next in this comic go down into the read more
First - Previous - Next
close ups (+ notes) \/
EXTRA NOTES:
sooo prologue is over! im gonna take a break for a bit so i can catch up on the work ive been putting to the wayside. not abandoning this, certainly not, but if i post an update within the next week you should yell at me
from now on the comic is gonna be a mix of bigger arcs like this prologue and more doodles/slice of life bits. just random fun interactions i think of
i do in fact have a timeline semi planned out for the plot of this comic. whenever i lose interest in this (which will likely take a while) ill post the timeline so people know what the story plan was. i always hate when a fan comic or fanfic ends abruptly and i dont know what was gonna happen
big thank you to everyone who's sent me asks, i just figured out how to open asks and so far everyone has been very kind and very cool. i appreciate them all a lot, but i havent responded to anyone because it scares me. just know im really really thankful for all the support and ive read every one of them <3
soooo Teegarden's Star C is a real planet. It's another "planet named after the star but with a letter next to it". The star it orbits (teegarden's star) is a cooler star. which makes it more red. which makes the planet also red. which was a wonderful coincidence because i picked teegarden's star because of it's placement in the path back to Erid from Tau Ceti (based on a kinda shitty map i found of the phm journey, which may be wrong??). WHY exactly the Hail Mary is in this system at all is to be answered in the story
also apology to anyone who hasn't seen phm or iron lung, that last page must be confusing as hell. anyway it'll only get more movie-lore based so good luck to anyone who hasn't seen/read those stories
should i post this on ao3?? i have an account, but i havent posted anything on there ever. an ask mentioned it might be nice to have the comic compiled into one spot like that. but yeah ive never posted anything on there
UPDATE: AO3 link is here
thank you all again, the support's been amazing and i hope you all enjoy what i have planned <3
The "I failed to act on my convictions and followed a mad dictatorial regime off a cliff" sad kid starter pack:
All 3 demonstrated a penchant for kindness: Artorias left his last protection (his shield) to keep Sif safe, the research hall patients cry out for Lady Maria's touch, and Messmer sanctioned a jar infirmary and cared even for those that betrayed him.
Yet all 3 still failed to follow that kindness to its obvious conclusion: break away from the unkind commands of the current order. And all 3 ended up self-hating, suicidal, or mad because of it.
If you want to be kind, be kind. The world will be better off for it, but so will you.
usamerican soldier STUNNED into silence when he learns that his willing and paid participation in the murder and neocolonization of foreign people is a huge red flag to everyone with a conscience
Nothing more distressing than seeing an ongoing and escalating crisis that requires immediate and drastic action and people largely shrugging, downplaying and dismissing it, or agreeing without any urgency.
Climate change, fascism, get worse and worse to the point that prior naysayers will admit they’re real now but again without any urgency, a dismissal towards urgency even.
It’s like watching people choose to stay in a house fire. “There’s fires all the time, we’ve always had fires, you’re being alarmist. The fire will eventually be dealt with without us having to do anything.”
Warnings! Disturbing Skull Imagery and Potential Eye Strain
Finished!! if anyone got the reference, you get a cookie
now, a very long and organized rant about the fuck ton of symbolism I put into this art piece (with some foreshadowing for this AU)
The Red Circle- Originally, it was going to be the same size as the Yellow Circle but I accidentally made it too big. at first I was irked, but soon realized it worked very well for what I'm trying to convey.
So what it represents is the nature of martyrdom and death. This is just my opinion, but I think volunteered death of the sorts, elevates a person. They are remembered for it. It's their legacy. The Red Circle being bigger than the Yellow Circle also shows how this glorified death may catch up to Tripitaka; he is the tenth and final reincarnation but that does not mean he isn't potentially doomed for such a legacy (that was never his choice) to catch up to him. That doesn't mean it will, persay, but that doesn't mean it won't, if that makes sense. Y'all can place your bets whether or not he dies.
The Yellow Circle- A design choice inspired by the reference, that inspired this whole art piece. A domino effect.
The Yellow Circle radiates an ethereal aura, to show that this humble monk is a holy man, undertaking a divine mission from the Buddha himself. The reason why I had it obscuring his face however is to show how his holiness objectifies him to both demons and people alike. It is meant to take away his individuality as a person, and to expose how he is simply an object that represents the idea of immortality and redemption to others.
The Alms Bowl- This was more of an afterthought tbh, but still glad I included it.
This is a nod to the Golden Cicada, who was punished for dropping a single grain of rice. Tripitaka holding it represents how he is meant to carry that burden as his reincarnation. I guess this would correlate with a generational burden, in a way?
The Nine Skulls- A lot of this were happy coincidences, and my favorite part of this art piece.
I interpreted the skulls in a more gnarly manner because I took inspiration from images I found of drowned human skulls, but I greatly exaggerated it.
A reason (excuse lmao) for this is because in Journey to the West, it states that Sandy actually played with the skulls before Tripitaka came along. I would imagine that he would handle them too roughly, hence their battered state. Also, fun fact! The original vision I had in mind for some of the skulls was for their jaws to be agape in a silent scream. However, I failed to execute that because of the odd angle and they look like they're laughing instead. Which, is actually perfect. I think Sandy would fashion the skulls to seemingly laugh, to cope with the guilt of murdering and devouring human flesh. If they're happy, then why be so glum?
Another thing I want to point out with the skulls is that I accidentally drew them foreshadowing the fate of some of the characters in this AU. I think some are obvious, but it's absolutely hilarious to me how they aligned this perfectly.
I feel like it's kind of obvious, but the Nine Skulls represent Tripitaka's past 9 lives, and their ultimate demise at the River.
The River- I'm not sure if it's very obvious, but at the bottom of the art piece you can see cattails and flowers that one might find at the edge of the river.
There's a twist of irony I find when comparing the deaths of Tripitaka's past reincarnations', and the life of Tripitaka himself. The past lives had all died at the Sand River, drowned by its murky waters by the same river demon. However, Tripitaka's life as a baby is saved by a river, and the same river demon that consumed his past lives is now his disciple. Not to mention, they use the skulls of his past life to fashion a makeshift boat to cross the river to continue their journey to the west. It's as if the sacrifice of the past lives was necessary, required, for this life to make it. There's something awfully poetic about that, yet cruel.
The purpose of this art piece was to explore a core component of Tripitaka's character: suffering.
Tysm for reading all of this! If you have your own interpretation of this art piece or your own speculation you'd like to share, go ahead! I'd love to read your thoughts :)
annaxmalina
ellievsbear
blakekathryn
janainaart
areudirty
origamiaround
gummygunk
prguitarman
