This is the collection of all the art I've done which has been inspired by wutheringmights' 'Call Them Brothers'. All pieces can be found on my profile under the #lu ctb fanart or #byleth drawing hours tag.
There is more to come, so this list will be updated as I post more drawings! 😌
Now, I don't know if linking posts re-tags people; if it does, I am so incredibly sorry 😭
you kind of do have to let multiple layers of meaning and metaphor coexist rather than claiming one is the true reading if you want to get fucking anything out of art
Remember how I said that I had to redraw Sky five times?..
Well, this handsome man here had NINE concepts. NINE. That's like- all of the Links together!! And I'm only talking about the Old Man one, I haven't even touched the OoT Adult Link yet (I'm waiting to see him in the remake teehee)
Once again, huge thanks to @notahorseiswear for the idea of combining two styles of armor. Absolutely genius. It was still hard to adapt his full suit of armor in the universe where those don't appear much, but at least I had something to work with
Notes on the design:
Generally it does combine styles of two nations (water and fire). But factually, eeeeeh
That loose cloth underneath the armor comes from the Fierce Deity design that I haven't finished yet, but already have an overall image in my mind. The markings are also from Fierce Deity, they are a combination of the marks on the Painted Lady and marks of the Water Tribe (mark of the brave and mark of the wise specifically)
Fierce Deity is a Moon Spirit that he temporarily merged with during his second adventure. That is also when and why he got the markings. He got the scar much later
There are more marks on that half of his body, and the other half appears when he enters the Avatar state
The hairpin is actually a half of a hairpin. Malon has the other one
The kid design is unchanged except for the arm wrappings, there's only one now. There is a reason, but I am still playing with it so i might change it back
My stupid ass drew his scar on the wrong side because I'd been intensely staring at a picture of Zuko (as a hair reference) the entire time. It doesn't have anything to do with the design but I thought it was funny
art and commentary under the cut. content warnings for knives, slight gore (in 3rd panel, not too graphic) and implied death. spoiler warnings for wutheringmights' Call Them Brothers.
Byleth drawing hours - this section at the very very end of Chapter 24 of @wutheringmights ' CTB been rotating through my mind for the last week or so, and I had to put it to paper. I loved this section a *lot*. I think for the imagery alone and the way sentences have been phrased, this is one of my favourite sections in general. I'm a particular fan of the sentence where there is almost a resignation in returning to his old patterns ('he didn't want to, but he had lived in his skin long enough to know what it was wont to do'); it's such a big insight IMO into how Warriors actually perceives himself.
So, this piece has been in the works for a few days, and it has changed a lot. Specifically, the 2nd panel has changed a lot. Initially, there were 10 types of pots (lekythos, alabastron, urn, pelike, amphora, flower vase, plemochoe, flagon, aryballos, kylix), but it felt very crowded on the page. I coloured in that panel + it was almost instant regret. I found that a lot of the colours all smushed together and felt a bit same-y, so I redrew the panel to instead include only 5 pots (lekythos, urn, pelike, aryballos, and a kylix towards the back). I also decided not to use any colours for this drawing except for a navy blue felt-tip pen to emphasise the cracks on the vases in panel 2 because I realised I didn't think the colours would be at all suitable 😭. My previous idea is shown below:
I kept some images in the redrawn panel, mainly the ones I thought were most important. What I kept is as follows:
The lekythos at the back has the Lokomo Sword + two birds on it (I believe the birds are from the shield that comes with the Lokomo Sword?).
The kylix to its left has 'ΑΔΕΛΦΟΙ' written on it, which translates to 'brothers' or 'siblings', and it has a crack in the middle of the word.
The urn on the right has Courage's symbol on it, and the pelike between the lekythos and kylix has an ocarina on a bed of leaves.
The aryballos at the front has the markings of the Fierce Deity.
One thing I'm super happy with is the bookcase in panel 7! I had a lot of fun creating titles of books and linking them to different things in the story. The only title that I have included which is canoncial is, of course, Teachings of Din. The hand is... well, a hand, but it turned out much better than previous attempts have, so I cannot be too displeased. I am also glad at how I pulled out Warriors' prostration. That was a spur-of-the-moment of decision, and I think it matches the text very well.
The final panel was something I drew a few blanks on, but I think I really like leaving it vague. It is said what happened by the text, but it's vague imagery - the splatters of blood indicate violence, but how violent? Is it relatively clean, or is it messy?
The title 'telos' translates to 'goal', 'end', or 'purpose', which I think suits the idea of having a new goal to become better very well.
I went looking back at the outfits and about the sock thing;
The undergarments layer feels to me like something they’d wear casually, like in a similar vein to PJs or lounge clothes, so it’s not *unusual* for them to not have socks imo
I assume they put them on with their boots, unless their shoes aren’t mile high boots and we can see they have no socks on /silly
Sorry the line about socks got me thinking LMAO wanted to state thoughts on if <3
if there is any place to think way too hard about the logistics of socks it’s here lol
anyway yeah that is also true! That first layer is kind of like, bare minimum outfit they’d wear around, lounge clothes like you said. war keeps the socks ON lol
So I love how even their undergarments say something about their character.
Like Wars shirt is not only the most pristine white of all of them and also has gold trim, something that only nobles could afford. And though Wolfs is about the same tone, from his outerwear you know its because he works with the animals that make the fiber.
And I especially love how Slate has the least amount of layers. Like the same way we wear less undergarments because our laundry systems got more gentle, he doesnt need the protective under layers. So he has a more modern feel while still having a complete fantasy look.
Anyway, loved the update!
YEAH!!!
it's funny because i think a lot about stuff like that but then ppl point out stuff like how War is the only one that wears socks and im like. oh shit yeah why did I only draw socks on his ref 😂 wolf and loft almost certainly are also wearing socks with their boots, I think loft even has them on in an update lol. i think I was trying to emphasize how covered up war usually is lol
I cannot BELIEVE that this is the first time I've noticed the extent of War's scars (I looked back too and they are only in the dancing poses bonus art so OF COURSE I was too entranced by the pose work to notice whoops). I too have fallen for the "perfect Hero who's never marred in the line of duty what are you talking about" facade smh. Serious note: the refs are STUNNING and I'll always love seeing the contrast between the boys especially the top scars and Loft Tummy™️.
YEAH brother did not make it out of the war unscathed lol but he's not letting you know that.
thank you!!! very fun to look back at the old refs and see how much my art has changed over the years. i love drawing people RAHHHHH
I finished Pachinko by Min Jin Lee a week ago, and I've been waiting to see if I will belatedly develop a strong feeling towards it. Alas-- I'm still more or less neutral about the whole ordeal.
It's a shame. I really think this is a very good book. I like the way it was written (omniscient 3rd person is so rare nowadays) and how the story was presented (dipping in and out of the lives of various characters as we follow one Korean family's life of living in Japan). But none of it inspired any great feelings within me. It was just a plain old good book. That's it.
If I have any complaints to make, it's that I didn't care for the Hansu plotline. Spoilers-- at one point, we find out that some of the family's lucky breaks were because a character rich and powerful character named Hansu intervened and secretly orchestrated their good fortune for years. That was one step too far into the melodramatic, and it took me a while afterwards to trust the narrative again.
Overall, it's a good book; I just don't feel any which way about it. It's always a shame when a very good book fails to emotionally strike me. I can never tell if that's a failing for me or the book itself.
📖Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
📝Genre: literary fiction, historical
⭐Rating: 3.5/5
YOU THOUGHT I WAS DONE?! SURPRISE ITS A TWO-PARTER! ;D
Part 1 | Part 2 of my fanart for Protector of the Golden Power by @sillus , because as I said, the inspiration just wouldn’t stop (just like with you when you wrote the fic, huh Sillus? xD)
byleth drawing hours - this is a wip i've been working on since yesterday, and it's part of a set of panels. in total for this wip, there are about 7 panels, and i've got 6/7 panels drawn. i'm just struggling on the last panel re. imagery i want to use.
i've managed to get the main designs down that i've wanted, and i'm leaving the other pots blank... all of the pots having decorations would feel too busy, i think.
if one is curious about the types of pots, here they are listed from back to front:
lekythos (furthest back)
urn (has pointed lid)
alabastron (the funny shape behind the amphora)
flagon (jug with a lip and handle on the right side)
pelike (smaller jar with 2 handles)
amphora (big jar with 2 handles)
flower vase (oblong thing on the furthest right)
plemochoe (i do not know how to describe this shape except that you could model it by finding a volume of revolution)
kylix (bottom left, with ΑΔΕΛΦΟΙ written on it)
aryballos (short round flask on the right)
now that this panel has been done re. designs, i just need to get the final panel done, and then i can start colouring. some parts of this wip will use oil pastels (i find that i get a really nice texture if i use oil pastels for skin!), some will use coloured pencils, and i might break out a gold permanent marker if i can find it (no guarantees though).
this is definitely one of my more ambitious projects in terms of fan-art. there aren't as many panels as there were for Teachings of Din, but these panels are so much more detailed.
i have now finished drawing out all of the panels. it turns out there are 8 instead of 7 panels, because i forgot one massive panel 😭. now it's all done, i'm now able to get started on finding the quote, colouring everything in, inking everything, and then attaching pieces of the quote to the right panel.
It's summer so it's time for another update of music I have on my CTB playlist that I have yet to mention on this blog (also see (2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024)
Brotherly Hate by Hayley Williams
You say that that's your brother, you'll always come around
You'll always have each other
Not if you never pick up where you let down
I love one like a brother, I love one like I'm dumb
Let's get this shit together, motherfucker, sick of missing ya
Dashboard by Noah Kahan
It ain't our fault that you aren't
Suddenly somebody else 'cause you worked on yourself
Got a dog
You're an asshole, after all
Taxes by Geese
I should burn in hell
But I don't deserve this
Nobody deserves this
Mirror Forever by Weyes Blood
No one's ever gonna give you a trophy
For all the pain and the things you've been through
No one knows but you
David by Lorde
Said, "why do we run to the ones we do?"
I don't belong to anyone, ooh
I made you God 'cause it was all
That I knew how to do
But I don't belong to anyone
Downfall by Noah Kahan
I don't mind being your dead end
I think it's fine to never move on
Keep my ear up to the doorframe
And I'll keep rootin' for your downfall
Tempest by Ethel Cain
Don't ask me why I hate myself
As I'm circling the drain
'Cause death, it takes too long
And I can't wait
The Little Things Give You Away by Linkin Park
Don't want to reach for me, do you?
I mean nothing to you
The little things give you away
And now there will be no mistaking
The levees are breaking
All you've ever wanted was someone to truly look up to you
And six feet underwater, I do
Dragpath by Twenty One Pilots
I dug my heels into the gravel
As evidence for you to unravel
A drag path etched in the surface
Can you find me?
Leave Out All the Rest by Linkin Park
When my time comes
Forget the wrong that I've done
Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed
And don't resent me
And when you're feeling empty
Keep me in your memory
Leave out all the rest
Willing and Able by Noah Kahan
'Cause if I call you out, I'm an asshole
But I tell the truth when I drink
So come home, let's fight 'bout the childhood lie
We don't care what the other one thinks
byleth drawing hours - this is a wip i've been working on since yesterday, and it's part of a set of panels. in total for this wip, there are about 7 panels, and i've got 6/7 panels drawn. i'm just struggling on the last panel re. imagery i want to use.
i've managed to get the main designs down that i've wanted, and i'm leaving the other pots blank... all of the pots having decorations would feel too busy, i think.
if one is curious about the types of pots, here they are listed from back to front:
lekythos (furthest back)
urn (has pointed lid)
alabastron (the funny shape behind the amphora)
flagon (jug with a lip and handle on the right side)
pelike (smaller jar with 2 handles)
amphora (big jar with 2 handles)
flower vase (oblong thing on the furthest right)
plemochoe (i do not know how to describe this shape except that you could model it by finding a volume of revolution)
kylix (bottom left, with ΑΔΕΛΦΟΙ written on it)
aryballos (short round flask on the right)
now that this panel has been done re. designs, i just need to get the final panel done, and then i can start colouring. some parts of this wip will use oil pastels (i find that i get a really nice texture if i use oil pastels for skin!), some will use coloured pencils, and i might break out a gold permanent marker if i can find it (no guarantees though).
this is definitely one of my more ambitious projects in terms of fan-art. there aren't as many panels as there were for Teachings of Din, but these panels are so much more detailed.
