Just Roll With It: Matron Rose AU
"Ten years ago, the legendary Midnight Rose sunk into the Sakura Ocean, leaving behind a giant hole in the sea, and a whole lot of baggage for the survivors. Sometimes Elizabeth wonders what would have happened that day if she and Chey had landed on some desert island, without food or water, and only each other to rely on. But they didn't. Ten years ago, Elizabeth Lafayette made the island of Canella her home.
But she never could let go of the memory of Captain Rose and his ragtag group of rebels. When Canella was overrun by Navy soldiers and prissy bastards trying to push those less powerful than them around, Lizzie was one of the first to take up arms. At least, quietly. The only thing keeping her from heeding the call of the open ocean and becoming a full fledged pirate herself was Chey, her last remaining family from that incident so long ago. Well, that, and her fear of swimming...
After a failed attempt at pick-pocketing a R.A.F.T officer, Lizzie ends up in jail with the drunken idiot who got her jailed - and subsequently unveils a secret ward of Undersea captives beneath the island's jailhouse, sending the entirety of Canella into a riot. With the help of one of the prisoners, and some hesitant allies, the Navy is driven off the island. But now without a cost; Chey has been taken, and if Lizzie wants her back, she has to face her fears head on, and risk repeating the event that ruined her life nearly a decade ago..."
I'm back! School hasn't been nearly as busy as thought. Which you would think gives me more time to draw, but nope! My tablet is in class with me doing schoolwork most of the time, which means not a lot of time for personal art. But, I've still made enough time to finish this piece! Woohoo! Yippee!!!
I struggled a lot with this one, mostly because Lizzie isn't the type of character I draw most frequently. She's very boxy and buff, so lots of squares and angles I'm not used to doing. Also, the Chey design in this is DEFINITELY not staying. It sucks. But I had to get this done. Though, oddly I still think this one turned out better than I expected.
Lizzie's a lot more naive and less of a hardass in this AU. All the time she spent alone fending for herself in the OG timeline is spent doing a lot more mundane stuff. Less cutthroat pirate stuff and more manning the bait and tackle shop that Chey opened up on Canella after they showed up there. I really wanted the crew to actually meet on Canella in this AU, instead of meeting before the story starts like they do in actual JRWI. So, hence the change in setting for her.
She's got a very idyllic version of what a pirate is in her brain. Partially just youthful optimism, but also probably a bit of trauma blocking out all the scary memories she had on the Black Rose. Despite that, she's still hella hydrophobic. I always thought Chip was oddly calm around boats and the water considering how it all went with the Hole In The Sea, so this is my way of incorporating something I would've liked to see in the actual campaign. She cannot swim for shit.
Once, again, sorry for the long wait! This will continue, just at a slow(er than usual) pace. Will probably put up another poll soon to see who y'all want the next character to be. But, then again, I might just draw Chip. :)
