#bonus war

[bonus-links]

updated refs for the links we've met so far (sorry mage and spirit you don't count yet)

[hyalophoros]

short little oneshot abt War to warm up^^

An empty mask on my ao3

War didn't know how to feel anymore. It was simply a fact of life. He can play the part of the starry-eyed fool, the steadfast leader, the beauty worth going to war for. It was almost entertaining, in a way, to let those in the vipers' nest that is the upper court get to feel important for a bit. To charm them with honeyed words and feigned ignorance. Let them think they held the reins. 

All of it a mask. Honestly, it was funny with hindsight how much he used to get on Mask’s case about using the Fierce Deity mask when he himself can feel whatever's left of his own rotten soul fester away under his own masks.

At the start of the war, it had horrified him at least. To see the blood and shit and ichor drip from a battlefield. Desolate of the men he had laughed with, drank with, talked of dreams of a future they would now never live to see with. 

As it marched on, stealing more lives because of him. More time. More effort. Pressure grew from those he had given his all for. He saw more of the ugly, cowardly sides of people so often hidden by the thinly masked veil of security and peace, drawn out by war. 

He'd seen it during the first assassination attempt, during the many banquets and balls he'd been forced to go to with the mantle of hero barely being held up by his shoulders. That flicker of depravity lurking beneath the carefully constructed masks held up to maintain a fragile peace, brought crumbling down when war loomed its ugly jaws upon the earth, drenching it in blood and filth, corrupting near everything, leaving a barren land, flames of it hungrily licking at whatever humanity remained, eager to take those scraps from him too, leaving him hollow and aching.

He knows there’s nothing left under his mask.

War wasn’t human. 

[hydratedcoppersulphate]

some @bonus-links doodles inspired by the recent update (inspiration panels shown below) that i drew after work today

what's he running from? who knows!

also i gave him ballet shoes and let him dance to his heart's content. idk what the pose is that i drew him in (grand jeté?) but he's got the moves i guess

[hydratedcoppersulphate]

he's a bit miserable

Byleth drawing hours - War from Bonus Links was seen and incorporated into my new list of favourite characters almost immediately. There is Something about him which I must know more about.

So! The concept for this drawing came about a couple of nights ago, as shown below

The concept has changed, but the pose is pretty much the same. He looks a bit more miserable now, which I think kind of suits the atmosphere of the mysterious function he's probably attending, and he's more in proportion!

The materials I used for this drawing are these BIC pencils I bought from my local shop and some really old sketching paper (it's like... four or five years old, at the very least). I did a big clear out today and found both of these things, so I decided to use them - and what better way to do that than draw a blorbo? These pencils are surprisingly fun to draw with; I actually prefer them over some of my more expensive pencils. I think this is partially due to the very small range of colours in the BIC set compared to my other set of pencils, which means I have to get somewhat creative with how I do shading, etc.

I am trying desperately to understand how eyes work. I don't know if I've pulled it off yet.

I've recently just re-read the entire AU, and it's super cool to see just how much it's grown since it's begun!

[leapdayowo]

Finally! It is done!

The bonus links animatic I’ve been wanting to do ever since I read part 2 of Bonding Exercise from Moments Between by ezdot!

I couldn’t get the imagine of Mage floundering about on the ice and falling with War sick and suffering watching Mage in the background. I also started reading Witch Hat Atelier, which has absolutely stunning cloaks and draping fabric that inspired me to animate Mage’s cloak for this

[bonus-links]

two patreon birthday requests + war and linkle doodle

[bonus-links]

I can finally post this also now that I finished another chapter of this fic

[bonus-links]

some recent birthday requests from over on patreon!