#btwd

[realfuurikuuri]

ZOMG, MEGA SUPER AWESOME VIDEO SPOTTED!!!

[temiree]

This is a belated birthday gift for @kobbers! They did a wonderful birthday gift back for me in November, and I was sadly unable to return the favor after being so burned out with a freelance gig. But now that I'm more rested I finally changed that, and at last I got a chance to draw Quinlan too! :3

Surprisingly I haven't drawn that many squirrels. This is the first one since June 2019, and one out of maybe a dozen total.

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[e-out]

Here's the original one since additional slides from Instagram don't transfer:

[lackadaisycats]

Some artwork I did not long ago for Beyond the Western Deep. The creators will be launching a Kickstarter March 4th for their Volume 2 book!  As I understand it, the original pencil art for this piece will be available at one of the pledge tiers. If you haven’t yet read BtWD, well, please remedy that immediately! From the writing to the world building to the artwork from multiple amazing artists, it’s really a stand-out: Westerndeep.net

[apieters]

So I just discovered “Beyond the Western Deep” (drawn by @kobbers ) and OMGoodness I love this webcomic! It’s like Game of Thrones with talking animals, rated PG-13. It has great characters with complex motivations, great worldbuilding and character design, an art style I love, and a gripping series of interlocking plot lines. It’s a rare treat to find a story that I have to read compulsively, but this story was one of them.

One of my favorite characters is Hardin, an ermehn warlord whose morally questionable decisions kick off the events of the story. He’s a mysterious character, with an undisclosed plan to help his people take back their land and dignity from the warlike canid, who can really rock the cape and kilt look. I decided to draw him as he appears in Chapter 2, overlooking the pass guarded by Deltrada Garrison as he plans his assault on the fortress—an assault which marks a major turning point for the other main characters.

I drew Hardin freehand, and used a screenshot of the comic to get the right colors.

[thebellsings]

Canid and Ermehn: tensions South of The Wastes - 1/?

I'm so curious about the Ermehn / Canid conflict repercussion South of the Wastes. Specifically, the tension that can take place between them.

There's two vastly different situations where it unfolds, one inside Aisling territory and one outside of it. On one hand you have an open conflict visibly stemming from a very old grudge. And on the other? Something of an uneasy truce or an awkward maneuvering outside a strong political imperative. And its so interesting to me both these dynamics exists at the same time.

(In this post I'm gonna linger on the situation where it takes place outside of Aisling, because that's the most detailed side we have for now. But I may very well speculate on the alternative in another post. Onwards!)

It must be such a head scratcher for any canid outside of Aisling. Like, how do you deal with your mistrust, your resentment toward ermehn when in a situation where it could very much reflect on Aisling and the canid as a whole?

Because, while I'm sure on an individual level canid have just as much diverse opinions on image and politics than any other species, on a cultural and structural societal level? We're speaking of a militaristic, probably utilitarian and productivist society. While political conscience may very much be discouraged, or reprimended, discipline, on the other hand, is very much expected and required. You are part of a pack and your attitude reflects on the group. If you're in a position where your relationship with another species might be perceived as threatening or bloodthirsty (cuz you know you're not in your home turf where such a stance is accepted) then what do you do? You don't want to impose your views in an overt, violent way. You want people to see you as the reasonable party. And as far as we know, most canid seem to think they ARE the reasonable party. Now add to that the fact your nation (arguably) has the most powerful army in the four nations? What seems like a no brainer turns very quickly into a slippery slope. You can't just do or say whatever you feel like. Quick solution to avoid any problems? You don't discuss it with non-canid. Hell, I'm sure such a topic of discussion is discouraged amongst themselves sometimes - at least in the army. And for poor fugitives ermehn, how do you approach that canid fellow that visibly isn't in the military? Can you trust them to not cave in to prejudices? If so, how much? I'm sure most ermehn do not take chances. Even if someones isn't actively part of an armed group that hunts you down they could very well be supporting it - the army, as far as we know, isn't self sufficient, on the contrary it seems to very much rely on the broad citizen class to alleviate the war effort. So the mistrust is very much shared and present on the side of the ermehn as well. That canid across the street may not be your personnal enemy, but his actions may have an impact on the broader scale. Especially so if their profession sustains the military in some shape or form.

But it's also important to note that ermehn south of the wastes (and outside of Aisling) may not have a strong incentive to be personnally invested in that conflict outside of a direct confrontation or a personal vendetta. And unless they are in an ermehn collective, I'd imagine holding on to their grudge could be very damaging for their safety in the long run. Why antagonize a species that has an advantageous situation (as in, is part of the four nations) and a significant army force to boost? Why indeed. Survival is better than revenge. That's why Nessa, and probably a large part of Navran's territory, is so interesting. The setting nullifies part of that tension, to the point where amicable relationships and even friendships can be possible between the two species. This also points to how much influencial vulpin society must be on the international level. But it is also very interesting to note that the friendship we readers are presented with is between an omega and an orphan.

I'm pretty convinced that Cain, even with a lineage that could be perceived as prestigious, is so far removed from the chain of power and command that his views, his associations, do not matter in the slightlest. Simply put: he's poor. Even if some of his fellows might dissaprove, judge him for it, his stance has no bearing on the larger scale. Yurk is also in a situation that, while derived from the conflict, has no strong cultural, personal ties with it. He is Nessan before being an ermehn. They are both removed from that tenuous relationship because of their upbringing and social status.

That begs an interesting question surrounding the presence of the canid army outside Aisling and its influence on mentalities, as well as the extent of their possible action against ermehn, should they cross path...

[meadow-roses]

Quinlan!!  

Requested by a friend off instagram. I can’t wait to start reading the comic.  👀 ✨

also thanks so much for featuring this on the site, sorry I hadn’t posted the scanned version yet.  😂

[wolfgangkarl]

Made some unofficial future Canid Military Uniforms! I like how they turned out and am going to do more! Love Beyondthewesterndeep! Just started reading!

Thank you @kobbers and @tdcpresents for inspiring me with this amazing project! I had art block for while, but when I found this project and the amazing illustrations with it, I found inspiration to continue on!❤️