After The Marvellous
and
A "Friendly, Not-At-All Charged" Game
(and blank version, if you want to draw your PC playing cards with The Soft-Hearted Maven)
Special thanks to @queenburd for:
Making the comment that inspired me to do the Academic (credit to @alexis-royce ) one in first place:
and for sharing a link of those outfits with the bat wing aesthetics that made me go "…DAMN IT" and change the lapel after it was mostly done XD
After I finished the Academic one, I got the strong urge to do one with Maven and Beechwood playing a genuinely nice friendly no-pressure game after the shit they went through. First time I've drawn a monkey since I was little so it's kind of weird, but whatever XD
A friend pointed something out that I didn't intend, but the back of the cards look a little like Yu-Gi-Oh cards XD I did think about doing a more elaborate backing on the cards akin to the Storridge card, and if I had that might have helped. But tbh I was starting to get a little burnt out so after a point I was just like "This is fine!" Other things that fell to the wayside as a result were doing more elaborate background with things like plants and bookshelves, again because of said burn out.
One other thing that didn't make the final drawing was: For the Maven vs Academic pic I was originally going to add some visual to show their inner thought process (like you sometimes see in anime), with Academic's intentions being more charged than just friendly competition (ala the comment of it being a "a friendly not at all charged game") and Maven picking up on it and being worried and unsure, all to contrast the friendly demeanors they have on the surface.
Other things I love in the pic (because I need to get more into the habit of saying nice things about my art)
-For once, the hands look mostly alright! -The card suit symbols on the buttons of the Academic's vest -Having the beads on the monocle string be made out of glim -Violant-colored collar brooch to match the violant eye makeup -The tea set is loosely based on a reward from the FATE-locked story "The Ceremony" -The First-City Coin stacks, not just the stacks themselves (though I am very happy about those) but the way I decided to arrange them (flower for Maven, card-like rectangle for Academic, cross for Beechwood) -The heart-shaped gem on the chairs, originally wasn't gonna do that but I thought it looked a little too plain and wanted to add an extra little touch.