You know that scene in Avatar the Last Airbender near the end of season 2? The one where Long Feng tries to double cross Azula, but she just stares him down and sits on the throne? I got Alastor vs Husk vibes from that and had to do it.
Please reblog and leave comments for me to adoringly not know how to respond to. Enjoy!
Husk's hand is the highest possible Straight Flush, which can only be beat by a Royal Flush. So of course Alastor gets a Royal Flush. I don't know a whole lot about poker, so this is the best I can do.
I can see myself trying to animate a couple of the other panels, but I sort of want to get this out already before I lose steam. I already told myself I wasn't going to color the animations, then I went and colored the animations anyway.
I spent an absurd amount of time designing the playing cards, the ace and king cards in particular. Please admire them. Then making a brush for the poker chip stacks. I want nothing to do with backgrounds though. You're lucky I put some effort in the table, lol.
Again, how I draw Rosie has evolved a bit since I posted her sheet the first time, so I want to do a new one for her. Nothing major. And now I can add in Season 2 info that the leaks slapped me with.
There are so many different outfits I want to put her in that it's hard to pick one. So HERE are some other ideas I did.
---Notes---
--Background--
Life: There's not a lot of canon to go off of here, yet. So I'll keep my theorizing to a minimum. First, I think she's a sinner, not hellborn. (I'm open to being proven wrong, but I'm running with this atm.) She died in the 1910s, probably somewhere in the range of 40-60 years old. I'm keeping my options open.
There's two ways this could go: Either she was a cannibal because she was a freak, or she was in a bad situation and resorted to cannibalism but died anyway. And hell cursed her with cannibalistic cravings that she just embraced. I don't care which.
The audition sheets for the show mentioned something about having the strong presence and confident energy of a Jewish mother. I guess that implies she's Jewish.
Afterlife: Rosie is not a particularly powerful overlord by herself, but she still dangerous. She's tuned into the rumor mill and hears about almost everything that's going on, looking for opportunities to make deals and collect favors. She carries a friendly demeanor, but is not to be trusted. She will help people with their problems, for a price(like Ursula from the Little Mermaid). If they can't pay right now, she'll accept temporary ownership of a soul until their debts are paid. But the debt might just take an eternity to pay off while she dangles freedom just out of reach.
She's the leader of Cannibal Town, I'm not sure if that means she owns their souls, or they're just that loyal. Either way, If you mess with any of the cannibals, you incur the wrath of them all.
While she is not technically all that powerful, it is a bad idea to underestimate her. Between her deceptively unassuming demeanor, her knack for collecting gossip and favors, her loyal cannibals, and her powerful alliances(Alastor in particular), she can be a very dangerous enemy.
Alastor: She owned Alastor's soul for many years, but they do genuinely get along well. They struck a deal while he was still alive, when he reached out to her using radio technology to communicate. He wanted to guarantee his fate in the afterlife, and in return she wanted him to complete a mysterious task. She would own him until he completed the task, in the meantime she'd guarantee his status as the most powerful sinner.
She often used him like an attack dog to take out her enemies, which he actually enjoyed. He obviously wanted his freedom, but he got more irritated with the deal when he had to disappear for 7 years in what he feels was a fruitless crusade. Now that he's freed from her, they have a more equal relationship and have common goals.
--Design Notes--
I don't have any huge issues with Rosie's design, just a few details.
Overall, Rosie gives Gibson Girl vibes. Which is within the Edwardian period, which spans from approximately from the 1890s-1910s(specifics are debatable), right between Victorian and Roaring 20s. So it made sense when I heard that she was inspired by "Hello Dolly". Based on her S-curve silhouette, Rosie's fashion sense seems most in line with the early to mid-Edwardian trends. Early on, volume carried over from the Victorian era, then slimmed down by the end, and led into the 20s.
-Design notes-
Hair: I made it more exaggerated, so it's clear that it's a pompadour and not a short cut.
Blouse: I came up with a design that resembled a ribcage without being too complicated and was proud of myself for it. So she's wearing it. Most blouses(aka shirtwaist) would have more vertical decoration made of pleats, gathers, or buttons, but something horizontal isn't unheard of either. So it works.
Body type: I wanted her to be thin, bony, and skeletal. It's most obvious in her full demon form. But you can still see it in the prominent cheekbones on her face. She pads out her figure under the dress, which was common in the time period anyway.
Dress: I had a little bit of trouble understanding the construction of her dress, so I tweaked it based on my research just so I could wrap my head around it. This is specifically a shirtwaist + skirt + jacket.
Skirt length: This was less intentional, but I made it a little bit short. Mostly because I wanted to show her shoes a little. That's okay though.
Full Demon: She deserved a full demon form. I wanted it extra skeletal and have creepy long nails. Overall strong Beldam/Other Mother vibes.
Cannibals: Perhaps coincidentally, the cannibals all resemble the traditional description of wendigos. I'll explain more at the end, since this gets controversial sometimes.
-Fashion research-
Hair: The pompadour was by far the most popular hairstyle of the time. The volume was achieved with a "hair rat", which was basically a type of padding they layered the hair over. Could be made from fabric scraps or hair clippings. Or they could use wire pompadour combs. Then finished off with a bun.
Hat: Wide-brimmed, heavily decorated with feathers, flowers, ribbons, sometimes taxidermy birds. The bigger and more extravagant, the better.
Makeup: Noticeable makeup was considered scandalous. Women who wore too much were called "painted ladies". They usually just did a little rouge on the cheeks and lips. Most cosmetics(eyeshadow, eyeliner, lipstick, etc) wouldn't really be available until the 1920s
-Dress-
Her main canon dress isn't terrible. Could use more fullness in the chest to get the pigeon front shape though.
Unfortunately, her dress from "Don't You Forget" is looks inspired by Mary Poppin's white dress, which is probably the least historically accurate dress in the film. The corset belt was not in fashion, the overall silhouette is too 1960s, and the length is more sport skirt than walking skirt. I could ignore everything but the belt.
-Sleeves: Sleeves were slim in the 1880s, then the shoulders started to expand in the 1890s, inspired by 1830s fashion. (I'm guessing the trend helped the illusion of a narrow waist due to the full shoulders and full skirt, but idk for sure.) The peak of the shoulder puff trend was the mid 1890s, where it extended to the elbow(people made fun of it at the time too), then became reasonable again. Rosie's canon sleeves looks to be a style after the extreme sleeves started toning down. Then the puff seemed to fall out of favor in the 1910s.
1890; the puff was rising vertically. 1895; the puff expanded to the sides and swelled to ridiculous size. 1898; the puff kept the basic round shoulder shape, but shrank to a reasonable size.
-S curve silhouette: The extreme sleeves faded out by the end of the 1890s, and the trend became an emphasized breast and butt. It put the focus on the silhouette of the side view, rather than the front. This look was achieved with padding and petticoats, but the real look wasn't as extreme as the illustrations suggest.
-Skirt: The full skirt of the 1890s gave way to a skirt in the 1900s that was narrow at the hip and upper leg, then flared at the hem. There were two basic shapes: Trumpet and Tulip.
--Gored skirts: Skirts were often made with vertical panels, called gores, that were narrow at the top and wider at the bottom to get a nice fit and flare shape.
--circular skirts: Cut in one piece and had the most volume. Any shaping in the fabric would need to use darts, pleats, or gathers. Not quite the same as the 1950s circle skirt.
--Trumpet skirt: close fit down to the knee, then flares from the shin down. Flat in front with a train in the back. The hem would sometimes have pleats for more fullness to the flared end. Looks like what canon Rosie wears, I think. Again, reality was less extreme than illustrations suggest.
--Tulip skirt: Less extreme variation of the trumpet skirt. Gradual flare beginning at the thigh.
--Walking skirt: A skirt designed for practicality and comfort. They were more likely to be a tulip shape than a trumpet shape.
--Sport skirt: Shorter skirts for various sport activities like golfing, bicycling, riding, etc. Hem usually reaches mid to low calf.
-Blouse: Having two-piece outfits allowed for more versatility with contrasting mix-and-match outfits. The time period favored a full chest(pigeon front), decorated with pleats, tucks, lace, eyelets, embroidery, or buttons. Sleeves were gently puffed(like bishop sleeves).
--shirtwaist blouse: sturdier for everyday/work.
--lingerie waist/blouse: dressier blouse in sheer fabrics or delicate lace.
--shirtwaist gown: matching blouse and skirt. Her outfit during "Don't You Forget" seems like a shirtwaist gown with some contrasting accent colors.
--Yoke: some outfits would have a "yoke" which is a piece of fabric around the neck and shoulders. They're for structure and/or decoration. (I'm speculating here, but it also feels similar to a modern illusion neckline. Like it's a way to have a low neckline while also covering skin. More for sun protection than for modesty, I'm guessing; many evening gowns had no problem exposing necks and shoulders.) Both of Rosie's canon outfits have yokes.
The yoke is the lace portion around the neck here:
Now the more controversial topic.
Wendigo: A wendigo is a spirit from Algonquian-speaking Native American/First Nation Tribes. It possesses and/or transforms people, giving them an insatiable craving for human flesh. The myths are particularly common in northern areas, where there can be intense winters. They are often used as a cautionary tale warning about greed, selfishness, and descent into savagery.
The original myths didn't include an antlered creature. I think that might be a more modern pop-culture addition. They are supposed to look more like freaky emaciated people. The game Until Dawn, no matter what you think of the game itself, has a pretty good visual depiction.
Which, coincidentally, resembles the cannibals in hazbin(more so than Alastor. So I don't think he's a wendigo). I doubt that was intentional, but I just think the coincidence is interesting. I can take inspiration from the appearance, but I won't be explicitly calling anyone a wendigo. I just figured it was worth addressing here.
Controversy: Should the word wendigo be censored? Some of the myths state that saying its name attracts it and incurs its wrath. This same superstition is present but ignored with other mythological creatures such as fae folk or even Bloody Mary, and I find it odd to treat Native American folklore differently. I don't think people who do not believe in it should have to abide by the superstition, particularly if the consequence would only bring wrath upon the person who incurred it. If I type out the name online, then I don't see why others should be offended that I put myself in danger. I haven't seen any substantial sources to suggest it's inherently offensive. I only hear that from people on the internet who have no cultural connection to the belief and heard from other people on the internet.
I also don't see the value of a cautionary tale that can't be spoken about.
I live in an area where Skinwalkers are the historically relevant superstition, and it's really not that big a deal to anyone I've met. Pop culture exaggerates the significance of these things.
I cleaned up and adjusted some previous sketches. He's just generally fun to draw dancing, and there's quite a few ladies for him to dance with.
I was playing with a couple coloring styles and brushes. I'm trying to find a way for me to do it in a loose and dynamic way. I want it to be quick but still look nice. But I'm also something of a perfectionist and it backfires on me every time. I try too hard and overwork it. I need to lower the amount of effort I put into a single piece.
