#paradiseparade

[moondoodles7]

As Mallory stretches out his forepaws, Misty gleefully fulfills his request, practically throwing herself at him with all the energy she had in life. “Of course, Papa!” His paws fit around her so effortlessly, as they had time and time again. It feels like so long ago since he’d been able to hold her. Yet a father could never forget the feeling of his daughter in his arms. The warmth of her little body, tucked in close. Her face beaming up at him with the brightest smile.

Mallory wishes this moment could last forever, but all too soon, Misty is pulling away again. His paws stretch after her reluctantly. “Now, a promise is a promise! Go ahead, and then we can go catch one that’s even bigger!” “Alright, alright!” he agrees with a chuckle, warmed by her excitement. However, as he leans forward to take a bite of the bird Misty had so eagerly offered, he hesitates. Can you eat in dreams? What if this took him away from her again? But Misty’s eyes are so bright as she watches him, clearly waiting for his approval. He could never say no to her. Mallory takes a bite.

---

Wait.

There’s a ringing in his ear. Something isn’t right.

What if this isn’t a dream?

They had all set out to face their next evil. The Parade. They had gotten split up. Now found himself in a small group of Evokers, much like how it had been when they faced The Scientist.

Mallory had never fallen asleep.

There’s a deep sinking feeling in his chest. He remembers the shadows in the forest. Abyss’ warning. Matagiin running into the darkness, crying out for her lady. There are no shadows or beasts now. No voices luring them into the fog. The sky is blue again, the forest beautiful and inviting. Misty is right here. In his arms.

But…Misty is dead.

Mallory looks down, slowly, pulling Misty’s face from his fur to look into her eyes.

“…You aren’ my daughter…Are you?”

[moondoodles7]

Mallory

Lvl 1 -> Lvl 2

[moondoodles7]

"Climb up and embrace what is yours, for you will not inherit the darkness."

The first images that flash before Mallory are fuzzy and distant. A warm face he can barely remember. A distant silhouette he never bothered to try. And then the familiar face he wishes he could forget. A cat he once saw as a brother is at his side as he relives his days in the Witch’s Death in flashes. He finds he can no longer remember the faces of the cats who’s blood stains his claws. His past self looks into empty void in the shape of a cat as he strikes. He sees yellow eyes, watching him cross the river. Watching him leave. The last yellow eyes he saw before the end. And then he can see her. His heart aches as he catches glimpses of her deep blue eyes. The small bundle of fur she cradles at her side. A kitten’s stumpy legs growing stronger and stronger as she ages. His flower’s beautiful smile as she watches their daughter play, pressed against his side. And then there’s only dirt. There are tears streaming down Mallory’s face when he stands before a shadowy figure. His only company in the void. Her name is on his lips, but as the figure slowly lifts it’s face, all he feels is emptiness. Glowing eyes meet his, and they pierce into his soul with an agony unlike anything he’s known. An energy floods through his hollow veins, sending pulses down his spine. And then everything stops. Mallory has grown familiar with this quiet. Only this time, it reaches for him, reaches for his very being. And turns him to nothing.

…

Mallory is so still he could almost be dead, until you catch a glimpse of the faint rise and fall of his side. Bleary eyes reveal golden slits as he squints, pupils flitting about the blurry shapes of his surroundings. Mallory’s eyes slowly open wider, his vision clearing to reveal the lab and the bars of the cage. The memories of The Scientist’s appearance flood back, but for once, Mallory is quiet. With a small shaky breath, he turns to look at his own side and hind legs, relieved to find they look normal. Though he’s still not entirely sure if the lack of obvious changes is better…or worse. Afterall, what was that fluid meant to do? And what was with the crazy dream? “Is everyone okay?” one of the other cats calls, tentatively. Mallory takes a deep breath and pulls himself to his paws, ducking to avoid hitting his head on the top of the cage again. “Yeah, I’m o-” he freezes mid response. Mallory’s eyes lock onto his forepaws. His legs start trembling as he takes in the unnaturally white fur that stained the tips of his toes. Beneath them, a strange golden glow seems to radiate, gently illuminating the cold metal. His claws grip at the metal in silent panic as the trembling spreads to the rest of his body. “What the…what…What did you DO TO ME?”

Mallory is a YELLOW soul!! And he's got some shiny new white toes to prove it. Much to his horror, of course. Mallory here does NOT like to be experimented on. Oh, and also his feet are glowing, and that is NOT normal. He doesn't like that.

[moondoodles7]

Made an icon for Mallory's bio! He's a prospective character for the Paradise Parade, which is now open publicly! Applications are opening soon. Here's the website if you're interested: paradise-parade.weebly.com/

As for the art itself…I've been wanting to change up how I do shading lately, cause I felt like it was too subtle, especially my fullbodies. Some of my commission examples just looked like gradients and you could barely see the fur texture I put in. So I'll probably be experimenting for a little bit. For this one, the main thing is I made the fur texture a lot bigger, added a second, darker shading layer, and also painted in the highlights instead of just doing a gradient. I also used a textured brush, and while I like it for Mallory's character I'm not sure I want to default to using that brush. I'll probably use something softer usually. It didn't really take much longer to do than my normal style either so. We'll see.

[moondoodles7]

A large cat sits in front of you, his thick tail wrapped tightly around his forepaws. You cannot see his face, but by the slight twitch in his tail and his otherwise stillness, he appears to be lost in thought. As you approach, he twists an ear in your direction. You ask him about himself, and he sighs quietly before turning to face you, inviting you to sit beside him with a tilt of his head.

“My name is Mallory..”

---

This is a bio banner for my prospective Paradise Parade character! I actually had this done for a while, but I was gonna wait to post until I could share his bio, so you could see it in action...But I just wanted to go ahead and post this, since I'm taking my time on the bio. XD  I actually painted the background in grayscale first and then played with gradient maps. I've been experimenting with them a bit since the Pura animatic, and they've been fun to play with. I didn't intend for this to be so pink, the sky is actually red in PrP, but I just really liked the vibes it gave off. So I left it.