#raphtalks

[raphcrow]

I’m putting together art pieces for my website and realizing that I have too many works with gore or Redwall or both to be acceptable to show to a nice gallery owner

[raphcrow]

Rules: in a text post, list 10 books that have stayed with you in some way. don’t take but a few minutes, and don’t think too hard- they don’t have to be the “right” or “great” works, just the ones that have touched you. Tag 10 friends, including me, so i’ll see your list ;3

@winterrose16312 tagged me FOREVER ago and I put it off until I had more time... then I forgot about it.. UGH I’M SORRY OK

Martin The Warrior by Brian Jacques. I know, shocking. Figured I’d get this out of the way first :P This book obviously stuck with me in that I’m still thinking about it years later. I had read other Redwall books before and heard of the titular character but wasn’t interested, until this book where you discover his origin story... ugh. 

Dune by Frank Herbert. This book was just so excellently crafted and full of diverse characters, lore, settings... It transported me immediately, and mind you I read the whole thing while on a boat in the carribean. So that fact that this book immersed me in a world of sand says something. 

The Mediator series by Meg Cabot. Yes, the Princess Diaries author. The main character is believable, still totally feminine, yet kicks so much ass. This was exactly what 13 year old Raph needed as a role model. I still kind of hold heroines to Suzanna Simon’s standard of badassery.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas. This is the only “classic” I actually like, in fact I adore it. It’s a superb tale of drama, revenge, and overall high adventure. Proves that you don’t need super grimdark sex and blood to make an amazing revenge story. The main character is complex, and Dumas does a good job of letting the reader judge him. 

Silverwing (and series) by Kenneth Oppel. A wonderfully written adventure about bats, but with extraordinary challenges. Though for kids, it’s so well written that I didn’t even notice that the author never mentioned a single color throughout the books. 

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. I mean, if you’ve read this book then you’ll know how it leaves you broken, no matter if you think it’s real or not. This book made me actually visualize the Vietnam War.

Hellsing by Kohta Hirano. Yes this is manga, and I could list many more manga that stuck with me, but I’ll try to stick to one. I have Hellsing to thank for my love of badass women, epic battles, eyeballs, overpowered characters, and flowing rivers of blood. So like, my whole personality I guess.

God’s War by Kameron Hurley. This series can be summed up as female Muslim assassins in space which use insects for magic. Wish I was kidding. It’s feminist sci-fi, but with realistic characters that are maybe not meant to be liked. 

Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin. The horror is subtle and well done, I keep thinking about certain scenes on and off since I’ve read it ten years ago. 

Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King. This is a short story collection, but each one is phenomenal, maybe with the exception of the first story which is just ok. All the others, however, are brutal and some of King’s best work, I think. I still think about Big Driver all the time when I drive in the woods. 

I tag @gothicchristian @drakones @moonsleeves @heynonnyx2 @dibbunsagainstbedtime @theredwallrecorder

[raphcrow]

Thank you all for the copious amounts of blood and viscera mailed to me in porous cardboard boxes, the offerings did please our mighty King in Yellow and I did pass from this day of Final Examinations relatively unscathed with only minor charring. I will donate the unused sacrificial organs to the needy; aka the poor sods who are not yet done with finals. Expect a carrier raven soon.

In my own honor I’m declaring a week of “Raph Do What Raph Wants”, which is play indie RPG games and draw. 

*longboards into the sunset*

[raphcrow]

Just watched ABCs of Death and Keanu back to back so now I’m both queasy and pumped up. Very disconcerting. 

Also Keanu is worth a watch!!

[raphcrow]

Tagged by the ever spirited @thegoldensoundtwice​. You guys are learnin so much about me lately.

WRITE YOUR NAME IN SONG TITLES (or url i guess)

Roses - Abra Alive - Sa Dingding Pushit - Tool Honey Revenge - Dance Gavin Dance Compendium - Elder Rats! Rats! Rats! - Deftones Over - A Perfect Circle Waidmanns Heil - Rammstein

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR CURRENT URL

Cause that’s my fake name for art purposes, brah

WHAT IS YOUR MIDDLE NAME

Promise to name your child after me and I’ll fly over and whisper it in your sweet lil ear, brah

IF YOU COULD BE A FICTIONAL CHARACTER WHO WOULD YOU BE?

My own OC Ccrow. Morbie, while being my favorite, suffers too much. Ccrow runs around looking fly and raising the dead, what’s not to envy.

FAVOURITE COLOUR

Reds primarily. Then golds, silvers, greys and blacks.

FAVORITE SONG AT THE MOMENT?

Bassically by Tei Shi. I’ve listened to it daily for over a month. Help. 

Runner up: Compendium by Elder. How groovy is that guitar? They’re like the love child of Mastodon and Animals as Leaders, I dig it. 

TOP FOUR FANDOMS

1. Guild Wars 2 atm 1.5. Redwall (it’ll be back in the no. 1 spot soon enough I’m sure) 2. Anything Bioware or Bethesda throws at me *rips off shirt* let’s go  3. I’m really into Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 right now please don’t judge me but it’s definitely not a fandom I just didn’t know what else to write 

WHY DO YOU ENJOY TUMBLR?

The great art and the amazing people I’ve met. However when tumblr’s largely 20-30-yo demographic decides it can lecture you on politics and social justice, then I start wondering why I haven’t deleted my blog yet.

TAG NINE MUTUALS: @moonsleeves​ @heynonnyx2​ @drakones​ @gaypearls​ @the-redwaller​ @barefootfriar​ @lanonima​ @dibbunsagainstbedtime​ @shatterrealm​

[raphcrow]

I was tagged by @the-redwaller and @thegoldensoundtwice to post a positive thing about myself. 

I take care of my own. My mom’s out of town so I set up automatic snow plowing for her drive way. My friend was feeling down so I stayed up playing Call of Duty until the wee hours even though I totally wasn’t into it and was tired as hell. My husband was sick so I surprise him with his favorite take-out. It’s not that I LIKE taking care of people, sometimes I really wish I wasn’t so empathetic, but I just naturally want the best for people. 

TBH I see that most people were tagged already so I’m not gonna tag anyone ;) Feel free to do this if you’d like. 

[raphcrow]

Dagger Designs

Tonight while talking to sweet Nos and Moony, I worked on designing Ccrow’s weapons. (I don’t talk about them much aside from squee posts with friends, but I do have a few major league original characters. I’ve talked about Morbie before, but have I blabbed about Ccrow yet?)

Some brief backstory... Ccrow is originally a character created through Guild Wars 2, but I’ve fleshed her out a TON and now she’s got her own mythos and history. In game, Ccrow is a human Reaper (Necromancer) with a health siphon and death shroud build, which basically means she’s very very hard to kill, and she weapon swaps between dual-wielding daggers and a staff. The staff is yet unnamed and undesigned (maybe to come!), but her daggers are the thirsty ones. One is named Gorgonteeth, and the other is the Odium Knife. 

I think I’ve settled on Gorgonteeth being the middle bottom one, with the hundreds of teeth for a blade and long hilt. 

Since she’s a health siphon build, Gorgonteeth would hook into the flesh of it’s victim and such the blood, making the weapon grow larger and more unwieldy. With time Ccrow can absorb that blood and regain health.

The Odium Knife, on the other hand, is much more subtle and sinister. It is faster and deadlier, the bite of death itself - slowly sipping years away from whomever it touches, even if the victim doesn’t die from the blade right away. Just a slice marks someone for a quicker death. It is also dangerous to the wielder, as you can see from the inward-turned spikes. Which is why Ccrow needs to also equip Gorgonteeth so as to replenish the health she is constantly losing to the Odium Knife.

Aaaand those are my thoughts for worldbuilding / character development for the night. Thanks for reading!  

[raphcrow]

tagged by @shiitaketissues and @thegoldensoundtwice, ty guys! I like stuff like this.

Rule: Complete tag and tag 15  however many followers you’d like to know better


Name: Raphaëlle

Nickname: Raph (insert patronizing joke about my username here). The Raphtor. Wraph. The Raphture. I have a name ripe for punning. Feel free to throw ‘em at me! 

Sun sign: Cancer

Gender: female.

Height: 5′6 and some

Sexual orientation: ace/straight 


Favorite color: Red, hands down. Most of the things I own are red. I love the combination of gold & white, though!

Time right now: 9:06pm

Average hours of sleep you get: Usually 6 or so. I have been getting to work later and later, oops.

Last google search: “torr conversion factors” (studying for chem) 


# blankets you sleep with: it depends on whether my Puerto Rican roommate decided to raise the apartment temperature to tropical levels or not. 

Favorite fictional character: Aside from my OCs, I’ll be honest, probably Martin the Warrior. Runner up, Seras Victoria from Hellsing or Ezio Auditore from Assassin’s Creed.  


Favorite famous person: No one. I like a handful of actors/actresses but it stops there. 


Favorite book: Fave book ever? Martin the Warrior by Brian Jacques of course. I’m SO UnpreDICTable

What are you wearing right now: skinny jeans, some douche bro sweater from PacSun, and tons of lipstick. 

tags: lmao y’all are on my shitlist now: @moonsleeves @aristotlemendozza @shatterrealm @redscarfstars @drakones @lanonima @cascade-away @heynonnyx2 and I’m stopping there but feel free to do this yourselves!