So one thing that happened over the course of the year was me getting into Curse of Strahd. My friend Basil Strikes (a vtuber who likes to yap about ttrpgs) invited me to play the Cypher System! Little did he know that I have a special interest in Dracula and its adjacents/variants, so now, even months after the campaign has been concluded, I'm still here. The following designs are based on a combination of canon lore (think the game books and the fictional spinoffs like "I, Strahd"), Basil's campaign writing, and my own headcanons from having the story still stew in my head forever.
If you wanna read notes on the process, read below!
Design Notes
Portraits
I started with Strahd, since he has the most visual materials so it's easier to think of my own twist. I based his face off of actors Julian McMahon (Fantastic 4 2005) and Gerard Butler (Phantom of the Opera 2004). I wanted to give the vibe of this domineering yet capable leader and scholar (Dr. Doom) and this possessive romantic who's also overbearingly paternalistic (the Phantom).
After drawing Strahd, I copied and pasted his face and readjusted the features to make him younger. I wanted Sergei to look a bit haphazard, partially for story reasons but also to show "life." While Strahd is clean and mostly symmetrical, showing he's orderly and a bit of a stickler, Sergei is wild and full of life. I gave him blue eyes (not even knowing that he has them in I, Strahd) because blue is associated with "goodness." I gave Strahd blue eyes as well to parallel each other and I think it's stereotypical to give villains atypical features like come on now. Plus I think of Beauty and the Beast and how Gaston and Prince Adam both have the same eye color to show their connections.
Tatyana came last. She's also someone with official artwork but I started from scratch. I wanted her to be my idea of what a beautiful woman would look like to be easier. I based her face off of Emilia Clarke, because I love her thick eyebrows (great for expression) and I was moved by her performance in Penny Dreadful as Brona, due to the character's journey with victimization and becoming something unknown to herself and fighting for her agency. I also based her off of Zendaya who is gorgeous, and her red haired looks for Spiderman promo offered a great skin and hair palette to give warmth. Tatyana is often associated with the sun itself so I wanted to reflect that.
Ouftits
I started with Sergei. In Basil's campaign, he's a Gunslinger Knight of Argynvost! The knights of Argynvost are an order of warriors that worship the god of the sunrise Lathander. They defend Barovia from creatures in the night, and based on the lore of Monte Cook Games fight with magic guns and ride mechanical steeds. I gave him half-plate armor and gambeson for easy mobility and can translate to the biker aesthetic a bit easier. He has a Raven pauldron for the family crest.
Tatyana came next. I headcanon her as Vestani (which is the dnd version of the Romani people) and I referenced various photos and paintings from the 18 & 1900s. I gave her cool tones to break up the warmth of her palette, a patterned skirt for visual interest, and gave her sun earrings as a subtle nod to her book background as an orphan of the Morninglord's church.
With Strahd, I took inspiration from Cossack nobility, 15th century clothing, and the Targaryen outfits from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Wanted to give him a long tunic to show wealth with the fabric, feather pins and raven details to tie to his house, and a large cloak for intimidation.
For those who wonder, I've been on Twitter gushing about my Cypher System character Alya. She was made for a Curse of Strahd campaign and I loved playing her so much that she's now a permanent OC. You can read more on Character Hub below or ask me questions here!
I'll be gradually adding more lore to her I just gotta organize shit. I really should take more notes for my campaign experiences.
Bro I like how I talked all this good shit about getting back into tumblr only to disappear. Part of it is not having a banner (I want to have all my graphics to keep from looking like a bot) and just my toxic attachment to Twitter. I'll get the hang of it here though. I still gotta do the graphics for my fanfic alt and work on that short story I promised someone eons ago, but ye. Hi! Have y'all been waiting on me or do y'all care? It's fine either way. You'll see me a little more often.
I'm sorry to anyone expecting things from this blog. I refuse to post anything until I have graphics cause I don't wanna seem like a bot, and I haven't had time to draw
Hello CompassCrowd! My apologies for the unexpected hiatus that I went on. I had some life things pop up, but I'm back on track with my novel! I'll have things out when I can :) I hope you're ready... things are about to happen ;)
Hi friends! Since the first chapter won't be out til later this week, I may post a little something to tide (lol) you over. Some character design notes are on the horizon!
