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akitku — Lessons of History - comic
#bathing #comic #comicpages #forestfantasy #knights #man #medieval #night #river #vampire
Published: 2019-06-04 10:41:46 +0000 UTC; Views: 603; Favourites: 36; Downloads: 0
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--> Next PageThis is an extremely belated commission for JezMiller . It depicts a conversation between my character Sebastian and his character Matt, from a story Jez wrote for my contest which you can read here: www.deviantart.com/jezmiller/g…
I REALLY, REALLY enjoyed drawing this scene and, in fact the whole thing has been added to Brothers' Keepers canon. In fact this last conversation with Matt is something that will be something that Sebastian will be remembering a lot later in his life...
This was also my first time drawing comic pages based on someone else's script and it was challenging but a very fun learning experience! So thank you so much for commissioning me!!!
Also, I'm sorry for the lack of art or updates recently. I had to go back to my home country to finish some work and family commitments and I've been going through a very hectic time. So I don't have so much time to draw. I return to Israel in July and should have more time for art then! (Can't wait!!)
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Comments: 38
i can't really express well how much i love the art of these and the natural pacing you've managed with the conversation. and yes, dialogue where only one person is talking can still be a conversation.
edit: i just noticed that someone else wrote the dialogue, i'm very tired. the comment still stands for them, and the pacing of the panels is still very good.
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Gosh, thank you! I'm so glad you like it. The conversation was very well written so it was a challenge to present it well in comic form. I'm really happy you say it's well paced! 
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I love the colors in the background here. REALLY great choices! The lighting is superb!
Usually, if you bathed back then...........you died.
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The lighting here looks magical, I love those moonrays and that clear water! Great job on the anatomy and the angles, especially on the panel with Matt's feet. It's interesting to see Sebastian interact with other vampires and learn more about what he feels about his new condition!
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Thank you so much!!! I was afraid that the lighting might be too strong, given how it's nightime. But these two are vampires so lets just say that's how they see it!
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Ohh that's right, it actually never occurred to me they would be seeing differently given they have better night vision ^^
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I assume that, in a world lit only by fire, vampires would need enhanced night vision, like any nocturnal predator. The blue-lit background here (aside from being beautiful to look at), is wonderful because it's clearly a night scene but still gives a sense of how a vampire would see
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So vampires suffer from mosquitoes as well, huh? Makes sense I guess. I general I like when vampires are especially susceptible to things that effect the blood (like poison), since they rely on it so much to survive, but mundane mosquitoes never cross the mind when thinking about such mythical creatures like the vampires.
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Well, fleas in this case, not mosquitoes, but yes. My reasoning was that fleas probably wouldn't attack a vampire normally, because a vampire doesn't have body heat to attract them, but that Matt was deliberately using a vampire trick to warm himself so he could impersonate one of the bandits. With unfortunate side effects
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And leeches, let's not forget leeches! 
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There was this silly horror series I was watching with a friend ("Strain" I believe) about a zombie vampire apocalypse. One character, who had been tracking down the arch-vampire for decades, finally got his grand confrontation with his nemesis, but he was really old by then and couldn't possibly hope to beat him. The vampire easily overpowers him, taunts him and starts sucking his blood... but then it collapses and starts convulsing. Surprise! The old man had injected himself with poison just before the fight and the vampire had consumed contaminated blood! I don't know, it seemed smart at the time and it left an impression, because I still remember it.
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A character in one of my stories did something similar. His comment to the vampire was "You give the word "sucker" a whole new dimension"
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I also enjoy the poetic justice that is a vampire being drained by a vile creature.
Very nice details, the water effects are spot on!
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Damn bloodsuckers!
Thank you so much! I find water really challenging to draw so that really means a lot!
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Lol omg, that would be creepy!
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Yeah. And just imagine what would happen when the Black Death starts spreading if any immortal fleas were carrying it!!! O_O
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Beautiful artwork, wonderful colours. And I loved the way you've split the dialogue between the different panels. It was done so naturally and so skilfully, and it flows so well. It looks far better here than it ever did in my head. It's very exciting to see something I wrote brought to such vivid life. I love it! Thank you!
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I'm so glad you like it! It was such an interesting experience for me to draw from a script! I do hope Matt looks ok? I forgot to ask you if there are any scars worth mentioning/drawing on him. If you think there are, I can easily add them!
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Matt looks superb. And no, no scars worth mentioning. The few he had, Ranulf fixed right after his magical abilities manifested, way back when they were both still teenage mortals. You've captured his self-confident physicality superbly throughout - though the real piece de resistance is the first panel on the second page, his essence really shines through on that
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Ah gosh, thank you! I'm so glad to hear that!!
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Ah this is awesome! The background is so magical. And Matt, wow, he looks so good!
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Thank you! I worked hard on that background! I wanted it to have this ethereal feel.
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Wow, I think I know what I will be doing tonight in the evening - reading this story! These pages look amazing, I wish the whole plote would be portrayed in such a way 
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Ah, I'm glad to hear that! It's a lovely story! I highly recommend it! There is also a continuation!
Hmm...not sure about introducing Matt. I'd like to! I think it would be excellent to see him and Seb talk after a couple of years - Brothers' Keepers happens a couple of years after the events from JezMiller story. But I'm not sure how it would work - I mean, I don't know what Matt and Ranulf are doing in that time and where they are. Seb definitely never traveled north. I think Poitiers is as far north as he had ever gone in fact...And the Hospitallers will now be travelling to Carcasonne and then Marseilles where they will board a ship. Though I have to say, Marseilles was a big, very international city so a good place for chance meetings...
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Matt and Ranulf both have connections with the Crusading movement in their backgrounds. Also, this is a point where des Roches' power is on the rise, both supernaturally and temporally. They might find it prudent to use their Continental and Crusading links and leave England for a while. A meeting could certainly be arranged
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Ah that sounds awesome! I'll note you about it and maybe we can work something out? I think Marseilles, Genoa or Pisa would be best given the events in my script. Would any of these suit you?
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Any would work, but Marseilles might be best. Matt has vampire "relatives" who are involved in trade throughout the Med basin, and if he and Ranulf decided to relocate from England, they could call on them and end up coming into contact with the Crusaders.
The reason they leave England is probably politics. Hubert de Burgh, the Justiciar of England, is presently feeling the pinch. A year after the start of Brothers' Keepers, he will be removed from office as des Roches (temporarily) triumphs. For now, he is desperate to secure his position, and fears that association with vampires and sorcerers will damage him. So he could ask them to disappear for a while. Matt and Ranulf have nothing to lose by removing themselves from England for a bit - after the events of Unholy Writ, Marc might even come with them, which wold certainly create some interesting dynamics
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Great! That's awesome! I'll write you a note with some details so we can discuss how they could meet and what sort of conversation they might have. It will be interesting!
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That would be great!
I have spent the first week of my holiday making notes fleshing out their backgrounds and tying up the last plot elements of the final two chapters of Unholy Writ, and I think their meeting would work well as a direct sequel to that story.
Matt and Ranulf have been on a crusade before, with William the Earl Marshal in the 1180s, so they are somewhat familiar with Outremer.
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If I ever win the lottery, commissioning the entire story will be one of the things I spend my winnings on. I hope they will be friends for longer, and akitku is certainly welcome to use Matt and Ranulf whenever she likes
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Wow, this is such a cool piece - I really enjoyed readiing JezMiller 's stor and it is wonderful to see it being brought to life in your art! I must say, you did a wonderful job portraying the figura of a naked man taking a bath - he looks well built, strong and handsome
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Thank you so much! Yes, the story was great and I loved illustrating the dialogue.
Hah, I think this was the most nakedness I ever drew actually!
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The naked man taking a bath is probably how Matt would choose to be portrayed if you asked him
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