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rachelillustrates — Rescued - The Little Mermaid
Published: 2008-05-19 13:52:15 +0000 UTC; Views: 1869; Favourites: 27; Downloads: 30
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Description
Finally, my project about Fairy Tales. In this series I explore the passively perfectly thin fairy tale heroines of my youth, giving them a rebirth as strong, self-confident agents of their own destinies who have some weight on them and are unconventional, but beautiful. All the paintings were done in watercolor with some colored pencil for touch-ups, and black ink linework.This is the Little Mermaid (whom I continue to call "little" because irony is fun). Two things are going on here. Instead of killing herself because she can't kill her prince and regain her voice and tail, she is able to return to the ocean anyway. She sheds the trappings of her human form and gender, letting the pretty gowns, corsets, shoes, jewelry, etc. literally fall away from her. She also unstiches her lips, regaining her voice. The stitches weren't actually part of my original design for this, but my wonderful girlfriend ~LadyDragonTear suggested I do something about the issue of voice in the story. I was really shocked at myself for not thinking of it in the first place. Anyway, she gets full credit for waking me up to that
Also, she took the photo of this, so much much kudos and love to her
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Comments: 29
I like your "Rescued" ending a lot better. One of the old versions really bothers me with how she turns into sea foam at the end. She has a wonderful family, so I don't see the harm in her returning a bit wiser. A nice ending to a "grass is greener on the other side" moral tale.
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Exactly, thanks very much!
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Hmm, after I overcame my original revulsion, this actually makes a lot of sense, and is quite good. Mermaids are thought of as being in a certain way, but if we look at other aquatic creatures as a base, such as whales and seals, it makes SENSE to have fat as insulation.
That gives me an idea.... I'll probably never do anything with it, but what would a seal or whale arctic "mermaid" be like? Most mermaid-ish creatures have fish bodies, but aquatic mammals are perfectly valid as well, and would make a lot more sense if one thinks about it.
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Thanks. I actually find mammal-based mermaids really interesting. I've done a couple others of my own too [link] [link]
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I didn't get the thing about the stitched lips before. Looking again, I kind of like it... I love plausible explanations for magical things.
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Thanks! Glad you came to like it after all
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I didn't even remember anything about her voice, so that makes sense!
Love the figure and pose, too. You are awesome, you know that? Haha.
Anyway, this rocks as well!
And who needs feet, anyway? (besides me of course, haha)
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My brother hates feet, he and his ex one day declared that the world would be a better place if everyone cut off their feet and went around on wheels instead, and i was horrified, haha.
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Eep, I bet you were. I hope you get along otherwise though.
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Hehe, yah, we do. Kinda. He lives in Montreal and we haven't seen each other in 5 years, since i left BC for Newfoundland. But about 2 or 3 months ago, out of the blue, he wrote me this huge email about how he's been doing, and what he's been doing and what's been happening in his life since i moved, and then he moved and all that. It was really nice. I responded as well with my own huge email, heheh, but that's that. He's a busy guy. Did i show you his photography website? It's got gay boy nudity, just to warn you (nothing pronographic) and some female shots, too.
I think it was because i sent him a Piggy calendar for christmas - and since he was a boy he just loved pigs, hehe, and so he felt the need to write me.
If all goes according to plan, we both might be home with our parents for christmas this year - which would be an awesome feeling since it's been 5 years for me with my family, and maybe 2 or 3 years for him with my family, while 5 without me. That was the shocker of the house, though - that i moved out before he did. He was always the out-going, go-getter. But enough of our biography, hehe.
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Huh, wow. Well I hope you get to see him at Christmas. And no I haven't seen his website, but I would like to. Care to link me?
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Sure thing - [link]
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Thanks! I just looked through most of the site, and his work is really impressive. Apparently talent runs in your family
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Thanks very much!
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I don't recall her lips being stitched shut in the original story.
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They weren't, but I couldn't think of any other physical representation of her silence, at least not one as effective as this.
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And let's not forget her suggestion to add the touch of purple to the fins on her arms! You did such a great job on this one! But then, I've already told you that so much I'm sure you're tired of hearing that, so I'll just tell you one more time: YOU ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Welcome, and thank YOU for making your voice heard!
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I really like the design of your mermaid's tail. It's something I haven't seen before (and I've seen a lot of mermaids).
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Thanks! I've been on an unconventional mermaid kick lately. My girlfriend actually had me add the fins on her arms that match her tail, which I think work quite well. I forgot to give her credit for that in the description.
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