The Captain and Her Commander
Captain Odara and her first mate, Commander Peln.
Gosh beards are hard to draw. I also hate this because I don't think I have the heights right; Odara is meant to be shorter and I'm pretty sure Odara's floating with the way I've drawn them here.
But hey it was my first attempt at a bearded character and I gotta say, googling "hipster beard" has an interesting wikihow.
Assassin's Fate
9 books later, I think this is the first time I've re-read a book series from start to finish in one go. It's actually amazing, the first book I read was Fool's Fate, and I didn't really end up reading the books in order the first time, but I'm amazed that Fool's Fate captivated me and prompted me to read the rest of the books. Then, after reading Assassin's Fate, I was determined to re-read the series from start to finish, and I'm so glad I did.
It's always interesting to see what I remember and what I didn't notice before, I loved so many quotes from the series and it was great to hear them again. I realised that the story is actually extremely violent, which I think I knew before but it's just that everyone has such a hard and sad life. What really blew me away this time around is that Fitz is so normal. I remember thinking at points that he was far too angsty and some of it was annoying, but now I realise, he's no one special. He's not a powerful protagonist. He's just an ordinary person in extraordinary circumstances. I remember thinking the Fool was amazing, suave and sharp tongued, but now I realise he's even worse than Fitz. Always unsure, betraying Fitz, relying on hope, it's just that we don't hear his thoughts. And yet even on this read through, I read the series for the Fool because he is so cool ;_;
I find it even more fascinating that the book is written in first person, and being able to get all the information through the first person is mind boggling!
And seeing how much of the story influenced ideas and characters for my own story. Snowfleur, the world of Athelere, MoonEye, that Ristrel resurrects dragons just to kill them all...
I may even re-read a third time at some point. It's just such an epic journey, with such a fitting ending.
Snowfleur + 16 years
I came to the realisation that the concept of Raining Chaos turns 20 this year. How insane! My characters are so old now, yet I still love them just as much. I've been inspired to see if i can redraw any characters to see how they look with my current style, similar to how I redrew Ruelyn.
It's not perfect but for a late night 1 hour sketch, that's acceptable. Especially when you compare her to a 2006 version:
I'm saddened that I don't appear to have a copy of "Jester Girl" which was an even earlier incarnation, because the contrast there would be huge.
My dear Snowfleur Boldeve, inspired by Fitz and the Fool. My jester, ambassador, and assassin all in one.