Shinsua

I haven't kept Deviant Art all too up to date, so here's some updates!

• As of late I've been toying with ideas for a type of board game.
• I've realized it's kind of hard to keep things simple for board games.

• I plan on working on some characters again—starting with Vhalt. (There are a few things to dust off.)
• I plan on reading and recording the things I write, so it's a bit easier to absorb.

• I might partake in some sort of daily drawing challenge to get myself moving.

That's... that's basically it.
I got a job, too, but that's not going so well. 
Nothing to worry about too much, but I really need to start straightening some things out.

I hate to ask it, because I’ve said before, it’s often simply the motion and action of it that gets you going; but… when you’ve lost interest in your own drawings, what do you do when you’d like to get back to drawing for yourself? Is it a change that’s needed, and then, what of when you feel like you can’t even do that?

<sub>Hello, everyone!

First off, I just want to apologize for the lack of writing on my end. I'm not really sure how many of you are honestly interested at all, but it is something that I like to do, but don't feel comfortable working on in full dedication at the moment. This is not to say, however, that I haven't had ideas buzzing around! Minor notes and doodles are being crafted pretty frequently, but nothing really worthy of being posted here.

DeviantArt may be a place where things stick around and are fairly easy to find, but it's not very good at getting things out there and noticed, which is a good bit important when it comes to getting a variety of feedback. Additionally, it's not really ideal for minor posts or questions. Because of these shortcomings, I have recently been making use of Tumblr, something some of you are certainly aware of. It's not the newest news, but the posting of my Tumblr link was pretty subtle.

My Tumblr is mainly reblogging, idea sharing, and a bit of doodling at the moment, but I'm hoping to tend to more personal work in the next month or two. At the very least, I'd like to have a character or two with acceptable concepts drawn or fleshed. 

Anyway, you can find my Tumblr here: shinsua.tumblr.com/

I would also like to ask what it is you might want to see from. More concepts, artwork, short story snip-its? I don't want to pander, but I do feel a little lost in where I want to go with my work, and some ideas or direction would be appreciated.

Thank you for your time, and please look forward to more from me!</sub>

__[| Personal Info:__________
Name: Vhalt Kreus
Alias: N/A
World-Story: To Be Determined
Race:  Human
Age:  The following pertains to young Vhalt (ages 11 - 16)

__[| Appearance:____________
Vhalt had a tender yet quietly strong face, its edges hidden by wavy dark brown hair that stretched to his shoulders. His skin is a natural beige color, but constant outside work in his youth had applied a decent tan. His physique was lacking but healthy, and showed potential for compact muscle development.

Work-tattered pale green and brown slops and tops, adorned with a murky cream over shirt was the common wardrobe of the entire Kreus family. Vhalt also cherished and kept pocketed a shred of vanilla white silk that was torn from the shirt of a wealthy customer of his mother's.

___[| Background:___________
Vhalt Kreus was born the first of three children to a poor family in one of the world's most corrupt cities. Vhalt's mother was a distraught baker, plagued by routine theft and an embargo of goods orchestrated by self-serving nobles. His father was a strong and reliable miner whose spirit and reputation were crushed when his dig site caved in, and blame fell on him for the death of six  workers. Vhalt's siblings—one brother and one sister—were no older than ten, both happy and eager to blindly explore a bleak world which they could not possibly have known was already tainting them.  

The city of Brekolt was located to the far northeast of the piety capital, in the hutch of the White Mountains; a vast range of snowy tops that effectively separates one continent into two. It was a small city once frequented not by protective members of the old Paladin Guild, but by mobs of cold-hearted criminals and the chilling winds they dragged in tow. The corruption of Brekolt was well known, but the Fourth Grand Monarch feared too greatly the influence attached to the masses of money and supplies that moved through the hands of a select few, powerful noblemen. Unwilling to pass judgment, decrees, or sentences, the Monarch left Brekolt to fester in its own black blood, hoping the dark nature of the city would someday consume itself.

One year after the peaceful death of the Fourth Grand Monarch, Patriarch Harlow was openly and warmly coronated. The headquarters of the Paladin Guild's Justicar Division was also moved to the capital around this time.

Early in his teenage years, Vhalt showed incredible aptitude with divine magic—particularly protective spells. He never shied from his talent when the need arose, and word of the lad's ability was common amongst powerful ears because of this. As horrid a place Brekolt was, it was not without its devout, and stories of young Vhalt's potential eventually reached Grand Monarch Harlow.

Disguised as a mission to quell an increasingly rowdy band of thieves, Harlow dispatched a unit of the Paladin Guild, accompanied by a pair of justicars, to Brekolt.   During their three year stay, the paladins saw to petty crimes, expunged common criminals and monsters, assisted in rebuilding sections of the city, and in general made life for residents more bearable—even though they were completely incapable of touching the actual sources of corruption in the city.  The actions of these men provided adequate distraction for the justicars however, allowing them to keep an eye on the growing Vhalt from the shadows, and to study the full depth of the dealings of Brekolt's nobles.

Before setting for the capital, the justicars visited the Kreus household, introduced themselves to the family, and were startled  but well impressed to learn that Vhalt had known of their presence for about a full year. After discussing with the boy's parents, the two agreed that, if it was in his wishes, they would allow Vhalt to join the justicars' caravan home, where he would take part in what was described merely as "talent honing" alongside other paladin trainees. Silently ecstatic about the opportunity to develop his ability, but more importantly to escape the hellhole that was his home, Vhalt accepted the offer, and was ready to leave in the same night.

After saying his goodbyes, and whispering a vile curse to the city itself, Vhalt was already on his way to becoming one of the mightiest figures in the Grand Monarch's forces.

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As always, feel free to leave comments, I appreciate any feedback!

Name: Dustmite
Description: Dustmites are humanoid beings, typical adults averaging 30 centimeters tall, born as black specklings from dim-light flowers. They consume and are thusly composed of elemental and spiritual vim known as Dust; an energy which is consistently produced by various living organisms. Dustmites are able to sustain themselves on the residue of the energy that is unnoticeably and intangibly generated by organic sources, however, they are also capable of engorging themselves on ample amounts of Dust to increase their power or make physical alterations to themselves.

Although their inner-bodies are always a solid single-colored manifestation of energy—accompanied by a glowing mouth and pair of shining eyes—the protective garbs which form around them is an indirect result of the "flavor" of the Dust they intake. "Flavor" is an aspect of Dust which only Dustmites are capable of tasting. By consuming an organism's energy, a Dustmite is able to decipher and understand its physical and spiritual personality, psyche, and ego—what makes an organism itself. Using this information, a Dustmite decides if they wish to continue dining on that being's Dust, if the energy can be engorged on if needed, and if its source is worth following or integrating with. If the decision to continue is reached, a Dustmite will spawn outerwear to blend in with or appeal to the source's characteristics.

Regretfully, Dustmites often become addicted to a particular taste after extended periods, and separation from that source causes them to enter withdrawal and become unwilling to consume any other energy, eventually leading to reversion to limbless forms and inevitable nihility. However, because Dustmites are composed of, and as thus taste like a certain energy, they will commit acts of pseudo-cannibalism before abandoning hope. If a Dustmite which has consumed its brethren is able to engorge itself with the favored Dust from its original source, it can regurgitate those it has eaten, giving them back their individual forms.

Because Dustmites are such dependent creatures, sentient sources that take on a noticeable following are able to manipulate the mites to do their bidding. Dustmites, being as malleable as they are, can be pushed into performing tasks as menial as house sitting, as honorable as knighthood, or as menacing as villainous lackeydom. Just hope the poor little guys find a respectable source!

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As always, feel free to leave comments, I appreciate any feedback!