Keeping track of rough sketches now.
( Under the Cut )

Tags: art sketches roughs locks aryian jeih ja

Cross-posting from tumblr:

( Questions/speculation about Jeih and Kyrin's descendant, its acceptance into the hierarchy, why everybody hates Jeih, and why they may or may not like Aryian for his decision to help Jeih. )

Tags: text q&a jeih kyrin aryian

A couple people have had questions, and I'll get back to you guys once my deadlines are up. In the meantime, you can check out some of the information that's available.

About Locks (what they are and how they work)
How companions work (Lockian relationships)

You can also check up with my tumblr, which I update with doodles and information on a regular (if not daily) basis.

Tags: text lock information links

Iro was the closest thing to a companion that Aryian has ever had (they were close, but they were not intimate in the way that Locks are). She was a firstborn who survived Hons and Yahn and the chaos that reigned before the birth of the hierarchy. She was among the many who followed the Shepherd at the height of his activity and in the end was the only one who stuck with him once order had been established, lending him what little support and comfort he would allow as he began his long and arduous transition to the Hand. He may not have been willing to admit it then, but despite their wills not quite aligning he grew very fond of her .

She was at North Cliff for a long while until her duties took her elsewhere, out to the borders of the expanding universe, where she met her match in companions and bonded. Aryian did not see her again. Two more bondings later Ceras was born, and it was Ceras who returned to North Cliff after so many years had passed.

Aryian occupies a very unique position as far as Locks are concerned - because of his tie to Jarovin, even before he was officially marked, he had the capacity to tolerate and accommodate different interactions with other Locks. He is never limited to JUST companions or bonded-companions like Locks typically are (obviously a lot of this tolerance and patience is learned, though, not inherent, as he WAS a pretty volatile thing). I’ve been wondering lately just how much he will miss Jeih and Kyrin when they bond. Locks are very matter-of-fact about their relationships - they don’t typically form close relationships outside of their companion, so when a pair bonds they are not greatly missed. It’s just an accepted fact, and the new Lock is welcomed into the fold. But these things would probably linger with Aryian. He was close with Iro, and he probably thinks of her now and again. Jeih and Kyrin both wriggle into his life and he becomes close to them. As much trouble as they cause him he ends up fond of them both, but in the end he’ll only be left with their descendant. It’s too early to tell, but I’m willing to bet he will miss them a bit too.

I have a hard time picturing Aryian in a companionship, or as a bonded companion to someone. It breaks my brain. XD It may happen far, far in the distant future - like many billions of years into the future - but until then he gets to be Forever Alone.

I do imagine he’d be such a gentle, joyous thing when it finally happened, though.

Tags: art locks aryian iro

Sphinxy Jarovin, doodled during a break while streaming last night.

Sometimes hearts lie, little one. Sometimes they tell us what we want to hear, and not what we need to. Take comfort in your duties. They, unlike your heart, will never fail you should you heed them.
—-
Aryian comforts Jeih.

Tags: art sketches locks aryian jeih jarovin s

Venting.

Tags: art venting lock lockjaw

Another one of my lovelies. You guys might recognize it from LJ (it’s in my icon there as well) from a few years back. This guy is my jaguar-whale with a touch of eel. It used to have a more canine design but I kicked that pretty quick. The front of the face has got a Lock-like feel, I have a hunch it’s related to Lock business in some way but it’s not telling me.

The mouth is gigantic and, in addition to a row of normal teeth, has baleen-like teeth. It’s a strainer of some sort but of what I’m not sure. It’s a plane jumper as well, neigh-ethereal, and sentient. If there are more than one they are well hidden, but this particular creature roams Empire Eutharius territories and seems to herd/monitor several other species of plane jumpers.

It hasn’t given me its name yet, even after so long.

Tags: art spirit critter

So I was in the mood for snuggles tonight but then decided I’d rather do canon affection. Eventually I’ll get the interaction/gesture sheet out that roughly outlines the postures/ritual gestures/appropriate interactions and whatnot (a lot of it's been roughed out at this point).

Locks that are familiar with each other tend to display affection in this fashion. This particular gesture is pretty versatile and can be used in almost any kind of Lockian interaction/relationship. The cheek-to-cheek is generally used in soothing and is a way to set both at ease. Knuckles against knuckles is straightforward affection. The hand to chest gesture can mean a bunch of different things depending on the situation, but is generally regarded overall as a sign of acknowledgement (an ‘I recognize who you are, your authority, your attention, what you stand for, etc’). Unless one is in a bonded companionship, Locks will tend to keep their claws curled in and use the backs of their hands and knuckles for affectionate physical contact, emphasizing that there is no threat towards the other.

Palm-to-chest is often used as a formal greeting/acknowledgement, and those who know Aryian has the mark will often (but not always) use palm-to-chest even when there is soothing or affection involved, as a respectful nod toward Jarovin’s presence and Aryian’s authority as the Hand.

Aryian is pretty used to this kind of contact. He soothes a lot of Locks, he knows a lot of Locks, and Jarovin’s presence allows him to be more versatile in his interactions with everybody else.

Jeih for his part, while he’s known for breaking all the rules, does not approach Aryian with any affection in Lock form until way later. From time to time during his reintroduction he’ll actually behave and use the appropriate gestures in other forms, and Aryian will accept them (like when he’s in the Sharing). Other times he’ll just use them to put Aryian at ease before he does something totally retarded and Ary’s none too fond of that.

These two are familiar enough with each other that the gestures are appropriate, but they are not in any way in any sort of companionship/Lockian relationship.



tumblr wanted another shenanigan/pillow sequence so this week I will oblige.

Tags: art lock lockjaw jeih ary aryian interac

For those of you who watch my LJ you might remember these guys as they were briefly mentioned a bit ago. These guys, as well as the other Relk variants, came about somewhere around ‘05 or ‘06.

I haven’t talked much about the Relk here, but essentially the Relk fear for their vulnerable way of existence when they discover that the massive Empire Eutharius is bearing down on their system. The Locks have a tangible presence on the Relk world long before the Empire discovers the Relk, and the Relk ask them for a way to avoid what would likely be their exploitation and possible extermination. A deal is made, and the Locks consent to create bipedal Relk to serve as emissaries to the Empire. But the Relk eventually decide the privacy they win with Eutharius through the bipeds isn’t enough, and press the Locks for a way to populate the rest of their system in order to safeguard their own world further. Again the Locks agree, although less readily, and give them the ability to manipulate their race by splicing their genome with that of the Lock-world Shiro beasts. Long story short the Relk are somewhat irresponsible and everything turns into a giant mess and they lose favor with the Locks, but in the process four races are born from the splicing: the Krio-Relk, the Wex-Krio, the Sunda, and the Gasoda-Relk.

The Gasoda-Relk are gas giant dwellers. They are double-armed winged things with air sacs and electrical current sensing/generating polyps and a long polyp-sucker tongue that looks like a fern thing. There are extremely ancient, ruined, enormous floating metal hulks of some sort drifting through various levels of the planet’s atmosphere, upon which grows a lichen-like substance that is more or less edible. For whatever reason, while in the adaptive stages the spliced Relk made this their niche environment. They flit from hulk to hulk (or fly, sometimes the distance between ruins is pretty large), scraping off the mossy bits with their beaks and then licking it up with their weird tongues.



This would be the Krio-Relk, the first Relk variant race that came about from the Relk splicing themselves with the Shiro.

I could go on a long winded tangent about these guys, but suffice to say instead of being the reliable, down-to-earth guardians of the water world they were birthed into they quickly became lazy, indulgent, flamboyantly selfish things, blessed with technological genius that they wasted on frivolities. The Krio became known for fraternizing with high society members of the Empire, inviting them to dining and entertainment on the giant hovering cruise ships that hung suspended above the endless seas. It was a traitorous blow to the Relk, who had worked so hard to gain ‘closed system’ status within the Empire. Furthermore the Krio didn’t want to stay put, and didn’t want to remain water-bound creatures, and that’s when the real trouble started.

I should mention that not all Krio were this way, but this was the attitude of the majority. There were a few smaller nomadic clans that actually did what they were made to do, and they have the same serious disposition as the Relk but are much less aggressive.

Tags: art relk variants gasoda krio

Fiddling with my Emperor Ray Dragon. I need to get around to the other Rays at some point.

Tags: art dragon emperor ray