[Art Exchange] Covert Courtesy Commutation ~ 6/8 gifts are up.

[Ketchup-Crumbles]

Did I get it right? This almost works like secret Santa, except that it's not limited to drawings/pictures, but can be any other form of art? If the available time is still about 1 month then sign me up

[Jairus]

I'll sign up for another round. Hello!

[Sprocketsdance]

I'm in

[Gabi]

Thanks for joining, all of you! And yes, Ketchup-Crumbles, you got it right.

This round will slightly be longer due to AnthroCon. The deadline for gift submission is Tuesday, 29th of June.

The participants are: WhiteFox, Liatai, Basilisk, Corgatha Taldorthar, Ketchup-Crumbles, Jairus and Wuffnpuff.

Let the game begin!

[Note: this time the draw was random for 5 of the 7 players, and almost random for the other 2. I chose to swap 2 participants so that they didn't both get the same recipients twice in a row. I may or may not do this again in the future, and I definitely will not guarantee that no one will get the same recipient twice. Since the players are more or less stable, everyone is likely to get the same recipient more than once. But two people getting the same recipients twice in a row is something I can easily fix by swapping them, and I think it may help their inspiration.]

[Gabi]

First questions below.

-Basilisk's gifter wants to know if he has anything he would or would not like to see this round. "Any situations, characters, anything special like that?"

-Standard inquiry to Ketchup-Crumbles: any characters, what they're like, personality, setting, history, etc.

[Lisky]

Dear gifter

Depending on what you're in the mood to do, i can get you one of several characters to work with.  If you're going for visual art, it's been a little while since someone has done Bas... either that, or i have a plethora or lesser characters i could get for you.

For now, Bas visual reference

6'4 without horns, about 7'4" with, thin, though fit.  He's got a massive wingspan at 18' , hair is worn in cables, tied together via silver rings the hair is threaded through. 

As for other characters, if you're feeling inspired for something else, just let me know and i'll either get you a sketch, or at the very least, a very detailed character description.


above all else, have fun with it, covert gifter, for i feel that is the most important thing

[Gabi]

Laitai's gifter wants to know what she'd like for her CCC gift (whether it be visual art, or a short story... and who or what would she like it to focus on).

[Liatai]

Hello, random gifter! Sorry I took so long with this reply. As far as visual art versus a short story... Honestly, go with whatever you find easiest/most fun to do. And if all else fails, I'm pretty much happy with anything that has a dragon in it. Bonus points if it's a young/baby dragon.

If you want to do something focused on a character of mine, though... Well, I think I have a character suited for almost anything you might want to do. If you're going to go the short story route, it might be easiest for you to focus on Kittrick, my gryphon B character from the Deathtrap Dungeon roleplay here, seeing as there are plenty of samples of her dialogue and such in the roleplay thread itself. (If you want to draw her instead, there's a page of sketches I've made of her attached to her character sheet; I can provide a color reference if you need one, too.)

Going outside of Furrae, though, I have my current "main three" characters: Farin, Crystal, and Densharr. This is a very messy height chart with the three of them on it, to serve as a rudimentary reference; I'll be working on better references for them over the next few days, so I'll update this post with them when I have them.

Farin is on the far left, a thief with a very distinctive accent that I know I find a lot of fun to write (ex. "In all yer wizardly studies an' yer rovin' about, you ever hear of a long-eared blue gryphon that could talk?"). He might be a good character to go with if you want to go the story route; I will gladly provide you with more dialogue/writing samples for him if you want them. Let's see, what else can I tell you about him... He's been infected with lycanthropy (and cured) twice, he specializes as a pickpocket and burgular, idolizes adventurers, and can swear like a sailor when he gets going.

Densharr is the lynx second from the left; the owl, Trinnis, is his familiar and "seeing-eye owl." He's supposed to be based loosely on a Canadian lynx, so if you want to draw him in a different style, there's something to start from. He's an alchemist, very kind and polite, and has done a lot of traveling (and such, has many fantastic stories to tell, if you want to go that route), but he's not a very action-oriented character, so if you're more inclined to draw/write dynamic, action-packed things, Densharr probably isn't the character you want for that. (Unless, of course, you want to draw/write about him prior to the age of 22, when he was traveling... in which case, just ask for more details. )

Crystal is the black-and-white tux-patterned cat second from the right... and, well, she's a character with a lot of secrets. Long story short, well, let's just say if she was a succubus, she'd either belong to Clan Kish'ta or Clan Dimanika. She's a trickster, and she likes to frighten people, but at least she's a benevolent trickster with a strong sense of justice. She'd be very hard to write for if you don't know the full story about her, but since she's a mage who focuses on illusions for stage productions (and shadow magic when she's offstage), she would be a very fun/dynamic character to draw if you like to draw magic. (Or crazy outfits, since she has access to the theater's costume department. )

If you need anything more on any of these characters, or if none of them strike your fancy and you want me to provide other characters for your perusal, by all means, feel free to let me know. (I swear I'll reply faster than I did with this post! )

[Ketchup-Crumbles]

O.O I'm so late! Sorry, sorry
As of now I don't really know what I want. I have the character Phoebe, that I created for a RPG; her description can be found here, and my first drawing attempt of her is in my art thread (which I should update). My avatar is based on that image. Other than her (I keep typing "here" instead of "her" ) I like Guybrush Threapwood and Jack Sparrow, the two best pirates ever, and from the DMFA universe I like Mink, Quoar and Jin. All of these mostly call for drawing/painting the gift, because I've never really done any other form of art.
Actually my gifter should feel free to do anything he likes and if he can't come up with anything that includes the above mentioned characters I won't mind if I get something entirely different. Just no mature or religious offensive contents, that's all I want.

[Shachza]

Super Secret Random Commutation Gift Art for Gabi!

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4082696/





/vanish

[Lisky]

apologies for running a little behind, i'll have my artwork done within a day or 2, sorry ahead of time for the slight delay (forgot my other sketchbook at home )

[Sprocketsdance]

I'm sorry, I'm going to be late as well.... AC and all that... should be done tomorrow or the next day.

[Gabi]

OK, then I guess I'll wait until tomorrow to post the gifts. Sorry for the delay, my flight was delayed for a day. I got 3 gifts so far.

[WhiteFox]

Apologies for the delay on my contribution; I mixed up the due date.

My gift is almost done, and I should have it sent in this evening.

...I'm pretty sure no CCC is complete without at least half the artists asking "What do you want?" at the beginning, and saying "Sorry I'm late..." at the end. Must be tradition.

Shachza: So true. So very true.

[EDIT] (Sub)Mission... Complete!

[Gabi]

OK, gifts are up!

-Jairus made this gift for Basilisk.
/**
* Author's comments:
*collapses* Argh. Perspective and bodies drive me nuts, but I think I finally drew a decent muzzle. Hope you like it!
**/

-Liatai made this gift for Wuffnpuff.

-Corgatha Taldorthar wrote the following gift for Ketchup-Crumbles:

Here it is, slightly late. Not my best work. I've been going through a rough patch, and a request as vague as "do anything" lead to what's more a bizarre description than any coherent story. This came to me in patches, when I was inspired enough to write, if not well, and dogged enough to maintain to some purpose. But I wrote it in several sittings, with no coherent plan in mind, just seeing wherever things took me. Looking on the "completed" piece, it reminds me somewhat of the Corum series, if anyone here has bothered to read that.

Anyway, here it is. It has no title.

Best wishes, and I hope you find it suitable Ketchup-Crumbles,
Corgatha Taldorthar

********************************************************************************************************************
   Arinarra groaned as the rough hand on her shoulder shook her awake. The boiled leather armor she wore chafed, and really didn't offer much in the way of protection from the things that dropped out of the sky wailing like an orchestral suddenly gone mad. The troops had given them names, the huge porcine ones Ghanh,  the brittle quick almost humanoids that would glide on the wind a Strell,  and so forth. She wasn't sure why they bothered, They were all mindless, all shrieking, all deadly, and there was nothing to do when they arrived but fight and fall back, and bind up their wounds for another day.

   With the eyes of her men upon her, Arinarra hauled herself to her feet, mechanically adding an eighty fourth knot to the rawhide thong before stuffing it away in a pouch. The sky was still scattered patches of vermillion and purple fighting for dominance, growing against each other and trying to squeeze their foes away to the horizon. She had seen low black clouds cover up a skirmish, and when they broke, the outcome would be decided too quickly, or reversed, or twice she saw them blend into a mindbending hue, as she struggled to keep down the whimpers and fixed her gaze on the ground. It was part of His tactics, she was sure. The things always dropped in out of the sky, silhouetted against the formless, sourceless light that remained constant after the sun fled and the moon failed.

     The ground was hot against her feet, a throbbing, pulsing virulence that fought its way through her callouses developed from running long after her boots had been worn to tatters.  She was thirsty, parched enough to have her soft palette feel sore, stretched, and her clothes were sodden with sweat. She needed fluid, and badly, but the makeshift camp wouldn't have any stored, not with them on the run. It had been six? seven? sleeps since they had hit an  abandoned township, which still had a bit of precious water left in the cisterns. She was second, among the twenty three that remained, but water foraging duties were always done personally. Despite what logic ought to have dictated, people always seemed to find moisture better when they were looking for themselves.

   Grit and pebbles clicked and fell out of her feet as she darted around, making an eerie rattle. Whatever had been done to the celestial bodies seemed to have wiped out most plant life, far, far too quickly. There weren't even remains. But sometimes, like now, she would spot a plant, a small green shrubbery of a type she did not recognize, fully grown in the ground. One of the others would determine if it had any nutritional value and harvest it. Things like this would often vanish if left alone for too long, although never when directly observed.  She waved back to the camp, and moved off, There! Off to her right, she darted. A dirty little patch of snow, preserved who knows how. It was rough against cracked lips but it was wet, easing the pain in her throat. She'd need more, but not for a little while.

   She returned to their camp, and in what she guessed was an hour or so, they were ready to move out. What was left of them were still holding to their last given orders to fall back to Anderen, one of the last cities on the southern coast. If the last reports they had received were still accurate, it was relatively normal for a radius of a few miles around the walls, although the streets were choked with refugees and there were rumors of plague.

   As she tramped along, she gave a silent prayer that the old highways were still intact. With everything else about the landscape changed, and no sun in the sky, it was a mute reassurance that they were  indeed going in the right direction. Still, the flagstones baked on her feet, as she took first right in the formation, eyes locked open for marauders. Sometimes Arinarra wondered why they bothered. She couldn't remember the a single time where they spotted the beasts more than a twice an arm's length away.

    So when the piercing cry came, and Arinarra whirled around and readied her short, broad bladed spear, surprise and fear were largely displaced by a dull exhaustion, and even a sense of boredom. Still, a lack of enthusiasm did little to slow her, and she chased after a gibbering purple tentacled thing that tried to fall upon File leader Ardaniss scoring a tear in its central membrane with a quick thrust.

   Steel rang, and human and monstrous cries mingled in the air. The thing that she struck floated  away from the main engagement, and after a quick nod from her leader she went dashing off after it, cutting the ball of her left foot on a jagged rock upon leaving the safety of the road, but even injured, she could run faster than the living deformity could float, and with a yell and a leap, she pinned it to the ground, spear affixing it to the stone. Dying, the creature made some sort of sound, a cross between a flute's tone and a frenzied squeal. It wriggled on the spear, bright green fluid spurting from the puncture. A mist of the stuff flew into Arinarra's eyes and the world went black.

   She must have come to shortly afterward, because the sounds of struggle were still going on, somewhere out of sight. She was on her feet, hands on a knife she didn't remember having, a wicked curved obsidian blade. Before her stood a man, tall, clothed immaculately in black velvet, with close cut copper hair. His features were impossibly regular,  displaying an eldritch alabaster beauty that gave Arinarra a palpable sense of unease. She stared for a moment, fingering her knife, uncertain. He was certainly none of their party, but he was too regular, too perfect; none of the ravening beasts that assailed them even vaguely resembled people.

   Arinarra was having a great difficulty focusing on anything other than the man who was facing towards her, but making no move to approach or retreat. Even the surrounding sounds seemed muted. She took a step forward, turning to keep the knife in between her and the stranger. "Who are you, how did you get here? Your clothes are too fine to be a refugee."

The man cocked his head slightly, and a series of words "Speaker, lord, dream, printer" rattled through her head at a lightning pace, leaving only scattered impressions and a lack of coherence in their wake.  His mouth opened, but Arinarra could not see lips moving or a tongue shaping words. Nevertheless, reverberation swept through her, intoning communication.

"Most call me Sallos. I am here because this world is mine now.  I fought hard for it; I defeated Keryn, so now it is mine. I came to this skirmish, because I wish to know why your kind resists the inevitable. There are not many of you left anymore. I do not like your kind. Keryn made you, and I cannot see your wills like I can of my own. It is nothing personal, you must understand this. I wish to build anew. It is like a painter wiping the palette clean from the last man's work. And I am bound. You wave that dagger at me, I am not permitted to slay one of your kind without provocation, such as assailing of my person. But it would be beneath my dignity to fight one small mortal anyway. Yes, I can glean something from your face, and your surface thoughts. I might keep you, you know, at my palace. None of your kind has ever seen it. But you are not one of mine, and I am uncertain whether it would be safe. Even one such as you might cause damage in the heart of my being. Ah, yes, the risk. It is too great. I defeated Keryn, it would be an act of divine irony to allow one of his mortals to slay me, no matter how infinitesimal the chance is. I would be a laughingstock amongst my peers forevermore. No, the Kerenth will take you now. For what it is worth, I am sorry. I do not think it is painful."

A shadow loomed behind her, but the unearthly voice uttered once again "I have kept you quiet. It is easier this way. You can trust me." She tried to turn towards the shadow, panic now welling at the words, but her body refused to obey her.And then darkness closed in on Arinarra, snuffing out sight and light and thought.

-And here's WhiteFox's gift for Jairus, with comments:

Heavy is the Head; Lord Justinian von Radgrund Germanicus, and an incarnation of his Iron Knight.

I have problems with my vision that makes reading hard, so it's rare that I take the time to sit down and read a story through. Jairus' Iron Knight, however, is an excellent story, and reading it was definitely worth the time and effort.

I'm not 100% sure what the IK is supposed to look like. There's enough details on him in the story to spur on the imagination, so I just went with that. Besides, no attempt to create the Iron Knight will ever live up to the imagination. I guess I'm in the same trap that Justin' is. But then, that's what makes the story so great, isn't it?

I may have goofed on Justin' himself: since I didn't know what he looked like, I tried to draw him as generically as possible, with minimal definition to his muzzle and no visible tail. Only when I went skimming through the story, looking for a quote, did I realize that Justin' was quite possibly human.

At any rate... I hope it is acceptable.

Basilisk, Wuffnpuff and Ketchup-Crumbles, please post your gifts as soon as you can.

[Arroyo Milori]

Any chance I can sign up for this round?

[Gabi]

Yes, you can. I bid you welcome.

[Sprocketsdance]

Alright it's finished!!! 8D I do hope you like it Corgatha ^.^

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4098335/

Yeah.. sort of putting two worlds together but hey, it works! :u   

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

but you bridged them together so cleverly! It does indeed work, and really brings out Kedered's predatory tendencies quite well. Much appreciated

[Lisky]

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e268/EWork88/ArtScan0001.jpg there's the first version that came out well enough... after 4 or 5 failed attempts, i figured i'd post this, and continue to work on my gryphon skills... or there lack of

hope you enjoy my attempts at Kittrick, Laitai... because, i'm going to be honest... you seem to know what you're doing with gryphons... and i'm still learning X3

[WhiteFox]

Gabi: I, yet again, pledge my art-stylus to the CCC! Let another round be joined!

Also: is there any way we could index the gifts? It'd be nice to have them all collected for perusal.

Jairus: Those are some sweet runes. The hand resting on the sword looks great too. Awesome all around.

Liatea: So many folds... so many feathers... so many, um... what's a word for "ring" that starts with "F"?

Ahem. Just plain adorable. Nice figure, too.

Whuffinmuffin: That poor, poor chess piece.... he doesn't stand a chance.  Nice expression. Also: aren't spots just so much fun?

Basilisk: I feel your pain, good sir, and applaude your efforts. The face and hand look nice, tho.

[Jairus]

Heavy is the Head; Lord Justinian von Radgrund Germanicus, and an incarnation of his Iron Knight.

I have problems with my vision that makes reading hard, so it's rare that I take the time to sit down and read a story through. Jairus' Iron Knight, however, is an excellent story, and reading it was definitely worth the time and effort.

I'm not 100% sure what the IK is supposed to look like. There's enough details on him in the story to spur on the imagination, so I just went with that. Besides, no attempt to create the Iron Knight will ever live up to the imagination. I guess I'm in the same trap that Justin' is. But then, that's what makes the story so great, isn't it?

I may have goofed on Justin' himself: since I didn't know what he looked like, I tried to draw him as generically as possible, with minimal definition to his muzzle and no visible tail. Only when I went skimming through the story, looking for a quote, did I realize that Justin' was quite possibly human.

At any rate... I hope it is acceptable.

Oh, wow. That's... that's very cool. That actually perfectly captures Justinian when he's in the middle of the depression phase of his manic/depression. Very nice job on the armor, too. One very minor note is that the original one is meant to be a little more clock/steampunk and a little less refined, but you did a very good job with the details. And I'm certainly glad that you enjoyed Iron Knight: maybe I should revisit and finish it?

*puts scholar glasses on*

But you are correct, Justinian is human. Anthros exist on their world, they're just, well, science experiments, to be honest, created by bored geniuses who want something to do with the door-to-door salesman who doesn't recognize that maybe the owner of the scary castle that has lightning routinely striking it doesn't want or need new gutters. That, or door-to-door evangelicals: Geniuses like it even less when you tell them that some god or another will strike you down for your wicked deeds, and they tend to see stuff like that as a challenge. They're crazy like that.
Justinian's appearance, strangely enough, is something I've never really figured out. When I write a story, physical appearance (even stuff like racial background or even hair color) is a fairly minor detail compared to the more important stuff like the plot or who they are as people. When it comes down to it, he'll probably get black hair and a goatee or something like that.
The Iron Knight of the modern era is actually getting really close to Justinian's idea, albeit on a far grander scale: tens of thousands instead of only hundreds. Still hideously expensive, though, and they take a lot of training to use correctly. They're given to the rough equivalent of marines, but powered armors have become much more common throughout the world since then, both magical, technological, and magitechnical.
And I've gone way over-the-top, so I'll just cut the boring stuff there, okay? Long story short, that's a very good job, and thank you very much: that's actually the first time that an Iron Knight has been drawn, so, congratulations!

Jairus: Those are some sweet runes. The hand resting on the sword looks great too. Awesome all around.

Random trivia: the runes are just gussied-up letters that read "Is the soul dead?" I changed it from something, I just can't remember what it originally was.

EDIT: Oh, and I'm in for the next round.

[WhiteFox]

Oh, wow. That's... that's very cool. That actually perfectly captures Justinian when he's in the middle of the depression phase of his manic/depression. Very nice job on the armor, too.

*Fist pump* That is exactly what I like to hear: I'm not happy until you are. 

But you are correct, Justinian is human.

Curses... I was afraid of that. Would you mind if I posted it to my FA as it is? I could alter his face to make him human, but then the pic wouldn't really qualify as "furry art". 

Justinian's appearance, strangely enough, is something I've never really figured out. When I write a story, physical appearance (even stuff like racial background or even hair color) is a fairly minor detail compared to the more important stuff like the plot or who they are as people.

I'll second that.

For Justinian here, I gave him an outfit suitable for any sort of mechanic or engineer in a shop: heavy boots and gloves, and plain clothes made of stiff material.

Since the story was written as a journal, it wouldn't have made sense for him to stop and describe himself anyway. Unless he was a really boring sorta guy ("Today I wore my tan jacket... I usually wear my cornflower-blue vest on tuesdays, but I was feeling adventurous..." Shaddap and get back to the freakin' robot!)

Also: one of my motives for picking this pose was so I wouldn't have to draw his hair or ears (Which, if he had been furry, could have been any number of shapes).

Anthros exist on their world, they're just, well, science experiments, to be honest, created by bored geniuses who want something to do with the door-to-door salesman who doesn't recognize that maybe the owner of the scary castle that has lightning routinely striking it doesn't want or need new gutters.

Mad S.: "Release... The Hounds!"
Hound 1: "Do you have to call us that?"
Mad S.: "It's either The Hounds, or I cry Havoc! and let slip... The Dogs of War."
Hound 1: "Okay! Fine! The Hounds are releasing... Sheesh."
Hound 2: "I'm not a hound, I'm a gundog..."
Hound 1: "Who makes abominations out of cocker-spaniels, anyway?"
Mad S.: "Labradors are too friendly. Now, git."

Long story short, that's a very good job, and thank you very much: that's actually the first time that an Iron Knight has been drawn, so, congratulations!

You're very much welcome; this was really fun to do. When I got your name this round, I knew exactly what I was going to be drawing. 

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

*snerk* Cocker spaniels. *giggle*

[Jairus]

Would you mind if I posted it to my FA as it is? I could alter his face to make him human, but then the pic wouldn't really qualify as "furry art". 

You can post it as is, go right ahead.

Also, for some reason, I love it when people say "curses."

Justinian's appearance, strangely enough, is something I've never really figured out. When I write a story, physical appearance (even stuff like racial background or even hair color) is a fairly minor detail compared to the more important stuff like the plot or who they are as people.

I'll second that.

For Justinian here, I gave him an outfit suitable for any sort of mechanic or engineer in a shop: heavy boots and gloves, and plain clothes made of stiff material.

Since the story was written as a journal, it wouldn't have made sense for him to stop and describe himself anyway. Unless he was a really boring sorta guy ("Today I wore my tan jacket... I usually wear my cornflower-blue vest on tuesdays, but I was feeling adventurous..." Shaddap and get back to the freakin' robot!)

Also: one of my motives for picking this pose was so I wouldn't have to draw his hair or ears (Which, if he had been furry, could have been any number of shapes).

There are actually Geniuses who would write like that. Comes from being a bit loopy. Go on and on about clothes and food and playing the piano, then mention in one sentence that they "fused a duck with a beaver to see what happened" before talking about how they styled their hair. Justinian is one of the few Geniuses who has a good deal of control over himself. But good choice on the mechanic's clothes: that is what geniuses who specialize in machines tend to wear.

Mad S.: "Release... The Hounds!"
Hound 1: "Do you have to call us that?"
Mad S.: "It's either The Hounds, or I cry Havoc! and let slip... The Dogs of War."
Hound 1: "Okay! Fine! The Hounds are releasing... Sheesh."
Hound 2: "I'm not a hound, I'm a gundog..."
Hound 1: "Who makes abominations out of cocker-spaniels, anyway?"
Mad S.: "Labradors are too friendly. Now, git."

*snrk*
"And cocker spaniels aren't hounds, anyway: they're spaniels! It's in the name!"
"Look, do you want a treat afterwards or not."
"Oh, fine."

Long story short, that's a very good job, and thank you very much: that's actually the first time that an Iron Knight has been drawn, so, congratulations!

You're very much welcome; this was really fun to do. When I got your name this round, I knew exactly what I was going to be drawing. 

Heh, glad to hear I gave you a good topic.

*snerk* Cocker spaniels. *giggle*

Anthro chihuahuas would just be silly.

[WhiteFox]

Would you mind if I posted it to my FA as it is? I could alter his face to make him human, but then the pic wouldn't really qualify as "furry art". 

You can post it as is, go right ahead.

*Goes to do so.*

*snerk* Cocker spaniels. *giggle*

There's a crossbreed between Cocker Spaniels and Poodles... Cocker-Poos.

I am not making this up.

[Jairus]

*snerk* Cocker spaniels. *giggle*

There's a crossbreed between Cocker Spaniels and Poodles... Cocker-Poos.

I am not making this up.

Don't forget the labradoodles.
"Release... the labradoodles!"

[Gabi]

Gabi: I, yet again, pledge my art-stylus to the CCC! Let another round be joined!

Also: is there any way we could index the gifts? It'd be nice to have them all collected for perusal.

WhiteFox: you've caught me at a busy time. Even busier than usual, that is. But if you send me the links you want indexed, I'll gladly add them to the first post or make a web page for them.

So, Arroyo Milori and WhiteFox are in for the next round. Anyone else?

[Liatai]

Oh, what the heck, why not. I'll throw my hat in, too.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Count me in.