After entirely too much procrastination, I'm switching to my new account at  v1llainous! Follow me there for new art and other assorted happenings

So something that's been bugging me for a long, long time now is that I've been suffering from a sort of long-term identity crisis concerning my online alias. So far, all the ones I've used have been based off of copyrighted stuff, namely videogames and characters from cartoons and such. I kind of flip between aliases and avatars as I see fit, and it not only makes me harder to keep track of, but it also makes it harder for me to really get started as a creator of my own, original content.

After some contemplation, I've decided to move towards a complete and comprehensive overhaul of my identity, starting with a proper alias and a matching avatar. Once I have the design work done, I'll be posting the changes to this FA page, as well as my tumblr, and making the subsequent moves to new accounts. Ideally, this will give me a new label under which to publish my creations; one that satisfies my rampant narcissism, as well as my desire to strive for originality (even if the name I have in mind is comparatively generic).

R4 will always hold a special place in my heart for showing me the meaning of excellence, but I can't realistically base my identity off of a videogame forever!

Ordered my first drawing tablet today, should be here before the new year. I've been wanting to try digital for a while now, hopefully this is a step in the right direction

I can't realistically say I'm making progress on my fantasy setting project until I name the fucker, now can I?

Luckily I did some thinking on the way home from work tonight. The name Untold Tales from Sinborne Vale sprung out to me, and I rather like it, as it does a few things for me. "Untold Tales" alludes to the format I've been running with so far, which is telling the story through first-person diary entries and reflections from the perspective of the main characters. "Sinborne Vale" bestows a snappy name to the place that also rhymes nicely with the first half.

I'll sleep on it but this seems like a strong possibility

Working in a Walmart Subway during the holiday season sure is fun

I'm getting called into work progressively earlier because things keep getting way too busy

On the plus side, my paycheck's getting fatter than a lazy dragon's ass

What this translates to is "I'm busy as shit, but when I get free, I will be rich"

I like to think of myself as a character-focused writer. As such, I started Untold Tales' development with the protagonists, and aim to construct a world around them which challenges, yet compliments them

The main protagonist is a birdfolk scholar named Axus Caine. Sharp of wit, keen of mind, and slight of build, Axus is driven by an endless desire for knowledge. Not content with leaving mysteries unsolved, he often leaves his study to conduct his own investigations, usually stirring up trouble in the process. Despite his efforts to chronicle the world's untold wonders and best-kept secrets, his peers often ridicule him, criticizing the legality of his methods and the credibility of his finds.

Axus is aided by Desna Hawthorn, a capable (if somewhat beleaguered) secretary with a remarkable memory and a knack for problem solving. When Axus' eccentricity can't win the day, Desna can be counted on to work out a rational solution to the problem at hand, winning her battles with laws and regulations more often than with traditional methods - that is to say nothing of her spellcasting prowess!

Both Axus and Desna are accomplished Order Mages, belonging to the land's largest and most prestigious mage's guild. I'll write more about the universe's magic system in a separate journal

Three more protagonists will yet join Axus; I have plans for all of them, and will write more as I introduce them through their diary entries.

In an effort to try out a hypothetical magic system, put my new ghost kobold to good use, and also practice working on and finishing personal writing projects, I'm starting work on a fresh, new fantasy setting in which I plan to stage some wicked stories

Work and finals are going to plague me until around 12/21. After that I should be free to waste all the time I want hashing out ideas and refining drafts

I plan to post ideas, sketches, rough drafts, and other changes in my journals, with the "final" products going into my gallery

Edit: "Unnamed Fantasy Setting" is now "Untold Tales from Sinborne Vale," a much more proper working title and a potential final title