dragonloverdoran

[dragonloverdoran]

JASMINE BEHAVIOR

[dragonloverdoran]

after weeks of planning and editing, my comprehensive look into deltora quest is done!

i interviewed friends and family to discuss the lore, cover rodda's excellent handling of difficult topics, investigate the mysterious rarity of the books in the western hemisphere, talk about the impact the books had on us as fantasy readers, and pitch the series to new readers.

thanks for watching, and special thanks to @withickmire, @zahroreadsthings, @dragonloverdoran , and my (very offline) sister for their participation 🫶

[dragonloverdoran]

09 - Sign

DANGEROUS BRIDGE DO NOT TRY TO CROSS GAP HERE IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE NEXT BRIDGE IS LAST CROSSING BEFORE FORESTS OF SILENCE DELTORA QUEST 3 Dragon's Nest Ch 11 Signs of Trouble

i just think this scene was so funny lmao mostly in hindsight

but also i want to highlight the chapter title, truly one of my favourites for the irony

[dragonloverdoran]

some concept designs of Bess for my eldritch masked ones au at some arbitrary ages

if you missed it, i started writing some of my thoughts about the purebond root masks and it got out of hand lmao. you can see the full ramble in that link there but long story short: purebond root wants to grow, takes nutrients from the host and spreads. it interprets the dna of the host and the mask and grows. in Bess's case that means that the owl feathers are repeated down her back and arms etc, but also means that the person continues to grow bigger.

the mask/purebond root does take over eventually and is constantly starving, concerned only with growing and growing. most adults are not going to make it too far past Stage 1 (Bess ~24y/o). the inner circle would hang out in Stage 2 (Bess ~36 y/o). and The Elder (Ballum's descendant usually) is the only one in Stage 3 as they are the one who is prioritised for food, probably gets offerings, probably is like a god. anyway just wanted to indicate a steep growing curve.

roughly this is where i'm at with the purebond root progression:

Stage 0 (children) - nothing, clearly a man-made mask

Stage 1 (adult) - uncanny valley, realistic mask

Stage 2 (inner circle) - transition, person with animal traits

Stage 3 (elder) - unfathomable and compelling, you probably wouldn't believe this was once a person

pinterest board if you are interested in visuals for the stages (not sure if everything is categorised correctly)

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some sketches i did shortly after my rambles but not sure will be completed

bede walking away from the masked ones (and his big fucked up owl mum lol) he is like the scale for what an average person is in relation to adult masked folk since he never wore his

,,,and now i am remembering i wanted to give eldritch bess multiple eyes and i fORGOT </3

anyway lowkey obsessed with big fucked up bess and rust attending her. she's also hella tall and barely a person anymore in terms of body but arguably she is more a person because she is more alert and has more heart. she will throw hands with anyone threatening bess or any of the masked ones. she will care for bess through thick and thin, whether it is appreciated or not

and some sketches of bess, rust, quill, and plug hehe

[dragonloverdoran]

Added two of my old posts to AO3!

[dragonloverdoran]

Roddacember - Day 11

Courage

And in the next instant Sharn had crouched behind him, thrown her arms around his knees, jerked his legs back and upwards, and tipped him over the sill. Jarred and Endon, frozen with shock, listened to their enemy’s screams as he plunged to the hard earth far below. They both stared, astounded, at the small figure turning from the window to face them. “Often, in the great hall, I have watched little clowns upset big ones from below,” Sharn said calmly. “I did not see why the trick should not work for me.” “What — what did you see from the window?” Jarred stammered. “Nothing. As I told him. But I knew he would not trust my word.” Sharn tossed her head. “And I knew he would lean out. Why should he fear a little painted doll like me?”

Sorry for the poor image quality, Procreate despises my laptop, I believe.

We see a lot of brave characters during the quest, but Sharn is one of those where you don't see it coming at first. I actually wanted to do three different pictures, another one where she chokes Fallow with her chains and then one where she steps on the evil ear worm, but there is no time for that (that's why the quality sucks so much - the picture was supposed to be bigger). Anyway, Sharn has an amazing record of destroying the Shadow Lord's servants xD

[dragonloverdoran]

hello deltora nation

[dragonloverdoran]

Doom Deltoraquest is so camp. He hits every single trope for a lame, overly gritty character and it's AWESOME. He has a bigass scar. He has a tragic backstory. His wife is dead. He hates everyone and everyone hates him. He was held captive in a place called the fucking Shadow Arena in a place called the fucking SHADOWLANDS, from which he is the only person to EVER escape. EVER. He is the leader of some kind of anarchist movement. HIS NAME IS DOOM. Unabashed Mary Sue and nothing can top it. This is the type of whimsy you can only find in obscure children's media I think. In any other context he would suck so much, but because he's in a book for grade schoolers while being played so straight and taking himself so seriously, he is immediately elevated to the status of funniest mf on the planet. Like girl what are you doing here go back to the pulp fantasy romance you're supposed to be the toxic love interest in!!!

[dragonloverdoran]

Initial sketches, rough talksprites, and overworld sprites for Tom and Ava. I love these weirdos. Both of them will serve as shopkeepers, but have different services. Tom is the standard guy, a bit boring honestly, but necessary. He would sell magic equipment, but none of it would do anything too complex (that stuff is saved for sidequest rewards). Ava, however, will (and hopefully I'm smart enough to implement this) be able to use her divination abilities to change the game's RNG. For example, something like guaranteeing an important NPC will spawn in an area, or changing the encounter rate. For their designs I tried to give them a number motif. Tom has accessories in sets of two, while Ava has them in ones. Jack won't be in the game, but if I were to design him, he would have thing in sets of three, obviously. Also, their iconic smile is actually based on me and my sibling's smile lol. We show a lot of top gum for some reason (which might explain the way I draw mouths in general...). Unlike other characters, Tom will actually only have this single talksprite. No variations or expressions at all. He will never not look like he wants to wear your skin.

[dragonloverdoran]

Tom the Shopkeeper: got some straight gas 🔥😛 this strain is called “the fall of Del” 😳 you’ll be zonked out of your gourd 💯

Me: yeah whatever. I don’t feel shit.

5 minutes later: dude I swear I just saw some Ols in the forest

My buddy Dain pacing: the resistance is lying to us

[dragonloverdoran]

ALL the stones in the Belt of Deltora are valuable!

The TOPAS is for FAITHFULNESS!

The AMETHYST is for TRUTH!

The DIAMOND is for PURITY and STRENGTH!

The EMERALD is for HONOUR!

The LAPIS LAZULI

The RUBY is for HAPPINESS!

The OPAL is for HOPE!

[dragonloverdoran]

getting some nice comments on my filli design!! this was the very first thing I drew when we started watching deltora quest (before we started the blog) because filli's anime design absolutely infuriated me. give that beast horrible fingers NOW

[dragonloverdoran]

source: tiktok

i think we need more chaotic marilen content and i guess im the one who will bring it to you o7

like this isn’t that chaotic but it’s also not not chaotic and it’s been living in my head rent free for a looooong time

anyway im just saying at the end of DQ2 marilen absolutely did not need to address the rumours in the way she did and it has me hollering and like no wonder she was absolutely weak for ranesh he wouldve been mischievously flirting every time they met, she’s gotta turn the tables

[dragonloverdoran]

Roddacember Day 14: Petrifying

You’re so tired, but you can’t stop walking…

[dragonloverdoran]

ah hi yes I have officially gone off the rocker and let my impulsivity and nostalgia consume me

please enjoy deltora quest as vines, half of its literally just commentary on lief and jasmines series 2 beef

[dragonloverdoran]

i actually find it very surprising that my first serious Deltora Quest fanart that isn't a silly little doodle or sketchy piece is not of Jasmine, but in fact:

Lief !!

or at least how my brain imagined him, always pictured him as a brunet with brown eyes lol

also my painting practice is really paying off cuz I think this turned out way better than my last work 😭