#cerridwen kikumi

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Their outfits really do contrast where they’re from, lmao.

I really wanted to go all out on Signy with the bear theme, so she has a bear skin mantle that still includes the paws and claws. The trimmings of her tunic under the steel chest armor is also made of bear fur, as are her leg wrappings. She has a traditional celtic/viking/norse belt that wraps around itself and I also included her weapon holster, although I don’t have an exact idea for what her axe will look like. The inner fur lining of her steel bracers, once again, is bear fur. The tunic is made from linen, and her pants are tempered leather. She has two steel shoulder guars that go over her bear skin mantle.

Can you tell I was looking at various pieces of Skyrim armor in order to get an idea for what I wanted her design to be like? ^^;;

Kikumi is so smol and elegant next to Signy, lol. She’s got a bear woman as a bodyguard, lmao.

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Cerridwen: Kikumi’s Race

Cerridwen

The name originates from the Celtic-Irish goddess of of the moon, magic, agriculture, poetry, music, art, and science. She was also the Keeper of the Cauldron. Her name means “chiding love.”

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Racial Background:

Cerridwen (pronounced “see-ruhd-wen”, unlike its namesake pronunciation of “keh-ruhd-wen”) are an ancient race similar to that of Elves with a civilization built around nature and it's elements. While not fully advanced in the area of technology, they are profound in tuning in with their surroundings as well as the wildlife tied to their individual element, keeping a keen affinity towards their cultural upbringing and their abilities. They are known for their pointed, Elf-like ears, fluffy hair, and enhanced senses. The most common elements are water, earth, fire, and wind, with the exception of the Royal family being able to use derivatives of each element to some extent. Cerridwen claim silver as a prized mineral and have an almost regal or divine feeling that radiates from the race, even if it does not correspond to their individual personality. While not immortal, Cerridwen are known to have quite a long lifespan. They can live up to 3-times that of a human with a maximum age of 750-years. Due to this prolonged life, the Cerridwen culture is highly based upon agriculture and lunar philosophy. Most hold titles related to poetry, music, art, and scholarly teachings.

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Environment:

They inhabit lush forests and greenery, keeping in touch with nature as they live within their kingdom known as Salene (pronounced as "suh lean"). Their agriculture is rich and their biggest export and source of income is silver, a mineral claimed to have the ability to heal those who are pure at heart. While many Cerridwen live together in Salene, the kingdom is divided into sections to help better those with distinct elemental properties, with each having it's own God/Goddess to worship and cultural upbringing. This makes for Salene to be a multicultural kingdom. Those of each elemental faction dress according to their respective element, though they all share two common fashion traits - the wearing of soft, flowy fabrics and a touch of silver in their clothing. At the head of the kingdom lies the Royal Palace, home to the kingdom's rulers. The Cerridwen call it "The Palace of the Divine", believing that the Royal Family has deep ties to the Gods/Goddesses. The Royal Family is marked with the Brand of the Moon, an intricate design linked to their main Goddess, Cherika, who their race claim to be a spiritual embodiment of the moon itself. The Royal Family tend to dress in soft colors and long, cascading clothes. The fabric is the softest in the land and flows almost spiritually.

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Appearance and Variations:

Each Cerridwen is unique, be it how they dress or their physical appearance. One can go from very pale skin and freckles to a lush tan and hair as white as snow. While each personality is different, they tend to tie into the element that they were born into. Those of Fire tend to have a more "heated" and "bold" personality, Water having a more "calm" and "thoughtful" demeanor, Wind being "free-spirited" and "breezy", and Earth being "caring" and "shy". The Royal Family are the only ones who defy this, as they tend to have a graceful and firm-but-gentle aspect to their personalities.

Within the elemental factions of the Cerridwen race, there also lies Divine-, High-, Mid-, and Low-Blood classes.

Those born into the Divine-Blood class consist only of the Royal Family, as it is said that their family line was blessed by Cherika, herself. Each have the Brand of the Moon, though it is in a unique place for each member of the family. One may have it on their upper arm while another could have it on their lower back.

Those of the High-Blood class consist of those with an attitude in which they believe they are above all classes (and in some cases, even Divine-Bloods). They tend to be closer to the way High Elves think about others, but won't outright claim to be above all else - instead, they'll simply think it and imply it by their actions. That is to say, however, it is possible for a High-Blood to not have this attitude; it's just very uncommon/rare. High-Bloods deal with teaching the elite and usually obtain the job of scholars and philosophy. Elements that are usually tied, but not limited, to this class are Fire and Water.

Those who are in the Mid-Blood class are the Cerridwen counterpart to Wood Elves and the Human working (middle) class. They are hard workers and strive to be above petty accusations, sticking to the ideal of being "honest and true." Mid-Bloods take care of the children and the animals, being the most connected to their surroundings. Mid-Bloods are usually seen keeping peace when not with animals or children. Elements that are usually tied, but not limited, to this class are Earth and Wind.

The Low-Blood class consists of either half or element-less Cerridwen and is the counterpart to Half-Elves and Drow/Dark Elves.

Those who are born into this class and still retain a curiosity for the Cerridwen culture are the Half-Cerridwen, also referred to as the Dwai. They're like their Mid-Blood brothers and sisters, but have a more rebellious streak to them due to their Human half.

Element-less Cerridwen, referred to as the Kehn, are full-blooded Cerridwen whose elemental abilities never took shape. They're very polite, though it has an almost sarcastic hint to it no matter what they do. This is why they are viewed as the Cerridwen counterpart to Drow/Dark Elves. Due to High-Bloods treating them lower than even the Dwai, this form of Low-Blood has begun to draw away from their traditional Gods/Goddesses and turn more towards what they call the "Divine Warriors", the most prominent being the Goddess Elli who believed that all have the potential to be strong throughout their years and is said to have struck down all those who opposed her. The Kehn usually take part in being palace guards and the royal army.

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I never actually finished her royal attire model... so uh, yeah I’m actually going to now that her base is updated. I got the dress on and fitted, now I just gotta add her crown, her heels, and any other jewelry I see it. :3

This outfit also was a commission from Heaventa over on deviantART~

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Someone is getting made!

Her booba are censored.... but if you zoom in, the censor isn’t entirely solid~ ewe

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Kikumi = smol.

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I’m on a roll after getting Signy’s base finished.

I went ahead and updated Kikumi and Amka’s bases so that all the girls now match and use Montecore bodies!! Signy uses Yugi, Kikumi uses Reimu, and Amka uses Tojiko~

I also chose to ensure that the body types and height differences were apparent. SIgny is tallest girl with a stocky and muscular build, Kikumi is shortest with massive hip-to-waist ratio to match how I actually draw her, and Amka is the average and slender girl with broad shoulders.

Kikumi was a pain to get right, I deleted her left leg and mirrored the right one at least 6 times in order to get her body type accurate-

The next steps will be refitting Kikumi and Amka’s outfits while I wait for a commission for Signy’s outfit to be completed~

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Kikumi’s Nemain attire.

I feel that while she tags along with Signy, she would need a more fitting outfit for the terrain and so I came up with this. I tried to keep some elements of her Cerridwen roots, while blending it with Nemain aspects such as fur on the shoulder, brown leathers, the shine guards on her boots, the belt, etc.

The colors are a bit close to Signy’s in terms of the tunic, but... it has a greener hue to it, so I felt it still was distinguishable from her design.

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Signy War-Bear

Overview

Signy War-Bear is a female warrior of the Nemain race. She has a stern demeanor but means well. She’s been hardened by her upbringing and traveling alone (by choice). She comes across the Queen of Salene during an exploration and the two become friend, albeit slowly. She helps train new soldiers for the Salenian army, particularly the Khen who cannot rely on elemental abilities during battle.

Appearance

Signy is of average height for a Nemain female, but compared to others is of tall stature. She has fair skin that is adorned with freckles. Her hair is a tawny blonde with two small braids on either side while keeping the rest untied and at shoulder length.

When in her bear form, Signy appears as a brown grizzly.

In her casual/normal attire, Signy can be seen wearing a blue tunic beneath an engraved steel chest plate that is lined with furs, matching steel bracers also lined with fur, brown pants, fur leg wrappings tied with leather straps, and dark brown boots with an inner fur lining.

Personality & Background

Signy is quiet but very observing. Having grown up in the stormy, frozen forests with her fellow villagers, she naturally had to be aware of her surroundings almost constantly.

She is often referred to by outsiders as “The Slayer” for her harsh and unrelenting ability to make her enemies fall to their knees in battle. This is used as an insult by High-Blooded Cerridwen and those who feel that their Queen should not hang around such “barbarian beasts”. Signy often ignores these insults for Kikumi’s sake.

Abilities

Berserker’s Rage: As a capable and well-rounded warrior, Signy can allow for her adrenaline to take over during battle. Usually this happens if she’s entirely focused or has become enraged by the enemy. She will kill without mercy and will at times even seem to have a fiendish grin upon her lips.

Blood of the Bear: Like her fellow Nemains, Signy can call upon the blood of the bear and transform as such to gain an upper hand on her enemies.

Weaknesses

Blood of the Bear: While this is an ability that can be ripe with benefits, it does have its drawbacks. Once every month, at random, Signy will forcefully transform and lose control of her senses. She will become closer to that of a feral beast for an entire night and any who cross her path are certain to be in danger.

Blinded by Battle: During battle, all Nemains have the possibility of getting carried away. This is not the same as their berserker’s rage, as this is more of them having fun rather than someone having sparked their temper. When this occurs, they don’t realize that they may be taking things too far in a situation that doesn’t require that much violence.

Religion

Signy follows her Nemain beliefs and worships Artio the Bear Goddess. She thanks her for her beast blood, viewing it as a blessing. She keeps an amulet to represent Artio around her neck at all times, keeping it hidden under her chest plate when in battle.

Tidbits About Signy

Signy’s favorite flower is the crocus due to it bringing a pop of color to the snowy terrain of her village.

She’s skilled at finding caves when needing to camp outdoors.

Her favorite animal is the Snowshoe Hare, oddly enough. She is gentle with these creatures despite her beast blood implying otherwise..

Signy is a heavy sleeper, especially during winter. She sleeps in various positions depending on where she’s taking refuge, and occasionally may snore.

Signy first met Kikumi after she tried to run away from her duties as a Queen. She reluctantly allowed Kikumi to tag along with her for some time, helping her gain the confidence she needed to return to her kingdom. When this happened, Kikumi asked her to be the head of her royal guard and gave her a permanent residence within her palace.

Cloudberries are her favorite fruit.

Story Songs

Signy’s Theme: My Mother Told Me (Gingertail Cover & Saltatio Mortis Cover)

Battle Theme: Pray to the Hunter by Saltatio Mortis

Childhood Memories: «Markarth» - Red Eagle's Song (Gingertail cover)

Berserker Rage/Forced Transformations: Berserker by Peyton Parrish

Friends with Royalty: Hail to Victory by Peyton Parrish

New Duty to the Crown: Valhalla Calling (cover by Andra Ariadna)

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The Queen and the Bear

The wind howled as the queen put further distance between herself and the kingdom. The lush, green trees slowly turned to tall pines with snow-covered branches as her feet to her further and further into the woods. One would think that the bitter cold would slow her down, but the unrest in her heart kept her going. As she stopped to take a breather and ensure that she still had not been followed, the queen was caught off guard as her feet were knocked out from under her. Before she could even react, she was pinned down in the snow with an axe to her throat.

“Who are you, and why are you trespassing here?” her attacker demanded, their voice harsh and loud. “This is Nemain territory, and your kind isn’t welcome.”

The queen attempted to brush some of the snow out of her face but was stopped as the blade of her attacker’s weapon pressed harder against her neck. “If you really must know, I’m the current reigning Queen of Salene. Or rather, I was the reigning Queen...”

The brutish woman scoffed at those words. “Oh, so we have one of the dolled-up royals in our lands, eh?” The woman still did not let her up, but her tone was less sharp. “Why would you ever choose to leave the comfort of your precious palace let alone the fragile safety of your kingdom?”

“Because I...” the queen trailed off, feeling small. “I don’t have what it takes to rule...” She averted her eyes from the blonde, clearly having difficulty saying those words.

The Nemain woman looked at stared down at her for a moment before finally lifting her axe away from the royal, unsure of how she was supposed to take that statement. “What do you mean by that? Don’t your little followers always agree with their ruler’s choices?”

The purple-haired Cerridwen remained silent for a moment. “...It isn’t that they won’t agree, it’s that I don’t have the experience.”

The blonde finally stood, releasing the royal from her grip. “Experience? Bah! You were raised by the previous leaders, how the hell don’t you have experience?”

“I wasn’t.” the queen stated as she sat up. “I... I never was taught how.”

The Nemain looked at the pitiful Cerridwen before her, placing her axes back into their belt loops. “...Well that’s ridiculous, why wouldn’t they teach their next in line to rule the kingdom? ...What’s your name, anyway?”

“...Kikumi...” the queen said. “And it wasn’t that they chose to not teach me, the kingdom was practically sacked before they really had the chance... My parents never made it, and had it not been for those...disgusting...necromancers....I wouldn’t have, either.”

The warrior woman gave her a puzzled look before taking an abrupt seat beside the elf. “What are you saying, you’re technically supposed to be dead or something?”

“...Yeah.” Kikumi muttered. “I don’t know why I’m bothering to spill my whole story to someone who just tried to kill me, though... so, who are you?”

The blonde kept eyeing how forlorn this young woman was, because her royal status didn’t match the look she now had. “Signy. Signy War-Bear, Nemain warrior with the title of Slayer.”

“....Well, Signy... you’re right.” Kikumi told her, still not having looked away from the snow. “I’m supposed to be dead, but when the kingdom was sacked all those years ago, necromancers stole the bodies of the dead. Reanimated them for their own purposes in hopes they had capable puppets, and I was one of them... I only took the throne after returning on a mission for those they worked alongside, and things... were explained to me by one of the few survivors. But really, who am I to rule a kingdom? I have no experience in governing other people, let alone dealing with political affairs... they should just find a replacement for me before I screw things up...”

At that, Kikumi was met with a hard slap to the back of her head. She turned to see Signy frowning at her, her brows furrowed. “What the hell was that for?!”

“How pathetic.” Signy growled. “You’re running away from your duty because you don’t have the courage to face it head on! How can you even call yourself a queen at all if that’s the stance you take? A Nemain would take the reins and go with it even if they didn’t have the experience!!”

“Well then maybe you should go and be the queen then.” Kikumi sneered.

“Tch, as if.” Signy laughed. “I’m not refined like your kind. I’ve better things to do with my time.”

Kikumi shook her head. “And what would that be?”

“Adventuring.” Signy stated. “Being able to see what’s out there and what tries to put up a fight. Strengthening my arms in battle. How else do you think I got the title of Slayer?”

Kikumi sat silent for a moment. “You certainly seem to live up to your title, then... perhaps I could learn a thing or two from you...”

“Oh no, I ain’t teaching no fragile palace girl how to do her job. Not like I know how to be a royal, I swing an axe and things fall dead. Simple as that.”

“It’s a metaphor.” Kikumi stated coldly. “Not like your people want me around, either.”

Signy stared at the sorry excuse for a queen, pondering what to do. After a bit of silence, the blonde stood and began to walk away. Kikumi stared for a moment, watching her go before pulling her knees to her chest and looking away. Signy heard the minor movement and turned around, looking back at the royal. “...What, you’re jsut going to sit there?”

“...What else is there to do...”

Signy rolled her eyes and let a massive grunt escape her lips. “Get up. You can tag along with me until you’re ready to go back home.”

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I haven't drawn in a while, and with the things I'm dealing with irl right now... I need to do something to distract myself and separate myself from the way I'm feeling.

So I chose to redraw an older piece I did to be more like my current art style. Its the same pose, same idea, but updated and with a new design on the dress compared to the original, which is under the cut.

I hope you like it.

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This took me far longer than expected. 

My wrists till isn’t at it’s best... I’ve been going to physical therapy for early carpel tunnel, which is helping, but my wrist still can’t handle too much right now. I spaced this out between three days when normally this would take me maybe 3hrs if I sit there and diligently work. First I sketched and lined it, then colored Kikumi yesterday, and then did the foliage and background after work today.

But that aside, I wanted to make a nice picture of Kikumi... and if I could pick a vocaloid song to go with this piece, I probably would say she’d be relaxing while listening to something like “Sekiranun Graffiti” or “Hato”.

Sketched in Fire Alpaca / Lined in Paint Tool Sai / Colored in Fire Alpaca

External Edits were made using Photoscape.

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Here are some refernces for Kikumi.

From top to bottom we have her body type, her main outfit, her royal attire, and her childhood appearance.

In a while I plan to also draw a reference for Kikumi’s spinal scarring as well as an emotion sheet for her.

Also please forgive the lack of effort with her feet... I’m not good at toes and didn’t feel like going through that frustration.

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A queen must consider the people she serves.

Sketched in Fire Alpaca, lined in Paint Tool Sai, colored in Fire Alpaca, with layer effects added in Paint Tool Sai.

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Sunflowers sunflowers sun-

Hey guys! I decided to draw Kikumi in that little strawberry dress meme/challenge that I’ve seen going around, but I put my spin on it. Instead of pink with strawberries, her’s is cream with sunflowers.

I used two different programs to do this, too.

I did the initial sketch in Fire Alpaca using the pixel brush, then opened the .psd file in Paint Tool Sai to do the lineart, and then ran it through Fire Alpaca again to do the coloring. After that, it went into Sai for a second time so I could add some color to the lineart instead of keeping it black and to add my initials, date, and time in the bottom corners.

I hope you all like it!! I did my best~

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Decided to draw in order to take my mind off things. Tbh, I'm still not really satisfied with this piece due to the lighting, but I tried... Sketched in FireAlpaca, Lined in Paint Tool Sai, Colored in Fire Alpaca, and added external effects and vignette in Photoscape.

Uncensored version can be found here: https://www.deviantart.com/rainwaterpearls/art/Forest-Beauty-858925833

***Note: You might have to be logged in to view the uncensored version, as I do have a moderate mature content filter on it just to be safe.***

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I’m taking a break from working on the RPG so I don’t get burnt out like I did when I first started it waaaaay back when. In the meantime, I’m making more Kikumi models lol. Not too creative, I know, but I’m trying to make versions of her main outfit in other model styles. This one is her in YM’s model style. I used their Vintage Miku for the base and Kagamine Rin for the face. The eybrows are TDA and the ears are PolygonLove. I also toyed around with Rin’s facial expressions since there were a few morphs that adjusted the shape of her eyes, which made editing it to Kikumi’s shape was a lot easier. I probably am going to turn this into a 30 Day self challenge since I’m off work all of April due to CVOID-19. Next modeling style will be Kio.