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Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop
Inspired by a Second Life Creator and Reimagined
"Where moonlight meets shadow, her eyes decide your fate."
Bathed in the glow of a twilight forest, she stands as a living emblem of nature’s mystery. Her emerald eyes burn like captured starlight, framed by velvet ears and hair kissed with silver sheen. A gown of violet-black leaves clings to her with natural elegance, each petal alive with subtle enchantment. Around her neck rests a pendant of green fire, pulsing with the rhythm of the woods themselves.
She is not merely guardian nor spirit — she is the Grove’s will given form, both beautiful and dangerous, a whisper of grace that can turn to storm in a heartbeat.
Inspired by a reference image, reimagined in my own style.
“Each piece, its own ritual.”
Done in AI, Finalized in Photoshop
Inspired by and Reimagined
Deep within the ancient mycelium forest, where sunlight never dares linger, rises the Emberroot Revenant — a towering, skeletal guardian forged of decaying wood and bioluminescent fungus. Its eyes burn with searing amber fire, flickering like twin infernos beneath a wide, glowing mushroom crown that pulses with otherworldly energy.
Every inch of its towering form is entangled in gnarled bark and fungal bloom — glowing orange caps sprouting from twisted limbs, trailing spores like drifting embers through the mist-laden air. Hollow ribs stretch like prison bars over a heart of smoldering spores, each movement cracking with the sound of ancient trees weeping under time’s weight.
It moves in silence, save for the soft hiss of rising heat and the whisper of spores, protecting the sacred forest it once ruled in life. Now, bound to fungal magic and ancient curses, the Emberroot Revenant watches... waiting for trespassers bold enough to enter its glowing domain.
Today I finalized the tree by adding more blossoms. I want the tree to feel dripping with flowers :). I sealed the entire sculpture and finished painting. Next week: pouring the pond and last touches. Project detailed on my blog!
Thx for following along!
Tori
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop
Inspired by the Lands of Rungardvik
Once the fiercest of all berserkers, he was known in life as Skuldwrath the Flame-Eater—an unstoppable force who fought in firestorms and feasted on fear. Betrayed in his final battle and left unburied, his soul was cast into Hel’s shadow, gnawed by wyrms and denied peace. Now reborn in death, he returns with a skeletal grin twisted by vengeance, his blood-matted beard trailing with cursed runes, and his eyes glowing like twin embers of Ragnarok.
Clad in weathered leather, iron spikes, and cursed amulets taken from the dead, Skuldwrath rises where the battlefield still burns. The ravens of Odin flee his scent, for this is no honored warrior—this is a cursed revenant, fueled by rage that not even the gods can quench. His axe thirsts not for glory—but for retribution. His saga is not sung in halls, but screamed in storm and ruin.
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop
Inspired by and Reimagined
"When embers become eternity, his gaze ignites the void."
A hyperrealistic portrait of the Dragonlord — a being forged from scales darker than obsidian and veins pulsing with molten fire. His armor, etched with glowing runes and sealed with ancient sigils, radiates power beyond mortal comprehension. Each fiery symbol carved into his chestplate burns like a brand of dominion, marking him as the eternal conqueror of ruins and realms alike.
With horns like jagged spires and eyes blazing like volcanic cores, he is not merely a warrior — he is apocalypse incarnate, cloaked in gold and shadow. The sparks that trail from his presence are not mere embers, but fragments of worlds undone.
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop and Photoscape X.
⚔️ Nightmare Echo Description
Once Amon sought remembrance. Now, in this corrupted echo-form, he has become inevitability.
Throneform: Seated upon a spiked obsidian throne deep within the Nightmare Veil.
Armor: Soulsteel laced with broken constellations and glowing violet scars — pulsing with timelines that never healed.
Eyes: Twin vortices of voidlight and grief. His gaze reflects who you were never meant to become.
Aura: His presence fractures identity. You remember a version of yourself you never lived, and it aches.
Abilities
Echo Collapse – Forces travelers to witness and potentially become one of their discarded past selves.
Throne’s Refusal – Any attempt to strike is met with a living vision of one's greatest failure.
Mirror Crowned Staff – A twisted relic topped with a screaming skull wrapped in flame — channels corrupted Echoes.
Fragmented Majesty – Passive effect; nearby beings suffer identity dissonance.
Realm: The Throne of the Crown That Remembers Itself
Located within a hollow cathedral of fractured mirrors and stormlight.
Skulls line the floor like offerings. The walls bleed violet lightning.
The throne is not a seat — it's an anchor to every choice not taken.
Quote
“I am not who I was. I am who was never allowed to be.”
Encounter Themes
Loss of self through over-identification with regret
Combat as memory trial — not for domination, but for revelation
The price of remembrance without redemption
(Note: This is a preliminary test. The finalized version will differ somewhat from what you see here. This was a video frame capture off my Sony DCR-TRV130 Digital8 camcorder, in widescreen standard definition.)
Thursday morning, about 55 hours before the actual costume project. The suit is the same, only the makeup is somewhat different.
This time, I'm trying to capture the look of Osamu Tezuka's color illustrations of Black Jack, his legendary outlaw surgeon.
In Tezuka-sama's color illustrations, half of Black Jack's face is usually colored blue, rather than the darker brown tones in the anime in present day. Ada "Putrocca" Palmer of TezukaInEnglish.com (and a wonderful Black Jack cosplayer in her own right, as well as various other Tezuka character cosplays, such as Rainbow Parakeet and Makube Rokuro) had the following to say about this:
"As to why the skin is frequently depicted as blue, rather than brown, I am not sure, but it may be related to the traditions in Indian and Chinese art of depicting figures whose faces should be brown as blue because it was considered less ugly. Another possible explanation is that the colored yellow ink used by printers in the period Tezuka was working did mix very to make complicated hues like brown, orange or green and blue simply came out better – it is for this reason that, in early American superhero comics, one rarely sees costumes in any color besides plain blue, red and yellow."
A friend of mine suggested I take on this challenge, and this is the initial result. Apparently, I'm going to have to put on about 2-3 coats minimum for the blue side of the face, sealing each with powder, and then add on the brow pencil, eyeliner, and black pencil stitch details. I'm leaving out the liquid latex this time around.
Materials used in the face design:
Ben Nye CL-22 "Sky Blue" Creme Color
Ben Nye P-121 "Lite Japanese" Creme Foundation
Ben Nye FS-1 "Studio Cover" Five O' Sharp Beard Cover/Concealer
Ben Nye MO-2 "Medium" Mellow Orange Concealer
Ben Nye MC-1 "Black" MagiColor Pencil/Ultralite
Ben Nye MJ-2 "Velvet Black" MagiColor Creme Crayon
Ben Nye Neutral Set Colorless Face Powder
Mehron 204RA Rigid Collodion "Scarring Liquid"
Rimmel Professional Liquid Eye Liner "001 Ebony Black"
NYC Brow & Liner Pencil "902A Dark Brown"
Total time spent: About 1 hour 30 minutes.
(And now, I have to take it off, and pray that as much of the residual blue pigment comes off. I have to go to work in a few hours, and I'd prefer not to have a blue-tinted face. ^_^;)
Today I finalized the tree by adding more blossoms. I want the tree to feel dripping with flowers :). I sealed the entire sculpture and finished painting. Next week: pouring the pond and last touches. Project detailed on my blog!
Thx for following along!
Tori
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop
🔥 “The circle burns, the books obey — and the Queen commands eternity.”
From the depths of forgotten forests she rises — a demon queen cloaked in obsidian armor, her crown of fire and horns igniting the night. Ancient runes blaze beneath her feet, etched in circles of power, as spellbound tomes orbit in defiance of gravity. A staff crowned with a screaming skull erupts in violet and crimson flame, casting shards of light over her flawless yet unearthly face. Her eyes burn like molten gold, a gaze that unravels the will of mortals, beautiful and terrifying in equal measure.
This is not a summoning — it is a proclamation.
She is the spell.
She is the fire.
She is the end and the beginning.
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop
Clad in obsidian-black armor veined with glowing crimson, the Warden of the Forsaken Pact stands as an eternal sentinel to a broken covenant long buried in blood and flame. Her suit is forged from cursed steel, etched with runes of betrayal, and adorned with skull motifs that whisper of those who dared defy her oath. Crimson gemstones pulse like embers across her chest and gauntlets — not mere decoration, but vessels of bound souls fueling her wrath.
With long, silver-white hair cascading like moonlight through shadow, and eyes that pierce like daggers from the abyss, she exudes both regal power and merciless judgment. Every blade edge and armor plate tells a tale of vengeance and unyielding will. She is not a warrior — she is a verdict. A retribution made flesh.
Born of a vow shattered by gods and mortals alike, she now walks alone through the void — a haunting promise made manifest.
Done in Ai, finalized in Photoshop
From the depths of a shattered obsidian realm, a titanic behemoth erupts — its mountainous form carved from blackened stone, crisscrossed with glowing crimson and violet fractures like molten veins. With a mouth unhinged in a primal scream, rows of jagged infernal fangs catch the pulse of violet lightning that scars the apocalyptic sky. Thunder rolls over a ravaged, otherworldly terrain where spiked monoliths loom and the ground pulses with a hellish glow. Its colossal hand stretches outward, clawed fingers igniting the air with unstable arcane energy. The storm-drenched atmosphere is alive with despair and fury, as though reality itself recoils from the creature’s unholy ascension. This is not just a monster — it is a cataclysm given form.
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop
Inspired by the Lands of Rungardvik
Once a feared chieftain whose war cry sent tremors through the fjords, Hrafngrímr was betrayed by his blood-kin and cast into a burial pyre before his final rites. The gods turned their gaze away, and Valhalla shut its golden gates. From ash and rot, he rose—not as man, nor god, but something cursed between.
Clad in scorched chainmail and sinew-laced leather, his blackened bones drip with the ichor of vengeance. Crimson eyes burn beneath a helm crowned with twisted horns—eyes that have seen Helheim's depths and returned hungry. His flesh, shriveled and peeled, still pulses with the rage of a thousand unspoken oaths.
The crows no longer circle to carry his soul—they flee the storm that walks in his place. His scream is not for glory, but for reckoning. The final piece in the undead Viking trinity, Hrafngrímr is the silent herald of the coming twilight. He is the Howl that echoes long after the fire dies.
The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) is one of the two subspecies of the eastern gorilla. There are two populations. One is found in the Virunga volcanic mountains of Central Africa, within three National Parks: Mgahinga, in south-west Uganda; Volcanoes, in north-west Rwanda; and Virunga in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It is listed as critically endangered by the IUCN. The other is found in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Some primatologists consider the Bwindi population in Uganda may be a separate subspecies,[3] though no description has been finalized. As of September 2016, the estimated number of mountain gorillas remaining is about 880.[4]
Gorilla taxonomy
Mountain gorillas are descendants of ancestral monkeys and apes found in Africa and Arabia during the start of the Oligocene epoch (34-24 million years ago). The fossil record provides evidence of the hominoid primates (apes) found in east Africa about 22–32 million years ago. The fossil record of the area where mountain gorillas live is particularly poor and so its evolutionary history is not clear.[5] It was about 9 million years ago that the group of primates that were to evolve into gorillas split from their common ancestor with humans and chimps; this is when the genus Gorilla emerged. It is not certain what this early relative of the gorilla was, but it is traced back to the early ape Proconsul africanus.[6] Mountain gorillas have been isolated from eastern lowland gorillas for about 400,000 years and these two taxa separated from their western counterparts approximately 2 million years ago.[7] There has been considerable and as yet unresolved debate over the classification of mountain gorillas. The genus was first referenced as Troglodytes in 1847, but renamed to Gorilla in 1852. It was not until 1967 that the taxonomist Colin Groves proposed that all gorillas be regarded as one species (Gorilla gorilla) with three sub-species Gorilla gorilla gorilla (western lowland gorilla), Gorilla gorilla graueri (lowland gorillas found west of the Virungas) and Gorilla gorilla beringei (mountain gorillas including, Gorilla beringei found in the Virungas and Bwindi). In 2003 after a review they were divided into two species (Gorilla gorilla and Gorilla beringei) by The World Conservation Union (IUCN).[5]
Physical description
Silverback of Ntambara group, in typical resting attitude.
The fur of the mountain gorilla, often thicker and longer than that of other gorilla species, enables them to live in colder temperatures.[8] Gorillas can be identified by nose prints unique to each individual.[9] Males, at a mean weight of 195 kg (430 lb) upright standing height of 150 cm (59 in) usually weigh twice as much as the females, at a mean of 100 kg (220 lb) and a height of 130 cm (51 in).[10] This subspecies is on average the second largest species of primate; only the eastern lowland gorilla, the other subspecies of eastern gorilla, is larger.[citation needed] Adult males have more pronounced bony crests on the top and back of their skulls, giving their heads a more conical shape. These crests anchor the powerful temporalis muscles, which attach to the lower jaw (mandible). Adult females also have these crests, but they are less pronounced.[9] Like all gorillas they feature dark brown eyes framed by a black ring around the iris. Adult males are called silverbacks because a saddle of gray or silver-colored hair develops on their backs with age. The hair on their backs is shorter than on most other body parts, and their arm hair is especially long. Fully erect, males reach 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) in height, with an arm span of 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in) and weigh 220 kg (490 lb).[11] The tallest silverback recorded was a 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) with an arm span of 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in), a chest of 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in), and a weight of 219 kg (483 lb), shot in Alimbongo, northern Kivu in May 1938. There is an unconfirmed record of another individual, shot in 1932, that was 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) and weighed 218.6 kg (482 lb).
The mountain gorilla is primarily terrestrial and quadrupedal. However, it will climb into fruiting trees if the branches can carry its weight, and it is capable of running bipedally up to 6 m (20 ft).[citation needed] Like all great apes other than humans, its arms are longer than its legs. It moves by knuckle-walking (like the common chimpanzee, but unlike the bonobo and both orangutan species), supporting its weight on the backs of its curved fingers rather than its palms.[citation needed]
The mountain gorilla is diurnal, most active between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.[citation needed] Many of these hours are spent eating, as large quantities of food are needed to sustain its massive bulk. It forages in early morning, rests during the late morning and around midday, and in the afternoon it forages again before resting at night. Each gorilla builds a nest from surrounding vegetation to sleep in, constructing a new one every evening. Only infants sleep in the same nest as their mothers. They leave their sleeping sites when the sun rises at around 6 am, except when it is cold and overcast; then they often stay longer in their nests.[12]
Habitat and ecology
Adult male feeding on insects in a rotting tree trunk
The mountain gorilla inhabits the Albertine Rift montane cloud forests and of the Virunga Volcanoes, ranging in altitude from 2,200–4,300 metres (7,200–14,100 ft). Most are found on the slopes of three of the dormant volcanoes: Karisimbi, Mikeno, and Visoke.[13] The vegetation is very dense at the bottom of the mountains, becoming more sparse at higher elevations, and the forests where the mountain gorilla lives are often cloudy, misty and cold.[14]
The mountain gorilla is primarily a herbivore; the majority of its diet is composed of the leaves, shoots and stems (85.8%) of 142 plant species. It also feeds on bark (6.9%), roots (3.3%), flowers (2.3%), and fruit (1.7%), as well as small invertebrates. (0.1%).[15] Adult males can eat up to 34 kilograms (75 lb) of vegetation a day, while a female can eat as much as 18 kilograms (40 lb).[citation needed]
The home range size (the area used by one group of gorillas during one year) is influenced by availability of food sources and usually includes several vegetation zones. George Schaller identified ten distinct zones, including: the bamboo forests at 2,200–2,800 metres (7,200–9,200 ft); the Hagenia forests at 2,800–3,400 metres (9,200–11,200 ft); and the giant senecio zone at 3,400–4,300 metres (11,200–14,100 ft).[12] The mountain gorilla spends most of its time in the Hagenia forests, where galium vines are found year-round. All parts of this vine are consumed: leaves, stems, flowers, and berries. It travels to the bamboo forests during the few months of the year fresh shoots are available, and it climbs into subalpine regions to eat the soft centers of giant senecio trees.[13]
Behaviour
Social structure
The mountain gorilla is highly social, and lives in relatively stable, cohesive groups held together by long-term bonds between adult males and females. Relationships among females are relatively weak.[16] These groups are nonterritorial; the silverback generally defends his group rather than his territory. In the Virunga mountain gorillas, the average length of tenure for a dominant silverback is 4.7 years.[17]
61% of groups are composed of one adult male and a number of females and 36% contain more than one adult male. The remaining gorillas are either lone males or exclusively male groups, usually made up of one mature male and a few younger males.[18] Group sizes vary from five to thirty, with an average of ten individuals. A typical group contains: one dominant silverback, who is the group's undisputed leader; another subordinate silverback (usually a younger brother, half-brother, or even an adult son of the dominant silverback); one or two blackbacks, who act as sentries; three to four sexually mature females, who are ordinarily bonded to the dominant silverback for life; and from three to six juveniles and infants.[19]
Most males, and about 60% of females, leave their natal group. Males leave when they are about 11 years old, and often the separation process is slow: they spend more and more time on the edge of the group until they leave altogether.[20] They may travel alone or with an all-male group for 2–5 years before they can attract females to join them and form a new group. Females typically emigrate when they are about 8 years old, either transferring directly to an established group or beginning a new one with a lone male. Females often transfer to a new group several times before they settle down with a certain silverback male.[21]
The dominant silverback generally determines the movements of the group, leading it to appropriate feeding sites throughout the year. He also mediates conflicts within the group and protects it from external threats.[14] When the group is attacked by humans, leopards, or other gorillas, the silverback will protect them even at the cost of his own life.[22] He is the center of attention during rest sessions, and young animals frequently stay close to him and include him in their games. If a mother dies or leaves the group, the silverback is usually the one who looks after her abandoned offspring, even allowing them to sleep in his nest.[23] Experienced silverbacks are capable of removing poachers' snares from the hands or feet of their group members.[24]
When the silverback dies or is killed by disease, accident, or poachers, the family group may be disrupted.[13] Unless there is an accepted male descendant capable of taking over his position, the group will either split up or adopt an unrelated male. When a new silverback joins the family group, he may kill all of the infants of the dead silverback.[25] Infanticide has not been observed in stable groups.
Analysis of mountain gorilla genomes by whole genome sequencing indicates that a recent decline in their population size has led to extensive inbreeding.[26] As an apparent result, individuals are typically homozygous for 34% of their genome sequence. Furthermore, homozygosity and the expression of deleterious recessive mutations as consequences of inbreeding have likely resulted in the purging of severely deleterious mutations from the population.
Aggression
Although strong and powerful, the mountain gorillas are generally gentle and very shy.[22] Severe aggression is rare in stable groups, but when two mountain gorilla groups meet, the two silverbacks can sometimes engage in a fight to the death, using their canines to cause deep, gaping injuries.[19] For this reason, conflicts are most often resolved by displays and other threat behaviors that are intended to intimidate without becoming physical. The ritualized charge display is unique to gorillas. The entire sequence has nine steps: (1) progressively quickening hooting, (2) symbolic feeding, (3) rising bipedally, (4) throwing vegetation, (5) chest-beating with cupped hands, (6) one leg kick, (7) sideways running four-legged, (8) slapping and tearing vegetation, and (9) thumping the ground with palms .[27] Jill Donisthorpe stated that a male charged at her twice. In both cases the gorilla turned away, when she stood her ground.
Volcanoes National Park (French: Parc National des Volcans) lies in northwestern Rwanda and borders Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. The national park is known as a haven for the mountain gorilla. It is home to five of the eight volcanoes of the Virunga Mountains (Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo), which are covered in rainforest and bamboo. The park was the base for the zoologist Dian Fossey.
History
Children on a farm near Volcanoes National Park
The park was first gazetted in 1925, as a small area bounded by Karisimbi, Visoke and Mikeno, intended to protect the gorillas from poachers. It was the very first National Park to be created in Africa. Subsequently, in 1929, the borders of the park were extended further into Rwanda and into the Belgian Congo, to form the Albert National Park, a huge area of 8090 km2, run by the Belgian colonial authorities who were in charge of both colonies.[1] In 1958, 700 hectares of the park were cleared for a human settlement.[2]
After the Congo gained independence in 1960, the park was split into two, and upon Rwandan independence in 1962 the new government agreed to maintain the park as a conservation and tourist area, despite the fact that the new republic was already suffering from overpopulation problems. The park was halved in area in 1969.[citation needed] Between 1969 and 1973, 1050 hectares of the park were cleared to grow pyrethrum.[2]
The park later became the base for the American naturalist Dian Fossey to carry out her research into the gorillas. She arrived in 1967 and set up the Karisoke Research Centre between Karisimbi and Visoke. From then on she spent most of her time in the park, and is widely credited with saving the gorillas from extinction by bringing their plight to the attention of the international community. She was murdered by unknown assailants at her home in 1985, a crime often attributed to the poachers she had spent her life fighting against.[3] Fossey's life later was portrayed on the big screen in the film Gorillas in the Mist, named after her autobiography. She is buried in the park in a grave close to the research center, and amongst the gorillas which became her life.
The Volcanoes National Park became a battlefield during the Rwandan Civil War, with the park headquarters being attacked in 1992. The research centre was abandoned, and all tourist activities (including visiting the gorillas) were stopped. They did not resume again until 1999 when the area was deemed to be safe and under control. There have been occasional infiltrations by Rwandan rebels from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda in subsequent years, but these are always stopped quickly by the Rwandan army and there is thought to be no threat to tourism in the park.
Flora
Vegetation varies considerably due to the large altitudinal range within the park. There is some lower montane forest (now mainly lost to agriculture). Between 2400 and 2500 m, there is Neoboutonia forest. From 2500 to 3200 m Arundinaria alpina (bamboo) forest occurs, covering about 30% of the park area. From 2600 to 3600 m, mainly on the more humid slopes in the south and west, is Hagenia-Hypericum forest, which covers about 30% of the park. This is one of the largest forests of Hagenia abyssinica. The vegetation from 3500 to 4200 m is characterised by Lobelia wollastonii, L. lanurensis, and Senecio erici-rosenii and covers about 25% of the park. From 4300 to 4500 m grassland occurs. Secondary thicket, meadows, marshes, swamps and small lakes also occur, but their total area is relatively small.
Fauna
The park is best known for the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei). Other mammals include: golden monkey (Cercopithecus mitis kandti), black-fronted duiker (Cephalophus niger), buffalo (Syncerus caffer), spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) and bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus). There are also reported to be some elephants in the park, though these are now very rare.[4] There are 178 recorded bird species, with at least 13 species and 16 subspecies endemic to the Virunga and Ruwenzori Mountains.[5]
Tourism in the park
Young gorilla grabs tourist at Volcanoes National Park
The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) runs several activities for tourists, including:[6]
Gorilla visits - as of January 2015, there are ten habituated gorilla groups open to tourists, allowing for a total of 80 permits per day. Tourists report at the park head office by 7:00 for a pre-tracking briefing. Once tourists meet the gorillas they spend an hour with them.
Golden monkey visits.
Climbing of Karisimbi volcano - this is a two-day trek with overnight camping at an altitude of 3,800 m.
Climbing of Bisoke volcano - one day.
Tour of the lakes and caves.
Visiting the tomb of Dian Fossey.
Iby’Iwacu cultural village tour
The majority of revenue from tourism goes towards maintaining the park and conserving the wildlife. The remainder goes to the government and (around 10%)[citation needed] to local projects in the area to help local people benefit from the large revenue stream generated by the park.
I finalized my Photoduino box.
The box is larger than other prototypes I've seen, so I can store all the external components in it too.
Next step is to try it ;-)
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop
Inspired by and Reimagined
“Where shadows reign, so does she.”
Born from the twilight between worlds, Nyxira Dreadveil rises as the sovereign of shadow and silence. Her gaze pierces with icy blue fire, eyes that reflect both beauty and damnation. Clad in obsidian armor laced with silver filigree and crowned in midnight flame, she rules over a dominion where whispers outweigh screams and the void itself bends to her will. She is not merely a temptress of darkness — she is its architect, weaving eternity into the threads of night.
Today I finalized the tree by adding more blossoms. I want the tree to feel dripping with flowers :). I sealed the entire sculpture and finished painting. Next week: pouring the pond and last touches. Project detailed on my blog!
Thx for following along!
Tori
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop and Photoscape X
At the edge of the last known galaxy, beyond shattered stars and forgotten constellations, she waits.
Born of gravity and godfire, the Eclipseborn Empress stands as both sentinel and enigma — a being formed in the crucible of collapsing time. Her body, carved in ethereal perfection, is wrapped in a living obsidian suit of cosmic tendrils, jeweled with stardust and glowing filaments of voidlight.
Behind her churns a violent spiral galaxy, twisted by a massive black hole, surrounded by arcing nebula storms, shattered moons, and bleeding planets. Lightning dances across space like celestial serpents, and the stars themselves seem to bow toward her.
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop
Bathed in darkness and pulsing arcane energy, the Infernal Empress stands as a being of sheer, terrifying beauty and power. Her obsidian-black skin is etched with glowing crimson runes — ancient sigils of forgotten gods — alive with fiery energy that courses along her face and body. Her eyes radiate a blinding violet light, piercing through the void with an otherworldly intensity.
Towering, engraved horns curl back from her head, inscribed with demonic script that glows with raw enchantment. At her chest, a radiant, arcane emblem glows in crimson and magenta hues, forming a magical lattice that pulses like a beating heart of forbidden power. Her lips, painted obsidian, curl with wicked confidence, and her presence commands reverence, fear, and awe.
She is not just a ruler of realms — she is a symbol of darkness incarnate. A goddess of ruin, rebirth, and boundless arcana.
Boeing and Korean Air today finalized an order for two 777-300ERs (Extended Range) airplanes. The order is valued at $596 million at Boeing list prices.
“Korean Air has been a valued Boeing customer for over five decades and we are honored the airline has again chosen the 777-300ER to expand its long-haul fleet,” said Ihssane Mounir, vice president of Sales and Marketing for Greater China and Korea, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “The 777-300ERs advanced technology and innovative features will continue to provide the airline with tremendous economics and reliability. Korean Air’s growing fleet of Boeing twin-aisle airplanes validates its commitment to excellence in flight.”
Korea’s flag carrier is in the midst of expanding its wide-body fleet to meet growing passenger traffic in Asia. The new airplanes will help Korean Air continue to position itself as a premium global airline.
Pictured here is another Korean Air 777-300ER.
Boeing provides this photo for the public to share. Media interested in high-resolution images for publication should email boeingmedia@boeing.com or visit boeing.mediaroom.com. Users may not manipulate or use this photo in commercial materials, advertisements, emails, products, or promotions without licensed permission from Boeing. If you are interested in using Boeing imagery for commercial purposes, email imagelicensing@boeing.com or visit www.boeingimages.com.
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop
In a rain-slicked neon city, where machines blend with men and reflections hide more than light, a lone cybernetic sentinel stands poised between code and conscience. Their mission isn’t written in programming—but in purpose:
To define what remains of humanity.
This piece explores the fragile boundary between artificial evolution and emotional identity—drenched in color, mystery, and the pulse of a future unsure of its past.
(Note: This is a preliminary test. The finalized version will differ somewhat from what you see here. This was a video frame capture off my Sony DCR-TRV130 Digital8 camcorder, in widescreen standard definition.)
Thursday morning, about 55 hours before the actual costume project. The suit is the same, only the makeup is somewhat different.
This time, I'm trying to capture the look of Osamu Tezuka's color illustrations of Black Jack, his legendary outlaw surgeon.
In Tezuka-sama's color illustrations, half of Black Jack's face is usually colored blue, rather than the darker brown tones in the anime in present day. Ada "Putrocca" Palmer of TezukaInEnglish.com (and a wonderful Black Jack cosplayer in her own right, as well as various other Tezuka character cosplays, such as Rainbow Parakeet and Makube Rokuro) had the following to say about this:
"As to why the skin is frequently depicted as blue, rather than brown, I am not sure, but it may be related to the traditions in Indian and Chinese art of depicting figures whose faces should be brown as blue because it was considered less ugly. Another possible explanation is that the colored yellow ink used by printers in the period Tezuka was working did mix very to make complicated hues like brown, orange or green and blue simply came out better – it is for this reason that, in early American superhero comics, one rarely sees costumes in any color besides plain blue, red and yellow."
A friend of mine suggested I take on this challenge, and this is the initial result. Apparently, I'm going to have to put on about 2-3 coats minimum for the blue side of the face, sealing each with powder, and then add on the brow pencil, eyeliner, and black pencil stitch details. I'm leaving out the liquid latex this time around.
Materials used in the face design:
Ben Nye CL-22 "Sky Blue" Creme Color
Ben Nye P-121 "Lite Japanese" Creme Foundation
Ben Nye FS-1 "Studio Cover" Five O' Sharp Beard Cover/Concealer
Ben Nye MO-2 "Medium" Mellow Orange Concealer
Ben Nye MC-1 "Black" MagiColor Pencil/Ultralite
Ben Nye MJ-2 "Velvet Black" MagiColor Creme Crayon
Ben Nye Neutral Set Colorless Face Powder
Mehron 204RA Rigid Collodion "Scarring Liquid"
Rimmel Professional Liquid Eye Liner "001 Ebony Black"
NYC Brow & Liner Pencil "902A Dark Brown"
Total time spent: About 1 hour 30 minutes.
(And now, I have to take it off, and pray that as much of the residual blue pigment comes off. I have to go to work in a few hours, and I'd prefer not to have a blue-tinted face. ^_^;)
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop.
"They do not guard the path. They judge your right to remember it."
Essence
Scattered throughout the Shardveil Crucible stand the Watcher Statues — massive, silent figures carved from obsidian-veined marble and fossilized sorrow. Each one faces a different direction, eyes blindfolded or missing entirely. They are not guardians in the traditional sense; they are the embodiment of judgment over memory, reflection, and identity. To pass by one is to be seen — not physically, but existentially.
Appearance
Towering humanoid statues in prayer, contemplation, or anguish.
Faces are often damaged, covered, or erased, suggesting truths long denied.
Each statue emits a faint, low hum only audible when close — like breath caught in stone.
Robes or armor sculpted in the style of forgotten cultures.
Sometimes a whisper trails in the air around them — in your own voice.
Function in the Crucible
Serve as silent judges rather than defenders.
Can awaken momentarily when a soul approaches burdened with forgotten guilt.
In rare cases, they shift their gaze or extend a hand, offering choice, memory, or doom.
Rumored to house slivers of those who could not face their reflected truths.
“They don’t stop you. They remember you better than you remember yourself.”
Finalized some plans for when I'm in Denver next month and it's all I can think about.
I can't wait to move out there and see mountains every day. Have the opportunity to go hiking or camping regularly in one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
I think Colorado is going to be very good for me, and I'm very excited.
Until then, I'll be haunted by mountains. (per Normal Maclean)
I made this silkscreen print last Fall. It's one of my favorite things to date.
COL David Grant and MAJ Katherine Little from #TeamSFL traveled to Fort Hood last week to participate in the U.S. Army III Armored Corps People First Center Summit and to finalize the expansion plan of the Soldier For Life/ETS Sponsorship/VA Veteran Sponsorship collaboration initiative with III Armored Corps leadership.
This is mostly finalized, but I may make a few tweaks, and have to take better pictures too. (It's always a hassle because my photography space isn't 100 studs long.)
The back section doesn't quite have the same nice flow to it as the front, but it went through a few iterations before I found something I was pleased with. Granted, the Ninjago blade on the back is kind of tacky... but that was the main inspiration point for this, I'm keeping it! (Although this does seem to look more like a sub than a spaceship to me... oh well.) The stands holding it up are transparent fins, but the bases are green and now I think I should probably switch to a more neutral color...
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop
Inspired by and Reimagined
“The forest breathes through her, a timeless guardian of hidden realms.”
Bathed in warm sunlight, an elf maiden emerges from the heart of the forest, crowned with wildflowers and leaves woven by nature itself. Her piercing emerald-golden eyes shimmer with ancient mystery, drawing the viewer into a world where magic thrives just beyond the trees. She is both fragile and eternal — the living spirit of the wild.
BD27
Serves 35
This cake requires that the order is finalized and paid in full at least 10 days in advance of the date required.
Meeting Michael Jackson in 1988 at the Kahala Hilton Hotel in Hawaii. This is a high resolution scan of the original film negative – 256 pixels/inch.
The boy with Michael, Jimmy Safechuck, had appeared in a Pepsi commercial with Michael and was traveling with him. He was sexually abused by Michael Jackson between 1988 and 1992 according to the documentary LEAVING NEVERLAND. The sexual abuse began in early June of 1988 in a Paris hotel room, about 4 months after this photograph was taken.
This was four years after Michael's scalp was burned during the filming of a Pepsi commercial, two years after he was diagnosd with vitiligo, a skin condition, one month before he finalized the purchase of the land that would become Neverland, and four months before he began sexually molesting Safechuck according to the documentary Leaving Neverland.
By the way, I have seen the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland and I believe Wade Robson and Jimmy Safechuck. Others feel differently.
NOTE: Permission granted to copy, publish, broadcast or post any of my photos, but please credit "photo by Alan Light" if you can. Thanks.
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop
Inspired by a image from: ✴.·´¯`·.·★ HELLSCAIT ★·.·`¯´·.✴ : Cait
Bathed in the glow of a full moon, a regal dark elf warrior-priestess stands poised on ancient stone steps, her eyes ablaze with arcane violet light. She holds an enchanted blade infused with pulsating runes that mirror the glowing amethysts embedded in her ornate obsidian armor. Intricate silver embroidery and luminous jewels adorn her battle regalia, a fusion of mysticism and gothic royalty. Her sharp elven features, flowing silver hair, and commanding gaze hint at her power over both magic and shadow. The surrounding night is silent, as if the world itself reveres her presence — a sentinel of forgotten power, risen beneath the stars.
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop
Inspired by and Reimagined
"From the ashes of visions, she forges reality."
From the depths of a volcanic lake she rises — not born, but unleashed. Her skin carries the blue of cosmic void, yet splits open with veins of molten fire. Her eyes are not merely light, but solar flares bound within a gaze that makes the stars tremble.
The smoke that coils around her, in hues of violet and ember, dances like living serpents — a harbinger of the power she commands. Every spark, every flame, breathes the promise of renewal through destruction.
She is the Primordial Flame.
She is the threshold where dream and apocalypse converge.
She burns away the veil and leaves only essence behind.
WASHINGTON - The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) today announced that offshore oil and gas lessees and owners of operating rights are now required to submit summaries of their actual expenditures for the decommissioning of wells, platforms and other facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) as part of the final Decommissioning Costs Rule.
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop and Photoscape X.
Matron of Collapse · First Mind of the Nihilith Covenant · Empress of the Third Silence
“I am not the future. I am the correction.”
K’Shaatra the Reverser is the apex sovereign of the Nihilith Covenant — a race born from entropy, cybernetic transcendence, and evolutionary horror. She is not simply a ruler, but the convergence of extinction events, the sentient embodiment of collapse, and the force through which reality learns regret.
Her form is a masterpiece of alien design: sleek and biomechanical, with a cold, metallic exoskeleton traced in living circuitry. Her face is pale and sculpted, carved with psionic etchings and cyber-runes, her eyes burning with eerie, unnatural light that pierces minds before flesh. Jet-black horns spiral from her head in asymmetric patterns, entwined with writhing neural cables that twitch with silent data flow. Her armor — dark alloy plate etched with forgotten languages — flexes like muscle, adorned with integrated weapons, fractured battle sigils, and embedded memory shards from fallen empires.
She is not born of flesh or machine, but the merging of both and more — ancient insectoid coding, war-forged cybernetics, and parasitic intelligence harvested from collapsing timelines. Her presence fractures perception. Her voice is a layered whisper of dying stars.
K’Shaatra is no mere conqueror. She is a sovereign of deletion, a queen whose empire expands not by rule — but by reversal. Wherever she walks, code decays, planets collapse into ruin, and logic itself surrenders to entropy.
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop.
"You see them. And so they are."
Essence
Glasswights are sentient reflections given unstable form — creatures of cracked memory and glinting regret. They only exist when observed. To look away is to unmake them. But to meet their gaze is to risk entrapment in a feedback loop of self-reflection, where past decisions and forgotten selves claw for control.
Appearance
Lurking within towering, gothic-framed mirrors that loom across the Shardveil Crucible like forgotten doors to nowhere.
When glimpsed in the Crucible’s fog, they appear tall and hunched, limbs too long, heads tilted unnaturally — like statues that forgot how to be human.
Their bodies are jagged constructs of muted glass and shimmering void, always shifting slightly, like breathing stone.
A face of sharp crystal: hollow sockets, a nose like a blade, and a mouth split into too many teeth — cracked in ways that suggest screaming once echoed there.
Encased in black glass armor that pulses faintly when noticed, as if your awareness gives it life.
Their reflections often linger in other mirrors… even when the creature itself is gone.
Manifestation & Threat
The image above captures the moment of emergence — a Glasswight pushing against the surface of its gothic prison, about to cross the veil. These creatures are not confined by the mirror, but by your perception of it. Once acknowledged, they can begin to move — through the glass, into shadow, and eventually into reach. As they materialize into the real world, their limbs begin to press harder against the glass, causing it to crack and tremble. The mirror pulses with unnatural pressure until the first fracture spreads across its surface like a web of fate splitting apart.
They are almost ready to break free — not just from the mirror, but from being merely seen. Their claws are not only physical but metaphysical; they do not wound flesh, but fracture identity. Victims have reported waking from the Reflection Loop convinced they were someone else… or not convinced of anything at all.
If you see one and it sees you — turn away at your own peril.
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop and Photoscape X.
Within the golden sanctum where no shadow dwells, Archon Seraphael sits upon the Throne of Crystal Resonance.
His gaze is light given form — unwavering, absolute. His heart burns with the First Flame, visible even now, pulsing with divine law. Columns of fire-kissed marble rise like sacred decrees, and radiant sigils shimmer in eternal stillness across the floor.
Here, in the Hall of Harmonic Judgment, light is not kindness — it is command. And Seraphael waits not in peace, but in clarity.
"Just when everyone thought that the celebrity line-up was finalized, there is a big surprise announcement! The actor who portrayed the Man of Steel in Superman Returns, Brandon Routh, will be flying in to Metropolis to meet fans during the 33rd annual Superman Celebration June 9-12.
Superman co-chairman Karla Ogle explains that Routh had expressed interest in being a part of the Metropolis Celebration, but was unsure if his current filming schedule would allow him to make the trip. “Once we learned he could indeed travel in early June, we began finalizing the details to add him to our line-up,” Ogle said. “We are so excited that he will be here in Metropolis!”
Prior to Routh's casting as Superman and Clark Kent in the 2006 film, Superman Returns, Warner Bros. had spent over a decade developing a plan to relaunch the franchise with possible stars including actors Nicholas Cage, Brendan Fraser, Ashton Kutcher, Keanu Reeves and Will Smith. When director Bryan Singer came aboard the project, however, he insisted an unknown actor be cast in the part, in the tradition of the casting of the best-known film Superman, Christopher Reeve.
Singer was impressed by Routh’s resemblance to the comic book icon and found the actor's humble mid-western roots perfect for the role. At the age of 24, Routh reminded the director of Christopher Reeve and was recognized for his "combination of vulnerability and confidence".
Routh will be a part of the Celebration activities on Saturday, June 11. Details about his appearance schedule will be announced soon.
In addition to Routh, Metropolis’ most famous son will be sharing the spotlight with Sam Huntington, Alaina Huffman, Mark Pillows and Tracy Roberts.
Since 1996 Sam Huntington has appeared in thirteen feature films and seven television shows. Of these he is perhaps most recognized for his role as the Daily Planet cub reporter, Jimmy Olsen, in Bryan Singer’s 2006 take on the Man of Steel, Superman Returns.
Sam was recently seen as “Eric” in Fanboys, opposite Kristen Bell and Jay Baruchel, and just wrapped production on Dead Of Night where he stars opposite his Superman Returns co-star, Brandon Routh. Sam can been seen on the SyFy channel’s new critically acclaimed hit series Being Human where he plays werewolf/tortured soul “Josh”.
Hunington began his career in the entertainment industry as an actor on stage at the prestigious Peterborough Players in his native New Hampshire where he performed over four season in such roles as "Jem" in To Kill a Mockingbird opposite James Rebhorn.
At the age of 13 he moved to New York where he landed his first feature film, starring alongside Tim Allen and Martin Short in Disney’s Jungle 2 Jungle. Huntington then moved on to such roles as “Jam” in Detroit Rock City, “Ox” in Not Another Teen Movie, and “Dinkadoo Murphy” in Rolling Kansas.Additionally, Sam has made several memorable television guest appearances including Law and Order, CSI: Miami, CSI: New York, and Veronica Mars.Sam currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Rachel and son, Charlie.
Since 1996 Sam Huntington has appeared in thirteen feature films and seven television shows. Of these he is perhaps most recognized for his role as the Daily Planet cub reporter, Jimmy Olsen, in Bryan Singer’s 2006 take on the Man of Steel, Superman Returns.
Sam was recently seen as “Eric” in Fanboys, opposite Kristen Bell and Jay Baruchel, and just wrapped production on Dead Of Night where he stars opposite his Superman Returns co-star, Brandon Routh. Sam can been seen on the SyFy channel’s new critically acclaimed hit series Being Human where he plays werewolf/tortured soul “Josh”.
Hunington began his career in the entertainment industry as an actor on stage at the prestigious Peterborough Players in his native New Hampshire where he performed over four season in such roles as "Jem" in To Kill a Mockingbird opposite James Rebhorn.
At the age of 13 he moved to New York where he landed his first feature film, starring alongside Tim Allen and Martin Short in Disney’s Jungle 2 Jungle. Huntington then moved on to such roles as “Jam” in Detroit Rock City, “Ox” in Not Another Teen Movie, and “Dinkadoo Murphy” in Rolling Kansas.Additionally, Sam has made several memorable television guest appearances including Law and Order, CSI: Miami, CSI: New York, and Veronica Mars.Sam currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Rachel and son, Charlie."
. . .
"The Superman Celebration is a long standing festival and a must see event for people of all ages, especially comic book lovers. Superman fans travel from all over the globe to visit the small southern Illinois town that is the Official Home of Superman. The real life Metropolis, with a population of 6,500 residents, welcomes approximately 30,000 people over the four-day celebration.
Metropolis features a 15-foot bronze statue of the Man of Steel and a Super Museum located on the town’s Superman Square and a life-size statue of Noel Neill just down the street. There are other interesting super-hero related attractions located throughout the city including a giant rock of kryptonite. " Both excerpts were taken as they appeared at on 12 JUNE 2011.
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop
“The stars do not command her. They answer to her.”
Marked by prophecy and molded by flame, Xyravelle Ka’theran is no mere sorceress, no simple emissary of power. She is the bearer of the Skybrand — ancient, luminous sigils seared into her flesh during the fracturing of the Celestial Concord. These markings are not ink, nor ornament — they are code, alive with ever-shifting stellar syntax, drawn from constellations long dead.
Her golden eyes burn with intensity, capable of gazing through matter, lies, and time itself. Her armor is forged from nightstone and auric alloy — ceremonial, yes, but every inch lethal. Laced with energy-reactive gems, she walks like a myth sculpted in obsidian and ultraviolet flame.
Once a guardian of the Astral Tribunal, Xyravelle vanished into the Rift Realms after the Sundering. Many believed her consumed. They were wrong.
She returned not as protector —
but as reckoning.
Her mere presence stirs gravity. Her voice bends light. And when she raises her hand, even the void listens.
Today I finalized the tree by adding more blossoms. I want the tree to feel dripping with flowers :). I sealed the entire sculpture and finished painting. Next week: pouring the pond and last touches. Project detailed on my blog!
Thx for following along!
Tori
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop
Isnpired by and Reimagined
In a realm scorched by celestial fire and forgotten gods, she rises — draped in crimson and gold, forged from the ash of broken empires. The Goddess of Eternal Awakening is a divine embodiment of destruction and rebirth, her burning gaze piercing through the veil of mortality. Her presence bends the winds and silences the stars, for she is both the end of sleep and the beginning of reckoning.
Adorned in sacred textiles woven with golden rites, every step she takes blooms embers across the earth. From the cracked ruins of the old world, she emerges not as a savior — but as an unrelenting force of cosmic balance. The sigil aflame on her forehead pulses with ancient knowledge, a divine beacon of awakening power long buried by time.