Molinnaire / COMMISSIONS CLOSED

ALT Jasper's bright-eyed optimism was tested by the War for the Court of the Crimson King, but it didn't falter. Loss only bolstered it, as it was all he had left. He was never top of his class in any respect, but he didn't need to be. His Soul Buckler and Soul Greatsword are by no means completely original innovations - they are optimizations made for the battle-attuned. The way they form is made to be ready to use as soon as possible - the shield especially forms inside out rather than by piece by piece. Less structurally stable, but better as a parrying tool as a result. And in turn, the sword is made to reform from breaking. It was his time meeting his cousin, and teaching her how to improve her Soul Gauntlet that he realized: Learning is the best tool one has. The brain is a metaphorical muscle, after all.

ALT Jasper's design is a take on the Dungeons and Dragons Fighter class, but applied through the filter of a Solvognish Sorcerer. This means, he has to feel like a knightly character with the aspect that he is primarily a recent graduate of the Academy, so he is equal parts mage and fighter. As such, the chosen field for him post-graduation was that of a member of the Solvognish Royal Army. A squire, specifically. One of the only things he keeps from his time wearing a uniform is the white belt strap holding his scabbard. Otherwise, he's fully clad in Solvognish colors. A knight in the making, just like his cousin.

ALT Jasper's flat colors. Usages of blue, brown, silver, and teal give him a cool vibe - matching his high energy, as he rarely wears dark colors. His hair, as a result, contrasts quite heavily with the rest of his outfit, turning his face and hair a focus point.

ALT In reconnaisance, it is an axiom that your information gathering is only as broad as your senses and tools. Information is not only about conversations or events, it's surroundings and structures too. This is one of the reasons Irma made the Chiming Eagle. Using some of the principles of an early conspiracy during the beginnings of the Academy, she can sense what the eagle senses. Almost as if she shares consciousness with it. However, the eagle can act autonomously. Each component of the eagle is individual. This creation is stunning in many regards.

ALT Irma is a forest ranger post graduation. A rather lonely position. Well, that'd be one perspective. Others would call it calming. Freeing. Irma is dressed to be protected from the elements while remaining rather knightly. Her focus on blues and grays are reminiscent of military attire, naval, which fits her demeanor and her equipment. Her design takes after her student uniform, with the long black coat and blue shirt underneath. She retains the blue shirt but changes the coat for a more fitted, more practical for the outside jacket. The high collar is bold. Her chiming eagle is fully articulated, and its namesake comes from the crinkling of its individual pieces rubbing against each other in motion, and its call sounding like windchimes.

ALT The flat colors give a better view of the exact tones used. A huge matter of importance when it comes to combining several of the same color in the same design is playing with values and saturation. Darker is heavier, so they should be used rhythmically. To keep the coat as a central piece, it needs to be dark enough to be heavy. For example, if the coat was lighter than the pauldrons, the pauldrons would now become a point of focus due to contrast. If belts are to be darker, they need to be a color that repeats, otherwise its distracting.

ALT Brynjulf's two initial attributes were key to his design. Red-hot armor and a charming dude. He's nice, but moreso in the "Lion" sense. He's noble, kind, and strong - but that doesn't mean he's weak-willed. He will fight if he needs to. In fact, he often does. The armor design has been updated to more closely resemble Bernard's set - in search of standardizing the style and making Solvognish armor have a distinct flavor and it doesn't feel slapped-on. The story behind how he got his armor has a bit of humor. Though the curriculum only needed limb armor, his family instead got a whole set. Of course, given the war, it came very much in handy.

ALT The transparent version. It shows the steam and flames much better, and also allows for a good view at the silhouettes of everything. I'm quite happy with the heated metal effect. Don't worry, he's not in danger.

ALT The flat colors - they let one see what the heated metal does to the armor itself. Light heat damage. Some color changes, but most importantly, it still contrasts with the rest of his color palette.

ALT Ramos' design is quite interesting. I was tasked with making a person who had spider-ish features, but I wanted to take on the challenge of doing this without resorting to super obvious visual tells. I thought an alternative non-binary person like Ramos would not shy away from their androgyny, they'd lean into it. Show it with pride. They're essentially a twink with a lot of mods.

ALT Ramos' face and bair especially are highlights for me. They were designed to evoke the feelings of an arachnid. So for the hair, that meant having locks look in silhouette like a spider's legs, and for the eyes, the black scleras really sell an unnatural feel. The cheek-painted 2nd eyes are also a nice touch - I wanted Ramos' design to feel achievable by a regular person who was really into body modification.

ALT Sellen's design was an exercise in modernizing a witch. I decided to play with the type of gal that would get someone like Robin to open up - the electric, charismatic alternative type that had a sense of fashion she stuck to. A banterful, yet still feminine, girl. Having those details, it was then a matter of figuring out what clothes someone like Sellen would wear. From her silhouette, I had the detail that she had a skirt and a jacket, but I wanted a spin on those. A long-sleeve crop-top underneath helps sell the alternative vibes alongside the stockings.

ALT Her face design always had a certain smug energy in mind - but how the little smile turned out, it made her resemble a bunny, which realistically, is really fitting if I'm playing with a magic motif. As well as the type of person Sellen is. The moon pins are present all over her as they're symbols of her coven. Her haircut is different from the silhouette on purpose, as she had her hair cut after all the debacle with Robin cutting her off. As usual, if a girl you dated cut her hair... You're in trouble. And he was.

ALT Eloise Lieberbaum, prodigy of the Class of 1804, and teacher's pet to High Professor Luneste. After graduation, she became Sableshroud Eloise, the name she goes by as a Nightrover. The spell she developed under Luneste's wing, named the Seven Sphere Offensive, was inspired by Luneste's own Moonlight, or Mondlicht. Seven spheres conjured from Dark & Soul, or Onyx, sorcery. They are cold. Hard. Precise. And vibrate violently when conjured. When struck, one is overcome with nostalgia. A good de-escalation tool, really. Intimidation aside.

ALT The transparent version, showcasing a lot of the elements in the picture more clearly. Originally, her Seven Sphere Offensive was not crystalline, but in an effort to give Onyx a distinct visual identity, I believe a good result was met. Like a deep black obsidian - the type that shines blue when you shine a light through it. Eloise's design is meant to be a more dark version of her Academy getup, more adventurer-like. Of course, her top under the cuirass is based on Luneste's, as she IS Eloise's inspiration. A personal highlight of mine is her family crest on her pauldrons. I think they make her look like a regal knight.

ALT Eloise's flats were a challenge like Ludwig - a matter of which black tones should be lighter than which. I believe the answer is that the elements most structural for a silhouette are the ones that should have the darker tones, like the pants. Of course, the shroud too. Without it, she's not really a Sableshroud, if her coat looks darker than the hood. The double tone of her armor is, of course, a signifier of her alignment with Dark sorcery. In short, Eloise's colors are goth-like without any of the angst. Traditional gothic, I suppose. A matter of contrasts.

ALT The War for the Court of the Crimson King turned the Academy into a military academy, but not all the soldiers to emerge as graduates stuck to martial affairs. Some do more... shady work, let's say. This is where Ludwig comes in. Some would say he is being kept on a short leash, to prevent him from becoming a danger, with his Observer in tow. Others, that he is finally being let free to express his prowess in a aay appropriate of his station - a renowned sorcerer in his own right, if prickly. Perhaps it's better left in the dark.

ALT Ludwig's flats. His colors in particular were very hard to balance as I wanted the values to remain readable while still being essentially black-on-black-on-black, but I believe the mission was accomplished. His design is partially based on the Forlorn from Dark Souls 2, as he is supposed to be a dark knight type who has access to dark magic. As a whole he is supposed to feel enigmatic, tough, and prickly.

ALT Current and only heir to the Tomori family manor and mortician enterprise, Liliana Melody Tomori is a girl with a... dark vibe about her. She is very much a victim of a horrible condition. She can see the dead, and the dead can see her. She can never escape their judgmental eyes. And as fortune would have it, disclosing such a thing could get her very well sectioned - sectioned and sedated for the rest of her days, in the best of cases. So she carries this burden alone... Until she learns of her father's own version of this condition. Now she is not as alone, but neither have a cure. And neither can stop it, until their eyes can see no more. This is Lily, and her design is lifted wholesale from a dear friend's own mind. They drew the character initially and I've taken it and have fleshed it out even more, though to be honest, it was plenty complete already. The blues, blacks, and browns work together to give Liliana a gothic feel without turning her into a vampire-like girl.

ALT Besides the design, Lily's build and body shapes were kept intact - she's more full-bodied and a bit shorter. She has to look both delicate and capable. She's not exactly a damsel but she's not really a warrior. She's mentally tough, even if she is breaking down.

ALT Lily's flats, also taken from my friend's design and just tweaked so that the values are pushed a little more for contrast. The pattern on the dress is a brush I made from the original pattern my friend drew - and she did it all by hand. I still don't know how she did it, but it looks amazing.

ALT Ren. A name spoken in fear, contempt, dread, and safety. Her enigmatic presence pairs well with her choice of being a woman of a few words - she is what some would call... a Bodyguard. A sellsword with the specific goal to protect. Though her attitude presents her as cold, a deep passion lurks beneath; she outs her entire being in keeping an employer safe. For what reason? What reason does there need to be? A life is a life, and a death does not look good on the protector.

ALT Ren's design is meant to evoke both stylish, roguish, and fantasy. She is tough but feminine. Strong but light. Like the weapon she wields, she's precise and deadly, with a refined and elegant disposition. Her reds are very, very fun.

ALT This design sheet highlights the intricacies of her outfit, and the specific choices made to land where we are. All of the rivets and studs are punkish but also evocative of brigandine armor - like she's not compromising between aesthetics and protection. The armor pieces are there to reinforce her role rather than act as any critical defense pieces. They're form and function, but not function by itself.

ALT Mathilda's past is rough - as is everyone's in the Blackscale Knights. Realistically, Viverne isn't a duchy of happy stories or even long ones; even with great dragons as their living pride. Her design takes heavily after her first incarnation as a tabletop character, where she was a fighter. Life in the region was tough to begin with, what with colder winters than in any other region of Solvognen, but the invasion of Heavenward made it somehow more dreary; tragic. The sky is always gray with the remnants of ash. The snow is always laden with scales. To fight for a cause such as Mathilda's isn't a case of charity. She's only upholding the fight which those she held dear mostly couldn't claw their ways out of. Tomorrow is the goal that today cannot reach, so let today be today, and tomorrow what it will. That's all anyone can do for the fallen: Seize the day.

ALT Originally, Mathilda's eyes were red and her skin was pale due to vampirism, but since that was part of another setting, her inclusion here sees that detail undone. Though one can consider it more of a what-if scenario. Both Mathilda's had wildly different lives with different experiences. Now what if they met, I wonder...?

ALT The war for the Court of the Crimson King hardened her bonds and made her realize who she was and what she wanted to do - tend to unkept shrines and bless them, from here to the far reaches of Solvognen. A true paladin, fighting for a higher cause - with a humble heart. Lian's design takes after an attempt to make her in Elden Ring, where the depraved perfumer garb gave me the idea to have Lian's fire sorcery affect her clothing - and giving her a white tabard, paired with the armor, give her the appearance of a paladin. Honestly, it fits her calm demeanor. It felt so natural in fact I often forget it came from an Elden Ring cosplay attempt. Her fire is strong.

ALT Lian's armor is meant to be both lightweight and protective - something a hardy traveler would wear. Not quite heavy armor but also not quite simple travel gear. The reinforced leather pieces paired with a customized form of the Solvognish Sorcerer limb armor comes together to give a lamellar look that calls back to armor designs from her ancestry. That and it carries a certain authority. Lian looks a lot more grownup here.

ALT The flat colors make good use of contrasting colors and saturation to keep this design visually interesting. Of course, adding the burnt detailing is key as I see flat colors as sort of the Albedo map to my drawings. A lot of baked-in detail that when rendered makes the textures and colors pop.

ALT Oni's design was a very intense exercise. Originally, she was to wear only her Shinto attire. The armor was an addition I made so as to make a contrast between Hantaa's duties and her passions. As if to say that even if who she presents herself to be is a priestess, she is also a slayer of the night - and no matter how much she covers that up, its still ingrained into her. Besides, it is a very visually interesting design, as it takes the purity and cleanliness of a shinto priestess, and mixes it with the fierce and loyal nature of a samurai. The looks meld quite well.

ALT Hantaa's mask was designed to be sleek and menacing. A faceless executioner with no discernible features other than empty eyes. There is a playful nature, more mocking, as over the mouth is a single kanji: 福 Fortune.

ALT The flat colors showcase just how delicate the work that went into balancing different shades of red was. Red is a very intense color that can only truly work when saturated, and balancing multiple shades gets difficult without it becoming a visually unreadable mess - the solution here was to play with hues of red, as the darker tones are more wine, and the brighter tones are more red-red. Quite cool looking.

ALT The owner of a nova custom Arm cyberware which aims to replicate the mounting method of the Mantis Blades but utilizing a compact shotgun design instead of the usual retractable blades. Some preem mods. Not anyone can get ahold of something like this, choom. Their fashion sense is equally bold. Not especially expressive, but somewhat leaning to neo-kitsch. Loud, but fun.

ALT Transparent variant that shows off more of the stylized Sandevistan-like trail. Rudimentary as it might be, the trail looks preem.

ALT Jules' flat colors are very visually appealing. Holding a lot of the detail information without being too much or too simple. A nice balance of colors based on the primary colors with dark blue as a grounding accent.

ALT In the group, he goes by "Z." No, he did not get to pick it. But he's not the complaining type. More of a laidback snarker. This iteration seeks to mark the difference between TTRPG Robin and Deathblow Robin, with the Luxumbran greaves and belt tail. Stylish in its own right.

ALT A variant making a fun use of the CCTV camera angle. Was quite cool to try and emulate the look while remaining visibly readable.

ALT Flat colors, also making a difference from the TTRPG self, changing the inner-hoodie color to a wine red instead of the dark color it originally was. More cohesive to the Devils.

ALT Sigrid's Frostblaze is an interesting one. In concept, it is merely mixing Soul and Fire magic to make a physical oddity: Freezing fire. However, such a combination is hard, if not outright impossible, to recreate without Sigrid's technique. There was some pushback to its inclusion in the Solvognish Archives and Sig's thesis surrounding it - but those sentiments were put to rest with Sigrid's legacy. She proved herself a true knight, with this style of magic at her side. And in a way, she got her wish. They talked about her far and wide; of heroics and wonder. Perhaps no bardic tale - but a tale all the same.

ALT Sigrid's flats continue the trend of giving a satisfying glimpse into the choices made to give her an identity beyond the shapes of her gear and her appearance. The softer blues and browns and oranges really help communicate Sigrid is mild-mannered and feminine without detracting from her fierce and battle-ready appearance. Her star-shaped pupils are another factor of her design - it is there to showcase how attuned her body is to Soul sorcery, a fact meaning she manifested signs of it even without a crystal to "help" channel the magical energy. She is empathetic to a fault.

ALT The Complex Telespatial Warp is a spell of incredible use. Originally inspired by a Demon's innate ability to teleport. Using the principles of a tunnel, opening a window at one location and another at the destination, linking space by warping it over long distances - even long after its creation, the theory behind it is scarcely understood. Much like its creator. Frigg here was never a standout, beyond her exploits as Alicia's Research Assistant. However, she was anything but lazy, or slow. Just look upon her magnum opus. There was always a method to her madness.

ALT Frigg's flat colors. I am especially a fan of how modest she looks. Were it not for her braid, she'd look like a commoner. Or worse. But, her colors being muted help make her hair and eyes stand out a lot. Especially the cloak and boots - essentially dark versions of the hair and eyes! As usual though, the Solvognish Sorcerer uniform's standard is a white dress shirt underneath. Though she wears it to sleep too...

ALT Osric has always felt... alone. Not in a negative way, rather, he keeps a distance. Perhaps because he likes to wander and travel. Perhaps because his emotions are for his writings alone - yet the biggest showcase of his sentimental nature is his Starcalling. A memory of a mother who would lull him to sleep under the starry sky. He carries it with him - and brings the stars to her. Starcalling manipulates Soul and Wind to use the moisture in the air to craft small crystalline stars that Osric can manipulate through the wind, like a breeze. Ad astra, ad infinitum.

ALT Osric's flats are quite satisfying to look at, his color scheme harkening back to Fred from Scooby-Doo, but using the items and colors to elevate his status to a nobleman. He has a certain wanderer look to him, like a refined explorer.

ALT Demon magic is fundamentally different from Human magic. The former is granted, and it's almost a pact with a higher being - its whims and unpredictability forever changing one who has been turned into a demon - perhaps because a natural born one already has a resistance to its influence. Seichi's case is interesting, being so closely aligned with the Devil himself. What secrets does she hide? She's covert, enigmatic. She covers her tracks very carefully... But she's also very loud. Her dominion over shadows is quite ironic. As she is the hottest one in the room.

ALT The flat colors. The purples here really bring some uniqueness to the Solvognish Sorcerer Uniform. They add that nice touch of individuality while still keeping a low profile. If you act like you belong, nobody has a reason to doubt you.

ALT Soo-Hyun's Welding Sparks are born from a family need, since they don't often get new things - the things they do have have to be maintained. However it still need a couple tweaks, as the heat clearly does a number on his lenses. Volcanic Affinity is known to be quite the show - after all it is its own appearance that inspired fireworks. But for Soo-Hyun, he seeks to use it in much more subtle ways. A rather foolhardy approach. Maybe a sign of his stubbornness.

ALT The flat colors here are oddly satisfying to look at. The vest, particularly, looks nice. A color that isn't bog-standard but also not too extravagant. Much like Soo-hyun.

ALT The Blade of Morning's Light is an achievement in sorcery development, not from the complexity of its design, but because it is a true improvement upon its previous version - one wielded by Ali's father. Ali wasn't a prodigy because of her intelligence alone. She was willing to experiment beyond the mundane. She was willing to slay the dragons set before her.

ALT Flat colors; they showcase the shape of the Exsanguinator quite well. Very gnarly to think about getting struck by.

ALT Very, very old version of this idea. Attempted in a more painterly style to fit with the concept. I'm quite proud of how far I've come since doing this. This is from at least 2017.