Story Illustrations

I've continued with Vanya's story since the last update I made here, and it's actually to chapter 21 now - some of them are especially long chapters, too. It's just about at what I'd consider book-length, actually... and it seems to have gained critical acclaim (to a minor extent) and an official audience - the first real audience I've ever had for my stories - audience here meaning "people who read it regularly and provide feedback". Some of this feedback was in the form of an illustration - two illustrations, actually, although one of them hasn't even been posted yet. Introducing...

Vanya Carena, the homeless elf in a fortress of dwarves, drawn by Splint of the Bay12 (Dwarf Fortress) forums. It's actually pretty close to how I imagined her, minus the colors. He really did his research, all the way down to the beanie on her head and her baggy blouse. Honestly, I'm pleased. I've rarely been so pleased. I'm not much of an artist myself, and to have an actual picture of my character is pretty rare for me - as is the feedback. That someone would put so much time into drawing a character of mine proves to me, in a way, that what I'm doing is appreciated. Splint drew a second picture of her as well, though her attire in it deviates somewhat from what she wears in-canon.

Farther along in the story, Vanya visits Ballpoint Technologies, a mercenary-style company. Splint said he figured that she would need better gear in order to survive their advanced weaponry, and this is what he came up with. It was the first of the two that he drew, and I kind of like it, too... although I can't imagine Vanya shooting a gun. But hey - my stories got illustrated by an actual fan. That's new to me, and a pretty big boost to my confidence. I'm hoping to be able to continue the Vanya story for a while following this, but I suppose that how long I can make it largely depends on when Spearbreakers finally falls. I just hope it doesn't fall anytime soon.