Haven't read a Warriors book in many years, but I started doodling and Jayfeather came out of it :3

(Clip Studio Paint, using the Darker Pencil and Gouache brushes)

Got a full pack of Ohuhus some weeks ago. Still have a ways to go with them- I'm used to colour pencils and digital art- but they're really fun! I love how they work

My main character, Reyna, from the novel I've been writing (...it's been going very slowly lol). She's half-angel, her angelic power is necromancy, and she works as a forensic pathologist and bassist. What do you think?

Here's the start of the first chapter, if anyone is interested:

Reyna stares at the dead man.

The dead man stares back.

He’s Ryan DeLario, a middle-aged man who was found dead in Central Park this morning. Reyna looks over the initial medical testing- the MRI scan, the blood tests, the full-scan X-ray- and it’s apparent that he was killed with a knife. The knife wounds in question are immediately obvious: two slashes to the neck, tearing open the jugular, and a deep stab to the left temple. His entire front is coated with dried blood, and Reyna wrinkles her nose as she peels away his clothing. She’s been through years of study- medical school, residency, and now her forensic pathology fellowship- and still, the smell sometimes gets to her. She remembers almost passing out the first time she and her classmates dissected a body; the second time, her lecturer had laughed as she raced to the bin to throw up.

Thankfully, her nose and stomach have been fortified enough that she no longer throws up the second a body starts to rot. She cracks her neck after finishing the examination, wincing at the tightness of her shoulders. Autopsies are not exactly great for one’s posture. It’s gotten worse in the past few weeks, actually: Reyna’s been developing regular headaches and even muscle tremors after long shifts. Today is no different, and she wants little more than to go home and pass out. She takes a couple of the pain pills she’s taken to keeping in her pockets to combat her recurrent headaches.

The room is cold, and quiet except for the background hum of the ventilation system. Reyna’s not properly alone, though.

A coldness tickles her spine. It’s the usual signal of a ghost appearing nearby.

‘Am I dead?’ says the ghost of Ryan DeLario, staring wide-eyed at his body.

Like most ghosts, he reflects the state of his body at death: in his case, caked in blood and wearing a grey shirt and jeans.

‘Yes. I’m sorry,’ Reyna responds. She slides his body into its compartment before heading to the sink to wash her hands. ‘What do you remember?’

Ghost-Ryan furrows his brows. Ghosts are transparent and incorporeal, and a new ghost can take a while to get accustomed to being in a such a state; Ryan tries to walk normally, but finds he can’t.

‘You need to use force of mind, not force of body,’ Reyna informs him.

Ryan takes a moment to consider this. As he figures out how to use his new ghost-form, he starts to talk.

‘I was walking my dog in Central Park,’ he begins, spinning around in mid-air completely on accident. He rights himself and shakes his head, grimacing. ‘Hey, is Buck okay? He’s a Rhodesian Ridgeback’-

‘He was found sheltering in bushes. Your sister is looking after him,’ Reyna says.

‘Oh, thank God. Right. Right. I- I remember we were out later than usual, it was already dark, and then Buck started barking. I didn’t see anyone, so I just kept going, and then’- his voice stutters to a halt. ‘That’s when I was jumped. I didn’t see who it was, I just know he was a guy. He didn’t say anything. There was pain, and then… I woke up here.’

Reyna nods. ‘You’re a ghost now; once you’re ready, you’ll go to the appropriate afterlife.’

Ryan shakes himself confusedly. ‘And my kids? Are they okay?’

‘Last I heard, they were also staying with your sister.’

‘Thank God. Whatever you do, don’t let my ex-wife take them, okay? She’s crazy!’

Reyna’s vision wavers. Is she ill? Something doesn’t feel right. It’s getting harder to concentrate. To breath, even. ‘I’ll assist if there’s a custody dispute. Do you have – do you have a will that states who should take your children?’

‘Uhm- no. No, I’m so stupid, I never wrote up a will!’

‘I’ll do what I can to advocate for your sister; if the children are old enough, they’ll get a say, too.’

This seems to mollify Ryan slightly. But then his ghostly eyes widen again. ‘I’m an atheist. What’ll happen to me?’ Ryan looks panicky now, but Reyna raises her hands to calm him.

‘In my experience, most atheists allow themselves to simply dissipate into the natural world- the atoms of your body and ghost alike will separate and become a part of new life.’

Ryan visibly relaxes. ‘So there’s no, like, God out there waiting to judge me?’

Reyna’s mouth twitches in a tired smile beneath her respirator. ‘Only for those who are waiting for a god to judge them.’

This just seems to confuse him, so he shuts up. Reyna uses the chance to start writing her notes. That’s when she notices her hands trembling for the third time that day as they hover over the keyboard.

Reyna waits until the tremors stop. Her arms are strangely numb; she lets them drop to her side, her head spinning nauseatingly.

‘You okay?’ Ryan says.

‘Fine,’ Reyna mutters, closing her eyes. Ryan’s voice is distant, tinny, even for ghost.

What’s happening to me?

‘Miss, I’m vanishing!’

Reyna turns around; Ryan is indeed beginning to vanish.

‘You’re ready to pass on,’ Reyna says tiredly. ‘It’s okay. Your suffering is over, Ryan DeLario; pass on in peace.’

Ryan blinks, bows his head, and is gone.

Sometimes I like to throw together collages of photographs or screenshots of my favourite characters, so I did one for Spider Gwen tonight :3

For this I imported the images into Clip Studio Paint, merged all the layers, then put the text boxes and text over them; and in this case, I also added a few love hearts and used a star brush for extra sparkle effect. The canvas is sized to fit my Samsung Galaxy S23 phone as a wallpaper.

So sad that this series is set in a post-apocalyptic future with next to no animals. The Ninth House would absolutely use the Lammergeier vulture as their mascot.

My hardcover Spanish edition arrived! It's so big and beautiful

Going to see if I can learn Spanish by force, so wish me luck

(I chose Harrow because of the combined 2nd and 3rd person perspectives, which I thought would be interesting)

Hi!

So I'm looking to get a higher-end bass. My current arsenal is a Squier Affinity Jazz and a Squier Bronco, but I'm contemplating adding a Fender p-bass (or a Schecter. I do love the look of Schecters).

The price range I'm looking at is around $1000-$1500 AUD

Here are the models I'm considering:

Fender Player II Precision Bass https://billyhydemusic.com.au/products/fender-player-ii-precision-bass-rosewood-fingerboard-in-3-color-sunburst?_pos=131&_fid=59ef0bbcd&_ss=c

Fender Vintera II 50s Precision Bass https://www.derringers.com.au/products/fender-vintera-ii-50s-precision-bass-maple-fingerboard-desert-sand 

Fender Player II Mustang Electric Bass PJ Guitar https://www.derringers.com.au/products/fender-player-ii-mustang-electric-bass-pj-guitar-maple-fingerboard-polar-white

Schecter Stiletto Extreme 4 https://www.derringers.com.au/products/schecter-stiletto-extreme-4-electric-bass-guitar-black-cherry-gloss

I would also consider a Schecter Banshee short-scale, but alas, it seems to be no longer sold in my country :(

So! If any of you have experience with any of these particular models, I'd love to hear your thoughts! I like to have a bit of growl in my bass, and I do like the idea of the Mustang because I am tiny and have a short arm-spread lol (I can handle a full bass fairly comfortably, though). I have also put flatwound strings on my Affinity and fell in love with that, so I expect to get some more flatwounds if I get a new bass.

Thanks in advance for any input!