Inktober 2018 - Day 31 - Happy Halloween!

I did it! I actually did it! Three art challenges in one month...I am awesome!!!!!

That sure was fun, but I'm a little glad that it's over. After today, I'm taking a small break from art, blowing off some steam.

So here you are, "Inktober" 31: Slice. Holy Great Pumpkin, Batman!

"Disney Inktober" 31: Halloween. Two of Disney's best-loved characters, perfect for this time of year. I love The Nightmare Before Christmas, but I swear, you'll hear those songs in your head a week after you've seen the movie!

And last but not least, "Fantasytober" 31: Your Own Choice. A few familiar and friendly faces; some of my personal favorites!

One more thing to say, one last picture for the road, before I wrap it up:

Inktober 2018 - Day 30

Thirty entries down; one to go! Almost there! I'm thrilled and a bit sad at the same time.

"Inktober" 30: Jolt. Tallis may not always pay the best attention, but Romulus isn't above teasing his little brother on occasion. And Tallis is known to pull a prank or two on his big brother, so it evens out.

"Disney Inktober" 30: Villain. I was tempted to draw Frollo or Maleficent, or even the Horned King. But after watching "Night on Bald Mountain" with my family the other night (we indulged in a few Disney/Looney Tunes Halloween episodes), I had it!

Surprisingly, Chernabog didn't bother me that much when I was younger. I think it helped that he didn't appear on the screen for too long, and that they kept him silent, meaning there was no scary laugh or ominous voice. Now I find him (and the whole Fantasia segment) rather creepy, and thoroughly awesome at the same time. I think it's safe to say that he trumps all Disney villains because he really is evil incarnate. All the other bad guys are mere toys in his hands.

"Fantasytober" 30: Demon. That's two demons in one day. And I have to say, this one gives me the creeps; he almost looks like a scary clown, and we all know how to respond to scary clowns!

Inktober 2018 - Day 29

Twenty-nine entries down; two to go! Next to the last of the last!

On a side note, I got to work a double shift today. They kind of messed up the schedule, so one girl would have been left all alone in the deli until the closers showed up. So I worked twice as long as I expected, but this means I get paid twice as much, and the MIT (manager in training) was nice enough to buy me lunch. I didn't ask for much: three chicken tenders, half a pound of potato wedges, a Snickers almond bar, and a Dr. Pepper. That way, she didn't have to spend too much on me, and there's only so much I can chow down in 30 minutes anyway. Of course, I thanked her, and she thanked me for being so willing to stay and help out. Flexibility and dependability go a long way in any job!

Now then, "Inktober" 29: Double. I decided to draw Terence and Rhiella (for the first time in ages) with their twin daughters, Rema and Della (short for Remaliah and Delilah).

Although the twins are identical, it's quite easy to tell them apart. For one thing, they wear their hair differently; Rema's hair is almost always braided. For another, Rema is by far the boldest and most assertive of the two. This means she's the leader, and she has little trouble dragging her sister along, although Della learns to put her foot down and think for herself. Of course, Rema means no real harm and she matures as she gets older, but she'll always have a playful streak. While Rema is deeply attached to her mother, she's clearly "Daddy's girl." She shares a special bond with Terence of which Terence himself takes note, and of course he's there for Della in a heartbeat when she needs him.

The twins are the only ones among Terence's immediate children to inherit his blue eyes, but his eyes appear here and there in the generations that follow. Although Reid is a descendant of Terence's son Remus, his eyes match Terence's eyes impeccably.

As you can guess, twins run in the genes of Terence's family as well. I plan to give twin boys to Tracy (Reid's cousin and Romulus's daughter), Alexander and Andrew.

"Disney Inktober" 29: Thomas O'Malley. Abraham DeLacey Giuseppe Casey Thomas O'Malley, the alley cat from The Aristocats. Easily my most favorite member of the entire movie: best design, best voice, best dialogue, best development.

"Fantasytober" 29: Sea Serpent. Simple, yet cute! I can really do cute when I want to. He'd likely be safe enough to ride, but you might want to bring a scuba tank with you.

Inktober 2018 - Day 28

Twenty-eight entries down; three to go! I'm as surprised as anybody that I'm still going strong after all this artwork. Then again, drawing the picture by hand is the easy part.

Okay, "Inktober" 28: Gift. Pretty simple. Pretty straightforward.

"Disney Inktober" 28: Horses. For this one, I chose Cyril Proudbottom from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. I really like how this turned out!

"Fantasytober" 28: Hippogriff. After drawing several intimidating and vicious creatures, I decided it was time for something more adorable.

Inktober 2018 - Day 27

Twenty-seven entries down; four to go! All the work (and fun) ends next week. On the other hand, NaNoWriMo begins next week as well! When one door closes, another opens.

"Inktober" 27: Thunder. Based on the Stone Giants from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Terrifyingly awesome and awesomely terrifying scene! This doesn't do the scene justice at all.

"Disney Inktober" 27: Ocean. Not the first time I've shown Ariel in scuba gear, but fun all the same!

"Fantasytober" 27: Manticore. The scorpion tail is an epic fail.

Inktober 2018 - Day 26

Twenty-six entries down; five to go! I can count on one hand the number of entries I have left. Well, fifteen if you count all three prompts, but whatever.

"Inktober" 26: Stretch. Based on Tramp's morning stretch from Lady and the Tramp; you can really feel his body stretching and almost hear the bones snapping. Every morning, I'm like a bowl of Rice Krispies after you add the milk, especially if I worked a night shift the night before. For that matter, I've been popping my back and neck since junior high. It used to drive my dad crazy and my mom and siblings always cringe when they hear me, even when I tell them it sounds worse than it really is and it does do me some good.

"Disney Inktober" 26: Live Action. Practically perfect in every way! I can sing just about every song from this movie.

"Fantasytober" 26: Zombie. Never liked zombies. Never cared for stories about zombies or zombie apocalypses. The only zombie movie that I'll willingly watch is Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island.

Inktober 2018 - Day 25

Twenty-five entries down; six to go! Time really does fly when you're having fun, doesn't it?

"Inktober" 25: Prickly. Yeah, my idea for this prompt is real original!

"Disney Inktober" 25: Hiro Hamada. I've yet to watch Big Hero 6 all the way through, but I just had to draw Hiro facepalming. I've got this strange fascination with facepalms.

"Fantasytober" 25: Cerberus. This is one pooch you DON'T wanna pet!

Inktober 2018 - Day 24

Twenty-four entries down; seven to go!

On a side note, I scored an interview with Hobby Lobby today. It went well and I think I made a good impression. I've yet to know anything for sure (they still have quite a few interviews on their plate), but I should have a solid answer by the end of this week. It wouldn't be the end of the world if I didn't get the job (I wouldn't get more than 27 hours at a time anyway), but it would sure be nice if I did.

Now, then, "Inktober" 24: Chop. Nothing great about this piece; kind of boring, really.

"Disney Inktober" 24: Sci-Fi. I didn't like Atlantis: The Lost Empire that much as a kid, but now it's awesome! I love Milo, Kida, Dr. Sweet, and Mole, and I'm totally like Vinny. I share in Vinny's snark and sarcasm, and I compare my job in the deli to his job in the flower shop: "And everybody, they come! Where is it? When is it? Is it made fresh? It's a nightmare."

"Fantasytober" 24: Leprechaun. Head for the hills, lads 'n lassies; 'tis the attack of the earworms!

Inktober 2018 - Day 23

Twenty-three entries down; eight to go!

"Inktober" 23: Muddy. Drew this in five minutes flat. That is one happy little piggy, eh?

"Disney Inktober" 23: Romantic Couple. This was a tough decision. I love Disney and I'm a hopeless romantic, so naturally, I like more than one Disney couple! There is something soothing and mesmerizing about this song, and dancing under the stars...you don't get much more romantic than that.

"Fantasytober" 23: Chimera. I got just one word for this: RUN!!!

Inktober 2018 - Day 22

Twenty-two entries down; nine to go!

Official "Inktober" 22: Expensive. Never trust Ann Lactantius with a budget! Never assume that just because you have all the money in the world (or all the money you could ever need), you can splurge it on anything you want at any time. Many times, Ann buys things just for the sake of buying them. She, along with her side of the family, truly believes that money (and a ton of fancy stuff) means happiness...and she finds out the hard way that that's not true.

Disney "Inktober" 22: Rodents. I decided to go for a slightly lesser-known, less-celebrated rodent, Roquefort from The Aristocats. I always liked him; it's nice to see cats and mice get along for a change (likely enough, the Aristocats are too "sophisticated" to chase mice, so Roquefort knows he's safe around Duchess and her kittens), and he's just so darn cute! Sterling Holloway's voice is a nice touch, too. And that scene with the cracker never fails to make me hungry.

"Fantasytober" 22: Dryad. Not much to say about this one, but I like it!

Inktober 2018 - Day 21

Here we go with day 21! Almost there! Must think like the Little Engine That Could! I think I can...I know I can...I thought I could...

Day 21: Drain. Ever have one of those days where you just feel like somebody pulled a plug on you? I sure have!

Disney 21: TV Shows. Oh, boy, did my siblings and I DEVOUR this show when we were growing up. Most of the details have faded from memory by now, but the theme song has never left me. For that matter, there are many shows from my childhood which I can no longer recall very well but I can sing their theme song in a heartbeat. Whoo-hoo!

Fantasytober 21: Satyr. Some people see a faun and a satyr as the same creature. I see these creatures as quite distinct. I see satyrs as bigger, stronger, and hairier, with lengthier, curvier, sharper horns, and overall, they're a tad less friendly! May want to keep your distance!

Book of Mormon Progress - 1 Nephi (1-8)

President Russell M. Nelson, our current leader for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has challenged us to read the Book of Mormon, from start to finish, between now and the end of the year.

While I am slow on my reading (I've only read eight chapters thus far), I have begun. And I suppose the whole point of this challenge isn't how quickly you can read this book, but rather how well you understand it.

Are you actually reading it?

Are the words on paper more than mere words on paper?

Even though I have the first book of Nephi pretty much memorized, reading it again (especially tonight) still made me realize a few things.

For instance, there's Nephi's relationship with his brothers. I always felt bad for Nephi, with Laman and Lemuel always picking on him and even threatening his life more than once. It makes me go, "Sheesh, talk about sibling rivalry!"

And yet, even though Nephi has every reason in the world to give up on his brothers, he doesn't. He still loves them and sincerely keeps working on them, and it's their own fault that they end up estranged from each other. His brothers were worth saving, but they had as much freedom to choose as Nephi did and they had to live with the consequences of their actions.

Then there's Nephi's other brother, Sam. He doesn't get much fanfare, but his loyalty to Nephi through it all is truly inspiring. Sam makes me think of Hyrum Smith, brother to the prophet Joseph Smith, who also didn't get much of the limelight...but he was a strong, faithful man in his own way. I think it was no coincidence that Hyrum and Joseph died on the same day, within mere minutes of each other.

The story of Laban and the brass plates teaches us that no task the Lord assigns you is impossible to achieve, even if you have to make more than one attempt.

I also think it was no coincidence, accident, or a simple stroke of bad luck that Nephi and his brothers didn't achieve their goal on the first try. Perhaps the Lord meant to teach them that you have to get up each time you're knocked down (literally, in Nephi's case), and that it's not necessary to know beforehand everything you will say or do. Sometimes you just have to take it one step at a time, and if you keep taking those steps, you'll reach your destination in good time.

Reading about Sariah's complaints against Lehi, along with Lehi's tender, gentle response to those complaints, reminded me that wives need to have faith in their husbands, and at the same time, husbands must have compassion for their wives.

And tonight, I just completed the story of the Tree of Life, which I know by heart but it spoke to me all the same.

One aspect of the story that stood out to me this evening is the great and spacious building, which appears to float in midair. This means there's no solid foundation to hold this building up. The people inside the building appear to have it all, but tragically, they go down with the building when it finally collapses.

In the end, what good does that building do any of them?

It's a sad but invaluable lesson. Those who believe money, popularity, and all the other "things of the world" are central to the scheme of life will only end up feeling empty. What appears to be true happiness is but a fleeting pleasure, leading to permanent misery.

And I know all too well about the mocking and pointing of fingers. It's happened to me plenty of times on social media. Some of my own friends, whom I care about a great deal, just don't understand my beliefs and they have no qualms mocking them...or me because of them.

Sometimes people try to rope me into a heated debate. It doesn't occur to them why Sunday is so important to me or why I believe so strongly in marriage between a man and a woman. They accuse me of homophobia because I don't support gay marriage or homosexuality, they swear liberally around me, and they bad-mouth Joseph Smith and other prominent Church leaders in front of me.

I try not to misjudge any of these people. I try to "heed them not," as Nephi put it. But there's no denying their words are hurtful.

On a more positive note, Lehi's sincere desire to share the sweet heavenly fruit with his family (and all the rest of the people on the path) alludes to that Christlike love. When you have something this good in your possession, you just can't keep it to yourself. You want to share it. You need to share it. You consider the welfare of others as much as you consider your own, perhaps more.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is a priceless treasure that everybody can--and should--have a part of.

That's all I have to say for now. Hopefully I'll gain momentum in the following week, and my enthusiasm will increase with my reading.

Inktober 2018 - Day 20

Day 20 already? Holy Tamales, Batman! Hard to believe we're also nearing the end of 2018 already. Well, both this year and this art challenge haven't been a picnic. But I think it's safe to say the good things about them vastly outnumber the bad.

So, let's get at it!

Day 20: Breakable. Feel free to interpret this image any way you like, whether it's sentimental or just plain sad.

Day 20 of Disney: Never Land. This one wasn't quite so much fun; it didn't turn out the way I wanted, and it's probably my least favorite of all my Disney entries. Oh, well.

At least one friend has been nice enough to tell me this makes her think of a child's interpretation of Never Land, and Never Land is the place of eternal youth.

Fantasytober 20: Phoenix. How can you ever go wrong with a phoenix?

Inktober 2018 - Days 18 and 19

Guess I caught so caught up in my defense of Disney princesses that I forgot about Inktober. Oh, well, more pictures for this page!

Okay, starting with day 18: Bottle. In an instant I thought of my character Tallis, who is an alcoholic for a fair number of years. Even though he smiles for everybody and acts like everything in his life is fabulous, he's what we would call a "stepford smiler." If you don't know what that means, it means a remarkable deal of pain lurks behind that smile.

Even though Tallis keeps it to himself, as much as he tries to pretend otherwise, everything is not okay. The poor man has a lot going on and he doesn't know how to deal with it properly. So he seeks refuge in the bottle, which does him no good. Luckily, he does end up breaking the habit...after things in his life get so bad that not even the bottle will help and he knows it.

Day 18 of Disney: Sidekick. This one was a toughie but I ended up settling for Jaq and Gus from the 1950 Cinderella. I just love the way those little mice look, act, and talk! My own family talks like them a lot of the time; we use phrases like "Be care-fee!" and "Rake 'er easy!" and even the famous "Zuk-zuk!"

Day 18 of Fantasytober: Pixie. Nice to see a friendly face on Halloween, isn't it?

Day 19: Scorched. How's that for well done?

Day 19 of Disney: Phoebus. I didn't used to like this character so much, but now he's awesome! When he's not being truly heroic he provides some of the best humor. My Romulus is partly modeled after him; change their hair color, adjust their social rank, and throw in a pair of glasses, and they could be twins.

And at last, day 19 of Fantasytober: Troll. Gee, nice teeth!

Why I Support Disney Princesses

Ah, yes, the lovely ladies of Disney. The animated heroines we all love...and love to hate.

There's no denying the flak these ladies have caught over the years. These days, they're under even more fire, notoriously from well-known actresses. If I had a dollar (or even a nickel) for every time I've heard (or read about) a bashing of a female Disney character, and the overall message of "consent" and all that jazz, I'd have my student loans paid to the last penny in no time!

Now, of course, I'm perfectly sympathetic toward women who have been used and abused. Stories of rape and misogyny never fail to nauseate me. I would never stand for a man treating me like crap for a second. Everybody deserves respect.

I, however, am not only a fan of Disney princesses, but all this "princess bashing" of late does not sit well with me, not one bit.

This is wrong. Wrong. WRONG. 

Let me tell you why.

First and foremost, the Disney princesses are human (in a sense) like the rest of us. They're not perfect. They have their strengths, weaknesses, and unique little traits. Which makes them feel all the more real, and I feel I can relate to them.

They make mistakes, but the important thing is they learn something from those mistakes.

Take Merida, for example.

Everybody's so quick to write Merida off as a royal brat who only cares about herself...but when you think about it, there is so much more to her than that. Her situation is certainly no bed of roses. Would you have acted any differently in such a situation? Her mother (with whom viewers sympathize so much more) had her own less-than-ideal traits and she had a few lessons to learn the hard way, too.

I'll spare you the details of the movie, but let me just say that, in the end, both Merida and her mother learn something and change for the better, and that's the whole point of a story, isn't it?

On the other hand, people sing Merida's praises for not relying on a man or having any kind of love interest. It doesn't really bother me that Merida doesn't hook up with anybody (I'm all in favor of stories that focus more on family relationships and the familial type of love), but people also have to remember that Merida is only 16; there's no guarantee that she'll stay single forever, that she won't find love when she's ready for it, and if she does find it, well and good. As I said, the important thing is she learns a valuable lesson and this valuable lesson sticks.

And then we have that famous line from Frozen: "You can't marry a man you just met." Gee, if I had a dollar for every time I heard that as well, along with all the memes featuring reactions to that line:

Not surprisingly, people are swift to both sing Elsa's praises and bash Anna to no end for this. While I will admit that Elsa makes a truly valid point, I think we're judging Anna (along with the other Disney ladies who fall under this trope) much too harshly.

Think about it: Anna was forced to spend almost her entire life cut off from society. She was forced to grow up in a huge castle with only her parents and her servants for company; her own sister, who used to be her "best buddy," wanted nothing to do with her. Of course, we know Elsa's reasons for shutting Anna out of her life, but Anna had no way of knowing those reasons.

Unlike Elsa, Anna wasn't the "conceal, don't feel" type.

She was lonely.

She needed somebody to love.

She needed to be loved.

The poor girl was so starved for affection and acceptance that she seized her opportunity as soon as it came. Who was to say, at that moment, if she would ever get such a chance again? On the whole, who can blame her? I sure can't.

If anything, Anna's seemingly silly traits endear her to me all the more. I feel a much stronger connection with her than with Elsa. Nothing wrong with Elsa, of course, but Anna is by far my favorite character of them all, and she's easily made it to my list of favorite heroines--inside and outside Disney.

On the other hand, I'm sure not complaining about sisterly love saving the day; no one said "an act of true love" only meant romantic love. Nor am I complaining about Anna discovering romantic love with somebody else, who turns out to be the real deal.

From what I see, Disney princesses get the most flak for being so impulsive; they're so quick to fall in love and they rely too much on a man to save them. Ariel gets slammed for giving up her entire world and her own body for a human (who doesn't even know she exists until about halfway through the movie).

Belle is accused of Stockholm Syndrome, which means falling in love with the person who's holding you hostage.

Cinderella is accused of being much too meek and submissive.

Most recently, I've heard that Snow White and Aurora were kissed without their so-called consent.

I'll say it again: take a closer look at these ladies' situations before you pull out the flaming coals.

Even before she met Eric, Ariel was already fascinated with a world outside her own. Don't we all, at some point or another, indulge in fantasies about the people and places outside our tiny comfort zone? Doesn't the grass always appear greener on the other side?

And then there were Ariel's issues with her father; I would say her father was the driving force more than anything else. Ariel herself admitted, "I just don't see things the way he does." And no matter how we view Ariel as a whole, surely we can all agree in a heartbeat that what Triton did to her (destroying her entire cave of treasures before her very eyes) was wa-a-a-ay over the top. Such a scene is tough for me to watch, even now. What happened afterward is no wonder.

Belle wanted nothing to do with the Beast at first, for perfectly legitimate reasons. It was only after he helped her, when she began to realize there was much more to him than she thought, that the seed of love was planted. Even then, they still took time to get to know each other better, to be less judgmental of each other. This serves as terrific character development for both Belle and Beast.

Then we all know the ending: turns out the Beast was a handsome prince all along, and he and Belle not only broke the spell together but they completed each other.

Each brought out the best in the other.

Each was the other's significant half.

When they came together, the puzzle of their lives was done. 

So, as far as I'm concerned, that whole "Stockholm Syndrome" and "bestiality" nonsense is just that: nonsense. 

Now we move onto Cinderella, the so-called timid girl who does absolutely everything she's told to do and never rebels in any way. She's "as mild and as meek as a mouse."

But let me ask you this: if Cinderella had rebelled against her cruel stepmother and stepsisters, what good would it have done? They had perfect authority to cast her out and leave her to starve in the streets. Where would she go? Who else could she turn to?

This line from the movie's narrator speaks volumes to me, "And yet, through it all, Cinderella remained ever gentle and kind. For, with each dawn, she found new hope that someday her dreams of happiness would come true."

Sometimes, mates, that's all you can do. You can only do so much in your own power. You often come to the point where you just have to wait, be patient, and not lose hope.

Not only does Cinderella do just that, but she proves her superiority to her stepfamily by not stooping to their level, by maintaining a dignity fit for any queen. Most likely, everything she suffered as a servant (and everything she learned from that suffering) will serve her well during her noble reign.

How could anyone go wrong with such traits? What better role model for girls and boys?

And finally, we shall debunk the most absurd claim of Snow White and Aurora being taken advantage of. To all those people who are currently raising such a stink over the blatant lack of permission, I ask, "How were they supposed to give that permission?"

In case it's not obvious enough, both princesses are trapped in a deep sleep. This isn't your average, everyday slumber. This is a bona fide curse from which neither lady can free herself even if she tried.

Why else would they call it a curse? Where do you think the title "Sleeping Death" came from?

Both princesses needed help, and only true love's kiss held the power to help them. It underscores the moral, "Love conquers all. Love is stronger than fear. Evil is strong but good triumphs over evil."

And still people protest, "But there was no consent!" 

Does this mean you always have to ask a girl's "consent" before giving her a simple hug or peck on the cheek? Are you saying girls shouldn't be touched in a tender, gentle manner? As human beings, we thrive on affection...which is not to say we should be touched constantly. There is still such a thing as personal space.

But I'll say it once more: we need to be loved.

We need somebody to love.

No one can make it entirely on their own. No one is 100% strong or independent.

God Himself declared, "It is not good for man to be alone." There's a reason why God put Adam and Eve together when the world was made. Adam needed Eve, and Eve needed Adam. It's that simple.

I like women who can look after themselves. They don't expect a man to handle all their problems. My own female protagonists, such as Rhiella and Lara and Kyla, are perfectly capable of speaking their minds and standing on their own feet. Even so, they sincerely dream of true love, and they ultimately find the man who completes them. At the same time, Terence, Reid, and Romulus are better men because of their women. The scales are evened out.

So, that's my defense of Disney's princesses. Feel free to disagree with me or prove me wrong. But if I ever have kids of my own, you can bet your bottom dollar I'm going to share the fairy tales and Disney movies that made up my childhood with them, minus the shaming and the side lectures.

And I have one last thing to say: I would much rather have Cinderella and Snow White for role models than characters like Bella Swann, Anastasia Steele, and Harley Quinn, who knowingly remain in toxic relationships and endure the constant abuse their boyfriends pile on them...all because of "love."