Please pardon the mass typos I am sure to make in this description. I sliced my index finger (right hand) open the other day which means I'm down to three fingers on one hand and four on the the other. Mistakes will be made. You've been warned.

This one fought me from step one. But some of the best tend to do that. (Not that I am saying it's the best ever ... god forbid we have a little self-confidence every once in a while.) This was to test out the new computer/screen and get my bearings. It's getting easier on the whole. This was just difficult.

The idea here was to try to capture a moment in time, the feeling of the space and have a character working with the space rather than standing in front of it. Mission accomplished? Kind of.

*** Character/Story Info You Don't Have to Read ***

I tend to shy away from elves because of the fact that I'm not sure how to make them original. It's all (mostly) been done. The same can be said for vampires. Especially these days. There are very few remotely bearable vampire characters (begging the pardon of the few exceptions ... they/their creators know who they are).

Nonetheless, they do exist in my universe, though there are all of three now. Some of you may remember Avi. This is Avi's superior, Jericho (it's a nickname that stuck). He's incalculably old because he never really did the math, and is a student of magic and religion from all over the world.

He's spent most of his life in the desert and developed the habit of finding a secluded space and burying himself in pillows and blankets during the day. Over the years, he developed a complicated sleeping nest. Of all the little things I like about him, I think that's my favorite. High Vampire, highest magic practitioner in my whole universe, and he's made happiest by the gift of a new, tasteful, blankie. I suppose great acts of magic have been done for less.

I've never been fond of the idea of vamipres in all black, all pale, moping about like pretentious assholes. (Unless you count Avi, who is a bit of satire in and of himself.) Nor am I fond of the "wizard" character type. Both have their purpose, and it's not my place to call that kind of thing out for whatever reason, but I really had to avoid the classic character traits of both when putting him together.

The idea here was to go Middle-Eastern rather than European. I just don't see enough of that these days. (Won't even guess at the reasons). In an art museum near me there is a painting called The Carpet Merchant by Jean-Leon Gerome. Every time I'm there, I kind of get lost in it. Now, this is a far cry from that painting, but I wanted to include some of the feelings I feel when I look at it and the colors, which are just lovely. I could easily imagine Jericho showing up there to buy something for his cave. (He lives in a cave ... I didn't mention that before.)

(Go look up the painting. It's worth it, even though the pictures don't do it much justice.)

I'd go into detail about who he is, what he's like to talk to, all that stuff ... but I think this communicates about as much as he'd be comfortable with me sharing.

(Brownie-points if you can remember where I've mentioned him before. P.S. This is the first time he's ever been drawn and colored. It was writing.)

Character and art (C) *NuisanceBearEull