An Undercover Christmas comic Page3

... Don't worry. Those girls should theoretically appear in the main story at one point or another. Hopefully. If they don't, well... No tears will be shed for them. Except the otter. I actually kinda like her.

Again, if you see any typo's, let me know! :)

Christmas Post the second - Santa Midnight

Hello. Here's another picture I promised. It's Midnight dressed up as Santa Claus, just like last year!

Yes. That is indeed a bomb.

... I can see him giving out live explosives to random strangers, grinning and shouting 'Merry Christmas' while running away at top speeds.

Christmas Post the first - Ghost of Christmas past (Ruby)

You know the drill. We'll ignore formal introductions and just get on with it!

... Originally, I was planning to post at least three pictures here, but due to certain circumstances (and me being the lazy person that I am) I couldn't finish them all in time.

Ok, it was more like my brain was being an uncooperative cat, and... yeah, you don't really care. I wont bother to explain, then. You guys get that I tried to give you what I promised, and it ended up running away in the opposite direction laughing.

... Thanks for understanding, by the way. I appreciate it. <3

But don't worry, you'll probably see the other two (or three, depending on how much work I want to do) paintings later in the week. But for now, Merry Christmas! :)

Red-cap furball

Hello again! Enjoying the holidays so far? Good. Me? The usual, I guess. Still have a ton of work to do, but I'll ignore that for as long as my conscious can take it.

Not spectacular, I know. But if all goes well tomorrow, you guys will get to see three/four Christmas Pictures of the gang in festive outfits!

An Undercover Christmas comic Page2

Koala? Qualified? Koala-fied?

Yes, I made Ruby asked about Santa just so I could make that horrible pun!

... I'm not sorry.

And who recognizes the red cameo in panel three? Anyone?

Wish you were here...

I forced myself to practice drawing buildings and lights, along with snow 'n stuff... 

Not too shabby, if I'm allowed to say so myself!

Snowflakes falling from clouds so high

and ghosts of past plague my mind

Singing, chanting the songs of old years

they laugh at me as I shed my silent tears

A little depressing, but without context I guess it doesn't make that much sense to you guys... Oh well. I'm sure I'll let the story about Sapphire's family slip eventually! 

An Undercover Christmas comic Page1

And thus begins Ruby's and Ollie's Christmas comic special!

Hooray and such!

Ok, some information you might want to know...

 Telling someones gender is the same as in Fraener's Past - Girls have whites in their eyes, boys don't.

The bunny is a MALE, not female, in case some of you forgot or didn't see the other artworks I did of him...

And updates will be random, so don't expect this to be a twice a week thing (as much as I'd like that, but hey, there's only so much life will give you nicely)

Believe or not, the two 'pages' up there are actually from the same canvas, but for some reason or other Blogger didn't like it being as long as it originally was, so I had to cut it up into two smaller sections for the convenience of actually being able to read the dialog.

I'm not happy with it, but I guess I'll live.

Oh, and feel free to point out any typos I might've missed during spell-checking! I have the power to go back and fix 'em after all. :)

Now let the chaos begin!

Winter Mage (redo)

HI! Do any of you remember this picture? (HERE)

Well... I decided to redraw it just to see how much I had improved in digital drawing since last year, and it turns out quite a lot!

(what a surpise)

See for yourself!

... Still no idea how aurora's work, but I suppose I'll get better. In a few years.
 

Game of Hearts

I'm going to go out on a limb and say I'm improving on drawing hands!

I was planning to post a FP page this week, but then I thought it was at a pretty decent place, and considering the next few parts introduce a new character and more conflict (mostly to Fraener) , I decided to hold off posting any new pages until the new year. Hopefully you don't mind too terribly.

... Also, with any luck, I should be able to start uploading the new 'Christmas Themed' comic in a week+, but I still need some more time to get all the pages in order... You might see why when you see the finished project, or you might not. I don't really mind.

And I'm on an educational excursion through the country-side this week. Should be both fun and relaxing, with a bonus of giving me even more time to you-should-know-what!

... Did you even read all of that? I wont be surprised if you didn't.

See you around!

The Nutthara kids

I thought it was time I drew a picture involving all of Ollie's sisters, so here it is!

Ok, I guess I should start naming them, shouldn't I?

Well, from eldest to youngest, we have Karena (pink), Mallory (shredded jeans), Constance (which you should already know of), Oliver (also known as Ollie), and Iris (small child).

A bit of a mixed bunch, if I'm going to be honest, but that's what makes a family interesting!

Good, now that that's all out of the way and clarified, I'm off to play Pokemon Moon for a few hours!

UV Chapter 1 (part2) Once in a year-time chance

Ruby swung the door out as hard and fast as she could, and heard a sharp inhale and a bang as it collided with something big. She peered around the door and saw Kevin with his hands covering his face as if something had bit it. Ruby shook her head as if displeased, but not very surprised.

Ruby: I knew it! What are you doing Kevin?

Still concealing his nose, the white kangaroo got up slowly, leaning against the wall for support as he did so.

Kevin: Do you want my almost lying answer or the nearly true one?

Ruby rolled her eyes at him, knowing full well what he was trying to do.

Ruby: Almost lying.

Looking slightly disappointed, Kevin carefully rub his snout to make sure it wasn't broken or bleeding before properly facing his little sister. He still seemed slightly dazed after the impact with the door, but that didn't stop him from talking.

Kevin: Well, Devin overheard you and Grandma talking about stuff, I don't know what... He said something about the old 'roo sending you on an 'adventure of a lifetime' because you were unhappy here for whatever reason and... yeah. So, is it true?

Ruby narrowed her eyes, trying to decide whether or not she wanted to pass on such knowledge to her brother, especially in his state. Speaking of which...

Ruby: Why didn't Devin just come and ask me himself instead of sending you to eavesdrop on me?

Kevin: Oh, you know him... Doesn't like prying into the business of others without the fear of offending them or such. Now, could you give me the information I need so I can go back and tell him?

Ruby rolled her eyes, and swiftly grabbed her brother's ears. Before Kevin could do anything, he found himself being pulled along jerkily after her down the open hallway towards the partially open door at the end. Ruby gave the door a gentle(ish) kick and it swayed open.

Devin, who was sitting on one of the messy beds at the end of the room that the brothers usually slept in, looked up calmly as Ruby entered with his twin in tow. She swung Kevin around and forward, making him stumble across the room a bit. Ruby then closed and carefully locked the squeaky door behind her, and got straight to the point.

Ruby: You want to know what's going on, Devin? Fine. Basically I'm being sent to an UnMythic town to live and learn their way of life and traditions because I wasn't exactly 'happy' with my current environment. 

Devin: Yeah, that's exactly what I assumed

Ruby: Then why did you send Kevin to eavesdrop on me if you already knew?

Devin: I didn't. I just sent him to spy on you just to make sure my suspicions were correct!

Ruby heaved an exasperated sigh, wondering why she even bothered asking, and continued.

Ruby: Right... Now, I'm assuming you'd like to tell me something before I leave tonight? Some words of caution? Pity? Maybe Objection? Anything? You won't get a second chance later, you know.

The white kangaroos looked at each other, and as if a signal had been sent, Devin got up from the bed and onto his hands and knees, reaching under his bed for something. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he enthusiastically dragged out two brown books from the darkness, causing Ruby to raise an eyebrow.

Devin: Stand back! This could get messy...

Ruby took a few steps backwards and held her breath as Devin swiped away the layer of dust that rested on the top journal, scattering the grey particles in all directions. As soon as the air was clear again, the white kangaroo eagerly held out the worn books to Ruby, obviously expecting her to take them.

Ruby: And what are these suppose to be?

Devin: Study books, originally... We wrote in them when we were on our first observation trip, so we thought, 'Hey, maybe she'd like them in case she needed some info on the UnMythics!' So... yeah. By the way, where were you supposed to be going, again?

Ruby: Makku.

Kevin: Cool! I hear it's famous for it's size!

Devin rolled his eyes at his twin and held the books even higher to Ruby. She hesitated before stretching out a hand towards the dirty journals.

Ruby: Um... Thanks, I guess.

Ruby was about to take the old books from Devin, when suddenly the door swung open and crashed against wall, sending loose spider webs and even more dust flying. Ruby twisted her head around to see a grim Grandma in the doorway. It was only then that she remembered that the lock on Devin and Kevin's door was broken, and she felt stupid for forgetting.

Ruby: Drat! I forgot about that.

Devin: So did we.

Kevin: Yeah. Y''know, one of these days we should really get that fixed!

Grandma: Fix what?

Ruby: Oh, the old tree-house by the stream! We, uh, were talking about rebuilding that a while back, remember? It's such a shame that it's reduced to a home for bats and spiders, and we had such fun in it when we were younger....

   The old hag of a kangaroo leaned forward and squinted her good eye at her, making Ruby wish she were invisible so that she could avoid that petrifying gaze that always seemed to put a spell on time, and more importantly, her. Everything in that room began to freeze in place, except for the painful thudding heart in her chest. The twins held their breaths, as if the slightest sound would kill them all. Only the wind continued to make it's haunted whistles as it swirled around the house. Taunting them. Laughing even, in its hollow voice that Ruby both loved and hated.

  Finally, after several more seconds of quietness, Grandma let her eye fall to the ground, blinked, and straightening her back, and broke the dreadful silence...

Grandma: If I'm going to be honest, no. I don't believe I've ever heard of such a conversation like that from any of you, but whatever you say, dearie... I trust you.

Kevin and Devin let out a sigh of relief and started breathing easily again, now that the tension was gone. But Ruby knew Grandma wasn't fooled by her lie, although she was glad she wasn't pressing for the real answer. At least, not yet anyway...

Ruby: So... What brings you here?

Grandma: I could ask you the same thing if I'm going to be honest, but I'll play the lady and answer first. I was going to ask you if you could go down to the darker parts of the woods to pick some flowers and mushrooms for my alchemist experiments, seeing it's such a nice day out there. If you're not busy, that is.

Ruby: Sure, I've got some time on my hands! I can go out and get some things for you.

Grandma: Glad to hear.

Devin, after finally seeming to get control of his body again, hastily shoved the battered books to Ruby and swiftly made for an exit out of the room with Kevin. But Grandma wasn't finished giving out chores just yet.

Grandma: And you two!

The old kangaroo pointed a finger at the two retreating brothers, making them halt in their tracks.

Grandma: Make yourself useful and go to the markets for some fruit! And while you're at it get some bat grub, and maybe some lemon jam if it's on sale. We've gotten suspiciously low these past few weeks...

The twins made faces at each other, as if expressing their mutual feelings towards the task at hand, but agreed willingly enough to head out to the small village hidden in the undergrowth of the murky forest. Any excuse to get out of the house for a while was good enough for them, even if it meant doing the shopping.

  So as the two boys headed down the overgrown path to the small Vampire community known as Shade, Ruby went straight to her bedroom and dropped the books on her bed. While she was there, she opened up a small cramped closet to retrieve a worn mango-orange hoodie and hastily put it on. As soon as she did that, she ran downstairs to where Grandma was waiting with a basket and a piece of paper.

Grandma: Here's a list of all the flowers and mushrooms I'll be needing for the upcoming winter. I suppose I don't need to tell you to look out for ventraps and arakrafas?

Ruby shook her head as the ancient kangaroo gave her the items.

Grandma: Good. Just make sure you're home before sunset, ok? The dropbears have been getting more rowdy lately, so don't dawdle - I won't come to help you if your organs have been ripped out and your legs have been chewed off, understand?

Ruby: Yes, Grandma.

Grandma: Off you go, then. Oh, and if you see that rogue hunting gang, kindly remind them that they still haven't payed me yet! I used good medicine on that pet of theirs, and I don't intend to go on with my life quietly until I've gotten what I deserve!

Ruby: Noted. Ok, see you later!

Ruby pulled the bright hood over her head and trudged into the cold darkness of EverWinter forest, and away from the safety and comfort of the old cottage. She halted for a seconds to look behind her to see if Grandma was still there, but she had evidently gone back inside, not even waiting for Ruby to be swallowed up by the cover of the thick jungle of leaves and vines. That both frustrated, and depressed her. A lonely bird from somewhere in the trees above her started to cry it's sad, painful melody. She continued walking.

Something pink

Hello! Behold the pink bear princess of an imaginary land with no name!

... See you next week, then.

Fraener's Past #2 Life of the exiled Page6

*****

Just a heads up, no FP Comic post next week. If I don't have a UV update this Thursday, it should be there the one after it. I need to finish writing the first chapter before December rolls in - It's the least I can do, considering what a slacker I've been these past few months.

I mean, I'm not shirking work, but I'm kinda leaning towards producing comics and upping my art skills than writing Vampish stories. So I should probably see to going back to regular UV posts sometime in January... I hate not getting things done on time. It's annoying, and I usually feel bad.

Drunk Contrary

Not as detailed as usual, but it could be worse!

... Oh! So you want to know who these two are? Sure, I can give you some information. The one currently drunk is Contrary, and the tired dude next to her is Webs (and yes, I'm aware she called him Bed's. But she's not in her usual mind right now, so we can excuse that)

They are (if you couldn't tell) Spiders! Friends of Fang, actually... But that's some explaining to do for another day.

Fraener's Past #2 Life of the exiled Page5

*****

At least they were nice enough to let him recover a bit before being kicked out!

One of these days I should write a whole list of all the rules and laws the Dragons keep...

Where the ghosts of my memories play

... Don't ask what I've created. I don't know. It's got a dapper owlish-furry creature thing with cute colourful ghosts.

And before some of you ask, no, I haven't forgotten Undercover Vamparoo posts! I've been meaning to finish the next part to the first chapter, but... 

*insert long silence and cricket chirping here*

... Y'know what? I'm telling you.

I'm working on a Christmas Comic Special for December (obviously), and I can't do anything else majorly productive (like writing) while I'm excited about this new(ish) project!

So, yeah... But who knows? If I put my mind to it, and with some luck, I might be able to get a UV update this Thursday!

(I doubt it, but one can hope)

Fraener's Past #2 Life of the exiled Page4

 

*****

I apologize if you can't understand Malinda's text (or read it at all, for that matter), but if I didn't give her a bit of a slur and some accent she just wouldn't be what I pictured her in my mind.

Oh, and prepare for some back-tracking on the next page! It's going to get boring for a bit...

 

Halloween Special

Right... We're now at the end of another October, and I'd like to think I've improved a lot since my last Halloween special!

But you're not here to see me congratulate myself for coming as far as I have, so let me get straight on with the pictures you've come to see!

Which are...

Midnight the Plague Doctor

Ruby the Necromancer

And Sapphire and Mora as Jack and Zero!

For those of you who don't know, Jack Skellington and his ghost dog Zero come from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Just thought I'd let you in on that useless information.

I'm still working

Just thought I'd let you know that I'm taking the week off of normal posts because I'm busy preparing the Halloween Special for Monday!

I've been distracted with cartoons a lot lately (I watched all 99 episodes of Animaniacs in a week, so you can imagine that hindered my work a fair bit), and not to mention I'm trying animation out! Although with any luck it wont effect my real projects too much...

So, yeah. Don't worry, I've gone back to working as hard as my brain will allow me! I just need the week off to get all my acts together.

Contance Nutthara

Hello! Let us get into the spirit of the occasion, shall we?

I'm thinking of ideas and quirks for Ollie's elder sisters (seeing he has three of 'em), and I've decided that one of them (see above) is interested in theater and... maybe old Victorian gowns? Shoot, haven't thought this through... 

I need to start planning things ahead more...

*note to self - Remember to draw more things with dresses and masks in future*

*Other note to self - And get better with drawing hands and arms*

UV Chapter 1 (part1) Once in a year-time chance

As days slowly slipped by, Ruby forgot about the little chat she had with Fang, and continued on with daily life. The afternoons began to get colder as autumn approached, and the little cottage's inhabitants prepared for another long, quiet winter; gathering firewood and timber from around the murky forest, and stocking up on food before it was too chilly to walk three inches outside without freezing their toes off

On one of these windy afternoons, Ruby was sitting in a comfortable chair in the upstairs library, reading old books by the hour. She was peacefully living the life of another person, far away in an imaginary land, when something loud snapped her back to reality.

???: Ruby! Can you come to the living room please? I've got something important to discuss with you!

Ruby: Uh, sure! Let me finish my page and I'll be right there!

Ruby quickly hurried through the rest of the chapter in her book (although the magic had now disappeared) before rushing out of the door and into the open hall. She leaped down the rickety stairs and landed with a creaky thud.

An old grey kangaroo wearing a less-than clean dress, was sitting peacefully on the leather sofa when Ruby entered the room. The ancient figure looked up, showing an ugly scar across her left eye, and a not-so-white pair of fangs. Ruby tried to ignore the disturbing face and got to the point on why she was called.

Ruby: You wanted me, Grandma?

The old marsupial nodded and picked up a leather bag next to her. She carefully got up from the couch and faced Ruby.

Grandma (grey kangaroo): Right. Let's get to the point.

Grandma tossed the bag she was holding at Ruby, who caught it with some confusion.

Grandma: You're going to Makku!

Ruby looked at her grandma in surprise, not knowing how to react to this. The only words she could manage to say were...

Ruby: ... Makku? Why?

The old grey kangaroo gave her granddaughter a puzzled look as if the reasons for why she was sending her granddaughter into the bigger (and frankly, more dangerous) world were quite obvious.

Grandma: To live there. Why else would you want to go?

Ruby shook her head, trying to push away the shock of the announcement and get all her thoughts in their correct places. She tried again.

Ruby: No, I mean... Why am I going?

Grandma: For many reasons, all of them too deep for me to even care to explain, but mostly it's about you getting the adventure of a lifetime before you grow too old for such fancies! That's what you wanted, right?

Ruby began to get a sinking feeling in her stomach, and felt her heart beat faster as Grandma took her granddaughter's silence as a question on how she came to know what she wanted.

Grandma: I got wind of the fact that you were quite unhappy here, so I've arranged to give you something interesting to do before you decided it was time to take your alchemy career seriously! And what's wrong with you? You look like you've had a bit too much of my fruit cake!

Ruby: Are... Are you ok with this? About-

Grandma: Of course I am! I was going to send you to observe the UnMythics way of life sooner or later anyway. It'll quite the learning experience, as well as keeping some of your other skills sharp!

Ruby was trying to think desperately of a good reason to stay. As much as she wanted something interesting happen in her life, this was thinking more along the lines of 'Epic Quest for glory and self discovery', and not 'Live among non-magical blooded morons and hope they won't notice I'm a Vampire'.

Ruby: But what about my schooling?

Grandma waved a hand at Ruby dismissively, as if she had expected a question like that.

Grandma: Don't worry, I've got that all planned out too. You'll be attending a small high-school while you're in Makku, so you'll still be getting an education of sorts... Not as traditional as I would like, but I suppose it's better than nothing.

Ruby: How do you expect me to get food for myself?

Grandma: I personally chose the law-breaking method of obtaining nourishment, but don't follow my example - crime didn't pay (neither did honest work, but that's beside the point).

Ruby, suddenly getting curious about the contents in her backpack, unzipped the front pocket and took a look inside. Books, official papers, and cases were all neatly arranged and in order of height. The red marsupial looked up, a little dubious.

Ruby: And is all of this really necessary, Grandma?

Grandma: Probably not, but we don't want to give them any reason for thinking that there still might be Vampires on the island... It took them long enough to forget us the first time, and I think we all agree that we don't want a repeat of the Isle Massacre any time soon.

Ruby nodded her head in agreement. But something was still bugging her.

Ruby: ... If I can ask you something real quick, how did you found out-

Grandma: Guess.

Ruby thought for a moment, trying to recall who she could have told, when it hit her like an electric bolt to the brain. She tried not to show her emotions as she asked the complete obvious.

Ruby: Fang?

The ancient marsupial nodded her head wisely, making Ruby feel hot and uncomfortable. She suddenly wished she had the power to travel back in time, but it was all in vain. Grandma seemed to sense this and tried to crack a joke about the fluffy arachnid.

Grandma: You learn to never trust that creature with anything but your life after a few years. Don't worry, it happened to Basil and Kennedy quite a lot as well!

Ruby tried to picture the little red spider rescuing her from dangerous situations, and chuckled at the idea. As if Fang could do anything amazing besides eat a cart-full of sandwiches in one sitting! Grandma cleared her throat a little forcefully and continued.

Grandma: Anyway... you'll be leaving for Makku at 2:00am tonight, so maybe it's a good idea to-

Ruby: Wait a second! Tonight? You put off telling me that I'll have to live among non-magical blooded idiots, who don't know we really exist, until the day I was meant to leave? Why didn't you say something to me sooner? And how do you even expect me to get there, especially on such short notice?

Grandma smiled mischievously at her granddaughter and started for the kitchen.

Grandma: I assumed you'd be going by carriage.

Ruby: Do we even have the money to pay for a ride? Speaking of which, how did you even get all of this new stuff?

Grandma: I didn't. Your uncle Blake was kind enough to obtain all the required objects for me, though!

Ruby was wondering how she managed to do that, seeing as her uncle was usually a stuck-up, grouch, who hated spending money for little reason, when Grandma called over her shoulder...

Grandma: I threatened to tell on his wife that he was hoarding all the riches for himself. And he did owe me a favor anyway, the scrub...

Ruby sighed as the old kangaroo disappeared around the corner and into the kitchen. She started climbing back up the stairs towards the library door, when she felt something fall onto her head. 

Fang: So~... Were you surprised?

Ruby chose to say nothing as she quietly made her way up the rest of the flight, turned the door nob and entered the library. But when the door was safely shut and locked, she allowed her frustration to show by throwing the backpack she was holding across the room. It collided with a stack of books, making Fang yelp in despair.

Fang: Hey! That was my new house! I just had it freshly webbed, too...

The arachnid jumped down from Ruby's head and scurried across the floor to where his burrow had been. Ruby just sank to the floor and gave a disgusted look at her pet, feeling pretty stupid for thinking Fang would've ever kept his mouth shut.

Ruby: It's all your fault I'm in this mess, Fang!

Fang looked up, a little startled and hurt at the accusation. He tried smoothing out a tuft of hair down a little before giving up trying to guess what Ruby was on about.

Fang: What's my fault?

Ruby: The whole 'going to Makku', thing, of course!

Fang: But.. I thought you wanted to-

Ruby: No! I mean, yes... maybe?... Yes, I did, but now I'm having second thoughts... It now seems like a terrible idea!

Fang: Why? I think it's a fantastic idea!

Ruby: Of course you do... But I'm not prepared for something like this! What if I make a mistake? What if I don't like it when I get there? What if I die?

The arachnid tried to think of something to counter that last worry, but soon decided against it in case Ruby decided to start throwing books at him.

Fang: ... You can always say that you don't want to go? That it was all a misunderstanding, and-

Ruby: I can't do that!

Fang: Why not?

Ruby: For many reasons, all of them too complicated for you to understand.

Fang sighed and dove into the unzipped opening of the new backpack, pulling out odd pieces of paper and scattering them across the carpet floor.

Fang: I guess you're right. I mean, there's no way you can back out now, since Grandma got you all this expensive stuff! Although, why she chose an undercover name like Aeron Decnar is beyond me...

Ruby looked up in confusion, wondering if Fang was just speaking nonsense or not.

Ruby: What?

Fang patted a little booklet right next to him.

Fang: I found your UnMythic identification. Seems legit, but seriously... No one's going to remember a name like Aeron!

Ruby glared at Fang, trying to make him shut up telepathically, but unfortunately he didn't seem to notice as he continued to rummage through the contents of her new bag.

Fang: Ooh, looks like you got some of those fancy UnMythic quills! Y'know, the things that act like the real thing, but instead it's made of wood?

Ruby: Fang.

Fang: And what are these suppose to be? Some kinda paperweight or something? Awful colour, though...

Ruby: Fang!

Fang: And these books! The covers aren't made of leather! This is weird!

Ruby groaned and got up and stomped her way across the floor to where the red arachnid was.

Ruby: FANG!

Fang: Yes, Ruby?

Ruby took a deep breath, and calmly got down on her knees so that Fang could get a better look at her face. She then turned on the most sweet voice she possessed, and suggested to her pet...

Ruby: Do you want to go down to the kitchen and see what Grandma is making?

Fang's multiple eyes lit up in an instant, and he enthusiastically nodded his head.

Fang: Sure!

Ruby watched the little spider drop the pencil he was holding and race across the carpet and up the wall into one of his special holes. As soon as the sound of scuffling died away she began stuffing the scattered contents back into her bag, rather messily.

When suddenly, she heard a faint sound outside the door...

Slowly she got up, taking care not to move anything that would cause even the slightest of noise, and moved slowly to the library door. She turned the handle as carefully as she could, and swung it out as hard and fast as she could...

For the memory of how young we all were

Hello! Sorry for not posting on Thursday (again) but rest assured I had good reason!

... No, I'm not telling you what distracted me from writing about the adventures of Ruby and co! But you'll know in a few months...

Anyway, here's the picture!

Yeah, I'm planning to make Sapphire part of a band. So we've got Mave the wolf (singer), Julia the otter (sound manager), Berend the polar bear (electric keyboard), Chloe the lynx (drums), and of course Sapphire (guitar)...

Oh, and unknown person who was holding the camera. Them too.

... I'm not 100% satisfied with the background, but I'm pleased with how it turned out as a whole!

Fraener's Past #2 Life of the exiled Page3

*****

Introduction time! This is Malinda, resident toxicin (poison wielding dragons), and... that's about it.

And don't worry!  'Wildron' is the exiled dragon-slang word for 'wild dragons', so don't worry. That was on purpose! No need to yell out that I spelled something other than the English language!

Oh, and I guess I should apologize for not managing to get my acts together on time last week, so... yeah. Sorry. But hopefully things will go more smoothly now! (I doubt it, but one is allowed to hope and dream!)

Fraener's Past #2 Life of the exiled Page2

*****

*Bangs head against wall*

I. Hate. Drawing. Wings.

I suppose a cup of tea is out of the question, then?

Hi.

I made the moon red just because I could.

UV Prologue

Cast your mind to an island far, far away, in the middle of a calm blue ocean... An island covered in grassy hills and cool dense forests, which shelters many hidden villages and settlements full of Vampire Animals; more commonly known as Mythics.

In one of these Mythic villages, on the south side of a rocky snow-capped mountain, lay a cottage resting beside a freezing stream surrounded by the thick, dark overgrowth of the forest. Ivy could be seen growing on the crumbling stone walls, cobwebs in the windowsills, and flowers of all kinds bloomed in the moist earth around it. At first glance, the old house might seem abandoned... But I assure you, there was life living in there.

If you took a tiny peek through the slightly lop-sided front door, you'd see a young, red kangaroo; blissfully reading an old time-worn book while comfortably sitting on an equally ancient (but well kept) couch.

And if you moved your eyes to the right slightly, you would've seen two white kangaroos, peaking around the corner from the kitchen at their red sister, trying not to utter a sound. They might've given each other a slight nod before carefully tip-toeing their way to where the younger kangaroo was.

Now, let us watch this unfold, shall we?

-------

???: What are you doing, Ruby?

The kangaroo looked up to see the two boyish faces staring at her with bright blue eyes. She gave them a cold look and turned her eyes back down to her book.

Ruby (red kangaroo): Isn't not obvious? I thought you were smarter than that, Kevin.

The first white marsupial gave a slight chuckle and folded his arms. His look-alike copied him, almost simultaneously.

Kevin (white kangaroo - hood): Oh, it's quite clear, my dear sister... but isn't that, like, the 100th time you've read that thing?

Ruby: No.

???: Ah! So you've read it more than a hundred times!

Ruby rolled her eyes, but refused to look at anything other than the words on the pages in front of her.

Ruby: I'm afraid your math is incorrect, Devin. Now go away and stop bothering me.

But the two brothers didn't move, and persisted to stare at Ruby.

Devin (white kangaroo - vest): We can't do that, sis. Because we have something important to tell you!

Ruby: Mm-hmm. Sure.

Kevin: Really important!

Ruby: Just spit it out already.

Kevin gave his twin a slight nod, and both of them turned deadly serious in an instant. Kevin stepped forward, and announced to his younger sister...

Kevin: We both think you have too much time on your hands.

Ruby raised an eyebrow, this time lifting her head up a bit to look at them. The twin's expectantly waited her reaction to their concern.

Ruby: ... Is that a bad thing?

Devin groaned while Kevin face-palmed, making Ruby grin slightly. Making her elder siblings frustrated was always something she could enjoy.

Kevin: Don't you have anything better to do than reading old books by the hour?

Ruby: Well, what else is there to do? The Darkon's have moved, there's no school until Grandma gets back from Kirida, there's nothing interesting to do in the square or night-markets... and did I mention that the Darkon's are no longer here?

Devin: But surely you're interested in other things besides books? Like, playing the organ or going for nature walks in the haunted forests next to our charming village?

Ruby: May I remind you that we no longer have an organ, and I only go into the woods for alchemy ingredients; I never stay long enough to enjoy myself!

Devin: Well, that explains a lot.

Ruby: Explains what a lot?

Devin: Why you have no friends! You're so dull and grumpy all the time that no one wants a pal like you - you're already an old nasty lady at age fifteen!

Ruby felt herself growing hot with anger as the twins sniggered at Devin's conclusion. In a rage, she snapped the book she was reading shut, and threw it at Kevin's head. He easily caught it and tossed it back to his sister, who grudgingly caught it again.

Kevin: Why'd you throw it at me? Devin's the one who said it, not me!

Ruby: As far as I'm aware, you're both one and the same. As long as I hurt one of you, I hurt both of you.

And so saying so, Ruby got up and jabbed the book into Kevin's stomach. She started to storm up the stairs and to her room, but the twins (realizing that they might've hit a nerve) tried to stop her.

Devin: Where are you going?

Ruby: To the house of king Mortimer the second-and-a-half.

Kevin: That's no longer an actual place.

Ruby: .. I'm going to lock myself in my room until Grandma comes back.

Ruby reached the top of the stairs and to her door as Kevin threw an offer at her.

Kevin: Wouldn't you rather come outside and play some frostball with us? That sounds so much more interesting than being stowed away in your bedroom all night!

Ruby: No.

Ruby turned the handle to her door and swung it wide open. Her elder brothers tried again to bribe her out of going into the solitary confinement of her room.

Devin: Aw, come on, Red! We promise we won't go too soft on you! We'll even let you be captain if-

Ruby: What did you think I meant when I said no? I'm not interested in your offers of free bruising and crushed feet. Thanks, but no thanks, you jerks!

Devin: What if-

Ruby slammed the door shut, creating a loud BANG which shook the house slightly. The two brothers looked at each other, shrugged hopelessly and trudged outside to join their friends for a game or two before dinner.

*****

Meanwhile, Ruby slumped down onto her bed and grumpily stared at the floor, not caring about the world around her. At that moment, she hated her elder twin brothers so much she felt like crying... But she didn't, because she knew that wasn't going to help.
Instead, she kicked a stack of books down, destroying a cave of cobwebs and disturbing a slumbering red spider on top of the pile. The arachnid gave a startled snore of surprise and fell onto the floor near the angry kangaroo's feet. The spider briefly dusted itself off before jumping onto Ruby's bed and sleepily rubbed it's eyes.

???: Hi. Uh... I can't help but notice that you wrecked my lair. So... are you going to explain to me why you ruined my perfect den of awesomeness?

Ruby: No. Go away, Fang.

The spider sat down on the springy mattress and took a deep breath.

Fang (red spider): Ok, then... What's ailing you, kid?

Ruby: The world.

Fang: Yeah, I feel you. The world hates me a lot, too.

Ruby: That's because you're a spider. You're automatically loathed.

Fang: Yes, well... Enough about me. Why do you hate the world right now?

The red kangaroo sighed and picked up a pillow to hug. It was nice to talk about ones feelings to someone (even if it was a spider).

Ruby: My brothers, for one thing. I get that it's practically their job to annoy me, and I admittedly do it to them sometimes too, but... I wish they'd just leave me alone sometimes, y'know?

Fang nodded solemnly, and stared into her blue eyes with all the seriousness he could muster.

Fang: Oh, yes. I often wish they'd stop eating my leftover sandwiches from over the week! They have no idea how much hard work I put into hoarding those lunch scraps! It's ridiculous how inconsiderate those two boys are!

Ruby rolled her eyes and continued, ignoring Fang's comment.

Ruby: They just really frustrate me sometimes. Actually, a lot if I think about it.

Fang: At least they're not your sisters. Just imagine how horrific those two would look in dresses! It's enough to send shivers down my spine...

Ruby: You don't have a spine, moron!

Ruby chucked the pillow she had at Fang as hard as she could, but the red arachnid skillfully dodged it and scurried back to her side the next instant.

Fang: Anything else you want to declare besides my idiocy?

Ruby sighed again and hugged her knees, rocking back and forth as she let out the rest of her problems.

Ruby: I guess I'm just a little lonely as well. Ever since Pandora moved to Hushedloh, I've had to no one to hang out with! Well, no one that I particularly like, anyway.

Fang: What about Milky? Don't you like her anymore?

Ruby: Sure I do! But she's family, and I want someone outside the DeathDancer tree... That may or may not sound selfish, but that's how I feel.

The Vampire stopped rocking for a second to pick up an adventure book, and stared dully at the cover.

Ruby: I envy the characters in my books. They always seem to have brilliant adventures into the unknown with friends by their side, battling deadly beasts and outwitting stupid villains! (And sometimes rescuing the occasional royalty, but that's beside the point.) It would be so cool to have something like that happen in my life one day...

Fang thought for a moment and then jumped down from Ruby's bed and dashed into a nearby hole in the wall, disappearing from sight. Ruby gave a huff of annoyance and gazed off after him.

Ruby: Looks like he didn't understand what I was trying to get at... Oh well. That's what I get for talking about my feelings with a spider.

Ruby opened the book she was holding, and started reading it's contents, not knowing what her little pet spider was scheming until it was too late...

Fraener's Past #2 Life of the exiled Page1

*****

And so the Dragon madness returns! *Insert cheering and confetti throwing here* Hooray and stuff!

Ok, time to get some things straight (assuming you read the extra stuff)

1. This comic takes place about five years after the fight with Wayra

2. You'll be able to tell gender by the eyes, same as last time - girls have whites in their eyes, while boys don't

And in case anybody is wondering when to check my blog for posts, my update schedule will (theorectically) look like this :

Tuesday - Fraener's Past

Thursday - Undercover Vamparoo post

Saturday - Random picture

Everybody got that? Good. Then let the chaos begin!

Undercover Vamparoo's Anniversary #2

Wow. I've been doing this for two years now. Who'da thunk?

... Yeah. I got nothing cool to say. So I hope we continue this mad adventure of Vampire animals for another spectacular year!

Fang: What about me?

Hold your horses, Fraener. They'll know your life-story soon enough, so enjoy your days of secrecy while it lasts; and trust that they wont tell Ruby and the gang... Unless, of course, you don't want to go back to your friends and family.

Fang: ... Curse you.

That's the price of being one of my favorite characters in my entire Wacky World, mate. Deal with it.

B4 Ch8 Escape -part2

The whole place shook, and everyone really did cover their heads this time. The walls started to crack and the floor began to open up. Oceania looked about her in shock as the dungeons collapsed before her eyes.

Oceania: What's going on?

Sapphire: Currently your palace is being destroyed by an enraged baby Dragon. But we might be able to persuade him to stop if you do us a favor...

Oceania: And what would that be?

Sapphire: Release all of your slaves.

Oceania tried to give a laugh of defiance, and stubbornly folded her arms.

Oceania: And why would I do that?

Sapphire pretended to muse over it before answering.

Sapphire: Well... It's that, or your fancy house will get blown to smithereens, freeing all the prisoners anyway! I'd take the first offer, If I were you...

There was another explosion, making the ceiling above some of the cells fall down into a heap of stone. Sapphire drummed her fingers on her arm and calmly continued talking...

Sapphire: Tick tock, your majesty. Time is running out...

The queen still wouldn't answer, so Sapphire dug into her bag and started handing out the charms to the sailors.

Sapphire: And you guys, quit cowering and put these on.

Ruby: Why?

Sapphire: Trust me, you'll thank me later.

Ruby shrugged and put the glowing pearl necklace around her neck, as did all the other Vampires. Another rumble from somewhere else sounded, and Sapphire turned back to the queen in a much more deadly tone.

Sapphire: Well, your majesty? Have you decided yet? Or will the Dragon up there make that choice for you?

The ceiling above them started to crumble a bit, making the queen throw her arms up in surrender and practically yell her agreement.

Oceania: Fine! You can all leave, if that's what you so desperately want! Just don't destroy my house!

Sapphire: May I have that in writing?

Oceania: JUST GO!

The remaining guards moved out of the way, letting Sapphire and the others past without difficulty through the wrecked hallway. Sapphire proudly held her head up as she led the way back out into the brighter world.

Ruby: ... That actually worked.

Sapphire: Don't get out the victory soda just yet, mate. I bet any second now she's going to send out her sea dogs to recapture us... so let's get out of here before we do any celebrating!

They found their way out of the dungeons and into the palace. From there, Sapphire guided them out to the open oceans, just as some more of the palace fell behind them.

Sapphire: We're almost out, guys! But now time to shift to high gear, things are going to get serious.

Sapphire darted forward, indicating the others to hurry up and follow her. They all tried to keep up with her, when they began to notice an odd whistling sound. Sapphire's ears perked up, and she tried to keep back a disgusted sigh.

Sapphire: ... I do believe that would be them. BARAK!

A blur of green flashed before their eyes, and something crashed into the sand, sending up a cloud.

Barak: Yes, Sapphire?

Sapphire: Do us a favor and keep the sea army busy for us, could you?

Barak: How?

Sapphire: Stop them from getting near us. Oh, and make sure there's no palace left by the time we reach the boat!

Barak: But didn't Hydra say not to-

Sapphire: I don't care what Hydra said! She can do things her way when were gone, but until then she's going to have to put up with the 'violence' methods we use. Blow the place sky-high!

Barak hesitated a little before going back to finish the job. Sapphire rolled her eyes and ran to the head of the group and started yelling at the others in hopes that this would speed things up a little.

Sapphire: What are you guys doing? This isn't a sunny day at the park! HURRY UP, we've got some escaping to do!

Cole suddenly came up to her, and raised his hand slightly, indicating that he had something to ask.

Cole: Um... Am I allowed to ask you something, Sapphire?

Sapphire: Of course not. Save all questions till after our happy end on board the Lucky SaltyCaramel 2.0, and no sooner! Now MOVE!

Sapphire gave the prince a shove forward, when suddenly they heard a cracking sound.

Misae: ... What was that?

Sapphire: Keep moving, your highness.

Sapphire continued to push Cole when the other charm he was wearing shattered into millions of pieces. Sapphire didn't look back, but assumed by the sound of  cracking crystals that the other amulets were also exploding. Sapphire gave Cole another shove when Ruby caught her arm and pulled her alongside.

Ruby: Could you at least tell us where we're going?  Who knows, we might just get there faster if we knew where to swim!

Sapphire sighed and pointed towards the direction of the S.A.L.T headquarters.

Sapphire: You see those rocky cliffs? Around there should be our ride out of here!

Ruby: Define ride, please.

Sapphire: A leaky ship with horrible repairs, probably going to sink within the first five minutes of sailing.

Ruby: We're all going to die...

Sapphire pretended to ignore that and continued to yell at everyone else to move faster. When they got to the ship graveyard, Hydra was seen waiting for them on a nearby ledge. She seemed surprised that they were all here, and in one piece!

Hydra: It appears you've made it here after all.

Sapphire: Were you expecting otherwise?

Ruby: Who's your friend, Sapphire?

Sapphire: Hydra. Now, everybody onto the ship if you value your freedom!

The all the Vampires swam up to the deck and waited further instructions from Sapphire. But when Sapphire gave the signal for Hydra to lift off, the dragon didn't seem to see.

Sapphire: Hydra, what are you waiting for?

Hydra: Barak! Where is he?

Sapphire: Finishing the job.

Hydra: I thought we agreed to leave Oceania's palace standing!

Sapphire: No, you and Silver agreed. Me and Barak said nothing about not taking revenge on that brat of a queen!

Hydra: Your kind thinks too much of vengeance and payback! What do you hope to achieve by doing this?

Sapphire: The satisfaction of knowing our enemy will be unhappy.

Hydra gave a disgusted growl and started swimming towards the palace. Sapphire called out to the ancient Dragon, hoping to get her to see to reason.

Sapphire: Where do you think you're going?

Hydra: To get Barak. I'm not leaving here without him!

Sapphire: Are you mad? We need to go right now!

Hydra: I can't leave the future Dragon King behind!

Sapphire: You're being unreasonable! He can easily catch up to us in a matter of minutes! It's almost impossible to 'leave him behind'!

Hydra angrily turned around to face Sapphire, not caring that she accidentally knocked over a statue while doing so.

Hydra: What if he gets hurt trying to demolish Oceania's palace?

Sapphire: He wont. He's tough.

Hydra: He's a baby!

Sapphire: So? He can look after himself just fine without an adult watching him! Now forget about him and get us to safety!

Hydra was about to go off anyway when they both saw Barak speeding towards them, firing a blast behind him as he went. He called out to them...

Barak: What are you guys waiting for? Why haven't you escaped yet? The queen's army is almost here!

Sapphire: Apparently we couldn't leave you behind for whatever reason... But you're here now, so I don't have a clue why we are still!

Hydra: Neither do I. Let's go!

Hydra grabbed hold of the bottom of the ship and started to lift slowly towards the oceans surface, while Barak tried to keep the oncoming army at bay by firing blasts of fire and plasma alike everywhere, but soon decided it was better to help Hydra get the boat topside. The two dragons carefully lifted the shipwreck higher and higher, while the army of sea creatures tried in vainly to stop them.

Sapphire: We're almost through! BRACE FOR IMPACT!

The ship burst through the salty waves of the sea and into bright sunshine. Almost immediately Hydra began to propel the ship forward at a decent speed, and everyone gave a sigh of relief. They had escaped successfully!

*****

Now that they were all safe, the Vampire sailors relaxed as Hydra carried their boat delicately across the rough oceans, while Sapphire and Ruby checked that all the crew members were ok. Barak was scouting ahead to find a nearby island where they patch up their leaky ship and stock up on food.

After a while, Sapphire found her cousin leaning on the wet, slightly rotten banister of the upper deck. She knew something was bothering Ruby, and wanted to know what. So Sapphire moved towards her, trying to act natural and made an attempt at striking up a conversation.

Sapphire: So... That all happened.

Ruby grunted in agreement, and refused to say more. Sapphire tried again, this time with a little more enthusiasm.

Sapphire: I'll admit, it could've have gone better. But personally, I'm pleased with the result we got!

Ruby: Of course you are...

Sapphire got tired of trying to edge her way to the problem, and decided to get to the point.

Sapphire: Ok, what are you so sour about? Care to enlighten me, or are you going to continue being a grump?

Ruby shot a glare at the blue kangaroo and almost exploded with rage.

Ruby: What am I-... I was worried about you, Sapphire! And what you did to get us out of there was stupidly risky!

Sapphire: How? That so called 'queen' wasn't much of a threat. I mean, sure, she had an army at her disposal, but-... Ok. I can see your point. There was a lot of danger in that. But the important thing is that we all made it out intact! What more do you want, Prince Charming?

 Ruby: Nothing. But what if we didn't get out of there?

Sapphire: We did.

Ruby: What if it went horribly wrong? Where would we be then?

Sapphire sighed in annoyance, but did understand why Ruby was acting this way. After a few minutes of fidgeting, Sapphire finally had to say something to her cousin.

Sapphire: I didn't intend for you to get upset. I'm just-... *sigh*... Ruby?

Ruby: Yes?

Sapphire took a deep, slow breath and faced Ruby with serious eyes.

Sapphire: ... Where the heck is Midnight?

The was a odd silence as the two cousins looked at each other, and it began to dawn on them that they had left one of their own behind.

Ruby:  Ah... We must've forgotten him...

They continued to stay quiet for a few seconds before Sapphire broke the silence.

Sapphire: So... should we go back, or what?

Ruby thought for a moment before smiling slyly at Sapphire.

Ruby: Mm... Let's wait a few more minutes before we send Barak to retrieve him.

Sapphire: Ok. I can deal with that.

********** 

 And that would (finally) be the end of the Lost Ocean Arch!

Ok, that wasn't what I originally planned, but good enough I suppose. (And just to let you in, I did kinda forget about Midnight when I was typing this, so... yeah. A little bit of a funny true story)

Hmm... You might be thinking "Where do we stand?", now that this adventure is messily wrapped up? Well, you probably forgot that I'm intending to re-write Undercover Vamparoo to be... um... not better, but what I want it to look like (for I am planning to either turn the adventures of Ruby the Vampire into a book or a comic once I've figured everything out, so think of this blog as a stepping stone), and the first try was less than brilliant to say the least.

And I believe myself to be almost ready to start updating Fraener's Past again very soon, so... Yay!

... That's it. You may leave now. Go on, shoo! You must have better things to do now that you've finished reading!

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