I want to change the world I won’t hesitate again. If I can shape a future with you, then I can fly anywhere.
Gladiator’s Fifth Anniversary
And so, we reach the final artwork. God, all this was so much work…
I really wanted these to be some of the best weeks of the year for me, regrettably I bumped into a few problems that didn’t thrill me so much. Granted that the work itself was its own reward in many ways but I still had hoped these would become some of my most popular artworks, considering how much I’ve improved. But alas, I know how much better I’ve gotten and I know several of you appreciate that, too, so that knowledge will have to please me for now.
I’m very grateful to everyone who supported me through the anniversary, both with moral support and with likes or reblogs. I had several low points here, but I’m hoping things will start to look less bleak in the near future.
The song chosen this time is one of my childhood openings, one I hadn’t revisited in forever. Going by the direction the story takes once Part 1 wraps up, it felt like a great song to embody the feeling of heading into Part 2 with these two in the best place they had ever been in. The relationship between them was complicated and turbulent, but once they found their way there was just no stopping them.
This artwork features what I’d consider the core cast of Gladiator, though of course, Azula and Sokka are the central characters through and through. For the first time I’ve featured Aang, Katara and Kino in the Fifth Anniversary artworks (I kinda felt I owed it to them, poor kids were left on the sidelines xD), the rest of the group should be apparent (from the top, clockwise: Katara, Kino, Zuko, Suki, Ty Lee, Mai, Haru, Rui Shi, Song, Aang and Toph). It should be great to one day bring as many of these characters together as I can (I’m not going to promise anything… some characters may need to evolve in different directions than others, sadly), but for now, we have an artwork to fulfill that wish. So yep, this is just a Part 1 closure artwork, giving Azula and Sokka a nice send off into their happy, bright future together.
If I find it in me to bring out the willpower I’m not sure I have, I may just rehash this event, with Part 2 arcs, on the Sixth Anniversary. I do need a good recovery period, though: three art softwares later and a few too many hand pains, I’m not exactly feeling like working this much again xD but at least this was what a Fifth Anniversary deserved, as far as I can tell.
A lot of crazy things are coming our way in this story, as anyone who’s kept up would know. There’s plenty of strife and struggle, but for now… there are a lot more good times to come than bad. I am hoping that by this time next year we’ll at least be wrapping up Part 2… naturally, I can’t promise as much, but I certainly do hope so, seeing as I’ve increased the update and writing rate.
I do hope you enjoyed the art onslaught. Despite the bad times I’ve had to endure once in a while, I really have enjoyed these five years as best as I could. I’ve learned a lot, I’ve changed a lot, and while there’s much more for me to learn, I’m hoping I’ll continue to do so in however many more years Gladiator has left ahead of itself.
Thanks to everyone who has stuck around for that long, so sorry for the disappointment to everyone who has jumped off this ride for whatever reasons they did, and thanks again to those who are new but eager to enjoy it. I hope Gladiator has meant something to you guys, for it has meant so much to me. Knowing it matters to anyone is enough to put a smile on my face, guaranteed. And… I guess all that is left for me to say is happy birthday to my fickle, beloved child-fic. My life would certainly be a lot lousier if it weren’t for Gladiator.
Countdown: 2 days to Gladiator’s Fifth Anniversary
As I mentioned, there had to be two different artworks for these two arcs even if they’re well tied together. But there was just so much to add that… yep. It only made sense this way.
The song I linked this time basically inspired the dance scene… which, if you watched the Lake House, should be easy to understand. Of course, Sokka and Azula can’t behave themselves as I write them, so what should have been a solemn kind of dance became a completely ridiculous one instead where neither one could stop laughing :’D still, the scene is as they’re gazing at each other, in their ship-typical almost-kiss (seriously, I’ve never seen a ship with more almost-kisses than this one and that’s saying something!).
This is also another thematic kind of artwork, rather than an overlap of scenes. Toph’s got her back towards the making-out Zuki because she’s got to look ominous, considering she caused Zuko to talk to his father (and we all know how that turned out). Ozai’s first appearance in these artworks isn’t exactly mindblowing… but welp, I hadn’t found another arc where he worked, so here we go. With a smug smile because all is going according to keikaku.
Iroh at the corner seems to be a little bothered by something, I guess? It’s meant to be more of a portrayal of his reaction to Azula’s ceremony (yes, it’s from the other artwork, but what can I tell ya…), which is where he started to feel uneasy about his niece all over again. And of course, Zhao had to be here… with his psycho smirk. If you’re confused about what’s going on with Zhao in the story, don’t worry, so am I! For a bland and cardboard villain, this guy can certainly be more complex than that if you try a little harder. I know he’s currently being glared at because of how observant he’s being… I suppose he deserves that, huh?
At any rate… you all know what’s coming tomorrow, don’t you? :’D
Countdown: 3 days to Gladiator’s Fifth Anniversary
When it came to the Slate, I actually had no song in mind. I confess… I mostly wrote it listening to Two Steps From Hell, and of course, they don’t usually do songs with lyrics so I had to go browse my music library. After a few rounds here and there, I figure this is the best fit.
While I could have split the Slate with the Festivals/Ball, I couldn’t bring myself to do it when it really came down to it. Making a full one for the Slate was only right and fair, as it’s one of Sokka’s biggest challenges and achievements to date.
Of course, I did not feel confident enough to pull off the platform properly, so I settled for… the bars, really. Sorry to disappoint. But hey, you guys get to see the Millennium Dragon now! His body looks weird-ish but I kinda like how his face turned out. As for Sokka… I’m really enjoying all these angry action Sokkas. Can’t lie, they make me a happy fangirl. It’s so much fun to draw him like that. And this time he gets to wield Wolf’s Bane, another must because this is the fight where its skills with firebending were discovered.
Ceremony Azula was a lot of fun too. Finally I’ve drawn her bending her gold fire, though admittedly making her bend blue and gold simultaneously is just an artistic liberty, as she can’t really do both at the same time. But you guys know that, just as you also know I just had to make her look as graceful as I could :’D I’m pleased enough with how she turned out.
Zuko and Suki’s intense heart-to-heart was nice to draw too, I particularly like how Suki turned out in this one. After all these years I finally feel like I’m doing the girl some justice! But I also… am really proud of Mai and Ty Lee here. I feel like I’ve made them look enough like themselves, while giving them what was needed so they’d look more aged up… and heh, Ty Lee’s hands. I… had never drawn someone in that position before. I am patting myself in the back for it, sorry not sorry.
There’s still three more artworks to go, so wait for ‘em!
Countdown: 6 days until Gladiator’s Fifth Anniversary
And things begin to look nicer for our two main leads once we reach the Emerald Rockman and the White Lotus Attack arcs! This artwork’s a bit crazy, blending multiple scenes this way, but I hope it works for you guys anyhow.
The song I chose really feels like the perfect song for Sokka at this point in his life. The determination to succeed and find his path, the hesitation when his reality seems to crumble apart around him, and the urge to protect that which he loves… that last thing is the reason why I decided to finish the artwork with that scene at the bottom. As some of you may recall, that’s when Sokka finally comes to terms with how he feels, which was a HUGE step forward in our slow burn affair xD
I’m rather proud of how Haru’s crystal/glassbending looks. I’ve always thought it’s interesting how there was crystal bending in the show, but no one ever went in depth with it over there. Because of that I figured it’d be fun to give Haru an extra ability, one he hadn’t demonstrated in the show but that the show itself had demonstrated as a possibility. I figured Haru has been fighting as a gladiator for quite a long time, and all those battles in sand rings allowed him to develop crystal/glassbending little by little. But, as we know, his lack of subtlety in most other regards got him into trouble with his old sponsor anyhow. Safe to say he’s better off now with someone who likes him just as he is.
Zuko and Suki were a must here, too. Their first proper encounter happened in this arc, subtle as it was. As they’re a prominent subplot throughout Part 1, they deserved their spotlight.
But the main fun thing I decided to do was have several scenes interacting with each other… which is, Azula’s last gambit when fighting the White Lotus mixed with Sokka fighting in the Royal Dome. Their lighting rod attack thing has always been a fun skill I’ve wanted to use more often in the story, and who knows, maybe I’ll get to use it again sometime :’D but as it’s something they discovered/developed in the White Lotus Attack arc, it had to be in here. It just had to! xD
Keep an eye out for the next one tomorrow! 😀 I really love that one…
Countdown: 9 days to Gladiator’s Fifth Anniversary
Of all the things I’d always wanted to do but never felt confident enough to pull off, I finally decided to take the plunge with this one.
Finally, the insanely long project is revealed now! And the project was, in fact, an attempt at designing poster-like artworks for Gladiator’s main arcs. Not everything is directly based on scenes in the story, but most of them will be!
This artwork in particular is more of a basic concept for the 22 chapters that comprise the very first story arc, which goes by the very creative name of Introductory Arc. I’d hope the composition speaks for itself, but if not, the main idea was to show the way their relationship worked at those early stages. When faced with a thousand foes, they teamed up to fight them but while keeping an eye on each other because they couldn’t quite trust one another at the time. The people behind them are all either featured or referenced throughout the arc: Zuko and Toph may be the only ones you can see properly, but the full list of characters back there included Piandao, Xin Fu, Smellerbee and even the Dart Slayer.
The song I linked above is the one I associate with this arc the most. It embodies something essential to Sokka and Azula’s relationship in Gladiator, namely the idea that they started to truly live their lives once they met each other and, in time, joined forces. I’ve always loved that song, and I’ve always thought it’s a great fit, especially for how Sokka feels throughout the Introductory Arc.
And here we are! Another March 26th, another of Gladiator’s anniversaries has come. What a Fourth Anniversary it has been, eh? Thanks to every last one of you for your support through these years, and through this week too as I posted the collection of fanarts seen above!
Under the cut, one of my long-winded ramblings, this time about the story that has changed my life beyond belief.
Fanwright 