Age of Defiance Halloween Special 2023

If the eyes are the window to the soul, then what has happened to theirs?

I decided to do my own thing for Halloween and experiment with some new mediums I hadn't tried before. Most of the artwork I do starts with a raw pencil sketch or a ink drawing then is refined and colorized digitally either in BlackInk, Inkscape, or Realistic Paint Studio. Some are older drawings dating all the way back to high school colored with gel pen or color pencil. At the local art store I spotted some of these little kits on markdown for Faber-Castell gelatos. (No not ice cream). They look like chap sticks and are filled with solid pigment and come in a variety of interesting colors. They can be used and blended in different ways, and can produce some interesting effects-just add water! I experimented with some in a drawing for a friend and wanted to try something more complex so I bought additional colors.
Living in a small apartment with four cats makes using wet media a bit of an issue, especially when cats are goobers and try to sit on your artwork. This would be the first time I'd used wet media in literally years. I did some test swatches in a smaller sketchbook using cold-pressed cotton fiber paper with deckled edges. Instead of just doing these drawings digitally, I'd do them as watercolors.

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Onyxia, Quality Assurance Cat by Mardrena

She deep breathes louder...

Everyone knows the guys: righteous, handsome warriors, super cute defenders of humanity. In Age of Defiance they've each had to face a different, sometimes darker side of themselves, and the definition of humanity is often challenged.

Ur-Rowen

(See Totalitary) (Colors Used: Gold Champagne, Black Licorice, Blueberry, Cotton Candy, Boysenberry, Metallic Blueberry, Snow Cone, Silver Ice, Peach, Satellite. Gel pen: Pentel Milky Pop Blue, Pentel Metallic Gold, Pentel Sparkle Pop Gold, Sakura Jelly Roll Moonlight Green.)
Full Watercolor Version

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Ur-Rowen Watercolor by Mardrena

Watercolor made with Faber-Castell Gelatos. Cotton-fiber paper.

The first of the monsterized guys introduced chronologically, though not technically encountered, Cye comes face-to-face with this corrupted version of his friend in Foes From Another World Ch. 1 "The Last Ronin Warrior". After a chaotic battle Cye awakens to find himself in a ruined city overrun by a mysterious enemy. In his quest for answers and retribution, he enters the Enemy stronghold and confronts the former Warrior of Air-revealed to be a new agent of the Enemy. Eventually Cye awakens to find it was all just a dream, albeit a portentous one. While he describes the prophesized Enemy to the others, he can't bring himself to divulge what happened to Rowen, fearing it would damage the others' trust in him or unintentionally drive him to the Dark Side.
Recently in Spacequake with the arrival of the Four Queens, Cye realized his vision was created by the goddess Roth. As much as he tried to dismiss it as a fabrication, the arrival of Trakar and the introduction of the Reptilloids as the Third Ally calls into question everything Cye thought he knew: is this vision a prophecy or simply a possible fate? How much does Roth really know? Is this tragic future doomed to come to pass regardless of any intervention? It is a daily gnawing fear of his: if he tells Rowen what he saw that it would hasten this doom, driving him into despair. Rowen is considered the most level-headed of the team, but as Trakar has stated, the Totalitary are known to seduce clever individuals to their side.

Ur-Rowen Story Excerpt by Mardrena

Demon Ryo

(Colors Used: Blood-Orange, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Lemon, Mango, Black Licorice, Red Cherry, Orange Soda, Supernova. Gel pen: Pentel Metallic Silver)
Full Watercolor Version

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Demon Ryo Watercolor by Mardrena

Watercolor made with Faber-Castell Gelatos. Cotton-fiber paper.

In Foes From Another World Ch. 19 "Demon Ryo" the overly-ambitious sorcerer Marcar infects the Armor of Wildfire with a fire demon, resulting in the emergence of a creature more vice than Virtue. Assuming the demon will obey his every whim, Marcar does not live to regret or reflect on his hubris as the demon promptly rebels, using the augmented Armor of Wildfire to effortlessly incinerate its former master. Now free of any control, the possessed Ronin Leader resists efforts to capture or exorcise him before ultimately being purged through use of its True Name and creative application of liquid nitrogen.
When trying to reason with a deranged Sage, Ryo admits that a part of him liked being a demon and the freedom it afforded. The fire demon returns some time later in Fight Alone, attempting to fully merge with Ryo. Tempting him with promises of power, it takes all of Ryo's will to resist and ultimately reject the demon, with it promising to return someday and make Ryo an offer he cannot refuse. While in demon form, Ryo lets go all inhibition, his passions unchained. Tanya refers to this persona as "Demon Ryo", and although the demon tried to attack civilians while under Marcar's command, after the sorcerer's demise the demon actually goes out of its way to avoid inflicting casualties. He's not evil...just an asshole.

Demon Ryo Story Excerpt by Mardrena

Avatar Kento

(See Kento's Avatar Form) (Colors Used: Earl Grey, Coconut, Black Licorice, Fig, Banana, Caramel, Mango, Elderberry)
Full Watercolor Version

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Avatar Kento Watercolor by Mardrena

Watercolor made with Faber-Castell Gelatos. Cotton-fiber paper.

You wouldn't like him when he's hungry. First appearing in a feral state in Foes From Another World Ch. 27 "Emdourachil", Kento suffers the side effects of one of Mal Daggur's failed schemes. Subsequent circumstances would result in his body being irreparably altered, gaining the ability to transform into a stronger, savage form in the heat of battle. Initially frightened at this new power, he eventually overcomes his fear to save his friends, going toe to toe with the Thunthen supreme commander and literally punching his teeth out. This earned him the recognition of being the only human to not only survive battle with Mal Daggur, but defeat him, a feat not even Danae's father Ander Vai Stel Vethu could achieve. Mal Daggur's defeat at Kento's hands ultimately resulted in his war campaign grinding to a screeching halt.
During Cataclysm War, the Warrior of Earth would find his humanity challenged against the ruthless Menagerie leader Beastlord. The demonic feline nearly succeeded in drawing Kento under his sway until Kento remembered the bond with his friends and his true love for Ryo's sister, Tanya. When the Ronin ventured into Gurvangoth to defeat Beastlord once and for all, Kento faced the leonine titan one-on-one, evenly matched until Beastlord resorts to using his tail-stinger to swing the fight in his favor. Beastlord is ultimately slain and peace finally brought to the shattered realm. While he still hopes he can one day be cured of his Avatar, Kento has reconciled with his Inner Self and made peace with his beast.

Avatar Kento Story excerpt by Mardrena

Redal Sage

(Colors Used: Blueberry, Cotton Candy, Snow Cone, Coconut, Kiwi, Lime, Earl Grey, Black Licorice, Butter Cream, Citrine, Gold Champagne. Gel pen: Sakura Jelly Roll White, Moonlight Blue, Pentel Milky Pop Blue.)
Full Watercolor Version

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Redal Sage Watercolor by Mardrena

Watercolor made with Faber-Castell Gelatos. Cotton-fiber paper.

Considered the gentleman of the team and teased as being the "pretty boy", Sage finds himself the target of another of Mal Daggur's plots in Fight Alone Ch. 8 "Demon Sage" when he is subjected to a horrific procedure known as "genetic reconstruction". A helpless captive of the Thunthen supreme commander, his blood is torn from his body and his flesh defiled through profane science, his physical humanity stripped leaving behind a crazed beast. The procedure caused an eruption of long-suppressed rage and he lashed out at his friends, resisting attempts to talk him down. Shannon managed to get through to him and he was eventually restored to being fully human, but the ordeal haunted him ever after, seemingly driving him to attempt suicide at the onset of the Cataclysm.
While not yet confirmed, it is implied that the target DNA Mal Daggur used was that of a Redal, an intelligent species known to the Thunthen. Tar Uhnin notes that Mal Daggur had "been to the Redali System recently" while monitoring Sage's restoration process. Sometime later while interrogating Demon Ryo, Tar describes a Redal as being an "organic-energy being capable of converting between light and solid states at will". During Cataclysm War, Captain Caroline Wendell states Redals look like "lightning vampires" with translucent white-gold skin and glowing veins, capable of shifting into ionic surges. Even though they are a space-faring race and humanoid, the traumatic nature of genetic reconstruction has devastating effects on a victim's psyche. Redals have yet to be formally introduced to the Ronin, so how Sage would react to seeing one in person remains unknown.

Redal Sage Story Excerpt by Mardrena

Cyebrid

(Colors Used: Peach, Chocolate, Caramel, Snow Cone, Black Licorice, Banana, Pistachio, Blood Orange, Cinnamon. Gel pen: Sakura Jelly Roll White.)
Full Watercolor Version

Cyebrid Watercolor by Mardrena

Despite undergoing much more drastic anatomical changes, Cye is actually pretty chill about his monster form, in stark contrast to Kento or Sage. This is in large part due to his inherently polite nature and the alien consciousness inhabiting his body being the very intelligent kind as opposed to the face-eating cosmic-horror variety. Appearing only recently in Spacequake Ch. 10 "Confluence", an explorer stranded on Earth enlists aid from the Warrior of Water to reclaim his captive body from the mad scientist harvesting it for nefarious purposes. Kento dubs him "Cyebrid" due to the alien consciousness stating it requires a willing host in order to manifest in a hybrid state.
In the final showdown, and apparently with Cye's consent, the alien is able to use the Armor of Torrent to put an end to the murderous mad scientist once and for all, seemingly demonstrating that even an inhuman being is capable of exhibiting human qualities. Before regaining his original body and departing, the alien provides Ryo with very interesting information concerning the Totalitary, the destroyed Traghdoash, and the true nature of Thanged's Four Queens. While he seems familiar with the major superpowers of Thuruk, his own species remains unnamed and is not mentioned as being an Ally race in any prophecies pertaining to the End Tide. Why is not yet known, and whether this particular entity will return remains yet to be seen.

Cyebrid Story Excerpt by Mardrena

Thoughts on Gelatos

I like them. They're adorable and I like the range of colors but also the versatility. As I've stated it's somewhat prohibitive to have a full palette of paints on the desk with rambunctious cats, and these compact little sticks would allow me to do watercolor on the go. Yes I know there are watercolor pencils too, but I've got colored pencils out the wazoo tbh. I hope to do additional pieces with them to add to existing articles or upcoming entries.
Here's all five guys in full monster form. You'd think they'd start breaking out singing "Everybody!"...
Happy Halloween!!

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Monsterized Guys by Mardrena

Made with Faber-Castell Pitt markers and gel pen. Clockwise: Ur-Rowen, Redal Sage, Demon Ryo, Avatar Kento, Cyebrid.