mattlaraart:“We live, we fight!To death, to death!We who guard and roam these lands,Who come from sh
mattlaraart:“We live, we fight!To death, to death!We who guard and roam these lands,Who come from shores eternal, Widen your gaze, stamp your feet,Beat your chest and cry once more!We live, we fight!To death, to death!”Preliminary character work and study for a bigger project. Been wanting to do more designs/stories that subvert standard fantasy tropes and ideas. As an Asian American and Pacific Islander (Hawaiian), I felt like PI and Polynesians need more representation in fantasy. I looked at Maori (Aotearoa/New Zealand) people for inspiration in this design, the Ka Mate Haka war dance as a particular point of interest. Elves are a fantasy standard, always described as wise, regal, lithe and elegant. But as frequent as this group appears in stories, the variation in character is often limited to fair skin and variations of Eurocentric features. I like the idea that the Elves of this world are very different; brown skin, black hair, broad noses, wide shoulders, etc. They’re also not ones to shy-away from battle, unlike their counterparts who often choose to avoid conflicts when possible. Chanting ancient war cries and wearing fierce expressions during battle, these people are every bit as powerful warriors as they are noble, wise and compassionate. -- source link
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