Category: illustrations

Trolls and Sorcery

(More illustrations in the post)

I’ve created four more NFTs over at paras.id, and written two fresh new stories.

One is based on three troll illustrations created for this blog earlier, adapted to the Paras format and retouched quite a bit before being minted. The story is based on the three earlier stories, taking and adding quite a bit, making it a totally new fictionspawn folklore tale.

The second story is based on a new illustration (the featured one), and is called Unfolded Sorcery. It’s a story about the volatility of life.

The illustrations, links to the stories and more information can be found in the post.

Crypto Art and Stories

(More illustrations in the post)

I’m sorry I haven’t been publishing here lately, I’ve been too busy moving house and… (tataraaaa) making crypto art! I was invited to publish over at Paras.id, a crypto art collectible card platform where you can sell unique copies of your artwork. Amazing stuff, new and refreshing.

So far I’ve published four cards, two of them with a fresh new story (which, avoiding cross posting I’m only publishing over there).

Here are the images, the first two some of you might remember from before, they are old illustrations retouched and adapted for the Paras format of 64×89.

The second two (they’re not actually published in this order, but to make things easier) are brand new, original illustrations with two new stories I published in the publication-section on the site.

The first one is a story of a magic forest, where a glow beast is being born, or rather created. It glows so strong, the forest is set on fire. It flies up towards the sky while Skyward and Root, two little creatures of the woods, runs for their lives.

It’s called Clearing of New Beginnings, or Birth of the Glow Beast which is the card’s name, and can be read here.

The second one… (more)

Carried Away

The shop had all kinds of things. Toys, tools, jugs and mugs. Masks from far away, colourful clothes, gadgets of all sorts.

There, behind a basket full of cones and torches, something caught Ild’s attention. Two strange sticks with a little ball on the end of each one. The little balls emitted a green light.

The shop keeper looked at him with interest him as he walked closer.

-I see they have chosen you,

He had only one eye and a big scar across his face. He lacked several teeth as well, probably for other reasons. He grinned, but it was no friendly grin.

-Excuse me?

-They’ve found you.

-Wouldn’t that be rather I’ve found them?

-Whatever you say, the shop keeper said. -They’re yours, no charge.

He didn’t look like the kind of man who would give away things for free.

-What are they for? Ild sent him a sceptical glare.

-They summon things, finds things. Leads the way.

There was a long silence. Ild was about to speak to break the tension, when the man continued in a sudden, fierce tone.

-Take them! Get out of here!

Ild grabbed the sticks, looking confused at the man behind the desk. This was all very strange, but he was intrigued by the two sticks, the strange words, even the way the shop keeper acted.

-Er… Thank you.

The shop keeper laughed when he walked out of the alley. He could hear his laughter stronger and stronger as he walked down the road, as if it was following him.

He got home, looking at his new, glowing sticks. He liked them a lot. He waved them around a bit in the semi darkness, making lines and circles.

A greenish cloud appeared, shining, like northern lights, like stars. There was a face, first diffuse, unclear. Then solid, still floating.

-Come with me.

-W…Where to?

-To the lost city of balloons and wonders.To the city of Tor’ar.

They walked. They walked for a long time, up in the mountains, between high walls. They walked on paths no one had walked in a long time, paths long forgotten.

Balloons could be seen in the skies. A valley appeared, deep like an abyss, rocky, infertile.

-Here we are.

The other side was far away, the abyss was deep and wide. Ild sat down to rest. The hologram kept staring at the other side, waiting. Ild fell asleep.

He woke up by the sound of metal hitting rock. An anchor had touched the ground in front of him.

-Hop on! We don’t have all day!

A balloon was waiting for them. The driver had a vest on, and short pants. His one eye was sparkling a glow Ild knew from before. A scar across his face. (more)

Romance

-Come on!

-Where are we going?

-You’ll soon find out.

-Woooowww…. It’s amazing.

-I told you! He smiled a big smile.

They could see everything from up here. A thin sickle of a moon lit up as if it was full, gave the landscape a magical shine

-Oh, Tim… It’s just so…

He took her in his arms, turned her around. His gaze sunk into her eyes, deeper then any man had ever seen.

-Only the best… He kissed her. Around them the bats flew on their hunt for bugs, the crickets sang their song.

-What’s that…?

She turned around, adjusted her eyes to the dark distance.

He moved her hair a bit to one side, exposed her neck. Opened his mouth wide.

She took a step down the path. -Look! There’s cabin down there! Let’s go!

She grabbed his hand, ran down the slope.

The cabin could hardly be seen in the dense vegetation. It was old and worn, almost falling down.

-What are you…?

-Come on! It will be fun!

She broke a window, went in.

-I’m not really sure about this… He had lived long enough to know what kind of things that could lurk in these kinds of places. -I’m not sure if….

She was already inside. His veins was screaming of hunger. He followed.

The place smelled of rot and horrors. It was dark, even his eyes had a hard time seeing anything.

-Here I am, she said with a soft voice. He turned around. She lit a candle. Her naked body looked fantastic in the flickering light. He even considered turning her for a moment, but he wasn’t ready for that kind of responsibility. She held her hands out. Finally it was time to eat.

-Aaaaaahhh!! Melanie’s scream made the walls shiver. A dead man was lying on the bed… (more)

Thicker Than Blood

This was where they had met, a cold winter night. It had been lying there with the others, another log in the stack. He had gotten it out, put it up on the chopping block. Grabbed his axe, lifted it high. The log spoke.

“What are you doing!?”

Gerald jumped back. Held his hand to the wall, catching his breath. The other hand tightened around the shaft. Was he going crazy?  Either that, or something fishy was going on.

“You… speak?” Gerald couldn’t believe what he saw and heard. “Logs don’t…”

“Yeah, I know. We don’t. But still, here we are talking, aren’t we?”

Gerald couldn’t argue with that.

They chatted for a while. The log told Gerald about his former life as a tree, and how he had ended up where he was. He asked a lot of questions, and seemed genuinely interested in Gerald’s life, his childhood, his marriage. Gerald told his story, and it felt good to finally have someone to really talk to again.

He took it in, cared for it. They became good friends, they were happy together. The log was a great pal, they had many laughs, so much fun.

His wife didn’t understand. She never saw the log speak, somehow it just kept quiet when she was around. She hated it.  She hated how her husband spent long afternoons in the sitting room talking to the stupid log. She hated the log.

The log was worried.

“She doesn’t like me, does she?” it would ask, looking out of the window. “I don’t see why? I never done anything to her.”

Gerald would try to make him feel better. “Maybe that’s the problem,” he would say. “She doesn’t even think you’re alive. Why don’t you speak to her?”

The log went silent.

Gerald spent more and more time with the log. Who would ever have guessed a log would have so much humour, be so smart? He knew things Gerald had never imagined.

He took the log on long walks. They went fishing together. It was driving his wife crazy.

One day she gave him an ultimatum.

“It’s either the log or me! Get rid of it! Chop it up and burn it, or I will!”

So here they were. He put the log on the chopping block, facing away. He couldn’t look it in the eyes.

“What are you doing, man? Why are we here?”

“I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry…” Gerald couldn’t hold the tears back.

“It’s her, isn’t it? She told you to do this! Can’t you see? She’s manipulating you!”

Gerald grabbed his axe with a shaking hand… (more)