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~bellechevalier:iconbellechevalier:

the Chevalier Fortune  

  • Status: Member
  • Comic Artist
  • Female/United States
  • Offline for 8h 5m 16s
  • Deviant since Sep 14, 2006, 8:54 AM
  • 70 Deviations
  • 20 Scraps [browse]
  • 825 Deviation Comments
  • 99 Deviant Comments
  • 3,834 Pageviews

discord in the garden tonight

Journal Entry: Mon Feb 25, 2008, 7:51 PM
Still not dead.

I've been trying to settle into my new life. It's been a bit bumpier than expected; I lived with my family for more or less 23 years, and extricating myself suddenly to plunge into the society of strangers (for the most part) hasn't been the most comfortable experience. I'm doing fine: I have a pair of rather spiffy roommates, a good starter job, and my best friend is currently living in the area. Plus, the family only lives half a state away . . . I don't have a car, but I'm sure to see them frequently enough. But still.

However! Now that I have Photoshop again (purchased with my own hard-earned money, by gods, only with a significant discount courtesy of my workplace), I hope to find myself more inspired. (Having a potential audience does help, I confess!) I haven't been drawing all that much, and struggling with what I have been doing, but things can only improve. Much like the weather. ^^;

Meanwhile, I haven't forgotten that meme I posted . . . months ago, eep. The terms of this one call only for links, not comments, so I hope you'll forgive me, loves. (As always, this was super hard to narrow down!)

1. :iconedgeling: (Given how long we've known each other, how large your body of work is, and the fact that I've done something of this sort before . . . I've decided to pick from your more or less recent work. ^^)
a. [link]
b. [link] (so biased ^^)
c. [link]

2. :iconfiedael: I can't do you because you seem to have deleted your last year's work, and vanished. :( Miss you.

3. :icononaniel:
a. [link]
b. [link]
c. [link]
honorable mention: [link] ;)

4. :iconkannyl:/:iconl31gh:
a. [link]
b. [link]
c. [link]

5. :iconrevisionoflines:
a. [link]
b. [link]
c. [link]

6. :iconrinziiart:
a. [link]
b. [link]
c. [link]

7. :iconhyel:
a. [link]
b. [link]
c. [link]

8. :iconalexmegami:
a. [link]
b. [link]
c. [link]

9. :icontonks-92:
a. [link]
b. [link]
c. [link]

You may consider yourselves tagged, or not. :) Whatever you like.

I am immensely behind on my watchlist. (Or rather, on commenting on it. I've been watching silently, and enjoying a great deal.) Not sure when I'll catch up! But, you should be hearing from me more. ^^;

  • Mood: Homesick
  • Listening to: Wine Red (The Hush Sound)
  • Reading: Dorothy L. Sayers, & also DC: New Frontier
  • Watching: Battlestar Galactica & Avatar
  • Drinking: Sleepy Time Extra, soon.

Devious Information

  • Current Age: 23
  • Current Residence: Somerville, MA
  • Interests: comics, literature, religion, fairy tales, mythology, science fiction, history, rock, gender
  • Favourite movie: Labyrinth, Velvet Goldmine, The Court Jester, Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother, Victor/Victoria
  • Favourite band or musician: David Bowie, Dar Williams, the Clash, the Smiths, Moxy Fruvous, Enter the Haggis, the Ditty Bops
  • Favourite genre of music: glam rock, punk rock, classic rock, folk rock, celtic, musicals
  • Favourite artist: Colleen Doran, Terry Moore, Alison Bechdel, Carla Speed McNeil, Linda Medley, Dylan Meconis
  • Favourite poet or writer: Carla Speed McNeil, Donna Barr, Neil Gaiman, Warren Ellis, BKV, Tolkien, Shakespeare, Angela Carter
  • Favourite style or digital art: black & white semi-realistic comic art
  • Favourite cartoon character: Shego, the Flash, Phil Ken Sebben, Uncle Iroh
  • Personal Quote: "like amnesiacs in a ward on fire, we must find words or burn" -olga broumas
  • Tools of the Trade: clicky pencils, micron pigma pens, colorpencils, prismacolor markers, Photoshop 6.0

deviantART Notice

Devious Comments

~Wieleba:iconWieleba: Mar 8, 2008, 1:33:39 PM
:heart: for the :+fav: !!

--
"Dude... How many Tuesdays have you HAD?"
~Dean Winchester

Working on *100ThemesChallenge !
~bellechevalier:iconbellechevalier: Mar 6, 2008, 7:24:05 AM Mood: Adoration
Oh, I'm so glad you're not all the way gone. :) I miss your work, and I'm sorry you had stalker trouble . . . ew.

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*The-Labyrinth-Club
*goodomens
~fiedael:iconfiedael: Mar 5, 2008, 7:05:36 PM
hey! I had a little trouble with an internet semi-stalker, so I'm disappearing for awhile...but I'm keeping my account so that I can still see what all my pals are up to :) I'm so happy to see your new stuff D

--
* I wasn't born of a whistle or milked from a thistle at twilight-
No, I was all horns and thorns, sprung out fully formed, knock-kneed and upright! So: enough of this terror- We deserve to know light! *
*rinoatilmitt:iconrinoatilmitt: Mar 1, 2008, 9:44:19 PM
Thanks for the faves and the visit! You have such nice details in your art too :heart:

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Personal Website
~Love-n-mascara-STOCK:iconLove-n-mascara-STOCK: Jan 3, 2008, 3:03:41 PM
Thanks for the fave, love!
~l31gh:iconl31gh: Dec 23, 2007, 6:13:04 PM
heya!
thanks for the add :D
*Scummy:iconScummy: Nov 28, 2007, 12:15:42 PM
Awesome gallery!
~meesh23:iconmeesh23: Nov 28, 2007, 9:14:06 AM
Thanks for the fave, and support as always! :)
*kafine:iconkafine: Nov 26, 2007, 6:23:09 AM
Thanks for the +favs :D

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|kafine-ated|
*zerry:iconzerry: Nov 21, 2007, 8:46:59 AM
Thank you for visiting my humble page, milady. I skimmed your gallery and I must return in the future for a closer look, because it's something special =D

--
"Why would the universe make fun of us all?"
"Maybe it's insecure."
~Hyel:iconHyel: Nov 2, 2007, 12:19:10 AM
I used to read a lot from the library. I still don't own Dream Country, and for a long time didn't own A Doll's House, because I managed to find them in the library at the time.

I read WaveDancers for several issues but I don't think they had a conclusion either, because their story meets up with that of Cutter and co in some projected storyline we haven't really seen yet. I think.

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- Hyel
~bellechevalier:iconbellechevalier: Nov 1, 2007, 3:22:52 PM
I asked the same thing when I realized that there were only two Young Justice trades. ^^; I frequently don't understand the editorial and marketing decisions made by the Big Two.

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*The-Labyrinth-Club
*goodomens
~bellechevalier:iconbellechevalier: Nov 1, 2007, 3:21:27 PM
I've actually read the first Swamp Thing--which doesn't have John--and liked it, but yeah, I didn't really want to keep going. Thanks for the link. ^^

Hrm, yes, the rape thing is going to bother me too. I guess it's good if the gender stuff is mixed-and-matched, though it's still not my favorite thing. The book's good enough that it wouldn't bother me too much, anyway. I'll have to get more sometime . . . I haven't been buying as much lately, but our library system is getting really good for trades and graphic novels.

As for the responsibility of art towards viewer, it's a tricky subject, and I find that I'm not quite at a point to articulate my views on it yet . . . not a straight-up for or against, I think, it's more complicated than that.

I kind of have a mermaid thing? What frustrated me the most, though, is that I only ever found one issue (and read another, the first one, which they used to have hosted on the WaRP Graphics website). I hate not being able to finish a story.

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*goodomens
~Hyel:iconHyel: Nov 1, 2007, 12:14:23 AM
Yeah - the Books of Magic series go on logically enough, and though it starts off wobbly it ends up great, but I swear I picked up an issue once and it had Tim in a public school hanging around with a fairy in disguise. I never saw that in the gns. Also, they seem to be funny about the series - there was a Tim Hunter title once, which I never saw and now want, and Books of Magick (note the K) which I bought but which, well, wasn't up to the level of the earlier ones. Whyyyyy must they make it so difficult for me to give them money?

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- Hyel
~Hyel:iconHyel: Nov 1, 2007, 12:11:12 AM
Oh, you don't have to read Swamp Thing - I didn't. John's first appearance was in Swamp Thing (I have the second half of that story as an issue, it's great stuff, but well it is Alan Moore), but there's nothing essential there. The Delano gns were the first, I think... There's more info here: [link]

I see your point about the gender attitude in the sex issue of Promethea. Later on in the series you see homosexual ritual sex magic, though, and a male magician who takes on the female part as a part of a mystic quest. There is a strong sense of gender awareness in the whole thing, of course. The only thing that really bothered me still even after a long think was one part later on in the series where they enter Binah, and the sexual energy of that place is defined as rape, of all things - rape of Selene, and the characters even say "It's almost like she wanted it, that it had to happen". Greek mythology has forced intercourse all over it, true, but there are too many ways to interpret the Sephirot for it to be necessary to assign rape as the divine source of the universe. IMHO. I'm not sure exactly which magical teaching Moore is following, if any, though I'd guess it's the magicians' Cabbala. While I'm not much about the responsibility of art towards viewer - wouldn't want to shackle something powerful just to protect impressionable minds - I also think it's rather irresponsible to put forward an idea like "it was rape, but she wanted it" out there. CONTRADICTION IN GODDAMN TERMS. I still really like the whole series, there is so much good stuff in it, and I recommend a read, but yeah.

I read Wavedancers too, but I never really got into it, and forgot most of it now. And I feel pretty much the same way about Jink. I didn't love it, but I wish it had a conclusion.

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- Hyel
~bellechevalier:iconbellechevalier: Oct 31, 2007, 9:40:47 AM
Hmm, that's certainly an effective recommendation! (I love John Bolton, too.) I rarely read Batman books unless someone points a particular story out to me. With Hellblazer, I've just always had a lot of trouble figuring out where to start . . . the books aren't numbered and one time this guy told me that you have to read Swamp Thing first. ^^;

Oh, I suppose it was shallow of me to have issues with it. :p Then again, it was all about magic as male/female elements, and I wasn't so much into that. I get a bit uncomfortable with things that are so . . . essentialist about gender, I guess? "Woman is," "man is," etc.

Yeah, I wished the Rebels had some kind of conclusion . . . Jink too (didn't love it, but it left off at a really weird place). And I was kind of bitter about the original Wavedancers series. (I have one issue. Sigh.)

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*goodomens
~bellechevalier:iconbellechevalier: Oct 31, 2007, 9:36:05 AM
Really? Oh, that's irritating! I've seen that happen with mainstream superhero titles, particularly DC ones (drives me *crazy*), but never with a Vertigo book.

I've only read the original BoM miniseries, so I hadn't noticed, but wtf.

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*The-Labyrinth-Club
*goodomens
~Hyel:iconHyel: Oct 31, 2007, 12:08:49 AM
Oh! but there's another side! I bought the Books of Magic collections, but I have seen and held issues in my hand at the store that were never collected. What. Is up. With that!!

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- Hyel
~Hyel:iconHyel: Oct 31, 2007, 12:07:59 AM
I was really impressed by some of Ennis and Delano's writing in Hellblazer. Jamie Delano seems to impress me most when he talks about environmental issues. He did the Batman: Manbat one-shot, which I loved - with the artist... whatshisface, guy did the first pages of the first Books of Magic. *looks it up* John Bolton. It kind of made fun of Batman but made him terrifying at the same time, and it was all about man versus nature, with a lot of sympathy thrown on the side of nature. Delano did a similar issue of Hellblazer where John falls asleep on the beach and dreams of a nuclear apocalypse.

I loved the Promethea issue that was all ritual sex. :D The link between sex and religion intrigues me, and the concept of not being disgusted with someone when you achieve a connection with them, regardless of what their appearances or manners are.

With EQ - well, I was living in Finland, we had a couple of good comic book stores but with my irregular income and all I still missed out on a lot of those issues, even with series I was really keen to follow. What can you do? But I didn't really like all the splinter series - I loved The Rebels, go figure. I wish they had a proper ending.

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- Hyel
~bellechevalier:iconbellechevalier: Oct 30, 2007, 4:39:59 PM
*chuckle* I should, shouldn't I? I just haven't been in as much the fanart groove lately (I even missed out on the latest femslash_today porn battle, that was sad). And my best friend borrowed my copy. But I promise to take a crack at it sometime soonish. ^^

That's all right, I'm still totally flattered. :p

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*The-Labyrinth-Club
*goodomens
~bellechevalier:iconbellechevalier: Oct 30, 2007, 4:38:40 PM
I haven't read much Hellblazer, I have to admit . . . mostly just John Constantine's appearances in other comics. It's true, Lucifer isn't a particularly *human* character . . . I think my love for that comic is largely theoretical, about the big religious concepts and the little geeky bits of theology. Also the supporting cast.

*nod* I've felt the same about all the Promethea I've read so far . . . though I was a little squicked by the issue with the sex and the old sorcerer guy.

*chuckle* Yeah, I can't resist the lure of Buffy S8 either. Particularly not the current arc, with Faith being written by BKV. And with ElfQuest (one of my earliest non-superhero books), I'd go looking for old single issues even of the collected stories because the collections were a bit pricy. (And yeah, they never collected some of those later stories! What's up with that?)

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~Hyel:iconHyel: Oct 30, 2007, 3:23:30 PM
:D If you like Monstrous Regiment, draw some art for it! *is shameless* And if you have and are hiding it because it's fanstuff, drop me a discreet note in your alternate persona and I promise to keep your secret!

I'm horrible about feedback. :D Witness how I faved a bunch of your stuff and never dropped a line of comment. I try to be good. Sometimes.

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- Hyel
~Hyel:iconHyel: Oct 30, 2007, 3:21:04 PM
I'm reading Lucifer on a friend's recommendation originally... I don't love it, yet, but it has had some very nifty moments. I think a lot of it depends on whether or not you respond to Lucifer's type. He's got that same clever bastard thing going as John Constantine (going by the Ennis and pre-Ennis comics - I haven't really read the later ones), only he's less human and more competent, all in all. I think I liked John better, though I know he's a bastard.

I loved Promethea. It got a bit preachy, but the art and layouts were amazing and it's cool to see such material as the alchemists' Cabbala dealt with in erudite detail in comics. And I liked the characters and ideas a lot.

One of the first comics I got addicted on was Elfquest, long ago. I bought the collections, but when it splintered I bought single issues, because they weren't even being collected. Now I'm actually buying Buffy Season Eight... It works so much better as a TV-series, but it's canon so I Must Have It. :D

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- Hyel
~bellechevalier:iconbellechevalier: Oct 30, 2007, 10:28:36 AM
Well, Finder's pretty indie and Desert Peach has been downright underground/cult following. (I can't recommend either of them enough . . . actually, I'm currently working on this immense comics recommendations list, and they'll both be featured soon.)

Mmm, Lucifer is one of my all-time favorite titles as well. (I'm a bit preoccupied with similar subject matter, in my own work.) Promethea I've only read a little of . . . need more, it's awesome.

I tend to buy half my comics in issues and half in trade . . . it really depends on how I started out reading the series. The only time I switched was Strangers in Paradise, actually . . . I found that I couldn't *wait* for the new volumes, so having devoured all the trades up to that point (about half the series), I switched to reading it every month.

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