artnerd1123

~ a dream with teeth ~

artist/writer and avid critter enthusiast! doing my best and going a bit feral on the side <3
likely to find plenty of fantasy + sci fi + toony content with juuust a dash of spooky, as well as a melting pot of different fandoms
check my carrd for more specifics on what i make and what i'm into!

currently going insane about my dicey dungeons fic, so be ready for lotsa art from that!


I did an exercise where I drew characters expressions from my fic based on dialogue/an event that's actively happening. Not only did it help me get a hand on their designs, it helped me track their character arcs! Aaaand it lets y'all see the fic at a glance ;3

Since this post is gonna be long as hell anyway, i'm gonna put the actual lines below the pics. Each new expression means it’s the first time someone's made that face! There were several times where I looked back over expressions I’ve already drawn while skimming my fic for new ones. If a dialogue line/event could fit one of the previous expressions i'd drawn, I didn’t make a new one! The idea is to compare em all together :3

okeee under the cut we go <333


beast, a fluffy horned tiger/dragon monster, is shown making a variety of expressions
From left to right, top to bottom, the quotes are...

  1. Beast's default expression- a resting grouch face :)
  2. "Footfalls against the wooden stage floor instantly drew her gaze, head snapping around nearly faster than one could blink." (ch 1)
  3. " "Ready for a few questions?” [the interviewer asked.] Beast snorted, but nodded her head toward them. “Shoot.” 'Not like I can go anywhere else until this is over.'" (ch 1)
  4. "The roar swelled louder, the sound like a stampede against the double doors. Beast took a step back, teeth baring. What the hell was out there?" (ch 2)
  5. "And suddenly, the world shrank to the beat of her heart. Distantly, Beast knew someone shoved her forward. The door had vanished. She was falling forward through empty air, breath caught in her throat and claws slipping from her ears. Silence rang like a dog whistle. But only for a moment." (ch 2)
  6. " “Ah, just what we love to see! Let’s hope that enthusiasm takes you far,” The Lady laughed. The sound drove a shiver of defiance down Beast’s spine. “It will,” she snapped back, trying to ignore the ‘oohs’ from the crowd, “just you watch. ”" (ch 2)
  7. " “Whoa there, friend! We’ve got a couple standards around here,” the announcer piped up, “the first of which is using our cards when we fight, alright? Why don’t you give it a try?”
    Beast blinked in utter bafflement. “Use- cards- what?!” she exclaimed. “You’re not making any sense!”" (ch 3)
  8. " “Now you gotta end your turn- just touch the arrow to your right.” “The arrow to my…?” Beast trailed off as she turned her head, met with a floating pink arrow. She really ought to stop questioning things at this point." (ch 3)

beast, a fluffy horned tiger/dragon monster, is shown making a variety of expressions
From left to right, top to bottom, the quotes are...

  1. "The problem became apparent as her furnace card reappeared before her. “I- hey, what happened to my card?!” Instead of the “4 fire damage” it displayed before, it now read “2 fire damage.” That wasn’t fair!" (ch 3)
  2. "Perfect. The gardener didn’t even have time to flinch before his health dove to zero. With a thunderous round of applause, the world went pink once more. Instead of cowering from the noise, Beast basked in it. Now this. This, she could get used to." (ch 3)
  3. " “Oh. My Gods ???” Beast stared wide eyed at the little brown creature before her. Wiggling and barking, with a red bandanna about his neck, and a snout as pointed as his ears, was a puppy . // That was a child. His health screen even confirmed it, dubbing him “The Wolf Puppy,” with a strength against poison. A child." (ch 3)
  4. " “You- you little-” The music and cheering seemed to pause with bated breath, waiting for the other foot to drop. “You little charmer !” Beast cooed. Her smile this time was genuine, tip of her tail wagging excitedly. Though her leg throbbed every time she moved, she still leaned forward to pat the Puppy. She laughed as he rubbed against her hand. “You got me! You got me so good!!! Good job, buddy!!!” she continued to bubble." (ch 3)
  5. "[The axe] fell into her hand with a crackle, and she smiled sadly at the little pup. “Sorry buddy- no hard feelings, ok?” she said gently. “‘Course not!” he yipped, “I’ll see ya around!!!” “Alright bud,” she sighed, lifting the axe over her head. She dropped it without a second thought." (ch 3)
  6. "Arms spread wide and grin even wider, what could only be the announcer stood before her. And there was no pink smoke to herald this battle. The music and cheers had started as soon as the announcer- no, the Jester , their screen corrected her- had landed. Oh. Oh no." (ch 3)
  7. "[The Jester was] still up. Not standing, no, but. Still awake . Something between admiration and horror curled in Beast’s chest." (ch 4)
  8. Beast bites warrior's arm bc he touched her without permission while trying to guide her into a chair :) (ch 5) (this face is also the one she makes during any "white outs")
  9. " “So- hey, that fight was amazing,” Warrior admitted. “The location not so much, but Y’know- us fighters don’t choose the dance floor, we just dance!” That managed to draw a snicker from Beast, ghost of a smile twitching at her lips. “Hah, yeah. Surprised I didn’t smash any furniture,” she joked back hesitantly. When he laughed heartily, she couldn’t still the pleased wag of her tail." (ch 6)
  10. "“HA! You’re right! We oughta find a real sparring arena next time we tussle,” Warrior beamed. Beast blinked owlishly, and he seemed to realize what he said. “Ah, uh-“ he flashed a bashful smile, rubbing the back of his head. “I mean, if you wanna fight again. I had a lotta fun, and I’m sure everyone would love to see you outta your room more!” Beast was silent. Considering." (ch 6)
  11. Beast is out of it the entire time in chapter 7. this is also a "white out" face of hers.
  12. "The unfamiliar voice zapped all the tension back into Beast’s body like the crack of a whip. She whirled around, lips curling, snarl bursting from her maw, and body hunching into a twisted aggressive stance. She glanced around wildly- who the fuck was speaking?! She hadn’t heard anyone walk up, she- // On her third frantic pass of the room, she finally saw him. Oh. The Thief." (ch 8)
  13. "Eyes flicking to the top of the screen, Beast now noticed a declaration of “POISON!” Though she balked at the value beside it. Four. He’d just added four poison in one hit. That’d drive his total damage up to 13 in a single turn, done with just a pair of threes and a trio of ones . Her mouth dropped open, shock and awe warring for a place on her face." (ch 8)
  14. "The arena fell silent as the winds subsided. Only the dull thudding of a heartbeat remained. Thief stayed where he had buckled. Yeti towered cruelly across the field. Beast found herself inches from the screen, wanting to rip the cameras from their wide shot panning and force them down to Thief. ‘Get up,’ she hissed- this couldn’t be how the run ended. ‘Get up .’" (ch 8)
  15. "“I’m just saying, we might get farther if we aren’t at each other’s throats,” Beast replied. She shrugged, waving a hand as she spoke. Nonchalance was her best weapon here- matching an opponent’s energy was a one way ticket to bagging a powerful ally. “If we were- say- sharing what we know with each other- one of us might have a shot at actually winning this wack-ass gambling game. We don’t have to work together to win , just to stay on the roster,” she explained." (ch 8)

beast, a fluffy horned tiger/dragon monster, is shown making a variety of expressions
From left to right, top to bottom, the quotes are...

  1. "Her chest heaved with smoke and bile as she reached for her end turn arrow. Jester sneered at her from across the field. // Froth and drool dripped past her fangs, lips peeled back in a downright murderous display. And still, they lowered their finger to touch her nose.
    The last thing she heard was their sneering voice. “Aww, does she bite~?” And it all went white." (ch 9)
  2. "Fear prickled through Beast’s whole body as pink smoke swallowed everything once more. When it cleared, there was only one way forward. The trapdoor. But she could feel the Lady’s eyes on her as she jumped down. Something very wrong just happened. And she had no one to ask what it was." (ch 9)
  3. "Beast felt her eyes straining to close again. Gods. She was so tired. “... can I go back to bed?”" (ch 10)
  4. "… She knew cruelty came for her kind. She knew a random passerby didn’t deserve the pain she’d gone through. She wasn’t about to lash out at someone who didn’t deserve it. //But she deserved it. // She was a monster… right? Why couldn’t Robot see it?" (ch 11)
  5. Beast's NEW default expression as of ch 12- not as angry, but still wary/guarded. she's loosened up some!
  6. "... Friends. Friends? When- when did they- she- no, she didn’t do friends, she- h-how- but- she’d been an asshole, she’d kept them at arms length- she- well, ok, maybe she’d let her guard down some but- but- who the hell would wanna be friends with… with… Beast opened and closed her mouth a few times, body going still. Her mind followed suit a few seconds later. She just- couldn’t make it all match up." (ch 12)
  7. "But she was stuck . He wasn’t letting her go. He… he’d never let her go. She couldn’t run anymore. Chest heaving as she panted, she let her body go limp, all the fight leaking out of her. She squeezed her eyes shut against the raging storm in her mind." (ch 12)
  8. " “I’m, um, I’m sorry. For being so. Short with you. And blowing up at the end,” Beast choked out. “It wasn’t- I didn’t- you didn’t do anything to. Deserve that. So. Uh. Sorry.” The words stuck like burrs in her throat, sentence ending with a pained grimace. There. She’d said it." (ch 13)
  9. Wait a sec, had they not seen her…? She hadn’t been sitting that still! She attempted to sink further into her chair. // Aw gods. So [the others] weren’t gonna be any help. Ugh. Fine. A slow breath hissed from between her teeth as she reached for words. “Don’t wait up,” Beast finally huffed, “if I was a snake, I woulda bitten you.”" (ch 13)
  10. "“... yeah. Might as well.” They were all smiling. Some more than others, but… whatever tension Beast felt about not fitting had slackened. She’d done good. She was… maybe welcome here." (ch 13)
  11. "Once [the gadgets] were all written down [and sorted by Beast], she leaned back to inspect her work. Hmm… “C’mere, take a look with me,” Beast spoke up, waving Inventor over." (ch 15)
  12. "A beat of silence passed between the two. Slow tears welled and slipped from Witch’s eyes, though no more sobs wracked her body. Beast forced breath in and out of her lungs, her own words still echoing in her skull. Be kind to yourself. Like you have to others. ‘Like I’ve never been to myself.’ It was never about Witch, was it?" (ch 18)

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