☁️From the Shadows - DTAE☁️

Instructions

[ HIGHER QUALITY - https://ibb.co/zQpzJP2 ] im a simple individual: i see a lion DTA design, i enter. no lion design is safe. ☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁️☁️☁️☁️ time taken: 2.5 hours (fullscreen mode looks a lot better) press space for several filtered versions because im indecisive and couldnt decide which i liked most lol. idk the line art for this is a bit weird, but i really like the shading. i didn’t take a very methodical approach to it, though, it was very much a case of “hmm a shadow would look nice there. oh well lol lets make yet another multiply layer” hahjfhdjrhfh anywho name - Lucius gender - male (he/it) species - 30% manticore , 70% lion backstory-ish thing idk: Lucius lived in a thick forest on the outskirts of a post-medieval town. one night a group of men went hunting for deer, and they stumbled across what they thought was an exotic bird with eerie, luminescent purple eyes. to their astonishment, they discovered upon further examination that the beast had the powerful physique of a lion and large wings likened to those of a bat. keen to make a profit off their discovery, they shot the beast with a tranquilliser and, once they were sure it was sedated enough to not hurt anyone, sold it to a local ringmaster. Lucius was paraded around a big top night after night, restrained by a chain tightly bound around his neck, and walked along the streets by day drawing gasps out of people passing by. for months he was treated like an attraction, a “freak of nature” for entertainment purposes only. one night amidst a circus performance, Lucius was ordered to jump through a ring of fire. the ringmaster was forced to let go of his chain to allow him to perform the stunt, but instead of leaping through the ring, Lucius seized the opportunity and leapt straight for the ringmaster. children screamed as their parents hurriedly covered their eyes and ushered them eagerly out of the big top. having made what he believed was quite the statement about how he felt about his rough and inhumane treatment, he spread his muscular wings and rid himself of the human world, returning to the forest. rumours say the Beast of the Big Top can still be found roaming the woods with a broken chain around its neck. whoops that was darker than i intended eheheh oh well id better go to sleep now