Study VIII - Polar bull!
Added 2022-05-13 14:46:28 +0000 UTCI don't know how this is gonna go down but I am very, very, very happy with it. (Though I'm the artist I also already hate it and can see a million things I will do differently next time!)
This is a benchmark for at least the kind of standard I want to be putting out. I've been doing the same 'style' for years and I realised I had lost my passion. I've been spending every free hour (I have many) learning to draw and colour and push myself more. This is the first time I've felt like it's paid off :).
Wonder what he did or said to get turned into this?
Comments
I'll keep posting here, but also on Futo's channel on the bear transformation discord. Might be easier to find than this thread
otttovan
2022-05-30 08:02:09 +0000 UTCAs he roused himself, he moved a little slower than usual. His joints were a little stiff, and he felt a little bloated. The eviction notice still hurt though. He had nowhere else to stay, and there was no way he could catch up on back rent soon enough. Dio was going to be disappointed that he had to move back to nowhere and start again, but at least he had only worked the one shift. After a few fruitless minutes searching for his shirt, he realized he had just left it at the club the night before. If he left now he’d get to the bar in enough time to have a talk with Dio before his shift was supposed to start. Zach grabbed another shirt but found it felt a little too small. It must have shrunk in the wash. He had no other clean ones though, so off he went. Dio was waiting at the door for him “Zach! Looking just as handsome as when you left last night! Why the long face?” Zach tried to let him down gently, but all his frustrations about his aborted attempt at fame poured out in a torrent. He was so embarrassed about it all, and not being able to hold back the tears hurt even more. He hated feeling weak. Dio stood there, listening patiently and interjecting the odd “mmm-hmm” and “oh dear”. As the last of the story dropped from Zach’s tongue, Dio’s hand grasped his shoulder. “My dear, you don’t have to worry. We own the whole building, and there’s an empty apartment with your name on it. Tonight, after shift, the boys and I will help you move all your stuff in. We can’t have you giving up on dreams after all”. The kindness was more than Zach could bear. He collapsed into deep, wracking sobs. Dio gently grabbed his hand and led him into the empty club towards the settee. The young man finally let himself feel the isolation and loneliness he had been experiencing, and Dio’s soft stroking of his hair sated a hunger for touch that he didn’t know he had. Paul came over with a cup of tea, and Zach’s eyes finally started to dry. “Will you be ok to work the door tonight Zach? It’s perfectly fine if the answer is no” Zach nodded. Keeping his body busy would help keep his mind busy. He went to the washroom to freshen up. The man in the mirror seemed off, but he couldn’t figure out why. His scruffy beard was just how he liked it, and his abs still left that faint impression under a little bit of cushion. Maybe it was the stray gray hairs that he wasn’t going to bother dyeing anymore. No matter, he had a job to do.
otttovan
2022-05-16 08:46:06 +0000 UTCSuper cool! I love this. Get involved guys!! :)
futobara
2022-05-14 08:39:18 +0000 UTCIt was a little strange, less of an interview and more of a conversation. Dio was a great storyteller, and every so often he’d take a sip from his mug. Even though it was around 11 am, Zach noticed that it wasn’t coffee, it was red wine. The behemoth behind the bar hadn’t said a word, just topped up Dio’s mug and offered a drink to Zach, who politely refused. After what seemed like a short while, Dio stopped the conversation. Zach turned and looked out a nearby window. He realized that the sun was already setting. Hours had passed in their company. Dio extended his hand and cleared his throat. “Would you like to join our team? I should mention that we are a gay bar, and thus have a dress code. Really more of an undress code”. Zach had no problem with gay people, and really needed the job, so the handshake sealed the deal. “Wonderful” Dio exclaimed. He gestured towards the Barkeep “Paul, pour him a glass of the Polar tawny port”. His gaze returned to Zach, “We also like our staff to understand our bar menu, as everyone at the Bacchus needs to be able to recommend product to our patrons. Please, take your shirt off and we’ll start your training shift”. Dio escorted Zach to the front door, where there was an alcove for a coat check and a stool placed next to a small counter with a lamp. “You just need to check IDs, and turn away people who are looking for trouble. Trust me, everything will come naturally” As Dio opened the door, a sleek man wearing pristine, white running shorts and metallic gold running shoes came galloping towards them. He was as furry as Dio and Paul, but his hair was a rich reddish brown. Almost bronze in it’s hue. A handlebar mustache framed his lips, almost looking like a pair of wings trying to fly free of his face. “Herman! Right on time as always. Zach, Herman here will be working the coat check most evenings. Careful about him though, he does love his gossip”. Herman blushed as Dio pulled him into a tight hug. Paul had sauntered over with the glass of port, and Zach took a tentative sip. It was rich, sweet, and complex, without being cloying or heavy. With a twinkle in his eye, Dio turned on his heel and marched over to a settee with a mixing board placed within easy reach. He brought a microphone to his lips and asked the new doorman to open for business. The night seemed to fly by. Bacchus was busy, and Zach couldn’t help but notice that all the men coming in weren’t what he had expected. He didn’t have too much time to dwell on it, as the club reached capacity pretty early on. He managed the line as best he could, and Paul would bring him a top up on his port pretty frequently. After a gruelling 8 hours, the last of the patrons had left. Usually in pairs, but occasionally in groups of 3 or more. Not one of them had been a surly or depressed drunk either. Dio was chatting to a young man, who was hanging on his every word. Paul handed Zach the keys, and gestured to the door. He went to lock up, and Dio pointed his admirer to a door in the back, and gave him a playful swat on the behind. “Wonderful first shift Zach. Ready to come back tomorrow?” Zach nodded his assent as Dio dropped a few bills into his hand. “Tonight’s tips” Zach excused himself and walked the rest of the way home, pleasantly buzzed off the port he’d been sipping on all day. The pleasant mood didn’t last however. An eviction notice was taped to his front door. The landlord had given him a few warnings, but he thought he still had more time. With a sigh he fell down on his second-hand futon and crashed into sleep. He dreamt that he was at the club again, but this time Dio, Paul and Herman were all stark naked. Well, Herman still had his sneakers on. The night played out almost the same as before, except he was looking at everything from a slightly different angle. Midway through his shift, he had to take a bathroom break, but as soon as he saw the glint of the mirror Dio’s voice echoed in a whispered tone “not yet Zeus, but soon”, and Zach woke up.
otttovan
2022-05-14 07:36:27 +0000 UTCLove the start so far!
Dr pepperdragoon
2022-05-13 20:54:53 +0000 UTCI decided to write a story for this one too, since people liked the last one. Here's the first little bit, and if people want I can keep going. Zach was getting restless. He had moved to Hollywood with big dreams of breaking into the industry as a stunt-man, but hadn’t had much luck. At 5’5, he was just too short for most productions, and his mid-west karate studio training turned out to be a bit of a sham. He was trolling the job boards and classified ads to find work as a bouncer, but the same issues that plagued him for movies also seemingly disqualified him from working as a doorman. But, in his first stroke of luck since he moved here, he came across a flyer stapled to a telephone pole outside his apartment. “Bouncers wanted at Bacchus Bar No Experience Necessary On The Job Training Provided” After calling and inquiring, he had lined up an interview. He arrived to the outskirts of West Hollywood, and after a bit of searching, found Bacchus just off an alleyway, opposite a parking garage. The sign was cloudy neon, an image of a large bearded face and a bunch of grapes. There was an illusion of the bottom grape from the bunch falling off into the bearded man’s mouth, and the flickering neon of his eye made him look like he was winking. As he entered, he could see two men conversing at the bar. Behind the counter was an absolute unit of a man. Easily over 6 feet tall and broad shouldered, covered in a carpet of blonde fur. Barely fitting on the stool seemed to be his polar opposite. Short, chubby and covered with an equally dense covering of black hair. They both turned to face the door as Zach walked in. “Wonderful, you must be here for the interview” the short one said. “I’m Dio, the manager. We spoke on the phone”. He gestured to a seat at the bar. “Please, come sit with us, and we can start”.
otttovan
2022-05-13 20:04:07 +0000 UTCMade fun of the wrong old man
EricTheBrown
2022-05-13 15:40:10 +0000 UTCPerhaps he made one to many old timer jokes aimed at an old gruph man?
Mysteries of Me
2022-05-13 14:52:02 +0000 UTCAbsolutely love it
Matthias Vecanski
2022-05-13 14:50:56 +0000 UTC*projecting onto this one
James Newland
2022-05-13 14:47:38 +0000 UTC
