Valentine's Day Massacre

I really started with high hopes when I got a message from Roses:

@DarkLinkthe2nd Nothing says "be mine" like some incredibly gorey, ass kicking artwork. Ahem. #HintOver

I thought about what I could do, with my original ideas being static poses and dark elements...pretty much my comfort zone. I had never drawn blood well in the past, and I was always hesitant to draw gorey things. It's not that I dislike gore; it's great, but when used sparingly and as a vehicle to depict the hopelessness and serious tones of the scene. I wasted a day and a half on trying to come up with the idea. It ranged from emo band album cover kind of artwork to a woman slitting a man's throat shown from the shoulders up of both of them. But they weren't 'ass kicking', no imagery to it.

So I went back to my Wasteland project for ideas...which I'm starting back up on by the way. And I found my answer. Roses, to me, was portrayed as a bad ass bounty hunter in Wasteland, from the look, to the ideas that I had for her as the character in it. It balanced sex appeal and seriousness, and it had a bit of her character...if only portrayed as a little darker and more like Goth Roses.

I generally try to incorporate a lot of aspects of a person into my drawings when I do fantasy images...but this time I was at a dead end. So I asked a lot of questions that seem kinda silly, but they do have a point. I really like to make drawings personal, but this gets a little awkward when I directly ask questions or invest myself wholeheartedly on a drawing for someone I respect immensely. For me, talking a lot (or a lots of tweets in this case) is how I cope with my nervousness. I guess the fact is, I really look at Roses as an inspirational person, and I really can't bear the idea of fucking up an art piece for her since she's informing people of little nuggets of gold from the past while entertaining. It's easy for anyone to find the bad in things, but it takes a special kind of person to see the good. This may have come out weird, but it was this sort of view that led me to draw the first artwork for her, and push so hard on the Wasteland Roses pic I did before.

...Then came portraying Wasteland Roses in a gore-y situation, my mind went a little like this:

Should it involve another reviewer?
No, might cause some confusion for fans of Wasteland art if the plot differs significantly down the line and concern for members of sites Roses has or is associated with. Need a throw a way place holder...ask about least favorite MK character. Make the drawing more suited to her interests.
Should I take some liberty with the portrayal of the character?
Yes and no. Badassery comes from reckless actions that work out despite countless reasons why it shouldn't work to the contrary. Character actions should not be considered canon for Wasteland story, bounty hunters short lived if reckless. Imply with out of universe character.
How to imply gore?
Overt brutalization and torture of enemies. Leave no room for questions. Give Roses a heart for Valentine's Day.

But in the end, after drawing this and looking on the (nearly) finished product...I felt a little sick with the portrayal of the character of Roses in Wasteland, and the lady herself. I think this is the feeling writers get when they read fan fiction based on their material...it just feels wrong. Needless to say, this isn't the plans I have for the character in Wasteland, as I really want to mirror more of the actual Roses' cheery attitude coupled with her compassionate decisiveness in her dealings with her detractors. To be honest, I felt I took the easy road out on how to get her a Valentine's drawing.