Stephanie O'Brien
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​Brunwulf Free-Winter: Honorable Anti-racist or Lying Fake Activist?

14/11/2021

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If the title of this post pisses you off, I understand. Brunwulf is an immediately likable character, and when a person seems willing to stick up for the downtrodden, we want that to be real.

But the more I play Skyrim, the more I notice that some of his claims just don’t line up with my firsthand experiences, and I tend to believe observable events over unverified hearsay. So today, I thought I'd take a break from talking about my art and stories, and share my musings about someone else's.

In this post, I’ll share a few of Brunwulf’s claims, and the experiences that caused me to doubt them. If you have any lore that supports or contradicts my observations, please feel free to chime in!

Claim 1:

“He’s tough, loyal to his men and a good leader, but if you’re not a Nord, Ulfric will never trust you.”

My experiences and observations:

I’ve played through the Stormcloak questline as an Altmer and a Dunmer – two of the races Ulfric’s detractors would expect him to distrust the most. By having Galmar ask “Why’s an (insert race here) want to fight for Skyrim?”, the developers went out of their way to make it clear that the Stormcloaks know what you are.

And yet, once you’ve proven your mettle and commitment, you’re entrusted with delivering a message to Whiterun, acquiring enemy intel and delivering a forged replacement, blackmailing a government official, and more. I think it’s safe to say that Ulfric – or at minimum, Galmar – trusts you.

Claim 2:

“Whenever a group of marauders attack a Nord village, Ulfric is the first to sound the horn and send the men. But a group of Dark Elf refugees gets ambushed? A group of Argonians, or a Khajiit caravan? No troops. No investigation. Nothing.”

My experiences and observations: 

A few days before I wrote this, I collected a bounty on the giant at Steamcrag Camp. For those who aren’t familiar with it, there are a few things you should know:

1. It’s nowhere near Nord land.

2. There’s an “Official warning” sign nearby, which says:

“Attention citizenry

The giant here has been given leave to keep his camp. Please do NOT attempt to make trade, disrupt the mammoths, gawk at, or otherwise disturb the giant. Resting here is not advised.”

This implies that the giant has been behaving himself, until the events of #3.

3. Right beside the giant camp, there is a dead Khajiit, and a wagon whose severely smashed-up state strongly suggests a giant attack. There’s a second dead Khajiit inside the camp, as well as horse meat, presumably taken from the travelers’ slain horses.

4. Someone put a bounty on the giant who lives there, and it wasn’t Brunwulf. It was Ulfric.

Now, one could argue that “kill the giant” is a radiant quest, so it doesn’t really reflect on Ulfric’s character or intentions. But is that really going to be your in-universe explanation?

A giant who was officially allowed to keep his camp gets a bounty on his head after killing two Khajiit and their horses, and the only reason Ulfric put a bounty on him is because the Random Number Gods made him do it? You’re free to choose your own headcanon, but that’s sure not the one I’m going with.

And yes, one could argue that Brunwulf was right about Ulfric not sending the troops to deal with it, but how often do we actually see ANY Jarl on EITHER side of the war send their own troops after bandit camps, giants, or other such menaces outside their city walls? In Skyrim, leaving some paper at the inn and waiting for a random bounty-hunter to solve the problem is a bipartisan strategy.

That said, I do know of at least one instance where Ulfric (or someone under his command) DID send the troops. It’s an unmarked location known as “Trolled Stormcloaks Darkwater Overhang,” and in it, you find two dead Stormcloaks and the troll that killed them, as well as a note that says:

“Captain,

There have been multiple complaints about attacks near the river northwest of The Rift. We could use some more civilian support from that area for the war effort, so send a few men to investigate. It's probably just a couple of wolves, so you'll only need to send at most two men.

Happy hunting”

It doesn’t say anything about the race of the people complaining. It just says they need civilian support for the war – something settlements are better equipped to provide than travelers.

That, combined with the bounty on the Khajiit-killing giant, makes me wonder if Brunwulf is mistakenly assuming that Ulfric’s troop deployment decisions are based on race, when they’re really based on wartime strategy.

Claim 3:

“If Ulfric had his way, anyone who wasn’t a Nord would be shipped right out of Skyrim.”

My experiences and observations: 

I’ve finished the Stormcloak questline twice, and the only indication that anyone besides the Thalmor and the people still fighting for the Empire was getting deported or otherwise kicked out, either during the questline or after, was the following line of dialogue from Stormcloak commanders:

“Soon we’ll rid Skyrim of elves, their bloody Justiciars, and the Jarls in their pockets.”

I can definitely see how that would lead people to assume that all elves will be unjustly deported, and it is undeniably wrong of these commanders to make innocent elves worry for their futures like that.

But I can’t recall hearing or reading a single line of dialogue from Ulfric or Galmar that indicates that either of them intends to banish any elves besides the Thalmor. In fact, an Altmer named Niranye is heavily implied to have moved into Windhelm and bought a house there during Ulfric’s reign, and the people who mix Windhelm’s medicines are an Altmer and/or an Imperial.

Based on those facts, I believe that by “elves,” those Stormcloak commanders meant “Thalmor.” If that is the case, of course, they should just frikkin’ SAY “Thalmor,” but the fact that they’re careless with their phrasing doesn’t mean Ulfric is going to deport all non-Nords from Skyrim, or even that he wants to.

Claim 4:

“All I did was talk to Ulfric.” (I couldn’t find a line of dialogue that neatly encapsulated the whole thing, but several related lines of dialogue indicate that Malthyr Elenil asked Brunwulf to talk to Ulfric about the Windhelm Dunmers’ problems, and Brunwulf claims that he did so.)

My experiences and observations: 

I believed this one was true, until I heard the following dialogue:

Jorleif: “Sir, there continues to be unrest in the Gray Quarter.”
Ulfric: “Blasted dark elves. I don’t suppose you could tell them that I presently have larger concerns? Such as all of Skyrim?”
Jorleif: “They don’t seem to be very sympathetic to our cause, sir.”
Ulfric: “Let me know if you hear anything more substantial.”
Jorleif: “Of course, my lord.”

While this isn’t a great response to the revelation that your citizens are upset, it strongly implies that Ulfric doesn’t know the specifics of the Dunmers’ concerns, but that he actually WANTS to. Why would he ask for more substantial information if Brunwulf had already given it to him?

Ambarys Rendar’s line, “I tried to get Ulfric to even come down here to see the squalor, but the High Lord of His Mightiness couldn’t find the time,” implies that Ambarys – not Brunwulf – told Ulfric about the Dunmers’ displeasure with the state of the Grey Quarter.

But given that even the steps leading up to the Palace of the Kings are in disrepair, AND the fact that Brunwulf himself isn’t able to start repairs right away if the war ends with him becoming Jarl, I think it’s safe to say that, as with the deployment of troops, the decision not to renovate the city in the middle of a war is based more on tactical and logistical considerations than racial ones.

All in all, I can’t help but question whether Ulfric has even been made aware of the issues, such as Rolff and Angrenor’s harassment, that he could realistically address during a war.

Did Brunwulf actually speak with him, and if so, did he give him anything specific and realistic enough to even be actionable? Given all the other questionable claims he’s made, I’m not convinced that he did.

Add in the fact that he's in love with the blatantly racist Elda Early-Dawn, and his credibility sinks even further.

So, what do you think?

Is Brunwulf Free-Winter lying? Is he telling the truth, based on information I missed? Did he make a few superficial observations, base some sweeping assumptions off of them, and never bother fact-checking them before sharing them with anyone who would listen?

If you’ve got any lore to support or further refute his claims, I’d love to see it.
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Undertale Wallpaper: Tentacles of the Time Tyrant

1/9/2021

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It's been a while since I turned a panel of Just Cause into a wallpaper, and this one seemed especially conducive to it. In this panel, Frisk is wondering if Flowey can wrest control of the timeline from them, and make them relive their most painful moments over and over again.

I'm not entirely happy with it; I feel like the scenes from Frisk's past don't quite mesh with the rest of the picture. They feel slapped-on to me. If you have any suggestions for making them feel more integrated, I'd love to hear them!
​
Patreon  |  Ko-fi  |  Commissions  |  Physical merch with my art on it
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Fly With Pride, Raven Series: Open Collab Version

15/1/2020

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It's been brought to my attention that I neglected to publish the lineart-only version of Fly With Pride, Raven Series so people could color it in. That being the case, I will now correct that oversight.
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You're welcome to take this picture, add your own colors to it, and post it, as long as you include a link to this post in the description, don't remove or hide my signature, and do credit me for the lineart.

If you participate in this open collab, please feel free to post a link to your work in the comments; I'd love to see what you made!

My supporters on Patreon can access the full-sized (9,900 x 3,118 px.) version here.

If you want to get a pride flag version of this raven on your clothing, accessories, home decor or other physical items, you can see some of the available items here.
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Open Art Collaboration: Butterfly

2/10/2019

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Need to take a few minutes to relax and make something beautiful? Feel free to join my open collab and color in this butterfly!
 
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butterfly_outline_only.png
File Size: 121 kb
File Type: png
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You're welcome to share your colored version online, as long as you credit me for the lineart and include a link to this blog post in the post or your image's description.

​I look forward to seeing what you create!
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Why “Just Cause” Pages Are Taking Longer These Days, And How You Can Speed Them Up

14/9/2019

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Hi, everyone,

Some of you may have noticed that the latest pages of my Undertale webcomic, Just Cause, have been taking longer than usual. I wanted to give you an update to explain why that’s happening, and what you can do to help if you so choose.

About a year ago, I decided I wanted to spend more time creating stories and art. That’s always been my passion, but for most of my life, it’s had to play second fiddle to the other things I had to do in order to pay my bills.

I wanted to change that. So I set up an account on Patreon, opened up commissions, started selling art on Society6 and RedBubble, and created a tutorial on SkillShare to teach others how to draw symmetrical snowflake patterns.

I spent more time working on Just Cause, while also juggling a part-time job as a sighted guide and another business.

Between said other business, the job, and my writing and art, I often worked 50-60 hours a week.

The results… have been deeply discouraging.

I recently lost my biggest supporter on Patreon (she had her own financial obligations she needed to prioritize), and I’m getting next to nothing in monthly pledges now. The income from my tutorial and print-on-demand patterns hasn’t been nearly enough to put a dent in my bills, and after all the countless hours of work I’ve put into all of this, I’m frustratingly unsure of what I’m doing wrong.

As a result, I’ve needed to cut back on the time I spend on art and storytelling, so I can focus on things that actually bring in income. If I don’t, it won’t be long before I won’t even be able to buy food.

What can you do to help?

I understand that a lot of people reading this are low on funds themselves, and I don’t want to make you feel guilty or obligated. I intend to continue to work on Just Cause, but it will likely continue to go slower than before as long as my financial situation stays this way.

If you want to help me spend more time making stories and art, here are a few ways you can do it, and some of them don’t require any money from you:

1. Watch my symmetrical pattern tutorial on SkillShare, and share it with anyone you know who might be interested.

SkillShare is basically like Netflix: it pays the creators who put content on it according to the amount of time people spend watching that content. The more you and other people watch my tutorial, the more I get paid.

Here’s a link to the tutorial.

2. Share my Society6/RedBubble art, and/or purchase it.

If you see something you like in my S6 or RB stores, every purchase helps. And if you don’t want to buy something or you don’t have the funds, sharing product images and links to the store with people who you think might be interested in buying something for themselves or getting something as a gift is a way you can help for free.

My RedBubble store
My Society6 store


3. Share my art, with credit.

If you think your social media followers will enjoy something I posted, please reblog it on Tumblr, or share it on your other channels with a link to the DA or Tumblr page on which I originally shared it. On DA, you can find a series of social media “share” buttons near the upper right corner of each “deviation”s page.

You can follow me on Tumblr here.

4. Support me on Patreon.

Ideally, I would LOVE to have a stable, reliable monthly income that enables me write and create art with the knowledge that doing what I love is HELPING my ability to pay my bills instead of putting me in financial jeopardy.

In return for your support, you get early access to completed art and stories and exclusive access to works in progress, as well as other tier-exclusive rewards depending on the size of your pledge.

You can see a breakdown of the available rewards on this page.

5. Commission an art piece or a panel of Just Cause.

Another way to support me financially is to hire me to draw something for you. You can see my commission prices here.

If you want to use your contribution to make the next page of Just Cause come out faster, you can commission a panel of the comic. When you do this, I can schedule creating that panel into my work hours, in addition to the ones I draw during my free time, so I get more panels done that day.

Once your commissioned panel is done, I’ll send you a copy of it right away as thanks for your contribution. You’ll also have the option to be credited as a sponsor on the page once it comes out, unless you prefer anonymity.

Thanks for reading this journal entry. The last few months have been pretty stressful for me, and anything you can do to help will be greatly appreciated!
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Video Tutorial: How to Draw Symmetrical Snowflake Patterns in Krita

7/6/2019

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​For the last few months, I’ve been sharing symmetrical snowflake patterns with you. This hobby has turned out to be so relaxing, fun, and surprisingly easy that I wanted to give you the chance to learn how to do it, too.

So I took all the tools, tips and steps I use to create these patterns, and I put them together in a series of bite-size video tutorials and published them on SkillShare.

The class is 41 minutes long, and you can use this link to get an entire month of access for free! Go here to watch my snowflake tutorial.

On top of learning how to create symmetrical snowflakes, you’ll also discover how to sell these patterns as prints and physical merchandise like coffee cups, so you can turn this hobby into an income source if you want to.

I can’t wait to hear what you think of this class, and to see what kind of art you use it to create!

Also, if you know someone who you think would enjoy drawing symmetrical patterns, please share this link with them. I really appreciate it!
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Get my new client attraction course for FREE! :)

31/5/2019

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Hey guys,

I’ve been a bit quieter than usual lately, so I thought I’d let you know what I’ve been working on that’s been keeping me so busy.

I was invited to teach on a site called SkillShare, where students can access thousands of different courses on a wide variety of topics for a single monthly payment. (Unless, of course, you're one of my students - in which case, I can get you a two-month membership for free.) ;)

I decided to accept the invitation, and this week, I published my new course, Low-Cost Marketing for Small Businesses and Freelancers.
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In it, I explain how to:

1. Choose the target audience that needs you most and is the most likely to buy from you

2. Create an awesome service package that makes you stand out

3. Describe that offer in a way that makes people want to buy it

4. Overcome objections in a way that creates connection and trust instead of feeling pushy or salesy

As a teacher on the site, I’m allowed to do something special for my followers:

I can get you two months of FREE premium access to SkillShare, which includes my course and all the other courses you’d normally have to pay to watch.

Click here to check out my class and sign up.

I don't know how long this promo will last, so if this is something you’d like to take advantage of, please claim your two months of free premium membership right away!

I'm planning to create more classes in the future, including a tutorial for drawing snowflake patterns like the ones I've been publishing lately. If you want to stay updated on my new classes, please follow me on SkillShare.
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Head Bases For You To Play With

15/2/2019

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Sometimes I like to doodle heads at 3/4 angles and play with different head shapes. I decided if I was going to do that, I might as well do it in a way that some people might find fun and useful, so I made a set of head bases for you to play with.

Feel free to add facial features, hair, bodies, clothes, or accessories, or to use them as inspiration for your own character designs if you feel like it. I just ask that you put a link to this post in the description and credit me for the bases.

​If you prefer a layered .psd file, click the file below to download it.
head_bases.psd
File Size: 388 kb
File Type: psd
Download File

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To support me as an artist and storyteller, be the first to see completed projects, and get exclusive access to works in progress, support me for $1/month or more on Patreon.
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Customizable Valentine's Day Card

14/2/2019

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​Valentine's Day kind of snuck up on me, so here I am, late at night, with a cat on my lap and a quick, cute Valentine's Day card for you to customize and send to someone special in your life.

Happy Valentine's Day!
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Customizable Fireplace Christmas Card

24/12/2018

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​Happy holidays!

If you have any last-minute greetings you want to send out, hopefully this blank Christmas card will come in handy. I left the right-hand side empty so you can write or type a message onto it.

Sorry I didn't get this done earlier; I had a lot of pre-holiday stuff to take care of. But hey, even if you don't use it this year, it'll still be here next year. :) 

It's interesting to contrast this picture with the fireplace card I recently drew in pencil crayon, and to see what a difference it makes when I'm using a medium I'm more familiar with. Night and day!

P.S. Do you ever wonder why we always say "Merry Christmas", as opposed to any other synonym of "happy", and why we never seem to apply the word "merry" to any other holiday? Random thought for the day. :P
 

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    Stephanie is the author of My Fugitive, Voice of a Silent Fugitive, Heroic Lies, and Catgirl Roommate, as well as the artist behind the Undertale webcomic Just Cause.

    This blog often updates with new stories and artwork, so please keep checking in!

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