MoA: 10 Years

Ray is my oldest *active* oc (there are older ones but none have featured in any current projects), and as of today he is officially 10 years old! This is pretty exciting to me and knew I needed to celebrate with a drawing that depicted some of his various designs. Since he originated as a Zelda fancharacter, I included a few elements of that series (particularly OoT). The rupee is obvious since he was a thief, but I also added the Spirit medallion symbol somewhere as well. The light in the back was influenced by one of OoT's promotional art. Ray has also always been associated with the desert (he was originally a Gerudo male because SCREW GAME LOGIC!!) so I added some sand in too (and listened to lots of Gerudo Valley remixes). 

He's never been the main character in any of the stories he's featured in, yet he's outlasted pretty much all of the protagonists. Right now Kari is sitting quite comfortably and won't be usurped by Ray anytime soon (he doesn't mind, the two are pretty chill friends and Ray gets his spotlight when it's necessary). Over the years he's transitioned from a snarky rebellious kid with a flirting habit, to a brooding rogue with a bit of an arrogant streak, and now to a protective mature swordsman who doesn't like to dwell much on himself. He's seen sexy bishounen phases and derpy Disney phases, has been skinny as a stick or incredibly well built, and only recently has he decided to pull his bangs out of his face and wear a proper shirt lol. But in the end, there's one thing that hasn't changed: he's still my favourite. He's a childhood memory and a core reason I love the Zelda series. He was my victim for vent-art during high school, and when my sense of self-worth crumbled, he took the wounds I otherwise would have inflicted on myself. He's a fuel for my creativity, and though I've put him through some pretty brutal/embarrassing ordeals, I don't take his existence for granted. I guess I wouldn't be the person I am today if it wasn't for him, and I quite like who I am right now (even if he did steal a piece of my soul over the developing process). He's the best thing about me, even if he's just a fictional person and this is why I needed to draw a tribute to him. So, happy birthday and thank you Ray!  

Also, if you're curious to see just what kind of progress Ray's gone through over the years, I've been posting REALLY old art on Tumblr over the course of this month. So check it out if you'd like! solkari.tumblr.com/ Other than that, thanks for stopping by!

Memories of Aisling and Ray are (c) me.