Fosc X
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♦ Drive to Dolour ♦ WiP II ♦
🕑 Added 2024-09-03 19:00:58 +0000 UTCShoutout to my Surface tablet this was filmed on who is currently on sick leave until my extra pen charger arrives (I miss that Microsoft bastard so much y'all hahah I love my big work tablet but my surface tablet is my SON T.T just a few more days to go though hahah we'll be reunited soon <3)
My abnormal emotional attachment to technology aside, here's the preview of a nearly finished painting I shared the wip of some weeks ago! I was skeptical about the colors at first, almost turned it black/white/red too, but I ended up liking it as it is!
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One of the most heartbreaking parts about this whole part of the book this scene takes place in is that, moments after this, Rick would finally find out that Jake's mother, Alice, and primarily her boyfriend Soren, were trying to send Jake out of the state. This was something that was in plan for a long time, something Rick was partially aware of Alice was at least considering, and was desperately trying to convince the Grimport police to react before it's too late. And while the police did what they could at the time, procedures proved too slow, and it was pure luck Rick had been driving around Jake's apartment every single day and noticed Alice handing her son over to strangers so he could react in time.
Of course, Jake never returned home after that night. The trafficking attempt was thankfully stopped in time, but it forever destroyed any chance for Alice to have her redemption, no matter how much Rick kind of wanted her to have one before, in spite of everything.
Alice, in her own right, was a very interesting character to me. She was a victim of a broken system as well, and in a lot of ways, she was extremely relatable to Rick, which is why he struggled believing she would ever sink as low as to actually put Jake in harm's way. She was born into a family that didn't want her and had no means to provide her with basic needs a child has, and she was unfortunate enough to find herself in quite a similar situation with Jake. He was a child she wasn't prepared to have, a child she didn't want, yet couldn't leave either. Without any support system, she found herself seeking comfort and safety in the only places that would take her, and thus she met Soren, the man that promised her that future at a cost of her loyalty.
Everything Alice did since was utterly unforgivable. She put Jake through hell to help Soren grow his drug business, used him for sympathy and extra cash until Jake began speaking out about the abuse he was experiencing, and Rick got involved in their lives. Upon realizing Jake was a liability and knowing she couldn't put him up for adoption as he knew far too much about their drug business, she opted instead to do one of the most inhumane things a person ever could. It was when Rick realized her despair turned her callous and never allowed her near Jake again.
Soren died, but Alice remained, and for years she roamed the streets of Grimport. She must have known what happened to Soren and feared the same fate might come her way, but more than anything, she resented the cards she had been dealt with. It's why she kept returning every now and then, roaming around Jake's school even when she knew she shouldn't be there. She resented his new life, she resented him for breaking the cycle, and she resented everyone who helped him get there.
Comments
Fosc X
Yee exactly ❤️🩹 it was a really tricky situation and a lot of difficult decisions had to be made which affected a LOT of the plot later, but ah, at the end of the day, as much as it sucks, you're absolutely right, if that didn't happen, Jake might have never had a good family at all ❤️🩹 he had a lot of therapy later in life, too, so that helped a ton ♡
Plumeria Blossom
Oh for sure, it makes sense that he wouldn’t want to bring crime into the picture when dealing with the situation, especially with Jake being so young like you said. On the bright though, if that whole trafficking thing hadn’t taken place, Jake might not have been a part of Rick’s family at all. It’s like everything happens for a reason even if it seems awful in the moment kinda thing haha
Fosc X
AAAH thank youu so much!! 🫂❤️ I was super anxious about the colors here, I feel like I struggle doing works with more colors than like one very continuous tone, but this one actually turned out decently, so I'm superr glad you like it! ❤️ But absolutely. Like Rick isn't the greatest guy in the world either but he at the very least still wanted to believe no parent would be as selfish as Alice proved to be 💔 Omg and definitely, he 100% blamed himself for being late to stop this in the first place. Rick was generally trying to play "by the rules" when it comes to Jake's situation. He was trying to involve proper authorities and work WITH them just because Jake was so young and he didn't want to accidentally fuck something up by involving his crime life in it. Unfortunately, Grimport is notorious for just how many cases and crime they have on their hands, and the system was simply too slow 💔 this was a really grousome end to Rick's attempt to try and be a law abiding citizen if that makes sense, and it entirely screwed up his way of thinking later on and just how forced into crime circles he felt he was It brought a lot of old wounds back, a lot of ugly feelings and it took a while before he kind of dealt with the guilt after Jake was finally safe
Plumeria Blossom
YOOOO the colours here are so VIBRANT and laid out in a really nice way- how the left side of the canvas has warmer tones and then there’s the cooler tones of blue on the right side, it all just blends together sooo nicely!!! 💖 (Don’t get me wrong though, I do love black and white artworks a ton as well 🖤🤍) Ahhh I can’t imagine what Rick was feeling in that moment 😭💔 That really is such a difficult and stressful situation to be in. Giving someone the benefit of the doubt and hoping they could leave behind their troubled life and have a better future, only to watch as they turn around and bury themselves even deeper in their destructive behaviours would be an awful experience to say the very least. How did Rick feel when he saw Jake being handed over to those strangers? Did he blame himself for the attempted trafficking taking place? Did he think he should have done something more before things got to that point, even if in reality, there was nothing else he could do? (Don’t worry about answering any of this if it gives away spoilers to the story that you don’t want to share, I totally understand!!)
Fosc X
UGHH SAME BRO samee 😭💔 she's such a frustrating character to write and discuss because I can't help but feel for her because of her past, but her actions??? Absolutely the fuck not, she's completely vile for that 😭 what's worse, she had a chance to leave that life behind and get the help for both her and Jake, but she got blinded by the promise of a wealthy, free future with Soren and was scared to leave 💔 AHH BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH!! i'm soo glad you enjoy the stylee 🫂❤️ and it really was, it was such an awful moment for everyone included 😭
FiishFinity
BROOOOOOOOOO I will sob an ocean reading this. I can’t help but FREAKJNg SEVERELY dislike Alice. To do that to Jake. Ughhhh and then her resentment to the poor laddie, too!! Oh my goshhhhhhhh. My freaking soul aches because this is suuuuuch a real real and brutal topic. Ughhh. Brooo. And this illustration of Rick, ugh I am so so SOOOO in love with this freaking incredible style. I feel his ache and I’m left in the sorrow for him! Sorrow and frustration. This freaking looks like a situation where there’s no hope. All is lost and there’s no going back to how things used to be or could be. 💔💔💔💔😭
