Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)

Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) [feat. Lzzy Hale]

DENEFERIO D'NARO: A CASE STUDY

Born to a small, poor family of owls in 1961, Deneferio D'Naro was raised in a time of great sociopolitical upheaval within Rhylia - not due to any social breakdown rooted within the country or its people, but due to the raging tension of the Cold War and Rhylia's position as a key strategic base for the US and NATO.

D'Naro grew frustrated with the fears of his family and friends by his early teens, and opted to vent his rage through military service, applying successfully to the Royal Guard Academy at the age of 14 in 1976. He quickly excelled in his classes and training, becoming one of the top recruits by 1977.

His unusual excellence caught the attention of the then-ruler, Myrvaen (pronounced like Marvin) Nylani, who appointed him as a bodyguard in 1982. Deneferio soon exhibited a particular acuity for tactical and strategic prowess - something Myrvaen's son, Alsendyr, took note of. In 1985, Alsendyr took the throne, allowing Myrvaen to spend his last years peacefully, and appointed D'Naro as his military advisor - a role Deneferio would, for some time, cherish.

However, with the end of the Cold War, the US' defense waned, and the failure to deal with the rapidly-industrializing Comiryca to the east on their allies' part frustrated D'Naro once more. Raising his concerns in 1992, D'Naro's voice was ultimately dismissed in this matter, as a waste of resources and manpower on a target doomed by history to fail of their own accord.

By 2004, D'Naro's frustration had reached a boiling point, and he began plotting to claim the Rhylian throne for himself by force, in total secrecy. His frustration was soon compounded by the birth of Alsendyr's youngest child and potential heir - Eledriel Nylani. In 2006, his plans had finished - and he, with his mutinous forces, attacked and destroyed the majority of the Nylani family within the palace. Only Alsendyr's wife, Aryka, and daughter Eledriel, escaped with a handful of guards - to the far reaches of Rhylia, ultimately settling in a cave in Pheasant Point.

For the next 15 years, D'Naro would turn the monarchy into a military dictatorship, reforming the Royal Guard into his Grey Guard, flying the black, red and silver tones of the D'Naro regime. His rule was one of an iron fist... but unfortunate for his younger self, he was never able to unite the Rhylian people in order to engage in a drawn-out conflict with Comiryca. His efforts ultimately weakened the nation and stirred seeds of revolution.. not to mention leaving it open for attack from not only Comiryca, but a previously "harmless" nation known as Ravenstead.

By 2021, D'Naro's reign had become solidified as one of tyrannical xenophobia and isolationism. Foreign tourism was restricted, people were closely monitored, and D'Naro's health and vigor had begun to wane from age and paranoia. His life would be brought to a swift end in the coming days, by a certain true heir, determined to reunite the country, restore its pride, and avenge the betrayal and slaughter of her family.

A sad end, to a sad life.

===============

The ultimate villain Nyla must face in her battles, D'Naro is an imposing, threatening force. Thoroughly convinced of the morality and ethics of his actions, he has become a corrupt, twisted, jaded husk of the man Nyla's ancestors knew. The absolute power he has come to wield, has corrupted him absolutely. In a blind rage of vengeance and hatred, he has destroyed the only home he ever knew in an attempt to destroy a threat that he has only made ever more present by his actions. And now, Nyla, the last vestiges of his mistakes, come back to haunt him and end his misery, must challenge this ruin of a man for the fate not just of herself, or of D'Naro, but for the whole of Rhylia.

It is only fitting such a personal battle have a personal theme.

This Forsaken Dream [Nyla Project, WIP v0.0D, Final Battle vs. Deneferio D'Naro]

- Casually drops a work-in-progress cover with cover art and doesn't elaborate -

Okay, joke aside, I've been wanting to do covers of this soundtrack for ages and just never felt like I could pull it off. Honestly, as much as I like how this one has come out, I do still feel like there is a LOT of room for me to improve, and that's ignoring the fact I've not even come close to finishing this yet, I'm still working out the phrases and such.

Not sure if I'll leave this up given I have some... misgivings about putting it up in the first place, but I felt oddly compelled to post this a few days ago and against my better judgment I went through with it. To be fair, something something "one is their own worst critic," so for all I know I'm being way too hard on myself. Perhaps it's better I have this up so third parties can tell me to stop bullying myself :P

[WIP Cover, v0.4B] Freedom Planet - Final Dreadnought 4

"ALERT. ALERT. UNAUTHORIZED INTRUSION AT GATE A-10. ALL AVAILABLE UETs, DEFEND PLATFORM A-10 IMMEDIATELY. ALL NON-CRITICAL PERSONNEL, PLEASE SEEK COVER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL."

Just writing up a concept for something related to Sprocket; her story arc and context within the ROTC universe is more akin to a hybrid between XCOM and Stargate (at least, what I know of Stargate). As such, UET HQ is quite important - as are the UV Gates and their associated platforms. Every now and then, there's a breach in the UV Gate Network, resulting in a hostile force pushing their way in. In such circumstances, it's up to UETs (like Sprocket's "Wild Team") and the military to defend the platform - or at the very least, prevent anything in HQ from getting to the surface and wreaking havoc on untold billions...

[WIP Concept (v0.0a), ROTC-UET, Combat/Tactics] Emergency at the Gate

Working on developing a villain for the UET Program (who Sprocket, in the picture, is part of), codename "Puppet Master" - a manifestation of consciousness within the UV Gate Network, and one of perverse spirit, corrupt and twisted, using the power to manipulate reality for malicious purposes.

Puppet Master's true identity and name are unknown. UETP's encounters with this entity HAVE however revealed some details. Puppet Master takes on the appearance and demeanor of a young woman, probably about ~25-30 years old at most, but is never seen as much more than a silhouette of a female form, and her voice has often been described as metallic and uncanny. The only detail that is consistently mentioned is a featureless face with soulless, glowing white eyes that reveal tremendous malice upon eye contact.

Puppet Master is the only entity in the UETP database with a threat level of MAXIMUM.

[WIP Concept v0.1, ROTC-UET, Vs. "Puppet Master"] Ghost in the Network

Concept work for a project I have planned as my "breakout" project. It'll be built on a modified version of Source and will be a DOOM parody, featuring a cutesy-looking (but secretly psycho) bunny girl facing off against a horde of insectoid (primarily bee-themed) robots to fast-paced, often heavy music, juxtaposed against an unassuming, cutesy, cartoony art style.

[WIP/Concept] BEET - "Leaf Me Alone" (E1M1)

Ulterium Records Label Sampler 2013

Hide in the Fairytale

Ghost Ship

Castaway

Oi oi! I'm Jeremy, a 23-year-old aspie PK (pastor's kid) and multimedia creative. I don't post here often (sadly I have lost my muse), but I will try to amend that at first opportunity.

I'm planning on (and procrastinating on) starting some indie game projects in the near future, and I'm also working on some story-related content and artwork.

Long-time followers/friends may remember me better as peef or peefTube, but I've been working towards rebranding to spiro9 as of late. Speaking of, one of the best ways to get in contact with me is via Discord, which of course is spiro9 like it is here.

Don't expect any sort of professional quality work, despite the fact I really want to put that kind of thing out. I'm just a guy working on stuff here and there, and my days of working with other people are probably behind me now.

This Forsaken Dream [Nyla Project, WIP v0.0D, Final Battle vs. Deneferio D'Naro]

spiro9

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