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timing2 — Exploring the Ruins by-nc-nd

Published: 2010-02-07 07:47:49 +0000 UTC; Views: 27722; Favourites: 556; Downloads: 471
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Description This is a commissioned piece (posted with permission) of Galya, a Felaryan giant fire naga, done by the incredible *bokuman .

In this picture, something nearby has piqued Galya's interest while out enjoying one of her favorite activities - exploring ancient ruins. She can spend days going over the crumbling structures, uncovering tiny artifacts, and examining any items she finds. She is fascinated by trying to work out in her mind how the place might have looked before falling to ruin. On more than one occasion, she has collected magical items from such places, either left by the original inhabitants or unlucky adventurers. These are taken back to her cave in Black Mountain, where the nekos of her tribe scrutinize them to see if they might be useful.

Having explored most sites in and around Black Mountain, Galya has taken to widening her exploration of the surrounding territory. Even the faintest whiff of a rumor concerning the whereabouts of another possible ruin to search will send her off to seek it out.

A brief note about her coloration: Galya's top scales display a color trait reminiscent of opalescence, which means they appear to change color from flame red-orange to dark blue, depending on the angle of light. In Galya's case, heat also plays a factor in this play of color.

Art by *bokuman .
Felarya by =Karbo .
Everything else is my fault.

Rosalak's Survival Tip: Galya loves talking about ancient history. Explorers, even humans, who come forearmed with knowledge about the place they are searching have almost noting to fear from the giant naga, should they encounter her. In fact, her presence can be quite beneficial, since having one giant temperamental predator around tends to reduce the chances of another predator showing up. The problem, as most discover, is that is hard to pry themselves away from her when it comes time to depart. For those adventurers who are simply out seeking treasure, with no thought as to the history behind it, the best and only advice is to not get caught.

I've written two stories thus far involving Galya: In The Belly Of The Beast (two parts) and Galya's Portal Problems (three parts). Be aware, both stories involve vore, so if you do not like such things, please do not read.

If you'd like to comment on, or the picture in the artist's gallery, please do so here:
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Comments: 54

TimMcJimFromPL [2015-03-20 09:33:37 +0000 UTC]

Looks great.

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GaleckGodfire [2013-02-15 06:58:15 +0000 UTC]

She is beautiful

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timing2 In reply to GaleckGodfire [2013-03-04 15:47:36 +0000 UTC]

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Rose-Supreme [2012-02-24 06:21:22 +0000 UTC]

I wouldn't mind being swallowed by her...

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timing2 In reply to Rose-Supreme [2012-05-11 18:16:58 +0000 UTC]

Heh. I'm never sure how to respond to that.
Galya is one character of mine I wouldn't wish to meet in person.

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Rose-Supreme In reply to timing2 [2012-05-12 00:23:36 +0000 UTC]

Well, she IS a big Naga, right?

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Windskin92 [2011-08-15 06:21:35 +0000 UTC]

This is amazing, how on earth did you do the scales

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timing2 In reply to Windskin92 [2011-09-22 21:14:12 +0000 UTC]

I'm not the one who drew this - it's a commissioned piece done by *bokuman . You'd have to ask him that - several people did so already, but I'm not sure he responded to them.

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dreamingoflight [2011-06-13 17:35:17 +0000 UTC]

the ornament in her hair reminds me of the fire nation one the royal family wore!!

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timing2 In reply to dreamingoflight [2011-06-14 19:56:57 +0000 UTC]

Yep, it does look very similar.

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MrSinister1990 [2011-04-01 20:11:57 +0000 UTC]

Id be both very happy seeing a giant female naga but also scared she might eat me

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timing2 In reply to MrSinister1990 [2011-04-25 16:30:14 +0000 UTC]

Well, in Galya's case you'd be right to be scared.

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greivous1214 [2010-11-26 21:49:42 +0000 UTC]

Quetzalcoatl: DAMN KIDS, GET OUTTA MY YARD!!!

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timing2 In reply to greivous1214 [2011-01-05 17:30:02 +0000 UTC]

Kids these days just don't show any respect for ancient ruins.

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MyGemini [2010-05-20 18:10:19 +0000 UTC]

It's unfathomable to think how much effort it took to detail her sepentine half. The color scheme alone is enough to inspire great praise, more so when combined with this beautiful woman and the lush background. As big as she is, I shudder to think of the fireballs she can chuck when she's properly angry. Plunderers beware.

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timing2 In reply to MyGemini [2010-05-22 06:28:25 +0000 UTC]

=bokuman did quite a wonderful job on this scene. This would be about the best place to meet Galya if one were able to keep one's wits (and one was not a plunderer ). She can create quite the fireworks show when she tries. But it's not fireballs plunderers should worry about when Galya is around. She has other ways of dealing with them.

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CylindricalFawn [2010-04-28 23:36:43 +0000 UTC]

Whoa, I like the colors of the tail and it's execution. Great work !!!

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timing2 In reply to CylindricalFawn [2010-04-29 02:53:14 +0000 UTC]

It's not my work, per se, just my idea brought to life via commission that was drawn by =bokuman .

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CylindricalFawn In reply to timing2 [2010-04-30 15:06:53 +0000 UTC]

OH, I see. thanks !!

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SharpAce [2010-04-26 20:03:21 +0000 UTC]

Stunning coloring on this! I love the blending you did and the warm tones!

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timing2 In reply to SharpAce [2010-04-26 21:46:02 +0000 UTC]

I can't take credit for this. It's a commissioned work, done by =bokuman . He did do a great job on her colors, despite them being difficult to capture correctly.

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SharpAce In reply to timing2 [2010-04-26 22:50:01 +0000 UTC]

Ahaha! Well he's a brilliant artist!

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HaloPokemonMaster [2010-04-14 16:30:28 +0000 UTC]

So using an old ruin as a forward military base isn't a good idea?

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timing2 In reply to HaloPokemonMaster [2010-04-15 18:16:07 +0000 UTC]

No, that probably wouldn't be a good idea in this case. Not unless you could also post some archaeologists to the site also and then convince Galya the military presence was merely there to provide defense for the team.

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HaloPokemonMaster In reply to timing2 [2010-07-06 21:21:10 +0000 UTC]

okay...
Well, it was a archaeology mission in the first place...

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HaloPokemonMaster In reply to HaloPokemonMaster [2010-07-06 21:25:52 +0000 UTC]

After reading the description again, I don't think Galya would like what we intend to do...

Underneath the ruins where I set up the forward base, there's one of these...

[link]

It's just, since the 9,982 years it has lain there, a civilization has built a small city on top of it...it's all old ruins now, but the middle of the city is right on top of the hangar bay doors...

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timing2 In reply to HaloPokemonMaster [2010-07-13 19:00:44 +0000 UTC]

Heh, even though she's a giant naga with considerable magic talent, she's not invincible. If there was a large military presence there, I doubt she'd go near. More likely, she'd simply observe them from a distance to see what they're up to.

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HaloPokemonMaster In reply to timing2 [2010-07-26 12:18:49 +0000 UTC]

not that I'd shoot on sight...well I might fire a couple of warning shots...

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HaloPokemonMaster In reply to timing2 [2010-07-13 20:44:49 +0000 UTC]

yeah...but what would happen when we start drilling to find the entrance to the hangar bay?

And [if my forces get this far] what happens when we open the hangar bay doors?

A pissed off giant fire naga...I wouldn't want to mess with that.

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Kimeria87 [2010-04-11 23:21:56 +0000 UTC]

You are so awesome! I love how you pose them! She's so pretty!

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timing2 In reply to Kimeria87 [2010-04-11 23:33:26 +0000 UTC]

Well, this commission was done by =bokuman who has a gallery full of incredible artwork. If you liked this one, you'll definitely like some of his other work.

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Kimeria87 In reply to timing2 [2010-04-11 23:37:15 +0000 UTC]

Yes I really have to read the descriptions

You're still awesome because of the ideas you have.

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FarBeyondStrange [2010-03-07 02:51:51 +0000 UTC]

Glorious!

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timing2 In reply to FarBeyondStrange [2010-03-08 22:22:57 +0000 UTC]

Thank you! =bokuman did a great job on Galya.

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Wildthing115 [2010-02-09 14:24:41 +0000 UTC]

A lovely commision again Timing, keep em coming

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timing2 In reply to Wildthing115 [2010-02-10 03:05:12 +0000 UTC]

Thanks! There's always more to come.

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Sehoolighan [2010-02-07 20:17:02 +0000 UTC]

What a unique scale trait, but I wonder if its useful for survival.

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timing2 In reply to Sehoolighan [2010-02-08 18:34:52 +0000 UTC]

I dunno, but it sure looks pretty. And telling her that might just help an adventurer's survival.

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Sehoolighan In reply to timing2 [2010-02-08 18:35:53 +0000 UTC]

Yes, yes it might.

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Asuroth [2010-02-07 18:22:38 +0000 UTC]

That's a nice little trait of hers hehe. Must be quite a shock though for the average ruins dweller to find her for the first time. Thankfully for them it can be a good thing...as long as they're not there just out of greed! I imagine her name might get around with other explorers because of her curiosity and willingness to talk with them about the ruins she visits heh.

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timing2 In reply to Asuroth [2010-02-08 18:30:14 +0000 UTC]

Galya's mood shifts would be a scary thing to witness as a human. Luckily, searching through a site as pictured above usually keeps her in a happy (or at least peaceful) mood. Assuming the explorers ever survive the return trip, I imagine her reputation could spread. Having a giant fire spewing, illusion wielding naga along would increase their chances of doing so dramatically. Just hope they can cope with her teasing. One of her bad habits is teasing people she doesn't intend to eat to see their reaction.

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roemesquita [2010-02-07 12:04:19 +0000 UTC]

amazing Work

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timing2 In reply to roemesquita [2010-02-08 18:13:23 +0000 UTC]

=bokuman does some great work on his commissions.

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Karbo [2010-02-07 11:10:33 +0000 UTC]

that's really a nice trait you imagined here
it adds even more depth to an already attaching character

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timing2 In reply to Karbo [2010-02-08 18:11:25 +0000 UTC]

Thank you! I really need to work on putting together some bios for my characters. The notes I have on them all are incredibly messy.

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FS-the-voresmith [2010-02-07 08:46:28 +0000 UTC]

Ah, I was wondering about the story behind this. I'm sure Galya has learnt to be careful moving around ruined sites of historical value; she could do a lot of accidental damage if she swished her tail at the wrong moment.

The idea of being an archeologist, encountering her in the ruins and having a nice talk about history rather than being on the menu is certainly an interesting one. She makes a very sensible distinction. Humans with knowledge in her field of interest, who respect the historical value of the site, are worth talking to; others have no purpose but food.

I like the fact that she has such a healthy, intelligent curiosity in the world in which she lives. She knows how to seize the moment and enjoy life, but she doesn't live just for basic pleasures. Far from it. She'd be a fascinating person to talk to, in more ways than one.

I wonder whether she's even heard of Ur-Sagol? She could spend quite a long time there, exploring to her heart's content. And given that it's (probably) still visited by scientific expeditions, she might acquire a reputation as a protectress (and knowledgeable discussion partner) of field historians.

And as I said on the original page, this really is a beautiful picture of her. She looks absolutely lovely.

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timing2 In reply to FS-the-voresmith [2010-02-08 18:10:08 +0000 UTC]

I'm reminded of the old saying, "Bull in a China Shop." Mythbusters did an episode showing that even an animal that large and strong can be nimble enough to avoid damaging delicate china placed on shelves in its pen. Galya does take extra care when she's at a site. I imagine she learned the hard way what her bulk can do if she's not careful.

Part of her personality comes from being around the Black Mountain nekos. They are a naturally curious bunch. But they aren't simply curious for curiosity's sake - they like to encounter new things so they can learn from them. Galya's inclination towards ancient ruins happened because there are a fairly extensive set of ruins near the tribe's home. She spent days and days in them, digging around, trying to piece together a picture of what life must have been like. She has a great deal of admiration for people who build and/or create things. That's one reason she and Matta are such close friends, since Matta helped form most of the tree homes the nekos use. Galya would be utterly fascinated by something like a city, though she's never seen one before.

I would imagine she has heard rumors of Ur-Sagol from people she's encountered. But she's never thought go there, mainly due to distance and not knowing where it is. If someone were able to tell her exactly where it was, she might decide to take the trip. I could see her spending a long time there. The nice thing about her tribe of nekos is, they don't really need her protection. So she is free to go and do as she pleases. The hard part for her would be that she likes being around her friends as much as she likes exploring. A nudge and some reassurances from Matta or Rosalak would solve that.

Your comment about archaeological expeditions seeing her as a boon is interesting. It would be funny if people sought her out to go with them on an expedition because of her reputation. Not only would she be flattered silly, but if they really were going for archaeological purposes, they'd probably have made a friend for life.

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FS-the-voresmith In reply to timing2 [2010-02-10 09:40:29 +0000 UTC]

Incidentally, she may also be interested in the re-inhabited ruins of Balikar, which to my knowledge have never appeared in a story yet. They're an idea by (scroll down to his last post on this page for more: [link] ).

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timing2 In reply to FS-the-voresmith [2010-02-10 17:31:40 +0000 UTC]

I'd have to think about that. The ruins themselves would spur her interest greatly, although the constant rain might be irritating. But her reaction to being offered sacrifices might not endear her to the inhabitants. She'd likely take it as an insult to her hunting ability and eat them instead. Of course, those who were meant to be sacrifices would probably be happy at the turn about.

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FS-the-voresmith In reply to timing2 [2010-02-10 19:21:17 +0000 UTC]

That would be amusing. A bit of a cultural misunderstanding, with unfortunate consequences for some. And a taste of their own medicine, so to speak...

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