I’m near the finish line for the new (gigantic) chapter ofFamily Secrets (it’s my longest update yet). I’m publishing this week, hopefully before the weekend but realistically, it’ll probably happen during the weekend. I’m sharing in this post all the art that I’ve commissioned specifically for Family Secrets in 2019 and this year, and that was drawn beautifully and gorgeously (and with so much heart) by Blind Sominium or Sam, so I can link to them from AO3.
These art pieces will appear throughout the new chapter on AO3. Some of them are conceptual, on theme with the Lupercalia – with Dean’s sketches channeling the god Faunus and Sam’s channeling Pan to symbolize the Greek and Roman gods honored at the Lupercalia festival, hence the horns. (Remember that in “Family Secrets” the Campbells and the Winchesters are both traditional but follow different denominations that are rooted in different mythologies).
If you’ve read Family Secrets, you know this is all symbolic. The story is not fantasy per se and there are no “creatures” in the story (it’s not a creature-fic!). The ancient god motifs present in the Lupercalia are used for inspiration and to signify different spiritual beliefs and traditions within the AU world of FS, but it’s all surface stuff – no different than Mardi Gras being a festival that precedes Lent but that still has balls and floats that honor Bacchus, the Greek god of wine. The Lupercalia is just a tiny step above that in the sense that the coming-of-age festival is less rooted in Christianity and is rather built around ancient Greek and Roman mythologies that are at home with human nature as half beast and half man, both divine and earthly.
I hate adding watermarks on original artwork because it ruins the look, imo, and takes away from the experience. So please share courteously and consciously, within the parameters outlined below, honoring the artist through respecting their copyright.
I can’t wait to share the new chapter with you and hear your feedback. I pray that you enjoy reading it too.
