Original at https://www.furaffinity.net/view/15734337/

Commission by balorkin of their character facing Odon in an arena battle.

From their post:

This piece was a blast to work on and it took a lot out of me at the same time. I don't think I have ever worked on a piece that had such a complicated & invested background so I was really putting myself into this.

here's the original description of what's supposedly happening there:

"The black snake demon Odon has been summoned into an arena in ancient Rome with an 'unworthy opponent' at first sight. Titus ap Balor, one of my OCs had been percecuted of several 'crimes against the empire' - in his human form. To subdue and kill him, but also to make him change into his suspected demon self to proof his crimes, the emperor has summoned Odon.

Confronted with a matter of life & death, Titus indeed decided to give up his human disguise and fight the other Naga demon...yet he started out with a relevant disadvantage, as he needed to transform himself, first.

Will Odon finish what he started or will he eventually overthink the situation and reach out to the fellow demon, deciding that standing up against the emperor & the crowd together would make for a much more enjoyable endeavor? Not to mention the feast that would follow! ;)"

You might not recognize Titus as I took the chance to give him a complete re-design. I wasn't happy with his colour scheme in the first place and it was too close to Odon's, messing with the composition. So I went for a Red Mountan Boa to steal the basic head shape and pattern of. Such beautiful critters, indeed.

There's some minor symbolism worked into this piece. The emperor and Odon have the same, golden wristbands. On the emperor they look like jewelry on Odon, who is forced to fight in the arena, they look more like shackles. Both characters wield a lot of power (Odon/Emperor) and I think to wield such power puts you in shackles, especially if you're confronted with what to do with such power. I have read Odons backgroundstory and think what he became due to this power isn't far away from the emperor. It all depends on how you use your power, your decisions - which weigh so much heavier. Also, Odon has enough power to overthrow the emperor and turn the tables in this game, he just has to make the respective decision.

How will he decide?

Also, there are a lot of reds in this painting. 'Purpur' or a crimson red was along with purple, a very royal colour, expensive and hard to get by. So the banners of the empire, the emperor's robe & Odon's pattern as well as Titus shield he uses to protect his head from another blow, as well as the sunscreens are crimson red. The sunscreens cast a shadow on the people they protect from the burning rays of the Italian sun, but they also stand for being unfree. Same goes for the shield.

And finally, Titus' blood is blue. Now that comes from his background as a Sidhe-hybrid, but it came in handy for the color composition of this piece. The only wound, the only blood on the field so far isn't crimson red as the empire's colours. Yet, Titus is of very royal ancestry which is why he's blue-blooded. I think the blue, cold spot casts a nice spotlight on the injury even if you need to look & think twice to realize that it actually IS a wound you're looking at. I think it looks almost calm, cooling, soothing in the middle of this hot and opressed battlefield.