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darkspeeds — COMMISSION #22 CHICAGO-PD-STARS ($180 + TIP)
Published: 2015-01-02 20:54:44 +0000 UTC; Views: 8409; Favourites: 265; Downloads: 39
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C O M M I S S I O N - # 2 2 Title: "Summerfest"
Commission type: Character Illustration (on A3 Cardstock)
Total time: +30 hours
Cost: $180 (+TIP)
What a sensational way to start the New Year of 2015 on my deviantART account of 11 years - uploading something bold, colourful, complex and full of life.
I spent a great deal of time working on this, in fact I spent close to month working on this piece. Usually I can dish something like this out a little more faster but I really wanted to take my time on this and learn as much as I could from the experience. Also why it took me +30 hours to complete this was because it was very much an on and off affair since I've recently gotten my old job back at Crown Perth.
Nevertheless I want to thank my client for a wonderful opportunity - his commission description was some of the most complex I've ever encountered and I'm glad I took the job since it was an exciting challenge to commit and fulfill the details my client had requested on this piece.
For those curious about the setting it was based off my client's own personal experiences at a fun fair back in his hometown - he wanted to incorporate characters from his fan-fic of the Sonic Archie series and create a scene that is a little more on a happier note (the event is not 100% canon, it is sort of a 'what-if?' scenario between characters with existing relationships canon to his story). I found this very interesting to work with and because of his attention to detail on the description I was able to paint his vision with confidence.
The original image of his hometown fun fair was actually set in a twilight orange and blue skies situation but I had decided to use my artistic license to accentuate the mood and atmosphere of a fun fair with a violet and warm yellow compliment palette. I works beautifully in a close to evening setting where there are so many colourful light sources happening!
One last bit of detail to mention - my client originally asked me to do this in graphite and it was my call to colour it at the end. Naturally it'll cost more than the $180 price tag (Base price of $100, six extra characters at $60 and additional details at $20), but I'm going to let my client decided on whatever extra he'll like to pay as tip for the service, and based on the expectations I've received from him he's been generous to donate a lot more than I'd expect!
Overall this was a big commission with a big commitment attached to it - I'm so glad that I decided to colour this and in the end I did learn a lot personally on playing with colouring light sources and how to still maintain atmospheric perspective and correct values.
For a behind-the-scenes journey on the process please check out the following articles I've published on my account:
Sonic and Friends at the Fun Fair...!
Sonic and Friends at the Fun Fair...!And so begins the next commission piece - and this one's a massive one.
A full blown illustration on an A3 sized 225gsm Card-stock Paper, much like this one that I illustrated commissioned by :iconkafelnikov:
My next project is a scene that was envisioned by the creator :iconCHICAGO-PD-STARS: for his Sonic Archie fan-fic - Fallen From Grace. The setting of a fun-fair/carnival holds roots to a fond past-time of his which makes this commission fulfilling to work on! Also do give his fan-fic a read if you haven't done so already - it's tailored especially to those who are looking for a brutally mature tone in their Sonic Archie stories.
So what have I thumb-nailed for the time-being? Well this!
A World In Color
A World In ColorThe lineart for :iconchicago-pd-stars:'s commission is complete! Adding the details was fun and calculative - reference photos of fun fairs really helped!
I just finished penciling the outlines to focal point's Tails and Wave. Then it was off to the scanner. This was what was scanned and edited in digital format!
I'm still thinking of whether to render in graphite or in digital color... Both options have their own set of pros and cons but I think it'll be worth the investment to colour this... Let's see how I go!
Somebody's Jealous...! (Make that Two!)Can you pick out who?
Not these two... Though they're up to something!
Nope not these two either...
Time To Render This Bad Boy!
Time To Render This Bad Boy!I'm constantly inspired by David Lillie's art style used on his graphic novel series: Dreamkeepers (you can check out his deviantART account via :icondreamkeepers
.I mean look at the magical transformation below:
Incredible right? That can only be achieved with the following:
i) Very tight penciling work.
ii) Adept knowledge of light and colour applied during rendering.
iii) A lot of patience.
David has done it so many times that it becomes natural to him. And now it's my turn to give it a go.
I've spent countless hours penciling and base painting this illustration (aka :iconCHICAGO-PD-STARS:'s commission), and now I can fi
This commissioned piece was requested by
Darkspeeds' Commissions Info
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Comments: 76
Once again the wonga man as made another great picture.
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You have no idea dude, you know, about The Sonic Hour...! lmao
We gotta catch up sometime. Let me know when you're free, I gotta catch myself up on Season 3!! lol
Po-lice LIEU-teeeenaaaaaaaant...... SMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTH!!! (the grand finale intro where the two brothers did their duet) XXXXXXD
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this piece is absolutely AMAZING! All the characters are drawn amazingly and the entire background is very inspiring and very nice to look at. Also, I love the interactions in all the characters, and the clothes look great!
Overall, amazing job!
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Thanks mate! I appreciate the feedback!
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Flat out stunning- this came out incredible, it's a visual feast! Nice work, you aimed high and let me tell you, I think you got a bulls-eye!
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Oh wow! Thanks David! = ) Means a lot coming from ya!
Hope everything is going alright back home! I have plans to send you an e-mail sometime soon!
Lovin' what you guys posted as of late:
So much story telling from a combined illustration without the dialogue. Masterful.
Oh and I'm lovin' the color palette! Soft pinks and desaturated light and dark violets. Simply beautiful.
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Very lively! I just love the background! It looks detailed and polished and the lightning is outstanding! It's also great you added many other characters there. The characters are full of energy and their expressions are so different from each other. I really like how tails and Bunnie came out. It looks interesting when you used different thicknesses of line here; it creates layers.
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Cheers mate, a lot of time had been invested into this and it's good to know that some of the techniques applied to the illustration came out really well!
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Man, this image is *fun.* There aren't many pictures that I wish I could hop into, but this is definitely one of them. FANTASTIC shading, and I love the neon effects.
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Thank you! That was past of the theme of the project - to keep it fun like in a night carnival!
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Yo !Is there a fanfic Cruz if there is imma reading it!
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Is it just me, or does Tails' Outfit remind me of Baek Doo San?
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I don't remember Baek wearing that outfit - however I do remember his hitman style outfit!
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Baek has worn this in his younger days. Actually, in "Tekken - Tag Tournament 1".
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So much great detail, colors and fun lights
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Really love the atmosphere and color use here, nailed it.
Well, not entirely nailed it, on real carnivals you can't see the ground and you'd have people completely filling the screen right up tot the camera lens.
Tough for a fun carnival, fantastic work.
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Ah I see what you mean by that! When it's overcrowded you can't even see the floor.
It's been fun working on this piece, learnt a lot from the experience especially on the lighting!
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Oh yes, you did it ♥
It's incredibly amazing
The time you spent on it was really worth it ahhh<3<3
I love how colorful it is, I think the background it's the most impressive!
and I really...... have... no... more words... haha as you know I'm not the best giving feedback maybe?
lol I just had to let you know I loved how it turned out XD so here it is! outstanding work<3
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Glad you dig Mily! = )
Oh and this one caught my eye out of the newer entries!
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OH I know! it's very amazing
I don't think I could do that traditionally x'D;
And you're welcome
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My pleasure! And good luck!
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While I do think Tails should probably look where he's pointing and that the very human bodies clash with very cartoony heads, everything else looks spectacular!
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Dazzling colors;You've always had an eye for details ,but this is the absolute pinnacle of what you can do and this was clearly worth all the effort you've put into this gem.
I must say that the luminescent sky and vivid carousel are my favorites in the background while my favorite character portrayed here would likely be a tie between Tails and Bunnie;Both of them having really lively expressions. Very upbeat!
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OMG! This...is...so...unbelievably freaking awesome!! OoO
I love the colors of the ferris wheel, so bright, yet looks really realistic! As well as the rest of the buildings!
And let's not forget about the characters! Sonic and Bunnie look like they're having a "splash" time lol
And Amy and Jet, hehe, well you and I both know what they're thinking XD
Silver hanging out with one of the twins (I dunno whether that's Leeta or Lyco 
And Tails...SOOOO HANDSOME looking!
With such a muscline body...and I love his clothes, especially his pants! I don't know why, but I just LOVE the pants! LOL! It's like it bring a shine to it or something lol
But above all that, everything around this artwork of yours is excellent! Awesome work, Elson.
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Looks like the textured brush worked for those pants!
It's Leeta to answer your curiosities! And yes Tails looks pretty darn handsome Evelyn. XD
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Ah ok! So it's Leeta I see! lol
Thanks Elson.
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Great job with the drawing. Love the detail put onto this.
However, Tail's left (our left) eye seems to be a bit unfocoused (or at least, it seems off) from the way he's looking. It was actually the first thing I noticed before looking around the other corners of the picture x.x
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Thanks dude!
Now what you said there about the eyes helps clarify what I need to do in future for a situation like that - to be more careful about eye positioning/expression on the brows and how that will effect the overall and intended expression of the character. 
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You've really given it your all in this pic, DS. Considering how much time you spent on it, the effort goes to show. It's such a busy, festive scene with so much for the eye to peruse that it really feels as though we're absorbing the wonders of the fair in awe. By far, the strongest aspect of this pic is the lighting. Practically every colour in the spectrum shines in a neon glow that creates such a vibrant environment. I especially love the food stand in the background where you spared no expense in painting every tiny detail like the cake designs and individual flags. You really rose to the challenge set by this commission and the background is amazing.
There is, however, a lot to criticize about the characters. I've said this before, but I don't really care for the humanized style of the Mobians here. It brings back a lot of bad memories about when Archie artists couldn't draw them with correct proportions, resulting in some very nasty results from Ron Lim or Jim Valentino (or worse, the ghastly misfire called Sonic Ages ). Seeing as how I remember you finding Tails cute in Sonic Boom, it's unsettling to see him as this muscular teenager in this rendition. Even worse is that he's looking in a completely different direction from where he's pointing. I don't know why you drew him this way, but his skyward glance and happy-go-lucky smile make him look high or something. Another problem is that his hand partially obscures Wave's face, who seems to be surprised by Silver levitating.... a brain? I don't know what it is.
If I thought Tails was bad enough, I can't get over Sonic's appearance. I mean, it's basically Sonic's head on a 100% human body. It's such a jarring clash, I worry about staring at him for too long. He's not even drawn that well when his ears and quills are flopping athwart. And what's up with Amy's downbeat expression? Why would she be upset about Sonic frolicking with Bunnie? If Sonic was accompanying Sally, I could understand Amy being jealous, but there's no reason for her to be despondent over a married woman spraying her crush. Maybe this has something to do with those different relationships you mentioned in the description, but the reaction here doesn't really make sense without understanding the context.
The colouring on the characters is disappointing compared to the background. I mentioned your tendency to overdo shadows and I started to think you were toning it down in more recent submissions. However, it flares up again in strong black washes that makes that characters lose a lot of vibrancy. Tails' trousers are basically an ebony shape with occasional splotches of saturated blue. There's so little backlighting that they start to blend into the shadow of his tail. Depite Bunnie standing against one of the picture's bright spots, the contrast on her is completely fudged, giving her fur a muddy greenish tinge. The problem with your technique is that you're trying to paint the contrast in such strong gradients, but the variety of light sources mandates sharper highlights in order to make the characters more clearly defined. The way you coloured the crowd here has a fuzzy, murky look that I don't feel does justice to the brilliance of the background.
You get an A for effort at least. I can't recall the last time someone actually coloured a commission that was requested only in graphite. That shows dedication and I hope you got a healthy tip for it. This painting is a testament to your vision and commitment, but the execution is left wanting.
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Back again with your comments.
From my analysis you seem to be getting the wrong idea on a lot of things, and for the record I didn't read into much on the first paragraph, it's just the positives, I'm looking for the negatives that can improve on my work.
Points 2 & 3 are completely irrelevant and bias. You're injecting your own personal thoughts into the subject matter which doesn't even contribute to the critique. The problem you have is you are not flexible enough to appreciate different visual styles - take your example of Tails. I can appreciate both cute and mature renditions of Tails. You cannot (which if I'm using your tone on giving feedback to others - is a real shame).
Regarding your points on the way Tails is looking while pointing (while holding hands with Wave may I add as per request of my client), Silver levitating the funnel cake (if you were really into details you would have picked up the funnel cake stand behind them - see the noodly-like dessert graphic on the signage? You're lacking patience and jumping straight for the gun with your comment, and in your tone I find that disappointing as an artist.) To add more to that detail I didn't even know what a funnel cake is until my client stated it in the commission brief, so I made sure I did my research and communicated it visually on the canvas.
Did I say bias earlier? Sonic accompanying Bunnie? Amy being jealous? It has everything to do with the different relationships that was in my client's brief. It's none of your business to be very honest. If you're interested you're more than welcome to ask him yourself and question the relationships. Your bias only blinds you from seeing it for what it is.
On point four that's where I can finally get a chance to take some interest in your comment. Oh wait, nope. I'm disappointed again (if I were to use your tone).
There is conflict of interest in how you see atmospheric perspective (we've gone through this in the past) do you understand why my subjects in the foreground need to be more saturated, darkened and sharpened (or textured to create that effect)? To make them pop out when compared to the other elements in the middleground and foreground. There is an exception to this rule and that is the lighting sources that surround it. This is a fun fair in a twilight setting, just look at the many colours that you have to consider when painting this. The greenish tinge comes from the Chillidog stand, this is backed up with her hair being affected by the light too.
Regarding about vibrancy, the characters are vibrant as it is, you're just too used to the SEGA colour palette. Where does this fit in - your bias, it's matter of personal taste and it's not critique which goes back to my disappointment on your lack of understanding in your comments. The colours of the background crowd are suppose to be murky and less saturated. Why? Again going back to atmospheric perspective I wanted my 8 main characters to pop out more than they already are. Saturating everything is like starring at a canvas with vibrant colours splashed everywhere without thought and context - it's jarring to the eyes and to the mind. Want to know the math to my approach?
Tails + Wave = Saturation + 4
Sonic and Bunnie = Saturation + 3
Silver and Leeta = Saturation + 2.5
Amy and Jet = Saturation + 2.5 (doesn't make sense when they're the furthest away out of the three, but it makes sense when they are closest to the most colourful and brightest lighting area in the scene).
Crowd = ranges from 1 to 2
Regarding about shadows the predominant light source is coming from what's behind them, not what's in front of them - hence my application to darken them more than the rest. This also supports the theory of popping things out in atmospheric perspective which is a bonus.
And I said got an A for effort at least? Ouch.
Dude you no wonder people can easily get on your nerves. And you just love doing it, I can see it from what others have told me about you. I wonder why your personal life is not a happy one, makes me wonder how people at work treat you with your kind of attitude.
My piece of advice mate, start being a bit more humble in your comments, it helps a long way to be mindful of what you say to others. It goes back to your tone when you critique and I mentioned that three times in my comment already (and three times more in the past!).
Also for the record I was going to ignore this but I can't help but post something here to let others know that I'm not ignoring your comments.
Anyways time to go to work, meet real people and and earn me good money to spend it on good times with family and friends. Be humble.
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I guess it was a little too much to hope for a "thank you" for such an in-depth critique of your work, DS. I don't believe this sort of thing comes around very often on DA. Yet despite providing a critical look of such an elaborate piece, you react with offensive negativity. In your Lyric piece, you mentioned you evolved from a "cocky dumbass for not taking critique well". Frankly, I don't believe a word of that if this is your response. I would be delighted if someone wrote this much on one of my pieces, good or bad. I appreciated your critique on my poor image composition and I strive to improve it. I did not retaliate by insulting your lifestyle and belittling your feedback. That seems very immature and ungrateful, given the amount of time I spent writing my comment.
You used the word 'bias' four times, when the correct term is 'opinion'. Yes, DS, it's called an opinion. I don't like the humanized style of Mobians you used here. It borders on Uncanny Valley when it diverges so markedly from how I picture the characters. But should I just bite my tongue out of fear of being called biased? No! I have a right to state my honest opinion about the style. If you disagree, fine, that's your opinion, but don't dismiss it as an inappropriate taste.
I think I can be excused for not recognizing the funnel cake. That's a purely American carnival food that isn't served in Britain, and even you were unaware of it too. If the cake drawing on the sign doesn't resemble Wave's food, then why the hell are you blaming me for not making the connection? You're just as quick to blame me on my view of Amy's reaction. If the status of the characters' relationships is unclear, I always provide an explanation in the description to clarify the situation. I do not blame my viewers for being confused about the context. That's just childish, DS.
You've also tossed the term 'atmospheric perspective' around before, but I don't think you apply it correctly if the result is muddled colours and shadows that obfuscate details. And yes, we've had this discussion before. Being a fan of Sega's style has nothing to do with it (heck, even I don't paint with Sega's style); I just want to look at a picture that is clear and aesthetic. The problem is there's no subtlety in your palette. Your colours jump from over-saturated highlights to pure black. Even characters standing against strong light sources should appear more vibrant than the blurred mix of colours here. Your technique works better for the background because the neon signs are sources of light, but projecting that light onto the characters seems rather off with that black wash.
So here's another long comment, but I wonder at this point if I'm wasting my time with you. Don't accuse me of being unfair, I did give you credit where it's due - I always have. In fact, you stated at the beginning that you glossed over my positives to focus on my criticism to help improve your work. Yet you reacted so defensively that I don't think you learned anything from it. Nothing pleases you. Maybe you're no different from all the other hypocrites who say they welcome criticism.
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Still haven't learnt a thing have you. Do even read the stuff you write to people? It's not that I'm 'butthurt' from what you commented previously (as people nowadays would call it) but you don't seem to understand the tone you set on people's work. It's almost like a half-glass empty approach which can be really discouraging on some people.
Sure you may say it's an opinion but what does that have to do with the technique being use upon my client's request?
"There is, however, a lot to criticize about the characters. I've said this before, but I don't really care for the humanized style of the Mobians here. It brings back a lot of bad memories about when Archie artists couldn't draw them with correct proportions, resulting in some very nasty results from Ron Lim or Jim Valentino (or worse, the ghastly misfire called Sonic Ages ). Seeing as how I remember you finding Tails cute in Sonic Boom, it's unsettling to see him as this muscular teenager in this rendition."
"If I thought Tails was bad enough, I can't get over Sonic's appearance. I mean, it's basically Sonic's head on a 100% human body. It's such a jarring clash, I worry about staring at him for too long. He's not even drawn that well when his ears and quills are flopping athwart. "
Those comments are bias towards what you want to see in the 'Sonic style', that is what I meant by your bias. Not only that it's showing a lack of respect towards my client's specifications on the visual style he admires. And that peeves me off in all honesty.
Why did you talk not about gesture or composition of the overall canvas? The way things were organised to keep the viewer intrigued to move their eyes from one spot to another - whether that worked on not based on the elements of colour, lighting, placement/positioning of objects etc...? The only saving grace is your mention of Tails expression and how he is pointing in a particular direction.
"You're just as quick to blame me on my view of Amy's reaction. If the status of the characters' relationships is unclear, I always provide an explanation in the description to clarify the situation. I do not blame my viewers for being confused about the context. That's just childish, DS.
Rubbish. The observer - Sonic fan or not, is open to interpretation of the situation, I want to illustrate something where I encourage others to explore and question about the moment. If someone says: "Why is Amy looking like that at Sonic and Bunnie? Is she jealous about the relationship? Are they in a relationship at all? Perhaps they are...! I wonder what happened." And if the observer is invested in the storytelling and would like to find out more about it - they would naturally ask the client or myself about the subject matter. What you're saying that there people are not intelligent enough to inquire? That's just childish Glitch.
"So here's another long comment, but I wonder at this point if I'm wasting my time with you."
Think what you may, I know for sure that I've wasted my time on you.
"Don't accuse me of being unfair, I did give you credit where it's due - I always have."
When did I ever use that word 'unfair' or even suggest that on your comments? I was focusing on the tone of your comments. I read them and I don't necessarily have to agree with them (or your opinions).
Anyways I'm going to try something for this New Year. Never done it before but I'll give it a go and I to be the first to take the initiative.
I believe this will resolve any disagreements from the both of us in future so for one last time, it's been interesting!
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And its done, you made it to the end!
pft, "made it",
Double puns.
Fantastic work as per usual Elson!
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Thanks Brandon! Looking forward to more clever concepts and detailed work from you in 2015!
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Ooh nice! Always did love your art work. Everyone looks great and I can just feel the joy and fun times to be had in this picture. Oh hey I see that little nod to our good old blue boomer!
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VERY impressive! The detail is amazing; the colors, the perspective...they're so...preeeettttyyyyy...
Well, I'm gonna go draw my stick figures now.
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Ha ha! XD *draws stick figures of Sonic characters*
I can see that you're doing colouring work on your gallery, and your drawing of Shadow ain't half bad either! Keep at it mate!
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I can see what Silver is planning to do with Leeta here. First they find a vacant private room, drop their clothes off, playing 80s music all night long and get it on with each other! Oh Silver you are one scheming handsome devil!
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lmao!!
I guess we're both pervs.
He is handsome indeed and it goes hand in hand with a beautiful Leeta!
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Hahaha, wait till her sister hear about this.
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I'll mail her the 80s VHS sex tape, raw, uncut, unprecedented and under 10 dollars!
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