Alternate Vine Dance-Lewa and Venimbus

Humid summer days, rain, and nostalgia for my favorite fan fiction dimensions brought back the memory of this painting I nearly forgot about. 

"Alternate Vine Dance" a painting I did back in I think 2011, a time when I was still role playing the Life of Lewa fan fiction. This was the first ever concept image of Lewa and Venimbus vine dancing. 

This scene and scenes relating to the theme of vine dancing all root back to my inspiration from Cirque Du Soleil KA, aerial dance song and scene. 

I decided to play around with color, the original being in warm shades and then a secondary idea in a dimmer light with more of a before or after a storm look.

I remember at the time I was trying to play around with an almost pixel painting style to create Lewa and Venimbus. I was actually surprised to get a good amount of detail into characters so small. 

The reason it's called Alternate Vine Dance is because it's a scene that took place after multiple main dimension vine dances. Lewa had accidentally fallen into an alternate dimension of his actual dimension, a fluke relating to the portal tattoos on his hands. He wound up in a universe where the Junti people still had their sprawling territories, but were being killed off by the Jusha who wanted all of the forest for themselves. 

He fell into this dimension with his son Paluthero by his side, and the first village they jumped into was an alternate version of camp Viperato, a territory ruled by Venimbus's father, Gunwa (General) Temone I believe was his name. 

In this dimension Venimbus also exists, but unlike in the dimension Lewa came from, Venimbus retained her title of princess to the region of Viperato. Her father had been trying to get her to marry a warrior, but she didn't take interest, and her feelings for Lewa existed even in this world.

While Lewa tried to figure out how to get out of the dimension he and Paluthero had landed in, Paluthero found his own love interest in a girl named Unloe who wished to go with them when they found a way to leave. 

Trouble came about when Temone suspected Lewa to be a spy of the Jusha after seeing Lewa's leadership pendant, a white version of the same symbol the Jusha wear in this dimension, their version being a black pendant of the same design.

Temone kept his suspicions secret, but was convinced Lewa was their enemy after the village got attacked by a group of Jusha scouts while Lewa was there.

Venimbus knew Lewa had nothing to do with it, but knew she couldn't convince her father to listen, and in her secret compassion for Lewa she asks him to vine dance with her in the forest, the only safe way she could warn him of the trouble he's in, and that he should leave as soon as he could, or face possible death. (The painting above is of that scene).

Lewa believes her, but needs to get Paluthero who was still at Viperato with Unloe, the two resting under a tree. Lewa finds them after his return from vine dancing, and tells Paluthero they need to leave, but Paluthero begs to bring Unloe with them.

Lewa realizes he can't change Paluthero's mind and finally gives in to bringing her along, but as they head near Viperato again so Unloe can grab her things, Paluthero and Lewa are jumped upon and captured by Temone's warriors who tie Paluthero to a tree and string up Lewa for a whipping.

Temone comes in and states his suspicions, believing Lewa to be a spy, and hits Lewa once, but before he can do anymore damage, Venimbus comes to save Lewa, standing in the way of her father.

She manages to talk reason to him, and her father realizes that she has feelings for Lewa, strongly believing he is from another dimension and that he deserves to go free.

 In respect of her care for someone, a rare thing he hardly got to see in his daughter, he permitted Lewa to leave with his son and Unloe if she wished to go with them. After a peaceful farewell, Unloe goes with the two of them back to their dimension.

As a reminder, the painting in a way, remained a strong inspiration for future images like the official Vine Dance photo for episode 15 of the series. This is almost like a close up of the painting.

No matter the dimension, Lewa has Venimbus's interest.