Digital illustration in a scribbly style of Carrie, a Fallen London OC. Her face is obscured by the jawless head of the Vake, who stands over her. She grabs its wrist tightly. Both would appear to have been cut open along the underside, with their insides visible, though neither has any organs - only bones are shown. Text in the bottom left: 'Burn a key into your skin'.

drawn on the 18th of July 2024, mirrored here on the 3rd of September 2025

Fanart of the Vake from Fallen London, alongside my main player character Carrie (slightly outdated design - candidate for a redraw?). The JPG compression really did a number on this one but honestly it kind of works.

The basic concept of this one can be linked back to St. Hubert's Key, a traditional cure for rabid dog bites that was heated and pressed against the skin; being a Vake- and Monster-Hunter, Carrie absolutely falls under the protection of St. Hubert himself (patron saint of hunters).

IIRC my original idea for this one's title was 'Hubert and Lyssa' (the latter being the spirit of rabies), but 'burn a key into your skin' just sounded better.

Rabies here could be considered a symbol of Carrie's fear of being perceived as a threat, or of taking on too much of her enemy's nature. A dangerous beast, tainting an innocent hunter. The remains of the Vake (peligin-eyed like her) have hidden her face, she's the one grabbing it, yet her hunger - her empty insides - is plainly visible (or her fears tell her it is). Consider also the fact that her hair is loose in public; she's an adult Victorian woman, this is clearly undignified! Possibly immoral! Everyone will see her! Everyone will know what she is!

So she has to wrap herself in its wings, take hold of its claws... and, of course, burn a key into her skin. Penance or medicine, does it really matter as long as the disease is out?

...in hindsight, I wish I had actually included the key here. Something to keep in mind for the redraw.