💫 Holy Diving

All characters are 18+

In the mystical land of Yunia, a legendary tale speaks of an ancient knight order called "The Rubber Swords." These warriors are known for their divine flexibility and ability to harness heavenly power, pushing their bodies beyond all limitations to combat sinister forces that threaten peace.

To become one of these revered warriors, initiates must undergo years of intense training and preparation, which includes mastering the art of enterology. This skill enables them to fit into spaces where no ordinary man could ever hope to fit, even if they were a famous circus contortionist.

The key to unlocking this immense potential lies within a sacred elixir known as Holy Water. This mysterious concoction, imbued with divine blessings, allows a paladin's body to morph and twist at will, transforming their very bones into malleable clay capable of charging devastating attacks with divine might.

The most significant test comes during the rite of initiation, when the aspiring paladin is required to squeeze into an impossible glass bottle, its neck so tight that not even a seasoned contortionist would be able to squeeze inside in one piece. However, under the influence of Holy Water, the individual's frame becomes infused with extraordinary elasticity, allowing them to transform beyond all human comprehension.

As this fresh paladin folds tight into the glass vessel, filled to the brim with Holy Water, he submits himself to this miraculous process. For hours, the only part of his body that remains outside the bottle is his head, while the rest of him slowly melds with the enchanted liquid. Gradually, all of the Holy Water within the container is absorbed by the initiate, seeping deep into his bones, muscles, and organs.

With every ounce of Holy Water absorbed by the paladin's body during this baptism-like rite, he emerges from the bottle empowered with unparalleled elasticity. He is no longer just a bendy boy but a true spineless soldier – emboldened by his newfound abilities, he embarks on a lifelong quest to protect the world from darkness, armed with both divine power and the unyielding spirit of perseverance...

Amen.

What do you think? 😄

Magnificent reworking of the older piece — with a look of pure zen on the paladin’s face!

I was in love with this pic when you posted the first version and now it looks even better 0:

This piece is about self-improvement and it seems it can also improve itself! 😜 I'm very glad you like the updated version, thank you for your kind words! 🌸

Dio would be proud.

I know what you mean, but I also think that if Dio were still alive he would probably have been quite surprised by my interpretation of his song. While my artwork is not directly related to the lyrics or overall theme of "Holy Diver", it is inspired by the feeling of determination and strength that I get from listening to the song. In my view, the contorting boy represents a person who is striving to overcome great challenges in order to achieve their goals, much like the "holy diver" of the song who sets out to save the world from darkness and evil. The act of diving into the bottle symbolizes the plunge into the unknown that often accompanies such endeavors. As for the holy water aspect of the artwork - I wanted to incorporate an element of purity and spirituality, as well as a nod to the idea of baptism as a rite of passage for many religious believers. Ultimately, though, I see this piece as a celebration of human resilience and the power of the human spirit to overcome obstacles and achieve great things, even when faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges.

This version is so clean and polished. Tone of picture including smoothness of everything including light and colors goes 100% together with story. I mean it is like perfect image to presented story!
I like story, you should pitch this in nearest church because with such "holy water" they would fill all those big empty buildings in no time!! :-)

It has also this adventurous or risky? side to it... you are going to experience something beyond normal limits and then need to endure very hard ordeal... but if you manage to do so you become living angel, being beyond mere mortals.

Hmm I just imagined poor hungry angel with big chocolate "bar" filled with lots and lots of milk deep in his delicate mouth when still inside bottle. After all he can't really eat anything else :D
Shifty

Thank you, Shifty! I'm glad you liked it, and that you noticed the balance between visual elements and narrative. To be honest, I spent quite some time figuring out how best to blend them together. Your interpretation of the piece as an adventure or a challenge is interesting. The paladin must indeed overcome great trials in order to achieve perfection in his art - a feat which is, I believe, worthy of admiration and respect, even though it may not always be understood by people from other worlds where they don't have to do contortion for survival ;D

As for the 'poor hungry angel,' well... you know what they say in France, "No pain, no gain" (in French, "pain" means bread). In this case, perhaps the pleasure of consuming the milk chocolate bar serves as a carrot on a stick for the little piglet, er... I mean serves as a Great Motivation to Persevere Through the Discomfort and Reach One's Ggoal! o:D

As for your suggestion about pitching this story in a church, I think it might be a bit too unconventional for most religious institutions. However, who knows? Maybe there are some open-minded churches out there that would appreciate honestly any idiotic thing that promotes their beliefs in the slightest...err, I meant to say appreciate the Underlying Themes of Faith, Determination, and Transcendence in My Artwork o;D If I ever find such a church, I will definitely consider sharing my work with them, maybe it will be hot enough, specially if their walls are made of wood >:D (a dark medley of "The Omen - Main Theme", "Phantasmagoria - Consumite Furore", "Carl Orff - O Fortuna" and "Alone in the Dark - Prelude to an End" starts playing behind the corner...)

Thanks again for your insightful comments, Shifty! They mean a lot to me.

Excellent work!! I wish I could see him dissolving in the water..

Thank you so much for checking it out! I'm very glad that you enjoyed this work! About seeing the boy dissolve in water, I think that could make for an interesting addition to the story. Imagine if the order had magical ways to transform their members into a liquid form - perhaps a shimmering, iridescent substance. They could be stored in bottles or transported through tubes until needed, at which point they would revert back to their human form.

At a younger age, they might serve as couriers or messengers in a world without phones. Eventually, they evolve into valiant knights endowed with the capacity to swiftly reach any part of the globe through these magical tubes - regrettably, armor not included ;D

Over time, with repeated transformations, their bodies would become incredibly soft and pliant, so they can be deformed and contorted with ease without losing their human form, even through a narrow bottleneck like this one.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯