Finally complete!!! - Project Ebon-knee

So happy that this is finally done. My best work so far in a trying time of my life.

I could hear the Rocky theme playing when I finished this. Yet I know this is but the beginning. The first of many struggles. With reference to the Rocky series, I thought I was at Rocky 3 - The one where he loses to Clubber Lang (Mr. T) then learns to "box properly" from Apollo Creed and eventually defeats Clubber in a re-match. The one where he overcomes his fears to rise up again. And yet it feels like Rocky 1 still, the one where after years of bumming around he gets a shot to get into the ring with world champion Apollo Creed and goes the distance. 

Why the Rocky analogies? Maybe it is because it is something easy to relate to. Something that represents that it wouldn't be easy to succeed but yet tells you that you must keep moving forward to win. 

"But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!" - Rocky Balboa

And keeping with the theme of Rocky analogies...
Assuming I am at Rocky 3 now. The one where I got my ass handed to me so bad that I'm all scared to do what I know I am good at and love to do. I would still need to go through these:

Rocky 4 - Fight the "invincible" monster that is Ivan Drago in a hostile crowd. "Ivan Drago (and the hostile crowd)" can be many things or many people. My parents, for one, are not supportive of what I do. The industry also looks down on the contribution of artists. The pressure of bills to pay is another. A close friend also gets killed in Rocky 4. This can mean a fellow artist giving up on their dream (a death) because "Ivan Drago" beat them so damn hard they couldn't get up again. Lesson? I should expect a beating so hard that it is nothing I ever experienced before. While everyone looks at me like a fool while deriding me, I will soon win them over with my heart, skill and courage. Of course I will have to keep training and working hard...

Rocky 5 - I will take a student, train him and while he improves till a point where he thinks he is better than me, I'll teach him a lesson.

Rocky Balboa - I will compete against the youth of the world. My speed is gone. My reflexes are gone. My stamina is gone. All I have is blunt force trauma and heart.