Yeah, well...
But this?
This is basically a fully realized Ruby, personifying darkness. Her eyes and hair here, not to mention clawlike hands, are canonical. So is the darkness trailing behind her: that's what it means to be an elemental rider of darkness and have fully manifested powers. (In Ruby's case, going through her vampiric nature, but using them all the same.)
This visage of darkness was basically the closest I've ever gotten in my art to fitting my mind's eye with what I am capable of actually drawing. I knew I wanted the clawlike trail. I knew I wanted that almost-flamelike, all-consuming darkness to be behind her. I knew exactly what her hair would be. I knew what her face would be. The rest was a bit more flexible and as noted above are the areas which were problematic, but I effectively accomplished everything I set out to accomplish.
This was done on sketchbook paper (which is why it didn't fit into the printer to scan; her feet got cropped off), another of my Christmas presents, and boy do I love it. I'm basically positive that the weight of the pencil doesn't work nearly as well on printer paper. Oh, sure, it works plenty fine. But not this well, not this crisply.
God I can't wait until I get to draw Ruby like this regularly. (Actually I almost never will because it's not a form she takes regularly and it's also not a form she exactly has this level of mastery over until much much much later.) Because this is basically her at her finest. It may, or may not, be her using a super mode (Dark Messiah), but ultimately that doesn't matter. It's her, using the darkness half of her powers and purely the darkness half of her powers, at full strength.
And she is not only beautiful, but radiates power. At least, that's my opinion of her. That's what I was going for as an artist, and when I look at what I made, I see the effect there, and not just "a crude attempt at the effect", not a "pale imitation of the effect", not a "substitution for what the effect could be like". No, this is that effect.
...I, uh. Maaaaaaaaaaay need to get used to writing 2017 though. This? Not made a year ago. Whoops!
Ah well.