Art style: Dark Comic.
The Younger Self is shown with a immense, heavy weight physically pressing down on his shoulders. He struggles under the load, his face etched with the pain of his perceived responsibilities.
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FINAL STYLE ENFORCEMENT (this is the authoritative rendering directive — it overrides any style wording elsewhere in the prompt):
Render this image in the following art style:
dark graphic-novel illustration — gritty comic book art style, heavy black inking, bold outlines, detailed cross-hatching and dramatic shading. Exaggerated character features, intense expressions, deep wrinkles, highly defined musculature. High contrast lighting. Desaturated grim background colors (grays, browns) with stark contrasting pop-color elements. Satirical and edgy atmosphere, masterpiece comic art.
Every surface, skin, fabric, material, and environmental element must be rendered in this idiom.
Character appearance reference (MUST match exactly):
- Younger Self: A 32-year-old man, visually similar to Maria (Present) but marked by stress and exhaustion. His eyes are tired, his posture is tense, and he has a lost, fearful expression. He wears business attire but looks disheveled.
