As I promised to @sakiyaki-sashimi ages ago, here’s a post of me showcasing my eight main characters! I have a truckload of other characters, and one day I’ll show them all to you, but for now I’ll settle on the Itopians.
I’ll put them under the cut, after I explain who they are and what the setting is. Warning - some aspects of the setting may change with time! I’m not as good at animating as I wish I was, so the web series I want to make about them will have to wait another decade, but I’ll showcase them now so that you know they’re mine)))
The setting is the multiverse. I know, very original, but listen. In the multiverse is a little pocket universe called Itopia, created by a person who lived long ago enough for everyone to forget their name.
Itopia exists so that people with special Itopian portal devices can travel the multiverse and fight strange monsters that appear all over it, as well as heal the multiverse by destroying especially unstable universes. As a pocket universe, it’s well-suited for all the Itopians and helps them in any way it can, even though it (probably) isn’t sentient.
At the previous day (June 2022 to the main character’s universe), after many generations of Itopians had changed, there are seven people there. The main character is a teen girl who got there as a new recruit, and the others will eventually become her treasured friends!
Now that the summary’s done with, let’s show them to you. Warning - spoilers for a future project that might never even exist!
This is Minerva, or Minnie.
She’s the aforementioned main character. I know she looks familiar, but she’s not me. In fact, she’s my alternate self - we’re similar enough for me to understand her, but we do have differences.
A 14-year-old girl, she entered a portal to Itopia one day, which proved her curious enough to be a true Itopian (as her mentor put it). Now she’ll experience many strange adventures: entering her own dreams, befriending gods, dragons and angels, becoming a skeleton, a shadow, a piece of cosmic energy, touching the moon, walking upside down, creating new universes…
By the way, that last ability is pretty rare! It’s commonly called “imagination”. Only people with imagination can create new, stable universes; those without it can only create short-lived unstable ones. That makes Minnie really precious in the multiverse’s eyes, but makes her question herself a lot.
She’s a teen, so she has a pretty unstable psyche - but she’s usually friendly, curious, excited and confused, albeit easily angered.
Alright, next one!
This is Gala.
She’s been in Itopia for ten years, since she was 15, so she’s a pretty competent (if irresponsible at first) mentor to Minnie.
(Her eyes? Natural. Her hair color? Natural, including the tentacle-like smooth texture. It’s normal for her universe. She’s still considered 100% human.)
She’s goofy, friendly, and striving to be as cool as possible. She’s that one person who calmly says “whoops” after mind-shattering catastrophes but hisses “FUCK” after dropping a pencil. In other words, level-headed only when someone needs her to be.
That doesn’t mean she doesn’t have any berserk buttons. Insult her boyfriend of five years, Justin who she calls Just and loves him dearly? Get an axe to the face. Say she’s a bad mentor to Minnie? Get crushed under the weight of her yelling. Ask about the red bracelets on her wrists? …get only silence and a quiet plea to never ask it again.
Oh, and when she glances at the camera saying something directly to the viewers? Yep, she can do that too. That’s rare as well, it’s commonly called Breaking. It’s a thing you’re born with - when you randomly get the understanding that “Oh, hey, I’m being watched! Might as well say hi to the guys, don’t you think?” So she realizes that she’s in a cartoon, but she knows it’s alright - every universe is fictional to all the other ones, after all.
This is Liliana, or Lily.
No, she’s not a furry, and she doesn’t even know what a furry is. She’s a feline. A species of anthropomorphic cat-like creatures who have (on paper) the same rights as humans (and she’s not a cat, thank you very much! It’s like calling a human a monkey! They have the same ancestor, but they aren’t the same. That’s one of her berserk buttons.)
She’s a timid and kind 23-year-old, but much braver than she was nine years ago, when she came to Itopia. A nice girl through and through, sometimes she can’t help but feel… used. Doesn’t help that she has a… questionable home life, one that would definitely be tagged as “Dubious Consent” on AO3. Despite that, she does a good job being friendly and open, loves being an Itopian and is really devoted to her friends!
Her saliva has a healing effect that allows her to near-instantly heal open wounds by licking them; though she can’t heal fractures or sicknesses, she’s still a useful Itopian to have around. It does make her feel a bit like a tool rather than a person sometimes, but she’s always able to snap out of it.
This is Chris.
The oldest of the Itopians (35 years), he’s also the only one using his real birth name, as well as the only one from the same universe as Minnie. He opened the portal she first entered Itopia through, and he was the one to briefly introduce her to the multiverse.
He tries really hard to be the only sane man - he’s responsible, a bit strict but not harsh, and levelheaded. Has a habit of calling people by their full name, something his apprentice Rok took from him. However, he does have a childish side as well, and it’s not like he hides it or anything. He’s a schoolteacher, so it’s only natural that he’s good with kids.
Some time after becoming an Itopian, Minnie will notice that Chris is being a bit… secretive, especially when asked about a certain thing he spent years on researching. She will pry further, looking for answers, and she will eventually find them - question is, will she like them?
This is Kryonis, or Kryo.
The only known son of the Ice Elemental and the older twin brother of Ruta, this 22 year old can freeze water in a ten meter radius. It means he can create ice from the water in the air as well as liquid water.
Cringe name? I know. He chose it himself when he was six, so did his sister for herself. You see, their mother didn’t exactly want them, so she never bothered enough to give them names.
(Also, don’t get distracted by his pointy ears. It’s not a sign of his elemental heritage, it’s what all humans in that universe have. The same thing as with Gala, honestly - the definition of “human” differs between universes.)
He’s harsh, a bit cruel, definitely has a sadistic streak. He’s not above killing people who just happen to be in the way - at first, at least. It certainly helps that he can instantly freeze all water in his victim’s body, if they’re close enough. Who ordered a human popsicle?
Not to say he doesn’t have a heart of… well, maybe not gold, but at least silver. If anything, he loves his sister more than himself. Of course, he’s near-constantly irritated by her many shenanigans and threatens to strangle her every half hour, but if she needs his help, he’ll thwart armies and move mountains - and the feeling’s mutual!
This is Ruta, or Ruty.
She’s the younger twin sister of Kryo, who inherited immense physical strength from her elemental father. That, by association, means she’s also more resilient, more durable and has more stamina.
Yes, their hair is different colors. Yes, it’s because Kryo has ice powers. No, I didn’t intend them to be copies of Elsa and Anna. No, I will not accept criticism on this matter (any other matter is okay).
A jolly and whimsical young woman, Ruty is probably the least serious of the Itopians. She doesn’t know what a tasteless joke is, and can joke about pretty much any topic. Including her own untimely death.
Yeah, she died once. Right in Kryo’s arms. It wasn’t pretty. Luckily, they managed to work together to bring her back, but it still was a major (MAJOR!) trauma for them both. She’s coping so hard. So is he. Naturally, he does NOT like her reminding him of that day. She does anyway.
Fun fact - she’s left-handed. It has no bearing on the plot, just wanted to flesh her out a bit.
This is Sugar.
He’s the youngest Itopian, only ten years old. He’s a dragon, a Sunrise, to be exact - there’s Sunrises and Sunsets in his universe, at cold war with each other for three hundred years.
Sunrises sleep at night and wake at day, like humans. They can breathe fire, and their wings are stronger than those of Sunsets. Their names are linked to all things warm, bright and day (for example, Sugar’s real name is Midday, his mother is Amber, his father - Beach and so on).
Like any kid his age, Sugar’s playful, kind and curious, if a little insensitive and cowardly. He can be very brave, though, if needed. Loves his friends, but most of all his family - and he has a big family! Wants to be a knight when he grows up. Thinks like an adventure novel. Apprentice of Ruty.
A ray of sunshine through and through. Good kid.
This is Ragnarok, or Rok.
A troubled teen a few months older than Minnie, he’s the only Itopian whose real name exists but isn’t known. This grey sweater he’s wearing? Oh, that’s half of his wardrobe. Don’t worry, he washes it.
Your typical angsty teen, but with a hint of multiversal wisdom. Very angry, at everything that moves, including himself - hell, ESPECIALLY himself. Has tried to cut his veins open when he was nine - didn’t know where they were located, made a mess of his stomach, came home all bloody. Never cut again, but considered other ways to… exit the game.
Can kill people. HAS killed people. Never hurts children. Likes warmth, the color green, hot chocolate and his friends (though it’s hard to earn his friendship). Hates pretty much everything else. Swears every third word. Is so honest that it’s pretty much his motto.
His life is… rough. But that’s a spoiler. All you need to know is that it involves a disappeared rapist and a very young grandmother. Understandably, his primary motivation to live is revenge.
Don’t worry, he too thinks his name is cringe. He was twelve when he made it up.
That’s… all?
Can’t believe I waited so long to finish this draft. Probably gonna pin it, in case people get interested.
@jazzfromthevoid , these are the guys I’m writing for you about. Just so you know who to picture in your head while you read.
Silly Game Time: WEIRD GLADIATOR FIGHTS!
A semi-professional baseball player armed with one bat and one ball, motivated by the promise of a chance in the big leagues.
VS
A professional and ruthless contract killer for the mafia with only a cheap suit and a pair of brass knuckles (motivated by a standard paycheck).
You've got $5 to wager on the winner (no split wagers). Place your bet!
The baseball player. I’ve watched enough Pixar movies to know they’ll win.
Silly Game Time: Coming up with a fitting name for an original character is one of the trickiest parts of character creation. Yet I think it's also one of the most fun challenges! So what do you think would be a good name for a character associated with earth (the element)?
This could be based on literally anything, including just vibes. But ideas could come from mythology (gods and spirits and heroes and monsters from different cultures). Or history (figures who famously studied or thought about or worked with geology, etc.). Or media (many different stories, games, and movies have characters, classes, and species who are connected with stone, caves, mountains, etc.). Or simple word association derivatives (for example, with "earth" you could get "seismology", which could yield Sei, Eismo, Ismolo, Smolog, etc.).
Silly Game Time: TWIST THAT TROPE! "Ships are mysteriously disappearing, but the twist is ___."
[these could be at sea, in the air, in space, whatever you like]
(Every story is made of tropes, just like how every sentence is made of words. Still, some tropes can feel a bit overused if a storyteller doesn't do something different with them. What do you think could be an interesting variation to this trope? It doesn't need to be elaborate or surprising or original, just something that might appeal to you personally.)
It’s ships as in romantic pairings.
Nothing supernatural, these people just realize they aren’t made for each other.
Sending love, hugs, sparkles, best wishes, lemon scented soap, a fluffy blanket, few ice cream buckets, a bouquet of your favourite flower, and again lots of love <3
Y’all are hellbent on making this okay, aren’t you?
Happy birthday to me I fucking guess. Your gal is a grown adult now apparently
Now the only thing stopping me from drowning my selfish suicidalness in alcohol is my absolutely ironclad willpower (shoutout to it btw I don’t know where’d I be if not for my willpower. Kudos to it yay yippee)
