I keep telling myself I should talk about my OCs more bc how else am i gonna lure people into talking about them with me??? So, i'm gonna be brave and i'm gonna use these sketches i made recently to introduce some of my little guys a bit.
Also for anyone interested, I do have a tags system that SHOULD be comprehensive, check my pinned post,
and if you're interested in any particular OC, check the tags under my drawings, i try to tag each OC individually (and in order of appearance in the drawing from left to right, top to bottom) so you should be able to just click on the tag and see more of them!
With this out of the way, let's get into it:
(from left to right)
The twin princes Hypnos and Thanatos.
They are famously demigods, direct descendants of Erebus the moth god, and thus held to high standards. Hypnos is the face of the kingdom, adept at manipulating his way through social situations, while Thanatos is a warrior trained by the illustrious Illudo, leading the guards and the armies.
Fiery, warm, but rational and distant Hypnos ; stoic, sharp, but emotional and honorable Thanatos ; they stand in stark contrast to each other, each one complementing the other's weaknesses, an inseparable duo.
Aubépine the Butterfly Knight.
A well-known fgure among the Court, Aube is a flashy, charming, but responsible knight. Many ladies would offer him their heart without hesitation but this honorable knight remains single, too focused on his duty of protecting the castle, though some rumours (if you'd care to believe them) would have him already romantically entangled with a lowly criminal.
Acacia the honey mage.
Every court needs its doctors, and as far as doctors go, the honey mages produced by honey bee and bumblebee colonies are the best equipped for the task. Acacia is a nervous but efficient worker, apt to tackle the difficult ordeal of keeping all of the chaotic figures of the court in relatively good shape. A tough job that nevertheless puts them in a privileged position to learn about many of the court's secrets...
Alrighty here's a short general explanation of my different original worlds and random ideas.
Faes and Celestials #faes
A medieval fantasy world where anthropomorphic bug people (Faes) and vaguely bird inspired angelic people (Celestials) cohabit.
Demon Sword #demon sword
A Fate inspired battle royale type of story where angels and demons team up with humans to fight a modern holy war.
Heroes&Villains #H&V
Urban fantasy world where heroes are licensed by the government and villains aren't all bad. It has its own original characters, but I also use it as an excuse to dump my Faes and Celestials into a modern world.
The Circus #thecircus
Mostly abandoned for now - a circus full of monsters and magical creatures.
You can find art of the characters and more info by going through the respective tags! (if this post is recent, there might be nothing or very little but I'll add more asap).
You can find Masterposts under the tag #lore masterpost. They allow you to go to posts about general lore, with links to more specific subjects. That should make it easier to navigate!
You can also check out my Dreamwidth blog, it has exactly all the same lore entries as this tumblr blog, without all the random unrelated reblogs. It might be easier to navigate. It's missing the art for now, but I intend to post it there as well.
More about:
(links will be added soon)
Faes
Celestials
Scattered about in small villages, spiders sometimes seem more primitive or asocial than Insect Faes. It is a false assumption however ; their society is simply organized in a more horizontal way, with very little hierarchy. Every social unit, be it a village, a small regroupement or even just a family, decides together on everyone's roles and duties. When a decision must be made that might affect more spiders than just this one unit, such as matters of conflict and war, gatherings are organized for people to discuss, debate, and vote on the course of action. A council is often elected to oversee such debates, usually consisting on the oldest and wisest, as well as the strongest and most admired members of the community. A small group of people with varied expertise, able to give advice on different matters, and rule a decision when the community is too divided to come to one by themselves.
Spiders can boast of a few special abilities that differentiates them from other Faes and greatly shaped their way of life.
>Multiple pairs of eyes. Like most people, spiders have 2 eyes that can see in the same spectrum of light as normal humans. The secondary eyes however allow them to perceive some ultraviolets, which can be useful for better distinguishing certain plants and animals that bear patterns only visible in this spectrum. Some nocturnal spiders can even see in the infrared spectrum which useful for seeing in the dark.
>Weaving. Spiders use their hair as thread to weave cloth, rope, and even magic! Most spiders know how to weave at least some simple creations, as it is one of the staples of their culture. Clothes are an important means of self-expression and standing, and many spiders, especially those that are well-off or are clothes weavers themselves, will show off some beautiful colorful clothes.
Spider hair is made of different materials than other people's hair, and grows faster too. Many spiders and especially hunters and warriors will keep their hair long so they can use it on the fly if needed. Using thread and ropes to fight is one of the spiders' specialty, and tricky to counter when you're not used to it. Alternatively, spiders that don't weave much or at all regularly cut their hair and donate it to weaver workshops.
Some weaving arts have been passed down for generations in certain families. If regular weaving is already well consideredd, magic weaving is even more important for spiders. Its mysteries are well-guarded and it has brought spiders strength and protection against enemies for centuries. Some few magic weavers will specialize in weaving information into webs and become Archivist, a very small group of weavers dedicated to keeping history and other very important information alive in a hidden library.
>A second pair of arms. Like many Insects' wings, they can appear and disappear mostly at will (and like Insect's, clothes get in the way of them, which is why most spiders keep a lot of their torso uncovered, or covered with a layer of clothes that is easy to remove) and while they do require a bit of training to learn how to use them in tandem with their main arms and can be a bit much at times, they can truly boost a spider's speed and/or maneuverability in many activites such as fighting or weaving. Very rarely, a spider will be so skilled at what they do with their 4 arms that they might be able to sprout and use a 3rd pair. It is extremely hard as it requires a lot of focus, dexterity and training. A few legendary warriors and weavers are known to have had 6 arms.
>Venomous fangs. Spiders possess special glands that allow them to produce venom. The potency and effects of it can vary slightly from individual to individual, and some people don't produce venom at all. Dedicated hunters, or people with particularly potent or useful venom will regularly drain their glands and store the venom to use it later or sell it.
Spiders and Insects have a long history of not getting along well. The 2 groups simply have very different ways of seeing things. Spiders think of Insects as weak-willed, gregarious and clumsy, while Insects see spiders as primitive, cunning and scary people. Spiders sometimes have the reputation of being cowards, because of their fighting philosophy, relying on traps, poisoned weapons, and strategic hit-and-run ambushes. Such fighting style is adapted to smaller numbers of fighters. They themselves consider Insects cowards as well because they prefer to fight in bigger swarms and battalions.
Mighty Ouranos knows the limits of the skies and crosses them fearlessly. Follow the trail of his wings if you’re not afraid of heights. Those who fear the fall may never rise.
The Dragonfly god is known for his speed, carried by strong wings that can bring storms and thunder. Associated with freedom and lightning, of course, but also with innovation and technological advancements, he patrons the clever, the curious and the bold. People pray to him in times of struggle, when they need inspiration or a new perspective on things.
Faes have a very laidback approach to religion. While they do perform some rituals and offerings to their divinities, there are generally no hard rules to it, and everyone is free to engage in it (or not) in the way they think is best.
Fae gods are considered to be their ancestors, and treated as family, with all the respect due to their old age and experience, but also the warmth given to a grandmother or grandfather.
Insects revere the Pantheon, a group of 6 gods working in tandem, overseeing complementary domains. Erèbe (or Erebus) and Nyx, Hemera and Eros, Gaia and Ouranos. These divinities are well known to walk among Fae, as they regularly undergo Metamorphosis, a process by which they transform into a normal Fae to observe and learn by their side, before returning to their godly form, changed and evolved from the experience. It is the only way for them to keep evolving as immortal, undying individuals.
Gaia is the only one who doesn’t undergo metamorphosis. As such, she is a pillar of stability, and also a keeper of knowledge that the others might forget through their many changes.
Spiders have a long line of prominent sages and warriors who achieved a certain immortality through stories told and told again. By channeling the knowledge and awe of many different individuals, they are able to summon the spirits of those sages and warriors to help them in times of need, through complicated silk magic. The transmission of tales and knowledge is very important to Spiders, as it gives them power. This is why Archivists, spiders who can encrypt information into long-lasting webs, are given a very special place among their society.
Crustaceans are the keepers of dead souls, led by the immortal King Hades, and watched over by their 5 gods, Styx, Lethe, Acheron, Phlegethon and Kokytos.
More about:
(links will be added soon)
The Pantheon
Aranéide
Archivists
Hades
The 5 Rivers of Hell
The Faes of my imaginary world are bug-inspired fantasy people. They have features taken from/inspired by real-life bugs, while still mostly looking human. The rules for how these features work/are distributed are still pretty loose because I can't make up my mind and I like to keep my options open. Some will have magically retractable features, while others may just have them all the time. Some will have certain features that others don't. I'm just doing me, who cares about rules.
There are many types of Faes, from the tribal societies of Spiders to the hellish and mythical underwater cities of Crustaceans, not to mention a whole range of different insects with different societal organizations. I'll cover each of those in more detail in separate posts.
(ID under the cut at the end of the post)
Celestials take inspiration from both real-life birds and angels/dragons. The bird inspirations aren't as strong as the Faes' bug inspirations because I kinda gave up halfway through (sorry, I'm simply not as knoweldgeable about bids nor as into them as I am with bugs), but they're technically here.
There are 2 types of Celestials, Angels and Dragons (I'm not sure I like those names but I haven't found anything better yet).
Angels are pretty much what you'd imagine with this name, normal human-looking people who can sprout wings. The wings do take very different shapes from person to person, some can be basic feathered wings but some will be like. Electricity arc vaguely shaped like wings. It can be anything, really, but it does allow all of them to fly. There's definitely some big christian influences in their culture, but we'll cover that in some other post.
Dragons are also human-shaped but they can have scales and slit pupils. They're like spicy humans. And some of them can turn into actual dragons, but those actual dragons are like. Inspired by the idea that birds are dinosaurs and dragons are inspired by dinosaurs and anyways, what if dragons looked more like feathered dinosaurs than just fully scaled lizards with wings y'know? (at least following the typical european dragon designs, I know there are other types of dragons on other cultures, but this is the one I'm most familiar with).
(ID under the cut at the end of the post)
More about:
Faes
Celestials
[ID:
1st picture: A digital drawing of 3 spider-inspired fantasy characters standing next to each other. They all have tan skin in more or less unnatural shades, from pinkish brown to purplish brown to straight-up blueish purple. They all have several pairs of eyes, either 3 or 4 pairs. They all expose the skin of their torso heavily.
2nd picture: A traditional drawing of a merfolk character with crustacean traits, such as chitinous plates covering their body, extra pairs of bug-like legs along the sides of their tail, and antennaes. They are laying down on the floor with their arms crossed in front of them and their head laying down on their arms.
3rd picture: A digital drawing of 4 butterfly or moth inspired fantasy characters. Their names, pronouns, and the species of moth/butterfly that inspired their design is written at the top. Morphée (he/him, Hyalophora cecropia) is a small child with light skin and short black hair, wearing a cape colored like a cecropia moth's wings. He's holding an ivory-colored mask in his hand. Thanatos (he/him, Spilosoma lubricipeda) is a man with light skin and long spiky black hair attached in a high ponytail, dressed in dark blues and black, with a thick black cape covered in white spots, reminiscent of a moth's wings. Hypnos (he/him, Spilosoma lubricipeda) is a light-skinned man with short black hair dressed in a white kimono and a white cape with fur on the shoulders and black spots, that make it look reminiscent of a moth's wings. All 3 of these characters look like they're related to each other. Finally, Aupébine (he/they, Cithaerias pireta aurora) is a small androgynous-looking person with light skin and long white hair that fades to pink, attached in a low ponytail. They're dressed in fancy old-fashioned army clothes with frills and lace, and a transparent cape with the motifs of a butterfly's wings on it.
4th picture: A digital drawing of 4 bee or wasp inspired fantasy characters. Their names, pronouns and the insect species that inspired their design is written at the top. Anthéa (they/them, Apis mellifera ligustica) is a small feminine-looking person with brown skin and shoulder-length curly blond hair, shaved on one side of the head. They're wearing a bustier dress that looks like a narcissus flower, and their skin is sprinkled with golden glitter. Chardon (he/him, Bombus lapidarius) is a tall fat man with black skin and vitiligo patches visible on his face and arms, and black kinky hair attached in a high ponytail. He's wearingsunglasses, a chestplates and leg armor, and has a very big and fluffy fur patch draped over his shoulders. Bee wings are visible behind his back. Quince (he/him, Sphex pensylvanicus) is a tall and slender man with black skin and straight short black hair slicked back. He's wearing black clothes with blue and purple iridescent borders, and black leg and arm armor. He's also wearing pendant earrings and has a scar over his left eye. A pair of purplish blue iridescent wings are visible behind him. Nemesia (they/them, Vespa velutina) is a feminine looking person with brown skin and long wavy brown hair that fades to blond. They're wearing golden leg armor with hornet markings on it, and golden arm armor as well. A pair of brown translucent hornet wings are visible behind them.
5th picture: A digital drawing of a male knight character with tan skin and brown hair slicked back and attached in a low ponytail. He's dressed in shades of blue and grey, with some golden armor pieces, and is holding a golden spear with one hand. He has a halo and wings that both look like blueish white electric arcs.
6th picture: A digital drawing of a male knight character. He has slightly tan skin and straight black hair attached in a knot in the back of his head, with some bangs falling over the side of his face. He's standing straight and resting his hand over the tip of the hilt of a saber that is planted in the ground. He's wearing full plate armor and has a cape draped over his shoulder that is colored like a crowned crane's wings, white on the upper part and dark red on the bottom feathers. He also has a golden halo that is reminicent of the crowned crane's crown of yellow feathers.
7th picture: A digital drawing of 2 male twin characters. They have brown skin and ark brown hair of the same cut but slightly different lengths. They're both wearing masks shaped roughly like the skull of a dragon, with horns. They're both dressed in slightly different shades of blue. One is wearing a tabard over a chestplate and chainmail, while the other is wearing a fantasy military-looking coat with a long dark cape that drapes around his neck.
8th picture: A digital drawing of a dragon. It has a long snout, reminiscent of some dog breeds, and a long neck covered in black feathers. Its scales are dark grey with some golden motifs around the eyes and on the chest. It also has slender, tipped back horns. Its eyeshave black sclera and golden irises. /end ID]
