So I've been drawing a lot of bug people in recent months.
A while back, I decided to challenge myself and make more of an effort to draw more non-human-looking humanoids since I wanted to have a greater variety of NPCs for my TTRPG campaigns. In addition to this and the Hollow Knight bug-sonas, I've gotten, uh...a LOT of requests for bug people in the last while (no, seriously, the bulk of my art commissions in the last 4 months have been bug people), and I think it's because I'm a lot more willing to go on the more buggy side of insectoids.
Anyway. Meet Regina Edgerly - fuzzy bumblebee lady and former Queen of Spades in the Suits. An ex-assassin that's turned a new leaf and works for an independent detective agency called MacGuffin Investigations.
She's mellowed out over the years, though is no less dangerous, and she has a bit of an addiction to sweet drinks like tea that's probably more sugar and honey than tea.
So here's the thing I've been writing. The backstory of Trey Leclair, the Three of Diamonds. What's become one of my favorite recurring NPCs, he was originally intended just to be a boss enemy, but instead of defeating him, they turn him into an ally. Although he gets better, his story was kind of tragic, and he wasn't a good person. Thought it'd be fun to flesh him out some more, so I'll try my best to finish this. Enjoy getting to experience my writing. :3
Fragments
Part One: Mirror, Mirror
No one ever remembers the day they were born - not normal people, anyway. It’s always someone else that was there that tells you what happened. The stress and the panic of people scrambling about where to go or what to do. The joy and pride of bringing something new into the world. The dreams of a bright future and of what could be.
The day I was born? It didn’t go anything like that. I knew from the beginning I wasn't normal. That I was never going to be.
The first few moments are the ones I remember the most; I remember it all so clearly that it’s impossible for me to forget, even if I wanted to. It was like… It was like waking up from a deep, dreamless sleep, knowing you had somewhere to be - knowing you had something to do.
I remember opening my eyes for the first time. I felt tired, groggy, stiff - the way most people feel when they’ve slept in the completely wrong position the whole night. I remember standing in what felt like a small, dark room, but vast and empty at the same time. I couldn’t really tell you much else about it. Except for the mirror. A strange, cloudy pane of glass hovering just above the ground, its surface glowing and rippling like water, but not reflecting anything.
I remember hearing voices coming from the other side, but I don’t remember what was said - it was too muffled and too far away for me to understand. I remember feeling compelled to touch the mirror. Under normal circumstances, that’d probably be utterly suicidal, but at the time it felt completely reasonable. I remember placing my hand against the mirror, feeling the solid surface give way, and then stepping through. For a split second, my surroundings disappeared and it felt like I was falling, but the ground reappeared beneath my feet before I could.
And then suddenly I was somewhere else.
It was still a dark room, but it was definitely different from where I was before. There were other people there, standing nearby at the base of the stone platform that housed the mirror I had just stepped out of. I’m still not sure how I knew, but I knew they were the arrogant mage-types just from the way they carried themselves and the sensation of magic in the air. I’ll never forget the smug looks on their faces as they congratulated themselves on successfully completing whatever ritual had summoned me. It didn’t bother me at the time; I was too zoned out to really care.
Aside from the obvious nausea from being summoned from…wherever the hell I was before, it was a strange feeling. I knew what I was the moment I stepped through the mirror. I knew what created me, but I had no idea who I was and had no memories of anything before that dark room. I was created with knowledge of the world, but no idea of where that knowledge came from. It’s weird - being born knowing everything you need to know, and knowing that you didn’t exist only a few seconds before.
While the mages were busy inflating their own egos, I caught a glimpse of myself in the thing I had emerged from. It surprised me how normal I looked: a tall Human male with short, dark hair and icy blue eyes, lean build, smartly dressed, and somewhat handsome. I could’ve passed as someone ordinary.
But I wasn’t ordinary; I knew what I was. I knew what I was and I hated it. I was a Reflection - a clone; a copy of someone who already existed, but I didn’t know who.
Minor self-loathing aside, I knew I was created for a purpose, so I waited for the mages to quit chattering at each other and tell me what that purpose was. If I knew back then what I know now, maybe I’d have saved myself a lot of misery if I had just killed them right then and there. Gotta love the obedience of newly-created magical constructs.
After about a minute, a mage in a white lab coat approached me with a clipboard in hand. They gave me the once-over, circling me like a shark as they scrutinized my appearance. It was as awkward and uncomfortable as you’d think. Who likes being looked at under a microscope like that? When they stopped in front of me again, they stared at my face and squinted for an uncomfortably long time.
“Hey, do we still have that reference photo lying around?” they said.
Not exactly what you want to hear when you haven't even been alive for ten minutes.
I remember watching them wave over one of their colleagues, who brought over a tablet displaying something I couldn’t see. They held it up and compared me to whatever was on it, glancing between me and it over and over again. The way their expressions shifted as they looked at each other wasn’t a good sign.
“Any physical imperfections can be easily altered,” one of them said.
The other one nodded. “You’re right. As long as everything else is fine, it wouldn’t take much to change its physical appearance. I’m sure they’ve got stuff for that lying around somewhere.”
‘It’. I hated the way they said that word. It wasn’t a great first impression. It irritated me - them talking about me like I wasn’t standing right there in front of them. It was pretty clear that I wasn’t a person to them. I was just a construct - a thing. But I stood there and took it. That’s what constructs are supposed to do, isn’t it?
They started asking me questions. Basic stuff, really. Geography, history, politics, mathematics, religion - the kind of stuff you’d normally be taught in school or otherwise learn through experience. Whatever they asked, I was able to answer. How did I know all this? The fuck if I know. I didn’t really question it.
Then the questions started getting really personal.
“What are your parents’ names?”
My mind drew a blank. “I don’t know.”
“Where did you go to school?”
Another blank. “...I don’t know.”
“How many siblings do you have?”
“I… I don't know.”
They asked me more personal things. Every question was answered with an, “I don’t know.” It bothered me back then, realizing just how much of a blank slate I was. No history, no memories - not even much of a personality to speak of. They never asked me if I knew what my name was supposed to be. I don’t think they cared.
I’ll never forget how their faces looked at that moment - how they shifted from disappointment to disgust. But that’s not what stuck with me. It’s what they said afterward.
“It looks like this specimen is defective. It doesn’t seem to have any memories of the original whatsoever.”
“Ah, shit. What do we do? Those reagents were hard to get and we don’t have any more samples to work from. They’re going to have our heads! They can’t do anything with an imperfect copy!”
“I don’t know! We’ll send up the report and see what they want to do. Until then, we can just send it to containment.”
I let the comments slide the first time because being a new construct, obedience was almost hard-wired into me, but that wore off pretty quickly the longer I stood there listening to them talk.
“I’m standing right here, y’know,” I mumbled, hoping to get their attention. It did, but not in the way I’d hoped.
Both mages glared at me like I’d done something offensive. “Yes, we’re aware. We’re not speaking to you.”
I may not have been summoned with much of a personality at first, but I developed one quickly; maybe some shred of my original got passed onto me - I don’t know. But the response pissed me off. I still remember how enraged I got at hearing the tone they continued to take with me. The sheer disrespect. “I don’t care. If you’re gonna talk about me, at least do it somewhere else. If you’re gonna talk in front of me, don’t talk about me like I'm your school science project.”
They continued taunting me.
"We're not talking to you."
"Hah! And you might as well be a science project. Unless you want your life to be a short one, shut up and do what you're told."
That set me off; it was clear that I wasn’t going to be getting any respect. When people feel rage, they say it feels hot - burning, smoldering. Not mine. My rage was ice cold.
And I was going to make sure they felt it when I wiped the smug look off their faces.
“I’m not taking orders from you.” My words were as frigid as the magical energy that coursed through me. It felt so natural to wield.
They didn’t notice the temperature drop or the way the frost started forming on nearby surfaces. By the time they realized what was going on, it was too late. A quick incantation, a wave of a hand, a flash of cold blue light. Splashes of crimson spattered against the walls and floor as spears of ice burst through their chests amidst the screams and horrified expressions of the other mages and scientists in the room.
The lifeless bodies hit the floor, ripped to pieces and half-frozen. I glared at the remaining researchers, daring them to say or do something to challenge me. “Anyone else feel like talking down to me?”
No one spoke. They’d knowingly created a monster and had the arrogance to believe they could abuse it like some child’s toy. Now they knew their ‘toy’ wasn’t so harmless; they knew their place.
“Good. Now, run along.”
They couldn’t scurry out the door fast enough.
I was left alone in the cold, dark room, staring at the corpsicles I’d made. A normal person might have been horrified by what they’d done - felt some kind of remorse. I didn’t. The icy rage faded, but I'd always remember it.
As I tried to wipe the blood off me, I heard a voice over the P. A. system that sounded both impressed and amused.
“Well, you’re certainly no weakling," they said. "They call you a failure and yet you’re still able to do all that? Impressive.”
I didn’t respond. I didn’t appreciate the patronizing tone either. Probably just more asshole mages and scientists like the ones that lay dead at my feet.
“Even though you've only just been born, you’ve got potential. We could use someone like you. What do you say? You wouldn’t be locked up in a cage.”
I knew saying ‘yes’ was a bad idea, but I knew I didn’t have much of a choice. Despite the little display I put on, I’d only been alive for maybe twenty minutes, and I’d already spent what little energy I had. There was nowhere to run. For all I knew, they could've had security forces ready to barge in and gun me down. If I refused to cooperate, they could end my existence just as easily as they created it. If it meant surviving a little longer, maybe a little obedience wouldn't hurt. At least for now.
I'll answer just this one since I actually got another ask about #6 and #8 too. XD
Honestly? Probably this one.
I don't remember if I've posted this guy here before, but this is Trey Leclair, the (former) Three of Diamonds and (former) member of The Suits, which is one of the main antagonist factions in my setting. He started out as a hostile ghost in one of my TTRPG campaigns that the players were intended to fight as a boss. They ended up talking him down, he became (somewhat) friendly and decided to help them out in exchange for completing his unfinished business, but he decided to stick around even after they did.
This is also the NPC said party decided to immediately bring back to life once they got access to resurrection.
I adore Trey as a character and NPC (he's actually become a new favorite to use in other stuff because his design is actually kinda badass), and my players love him too, but I feel like his artwork didn't get as much love as I'd have liked. I rarely get to do full illustrations for personal artowork, and even less for art intended for use in my campaigns, but this one always holds a special place in my heart as one of my earlier ones.
Name: Gavin Flaherty
Title: Knight of Ashes
Elemental Affinity: Fire
Age: 19
Birthdate: Firedawn 7, 2000 MA
Gift: Regeneration (Life) - accelerates the body's natural healing to recover from injuries in a fraction of the normal healing time. Also manifests as an 'aura' that can heal others. This Gift is considered always active and consumes a great deal of energy, requiring replenishment via rest and consuming nutrients. Also carries the side effect of elevated body temperature, which can result in cellular meltdown if not carefully monitored - particularly when healing from grievous wounds.
Likes: Sweets, cooking/baking, sports (especially hockey), video games.
Dislikes: Cold weather, bad/bland cooking, people who are mean for no reason, people who are emotionally manipulative, taking away the agency of others.
Hobbies: Hockey, reading adventure novels/fairy tales, forging/smithing.
Other:
Used to play hockey; forward, centre with an aggressive playstyle that's reflected in his fighting style - he loves checking people. Was probably good enough to go pro up until he decided to quit.
Suffers from PTSD (it's a long story)
Hydrophobic - has a cripplingly intense fear of drowning (again, long story)
Has odd warmth-seeking behaviors. Hot showers, gets mesmerized by fire or open flames, much more receptive to physical contact like hugs when he's normally not very physically affectionate.
Currently possessed by a phoenix spirit that can take over his body whenever it wants, but is mostly a mental freeloader (long story).
Aaaaa. Say hello to one of the main characters from my Errant Chronicles works! Gavin is one of my oldest characters and one of my favorites, so he's very near and dear to my heart. I drew this artwork a while ago, so I probably need to draw some newer stuff of him in addition to making a proper reference sheet. It's on my to-do list. >_>
He's a young aspiring knight that's, uh... Let's just say he's been through a lot in a very short length of time. Without spoiling too much from Thousand Year Curse, all I can say is that he sacrificed a lot in order to save a friend, and that sacrifice had both great benefits, but also serious consequences.
From the beginning, I always wanted him to have a warm and friendly personality that's seriously loyal to his friends - there's no length he won't go to for them. When it came to writing him, he ended up a lot more sassy and snarkier than I intended, but the scenes where he does it are extremely funny.
I might have mentioned this before, but years ago (when I was still a part of a dark fantasy text roleplaying community) when I was developing my writing skills, I used to write smut. I was very good at it. I also got to know a couple of published authors who made a killing writing smut.
When I started writing and publishing my own stuff, I made the conscious decision to not write anything explicit in anything I officially published for my Mystgarde and Errant Chronicles works. I did this for several reasons.
1) I wanted to distance myself from that kind of reputation. Not sure if you're aware, but once you're known for producing that kind of content, it often affects the rep of anything else you do. This works the same way in other creative fields too like art or acting. If I write anything smutty officially, it's likely going to be under a pseudonym.
2) The style of stories I write feel more suited to Young Adult fiction. Yeah, YA has a bit of a reputation but the themes of what I tend to do seems right up that alley. I wanted to have a broader appeal and not risk potentially alienating too many people with super mature subject matter. Not that I'm averse to writing subject matter or themes regarding sex or sexuality, but when you're a good writer, you find ways of sneaking in or hinting that characters did stuff without being super obvious about it. >_>
3) People get weird when it comes to NSFW stuff; not 'haha awkward' kind of weird. More like 'creepy sexpest' levels of weird or 'uncomfortable fixation' levels of weird. It's especially bad if you're a woman in this space writing smut because people tend to interpret it as you being a nympho freak or a slut not deserving any shred of dignity or humanity. Dealt with that kind of attitude and bullying before - not dealing with it again.
That being said, I'm not averse to writing smut. Like I said, I'm pretty good at it. Funnily enough, a friend didn't believe me and challenged me to write something. And I have been. >_>
But I'm very discerning. If I'm gonna write something like that, I want it to be a proper story with build-up and chemistry to make the pay-off even better. Not gonna judge people for just wanting the dirty stuff, but when it comes to literary porn, I want quality. :P
Will I show off said writing at some point? Maybe. It's not fanfiction, and it revolves around two of my OCs, and I know most people don't know or don't care, so it's whatever. >_>
Also, I lied - it ended up being an A4-sized illustration since I wanted to be able to show off my background painting. Hard to believe a few years ago, I hated doing backgrounds. Then I forced myself to do them, and now I'm not half-bad. I also really like being able to show off more personality for my characters and tell a bit of a story as opposed to having them just in a white void. >_>
But yes. My OC, Brian da Silva doing a bit of surfing. And with a different hairstyle than I normally draw on him. AND ABS! (I actually had to mess around with 3D models in CSP to make sure I got muscle placement somewhat right. And yes, I swap between CSP and Photoshop for my artwork)
"Show Me Your Tits" - Errant Chronicles Audio Drama
Cast
Brian da Silva - ColeCzos
Gavin Flaherty - Rudicorn
Josh Cartwright - Dg
Sara Cartwright/Lei Yao - Phoenecia (Me!)
A little scene where Team Valiant (my group of OCs) has a little...misunderstanding while on a job.
Yeah, I dabble in a little voice acting. I said I'd post these a while ago, and while I wanted to doodle some artwork to go along with these, I, uh...never quite got around to it. So while I'm still working on that, I'll share in the meantime. I've got two more just like it. :3
Yes, I do have people who voice my OCs. I have for a while lol. I keep writing stuff to have them voice, and it's super fun. The benefits of having a lot of friends that like voice acting.
Phoe answers more OC asks because they're fun and interesting
7. (Errant Chronicles crew) What is your OC's occupation?
Team Valiant, which is their team name, are all errants - which is the modern term for adventurers in my setting. It's pretty much what you'd expect from the profession of an adventurer in most fantasy settings, so it involves taking jobs (called contracts) from a public listing, and they can range from things like collecting materials for alchemical rituals, to hunting monsters, to fulfilling weird requests for the local fae. It pays really well, but can be pretty dangerous, and injuries occur pretty often.
Each character also has a part-time job or attending school.
Sara - Works as a bike courier making small deliveries between shops or other clients.
Josh - Attends classes and studies psychology at the local university.
Lei - Receives cleric training at the local Abbey.
Brian - Also attending university for Fae Wild botany (but he skips class a lot because he's already pretty knowledgeable), and is a research assistant for a professor.
Gavin - Apprentice forger at one of the local errant equipment shops.
10. (Brian) Does your OC have any physical scars? What is the story behind them?
Brian has a few, but the most notable and visible one is a vertical scar bisecting his left eyebrow. Nothing terribly traumatic, but he got it while learning to use a bow as a child. Bowstring snapped and got him in the eyebrow. As terrifying as that experience was, it didn't deter him from learning how to be an archer.
10. (Gavin) Does your OC have any physical scars? What is the story behind them?
[Spoilers for Errant Chronicles: The Thousand Year Curse] Oh boy, this is a fun one. As much as I adore him and love writing him, I subject him to so much stuff. So. Gavin's Gift is Regeneration - his body heals rapidly in a fraction of the time it would for normal people, and he heals perfectly, so there's usually no scarring. There ARE some serious side-effects and drawbacks, but that's not what this answer is about. He does have one scar in the middle of his chest over his heart.
How did he get it?
While accompanying Brian on his quest that is the plot of the book, they run into a monster at a lake. In a moment of carelessness, Gavin gets stabbed in the chest and subsequently drowns. He does get better, but it comes at a price, and he's forced to make a deal with a mysterious entity in order to come back to life and save Brian.
The scar is a permanent physical reminder of that deal, among other things that have some serious lasting consequences. >_>
5. What is your OC's gender identity and sexual orientation? Is this also what they identify as in canon, or are they not (fully) aware?
Sara: Straight, CIS female. She's not super thirsty, but she does love hot dudes. XD The only caveat is that I don't think she'd be too attracted to men that lean too feminine in appearance as she's suffered a lot of grief at the hands of other women.
Lei: CIS female, straight. She loves everybody, but I do think her preferences strongly swing towards men to the point where I think you could only describe it as straight. While she's usually sure of a lot of things about herself, I don't think even she'd be able to put it into words aside from liking guys.
Josh: CIS male, asexual, but not aromantic or sex-averse. Josh isn't very obvious when it comes to emotion or affection, but he respects and values people for who they are. He enjoys companionship, but I don't think he'd be averse to sexual intimacy if it ever popped up - it's just not something he pays a ton of thought to. He can appreciate it from an objective standpoint, but he's not really driven or affected strongly by those kinds of things. He wouldn't bat so much as an eyelash if someone flashed him, except maybe comment on how it goes against societal norms or make objective observations.
Gavin: CIS male, straight, maybe a tiny bit bi-curious. If there's anything Gavin's sure about, it's his preferences and orientation lol. I do frequently joke that if Gavin were gay or bisexual, I'd have paired him with Brian instead of Lei because those two dudes have pretty good chemistry, they've been through a lot, and there's a level of devotion there that's kind of intense; it's definitely a subject that's been touched on before in a, 'Dude, I'm flattered, and I'd totally date you if I swung that way' kind of manner. They definitely do have a bit of a bromance going on, though, and it's intentional. I've always felt that emotional closeness and vulnerability between male friends ought to be more normalized without it needing to be romantic, and I write them with that in mind.
Brian: CIS male, bisexual, maybe pansexual. I kind of joke about Brian being a bit of a horndog, which is a huge disservice to his character, but if you can bone it, he's probably into it. I will say that when it comes to his preferences, he probably leans more towards female 60/40 or 70/30. He's definitely attracted to guys - and he makes no secret about it - but it takes someone particularly notable to catch his eye. Like I mentioned about Gavin above, if Gavin were anything other than straight, these two might've been a couple simply because they gel together so well.
