Love is in the air? Wrong! Starmap Saturday. We’re finally moving away from the Museum of Natural Mystery today, as the next two installments will focus on four characters tied to the Eternal Seed Organization, that being the Starmap galaxy’s largest wildlife preservation group. And seeing as if today is Valentine’s Day, I thought it only fitting to focus this week’s issue on a couple who serve as a bridge between the last chunk of characters and the next. I thought about saving them for the Halloween special instead, but I figure now is the best time to give them the spotlight.
Starmap Saturday Issue #7: Cherry and Willow
Born to the last of an ancient order, Cherry Pupula is one of the greatest minds in the Starmap Galaxy. An exceptional surgeon and biologist with growing proficiency in flesh magic, Cherry lives in a cave on the dead planet of Idnight, her species’ home world. There, she performs endless experiments with her bodily skill sets in search of biological breakthroughs. Though largely a woman of science, she also worships an eldritch watcher deity known as Pnmyga, which she claims acts as something of a father figure (which does make some sense considering her bio dad is out of the picture). Cherry has nothing but good intentions, and genuinely wants little more than to make the galaxy a better place… but she does enjoy leaning into the mad scientist shtick.
Cherry is clever, calculating, and kind. Cherry doesn’t struggle with money thanks to the gifts of her master, so she’ll gladly provide medical care to whoever asks. She’ll do a good job too: if the solution isn’t pills or prosthetics, Cherry can fix what ails you 9 times out of 10. Give her the right tools and information, and Cherry will always find a solution to whatever problem she’s faced with. For a good while, her rigid by-the-books thinking hindered her adaptability, but Cherry has learned to go with the flow when necessary. She still much prefers to do things by the books and tries to keep things organized, but she’s learned to be comfortable with chaos. Which is good, considering how much of it her new girlfriend packs.
Willow Fufrang is a stray vampider, and a teenhood friend of Allister Copperseed’s. Willow was homeless for a good while until going on a date with Cherry, which ended with them going to Cherry’s place and with her being teleported to a pocket dimension. Willow made herself comfortable, and Cherry allowed Willow to stay once she learned the vampider had no place to go. No one is entirely sure what Willow’s home situation was prior to her homelessness, and she prefers to keep it that way. Willow now acts as Cherry’s lab assistant, helping to gather materials and conduct experiments for her hot octopus gf. And she couldn’t be happier.
Willow is jovial, sadistic, and deceptively smart. She acts childish, always crawling with energy and speaking in an overly cutesy/friendly tone. She’s a playful girl who never shies away from anything, dangerous or otherwise. While this is a genuine part of her personality, it also masks a more mature side. Despite appearances, Willow is even more clever than Cherry, and far more conniving. She can effortlessly manipulate her circumstances and devise immaculate plans, all while acting like a kitten in a woman’s body. Vampiders are natural hunters, and Willow is the kind who likes to toy with her prey. Luckily, Willow is a kind soul, so only the wicked are unlucky enough to be terrorized by her.
…It is Valentines Day, right? I thought it was Halloween for a second. Here, let’s lighten the mood with some fun facts!
-Cherry is German. Her entire species is German. The German language and accent comes from Idnightians who briefly settled in proto-Germany
-Cherry’s mother, Melon, is a fashion designer. She passed her love of fashion down to her daughter, who then passed it on to Willow
-Cherry is Allister’s doctor, and did Carba’s top surgery
-Willow eats organs. Cherry is working on developing organ cloning to appease her
-Willow meows frequently. She once considered asking Cherry to turn her into a catgirl, but decided it wasn’t worth losing the extra limbs
-Addendum to the previous fun fact, Willow and Doodle sometimes have full conversations by meowing at each other. No one is brave enough to question it
And, of course, we have some fanart of these gals. Happy Valentines, and see you next Saturday!
