"Late reading" (2020)
Commissioned artwork by the amazing VariouVery (Link to her Twitter acc)
"Getting new jobs while working solo started to get tough, so after all these years he decided to learn how to read."
The first instance of Kothu was actually who I call today "Fantasy Kothu", what I consider now his Fantasy counterpart. His character was introduced in an adult story a friend of mine commissioned from me, which told his meeting-turned-to-date with another draconid wizard after having met and gone through some shit during a dungeon exploration. To oppose a well-learnt, clean-in-appearance magic user, I wanted a character who was the embodiment of the "rough diamond" expression: tough-looking, impressive, built like a wall, almost scary on the outside, looking like the bulky barbarian, don't-touch-him-or-he'll-kill-you archetype, but who, through conversation and time spent with him, would progressively show care towards others, and even his own vulnerability, despite his many attempts at hiding it and "toughening up".
From there, I loved him so much I made him a recurring character and ultimately my main character in Internet corners or in the stories I'd write for enjoyment. I always tried to show, tell, or hint at who he is, his daily life, and especially his vulnerable side, like his own struggles with loneliness, "being better", and "going through it" by himself.
I came up with this idea of showing him trying to learn how to read, a skill that may seem basic but that someone like him never got to do in a medieval-fantasy universe, where he was praised for his strength prowesses and brute power, and could make a living out of it, without having to deal with "words". However, as years passed and he went through several teams of adventurers or solo missions, he's reminded of what he lacks compared to mercenaries getting more jobs than him, and has to face the realities of his situation.
I could talk a lot about many details of this piece, including the way VariouVery came up to depict "the others" in this tavern, showcasing extremely well this sentiment of "ostracization" that is also important to me in many Kothu's stories. She also came up with that fairytale name he's reading, which is simply perfect. I loved working with her on this and discovering the ideas she had. I almost cried when discovering the final result, the look and expressiveness of Kothu, the way he seems lost in all this despite the seemingly entry-level difficulty of the task - and many other elements making up this artwork. To me, that piece is a reminder of how an artist can turn a commissioner's ideas into something beyond expectations.