Starting off with character design, each fox represents two things: a card suit and some kind of child’s play thing. Uz is essentially just any ol’ slime toy—gak, Nickelodeon slime, et cetera; Faux is based after a combination of the beanie baby Sly and a fox plush I got from my dad; Pawla is based after a kitsune mask; Dox is an origami fox. The number of tails a fox has is related to the number of “points” each suit has: Uz, ♠, 1 tail; Faux, ♥, 2 tails; Pawla, ♣, 3 tails; Dox, ♦, 4 tails.

Something else I worked into their designs and personalities is the fact that card suits can also be used to represent one’s status. Spades can represent nobility or the military, Hearts the clergy or church, Clubs often represent farmers or peasants, and Diamonds can represent vassals, merchants, or a trickster.

Now, as for the characters themselves, I’ll start with Uz! Though I do hope you’ll bear with me, as I don’t have the other foxes as fleshed out as I do Pawla (though even her info is a little sparse).

♠ Uz

Uz, being the fox of Spades, has always served in Card Castle under the Spade King—both before and after his meeting the Knight. She is subservient to a fault because what good is a servant that questions her master? And isn’t it easier to just obey, to not have to think? It doesn’t matter that her master has so drastically changed.

She prides herself in her work, attending to her master’s every need. If she were to ever lose her master, however, she would be lost. She lives to serve—that’s her only purpose… isn’t it?

Uz is incredibly submissive, with her magic focusing on the passive and defensive side of things. She is very petite and the smallest of the foxes.

♥ Faux

They initially served under the King of Hearts, prior to Spade King throwing all the other kings into the dungeon. Like all other Darkners that are less inclined to becoming acquainted with the dungeons, they now serve the Spade King. One of the Dark World’s top healers, Faux can often be seen running around the castle with a Hathy or two hot on their tails, off to attend to one thing or another, ever the busy body. They are 100% a mother hen.

Faux is primarily neutral and does their best to roll with the situation before them. However, while they appear calm and collected on the outside, if you were able to hear their mind, you’d hear a lot of screaming. Their poker face is goals.

They specialize in healing and support magic.

♣ Pawla

Pawla is salty af. She is the most jaded of the foxes and struggles the most with the current state of the Dark World, clinging to her memories of how things used to be. She loved King, before he changed into this stranger. She noticed the beginnings of his descent when he lost his queen, and not long after this “Knight” shows up… Suddenly it’s chaos and Spade is now the only King, all the others having been thrown into the dungeon along with anyone that dares question him?

Nothing makes sense anymore.

Pawla hates how things are but she can’t help admitting that there really isn’t anything she can do—she’s already tried all she could think to and found it to be an utterly useless endeavor. She’s surprised she has yet to be thrown into the dungeon, considering how often she defies her… “king”.

Once, what feels like an entire lifetime ago, Pawla had been close friends with the Spade King, as well as his queen. She used to love him, quietly pining after him, though respecting that he only had eyes for his queen. She never told him how she felt about him, only ever confiding in Faux, her cousin. But now… Now she absolutely hates him, hates what he does, what he’s become, and yet… Pawla still cares for him—can’t find it in herself to leave, despite knowing she should. She clings to the desperate hope that he will go back to the way he once was.

Pawla used to serve the King of Clubs, and happily so. She had been so very excited when she was accepted into his court, had bragged to Spade about it nonstop! She had been so young back then… so naive.

 Pawla focuses on offensive magic.

♦ Dox

Dox didn’t care much for the King of Diamonds. The guy is annoyingly greedy, obsessing over his treasure and little else. Not to mention he was an absolute bore. Before the “Knight” business no one was actually ever executed! Meaning Dox was originally an executioner in name only. No one was ever even imprisoned—well, except for the Court Jester. (“What a swell guy, that one!” Dox would tell you if you ever asked his opinion on that particular Darkner.)

Things are just so much more interesting now, and Dox is living for it.

Dox sympathizes with Jevil… probably. Seam, meanwhile, can’t stand Dox. Something about the fox reminds the old magician of the madness that overcame Jevil.

the file name killed me btw: darknersdonotwearpants.jpg