THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I am so happy you enjoyed Maelstrom (and that one glade shot)! I still lack a lot of confidence wrt: backgrounds, so I roughed this one out as much as I could in b/w. I'm pretty happy with how it eventually turned out!!

3. How aesthetically-oriented is your OC in their clothing? Their living space? Their general presentation? If their look™ is mismatched, is that on purpose?

Johan: He has some sort of general style going on, basically a relaxed office look with shirts and jackets and suit pants and dress shoes. He also seems to gravitate towards certain colours - he prefers light and inoffensive colours like whites, beiges, browns and greys in addition to his favourite pink. He doesn’t wear many strong colours except on vacation or around the house. I think he’s quite stylish! And he tries to be colour and style- coordinated every day so I think it’s safe to say he’s somehow fashion conscious.

AD has not grown a day since he turned 18 and will always dress like a baby metalhead. He likes oversized t-shirts, hoodies, boots and preferably ripped jeans and he does not feel comfortable in anything dressy. He’s not regretful about his piercings and though he knows some people will not treat him seriously in such ensemble, he doesn’t really care at this point. It’s not like he does anything serious and needs to look trustworthy *shrug*

They bought their flat they currently live in as a couple and technically decorated it together but it’s not particularly stylish, it’s mostly just functional. Some of their furniture comes from AD’s old apartment so it has this 90’s feel to it, hehe. AD’s not so eager to decorate it with his art anymore so tbh it’s just quite bland.

14. Is your OC superstitious? If so, what superstitions do they believe? If not, what do they think of superstitious people?

Johan: Nope, very scientific person, not religious either. He’s not judgmental of superstitious people as long as their beliefs don’t influence his life much. 

AD: Technically not superstitious but his anxiety makes him avoid certain behaviours or sayings in order not to ‘jinx it’. For example, he will not speak positively of an unfinished project until he’s sure it can’t get ruined. Remembers dates when bad things happened to him and sort of refrains from making important decisions on the anniversaries. Being born on the 11th of September kinda drives him insane...

18. If your OC could request one boon from a god, what would it be?

(modern) Johan: He’s not really a greedy person? He enjoys popularity, but let’s be honest, he’s plenty charming already. Maybe just a little more luck to gain some financial stability and comfort with AD staying at home. Maybe just a little of that eternal youth business. Nobody wants to get old and sick. And unattractive. 

AD: Maybe some more talent to finally stop being a burden. Or some other goal in life that he can actually succeed at. That would be nice.

20. Any major theme(s) or conflict(s) in your OC’s life? How have they dealt with that? Are they aware of it, or do they ignore it? Did you design them with such theme(s)/conflict(s) in mind, or did they evolve naturally?

Johan: Well he’s… been a bit of a shitty person for a huge chunk of his youth. It’s not biting him in the ass per se but there are some loose ends, ruined friendships, relationship with his family and conflicts with AD that come back to haunt him every once in a while. He’s learning to be satisfied with what he has, cherish people who give him their time and not take it all for granted but it’s a process. And he’s only realizing just how little is left of his life in Germany and how  there was almost nothing for him in Poland - if not for AD with his stupid heart eager to have somebody to love. As an added bonus from being pretty careless and privileged he lands in a position where he’s responsible for himself and somebody who’s both very dear and very fragile.

I’ve always written him as a player who ends up settling down for that one person who just stuck around for long enough. That is, after the initial idea of having him die to torment AD. My teen self was a sadist.

AD: His story is one of self doubt and regrets and nonexistent self esteem. He had to enter adulthood rapidly, with little time to really plan or think about what he really wants - he just wanted to survive, have some money, not go crazy from fear and grief and feeling of inadequacy. He worked himself to the bone and drank himself senseless to get to some imaginary better place called stability. And when he reached the stability that he’s worked for so hard, it was just as bleak and depressing and empty as the process to get there - but there was no goal at the end of the line, just the feeling that all the choices he’s made were wrong, because who makes good decisions when they’re depressed and scared and alone? At this point he just feels useless, and afraid that even Johan will end up abandoning him. 

sadly, no

Absolutely! (substituting “canon” for “headcanon”)

1) sexuality

Thirsty disaster bi.

2) otp

do you even have to ask

3) brotp

Leif & Katya is a little unbalanced, because Katya has tried to let Leif into a deeper confidence and all he did was panic. But she definitely gets him, and they both look out for each other.

4) notp

n/a, don’t want any readers feeling bad about their ships

5) first canon that pops into my head

The depressing but honest answer is: at least one of his parents is dead, and nobody’s told him.

6) favorite line from this character

I’ll go with this one, because it hits both Leif’s romantic feelings and his skill at careful doublespeak –

“I’m not saying or doing anything to indicate that I consent. Also: wombats are a species of marsupial native to the United Islands.”

7) one way in which I relate to this character

His readiness to correct Thorn on language errors. It comes from a place of helpfulness (in contrast to, say, Rowan, who just like things to be Correct), which works great if you can find someone who’s actively looking to improve and isn’t self-conscious about being corrected.

Also, his deep intolerance for spicy food.

8) thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character

Any time it’s obvious how much Leif casually assumes that his native country is the greatest in the world.

He’s on a learning curve! Drawing this stuff out is the first step in working through it. And it’s not like his starting position was full-on Colonial Imperialist. But he was raised with some pretty warped basic assumptions (in a way that should be uncomfortably relatable to US readers).

9) cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

Akira: Hey, why are all the lights off?

oh no! i haven’t shipped anything to the states yet so if you want to change your address, shoot me an email at [email protected] and let me know what name you backed under and what you’d like to change your address to. although depending on what tier you backed at, your book might still not go out for couple of weeks (and can then take 2-6 weeks to arrive in america), so it’s up to you if you want to change it!