Hello, It's Christmas!

So, I’m really late to the party on this one...

Turns out, through all this time that I’ve been putting off my writing, because I was unable to properly envision my OC’s appearances in my head, I never knew about a little website by the name of picrew.me. It has changed the game...

What the hell, right? I just went on TikTok today and saw people posting with the available character creators and I felt like an idiot for two reasons:

Because I’m a writer, not an artist. I’m too impatient to sit for that long to draw out as many characters as I need to for my main original novels or the occasional fan fiction I write to test out new OC’s personalities.

Because I grew up playing “dress-up” games like every other member of my 2000’s baby generation (I’m 20) and I never for a moment thought of trying to find a program that might be able to do my art for me for free (not that I don’t support people going to freelance artists, I intend to seek one out for book covers soon, but I just lack the budget to get portraits done for the number of characters I have).

So, what the hell is wrong with me, right?

I’ve been wasting all of this time struggling with what I couldn’t see and now...? I’m writing more than ever and I’m not confused! It’s a huge weight off my shoulders and I finally intend to share a few of my creations to show off some of the different art styles offered by the selection of character customization programs...

My first example is Persephone from my latest endeavor into writing an X-Men story.

She’s a young mutant who was born into a Jewish family with the power to control and manipulate plant life. However, this ability didn’t develop until she turned ten and ran away from the hand of a violent father and straight into the care of a marooned alien. One we all know and love, Groot who crash landed on Earth (an event that will eventually lead him to Rocket in the years to come, but for now this moment is set before X-Men: Days of Future Past. Before Magneto’s speech is given on tv and life changes for mutants forever).

With the help of her mutation, she’s able to hide Groot’s true identity as an extraterrestrial. Claiming upon her arrival to Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters that she made him by accident when her mutant-phobic father raised a bat in hand to kill the "abomination" he'd brought into the world. Not that it was entirely a lie, she could replenish and understand him through her abilities. And we all know how protective our beloved seven foot tall tree monster can be of small, mostly defenseless, screaming creatures.

As for the details of her abilities, they follow thusly:

Her canine teeth are elongated and incredibly strong along with the rest of her chompers as her mutation affects her metabolism and she needs to eat a large amount of heavy protein to maintain her strength, meaning beef, chicken, eggs, fish, etc. She identifies as a carnivore, because eating uncooked veggies can get a little awkward when she can hear the cherry tomatoes in her salad talking. Asking not to be eaten. As a result, she takes classes and puts herself in charge of planning meals/grocery shopping for the team. She’d rather die than eat unseasoned food.

Her hair grows like a weed and resembles the color to boot. Flowing in lengths of green, but it changes with the seasons. Going from lime green in the spring, to emerald in the summer, red, yellow and chestnut in the fall and in the winter...seasonal depression kicks in with a force to turn her flowing tresses black as potting soil. This however can be treated with her depression through the use of stimulants, mood stabilizers and a cubic butt-load of coffee, because just like pine trees, her internal biome loves acidic foods.

Though, because of its composition and advanced growth rate, she keeps her hair teased neatly into locs and can be often found preening herself whenever she’s not grooming every last sprout and bud in the Manor’s greenhouse where she lives with Groot to keep him company. And depending on her mood, her hair can sprout flowers based on whatever she’s feeling. Anger will sprout a crown of thorns, heartbreak grows anemones and intense love could cause whole bushels of forget-me-nots to bloom in their mesmerizing blues and violets.

And who do they bloom for? For the very first time after years of attending Xavier’s school? After being kidnapped by and defeating Apocalypse? Saving Warren/Angel’s life...? Why of course it would be one Mr. Kurt Wagner, fresh out of the circus who would take one look at her green hair with freckled, clay-colored and his blue features would go straight to purple after the fight in realizing that he wasn’t alone. There were other mutants out there in the world who looked different and Percy...? She was nothing short of her namesake. A true Spring goddess who melted the moment he wandered lost into her green house and wasn’t afraid of Groot. Even after the giant tree tossed the boy across the room like a rag doll, thinking he was attempting to sneak up on his little green-thumbed friend...

Needless to say, they would hit it off, despite a few trials given the disapproval of her new best friend, Warren who was still bitter about Kurt accidentally burning his wings during the cage fight. Though, with the new, fluffy white ones that Percy would help him grow with a special herbal brew...? After the X-Men agreed to take him in an hide him from his family...? He really had no right to complain...

And you never know...maybe one day because of them, a new generation of X-Men might come into the world...

I was able to come up with all of this story because of Picrew, so if you’re struggling like I often do, why not give it a try? It’s totally free and even fun if that’s your sorta thing. So, feel free to let me know if any of you want me to show off anymore of my OC’s sometime. I’d be happy to oblige...

me: i’m going to pick this short bit of dialogue so i don’t get carried away. also me: whoops.

Okay, hear me out. The Lord of the Rings…but they’re allowed to use curse words…

“They have a fucking cave troll...”

“I cannot jump the distance! You’ll have to fucking toss me!”

“Merry! It’s Frodo fucking Baggins!”

“Gods damn it…a Balrog of fucking Morgoth.”

“Fool of a fucking Took.”

“Bitch, please. I am no man.”

“Peregrin Took, you little shit!”

“By nightfall, these hills will be crawling with fucking orcs.”

“I think I’ve fucking broken something.”

“Your bodyguard?” “His fucking gardener.”

“I would cut off your head, you little shit, if it stood but a little higher from the ground.”

“You’re late…you look fucking terrible.”

“And for you Frodo Baggins…Elrond’s father in a fucking bottle.”

“PO-FUCKING-TA-TOES!”

*Veilguard Spoilers(sorta)*

Just saw another tweet with some concept/story boarding art from Lucanis’s romance…???

Fanfic girlies take notes (I am girlies)

His wings were supposed to pop out during/ to interrupt a kiss? Romance scene in a gondola? Possible multiple sets of wings when he’s really pissed/Spite’s crashing out? A lake scene? (Possibly at his family estate…???)

So many ideas…

Anybody else creeped out when friends of their parents (50+ yr olds) come up out of the blue and say “Man, if I was 20 yrs younger” or something along those lines, as if it’s a compliment? Like you, a middle aged/old man, just came up to a 22 yr old in front of her mother and essentially said you were sexually attracted to them. In public. Yet my Mom’s standing there like it’s just a cute folksy thing to say.

My new Inquisitor! Mir’renan Lavellan!

Warrior, best friends with Cassandra, basically adopted Dorian after telling his dad to eat shit 💚

What a beautiful, angry little noodle...

Solas, you absolute trash man. You goof. You dweeb.

See this? The lute in his hideout under the Lady of Glory statue? See what’s at the top there…?

This homeless loser bought a lute with his own fucking face on it. He wanted to get caught so fucking badly he walked into a store and either picked this shit out or worse, had it custom made. This’s the medieval equivalent of Vanilla Ice getting his own face tattooed on his back. I hate him.

(He’s one of my favorite fictional characters ever)

Was Bucky just chillin’ in Shuri’s freezer next to the hot pockets when N’Jadaka invaded Wakanda or did he just hear all the explosions from his little farm with the goats and go “Huh...better not” and just bake a cake or something?

Because the Royal Family of Wakanda was the only thing keeping him safe and without Shuri, or T’Challa, or their mother in charge, it’s more than likely that he would’ve been forced to flee and go back into hiding or Killmonger would’ve tried to kill him. Emphasis on try, because even with one arm I’m pretty sure Bucky could kick some serious ass...just a thought...

Or better yet, did Killmonger know about Bucky and send a team or something to kill him while he and T’Challa were essentially acting out the plot of the Lion King? Since Bucky has a lingering reputation for taking out politicians JFK and likely royalty anyway?

And just to add into my own post, a kiss in the rain?Wings out? Just leaning into Rook, like his life depends on it…???

*Veilguard Spoilers(sorta)*

Just saw another tweet with some concept/story boarding art from Lucanis’s romance…???

Fanfic girlies take notes (I am girlies)

His wings were supposed to pop out during/ to interrupt a kiss? Romance scene in a gondola? Possible multiple sets of wings when he’s really pissed/Spite’s crashing out? A lake scene? (Possibly at his family estate…???)

So many ideas…