In the same way that some folks are character actors, I’m a character writer. Sometimes when I write someone I fall in love with on the page, it’s impossible to leave them behind. I think it stems from what my relationship with my creativity is, in that there are inherently patterns that occur. Everyone I reuse stands for something to some degree or another.

Whether it’s by stepping in as a cameo, starring as another iteration as themselves, or taking a supporting role, some of my characters have been in rotation for 20 years now.

micah (the mask)

Micah’s core character attributes include leadership qualities, stubbornness, humor, sarcasm, and the tendency to hold off on being honest with himself until he snaps. He also has the tendency to pick fights and antagonize his enemies.

Micah specializes in failing at catastrophic levels when he’s a protagonist. He thinks he can handle things until it becomes too late for him to ask for help.

origin story

Micah was created in 2002 as Myoku Atem, the child of Yami Yugi in a roleplay I did when I was 12. Then when I was a 7th grader he became the child of T’Kai and starred in my first real story, Nikkei.

andrew (the scholar)

Andrew always serves as an intellectual expert. He is extraordinarily consistent across his appearances, being always British, serious, sarcastic, sharp, and skinny.

When he stars in his stories (Code: Compromised, The Heartwood Trilogy, and Catcher), he is serious, sarcastic, sharp, and intellectual. When he plays a supporting role, he tends to serve as a guide to the protagonist (Find in Farewell, Fairytale, Professor Vidasche in Unface). One notable exception is that he plays a villain (albeit one with a redemption arc) in Cadence. In Rebels, he is more of a true neutral.

Andrew earns his victories and makes you hurt for him in his failures.

origin story

Andrew began as me roleplaying Yami Bakura when I was 12. He kept the British thing until present day. He was Egyptian for a while and actually had one of my first novelizations which spoke to the existential dread of immortality. His most consistent iteration began in Rebels which I wrote in 9th grade, when he was a sharp-tongued professor.

danyil (the muscle)

In recent years, especially since 2020, Danyil has become less versatile largely because of his law enforcer role. He’s been a very important “OC”, comprising the third in the Andrew/Micah/Danyil trio, but his usage has fallen off in recent projects.

He was in the original draft of The Heartwood Trilogy, to be fair, but was cut after not being well received by early readers.

When he is around, Danyil is sort of a himbo, with a lot of integrity, a tortured past, and all eyes for Ingrid.

origin story

Danyil began as Eripmav. I called him a Freaky Horny Vampire among my online friends, which ended up becoming the Finesse Hiwatari Vampires or the FHV, the Villian organization that didn’t make sense in Nikkei. Eripmav was then in Nikkei’s spinoff, Redefining Evil, before starring in Rebels.

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ingrid (the feral type)

Ever since her origins as a vampire, Ingrid has had a penchant for blood and violence. She is raw and impulsive, and would kill for the ones she loves.

Occasionally she’s taken more of a tame role such as when she starred in Farewell, Fairytale, which I consider sort of her pre-evolved phase. Then, she remains unconventional, with wild curls and pale skin and a boho sort of style.

origin story

Ingrid began as a side character vampire in Nikkei before starring alongside the Satos/Evereauxs in Redefining Evil. She also starred in my first completed novel, Farewell, Fairytale.

lucienne (the brave one)

Lucienne was not my first female protagonist, but I would describe her as my first real feminist. She dashes convention and takes risks, often with cataclysmic results. Lucienne is unafraid to speak up for herself and pursue a life she desires.

She remains someone I channel when I need a boost of courage. She urges me on to be brave and courageous and unapologetic in my own life.

In her latest iterations, she’s in primarily sapphic relationships.

pairings: the boys

As I mentioned, the boys occupied most of my late teens and early twenties as a terrible trio of chaos.

I’m regularly sad that Danyil got cut from The Heartwood Trilogy cause he’s missed a lot of group development with the rest of my recurring crew. But the art that involved him is some of the most fun and some of the most finished works from my early days.

other pairings

Most of the “non-canonical” OC art is of Micah and Ingrid but I used to do a lot of complete OC groups, especially all the ladies.