Guard Profiles & Sparks update

Hi everyone!! It’s been longer than I normally like to go between page updates- thank you all for being so patient 🥲 I’m in the thumbnailing stage and there was a scene I wasn’t so sure about so it took me longer to get through than usual- but I’m past it now and back on track, just want to get some more pages ready to draw before I jump into them. So I’ll have pages for you soon! 😘 

Anyway, to tide you over I figured I’d share the backstories that are floating around in my head for each of the guards (some of them more developed than others, lol) not really relevant to the comic but fun extra info if you’re curious!

Tobias

Some of you already rightfully guessed that this guy is the captain! He has a lot of experience and takes his work very seriously- I figure he’s done other work for the royal family directly in the past and that’s why Archerus chose him to lead up the guards for Marcos’s trip. We didn’t see him during the campfire dinner because he would’ve been patrolling/guarding the prince‘s tent… maybe he takes his work a little too seriously 😛when he’s around everyone else acts sharper! But I think he’d also turn a blind eye to them having fun when he’s in a good mood.

Felix

We all know this guy :) hehe… Felix and Alise both have very similar reasons for joining the army- they don’t want to have kids yet. If you remember from my Satyr/human lore post (here) having children is pushed as a priority- even for guys like Felix who aren’t interested in women… but joining up and serving the kingdom would get his parents off his back about it. I imagine Felix and Alise connected over this when they were in training and they’ve become close friends since even if they do tease each other. Both of them are hard workers and can be trusted with responsibility (maybe surprisingly?) so they moved up the ranks pretty fast and got a good reputation. Tobias would’ve picked them both to come along on this one.

Alise

So, I already talked about her above there, but Alise isn’t interested in men. Felix & Alise gay 4 gay solidarity 🤝 she joined the army for the same reasons as Felix- to get her parents off her back about having kids. She doesn’t plan to stay long-term, but so far the money is good and she’s enjoying the work… she would’ve had to deal with some annoying bullshit being a woman in a mostly-male space (women are welcome to the army but not as common) but she’s tough 💪 and by now she’s earned a reputation not to be messed with! She’s good at organizing and leading people.

Cyrus

Here he is! Not as in depth as the rest, but Cyrus is a career soldier- he’s been doing this a while and doesn’t plan to do anything else until he (hopefully) peacefully retires. He doesn’t want to move up the ranks and be a captain like Tobias, he’s happy where he is and does a good job. Being a soldier pays pretty well if you don’t mind the lifestyle (and risk of death… although that’s a lot lower now than it used to be). Tobias would’ve also personally picked him to come along.

Davin

Fuckin Davin. We all know Davin. He’s the rookie-est of them all, although he has performed well previously so he has a good track record. How is he here… I figure it has to be nepotism. Maybe his dad is a high ranker in the army! He lost part of his ear in an embarrassing accident on one of his first missions (non-combat…) 

Jules

So right now we’re heading to the neighbouring kingdom of the Northern Peaks- there’s another kingdom (I haven’t named it yet 🤪) which is where Jules is from. Both these kingdoms are under Archerus’s rule- Marcos actually has an older sister who was married to the ruler of the other one. I figure Jules wants to be a palace guard back home eventually, so he’s putting in the hard work moving up the ranks here now. He misses home, but he’s gotten attached to some of his buddies… if it takes another few years before he can move back he wouldn’t mind it.

Cosmo

Cosmo comes from a large family! He’s here in the army for one reason- saving money. He sends some of it home and saves the rest because he wants to open his own business in the city… an inn maybe? He’s a hospitable guy and likes to take care of others. Good friends with Alise & Felix.

Rufus

Last but not least! Actually least I guess because we’ve seen him the least. Rufus comes from a large family as well- they’re farmers! He intends to go back to it, but for now he’s helping the family out by making a good wage and sending money home. He likes working with animals more than people… but he’s strong and capable.

And that’s it! :) I hope that was interesting haha… it’s funny, I designed them all extremely quickly/without much thought because I just needed to fill up the cart, but I always end up thinking too much about minor characters…