I've probably mentioned this before, but it's become apparent again recently since I started reading the BPRD series (post-Hellboy comic books). I am completely and utterly in love with Abe Sapien. Or rather, I'm not, but my aquatic character Lara is, and sometimes it's difficult to differentiate my characters from me (the lines are fuzzy to begin with - that's the nature of personal characters!). She's been spending a lot of time with him, and finding out a lot about herself in the meantime (turns out she has a kind of shapechaging/glamour ability - who knew?). I've been getting urges to do some fanart, but it's been so long since I drew anything other than doodles I'm kind of reluctant in case I fail.

We're off househunting later today! I've booked an appointment to see our first property after lunch, then we're going to the estate agent for a 'chat' (read: sales pitch). If I can get the boy out of bed I'll try and head to Amesbury, which is where we're probably going to be centering our hunting as it's a slightly cheeper area than Salisbury proper, and visit a few more estate agencies beforehand.

I'm not expecting anything amazing from this viewing, but from the outset it seems like a nice house and although a little over budget the way things are at the moment I'm sure we can knock them £10K or maybe more. Ever the optimist, me!

( Oh, and dragons )

Lara is a wonderful example of a character who has evolved significantly over the years.  She has changed enormously, with only one or two details remaining constant.  I can also remember the exact moment she was created, which was when I was at the beach with my family near Milford on Sea.  Bored of picnics and swimming, I'd clambered up the steep steps that led up the cliff face in just my swimming costume.  My bare feet felt good on the rocks and the sun was hot.  I started to pretend I was some kind of wild child of the sea, lost in a world amonst humans.  Thus, Lara was born.  Her ties to the sea, her emergence into this world of humans, the fact that she isn't human but tries to hide as one, and her tail are things that have remained constant through her life.  She has also grown up with me, so when she first appeared she was a curious but frightened pre-teen.  Now she's an independant 20-something.

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I wanted to do a few posts introducing some of my characters, with pictures and a little backstory behind each one.

Bear in mind that these are mostly characters I created when I was young - in my early teens, or probably even younger. I have always made up characters to create stories and pictures around - something that as a very young kid would probably have been called 'make believe', but instead of growing out of it the characters have stayed with me, evloved, grown up, developed history and worlds like and unlike our own. They have made friends, fallen in love, been on adventures. Often I have pretended to be these chracters, usually when I am in bed falling asleep - my sleepy mind created unique and fun scenarios for my characters, and it helps me drift off.

I want to introduce my characters in the order they were created, but I'm starting with not the very first one but the first significant one, a squirrel called Redtail. Before Red there were probably loads that were used in games and play time for my young mind - I think I remember walking round the house on all fours aged 5 or 6, pretending to be a cat called Sam. But anyway, Redtail was the first to have a backstory, and pictures drawn of her, and stayed with me for many years.

( Redtail. Created ~1992 (aged 11) )