Character fact no. 4

I had this particular fact on my mind ever since I posted the first one... Took me almost 6 years to actually do it, holy smokes! I remember attempting it multiple times but I was never content with how I draw boatswain from that angle. I'm not super happy with this doodle either, I just don't feel like doing it one more time, haha. Let's finally be done with it and move on to other stuff!

Did you know that boatswain has spots on his back and shoulders? You might have known that because I mentioned it somewhere in the past (although I can't remember if it was in English or Polish). What you may not know is the fact that his spots have peculiar origins. Peculiar or gross, depending on how sensitive you are!

When I created boatswain in Spring 2010, he was originally meant to be my fursona, even though I've always disliked that word. He was never supposed to be me in an animal form, but some of his features reflected my own characteristics. I gave him a big nose because I have a big nose myself. I made him an elder since I preferred spending my time with people that were at least a couple of years older than me (this is still true to this day!). I also made him quite chubby because I had a bit of a paunch back then. He lost that tum as the time went by, while my own waist... grew in the opposite direction, haha. We kinda swapped silhouettes 'cos right now I'm much more like him from 2010!

As for the spots, they are also linked to something I have. My back and shoulders are covered in small spots, but those are neither moles nor freckles. They're all scars! Mostly post-acne scars, to be more precise. I have a strange nervous habit that still contributes to creating all those spots: whenever I feel stressed, I touch, pinch and scratch my back and shoulders. I've never been able to stop doing that no matter how hard I tried. I remember I was extremely embarrassed of all those spots when I was a teen: I never let anyone see them, I refused to go to the swimming pool, I avoided tank tops at all costs etc. I allowed myself to accept them over time, though. They certainly aren't pretty, but they're harmless. Both me and boatswain hide them under our clothes, so they're a secret!

*

I'm going to use this opportunity to say a little more about boatswain and the rest of the original trio. Outside and inside, boatswain has always been different than me, but the personality differences became more intense in the past several years. I like him a lot (he's my own creation after all!), but I wouldn't say he represents the way I see myself. He has always been more active, more curious and more socially skilled than me. He hasn't always been so grumpy and self-assured, he started out as a pretty kind and humble fellow that avoided getting himself into conflicts. As soon as I introduced the other 2 sailors, those things began to change. He evolved into a character I never thought he would be!

Boatswain isn't mean by default - he's only a jerk to admiral and his pets, really. He will go out his way to mess with them, but won't bug anyone else (unless somebody gives him a valid reason to do that). In contrast, he loves captain with the whole power of his heart. Nobody gets treated the way cappin' does! If it wasn't for their mutual history, I'm not sure if these two could get along. Captain is absent-minded, childish and a little clumsy, while boatswain is the opposite of all of these. Regardless of that, captain filled a blank hole in boatswain's life and now the duo is practically inseparable.

Bos is also a very... politically incorrect individual! He holds quite a few beliefs that I don't approve of, but he also reflects some of my own less noble personal traits. He's judgemental, pessimistic, mistrustful and likes to gossip. I can relate to these, whoops. Overall, I think some of boatswain's characteristics stand for things that I'd like to change about myself. Captain, on the other hand, represents certain qualities I'd like to introduce to my life one day. He's serene, forbearing and he evades speaking ill of anybody. I don't necessarily mean that boatswain is bad and captain is good: the traits I mentioned in this section are just small chunks of their personalities. This is just how said traits correlate with my own goals!

Out of all my characters, admiral is currently the one who bears the burden of being the most personal to me. He took on the role that was never planned for him! Even though we aren't perfectly alike, I feel connected to him in many different ways. My emotions and choices affect him, my opinions form him, my drawings of him are frequently linked to something from my own reality. He isn't the villain he was originally meant to be (and I'm so thankful for that), but he's still a morally grey character. I feel a lot more attached to him than I was at the beginning. And I have a lot in store for him too!

That's all for today, thank you for reading!