Doppelgangers

My self-insert nameless Commander/Wayfinder from Guild Wars 2, and nameless Scion/Warrior of Light from Final Fantasy XIV.

When I originally made my Scion OC, I had been mulling whether or not to just make her the same as my Wayfinder. Ultimately, I decided to create a new OC altogether, as I loved the idea of making both characters distinct from each other while sharing various similarities.

Their patchworks of scars are what I think would be my most favorite things about them. There's just something to be said about women with scars, especially when they're visible for all to see and hold a deeper meaning beyond the physical. For the Wayfinder, they're a symbol of lost innocence (from being a bright, promising scholar to a cynical, jaded adventurer), falling from grace (from being slain by Balthazar and the regret to save some of her allies, and the shame of her mistakes), and of halcyon days never to return (with the loss of Sieran in particular). For the Scion, they're badges of honor and experience that she proudly wears like a heart on her sleeve, serving as a testament to her many tribulations she weathered and came out on top of.

I was mentioning to someone the other day how, after some introspection, this parallels my own admission of envy towards other artists. There's shame in having to admit something like this because one would think that in the journey of self-improvement, one would use their betters to better themselves rather than treat them as subjects of insecurity and jealousy. Yet in the same vein, there's also both relief and acceptance that this is a part of me. It reminds me that this is but one of many imperfections that make me human. It's all a matter of perspective how we view our scars no matter how they marr us; at the end of the day, we can only move forward and strive to be better people despite ourselves.

The sight of these two finally drawn together, their scars exposed and all especially, fills me with a newfound sense of relief and contentment that I haven't felt in over six months. I will be continuing my Guild Wars 2 fancomic Objet d'Art after leaving it on hiatus for a time, while slowly featuring more content about these two characters moving forward.