If you see 100 community updates from "Natalya's Boudoir" on the home page, thats me trying to get this to work.
Here is a preview of some recent artwork for Natalya's new comic.
There are some new characters and the return of my oldest OCs! Some key characters have been renamed to better suit the fictional Imperial Russia vibe.
Alistair -> Alexander
Lachlan -> Ludmir
Here is the current cast of central characters:
⦁ Natalya - 13yo Grand Duchess of Perovskia. She is a spoiled brat that loves dolls but is incredibly sheltered. Once she learns how wide the world is, she cannot be contained!
⦁ Alexander - Natalya's personal knight and most loyal servant. He is also Perovskia's best swordsman and a pompous aristocratic asshole.
⦁ Ilarion - A kind palace guard that dutifully stands watch over Natalya's bedroom door. He and Ludmir's families are commoners and they are life-long friends.
⦁ Ludmir - Natalya's court painter and a secret anti-imperialist. In the original comic, he was a stealth crossdresser, but now a trans man.
⦁ Mikula - Natalya's father and emperor of Perovskia. Good-natured but ignorant of the suffering of the citizens.
⦁ Antonia - Natalya's maid. No one except Mikula is allowed to be alone with Natalya in her chambers without Antonia in the room.
⦁ Harmund - NEW CHARACTER!!! Natalya's betrothed! Harmund is the crown prince of a much smaller country called Valon. He is smug, lazy and self-centered, which is unsurprising for the incredibly rich prince. Alexander hates his damn guts!
⦁ Elodie - A magic wind-up doll gifted by Prince Harmund to Natalya as a betrothal gift. She comes to life and shows the Grand Duchess the world beyond the palace walls. Elodie is Natalya's new favorite doll, but is actually an anti-imperialist weapon.
⦁ Nikifor - Alexander's squire and his punching bag. To vent his frustrations about being mistreated by Alexander, Nikifor bullies others.
⦁ Yzer - NEW CHARACTER!!! A master swordsman, Prince Harmund's 40yo personal guard and also his sword fighting instructor. His swordsmanship greatly surpasses Alexander's! His loyalty is tied to his paycheck.
The relevant countries are...
⦁ Perovskia is a cold, expansive country with a low population for its size. Its mostly covered in primordial woodland known as the Ektenial Borea. Perovskia's state religion in the old comic was literally just Orthodox Christianity. Perovskia 2.0 now worships a mythical creature known as the Firebird, which is also the symbol of the empire. The Imperial Family was established centuries ago when Natalya's ancestor obtained a golden feather from the Firebird. Perovskia's currency is called "Plata", with the Firebird depicted on one side and a profile of the Emperor's face on the other.
⦁ Valon is a very small but extremely wealthy peninsular country. The country is essentially one big trading port, which is how they have become such a rich kingdom. The ruling family is determined by whatever family has the most wealth. "Sequins" are what they call their currency, which has a pentacle on one side of the coin and a crown on the other. The state religion is the Church of the Pentacle, inspired by the Tarot card suit which represents wealth.
