#really sorry if I clog the tag with this wip this is the final update for it

[penwrythe]

Blacktober Week 1- Medusa and Eshu (actually done, but here's one more wip buffer post lol)

Even though most of my characters were loosely inspired by figures from different cultures/myths, it's important to be careful in how I represent them. Even if loosely or referenced from their source inspirations.

Originally for this character, I had no idea what name I wanted for him. I was bouncing between either Greek or Biblical names, then had thought of using "Merlin" for this character, etc. This character in his earliest variations was just a magic user who, at the end of the world, befriended Medusa after she appeared in his village one day.

But later on, as my thoughts around the setting of The Mundane Realm, and World of Relics as a whole developed, I wanted this character to be more than a mere wizard but a guide, sharing the responsibility of humanity's fate with Medusa. One lives, and the other follows. One dies, and the other follows. Through it all, Medusa and Eshu lay down the paths for humanity to survive in a world dominated by ichoridic monsters.

With this little tidbit in mind, I settled on Eshu from the Yoruba religion. I'm still researching more about Eshu. In Yoruba belief, Eshu is the mediator between the Earth and the Heavens. He is a messenger, trickster, guide, and teacher.

To be brief and without spoiling much, Eshu guides Medusa in TMR. Both as her aid (she's blind thanks to a certain [WOR's big fucking spolier]) and as her trusted companion. No matter what incarnations Eshu goes through as a living object, Medusa always trusts him to rediscover his heart to help lead humanity alongside her. With his memories of each past life, Eshu knows much of the world of mimickind: its kingdoms, societies, histories, and cultures.

Anyway, back to the two images above. I was going to have Eshu be a blue cloak, but considering his source inspiration, I decided to use his symbolic colors red and black (sometimes white? Not sure, but it pops up occasionally, tho).