EC (short for Evil Cunt) is a vixen of the first order - cold, seductive and remorseless. She was developed as a foil to CG - the victimizer to his victim. She has since joined the cast of characters appearing amongst the revelry. Her appearance was influenced by the goddess Demeter who also wears laurels in her hair.
The Emperor is the main character in my art. He is a
caricature of how I see myself - maudlin, petty and myopic. The fact that
he is "Emperor" refers to a grandiose self-view as center of the
world. The art I make now, as it is primarily autobiographical, revolves
around him and his family, friends and emotions (who often walk amongst
them). Part of the Emperor's history was shaped in the stories of CW2 and
the events that happened were transferred to the Young Emperor (aka
Christopher). Christopher became Emperor when the previous dictator, the
stoic Prang, was assassinated and overthrown
by a group of courtiers (including Christopher). Civil war followed
and once resolved Christopher assumed the throne.
He has had two Empresses
both of whom have moved on. The Original Empress was based on Sarah Stack
and though she did not appear in the artwork at the time she made such an
impression that the character has been retrofitted into the history. The
second Empress (usually just the Empress) was based on Ashlyn Woolley with
I has a youthful romance that coincided with the development of this
allegorical autobiography. The Emperor and Empress had three children -
two sons and a daughter.
I went though a difficult period when Ashlyn moved away and the
relationship came to an end and this was represented in the drawing with
the departure of the Empress who took the Emperor's heart with her (the
Red Heart). The Emperor was comforted with the arrival of the first Angel
and later by the first High Priestess. The Emperor developed a
relationship with his Consort and the Devil and the Red Heart changed
hands several times. The Red Heart eventually ended in the hands of
Passion who was based on Alicja Tatina with who I was fascinated for many
years. The Devil hoped to distract the Emperor from the absence of his
heart and filled the void in his chest with the Blue Heart. This worked
for sometime and allowed the Emperor
time to heal. To this end he was aided by the third High Priestess who
wrestled the Red Heart away from Passion. No sooner was it returned than
the second Angel arrived and took the Red Heart out of the Emperor's
chest. Currently the Emperor is absorbed with the second Angel and
protecting her from mediocrity.
The Emperor is shown wearing a crimson shirt which evolved from a
royal purple. His belt buckle says Rex which is a reference to his
position. The Emperor also bears the same tattoos as I do including the
recent notable spade on the left wrist.
Over the years there have been several characters that have been referred to as the Emperor's Concubines. They were characters that acted as surrogates to reillustrate real events without revealing which real person the event was based on. I have not used any Concubines in the narrative lately as I have tried to focus more on the Emperor's lack of companionship (for whatever reason).
One Summer I met Megan Cxxxxa and we became fast friends. So convinced was I that we were peas in a pod, I concluded that we should marry. Though how close this can to being a reality is a story that should never be told, my admiration for her instead manifested through the creation of the Emperor's Consort. The Consort stole the Emperor's heart and then disappeared, later to return and confront him. It was during this ordeal that the ring Colette Marino gave me started to be used as a symbol for my own love life. The Consort and the Emperor reconciled and she gladly gave the heart back - washing her hands of it. As my friendship with Megan came to an end so did the frequency of her appearances in the art. The Letters "MC" on the Emperor's Son's chest refer to her.
The Emperor's Daughter is the youngest and the most recently created of the family. She represents and innocent side of myself that has somehow been misplaced and purity that I would like to corrupt. She has become associated with Patrick, a virtuous mage brought over from CW2, and they are pursuing a naïve kind of love. The Emperor's Daughter is actually named Edith Leigh Bxxxk after a name that Jenny Sxxxs and I once came up with when discussing children. The Emperor's Daughter wears a horizontal band of red make-up across her eyes for decorative and distinguishing purposes.
The Emperor's Son was created early on as a way to reflect the heroic ideal that I'd like to be. He is the Emperor's right hand and primary protector. In this role, he is often saddled with a burden that the other characters do not face, in that he must reconcile what is best for the Emperor despite what the Emperor wants to do. The Emperor's Son has long been paired with SPG as an ideal pair. He strayed once from here during a period of discontent and found FPG. They reconciled and he has turned his focus to executing the wishes of the Emperor such as killing an Angel or retrieving the Red Heart on various occasions. The Emperor's Son is actually Steven Patrick Bxxxk after a name that Jenny Sxxxs and I once came up with when discussing children and, of course, after Morrissey. The Emperor's Son wears a pair of red make-up streaks under his eyes for distinguishing and decorative purposes. These streaks were inspired by Battle Angel Alita. On his chest, are the initials "MC" which refer to Megan Cxxxa.
The Emperor's Other Son represents a libidinous ideal. He is a rake that I'd like to be. He has no inhibitions and does not suffer from the consequences of this actions. As his handle suggests, the Emperor's Other Son was created as a response to his virtuous older brother. He is the middle child and wears Secondus on his belt buckle as a sign of this. Since his first appearance, many debacherous liaisons have been depicted. His name is actually Andrew Sebastian Bxxxxk after a name that Jenny Sxxxs and I once came up with when discussing children. The Emperor's Other Son wears an arching band of red make-up across his eyes for decorative and distinguishing purposes.
When I was younger I dated and loved a girl named Ashlyn Wxxxxy. I was convinced that we would be together forever and as such, when I started developing the current artistic vocabulary, I made the Empress based on her. The Emperor and Empress were very happy together and the had three children together (two retroactively). When Ashlyn moved away and moved on, so did the Empress. She took the Emperor's heart with her (the Red Heart) and was pursued by the Emperor's (and her own) Son. In the years since, she has appeared infrequently primarily for nostalgic reason or in relation to the children.
One of the Seven Deadly Sins, the character depicting Envy is based on Jim Mount.
I once had a class with a girl that was such a reigning beauty that I was convinced that she was perfect. I was so preoccupied with the concept of how perfect I thought she was that I started to draw her. I overheard her name (incorrectly) during attendance and the handle EPG was formed. EP ( her initials) intersects with PG (Perfect Girl) to form EPG. Later I realized how flawed she was and I tried to refine the idea of an ideal woman in the more fantastic SPG.
Ex is a play on Rex, which refers to the Emperor. When the Blue Heart is displayed in a sacred style, the crown resting on it says Ex instead of Rex on the Red Heart's crown. It is also a Latin word meaning from within which refers to the heart's relationship to the chest. It is also a reference to the person that the Devil (the creator of the Blue Heart) is based on being an ex-girlfriend.
Eye gouging is an act of violence that is used to represent a very brutal emotional trauma. This was influenced by a comic book story where the villain Slaymaster blinded a woman with his fingers.