these expressions are SO enchanting, blew me away! something about these just really captures my heart ;u; I have so much warmth & admiration for Mai
Bulwarks Character Guide
YoctoCrunch
- Created
- 1 year, 4 months ago
- Creator
- YoctoCrunch
- Favorites
- 12
Profile
NOTE: Click the floating icon in the top right to switch between the Hero and Villain characters!
Heroes
she/they | non-binary | 27 | 5’7” (170 cm) | lesbian
- Has a resting bitch face despite not being a bitch at all.
- At work, they act very seriously. With friends, they can be quite expressive.
- Actually a timid and shy person. Deeply afraid of intimacy. Dislikes physical contact with strangers.
- Gets embarrassed when anyone praises them.
- Has a very large hate club. Almost all of her co-workers want her fired. If Mai died they would literally throw a party.
- Really friggin' socially awkward...
he/him | male (trans) | 27 | 6’0” (182 cm) | gay
- A super friendly guy who’s pretty popular among his co-workers.
- People pleaser but isn’t really a pushover, he’s just extremely patient with others.
- Acts really naive and optimistic. Is always looking for the good in people. Kind and empathetic.Appears extroverted on the outside but is actually quite introverted.
- Quick to latch onto people and open up.
- Stutters a lot, adds a lot of filler words, constantly says "well, essentially..." and "y'know", very long run-on sentences, speaks many words to say one thing, laughs like "gahahaha!"
- Always wears a white watch on his right hand with a white ring on his middle finger.
she/her | female | 25 | 5’2” (155 cm) | queer
- One of the strongest bulwarks in the office. Her magic is so strong it's abnormal. Some would say she's a prodigy.
- Quite sarcastic. Has a rather dark sense of humor.
- Has a very pessimistic view on people. Doesn’t trust easily.
- Selfish. Is not willing to go out of their way to help someone unless there's something in it for her. That is, until she meets Mai hehehe
- Can be pretty laid-back on the job but always gets her work done well.
- An extrovert that's skilled at navigating social situations. She can be quite mischievous but never goes out of her way to hurt someone.
- Very assertive and not a pushover at all. If she wants something, she'll take it.
- Empathic. Rarely acts on these feelings, though.
- Outside of her uniform, she always wears a black bracelet and a black ring on her right hand. The ring goes on her middle finger.
he/him | male | 30 | 5’5 (165 cm) | bi demiromantic demisexual
- A doctor that works at the bulwarks office in Corundum City.
- A loner. Doesn’t really talk to anyone in the office unless it’s for work. Has a very bad reputation among his co-workers who all think he’s a murderer or using illegal magic.
- Talks strangely. Always pauses for a moment before speaking. Has a slow, soft voice. It’s hard to hold a conversation with Owen.
- Has back problems so he sleeps on the floor.
- Constantly chewing on his pens and pencils.
- Mysterious guy, not too much is known about him. Sus.
- Is almost always smiling. Please don't draw him frowning :(
- Always wears a simple white bracelet on his right hand and a black and a white ring on his middle finger.
he/him | male | 28 | 5’5” (165 cm) | straight
- Really skilled at his job. Could’ve been promoted ages ago if he wasn’t so lazy.
- Looks cute and innocent but is actually a rude, brash, rebellious, anarchist.
- Complains all the time.
- Always busting out dirty jokes and swearing in inappropiate situations.
- Really wants a big, buff, smart, handsome girlfriend. Forever single :’)
- Drinks alcohol and smokes cigarettes.
- A foreigner in this country. His nation is under the rule of the empire.
- Presents himself as shallow on purpose. He knows people look down on him and his people. There’s more to him as a person that he keeps to himself.>
- Has dark narrow pupils and turquoise eyes. Sharp teeth. DON'T FORGET THIS!
- Always has a white bracelet on his right hand with a black ring on his middle finger.
she/her | female | 28 | 5’10” (177 cm) | omnisexual
- Will hook up with any femme person. Professional sapphic seductress. Feel free to draw her with your femme OCs!
- Likes to push people’s buttons.
- Looks down on people with weak blood types (weak magic).
- Most bulwarks dislike her because she’s a cop and a piece of shit.
- Has a long history with Mai. They are ex-friends from college.
- Wears a black watch and two rings on her right hand. One ring is black and one is white.
Researcher Drawing Ideas
Completely optional ideas you could draw some inspiration from! Open the spoiler to see a colossal amount of infodumping about my OCs. If you attack me with a piece relating to any of these I will be the happiest person on earth.
- Mai and Zach are twins who have a strained relationship. They both love each other a lot, but Mai is uncomfortable being physically intimate with Zach. Mai does her best to appear strong and confident around Zach. She refuses to show any vulnerabilities around him and never tells him her worries. She's also very protective of him and will defend him from anyone who badmouths him. Zach desperately wants to be a good sibling and care for Mai like they have cared for him. He can tell Mai is struggling a lot with life and wants to help, but Mai won't let him. As a result, Zach doesn't actually know too much about Mai's personal life. Want more info? Read it here.
- Yuwa and Mai are enemies to friends to lovers. Feel free to draw them at any stage! As enemies, they're not outright aggressive towards each other. Their core beliefs clash with each other, and Yuwa expresses her dislike for Mai's in a passive-aggressive manner. Mai wants to help everyone and thinks every Bulwark should only work for selfess reasons. Yuwa only wants to help herself and works as a Bulwark for selfish reasons. Mai silently judges Yuwa; Yuwa tells Mai, "okay that's stupid, but whatever, die for others, then i don't care lol." They eventually become friends after settling their differences. Yuwa starts to become a lot less confrontational and shifts to a more playful, laid-back personality. Mai becomes less stiff and serious around Yuwa. And then plot points happen, and they kiss kiss fall in love!!
Eventually they become mortal enemies but that's not important right now - Zach has a crush on Owen but pursues him in the most embarrassing way ever. Anyone who is not Owen would cringe at the sight of Zach flirting. Fortunately, Owen is a really patient and swell guy and finds Zach's clumsy attempts at expressing affection to be quite endearing. The two men have a very odd relationship. Their outings typically consist of Zach talking non-stop about rocks, work, his friends, or how much he likes Owen. Zach speaks quickly, uses a lot of filler, and has a repetition stutter that becomes very noticeable when he's nervous or flustered. If he's feeling calm, then his stutter is hardly present. That doesn't happen very often because he's a nervous type of guy. Zach will use 50 words to get a single point across. Owen, on the other hand, is very quiet compared to Zach. He only speaks when prompted and says very little. His responses are typically one word ("... I see," "... cool," "... I like that," etc.). There is always a significant pause before he speaks, which can be portrayed with ellipses in his dialogue or just a quiet panel of him thinking. Owen is incredibly blunt and says a lot of unintentionally rude things. They make pretty good friends, all things considered. Owen's true feelings for Zach are unknown.
- Mai, Zach, and Greyson are childhood friends. I'd love to see them all hanging out together! Going to bars is one of their favorite pastimes. Mai and Zach don't drink, so it's mostly just them chilling and watching Greyson be crazy drunk. Mai is the straight man of the group while Zach and Greyson goof off a lot. Greyson personally makes an effort to say outlandish things around Mai just to get a reaction out of them. He is one of the only people able to make Mai angry. You can read more about Mai and Greyson's relationship here. Greyson and Zach share a queerplatonic relationship! They're both very physically affectionate with one another and say extremely fruity things yet show zero romantic interest to each other.
- Mai hates Owen! Most of what Mai knows is from rumors, news, and the very few interactions they've had with Owen. Despite having a history together, the two barely know anything about each other. They've only met each other through mutual friends. Owen was best friends with Mai's old partner, Rocky, who was discovered dead the next morning after a night out with Owen. Since then, everyone in the office has been on edge with Owen, as he's the prime suspect in the murder case. No evidence has been found connecting him to the case. Mai no longer trusts Owen; he's hiding something, and Mai plans to find out what it is. With Zach developing a crush on Owen, Mai's initial dislike for Owen has transformed into hatred. They don't want Zach to be the next victim of Owen, so they've been keeping an eye on Owen, ready to confront him if he exhibits any suspicious behavior. Unfortunately, Mai has awful social skills and is a timid little leaf. They're so bad at confronting Owen because he has done nothing wrong as far as Mai knows. He's just suspiciously weird. So when Mai and Owen interact, Mai is tense and on full alert, while Owen is just chill and confused about why Mai looks so stressed. I'd love to see some art of Mai being cringefail around Owen. I attached a small comic skit I've been meaning to draw below as an example of how they interact.
- Mai: I hate that doctor! I know he’s just trying to take advantage of Zach’s kindness. Ugh, just look at him standing there…minding his own business! I’m going to give him a piece of my mind!
- Mai: Dr. Draktetos.
- Owen: Pillar Kallikos. How may I help you?
- Mai: How are you…uhhh…how are you treating Zach…?
- Owen: …We’re friends. He watches me plant flowers…
- Mai: O-Oh, I see! You’re not, uuuuuhhhh, being mean to him, right?
- Owen: …
- Owen: No…?
- Mai: Okay, cool! That’s great! Um, enjoy your day— I mean evening!
- Mai: [scurries away]
- Owen: ????
- Everyone hates Cwen except for Cwen lol. She is a horrible person who enjoys tormenting others in order to feed her superiority complex.
- Mai and Cwen are ex-friends and have a long history together. Mai wishes to move past it, but Cwen insists on getting Mai back. Cwen regularly visits the bulwarks office to taunt Mai for all their failures, and she encourages others to do the same. She speaks to Mai in a sly, condescending manner. In hopes of deterring Cwen's antics, Mai just stays quiet and accepts Cwen's insults. Cwen backs down from the bullying when Yuwa and Greyson are around.
- Cwen barely knows Zach. She treats him with the same snark she does every bulwark, but she is a little nicer to him. It's odd, but Zach doesn't question it to avoid conflict. He simply says his greetings to her and moves on. Zach is mostly oblivious to the way Cwen treats Mai.
- Cwen and Greyson are ex-lovers. They had a small period in their lives where they were in a loving relationship, but that quickly ended after Greyson realized how awful Cwen is. They had an explosive argument that ended with their relationship ending. Now Cwen avoids Greyson as much as possible. Anytime she sees him in the office, she will quickly scurry away in fear of hearing his non-stop yelling.
- Yuwa and Cwen are enemies. In the beginning, Cwen attempts to flirt with Yuwa in an attempt to isolate Mai, but Yuwa catches on quickly. She sees through Cwen's tricks and retaliates with polite hostility (AKA, they catfight). Cwen begins to feel threatened by Yuwa's girlboss personality and abandons her plans to ensnare Yuwa. Now they just throw extremely passive-aggressive insults at each other that inch towards physical confrontation.
- Cwen despises Owen. He is one of the only people out there that makes Cwen so angry that she drops her playful disposition. When they pass each other in the bulwarks office Cwen will frown and glare intensely at Owen. She holds off on speaking to him most of the time unless she's in a particularly bad mood and needs to vent her frustrations out on someone.
- I think it'd be really funny if you drew Greyson being the 3rd wheel to Mai x Yuwa or Zach x Owen. It's a running joke in the series that Greyson is forever alone despite him being the most active in the dating scene. He's just held back by his pillow princess personailty. He's a good friend but a horrible partner. And no, he never gets a girlfriend in the main series
he gets something WAY better. - The bulwarks all fight monsters called abominations for a living. They reguarly get dirty and beaten up. I welcome any blood and violence of them fighting! The only person who cannot fight is Owen who is the world's most fragile man. That's partially why he likes Zach so much. Zach acts as a protector/bodyguard for Owen. A drawing of Zach fiercly protecting Owen would be AMAZING. Zach is strong enough to pick Owen up with one arm. Just kind in mind that Owen's expression stays the same. Refer to his expression chart for more detail.
- To be honest, I'm just really craving some moody/dark pieces of my OCs.
- I'd love to see you design some outfits for the gang! Anything casual or formal is cool. Just kind in mind that Mai and Owen do not like showing skin. They keep their arms and legs covered at all times no matter the weather.
- Songs that describe my OCs 😳
- Misery Meat is the first song in Mai's playlist. It describes just how insanely selfless they are. They saracrafice to much for the safety and happiness of others that they ultimately hurt themself in the end.
- Body Terror Song quite literally describes one of Mai's biggest obstacles. Even the metaphors in the song describe Mai perfectly. They are held back their body after contracting blood poisoning from a tragic accident. Mai really hates the body they were born with not because of how it looks, but because of how it works. They're weak and they will always be weak because that's how they were born.
- How Lovely is how Yuwa feels when they start to fall in love with Mai. Yuwa is just thinking "why the fuck and am I i love with this cringelord"
- I'm glad you're evil too just describes my favorite type of relationship dynamic! It can work for Mai/Yuwa, Zach/Owen, and Emma/Charlotte. They love each other despite their flaws.
- Just This Once is basically how Yuwa decides to change as a person because of Mai. Yuwa learns to not be a selfish asshole but encourages Mai to think about themself more.
- Don't Mess with Me is a song about how Cwen is so damn full of herself. She is truly girlboss, gaslight, gatekeep.
Preferences
Pretty much anything is fine! Feel free to simplify any designs if it's too detailed for your style. Just be sure to always include the underlined design notes. You do not need to draw their weapons, it's completely optional.
Things I really dislike:
✘ Lightening or darkening skin colors
✘ Drastically changing the body types of my ocs. Please don't make my fat characters skinny and vice versa.
✘ Misgendering my ocs. Don't forget to check their pronouns.
Things I really like:
✔ Art of my characters interacting!
✔ Changing the character's clothes
✔ My OC with your OC
✔ Blood and violence
✔ You reading my characters' descriptions and drawing a picture specific to that character's personality and backstory :^)
Note: This is not my original code! It's a frankestien of this one and this one lol
Villains
she/he/they | ??? | 33 | 5’4” (163 cm) | lesbian
- The main big bad villain of the story. She is a philosopher, writer, and lawyer.
- Emma is beyond gender.
- Has an extreme god complex. They genuinely see themselves as a higher being that will save humanity.
- Believes that life's purpose is to expand the human race, breed, and become the most superior species on the planet.
- She's dedicated to the mentality that she can no longer feel emotions. She feels nothing when she kills. She can't feel an attachment to other human beings (lie). Emma has grown beyond simple human needs.
- Narcissistic, but not like the stereotypical ones. They recognize that they are a flawed person and is willing to apologize if they think it’s deserved. Emma will even go out of their way to repay any favors granted to her.
- Lacks self-awareness.
- Arms are covered in bandages to cover self-harm scars.
- Sometimes has a lollipop in her mouth. When she’s upset she smokes cigarettes.
- In a relationship with Charlotte. They are very physically intimate with each other. Charlotte is often the one to initiate it. Emma and Charlotte are not the type to get flustered so never draw them blushing. They never say “I love you” to each other. Their relationship is complicated due to their circumstances and personalities.
she/her | female | 30 | 5’8” (173 cm) | lesbian
- Can be pretty chaotic but is not a manic pixie dream girl. Everything she does is calculated. She never does anything without a plan.
- Can quickly switch from childish to intimidating.
- Will sometimes play into the stupid persona if she knows her enemies view her that way.
- In love with life. Always fascinated by the little things people take for granted.
- Personal background is a mystery…
- Arms are covered in bandages to cover self-harm scars.
- Has dark rings in her bright yellow eyes.
- In a relationship with Emma. They are very physically intimate with each other. Charlotte is often the one to initiate it. Emma and Charlotte are not the type to get flustered so never draw them blushing. They never say “I love you” to each other. Their relationship is complicated due to their circumstances and personalities.
he/they | transmasc | 55 | 5’5” (165 cm) | gay
- A physicist. Really into studying magnetism.
- Classic dad who makes cringy jokes.
- His husband and daughter are dead lol.
- He is an epic gamer!! Very in tune with pop culture.
- Really into fashion. Always keeping track of the latest trends.
- Xuan invests a lot of time into his photography hobby. It's one of the main ways for him to get his negative thoughts out and express them in a healthy way. The other ways he expresses his negative feelings aren’t quite so healthy.
- Sees himself as an anti-hero. He genuinely cares about helping people.
- Glasses have two bridges on them.
- Is regularly the 3rd wheel of Emma x Charlotte
- Arms are covered in bandages to cover self-harm scars.
- Part of his hair is white on the right side of his head. His hair is naturally white so he dyed it black to make himself look younger. He kept part of it white because he thought it looked badass.
she/her | female | 36 | 5’10” (180 cm) | lesbian
- Refined and elegant woman.
- Has a very serious demeanor. Rarely jokes around.
- Tries her best to be a good person (she does it in the worst way possible)
- The only one in her group who does not use blood magic. Her arms do not have scars on them.
- Also one of the only ones who’s aware she’s a bad person. She’s come to terms with this and has accepted herself for who she is. Humble.
- Incredibly skilled in multiple fields of study. This includes ballroom dancing, linguistics, cyber security, singing, fighting, magic theory, engineering, etc.
- Doesn’t really have any hobbies. Her work takes up her whole life.
- Thinks all of her “co-workers” are idiots and criminals that belong in jail. This includes herself.
- Despite her tough appearance, she cries often when she’s alone.
- Her hairstyle is french braids but anime-fied.
he/him | male | 19 | 5’7” (170 cm) | bisexual
- Just trying to survive. Will not hesitate to kill anyone who gets in his way.
- Possesses the most raw physical power in the hemomancer group.
- Not good at taking compliments. He's suspicious of anyone who is kind to him.
- Gets embarrassed when anyone praises them.
- Never received a proper education. His reading level is similar to a 13-year-old.
- Has no hobbies but would like some. Has some interest in music.
- Always resorts to violence to solve his problems.
- Probably has a terrible case of PTSD.
- Has dark narrow pupils and bright turquoise eyes.
- Arms are covered in bandages to cover self-harm scars.
- Always wears skirts.
she/her | female (trans) | 19 | 5’7” (170 cm) | aroace
- Always defensive and nervous-looking.
- Constantly trying to prove her worth to her group out of fear of being a sacrifice.
- Cries constantly but tries to hold it in.
- Very shy and timid.
- Always sweaty for some reason.
- Gets very physical when stressed
- Depressed as hell but still wants to live.
- A very competent and skilled sorcerer despite her looks.
- Has dark narrow pupils and bright turquoise eyes.
- Arms are covered in bandages to cover self-harm scars.
Cryptid Drawing Ideas
Completely optional ideas you could draw some inspiration from! Open the spoiler to see a colossal amount of infodumping about my OCs. If you attack me with a piece relating to any of these I will be the happiest person on earth.
TO BE ADDED...
Preferences
Pretty much anything is fine! Feel free to simplify any designs if it's too detailed for your style. Just be sure to always include the underlined design notes. You do not need to draw their weapons, it's completely optional.
Things I really dislike:
✘ Lightening or darkening skin colors
✘ Drastically changing the body types of my ocs. Please don't make my fat characters skinny and vice versa.
✘ Misgendering my ocs. Don't forget to check their pronouns.
Things I really like:
✔ Art of my characters interacting!
✔ Changing the character's clothes
✔ My OC with your OC
✔ Blood and violence
✔ You reading my characters' descriptions and drawing a picture specific to that character's personality and backstory :^)
Note: This is not my original code! It's a frankestien of this one and this one lol
View More
Recent Images
there's so much thoughtful detail in this ref, so beautiful and interesting to look at! ^^ loved getting to read all the tidbits about their weapons. also i gotta say the quilted design on the inside of the bulwark coats is sooo cool, such a fun design element
1 year, 4 months ago
i!! love them!!! also i commend you for drawing her tattoo or at least I assume you did...its very cool :3c
1 year, 4 months ago