A manga I've been writing on and off for yeaaaars

If proportions are off dw, it's a dump afterall c:

This is the Akiko I base my fursona off of, the girl with the fox ears. Since I'm posting
about HelVen, why not give you a lil info on them? <3

((Please note that the black sketch is Akane from Heart Collector, my other manga, so I won't be writing about her <3))

As a writer, I think it's so important for you to relate to the story, the characters; for me I give every single one of my characters a part of me; this can be a small personality trait, a pet hate, a feature, anything. So now that's cleared up, here's a bunch of facts on the characters in HelVen and why they're like that.

HelVen
I began writing HelVen when I graduated high school in 2009, I had this weird dream that I told my friend when he came over to visit and he said that with the imagination I've got, I could make something of it. That's literally it, I owe everything about this manga to him, god knows where I'd be with my art in general if it wasn't for him saying that !
There are not official released pages as I've re-written pages and the novel versions a hundred times over each- I will only release HelVen after I feel comfortable enough with my art style to produce it.

Akiko
She's the first ever character I created, she's the better self of me. Everything she has is mine, as in her personality, her fears, worries, attributes etc but better.
I love archery and the bo staff, I used to train with these when I was younger and always wished I could totally master them. Don't get me wrong, I was pretty good with them ( As I was a total tom boy, trained with weapons and without under supervision ofc ) but I was never a total master. I write Akiko to have a journey of learning them, constantly training.
Akiko is Japanese, though she has English in her blood too.
She of course has the fox ears and tail(s) which is an animal I've identified with since I was about 7 and got to meet them up close outside of the forest near my home when I lived in the East of England.
She has a love for animals, as do I- I've always been extremely protective over animals I've owned and always got myself so connected even to the likes of Hamsters. That's where Titan comes in, but I'll explain that on his section.
Akiko's full name is Akiko Kane, not Akiko Hoshi as mine is.
During HelVen, both she, Iku and Zee are given Kabuki masks to hide their identities, they all have simple white and red designs. Fox, Wolf and a Kingfisher.
The reason I gave them the Kabuki masks is different to how I describe it in the story, in the story Akiko is scared of her identity being spotted or seen and put up on the news or even worse, have her hunted down. However, this is me trying to show the anxiety I get hit with when I'm in crowded places- I have panic attacks and have to stand to the side to calm myself the second I feel it hit. It's an odd one, but it's something I've had all of my life, the Kabuki were introduced in late 2009 [minus having it prior to HelVen's existence], but originally only Akiko had one. The design stayed the same.
Though she's quite the tom boy, she has a girly side now and then, this was also being written at a time I was nervous about showing the girly side about myself, as I'd been tom-boy through and through since a kid. I thought it'd be too out of the ordinary to wear a dress or make-up since it wasn't really me but after writing her, I got the confidence to do the same and now I'm more comfortable with how I dress etc.
Akiko has an excitement and acceptance for new things and new places, she never forgets a friend, even if she only met them for a day.
Early on in the story, she has a preference of being alone all of the time and has a few issues as Iku begins spending a lot of time with her, however she lets him in and realizes how it isn't that bad since he isn't a huge talker anyway. This is reflected on my fear of relationships, and I was only able to perfect the writing of this when I actually got a boyfriend in 2012; again having the confidence that Akiko did and just going for it. (And yes, I'm still with him now !)

Iku
This guy is the one from my dream, the only key character I remembered clearly. A lot of him is based on my recluse side and innocence.
In the manga, Iku doesn't fully understand what emotions are capable of. How you can fall in love so hard, how angry you can get and how long you can be upset.. How much these things can turn into depression and so on.
He's quiet, like I always was around others that weren't my friends, I kept my head down and just wrote or drew some pictures. I still have trouble conversing now and then with others and that's just because of this- and Iku is the same.
Iku is Korean and can speak both Korean and Japanese.
He has an anger when he see's something he loves get harmed, another thing of my own. I have literally been in fights if someone I cared for has been hurt, or are about to be; I don't know where that even comes from, I guess me and Iku are more alike than I thought !
He has the ears and tail of a wolf, a loyal, powerful companion who stays by your side.

Their Friendship
I obviously can't give much out about it since it's what a lot of the manga is based upon but what they are supposed to represent is a growing bond, characters that wouldn't seem to fit together at first that eventually become friends and soon inseparable.

Titan
When I lived in Africa for a while, we went on Safari and I was able to meet a bunch of African animals including the Rhino's, these are my second favourite animal. They were such big, tough creatures that were so gentle and caring of their young and were still willing to happily greet us in the vehicle and go about their day. Although Titan is classed as a Dragon in the manga, he i actually based on a young Rhino for their tough shell yet innocent being.
Titan's final design was released in 2013, though he was first written in 2010.
Titan comes into HelVen much later, though he has a strong bond with Akiko (And makes himself at home on Iku's lap, whether Iku likes it or not)

So, after all that dumb writing it probably doesn't make much sense and there'll be a bunch of typo's and commas in the wrong places BUT YEAH. There's a little insight on HelVen. I hope to get back to writing this and Heart Collector when I finish university. <3

I'll likely scrap this later, but I'll keep it in the main gallery for a little bit at least.

IF YOU READ THROUGH IT ALL THEN CONGRATS HAVE A COOKIE, YOU DESERVE IT. <3