And as a bonus, we have a supporting character who isn't one of the main characters in the story, but is very important in the life of one of the protagonists. His name is Nelson Humblewood and he's a huge grizzly bear. Nelson is the personification of a warm hug. In his green gardening overalls, he's a gentleman with a calm voice and generous gestures. He's the kind of person who loves children and always has a "gift from nature" in his pocket, be it a sweet fruit, a rare flower, or a piece of advice that soothes the soul.

He exudes a Santa Claus-like aura: altruistic, kind and deeply sympathetic. Nelson is Jack Savage's uncle, that is, he's not a blood relative of the lynx, but he's his true moral anchor. Yes, he lived in Whitepine Falls, Jack's hometown. That's where the two met and the bear has been a great friend of the lynx's family long before Jack was even born.

When Jack was diagnosed with cancer at age 14, it was Nelson who spent nights in the waiting room alongside Jack's parents and siblings, and it was he who taught him that "plants also need pruning to grow stronger". He was the first to say that the prosthesis wasn't an end, but a new beginning. Jack sees him as a second father that life gave him by choice, and Nelson sees in Jack the reflection of all the courage he admires in the world.

The diagnosis changed Jack's life and the lives of his family, who often put their own lives on hold to help with the treatment. In a moment of doubt, Nelson held Jack's hand and said: "Great struggles bring great purposes, my little lynx. With the strength to survive the impossible comes the duty to protect what is possible. Never let the world tell you where your dream ends, because whoever has overcome their own pain has the power to change everyone's destiny".

This phrase, inspired by Uncle Ben's iconic line from Spider-Man (with great power comes great responsibility), teaches Jack a great life lesson, uniting responsibility, persistence and dreams, showing how true strength doesn't come from muscles or instinct, but from the will to shape one's own destiny. Before wielding pruning shears, Nelson worked at the Whitepine Falls Sawmills as a heavy machinery operator.

He was known for his brute strength, but also for his heightened attention to the safety of his younger colleagues. The accident happened shortly after Jack finished his final chemotherapy sessions. During a rainy shift, one of the large log conveyor belts jammed and threatened to fall on a young intern. Without hesitation, Nelson used his own body and right arm to stop the mechanism long enough for his colleague to escape. The price was high: his arm was irreversibly crushed.

While recovering in the hospital, Nelson felt no bitterness. He looked at Jack – who visited him every day with his new prosthetic leg – and realized they were now "equals". I imagined him saying the following to the bear: "You taught me to fight, now I'll teach you to start over". He trained hard to use his left paw for everything, transforming his "limitation" into a new form of gentleness.

Nelson realized that the noisy machines of the sawmill no longer matched the silence he sought. He moved to Warren's Creek, the quiet hometown of the white rabbit, Claire Warren. Attracted by the fertile soil and tranquility, he transformed a vacant lot into a Community Park. As a gardener, he discovered that his hands, which once felled trees, now had the gift of making them grow.

He became the "uncle" of the entire town, and it's likely that Claire herself grew up running through the park he tended, unaware that this gentle bear was the best friend of the lynx she would meet years later. Nelson was always the gardener who looked after the city, but during the events of the story, he becomes seriously ill (a metaphor for the cancer he faces with the same bravery that Jack did). Nelson's illness is what motivates Jack not to give up when the AMS and the villain's tyrannical government seem invincible.

At the climax of the story, when Jack is about to lose hope of defeating the villain alongside his friends, he remembers his mentor's lesson. Unlike Uncle Ben from Spider-Man, Nelson survives. At the end of the story, we see Jack helping the recovered Nelson plant a new tree in the park, celebrating the lives of two victors whose lives cancer couldn't extinguish. In the world where the story takes place, the name Nelson is a tribute to his lineage of "Sons of Champions" (Neilson), but with a touch of humility.

It's a strong, yet classic name that conveys the confidence and wisdom of someone who has lived a long life. His surname, Humblewood, is a combination of "Humble" and "Wood." "Humble" reflects the fact that he's a huge bear who makes himself small to listen to a child or tend to a flower. He has no ego. And "Wood" connects his past as a lumberjack and his present as a gardener, as well as alluding to the natural habitat of bears. It's a surname that says: "I come from the earth and to it I dedicate my work".

But I'll be very honest with you here: this gentle giant is named Nelson precisely because of my late Uncle Nelson. Nelson was never a relative of mine, in fact, he was a friend of my mother's family for many years, and he knew my mother when she was a child. But I always considered him family, for me, he always was and always will be my uncle. He was just like Santa Claus, not only in physical appearance but also as a very kind, loving and friendly man, who always made a point of giving presents to the children he liked, including me and my brothers. He liked me and one of my brothers the most, we were his favorites.

The last few times my mother and I visited him, I promised him I would create a character inspired by him, just as I created my own persona and the persona of my brother, with whom I'm still very close today. These two characters are two of the five protagonists from my horror story inspired by Supernatural, The Shadow Hunters. He loved the idea and couldn't wait to see this character. But unfortunately, he never saw the character I created for him, as he died some time later...

The character in question is named Nelson Smith, one of the protagonists of my third book, which I'm still writing, Primal Crisis. He is a veteran paleontologist in his forties. He is the uncle of two of the story's protagonists: the rock/metalhead paleontologist, Sarah Garland, and her 11-year-old brother, Peter. It was thanks to him that the female protagonist became a paleontologist like him, and he is her greatest inspiration.

Nelson is a bearded man, wears glasses and is very athletic for his age. Despite being famous like his niece, Nelson is a simple and humble man, as well as being kind and gentle. He likes children and makes a point of telling them everything about dinosaurs and extinct animals. Besides this character, we also have Jack Savage.

It was necessary to explore the idea of ​​the main protagonist having had cancer and having overcome the disease years ago because, believe it or not, I had never created a protagonist who had cancer before and I saw that it would be very cool and interesting to create one. One of my friends, Heitor, told me that it's always good to innovate. And yeah, I made sure to pay homage to my uncle Nelson. To be honest, he was the reason I created a protagonist who had cancer because I know what it's like to lose a loved one to cancer.

He loved my family and he liked me very much. Even though he wasn't related to me, I always considered him family, and it hurts so much to know that he had cancer and died because of it. I even dreamt once that he was here at home, playing with my younger brother with the gifts he gave the kid. When I told my mother this, I cried nonstop 😭

That's why I think if Uncle Nelson were still alive and cured of cancer, he would surely love this furry character I created because he had cancer and knows what it's like to suffer at the hands of this terrible disease. I've always admired people who have fought against cancer. Winning or losing, I've always admired them because they are very strong people who will never give up fighting for their lives.

That's why the idea of ​​the bear being Jack's uncle, who would have the same function as Uncle Ben from Spider-Man, was very interesting: being someone very important in his life and a moral mentor figure, crucial in defining the hero Jack will become throughout the story.

This art was also made by my best friend, NOTG. Basically, all the arts I posted today was made by him, lol. But this drawing here was also a very special gift my friend gave me. This was one of those random character drawings he drew but will never use for anything.

If I'm not mistaken, he also has some adopts that he still hasn't managed to sell, lol. But since he'll never use this bear he drew, my friend decided to give me the drawing because it's very special to him, as it was one of the first digital art pieces he ever made. Besides that, he also really wanted to see this character have a story, and my friend loved the bear's story and the fact that it's something very personal to me.

Thank you so much, dear friend 💗 If you want to see other beautiful and wonderful arts made by him, click on the links below:

X/Twitter: https://x.com/NOTG_ARTS
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notg_arts/