Design - Psyche and Eros

While reading Meg Cabot's new book, Abandon, which is, more or less, a modern retelling of the Persephone and Hades story, I was slowly being reminded of my own modern retelling of a myth story that I had called Modern Day Cupid, mostly for a lack of a better title, and mostly because I wasn't all that creative back then. >.< Much like Meg Cabot has always loved the Persephone and Hades story, I have always loved the Cupid and Psyche one, and I'm like, 'well, if Meg Cabot can do it, so can I!'

Or something to that effect. Meg Cabot has a way of taking a story, and making it completely hers. So while the story is based on the Persephone and Hades story, it's not exactly the same. I, on the other hand, would make it pretty much the modern retelling. But whatever. The point is I drew character designs for what would be the main characters. >.<

Psyche Karalis is an eighteen year old girl who is in her first semester of college, and looking to make a new start. She is the daughter of a wealthy Greek businessman and his stereotypical American wife (ie, blonde, blue eye, and white), and she has two older sisters who married young and rich. She was considered the most beautiful girl at her school, and she did trend into the popular clique. She also has a secret obsession for trendy clothes, although she doesn't get into all of it. She is viewed as someone would would one day become the perfect trophy wife like her mother and her sisters before her -- except there's one huge problem with her; she's exceptionally bright, and has been termed 'freak' y most who know her for her 'odd' interests.

She is, by all intents and purposes, a huge nerd. She enjoys things like sci-fi and fantasy, and she's rather stay at home, reading the latest book she got, than go to the hottest party in town. Most people don't understand her, and the soul exception happens to be her father. Her 'friends' put up with her mostly because of her looks and her money, but she's always felt lost in the world she's grown up in.

Which is why she's looking to make a new start in college. She hopes to make friends there who like her for her brain and not because of her looks or her money, and thus far -- her antisocial tendencies are making it difficult for her. She is looking for an adventure much like the ones she reads about in her novels, and what she doesn't realize is that she's about to be caught up in one.

Eros (no last name yet) is the immortal son of Venus and some other god; not even those in Olympus are quite sure about that. He's a bit broady and can be moody as well due to years of loneliness with only his overprotective mother as company. He's pretty much grown tired of being a god and being ignored all the time because humans have forgotten them.

Well, sort of, but he doesn't really appreciate before associated with chubby babies, even if Cupid isn't his real name. Of course, the other gods find this annoying; at least he had humans honoring him with a silly holiday.

He feels that most people don't understand him. While he does represent the sexual aspect of love, he has been depressed and has taken up different interests since his wife died more than a millennia and a half ago. His mother keeps trying to set him up with some of the goddesses, but he wants little to nothing to do with Olympus anymore.

He mostly chills out in the human world because of it, since watching humans evolve over the millennia is something of great interest to him. They are not stoic and static like his people are; they continue to grow as a species. He mostly keeps to himself, of course, but he still does enjoy playing matchmaker from time to time, just for the hell of it.

So when his mother came to him to 'take care' of this girl who kept being compared to her, he was hesitant at first, but decided to agree to it mostly for the mischievous aspect of the plan.

Of course, what he nor anyone else least expected what him falling for the girl.

I kind of like the designs I came up for them. Psyche, so named because her mother was sort of obsessing over her husband's culture and fell in love with the story, turned out so pretty, but I suppose that's because of her half-Greek skin tone. She doesn't look as dark as she should because she's next to the even darker Eros (who is in fact, full blooded Greek), but still. She's pretty. I like the outfit she's in; it's trendy (I think), and yet comfortable. And still a little out of place with that bracelet. >.>

I knew from the start that I wanted Eros to look a little like a surfer, what with his dark skin and blond hair and blue eyes and all. Which is why I stuck him in what I stuck him in. It totally works for him, too, go figure. I was going to give Psyche wavy hair (cuz it's pretty), but I knew I wanted Eros to have wavy hair (cuz that's adorable). So yeah, she had straight hair and he has wavy hair. And yes, he does have wings (and full wings, not just those stubby ones), but one sort of suspects Cupid to have wings. I just thought it would be neat to have them smallish and transparent.

Over all, I'm pleased with these designs, and I just threw the story into the list of possible NaNo's this year. Hee.

If you want to check out the original version of these characters, done ten days shy of exactly six years ago, you can check them out here. (You wanna talk able giraffe necks...ha ha ha! )

Psyche Karalis and (this version of) Eros © ~erin-hime
Modern Day Cupid (working title) and all related concepts and characters © ~erin-hime