Mel's Inktober 27 - Performing Couple

The Windwillows made it very big in the entertainment field, and in some ways, they don't completely retire.

Almost everybody must admit their singing and acting aren't bad at all, and there are plenty of friends and fans to sort of balance out the bullies and nasty critics.

In many ways, that fan base came in handy. When Malachi was attacked, plenty of people were furious about it and those assassins would have been dead meat if their plot succeeded, even without Beowulf involved. Some of the people who claimed to hate Malachi didn't actually hate him to the point of wishing him dead, while others admitted they wanted to like him better.

As time goes on, the Windwillows gain more and more respect. Nowadays, you can bank on a huge turnout for an exclusive performance, and it's plain enough these fauns still have the old touch. Many aspiring actors and actresses look to them as a fine example of how it's done; for that matter, if the Windwillows decide to help them out personally, they're practically in business already.

Malachi still keeps in touch with his dear friend Kelly Murphy, a half-elf who runs his very own prestigious company. 

In fact, Murphy was instrumental in Malachi making it as big as he did in the old days; Murphy personally put in a good word for him when he gave acting another try (he quit cold turkey after his parents died) and that led to Dancing in the Snow, the enormous comeback that became Malachi's ultimate trademark.

Not only was such a moving picture something worth being remembered for, but Malachi finally saw the good side of acting and he became far more popular and made a boatload more money than before. He's easily a bigger star than Joanna, but of course she's no slouch herself. People will still ask her for an autograph, a song, or a brief reenactment of a famous scene from time to time.

As for Murphy, he'll take any recommendation from Malachi at face value, since he knows his old mate always chooses new kids on the block wisely. You should see those two when they're performing together for old times' sake.

Mel's Inktober 26 - Malachi and Joanna

There's nothing more beautiful than a devoted couple who has been together for a long time, and from the way they each see it, even forever isn't long enough. They have their problems, as all couples do, but they work through them and emerge better than ever.

When all is said and done, neither would trade the other for the world. Sometimes "happily ever after" isn't just something that exists in fairy tales.

Mel's Inktober 16 - Wary of the Windwillows

Reid's relationship with the Windwillows is a very interesting and complex one, much more so than how it started out.

Fauns and humans may get along considerably better than they used to, but for the most part, a barrier still lingers. While most of them may not try to harm each other, sticking to their own kind remains an unspoken rule.

That's why it was such a big deal when Malachi became the first faun High Priest, and that's what feeds the conflict for my overall story. It is possible and ultimately vital to overcome prejudice, but it's a complicated process and even those who make it through don't get there overnight.

It even took Jonathan quite a few years to really warm up to humans, more so due to his beloved father's horrifying brush with death at the hands of humans. And then when Jonathan got to the point where he started to embrace a human as legitimate family, his parents raised a surprising protest...which didn't sit well with him or Reid, to say the least.

You could say Reid's need to be loved is one of his weaknesses. He can be a bit too clingy for his own good, but he doesn't force anyone to like him or act entitled in any way. Let's just say he trusts the Windwillows a little too much at first, and then they learn a hard lesson in taking such trust for granted. So, neither side is all right or all wrong, and lessons on both sides are learned the hard way.

As irony would have it, fauns are big on loyalty and don't take kindly to betrayal. Then the Windwillows, who know as well as anyone what it's like to be on the receiving end, find themselves doing the exact same thing to someone else.

For all the pain Reid goes through, this is among the worst. He can sort of expect everything else to happen to him, he can almost count on other people hurting him...but having the very people he was so sure he could trust stab him in the back is something else. He's like an affectionate dog who gets struck out of the blue by the same hand that used to pet him, and now he cowers in the corner with his tail between his legs.

This is heavily based on Sulley scaring Boo in Monsters, Inc. Man, I'm choking myself up already.