Fun fact: It's been exactly three years since I began working on Folveshch and this is the first time I've ever drawn its narrator.

I figured it would be a nice third anniversary present to myself and any of Folveshch's readers -- all of whom I'm grateful for! The story has come a long way since I was scribbling it down on a 50 pence notepad in the summer of 2013. I didn't have much time at home that summer (or sleep, as it happens), so my car became my workspace.

What came of that summer were the savings for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure in Asia and a piece of work I'm happy to publish, so all in all good. The version here on Wattpad is a little outdated now, but there's a newer version in the pipeline that I'm hoping to release this winter.

Anyway, back to Stefan and a little bit about him. He was never meant to be a real character, for a start. Stefan was merely the name of the narrator telling the story of Aleksy and he was never meant to feature in it. It wasn't until the scene with his own father and the Folveshch that Stefan needed to have feelings. As Aleksy's story evolved and the narrator began to take care of him, there emerged the need for the narrator to have personal thoughts on the boy's odd behaviour. Eventually Stefan emerged from the background, and while he still tells the entire story, he tells it now as he experienced it. The Stefan in the story ranges from the age of 14 to 22 (23 for the newer version), but the Stefan telling the story might even be an old man recounting his youth. That's up to you.

It was interesting to do it like this because his account is distorted, blinded and biased to some degree. Especially in the newer version, the parallels between he and his father are more evident. Perhaps it is the narrator's wish to retell his tale as though he was braver than he was. Perhaps Stefan had trouble admitting when he was wrong and certain parts of the tale make him seem smarter than he really is. Who knows?

I like to think Stefan has a bit of an ego, so building him and the way he recalls certain events were fun.

So, here he is ... At least ... This is how he thinks he looked.