Temple of Ripened Fruit - Belva Reference - Sketch (Patreon)

Hey Patrons!

With both Brielle and Bergin finished up, it's time to move on to our final Priest, Belva.

Like Brielle, you may recognize Belva from a previous version of them which appeared in some of our past drawings.  Again, we had always planned for Belva to be part of this "cast of three" from the get-go, but at the time we didn't really have a more definite version of their body in mind, so we drew whatever seemed good at the time.

As with their "sibling" Priests, Belva is also transgender, though prefers a more non-binary presentation to that of Bergin's masculinity and Brielle's femininity.  Some would say that Belva looks more masculine, others would say they look more feminine, but they enjoy straddling that line in many ways.

They were also designed to be more of the "quiet, thoughtful leader."  They let Bergin and Brielle be more of the face and personality that suffuses the Temple, but they are always there, checking up on the other two and the visitors to the Temple.  The main reason they fill this particular niche well is that their voice is their skillset.  It's said that all it takes is a few words whispered to change someone's life forever, and dirty-talk can be quite an event!

Lastly, you've undoubtedly noticed Belva's genitals, and we wanted to take a second to address their configuration, but also the presentations of themselves and those of both Bergin and Brielle, for those who might be curious:

Belva's genitals are a mix of vulva and penis put together in a way that mirrors some of the results which are possible through the real life gender affirming surgery known as "Penile-Preservation Vaginoplasty."  All three of our Priests' gender presentations are those which they've chosen for themselves, but they are not the only ways in which to present as transgender people.

We want to make sure that folks don't mistake the presentations of these characters as being the "only way" for someone to be trans.  Some trans men do keep their vulvas; and some trans women do keep their penises.  We also don't want people to think that the only way to be non-binary is through a "perfect" mix of both masculine and feminine traits.  In fact, both of us (the creators) are transgender non-binary individuals and we both have very different presentations from one-another and to the ones that these "Priest" characters present.

Basically, we want people to know that these are the valid bodies we have chosen on the journey to being ourselves.

Anyway, stay tuned to see how Belva shapes up in the end, and thank you for reading as always.  :)