Alright, with #orcs trending and everyone sharing all their orc OCs, I felt like I should too. Unlike what some fantasy authors or RP systems would have you believe, orcs aren't any more "irredeemably evil" than humans are.

Here are (at least) 15 ways I've tried to show that.

First, a foreword: most of these characters are from my Shadowrun novel "Black and White," which I'll post a link to at the very end of this thread. Some minor spoilers about character motivations ahead.

A few are my D&D characters as well (which I'll post last).

NSFW content!

1. First and foremost is Grimm, an ork (with a 'k' in Shadowrun) street gang leader in the Seattle Ork Underground. He's the character closest to my heart, and the one I have the most art of so I'll spruce that about while I talk about him.

(icon art: @hufpup)

Though Grimm is the de facto leader of the Tuskers, the "gang" is more of a community watch of sorts. A band of residents in the Ork Underground keeping peace, defending more than just what topsiders would paint as their "turf" - it's their home.

(art: @TheCaptainzArt)

And while Grimm may look like all smiles, tattoos, leather, and cigars, he's actually got some problems. He thinks he's content, but he's silently starving. Outgoing with his gang when they need a leader, he turns into a recluse afterwards.

And then, he nearly dies.|

(Pukks@FA)

After what he thought was a heart attack, his spirit Awoke on the astral plane - an alternate dimension of magic, where a spirit's power is in their mind.

After being rescued by a young human named Gustave and learning about his newfound magickal ability, his story begins.

My novel explores the relationship of Grimm, an ork street punk, and Gustave, a human university student, as they discover themselves, each other, and more.

But certainly they aren't the only orks. If Grimm is in charge of an ork gang, there's gotta be more!

(art: @GrisserArt)

2. Next is Monty, an ork street samurai and bouncer for local bars including the spectacular Dante's Inferno topside, and the more seedy Pierced Hind down in the bowels of the Ork Underground.

(art: @kumattoz; original linework by me)

Monty is a self-serving shadowrunner. He runs to get cred to pay for the upkeep on his cyberarm (modeled after medieval platemail) and keep his humidor full of cigars. He bounces so he can keep his nuts empty. And there's nothing Monty loves more than a willing human hole.

But Monty isn't just a pierced cock, a cocky smile, and a Cockney accent. He's the brother Grimm never had - a willing ear, a shoulder to lean on, and a partner to tag in to finish off whoever's bent over a barrel.

Monty is also my half-orc fighter in D&D 5e - the son of a powerful human noblewoman (who herself married an orc blacksmith), Monty is a bit of a party animal, spending a bit *too* much gold drinking with his dwarven friends (who run much of the Waterdeep thieves' guild).

No art for the rest of these characters, but perhaps someday! What follows are the rest of the characters in Grimm's gang and some others important to the story along the way (minor character spoilers).

All names are "street" names. Their truenames are guarded secrets (to them).

3. Hobbes was born in the UCAS, but his family is from Hong Kong. They own and run a restaurant in Puyallup, where Hobbes used to wait tables. After meeting a regular troll customer named Lacey and hitting it off, he decided to get more involved in community defense.

Hobbes isn't great at poker, tends to get shot up a lot, and a lot of the gang thinks he's brown-nosing Lacey (who is second in command of the Tuskers). But he's head over heels for her, and someday they may just start a family.

4-5. Jess and Jade, two ork women who are romantically involved with each other. Jess grew up in Seattle, and Jade hails from Shanghai.

Jess is a street rat, and proud of it. Loud and chatty, and an excellent shot with her AK-98. She's the gang's eagle eyes, keeping lookout.

Jade is more quiet, cold, and reserved. She has a degree in electrical engineering, and has hopes of affording a datajack installation so she can use the Matrix more effectively. Despite regularly fighting off adversaries, she suffers from thanatophobia.

6. Barry is the oldest ork in the gang. A transplant from the CAS (Kentucky), he lived in Chicago before it got nuked to contain the bug spirit outbreak there. A father of six, his kids have all grown up. His first love, an ork named Julia, passed away after 10 years together.

Barry is an incessant flirt and horn-dog, constantly hounding the ladies in the gang for a date. They aren't impressed with him at all, mostly because his marksmanship is absolutely terrible for someone CAS-born and raised.

And then he gets to know an ork named Larz.

7. Larz, an Aztlaner from Guadalajara, has something to prove. The youngest member of the gang, he's quick to fire his Ares Predator at his foes, but his aggressiveness gets him into harm's way more often than not. He's never had a partner, and is trying to grow up too fast.

Larz and Barry begin to bond over their mutual appreciation of lesbian porn (which Larz has memsticks full of) and hard liquor. One night, at the right place and the right time, they awkwardly decide to crash together at Larz's pad and unwind.

The next day, they're partners.

8-9. Marcus and Grace. Marcus hails from Caribbean Leaguer descent (Haiti), and Grace grew up in Indonesia. They have been together before joining the street gang, are madly in love, and have decided to start a family together (though they've only told Grimm so far).

Marcus used to work at the Orichalcum, the local Ork Underground gym. He's a weightlifter and professional trainer, fascinated with anatomy and always studying ways to improve his knowledge of proper weight training. He's as strong as a troll. Also likes to cook.

True to her name, Grace is unshakable in a firefight. Nothing rattles her - not even getting shot at. A bit of a rebellious spirit, she grew her hair long to spite her homeland's traditions. She loves exercise and fitness, which is how she met Marcus.

10-11. Jasmine and Ricochet. Jasmine is Iranian, growing up around the Persian Coast, where she spent much of her adolescence on shipping boats. Ricochet (or 'Ricky' as the gang calls him) grew up in Little Havana, Miami before moving to Seattle.

Jasmine took her street name because she loved the scent of the eponymous flower that she always carries a sprig of. She also loves her vices: she is constantly drinking, smoking cigars, and is by far the best gambler in the gang.