Little bits about Filip

Filip had gone through several temporary foster families since he was a newborn. He never knew his real parents, and the information he gathered about them didn’t entice him to pursue a relationship. Short stays with multiple foster families, who were more or less skilled in handling multiple children, turned him into a difficult kid. He barely talked and developed anger issues, which eventually made him a hard candidate for adoption. His difficulty with communication and crass attitude toward others made it even worse.

Despite all this, it was truly a miracle that he made a friend in his early teens—Darek. Around this same time, he was adopted by an elderly couple, Zofia and Henryk, who gave him a sense of stability and care. Their first few years together were challenging, but Filip grew to trust them over time. They were reliable and no-nonsense, which he appreciated. However, the one thing he never grew to enjoy was the elegance they carried themselves with. Outings to theaters and restaurants only reassured him that he could never belong in high society. The food was good, though, and fancy blazers, button-up shirts, and glasses were the price he had to pay for it.

As he got older, he found more opportunities to befriend people like him. For the first time, he had a group of friends who made him feel like he belonged. He started ditching school, running away to concerts, and using substances. His pent-up aggression found some release in the mosh pits, and for the first time, a girl took an interest in him. The drama that followed scarred him for years, up until he was almost thirty and finally started working through it in therapy. He became averse to romantic expressions of affection, with kissing becoming his enemy number one. His internalized homophobia made him an unpleasant and aggressive person. He sank into depression, abused substances, and deliberately put himself in dangerous situations just to feel something.

It was during this time that he met Bryan, who helped steer his life onto a brighter path. Most of the drawings I do of him depict this period, where he's already getting better but still struggling with a lot of trauma and unresolved issues. It's a time when he has already met the rest of the crew but has yet to go to his first therapy session. He's grappling with accepting affection, only occasionally tapping into his emotions—usually when he's drunk or high. I'm happy to say that, over time, he manages to pull himself out of this dark place. He embraces who he is while working on areas that needed improvement. He becomes a playful character who finds healthier ways to deal with his problems and inner demons.