In Cirque Du Freak, I always saw Darren and Steve as two sides of the same coin. While neither character was based directly on myself, there are strong elements of me in both of them, and I kind of used them to explore what it would be like if I could clone myself and head down one path in life that would see my better qualities come to the fore, while simultaneously venturing down a parallel path that would result in all my darker qualities rising to the top.

So as you can imagine, I've hughly enjoyed these fan drawings of the pair of them! The first is by Ester, and it sees the pair racing across rooftops. But is Steve chasing Darren? Are they only playing a game? I'm not sure, and I think that uncertainty captures a lot of what made their scenes together in the books so interesting -- we just never know what's truly going on between them.

The second, by Merci, see the pair butting heads, but again, are they having an argument, or does this capture them in the middle of a heart-to-heart moment, where they're talking about how hard life can be, and seeking a bit help from one another?

The final two drawings are by Meggie-Elise, who had a bit of fun creating female versions of Darren and Steve. I've got to say, I think the pair of us look pretty dang hot as girls!!! :-)

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