When you think of creatures such as sirens, vampires, or dragons–what do you think of first? Do you think of the tales of how such creatures will lure you to your death, turn you into one of them, or eat you alive?

Such creatures might not be real in our world, but our society has its own fair share of “monsters”. But who are they? Are they the people that deviate from the norm–the ones that express themselves differently, the ones that try to be themselves amidst an unfair society? Or are they the people that don't even bother taking a look at the bigger picture?

Fiendish Paradise is a fictional story world in a fantasy setting, where people such as vampires, witches, sirens, and more are present in a predominantly human society. Humans see such creatures as dangerous, so they are often ostracized in society, and many have set bounties for them to be captured or killed... However, no one has bothered to take a closer look at why these “monsters” are being hunted–that is, until Brielle Ambers took on one of said bounties herself.

The young bounty hunter meets Thalassa, and learns that she is a siren who simply wanted to sing–not to manipulate sailors to their deaths, but simply for personal enjoyment and expression. With this meeting, Brielle decides to dig deeper into the root problems within human society, working together with other bounty targets in order to bring peace to their world, once and for all.

The world of Fiendish Paradise may be fictional, but its themes and characters are derived from real life experiences (whether my own or others'). If you have seen the Wanted posters on their own before, that was a glimpse at how the human society in their world sees these creatures–as monsters threatening their safety. With the added pieces (such as the illustrations and sketches), my goal is to give you all a glimpse into the true selves of the bounty targets, and see them as people with lives, rather than monsters.

In the same way, we should be doing this with everyone we meet–looking at the bigger picture before deciding how we feel about someone. Society has a lot of preconceived notions regarding queer, non-white, and non-male peoples–among others. As a queer, Asian American and genderqueer person myself, I am used to the assumptions that people make regarding who I am. In return, I try to do the opposite–I try hard to keep an open mind, try not to see the world in strictly black & white, and encourage others to do the same. Understanding others before making judgements is the most important step towards peace and justice in the world–which is why the characters of Fiendish Paradise do just that.

A dragon may be scary, but what if it just wants to defend its home? A vampire is known to drink blood, but what if he has no choice but to drink it to survive? A changeling is known for disguising as others, but does she even know who she is herself? A black cat is known for being a symbol of bad luck, but does it really have malicious intent? A siren is known for her enchanting songs, but what if she just wants to sing?

Are you willing to be an ally, even if it puts a bounty on your head as well?