Linda

Linda (born Lucinda) Lam is an unemployed sluglam exile who lives with Carrie and her team of Gusbusters in the Olive Valley region of the uncharted planet Imperium. She has become a minor celebrity thanks to her beauty, charm, and fondness for 'making personal connections', though plenty of rumours circulate that she is also a longstanding Voracious Glutton and must be approached with extreme caution.

Appearance and Powers
Like all sluglam, Linda is capable of limited shapeshifting between three forms: Her default sluglam form; a taller human form; and a massive pure slug form. Though Linda is known to switch to her human form when traveling, she spends the majority of her time as a sluglam. Her species is not known for their mobility outside of their swamp habitats while in this default form, and Linda is no exception, often spending most of her time in bed or tending to her and Carrie's crops. Linda claims that this laziness is to blame for her weight gain in recent years, though her critics cite a very different set of factors.

Linda's human and sluglam forms have many recognizable traits, including her ravenesque hair and infamously large bust. Both forms have, in recent years, thickened considerably at the waist, though her sluglam form has always possessed a larger-than-normal tail for her species. In her human form, Linda remains quite plump, though historically she has always managed to slim down to a respectable size after periods of weight gain, so many believe her current girth is a very temporary thing. Regardless of her size, Linda is much more active as a human, and is known to enjoy long trips all across Imperium.

Linda rarely uses her slug form, claiming that she lacks self-control while in it, which can be a danger to those around her. Though the slug form is common to all sluglam, Linda's is unusually large and fearsome, which many perceive as a glimpse of her true, vicious nature. Linda is typically the first to advocate for her own gentle spirit, suggesting that many aspects of her appearance are off-putting to strangers. Not least among these traits is her set of shark-like teeth, which is common to most sluglam but unsettling to other mortals. She retains these teeth even in her human form, along with another shark-like trait: dilation of the pupils. All sluglams are known to possess pupils which dilate massively when they are sufficiently riled. This dilation is believed to have evolved as a defense mechanism, deterring attackers by signaling that the agitated sluglam is entering a berserk state. True to this hypothesis, Linda has been known to become hyper-violent when pushed or cornered, abandoning her typically warm demeanour and using her teeth to tear into her aggressors. Much like any berserk sluglam, Linda is also much physically stronger in such situations, and can overpower larger enemies than she could otherwise handle. Linda's slug forms share her rare purple and pink coloration, which is believed to only appear in 0.03% of sluglam, and -according to legend- signifies great affinity for magic. Linda has been vocal about her lack of interest in magic, and has made no public displays of it in several decades, though she is known to be a talented healer if nothing else. Many still believe that Linda is hiding her true power due to incidents that took place in her mysterious past, possibly including that which resulted in her exile from Oujounuma.

Biography
Linda Lam is regarded as a taboo topic in her native land of Oujounuma. The tight-lipped sluglam people, regardless of background, have responded to the wishes of their ruling class and have long since refused to discuss Linda's past. The implications of this silence are that whatever incident resulted in Linda's exile must have been embarrassing for her people, though the generally unwelcoming nature of the sluglam people makes it difficult for outsiders to glean much historical information from them in the first place.

What is known of Linda's life comes from three sources, the first being Linda herself. By her own account, Linda was born to a middle-class family and had only one sibling: a younger brother of unknown name who passed away at some point during Linda's adolescence. Aside from this brother, Linda does not speak of her family with anything resembling fondness.

The second source on Linda's life is the far flung Lamia Village of Lamnar Jungle. Though the lamia are voracious and generally a threat to other mortals, a handful of scholars have managed to earn their trust. An even smaller handful of these scholars have learned the lamia tongue, and have reported legends of a lamia known as the 'fat tail' who once lived with the village's enigmatic gorgon caretaker, Sasha, who refuses to comment on these legends. By the accounts of many lamia though, the fat tail's physical description matches that of Linda. Furthermore, the commonly accepted period during which the fat tail stayed in the village seems to fit somewhat loosely between Linda's exile from Oujounuma and her first meeting with future friend Carrie Stone, who has housed Linda ever since.

As for the specifics of the legend, the lamia claim Linda was brought to Sasha by another, male, fat tail, who is likely the famed necromancer Haisho Hinonuma. Though he has refused to elaborate, Hinonuma acknowledges that he knew Linda and even cared for her following her exile. He also expressed affirmation that he and Sasha have been acquainted, and that he respects the gorgon greatly.

Though none are sure why Linda left the Lamia Village, rumours circulate that she and Sasha had become lovers by the time of Linda's departure, and that tensions in their relationship were to blame for her exit. Others believe that Linda adopted Sasha's rumoured voracious tendencies- or those of the lamia- and was sent away out of guilt by a distressed Sasha.

Following Linda's supposed departure from the lamia village, there is an empty space in her biography, during which some believe she traveled across Imperium. While there is no indication that these years were spent unbenignly, those who label Linda as a dangerous killer believe she traveled in order to avoid suspicion when locals went missing. Sadly, disappearances on Imperium are far more common than confirmed murders, so it is impossible to connect any to Linda's alleged voracity. No witnesses have come forth to detail having escaped from Linda's clutches following such a disappearance, though again, rumours circulate that some have in fact charmed their way out of becoming her meal. These rumours state rather emphatically that, if Linda is a killer, then she is nevertheless swayed by the goodness in people's hearts, as the subjects of these rumours have all been well-regarded men and women. Many people discredit these rumours completely, citing sensationalism. These critics note the fact that Linda supposedly takes her victims to bed before devouring them, and yet her escaped prey have never described these occasions as anything but consensual and intimate. If Linda is truly a murderer, then she is far more complicated -and perhaps self-contradicting- than many believe plausible.

Relationships
Though it is undecided if Linda is a literal maneater, she is certainly one in other senses of the word. The sheer plethora of stories detailing her sexual exploits outnumber any other tales about her, and paint a picture of her as one who enjoys life's carnal pleasures. It is for her legendary sex drive that Linda is primarily known and liked by those who refuse to believe that she is a killer. To her credit, Linda's friends are many; she has befriended a wide range of characters from across Imperium, both mundane and famous. Among her acquaintances include the renowned Neko model Shae' Anya, the elemental Duchess of Fresh Water Nimue, and even respected Gato Senator Almeda Trevelyn. In many cases, rumours have circulated of sexual relationships between these prominent women, and nearly as many involve Linda with some of Imperium's prominent men. Some even suggest that she has had sexual interactions with her associate and housemate Lani Sykes, though Sykes vehemently denies these claims. If Linda's reputation bothers her, she does not seem to show it. She is known by her friends as an open-hearted and free-spirited woman, though she certainly maintains and guards her deepest secrets with near-impenetrable cunning. Regardless, her generosity and warmth have made her as popular as she is controversial among Imperium's more open-minded citizens.

Linda has never settled down with anyone as far as the public is aware. The legend of her time spent with Sasha is the closest we have come to finding evidence of her carrying on an extended relationship with any one person. Linda herself admits that she is not one to settle down, though she has hinted on several occasions that her time spent with her friend Carrie has given her reason to feel otherwise. It is unknown if these feelings are at all reciprocal; as of yet, Carrie has made no such comments, though she has called Linda a good friend and a remarkable individual. Though Linda also lives with the bone golem Clark and the air knight Cross, very little is known about their relationships, beyond the fact that they are on fine terms with each-other.

Notable Appearances

 * Linda holds the title of Axlwisp's most frequently drawn character, and has appeared in comics, art sequences, stories, and most other forms of media used by Axlwisp. She has had four official reference images (one original and three reworks,) which is another record among Axlwisp's characters.
 * Linda was the subject of Slug Week 2013, a small event during which she replaced Axi as Axlwisp's avatar and appeared in numerous artworks throughout the week.
 * Linda is a playable character in both Axugaem1 and Axugaem2. She is a permanent member of the party in Axugaem1 but is only a temporary character in the second installment.
 * Linda appeared as the thank-you image for pledgers to Axlwisp's patreon during its two year run from January 2017 to January 2019.

Trivia

 * Linda and the sluglam race were early additions to the Imperium canon. Both were loosely based on the slug enemies from the infamous vore game Milia Wars. Linda's pure slug form remains a reference to the game.
 * Linda is apparently an excellent singer. Though nobody is sure if she ever received training, observers claim she possesses a remarkably rich and warm singing voice. Linda herself rarely sings, and is known to react with embarrassment when the topic is brought up.
 * Linda has no official cup size and must have her bras custom-made, but she claims that using 'scientific measurements' she has determined that she has K cups.
 * Linda's tail, like that of all sluglams, is coated in a deadly neurotoxin that induces vomiting, paralysis, and asphyxiation if ingested and not immediately treated.
 * Though many rumours surrounding Linda's voracious character seem absurd, one particularly ridiculous rumour credits Linda's slug form for the disappearance of the remote village of Wheatpine in its entirety- a feat that most people dismiss as impossible.