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just some sketches, testing out a new direction for virgil’s character

so i’ve been kinda unhappy with virgil and his story for a while. It just feels flat and boring, and i think that comes from him being such a close expy of my old mlp character, chakra blossom. I’ve been writing/drawing Chakra for years, same old same old smarmy vaguely sinister asshole, and it’s just gotten kinda stale, y’know? A while ago i was sketching concepts for virgil’s (very absent) dad, and then i wondered why i was expending effort on a character who doesn’t really show up in the story proper, a character who was basically just a more interesting version of Virgil. So i decided to smush the two of them into one character.    Virgil 2.0!

He’s a work in progress, but so far he’s pretty fun to work with. Some things didn’t change, he still annoys his foster sister Savannah, he still does that involuntary spooky hyena “laugh” when excited about food. He’s still a paramedic. He can still be a smug little shit, and uhhhhh some of his interests are still kinda questionable. But! He’s no longer a big smarmy douchebag, he doesn’t antagonize people for fun anymore. He has a better relationship with Savannah, they’re still not the closest pair of siblings, but there’s a level of fondness and familiarity that pervades their interactions.

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Comments

CardstockBroth

"Stop lookin at me wit them big ol' eyes!"

AsTheJayFlies

i love the sharp man. a very pointy lad

m0nk3y_m4n

Young Sunny: I could fix him 💕; Young Virgil 1.0: I could manipulate him 😈 -> Young Sunny: I could fix him 💕; Young Virgil 2.0: I wonder if this guy has seen the cinematic masterpiece that is "The Mammal Centipede" (2009)

Bigsmile

Less of a smarmy gangster and more creepy serial killer like freak with no ability to reign in the horror villain vibes he gives off? I dig it! I look forward to Virgil unintentionally scaring the shit out of every member of the cast with that nightmare laigh.

m0nk3y_m4n

I'm curious if this Virgil is still involved with Gio and creating Red Alert for the underground dog fighting rings. I can imagine that he is, but unlike Virigil V.1, who did it because he wanted money and power, I feel like this Virgil does it out of a very unsettling sense of intrigue. He's so blinded by his fascination with Red Alert, how adding different compounds can change its affect in the user, that he's fairly oblivious to the fact that what he's doing is ruining lives. (Jeff Goldblum voice: "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they never stopped to think as to whether or not they SHOULD")

knickknacks

ohh he's got the Dr. Doofenshmirtz posture I'm gonna miss him n his dreads a little bit but I do like this new spin on his personality!

AsTheJayFlies

mammal centipede is a tour de force!

AsTheJayFlies

i wonder if virgil2.0 still craves gio’s fatherly approval :0

lopoddity

Ah, you’ve got it perfectly! Like, that was my exact thought process. :D Old Virgil wanted money and power, which I felt made sense considering how powerless and poor he’s been made to feel his whole life, but ehhhh kinda boring motivation overall. Far more interesting is pure morbid curiosity! Virgil likes knowing how people work- their psychology, sure, but also the fascinating mechanics of the flesh. Virgil would’ve become a nurse like Savannah, but the expense was too great, aaaand even he can concede his bedside manner needs some work. Being a paramedic is deeply unsatisfying to him, so isn’t it lucky he meets Gio!

PrincessMuffinArt

Oooohh! I love him more now! He’s a balance of idiot dork and lots of sarcasm. I love the expressions! Also I love his banter with Savannah.

lopoddity

Thanks! I liked drawing his dreads, but they felt like a weird holdover from Chakra and I could never settle on a style. His hair is still naturally curly and wavy, he just straightens it.

pookaWOODS

AAAWWWW loving these!

Corinne Stephenson

I'm curious if him and Sunny still have the same history. Did Sunny get kicked out of the workforce for affiliating with a guy who carelessly (ie cluelessly) talked about touchy subjects that cops should absolutely not be associated with?

L In Motion

I love seeing your process on how you developed this version, very cool!! And I am loosing it at *The Crouch*

lopoddity

Sunny: I want you to split me open and devour me. Virgil: I want to devour your pizza crust

Ren

Oooh I am excited for this. I’ll be honest smarmy asshole Virgil will always have a place in my heart but I’m at digging this versions vibe. I love truly morally grey or just not evil but lack/sacrifice empathy in pursuit of knowledge/what they deem a worthy cause. It makes a very interesting character that you can just honestly do/explore more with. I’m excited to see more expanded on this Virgil and his past relationship with Sunny (especially how it tragically ended now that this Virgil isn’t just dickhead for laughs and probably had a more genuine relationship with Sunny) and excited to see how he came to work with Gio and if he still has a working relationship with Angel or not and how it all ties together. I love your world and character building so much I’m so hyped up see where you go with all this

Ren

Is he still a cave hyena or is he a spotted hyena here?

lopoddity

He's a cave hyena! :3 A really big boi

Ren

He’s gotta Ominously loom over others somehow

RagingRiptide

Honestly I love this. While I do like smarmy asshole Virgil, this iteration seems much more compelling to work with. Originally he didn’t have very many redeeming qualities, especially with his enjoyment of tormenting others for the hell of it. I really am digging this revised version of him, and am really excited to see more 👀

shisokuu

Everytime you re-design one of your characters, you somehow manage to make them (at least !) ten times cooler. I never cared much for Virgil, but now I really love him. His new design is just so good already, and his character seems creepy (but in a likeable way!) and super interesting. Love, love, love it!

Yvette Winters

Excuse me. Excuse me sir. I desire an explanation for the innards one. Is he an illegal butcher or something?

Ren

Kid Virgil potentially just slouching all his life to appear smaller and more approachable but now he’s just a tall guy with terrible posture

lopoddity

Oh no! This is during his paramedic days. One sees some pretty gnarly things when one works in emergency medicine. Virgil is encountering a rhinoceros or elephant who got into a terrible motor accident and ended up with a slight case of disembowelment. Virgil figures that a person bleeding out and in pain would probably appreciate a little joke to lighten the mood. Is it helping? :3

lopoddity

I like to imagine Savannah pulling his arms down to rest at his sides, but they keep sproinging back up to that t-rex pose

Chubi Cat

I COULD EAT THIS VERSION OF VIRGIL UP! Idk why but I’ve always had a soft spot for low empathy characters who aren’t quiet evil ~~ It itches my brain real good

Robo87

That is NOT a rabid cryptic cretcher, he is my SON

Robo87

He also absolutely has some messed up daddy/approval issues that Gio quite happily takes advantage of

Scyllarus

Hm...I'm very conflicted tbh? Like - this version of Virgil is creepier and fits better with the spooky art and vibe you've given him in the past. I do like the shift in relationships with this version, too - I could see him being more...submissive? Willing to see Gio as a father figure (or...daddy figure...) But I guess I'm a little worried he's gonna end up being a bit more mad-sciencey or serial-killer-y than...normal?, and it stands out in a cast of otherwise very relatable animal-people. Previous Virgil felt more relatable as a person, like we've all seen the asshole hustle dudes who have questionable morals. Overall, I'm curious to see how this changes things! I do relate to the morbid-curiosity-fueled line of work - poor guy might have been a pretty great surgeon if he had the opportunity (and who needs bedside manner when your patient is knocked out, amirite?)

lopoddity

That's interesting, because in my opinion the problem with Virgil always seemed to be the opposite. You say my characters are relatable, and I'm glad to hear it! :D I aim for that. But they're not always...realistic, I guess? They're cartoons. They're silly. Honey is a right-wing grifter, which is an archetype all too common in the real world, except Honey has big pathetic puppy eyes and over the top expressions and usually gets her comeuppance, which is something that doesn't often happen to real life aggressive neoconservatives. Characters in FB act like cartoons, emote like cartoons. A morbid, lurking gangster like Virgil always felt kinda out of place, like he never felt toony ENOUGH. He shows up and is vaguely menacing, but doesn't have punchlines of his own or quirky character beats, or if he does they're very subdued compared to other characters. I think this is why I ended up feeling he was flat and boring. All this said, I understand your concern! Finding the right balance for characters can be tricky. I've been doing some more sketches of Virgil and I've been drawing on a lot of my own life experiences to explore his character. He's still human- weird and lame sometimes and endearing sometimes, and with unexpected depths- but that doesn't mean he can't crack a way too toothy grin every now and then.

Scyllarus

Yeah, I can see that? He's definitely more expressive and cohesive as a character this way - old!Virgil definitely feels more limited in his interactions with other people. I think my concern was like...I can't really think of what real-world new!Virgil would be like, at least not right now? But that's why I'm excited to see more of him - and how his weird-ass creepy self fits in with the rest of the cast!

Alex

Is he still Sunny’s freaky ex? Either way I’d love to know more about the life and personality of this cackling yandere.

Yvette Winters

Have Gio and him ever slept together or has he just pined after powerful boss man?

lopoddity

He’s still Sunny’s ex, though I think Sunny might be a bit less passive in the implosion of their relationship this time around.

lopoddity

I’m not sure yet. Still deciding if I want Gio to behave purely in a mentor ly/fatherly way, or for the two of them to have a slight sexual subtext (in that they flirt with each other), or for it to be a full blown sexual relationship. Gio does strike me as the sort of man that would recognize Virgil’s want of a parental figure/queer interest in older men and capitalize on it, blending both familial affection/sexual intimacy into a dangling carrot to manipulate Virgil. Then you could have Virgil getting frustrated because their relationship begins fairly equal, with Virgil as Gio’s Number 2, or right-hand-man, but then the sheen wears off for both of them as Gio begins to lose interest in his new toy/Virgil begins to see Gio for what he really is. This isn’t to say their relationship cannot be interesting if I decide to make it purely platonic/familial, Gio is a warm, powerful, authoritative old dad and Virgil would bend over backwards to please him in any capacity, even just to get affectionate shoulder pats and Gio saying “good work”. Basically I’m still sorting out if Gio is the paternalistic Buck Strickland to Virgil’s Hank Hill, or the creepy Zircon to Virgil’s Onyx.

Morghann Patterson

You gave him the raptor arms, the deadpan sense of humor, the low empathy, and being into all sorts of weird shit…. Feels autistic to me!

ForcedPacifist

I agree with Ren. I bet if Virgil practiced his posture for like a month he would be even bigger and have the fattest donk that ever donked. Might even help with self image issues.

Alight

Virgiiiiilllll.