Shadowplay Character Sketch 1 (Patreon)

Here are some early sketches of two of the main characters in Shadowplay! And some info about them and a peek at what the plot for this story will be. I have the entire thing planned, but I don't want to spoil the story for you all just yet!

Characters:

John “Johnny” Hsaio, on the left, is our protagonist. He is a gay trans man in his late 20s who began transitioning in film school in NYC, circa 1977. At the start of the story in 1984, Johnny lives as a stealth* trans man. He often blends in and goes unnoticed. He is talented and passionate in his filmmaking and dreams of being a cinematographer one day, but he has not had many chances professionally. He has strong powers of perception, and he is a loyal friend. He is generally stoic, and does not show emotion readily or allow people close, as a defense mechanism.*Stealth: in the transgender community, this means one who “passes” as cisgender and who does not disclose that they are transgender. This is often done for safety or personal peace of mind.Note on Johnny's character:

People who work behind the scenes to bring something together have always fascinated me. We don’t see them within the frame of the camera, but they are integral to the project. Johnny is not seen on film, but he sees everything through the camera, and is aware of things around him that others overlook.

Part of my idea for his character is showcasing the invisibility that trans men, especially those who go stealth, experience in society. We don’t receive as much media attention, or, historically, as much of a voice within the LGBTQ+ community. While this has afforded us the privilege of some security through obscurity, it has also been an isolating factor.

Although his invisibility has hindered his professional development and being trans makes him wary of growing close to others, Johnny’s ability to evade notice along with his perceptive nature are a strength in this story.On the right is Dolores Castillo, Johnny’s roommate and friend. She is a lesbian trans woman in her 30s who is starting her life over after her marriage ended when she came out as trans. She and Johnny are close, and she crosses the border to get hormones for both of them. A tough lady, she believes in trans folks needing to know how to defend themselves. In scenes with the two of them, they are shown as affectionate with one another - cooking, watching TV together, Johnny playing with Dolores’ hair. They are good friends who know the other understands them even if the world doesn’t.

Plot Summary:Shadowplay opens with Johnny meeting an up and coming openly gay director, Alan Ruysch (pronounced Rausch) at a party. Ruysch is working on an erotic thriller called The Walking Shadow, which features a gay serial killer, in the vein of Cruising. The story is about a man who suspects his lover has a double life, and he begins to secretly follow him into the seedy LA nightlife, ultimately discovering that his boyfriend is a killer.

Ruysch pulls Johnny aside, shows him the script and describes the vision he has for the film: “Cruising made homosexuality something contagious, dangerous. My film is saying that hiding your sexuality is dangerous. Being gay isn’t the problem – the society is.” There is a flirtatious tone as they speak, and while Johnny is intrigued, he does not show it – ultimately, he is motivated most of all by the potential of working with the director. Ruysch says he lost his original 1st camera assistant on short notice, right before they were set to begin shooting. He offers Johnny the position.Johnny returns home and tells Dolores the news - he just got what he thinks is his dream job. Dolores saw Ruysch's first film, The Divided City, a drama about a man coming to terms with his sexuality, and she was impressed, although she felt that there was a disturbing underlying element to the film. Once Johnny begins work on the set, the cracks begin to show. He remarks to the reader that, like the script, no one in LA is what they seem - the leading actors are not gay; the cinematographer who he admires appears to have the ideal life on the surface but succumbs to alcoholism the moment work is over. On top of it all, Ruysch is a difficult and demanding man to work with.Johnny is determined to stick it out, but soon he notices that people who have contact with Ruysch go missing. At the risk of his career and his own safety, he begins investigating.