The Protagonist Puff (Patreon)

Look, a backer update! These sketches were on the same pages as the ones from the previous post - so hello, convenience! And hello, backers! I can't believe more than two people actually signed up for this constant reminder of doom and gloom. I have to give you all one thank you here, even though it is far from classy. (Sorry!)

I mean, I haven't written proper thank yous to messages from my 10th anniversary, much less my birthday & the Patreon launch - so this is a reminder that you see 99% of the energy I have. I tweet when I feel focus & share any ok sketches I make. It's that barren over in Chrispyland. I essentially don't exist when you don't see me. It's all fugue/coma. Not an excuse. Just an explanation. I seriously have care packages I've been prepping to send for YEARS - to the point where I have to redraw the now-dated art inside. So, yeah, let's cross fingers and hope this cycle's treatments pay off.

NOW ON WITH THE BACKER POST!

Even at age 15, Little Chrispy had no patience for teen protagonists. They didn't have enough time to practice their craft! There is NO way a 13-year-old can be an ultimate ninja assassin while also going to school! And so, when I began crafting a story, I decided the central point of view character of Momentum would be Phoebe, a 38-year-old career soldier who was transitioning into politics. I mean, I was just looking to craft a frame story I could use to imagine how I'd craft a Magic: The Gathering expansion set, but hindsight figured out why I did what I did. That's how Teen Me rolled. There was still plenty of teen-typical selfish wish fulfillment involved with the Momentites. Undiagnosed ADD Chrispy, in a haze he assumed was normal for everyone, couldn't figure out how to people got through school and developed skills, so he liked the thought of jumping into the point of characters' lives when the prep work and education had been done successfully!

But Momentum is a cartoon for teens and tweens, and there needs to be a jumping on point for those viewers. I only had one teen in my cast: Meret Kaida. (Pronounced: "MARE-et Kah-EE-da.") Now that I know what my issues are, I can avoid unintentional airing then in public with this Precociousverse reboot! Meret is now the main character! Even though I hated writing teens (still do), she had to be 16, because she's one of many war orphans - the war ended 16 years ago in Momentum continuity - and her being born just as the war ended is a whole "rebirth of a troubled nation" thing, I guess.

More character bio background: After the world got messed up in war, the reconstruction focused on unity. There were a lot of orphans, so the Town Children initiative was created. Rather than  passing around unwanted kids, they were to be considered children of their community. They were one of your own, and you had an obligation to help them. Town children were raised in dorms, given public education, and trained to be community servants - roles such as couriers, gardeners, janitors, pages, etc. (I don't care about writing epic fantasy war stories, I WANT TO WRITE ABOUT PUBLIC POLICY INITIATIVES INSTEAD!) Meret's one of many town children in the city of Breckonridge, one of the largest cities in the country. Her main job was in a public library, where she became obsessed with reading about myths and fantasy stories. Becoming involved in a big fantasy story of her own is a dream come true, and her boisterous enthusiasm annoys/energizes/amuses/etc. all the adults she's on the quest with. (Oh, and Meret's also a nimble pickpocket, because the good-hearted ambition of the town child program can easily be twisted by jerks, and the head librarian decided to train her kids on more than library science!)

Now for the reason I'm talking about her: I have struggled mightily to properly Precocize Meret. In my original 2006 attempt, she was a mini husky, but I decided doggy types were too blocky for a teeny gymnast type like her when Momentum was resurrected as my practice story. She became a Siamese cat so Kaitlyn could cosplay as her in Precocious - like in the first Patreon post I made! Even with the new form, I still struggled. With my cartoony style, I rely heavily on bangs, or hair pulled around the base of the ear, to hide how weird my unstable cartoony head/facial structure is. Meret's twin braid look didn't adapt as well as I liked, I needed hair distraction to make her look like a proper cartoon hero... And that's how I started to give her a physics-mocking hair puff thing. It's very manga protagonist, no? I still wrapped some hair below her ear, cuz I need my crutch, but the protagonist puff makes me feel more comfortable with her design. I'll still refine it over time, cuz "more comfortable" doesn't mean "actually comfortable," but Momentum doesn't matter, so as long as I have a viable placeholder, it works!

Oh, and one more clarification: Everything here was written in one big dose of manic state yesterday. I can't do a bunch of small important tasks - see the "Thank you!" issue - but my brain actively dwells on ideas for days/months/years before my brain finally clicks into place and the ideas work their way to my fingers. Sometimes my brain clicks into place I can zone out and type on autopilot. And end up writing a LOT more than needed in the process, cuz this is NOT a healthy way to do things. It's a horrible deal for being a human being, but helpful if, oh, you're an untreated ADD trainwreck college student who oversleeps classes, forgets his notes, and still has to do his class presentation. (Or if you find your con panel suggestion was approved the DAY BEFORE it's happening, and you're supposed to run it yourself!) All this was percolating inside me, and waiting to flow! Acting on my thoughts usually gets jammed before the commands can successfully process - hello, executive dysfunction! I'm working on regaining control, but it's a work in progress. 

Also, should  these image/story posts be done with "image" posts or "text" posts, with an image embedded? I don't really know what I'm doing.