Jancy: [Fourth World Four]

Jancy: [Fourth World Four]

May 13, 2020   #4w4, #character, #fourthworldfour, #jancy, #pitch,

Lt. Commander Jancy Coy: Even before the terrible accident that changed her forever, Jancy had always been a quiet and reserved woman. Her new, post-transformation form, has only increased her innate habit of skewing toward introversion. Before, she was content to be left alone with her broken machines or medical studies (critical in her dual role as the Progress's Chief Engineer and Medical Officer) but now, she is ashamed of her new holographic body and tends to avoid “outside” contact whenever possible. Of course, on board the Progress, “outside contact" can mean anything from the other members of the ship’s crew, to a bizarre alien emissary who only speaks by screaming at the top of its lungs, to an invasion of primitive, psychically-chattering asteroid apes, so everything’s relative.

Jancy never lets her crew members and fellow scientists down, however, and strives to always perform her duties aboard ship to the utmost degree, even if it might take her a little while to do so. Never hasty, she is very risk-adverse, and Jancy always asks lots of questions and examines every possible angle before ever making a move. Further, with her newly transformed body, Jancy has gained a more fundamental integration with the Progress, a ship that she has always truly loved. Now, she can communicate with the spaceship directly and this has opened a whole new world for her to explore and new horizons of knowledge to uncover.

###

Author's Note: Jancy is a character that I'm developing for yet another pitch that I'm building for my animation company, Brainy Pixel Productions, LLC. This pitch will be for a 3D animated series that is currently being called The Fourth World Four, or more simply, 4W4. The 4W4 is yet another of my myriad ideas that's been banging around in my head for years now. It's very exciting to see the characters coming to life, especially in 3D! On this project, I'm working with an amazing 3D artist, Andy Whyte, who is also a strong Brother-in-Christ. I'm blessed to have the pleasure and privilege of working with him regularly.

All text and concepts above Copyright © 2020 by Brannon Hollingsworth.

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Hege (Self-Control): [The Divine Nine]

Hege (Self-Control): [The Divine Nine]

May 11, 2020   #character, #divinenine, #hege, #pitch, #selfcontrol,

Hege (pron. hej) will be the sixth of the Nine located by Demi and Davy, and this Spirit will eventually become their "soft place to fall" in times of despair. Initially, however, Hege's prickly personality will put the children off dramatically.

Height/Weight: 12'5" when stooped, 15' when standing fully erect/3500 lbs.

1st Appearance: Season 1, Episode 6

Seal Location/Hint: Hege's Seal will be found beneath the inextricably pink waters of Lake Hillier, Australia [AO, 240/web]. The hint that leads to this Seal's discovery is:"find pink waters below the belly of the world".

Powers: When the Seal that contains Hege is fragmented, scintillating purple shards create a gemstone covered suit of armor around its Bearer’s torso. The appearance of this glittering gambrel is defined by the Bearer’s subconscious desires, but it always displays in a spiky, faceted design. In this mode, the Spirit’s power is wholly defensive and always reacting automatically to any threats as it deems best. The Bearer has no control over the precise manner in which the power manifests, whether it is expanding into a gemstone-encrusted sphere or reshaping itself into a curved plane to deflect oncoming projectiles. Regardless of its exact form or shape, in this mode, the Spirit’s power cannot be used to attack in any way. Any attempts to force it to do results in the shards’ return to the Seal’s original form. Emotionally, the Spirit’s power can be used to steel the minds and hearts of its Bearer and any associates in order to aid in resisting mental or spiritual attacks or refocusing scattered minds.

The largest of the Nine, Hege is massive and appears dangerous looking but he is not a front-line fighter. The Spirit is focused on the protection of its Bearer, committing all its powers and abilities toward this goal. Once it is summoned, its standard operating procedure is simply to engulf its Bearer with its soft, fuzzy pink tummy and extend its nigh-impenetrable, armored, and spiked back in the direction of any opponents. Of course, if the Bearer has plans other than this or needs to be mobile, difficulties can arise. Hege is excellent at protective and defensive moves, deflecting cannon balls as easily as snowballs, and its powers of shield, armor, wall, and dome creation are unsurpassed among the Nine. If attacked, the Spirit will defend itself with its razor-sharp claws, but this is the only offensive action it will take. Ordering Hedge to attack will cause the Spirit to instantly retreat back into its Seal.

Hege can also create, control, and command crystals at will and is skilled in crafting them into a myriad of different forms. These forms can be useful to the Bearer, such as a bucket for carrying water, but they cannot in any way be used offensively. The Spirit must also take extra care interacting with its Bearer, as its claws are incredibly sharp and cannot be retracted.

Personality: Initially, Hege comes across as self-assured and cocky. The Spirit does not speak until it has determined its course, and once determined, changing Hege’s mind is rare. In reality, Hege is very helpful, loveable, and amenable, but the way it shows these characteristics is through the lens of its absolute assurance and unwavering commitment. The Spirit is precise and particular in its movements and its word choices, conferring Hege an air of authority, superiority, and detachment. Getting to truly know this giant pink teddy bear quickly reveals that aloofness and impassivity are the furthest things from Hege’s mind and heart.

###

Author's Note: Hege is another of the characters I've created (art by Nat) as a part of a 2D animation pitch (current working title: The Divine Nine) that is currently in development over at my company, Brainy Pixel Productions, LLC. The Divine Nine, as a concept, is one that's been kicking around in my head for about twelve years now and I'm super stoked that it's finally getting some momentum and I cannot wait to see where it goes - to God be the Glory!

All text and concepts above Copyright © 2020 by Brannon Hollingsworth.

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Eoghan Fiction [Wyrdwar]

Eoghan Fiction [Wyrdwar]

May 06, 2020   #eoghan, #fiction, #mmww, #wyrdwar, #yewborn,

August 1645
Edinburgh, Scotland

“I still cannot believe this is happening”, George Rae said, his voice muffled by his fearsome plague mask and diminished by raw emotion. To Eoghan, it sounded like his own narrow perspectives were slowly strangling him. “Where are we?”
As they stepped though the ragged, sheer curtain that hung over the roughly hewn hole in the wall, Eoghan felt an odd prickling over the backs of his gloved hands and the nape of his neck. Something told him that they were now no longer where they had just been. His pale white eyes flicked from the lambent, pale form of Annie’s ghost to the grimy, catacomb-like walls around them.
As best he could tell, Eoghan was certain that they were still within the narrow, confined lanes and byways of Mary’s King Close. The rickety, crumbling buildings were still there, many of them towering over them and threatening, in their dangerously dilapidated states, to topple down upon their heads. The filthy and trash-strewn streets were still there as well, but the eye-watering stench and the sheer extent of the muck and the mire which had been so oppressive just seconds ago seemed oddly lessened now. The miasma of foul fog and smoke from the numerous coal and dung fires still hung everywhere in the air, but now it was now strangely less choking and thinner. It was not until Eoghan’s white eyes fell upon the residents—their drawn and sickly bodies, covered blackened patches of infected skin and massive, orange-sized, pus-filled boils—that it dawned on him as to where Annie had led them.
“We be’n th’ Midst”, the scaith remarked flatly, slowly drawing his wide-bladed hon-deba.
“The what?” George asked, scanning the scene around them. If they had not been in so much danger, Eoghan might have thought the scene funny: the quick back-and-forth movements of the bird-like plague mask making the doctor seem truly like a giant raven than a man.
“Th’ Midst. Th’ land what lies b’twixt th’ Kingdom o’ Man an’ th’ Kingdom o’ Heaven.” The scaith paused for a long while and then added dryly, “But ‘ere, looks like we might be’a’bit’of’a pinch closer to th’ other place.” Eoghan raised the strange lantern in his hand a little higher and pointed with the short, thick point of his cleaver-like sword. “See ‘ere.”
George Rae trained the lenses of his oddly masked face toward the area illuminated by his companion’s unusual lantern. Within that flameless golden glow, there he could barely discern, trailing from each of the swollen and inflamed pustules on each of the sickly wan figures as they meandered about the dark, cavernous streets, fine chains of writhing shadow.
Dark, writhing chains which connected every single plague victim of Mary’s King Close to almost every other person in sight.
“Dear Lord in Heaven...” George Rae mumbled, crossing himself reflexively.
Eoghan’s normally impassive face broke slightly and he turned towards the plague doctor. His heavy, thick left brow was slightly cocked. “Why d’ya call ‘pon him if’n ya believe not? B’careful o’ yer words ‘here, Doct’r…b’ye i’near’ Enemy’s camp here.”
Nearby, Annie’s grime-covered; ghostly form flickered like a guttering candle as she tittered. “The Yew-born speaks true. This is no longer the Mortal plane. Welcome to the realm of Izurri, Plague-Lord and Father of the Black Death.”
Eoghan’s head jerked, his now-wide, white eyes locking onto the ghost-girl, “Ye’ve bro’t us inta’th’ demesne o’va demon?”
Annie nodded, her lip had begun to tremble and her big brown eyes had begun to water. “You asked to be shown the source, Eoghan. I...I...”
“Thrice-accursed ghost!” the scaith spat, turning from her and immediately placing his back to the nearest wall. “Ye’ll b’th’ death’o’us, a’suren.”
George Rae’s masked face bobbed into view and Eoghan could see the fear worming its way into the man’s pale green eyes. “What is happening here? I say, Eoghan. This is most unusual.”
The Yew-born nodded. “Aye. That t’is. B’time to hole’up fer a’bit and put’a’tho’t er two toget’er.”
“Yes, yes. That will do.” The plague doctor’s raven face bobbed for a moment and then turned towards Annie. “Little one, is there anywhere here that one might consider...safe?”
Annie’s smile return and her usually sunken cheeks filled out and almost shone rosy. “Oh yes, Doctor. Just follow me.” She continued down the cramped, trash-strewn, cavern-like stone passage that was once long ago an alleyway between two thriving businesses but paused mid-step. Turning back, she added, “Do avoid speaking to the locals. It is said that whatever they hear...Izurri hears.”
Then, she vanished into the darkness at the far end of the passage.
Eoghan spat a wad of white-looking liquid from his mouth and brought this lantern and blade up to bear before him. “Lovely...jist lovely.”

###

Author's Note: Just a little sample of a piece of longer fiction that I'm working on for one of my Wyrdwar series. This piece, and it's main character, Eoghan (pronounced: Owan, or occasionally, Ian -- it's Gaelic, meaning "born of yew"), were 100% inspired by this image that I ran across in Solfar's gallery on Deviantart. It was so evocative to me that I contacted the artist and purchased the rights to use the image for my stories.
From that moment on, there was a story growing in my head around this character who is essentially, a very old Scottish golem made from a yew tree. Well, golem's not precisely the correct term, but all of that will be revealed in the stories as I reveal them. Eoghan is a supernatural protector and investigator, initially of only Scotland, but over the centuries, he eventually comes to serve that role in a broader sense. I'm looking forward to being able to expand on his adventures in the years to come.
Fun Fact: George Rae, who is Eoghan's sidekick in the above story, was the original Plague Doctor (which is a big hint to the story as well)... Continue Reading

Creating Sholem, Part 2 [Design Diary]

Creating Sholem, Part 2 [Design Diary]

May 05, 2020   #designdiary, #divinenine, #pitch, #sholem,

In part one of this Design Diary, we talked all about getting the Art Direction ready to send to our artist, Nat, for the creation of the character Sholem that I've designed for a pitch that I'm building. Today, we'll continue as we walk through the process of initially receiving art (SO! EXCITING!) and  the subsequent revision process. When I say exciting above I'm not be facetious, either. It's one of the most thrilling parts of my job to get new art in, I simply love it and wish it could happen everyday...seeing words that I've written given form and life...it's a feeling that's very difficult to describe for me, and well, I'm a writer.

So that should tell you something.

At any rate, a few days (or weeks, depending on your schedule) you should get art back based upon your Art Direction. Depending on the stage of the process you're in, the artist with whom you're dealing, and a dozen other things, what you get may not be the same as what I'm showing here, but bear with me, as this is all about the process, not necessarily the product. In my situation, I was planning on getting black and white sketches and that's precisely what I got:

A very cool creature and way different than I'd imagined it in my head, let me tell ya. Nat had added cool tubes for projecting sounds all over Sholem's body and I instantly fell in love with the concept. It was nothing like what I expected, but exactly what I wanted. That's one of the ways I can tell I have a good concept artist on the line, BTW. I also saw some things immediately that needing tweaking - there were no wings, for instance, which I knew the character would need. I also keyed in on the tube-like fingers and decided that I wanted to see them on both hands. Lastly, there was an issue with the antenna looking a little too anemic, so I dropped Nat an email.

And here's where you can learn another lesson from me about dealing with artists: be specific about the things you like. Remember, your artist is not inside your head and cannot tell the things you like about their work unless you TELL THEM. Make it a point to do so. This will build up the artist, increase their overall confidence, establish a working respect and rapport between the two of you, and let them learn the types of things you're searching for in regards to this particular contract.

Which was precisely what I did and the next revision I got from Nat was closer to the character I'd been thinking about, but so much cooler:

At this point, I was very happy. Getting to see those cool tubular fingers, three pair of groovy moth wings, but I felt that the antenna still needed to be a little thicker and the angular shape on the face seemed to be conflicting with the rest of the organic shapes I was seeing. Again, I let Nat know what was good and asked nicely to have a few things tweaked and received the following:

Now the antenna were in the range of what I was thinking, so that was good, but we'd lost almost all of the neat design on the face with the correction I'd asked for. At this point, I tossed the image into photoshop and make a minor tweak showing precisely what I was looking for on the face and sent that back to Nat, with a request for a minor tweak. And this is yet another lesson that you can learn from me: SOMETIMES SHOWING IS BETTER THAN TELLING. This is especially true if you're working with an artist who is not a native english speaker. Sometimes, a picture really is worth a thousand emails....er...words. And, if you're like me and not an artist, that's ok, even a hackneyed job of a visual markup can often be scads more productive than five (or fifty) emails.

After not too much time, my inbox pinged and I had this beauty awaiting me:

(I know, the change here might seem minor to you, but it made a lot of difference to me. :P)

Of course, I got the color version as well:

Lovely...just lovely.

Lastly, I wanted to see Sholem in a more active pose. So, once our initial contract was completed, I asked if Nat had some more time to do a couple of additional pieces for me. And herein is yet another good lesson: DON'T OVERLOAD YOUR ARTISTS/BE RESPECTFUL. Artists are people too and they have lives and families, hobbies and maybe even full time jobs. Don't assume they're just sitting around, waiting for you to make their life more full. Luckily, Nat had the time and I said I'd like to see Sholem in a more active pose and provided some specific art direction toward that end. What I got was just awesome:

So, what do I think? Flippin' awesome, that's what I think. Based on the hits this art keeps getting, you folks out there think so too. I hope this post helps! More Design Diaries comin' soon! Continue Reading

Creating Sholem, Part 1 [Design Diary]

Creating Sholem, Part 1 [Design Diary]

May 04, 2020   #designdiary, #divinenine, #pitch, #sholem, #storyforanotherpost,

Today, I thought it might be fun to take you folks through a Design Diary type post and show my process for creating new art. This is not to say that my process is the only or the best process, but throughout all of my years as an Art Director (which is, by the way, a #storyforanotherpost) I've developed a process that seems to work well for both me and for the artist in question.

Speaking of which, let me be the first to say that I am not the person who is actually doing the drawing in this process--I leave that to the professionals--and I've worked with many of these awesome professionals over the years, but that's another #storyforanotherpost. In this case, I knew I needed to develop my character Sholem for The Divine Nine pitch I'm building. For that, I knew I needed a specific art style to depict this character.

In this case, I'd already determined that a wonderful artist who I've been following for years on Deviantart, Nat, had a style that would be perfect for this particular character. I contacted them, did all the prerequisite paperwork/kabuki-dancing that's required to properly contract an artist (i.e. initial contact conversations, determining rates and schedules, getting NDA's and Contracts signed*), and we got to work.

Once you have a contract signed with the artist, the next step should be inform the artist of what they're going to be drawing. It's incumbent upon the Art Director to provide very clear, concise, and brief explantations of what they want to their Artist, without overwhelming them with world-building and unnecessary details (again a #storyforanotherpost, as this is a whole art in an to itself). For me, I've found that a simple two page document should suffice for this purpose. In the specific case of Sholem, it was only one of nine characters that I was commissioning, so instead of my usual 2 page document, I opted instead for a single summary page and a table to summarize the details of the commissioned characters.

In Page 1 of my Art Direction document, I always lead with any General Art Directions - overarching elements like style, mediums allowed, color palettes, overall mood, or reference links that I think might be helpful. This is also the section where I let the artist in question know how free or restricted they are, which really helps establish the working relationship and lets the artist know how much free rein they have with their concepts. Of course, once that relationship is firmly established, generally this does not have to be restated, unless you're beginning a new project with varying requirements for style, mood, medium, etc.

In the case of Sholem, I made the following statement:

Other than the specific direction provided in the table below, please feel free to push the designs as much as you would like. I prefer to see (initially) wild and crazy and then “pull back” from those wild and crazy designs towards the final. Do not be afraid to add things like multiple eyes, mouths, arms, legs, wings, tails, tentacles, etc. if you feel the design warrants it – your ideas will fuel my creativity.

When you're commissioning artists, try and place yourself in the shoes of the artist and remember that  you've been living with this baby for a while and you know all the "in's" and "out's". The artist is coming in cold and knows nothing about the project. It's your job to:

1. Inform them of the project, the world, and the characters, while
2. Not overwhelming them with details, and 
3. Make them comfortable; allowing them to do what they do best.

Another trap that I've learned to spring ahead of time with art direction is, I feel, critically important, but often overlooked. Avoiding this trap is: DEFINE YOUR TERMS. What I mean by this is simple. Creators, as they invent new worlds, creatures, items, and elements of story, often develop a lexicon that is personal and unique to them. You must remember that your artist is not inside your head and while your idea for a fluxeon magelodon convertex might be the coolest thing ever, unless you TELL your artist what it is, they will not know how to depict it, or what it means in terms of a reference. So, you should make it a habit to define these terms in your documents. I do it as I write usually with a bulleted list like this:

In terms of the specific headers in the table below, please bear in mind that most of them are for my use, and not necessarily for yours. They are each defined as below:

·       Fruit of the Spirit: This is in reference to the Bible verse that I am basing these creatures upon (Gal. 5:22).

·       Hebrew Word: This is the Hebrew word that I may be using for the name of the specific creature/spirit.

·       Element: This is the physical element that I am using as a reference for the specific creature/spirit. This is one you should pay attention to, as I would like to see these elements incorporated into the final design.

·       Body Part: This pertains to something else in the story and has nothing to do with the final design.

·       Class: This is merely a frame of reference for me, as I think about the characters/creatures/spirits in the overall story. If you are familiar with RPG’s (role playing games) then these should look familiar to you.

·       Powers & Abilities: These should be noted by you and if possible, incorporated in some manner of the final design.

·       Qualities: These are just general indicators of what sort of specific creature/spirit each individual is, and could well affect the final design.

·       Size: This is the overall size of the specific creature/spirit and should affect the final design.

·       Creature Inspiration(s): This should definitely be taken into consideration for your final design.

In this case, all of my terms that needed defining were located within the headers of a table, so I defined them before presenting the table, so my artist would be able to comprehend the table more quickly and easily. As you can see, in terms of the Art Direction, there were some terms that had no direct bearing on the art (such as Body Part), so I clearly told my artist this: while these terms mattered to me as the writer/designer, I should not necessarily burden my artist with them.

Finally, for Sholem, I presented the table with all nine characters I needed designed. In this case, I will only show the row for Sholem, as the rest contain what are at this time SPOILERS. Stay tuned in, however, for more of the Nine to be revealed as time progresses. At any rate, here's the Header and Sholem's row as presented to Nat:

Fruit of the Spirit (Hebrew Word)	Element/Body Part	Class/Powers & Abilities	Qualities/Size	Creature Inspirations
Peace (Sholem, based on Shalom)	Sound/Ears	“Mage”/Create & control sound and music, these sounds can be used to damage, distract, or even deceive, depending on which “side” of the spirit is dominant.Emotionally, can calm situations with soothing sounds or create zones of silence where troubled emotions must be faced.	Can be either Offensive or Defensive, but never both at the same time. One half is always dominant./Humanoid sized	Draw primary inspiration from an emperor moth. One half should be black with white markings and the other white with black markings. Other sources of inspiration might be moles or gila monsters.

Always let your artist know, as well, that if they have any questions, you're available and to feel free to ask. This goes a long way to building that relationship and putting your artist at ease.

Tune in tomorrow for the next step in the Design Diary for Sholem - when the art starts coming in and the revisions begin!

* - These prerequisite processes of finding, contacting, and contracting artists could make for a whole series of articles, BTW, so #storyforanotherpost. Continue Reading

Joe the Jawless [The Ruin]

Joe the Jawless [The Ruin]

May 02, 2020   #character, #joethejawless, #mmww, #theruin,

"Ok, lissen. Dis guy...er...well, 'e ain't a guy, 'zactly...but...er...dis...er...Joe...he...ah...he don't like fer ya to stare, 'kay? So's when 'e gets in here, jus' find somethin' else ta do with yar fraggin eyes, ok? We needs dis gig crazy-stoopid-like, ok?"

Rottin glared at me like I'd done something wrong and scratched his stump irritably. I'd noticed that he did that when he was really nervous about something. I thought about nodding dumbly, because, well, I'm dumb, and because I've learned that when folks think you've done something wrong, acting dumb can help. I'm not sure why, 'cause like I said, I'm --

"ARE YA EVEN LISSEN'N TO MEE?" Rottin grabbed my All Fork from off the table and wacked me over the head with it.

I nodded dumbly this time, remembering to do more than just think about doing it. "Yyyssss", I replied, salting my empty mug of gutrot and after tapping it with the All Fork, I took a large chomp. "But whyssss'ee not like folksss ssstartin at'im?"

Rottin snarled at me, but answered. "Somes wizard ripped 'is face off and he's not likin' for sods or bods to look at'it. Pretty gruesomes, I sez."

I raised my eyebrows. "A wizrd?"

Rottin took a sip of his vial of poison (it made me shiver) and glanced over his shoulder. "Ya. Some sez it was the Last Druid wot did it."

I raised my eyebrows even more and felt my hat move. "The Lst Drud? I don'no if's I wants to cross 'im."

Rottin wacked me across the mouth with his good claw. "None'o that cribble, ya hears? We need dis gig and Joe the Jawless ain't no lugrug! He's a top-shelf basher-hasher, yas hear?"

A deep, growling voice behind us rolled down like a thundercloud.

"Why, thank you..."

I looked up, ya know, 'cause I'm dumb.

###

Author's Note: Looks like jouste was happy with what I did with the Last Druid post. So, I'm gonna give it another shot and develop the world of The Ruin a bit more. :) I hope he likes it.

Joe the Jawless, Rottin the Vial-blade, and Shiny the Swordivore are all created by jouste. All text above Copyright © 2020 by Brannon Hollingsworth.

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Sholem (Peace): [Divine Nine]

Sholem (Peace): [Divine Nine]

May 01, 2020   #character, #divinenine, #peace, #pitch, #sholem,

Sholem (pron. SHOW-lem) will be the seventh member of the Nine located by the Bello twins. Its discovery will save the twins from certain death on Bouvet Island.

Height/Weight: 9’/700 lbs.

1^st Appearance: Season 1, Episode 7

Seal Location/Hint: Sholem’s Seal will be found on Bouvet Island, off the coast of Antarctica [AO 455/web]. The hint will be: “on the most remote island on Earth, you shall find peace.”

Powers: Upon the breakage of Sholem’s Seal, the Spirit’spower and the Seal’s fragments are manifested into small, wavering orbs of green energy that orbit around the Bearer’s ears. These orbs slowly pulse and warble of their own accord, often syncing themselves to the speech of the Bearer or other sounds in the nearby vicinity. In this mode, the Bearer’s hearing ability is increased, allowing them to hear things in a range far exceeding normal. For instance, depending on the specific situation, a human might easily perceive, with perfect clarity, small sounds up to a block away. Further, the Bearer can utilize Sholem’s power to create fields of silence or of dramatically increased sound. Normally, these fields are dome shaped and centered on the Bearer, but in this mode, some variability does exist in terms of the overall size, shape, and location of the fields. These sounds can be used offensively, defensively, or even to simply mislead or distract opponents. Emotionally, the Spirit’s power can be used to infuse zones with tones, creating soothing effects, or the exact opposite.

When present, Sholem is one of the most physically and emotionally intimidating of the Nine. Tall, broad shouldered, powerful, and fast, the Spirit is quite formidable in a combat situation. In this form, all of Sholem’s powers as previously stated are by far and away increased. The Spirit has complete control over all sound near it; able to shape, hone, control, or create sound into soothing implements or wicked instruments of suffering. Sholem is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant. The Spirit’s massive strength, powers of flight (it can carry up to five times its own weight), and overall hardiness and quickness dramatically increase its capabilities as an aggressor or guardian.

However, Sholem is always either guardian or aggressor. In any given conflict, when the Spirit commits initially to an initial offensive or defensive act, it will remain stodgily in that role until the conflict is concluded. Nothing the Bearer can do will change the Spirit’s course in any way. Whatever the choice, Sholem will bring all its formidable powers to bear, regardless of the potential benefit to its Bearer.

Personality: Sholem is often described as taciturn, distant, and occasionally, unfeeling. The Spirit does not converse often, and when it does, it speaks in very few, almost whispered words, often cryptically. While Sholem has been known to simply stand silent, doing nothing, when it acts, it does so with decisive action, ushering in finality.

###

Author's Note: Sholem is a character concept I've created as a part of a 2D animation pitch (current working title: The Divine Nine) that is currently in development over at my company, Brainy Pixel Productions, LLC. The Divine Nine, as a concept, is one that's been kicking around in my head for about twelve years now and I'm super stoked that it's finally getting some momentum and I cannot wait to see where it goes - to God be the Glory! The art for Sholem was created by a wonderful artist named Nat whom I discovered over at Deviantart. I can highly recommend them for commission work!

All text and concepts above Copyright © 2020 by Brannon Hollingsworth.

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The Last Druid: [The Ruin]

The Last Druid: [The Ruin]

April 30, 2020   #character, #gertrude, #mmww, #thelastdruid, #theruin,

The fraggin' idiots don't understand nothin'. For Perd's sake, they call me a druid! Any bod worth's juices would know 'at a'druid could grow a plant...not use one as'a well. Gah! Fraggin' idiots. Well, whaddya s'pect. Since th' stars fell and the whole pecked planet went always nuts...lestwiles that's how I hears it told...bod's've gone to pot. Most bod's're beasts now, really, slaverin', flesh-hungry, mindless retches that'll rip a leg off just as quickly as give a grin.

That's why me an' Gertrude here are together. Gertrude's special...lestwiles to me. S'far as I can tell, she's th' last livin' plant in the Ruin and she's MINE. If'n ya don't believe me, just try'an'takes her. That's what this here Flea is for. Oh, I know. It don't look like much'a'tall, but just 'cause a gun's small  don't mean it ain't got a helluva kick, and Flea, well, let's just say that once a bod's bit by this lil monster, well, they wont's be kickin' 'round too much anymore.

So, yea, Gertude and me are what some might call ka'nek'ted. Truths be told, if it weren't fer her, I'd be a gonner. But that's'a story for 'nother day. Maybe with a few more pulls of that gutgrog, I'd says more. Gertrude saved me and continues to give me her life force...that's what keep's me suckin' air good and what powers my knack, ya see. But it's a high-wire act...if'n I pulls too much of her life, then the well goes dry. If the well goes dry, well, then we're both goners.

But...why'dya care 'bout all this stuffs anyways? And, what's in th' Ruin's'at needle fer.............

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Author's Note: This one is completely unauthorized and unofficial. I've been following the artist, jouste, for quite some time now and I greatly admire his work, his artistic range, and his amazing rate of production. Definitely the kind of artist that I would love to work or collaborate with someday. Who knows? Regardless, his amazing pieces inspire me and I thought I would use one, Last Druid, as inspiration for today's post. I pray jouste is not offended. :)

Last Druid created by jouste.

All text above Copyright © 2020 Brannon Hollingsworth.

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Skim: [Craig Payne Comics]

Skim: [Craig Payne Comics]

April 29, 2020   #character, #comic, #craigpayne, #skim,

Codename: Skim (Hero)

Real name: Sandra Kim

Aliases: None Currently

Nationality: Asian American

Age: 19

Height: 5’ 7”

Weight: 135 lbs.

History/Bio: Sandra is a super-intelligent teenager. Her father, Jae Kim, was a brilliant scientist and engineer working on a revolutionary new anti-gravity technology for the company known as ANTI. One night in his lab, the anti-gravity generator Jae is working on overloads and destroys his lab, and presumably Jae as well; he is pronounced dead but his body is never found. Sandra is convinced that there is a cover up. She investigates the circumstances surrounding the accident and using her own genius level intellect and the knowledge that her Jae passed on to her, constructs a costume that utilizes the anti-gravity tech created by her father as a mode of transport and as an offensive weapon. Using her newly crafted suit, her father’s technology, her own intelligence and know-how, and accompanied by her robot drone companion, “Catsai”, she vows to solve the mystery surrounding her father's death.

Physical Description: At nineteen years old, Skim is at her prime physically, if not mentally as well. On the taller side for females her age, she has a trim, strong, alethic dancer build (and in fact, has taken many years of dance prior to her father’s accident) and uses dancers' moves as an initial “go to” in terms of combat.

Emotional Description: Sandra has always been a little unusual by the standards of her peers. Hyper-intelligent and physically skilled, she’s the typical overachiever in school and sports, but has never received the usual accolades that generally go along with those achievements. Instead, she’s been teased and ostracized because she is so much better at these things than everyone else her age. Appellations like “Freak”, “Weirdo”, “Alien”, and “Do-Gooder” have often been attributed to her by her jealous peers, and Sandra has taken these to heart without letting it show externally. Her drive has always been to make her father, constantly emotionally distant due to his dedication to his work and the loss of his wife, proud and so Sandra shrugs off the names and the insults and keeps trying harder. Ultimately, this has combined with a sense of justification to make her rather judgmental and harsh to others that she considers "less than". This, in turn, amplifies her tendency to be a perfectionist, a quality that is not necessarily always positive, but one that will come strongly into play as she tries to piece together the clues of her father’s accident, as well as becoming a hesitant hero. 

Powers/Skills: Natively, Skim has no superpowers of her own, but while wearing the suit, she can access all of its primary functions: anti-gravity discs and stabilizers. These two functions can be combined in a wide array to create any number of powers, only a few of which Skim currently comprehends. Skim can fly utilizing the anti-gravity discs in the suit’s feet, but she must combine these powers with the suit’s stabilizers (the lit areas of the suit), which aid in overall equilibrium while in flight. The anti-gravity discs can also be attached to the arms of her suit, becoming projectiles when launched. These projectiles can also return and reattach to the suit automatically. Combining the functions of both the discs and the projectiles, Skim can extend the anti-gravity field outward, effectively creating any number of effects from a shield to ward off blows or incoming missles to an effect much like an anti-gravity airbag that can cushion her from falls or blows. In extreme or emergency cases, the suit seems to have a built-in and automatic function that Skim does not wholly understand or control wherein it emits a massive anti-gravity pulse, which negates all effects of normal gravity around her within a certain range. This pulse effect also drains the suit’s power, rendering it nearly useless for a span of time.

Personally, Skim possesses hyper-intelligence and extreme athletic abilities and displays a true talent for engineering, the latter of which she uses to repair, maintain and upgrade the tech she utilizes as needed.

Favored Weapon: Skim does not have a favored weapon as of yet, because she is still learning how to use the technology she engineered into her suit. She has found a particular tactic that she tends to gravitate to, however. Initially, she uses the suit’s powers to create an anti-gravity field beneath her target, causing it to float and effectively making it weightless and immediately follows that up with a blast of heavy grav, flinging her opponent away from combat like a frisbee.

Weakness(es): Currently, Skim’s greatest weakness is her inexperience and her naivety. Deep down, Sandra is a very idealistic and altruistic person who believes that all people are basically good at heart. As such, she approaches every situation with this in mind. This is what leads her to not mask her identity, for instance, because in her mind, once she solves the mystery of her father’s death/disappearance, she’ll return to her normal, civilian life. Also, she does not see a reason for training with her new “powers” because in her core, this is not a new profession she’s choosing, but merely a tool she’s utilizing to solve her current, most pressing problem. Slowly, her role as a hero will begin to dawn on her, however, and she will begin to take her hero status more seriously.

Character Core:

1. SPINE (this is the fundamental thing that continually drives the character forward):
• To discover the truth behind her father’s disappearance.
2. WANT (this is what the character deeply desires, either subconsciously or consciously):
• To make her father proud.
3. NEED (this is what the character needs, whether they’re aware of it or not):
• To realize that she is a hero that the world needs.

Elements We Can Play To:

• Skim has the “reluctant or hesitant hero”: we can have lots of fun with this storyline as we craft stories about trying to learn how to control her new powers and abilities, while also wondering why they even matter.
• Skim as the overachiever: this will allow us to identify with many folks in our target demographic, as many of our readers will resonate with being this type of individual. Also, the opportunity to tell stories with a hero who always tries to do everything without a mistake should provide plenty of story fodder.
• Skim as a dancer: this could be a pretty cool card to play, as I cannot recall if I’ve ever seen a hero that bases their combat moves on dance moves. We could draw from all sorts of different dances here, from ballet to breakdancing, so this could be visually striking as well. Further, a lot of young ladies would likely identify with this very common element of our hero, which might help build a readership.

Questions to Keep Asking:

Can we identify with Skim?

Can we learn from Skim?

Do we have a compelling reason to follow Skim?

Do we believe that Skim deserves to win?

Are Skim’s stakes primal and do those stakes ring true to us?

Secrets:Skim is absolutely correct in that her father’s disappearance has a more sinister source. After a disagreement over the ownership of the revolutionary, world-altering anti-grav technology, Isamu Noguchi, ANTI’s founder decided that it would be best if Jae perished in a terrible industrial accident. This would eliminate a potential lawsuit that he knew he would lose as well as firmly land the new tech firmly into his hands. However, the “accident” did not go off quite as planned. Isamu’s daughter, Chien, also known as the villain Spook, attempting to paralyze the scientist, phased through Jae at a critical moment in the anti-gravity experiment he was conducting. Spook’s intangibility powers coupled with the anti-gravity emissions in an unprecedented manner, pushing Jae slightly out of phase with our universe. Jae is still alive and still within the laboratory, but he now exists in a strange spirit-like state, wavering in and out of consciousness. Eventually, he will become known as the hero Eidolon, who will operate as an intangible nexus of knowledge and research for good aligned heroes within the Craig Payne universe.

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Author's Note: I've begun collaborating with Craig Payne, an artist I met via Deviantart who has a host of awesome, original characters. I grok on the character designs, so Craig and I have teamed up to begin building a world for these characters. I'll be archiving the data here and creating a bit of a "World Index". Skim is the first of many to come. Feel free to post any ideas you might have for a cool world name...

Skim created by Craig Payne, Developed by Brannon Hollingsworth.
All text above Copyright © 2020 Brannon Hollingsworth.

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