FAQ About My Writing and Comics

For no reasons, a FAQ about my comics and writing I have gotten in general

1: What is (blank) about?

A: "Muzzle" is a parody/dramedy/fictional account of my life. Shade is about a ex-con (wrongfully accused) turned psychologist that becomes a superhero. I Am Nothing is about the "survivors" of the mysterious town of Minxton.

Goria is about Jacob Nathaniel/Nathaniel Andrews, who after a "cure" seemingly fails to kill a virus he's infected, he "dies." After his death, the "cure" rebuilds his body to its needs: making his skin turn into tendrils, leaving behind open wounds deep enough to expose muscle. After his father is killed, Nathaniel assumes an new identity, a starts to, unwittingly, fight the evil that seems to seeping to city of LaFayette, including a demon who thinks Hell isn't cruel enough, a fallen angel wanting to become God, and several others that are Infected.

2: Who is your favorite character to write?

A: This is another one I'm going to separate.

For "Muzzle," most people would think Patty because of her sheer insanity, or Binkie, because I've known her for so long. Actually, it's Jenna, because of her abrasive sense of humor, and trying to hide her old career.

For Shade, hero-wise, obviously Shade/Dr. Sam Garrison is due to his wise-cracking persona outside of the mask, and professionalism inside the mask. Villain-wise, it's a rough choice, but I'm going to have to say Psycho,being, well, psycho.

For Goria: Hero: You would think Nathaniel, being, you know, Goria. It's actually a villain who becomes good (which is hinted the entire time she's around): Ivy de la Rossi/Gomorrah. She can be so cruel and sadistic, but so sweet and caring. It's fun writing a character that seems to develop constantly, and she does it more than anyone else. Villain: Hodge Podge, due to the fact that as insane he is, you never know how insane he really is at that moment. You comes in a close second, because it has so many bizarre, funny, yet, horrific moments.

3: Who is your favorite character to draw?

"Muzzle": Patty by far, due to the piercings, and the pink hair. She's also the hardest to draw.

Shade: I'll get back to you.

Goria: Hero: Again, Gomorrah. The piercings and tattoos (and scars) make her a challenge, but she's well worth it. Villain: Either Azrael, due to the details of bone and muscle on her, or Pandora. Pandora, as physically hideous as she is, is a treat to draw because she's designed to look as insane as she is.

4: Who was the hardest Goria character to design?

A: Mimic was a pain to design, simply because I was tossed up between two different design choices. Gomorrah was a pain because of the tattoos. But, the hardest to design was Samael/Julian Dyson Hayes. Human form: wears a business suit. Demon form... um... big. That was it for a while.

5: Who was the easiest Goria character to design?

A: Mystery came to mind when I was playing Guitar Hero: Van Halen. Goria came naturally. But, the easiest character to design was Jillian Dyer. After seeing her inspiration, she just flowed on to the paper.

6: Why don't you respond?

A: Sorry, I was busy. ...What? Some one may ask? :P

7: Where do you get your inspiration?

A: I don't know. Sometimes, things to mind, and I have to draw them. Other times, I'm working with a concept for years until it falls into place.

8: What other media have you thought of trying to work in?

A: Aside from comics, I've always loved to write. I've written stories, poems, and lyrics. Oddly enough, though, I've always wanted to design characters and write a game. In fact, I Am Nothing was originally a game concept.

9: What is your favorite artist/comic/comic artist/graphic novel?

Artist: Salvadore Dali

Comic: Tossed up between Spider-Man and Legends of the Dark Knight.

Comic artist: As much as I like Brian Haberline's realism, and Ryan Bodemheim's style, I'm going to have say Greg Capullo.

Graphic novel: Surprisingly, not Watchmen, though I do love it. I would say Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth or How Loathsome.

10: Is it hard to design the creatures for I Am Nothing? What's your inspiration for them?

A: Yes, it is hard, but rewarding. My general rule is the harding something is, the more rewarding it is. My inspiration for them is pretty varied. "The Emaciated," a creature that vomits up its intestines to use as a weapon (and represents bulimia), came from a nightmare, as well as the "Missing," which represents child abuse. "The Victim" was the result of seeing the aftermath of when one of friends was raped, and was meant to represent the vast negative effects rape has on the victims. "The Masques" were inspired by an Anatomy Coloring Book used for colleges. "The Unnamed" was inspired by the stretched faces in the original Doom game. Others just happened.

Concept Gallery: The Victim from "I Am Nothing"

All right, so I've been away from here for a while, and I apologize. I've been busy with reviewing, school, drill, and a project I've been debating starting for pretty close to nine months. The project is I Am Nothing, a post-Cthulhu horror that people have tried to describe as the deranged love-child of H.P. Lovecraft and Silent Hill. In I Am Nothing, the city of Minxton has a secret. Several secrets, actually, according to the people who've suffered inside its borders. At times, the fine folks of Minxton shows their true colors; they become creatures that represent what they suffer or how they made others suffer. Each story of the I Am Nothing mythos follows a person that tries to escape, or ends up in the town unwittingly and is struggling with survival.

Unlike Goria, I Am Nothing has a mix of realism with a surreal aesthetic. The citizens aren't the only surreal part of the town, as the town can seemingly become a living being as well. But, more on that. Here, I want to talk about some monster concepts. Since it is extremely rare that I draw monsters, feedback is appreciated. Happily, this the blog where I get positive feedback, too.

Let's start with where I started: "The Victim." Initially, I made her look like a female silhouette from a distance, with her knees touching, arms crossed, and slouching. Upon closer examination, clear veins course her black body, pumping a viscous, white fluid through her body. Her face, marked with the veins, has one eye, wide in perpetual expression of fear, yet seems to glaring as well.

Everything for the initial pose of the Victim suggests what she has suffered: she was raped. The notes on the sketch reveal some secrets, though. When her prey is turned away, her arms unfold in a fluid motion, and her legs separate, though stay bent at the knees. What I don't have in the notes is the blade that comes from her pelvic area. When she attacks, she tackles her prey, and... well... do I have to spell it out?

At first glance, while scary looking, the Victim seems harmless. The character sees her, is scared at first, but puts their guard down when she seems to cower away from them. When she attacks, though, her method can suggest something worse than our first impression. Is the Victim waiting to take revenge on anyone that represents her attacker? Or is the Victim the attacker, suffering a punishment for their crime, yet driven to do it again out of pure rage caused by the punishment?

This may be controversial, but that's part of what makes I Am Nothing scary. Topics that are taboo are put to light (I'm currently working on one with a closeted gay main character, a trio of college students who made an amateur porn site, and a convict who killed his own mother), and the characters beliefs, warped or not, are shown by both the monsters actions and appearances. Keep an eye out for more on this topic, because next time, we're talking eating disorder.

Yet Another Project

Here's a little background on how this one started, and I'm not going to mince words with this post like I usually do on this blog; I've had a pretty shitty but good week, and I was 90% certain that I was going to lose my mind. Here's a list of things that went wrong, but went right almost right after.

1: After Laurel broke up with me (trust me, it was actually for a reason that made perfect sense in the long run), I'm pretty sure that my depression has kick started again, though not as severe.

But... I did find out that there is someone interested in me... buuuut, she's engaged. I am not going to pursue someone who has no idea what a relationship, especially since I'm a little busy with school right now. Good thing most of classes are easier.

2: That would be good if my car didn't decide to be a pain. Tuesday, Binkie, Jenna, Patty, Yuki, and I went to see Devil. Pro-tip: Don't. Anyway, my car stalled every time I started it. Wednesday roles around, and it won't even start. After my parents and apartment manager helped, my parents gave me a ride to school, and Jim picked me up to pick up gas for the car, and hopefully get it running. Luckily, the car was only out of gas, backfired once it started, but now runs beautifully. I mean, better than when I first got it. Also, as a result, I found I had a lot more money in the bank than I thought I did. The car thing did make it so I couldn't get poster board for my class, and because I was concentrating on working on three school projects, and studying for a psychology test, (and because the teacher never reminded us), I didn't know about a Photography quiz today. I did horribly on it, which is funny, because I know what I'm doing... most of it was getting my steps mixed up. Better on a quiz than in practice, but still.

3: In speaking of school, and while waiting for Jim, I sat in the Student Union working on a logo for "Subject 30" when this beautiful young woman caught my eye. I sat there for a minute, thinking, Dear God, if I was anyone else, I could talk to her no problem. As it was, I made myself sit in my chair, thinking I wasn't good enough to talk to her, because of the crappy events going on. After talking to Jenna about this (including the fact that she would stretch and adjust her hair occasionally, while looking at me), Jenna smacks me upside the head and says, "You dumbass! She was trying to get you to talk to her!" You live you learn, I guess. But, that does get better, too. I get to school this morning to find the same young woman talking to Yuki, of all people. And, from what I've gathered from Yuki (damn her coyness) is that I didn't completely blow everything.

Needless to say, it's been a roller coaster, and an idea stemmed from it: The Tease. It's going to be more simple than Muzzle and Goria in the sense that its only one story line. What it's about is one man starting a new stage of his life, and nothing seems to want to go completely right or completely wrong. The bad leads to the good that leads to more bad that leads to more good... to the point where he doesn't know if he's going crazy (not literally) or if the Powers That Be don't know what to do with him.

The trick to it is how I'm presenting it. It's going to be more monochromatic than most of my other comics, and the narrative is going to be more free-verse/prose with a rhythm than a straight narrative. I'll have some samples of it up here (as well as Muzzle) when I get some writing done. Right now, I need to sleep.

Announcements About Muzzle, A New Concept, Goria, and School Updates

I know I've been away for a week, at least, but I've been a little busy. School's going pretty well. My color theory teacher reminds me of a female Walter Bishop. One of the old Kaplan Photo teachers is my Photo 1 teacher, and I think my Psychology teacher thinks I'm too smart for my own good. I'm slowly getting integrated into the school, and I seem to have made fast acquaintances with the "nerds," (I mean that in a good way, I'm a nerd, too) an Arab med student, and a Japanese art student.

I'm changing a bit of "Muzzle." There has been some interest from some unexpected places about the "Wounded/Nobody Took Your Pride Away" two part story line that will affect the characters of the strip in some way. Due to that, I'll probably skip "Who Needs Sleep?" and possibly come back to that at a later time (mainly due to the fact that my new neighbors next door are nearly as bad as the old ones). We're currently working on the script for the two part (both me, and the subject of the story), and I'll say this, right now: It's not going to be an easy read, especially if you've read my old Deviant Art Muzzle strips. It will be a lot more serious (this story), but, it does have humor. It's just that the humor isn't meant to be "funny," more character development than funny (for example, showing that Patty is trying to expunge the situation from her mind by making references to TV shows). After that storyline, Muzzle will go back to its drama/comedy roots.

I'm working on Muzzle Wallpapers, as well as concepts. Below are the ones I'm currently working on:

WP:

Patty

Binkie

Jim

Heather

Kevin

Ben

Laurel

Alexis

Concepts:

Jenna

Joe

Tim

Laurel (casual)

Jim

Binkie (After Attack)

Yuki

On the Goria front, I'm tossing a few ideas around. I am still going to introduce Mimic, but that won't be until later on in the series. She is, in fact, an extremely good foil for Goria, and there is going to be a story based on just that. Where it gets tricky is, once again, Jillian Dyer. SPOILER ALERT! She eventually gets possessed by Succubus, and is the third, and most dangerous, incarnation of the demon. Herein lies the trick: how is Succubus going to be driven out of her? But, I'm sure I'll think of something.

I also started tossing around a new idea. Entitled, Subject 30, the story is about a man in a mental institution who is being experimented on. One day, his "handlers" are attacked by creatures while he's being transported to a lab, and he starts to escape, only to find that the experiments that are being done to him and the other patients aren't meant for humans. He also finds out that he himself is a psychologist.

That's all for now. I'm going to talk about some pretty good game design choices here a little while though. Stay tuned!

Tragedy In Writing: Whether Sexual Assault As Character Development Is Uncalled For Or Not

Atop The Fourth Wall reviewed a comic this week that implies that a supervillain forced Superman and Big Barda to do porn, thus raping them. A lot of arguments have flown from this, of course, both supporting rape in fiction and not supporting it. Obviously, in the comic, it was done purely out of poor taste. But, we're not here to dig that grave any deeper.

Instead, I'm going to put forth why I think that, done right, this "trope" can be effective, thus showing why we shouldn't just ignore it, and how it could go horribly wrong. Let's start with the second thing, since it's vastly easier. Other than that comic, how can rape be used wrong in a work of fiction? The Hills Have Eyes 2 has one of the most unnecessary rape scenes I can think of in modern cinema. It was all ready implied from the first five minutes (the infamous birth scene). Yet, to be edgy they showed one of the main characters being raped. I had just about walked out of the theater when that happened. When it's thrown in to be "thrown in," the context of what happened is lost.

If you're going to tell me that rape shouldn't be used at all, try telling that to Alan Moore as well. He has used rape at least twice to push a story along. The biggest one was Miracle Man when Kid Miracle Man was raped, and turned into a city destroying villain. The most well known example, though, would have to be the Comedian's attempted rape of the original Silk Specter. Even then, it wasn't blown off as something that just happened. It was a big deal, and more defined the second Silk Specter than the first. The event showed part of what molds both women into who they are. The survivor moves on to see another day, and forgives her rapist, while the daughter takes up a seeming crusade against crime, condemning the rapist. It shows that rape doesn't just affect the victim, but other people as well.

I have to admit, I have two characters in two different comics who do suffer this tragedy, and I assure you, it isn't just because I wanted to do it. I carefully researched the mental and physical effects, as well as talked to survivors. The first person is Jillian Dyer in "Goria." It may not be direct, but think carefully about it: Samael places Jillian in the porn industry, which she works in for two years. This is after he Infects her, making it so she Infects other people when she has sex with them. The thing is, Jillian, while at first blames herself (she was brought up in an abusive family, where Samael killed her father then kidnapped her for this purpose), as the character grows, the scar, while still there, begins to shatter. She lives through it, and still stays a bright, vibrant person. And while people will think that she then becomes a superhero from this, guess what? She doesn't. Not once does Jillian go out of her way to save people's lives.

In fact, a later story has her confiding in another member of TORAH, Bonnie. Jillian starts to feel that what happened to her wasn't rape because she did agree to be in the porn industry. She then starts to wonder that by Infecting the men and women she filmed with, if she's a rapist as well. The story isn't meant to make Jillian look bad, but get into the mindset of a woman who is raped, and feels that the only way she can connect with men is to have sex with them. This story is also based on someone I knew who went through a rape to suffer that very same train of thought, as well as an incurable STD. In the real life situation, she thanked me after years of talking to me for not once trying to make a pass at her. To her, it proved that she didn't have to sleep with a man to earn his respect. The last I heard from her, she's living a beautiful life and engaged.

This isn't to imply that all rape victims and survivors feel this way. Some are catatonic, while others just live on with their lives normally. Some may break down and be afraid of sex for the rest of their lives while other will seek help to fix this. Some women get pregnant and have an abortion so they don't think of the rape, while others keep the child.

It varies, which brings me to character #2, from, of all things, "Muzzle." This character is based on a person I've known for longer than most of my friends. She has worked as a rape victim counselor for three years, runs a rape survivor group, and, even though she works in a different job now, still takes on clients who were raped. As young as she is, she is compassionate and considerate to those of who she takes care. She's the type of person who would go out of her way to make the person feel safe and comfortable.

I was devastated when I got a phone call from her one night, saying that she was just raped. I panicked, and didn't know what to do. Frankly, I wanted to kill the guy who did it, but true to her form, she talked me through it. God bless her, she was the one suffering, but she talked me through my wanting revenge for what happened to her.

When I saw her, I did my best, as did some of my other friends in our group, not to break down. Her left eye socket was broken, the entirety of the left side of her face was swollen. Three of her ribs had hairline fractures that could've gotten worse if she ran or even spoke too loud (due to the lung expansion). Her right ring finger was broken, and her doctor didn't think she'd be able to play piano again. Two of her teeth needed to be capped.

Yet, when she saw us, she smiled. It's been two months, and she hasn't let it hold her back. All of us have been extremely supportive of her. The friendship we had has changed drastically, and for the better.

I'm not doing the story line where she was raped because I want to, or because it'll make my comic edgy. I'm doing it because she asked me to. She asked me to do the story because I wouldn't focus on what happened to her, but the what happened after. Yes, she was raped, but she survived and lived on. It has had an effect on all of us, but it brought us closer together as a group. She has grown, I have grown, and our friends have grown from this horrible event. That's the story that she wants me to cover, not "my friend was raped. Let's beat the guy up and forget about it."

In both "Goria" and "Muzzle," the characters who were raped do live with it for the rest of their lives. Neither comic follows the axiom of "characters never stay dead." Death has its scars in both of them, much like the rapes will have on the two characters given here. Or like Silk Specter's rape had on her daughter. Or Kid Miracleman's rape had on the entire city of London.

I'll admit, handling a topic like rape, or any sexual abuse or assault, is always going to be a tricky matter. I'm betting that, even if a person who was raped wrote a story about a character being raped, someone would be offended for the story being there in the first place. The ramifications would be less so if it is handled with the dignity and respect that a delicate topic like it deserves. I'll admit that I don't know if I'm completely qualified to do it, even after knowing rape survivors and talking with them. One thing is for sure, though: it isn't going to be as tasteless as forcing Superman and Big Barda to have sex and forgetting it. It is something that will have ramifications for those close to the victim has well as the victim. It'll be their story of survival and coping, not the story of "Hey, look! She was raped! Let's move on two stories later like this never happened!" Think about it: Would you act like that in real life?

Thoughts on Goria #5: Seriously? And Character Development 101, a.k.a. Why I Purposely Use The Models I Do

After having to show the last post to people, I finally got some feed back. All I can say is this: Really? I ask and I still get a split answer? I actually had one person tell me that neither of them would be good because they look like their going to jump into bed with someone. I had another person tell me "draw them both, and see which one fits." Seriously, I can't help how someone would read the pictures. The thing is, I have this weird ability to see something else when I look at pictures. I don't see, "Hey, look! She's horny and hot!" I see the facial structures, the proportions, and the basic shapes that make the person who they are, as well as a more human quality that most people don't see in the picture. I really wish I had a dollar for every time I saw a picture of someone who was "smiling," and I asked them why they were upset, and was right.

No, it isn't a superpower, but something I have acquired in my years of drawing, and learning to draw. It's something I acquired in the Army, no less, too. Attention to detail. It's really a basic thing to have for an artist, when it comes to art and photos. Other people have it in computers, engineering, or even math. So, I honestly, while I was upset by that bit of feed back (mainly because I took it as an insult saying basically that I only draw women because "they're hot") I realize that I'm probably asking the wrong type of people (read: over analytical for the wrong reason) when I ask everyone for their opinions.

I did get some very good feedback, as well though, and mostly of Model "A." The first bit was from Alexis, who mentioned that she'd be better because she doesn't look cheerful constantly, and there's more simplicity in her design that makes her more attractive yet more mysterious at once. While that seems a little off, let me rephrase that last bit: she's easier to draw and make into a character that would have a personality a spy would need.

Another, and even better feedback, was that Model "A" looks like she could get to a high class party to sneak into a secret lab by any means. Due to her needing to get a DNA sample from a person to change her fingerprints and retinas to another person, realistically, she'd need to be attractive enough to draw people to her, as well. Model "B" looks like she'd be chased out of the party, being mistaken as a street urchin or a teenager, and therefore would not be able to access high class or high security areas. Mimic needs to be able to get in, but not be sneaky (well, completely sneaky) about, all while having some basic combat knowledge to defend herself if need be.

An interesting bit, though, is that "A" seems to make for a good foil for Goria. Goria, on a first impression level, is very quiet, mild-mannered, and polite. It's only when people get to know him that they realize he's more stable than he really should be. Face it, two people you loved die before your eyes, one of them twice and the other coming back completely changed (the Infection is a bizarre thing), your father sold his soul to save your life, and is now a 4000 pound demon, and your skin is used as a grappling device and weapon. You're not going to be well adjusted without some sort of motivation, Goria's being that he's had a year before this hit the fan to get used to his new life. While the loss is painful to him, the fact that he can fight back motivates him to live a "normal" life. That's why he can be mild mannered and quiet.

Mimic is the opposite. She may have had time to get used to her abilities, but she hasn't had the situations Goria has had. Her father isn't now a demon, she hasn't lost any loved ones by the hands of an eyeless gunman, and she's pretty much relied on herself for years. It's only at her whim that she joins TORAH, because she wants the adventure. Due to her active nature, she does in fact create a good foil, and that may be, in fact, what draws Goria and her together.

See, that's something a lot of people don't understand about "Goria." The comic is scary and morbid, yes, and a little intimidating when you think about the central themes: Religion, Psychology, Genetic Manipulation, etc. But, the biggest draw in "Goria" is the character development. One of the most popular changes that people have heard is Gomorrah's evolution. She goes from being a protector, and an unwitting fighter, to nearly destroying the world due to losing her grip of sanity after Sodom is killed. After she realizes what she was doing, she tries to redeem her actions, all while questioning if Sodom was using her, and how much control she really had in the first place. What begins as an unwitting villain turns into a huge villain, and finally into a story of redemption and soul searching.

The minor characters aren't exempt from this. Personally, one of my favorite story concepts is when Angeldust, the seraphic member of Barnum's Circus, goes to see her mother's grave to apologize for losing her humanity. What we see as a mindless drone, in 32 pages exudes a sympathetic stance on what it feels like to not be human. It's story lines like this that make "Goria" on of the pinnacle works I'm attempting.

This goes to why I choose certain models for this. I usually hate doing the conventional comic character, i.e. the men are ripped and the biggest muscle a woman has are her breasts. Goria, while muscular, isn't exactly buff. He's tough looking, but not so much that he's an action hero. Instead, he relies more on the enhanced strength the Infection gives him, and his skills as a gymnast. On the flip side, when I needed someone for R.E.M., the psychologist whose fascination with nightmares makes him into a dream-manipulating madman, I needed someone who was quietly intelligent, more of a defensive fighter than offensive, and someone who could pull off a manipulative personality. Strangely enough, Michael C. Hall came to mind. Anyone who has seen him play Dexter can see why, too.

As much as I hate using the tried axiom of "bigger breasts is better," two female characters seem to bust that especially (no pun intended. Seriously.) Bonnie Carson was influenced by Playboy model Breann McGregor, not just because of her body, but her intelligence as well. Initially, I wanted Bonnie to be human, but when I decided to use Breann McGregor as a base type for a reference, I decided to give her some sort of "flaw." In this case, her Infection causes her to have a thin layer of skin, but her muscle is impenetrable. Her big scene where this is exposed has her coming out of a freshly exploded building with half of her skin missing, and she doesn't notice it. The other character that breaks my rule, is more out of necessity of design. When I first designed Mystery, I needed someone who looked at least half Asian, and had a, shall we say, artificially sturdy build. I stumble upon a picture of Julri Waters, and was stunned by how well she fit the sarcastic Mystery. Unfortunately, I thought she would be too bust until it was pointed out that Mystery's chest and stomach would actually be thicker due to the armor plating on it.

At the same time, consider this. Jillian Dyer, who is personally one of my favorite characters just for the fact that she's stronger than what she shows, starts her main arc as a porn star. Oh noes! A porn star in a comic! Whatever shall we do?

Well, consider this, her ability is to Infect people that have sex with her. This is a bad thing, for those of you out of the loop. There's also a moral here: There are consequences for using someone for your means. Given what Jillian Dyer starts off as, notice that her proportions are 34B-22-32. That's right, she's smaller than Bonnie (38D-26-36), Mystery (32G-24-36 including armor) and even the modestly built Sodom (34C-22-34). Surely, this must be an error, right?

Well, it's not. I did this for a very specific reason. The same reason Elaine Carver originally had a broad hip measurement (this was changed for realism and because I liked the Goth Elaine design a lot more). The same reason Sin was influenced by Devon Aoki, who isn't conventionally attractive, why Zeta is 6'2", and why Gomorrah has tattoos, scars, and a blind right eye. It's why I have a character who is "fat" but is still seen as beautiful in Goria's eyes. Hell, its the same reason I keep track of all of my female character's measurements! Each character is different, therefore, they should look different. It would be boring, and unrealistic, for every character to look the same. It would also be too typical to make the porn star character busty and vapid, as well. That, or giving some people what they want. No, instead, I'm not a moron, and would apt to give my female characters a brain (hint, hint, Frank Miller).

If this seems like I'm aggravated, it's because I am a little. This isn't the first time (nor will it be the last) that I felt like I was under attack for choosing the models I use. For the record, I do use some of my friends as bases for characters in "Goria" as well as in "Muzzle." But, I don't just go for the models who look like they're going to put out. For me, there is a whole different perspective on it that most people (mainly men) don't understand. As for my other projects, such as the Pin-Up Project, yes I've drawn from "questionable" sources for it (the first one was referenced from a picture of porn star Priya Rai that a friend sent to me), but at the same time, I'm doing it to learn, as well as to show a different vision. I'm not planning on selling the not-original-source-material Pin-Ups (and probably not the purely original ones, either) anyway.

What it comes down to is this: stop making assumptions. I know I've butted heads with a few people mistakenly who did appreciate what I was doing as art. But for those of you who still don't get it, I'm not the first, and I sure am not the last to do it, either. Live with it.

Thoughts On Goria #4: Mimic and Love Triangles

Where I last left off in my last TOG entry was a hint that Goria would have a future love triangle between Bonnie Carson, whose skin is extremely thin, but has impenetrable muscle, and Mina Ross, who was thought dead, but is now the Infected "Chronophage," who can absorb liquid from a person, virtually aging them. I left off with kind of a hint that not even I knew who he would end up with. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that neither would work.

Yes, in his future, Goria has at least on child, a daughter named Charla, who has a similar ability to his, except individual strands of muscle are used as tendrils, the can pierce objects for a better grip, and they're twice as strong as his skin tendrils. I figured that in order for her ability to work, she'd need two parents who are "Flesh Infected," seeing as the DNA alteration is embedded into the person's genetic structure. Chronophage is a "Liquid Infected," meaning this wouldn't work. Also, her ability would more than likely consume the child before birth.

Bonnie, on the other hand, has a different problem. Her muscle is pretty much a malleable but tough material. Certain muscles in her body would hinder the growth of a child, or crush it. On top of this, as much as I like Bonnie's character, she isn't a good match for Goria. He's a leader type that takes on his failures, and feels he needs to protect someone or something. Bonnie doesn't need protection because she pretty much cannot die from any outside means.

So, back to the drawing board for me. I couldn't figure out what ability a Flesh Infected could have that isn't a repeat of another character, when Patty hit me with a clever idea. Flesh Infection goes deep into the soft tissue of the human body, including organs. What is there was a character who could change her finger prints, and retina make-up to "disguise" herself as someone else to get into high security areas? If she can do this, she may also be able to form makeshift weapons as well, but cannot change her entire appearance. Thus, the concept for Mimic was born.

I only have one more issue. I try to use a reference for every character just to get a natural feel of how they'd look. Unfortunately, for Mimic, I have two possible candidates, and I don't know which one would work better.

The first one has a face I really like, and has a body that looks like she could hold her own in a fight, if she isn't distracting anyone first. While she's attractive, there seems to be more to her than that, especially when she has a feature I've used on another character, Jillian Dyer: her mouth never seems to completely close. For some reason, I like that, it gives a more human quality to the character. At the same time, I'm worried that she's too attractive to be taken seriously as a fighter and a potential romance for a character who uses his skin as a grappling device, even if she's Infected, herself.

The second one seems more reasonable in that case. Unfortunately, due to her smaller frame, she doesn't seem like a possible fighter. Even worse, in other pictures I've found of her, she is skinny, but her bust is fairly big for her size, while model A has some pretty good proportions for her size. Despite this, model B's face (the more hometown girl look) seems to be a better fit for realism.

So, in a move I rarely do, what do you, the readers, think? A or B? Or none? All I ask is that you explain in intelligent terms (i.e. not "She's hot!!!!11!!! LOL!!!1!).