Page 37! Ending on a bit of a cliffhanger, as we did a little while ago with Connor running into the King. (Only this time I don't think it's gonna go as smoothly, like his ribcage is totally screwed.)
But regardless, it's time to take a little break from the series until I'm done with final tests and graduation. You can expect it to continue in early May, and I'll make an update post as I usually do for new page releases once we get there. I'm sure I'll also
post a doodle from class or some other concept-art type stuff from time to time as well. (There will probably be a couple new entries in the artsy-stuff section of the site within the next couple days.) Also sorry if the blog looks weird, I'm trying to mess around with formatting stuff to make the letters darker and a little easier on the eyes.
Now, as for what to expect from the series in the near future:
As usual, I'm reluctant to give too much away too early, but I'm sure there're still some of you that're curious where this story is going and what sort of things there are to look forward to. As far as this book is concerned, my main goal is to establish Connor as a character and introduce him to Eliza, all while setting up the over-arching adventure. This page is the start of one of several scenes that focus more on action/combat. I like fights in comic books as much as anyone, but what always really drew me in as a kid were the funny bits and deeper character moments. We start to see a lot more of that sort of thing when Eliza is introduced, which is coming in the chapter after this one. The remainder of the book will see a gravely injured Red Bandit desperately making an escape from the kingdom, while dealing with a long-dead princess' soul that's now bound to his physical form. Some other characters will be introduced, and we'll also see one or two from earlier in the story jump back in. As much as I wanted to have Meowmi and Dath be introduced in this first installment, I think the book will be too long by the time Connor escapes the kingdom to really give it the pace it needs. (And I'd rather it not be much longer than 200 pages.)
As for what comes after that, I have a few big ideas that I want to explore and expand upon. Some of those ideas are character arcs and development, because to be honest each of the main cast begins the story flawed. (Hopefully still likeable, but deeply flawed.) Basically, what I want everyone to do is learn something different from each respective member, and ultimately realize their own shortcomings/try to be better. Something else I wanna do is maintain a good balance of goofy shenanigans and somber storytelling. So far it hasn't been very serious, but we're also not even 40 pages into the first book. Also, when I say 'somber storytelling,' I don't mean like how "Adventure Time" went from a cartoon about silly adventures to a show about a kid that can't hold a girlfriend to save his life. I wanna touch on some heavy stuff, (in moderation,) actual drama and not love triangles or relationships. Without giving too much away, the things I have planned for where Connor actually came from and how he deals with it may offend some people.
While character stuff is top priority, worldbuilding is always something I'm thinking about and developing. This is gonna end up a globe-trotting adventure with lots of different places, cultures, and monsters; I mean, when I was first putting it together I was thinking I wanted it to be like "Lord of the Rings" meets "JJBA Stardust Crusaders." This site is going to be developed a lot further into more of an encyclopdedia hub for all things "Dungeons and Disasters," maybe even down to regional plant life and ecosystems. I just really like being able to reference stuff like that to get further immersed in a world. Like whenever there's a map in the first few pages of a fantasy novel, you know you're in for a good time. I'm gonna put together a few languages for the series as well, simple ones mind you, like just replacing the English alphabet with a made up one and leaving the spelling/grammar of words the same.
I think that's all I really wanna say for now, if you have any questions for me though feel free to reach out in the comments here or on social media. I try to be pretty open to critiques and ideas. Thanks for reading.