Loose Canon

I thought I would post my expectations/thoughts/plans for the published form of Loose Canon.  As much as I would love it to actually be animated, I just don’t think that will happen. So, here are my ideas…

Posting

I was thinking I’d try building a site from scratch for the comic itself, with its own domain. Then we won’t have to deal with ads and stuff. We’ll probably want to link it to tumblr or something similar to connect with our audience, and just theme them both the same (like Tracy Butler does) so the two different sites feel seamless.  What do you think about posting updates/links on dA? I know you aren’t crazy about dA, but I like it.  It’s a good place to find like-minded people and foster a readership, anyhow…

Length

Aiming for 26 episodes, potentially hour-long. That may end up being too short, but I’d really prefer a crisp storyline to a bloated one. We can always use RP, OOC and one-offs to explore other adventures without derailing our plot.  I want to have every episode planned out before I ever start illustrating so we’ll know well in advance what to plan for!

Rating

Obviously we aren’t going to have anything too lurid, but I anticipate blood/violence since Vahaadi regularly acts as a shield.  Though Vahaadi would like to cuss on occasion, we don’t have to let him. XP There’s always “@&^!” if he needs to rage. XD  And no smut. I’m probably going to dance around the true nature of Vahaadi’s relationship with Tryvnah, just because it’s sticky.  All anyone really needs to know about them is that they were close and then they had a falling out. I’ve even thought of skewing it so it might look like Vahaadi left the troupe because he was in love with Aaliyah and not Tryvnah.  Essentially, the readers will know there was a love triangle and Vahaadi didn’t win. Those that would like to believe he’s straight will be able to think so, and those who think he’s gay will be…right. XD But we won’t say officially either way.  His romantic preferences had serious clout in Ashen Shard, but they don’t really mean anything in Loose Canon.  Anyway! Do you think we should have a warning or a recommendation readily visible concerning the age group we’re aiming for?  Who would you say we’re aiming for, anyway?

The Format

I love the way Ava’s Demon  is a glorified storyboard. One panel at a time, but every one is beautifully painted so it also has elements of a storybook. I could so run with that. I don’t want to deal with paneling for a conventional webcomic. Much as I love Lackadaisy, I just couldn’t handle paneling like that. And I actually hate reading comic pages. My eyes always jump to to biggest picture, and I feel robbed of the build up. It’s like instinctively jumping to the punchline. I think treating our story like a storyboard will remedy that! And, it will make it feel that much more like it’s animated.

And, speaking of animation, in my fantasy, I think it would be cool to include animation in each episode.  Here is my vision:  Each episode will open with an animatic prologue ala Princess Tutu.  It will include a basic synopsis or something of the story they traveled through to get to the canon featured in that episode. It will be heavily stylized to match the canon, and serve to emphasize the setting and theme of the challenge they’re facing, though it need not be a direct correlation.

After the prologue, we’ll have an illustrated “title card,” since I know you like those in cartoons.  I think it should match the style of the prologue, but there may be an argument for making them all match each other instead, using some kind of over-arching stylization for Loose Canon as a whole to improve cohesiveness.  Not sure on this yet.

After the animatic and the static title card, the story will progress one static panel at a time, as mentioned above. However, I absolutely love the idea of animating really key scenes, complete with music and voice acting. Full-blown animation will be reserved for the scene that just couldn’t be done justice in static illustrations.  Scenes I’m thinking of specifically are Spark’s first wish/transformation, the introduction of Piper, Spark and Vahaadi’s deaths (hahahah XD leave it to me to kill BOTH main characters…but they get better!), the scene where Piper causes Spark’s wish to backfire and/or controls her, and maybe introductions of other characters, like Elwen, Ignite, and the Merchant of Lost Things.  I plan to only do one per episode. We’ll have to find voice actors and music, of course…but I REALLY want to do this.  It would MAKE MY LIFE.

To end each episode, I think it might be cool to have the final scene match the style of the prologue (+title card, maybe).  I think that would give a neat sense of “conclusion,” and tie it all together tidily.  It’s like movies that start with the book opening and then showing it close at the end, or the way animes sometimes end with the art changing into a more hand-drawn look as the characters walk off into the sunset. XD That’s probably campy, but…I don’t care! *flails around* It actually fits for Loose Canon because it’s all about different kinds of stories, so…there.

 

Opening Cinema

This is one of those things I’d probably be able to live without if I just couldn’t pull it off, but it would be super cool to make an opening cinema, like most cartoons (and most shows in general, actually). Of course, we need not show it with every episode between the prologue and the meat of the plot.  I envision it as a promotional thing, perhaps before we launch the story.  I have a vision for what it might look, sound and feel like, but it’s hard to explain…I’ll just have to try making it!

Credit Roll

When we conclude the series, I’d love to have an animated credit roll with a stylized montage of Spark and Vahaadi adventuring through the canons. As the credit roll progresses, the style would change to reflect all the different styles we used in the prologues, title cards, and final scenes. The “credits” would mostly be us, but if we do have voice actors, musicians, or any other contributors we’d definitely acknowledge them.  Also, it might be a neat way to shout out to supporters. Regulars, major fans, even (perhaps especially?) people that contribute to crowdfunding/kickstarter/patreon campaigns, if we have them.  We want a strong and satisfying ending! It will be sad to finish, I think, but I’d rather end it with a cool bang then have it flounder indefinitely or feel abruptly cut.

Teaser

This is another silly pipe dream which may not be practical or even necessary, but it makes me smile.  I always liked those trailers that show artists, actors, or whatever being interviewed about the movie, cut together with shots of in-progress roughs, maquettes, and stuff like that.  It would amuse me to no end to make a studio “set” with footage of ourselves working on the project and talking about it, with pieces at various levels of completion. There could be a segment of you talking about who Spark is, what she’s like, what motivates her, cut together with expression studies, animation roughs, and footage of you recording lines for her–maybe one of those fun side-by-side things showing you recording the line and the animated Spark saying it in sync with you. I’d talk about Vahaadi and the drawing process, what to expect from the story, and so on. We could use it to drum up interest long before the comic launches, or to entice people to the site after it has already launched.  If we’re able to do this AND the opening cinema, this would be like the “Coming Summer 20xx” kinda deal that’s far in advance, and the cinema would be like the premiere kick-off.  It’s terribly self-indulgent. XD

Ask Spark!

Now, the really fun part! I plan to handle the bulk of the narrative (writing, art, coding the site, etc), but only you could possibly speak for Spark. You know exactly what kind of sassy answers she’d give. I think it would be awesome if you actually recorded her responses and paired them with an animatic, if that wouldn’t be too much work.  The questions you’d respond to and how often you respond would be up to you! (and Spark, of course. XD ) If there is fan art or gift art, I think it would be cute if she responded to it! Spark is good at…effusing. <3 She can be the “voice” of the comic and our “front” or sorts.

Ask Vahaadi…?

As much fun as it might be to have Vahaadi answer questions, I think I’d rather have him not respond.  It preserves his air of mystery. XP And, underscores his bad attitude. Vahaadi is definitely the type to just clam up and let Spark do all the talking.  Besides, if you are willing to voice Spark’s responses, it might be awkward to either not have him voiced or have to work with someone to voice him, since neither of us have the right set of pipes for him, haha! It would be like that old animation you did where Flint had happy noises coming out of his mouth instead of an actual voice.  Concerning the animated key scenes, if we can find a guy to do Vahaadi’s voice (if we even need one–it will depend on the scenes I pick to animate) I think I’d want to record all of his lines in a few sessions up front and then just be done so that I wouldn’t have to worry about losing contact with the guy and having to find someone else later. It’s a consistency concern more than anything.  And, let’s be honest–Spark’s a lot more vocal and opinionated, anyway!

Idea dump for things we’ve played with for our villain, “Piper” (for now)

 

Motivation:

The Piper was once a Narrator, a special Character that helps other Characters figure out their Stories.  He traveled in the form of a bard, and would meet Characters at critical points in their lives to tell stories, sing songs, and otherwise provide them with clues. Like a prophet, he knows the will of God (the Author) without actually BEING God.  However, he drastically misunderstood the nature of the Author and the Stories and wanted to “break out” and control his own destiny, and help others to do the same.  He has seen so many “stories” “go wrong” that he thinks he ought to make them better.  To do so, his plan is to make a perfect world by drawing out some things that he likes from the various canons, and causing the bad to fold in on itself and be destroyed.

 

Powers:

He can move freely between canons, and he can move characters and objects between canons as well. Because he doesn’t use his powers the way he’s supposed to (to help characters fulfill some destiny predetermined by the Author) his dabbling in the canons causes corruption, which can “infect” characters, turn them into corruption monsters, and ultimately kill them.

He can use music to “write” his own reality, which he can exert onto other people in a hypnotic mind control simply by singing or playing an instrument.

 

Supporters and Underlings:

I see the Piper’s underlings coming in two flavors: a motley crew of sentient supporters (ala Organization XIII), and corruption monsters.

The crew is comprised of characters the Piper led from their own canons, perhaps when they were children.  They vary in loyalty and devotion to the Piper’s cause. To some of them he’s probably like a father figure, but others are suspicious of just how much control he has over them with his music.  He has probably led most to believe he saved them (and maybe he did) but others he may have abducted and brainwashed (like the children of Hamlin). Since they are from many different canons, they will seem like a dark version of the Lorewalkers. They vary in race, background, powers, etc.  They handle the finer details of the Piper’s plan that the corruption monsters aren’t capable of, but not so important that the Piper attends to them personally.

The corruption monsters are non-sentient beings formed by the chaos of the Piper’s ill-used power.  They do not think, they only destroy. They may have once been living creatures, but they aren’t alive in any meaningful way anymore. As a visual reinforcement of the Piper legend, they tend to resemble rats, but their bodies are made of “corruption”: paper, ink, smoke, stone, any media used to record stories. They are disgusting and will “eat” anything, but in the presence of the Piper they act like loyal pets.

 

Appearance:

Fabulous hat. Very important. I imagine he’s tall and quite thin, and in keeping with the icon of the Pied Piper, he wears two-toned clothes. I think he has the look of a bard from a fantasy game. I liked the idea of associating him visually with magpies, which are highly intelligent birds and the name magpie comes from the same root that “Pied” comes from (meaning two colors). Magpies are also associated with bad luck, a group is called a murder, and there’s a really cool rhyme called “One for Sorrow” that would be cool to incorporate into our design for him somehow. He probably has instruments, at least a flute/pipe.

 

Dynamics:

He probably has a connection to the Merchant of Lost Things, another Narrator.  However, I want the Merchant to be a pretty peripheral characters so we may never explore this much.

Unlike Spark and Vahaadi, he is calm, mature, and methodical. He has a special connection/appeal to children, which he exploits.  He does not consider Spark and Vahaadi a threat.  In fact, they are almost entirely off his radar for a long while–a sign of his confidence in his plan.  When Spark does finally get his attention, he proves to be far more formidable than she thought. Spark experiences a devastating defeat, while the Piper merely enjoys a mildly amusing game and kindly suggests she not get in his way again. Because she is so childlike, the Piper is able to use his hypnotic influence to confuse her and get into her head.  He takes advantage of her love of fun, destructive tendencies, and shaky standing with the Lorewalkers. As a particularly alarming show of his power, and to really mess with her head, he uses his music to lure her into committing an evil, destructive, but thrilling and fun act.  When she tries to be outraged, he tells her he wasn’t controlling her. He merely planted the idea and she acted on it of her own accord.

Either way, this incident is bad news.  Either the Piper has a terrible capacity to control her, or she has a terrible capacity for evil on her own.  Ultimately, the Piper doesn’t see her as a threat because she’s practically on his side anyway, since she causes so much trouble for the Lorewalkers.  This will cause a serious struggle for Spark, who wants to believe that she is a good, strong, fun, powerful hero, while owning up to the fact that it’s all too easy to make her go berserk.

(additional elements of the story to underscore this struggle is Vahaadi’s experience as a reforming villain, and the existence of Ignite, who provides a glimpse of what Spark would be like if she went off the rails on the crazy train)