Vahaadi

Secrets

((Not everything is here, I’m missing some stuff, so if you wanna fill in the gaps, feel welcome to do that ^_^))

Mood Music: http://youtu.be/LkFot_Krc7w

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Dad’s late again.

Early on in our development of Loose Canon I was trying to get a handle on Krissy’s personality outside of being a Superhero. Up until that time she had always been just “Spark” to me. Now she needed an alter ego, a street self. While I’m not sure how likely a scene like this would play out today, given our development with Vahaadi as a character, it’s still cute and an important part of the Loose Canon process.

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“I can fix it!”

CallyAnn sent me a text asking if Flint would spend some time with Vahaadi because he was feeling lonely. The two of them did go play tennis but in the meantime Spark took things into her own hands. She has a very difficult time understanding why someone like Vahaadi would ever feel lonely; to her perfect people shouldn’t feel something so bad/sad. Ironically, it is for this reason she is in denial about her own loneliness as well. She thinks “Well, but I’m awesome, so I don’t need anyone else, right? …So I can’t feel lonely, that can’t be what this is…” I labeled this as “Role Play” since it doesn’t really take place anywhere except my head and in our texts…

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I suppose I should mentioned it was inspired by “Fix it Felix” from “Wreck it Ralph.”
I can fix it!

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http://youtu.be/qM1YMeDsc-M

“I’m Still Here.”

This is definitely not one of the best pieces I’ve done, but I wanted to show the feelings that Spark has when she looks are Vahaadi are similar to the feelings Jim has when he looks at Silver. This feeling of “I could never have guessed you were what was missing in my life, but now that you’re here I never want you to leave and I will be forever different because you spent this time with me. You are the most incredible person I know.”

Lyrics from “I’m Still Here” by Johnny Rzeznik from “Treasure Planet.”

They can’t tell me who to be,
‘Cause I’m not what they see.
Yeah, the world is still sleepin’,
While I keep on dreamin’ for me.
And their words are just whispers
And lies that I’ll never believe.

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And I want a moment to be real,
Wanna touch things I don’t feel,
Wanna hold on and feel I belong.
And how can they say I never change?
They’re the ones that stay the same.
I’m the one now,
‘Cause I’m still here.

jim and silver

And you see the things they never see
All you wanted, I could be
Now you know me, and I’m not afraid
And I wanna tell you who I am
Can you help me be a man?
They can’t break me
As long as I know who I am

Young Vahaadi

These were originally in pencil but I decided to redraw them digitally. This is Vahaadi about age 14, shortly after joining the troupe and before he and Tryvnah got together (or even remotely liked each other).

youngVahaadi

At this age, Vahaadi has a FEROCIOUS temper. He is impulsive, cusses like a sailor, and seems constantly on the verge of knock-down, drag-out fights with Tryvnah.  It is a coping method and an attempt at compensating for his small size, weakness and insecurity.

He is really skinny and bony from a combination of a recent, abrupt growth spurt and a poor diet. Years of malnutrition (due to his family’s poverty) has done a lot of damage to his stomach. The gypsy food is richer than what he is used to and he has an ingrained habit of eating too fast, so he has a hard time keeping it down. Stomach aches and vomiting are a frequent and miserable fact of his life.

It’s impossible to guess what he’s thinking when he sews or works at his loom.  He seems to completely shut down.

He still has a few more inches to grow before he reaches his full (albeit, short) adult height.

Young Vahaadi portrait