On the Still Shores of Sleep Blog 2: Victorian Slut Shaming and Duality

People have been giving me weird looks when I say this: this is the chapter of the comic I was looking forward to writing the most. It's not because Owen and Tarra "bob when they should've weaved." It's not because Mr. Slumber is torturing anyone (I actually don't look forward to writing those sections). It's actually for a simple, and admittedly bizarre, reason.

Most of the chapter takes place in Victorian  England. Whitechapel, to be precise. Yes, I'm using the cliche element of Jack the Ripper, only without the stupid theory of the dubious shawl with a hairstylists DNA. Seriously, no one knows if Catherine Eddowes actually wore a shawl... I'm digressing.

It's not the dialogue, so much as it's the characters, namely Abberline and Dr. Llewellyn. See, this is a work of fiction, but Frederick Abberline is probably one of the most underrated historical detectives I've research. I wanted to give him a lot of personality, and someone he could play off of. Dr. Llewellyn provided that second thing, wit provided the first.

At the first of the canonical five Ripper murders, a horse slaughterer insults the victim, pretty much saying that she's deserves to be dead because of flashing herself at people. This interaction happens:

ABBERLINE:

If that’s what you believe, then why are you standing in front of me?

SLAUGHTERER:

You callin’ me a whore?

ABBERLINE:

Not a whore, good sir, but you’ve been flashing something to the dockyard boys.

At this, Llewellyn laughs loudly while the police try to stifle theirs. In a few simple pages, I built the relationship of the coroner and the Scotland Yard Inspector, and made Abberline awesome.

What's odd is that a new favorite comic is subconsciously inspiring me, this time with Abberline and Saucy Jack. Their relationship, immediately, anyway, is antagonizing, separate entities. Abberline is calm, sardonic, and good, Jack is chaotic, insane, and murderous.

To put it terms that no one will understand, Abberline is Fillmore Press and Jack is Madder Red. I can tell that those of you who don't read the comic Bedlam are lost. First, if you like crime/horror (or the original run of Legends of Dark Knight), read Bedlam. I can't suggest it enough.

Secondly, Madder Red is a psychotic, murderous crimelord who is thought to be dead. Fillmore Press is an unstable man who has a knack for solving strange murders, but avoids violence (mostly), and fears fire. Oh, there's also a little, unimportant bit that he is Madder Red, who has been "cured" of being a killer. Point is, they're opposites (not polar, but on different sides of the coin).

So much so that the observant reader can spot differences in their speaking patterns. Madder Red is American, but seemingly English when calm, while Fillmore is English while having an American accent when agitated.

Abberline is very eloquent when he speaks, Jack speaks in twisted lyrics. Similarly, Owen speaks normally, while Mr. Slumber is very Mad Hatter-esque. Opposites make the world go 'round. And this chapter is going to have a lot of it.

On the Still Shores of Sleep Blog 1: The Long Journey to Blank

So, now I'm back to where it began: Mr. Slumber tormenting Owen Winston, beginning the Shift, and the beginning of the end of reality (and the prologue to a new beginning). Every step, every piece of research has led me to this point. And while the web comic will not be ready for at least a year, I'm more nervous than a teenager on their first date.

Let me explain. On the Still Shores of Sleep, as well as a few of the other Blank stories, were originally going to be novels. There were five total, featuring Mr. Slumber, The Morrigan, Jay Day and Desmond Phide, Cain, and the actual Shift. As I was writing On the Still Shores of Sleep, I realized several things, not the least being that it would be really hard to get published. An aspiring writer starting off with a very mature horror story about psychics and vampires, demons and ghosts... It stood very little chance of being the next Harry Potter, if I'm quite honest.

There was also a lot of backstory going on, so much so that it bogged the story down. It was then that I decided to make it a web comic, adding more story lines to it so I could flesh out the characters. I went from five to eighty-one stories, spanning a timeline of seven years. I added a new story arc with the First Born, a creature that scares me to even think about.

There have been many set backs, not the least being the fact that I lost my home, and barely landed on my feet. I lost most of my personal property in the process, including notes and drawings for Blank.

But, here I am, still at the precipice of starting what may be my life's greatest work, beginning the journey of these characters from where it originally started. The past four story lines have been a lot of fun to write, and a lot of pain as well. Magnum Opus, the story I just finished last night, strikes several personal chords, ranging from depression to other subjects that I will leave unmentioned for now. At the same time, there have been moments of discovery, laughter, and especially fear. There's a lot of foreshadowing that came as purely unintentional, but works.

And all I can find myself to say is thank you. Thank you to everyone who listened to me rant and rave, who supported me, gave me input, or just was there. Your support means the world to me. Now, on to the scripting!