#30charactersin30days

[genrechowderstudios]

Quick 30 Characters in 30 days Retrospective

I’m gonna make this short(ish).

There’s something maddening about waking up every morning and thinking, “Gotta do a new thing today.” I’d say it’s even more maddening when you know you’re running out of ideas or you’re having a bad day or some combination of both.

But that is, in my opinion, what makes the experience of "doing a new thing” (mostly) every day for a month more fruitful. When you come out of the irritated art block fog, you made something. It might not be very good or up to your usual standards, but you gained or utilized the ability to produce under pressure. You’ve trained that muscle. At the end of the event, you can see the results of that training in the form of your new body of work. Personally, I feel you ought to use them in some way, but even if you don’t, you still have the results of your training.

As for me, I had fun. Having to push myself to make something intriguing for every day showed me what questionably bizarre things I find intriguing. Goofy incongruities, vagueness, and weirdos preoccupied by weird things abound, which is somehow just as interesting to me as characters based on mystery, darkly tragic twists, and the supernatural. Under the pressure of having to produce every day, I ended up leaning on these concepts for inspiration. I didn’t know that about myself. It’s like when I drew Frieza way back in the day and learned how I prefer character designs that are framed by hair, tails, etc.

I could go on, but I will say this: this was not only a fun experience, but a valuable one. Now I have more tools in my kit and a better understanding of what my artistic strengths (and weaknesses) are. That’s in conjunction with the large body of work I have at my disposal as a result of 30in30. Pretty good, I say.

[genrechowderstudios]

The Old Storyteller. Men, women, and children know this elder. They can pick him out from miles away. On regular days, he moves quietly and doesn’t say much. But when the Old Storyteller has a tale to tell, everyone gathers around to hear what he has to say. Fables, myths, parables, and just general wisdoms are only some of the words shared by the traveling griot. But it’s his real stories, his true stories, of olden times that capture the minds of those that listen. The Old Storyteller knows the intimate lives of soldiers from historic battles, how delicious stews were prepared in prosperous times of old, the origins of games children play in the rain to this very day… All one need to do is ask and he’ll tell. “Spreading knowledge and wise words is the best use of my time,” according to the griot. “When you’ve lived as long as I have, it’s the finest gift you can give.”

[genrechowderstudios]

Who are these beings with the flat yet serene faces? Aliens? Ghosts? Where do they come from? Nobody, not even Chromatic Chronologies, knows. But what they do know is that one or many more may appear on rare occasions as the usage of the interdimensional time machines fluctuates, and they possess some great, otherworldly powers, powers that give even the demons of Tartarus pause. Their genteel, almost cordial manners make them personable, but there is something imperious about their nature. These beings don’t speak much, but when they do, they speak well. They aren’t ignorant of much, but when they are, they learn quickly. One such being is one who calls herself Chikumbutso.

Perhaps more than others of her kind, Chikumbutso has taken quite an interest in the comings and goings of the agents of Chroma-Chron. She first appeared to an agent in the earliest days of the agency, and on rare occasions, has met agents all throughout the agency’s history. Historically, she's played favorites. As a highly inquisitive personality with a desire to be impressed, Chikumbutso prefers agents (typically male agents) with a wealth of knowledge and a want to share said knowledge. But whatever are these visits about?  Sometimes for an object. Sometimes to LEAVE an object. Sometimes to simply talk about things. And sometimes to bring them on a journey across space and time.

[genrechowderstudios]

The 7 month-old son of Agent Fog, who lives just down the lane from Agent Overcast. Like his father, he is very observant and somehow more patient. Whenever the agent manages to keep his filthy house clean long enough to have company over, his son can often be seen rolling around on the wooden floors or else watching his dad’s co-workers from his favorite spot in the cozy middle of the living room rug.

The baby from down the lane was born in Morgenstad, South Africa.

[genrechowderstudios]

If there’s a radiation ooze that needs to be cleaned up or a barrel of chemicals that needs to be safely delivered, Hazmat Man #5 is there to make sure it all goes smoothly. He may only by #5, but he’s been working long enough to know that purple mutagen, NOT violet mutagen, requires Protocol 5F Gamma.

Despite his important and potentially exciting job, Hazmat Man #5 has a very ho-hum way about him. Then again, once you’ve seen one radiation abomination, you’ve seen them all. For whatever reason, he and Overcast have a friendly rapport. Hazmat Man #5 was born in South Africa.