Meet K. JUST K.

As we get closer to the release of Monsters Don’t Cry, some of you may be wondering why there’s only a letter for the main character’s name.  There’s a good bit of history behind her and why she refers to herself by a letter and not her actual name, but like any good story, we need to start at the beginning.

So, who IS K, anyway?

K was originally conceived as far back as 1999 as my first attempt at writing a furry-themed story; she was written as a no-nonsense street punk she-wolf, determined to change the world (as a teenager learning to write characters for the first time is wont to do), only for her story to be cut short with her death by a rival gang’s hands, which served as a catalyst for the main character’s own personal growth.  Basically, her entire purpose was to be a sacrificial lamb for the plot and not much else, and in the most basic way possible.

Hey, I never said I was a good writer out of the gate. :-p

But that’s the funny thing about writing a character -- you tend to get attached to them.  And in K’s case, while her purpose was originally as a straight-forward character with one purpose (basically to die), I still found myself enamored with her as a concept, and felt awful about having her go away after 10 minutes.

So, K evolved to become something else -- a catalyst that served the purpose of moving the story forward, usually through her own personal suffering.  She also bears the dubious honor of being a character who always meets with a bad end in some fashion, usually through death, but oftentimes being stuck in a position far worse than when she started.  In every iteration I’ve ever made of her, written or otherwise, things never end well for her.  She’s played several roles, from a begrudging anti-hero to straight-up deceitful villain, but not matter her role, things always end the same way -- in some way, shape or form, everything ALWAYS goes bad for K.

However, there’s something I’ve never tried in the 20 years since I created her.  She’s never starred in her own story, and never had the chance to be anything more than a means to move the plot forward or stir some kind of character development ahead through a tragic end.  And I feel that’s not fair to someone I’ve had for 20 years, especially considering her only purpose in those two decades has been to serve as a punching bag.

So, I decided to give her new life, and a chance to tell her story with her as its star.  

Also, she can make herself gigantic because of course she can. :)

And what better way to breathe new life into an old character than to turn her into a punching bag?  (This isn’t a joke, by the way.)

Now, we’re not going into spoiler territory here, but K is still going to be in for a bad time.  Of course, I know where her story is going to go, and what will happen to her, both good and bad, but writing a character whose life has always been on a knife’s edge is a challenge, both because it’s hard to find situations that are exciting and emotional for the reader (and in a way, for the writer as well; it helps when you enjoy what you’re putting to paper, just a little bit), but also because of the risks you take when writing tragic situations, while also avoiding making the story a bit too melodramatic for its own good.

I also briefly touched on this a few months ago, but of all of my cast, I’d consider K to be my most “rampage-worthy” character, due to her personality.  Always sarcastic with a bit of a dry wit, but deep down, she’s the one most likely to break your teeth without feeling too beat up about it -- and the most fitting to explore a more dramatic tale where people can (and will) die before the story reaches its conclusion.

This may be a minor spoiler, but yes, expect a rampage scene or two in Monsters Don’t Cry -- my first real attempt at writing one, anyway.  It’ll be a challenge, but I hope it’ll still be fun to read for at least a few of you.

Of course, my biggest challenge with Monsters Don’t Cry is to nail its theme -- the power of one’s choices, and what happens when someone feels they don’t have a say in the direction their lives take, even if that direction isn’t a safe or healthy one, all while still making that character sympathetic to the audience.  Yes, K does do awful things, but I want to do my best to make people feel for her without justifying or forgiving her actions.  In other words, she may be a monster (or at least, perceives herself as a monster), but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a heart buried underneath her cold expression.  It’s just a matter of bringing that heart out of her.

So, the ultimate question -- why just a letter and not a full name?  Well, to start...I’m bad with names.  Notoriously bad; it takes me a while to come up with a fitting name for a character, and it’s not uncommon for that name to change halfway in developing them, only for me to change it back. :-p

But the real reason is embedded in K’s character -- someone determined to bury her past in the hopes of moving forward.  But the past never stays buried forever, and K is no different.  (Don’t worry, there’s an actual reason in the story as to why she hates her actual name.)

I’ve put a lot of thought and care into K, and I truly hope that shows as you dive into her story this Saturday, as well as the rest of the cast!  Right now, I don’t have a lot of art of her (at least art that isn’t outdated), but I’d be happy to share a bust shot of the main star hopefully with more to come in the future.

Art courtesy of AlefGP, who is just a total sweetheart and who you should all be supporting; Patreon here!   https://www.patreon.com/AlefGP 

Without further ago: Meet K.  She’s been through a lot.  And she’s about to go through a lot more.

See you Saturday. :)