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The Human Hybridization Project

The Human Hybridization Project (PP!R) will be a webcomic. It follows Sam Bailey, one of five teenagers given seemingly supernatural powers by an alien named Ezrai. It is a "coming-of-age body horror," and it heavily emphasizes themes of personhood and dehumanization, isolation, mental illness, religion, and internalized homophobia. It's also a goofy knockoff Power Rangers (I absorbed Power Rangers via osmosis) which takes heavy inspiration from the children's cartoons I grew up with. It is the most earnest and personal thing I have ever written.

The Cast

Sam Bailey (Modified): A 15 year old autistic boy and the pov character of the story. I went with a simple and easy design for him, a long face with exaggeratedly large sadeyes and an overwhelmingly blue color palette.

Nate (Human): A 15 year old boy and a friend of Sam's. For his design, I was originally inspired by a Filipino-American YouTuber (whose name I no longer recall) my younger sister had been watching. Over time, I added an increasing amount of emo fashion to his design. A try to emphasize pointy and blocky shapes for him. Be he has a little softness to him.

Suzan Glenn (Modified): A 16 year old girl and the de-facto leader of the group. For her, I took a lot of inspiration from the "smart girl"/"sassy girl"/"tomboy" archetype in children's shows. The biggest inspiration for her original design was Edyn from Magi-Nation. I try to use a lot of triangles and squares in her design.

Adam Schechter (Modified): A 14 year old and most enthusiastic of the group. For their design, I took a lot of inspiration from the main characters of the kids shows I grew up with, most notably Dan from Bakugan and Tony from Magi-Nation.

Eloise Greene (Modified): A 15 year old girl who does not want to be here. Her design has changed a lot over time. She was originally a character I had just doodled for no story in particular. Eventually, I added her to PP!R and began slowly changing her design. I aim for "punk but soft" for her design.

Regina Endō (Modified): A 16 year old girl who desperately wants to maintain group cohesion. The sort of person who feels the need to regularly change her appearance. Lots of bright colors.

Ezrai (Alien): The alien who gave them their powers. Something between a priestess, a mad scientist of the "nasty government ghoul" variety, and a power-tripping middle manager who thinks she is god. She can shapeshift. Her designs can range from cartoon "alien trying to blend in" to body horror monster.

Empty Vessel

Empty Vessel is a side story/sequal to The Human Hybridization Project. It follows some of the other "modified human" kids that the characters from PP!R meet, and is largely told from the perspective of Xavier. It switches between the present-day, taking place many years after the events of PP!R when all of them are adults, and the past, taking place in tendem with the story of PP!R and elaborating on events mentioned in it.

Empty Vessel elaborates on some of the themes present in PP!R. I feel that expanding into these topics is a necessary part of elaborating on PP!R. It also features content which is arguably more graphic and disturbing than the content of PP!R, something which will likely be true of any further sequal stories. I'll need to hire a sensitivity reader at some point for it.

Notes for Empty Vessel: Can we dream of a better life, a better way of relating to others, and even a better way of doing violence? Not without getting attacked by aliens. And the powers that be.

The Cast

Xavier (Modified): The primary pov character of Empty Vessel and Alex's older brother. A deeply sentimental and personable guy afflicted with a myriad of trauma-based mental disorders and struggling with severe alcohol dependency. I gave him a bit of a willow tree inspired design, and his appearance doesn't change much between his teen and adult design other than gaining his "beard of sorrow". His style of dress is dark and usually greyscale, but extremely casual.

Alex (Alexandra) (Modified): The secondary pov character of Empty Vessel and Xavier's little sister. Moments away from cracking in half at any given moment. Her child design goes for extremely youthful and girlish (with some occasionally anachronistic-looking elements), almost to a strange degree given her age (13), whereas her adult design is meant to swing too far in the other direction, looking unnaturally stiff and bussinesslike.

Amir (Modified): Xavier's boyfriend. A weird guy who dies tragically young. For his design I tried to emphasize pointy and blocky shapes (he's extremely traingular), and generally muted colors (except for when he's "working"). I tend to dress him slightly anachronistically and give him very few facial expressions. A very "people take one look at me and immedietly pick me out as having a mental disorder" sort of guy.

Roselyn (Modified):

Letitia (Modified):

(Xavier and Alex's) Mother and Father (Human):

(Xavier and Alex's) Grandfather (Human):