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Thomas Harricks Blog Entry |
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March 1, 2024, 12:00:05 AM 3/1/24: r/SketchDaily theme, "Free Draw Friday." This week's character from my anthro WWII storyline is a twofer: Sgt. Thomas "Harrier" Harricks, and Flight Lt. Donovan Bradford, in a garrison cap and in a peaked cap. These are two poorly developed British characters from the previous reboot. Donovan (he prefers going by his first name) is a laid-back pilot but now stays on the ground, whereas Harrier is short tempered and unpleasant. There'll be more about them later in my art Tumblr and Toyhou.se. Regarding their design, Harrier underwent a last-minute drastic design change based on my mistaken memory that HE had been the pilot; I suddenly decided to change him from a rat into a bat, making him only the second non-rat character in the rodent half of the story (Papillon is the other). He's passing as a rat, which is why the pointy tips of his ears are clipped off, plus he wears gloves and avoids shaking hands because of how bat hands are constructed. (This is something I only JUST realized about Papillon recently, his fingers are his wings! He effectively has no hands! I came up with the idea of him having prosthetic hands operated by his thumbs, and this led to more plot development. Harrier of course deals with a similar complication.) Also, I just noticed I really borked up the British garrison cap in my original design--it has earflaps buttoned in front like a German field cap--so my older Liam Morgan portrait will need to be tweaked. TUMBLR EDIT: Harrier and Donovan both date to the first attempted reboot, and both severely lack character development (similar to characters like Evans and Beaudry); here to be thorough I'm looking to dust them off and flesh them out sometime. This section will be divided among the characters to avoid repetition. Here is Sgt. Thomas "Harrier" Harricks's original description from the old character list (2002): THOMAS "HARRIER" HARRICKS: Sgt., serving under Bradford. Excessively patriotic and dislikes both Americans and the Trench Rats, yet has to help them out due to his position. Very gruff and irritable, not easy to get along with; has a perpetual chip on his shoulder. Current storyline One thing that needs correcting: Harrier can't serve under Donovan, as Donovan is RAF while Harrier is...whatever you call the British army. (See the different colors of their caps.) I've modified this so they're merely good friends, and Donovan likely pulled some strings to ensure Harrier's position in the military (more in a bit). I decided to draw these two together due to their relationship and shared "forgotten character" status. I originally misremembered Harrier being the grounded pilot...likely due to his name. Harrier is a type of British jet (apparently invented after WWII, so not applicable here, plus I don't know aircraft so I doubt that's the source of his nickname), a type of dog (also unlikely), and a type of bird of prey. I assume I chose the name based on the last. So...why would I name him this, unless he flew...? Yet there's the character list, making no mention of him being a pilot, that's Donovan. 🤔 So I'm left without explanation, unless it was merely implied, in Harrier "serving under" Donovan...which no longer applies. So, there goes that. I started toying with Harrier also being a pilot, though he's not RAF so this is unlikely. Maybe he once flew anyway...? Or...maybe he WANTS to fly, but can't...? Maybe...he can fly, but has to conceal this fact? Maybe...he's not a rat, but a bat? BOOM. Idea sparked. I promptly changed my idea for Harrier's character design and looked up British species of bats, before deciding to just go with an indeterminate bat species that doesn't really fit any of them. All I knew was he had to superficially resemble a rat, meaning reasonably-sized ears, and no funky weird nose. I struggled to give him a somewhat snubby nose without it being obvious like Papillon's (see HIS ENTRY for example), though it's iffy to me and may be modified in an update; similar with his ears, first they were merely larger (10%) and rounded like mouse ears, then I made them pointy, then not as pointy, then pointy, then decided on the concept of them being pointy BUT the tips were deliberately cropped to minimize the pointiness. This adds to the idea that Harrier is rather reluctantly passing as a rat. The final design aspect that needs addressing is, of course, the wings. This is a recent character design development I faced for Papillon. And damn am I a moron for taking this long to realize! I even have this in Papillon's Toyhou.se profile, though I'll need to edit it now: Papillon has very large upright ears which he often folds back/down when interacting with others; a snubby, upright nose; and visible fangs and claws. He dresses in a cobbled-together "uniform" of faded but clean clothes, with special slits in the sides to accommodate his wings (these aren't highly visible, and are often mistaken for part of his outfit, until/unless he extends them); he usually goes barefoot so he can pick things up while flying or hang from trees. He carries binoculars as his eyesight isn't very good in the daytime; he sees better in the dimness, but still makes soft clicking sounds to help find his way. Oddly, many of the people he comes in contact with have no idea he's a bat until he reveals his wings, hinting that rat/bat interactions are rare. So Papillon has claws...on his fingers...which ARE HIS WINGS? Erp. I was pretty sure of this already, but Googled both actual images of bat wing construction, as well as depictions of how cartoon designers have dealt with the idea of bat hands, previously. (Bartok from Anastasia was the first I thought of, and yeegh they did a lousy job. (He's adorable as a bat, my memory of him helped inspire Papillon's design, but his wing design makes no sense, they actually look like loose sheets in some versions. Here you see he has hands, and no fingers in his wing membranes--illogical!) I didn't even think of the bat from FernGully. (Batty Koda...I just looked him up, and his wing design varies but looks to be rather accurate, he lacks hands but seems to have a visible thumb. Not all art of him shows this, maybe some is fan art?) Only after all this, I found Fidget from The Great Mouse Detective, which is a better design--it looks like they incorporate his wing membranes as fingers--though the designs are vague and they vary. Here my knowledge of animated bats runs dry.) (I have never seen any of these movies, BTW.) I briefly toyed with the idea of just saying, eh screw it, obviously I've already taken plenty of anatomical liberties with these guys, why not here too...? But it niggled at me far too much to take THAT much liberty...so, Papillon's hands had to go. But Papillon semi-successfully passes as a (weird-looking) rat for a while...how? How can you do this, and be a partisan, without hands?? For Papillon conceals his wings most of the time, and those long unwieldy membranes wouldn't function well as fingers. I wondered about prosthetic technology, how well advanced it was in the Thirties, by which time Papillon would need a way to disguise the fact that HE HAS NO FREAKING HANDS. I know certain wonders were wrought by the many battlefield injuries of WWI. But just how sophisticated would prosthetic hands be? Would they be mainly aesthetic, or functional...? I went Googling. Prosthetic hand technology, even way back then, turned out to be not QUITE as sophisticated as my story requires, yet better than I'd thought it would be. There are even accounts of functional prosthetic hands from the 1500s...in Germany! Check out this amazing dude! Götz von Berlichingen Dude was a 1500s KNIGHT with a freaking iron fighting hand! Granted, the fingers could only be adjusted using his other hand, so had to lock in place--he couldn't flex and extend them independently. And the arm had to be held in place with straps. Still, the level of technology involved here is just...mindblowing, to me. And opened up the possibility of Papillon utilizing something similar. Now...given the physical constraints of being a bat, and his role as a partisan, Papillon needed: 1. movable fingers; 2. a way to attach the hands to his wings; and 3. a convincing enough appearance to at least superficially convince others he has hands. Here's how it went. 1. There are plenty of other mild technological liberties taken with this story, including Project Doomsday itself. For a near-fully functional prosthetic hand with moving fingers which can perform basic tasks to exist in this world is no stretch, and needs little explanation. The original designer of Papillon's hands (a so-far unnamed man who takes him in when he's younger and on his own) could have knowledge/experience from the Great War to create such advanced prosthetics, so, ready-made explanation! 2. How does Papillon affix said hands to his wings?--there are no readily attachable points for straps. This is a bit more complicated, but can be reasonably fudged. Papillon does have thumbs. Many early prosthetic hands depended on some body part/surface which could manipulate them, even if only the surviving edge of the hand. I figured a functional thumb can not only be the source that moves the fingers, but the "attachment point" that keeps the hands in place. Granted, this heavily depends on Papillon manually grasping the hands in place at all times. I imagine a sort of basic "harness" assisting in this by at least somewhat holding/stabilizing the hands in place around the thumbs, just some straps/buckles around the "wrist" area, cinched to the wing a bit, though limited in functionality due to so little surface to wrap around. (I considered small slits pierced in his wings to slip the straps through but that seems too painful/barbaric.) I just imagine Papillon has to practice to make keeping his hands on become second nature. When removing his hands, he releases his thumb and unbuckles these straps. 3. Papillon's prostheses are covered in a sort of glove which leaves only the fingertips exposed. The fingertips of the hands are designed to resemble real claws. The jointed knuckles and all remain hidden and he merely appears to be wearing fingerless gloves. Papillon's identity as a bat isn't a secret--he utilizes his ability to fly to serve as a scout and gather intelligence for the partisans (he first discovers Trench Rat Headquarters), and outs himself to the Rats as a bat after he rescues Corporal Drake. He conceals his wings most of the time, however, likely due to some sort of unknown prejudice/taboo against bat/rat interactions--witness the Trench Rats' surprise upon realizing he's not one of them. I haven't fully explored this angle yet, though it's intriguing, given the themes of the story (lots of other persecuted groups in this storyline). In fact it rather goes along with Papillon's adjacent identity of being openly gay--most people know, he doesn't hide it and isn't ashamed, yet he realizes it puts a target on his back, so he doesn't flaunt it, either. Same with being a bat. I already mentioned Papillon's main role is info gathering, and spying. He's not much of a fighter. This fits well with the fact that he doesn't have proper hands--they would make actions like accurately firing a gun more complicated. I imagine he CAN do this, if needed, he just wouldn't be very GOOD at it. So, that works out. His job doesn't involve much fighting. And there's one more thing that works in Papillon's favor of lacking hands, as well as nicely tying in with the existing plot: Doomsday Rat. When he's first rescued from Nazi custody and returned to the Allies, he's already been subjected to experimentation, as well as brainwashed by Dr. Kammler. He's one of the Americans, but struggles at first to adjust, as well as to re-earn his comrades' trust. The Rats are reluctant to grant him too much leeway; how do they know he won't betray them? He doesn't even speak English anymore when he first returns. Papillon strikes upon an idea to test both his supposed increased intelligence, as well as his trustworthiness; he goes to D-Day, holds up a hand, then carefully unbuckles the straps and removes the whole thing. Naturally, everyone watching is stunned; D-Day blinks at the hand, then takes it and starts looking it over curiously. Burgundy Rat gestures, and Papillon removes his other hand and gives it to him. "Prosthetic hands," Burgundy muses, impressed by the advanced workmanship. Although the Rats know Papillon is a bat, they never even considered that he lacks hands like theirs; Papillon stretches out a wing to show them his actual fingers, and explains how he got the hands. Earlier in the story, he suffered a hand injury, which is now revealed to have been an injury to the prosthetic; he lets D-Day keep the broken hand, reasoning that he should be able to repair it. D-Day asks if he can dismantle the hand to reverse-engineer it, and Papillon consents. Later, privately, Drake asks to look at Papillon's thumbs; the two of them have since begun a relationship, and he's surprised to only just now learn this. Papillon admits finally to a bit of embarrassment: "I thought perhaps, if you knew, you would feel differently." Drake replies that this doesn't change a thing, except that he wants Papillon to feel comfortable around him, and that includes showing his real hands. D-Day eventually comes forward with a brand-new set of hands for Papillon to try out. He didn't simply reverse-engineer the old set; he's improved their appearance and functionality. They're lighter, more resilient, less cumbersome, easier to hold on and manipulate with the thumb, and have a much more sophisticated range of motion. Papillon tries them on and starts marveling, smiling from ear to ear, tearfully laughing, exclaiming, "Incroyable! Un miracle!" He grabs D-Day with his new hands and exuberantly kisses him on both cheeks. As far as he's concerned, D-Day has admirably proven that he's mechanically skilled, and trustworthy. Shortly afterward, the Trench Rats make D-Day their probationary chief engineer. ...All of this recently developed background tangentially relates to Harrier in that, being a bat, he faces the same difficulties. Donovan is aware of his true identity, most others are not, so I assume Donovan pulled some strings to keep Harrier's secret. The two of them must be good friends. Unlike Papillon, Harrier is rather ashamed of what he is, thus his overly defensive, unpleasant personality. He's used to others looking down on him, so he thinks, why shouldn't he look down on others too. He's not exactly racist, but he frowns on anyone from another country/nation, which is most characters he comes in contact with. He has no real issue with LC Skye (English/Scottish) or Sgt. Liam Morgan (English/Welsh/Irish), is okay with LC Indigo Rat (Australian), but most of the others he treats with disdain. He's certain they'll all hate him if they find out what he really is, so he heads them off by being proactively hostile. He never shakes hands, in fact, often keeps his arms crossed in a closed-off posture. Harrier isn't as fortunate as Papillon--he doesn't have a functional pair of prosthetics. He uses a pair of gloves, stuffed and affixed similarly to Papillon's--he can do the most basic things like pick things up, yet not much else. He can fire a pistol with his thumb, but it involves subterfuge, and so he's not too fit for combat. He longs to fly, yet can't (I toyed with him being crippled, but I don't think he is). So he latches on to Donovan, a skilled bomber pilot, and lives vicariously through him. Donovan eventually ends up downed, which hits Harrier harder than it does Donovan. Donovan, meanwhile, is likely the one who gave Harrier his nickname--others see it as ironic, but it's sincere, Donovan has seen Harrier fly before (ah...JUST now occurred to me, maybe Harrier helps save Donovan's life after he crashes?)--and he urges him to own up to his true identity, yet Harrier is too discouraged to do so. Most others he meets assume he's just a particularly ugly rat, which is dispiriting, but tolerable. At some point, Harrier will have to have a run-in with Papillon. He's surprised, just as the Rats were, when he learns he's a bat, even though Papillon doesn't pass as well as he does (I mean...look at them freaking ears). After finding out about his hands, he reluctantly approaches Papillon to ask where he got them. Papillon is puzzled at first, but very quickly catches on; he says Doomsday is the creator, then adds, "I'm sure he could make you a set, should you ask." Harrier immediately bristles--what makes him think he needs any? In response Papillon nods at Harrier's folded arms: "I assume there's a reason you don't like to show them...you're like me, are you not?" To which Harrier bares his teeth (fangs--only bolstering Papillon's point) and snaps, "I ain't nothing like you, frog! So get that thought out of your skull and bugger off!" As he storms off, Papillon (as usual, not offended in the least) calls out, "He'll be discreet if you ask him, Sergent," which just makes Harrier grind his teeth harder. He does follow Papillon's advice, however, even though it takes all the nerve he can muster. He hates the Americans even more than he hates the French, and D-Day, according to his mangled understanding of things, actually "went German" for a time so he's even worse (Harrier has surely insulted him prior to now), but he really longs for what everyone else has that he lacks. He fully expects the Trench Rat engineer to rebuff him for his earlier comments, yet when he hesitantly inquires about the prosthetic hands, and D-Day seems more perplexed than anything (like, why are you interested in Papillon's hands?), and Harrier sucks it up and gingerly removes one of his own makeshift prosthetics (grimacing in embarrassment as he does so), D-Day's ears prick forward and he says, "May I--?" Harrier nearly jerks his wing back when D-Day touches him but then holds still as he examines his thumb. He expects to be barraged with humiliating questions, yet all that D-Day asks is, "What size glove do you typically wear?" "Small," Harrier says, and "Aye," when the Trench Rat asks if they're comfortable enough. "I think I can remember the design," D-Day says, letting go of his thumb (Harrier slips the glove back on and meekly tucks his hands under his wings), "though it'll take me a bit to get the supplies and make them. Is a week acceptable?" Harrier blinks, and stammers, "Uh...aye, a week, sounds good," and D-Day tells him to return then and the hands should be ready, now please excuse him, he has to get back to work, and that's it. Harrier heads back to his base, rubbing his thumbs together self-consciously. He's mystified that the request went so smoothly...he can't understand why the American was so nice to him. Harrier's with Donovan at the base when they receive a visitor a while later: D-Day arrives with a parcel. Harrier forgot the date, so D-Day's come looking for him. He hands Harrier the parcel, saying, "They should fit, though I can adjust them if need be." Donovan looks on curiously as Harrier opens the package and removes one of the hands; its color matches his thumbs. He fumbles a bit to put it on, then can't quite figure out how to operate it; "You use your thumb and wrist to operate everything," D-Day explains, gesturing with his own hand, "Just fit your thumb in the loop and secure it snugly around your wrist," so Harrier does so. He gasps when he flexes his thumb and all the fingers pull into a fist--they straighten out again when he extends his thumb. "It'll take some practice to get them moving right," D-Day advises, "so try not to get frustrated. You'll be relying on your vision rather than on feeling anything, same as with any prosthetic. Everyone's clumsy at first." He acknowledges Donovan, then departs. "Need any help...?" Donovan asks when Harrier pulls out the second prosthetic; Harrier shakes his head, he figures he should get used to affixing them to himself on his own, though he can't quite talk at the moment, as his throat is stuck and his eyes are watery. He awkwardly manages to secure the other prosthetic, flexes all his new fingers, then has to pause a moment to press them to his eyes, his breath hitching. Donovan hesitates only briefly before grasping his shoulder as Harrier snuffles a little. Harrier still has a pissy attitude, he's just used to being that way, though on his and Donovan's following meetings to the Trench Rats, he really does try not to be quite as obnoxious, especially around D-Day. ("D-Day," D-Day corrects him when he calls him Doomsday; "There's a difference...?" Harrier asks, puzzled, to which D-Day replies that "Doomsday" is the name of the medical project he was forced into while a prisoner of war, and although he doesn't dwell on it when referred to by the same name, he prefers to distance himself a bit by using the other nickname. Harrier afterward refers to him by his preferred name.) I haven't yet figured it all out but at some point, Harrier does finally out himself as a bat, in a similar fashion to Papillon, probably by flying in and rescuing someone or retrieving something they can't reach on foot. He's embarrassed by the stunned reaction he gets, yet also similar to Papillon, there's not much negative fallout as he'd expected, just curiosity more than anything. He does find himself called up by a superior officer, and responds, full of dread, yet what it is is a new job offer: He'd likely be far more useful with the troops than behind a desk--like Papillon, he can perform surveillance and gather intelligence on the enemy. Harrier finds himself stunned. He's wanted to fly for years, now here is the opportunity. He always assumed it'd be a combat role, but this makes much more sense. He's reluctant to take the job at first, assuming he's too rusty by now--and, frankly, just feeling unworthy--yet Donovan gives him the pep talk (tough love) he needs, insisting he'd be an idiot to turn it down, and he'd regret it forever. Harrier can sense the implication in Donovan's words, that he himself misses being able to fly, something Harrier's envied for ages. He accepts the new job, though there's definitely a learning curve involved, and as D-Day said, everyone's clumsy at first. The rest of Harrier's details have yet to be worked out. See Donovan's entry for a bit more, though not much yet, on him. [Thomas Harricks 2024 [Friday, March 1, 2024, 12:00:05 AM]] |