Character Inspirations
I wanted my world to be open to interpretation—to be able to grow, change, and adapt to new ideas and opportunities. I also wanted my world to be more than just my own, something anyone could technically add to.
By making the discovery of the story PART of the story itself, and the author but a character within that story… there’s plenty of wiggle room for others to add their own ideas to the mix. Having a ‘character author’ also allows me to make use of a narrator to provide important context/notes during upcoming projects—while also reminding the audience everything that’s written is just ONE interpretation of the story.
Honestly, I’d love to have a whole team of “historians” to “peer review” one another’s “findings” some day, lol. Ideally something similar to Star Wars’ Extended Universe (pre-Disney) or the SCP Foundation… here’s to hoping!
As far as the character herself… to be honest a lot of the references are taken directly from my own life events… That said, there’s certainly some inspiration from things like “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” and the concept of “Lemony Snicket” from “A Series of Unfortunate Events.”
Photography & Design
For this set I really wanted to showcase how the city comes alive after dark. The lights, the sounds, the neons—it’s like a whole another world! While there’s still a certain charm to the city during the day… it’s during the nights (especially the warm summer ones) that the city truly shows its colors. ^.^
Take a walk downtown on a warm summer eve and you’ll soon be greeted by roaring engines and streaking neons. Cars, bikes, and trikes alike—those who come out to play in the dark do their part to make sure they’re seen—and heard—by any means… (necessary or otherwise).
Heck, my custom riding jacket actually features EL-wire text and borders to add to this effect! <3
The Outfit
I’ve been wanting to make a custom riding jacket for a while now, and with the blazing heat of summer making my old one… uncomfortable… the timing couldn’t have been better.
Despite how it may look, this jacket is thicc. The black/purple layers are 6/5oz on their own, with the central plate adding another 9oz of hardened veg tan over the back. While the pink is mostly decorative (1oz), with 12oz+ generally being considered ‘armor grade,’ it’s arguably tougher than my old one, lol. (I still need to add some detachable sleeves before I fully replace it though XD)
The Bikes! <3
While my first bike was a cruiser (’83 Yamaha Virago VX500), being barely 100lbs I found I had difficulty controlling it at low speeds. As much as I loved it—as any rider will tell you—there are those who like to cruise… and those who prefer …a little more?
Today, that’s a Ninja 400 (’20). At just over 350 lbs it’s an absolute breeze for me to handle. If anything, being on the smaller side actually helps with the power to weight ratio… (i.e. more zoom zooms XD).
I’ve always enjoyed the concept of women challenging gender norms, and riding motorcycles is no different! Any time I see another female rider out there I can’t help but cheer them on! It’s empowering really, and that’s the feeling I wanted to share.
