Capstone Project

Here is where you can learn about my graphic novel: Doomed Legacy

Explanation of The Plot

In this world supernatural beings such as angels and demons (or as they call the two as a whole, Ethereals) have the ability to live among human beings in their realm. This has caused humans through the years to develop defenses against them, this comes int he form of: weapons being made to specifically harm Ethereals, containment agency's that work as a police office of sorts but focused on them vs humans. Laws are put in place that makes sure just as humans have no authority when in an Ethereal realm, Ethereals have no authority in the human realm. They are not allowed to hold any position of power (whether it be president, king, Supreme court, anything such as that), Ethereals are also prohibited from being in any human law enforcement, though nothing prohibits them from working at the containment agency as long as it is clear they are an Ethereal. These rules transfer down to half Ethereals, while they get more protections under human law they still cannot be in any governing office, or law enforcement. Half Ethereals even if their Ethereal parent looks nothing like a human, will often resemble a human more than an Ethereal. The ways one can decipher a human and a half Ethereal is traits such as: abnormally colored hair and/or eyes, while some also have pointed ears and are born with a tail (though this is more uncommon). It is later in life that traits like horns, tails, and anything else unordinary emerge (around mid 30's-early 40's). Although there are laws and rules put in place, of course as with everything there are ones who get by with bending these rules. Many Ethereals have found ways to gain power without holding a specific title, they do this by marrying into wealthy human families with status, running a business where they gain following and their own status, or perhaps by partnering up with a human that goes along with them. This has caused an imbalance in the world that most have turned a blind eye to because it benefits those that hold the authority to stop such things.

When the story starts off the main characters (who work in a containment agency) are trying to solve the a particularly hard case. Despite the difficulty this case caused it still seemed like a normal case. That is until ties to an illegal organization that focuses on killing and experimenting on Ethereals under the pretenses of 'protecting humanity', but in reality they are simply trying to direct the odds in their favor in an attempt to control the area and grow to dictate more and more of the world. This discovery causes things to shift, they eventually find the Ethereal that the client hired them to find, but the case couldn't stop there, they had to dig deeper and stop whatever it is this organization was planning before it effected other people. They successfully stall the continuation of anything that may happen for the time being.

The second part of the story starts with the main character (Cain) being hired by a client who wishes to keep as little people involved as possible. While the other two members of the team work on other clients, Cain works closely with this client (Rosa) to help. This case is not one of detective work though, this is where Cain uses what he learned in past jobs (will be discussed in his bio sheet) to kill the demon in which Rosa married, as he causes a threat to her children and refuses to let her leave. During this part Cain is reunited with his friend (Chandler). This section of the story is mainly focused on Cain getting better mentally, and developing real relationships, as well as. Through this section the truth of Cains half demon blood is revealed, and while its legal for an Ethereal/ half Ethereal to work at the containment agency, it is illegal to not be registered as one. He's arrested and in the middle of a court case but before anything can happen things get disrupted.

The third section is where things pick up, this section consists of bringing back in the organization from before, it gets a new leader with the death of the original one and the new leader (Kenneth) and an angel woman begin their plan to separate Ethereals and humans. While those two enact their plan, Cain begins his own, which stems from a deal he made with the chief of the containment agency that when he gives the word, Cain will use what he learned from that organization to 'fix' things. Cain leaves everyone behind and begins exterminating the Ethereals that have caused corruption in society. After some time he teams up with Kenneth and another man (Anthony) and continue. That continues until the angel Kenneth was working with tracks them down. After a fight several members of the main group end in the hospital, including Cain, and before he can even fully heal the judge for Ethereals takes over the trial for Cain (which is odd considering half Ethereals are tried as humans). The judge does this thouhg because (c

Main Characters

This is the reference picture for the main characters for at least the first section of the story, (later characters come in/ leave). The three to the right are a part of containment agency, starting from the right: Nicholas is a scientist whose specialty is the study of Ethereals, Najia is the muscle of the group and handles the 'containment' part, and finally, Cain is not only the boss of the two, but he is the actual detective tasked with finding the aggressor.

The man next to Cain is Chandler, while he comes in a little later in the story he still plays an important role. He is Cains best friend from high school up until they got separated a few years into college. Lastly, Christina is the first client Cain works with after the revelation that he is half demon, but grows into an important friend to Cain while he's at his lowest. More on each of the characters will be provided, this was just for a brief overview.

Cain Grayfell

Cain is the character that Doomed legacy is circled around. While raised human he is half demon, this happened because of an affair his mother had while in a rough patch with her husband. His mother knew the moment she had Cain she was the child of the demons she was with, and this caused her to be a little more defensive towards him. (It is important to add it wasn't a meaningless relationship, she did share feelings with Cains biological father, though ultimately decided to go back to her husband out of loyalty of their marriage. It took thirty eight years to learn the truth. More about him will be provided below.

Cains original design

The only existing drawing of Cain when I first made him is this drawing alongside one other sketch, both on a lined paper that's torn in half and crumpled up. This sketch is from at least 3-4 years ago.

Redesign part 2

This second design I made 2-3 years ago and it was when I had originally planned for him to be in a simple detective x detective love story.

Redesign 2 pt 2

I beleive this is also from the second redesign. Originally I had planned obviously for his hair to spike up on the ends. Though seeing the hair that's sticking up I think this sketch could have come before the digital redesign.

Redesign 3

And finally ass shown earlier, redesign number 3. I made his hair lay flat because not only does it look better but I have a character who has a very similar type of haircut and decided I wanted to do something different. I also scrapped the little hair piece that sticks up because it just looked awkward on him

Cain before the story

Before the story takes place Cain had ridiculously long hair. He had been growing it since he was a kid, for no specific reason. It's only when he realizes his abnormal hair color was the greatest thing mocking his naivety towards the truth of his bloodline.

How he never thought it was odd he was born with odd features such as his green hair, and yellow eyes is his mother (who knew his origins originally) and a trusted doctor had told him from a very young age everything that's occurring is from a gene mutation, saying something along the lines of "with so much odd blood running around these days, its not so uncommon", so of course he believed them, especially his mother. Until the traits manifested.

An important design change between Cain being in a good mental state and being as he is in the beginning of the story is in his eyes are flat on top and rounded at the bottom, vs his eyes would usually be the reverse of that (as seen in the photo). Then obviously he has outgrown facial hair, messy hair, he has gained some weight and tired eyes.

When making Cain I wanted to make it realistic to how real some people who spiral into depression. Cain eats mainly junk food, he balances this by working out paired with not eating as much, during this period of time he sought comfort in food, and neglected physical exorcise, mostly anyone in this situation would gain weight, and that's what happened to him. Similarly, a common occurrence in people with depression is neglecting hygiene. For six months Cain did not completely stop such practices, but definitely slacks.

For his personality I wanted him to be a fine line between caring, snarky, and bland. Cain is hesitant to get near people, this causes him to act uninterested in what people say and do, but spend some extra time with him and this facade slips and he shows how he cares in little ways. In general he will make snarky comments to people.

Chandler Days

Chandler (Chancy) is Cains best friend since high school. He is half Ethereal (his mother is an angel, in the literal sense). For most of Chandlers life it was just him and his mom because of his parents separation. He was quite young when his father left, he never really knew why his dad did this and while he would never admit it, this is why he fears others will leave him, especially those who are close to him like Cain, and later his wife Cynthia. Later though his mom remarries a human and has two children with him, which he loves, but sometimes would feel he was getting in the way of them.

Chandler has naturally blue hair, but he got in the habit of dying it brown because he prefers to look more human, his eyes also match this color. When his full features manifested all that changed was his hair and eyes are luminescent.

He has always been fake with people, he puts on a cocky, confident demeanor while some of it is just how he is, most his him putting up walls. As for his love life he has always been the playboy type, that was until he met Cynthia, who was the first person he tried for, and later married. Cynthia and Cain are the most important people in Chandlers eyes.

Sadly, Cynthia passed away from a disease not long after they got married. This is not only where he lost his soulmate but when he stopped talking to his family. This is because his mom (whose species of angel originates from life, so she could heal those around her) refused to heal Cynthia from her disease, even though that goes against Ethereal's law.

The loss of his beloved wife drove Chandler nearly insane. He went down a hole, bringing Cain with him. This went on until he overdosed on elicit substances and had to be brought to the hospital. Though both Chandler and Cain participated in this, but because Chandler saw Cain as having more of a future he went and confessed to everything so he could take full punishment. This landed him in prison for the next seven years, but gets out earlier for good behavior.

Najia and Nicolas Smith

These two are Cains employees. Starting with Nicholas (Nick), he is a scientist specializing in Ethereals. Being young and dumb he joined work at the same organization Cain used to work at (though Cain was long gone from there when Nick began his work), though he was in charge of various tests and experiments on Ethereals. Nicholas didn't see the issue with this until he met Najia.

Najia was a victim of this organization, he was taken into the lab and tested on (mainly his strength, as he doesn't have any real 'power'). Nicholas was assigned to do most of this process. From working so closely with each other they began to form a bond. Its important to mention that Nick's personality back here was very cold and standoffish, not because he wanted to, he just wasn't very sociable.

This bond grew and the two began understanding each other more. Feelings developed and Nick found himself disgusted with this line of work. Seeing no other way out, they decided to just run. The security did cause alarms to be set off and guards began swarming, the two got out but not unharmed. They gain their respective scars at this time (though Nick sustained a blow of a weapon made to use against Ethereals, since he is human it merely caused a burn. If he was an Ethereal his face would have been missing a chunk- and example of this is a later character mentioned.) and luckily Najia only received a shot to the ear.

Not long after this is were the two meet Cain. Kenneth (the son of the man who runs the organization holding Najia captive and where Nick worked. He will be explained later) goes to Cain (who at this time is working at the Ethereal containment agency) and hires him to 'exterminate' the two under the pretenses of Najia being a danger and Nick being an accomplice. When he tracks the two Cain in a show of his secret soft spot in his heart offers the two a spot in the agency to work under him instead of anything happening to them.

Their new life is everything they could hope, they have a partner who equally cares and acknowledges them, and a job they enjoy. Najia and Cain get along well and often if they are tracking an Ethereal they will go together. Cain and Nick on the other hand don't get along because Nick thinks Cains pretentious and rude, and Cain thinks Nicks childish and whiny. Nonetheless, the two do care about each other and activly look out for the other in their own way.

Christina Ann

Christina (Christy) is first introduced as a client, the first client that Cain takes after his six months of absence. She's a college student and has been feeling as though there's something supernatural stalking her. Whatever it is has caused her to feel more and more anxious, tired, and mentally worse.

She's a very kind person, and even when Cains rude to her at first she remains nice to him. Christina is working towards being a lawyer and has a strong sense of justice, she can also read people fairly well. This is why when Cain attempts to keep her at arms length she sees through it via his actions.

Through the story it is determined that the Ethereal stalking her is trying to break down her mind by prying on issues she's suffered with by amplifying them. This is done because if the Ethereal (later found to be a demon) breaks her mind enough she can become a vessel and it is possible to possess her. This is done because of an experiment the organization both Cain and Nick worked on is trying, Christina just so happened to be a good candidate for such a thing. Her feelings of loneliness, and stress, all caused by being in a new place (her college) but when fed upon grew and negatively impacted her.

Christina isn't in the whole story. She is in the first chunk of it, and later comes back in another chunk. Once her case is solved she goes to England to further her college career.

Important Characters that are side characters/come in later into the story:

Rafael

Rafael (no relation to the biblical one, just shares the same name) is the neutral judge for all Ethereals, even though they are an angel vs a neutral species.

Rafael (true form)

Rafael takes the form of a human, but their true form is mostly that of light in the shape of a humanoid form.

Ralfy

Ralfy is someone Cain goes to for information regarding his cases (an informant) as he runs a club that is often frequented by Ethereals.

Anthony Denis

While he appears to be a demon, Anthony is a human. He had made a contract with a higher demon that ended with him getting the strength/powers of a demon. He comes in several times in the story but he is an allied to Cain despite his loyalty is with a criminal organization fronting as a tech company.

Each of these character could have pages upon pages of information written out, but this is the basic description of who they are.

(A Better View)

Rosa Barrera

Rosa is a half demon from a wealthy upper class family. While she comes in much later in the story she has an important part, not just for Cain but in her own development as a person. She meets Cain when looking for a solution to get her and her kids away from her husband.

Jeremy Weather

Jeremy is another detective, though currently is privately employed by a wealthy man, while he has solved the issue that man had, he continued to freeload in the house. Jeremy has it out for Cain as he knows about the secret of what Cain used to do for work, as well as suspected before anything him not being fully human.

Robert and Beatrice Anderson

Robert and Beatrice are a married couple. Beatrice is a demon, and she received a blow to the face with a anti-Ethereal weapon (that is what caused her face to be like this), because of her wound she wears a mask most of the time. Robert is the wealthy man Jeremy works for (or rather he simply just funds his crazy hunches). He's a pretty well known crime boss who's business acts as a pharmaceutical company, even though most of what he does is networking between other companies.

Charles and Kenneth Jones

These two are father and son. Charles is the leader of the organization that Cain worked at. He is a ruthless, evil, power hungry man. His son, Kenneth, is not like this, but that doesn't necessarily mean he is a good person. He is a sheep, and a coward. Kenneth does not agree with what his father does to Ethereal (mass 'exterminations' and testing that borders along torture all with the excuse of 'protecting humanity') but he still does what Charles says. Kenneth is younger than Cain but while they worked closely together they had (while neither would admit it) become friends, and that has something to do with why in the story Kenneth holds what he thinks is a hatred towards Cain for 'betraying the organization', when really it was that Cain left without saying anything.

Lora

Lora is an angel who was detained by Charles organization. She believes that humans and Ethereals should have stayed separated. She is especially against the idea of half human half Ethereal people. Her tie to this is once Charles is out of the way and Kenneth takes over she will enact her plan to 'fix' the world (which is mirroring what Cain does later in the story.) Through her years at the organization Lora has conditioned Kenneth. He's weak minded, meaning she was able to turn his views to align with hers.

Cynthia Days

Cynthia was Chandlers wife, but sadly passed away a little before Chandler went to jail. The three of them (Cain, Chandler, and Cynthia) where all quite close, Cain lived with the two and they were quite the trio. Cynthia, while when originally met Chandler was just as scandalous, moved on from that life, and was getting the two to move on as well. She had planned on being a veterinarian and loved animals. When Cain and Chandler were into preforming music she was the drummer. Sadly, she never got the chance because while still in college she contracted a disease and sadly after a nearly a year succumbed to it.

Nova

Nova is Cains biological dad. He is a shape shifter type of demon, though this doesn't mean he can only change his shape, he can also adapt the power of other Ethereals (to a point).

Nova lives in the human realm because in his own realm he is seen as defective because he came out smaller than he's suppose to. His horns especially are smaller than they are supposed to be, which in his species is a show of power. He has issues with his own powers in the sense of he can hold a human form of his own (or others) but when strong emotions get involved he falters and will change back or switch back and forth.

He had met Cains mother in a bar and instantly felt a connection to her. Through their relationship he felt emotions he'd never experienced before, this is why when she left him to go back to her husband Nova was devastated. Especially when he found out about Cains existence, because he wasn't allowed to be in Cains life he had to get creative and would watch over him when others weren't paying attention, his true form lacking real mass made this easy to hide if anyone were to come.

Nova feels even worse upon seeing how Cain took the news of his half demon blood, feeling if he tried harder to get into his life he could of been there for Cain.

Some more Sketches/ Concept sketches

Goals I had for this project:

When making this I wanted every character to have a purpose beyond the main character, yes their actions will lead them to interact with Cain in some way, and of course a lot of what was mentioned was aimed towards Cain, but they still have their own goals, except or one (Jeremy) who's supposed to be so stuck on something that he cant move past it, making him focus so hard on ruining Cain, but slowly even he wants more out of that life. I also wanted to connect different stories, which in turn creates a world around them.

Finally, I wanted to stick to something. I have an issue with staying with the same story for more than a few weeks or a month, this project really got me out of that and I was able to create a way more in depth story than anything I've done before.

Themes of Story

In the story there are several themes, they are portrayed through the characters actions, words, and just the characters in general. Some of these themes consist of: need for purpose, need for connection, corruption when power goes unchecked. There are instances of longing, and the importance of moving forward. Each character has gone though something in their life, and each has to figure out how to keep on living without letting it consume them.

The Process

To create this I have to first think of a main character, and as I develop them the other characters end up coming to me. I continue to listen to music that inspire me in many areas, and once I have the basic bones of a plot I begin. I sketch out designs trying to figure out how I want the characters to look, and once I do that I begin the reference sheet, and as I make that I begin thinking about the plot in greater detail. I then begin typing out basic plot points and making characters sheets with information or them (this can range from their backstory to their favorite foods). When I get the basic plot written, I go in and begin thinking in even more detail: how does this happen? how do the characters all connect? what is the end goal? what do the characters strive for? I then start thinking of scenarios, and as I think of those the plot begins to come to life. While focusing on this story in particular, I kept my art for the most part revolving around this project. Once the plots at a point where its not just concepts of ideas I go in and begin writing the 'script', describing what the characters are doing, saying, and how the story goes. I then sketch out a rough sketch on paper and photograph it to put into digital, and then I begin the final design of the page. I draw each cell, and think of where I want the text, and once I am done with the art I go in and add the text.

Thumbnails for pages

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