Born in Blazer’s territory to two loving parents—Lucky the Traveling Clown and Luna the Traveling Cook—Lucia was blessed with a pleasant childhood. Everyone loved her family, and the amusement restaurant they ran, so her earliest memories are simple things like helping her mother make delicious meals or her father stitch wonderful costumes. And watching TV. Lots of it. Those late nights spent in their dusty basement, face washed over by the soft glow of an LCD screen, were how she discovered her love for volleyball.

But, like all good things, these happy times eventually came crashing down. When Lucia was four, her mother grew ill with an unknown disease.

It only took a few months for the disease to win, fracturing her family as her father broke from reality as a result of the loss. He didn’t want to accept that his wife had died, and so made every attempt to rebuild her. This started with costumes, similar to the ones they all used to wear, and eventually evolved into him building entire animatronics. Each failed attempt only drove him more insane, and even a child such as Lucia understood that soon they would run out of money, and he wouldn’t even think to care about her. So, stealing the last of his cash and taking her one prized possession, a picture of Pillow—the world’s biggest volleyball star—she left home for good.

The next couple of years were a blur of misery and strife as she roamed the streets, alone. She scrounged for food in dumpsters, and eventually called one home—though she hated every time she had to slink back into it after a rough day of survival. During this time the only thing that kept her sane was volleyball. She caught every game she could, gluing herself to the windows of various pawn shops until they told her scram. When she found one of her own, a patchwork thing abandoned in the middle of a parking lot, she was overjoyed, and began practicing by pounding it at the head of any jerk who got too close to her dumpster home. Needless to say, despite being born in Blazer’s territory, she quickly adapted to the horrific ways of Panty’s Landing.

But her life began turning around when she met Max, a young boy who, like her, had been abandoned by those supposed to raise him. Though he was peculiar, and far unlike her, she quickly bonded with him, and vowed to defend him no matter what. They continued roaming the streets for a few years, always on their toes and doing anything to survive, but it wasn’t so miserable, now. Lucia had someone to talk to every night. Someone to hug. Someone who loved her as much as she loved them. And by the time they took up residence in an abandoned home, she viewed herself almost as his mother.

The next few years were spent repairing their lives, making them normal. She didn’t want to spend the rest of her days stealing and scrounging and so, taking advantage the cooking skills her mother bestowed upon her, she got a job at a restaurant, using the money to fix up the house, to buy them clothes, to keep them protected. She got herself and Max in school, and worked hard to ace her classes, and harder to make the volleyball team. It hasn’t happened yet, but one day it will and she’s certain of that.

But they’re still stuck in Panty’s Landing, and Lucia won’t feel comfortable until she gets them the hell out.

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TRIVIA

-Lucia’s absolute favorite food is pizza. Her absolute most hated food is chili.

-The reason for her powerful but incredibly inaccurate shot is because, when living in the dumpster, she had to use her volleyball as a weapon but only ever did it at point-blank range.

-She’s never gone back to visit her father, and has no idea how far into depravity he’s slipped. Her feelings toward him are very mixed.

-She hates reality TV because she considers it a bunch of “fake rich people pretending to be more important than they are” and loves action shows because, well, they’re badass.

-Before the start of The Panty Bear, Lucia had never been in a proper fight. She’d attacked and scared people off, but her battle with G.Raffe was the her first ever.

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PRODUCTION TRIVIA

-Lucia had a few different designs before the one we finally settled on.

-Lucia’s last name was originally Lockeheart. It was changed because we both forgot we had already given her a last name when we went to do the pages.

-In the original draft of the story, her and Max were related, brother and sister, and the plot revolved around her having to get him back in time for dinner so their parents wouldn’t get mad at her.