In Reference to: Nate (Patreon)

Purged more reference this week, primarily for the character of Nate in Jockstrap Academy.

Matt of 12-Inch Roommate was originally created for Jockstrap Academy, he was a parody of a High School bully who ran roughshod over anyone and was the house tormentor of the non-athletic characters. When I returned to the concept I could no longer see Matt in the role so I decided to find him a replacement. 

First I came up with the name Nate Poundstone - seemed appropriate for a bully. Then, wanting Nate to be as different from Matt as possible, I decided he was blond, with a compact head with sharp angles and square-ish muscles. When Nate is introduced in my script he's a non-speaking, brickhouse who reduces you to a quivering mess with just a scowl. His entire life is on the field, in the gym and tearing people down in between. He's the star quarterback who sees the campus as his domain. His body is a temple, and you are expected to bow down to it.

While pulling reference, I began to notice a few interesting trends, most importantly an inclination towards men with a very specific type of nose - this sort of prominent triangle that sort of juts from a square head. Paired with beady eyes, it provides a soulless feel.

In terms of clothing, I figured Nate would be one of those jocks who just lives in a jersey, but also wouldn't be showy or déclassé enough to just wear workout shorts all the time, so I went with khaki colored shorts - super tight, of course. With this character I'm trying to evoke a feeling of being intimidated - like you're taking peeks at him but looking away in fear that he'll catch you.

However, Nate is a person. Nate is someone in my story that starts out as one thing and becomes something else, so a lot of my process in finding just the right inspo with him is adaptability. Yes, he has soulless beady eyes - but maybe its because he's just bored with life? Yes, I keep his mouth a simple shape because his mood never changes - but what's the simple shape when he does have to smile? Yes, he wears jerseys and football paraphernalia all the time, but what if there were uniform straps and performance gear and underpants always peeking out because there's something underneath?

I'm probably overthinking it, but that's what I enjoy about this process.