Possible new story arcs.

[Jin-roh]

Hello valued members of the comic community!

Although I have suspended my comic for a full calendar year, I am brainstorming new stories! I am open to suggestions from other inspired peoples. Here are few that I've come up with. This is a condensed version of something I posted at my blog over here. Naturally, my webcomic is here.

My comic is about a group of friends who attend "Trinity Pacific University," an evangelical Christian college. Two of the girls live together on campus. Four guys share an apartment.

Mark Collins gets a "real" date finally. Mark Guyerhis, his best friend, finally sets up Mark Collins on a date with another girl. Mark Collins does not realize that this is a date, and the event will likely involve some shanghaiing. Mark Collins and Becca, after their last encounter, remain naturally star-crossed. How might a inexplicably shy guy get lovingly shanghaied by his best friend?

Becca gets an idiot boyfriend. Either Becca, perhaps over summer, will develop a relationship with a guy by the name of Peter Knack. The relationship is odd at first (first boyfriend for either?), and becomes increasingly awkward. Turns out that Peter Knack is still primarily interested in videogames and such. He does stuff like forgetting his girlfriend's birthday because he has to raid with his guild, grind to level 80, farm blindweed etc. Eventually Becca dumps him explaining, "you don't want a girlfriend right now, so why am I here?" Ian, Andy, and possibly the Marks play some kind supportive role. Later they discuss whether they are justified in feeling just a little bit of animosity towards Peter.

Mark Guyer creates a new product to sell to all kinds of College students; a device that will let you meet yourself five years from now. The characters try it out. Future Andy is married, but refuses to tell present Andy when/who/how etc. Future Ian is half way done with a three year PhD, but is taking a break. Future Mark Collins finally got his shit together, finished college, and is working as a programmer somewhere. Dare I say, San Deigo? Becca and Jenny meet their future selves as well. Mark Guyer, upon finally meeting his future self, destroys the machine entirely. He refuses to tell anyone what happened when he met his future self. Where should the girls be in five years?

Mark Collins gets his life together. After working an thoroughly unsatisfying job with megatech computers, Mark finally decides to get his C.S. Degree. After all, he's a few years out of high school and two of his roommates are doing the college thing full time. He begins embarking on such a journey. What about working at a story like CompUSA or Best Buy for several years would make someone realize "Whoa dude, my life is totally not going anywhere..."?

Mark Guyer also decides to change job from the computer sales floor. This is likely forced by some external circumstance, since Mark Guyer has no actual ambition although he has great ability. He begins working for Kutless Kitchen Kutlery, a direct marketing job that is no way like Cutco. He dominates, advances, but later does something completely stupid and that makes him leave either of his own accord or because he's fired.

Andy and Jenny start dating. Jenny, the white girl who grew up in Asia, finally hooks up with Andy. He is after all, a bad-boy rocker who she, as a classical vocal performance major, can't resist. I am not sure exactly how this is going to happen, but the cat is out of the bag. Of course, no new relationship would be complete with out Andy's ex-girlfriend finally transferring to TPU. He's over her though. Thankfully, she's over him too. yeah. Totally.

[Redtech]

OK, now this is going to be perfectly frank and no-spared-blows, but...

YOU'RE ON HIATUS FOR A YEAR?!?

Anyways, to answer your question, something like that demands an X-years later spinoff. If anything it might be easier to start from a new beginning and re-introduce the cast and how they've been doing, rather than forgetting that a time span occurred in their lives. I am a fan of the "device that lets you see the future" if only because I love conflicts within stories it might be darkly amusing to have something "tragic" and play with it.

[Jin-roh]

I'm on hiatus for year because this is my first year of Graduate education. I will queue up again this summer, and come back on the 10th of August.

X-years later might be clever, but I feel like I had have to fill in the time somehow. I'd have to come up with my own list of LOST style flashbacks to fill in time.

[Redtech]

This is the true skill of storytelling! Consider that you don't need to tell every exact detail of a character's childhood, but it's a given that they have one. The same way that you can subtly hint what has happened without being too blatant unless it's suitably epic.

[Jin-roh]

Your suggestion has great merit, but it is very adventurous. This maybe something that I put into motion further down the line. The only reason I hesistate is that perhaps I should continue "practicing" story telling for a while? Although, I did have it mind that I show the closing of the college years for some of my cast...