FAQ
QUICK LINKS:-Where did the idea for this comic come from? -Why are all the boys in this comic beat up? -Why set it in a high school? -Why set it in a fancy, expensive place? -Why set it in upstate NY? -What is all this ROMANCE business? GROSS -What is all this HETEROSEXUAL business? GROSS -What is the process you go through to make this comic? -Is this a harem series? -What is UP with these NAMES?! -You've made a spelling error, drawing error, or a general error... -What ethnicity is Dusan? They speak German but don't look it. -Does Anetta have anyone she likes? -What shampoo does Johan use? -For every guy character: boxers or briefs? -How did Jean get his eye popped out (assuming, of course)? Will it ever heal? -Does Anetta style her hair that way, or does she just wake up and go to school like that? Or is it natural? -Does anyone play sports? -What's the point to Ron? He's, like, dirt compared to Jean. -Have you thought about how far will you take this comic? -Have you thought about how this will end? -Will there be LESBIANS? -Is Jean single? -How do you choose birthdays for your characters? -Does Johan travel the world giving fabulous make-overs and haircuts? -Are Johan's eyes naturally blue? -What weird buildings have people donated and where does everyone like to hang out at this school? ANSWERS:Where did the idea for this comic come from? Wikipedia: Language of Flowers. Dead. Serious. In the summer of 2007 I was mad bored and pressing the "Random Page" button on Wikipedia, when a page about the Victorian "flower language" came up. Every member of the Flower Club and Dusan came bursting into my mind in that very instant. That day I drew them up, and the only character design that really changed later was Anetta's. Why are all the boys in this comic beat up? N-Not all of them! Just Dusan and his posse, because A: they're dorks, B: they skateboard, C: they like other dangerous hobbies. Some cleaner, less injured, cuter boys will come in soon. Why set it in a high school? I wanted there to be stuff that wouldn't happen in middle school, and I don't know anything about adult life or college life, so uh...high school just seemed the most logical. (I'm in high school right now, in case you wanted to know.) Why set it in a fancy, expensive place? There are a lot of fancy expensive schools in upstate New York, really! A lot of "Victoria High" is based on schools like Emma Willard School. I don't go to normal school myself (but believe me, my school's not expensive or fancy, just weird) so I just thought it would be appropriate. Why set it in upstate NY? That's where I live, it's the only place I really know. What is all this ROMANCE business? GROSS I'm not sure about you, but at my school the only things most people say are like "oh, did you hear this person and that person oh going out? oh, he is so hot! I think this person and that person are totally doing it! dfdsfs? dgffgfd!". So uhh...I just thought it'd be silly to cut out romance completely? Plus, it's convenient for my story. Sure, there are other reasons Dusan could've joined the Flower Club, b-but...I'm not that creative! What is all this HETEROSEXUAL business? GROSS I just didn't really feel like doing BL? And plus, there's more to a story than who's sleeping with who! Concentrate on the characters and stuff, okay? I plan to have characters of all sexualities eventually though, so uhhh? What is the process you go through to make this comic? First, I write a script using the Script Smart Gold attachment for Microsoft Word. then, I print it out and doodle on, edit, and basically destroy said script. I also do the thumbs right on the script page, because it's convenient. After that, I draw the panel outlines and stuff with my "fat pen", sketch everything in with a pencil, go ever the pencil with my "normal pen", scan into the computer, throw the text on, and then coloorrr. The fastest I've ever done this was possibly 2.5 hours? But it's loads of fun, so it doesn't matter how long it takes. Is this a harem series? No. At least, I hope it doesn't come off that way. There's a lot of girls, but they're not all in love with Dusan. That would be gross. What is UP with these NAMES?! Some of them have meanings (which I've forgotten), but most of them are just French names I found on Wikipedia, or random names I see on gravestones (this is where I get a lot of names from. Graveyards are so peaceful and historical.) Why French names? I don't know. I just really like French names. You've made a spelling error, drawing error, or a general error... Augh! Please please tell me! I really would like to fix it ASAP. I get a lot of things wrong, but... What ethnicity is Dusan? They speak German but don't look it. (From bunkun) His father is one quarter african-american, one quarter generic white, and half hispanic, and his mother is the German one. So that makes Dusan...a lot of stuff. While I'm on the subject: Anetta: Mostly Italian Charlotte: "Generic white" (with french heritage) Bianca: Half chinese, half "white" Teddy: Indian (although his last name isn't technically indian. /sob) Does Anetta have anyone she likes? (From bunkun) ...I don't think so. She used to have someone she liked, and even dated someone for a while, but they broke up. Since then she hasn't really been into anyone, I guess. What shampoo does Johan use? (from Striped Orange Socks) He makes his own, actually. For every guy character: boxers or briefs? (from Striped Orange Socks) Dusan: Boxers. Teddy: Briefs Ron: Boxers Jean: Boxers Johan: Boxerbriefs (I'll do more when there's more male characters...this is uncomfortable to answer../sob ) How did Jean get his eye popped out (assuming, of course)? Will it ever heal? (from Striped Orange Socks) He was born like that. His eye is still in there, it just doesn't work and it's gross looking. It won't heal, sorry. Does Anetta style her hair that way, or does she just wake up and go to school like that? Or is it natural? (from Striped Orange Socks) She styles it herself. Her daily routine consists of straightening it, and then using pomade gel to give it that chunky appearance, which doesn't take more then 10 minutes. Every six months or so she has to recolor it. (Why is it that I know every detail of this? ...I'm so lame.) Does anyone play sports? (from Striped Orange Socks) Dusan wants to, but he's never made it onto any teams. Anetta, on the other hand, does play a sport. A lot of the girls (not Anetta) ride horses. Teddy is too fragile to play any sports (wow, briefs and too fragile to play sports, I feel bad for this kid) What's the point to Ron? He's, like, dirt compared to Jean. (from Striped Orange Socks) ...T-that's harsh! Jean and Ron are actually good friends! Ron is kind of mean, but he's stood up to bullies for Jean before...this story is getting kind of gay, nevermind. Have you thought about how far will you take this comic? (from muura) How far? Well, I'm definitely going to finish it, no doubt about it. But other than that I don't really have any other plans...This is really just so I can get better at making comics. Have you thought about how this will end? (from muura) Yes, definitely! I have every major plotpoint written down in chronological order, in case I forget. However, the end...I'm still deciding! There's a couple different ways to go with the end, but none of them really seem right. I'm going to have to do some SERIOUS THINKING. Will there be LESBIANS? (from muura) Yes, actually one of those aforementioned "major plotpoints" is totally lesbiantastic. I..I'm not drawing like lesbian sex scenes or anything though. I hope to get through this comic without drawing any sex scenes...(I'm just bad at drawing naked.) Is Jean single? (from BrittanyBromide) Why is Jean so popular? Is it the kinky eyepatch? Haha, whatever, but I guess I have to tell you that he is single. How do you choose birthdays for your characters? (from volubleviking) I usually decide what horoscope/star sign or whatever they are first, and then within that horoscope's range, I choose a day. For some of them I looked into the specific day (like, to see what obscure holidays they were or whatever), but for some of the more minorish characters I just picked any day in the correct range. Does Johan travel the world giving fabulous make-overs and haircuts? (from YeGods) Actually, right now he's attending cosmetology school in Germany. However, that's not how he knows German; he and Dusan lived there for a while. Are Johan's eyes naturally blue? (from YeGods) Nope, he wears color contacts. However, he has to wear contacts anyways, he's a little near-sighted. What weird buildings have people donated and where does everyone like to hang out at this school? (from dolleface) The main part of the school was actually a mansion in the early 19th century, and was transformed into a school later. To learn more about the history of Victoria High, you can visit the School Page. Um, I'm not sure about who exactly donated what, but I know that at some point the 2-floor Cafe and Sculpture buildings were added, and there's a multipurpose stadium, and two gym buildings. Also at some point, the modern theatre had to be refurbished.... I guess when they have free time, most of the characters hang out at the Tea Garden, like in chapter 2 when Dusan and Anetta meet Lucienne and Parisse there. Also, on the second floor, there's a huge library where people hang out. Uhh...here's a diagram of important places on the first floor: (1. The Flower Club's Garden, 2. Tea Garden, 3. Stadium, 4. Cafe/Cafeteria)  |
