[This is being posted as part of the hiatus for KttFF’s second chapter. The comic will resume with CHAPTER 3 on August 24th, 2023]

Similar to the Quizard Duel section, I’d hit a point in my script where I needed a visual element to tie to the plot. Specifically, this segment would be where Leon fully breaks down, realizing that he can’t possibly make the call for how to guide the future himself… but he /does/ get inspiration for where he can find the key.

Thankfully, I knew ahead of time that he’d suggest going to check landfills for it – I even foreshadowed it slightly with two trash-related jokes up to this point – but I still needed the element to trigger him into having that epiphany.
Enter, Junk Divers.

Because I don’t spend my time wisely, I developed an entire game concept around digging through trash to find treasure. Because symbolism or something.
But yes, I developed an idea for a game that was a little bit Pac-Man, a little bit Dig Dug, and a little bit a weird puzzle/exploration. The player digs up and down through multiple floors, looking for treasure. There’s a map telling you what floor you’re on, but there are multiple exits in and out of most floors, and often multiple “stages” on a single floor. The major challenges of the game are navigating back and forth between an increasingly complex set of differently-shaped rooms, all while at risk of being chased and cornered by killer robots.

If I ever need to develop a little video game, I think I’d make this in real life.

Anyway, I also made the place one plays the game this faux garbage truck, allowing Leon to stay in one place while Luca trusts him enough to go out and explore a bit on her own. Overall, I’m pretty proud of how all of those elements came together.

[This is being posted as part of the hiatus for KttFF’s second chapter. The comic will resume with CHAPTER 3 on August 24th, 2023]

The Champion’s partner! I already basically just put Seto Kaiba in my comic, so why not go all the way with it?

The Dragon Tecktrin is probably one of my FAVORITE character designs I’ve done for the comic. Not only is the design itself just really good (IMO), but it also helps to demonstrate the diversity of looks that they can have! It’s not just fluffy little sky bunnies, they can be intimidating! They are, after all, born primarily through genetic engineering, even long after their initial creation, so it makes sense that they can look so different!

[This is being posted as part of the hiatus for KttFF’s second chapter. The comic will resume with CHAPTER 3 on August 24th, 2023]

Once I settled on the “Quizard Duel” concept, it wouldn’t take long for that idea to be immediately followed by, “Hey, I could just straight-up put Seto Kaiba in.” I needed someone for Leon and Luca to duel, after all, and they’d need to be a real heel.
Enter, the Champion.

I love any chance I get to push my designs for minor NPCs, and I went nuts with this guy. Ultimately, his design was kind of an over-the-top mess, but frankly, I think that’s part of the charm.
Still, he’s only one character to duel Leon and Luca. He needs a partner, and I had just the idea…

[This is being posted as part of the hiatus for KttFF’s second chapter. The comic will resume with CHAPTER 3 on August 24th, 2023]

For the longest time, I struggled with what I wanted the “Media” section of the Fair visit to include. As the outline was getting further along, though, it made sense that this scene would be the part where Luca starts to finally embrace her time here. But how to make that happen?

Enter, the Quizard. I still remember the moment at work when that portmanteau got into my head. I developed more of the Quizard’s history by mashing together stuff like little kids’ educational programs, stuff like Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego, and the vibes of Yugioh to craft his character. I even came up with a little line for his theme song, which Luca sings upon going up to meet him.

The Quizard was also developed to have some kind of apprentice/sidekick figure, a role that is taken up by one of the (non-vocal) Plakzaken. It does appear, though it ultimately just kind of disappears in the background. I wanted to have a joke about the Quizard being really hype and over-the-top, then turning to his sidekick to keep up the momentum… which of course it wouldn’t, because it’s a giant non-talking plant alien. The Quizard would heave a big sigh, lamenting when he had his old partner.
I couldn’t find a spot for the joke, but frankly, I feel like I made a much better one instead…

[This is being posted as part of the hiatus for KttFF’s second chapter. The comic will resume with CHAPTER 3 on August 24th, 2023]

Staging for the coaster section of the chapter. I had a time and a half trying to figure out what to make the actual carts look like. It’s just kind of a vaguely space-themed thing. The real point of this section, of course, was seeing the paradox bubbles completely envelope something and disappear. What does it mean…

[This is being posted as part of the hiatus for KttFF’s second chapter. The comic will resume with CHAPTER 3 on August 24th, 2023]

“Hey Timmy, what’s YOUR favorite piece of KttFF concept art?”
“I like the one where Gage sketched out a WHOLE PAGE of details for a bathroom!”

I honestly couldn’t help myself. It was genuinely such an interesting challenge to design a restroom that can accomidate so many different kinds of beings! Naturally, these are all gender neutral.
I did have a brief crisis where I asked myself if it’d be okay to include a pad dispenser in the background of this part, despite this being an all-ages comic – this was a pre-Turning Red world, after all. I did end up including it, though the baby-changing station ended up getting much more attention. Go figure.

[This is being posted as part of the hiatus for KttFF’s second chapter. The comic will resume with CHAPTER 3 on August 24th, 2023]

A bit more finalization, along with testing out some more alternative designs for the main Fair grounds platform. This would ultimately be the last of the sketches I did for the structure of the Fair grounds area, though there are still tons of little details and specific locations that I’d end up developing after this.

Still, it took a good 8 PAGES of sketches to reach a point where I was comfortable and satisfied with how it looks. I’m proud of that, actually, since I have a bad habit of just running with my first idea sometimes.