Arwen (Acoustic) - Sam Gray (mp3)
Humdrum - Pallers (mp3)
My first series on XtraNormal went to the heart of the issue: the absurdities of groupthink in a school environment. While inspired directly by my experiences at my own job, by the people who surround me every day, it wasn't so much intended as a slam on them as it was on the way educators and administrators are in general.
However, when I showed off my creations to friends and spouse, the resounding response I got was: "You'd best not let these get out. It would be bad for you, professionally speaking." Well, I can ignore one voice, but ignoring five or six is a different story.
So I went back to the drawing board. Rather than creating characters who were mash-ups of several people I knew from work* talking in a school environment, I added one extra degree of separation. Rather than seeing the absurdities of school through the administrators and teachers, I decided to reveal it through the parents. And, just in case it still hit too close to home, I made the parents superheroes.
Yes, this has sorta already been done by The Incredibles, but not like this.
The group is named The Paragon after a supergroup a friend and I invented in the '80s. So far, my characters are Horn Dog, Bowie, and Muffy. Horn Dog is the father to Horn Puppy, the freshman high school student at a local private school. Bowie is the single bachelor with a British accent and a mullet (translate: you just know he gets laid). And Muffy is the S&M ripoff who has ascended to the elected role of group leader.
Enough talk. Here's Episode 1.
Horn Puppy and Crew Cuts
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