Projects
Project Chasgua
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Our recent project, currently named Project Chasgua, is a novel/comic to-be that tells the story of our original characters, Chaska and Tureygua. Below is some information regarding the project, including our plans and how you can support us.
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Meet Chaska
Chaska is a thirty-eight-year-old trans man by day and werewolf by… some nights. His primary occupation includes bounty hunting, with select unsavory odd jobs on the side. Most know him as a hunter.
The biggest focus for Chaska’s design was that he was accurately portrayed as someone rugged and isolated, but still influenced by his relative Ecuadorian-inspired culture. In Ecuador, the cowboys are called “chagras” and their chaps are called “zamarros”. Chaska’s design features an iconic zamarro made of thick alpaca fur, handmade by himself, with starry motifs stitched into the leather and a buckle clasp for fastening. His poncho is a staple for the environment he resides in, and the scarf is worn when the weather is colder.
Physically, Chaska is large, standing at seven foot one, and weighing approximately four hundred pounds. Although he comes from a larger family, this trait can be accredited to his lycanthropy, with werewolves being taller than standard humans on average. One subtle feature involves obscuring Chaska’s eyes. He was imagined to be a private man who preferred to conceal his identity and facial recognition, and this preference is reflected in his design. He is constantly seen with his hair covering his eyes and/or his hat shadowing his face.
Meet Tureygua
Tureygua is a twenty-nine-year-old transmasculine nonbinary individual who recently suffered from vampirism and, symptomatically, amnesia. They garden and tend to their homestead in their free time.
In a true effort to subvert expectations, Tureygua's design goal was to showcase someone smaller and seemingly delicate to offset their true physical strength and capabilities. Their eyes are doelike, and their overall presence is supposed to be warm and soft, yet distinct enough to know they have artisanal connections. Standing at five foot four, and weighing in at approximately one hundred twenty pounds, they are significantly smaller than Chaska, hence his understandably shocked reaction to being pushed across the room and into a wall with ease (the man has never had a challenge, it was up and coming to be fair).
Fashion is an integral part of Tureygua's character. Their father was a renowned tailor and producer of textiles, and he created the majority of Tureygua's wardrobe, save for any articles they bought or decided to make themselves. Many inspirations can be found in their clothing, but the overall appearances generally gravitate toward a more colorful, autumnal version of a Western-Victorian blend. Tureygua is most commonly seen with high-waisted pants and a blouse tucked in. Head scarves are used to protect the hair and push it back when working, which are typically paired with gloves and more resilient, dirt-resistant clothing to accommodate gardening and horseback endeavors. Red makeup is worn when going out, a nod to the usage of annatto as a traditional paint, insect repellant, and beloved multi-use plant.
OUR MISSION
We are striving to create an unorthodox Western that provides new content to the table while still retaining traditional themes of expansion, innovation, grit, freedom, and cowboys.
Typically, Westerns are based in America, but Latin America, more specifically the Andes and Caribbean, are what heavily inspired this Western. We wanted to imagine how certain groups might have interacted without outside interference and were allowed to grow authentically on their own. How might they have flourished? What would their social hierarchies look like? What trade would've occurred? How would their take on the arts expand? These questions motivate the direction of the setting.
Representation also plays another large factor in this production. We want to showcase Indigenous and LGBTQ+ characters throughout the story that are dynamic, multi-faceted, and not just background characters made for novelty. The key protagonists of the story are queer and connect to the creators' personal cultural backgrounds. Chaska is a trans man, and Tureygua is a transmasculine nonbinary character.
Hook
Chaska, a lone bounty hunter, finds Tureygua, an isolated amnesiac who is later revealed to be a vampire. With murders going rampant and Tureygua's parents missing, all trails lead to them, yet Chaska remains unconvinced they're the real killer. The story describes itself as a romance, murder mystery, Gothic Western, Latin-American-inspired piece with dark fantasy and horror aspects mixed in. You won't have to worry about some blood feud between werewolves and vampires here. They're dating(:
Setting
The world takes place on an Earth-like planet. A blend of our individual cultural backgrounds and the idea of how they might have thrived without colonization interfering inspires the setting in terms of architecture, culture, fashion, language, and societal dynamics. Technology in the world is considered to be proto-solar punk with eco-industrial development elements. Magic is science. Fantasy creatures play a role in the story but are not the focus nor pivotal to it.
Support
Realistically, projects take time, and time is money. Outside of future merchandise and physical goods prospects, having financial support would additionally aid in ensuring more dedicated time to the project. If you like our dream, like supporting artists, or just have a hole burning in your pocket, you can support us in the following ways:
Purchasing from our store
Subscribing and/or donating on Ko-Fi
Contributing to our Kickstarter (TBD)