Luke

As noted in the main about article, Luke was born at the same time and same place as me – because he is me. Therefore, what you see is what you get: a little look in my humble life.

I’m interested in a vast variety of things, including music, chemistry, art, AI, theology, drawing, writing, altar serving, parody, programming, physics, LEGOs, xkcd, fantasy (for starters). Therefore, in the strip, I often try to prompt interest in new subjects and odd bits of thought. It dosen’t always suceed (such is the life of a nerd), but the results are interesting even if they are steaming hot garbage. And that happens a lot: I have a very acute case of philosophy-itis. Whatever I touch must be exposed as deep as I can dig.

Clem

Having a rather lonely childhood (I have only one sibling!), I wanted a good friend. I had others, but aside from school I barely ever saw them. My mind, like nature, abhorred this vacuum. So it made a friend up: Clementine. Even as I passed the “imaginary friend” stage, Clem fought to stay alive at all costs, weaning into various sidekick roles in my thinking and writing. Putting her in the comic was a no-brainer.

Clem is brash, dry, and witty, and smarter than Luke, in a niche way. That’s on purpose: I thought that, being the mild person I was, I would have to have a sarcastic friend to put me in my place. While Clem generally directs her energy to advanced technology or subtle forms of sophisticated annoyance, she still has a sadistic side, which can show whenever, however.

Joey

Joey’s history is, honestly, a mess. There is a real Joey, a dear friend of mine and a star at the piano and the organ. But the strip Joey was originally nothing like him, except in name. He was meant to be the innocent fall guy to complement the two smart characters of Luke and Clem. Unfortunately, I took “innocent” to mean “unintelligent,” which was highly uncharitable.

Eventually, I realized the problem and renovated Joey. As he now appears in the webcomic, he’s closer to his inspiration, though not the same. He’s still a musical genius, though he teaches himself other skills. He’s pretty laid back, and while he really cares about Luke’s nerdiness and Clem’s fanaticism, he’s best just chilling with his keys.

Paul

You may wonder if I ever invent people out of nothing. Enter Paul. As the assistant artist and stylistic savant, the strip silently hinges around him – at least when it’s not hinging about him. He’s more of an emotions than a thinking person, which sets him as the brunt of many gags and mindscrews. He always manages to stay afloat though, partly because of his passion for Clem.

Katy

Katy has about the least creative naming in history: she comes from a rich family, and Katy is a rich city in Greater Houston. She’s Clem’s college friend and former roomate, twice as manic as Clem and more than willing to indulge in a prank. (You could see her as a sort of spiritual descendant of Clem, like Paul is of Joey.)