Episode 104 'Electric Elkboy explained'

There was an idea, many years ago, that gave me credence to manifest all of my emotions and feelings into a storytelling device without necessarily divulging into the deepest, darkest corners of my mind (as we did in the previous episode). This device was called Electric Elkboy. 

You may have already seen this character. Whether he appears as an icon or a profile picture, or maybe a piece of artwork posted on Instagram, I can imagine that you may recognise him. And if not, then welcome to episode 104 of the blog; where you shall be introduced. And even to the untrained eye, you may notice the visual similarities between Electric Elkboy and myself (unless you have never, ever met me!)

Because, ladies and gentlemen, Electric Elkboy is my superhero alter ego. 

The general idea was to create a character who I could transfer much of my own personality, traits and issues with a purpose to write fictional adventures that also depicted some emotional turmoil that I could never translate in reality. It would be the closest thing I had to a diary or journal; disguising my daily entries as misadventures through the eyes of Elkboy. I would not make the emotional bond so obvious, however, because I do genuinely enjoy writing and would be doing so as a hobby (later recognising it as a therapy). And the last thing I want to do is taint my own writing with cries of help, because I want the reader to enjoy the story. All I would wish from them is a 'huh, that Tommy Grainger eh?' and I would be happy. 

I think it began when the Marvel Cinematic Universe was in its very early stages (circa Iron Man 2008) and 'the superhero' was a big attraction in movies, tv shows and the general zeitgeist. The Dark Knight had blown peoples minds in the same year (2008) and propelled many more studios to commit to this new phase of superhero movies. Of course, comic books and graphic novels have always been present, but the movie spectacle was enough to bring the limelight back to this narrative. 

So for a teenager with enough wild imagination and emotional instability to shake a Mjölnir at, you can understand the reasoning behind such a creation as Electric Elkboy. And so the adventures began right here on the blog. Originally, I would include a small exert at the beginning each blog post dedicated to the Electric Elkboy. These would be short, a couple of paragraphs at most, with a slight cliff-hanger at the end of each piece. But these became few and far between, eventually concentrating each blog post specifically to my art and animation. 

And now, upon reorganising the blog into actual episodes and filtering out unwanted gibberish, I have relocated the Elkboy adventures and lumped them together for a longer read. I think this will be the format for the future; dedicating a whole post to a segment of the story. You can begin reading these tales in episodes 61, 65 and 78. 

The Electric Elkboy has many traits as his creator. He is of the same build, height, hair and eye colour and would also sport similar facial hair depending on the current style of said creator. The antlers you see on the side of his head began as a removable head piece (because originally, Elkboy was going to be a wannabe superhero without any powers whatsoever. But where is the fun in that?!) but are now very much attached to his skull. The lightning bolt is the source of his power. Imagine that he has similar abilities as Storm from the X-Men, but cannot, himself, fly. This he leaves to his trusty steeds and oldest friends the elk! For when the Electric Elkboy calls upon these beasts, he can ride them into the night sky, thousands of feet into the air and soaring with such grace that would make even the Christmas reindeer outrageously jealous about. 

I think the last time I actually added to the narrative was nigh on ten years ago, so I hope the writing style remains vaguely similar and isn't too jarring. But referring back to the original reasoning behind Electric Elkboy, I feel like I could pour even more of my current state of affairs and emotions into this character. Like the blog is a type of therapy for me, the use of Elkboy is another tool to help express various emotional turmoil. In other words, I can give the Elkboy absolute hell and pretty much get away with it. 

But look, the very idea that this character is a superhero who can summon flying elk and conduct electricity via the floating lighting bolt above his head is enough to prove that I am still having enormous fun writing about this chap. He is a silly person, much like me. And I would not burden him with so much negativity that the reader also feels that emotional weight and cannot enjoy the adventure also. 

All I am saying is that having an alter ego can be useful. Especially if you are a slightly mad creative. Artists from all backgrounds have been expressing their emotions through their own mediums since the dawn of time. It is what makes us human. Sometimes it can be attention seeking, yes; but it all comes from the heart. And this is one of the strongest conduits for creation that we posses. 

Stay tuned folks. The adventures shall continue soon...