The Indignant Triers

The Indignant Triers or "the it." 

The Indignant Triers are the rebellious youth in Awk.  Most of the original members of "the it" are common patrons of the Coffee Haus and were present when the local minstrel Irwin Irwin gave his famous copout speech.  He played all of his well-loved tunes about being unique and different and finding a place in the world in spite of your differences.  Then after his show he used his last moments at the microphone to explain to the youth in attendance that getting out of Awk was impossible and shouldn’t be tried because it will never be accomplished.  He said that the people of Awk should accept their place in the world and work in the mines and fields like good citizens.  Then he suggested everyone buy his album.  The crowd was silent until a boy named Oswald Lucien began to boo so hard that Irwin Irwin was startled and dropped his guitar.  Then he said, “How dare you tell us to quit trying to escape?  To quit is to die.  You’re telling us to give up and die.  You should be telling us to keep trying regardless of the odds.  To search for escape is to be Awkward.  We should never quit trying!” After Oswald spoke the kids in attendance began to chant, “Never quit trying!  Never quit trying!” They continued to chant until the owner of the Coffee Haus was forced to close for the night. By the end of the week a handful of the town youth had created "the it," a social group of support where they encourage each other to ignore the pull of acquiescence and to indignantly try to escape the bonds of Awk.  Oswald is considered the founder of the group, though most members disagree about what he looks like or whether he’s ever been to a meeting.  He is rarely seen around Awk, and only by The IT.  Many adults doubt his existence, but the children believe.  They refer to him as “the Reverend.” At least once a week members of The IT venture into the awkwards as a group in an effort to find an escape from Awk. 

Mr Jennifer

Jim Jennifer aka Mr. Jennifer or Bloodless Jen. Visitors to town assume Bloodless Jennifer is a ghost story about some dead girl; akin to Bloody Mary. But Mr. Jennifer is no girl. He acquired the epithet Bloodless from his extremely white complexion. There are rumors about town that Mr. Jennifer is the cause of the many mysterious and unsolved deaths of late, but Mr. Jennifer is not to blame. Jim's sole claim to fame is that he is an amateur garbage collector. Where he takes the garbage he collects none know. 

G. Digger

G. Digger. Digger probably has a real name, but no one remembers it. He's been the town grave digger since before everyone else in town was. While the Awk citizens do seem to have more misfortune than other towns their size, there simply isn't enough grave digging to do to keep Digger in a full time job or to keep him entertained. He just loves to dig. If you have a project that needs a digger, Digger is your man. Especially if the hole you need is about 6'X6'X3'. He won't tell a soul what you fill it with. He's also available for digging things up and relocating them. If you have need of such a task.

Tom Swell

Tom Swell. The Awk town motto: If you're lucky you'll grow out of it" is based on the myth of Tom Swell, the only person ever to leave Awk alive. In the 40s Tom caught a bad case of proportional everythingoma, a rare disease in which every part of your body has cancer and begins to grow at an alarming, but proportional rate. He grew and grew until he was taller than the town tower. He did not die from the cancer, though, he died from his inability to feed his ever growing body. After a year of growing he passed out from malnutrition and hit his head on the stone of freedom just outside of town. He instantly died. However, since his head and part of his torso were beyond the city limits, most of the people of Awk view this as an amazing and successful escape. 

Awk

So I've created this new town. It's called Awk. Here is the sign as you enter the town:

The town of Awk, located in Upper Arik, is where most of my drawn characters reside.  Anyone headed for Awk, or already in Awk, is considered Awkward.  These awkward citizens however, would urge you to find a different place to settle.  Not because they don't like you, but because there is no record or evidence of anyone ever leaving Awk.

I'm not 100% happy with the sign.  I did it in a hurry because my list of characters was growing faster and faster.  I wanted to begin putting them on the internet, but I also wanted readers/viewers to have some context as to where these people lived.  So, I may update the sign in the future, but it is low-pri.