Greetings, my Earthlings, and welcome to the first of what will (hopefully) be many character profiles! These will be blog posts where I go in-depth about a certain character from one of my projects, whether they're main, recurring or even just a one-off. You'll learn about their backstory, their role in the project, their real-life creation, and even a few random fun facts (that I totally wouldn't have just come up with on the spot). With all that in mind, I think it's fair to start with a character from a staple series of mine - Candlestick Road!

So, without further ado, this is Zoe.

([Candlestick Road] Zoe - Reference 1)

The basics

Full name: Zoe Annabelle Carlton

Species: Triangle

Gender: Female

Age (human years): 25

Height: 5'8" (173cm)

Backstory

Zoe grew up in a small, semi-detached house in the suburbs of Appleton. The only child of a working-class family, her father worked in construction while her mother stayed at home to take care of her, although as her child got older she would begin to work as a receptionist. While her parents could afford the necessities of life such as food and water, they did not have much in the way of luxury, Zoe's only forms of entertainment growing up being the family TV and her bookshelf.

Zoe performed surprisingly well at school, her talents being well-recognised among the staff. She would often finish her work more quickly than her peers, and was always able to answer any questions her teacher threw at her. She was a quiet kid, however, and mostly preferred to keep to herself. She only managed to make one friend during her primary school career, another triangle called Colin.

On Zoe's 12th birthday, she would receive a red jumper with a yellow pocket from her grandmother, who had knitted it especially for her. It quickly became her favourite item of clothing, and she still continues to wear it to this day.

Zoe would continue to perform relatively well going into secondary school, although her grades were steadily declining. She eventually went to university to do a degree in Accounting & Finance, which she would ultimately fail. This dealt a massive blow to her confidence and self-esteem, which she still feels the effects of to this day. She would eventually manage to find a job at a small convenience store however, cleaning and putting out stock. Walking home from work one day, she tripped over a blob who was bouncing in the opposite direction and... well, you know what happens next.

Appearance

Zoe is a light-blue triangle. When going out she can typically be found wearing a red knitted jumper (sweater) with a large yellow pocket, where Blip sometimes sits.

Personality

Zoe is a very shy, quiet and reserved character. She doesn't really have any friends, and spends her time outside of work by herself, doing mundane activities such as watching TV or drinking coffee. She is incredibly used to her daily routine, and sees very little purpose in her life other than to fulfil her role in society as a worker. She has always secretly felt that something is missing in her life, but she doesn’t know what it is.

Role in the series

Zoe, along with Blip, serves as one of the two main characters of Candlestick Road. Her life is meant to resemble that of the average British working-class citizen (even though the series is not set in Britain), albeit with social anxiety and depression. After befriending Blip, she is introduced to his adventurous and optimistic lifestyle, which helps her start to break out of her shell and see her world in a whole different way. Later on in the series she also tries to assist Blip in his own personal problems, too.

Zoe lives in an apartment block known as the Cherry Grove Building, located on the titular Candlestick Road. Her apartment is home to both her and Blip, and essentially serves as the central hub for all the activities they get up to throughout the series. As she only has a low-paying job, her apartment isn't the biggest thing in the world, but it's still big enough to be comfortable. The floorplan for her apartment is below:

Creation

Zoe was created specifically for the series as the main character. She didn't really take any inspiration from anywhere, and was just the result of me doing random doodles while trying to come up with a character. I still have the first ever sketch I did of her:

I then re-drew her and added colour, which resulted in the drawing seen in this post:

Fun fact about this one: the fingers on the hands are the wrong way round...

Later on I made the shade of blue slightly darker and added an outline, which is the reference seen at the very beginning of this post.

Zoe as a character was created to be wholly... average. This was considered in basically every aspect, from her backstory to her job and even her name. The original concept for the series was a lot more simple; Zoe was to be a 'boring' character who would be shown how to have fun and explore the world by an 'interesting' character. However, over time, the idea for the series has become more emotional and realistic in nature, with both characters having their own sets of problems that they both help each other solve. A large part of Zoe's personality was modelled around my own growing up, where I had just as much difficulty making friends and participating in social activities. I'm of course a lot better now, but I still remember that feeling of emptiness and loneliness all too well.

Speaking of Zoe's name, it actually took a really long time to come up with it. Two names that were considered for quite a while were Alice and May, until I eventually settled on Zoe. I don't know why I settled on that one specifically; I guess it sounds average enough while also sounding a tad bit exotic at the same time.

Trivia

• Zoe's favourite TV show is Holly Avenue, a hospital drama. Her favourite recurring plot involves a triangle doctor falling in love with a hospital robot.
• Zoe is VERY allergic to tomatoes. Ingesting a single slice is enough to lead to anaphylactic shock.
• Zoe's favourite place to go in her downtime is the local café, where she will usually order a latté.

Conclusion

Zoe is the first ever character I'd say I've 'properly' developed. While Glitch technically existed before her, he didn't develop at nearly the same pace Zoe did. It's been a long and confusing process for me, having to ask people questions and look into stuff I never thought I'd have to look into. But I'd be lying if I said it wasn't fun. Zoe was the one that I'd say really got me started in this journey of character development; a journey I hope will continue for many years to come.

Aaaaaaand that's it for my first ever character profile! You can expect more of these as my projects continue to grow in size, and I continue to make more characters (obviously). Hopefully these provide a fun insight into not only the characters themselves, but my process of development. Now then, who are we doing next?

Well, if Zoe was the first character I ever properly developed, then surely it would make logical sense to go with the second, right? And if Zoe is one of two main characters in Candlestick Road... then the second would be her best friend, of course.

Ready for a particularly blobby character profile soon? See you for #2!