ISLAND OF NOWHERE

 

Island of Nowhere is one of my stalled projects with the following synopsis:

“After being captured and forced to stay on an island in the middle of nowhere, with no contact with society once the pure truth of their immortal identities was discovered, Mason, Jack, Mara, and Aro do their best to achieve harmonious coexistence among everyone.”

TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR EXPLICIT DESCRIPTION OF VIOLENCE

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CHARACTERS

MASON

 

— "Where are you going in such a hurry? We have all the time in the world..."—

 

Mason is the oldest of all the immortals on the island, being 124 years old.

Born in 1890 and raised until the age of fifteen by nuns in a convent in Connecticut, Mason turned to a life of crime and petty theft after being thrown onto the streets for not completing his basic education (he only knew how to read). The crimes he committed throughout his life made him aware that no matter how much harm he suffered, he would not die, and he decided to use this as a great and strange advantage.

 

At 23, one of his robberies led to a fatal incident when he accidentally pushed an innocent woman onto train tracks while trying to escape with the stolen money.

Amid all the torment this event caused him, a small ray of hope mixed with a hint of suicidal ideation appeared in his life: The woman had fallen into a coma and needed multiple transplants, but the doctors had already declared her dead, as none of the transplants performed so far had succeeded. 

The woman’s body disappeared the same night there was a mysterious power outage at the hospital, and two days later, she reappeared on her bed, unharmed, more alive than ever and walking on her own. She would not stop talking about her saviour and how he stitched her torn body back together as if with a silken touch, as if he had a healing hand.

The news of the miracle spread across the state, and thousands of detectives and private investigators launched a search for this saviour, wanting to use his medicinal and healing gifts for those in need and revolutionize the world of medicine. But it was too late, as Mason had already fled the state with a new feeling, a new goal in mind: Donate and regenerate.

After growing tired of selling his organs on the black market, Mason decided to retire and moved to Sicily, a town in Italy where he met Isabella, the love of his life. She ran a small flower shop and lived alone. They fell in love quickly and got married.

A year after their wedding, Isabella’s mother fell seriously ill and needed a heart transplant. Mason, blinded by his love for Isabella, had not realized he had already donated a heart in Italy, which led to multiple Italian government agents investigating and eventually capturing him. That is how he ended up on the island with his beloved.

Over the years, Mason built a house to protect the life he had planned with Isabella. They were going to have three children, live comfortably, and face no danger, but Mason forgot one small detail: Isa was mortal.

Inevitably, she died. It was painful and sudden. During one of their playful waltzes, she stopped responding. Her body fell and weighed on him, permanently asleep.

The music from the old radio continued, but Mason’s heart abruptly stopped.

Deeply hurt and forever abandoned, he carried her body to one of the small clearings in the island’s forest and buried her there. He planted her favourite flowers on her grave as the moon kept him company, and he tried to move on with his life.

 

Today, in 2014, Mason has created his private little garden. One that absolutely no one is allowed to enter, as she lies there. Only him and his flowers—and his flower.

Mason has become a calm, sweet, and reserved man.

A man who cannot bear to see his loved ones in pain, a man who is willing to give—as he always has—and who wants to help.

He is a father figure in the house, which is undeniable. His cooking is exquisite, and his ingredients are fresh, sourced from his beloved garden. He is a being transformed by pain and loneliness into something pure, someone resilient, someone persevering and spiritually immortal.

 

FACTS

• He learned to write during his stay on the island, shortly after Isabella’s death. He wrote her letters every day until his psychologist recommended him to slowly break the habit and try doing it annually. 
• He adores the twins and Jack. He often cries at night because he feels they are the children he never had with Isabella.
• He is demiromantic and asexual.
• He receives VIP treatment from the island guards and the ISFI (Isolation System for Immortals) because he has been there the longest. They bring him anything he asks for (if it does not help him escape).
• It is extremely hard to anger him, but once he is angry, the atmosphere of the entire island changes. The tension and guilt are palpable in the air. He forgives easily but does not trust as he once did.
• He loves gardening, cooking, carpentry, and architecture. He learned math with Isa’s help to design his house on the island.
• THEME SONG
  

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MARA AND ARO

 

— "Aro, could I inject you with the prototype? I would do it myself, but I need to record the results."— 

 

— "... ok."— 

 

Mara and Aro are a peculiar pair of twins. Mara lives for science, making peculiar mixtures and blowing up a quarter of the island, while Aro is a wild soul who prefers running barefoot through the forest and studying every second of the lives of the species that inhabit the landmass. They love playing in a rather... rough manner, often stabbing, poisoning, and dismembering each other, as it is what they are used to. This is exactly what led to their discovery as immortals and their later exile to the island. They are 18 years old, and Aro is older than Mara by 2 minutes and 28 seconds.

 

Mara is a girl who defies the laws of logic and the molecular structure of everything around her, but she is also very respectful and friendly. She loves creating explosions with her chemicals and is working on a project to decipher her own DNA, as she wants to know what grants her the gift—and curse—of eternal life.

On the other hand, Aro is a boy of few words who speaks only when necessary. Sometimes he uses a small portable chalkboard to communicate when he cannot or does not want to talk. He adores the island’s flora and fauna and loves swimming and diving in the surrounding sea. He has a giant pet in the depths.

 

Mara often helps Aro when he finds an injured animal, and Aro gathers minerals and plants for Mara’s experiments. He also volunteers as her test subject.

They love chasing each other around the island, playing a game of hunter and prey, only to then beat each other up and tear off scalps, skin, eyes, organs—everything. After all, they regenerate in no time and are immune to pain, having played like this for as long as they can remember.

Their immortality was discovered when they were just finishing kindergarten. Mara crushed Aro’s head on the playground, traumatizing twenty children and two teachers. The ISFI did not want to separate such young children from their mother, so they ordered her to homeschool them for the rest of their education, with no contact with the outside world.

 

Once they turned eighteen and completed their studies, the ISFI took them from their home and placed them on the island.

At first, Mara and Aro were inseparable, but after Mason welcomed them and cooked their favourite meal, they quickly grew more comfortable and found it easier to accept their new life.

 

FACTS

• Mara and Aro arrived after Jack, approximately 6 months later.
• They do not share a room but stay close to each other.
• Aro destroys everyone in Tutti Frutti. Mainly because when he does not want to talk, he writes. This led him to write extremely fast. (For reference, Tutti Frutti is what us argentinian people call the game Scattergories. Idk if it's called like that in other countries lol)
• Mara and Aro have very rapid regeneration and a prolonged lifespan, but it is not infinite.
• They have different zodiac signs. Aro was born on December 21 at 23:59, and Mara was born on December 22 at 00:01.
• They never knew their father or who he is. Their mother told them he was a famous singer who lost his fame and reputation due to drug abuse and brutish behaviour. Their mother received a grand sum of money and is allowed to visit them every three months.
• Mara was not too bothered by the fact that her mother essentially sold them, as she understood where it came from. They never had much money. Aro, on the other hand, does not want to see his mother. He holds a grudge and is deeply saddened that she let them go for money.
• THEME SONG
  

 

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JACK

 

— "... Yeah. Yeah, I am fine. I was just painting..."— 

 

Jack was the second to arrive on the island. Never in his 23 years of life did he think immortality flowed through his veins.

 

After several of his mother’s secrets were exposed in front of their family, and a quick move took place in his depressing life, a madman at the Thailand airport proved to travellers and authorities that an immortal was about to board a plane.

Startled and in shock, Jack and his mother did nothing to stop the several agents who quickly arrived on the scene. Jack, with lead in his brain after the airport lunatic shot him, was urgently transported to the organization’s hospital, where he was treated by the best doctors specialized in immortals (there are only three, and one was on vacation), and then sent to the island. 

 

Terrified, confused, and overwhelmed, Jack could not manage the situation and made the worst first impression on Mason, completely breaking down in front of him. Mason did his best to console him and eventually managed to calm him down.

His immortality was strange, but it was real. A painfully slow regeneration, with no death in sight. The ISFI had never met a case like his before.

During the 6 months of peace he spent with Mason, Jack discovered his passion for art. In the living room of the house, a painting of a beautiful sunset hung proudly on the wall.

 

Jack’s mental health had improved slightly, but the constant visits from the ISFI’s scientific team kept him down despite his efforts to rise. Never in his life had he suspected he was immortal, and now, the sudden escape he had to make with his mother began to make sense.

Submerged in memories of his depressing life, a feeling of being stuck settled on his chest, weighed on his stomach, and distorted his mind in ways he found incomprehensible. But Jack was sure of one thing: His life was not going anywhere.

 

The violent and brutal way the twins played disturbed and terrified him. Jack hates leaving his room because of them, and because Mason finds it amusing every time Aro decapitates Mara or Mara uses Aro’s intestines as a jump rope. He is no longer part of the family; he no longer has a family.

Jack twistedly dreams of the day one of the twins accidentally kills the other permanently. He would love to see the panic and confusion on their faces and the empty gaze of the newly deceased. But again, those are just dreams.

 

Blind to his own thoughts and blinded by depression and anxiety, Jack cannot help but mutter under his breath: — "What a pair of freaks..."— 

 

FACTS 

• There are several designs of Jack. The one in the photo is the only digital version I have.
• He suffered a lot of bullying as a child.
• He was a boy scout. He stopped taking part after his camping group left him alone in the forest overnight. They moved their tents while he slept.
• He has been medicated since he was fourteen. Now that he lives on the island, he often skips his medication on purpose to see if anyone notices. No one ever does.
• He only goes out at night when Mara and Aro are asleep in their respective rooms.
• He only shows what he wants. He would not dare "bother" Mason with his problems.
• He does not know what happened to his mother. His depression worsens when he learns that Mara and Aro’s mother visits them every three months. Why doesn’t his mother do that?
• If he were to fall in love, the recipient of his affection would be very unfortunate. Jack is obsessive with what he loves and adores, from his artwork to people. It would be very violent. (need this for his villain arc)
• He thinks about death quite often but remembers that his regeneration will prevent him from dying.
• His eyes are almost always irritated and swollen because he cries a lot.
• THEME SONG
  

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Well, that was a lot lmao.

I started working on this silly little series when I was 16-17, so it's been a big part of my life. I've always loved adding a little bit of everything to my characters, hence the tragedy, the brutal concepts, and the complexity of one's obliviousness. I know some people might see them as super edgy or whatever, but that's okay. I took my sweet, gorgeous time to explore, to pick and choose, to imagine, to compose, to draw, to dream, and I don't regret it a single bit. Time well used.

This might be the peak of my autism, as during those years of highschool I couldn't think about anything else other than these dumbasses and I almost had to be held back lol

Oh, and here's the first, unfinished page of the comic I wanted to make lol

I hope you liked my characters as much as I do! Feel free to leave your own little additions in the comments, I would love to see how you perceive them.