My last art post might have raised some questions for anyone paying attention to the Moon's Eye Saga lore. As promised, I'm here to elaborate more on that. Revealing Jennifer's identity as Spring-Heels is something I've been waffling back and forth on. I was gonna reveal it in Spring-Heels' updated character sheet, but held back. Only decided to let the secret out now.
Why? I feel it's integral to understanding her backstory and character. I think it's a worthwhile exchange; give her that added depth, even at the cost of potentially robbing viewers that initial shock of it being first revealed within the story itself. Especially since it might be awhile before I get to telling that story, if ever.
All that preamble aside, let's dig a bit deeper into her past. Jennifer's father was a man named George Halton, a chairman of the board at the Omnitropos Corporation. Inspired by tales of Spring Heeled Jack, George used company resources to build equipment in the urban legend's image. He took to the Belfry Haven streets, earning the nickname Spring-Heels for obvious reasons. Spring-Heels quickly gained a reputation for brutalizing criminals, leaving countless dead in his wake... if they were lucky.
George eventually grew so attached to this alter ego, he sought to keep it alive even after his own death. To this purpose, he took his daughter from their home on her twelfth birthday. For seven years, he trained her, molded her to fit his perfect image of a successor: the same kind of killer he was. Forced to live in the condemned Omnitropos warehouse that was his hideout, Jennifer lived a lonely life.
On her nineteenth birthday, things changed. Finally gathering the courage to stand up to her father, Jennifer swiftly defeated him. She had long since surpassed his skill level. After leaving him, Jennifer took to living the streets for awhile. Eventually, she returned to the warehouse to find it abandoned. Everything was as she left it.
Taking the money he had stashed away and a spare set of Spring-Heels gear just in case, Jennifer left it behind for good. Using that loot to put her foot in the door, Jennifer got herself a nice apartment and a job at the local mall. Maybe she wasn't as far gone as she thought.
Yet, reintegrating with a society that had passed her by proved difficult. Robbed of important developmental years of her life, she had a hard time connecting with others. She hardly made any friends beyond those she knew at work and all relationships crashed, primarily due to her unwillingness to open up. For five years she tried living like this, tried to move on, but she never could escape the shadows of her past.
At her wit's end, she dug up that old Spring-Heels costume she stashed away. Maybe, maybe she really couldn't live a normal life. Maybe George did succeed at turning her into a monster and she was just living in denial. Donning the costume for the first time, she sought to at least do some good for the world if she should spiral. Now utilizing methods far less brutal than her father, Spring-Heels had returned.
Yet, it's just when she had finally given up that life threw a curveball Jen's way. It was a night as ordinary as any other when a stranger popped up outside her window. A stranger that would change the trajectory of her life forever...
And that's story of Jennifer Halton at the start. Knowing all of this, you might finally see the parallels between her and Ninji. It's a very important factor in their dynamic and relationship. You also now have a better understanding of her burning hatred for Leapin' Jack.
I do fear I'm revealing too much, but very little of what I've unveiled so far extends past the so-called 'first act' of the story. After all, even this backstory leaves a few unanswered questions.