Thanks for the response. Yes, I figured brainstorming random ideas about my project in a thread reserved for shared discussion would be a tad inappropriate, and would cause thread-clutter. I will probably stick to this thread until I get a solid idea.
I'm still playing around with ideas and the learning basics of 2D rigging. I came up with this character, but I don't feel he's set up right. I'm enjoying the learning process, and appreciate the chance to try out the software during this competition.