Character Spotlight 1 : Aeon

            Okay...well, I haven't gotten much writing done this week, due to the recent events with Justin Carmical.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, check it out here.

            So, I've been grieving, crying, and basically reflecting on the wonderful man that Justin was.  However, the pain I've been feeling actually reminded me of WHY I created Aeon in this story to begin with.  Where he came from and where he's going.  I really wanted to talk about Mina first, since this is her story, however...just seems like the time.

            Aeon comes from a rather...sad place, for me.  See, he was created as a straight man for a comedy, true, however Aeon was always going to be cold.  Snow, ice...things that numb pain.  Aeon was my analogue for the pain of life, knowing that there were things you need to do, but that the things you really wanted were beyond your reach.  And the only way to cope with that is to numb the pain so much so that you don't feel anything.

            While there are no major spoilers here, if you want to get to know Aeon on your own, I suggest reading the chapters rather than this.  It's just my way of sort of spotlighting how a character is and why they are that way from a creative standpoint.

            The appearance of Aeon is that of a black cloaked skeleton, with nothing below the spine, floating in mid air.  Black does have a significance in the story, however originally I merely liked the look of it, because I have an affinity for black.  The green flames which appear in his eye sockets reflect his eyes in life, and his incomplete skeletal form is reflective of an experience he had that so moved him that he chose such a form, when other liches would prefer something more intimidating/ostenatious/powerful.  Aeon's love of ice comes from his desire to be free of pain that has followed him since separating with someone long ago.  It numbs him.  He also sees it as a way to both be lethal, but also nonlethal as suits his needs.  Ice can imprison without causing damage if it is short term, or it can be made into something to hurt, so it is quite versatile.

            Aeon is a character who understands duty and is able to be rational and reasonable, very much how I feel when I'm out for a stroll on a snowy night.  He follows his own path, but may not always make the right choices...he just tries to do what he believes is best.  However he does understand morality, as he will freely admit that just because he believes it is best, or "necessary," that doesn't make it "Right," or justified.

           

            Though he understands emotions and clearly feels, Aeon is a cynical being who merely tries to get by in spite of his pain.  The pain of loss, which I will go into later, the pain of his choices, of killing, of fighting, etc.  He is kind at heart, as he understands what it is to be the under dog, so he likes to help those who are in need or who are oppressed, even if he does not always see a bright future for them.

            Having survived for a long time on his own, or at least with minimal help or friendship, Aeon can seem quite distant, however he truly values those around him.  Kinana in particular, he loves without reserve.  It might seem like they have little in common or that there is a master/servant relationship, but Aeon appreciates Kinana both standing by him and calling him out on his actions, even if he won't change them.  The same goes with the rest of his companions.  Aeon sees them all as family and precious...and while he tries to keep his emotions to a minimum, for fear that it will lead to someone, himself or another, being hurt, he can show affection.  Aeon does not grow closer to others easily and trust is difficult to form without special circumstances, like Mina's.  And that trust is formed from Aeon's secure knowledge that she is not the kind of person to betray or hurt.

            Part of Aeon's cynicism is that he does not care what people think of him.  He will do what is necessary for his beliefs and to keep his family safe and if anyone slanders him for that, he could care less.  While Aeon is very earnest, he does not hesitate to mislead or even outright lie if it is necessary for what he considers the "greater good," however he does not do so often.

            Ultimately, Aeon has not forgotten how to feel, but he believes that giving in to emotion will hurt others, as well as himself, so he tries to keep calm, stoic, and uninvolved.

            Aeon was a spawn of both my pain during a difficult time, which I see can continue into the present, however he is also an analogue for the best parts of me.  The compassion, the caring, the desire to protect, etc.  However he is also meant to carry most of my flaws.  Pigheaded stubbornness, often emotional detachment or a desire for detachment, skewed ideas of morality, etc.  He is meant to be akin to my private thoughts.  How I am when I am alone.  Cynical, lonely and detached, but not necessarily depressed, just aware of responsibility and troubled by his own issues, which he refuses to share for the sake of others.

            In contrast, Aeon's human form, which he can take on when he sheds his skeletal form like armor, is covered in ice and his skin is blue, indicating frostbite.  This is because he learned magic during this form and tried to numb his pain, thus it is a physical representation of his desire to not be hurt.  That being said, because his human form is not what he is accustomed to be in while using magic, as the shroud of magic he uses to create his skeletal body will fall if he grows too weak, Aeon is not necessarily as emotionless.  He is alright with being a bit more light hearted or expressive.  He is still the same person and can still be cold, stoic, or detached, but due to a decreased sense of responsibility, he can actually unwind as a human.  Though, it is not something he allows for himself very often.

            Aeon's human form has a hole in his chest, a wound that will not heal, despite the fact that he can reform his human body if broken.  He is a skilled swordsman from his time as a human and can augment his abilities somewhat through the use of minor and sometimes major magic.

            I would have to say that Aeon's human form is more similar to the face I show to the public.  Not entirely emotional and sometimes childish, but still warm and welcoming.  Sometimes having to hide his pain behind a smile, but a bit less intimidating that how I believe people would see my inner self if they were to get a good look.

            Aeon's name refers to time and is a different form of Eon.  He is a wayfarer in the stream of time and has a connection to it, as well as being untouched by it.  It is a name he chose for himself based on his personal goals.

One of the few bits of indulgences I offer this series is the creation of a piece of fan art or two.  This is what Aeon is supposed to look like, in my mind.  And also, the fire he's holding is cold, note the icicles coming off of his hand.  This is the Frozen Shade.

          Okay...not sure if that was fun or just confusing, but that's Aeon from my perspective.  It was nice, looking back at why he came to be, even if my thoughts turned that way due to a tragedy.  Anyway, I doubt my next chapter will be fully finished with revisions next week, so next time, Mina.

Kernel of Insight: Mispronunciation

We're back on our regular update schedule, barring any major disasters.  This will be the last Kernel of Insight for a bit, but more on that at the end.  For now, enjoy this look into mispronunciation.

Kernel of Insight: Mispronunciation

            This Kernel of Insight is where we talk about something that all writers, entrepreneurs, and indeed anyone with a creative flair needs to actually understand.  A name is worth a great deal of power...however, that name loses something when it is mispronounced or when it is misunderstood.  The best example given to me was during a game design course where there was a horror story of someone who made a company as an entrepreneur that was named in a rather complex manner.  Ninajeering.  A pun on ninja and engineering.  It was difficult to pronounce and checks as well as publicity was very skewed against them due to miscommunication of the name.

            Now, let's fast forward to the present.  I'm writing my story and anyone with half a brain, except me of course, has noticed that Daryl, who is a girl, sounds like a boys name.  I did this because of a character in Final Fantasy 6 named Darril, who was a woman, however my memory must have skewed the spelling.  Right there, that is going to need to be either changed or corrected because if no one knows how to say the name, something is lost.  Look at the other names of characters.  Mina, Celine, Kano, Aeon, Vincent, these names are either short and very easy to pronounce phonetically or familiar enough in the popular culture that the pronunciation is a given.  Something like Demino, Goetia, or Weiss risks a slight amount of alienation due to the name being a bit more complex or difficult to pronounce due to cultural differences, but it is sometimes worth the risk to make an impression or to make a reference to real world objects that will give the story some added depth.

            However, it is important not to create a name that will turn people off unless that is the specific intention.  Duke Nukem is a name that is a massive pun, but the game and character were originally conceived as a parody/deconstruction/tribute of first person shooters so it was meant to be ironic.  The name naturally turned off some people, but kept the audience the game was looking for.  By that same merit, naming a girl a Mary Sue name, like Atlantiana, which is both difficult to pronounce and smacks of "this character is meant to be important" foreshadowing will likely turn off people because rather than being ironic or what have you, you are trying to make your character a special fucking snowflake, pardon my French.  The only way to counter this is to have characters with similarly outlandish names, which also risks mispronunciation and lack of impact.

            Naming conventions are a difficult thing at the best of times, so this is kind of a big deal for writers.  Characters are meant to be reflections of their experiences, desires, dreams, etc. given a life of their own, so if they cannot even have a name of their own, then...we have a bit of a problem.  Putting all that aside, however, this is also why writers need someone to read their work cold, to get the barest impressions of it, and to hear back from them.  Because if a writer tells you how a name is pronounced, even if your brain says otherwise, you'll likely go to what you've heard is accurate.  However, if you haven't heard anything from the writer, then your brain will go to the next most accurate scenario, which will give more helpful feedback on naming conventions, as well as a general feel for the piece.

            I had no one really to read my work and help me with this, so it was only later that I realized the mispronunciation with Daryl's name.  This is why I either try and give character relatively short names or names that are phonetically quite easy to pronounce.  Going back to Deminos, it isn't a common name, however it rolls off the tongue phonetically.  De-mi-nos.  It's pretty easy to say.  This is something that some writers don't think about, but really need to.  If a character's name isn't something they wanna say or think about because of how byzantine is it, then they will just remember them as "that guy" or "That girl."

            I'm still trying to get out of bad habits as I write, however the more you write, the more experience you get in life, the more you do anything, the clearer your picture of the whole story and its flaws will be.  I've only recently come to understand mispronunciation and how damaging to a reputation it can be, but it follows the same principal.


            I'd like to take a moment to step back and also add that I am going to be taking a short break from Kernel of Insight for a while, due to the fact that I need to stock up on topics to discuss.  So, I'll also introduce a new weekly update system.  I'm going to try and keep having one update a week on the blog, however if it cannot be a chapter, then it should be something related.

            As such, next week, unless the chapter is finished, we will be starting Character Spotlights, where we discuss the inspirations for characters, their evolutions over time, and what I may have learned from them.

Whole New Year, Same Old Delays

Hello!  I don't have any Kernel of Insight or new chapters for this week!  Yeah...sorry about all that.  Lemme just say that I've almost burned myself out with the last few weeks, dealing with Christmas, new years, my job, a whole slew of other messes, and trying to cope with a lack of time.

I've slacked off and taken a bit of a vacation...well earned, I think, but anyway, writing has started again.  I wanted people to be aware that things are officially rolling again and I hope to have my next chapter, which is a supplementary/merging an old chapter with new material chapter, so it will be chapter 17.5.

Trying to get back into the swing of 4-6 days of writing a week, but chances are this week I'll only manage 2-3.  Building myself back up.  Next week, I'll start again with some new Kernel of Insights and lead into my next chapter.  Might start talking not about my work but writing in general and perhaps character inspirations...just because I'm running out of random things to discuss that are tangentially related to my story.

Anyway, this was just me trying to let people know the situation.  Not sure how many people care or are still with me, but I try to think about them, because I know I'd like to be updated if it were me.

Sorry for the excuses and the delays, but this is done on my personal time so...gotta do what I gotta do.  This will get done though.  I've promised that to myself.