Character Spotlight 5: Vincent

Hello all.  Once again, no new chapter this week.  I've been crazy busy lately and until after April 12th, I will continue to be.  However, the chapter is done and now revisions are all that remain.  I hope to get it posted next week, though we'll have to see how that goes.  It is a very heavy story with some moral ambiguities and I want to get the dialogue all correct.  In the meantime, I've decided I'll try and alternate characters between Mina's group and Aeon's, though eventually I'll have to focus mostly on Aeon's group.  Since we did Celine last time, we're going to look at Vincent this time.  Again, sorry for the delays, but I hope this will at least tide you over.

Character Spotlight 5: Vincent

            This time, we're looking at Vincent.  Regrettably, I haven't been able to spotlight Vincent as much as I might have liked so far in the story because I think that he does have an interesting character, even though he doesn't seem to rock the boat all that much.  He is, essentially, Aeon's second in command and though his power does not match up to Gadius or Nerise, Vincent is more intelligent, strategic, and organized than the others.

            Vincent is a teythen, so he has a very pale complexion with bright crimson eyes.  His typical attire is that of a black cloak with red lining and a black and red suit, though he does have other styles which he sometimes wears, that have not yet been introduced.  Vincent is perpetually seen wearing a white bandana over his head which covers most of his hair, save for a few bangs which pop out of it near the top from time to time.  Aside from his bangs, his white hair is usually shaved very short, so that it fits comfortably under his bandana.  He has two fangs that jut out from his top jaw, and a muscular body, though this can change if he has been without sustenance, as his body withers without sustenance or if exposed to excess Void energy.

            Vincent can eat and drink food like a normal person for sustenance, but does have to drink human blood specifically to keep himself going.  Yes, he is in essence a vampire.  Now that that's out of the way, Vincent is very skilled with swordplay as well as with teythen blood arts.  Blood arts are the teythen's versions of magic.  Teythens do not take in Leyline energy like other living creatures.  They gain some from food, but most of their usable energy comes from blood.  Since this energy has already been processed, teythens warp it somewhat by processing it a second time after drinking.  This warped energy gives rise to blood arts, as it stems from their blood.  Void magic robs teythens of this energy and thus weakens their body.

            Powers revealed in the story to be related to blood arts are Vincent's telekinesis, the ability to spawn a familiar, a beast or an extension of Vincent's will, by sacrificing a portion of his body, the ability to break his body down into so many familiars that he is no longer present and functions instead as a hive mind like mentality over his creations, the ability to see and understand what his familiars see, super human strength, speed, and reflexes, and an enhanced sense of smell.  There are other powers and rules related to teythens, but these are all that have been revealed in the story thus far.

            Vincent is far more formal than the other members of Aeon's group, however he is also very personable and approachable.  Much of his mannerisms are taken from watching and working with Aeon over the years, who he respects beyond all others.  Vincent does not question Aeon, even though he knows much of what the lich does is not ethically right from a moral standpoint.  Despite this, Vincent will keep an eye on Aeon and the others to ensure that things do not become dangerous or out of control.  Vincent carries messages for Aeon when necessary, acts as his eyes in and out of Acacia, and is his primary enforcer, as Vincent is able to remain hidden due to his familiars, but is still powerful.  The lich and the teythen possess a strong bond and though it might not be apparent from their interactions, they do rely on one another heavily.  Vincent is the one person outside of Kinana in whom Aeon can confide.

            Vincent's sense of smell as well as his ability to observe people and deduce their moods, make him able to easily read emotions of others and empathize with them if necessary.  This is why he is approachable, as he can understand what others are going through and relate to them with relative ease.  Vincent sees those in Acacia very much like a family and his primary goal is the preservation of that family.  To this end, he is often a peace maker or will instigate change where necessary for the growth and survival of his friends.  Alongside that, Vincent is also open to making new friends or making additions to his family, thus he is welcoming once he begins to trust others.  Vincent will, however, sometimes meddle if he believes it is important for the aforementioned goals.  If it will help his family to grow or stay together.  Workaholic describes Vincent very well, as he tries to do many things and is usually able to function normally with only a small amount of rest and often does so.  However, even he can be worn down if forced to continually work without time for sleep or rest.

            Vincent's closest relationship is with Nerise, as she sees him as something of a big brother.  He treats her with respect and affection and is prone to worrying over her due to what he knows of her past.  Vincent has tensions with Weiss as they both compete for Nerise's attention/affection, at times, however Vincent's formal nature and closeness to the others allow him to sidestep drama with the Nihilon and work together without major problems.  They are moderately well acquainted but Vincent does not spend much time with Weiss.  Weiss does not spend much time with anyone but Nerise and occasionally Aeon or Kinana.  Despite this, they do respect each other and know they can rely on the  other for support.  That is enough.

            Aside from Nerise, Vincent is closest to Gadius and Dakon, who are all roughly the same age, if a little older, than Vincent.  They work well together and during their time as a group is one of the few moments Vincent is seen completely at ease and willing to relax, using nicknames or even telling lewd jokes of his own.  Gadius tends to be arrogant, lewd, and flippant most of the time while Dakon tends to play the straight man, largely due to his background as a family man.  Vincent falls somewhere in between when paired with these two and often has to be the bridge between them.  They have a history together and trust one another implicitly, even if they can aggravate one another.

            Vincent sees the younger additions to Acacia, Deminos and Yuka, as charges that he should set an example for, and will often look out for them or fret for them if they are overexerting themselves.  While not prone to pampering or babying others, he will do what is necessary to protect them.  He very much feels like a big brother to Yuka or Deminos.  While casual and familiar with Echidna, not much interaction has been shown between Vincent and her.  He is neighborly with her, but has not spent much time alone, so while he respects her and her children, Vincent has little to talk with her about.  Merkel and Vincent do not have a strained relationship, as neither seems to care what the other thinks.  Like with Echidna, Vincent respects and trusts Merkel, but due to the neeg's misanthropic nature, they are not close.

            Due to Kinana's perpetually playful nature, she and Vincent do not often get along.  He understands her closeness to Aeon and will not talk down to her, however his usually formal and composed personality will often clash with Kinana's lusty and uncaring whims.  Despite this, they can work together when it matters, be it on emotional or on tactical decisions.

            Vincent has been shown to have a connection with an empress by the name of Austarine, who is ruler of the kingdom of Ahri, briefly mentioned in the story.  The bandana he wears is a token from her and Vincent feels nostalgic or reflective when thinking about her.  I will not say any more than that on this relationship.

            Vincent is wary of Mina, Celine, and Daryl, for his own reasons.  This does not show very much outside of the first few chapters, but it does remain, as he must keep his eye on them and ensure their safety in order to protect his comrades.  Vincent understands that there is some tension and fear between himself and Daryl, but realizes that he cannot force her to accept him and as such remains unconcerned with her fears.  He does what is necessary and does not care about the reactions others have to him.  Mina and Celine have a more casual relationship with Vincent as he has welcomed them into Acacia before and treats them as friends.  Mina herself has earned Vincent's respect through her willingness to look past Aeon's appearance and for her actions in favor of protecting others.  However, Vincent is unsure she understands what being Aeon's comrade is the way he does.  Any reservations Vincent may have about the girls or any others are not born out of arrogance or the desire to look down on others, but from personal experience and observations during his time with Aeon.

            I would say Vincent is born from both the more dramatic sides of me and the more down to earth sides that I tend to show my friends.  While not as overtly silly or melodramatic as I am, there is clearly a bit of theatricality in his attire and his persona, as he is very formal and composed, but also capable of humor, nicknames, and silliness in the right situations.  I wanted to take a few of the tropes I'd seen in vampire stories and invert them somewhat.  Vincent as both spy and subordinate rather than master, while still having some authority as Aeon's second in command.  Having short hair that is shaved close to the head with a white bandana rather than long, flowing locks.  Showing that he can be tired, yawning, or even a bit manic rather than always in control.  These were meant to show that Vincent is both part of, but also somewhat satrical of the typical Dracula or Lestadt vampire tropes.

            There are far deeper parts of Vincent's personality that are going to be explored soon, such as his past and his belief in Aeon, as well as his ability for subterfuge, however this is just a look at Vincent up to the present and a general examination of his character.  We have only scratched the surface.

            I find Vincent a hard character to write for and to talk about because often he is in the background, working for the sake of others, but less showy as Gadius or Deminos, who make more of an impression, but who rely on Vincent being there to actually do what they do without consequences.  His role hasn't received a lot of attention this time around, but he does play a vital part in the story and in the Acacia dynamic.  Being one Aeon trusts to give orders to others and to manage his home is a great honor and responsibility and I'd like that reflected in the future.  Aeon may be in control of Acacia and always informed of what is going on, thanks to Vincent, but it is Vincent himself who keeps the gears turning.  That's what I want people to understand. 

Character Spotlight 4: Celine

Before we get started with this week's character spotlight, I just want people to know that progress is being made.  This next chapter has a good 2-4 very emotional and difficult to write and get right segments.  They're slowing me down.  That and the fact the chapter is longer than others.  I usually try to cut off my chapters around page 20 and just break them into new ones for the sake of editing, but this one...it deserves to remain uncut.  It's important.  I should have it done by friday/sunday and then editing/revising can begin.  I still hope to get it out by the end of March, but we'll see.

Now, let's take a look at the second most prominent female character in this series.  Mina's best friend, Celine.

Character Spotlight 4: Celine

            Today, we're looking at Celine Gren, Mina's adopted sister.  I'd like to say that Celine was inspired by a number of women in my life, predominately a friend I had many years back who, while younger than me, felt like a bit of an older sister figure.  She was scary at times, but dangerously pragmatic and very loving of a friend we held in common who helped inspire Mina for me.  However, that's what helped spark the personality.  Other things are a bit different.

            Appearance wise, I wanted to give Celine something of a cleaner ganguro look from Japanese culture because, while they see it as trashy sometimes, I see it as something free spirited and different.  That's the largest reason for her skin being tanned, despite the vast majority of other humans introduced having white skin.  Her skin color does play into several events in the future, but for now it's best to just think of it as, she has a strong tan.  I wanted her to be a little older and more developed physically than Mina to hammer home the big sister connection.  I liked the idea of the blonde, curlyish hair, which also played into the ganguro image, but before I go on, I want to just say something about hair.  I find, in most stories of fiction, it is pretty boring to have people with the same basic palette of hair, usually blond, black, brown, an occasional red head or grey/white for the elderly.  If you're trying to place it in OUR world, I guess that makes sense, but I always loved the idea in anime that hair could be any color.  It could be symbolic.  It could just be fun.  So that's why Celine's hair is blond, Mina's is green, and Daryl's is purple.

            Now, more on Celine.  Celine is very much a tom boy because she never had the chance to really be a girl prior to meeting Kano and Mina.  Her life was consumed with toil, fear, and the struggle for survival.  However, this has also made her very strong, both in a physical sense, as she is the most fit of the 3 girls and the most capable in a fist fight, as well as in the emotional sense, as Celine is able to deal with crises easily and focus on priorities.  She was never really taught the idea of shame and grew up without personal space restrictions, so she is very much a touchy person, however her emotional moments are a more recent development.    If Celine has one major weakness, it comes down to Mina, whom she views as friend, sister, and savior.  That'll be explained more in detail later.  She is overprotective of the little girl and quick to anger if anyone hurts, insults, or even touches Mina in a way she finds inappropriate.  This has led to friction with Kinana.  However, Celine isn't meant to be like a doting mother or what have you.  She understands Mina is strong and largely does not hover.  But she is also prone to knee jerk reactions and those over protective feelings are one of them.  When not being driven to action by others, Celine tends to be very laid back, but not to the point of negligence.  She doesn't let things get out of control if she can help it.  I'd say that of the three girls, she could easily be called the leader.  Mina is the heart, keeping them together, Daryl is the brain, always thinking and learning, and Celine is the arms and legs, keeping everyone moving forward and doing what needs to be done.

            Celine was an interesting character to write because originally she was slated to JUST be the big sister/tom boy stereotype.  Daryl was going to take the role that Celine eventually filled.  That is, the role of the bigot.  Celine is very suspicious by nature, due to the harshness of her life prior to meeting Mina and Kano.  This leads her to having certain preconceived notions about others, some of which are justified, others are not.  She does not trust Aeon at first sight, both because of what he did to Mina and because of his appearance.  While Mina is trusting to a fault, Celine is a bit more reserved and will only give trust when it is deserved.  That said, Celine despises any and all neeg.  This comes from her being imprisoned as a slave at one of their foundries from as far back as she can remember.  She both fears and hates them.  This made her and Yuka's dynamic interesting, because Yuka was very much like General Robert E. Lee from the civil war in my opinion.  She was aware of the corruption of her people, but rather than being resigned to shame, she tried to work through it out of a mix of pride for her home, Acacia, and because she was different from those who'd hurt Celine.  And this was a key part of Celine in that she COULD open up and get over her bigotry to an extent.  Maybe not perfectly, as she'll always be uncomfortable around most neeg, just as a knee jerk reaction, but it was, in my opinion, important both thematically and for character growth.  It was also important for her to have this bigotry because it helped to humanize her.  Not just from the standard of, "everyone has their prejudices" but the neeg were also an issue of fear, rage, and shock, which would override the normally pragmatic girl who could best be described as the leader.  Fear is very humanizing and all the girls have their fears, as I think is fair in a world of giant dragons, underground monsters, and extradimensional demons.

            On that note, Celine is also the first character in our story to be introduced with visible scarring as well as emotional scarring.  I can't really spoil the significance of the scars on her ears, but they are very much like wearing shackles or collars for slaves.  They are symbols of past oppression and tender spots.  Her habit of rubbing them is to remind her that she is still free.

            Celine has a natural affinity for apocra.  This is largely due to her having had to travel the land alone with no human companions in the past, more on that later, but it helps her stand out just a little from Daryl or Mina.  Daryl tends to be wary or afraid and while Mina is accepting, the apocra are never as at ease or welcoming around her as they are around Celine.  To this end, Celine is most fond of Dakon and Echidna at Acacia, as they are a nal-vey and an apocra called an omnar and all their children are apocra.  This has not had a huge chance to shine in the past, though in Gollia, Celine talks about her travels and her befriending of a few apocra, but I hope that it will be more prominent in the future.

            Celine has respect for both Yuka and Deminos and since she is the oldest of the girls and closest to these two in age, are probably the closest out of them as friends.  Celine also has an affinity for Nerise, though not as overt as Daryl's or Mina's.  While Celine does trust Kinana, there is visible tension due to Kinana's teasing of Mina.  Celine has probably had the least contact with Gadius, Vincent, and Aeon himself.  She is neither fond of them, nor does she hate them.  She merely lacks the experience.  Kano is the closest thing Celine has to a father and she respects him in her heart, even if her words can be a bit crude or harsh.  He is probably the second most important person in the world to her, for taking her in and giving her a place to stay.

            Celine is usually billed as the sardonic one, because she is somewhat cynical due to her upbringing, and is more often than not going to be rude or crack a joke than the others.  This isn't because she's actively mean but rather because she doesn't know any other way to act.  Despite this appearance, Celine is at times very playful, as evidenced by her and Mina's early morning shenanigans.  However, she has had to grow up before her time so often doesn't engage in such play.

            Daryl and Celine butt heads frequently.  This is due to their difference in upbringing, with Celine having a harsh life that has made her tough, but bitter, and Daryl having a soft life, making her somewhat of an elitist and a snob.  Despite these differences, they come together over Mina and became friends because of their connection to her.  Celine recognizes Daryl's power, but also won't hesitate to call her out.  She does not tiptoe around the issues, so to speak, and is very matter of fact, which clashes with Daryl's more literary and educated background.  The two, even if they fight, are very much the best of friends and would do anything for one another...though, they might never be able to admit that.

            When creating the girls, Mina, Celine, and Daryl, the original plan was to have each sort of apprentice under Aeon's main lieutenants to varying degrees of success.  Celine was meant to go with Yuka/Dakon, however that focus shifted.  I took Celine in a more dynamic direction, in my opinion, as she wasn't as welcoming of Yuka or as accepting of Aeon.  Celine is the character with the most visible scars, emotionally and physically, running counter to both Mina and Daryl, as Mina had hidden scarring and Daryl had no scarring whatsoever.  She also became the voice of pragmatism amongst the girls, balancing Mina's impulsiveness and general acceptance of others and Daryl's more analytical and often misinformed/fearful approach.  She had courage as well as common sense.  What was probably the hardest in terms of writing for Celine were her angry/outburst moments, because it's important to make the audience know that she feels justified in her actions and her feelings, even if, from a purely logical standpoint, she shouldn't be.  I wanted Celine to be a character for whom growth would come in unexpected ways.  I think the ways Mina and Daryl are growing is obvious, to an extent, but I wanted Celine's growth to be more under the surface.  More willing to let go of Mina and put aside her prejudices for the sake of others.

            The best way to close it out is that if Mina is the main character whose growth we pay attention to, Celine is the one whose growth is happening in the background(though there are moments when it is front and center, like the current chapters.)

           

Character Spotlight 3: Kinana

Hey!  So, sorry for the late update.  My life has just been crazy busy.  I am still writing and the next chapter is about half way through the re-writing process.  I hope to have it all hammered out and ready for revisions by Sunday/Monday.  It is sadly going to remain slow for the foreseeable future, so no updates every week or every other week with new chapters like I could a year ago.  Anyway, I do have a character spotlight for you.  While a minor character, I enjoyed her evolution and writing her.  Plus, I do think she plays an important role in both the plot and the development of other characters.

This is Character Spotlight 3: Kinana

            Kinana is an unusual character to talk about, because she wasn't one of my originally conceived characters.  Vincent, Mina, Aeon, Celine, all of these were born from my most basic of drafts, but Kinana came in later.  What makes it harder to talk about her without spoilers is the fact that she hasn't had a terribly large amount of screen time.  So, minor spoilers ahead, about Kinana and the Goetians.  However, I don't consider them all that bad...many are just common sense.

            First, Goetians.  Goetians are like Dragons.  They are some of the original children of Shanadia and like Dragons, they have great power...with great age.  Many of them are actually quite week, especially the young ones.  This is not unlike what happened to Mina and the others when they were climbing Draconia.  Goetians are not unlike humans, therians, teythens or other races either.  They can grow, change, age, and even die.  Unlike Dragons, however, they are bound by contracts to others in order to be allowed into the world of Serano.  Part of this contract stipulates that they cannot die.  Even if their body is torn to ribbons, they will only be returned to their own world, Goetia.  Badly wounded, unable to be summoned for some time, and perhaps lacking faith in their master, but alive.  However, that does not mean they don't feel pain.  Goetians feel just the same as any other creature.  Goetians are also creatures of the flesh and enjoy sensations.  Food, companionship, sex, etc.  They are stronger than the other races of Serano, save the Dragons, but their power varies greatly.  Almost no two Goetians are alike.  Some have similar subsets, which is why Kinana can be recognized as a succubus, however save for a few very special exceptions, which will be touched upon later, there are no two Goetians who are the same.  Typically Goetians look down on humans or other races, the reason of which shall also be revealed later.  Goetians are at their most powerful and their most vulnerable in Goetia, but can live in Serano if given a proper contract or a proper reason.  In these situations, they do not need to stay close to their contractor and can do as they wish.  Contracts can be almost anything, so long as it benefits the Goetian in a way they desire.

            With that info dump out of the way, let's look at Kinana.  Kinana does have a contract with Aeon and he does summon her with a chant, so she is not a bound Goetian, like some of Deminos's Goetians.  Kinana is a creature who lives off of the sensations of pleasure.  While her favorite types are sexual in nature, often giving her a lewd demeanor, any type of pleasure can suffice, be it the pleasure of a dream, the pleasure of company, or what have you.  Kinana has been with Aeon longer than anyone currently revealed.  She has been his constant companion and lover.  And yes, despite his cold appearance, Aeon loves Kinana.  More on that later in the story.

            Kinana can best be described as playful and lacking inhibitions.  This does not make her naive or stupid, as she is very capable of understanding the severity of a situation and adapting to it with great speed.  However, she does not care what others think of her and will dress as she wishes, act as she wishes, and say what she pleases.  Because of her status as a being who feeds of pleasure, she has an appearance, including her skimpy clothes, which are meant to elicit pleasure from others.  While not readily apparent in some sense, Kinana can change her appearance at will, though there are limitations.  Her claws and tongue growing longer or the ability to hide her more demonic traits are signs of this.  Kinana's powers stem from this and her ability to give and take pleasure.  By giving pleasure she can sustain others and by taking it she can hurt others.  She also has the ability to manipulate others based on this power, as she can distract or even blind people with pleasure, causing them to suffer illusions or temporary amnesia.  Kinana cannot use magic in any form.  Her powers are different from the types of magic or abilities utilized by apocra or teythens in Serano.

            Kinana is not as she appears to be.  Not entirely, at least.  More on that will be revealed later, but suffice it to say that her current form is for the sake of Aeon and the others.  One that is pleasing, but also recognizable as human.  After all, humans are more comfortable around their own.

            Though Kinana is in service to Aeon, this does not mean she blindly follows his orders.  Kinana often acts on her own beliefs or on what she believes Aeon truly wants, as he often acts not out of desire, but out of what he believes is necessary.  This can even lead to her going behind his back.  Her home is in Goetia, so she stays in Acacia based purely on either her own whims or Aeon's wishes.  She is familiar with all those who live in Acacia and while each has varying levels of respect or frustration with her, she considers them family.  Aside from Aeon, Kinana is closest to Nerise and cares about the little girl like a mother, the result of her time with Aeon and Nerise in Gollia.  As I said before, Goetians can grow and change and this is the result of a long life...perhaps we will get to that later.  Who knows?

            It is fair to say that Kinana feels a connection to Mina.  She feels partly responsible for her, due to her role in saving Mina's life, but also she genuinely likes the girl, for her kind and welcoming nature, as well as her somewhat reckless, even tomboyish traits.  Kinana is also, to a degree, fond of  Daryl and Celine.  She does enjoy teasing them, but also respects each.  Celine for her devotion to Mina and Daryl for her friendship with Nerise.  Kinana has lived longer than you might expect.  At least as long as Aeon.  So, she is used to meetings and partings.  However, that does not mean she cannot or will not feel sad, due to her somewhat emotional nature.

            I don't want to reveal too much more about Kinana.  She is important, at least for the growth of Mina, among others, however there is much about her that has not been made clear in the story, such as the conditions of her contract with Aeon, her history with the lich, and why she will stand by him even if he does things that are less than scrupulous.

            In closing, I would say that Kinana was originally meant to be a way of discouraging shipping Aeon and Mina.  Also, a convenient recurring character, who could act as Aeon's servant.  After all, with the success of stories like Twilight, or god help you the Host, it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility that Aeon and Mina, despite the odd circumstances and substantial age difference, might be paired, especially since Mina will grow older down the road.  Though, I realize now after some of my friends have shipped other characters that discouragement means very little to the fans.  Regardless, I liked Kinana, even after this realization.  She's an interesting beast that kind of inverts expectations.  Despite how she is introduced, she's not meant to be a slutty character archetype at all.  As the drafts evolved, she became more akin to Aeon's more humanizing half taken to the extreme.  If Aeon controls his emotions to a great degree, Kinana lets her feelings and her actions run wild, doing as she pleases.  This also means that while Aeon may act cold or aloof when speaking with others, Kinana is able to be a bit more down to earth and reasonable.  I see Aeon and Kinana almost like a married couple.  Opposites, but they help balance one another out.  Take from that what you will. 

            Alongside that analysis, I wanted to show that Kinana wasn't evil or immoral or what have you.  Largely, this is due to the demonic appearance of the Goetians.  The book of Goetia is a book of demons and they were originally conceived as demons.  I wanted, like with many elements of this story, to show that what has been thought of as evil does not have to be.  Free spirited, lacking in rules or order, or what have you does not equate to evil.  Kinana is a free spirit who does what she wants and is more woman than you might expect.  By that, I mean she can fight but is also more emotional...and that's why she's strong.  She can help others work through their pain because she is so in touch with her emotions.  And, since she lacks inhibitions, she gives no craps, so there's nothing holding her back.

Kernel of Insight: Dialects and Experimentation with Dialogue

 Okay...been longer than I wanted.  I know I try to keep a weekly update schedule, though sometimes I stretch the definition of "weekly" but I've...just been wiped out since posting my last chapter.  Road trips in attempts to find a new job, working hard at my current job, stress, drama, and of course sickness...I've been prevented from doing much writing.  Only had time to support my gaming blog.  However, I want to try and get back into the swing of things...so, I'm starting on the next chapter now.  I hope to have it ready by the end of March.  Until then, we'll have more character spotlights and possibly one or two more Kernel's of Insight, like this one.

I have to apologize for all the delays...I'm not as young/motivated/with as much free time as I once was...and I hate the delays as much as anyone who has stuck with me.  But, I am dedicated to this.  If you stick with me, I'll get to the end of this book eventually.  That's my promise

Anyway, enough being a downer.  Let's get into this week's Kernel of Insight.

 Kernel of Insight: Dialects and Experimentation with Dialogue

            With my most recent chapter being posted, I felt it important to speak a little bit about a curious little thing called literary dialects.  See, more often than not, any variation of speech we see incorporated into a character, whether stiff, proper, and robotic, like Aeon who refuses to use contractions when in his skeletal form, or a bit more rustic, where slang and shortened words are more common for the sake of convenience, like Yuka and the neeg seen in last chapter, comes from real life.  We use our own experiences, be they first hand or not, to fill in the gaps.  We write to what we know.  Sometimes, this can lead to interesting leaps.  Brian Jacques created a new type of dialect for an entire race in his Redwall books, where the moles speak in a sometimes hard to understand, somewhat rustic and often slow paced manner of speech.  Things like "Oi ill ake thee a deep'r than earth poi as big as oi" (forgive me, but I'm typing from memory.  No offense meant, mister Jacques.  You were an amazing writer.)

            Anyway, in an interview with mister Jacques I saw, he talked about how he adapted molespeak from a very rustic breed of retired British men, whom he'd sometimes hang out with.  He wrote from his own experience and fit it into the slots in his stories that most needed it.  Now, this can be both a good and a bad thing, in my opinion.  For those of us who have limited experiences, it could just be a reinforcement of stereotypes, good or ill, and lack any originality.  Worse, it can be quite offensive.  So, care needs to be given when you're creating a dialect for a group.  Sometimes even something made with the best of intentions can be taken as offensive, if only because they sound similar.  My thought on this is the neeg might sound uneducated and either inner city or country bumpkin, depending on your perspective.  Part of that is intentional.  In the land of Serano, of the five great races, the neeg are considered the lowliest.  They have fewer opportunities for education or for being around people who will speak to them slowly and deliberately.  From birth to death, most of them are forced to work at a rapid pace in a foundry before moving on once business dies down or their supply of resources runs dry.  They don't get time to read or play or talk leisurely.  That's why they sound a bit undereducated...because in some classical schools of education, they are.  However, mechanically, they are miles ahead of the other races.

            Now, I bring this up because I have found that there are two overriding rules when creating a dialect.  These aren't necessarily set in stone, but from what I have read and what I have written, they seem to hold pretty firm towards making a dialect work.  The first is, consistency.  The neeg often remove the H from the beginning of any word that has it, creating 'as for has, 'ey for hey, and so on.  Now, if you only do it for some words, that can also be fine, though phonetically it might not make all that much sense.  HOWEVER!  You need to have consistency with which words you use it with.  Otherwise, you'll just seem like an amateur who is grasping at straws.  More than just letter or word choice, if you have a style of editing to show off the difference in speech, that too much also be consistent.  Whenever a letter is omitted, for me and the neeg, I put an apostrophe in front of it to indicate the loss.  Proper grammar?  Almost certainly not...however, for the sake of a unique type of speech with a unique race in a unique world, a lot can be forgiven.

            That brings me to the second overriding rule.  Experiment.  Okay, so I lied...it's not so much a rule as a suggestion.  You want to put dialogue in italics to indicate a difference in tone?  Do it.  Brackets?  Go nuts.  You want to add Japanese honorifics to them?  Why not?  The thing about dialogue is that, while there are some proper rules for writing them, in your world, people can, in theory, speak any way you want.  Classic rules of English are less important than keeping consistent and making sure the audience understands the meaning.  And making the audience understand the meanings of your literary editing choices is important, perhaps not through exposition, but through context.  Going back to Japanese honorifics, it doesn't make much sense in a western composition...but if your characters are in feudal Japan...maybe.  If you're doing inner thoughts, then brackets or italics make more sense, especially if you end the dialogue with a tag that says "he thought, she thought, ____ thought."

            This is more evident in graphic novels/ comic books, due to the ability to edit and warp dialogue without having to change the editing.  Neil Gaiman's fantastic Sandman series, for example, features the title character who speaks in white text and black dialogue boxes, whereas other characters use the reverse.  This gives our titular Sandman a unique trait about him and it changes how we perceive his speech.  More deliberate, more dark, more whatever the audience alludes to the change in dialogue boxes.  Deadpool the mercenary has multi-colored dialogue boxes to represent voices in his head.  These are all valid ways of showing different ways of speaking, dialects, thoughts, experimentation.  If it weren't a comic book, I'd say Deadpool could get the same effect by having one voice speak in brackets [ ] and another speak in italics.

            The thing about dialects, and dialogue in general, is that if you're going to experiment, have a reason for it and don't second guess yourself.  This isn't like the works of Law or Philosophy, where you want to have a precedent set.  Writing is something that is personal to you...so you can set the precedent.  Terry Pratchet was, in my opinion, a trailblazer in satirical writing because his limited narrator, as well as his characters, were self aware that they were in a parody.  I'd never seen this before and I don't know if he pioneered it or copied it or whatever.  But, doesn't matter.  It worked for him because he ran with it.

            So, I'm running with the dialects for the neeg and for other characters.  Those who've been paying attention have noticed a few people who speak differently in Chronicles of the Frozen Shade.  You have to.  Aeon's stiff speech, Nerise's child-like demeanor, or Deminos's bravado all lead to different manners of speech.  For me, I don't see a need, yet, to include a more radical form of dialogue editing, like brackets or what have you, though I might bold or italics something to give emphasis.  But that's me.  That's my choice.  And any would be writers should not be discouraged from at least trying something new.  Will it make it into the final draft?  Maybe, maybe not...but experiment, see how things go for you after running with it for a bit, and learn.  In my opinion, a writer learns even without an editor, because their style changes as they experiment and try different things...until they find what they like and run with it.  So don't be afraid to experiment.  Just remember to keep it consistent where it counts and to make it match the tone/setting/whatever of the piece.