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.