This was originally in response to Bram's lovely words about The Aartan Legacy, but it kinda turned into a ramble of it's own.
I had originally considered writing a whole blog going into the ideas that went into Orix's character, not to mention the numerous other characters I'd invented for my alts. But the concept behind Orix is definitely the one who has undergone the most change. As my main character, I wanted him to be distinct, yet not too difficult to Roleplay.
Orix went through a bajillion iterations of being all manner of fantastical things, from a shapeshifter, to an android, a clone, and so on and so forth. All these ideas area great and can make for very interesting characters if done well, but I felt that making my main character too complex makes them harder to relate to. I don't want people to have to remember all these things about him when listening or interacting with him in game.
In the end I opted for something very human (despite being alien). I remember writing the second episode, and Rik said something along the lines of "something I like about Orix is that he says he doesn't feel these negative things about his father and upbringing, because he's not human, but, you get a sense that he does." To me, this was really gratifying, because it made me realise I had been writing Orix with a particular depth without really realising it.
I'm fascinated by this, as it shows how the collaborative process has really sparked among you all. The traditional vision of the artist sitting in a dark and lonely garret doesn't quite grasp the reality. Particularly as it has been transformed by the digital sphere.
ReplyDeleteTogether you have responded to each other as audiences and encouraged each other as authors. You have realised characters of depth and hopefully it is steps along the way to that bigger story that's waiting out there for us to discover.