Terrified and terrible writer that I am, I find myself endlessly worrying over characterization. This is especially the case with my current project as it is almost entirely character-centric.
So, because I am both nervous about The Dodekatheon project and procrastinating on it, I’m just gonna start answering these character development questions. I’ll be altering/skipping a few, depending on the relevance of each to the story, and be answering them in themed groups, since I tend to be wordy in my responses.
Since most of the information in these surveys will likely only appear in the novel versions of this series, or otherwise has little direct bearing on the comic chapters of this series, they aren’t particularly spoiler-y. If anything, they should be taken as add-ons or extra material to the comics.
Erol Koss:
Age as of Aletheia: 20.
Height: 6’0”
Birthday: January 20th (Aquarius)
Hair/eye color: Blonde/Green
Affiliations: Body Guard at the Olympus brothel
1. How does your character think of their parents? What do they hate and love about them? What influence - literal or imagined - did the parents have?
Erol adores his parents. They were kind, affectionate and generally fair when they have to give out punishments. Erol was their fourth child, so by the time he came along they’d already had eight years of parenting experience under their belts. That being said, there was still the usual parent-child tension born of the generation gap and general teenage rebelliousness. The biggest conflict he ever had with his parents was over his decision not to continue his education past high school. In a way, it’s hard to do a write-up on them, since they are designed to be very “normal” parents (in whatever way you define normal parenting).
Their biggest influence on Erol was raising him to be very responsible, perhaps overly so. He has seven sisters, four of whom are younger than him, and his parents both work and are getting on in years besides, so he often helped take care of them growing up. They encouraged him to think of himself as both a caretaker and a protector, roles which he took and ran away with. To this day, he tends to take responsibility for anyone he considers under his care, sometimes even when they wish he wouldn’t. It's a flaw born of good intentions, but a flaw nonetheless.
2. Brothers, sisters? Who do they like? Why? What do they despise about their siblings?
DOES EROL HAVE SIBLINGS, IT ASKS.
Well, like I said, he’s got seven sisters, ranging from age 28 to 9. They basically never show up but here’s their names and ages anyway.
The five whose names are bolded are dead by the start of Aletheia; four died of Syndrome X², and Ausra was murdered by a childhood friend when she was 20. Those are the ages they would have been if they hadn’t died. His relationship with each is generally good, especially with the younger ones who are perfectly content to let him spoil them like he wants to. That being said, he spends a lot of time nagging at them to clean up after themselves and be polite.
If there’s anything he genuinely dislikes, it’s not specifc to any of them, but rather something born of fear. Remember, the basis of The Dodekatheon is that young girls are rapidly being killed off by a disease which doesn’t strike until the early teens, and the dismal boy-to-girl ratio has led to increases in violence and sex crimes against women. This means that, essentially, none of his sisters are ever really safe; even if they survive their teen years without dying, they still have to go into a world where violence could come from anywhere. Erol loves them, but he’s also terrified for them.
3. What type of discipline was your character subjected to at home? Strict? Lenient?
A middle place. If you asked his older sisters they’d say his parents were very lenient with him, as elder siblings often do. But, in general, by the time they got around to Erol his parents had already worked out a system for rules and discipline, and were fairly consistent about enforcement.
4. Were they overprotected as a child? Sheltered?
Somewhat. He wasn’t overly-protected, but he did go an awfully long time without being touched by the more painful things in the world. It wasn’t really until he turned twelve, when Ausra was killed, that it occurred to him that the world had more than a few minor flaws to it.
6. Did they feel rejection or affection as a child?
Erol felt affection almost constantly, from someone or other. Even if one of his sister’s got angry at him, he had six others and there was always at least one that would side with him. Though his parents got frustrated and angry at times, they never went so far as to make him feel rejected.
7. What was the economic status of their family?
On the lower end of middling. His family probably would have been rich if his parents had fewer kids ^^;
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Terrified and terrible writer that I am, I find myself endlessly worrying over characterization. This is especially the case with my current project as it is almost entirely character-centric.
So, because I am both nervous about The Dodekatheon project and procrastinating on it, I’m just gonna start answering these character development questions. I’ll be altering/skipping a few, depending on the relevance of each to the story, and be answering them in themed groups, since I tend to be wordy in my responses.
Since most of the information in these surveys will likely only appear in the novel versions of this series, or otherwise has little direct bearing on the comic chapters of this series, they aren’t particularly spoiler-y. If anything, they should be taken as add-ons or extra material to the comics.
Tw: descriptions of child abuse and neglect
Safi El-Amin:
Age as of Aletheia: 18.
Height: 5’2"
Birthday: July 2nd (Cancer)
Hair/eye color: Black/Black (purple in illustrations)
Affiliations: Knight (prostitute) of the Olympus brothel
1. How does your character think of their parents? What do they hate and love about them? What influence - literal or imagined - did the parents have?
Safi comes from a poor, abusive and neglectful household. Neither of his parents are particularly educated, nor do they hold well-paying jobs. This has been the case since before Safi was born, and frankly, is the reason he was born in the first place. When he was younger they were mostly just neglectful, with the occasional, “You’re such a waste of time/money/energy why do I bother?” However, this steadily escalated into more obvious forms of verbal abuse, eventually sliding into physical abuse. (That being said, I would like to specifically say that he was not sexually abused at home.)
They began withholding necessities such as food and clothes from him around age twelve, which consequently stunted his growth and necessitated him wearing his ill-fitted clothes into the ground. He also started (secretly) taking on odd jobs, though he usually spent the money immediately after being paid on food or clothes from thrift stores, as his parents would likely steal anything he brought home.
Naturally, they had a lot of influence on him. It doesn’t come across in the comic so much as it will in the novel (you know, that one that’ll eventually exist maybe), but he struggles with a sincere lack of self-worth and an image of himself as sub-human. He spent/spends a lot of time convincing himself that he deserves to exist. The fact that he lives long enough to get to Olympus is thanks to a natural tenacity and the decision to continue living whether he deserves to or not. It has not been an easy decision to stick to.
2. Brothers, sisters? Who do they like? Why? What do they despise about their siblings?
Safi is an only child.
3. What type of discipline was your character subjected to at home? Strict? Lenient?
Neither. “Strict” implies consistency, while “lenient” implies compassion. Safi was punished whether he followed the rules or not, and the rules were ever-changing. Punishments varied from the corporal to the verbal to the denial of food and sleep.
4. Were they overprotected as a child? Sheltered?
His parents could not have cared less what he did, what he learned, or what was done to him.
6. Did they feel rejection or affection as a child?
Safi felt rejection in the extreme from his parents. That being said, he did make a few friends in his younger years who showed him affection. However, most of them were girls whom he lost contact with when they hit age 10, when the sexes begin to be segregated in schools.
Terrified and terrible writer that I am, I find myself endlessly worrying over characterization. This is especially the case with my current project as it is almost entirely character-centric.
So, because I am both nervous about The Dodekatheon project and procrastinating on it, I’m just gonna start answering these character development questions. I’ll be altering/skipping a few, depending on the relevance of each to the story, and be answering them in themed groups, since I tend to be wordy in my responses.
Since most of the information in these surveys will likely only appear in the novel versions of this series, or otherwise has little direct bearing on the comic chapters of this series, they aren’t particularly spoiler-y. If anything, they should be taken as add-ons or extra material to the comics.
Basic Profile
Azaziah Levine:
Age as of Hypomone: 30.
Height: 6’5”
Birthday: September 8th (Virgo)
Hair/eye color: Silvery-gray/Gray-blue (all sorts of fancy hyphenated colors for this one)
Affiliations: Senator; politically Anti-Knight
Family Life pt. 1:
1. How does your character think of their parents? What do they hate and love about them? What influence - literal or imagined - did the parents have?
Perhaps it’s because he is naturally inclined to bend to the yolk rather than shrug it off, but Azaziah actually feels quite neutral about his parents. He thinks of his father as an authority figure and a senior co-worker, understanding that there is little sentiment in their relationship. His mother is little more than a light at the end of the hallway, or a quiet presence at the dinner table. More than anything, he thinks she is just a very distant person.
The only thing that has ever made him feel genuine hatred and disgust toward his parents is their handling of ‘Aziz’s running off to Olympus. He never got over how easily his father cut off ties with ‘Aziz, and he has never forgiven his father for going to the ridiculous lengths he did to keep ‘Aziz’s running away under wraps (i.e., faking his death). He’s also never forgiven his mother for never having fought these decisions.
Azaziah’s parents—his entire family really—looms heavily in his life. The Levine family is very old, very prominent, and literally everywhere. They’ve got some crazy political influence going on okay, not even joking here the only reason they aren't outright monarchs is because they don't want to be quite so center-stage. His father is the embodiment of everything this family is at its core—a dictator with a benevolent veneer, which is quick to peel away if you oppose him. His mother came into the family via an arranged marriage. She’s quite done with considering the Levine family as anything more than a band of megalomaniacs, but is resigned to being powerless within its system.
All of that being said, his family’s influence in his life is very real and very tangible. The schools he went to, the people he associated with, the things he studied and his career were all chosen for him. Partly because he never had much breathing room to decide things for himself, and partly because he’s got a deep sense of responsibility, but he’s accepted his prescribed role with a fair amount of grace. He’s never really fought his fate, though in hindsight he wonders if he should have.
2. Brothers, sisters? Who do they like? Why? What do they despise about their siblings?
Azaziah has one younger brother, ‘Aziz. He is actually very fond of ‘Aziz, and when they were younger they got along really well. They were each other’s only real source of affection growing up, and if ‘Aziz hadn’t been such a born rebel (er, relatively speaking), Azaziah likely would have grown up never questioning his family at all, and would probably be an entitled douchehat.
It is this willfulness of ‘Aziz’s that Azaziah both loves and hates. While he’s not inclined to put up a struggle himself, he really admires the fact that ‘Aziz did, and moreover that ‘Aziz escaped. Azaziah never tried, he never saw his mother or any other adult try, yet his little brother just goes one day, literally just takes his things and runs, and even it’s incredible, if not foolhardy.
He hates it too though. Partly because he feels abandoned, but even before that time he resented it because he 1) felt it was futile and only brought ‘Aziz more pain and alienation within their family, 2) made him aware of just how off their family situation is, and therefore uncomfortable with it, and 3) it made him feel ashamed of his own unwillingness to act.
4. What type of discipline was your character subjected to at home? Strict? Lenient?
Downright authoritarian. Growing up, literally every aspect of his life was policed, and even things he chose for himself had to be approved. He had more autonomy as he grew up, and being allowed to live on campus during his college years made him feel a lot more confident that he was, to some degree at least, making his own choices. That being said, he does ultimately accept the role given to him without much fuss.
5. Were they overprotected as a child? Sheltered?
Yes. Homeschooled until high school, given a very ideologically strict curriculum, and constantly tailed by body guards, Azaziah was sheltered and overprotected to the extreme. It’s a miracle he’s not more of an asshole, frankly.
6. Did they feel rejection or affection as a child?
Neither, particularly. He only felt affection from ‘Aziz, but that doesn’t mean his parents necessarily rejected him. However, he was always aware that his father’s acceptance of him relied heavily on his being obedient, and so he mostly feared the possibility of rejection, rather than actually experiencing it.
7. What was the economic status of their family?
Illuminati. That’s definitely a legitimate economic status okay
So I'm brain-storming last names for Rama and this is difficult because I just wanna call him Rama Llama for the rest of my life but that's not really an option I don't think any suggestions guys
Terrified and terrible writer that I am, I find myself endlessly worrying over characterization. This is especially the case with my current project as it is almost entirely character-centric.
So, because I am both nervous about The Dodekatheon project and procrastinating on it, I’m just gonna start answering these character development questions. I’ll be altering/skipping a few, depending on the relevance of each to the story, and be answering them in themed groups, since I tend to be wordy in my responses.
Since most of the information in these surveys will likely only appear in the novel versions of this series, or otherwise has little direct bearing on the comic chapters of this series, they aren’t particularly spoiler-y. If anything, they should be taken as add-ons or extra material to the comics.
Basic Profile:
Rama Kohen:
Age as of Hypomone: 29
Height: 5’9”
Birthday: October 16th (Libra)
Hair/eye color: Light blonde/brown
Affiliations: Knight (prostitute) of the Olympus brothel
Family Life pt. 1:
1. How does your character think of their parents? What do they hate and love about them? What influence - literal or imagined - did the parents have?
Rama’s relationship with his parents is somewhat distant, but affectionate. His parents’ line of work involves extensive travel, so throughout most of his childhood one of them was usually absent for long stretches of time. Generally, even the parent who was at home with him was still working in some capacity, and once he hit his teens both of his parents would regularly be away for work. He could, however, rely on both of them being home for major holidays, and he regularly exchanges correspondence with them. Even though he’s moved out of the family’s apartment in favor of living in Olympus, he still goes back weekly to clean it in case his parents are coming home. In that regard, he’s quite the loyal son.
Rama very much loves the freedom they gave him growing up, and their generally positive acceptance of his interests and behaviors. In a very meaningful way, they shaped his code of ethics by allowing him to explore what he wanted, so long as he did so by honest means and didn’t harm others. This approach to parenting left him with a lot of confidence in himself and his choices.
If there’s anything he disliked about them, it was the timing of their decision to start leaving him alone. Rama became (very) sexually active at fourteen, maybe a year after his parents had started leaving him to take care of himself. Many of his peers/teachers/other mentors and authority figures tended to assume he was acting out to get their attention, and often tried to “correct” his behavior. While Rama doesn’t necessarily dismiss the idea that maybe in his early years he slept around at least in part as a way of combatting loneliness, he very much takes issue with the idea that it was and is his only reason, and so resents his parents’ bad timing just a tiny bit.
2. Brothers, sisters? Who do they like? Why? What do they despise about their siblings?
Rama is an only child.
4. What type of discipline was your character subjected to at home? Strict? Lenient?
Very lenient. His parents did not use corporal punishment and preferred to explain in the best way possible why something was wrong. Of course, once they both started travelling, punishment virtually stopped, though on occasion he might get a strongly worded letter.
5. Were they overprotected as a child? Sheltered?
Not at all. Generally, his parents’ philosophy was that if he was old enough to ask about something, then he was old enough to hear the truth about it. As for physical sheltering, he was generally supervised but not inhibited, provided he stayed within sight.
Basically, Rama was treated like a miniature adult.
6. Did they feel rejection or affection as a child?
Affection. Rama was always very aware of the fact that it took an extra effort on his parents’ part to arrange their schedules as they did, and that doing so meant they had to spend much less time together. Though he often felt guilty, he never felt unloved.
7. What was the economic status of their family?
Income-wise, nouveau riche. That being said, they only kept a two-bedroom apartment.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
