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Sapul: 7, 10, 17, 19
Astrid: 3, 12, 16, 19
Illusionist<3: 3+4, 6, 8
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7. What is an aspect of Sapul's appearance that I like the most? I LOVE her eyes. Drawing her eyes is so much fun in any sketch or painting I do of her. She's "sin-touched"; a term applied to folks in the Laurence Homestead who have something off kilter or supernatural about them - can be as subtle as a supernatural trait in appearance or straight up having weird inherited abilities. She just has a grey fox's eyes, and I love the strangeness that comes with putting animal eyes on a person.
10. What is Sapul's main character arc in the story? Where does she start and how does she develop? Does she get a happy ending or is her story a tragic one? Her story is a story about vengeance, through and through. I did make a note before the campaign started that I did not want to go the standard "revenge is bad, don't kill people, live laugh love" morality arc that I tend to see so frequently in all media for all ages. I don't think that arc is bad by any means, but when I see it in media that prides itself in complex moral explorations through their characters, I find it really disappointing and shallow. I was craving a deeper exploration behind the idea of "revenge", especially when that revenge is dramatized with murder and death. I ultimately wanted a happy ending for her, where her takeaway was something more nuanced than "forgive and forget", so I ended up with the ethos of "She will kill her abuser, but she will find peace through the love of her friends and found family". No moral lesson, just a character exploration. 17. Are there any motifs or symbols associated with Sapul? How is she represented, in her design, personality or in some other way? The Silver fox is the primary symbol, as well as eyes! The fox shows up everywhere: hair is dark and silver, her eyes as previously mentioned, she has long slender fingers, and when I draw her scared, stalking, or hunting, she's hunched - so her hair rests in an arc down her back that makes it look like her hair stands on end. Eyes are both for her fox eye trait, as well as the trauma she got early game was paranoia. That one feel's fairly self explanatory. Oh and special mention to all her religious trauma but if I start talking, I won't stop. 19. What is your general favorite thing about Sapul? What is your least favorite? I absolutely love Sapul's backstory. She is on record as my most heavily researched character (down to a several day-long hunt for reliable resources to name her*) and has one of the most compelling, dramatic, and personal character motivations I've ever given a ttrpg character. Least favorite would probably be how I play her in session. I think I did my best given the circumstances, but I know if I were to sit and write her character, she would come across very differently and more consistent. I don't beat myself up over it though, that's just how ttrpg characters go! *bonus fun fact, Sapul has 3 names: her birth name, her "given" name, and her alias. Sapul Canomci (Sah-pool-h Cha-nom-see), Sloan DeFleur, and Dr. Silver)
3. What was the first think I decided on, Astrid's name, appearance, personality, or the role in the story? If my memory is correct, I think it was a mix between appearance and class. I was joining GIA and I think we already had some party member classes picked out, and we needed a healer. Plus I was watching CR2 at the time, so Caduceus's Grave Domain was on the mind, and I really leaned into my interest in fungi at the time. I draw while I brainstorm, so I know a lot of these decisions were made while I was deciding on her visual design as well. 12. Do I have a playlist for Astrid? What songs do I associate her with and why?
Absolutely, every single major character of mine has a playlist in some shape or form. The most important songs are Sin Triangle , Skeleton Song, and Metaphor. Sin Triangle is essentially her theme song, Skeleton Song defines an important relationship in her backstory, and Metaphor is her state of mind in the bulk of the campaign. Covers a lot of her internal guilt and struggles :) shout out Crane Wives. 16. Is there any memes or running jokes associated with Astrid, both in- and out of universe? Oh god I cannot think of any on the spot besides the fact I call her "my liar" all the time. My fellow party members can probably remember better than me. 19. What is my general favorite thing about Astrid? What is my least favorite? I'm just gonna get least favorite out of the way: She's an old character who's backstory was initially influenced by someone who is not in my life anymore and does not bring back great memories, so I am frustrated that thinking of her so often brings up old pains. BUT WE'RE NOT ABOUT THAT.
MY FAVORITE IS ABSOLUTELY HER PLAYLIST. Which by extension, the adjustments made to her backstory which I feel fit the tone, themes, and general vibe of Astrid and GIA way better than it ever did. Her playlist is one of my favorites to passively listen to and I think reflect her VERY well. I also love her fashion and costume design.
3. What was the first think you decided on, Illusionist's name, appearance, personality or their role in the story? Role in the story, I can say that with certainty. I've mentioned before that she was made to fill the needed role of a villain and everything fell into place after that :) 4. And reverse, which one of the four things did I struggle with the most? KNOWING ME? PROBABLY NAME. I ALWAYS STRUGGLE NAMING MY CHARACTERS. I have an easier time with titles, but even then it's a struggle. I think she went by "The Cleric" for a while so I could buy myself more time to think of a name for her. 6. What was the thought process behind her appearance? Did I go mostly for the aesthetic or are there other reasons she look the way she does?
I've mentioned that her design was based off a reused D&D PC design that was then adapted and redone over and over again to get where we are now. A lot of backstory decisions were made to explain why the hell she looks like that, so it was absolutely for aesthetics at the time. While solid, I'm not the biggest fan of the design now. I have been wanting to give her a proper redesign that actually reflects her character. However, with her popularity, I find myself in a hard spot of trying to redesign her but not make her unrecognizable. Strange position but definitely not impossible. 8. What is the origin of her personality? And let's be honest - how much of it is projecting? Her personality was a result to be a foil of Dryad; being in a similar situation but making different decisions? Where would that lead a person? Then also having to get her to a place to be a villain that is fun to play and fun to hate. Also, I project onto every single one of my characters in some way shape or form. Illusionist's manifests in the way of a power fantasy; just the idea that you can take full control of your fate and wrench it back into your hands. Heavy emphasis on the fantasy though.