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dolariWhen we began putting together the idea for the Han'a/Nen'a story, it was going to be a small little story, only a few pages long for the Keenspace Free Comic Day comic. After some working with it, we all realized that the story was too big for just four or five pages, and began coming up with a plot to get it into the AWFW storyline.
Up until I began drawing, the plot was very rudimentary - The tribe was in trouble, and Han'a was recruited into a new hunting party (after already having Emm'a). A character that eventually became Manwaz killed her when he became jealous of her kill count and killed them both. That basic story is still there, but just before it came time to draw it, the story filled out rapidly.
Han'a was now 7 or 8, a new charater named Khaneni appeared. In the beginning, he was a just a terrible hunter, as the story filled out more, he became trans (something I wanted to keep out of AWFW, but I've since learned, don't argue with the characters). Emm'a was their child, and it was Morningstar who planted the first seeds of doubt in her mind.
After I finish with a character, they dissapear. I don't know where they go, they just dissapear. So far, in AWFW, Michael (the Green Mage) and Faith are gone. Carrie's mother Molly is also gone. They're just not in my head anymore. But surprisingly, the whole Tribe of Ehrem is still in my head. All of them.
That's usually a sign that there's more story to be told with them (When Andrea's mother died, she remained in my head because she knew she would be coming back for more story). But in this case, there's no more story with them. What I'm seeing when I visit them is "life." There's no story driving them, there's just more and more of what their lives are. The tribe is in the period where Manwaz was exiled, Han'a and Nen'a are mates, and Emm'a is about six or seven.
What's funny, too, is that they "interact" with me more than most of my other characters. When I talk to my characters, there's not much "life" to them. They're interested in the next story point, and the processes it takes to get there, or working on story ideas farther down the line. If I was to ask "What did you have for breakfast this morning?" to someone like Carrie, she would reply with "I don't know. Is it important?"
But when I visit the tribe, they tell me so much stuff about what's going on. Through Nen'a, I've learned about the rules a Gallus must go through to live as a woman. I don't think I could do it (and she not only did it, but became the Medicine Woman). I've seen the women's culture in the tribe, and the men's culture, and how the two are very very very seperate, despite that many are mated. Through Han'a, I've watched her and a few of the other hunters teaching Emm'a how to hunt behind the backs of the tribal leaders. I've seen them packing up and moving slowly across Europe in the summer. I've seen them hunker down for camp in the winter. It's an amazingly detailed culture. I've always had a thing for the simpler life, I kinda like this place. :)
What's also funny, is they see me as another "person." Most of my characters see me as "The Writer" or "The Drawer." They tell me their story, they show me things they'd like to see told, and poses they wanna be in, and that's really the only interaction I have with them. Some of them are friendly and will small talk, but eventually, it's all "Back to the Mines."
The tribe, however, sees me as some kind of wanderer. They all know who I am and welcome me, and talk to me, and I talk to them, and it's a very nice "Oh, it's good to see you" family seeing a long lost relative kinda thing. I really like it. That world is really expanding, despite the fact that there's no story to be told. It's just...life. Y'know? Hope it doesn't go away....
::laugh:: Show of hands - who thinks I'm a basketcase? :D
Up until I began drawing, the plot was very rudimentary - The tribe was in trouble, and Han'a was recruited into a new hunting party (after already having Emm'a). A character that eventually became Manwaz killed her when he became jealous of her kill count and killed them both. That basic story is still there, but just before it came time to draw it, the story filled out rapidly.
Han'a was now 7 or 8, a new charater named Khaneni appeared. In the beginning, he was a just a terrible hunter, as the story filled out more, he became trans (something I wanted to keep out of AWFW, but I've since learned, don't argue with the characters). Emm'a was their child, and it was Morningstar who planted the first seeds of doubt in her mind.
After I finish with a character, they dissapear. I don't know where they go, they just dissapear. So far, in AWFW, Michael (the Green Mage) and Faith are gone. Carrie's mother Molly is also gone. They're just not in my head anymore. But surprisingly, the whole Tribe of Ehrem is still in my head. All of them.
That's usually a sign that there's more story to be told with them (When Andrea's mother died, she remained in my head because she knew she would be coming back for more story). But in this case, there's no more story with them. What I'm seeing when I visit them is "life." There's no story driving them, there's just more and more of what their lives are. The tribe is in the period where Manwaz was exiled, Han'a and Nen'a are mates, and Emm'a is about six or seven.
What's funny, too, is that they "interact" with me more than most of my other characters. When I talk to my characters, there's not much "life" to them. They're interested in the next story point, and the processes it takes to get there, or working on story ideas farther down the line. If I was to ask "What did you have for breakfast this morning?" to someone like Carrie, she would reply with "I don't know. Is it important?"
But when I visit the tribe, they tell me so much stuff about what's going on. Through Nen'a, I've learned about the rules a Gallus must go through to live as a woman. I don't think I could do it (and she not only did it, but became the Medicine Woman). I've seen the women's culture in the tribe, and the men's culture, and how the two are very very very seperate, despite that many are mated. Through Han'a, I've watched her and a few of the other hunters teaching Emm'a how to hunt behind the backs of the tribal leaders. I've seen them packing up and moving slowly across Europe in the summer. I've seen them hunker down for camp in the winter. It's an amazingly detailed culture. I've always had a thing for the simpler life, I kinda like this place. :)
What's also funny, is they see me as another "person." Most of my characters see me as "The Writer" or "The Drawer." They tell me their story, they show me things they'd like to see told, and poses they wanna be in, and that's really the only interaction I have with them. Some of them are friendly and will small talk, but eventually, it's all "Back to the Mines."
The tribe, however, sees me as some kind of wanderer. They all know who I am and welcome me, and talk to me, and I talk to them, and it's a very nice "Oh, it's good to see you" family seeing a long lost relative kinda thing. I really like it. That world is really expanding, despite the fact that there's no story to be told. It's just...life. Y'know? Hope it doesn't go away....
::laugh:: Show of hands - who thinks I'm a basketcase? :D
