SHADOW KHAN PROJECT: Playing With Character Concepts!

When not writing... well sometimes.

I tend to play around when not busy. It's almost always involving something with one of my projects. This past weekend was - as expected - Shadow Genesis. Below are three mock-character promo designs I created just to keep me going in my projects. It is good to have fun with your works, anything from free-writing to various note taking out of the head, sketches, the works, even listen your favorite tunes while doing so. To me that is best thing anyone can do for it takes away the pressure, stress, worries... all of the negatives that can lead to several creative pit-falls... writer's block included.

So here we are below - Click the images for full view via DeviantArt!

Went on created six of the main characters (five protagonists and one antagonist) that are featured in the original SHADOW GENESIS VOLUME ONE: PRELUDES OF WAR. They will also be featured in SHADOW GENESIS: INCEPTION with other characters as well. All in a bigger and 'improved' story.


Did these over the weekend. Just really added the last two up. Done in IMVU (like several others I shown in previous blog posts) an online chat/game client - sort of but not EXACTLY like Second Life - then photoshopped to completion, therefore these are 'Unofficial' character concepts until I finally get them officially created. I do have a representation of Malice done here with a baby Shadow Khan present, and that's just about it. I do these from time to time to not only show everyone how my characters look (as close as possible until the 'time' comes) but also for my own help with visual cues and reference stuff. I stick these in Scrivener and MS OneNote as a support method when describing characters through narrative. It is always a good idea to draw (as best as you can) your characters, and if you can't do them yourself, can always get a friend on board willing to help, or do like I use to do before trying this out... write their descriptions as detailed as possible so the mind itself can register a proper visual. There are several more characters (as shown in first novel here) but working on them all will be a bit challenging given as to how they are pretty unique in looks, and I rather wait to get them all done officially. No use in speaking on them entirely, therefore focusing on these six at most for now, but they all will be done and accounted for in due time!

SHADOW GENESIS | INCEPTION - PART ONE PREVIEW

I… must… have… Dragon Age!

After watching this footage right here, I swear, I get that strong need to play… but like everyone else, I must wait until October for Dragon Age III: Inquisition.

By then, I should have my Ps4.

Meanwhile, been rebuilding Part I intro to SG:I. Apologies for not showing this one before, and just skipping to Part II’s intro preview… but hey, I did show the Prologue of Umbra Divinius of Dark and how he creates Shadara. Yeah… a straight ‘Genesis I’… sort of.

My novel is not Shadow Genesis for nothing, so I had to make it ‘work’. To make up for that ‘skipperoo’ I present Part I preview of SG:I, introducing Malice herself… and her ‘cute insomnia’.

PART I

A tiring sky calms its tears, easing the rain away for a coming siesta. In its wake, a lively luna above rests to a darkening light above a shroud of colorful aurorae, Eos Veil, tapering to a faint shining spread. A lazy mass of winking stars mingle in its spread, stars that could shine no brighter behind its tiresome hues. Captivating, for anyone bound by land can easily lose themselves in a marvel upon the millions upon millions of stars sprawled along its dark. It is to say, that the uncountable populace living in the world’s largest city more than likely failed to lift their heads. The busy streets of Centra, the capital city of Darkgear Prime, is notorious for its mesmeric sights, more so than what a stargazer would claim far best than the typical urbane of city life.

The central city’s popularity stems from the very heart of its outstanding form, housing Shadara realm’s great sovereignty, the Khan Dynasty.

The Khans retained a rigid declaration over the realm for many eras. History details an aggressive start to power, and like any rise to such boundless hegemony, comes the many falls and twisted perversions staining ones hands in irrefutable transgression. As these series of events emerge long before the coming of Shadara’s new crown, dark and ruthless than the now, each bit of indiscretion bears heavy and irksome in weight upon her shoulders. Last of her family bloodline, Sovereign Malice La’Shade Khan has a lot to account for. Her birthright is more than just sitting on a throne she rarely occupies, and more than just wearing a crown that she hardly fashions herself with. In her opinion, she did not care for material holdings notating her title, for those and more did not make her a world queen, but it is what she does in actions far greater than words. That alone shows how determined and entrusting she has become, believing in the words of those held dear. Their faith in her tenet gives her strength, including the support of her people quiescent beneath her far below in the massive city of lights.

She stood there bare foot over-viewing Centra’s majestic expanse, as far as her beautiful lavender eyes can see, and she can see to the ends of the city’s great gates tall and without a doubt teeming with her faithful guard. The soft falling rain no more, she did not mind the wet surface of her royal terrace. In fact, she welcomes it as few lasting droplets come shy of damping her deep lavender hair and rich mocha skin, including a whispering breeze playing her simple gown to dance in a tiny sway of innocence. Nice to her skin, enough to sooth her habitual thoughts on events then and now. Including one such musing currently claiming her mind in a frenzy of intense contemplation.

She could not sleep because of it, strangely enough.

Her studies complete with books open and stack upon a table inside, and her bed showing telltale signs of previous unstill stir. It is apparent she was once at rest before succumbing to a city trance and gaze, but something for sure haunts her awake.

She feels the answers to her persistent distress will come soon enough.

  

***

Catch Ya' Next Week!

SOTP, Myself, Shadow, & Spirit

SOTP vs EAYG

Seat Of The Pants v|s Edit As You Go

I can tell you right now, I have been a SOTP since… well… since ‘almost’ forever. Thinking back, I have tons of notebooks of stories that never made the cut, or was chopped up and used for other projects. I just write and write until I am done, with no thought of pre-planning… until I realize that the ‘shorties’ I do have (like plot synopsis and characters) are actually prep work just waiting to be filled up like a balloon full of air.

And it be just like that… air.

So I have to fill it all in with some worthy weight of solid elements that make the story a story. I done this so many times that I now wonder why I am not back in that mode.

Seat of the Pants Writer (SOTP) are writers who keep the foot on the gas while knowing where they are going in their own works. They don't stop, won't stop, can't stop (sounds familiar?). They plot as they write, and discover just what their brains dish out. It is a thrill-ride of a time with seemingly no end… until it ends… then you look and go into a ‘holy-hell’ moment due to the many plot-holes and so forth that pops up like a bad tear in the pants… from a not-so-good split move. You’re having a good time until that ‘RIIIIIP’ is heard… or seen for that matter.

Record stops like a mofo from then on out.

Now you have to edit, edit, and edit, and that there is one hell of a killer. Such is why I have been trying my best to get SG:I in good condition and standing a fighting chance, and why SG:V1 felt dull to me (and a book I will never forget or totally degrade for it is still my first… and a great story to those who liked). I went and straight revised the whole manuscript, pushed the count over 290,000 (I was straight SOTP mode too) and karate-chopped it into two instead of one.

Editing SG:I is ‘almost finished’ by the way.

I have a schedule I aim to keep and make it second nature to me. Waking up around or after 5am before 12pm (so I can do other geek/nerd things with my day). That there is my window to go berserk in my project with the weekends being free time and whatever minor project (I got loads) I wish to meddle with. Including the two majors (Multiverse and Slicka), which Slicka is actually a graphic novel idea that I went from drawing a bunch of handmade comics to learning how to script write for it.

That’s right… script writing for comics!

So the SOTP is my default, but I have a sense of EAYG too. I’ll write at times then edit over. Tend to jump around between the two more times than before… and maybe that is a bad thing (or a good thing?) but all I know, is that I refuse to not write every day. If I am away (which happens) I am constantly brainstorming.

May explain why I am not up to my usual in social skills since talking to others gets a bit wonky. Can tell I’ve been stuck in my manuscript more than having a social life… which actually I have been repairing (as I said one time I was seen as a ‘Ghost’ to my own fam/friends). Is why now I make sure everyone knows what’s going on.

Shadow, Myself, & I

There also came a time when few had no idea what I was doing. Well, I also like to be ‘hidden’, since some can be a bit troublesome and full of bad energy. I need to be in a positive mode, positive energy, and upbeat before I write… which I believe is for everyone. Many gave me doubts, many acted as if I had no future in this. Then I got published and it all went poof. Seriously… writing a book is no easy feat, and while some pride themselves in acting better than another by killing another’s spirit… I for one will not be broken.

Negative into positive I say once or twice more.

Plus, for some reason I tend to gain inspiration from the bad energy folk in my life. We are authors after all… one has to be careful with bohemians like us because we work off our lives, our feelings, our spirits, the works. I pull ideas from anything and everything. Some pass… some fail on an epic scale.

A very old Shadow Khan concept

Shadow Genesis as I said before sprouted up from a character I created back in 99’. The character is based off my nickname (Shadow), and back then I was more of a ‘hate the world and its people’ phase. Dark phase or something, but with Linkin Park blasting on repeat and then some… I ended up creating some crazy stories. Almost everything was action packed, drama, and pure fantasy combined. I hardly ever do anything that has no kind of sci-fi/fantasy to it. Originally, Shadow was a blend of modern and fantasy, pulling from my own life elements and altering them into fictional stories. Back then, being that young and out there with such things were as I say the 'infantile' stages of my imagination. I had no real sense of direction, and was just 'dinking' around with the concept of a dark and vengeful superhero fighting evil and protecting those he care for. Being the light in their darkness while he himself is dark by nature. 

Cliche' sounding but hey... I was still learning how to make stories.

After a while, things started to create themselves as I say. Growing up, learning, developing, I began to gain a bit more direction. Discovering how much of a fantasy nut I am too. Going to lay it out right now… I have so much to work on with the Shadow Khan Project (Shadow Genesis included) that I just might be writing for the rest of my life. I sometimes wish I did this years ago…

Another 'Shadow' concept (with Shadow Blade idea)

like… graduating from high school and instead of going to AiA (Art Institute of Atlanta) I should have just went to the community college out here, picked up writing, and turn myself into an author early. If that happened… I may not have met those I know today, nor would the stories (what lived from the batch) have sprouted.

There was a bit of supposed issues arising when a few believed I was using their likeliness in my works. I am the type who works off my life, feelings, experiences, and so forth. There are many of us that way, and the moment the fit of fits came to my attention I had to think back. I recall several wanting to be featured, and me letting them know I did such. It was a promise of adoration and acknowledgement, and those few felt extremely honored. All my life I had people wanting me to 'draw them' or 'write a story with them in it' or something of the like... so it came natural that I'd do it in a snap because I am just that imaginative (aren't we all?)

Champion Shadow Khan (Unofficial character idea)

Well apparently some wanted to play amnesia.

When the news of me seriously an Author (because none of them believed) came up as 'proof'... things changed. Though I no longer have them in my works, the concepts created remain, I sometimes get hints of them wanting themselves a 'iconic character' to them as a 'Tribute'.

Unfortunately, I am not as open to such things as I use to be, because some people can be very guileful... and insecure.

Like a dear friend said: "They should be honored, especially when all you did was acknowledge their friendship and support through your work."

Because sure enough, when you are on your way to bigger and better things through your goals, people want to remind you on your beginnings, and how you should never forget where you came from, or those who were there during the struggle.

While some, like to play a cruel hand in bringing you down. 

 

Unbeatable Spirit

They say I have not much time. One once said that due to my age (being 29 now) I should be settled and so forth. I did not understand why I was told that at first, but it occurred to me that this one’s logic was on the whole “You must be successful and stable by the time you reach 25.”

………..

Really?

I know many who didn’t reach this ‘stability/success’ until they were in their 30s and so forth. I never saw this as a race, and I don’t take to statistics unless I am on a goofy b/s stage for laughs, but to me if you’re not doing anything then you fail. If you lose passion in what you do, you lose a part of yourself. I succeeded in one of my goals… and although I have a long ways to go, if I just stopped writing and ‘trying’… I’d despise myself for it.

Moral: Don’t let others put things in your head that can deter you. No one knows your life better than you do. Keep your spirit strong, and have faith in your abilities.

Sovereign Malice & Baby Shadow