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notes on AGL 23
It's up, which I assume you already know if you are reading this, but just in case. The following commentary contains spoilers for the chapter, and I strongly recommend reading that first.
Many of my plot twists are organic, revealing themselves to me as I go along. Not this one. I have been planning Kinoc's betrayal from the very beginning, pretty much in this exact form, and it's driven many of my other decisions. We don't learn much about Kinoc's relationship to Auron in the game, but we do get a few key facts. Namely, that Kinoc and Auron are friends when Auron leaves on Braska's pilgrimage, but by the time of Yuna's pilgrimage, Auron thinks very little of Kinoc, to the point where he plainly asserts that Kinoc would execute a friend. It always seemed to me that something really extreme must have happened between them to cause this change. I think this fits the bill.
From his very first appearance in Chapter 4, I felt like I was walking a tightrope with Kinoc's characterization. He had to be sympathetic at first, because we need to believe that Auron sees him as a true friend, but the backstab can't appear completely out of nowhere, either. So I took the tactic of portraying him as a basically decent person who genuinely thinks of Auron as a friend, but who also is willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead. For Auron, duty comes before all else; Kinoc's driving force is ambition. I hope this comes through in the story.
I've also been planning Kal's role as the messenger for some time. That's why I couldn't kill him off before. Everywhere else I've used Kal, I could have slotted in Jass pretty easily (except for the Sam connection, but I hadn't conceived of that character yet when I was writing "Shattered Calm", and I'm sure I could have found a different way to bring Jass into the present and connect him to Lissira). But Jass didn't know Kinoc. I just couldn't see any reason for Kinoc to spill his guts to Jass when his friendship with Auron was their only connection. Kal, on the other hand, had an independent relationship with Kinoc since they were all roommates together. It's maybe still a little far-fetched, but much more within the bounds of realism. So far, I'm really glad I went this direction, because I think Kal is a good character, and I enjoy writing him.
It's interesting that I've gotten conflicting feedback in reviews for pretty much the first time for this chapter, and that the topic is the one thing in the chapter I'm not completely happy with: the relationship between Auron and Jecht. I'm not completely convinced that it's in character for Auron to have spilled his whole story like that, especially when he's still not sure that Jecht is who and what he says he is. When I plotted that segment out, I had been thinking that this session would be a good way to bring the two men closer together -- Auron's carrying around a serious emotional burden that he doesn't feel he can share with Braska, so he gets the support from Jecht instead and they start to become friends. But maybe I'm thinking too much like a woman (which I am, in case you haven't figured that out by now, heh) and guys don't really relate to each other like that. Who knows. So anyway, it intrigues me that the scene works for some readers but not others.
As for Paine not wanting to tell Baralai about Kinoc's involvement in the Auron affair, I have a reason for that, too. If you've gotten Baralai's Sphere in FF X-2, you know that Baralai went to work for Seymour after the Den of Woe. It is strongly implied that Baralai makes this choice largely because Seymour and Kinoc were rivals, and Baralai wants to take down Kinoc for his role in the Crimson Squad massacre. He still bears a grudge toward Kinoc, and Paine is worried about his reaction if he learns about yet another treacherous action of the Maester. I haven't decided whether I will do more with this thread or not. It's likely, it won't be for awhile.
Chapter 24 is almost entirely unwritten. I think I know what it's going to be about, but except for the short section I wrote on the plane Sunday, none of it is set down. But 25 is pretty much done, and I'm really excited about getting there. So I have an incentive to finish 24. We'll see if it helps. If it does, they may be up by this weekend.
Many of my plot twists are organic, revealing themselves to me as I go along. Not this one. I have been planning Kinoc's betrayal from the very beginning, pretty much in this exact form, and it's driven many of my other decisions. We don't learn much about Kinoc's relationship to Auron in the game, but we do get a few key facts. Namely, that Kinoc and Auron are friends when Auron leaves on Braska's pilgrimage, but by the time of Yuna's pilgrimage, Auron thinks very little of Kinoc, to the point where he plainly asserts that Kinoc would execute a friend. It always seemed to me that something really extreme must have happened between them to cause this change. I think this fits the bill.
From his very first appearance in Chapter 4, I felt like I was walking a tightrope with Kinoc's characterization. He had to be sympathetic at first, because we need to believe that Auron sees him as a true friend, but the backstab can't appear completely out of nowhere, either. So I took the tactic of portraying him as a basically decent person who genuinely thinks of Auron as a friend, but who also is willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead. For Auron, duty comes before all else; Kinoc's driving force is ambition. I hope this comes through in the story.
I've also been planning Kal's role as the messenger for some time. That's why I couldn't kill him off before. Everywhere else I've used Kal, I could have slotted in Jass pretty easily (except for the Sam connection, but I hadn't conceived of that character yet when I was writing "Shattered Calm", and I'm sure I could have found a different way to bring Jass into the present and connect him to Lissira). But Jass didn't know Kinoc. I just couldn't see any reason for Kinoc to spill his guts to Jass when his friendship with Auron was their only connection. Kal, on the other hand, had an independent relationship with Kinoc since they were all roommates together. It's maybe still a little far-fetched, but much more within the bounds of realism. So far, I'm really glad I went this direction, because I think Kal is a good character, and I enjoy writing him.
It's interesting that I've gotten conflicting feedback in reviews for pretty much the first time for this chapter, and that the topic is the one thing in the chapter I'm not completely happy with: the relationship between Auron and Jecht. I'm not completely convinced that it's in character for Auron to have spilled his whole story like that, especially when he's still not sure that Jecht is who and what he says he is. When I plotted that segment out, I had been thinking that this session would be a good way to bring the two men closer together -- Auron's carrying around a serious emotional burden that he doesn't feel he can share with Braska, so he gets the support from Jecht instead and they start to become friends. But maybe I'm thinking too much like a woman (which I am, in case you haven't figured that out by now, heh) and guys don't really relate to each other like that. Who knows. So anyway, it intrigues me that the scene works for some readers but not others.
As for Paine not wanting to tell Baralai about Kinoc's involvement in the Auron affair, I have a reason for that, too. If you've gotten Baralai's Sphere in FF X-2, you know that Baralai went to work for Seymour after the Den of Woe. It is strongly implied that Baralai makes this choice largely because Seymour and Kinoc were rivals, and Baralai wants to take down Kinoc for his role in the Crimson Squad massacre. He still bears a grudge toward Kinoc, and Paine is worried about his reaction if he learns about yet another treacherous action of the Maester. I haven't decided whether I will do more with this thread or not. It's likely, it won't be for awhile.
Chapter 24 is almost entirely unwritten. I think I know what it's going to be about, but except for the short section I wrote on the plane Sunday, none of it is set down. But 25 is pretty much done, and I'm really excited about getting there. So I have an incentive to finish 24. We'll see if it helps. If it does, they may be up by this weekend.