Hornet: Origins Q&A

Hello, ladies and gentlemen. This is the second of the two Patreon posts I’ve decided to write in December. The first post was primarily a status update on my personal life, a brief summary of everything that's happened this year and a rough sketch of what’s to be expected early on in the coming year. The following post is going to focus exclusively on my comic; I'm going to talk about its themes, the setting, the many inspirations behind it, and of course its protagonist. All throughout 2022, I’ve been entertaining different ideas for the comic and by now I've collected a sizeable enough mental catalogue that I can mold into something greater than the sum of its parts.

Though I’ve a good idea on how I want to time gate Hornet’s adventure, I’ve elected to release parts of the comic in an episodic format, with random vignettes strung together to tell a story in a largely non-linear fashion. Some of it is going to be action focused, some vignettes will be dedicated to Hornet’s deeper character moments, others won't be regarding Hornet specifically and instead set out to paint a more composite image of the setting and other characters. Writing has never been my strong suit, so I'm going to hope that my art can do all the heavy lifting in pulling you into my world.

Q: Is the comic going to lean more towards low or high fantasy? What would you say is its most accurate point of comparison?

A: The setting itself is primarily low-fantasy. The first part of the comic is going to showcase much of the mundane detail of everyday life in a rural environment, rather than what's the life like for the kings and nobles of this world. 

That being said, my intention is to keep everything clean and any depictions of violence are going to be implied, rather than overt. Should the story necessitate a more mature turn, however, I'm not going to steer clear of anything that would undermine my message. We tend to discuss sensitive content in very isolated terms and I don't like the idea of branding my art with potentially unhelpful tags, just for the sake of giving my audience a better idea of what to expect. Art should be evaluated on its own merits.

As far as the mechanics of the setting itself are concerned, I think a good analog in literature would be the Greek mythology. When you look at ancient history, you'll notice various anecdotes that teeter on the brink between fantasy and reality. As such, it's quite easy to suspend your disbelief over a world already governed by tangible laws. It's easier to believe that king Minos had a half-bull, half-man son named Minotaur when the king himself may have well been a real person. Myths embrace the supernatural entirely, without forgoing that even the most bizarre of stories must not stretch credulity. The veracity of many stories, real or imagined, is further put into question by just how superstitious the Romans and the Greeks were; I think it's part of human nature to ponder the workings of our world and ascribe meaning to things, even when there isn't none. Virgil wanted the Romans to believe there're the descendants of the Trojans and that Aeneas seduced the Carthaginian queen Dido, so that the Romans would have a more romantic, literatury reason to have waged the Punic Wars that took place half a millennium later. Whether The Aeneid is valuable as historical evidence doesn't matter; the Romans believed it wholeheartedly to be true.

What I'm getting at, is that the supernatural element of mythology is there, but it’s subdued, which is what I want magic in Origins to be like. A sparsely used but nevertheless important part of giving fantasy that coveted escapist element. Not everyone is going to be privy to magical arts and those that do dabble in them (should they so exist) are going to be met with a mixture of curiosity, contempt and fear. 

Q: Are there any video game inspirations behind Origins?

A: From a purely narrative perspective, no. However, one game with an atmosphere comparable to that I wish to portray in Origins would have to be SEKIRO: Shadows Die Twice. I love how everything in that game feels like you’re smack dab in the middle of a crisis, with samurai wandering about and the constant talk of a very serious conflict looming about, but then you take one step too far and a humongous serpent perks up from around the corner. It's a lot like Big Trouble in Little China, where all the crazy supernatural things just so happen to be in plain sight, only in part of the city that the West isn't paying any attention to. Not every area in SEKIRO is like that, though; you definitely get a feeling that there’s contrast between all the Ashina stuff and the smaller regions, like the Senpou Temple or the Sunken Valley.

I also think the visuals in SEKIRO have the exact type of mood that I want to evoke, especially with the landscapes. I’ve always had a fondness for mountainous areas, dominated by cool colors with a splash of brisk red here and there. The realm which Hornet is going to grow up in is going to be largely comprised of dour, sprawling tundras enclosed by vast ranges of mountains, which isn’t exactly Japan but I think my heart is in the right place. 

Q: Are you worried that there will be confusion as to whether your comic pertains to Hollow Knight?

A: I like to think there won’t be, despite what to an onlooker might appear to be some puzzling coincidences. The nail in the coffin, to me, is the fact that the Hollow Knight characters are all insects; a blonde woman in a red dress and black tights is just a fundamentally different entity by the virtue of humans not existing in Hollow Knight. For the sake of clarity, I want to emphasize that neither my comic, nor my character, have absolutely anything to do with Team Cherry’s game. I think anyone with even the slightest level of interest in either my comic or Hollow Knight will immediately realize they’re a totally different thing. If changing the title of my comic will prove really necessary, the new title might be Aluka: Hornet’s Origins or simply Aluka: Hornet. It’s imperative for me to keep the name of the character in the title, since it’s Hornet that’s the focal point of the story, not the universe.

Q: On that subject, is Hornet: Origins going to be part of a larger fictional universe that you wish to create more stories in?

A: The short answer is yes. Although I’ve ideas for the world beyond the scope of Hornet’s journey, I’ve not explored them thoroughly. The setting is supposed to be just a backdrop for an in-depth character study, which naturally necessitates that, as an author, I create an interesting and believable world, governed its own subset of rules. I want my readers to be able to guess and anticipate certain things based off of the situations I’ll have described, and then I'll hopefully throw them in for a loop. I haven’t thought about creating any additional stories besides Hornet’s, though depending on how good of a setting I’ll have created, I might end up reusing it at some point. If you’re already familiar with the universe, then reading more stories within it should be a lot of fun.

Q: Let’s talk about your character now. You’ve mentioned that Hornet was a pacifist and a mute. How did either of those two traits come about?

A: My reasoning for creating a character who doesn’t hurt anybody stemmed from the way I feel about media in general, especially that aimed at younger audiences who also happen to be interested in fantasy. I’ve found that if I were to create a graphic novel, I wanted it to do something that you wouldn’t quite get anywhere else. Fantasy is often heavily associated with violence; you don’t always get stories about a girl who doesn't immediately reach for a sword when danger is abound. 

Now there is absolutely nothing inherently wrong with violent media; I’ve always been a fan of games, movies and animated shows which focused heavily on people killing each other. Generally speaking we engage in vicarious forms of violent entertainment because it has to do with making us feel powerful. Seeing someone in power, whether they’re physically strong or armed to teeth with weapons, is awesome; it makes you think, “if only I were that badass.” And while I don’t fault anyone for never not wanting anything besides cool characters kicking ass with cool weapons, it’s not something that resonates with me at least, now that I’m rapidly approaching my thirties.

We tend to associate violence with power and for a good reason; the ability to hurt is a natural byproduct of being in power. Still, I find that the cheapness of death in fiction can often make dramatic moments fall flat. I don’t know about you, but personally I couldn’t bring myself to kill another human being, even in self defense, legal qualms aside. Even in video games, I’m appalled by excessive violence, no matter the narrative reasons behind it. As such, my immersion takes a hit whenever I'm supposed to feel towards somebody with such little consideration for the life of another person. By making Hornet a non-violent protagonist, I've set out to tell a story of somebody who already has a strong moral code they live by and you might be intrigued by how is that exactly going to manifest. What compromises is the heroine willing to make in order to preserve that essential part of herself. How we react to adversity speaks volumes about the type of person we are.

The subject of Hornet’s voice is related primarily to my belief that actions always speak louder than words. I want Hornet to be both likable and relatable; by letting the reader imagine what does the heroine think, they should have an easier time connecting with her. Reading somebody off of their non-verbal cues is also more fun than just skimming through their speech bubbles. Being silent does not mean you’ve nothing to say; far from it. It only means that your presence, the very sense of 'you' manifests in different ways. A person’s voice is also a major means of conveying power; there’s a reason why we teach children to keep quiet when adults are speaking. Having such a serious disability from the get-go gives the character an additional level of depth, since how they overcome said weakness can be a springboard for drama. This should also greatly alleviate any language barriers there might arise if my graphic novel ever attracts a wide enough audience with a non-English speaking crowd. No matter if you're from North America, Europe or Asia, your reading of Hornet’s character will not be predicated on what she says, but rather on what she does. Sometimes we can all benefit from some silent introspection.

Q: How did you come up with Hornet’s design?

A: I wanted Hornet to be a study of contrasts. Much of her design juxtaposes triangles and circles; sharp, angular forms, undercut by the soft dainty texture of her vast golden hair. Her huge dark eyes convey openness, curiosity and maybe a little bit of naïvety that’s emblematic of someone with a pure heart. But then if you’ll observe, Hornet’s frame is lean and muscular, with bones and muscles put boldly front and center, and her face often resembles an inverted triangle. Even her name doesn't exactly sound pleasant, does it. Though I make a point to almost always draw her smiling gingerly towards the viewer, she doesn't look like someone you'd have a good time hugging. The heavy use of red eyeshadow and thick eyeliner was also not an accident. Hornet is supposed to project confidence and strength. Not necessarily to attract your attention with good looks, but perhaps more so as a statement on who she is and what she thinks of herself. Unless you are writing a very complex story, you want your main character to be spunky, daring and with a clear and understandable motive. This is why I intended to keep things simple, yet with a style and swagger all of my own. The red streak in the hair is something I can’t give away just yet, but I think you get the gist of it.

Red in general is a wonderful protagonist color. It’s regal. It’s bold. It exudes leadership, courage and bravery. Basically, it’s the color of every superhero who wants to overthrow a tyrant and restore their realm to glory. What I think we also often forget is that a good protagonist should be through and through honest. The world around them may not always like what they stand for, but you better be damn sure that this isn’t going to stop them.

I’m sure by now you’ve realized that Hornet: Origins isn’t going to be the most complicated story ever told, but that’s exactly the point. I’ve my own twist on the hero’s journey that I think will resonate with the right audience. I believe the world needs a story like this, or at least I know I do, else I wouldn’t be making such a big deal about it. It is my duty, as an artist, to devote everything to this project.

Q: What would be the target audience for your comic?

A: Aside from all the, you know, fantasy and historical flair I've just described, there's a bit of a personal angle that I wanted to tackle. If you watch RedLetterMedia, you might be familiar with Mike Stoklasa's term, 'the case of the not-gays', which describes a situation where a screenwriter goes out of their way to decisively showcase that the characters in a movie are, indeed, straight, even if it's completely unnecessary. More often than not it marginalizes the movie's potential queer audience. This is something that fanfiction writers have always made a point of challenging; queer authors want to feel represented and take opportunities to explore the possibility of their favorite character being gay, bi, transgender, nonbinary and more.

As an asexual woman, I've felt this way many a time; when a character with clearly no romantic interests suddenly develops newfound feelings towards someone, for no other reason than because the presumed straight audience wants to see that. Subsequently, as a queer artist myself, I want to showcase that being an ace (asexual) does not make me some kind of eldritch monstrosity incapable of human contact, nor does it mean the way I feel is mediated by some deep-seated drama. I am me and that's fine.

In the end, my goal is to incorporate those themes into an otherwise grounded fantasy setting, governed by well thought out rules and populated by unusual, interesting cultures. I want to create a universe in which an asexual heroine can accomplish astonishing feats of bravery and sacrifice, with her sexual identity being as much a part of her as her costume or fighting skills. Who we develop attraction to, if at all, informs a great many things about us; having the courage to confront who you really are can make for a powerful moment of reflection.

The other angle would be the question of Hornet's diet, where once again, I can reap the many benefits that a fictional setting affords me and create a technologically primitive world, in which a diet consisting of non-animal products is both possible and beneficial. This will require some extra research on my behalf; I don't want to create a magical species of tofu that just so happens to be a vegan panaceum to all of the world's ills. Nevertheless, making a point of representing Hornet as vegan is very important to me, even if it will require filling in many scrupulous detail about the setting.

This should wrap it up for now. Next month I'll try to write a smaller but similar post, hopefully unveiling some more minutiae behind my comic, the setting and Hornet herself.