The Introduction
You all know by now how much I love the story of Darth Vader. The character development of Anakin Skywalker impacted my own writing. The prequels were often looked down by viewers for different reasons but there is a magic to the way this character was created long before we know anything about his backstory.
Long before the prequels, Darth Vader proved to be a redeemable character. He paved the way for the three movies showing just how emotion played a vital role in his development. He transformed from the scariest loud breathing man in a metal suit who Force choked his own Imperials when dissatisfied to the father who chose to sacrifice his own life for the life of his son. We were given a glimpse into the story of a boy who time and time again showed that he did what he did for the people he loved.
Writing Jedi vs Sith
I started off writing Jedi when I was a teenager. Immediately after my first Jedi, I created my first Sith character. I was eager to explore the depth of these characters who are often mislabelled as fuelled solely by hate. This is very one dimensional, if you ask me.
My First Sith, Kyle
My first Sith was a girl seemingly without any background. She hated her own species. At an early age, she recognized that she was not just a member of her own society. She believed she was above other orphans (for the size of her wings). She cut those wings. She refused to have a reminder of this knowledge. It would be years before she would discover she was in fact of royal blood. She had a twin sister who lived the life she was meant to.
This created a strong sense of hate for her family and twin sister. In reality, this hate was misguided as she was stolen from them on the day of her birth. I loved writing Kyle in those early days. I learned just how deep this hate ran. Despite this, she created a life for herself. An accidental last name was given to her and one other boy. This caused the guardians to consider them as brother and sister. This gave her a family when she least expected.
Lady Asteria
I have created many Sith characters after that. Some would start as Jedi and fall, others were always Sith. Asteria, for example, was born to two Sith parents and raised in this environment. She would grow cold rather than angry in her adulthood. Still, her family held an important place in her heart always. She was fiercely devoted to her mother and adored her little sister. She even found the love of her life in a man born of a Dathomirian Witch.
The cold aspects of Asteria’s personality felt more powerful to me at the time than simple hate.
A character like this could not be swayed to the light. She could not be redeemed, as some viewed it. This was because it was who she was. There was no anger to soothe. She possessed hate for certain individuals. Some were distant members of her own family. However, it did not define what sort of Sith she was.
My True Neutral, Lauda
Another was Lauda, born of a dark Dathomiri With (Nightsister) and a Sith Master. Much like Acolyte had ventured into exploring actions done to unborn children, Lauda was born different. She was created between her two parents years before we were given the story of Mae and Osha. While born of darkness, Lauda grew to become a true neutral despite her upbringings. She was a mother cub to her loved ones. She was fiercely protective and willing to pass the point of no return for her own, especially her children. She was fair and just in all.
Chaos Incarnated, Curupira
Curupira, Katrine’s mother, started off with a complex story. Her original calling was that of a Jedi but she came to them for selfish reasons. I knew her early life backstory. She was born on Dathomir in a light-sided clan. She survived an attack on her people. She witnessed the death of her father before being kidnapped and sold into slavery. Over the course of preparing this backstory, I realised she was adopted by a Sith who was, quite frankly, mad. The Sith treated her as a little sister. She ventured into the galaxy to find her sister. Ti’Cira was a Jedi herself at the time.
She joined the Jedi to reunite with her sister.
Being a Jedi was, simply put, an adventure for Curupira, but it was not her calling. She spent time training to be a Jedi. Then she met a Sith. He was even more insane than her adoptive father. He asked her to become a Sith. Her affiliation to the Jedi was not sincere. She simply said yes. Her time on the darkside was a time of exploration about herself, and discovery of her own beliefs. Her mate was essentially a psychopath. He murdered a whole crowded club because he wanted to be alone with her. This became the foundation of their own whirlwind romance and start of a brand-new adventure.
Eventually though, it became clear to me that being a Sith was a part of Curupira growing up. Like a teenage rebellion phase but in the end, she would become a neutral character as she matured. She went from having no responsibility to discovering she had adult children (from the future). This discovery also began to change the former Jedi and Sith in assuming adult responsibility. That is not to say I don’t have a dark future in mind to her.
As time travel was incorporated (inspired by Star Trek’s idea). Katrine is not the only time traveling member of this family (in the original roleplay, not the short story). Growing up with Back to the Future’s concept of time travel, I knew any interference in the past by Katrine would create more changes in the future. Any changes in the past would lead to more changes in the future. So another time traveller arrived. This one came from a future where Curupira and her mate embraced their insanity. They chose to end anyone that opposed them, including their own family.
I did enjoy writing both Curupira and Katrine and spent a lot of time with them. At times, it did get out of hand. However, this was based on Curupira being a chaotic neutral. A chaotic neutral individual follows their own heart and generally shrinks rules and traditions. They promote the ideals of freedom, which comes first to both good and evil in their desire to be free.
The alignment chart
Having been a long-time fan of the alignment chart, it helped developing a lot of my roleplay characters. In regard to the characters mentioned here… Kyle falls into the Chaotic Evil. Lauda is a true Neutral. Asteria is Lawful Evil. Katrine herself, is a mix of both True and Chaotic Neutral. In time, I will tell you about the alignment of my Just One characters. But today, we shall focus on some of the Sith in my writing past. Both Katrine and Curupira will be getting some book time after the Just One series is completed.
In the meantime, you can read up on one of Katrine’s adventures in The Wolf’s Heir: Katrine’s Awakening. It is available here for the promotional price of $1.
The Wrap Up
As always, I hope you enjoyed the read. Tune in again next week for the next rendition of Inspiration Monday. For now, this will be the only written blog section covering all previously existing topics. I would greatly appreciate likes and follows, especially on this blog post.
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Until next time…
~ Love, L.V.
L.V. Luca 