Update 2/3 - How many OCs Presently

 

 The February 3rd update, released on February 11th.

Welp, nearly finished Krampus. 

 

How many characters do I have in actuality? Well, when people ask this, they really mean this question for OC creators. People who draw a character regularly, but don't usually have a real plot or storyline with them. 

However, having a storyline to follow, there's plenty of various side characters. For instance, the Pewtersmith in Glacialane who's main purpose is realizing the suffering of the peoples of Glacialane overall. In fact, he's one of many. 

But these aren't developed characters. Overall, I really classify the characters into four major groups: N:Era proper, N:Era Minor, Reoccurring characters, and jobbers. 

For instance, N:Era proper is Cyras, Rosod, Lilu, and Ahmond, with Owlis being somewhere between this group and N:Era minor, or characters who appear in each story but don't usually play a main or active role in them or don't appear in every single chapter. Characters such as Karv, Jazmyn, Owlis, Mosor, Vanos, Kyofi, Sumhyr, and Kryyk, or Maypol. 

Reoccurring characters refers to characters who appear in some stories and maybe even major elements. Such as Snofall, Wasting, Swillow, Clovur, or Portus. Someone like Karv is right above this list, where he appears in each story, but only acts as a named guard for Jazmyn. Same with Maypol who never lead a real plot. At lowest end of this list is probably someone like Baynana, who appears in like one different story and rarely again. These characters are free-drifters.

Then there's the jobbers. The first three are all developed characters. But the jobbers only have to give so much illusion they exist beyond the pages. 

I don't think of this as needless categorization. In fact, these lumpings are important to the process, even if admittedly I didn't lump them like this until just now for purposes of this article, lol. But, main characters should almost always have something going on, even if they aren't the main choice-makers. For instance, in Ascalon, Lilu has shit going on, but she still has a superplot that extends beyond that one novella, and this novella represents a step in her story for now. 

However, the N:Era Minor are more characters that are meant to fill the world and to be present as representations. Maypol represents Owlis mostly. Sure, she could be replaced by different guards, but having her named gives more a sense of a closed world, and if this ever got animated, this would definitely reduce amount of time doing designs. They enhance the characters they're usually around by acting as shooting points. Maypol is more angry than Owlis and less graceful.  

These characters do tend to have plot twists and get their own times in the limelight, such as Karv's near death scene in "Fangs of Liberty", or how Maypol works for Snofall. A character like Kryyk has major developments in terms of his masculinity. Then, Sumhyr is mostly a mystery who might be a maniac or insane maniac. 

Reoccurring characters are more about their mysteries. There's so much to Swillow or Wasting that won't be figured out. They still have developed backstories, but these backstories won't be fully unraveled.  

Alternatively, they're mostly about one-note events. Or repeats in harmony. Clovur and Cyras both have loss of mothers. 

 However, in some way, Jobbers are the hardest because they have to push the plot forth while still having reasonable motivations. Why would the pewtersmith assist Team N:Era. Why is Orch assisting? Why is Daybreak acting awry or like a dudebro. 

Jobbers go from Villain of the Day worthy with Daybreak being fairly high as he's the main antagonist for "Where We Lie", to the crimson ladies who smile as the flood occurs. They exist because they exist, they exist because old women smile during accidents. 

There's also some reoccuring jobbers, like characters who appear a couple of times but don't really have any important roles, or the Incidentals as Spongebob says. They might not even have a truly set personality. After all, random joe schmoe's can seem to have very different personalities at different points. This is less obvious since N:Era isn't typically visual.

Oh, right, how many characters?

Well, I guess this varies by what counts. Like, what point do the jobbers count as characters? IMO, all of them do, but I don't feel a deep link or attachment to everyone at all. Yeah, sure, I COULD give each character, even the most minor deep-seated traumas, insecurities, great virtues, and heroic prestiges. But, why? 

I think that'll be funny if I reveal someone like Raynfall is a major villain despite just being a foreign dignitary in "Where We Lie". Oh. Wait.

 

 I just realized this doesn't really update anything . . . Yeah.