BoM/TWS Message Forum

There is a quote function, but it's not like the ones from something like vBulletin, which actually links to the quoted post and singles it out and stuff, which makes harder to reply to multiple posts. I get you on that one.

Regarding the Stellae: I like the concept inasmuch as they've got multiple interpretations depending on where you enter from within the story. They can be seen, as you mentioned, a motley crew of super-powered people (with powers that may or may not be magical, and I'd dare say they may enter into the realm of psionics but that's just me) that are only loosely allied to each other but aren't tied out, but they can also be seen as a dysfunctional family - Charles is the dad, Fyodor is the nice uncle, Margaret is the grandma that's scary at first but then turns out to be pretty chill, Frank and Joe are the annoying big brothers, Kali is the cool aunt, Miko is the scary cool big sis, Rick is the guy everyone tells you he's your uncle but you're doubting it because he's just creepy AF, Hilda is that distant cousin that you only met once, and so on. And it's because of those interpretations that they make for an interesting group.

The reason I say this is because the Stellae are meant to support Will, in the same way he's supposed to support the rest, but they're given a lot of leeway in what they can do and therefore they lack a common goal. It's funny that you say the Order of the Phoenix or the (old or new) Jedi Order, because those organizations have a purpose (prevent the return of Voldemort in the first, IIRC, and serve as custodians of the Republic for the latter), and yet show they're imperfect for a variety of reasons. In concept, the Stellae have a very vague "be the good guys" role, but in practice their lack of focus (whether to face a common enemy or stop an organization; their main focus is to keep an eye on the supernatural and put a lid on it) harms their overall purpose. This can be seen with Hal, whose single-minded focus against a monolithic behemoth such as Fane hinders the organization as a goal in so far as it makes them targets.

That said: the Stellae work somewhat like the Avengers, and thus can be contrasted to the Justice League. Each of the members of both organizations work on their own, but when they're threatened by a bigger foe, they join forces. The Avengers and the Justice League are formed from fire-forged allies, but sometimes their attitudes and focuses clash with each other (i.e., Batman, both by his desire to work alone on his goal and also how he sees the rest of the League as a threat), and therefore need someone to stand upon (Captain America for the Avengers, Superman for the Justice League). However, and this is mostly opinion, the Marvel Universe tends to be a bit grittier than the DC Universe, and therefore the Avengers tend to lack the loyalty you'd expect between capes, the way the heroes of the Justice League (apart from Batman) often do. I've always said that I find the Marvel Universe more appealing because it's grittier, because their heroes aren't always larger-than-life and god-like but have traits that make them vulnerable and human. The Stellae work under these guidelines, but their negative traits can be exaggerated, and only Will (whether as a golem with "life" or as himself) tends to seem as the "sanest". They won't have loyalties to each other beyond the ones that they've built for themselves, and therefore they're not as close as would other groups with fire-forged loyalties, but when the need arises, they join up.

A very interesting angle is the development of familial and platonic relationships between characters, rather than romances - exploring philia and storge rather than eros. The branch where Will has completely replaced Chelsea, has Blackwell as his unwitting assistant and tries to unlock the secrets of the Libra has him opening up to Rosalie almost effortlessly, though that can be explained as her Glundandran prodigies manifesting. She's pretty straightforward, but he can't help seeing her as someone who needs to be protected. Part of why I wanted to work a story that developed the bond between Will and Robert is because, unlike all the other pairings, they're brothers that can't stand each other - thus, when something forces them to join, they have to work around that resentment. (And, to be honest, Will *does* have some love for his little brother - in the branch where he replaces Cindy and starts taking over the cheerleader squad, there's one path where one of the girls tries to replace Robert and Will turns out to be overprotective - he might want to leave the house, but that doesn't mean anyone can mess with his family. That's the kind of angle that he manifests with Rosalie, showing that, for as much as a creep as he can be, he's definitely full of philia. As for storge, he's not very good at making friends, and reflects and/or engenders the toxicity of his relationship with the few he has, but when taken out of that environment and forced to reflect a different environment, he can be pretty loyal. And on the branches where he allies with Frank and Joe, they end up being VERY tight friends - though that crosses from storge to philia quite quickly.

Finally: thank you! for saying you adore Mireya. I know I said her story ends tragically, but she's the kind of good, dependable ally anyone could have, and I really want to advance the story to a point where she could come back - or appear again, even! (I incline for feel-good stories with happy endings, if that tells you anything, but I recognize that a happy ending cannot be enjoyed if the journey is light - not that it can't be enjoyed at all, but it feels a lot better when you see the characters overcome their hardships and earn that happiness.) Won't say more about how Will achieves his purpose, but I can definitely say it's a clever workaround, what he did. Very Kenandandran.