Post by Vio on Jul 13, 2015 16:16:21 GMT -5
Hello, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the next Vio Talks article! This particular article will feature one of the oldest creations, and (technically) my first Marine on the site, Aluco Striggs! I was quite surprised that she suddenly won the last poll, but here we go!Here's the previous articles, if you're interested!
<> Augustus Savoie
<> Arelya Gaille
<> Brandon the Penguin
<> Scarlette Grimm-Rosa
So what inspired this character? Well, Aluco was my very first Marine on the site, born and bred to be one from the moment I conceived her design. Though Mari Anette is certainly my very first character, I didn't actually intend for her to become an officer of the law straight off the bat. But I digress! Miss Striggs was meant to be a Marine, and her concept was one I came up with quite suddenly.
The name Aluco Striggs is quite a strange one, eh? So let me elaborate on where I got that idea from. The name itself is a play on Strix aluco, the scientific name for the Tawny Owl upon which she was based. Oddly enough, I managed to pick up the Owl Zoan for her shortly after I created her, and I am pretty darn sure that said Devil Fruit was actually my very first here on the forum! Actually, I didn't intend to give her an Akuma no Mi at first, but when I was alerted to the presence of said fruit our Devil Fruit Orphanage, I wound up going for it!
Inspired by a nocturnal hunter, it only makes sense that Miss Striggs had an appropriate personality, but that in itself was where I ran into the first hurdle of her creation. A Marine who operates solely during the dead of night would be a strange one, especially as the series seems to focus on them being available whenever duty calls. So how did I get around that? By giving her two personalities for the price of one! Indeed, there are two sides to this girl. One is a bubbly individual who follows the rules and always tries her hardest to improve, despite substantial lacking in the brain department. A real klutz and idiot, it's not too surprising that Aluco has struggled to rise through the ranks of the World Navy (she sits at CPO right now), her problems and persistence making it difficult for her superiors to offer her those promotions. At the same time, her hard work and loyalty to the cause have kept her from court-martial. She's your stereotypical bumbling buffoon who gets by through luck and tenacity!
But her second personality is a lot darker and more devious. Emerging only in the hours of night, this alter ego is a secretive and silent killer who seeks to procure justice. But the two personalities that Aluco has are very distinct, especially in the world of One Piece, for they each follow a particular path of justice. While her daylight self is very much the 'goody two-shoes' type who does what she sees as the right thing all of the time (moral justice), the second persona is very much about procuring justice whenever possible in the most suitable fashion (absolute justice). And that fashion typically involves assassinating criminals. It's quite interesting to consider which path of justice a Marine follows, and with Aluco, I had little knowledge of that distinction. It just so happened that I created both in one! It's an interesting balance to juggle, for sure.
Aluco's outfit when on her more covert 'missions' was inspired by an MMO I used to play, called Mabinogi. The exact inspiration, the way the gear covers the eyes rather than the mouth, was based upon the first stage of the Elves' Falcon Transformation. An interesting outfit, but the Elves in Mabinogi live the the eastern deserts of Iria, and that veil over their eyes is rather well suited to protecting them from sand. In the same sense, it helps to stop people identifying her! If you've ever put a thin piece of cotton over your eyes, you can probably find that while you can see through it rather clearly, others struggle to see inside. That was part of the idea!
So, let's talk a bit about where I may be going with this Marine, shall we? Before I nabbed the Owl Zoan for her, one of my original ideas was to provide her with an Owl companion which would assist her on her hunts. Actually, I still intend to use this concept, but it's not yet time for her to meet her feathered friend! This was inspired by Quinn, a champion from League of Legends, and her falcon friend, Valor. The concept of law enforcer and avian companion just appeals to me, and it ended up inspiring the secretive group of assassins known as the Seigi no Tsubasa (Wings of Justice). Now, more recently I've played through the Assassin's Creed games (1 and 2), and I really enjoyed them! Very good games, though it now sounds as if the series has been stretched a little too far. A shame really, but regardless. Indeed, Aluco is currently beginning to learn more about her origins and the Seigi no Tsubasa, and I look forward to the developments this unlocks for not just her, but the whole of Bon Voyage!
But what of Aluco's Devil Fruit? Where do I want to go with that? Well, it's very difficult for anybody to make another Owl Zoan, mainly because the majority of owls are all very similar in most regards. There's not enough differentiation between species and genera to allow for more than one Owl Zoan on the forum (ridiculously specific Zoan ruling, people!), and so I've taken to researching the various owls to further develop the fruit. But it's not just the owls that have given me inspiration! Aluco currently has access to Talon Point, which is based upon the Burrowing Owl and Blaziken! However, I also have other transformations in the works! The 'Razor Plume' partial transformation is inspired by the Ural Owl and its long feathers, as well as one of Senketsu and Ryuuko's transformations from Kill la Kill! Needless to say, I'll also be using Senketsu's 'Shippu' transformation as well for Jet Point!
It's strange how inspiration can build as you go, and Aluco's a good example of how I continue to develop my characters long after I create them. Don't throw all of your ideas in the pot straight away! Save some for later, and see how you develop them. A simple start can quickly turn into something glorious!
