When is it prudent to use an expy of someone vs. using a historical domain version of that character?
2) Would it be frowned upon to reference current events within a story or comic, directly name-dropping these events?
Namely, I ask because an idea came to me based on my story wherein there is a Magic Side to the world, and the mundane side experienced by {{Muggles}]. Essentially, a number of historical events are stated to involve magic side individuals - and some of these events might be a bit touchy based on some things I've seen online.
For example, the short story I'd thought of called New Dawn: The Spearhead. It is basically a prequel showcasing Sorata, one of the protagonists and basically a magic user cop, and her That One Case. The case in question is the "Spearhead Incident", which occurs in the shadow of the Boston Bombings. Namely, that Dzhokhar is secretly working with Althing - a large magic using cabal of Western Terrorists formed by Odin. Odin is basically a bitter, vengeful Physical God whose reason for this goes back almost a century.
In a flashback, Odin is shown approaching Dzhokhar with the idea, and bringing him into Althing. For all his bumbling traits, the younger brother is viewed by Odin as a "suitable up and coming member of Althing", and intended the Spearhead Attack to be his entrance to a higher echelon in the organization, giving him the trigger for the Spearhead Bombs.
Odin's plan involved using the bombing in Boston as a diversion to get everyone paying attention there while his own terrorists planted large Mana Bombs, which when detonated would make a spearhead shaped series of enormous craters visible from outer space. Boston is the site of the first Spearhead bomb.
3) Outcomes and Adaptational Concerns;
First and foremost, I'm a little wary of the plotlines and what it might seem like - half the reason this is a That One Case for Sorata is that before the incident happened, she and Dzhokhar went to the same college - and Sorano, Sorata's older brother, seems convinced she liked him in a romantic way, and asked their superiors in fact to have Sorata removed from the case because "her womanly feelings for that scruffy pretty boy will cause everything to go awry."
While they were close-ish (she did not know him as well as she thought she did), this doesn't stop her - she investigates exactly as competently as she should, and tells off an attempt at We Can Rule Together conducted over a phone call. Still, she's hurt inside over both that betrayal, and hearing her own brother demonstrate such a lack of respect for her.
There is a fight between her and a Spell Core armed Dzhokhar, and an Althing owned boat blows up in the course of it.
4) The Finale;
The last bit of why this is a That One Case for Sorata is Odin's appearance. Odin basically fesses up to his role in everything, directly stating what his plan was, what it would've done...and gets off free. Because Magic Gods - due to an old, old treaty - are totally exempt from all laws and customs as well as consequences, Celestial Dragons style.
Basically, while Tsarnaev goes into custody as we see in Real Life, and things proceed as they do in Real Life.
As Sorata tells Matthew in the framing device of the story; "My superiors told me, outright told me - Magic Gods get away with everything. This case is gonna stay with me for a while. Not just what almost happened, but the sheer ugliness everyone involved was drenched in."
I am a little worried about the messages possibly sent, both in this finale, and in the events that lead up to it.
I suppose there are multiple questions to this post.
1) Historical Domain Characters vs. Expy.
When is it prudent to use an expy of someone vs. using a historical domain version of that character?
2) Would it be frowned upon to reference current events within a story or comic, directly name-dropping these events?
Namely, I ask because an idea came to me based on my story wherein there is a Magic Side to the world, and the mundane side experienced by {{Muggles}]. Essentially, a number of historical events are stated to involve magic side individuals - and some of these events might be a bit touchy based on some things I've seen online.
For example, the short story I'd thought of called New Dawn: The Spearhead. It is basically a prequel showcasing Sorata, one of the protagonists and basically a magic user cop, and her That One Case. The case in question is the "Spearhead Incident", which occurs in the shadow of the Boston Bombings. Namely, that Dzhokhar is secretly working with Althing - a large magic using cabal of Western Terrorists formed by Odin. Odin is basically a bitter, vengeful Physical God whose reason for this goes back almost a century.
In a flashback, Odin is shown approaching Dzhokhar with the idea, and bringing him into Althing. For all his bumbling traits, the younger brother is viewed by Odin as a "suitable up and coming member of Althing", and intended the Spearhead Attack to be his entrance to a higher echelon in the organization, giving him the trigger for the Spearhead Bombs.
Odin's plan involved using the bombing in Boston as a diversion to get everyone paying attention there while his own terrorists planted large Mana Bombs, which when detonated would make a spearhead shaped series of enormous craters visible from outer space. Boston is the site of the first Spearhead bomb.
3) Outcomes and Adaptational Concerns;
First and foremost, I'm a little wary of the plotlines and what it might seem like - half the reason this is a That One Case for Sorata is that before the incident happened, she and Dzhokhar went to the same college - and Sorano, Sorata's older brother, seems convinced she liked him in a romantic way, and asked their superiors in fact to have Sorata removed from the case because "her womanly feelings for that scruffy pretty boy will cause everything to go awry."
While they were close-ish (she did not know him as well as she thought she did), this doesn't stop her - she investigates exactly as competently as she should, and tells off an attempt at We Can Rule Together conducted over a phone call. Still, she's hurt inside over both that betrayal, and hearing her own brother demonstrate such a lack of respect for her.
There is a fight between her and a Spell Core armed Dzhokhar, and an Althing owned boat blows up in the course of it.
4) The Finale;
The last bit of why this is a That One Case for Sorata is Odin's appearance. Odin basically fesses up to his role in everything, directly stating what his plan was, what it would've done...and gets off free. Because Magic Gods - due to an old, old treaty - are totally exempt from all laws and customs as well as consequences, Celestial Dragons style.
Basically, while Tsarnaev goes into custody as we see in Real Life, and things proceed as they do in Real Life.
As Sorata tells Matthew in the framing device of the story; "My superiors told me, outright told me - Magic Gods get away with everything. This case is gonna stay with me for a while. Not just what almost happened, but the sheer ugliness everyone involved was drenched in."
I am a little worried about the messages possibly sent, both in this finale, and in the events that lead up to it.
edited 17th Feb '18 2:03:12 AM by NickTheSwing