31 Day Challenge: The Legion, Day 15: Mason Alderic

Ohhhh Mason. Mason Mason Mason. Even though Annick is the character who changes the most over the course of the series, Mason is the character who I have changed the most over the course of the last ten years. First, he was the love interest for Lace, my original main character, although he was called Simon at the time, then he was just some lower level lackey for Phelan Dormani that only briefly irritated Ren, and then in his final incarnation, he was forced upon Ren as a chronicler. The poor thing was essentially fodder for mockery, and after I did the Parks and Rec challenge, I realized I didn't want anybody to be treated like Garry. So Mason changed again into who he is now, and honestly? I kinda adore him.

Like I said earlier this month, I needed a way to convey exposition without just doing a lot of, "Well, actually, Jim, this is the thing that the people do because of the reason!" but in a believable manner. Mason seemed the easiest way to do this, since he was sheltered from literally everything truly bad in the world in his home city-state of Moneteras, and I wanted it to be organically delivered without painting him as a complete moron. He is definitely ignorant of much of the realities that the non-wealthy Monterasians are forced to endure, but he does have eyes and a brain, so it's not like he can't piece things together without driveling on so I can up my word count. I just felt my previous approach to him was somewhat lazy, and I wanted to rectify it.

Mason is from a northeastern city-state called Moneteras, which is modeled pretty heavily after Helsinki during the Middle Ages. Moneteras has very strong ties to Forsitha, the capital of the long-dead Third Empire, and many of the descendants of the royal family have married into Moneterasian families. Mason himself is distantly related to the last emperor, something his mother never lets him forget.

His father (I don't have names for his parents yet) was a bard-type guy who was most likely gay and only married Mason's mother due to societal pressures, and his mother was a social-climbing aristocrat with aspirations in politics. Mason was rather close to his father and shared a lot of his artistic traits, but due to his mother's influence, he pursued political studies throughout most of his childhood. It wasn't until he was in his mid-teens that he decided to change his focus to religion, having a spiritual experience in his local cathedral, much to his mother's disappointment. However, she fully supported Mason's dreams when she realized one of the duchesses wished to add a priest to her personal entourage, which is how he is introduced into the story in the first novella, tentatively titled "Danger Everywhere."

Via The Dork Report

Via Entertainment Weekly

When I first thought of Mason, I was convinced he was what would come out of coitus between Legend-era Tom Cruise and Harry Potter's Tom Felton. He's blonde, wispy, and about average height (so not Tom Cruise there, but whatever), but he has sharp facial features and very distinct eyebrows. I haven't really changed my opinion on this, so I think I'm gonna stick with it until I come across some photo of a guy who is obviously Mason. Which totally could happen. I mean, Koca was originally based off of Rat Queen's Violet, which is not at all who she is modeled after now. But I guess you'll get to that tomorrow! Or, probably later today because I'm going to try and get caught up on this challenge tonight since I have a weird second wind (with a smattering of coughing).

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DAY SIXTEEN: KOCA MURAT REIS >

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