I have long wanted to write something along the way as I gradually build the story of Rove. The World already revolves in my mind and everything is coming to life. There's so much to it. How do I begin?
It's hard to begin writing something when you feel like you could start anywhere, because everywhere you could start from seems less than perfect. It's a cointoss moment. Let alone the fact that memory is a live reconstruction process, of the things you think you remember. So I realised that I could not write about Rove at all, if I wanted to go about it systematically. I cannot have an organised sequence of thoughts... I can only have fragmented pieces here and there. I think this is how I know that the topic is vast and in everything.
The character Umphroic already existed a few years ago. I wanted an "art for arts sake" type of story - if there must be a voice, let it find its way on its own, and I would not be the one to put it in. But there is so much I did not know yet about our fascination with fantastical powers.
I am a natural hermit. I've always wanted away from conflicts, and I've aways wanted away from power. In my young, naive mind, real-world power in itself represented evil. And indeed from what I observed, the instances where humans held power and refrained from using it wrongfully were scarce. That was even before I was able to see beyond the pedantic sense in that philosophy, but even then I was correct. Power is agency over the will of another. Why must anyone have agency over the will of another?
Therefore, there existed this division of real-world powers and fantastical ones. Fantastical super powers were a shield and escape from real-world powers, almost always without exception - some type of blessing on the innocent and the noble-at-heart, that protected them when real-world powers came to crush them and to prey on them. They then got to continue on, existing outside of all the cruel and perplexing worldly games most humans either enjoyed or endured.
Then I knew, the ultimate invulnerability I wanted for my superhero/supervillain was not invincibility, not that he could take fatal damage and not die (which ended up happening anyway, but that's another story), but that he existed without relying on others and that he did not lack resources as a result.
I am a pessimist. Our reality on earth started in chaos, the strong preying on the weak, and gradually, gradually we try and build our world towards order and civilisation. The world is by and large still cruel and evil and stubborn to change. How can a superhero be robust enough to intervene in anything? The good is rarely seen prevail - a superhero would be so lonely and sad, punching above his weight. I don't want Rove to be like that, so I don't call him a superhero or force him to act like one.
The other major theme centres around the idea of "the weak", because in popular media and cultures, "the weak" are portrayed as deserving to be washed out. In comparison the protagonists are compelled to prove otherwise, to be "the strong", "the fit", "the chosen", "the better". Everything revolves around the protagonist, or the Me that is designed for the viewers to find themselves in. I've always found this profoundly problematic.
As a consumer of popular media and cultures, I seem to always have my attention focused on the wrong places. I like to notice how the "less important characters" are disposed of by the creators, how the "less important characters" are unreal devices that only exist to mouth some essential information the screenwriter doesn't see suitable to chuck anywhere,
So, I decided that I would put together an amalgamation of all the "less important characters", and make them into my superhero/supervillain, to show people what these characters are really all about. Rovelok is an emergence out of the undying wills of the powerless, the disregarded, the unimportant, the downtrodden,
Then enters the eternal paradox, as Umphroic will riddle Rovelok with,
Suppose you align with and represent the will of the weak, whom you do everything to defend. In their name, you fight against the strong. The moment you emerge victorious, it makes you the stronger compared to them. And your heroic deed one of the strong crushing the weak. You cannot ever live up to what you stand for.
Is this why Rove cannot be a superhero but must be a supervillain? I've been thinking it's along the line, somewhat. Starting from the first concept I knew this was gonna be a supervillain and not a superhero, but I still can't put my finger on the reason.