Character Process Deep-Dive: Áine Ó Sé
What was the original thought that led to the creation of this character?
Áine is premade Tess Dyer, and according to a tweet where someone asked the name of the woman in the Realm of Magic trailer, they said her name was Áine. I preferred it and thought it sounded more magical as a reference to an Irish goddess of summer, so I went with Áine. She appeared in a previous story as former Sage of the Untamed before Morgyn Ember, and I loved writing her so much that I wanted to do a prequel.How long was the process before the character reached its final version? (or a version that would be clearly recognizable as the character?)
Not terribly long.
What was the first thing you decided on, the character's name, appearance, personality or their role in the story?
Her name. Her old surname, Sídha, is based on sídhe, relating to fairies. In hindsight, I feel I should have just given her a standard Irish surname. On 13th March 2025 I changed it to a standard Irish surname, Ó Sé.
I then decided on appearance. In all her appearances in my stories, she has different hair since I didn't want her having the Afro-textured braids hairstyle EA gave her for whatever reason. Her personality after that, since I had to figure out how we got to the Áine we saw in the modern day previously. Then it was role in the story.
Which one of the four things did you struggle with the most?
Personality and role in the story. How to show her before certain events whilst still keeping her recognisably 'Áine' enough personality-wise.
How did you choose their name and why? Was it simply based on vibes or is there any specific meaning behind the name? Are their reasons behind their name different in and out of universe?
Explained in the first part, it was a beta name for the premade. I kept it because it's pretty and for its reference to an Irish summer goddess, which is what she is named after in story canon.
What was the thought process behind their appearance? Did you go mostly for the aesthetic or are there other reasons they look the way they do?
I wanted her to look as old-schoool 'witchy' as possible, and those of you who read the modern-day stories will know the significance of her key necklace she always wears.
What is an aspect of their appearance that you like the most?
I always like her hair and her dresses.
What is the origin of their personality? And let's be honest - how much of it is projecting?
Áine is someone who is fearful and doing her part to defend herself and her people from the tyranny of the witch-hunts. She refuses to be hung or drowned or harmed in any way, and she is determined to make peace with the fire that killed her mother - by perfecting the Ignis spell herself.
Áine has a few aspects of myself, but not very many. I don't have her bravery or her attitude, but her fearfulness for the future is definitely relatable.
How big is their role in the story? Do they make a frequent appearance or are they a character with little "screentime" but big influence? Or are they just a favourite background guy?
This made me laugh since she was meant to be the sole main character alongside Reynold, but ended up being overshadowed quite a lot by practically every other character...I decided that their stories should be as important as Áine's is, and also a lot of the bigger parts of Áine's story come in the middle of - and towards the end of - the story. Her influence is present throughout the story, but particularly in the beginning and the end.
What is their main character arc in the story? Where do they start and how do they develop?
Áine's main character arc is her finding her feet in a new place and carving out a new life for herself, whilst also trying to find purpose as a woman living in the times of a witch-hunt. She also begins to help out others like herself and slowly and gradually make positive change for other people.
Is there any existing character from other media that your character resembles? Was the resemblance intentional or was it a coincidence?
I can't think of anyone she reminds me of personally.
Do you have a playlist for the character? What songs do you associate with them and why?
Quite a few: this one | this one | this one | this one
Do you have a voice claim for the character? What do you imagine the character sounds like?
This is the closest I could find on the Speech Accent Archive.Is there any memes or running jokes associated with the character, both in- and out of universe?
Outside-of-universe, there are PLENTY - namely that she speaks in all-caps and with a really strong Irish accent, and has some completely-bizarre trains of thought usually followed by something completely normal. She also swears a lot. In these jokey headcanons, she congratulates her daughter when she wins a situation with violence (or bites her father), is incredibly annoying towards her partner, and consistently calls Owen a 'weird little man' to annoy him and often talks about him like he's just some guy and not a well-known physician. She's also incredibly attracted to Clementia in these joke headcanons, greatly embarassing her partner... Clementia's brother XD
In a joke reference to how her place as sole main character is no longer, she also consistently says about how she is the 'main character' and insists she's better than everyone else.
Are there any motifs or symbols associated with the character? How are they represented, in their design, personality or in some other way?
The wolf and also the Sun, in reference to her name. The sun one doesn't come up quite as often. She can turn into a wolf. The Sun motif is supposed to be in her radiance, and that she is usually giving off a good energy and is good to her family and to people in need.Does the character have other characters connected to them? Do you have a family tree and "offscreen" connections made up for them or do they exist in a vacuum purely for the purpose of the story?
Her parents appear in the story - that's all I'll say.
What is your general favourite thing about the character? What is your least favourite?
Her determination, probably, and the way that she is always trying to help those in need where she can. As with all my characters, I don't have a least favourite thing.