Character Process Deep-Dive: Gideon Reyes
What was the original thought that led to the creation of this character?
This is an interesting one and a tie to the 'Magic Universe Trilogy' of stories that I wrote that Divided is a prequel to. In the third one, Eustace Annorin said to Ethren Reyes, a former Sage of Practical Magic that '[his] ancestors killed [Eustace's] ancestors.' Ethren Reyes is an ascended caster, so his ancestors did not have magic. Whilst Eustace meant it in a very general sense of 'those without magic killed the witches of old', I decided that it would be interesting to actually make it so that one of Ethren Reyes's ancestors WAS actually a witchfinder.
How long was the process before the character reached its final version? (or a version that would be clearly recognizable as the character?)
Gideon was one of the first characters I came up with. I wanted Divided to show as many corners as possible of the witches + witcfinders' conflict, and to give the witchfinders as much humanity and complexity as the witches. One of the old writers of the Dragon Age game series spoke on an element of the games (I cannot for the life of me remember what), saying that he didn't want the antagonists to be just another load of one-dimensional sword-fodder that people kill without a second thought. I also did not want the story to be one of good vs. evil in any sense.
I also wanted there to be variation in social class, and to show various elements of the time period within his character. Gideon starts the story as being illiterate, with his neighbours teaching his children how to read, and his children sometimes teaching him a bit as well. Most of the other characters are literate either because they are religious (reading from sacred texts and such) or a witch (reading from spellbooks a lot of the time). He is also in the position he is in due to the growing industrial revolution, something which comes up a few times in the story and leads to one big part of the story's issues in terms of the witchfinders, which is explained in more detail in the story.
Another element of the character that I wanted to shine through was the general demonisation of single parents. People have some very shitty attitudes towards single parents, especially Black single parents, so I wanted to have a father who would really do anything for his kids and genuinely loves them to the bottom of his heart.
What was the first thing you decided on, the character's name, appearance, personality or their role in the story?
His role in the story, which was to show the side of the conflict that we would not have seen had the story only been from the POV of Áine. Then it was his name, as usual I went by a 1700s-1800s England and Wales census list. AHis appearance was fairly easy, as he uses Ethren Reyes as a base for his design. His personality was what came last, since my initial basis for him was 'a witchfinder willingly in Volpe's employ' and 'one of his best'.
Which one of the four things did you struggle with the most?
I didn't really struggle with Gideon, to be honest.
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?
There aren't any reasons behind the name, and his surname is the surname of the premade he's ancestor of. I decided to go with common English names since - so with both Reynold and Gideon, I don't really have much of an idea of their ancestral roots, but I imagine the Reyes family have lived in the surrounding country of Henford for many, many generations.
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?
Most of his look is based on Ethren Reyes, the Sim that was the base to make Gideon due to him being Ethren's ancestor. Gideon's dress sense is supposed to show him as being part of the working class, though due to the lack of working-class historical CC for men, I've had to take liberties with his clothes. He doesn't try to look middle or upper-class because he despises them.
What is an aspect of their appearance that you like the most?
His hair, for one. Thanks to the magic of Black CC creators, I find a lot of nice locs for Gideon. I really love locs and all the different variations and styles of them. I also like that he very much has the 'dad' vibe about him, but that is a very vague description of something I cannot describe in much detail. XD
What is the origin of their personality? And let's be honest - how much of it is projecting?
I don't project anything onto Gideon. I try not to with characters who aren't white so that the characters of colour feel some level of being more 'authentic' to an extent. I can't talk much about this without spoiling too much, but the origin of Gideon's personality is that he is a man who is willing to do absolutely anything for his family. Everything he does is for the benefit of his two sons. He may be introduced as an antagonist and not be particularly pleasant where witches are concerned, but his only true care in life, at least to begin with, is for his two sons.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?
Gideon's role seems small at the start, but once you get further in, you realise that what he does is the early starts of something big later on. He doesn't have a lot of 'screentime' in later acts, but his influence is fairly big.
What is their main character arc in the story? Where do they start and how do they develop?
Gideon starts off coming across as just another faceless enemy for the story, but as the story goes on, you realise there's more to him than that, and there are other reasons as to why he is doing what he is doing. It also shows the general brainwashing of one of the main antagonists, Lord Volpe, over the masses.
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 Gideon resembles. He isn't really based on anyone.
Do you have a playlist for the character? What songs do you associate with them and why?
Not for Gideon, no.
Do you have a voice claim for the character? What do you imagine the character sounds like?
It's a much rougher-sounding dialect of the typically 'Southern English' accent that most people are used to hearing on TV. The 'R' s are very pronounced and the T' s barely exist. He has quite a deep voice and a serious tone of speaking.
Is there any memes or running jokes associated with the character, both in- and out of universe?
Yes, out-of-universe. In the silly joke conversations + headcanons that I have with my friend, Gideon consistently insists he's a 'changed man' and a 'good person' usually after killing somebody, and Gideon going into too much detail about how attractive he finds his partner every time she's brought up by another character. XD
Are there any motifs or symbols associated with the character? How are they represented, in their design, personality or in some other way?
Not with Gideon.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?
There is a brief mention of Gideon's father, who is dead, and that's about it.
What is your general favourite thing about the character? What is your least favourite?
Gideon offers a look at the story world you don't get with the other characters. He's a working-class man trapped in an awful job because the one he enjoyed was taken from him for something that's no fault of his own. He's a witchfinder, and you can see what kinds of mentalities actually cause people to join them - and that any person can end up caught up in all of that sort of thing. On top of that, much like one of the later story characters, nothing and no one gets between Gideon. We see that later as he willingly and without fear gets up in the faces of some of the most dangerous characters in the story. Gideon's only true 'allegiance' is to his children for the most part. He doesn't care for religion nor authority.