How do you choose weapons or fighting styles for each character? (Chris Johnson)

Kain descends from the ancient tribe of Dorma. In the same way that the Tuareg people traveled through much of Africa, the nomadic nation of Dorma once ventured all around the world of Galtimer. Their original method of self-defense stems from a style like Tuareg Sword and Shield North African swordplay. The style is modified, in my head, to use a gauntlet, rather than their ‘number 8’ shaped shields. Readers are introduced to the African sword fighting kata, described as a “dance.” In it, one’s basic movements are set-ups for parry, slash, and thrust positions. The fighter constantly moves in a patternless way, stepping side to side, forward and backward, never giving the impression that they are preparing to attack or defend, reminiscent of adding a sword to the Ginga (Capoeira dance-like stance) and making the fighting square tighter. As the Dorma people traveled, they incorporated other techniques into their own.

“Black” is more a label for a set of experiences than a literal ‘race.’ My people were separated from their tribes and history, so whatever “African” heritage and culture survived through the horrors of slavery is a mix. Because of this, I chose to marry Nguni stick-fighting and Tuareg swordplay, and mix others to create Kain’s base fighting style. Though his people have planted themselves where they are, Kain still has that ancient mindset and hungers to incorporate other styles into his own. This hunger for more styles is how he and Sage first became friends. His thirst for knowledge continues in later books as he meets more people and expands his skillset.

When deciding on Sage’s martial arts style, my goal was to find a style that is known to be defensive. I wanted something that can be used offensively, with strikes and kicks, but has a lot of locks and throws. When I was pondering this, I happened to be stationed in Korea, I spoke with multiple Hapkido practitioners at the time and was elated to find that it’s a perfect fit for his character. I was even able to find a style of it geared toward using a cane, which is his weapon of choice. One of the Koreans that I spoke to said that a master of Hapkido will be able to defeat most opponents without breaking anything or killing them… and that’s Sage’s goal… the big softie.

LaTao’s fighting style… well… um… let’s see. This is a tricky one. “Fighting style…” hmmm…. Am I allowed to skip this one? No? She’s a “main character,” so I kinda have to? Okay, okay. Let’s see… LaTao… LaTao…. I don’t even know where to begin. LaTao fights like a brawler that has never stepped foot in a dojo. Like… OH! Have you ever played Fatal Fury? LaTao fights like a kid that just watched a kung-fu flick and wants to try moves on their friend. When magic isn’t an option, she’ll run up to you, cock her fist back, and throw her all into a punch like a tiny Terry Bogard. LaTao might have a few tricks up her sleeve, and will eventually learn a few situational-based moves, but she’s got no literal “style” at all.

I sincerely hope that when a reader gets to the scene where LaTao decides to throw hands, they see the image of her in that Terry Bogard "Burn Knuckle" pose! The thought of that makes me giggle! I swear, if this is ever animated, Final Fight fans are gonna point at the screen like DiCaprio in that "Pointing Rick Dalton" meme!

If anyone reading this has a question about anything else I might have overthought, don't be afraid to comment below! No matter how random, weird, or oddly specific the question, chances are, I've overthought it! Blame it on the ADHD baby!