Name: Charles George Wood
Nationality: American
Class: Knight
Man…Charles was hard to get “right” as a character. Along with Marie, he was one of those characters who I knew what kind of person they were from the start, but I had a heck of a time writing them like I wanted. Just like Marie had to balance off “sporty” without falling into the trope of just “tomboy”, Charles had to balance off “the flirter” without simply just being “the creep”. Think of it this way; everyone loves Brock from Pokémon, but nobody likes the “best male friend in a harem anime” character; they’re both skirt-chasing flirts, so what’s the difference?
The answer is heart.
And that’s how I finally got Charles written as I wanted him. He is by all accounts still the skirt-chaser you’ll come to know and love, and his motives may seem shallow and surface level, but it doesn’t take long to see he’s also just a genuinely swell dude with a love of life, and not just “deep down” either. He’s a big-bro character to the rest, the first to volunteer himself for anything, big or small, and quick to stand up for others, even people he’s never met. He’s that guy that would listen to you about your weird life problems without judging you or spilling the beans. I dunno how other people will take to him, but he’s best boi in my book.
See, one thing I realized working in retail is that a lot of the people it was easy for me (a nerdy introvert) to hate were actually far better people that I gave them credit for, better people than myself, admittedly. These were the loud, obnoxious guys that were always roughhousing and causing trouble, laughing at their own jokes, trying to talk to you while you were reading…but were also the guys who’d pick up a shift for you, give you a lift, always say hi when they saw you, even outside of work, and invite you to parties and events even if they barely knew you. I guess, what I’m trying to say is, basic guys actually tend to have big hearts, and it took me far too long in life to notice it. And once I noticed it, I figured out Charles.
Class-wise, the Knight class was originally the blandest of the bland; a Defense class with light armour, a shield, and a sword. That was it. But then I decided “Hey; why not give them an electromagnet?”. See, Captain America’s shield (which I think was my inspiration) apparently uses an electromagnet to control it…but how the heck does that only attract the shield, nothing else? So I decided to scrap the throwing part, and have it just be a plain ol’ electromagnet. He can use it in short bursts to draw weapons to it, or repel anything metallic, adding a fresh spin to the tired old knight idea.
Now, art-wise, I could go on for a paragraph about how awesome Nor’s design was, especially for one of her older drawings (so old she was still inking them). But honestly, it speaks for itself. Just look at it; it’s hella rad!
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