Original Inspiration: Aina
Added 2025-03-30 12:22:01 +0000 UTCBonus behind the scenes bonus content!
Aina was an interesting character for me because I've always wondered, what makes someone deeply loyal? How could that be earned?
Taliesin, of course, is the magical glass cannon of the operation. Ultimate cosmic power? Check. Fragile human form? Also check. That meant he'd need people to shore up his weaknesses. Strong people, smart people, sneaky people.
Now that was the train of thought that got me on the path that ultimately led to Aina. But coupled with that is this original art by Magnus Norén that I found on Art Station. I found it very inspiring and heavily shaped the dress and style of Aina - although she is far more androgynous than this concept art is.
Additionally, the seaxes that Aina wields are only slightly shorter than the swords in this drawing - after all, the difference between a seax and a short sword can often come down to semantics. The damascene swirls inspired the manasteel idea as well, although that is a more uniform light blue rather than swirls.
Here's the link to the original artist, so if you like it, give them some love.
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/BkG06
Okay, back to writing!
-- JP
