Answers part three

wordlass asks: What does Ryann like to do in her free time?

This question is a mystery to both me and most of the characters. Gabi could probably sell you a conspiracy theory about Ryann never sleeping or never having a childhood and just spawning as an adult. And, unfortunately, that's kinda how I see her too right now. I don't really see Ryann as a person yet, not the way I do the other characters, and I really need to get that straightened out before I try to pass her off as a believable antagonist. I just binge-read this really good comic called Monster Pulse, and its main antagonist scientist lady is a complex character who feels like the protagonist when you're in her point of view. Reading that made me realize just how much I want that for Ryann, and just how far I have to go.

But anyway, as far as I know Ryann gets up, eats, analyzes data, counsels (aka brainwashes) the test subjects, analyzes more data, maybe eats again if she remembers to, sleeps, and then repeats. Maybe she has a family to go home to for holidays, but probably not, especially if I keep her as the founder's daughter. Kingdom is her domain, and the test subjects are her subjects, and ruling over them is her pastime. Though it's quite possible she thinks of them as her children in some twisted way.

How and why was Kingdom founded?

Kingdom was founded on the belief that bioethical laws and standards are a hindrance to the progression of humankind. Its acclaimed biomedical research center is a front to the underground labyrinth that hides its secrets. It's privately owned but government funded (I think that's a thing?), and backed by a substantial amount of corrupt government officials who know exactly what's happening there. It has enough money, prestige, and government trust to be nigh invincible. It sneaks its findings into other projects sometimes, but mainly it's just waiting until it has the perfect huge discovery to share with the world — the kind that would make most people agree that the ends justified the means.

What are some tidbits of information surrounding the Spock cast that readers may never learn about?

I'm going to take this to mean, "What are some things about the characters that won't be mentioned in the story?" And to that I say. . . I don't think I've developed them enough to give a solid answer. But I'll try.

Most of the things I've thought of that don't take place during the story are headcanons or after-story scenes. Like Ximena and Gabi's future jobs, which I've mentioned, or Evan's future family. (Idk if Gabi or Ximena get married. Gabi is probably ace, and I don't see Ximena putting relationships as a high priority until at least after she's established a successful career. I can see Gabi getting married before Ximena, even though Ximena is the more innately romantic one of the two. Gabi would be more of a "I want to spend lots of time with you. Let's get married for tax benefits." type of gal.) I've thought before about Evan's future wife and what struggles they might have together. I've imagined nights where Evan can't sleep because of old nightmares and his wife stays up with him and holds him and they're both exhausted in the morning but she does it anyway because she knows he needs her. I've imagined them adopting (Evan refuses to pass on his genes) kids from Kingdom or kids who simply didn't have good opportunity. I've imagined them participating in a bunch of charities and doing charity runs as dates.

I also have this headcanon that a) Ximena gets into a habit of tracing her fingers over Evan's brand when they cuddle post-plot, b) Evan will possibly get tattoos all over his arms in order to make his brand blend in (or at least wear long sleeves basically all the time), and c) supporters of the Kingdom kids and their civil rights and all that will sometimes show their loyalty by getting a tattoo that matches Evan's brand.

(I've cried over that last one.)

So anyway, there are some headcanons that might not make it into the book.

Do the Kingdom kids have experiment names/labels?

There are the ones I mentioned earlier, but those are no longer canon and I don't know what's going to replace them. Kingdom has very specific and categorized labels for each of their experiments, but the question is whether or not they use them as names. Are the names the mutants give themselves accepted and used by the scientists, or are they more like nicknames between friends? In earlier drafts, Ryann very firmly used Evan's label as a way to dehumanize him, and she probably will still do that to some degree (if you're trying to strip someone of their identity, what better way to start than by taking their name?) but I don't think I'll make as much of a point of it. And Ryann's the only major character who would bother not calling him Evan. Other scientists, however, may not know the mutants by their names and would refer to them only by their labels. I haven't specifically nailed the system down yet.

What are some of your favorite quotes from older drafts that you have written?

I looked through all four drafts for this one and didn't find any I particularly love now, though there were plenty I remember being proud of when I wrote them. Here are three:

"The sound of Iri's cage locking her in was one of the most beautiful sounds in the world."

"Raquelita Morales had never been much a risk-taker, and she certainly wasn't a criminal. That is, until she became a mother."

"'Welcome to the life of a hybrid, Evan. Soon enough, you won't even bother to cry.'"

What is your favorite thing about Spock?

My first instinct is to say "Daniel and his fluffy hair" but I don't want to make anybody feel bad by picking a favorite. I love Evan and the joy he gets from simply living, Gabi and her analytical mind, Ximena and her all-around awesomeness and perception, Iri and her wings, Tosigo and his ability to look comfortable in any position, Rosario and her sign language, Daniel and his fluffy hair, Ryann and her understanding of the human mind, Abuela and her stubborn love, Esteban and his sacrifice, and Raquelita and her perseverance. If you made me pick a favorite thing, rather than person, I might say Evan's brand. But I have lots of favorite things. And lots of not-favorite things, but hey – that's why I'm waiting to write it again while I figure that stuff out.

Name things you like and don't like about some characters in the Spock cast.

The people or the characters? Because those are two very different things. For example, when it comes to Evan as a person, I don't like how fidgety he is (or at least I wouldn't, if I was trapped in a classroom with him). When it comes to Ryann as a character, I don't like how flat and one-dimensional she currently is.

I love Ximena's investigation skills and determination to uncover the truth. I need to give her some flaws, though, because I've been too busy idolizing her to narrow those down. I love Gabi's superior intelligence and her awkward and prideful way of manifesting it to the world (Gabi is probably the character I'm most similar to). I dislike how little I know about exactly how Kingdom will affect Evan and Gabi's minds, short- and long-term, because it can go so many ways. I love Daniel as a character but as a person I wish he'd make better life choices and refuse to do the bad things that he does.

ontheupsidedown asks: What would each character's favorite book be?

I don't know specific books for each character, but I have an idea of what genres they would enjoy.

Evan probably wouldn't read a lot, which would lead to many frustrated Ximena moments where she realizes just how few things he's read. He's probably read some popular things, like Harry Potter and Hunger Games, and probably enjoyed them while he was reading them, but he hasn't gotten very obsessed with anything. He's more of a movie guy, anyway. He prefers visuals.

Gabi loves space books. So much space. Gabi x Space. She reads books, comics, webcomics, pretty much any and all sci-fi, especially if it involves space. Some of her favorite books are A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and Shadows in Flight (and the rest of the Enderverse books) by Orson Scott Card.

Ximena would probably read a wide variety of things, but her favorite genre is most likely historical mystery, like Revolutionary or Cold War spy stuff. She enjoys a good fantasy or a good romance, too (though she has high standards on "good romance"). She wouldn't be able to tell you her absolute favorite book, but if you asked her what the first one to come to mind is, she'd probably say Anne of Green Gables, which was a big part of her childhood.

Iri and Tosigo both know how to read for educational purposes, but reading for pleasure is basically not a thing at Kingdom (though it would certainly pass the hours when you're sitting in your cage and can't sleep), so they wouldn't really have favorites. Any stories they've read were probably Kingdom propaganda written by Ryann and her coworkers. As for Rosario. . . I don't know if they would've taught her how to read, considering she lives in a fish tank. I don't think she would've been able to see small print through the glass even if they held stuff up outside the tank for her to see.

Daniel doesn't read for pleasure too much these days, except nights where he decides reading is more important than sleep. He enjoys high fantasy and medieval fantasy with thieves and wars and assassins. He also enjoys a good, gritty cyberpunk for virtual reality story, but he has a harder time suspending disbelief on soft sci-fi the way Gabi can. Finding a good hard sci-fi is a struggle for him, enough that he sometimes just gives up and reads nonfiction STEM journals instead. Ryann reads STEM journals too, and some psychology/neurophilosophy ones as well. When she does read fiction, it's probably stuff like medical thrillers or dark classics.

Esteban probably enjoyed reading a good deal, maybe even more than Raquelita. While Esteban would read thrillers and mysteries (mostly realistic fiction but occasionally paranormal stuff), Raquelita would read general and women's fiction and nonfiction self-help books. She read to both learn English and feel empowered. She probably enjoyed some romance before Esteban died, but afterwards she couldn't bring herself to participate in love lives that weren't the ones she had lost.

And then Abuela is more in the storytelling business, where she tells and hears stories rather than reading them. She enjoys fables and South American/Argentinian legends that she likes to share as remnants of her culture. Her favorite American stories are the Uncle Remus stories, like The Tar-Baby and Brer Rabbit in the Briar Patch.

ThiaHolimon asks: What, if anything, did Kingdom tell Iri, Tosigo, and Rosario about the outside world?

The answer to this has changed over the drafts, and I'm not entirely sure what it is right now. It always comes down to the same question: How much common experience would we share with kids who grew up in this environment? Would they know how to feed/dress/clean themselves? Would they know what entertainment, like music and books, is? How much would they understand or not understand?

In earlier drafts, Tosigo and Rosario actually grew up on the streets and therefore knew a lot more about the outside world than Iri does. But I've basically scrapped that by now (I'll miss it), so we're back to the drawing board. But anyway, you didn't ask what they knew you asked what Kingdom told them. Two different things. So here's the answer to the second one:

Kingdom tells or doesn't tell their mutants things based on their psychological needs and their intelligence. If they tell them anything, it's usually as a means to control them. The general message Kingdom tries to instill in their subjects is that they're not people, merely vessels of human progression, and any pain they feel is for the good of humanity. Kingdom mutants are taught that their pain is for a purpose, and that that purpose is far more important than their rights or comfort. They're given a sense of communal identity, while their unique identity is stripped down simply to their genetic differences. Their job is to be a living manifestation of scientific progress. Nothing more. And they're taught to be happy — even willing — to be that.

Iri believes this whole-heartedly. Rosario probably believes it some, I'm not sure about her. Tosigo understands that there's more out there and has started to feel like he doesn't deserve this, but he doesn't feel he can make a big enough difference to be worth it.

If the mutants are even aware of a world outside this one, they're told it's a scary and confusing place where people will hurt them just because they're afraid of them. (This is different from medical torture, you see, since that's for a "good reason.") Kingdom is their only refuge of safety, and they'd be foolish to want to leave. They try to steer away from even the mention of leaving or escaping, in fear that even bringing it up might incite someone to attempt it. And they've been successful so far.

What would their favorite foods be?

They'd be fed strict diets that are custom-fit to their needs. What those are, I don't know, since I'm pretty sure they all still have human digestive systems, but they could have various allergies or digestive disorders. They probably aren't fed things with much variety in taste, and they're not taught to view food as something to experience (rather than to just act as nutrients) the way we do. Maybe they have some preferences, but they wouldn't be able to answer this question because they've never thought about it.

What about their favorite music?

Depends on whether or not they've ever heard music. The only reason they ever would is for therapeutic reasons. It's actually a minor plot point, so I won't give away very much right now. But they don't have nearly enough experience to answer this.

Can I call Tosigo and Rosario Tosi and Rosi?

I mean, you could. Rosario wouldn't mind. Tosigo would, but he'd probably just roll his eyes at you.

~~~~~

Thank you everyone for asking! I hope my answers were interesting. If you have any more questions/comments, feel free to ask, though I'll just answer briefly in the comments rather than make more official Q&A chapters. 

Well, this concludes my mini-series on Spock, then. It's been so nice to get this out of my system and down on paper, so thank you all for being interested and wanting to learn more. I learned about Spock myself, too, from your guys' questions, so thanks :D 

If you want to make Spock art, drabbles, etc, I'd love to provide details and ideas! Please let me know if you make anything because I'll be so excited to see it.

I hope y'all are still around when I finish Gravity Rises and start working on Spock again. It's going to be quite the journey, and it would mean the world to have all of you with me for it <3