Development:
The main character is based on a fan character named Naoru who doesn't talk. In the version I adapted for theO, the character has a speech impediment; but originally, he had the ability to talk, but didn't. When I thought about the reasons why this character doesn't speak, I came up with the psychological back story that became "So Distant". With the story now in mind, I borrowed Naoru's personality, put it into a new character and changed his name to Naoyuki.
"So Distant" went through several modifications over the two to three years I wrote it (I've even made smaller cuts and changes as I posted it here). It was originally very dark and dragged on longer. I added a few scenes to lighten the tone and cut other, darker, scenes before settling on the length it is now.
Influences:
A bit of psychological research went into reinforcing Naoyuki's problematic behavior and making it believable. Here are some terms I found to back it up:
- Elective Mutism - choosing not to speak, often has deeper psychological roots
- Avoidant Personality disorder - shying away from others for fear of rejection, social inadequacy, restraint in intimate relationships, strong sensitivity to criticism and disapproval*
*Source: www.nim.nih.gov and psychcentral.com/disorders.
Names & Characters:
All names were referenced from a compiled list for this novel. At first Kotarou and Ikuo did not play as big a role as they do in the final product. In fact, Kotarou was a very minor character who dropped by the wayside without much development -- boy am I glad I fixed that!
Drawing Style:
At this point, my drawings had become very soft, which worked well for the young cast members.
