"Younger Sister"

When I started writing sun ii, I couldn’t get in the groove. I couldn’t get anything down. I realized, at some point, that sun ii was not for Alia. It needed to be Alyssa. I, myself, am a younger sibling. Relationships with older siblings are a common theme throughout my pieces-- Kurami and Koharu, Anatoly and Alia, Alia and Alyssa, El and Koharu… there are a lot. Most of the sibling relationships are between main characters, but not Alyssa and Alia. Alyssa was an idea, not a person. Alyssa doesn’t have a single line of dialogue in my original draft. For most of this draft she still didn’t. Alyssa wasn't really a character, only a concept. She was there to be a part of Alia’s backstory. I always knew things about Alyssa, facts that I sprinkled into Alia’s dialogue, but she wasn’t real. Not until I let her speak.

In essence: Koharu is a younger sibling’s unhealthy awe and fear, and Alyssa is a younger sibling’s love. I have experience with both. I liked exploring the negative experiences I’ve had with older siblings through Koharu… it was cathartic. Even so, I think it’s right to have a balance. Neither Alyssa nor Koharu are a perfect representation of my life as a younger sibling… but that’s what writing is about!

(Sun ii was also heavily inspired by A GUY GETS REVENGE, which certain readers with good taste may recognize. Go read it.)