Thought about Aviators today; would be designing insignia and uniforms and such if I weren't working on the uber disturbing thing that is currently absorbing most of my time; it's a white on black lineart scarey clown thing that freaks me out a bit, despite the fact that I'm the one drawing it. I've discovered that teeth are just as difficult as hands or feet, if not more so, and that fangs are worse than teeth. Also, I must stop being an idiot and draw things large enough the first time, rather than having to resize them after I've sketched them.

Coincidentally enough, when working on it, "Sympathy for the Devil" started playing. I think it's the thing's theme song. Damn grinning minions of Evil...*sigh*

Anyway. Aviators. I've been bouncing names around in my skull lately, since I was flipping through my Latin dictionary the other day...I've decided on Perry, short for Peregrine, as an Aviator name. Perry Fulbright, Post Aviator Second Class- basically, a mailman. :) Also, because I've been reading Sabriel by Garth Nix (if you haven't read it, you must, it's wonderful), I've decided that I must be more creative (this is also because of an article by Mary Gentle on the degradation of sf/fantasy writing) and that in addition to the Aviators, there will be Slingmen, who are a bit like Aviators, only completely different and entirely unrelated.

*blinkblink* They work with rocks, small, oval-shaped rocks, the kind one would typically see used as a sling bullet. The bullets are etched with runes and made of a rare sort of mineral that can hold magic, of sorts; it takes quite a bit of training and study to learn the runes and markings, though just about anyone can, with enough practice. However, once you've got a slingstone, you can't do jack shite with it unless you've got a sling- the mineral that the bullets are made of must reach a certain velocity before the runes can activate, so you've got to swing it around quite a bit. Depending on the runes, and the shape of the stone, this can require just a simple overhead whirl, or something a bit more complex that resembles the nunchaku maneuvers of various extras in certain Bruce Lee movies. Mages in the Aviator world are quite physically fit, though their slinging arm tends to be a bit more developed than their off arm...it's common practice for them to be ambidextrous, though, as sprained wrists and broken fingers are commonplace for slingmen, as are concussions. :)

(*whirwhirwhir* "Hey Perry, watch this!" "Damn it, Trent, watch where you're swinging that thing!" "No, just watch, it's really cool-" *crack* *thud* *thunk* ... "Trent? Hello? Can you hear me? How many fingers am I holding up?" "Twelve?" "...Close enough...")

The Aviators are people who have graduated from one of the six Academies of Aviation- they're similar to the slingmen in that they use magic, but that's about it. They fly, either in the air or through the aethral currents. Aviators of higher classes can survive in the currents for longer periods of time, or something to that effect...There are two primary types of Aviators, those with bird elitas, and those with bat elitas. I'll sketch these eventually, but the elitas are their badges, usually worn as cloak pins. A typical elitas badge is a pair of spread wings with a circle inbetween them. The insignia on the circle tells what branch of Aviation the bearer is part of; the metal tells the class. Fifth class, brass (student wings, basically); fourth class, pure copper; third class, steel; second class, pure silver; first class, gold. The class above first, Elite, has elitas made of runestone, the stuff slingmen make their bullets from. The Elite are all members of Her Majesty's Special Forces, unless they're headmasters at the academies.

Most Aviators are third or second class; first class Aviators typically get jobs as advisors or generals and such, while the Elite are another matter entirely...I haven't yet worked out how the Aviators do what they do- I think it may be an inborn talent, but I doubt it. They probably aren't human; in fact, they almost definitely aren't. (brainstorming, working out ideas...) They don't exactly have pointed ears or webbed toes, but the Aviators all tend to be small, compact people with very sharp features. They have beaky noses and uniformly black eyes, and a liking for earrings and shiny metal jewelry. The only thing that really distinguishes them from humans are their fingernails, which are black and somewhat talon-like.

They live among humans in the cities and towns, though there are purely Aviator colonies in remote areas along the coast. Not all Aviators actually become Aviators...must come up with a name for the species...*_* Those that don't attend an Academy live out their lives as normal people, doing normal things, exactly like humans. Intermarriage with humans is tolerated and in some places celebrated (while in others, considered taboo...) though children tend to be uncommon in such cases. There are halfbreeds, though, and while they can attend an Academy, they usually don't rise above third class.

Humans also attend the Academies, because they're excellent schools in terms of academics, in addition to the Aviation skills that are taught. Of course, since Aviators tend to be solitary, quiet people, there's a fair amount of resentment among the students...the humans resent the Aviators' ability to fly, and the Aviators resent the humans' noisy invasion of their space.

About the world; since I'm reading Sabriel, and because Mary Gentle wrote Rats and Gargoyles and the White Crow books, and since I'm in the mood for something a little different (even if this will require research, should I ever discover a plot), the world this takes place in is somewhere in the middle of the industrial revolution. There are trains, and cars, and factories, and guns; smog clouds the skies and most of the fish swim backstroke near the cities. Haven't worked out geography yet; will have to do that eventually. Think late nineteenth century London, for the most part. (must do research...*sigh*) So Perry is armed with a pistol and a saber ("Second Class Post-Aviator Perry Fulbright, in service to the royal family and Her Majesty, the Queen, reporting for duty, sah!" *nearly cuts off his head saluting with saber*) while Trent Rhoswen has his sling and three or four one-shot derringer-type things on his person at all times.

Perry is sent to pick up a delivery by his commanding officer; the delivery turns out to be Trent, who is a slingman, and I'm sure there's a reason for him to be in the capital, but I haven't gotten that far in terms of plot. Perry is rather young, but nearly fanatical about his job. He hasn't had much exposure to the world outside the Academny, though, so he has all sorts of prejudices and misconceptions to deal with. Trent is somewhat older, and rather mysterious, as I've not thought about his character at all. I think he's grizzled, but that's about it. There might be a girl named Miranda wandering around who's important in some way or another, but then, there might not.

I really like the concept, but I haven't got a clue as to what I'm going to do with it...Perry reminds me a little of Templar, only Templar was a complete and utter bastard who wasn't kind to anyone but his horse and occasionally Paige, so there really isn't any similarity at all. The setting reminds me a bit of the world Phillip Pullman's The Golden Compass took place in, but since I only read that once, several years ago, I can't recall exactly why. I do remember that I was deeply disturbed by it, though, and that I felt no desire to read the other books in the series.

Expect, at the very least, some sketches pertaining to this...don't know if I'll have the time or the inclination to do anything else.