The use of color in BODIED

As a writer, I like to give myself made-up rules to follow within a given story. To me, these rules help to build motifs, develop themes, and make the world feel real. It's kinda like how, in The Godfather (SPOILERS), oranges foreshadow death. Is there any real connection between an orange, which is a lovely citrus fruit, and death, which is the ultimate fate of all life? Nope! But by deciding to create a connection between those two things, the people behind The Godfather created a better work of art.

In Bodied, color plays this type of role. Maya and el.treyn are a classic Red Oni/Blue Oni duo. She represents emotion, defiance, and anger; her element is fire. In contrast, he represents detachment, and his element is water. If you read the book closely, you'll see that her scenes prominently feature red and orange hues, whereas his feature the color blue. Fighting games are full of this trope. Think of Ragna and Jin in BlazBlue, Sol and Ky in Guilty Gear, and, of course, Ken and Ryu in Street Fighter.

Then there's Jasmine. Her thematic color is gray, representing both the general hardships she faces throughout her life and the specific depression that descended on her when she became a single mother. In Bodied, gray is the color of hardship - and, therefore, the color of life. Nobody in Bodied has it easy, and one of the major themes of the book is exploring how different types of people respond to stress. Here, I was inspired by R.E.M's "Daysleeper."

Finally, there's four, whose theme color is white. Why white? Well, you'll just have to read the book to find out. But here's a hint: white has a specific and powerful symbolic meaning in Japanese culture, and it has the same meaning in Bodied.

So if you want to learn more, buy your copy today and get to reading!