User blog:RoninTheMasterless/Off My Mind: Fictional Geography & Feminist Knight Owl

As Earth-53 reaches greater and greater maturity, I can't help but reflect on previous attempts to tell the Knight Owl story: The Owlverse Trinity of Earth-152312, Alternate Earth-152312, and Negative Earth-152312, which were all primarily based around Christopher Nolan's style of superheroics, then Earth-9603, which was the What If I Owned DC & MARVEL in the stylistic veins of Watchmen, the MCU, the MCU Netflix series, and DC's Arrow and the Flash. Earth-53 is meant to be more like Kingsman: The Secret Service in the sense that no human alive today can do what Colin Firth's character did in that church, but it's not impossible in theory (or at least most of it wasn't, and anything that was wasn't plainly impossible). It is also supposed to be more mythical in the sense that the lives of the heroes is meant to be symbolic, hopefully without sacrificing the idea that these are real(ish) people thrust into impossible circumstances. Ideally Earth-53 mixes the virtues of DC (Mythical with high symbolism, that you can feel inspired by because they embody virtues you lack), and MARVEL (characters that feel human, that you can identify with, and can feel inspired by because you're like them).

Fictional Geography
"geography determines your culture and culture determines your people" - Monty Oum

One of the essential features of Earth-53 I needed to have so I could tell myself it's at least marginally realistic is the fact that the world and it's locations are real (i.e. No Gotham City, but I do acknowledge I'm making up places that don't exist currently, and won't by the time these events are slated to unfold) With this in mind, I want to rebuild Earth-9603, and strip it of all the things I bloated it with because Earth-53 was brewing in my subconcious, and I think the best thing to do that is to build it with an idea that's been brewing in me for about three weeks: Fictional Geography. In principle I want to have the same geographical history as our Earth (e.g. Pangea, other supercontinents, and the current structures), but I intend to replace the current continent names, country names, and country histories with more thematic and, where applicable, mythical histories than the histories we study in school. I'm not entirely sure what the continent and country names will be, and I am open to suggestions, but I have some ideas (e.g. United Republic of Libertalia for United States of America). Since it will be Earth-9603, where DC and Marvel mix, cities like Gotham City will be incorporated.

Feminist Knight Owl
In a similar vein as Katherine Kane/Batwoman to Bruce Wayne's Batman, I've contemplated giving Counter Earth-53 an actual Knight Owl in addition to Wild Cat and Earth-53's reality displaced Knight Owl. The idea came to me to make Sasha Bordeaux said Knight Owl, although I'm not sure why she would adopt the Owl motif, and unsure how I could explain her taking on the Knight motif, so I might select a less theatrical nom de gurre for her, or drop it entirely, I'm not sure to be honest. I also plan on making a Jessica Jones style Batwoman story, most likely to included in the greater Earth-15 continuity, that focuses on her kidnapping, lipstick lesbian lifestyle, military service and sensibilities, and in some small part, her relation to the Batman himself. In the same way that Knight Owl's personaly philosophy informs his character and hopefully his particular style of vigilantism, Katherine Kane will be reimagined to include some anti-feminist philosophy (in the sense of hard lined, extremist feminism, not the original and laymen understanding of the term). She will be staunchly egalitarian, with a skeptical edge much like her cousin.

BONUS: Should the Owl Fly Alone
I've been thinking very recently about Knight Owl's love life (by extension from thoughts of my own at the moment). I made Roxy Beaumont/Catwoman so Will/Knight Owl could have a "happily ever after" moment at some point in the story, but I'm becoming more and more hesitant to have it at all (which is part of the reason I haven't added as much to Earth-53 as I wanted to be now). I've had terrible luck with women and the older I get the more I think I'll end up alone (Full disclosue I'm 21 and I know it's unwise to jump to conclusions, but I'm postulating at this point, not concluding). This isn't meant to be depressing, after all, I'm not that sad about it to be honest. I don't really like people in general anyway. Part of the reason I made Knight Owl an Owl themed character, in addition to the inherent awesomeness of Owls, was that they are naturally solitary figures; it's in their nature in the same way I feel it is in mine. Obviously they mate at some point, but they hunt and fly alone for the most part. They even live in notoriously "lonely" places like caves. So I figured I'd add the bonus of "Do you think Knight Owl should further reflect me in that he lives his entire life alone, or should I cut myself some slack and give myself what life seems to keep elusive to me?"