I first designed Mary Bishop in 2014. I wanted another OC after creating Silence, and Mary was the next at-bat after the character I called "Violet" had turned into Viola and ceased being a full OC. Similar to Silence, the concept was for a "normal" human character without any superpowers. Unlike Silence, however, Mary was designed to be a non-action character primarily used for dialogue.
I've talked a bit before about how urban setting fascinate me, and how a city lit up at night is one of the most gorgeous settings I can imagine, which is a major reason behind why I suggested Las Vegas as an RP setting - this city is famous worldwide for its' presentation and lights, and it seemed to be one of the few cities that even the real-life version of is crazy enough for the kobbers to call home. Now, obviously a big part of that glitz is the big stuff - casinos, novelty hotels, carnivals, concerts, and so on. But there's more to a city than that.
If you're not familiar with "sonder", allow me to introduce you. The term, as you can see above, has deep implications for a big city. All those individual people living their own lives in the same place, but experiencing completely different perspectives. The term was coined as a negative one that induces sadness, but I personally find it beautiful and inspiring. Mary was birthed from my own sonder daydreams of life in the city as I romanticize it. She is a mere convenience store cashier. She sees hundreds of people each day, and is a tiny part of their lives, and they a tiny part of hers. She is a small but important piece of machinery in the colossus that is Vegas.
I imagined walking down the streets of Las Vegas on a summer's night, a neon sign leading you to Grab-N-Go, Mary's store. It's a small shop, but it's packed to the rafters with all kinds of odds and ends. The stock is designed to appeal to people who suddenly find themselves in need of some small something-or-other. A snack. A small tool. Batteries. The daily paper. And so on. And then there's Mary - small yet cool as a cucumber, not necessarily friendly but not rude or intimidating. You'd feel safe around her, even if she wouldn't easily be a close pal. Then you Grab your item of choice, pay, and Go, back into the neon world outside, leaving Mary to her little shop.
I know this is probably hard to get across, and it could well sound stupid, but I really feel like magic can be made out of little everyday things like that if they're given the proper atmosphere. I've always heavily touted "atmosphere" as being something I treasure - it's what sucks me into a video game or a story. When it happens during RP (usually when someone posts a really good blog post or a satisfying forum post with lots of text), I get excited. RP is at its' best when I can read it slowly, imagining it playing out in my head. This feeling more than any other (except perhaps the adrenaline rush of reading an intense Fite) is what I cherish about roleplaying the most (not counting the friendships I've made, naturally - I mean in terms of the actual RP itself).
So, uh, Mary! Aside from my own daydreaming, Mary was meant to be a down-to-earth ordinary non-Kobber-type whose main draws were her deadpan-ness and her normal-ness. No matter what ridiculous situation you gave to Mary, the most you'd get in response would likely be a raised eyebrow. Of course, this meant I could use "Mary actually emotes to something" as a way to add impact to special moments.
Speaking of special moments, how about that family tree reveal? (Several people LOVED it and that made me very happy.) Mary was originally not related to Silence at all, but I thought of the idea early in Season 5 and eagerly canonized it, especially since it gave me a surprise reveal I could do. While they had similar-colored hair, Mary and Silence were otherwise very, very different - this was ideal. It kept the reveal plausible without giving it away blatantly, so when I started teasing hints that there was a connection between the two of them, people noticed - but weren't sure exactly what the connection
was. It was a great way to add depth to both characters.
Later in the year, Mary began going on plots once I figured out a way she could meaningfully contribute - as a stats buffer! Mary took her selling on the road with a backpack and pop-up stand, selling tractor-boosting items. In Season 6, I plan to expand her product range a bit to include non-food items that could be of use in certain plot segments - she could navigate a dark place with a flashlight, mess with a machine using a screwdriver, distract a dumb guard with thrown patchisaurs - there's plenty of options!
Silly aside - I associate Mary with the Scott Pilgrim video game. That game is full of tiny little convenience stores you can buy stuff from, and
the music track used there does a fantastic job of conveying the feelings of enjoyably browsing a store like Mary's, so I naturally made it her character theme. Additionally, her simple, short design looks vaguely like the SP sprites and she'd probably translate to that style fairly seamlessly. Kim Pine and Kim Pine's deadpan expression may have been a subconscious design aid, too.
About Jinako... It's ridiculous to think that two girls could run Grab-N-Go all by themselves. That works out to 12-hour shifts seven days a week, since Grab-N-Go never closes. So in case you were wondering about that... there are other employees. But, for the sake of conservation of detail, simplicity, and not having to use a bunch of interchangeable minor employee characters, Jinako is the only other one we ever see, and the default one to appear if Grab-N-Go becomes the center of attention at a time Mary is busy elsewhere. She and Mary are close friends, and the two of them are the real brains behind the store and its' success.
I've very happy with the little group of Silence, Blade, and Mary - or, as Chao called them in a PM to me, The Power Trio. Not since the Sarahkin have I made a character group I was this satisfied at the reception and development of. I've considered having 2016 be their final year, and it would make sense for them to stay in Vegas as the kobbers move on to new adventures in another part of the world, but... I can't rule out their returns for sure, because the three of them presented interesting new opportunities and challenges for me, and I've grown very fond of all three. It's also possible that someday Mary could pass the torch to Jinako, and
she becomes the important one in a future season. Who can say for sure? Given the way RP changes over time, not even me.
