So my inspiration tends to be from music. Take Lazarus for instance. I'm Shipping up to Boston was in inspiration for the character. Then I just grafted that musical concept onto a very Harry Dresden style wizard, add a little bit of Dungeons and Dragons and stir in a few World of Darkness and The Mummy references and Ideas and you have Lazarus. Ian was born from listening to Victor and his Demon's by Fiddler's Green and Sugar we're going down by Fallout Boy. Add in a serious dose of my own martial arts training, a concept I used for a Vampire in Vampire the Requiem by the name of Koshmar and then give him the instrument I play and my favorite weapon. That's how my creation process typically happens