ELLIPSIS

//A rogue who specializes in disappearances, leaving behind only context clues of their previous role in life. Existing in absence, Ellipsis believes that the world can go on without their appearance and prefers to let those around them infer their intent. Their absence often draws further attention to their whereabouts and why they left this time.

// ROGUE

//In a fight, they scout around the field in secret, simply observing.

“The streets outside are empty, the ambulance sirens constant, the sunshine an insult.”

-Leslie Jamison, ‘Since I Became Symptomatic’

This quote omits “are” and “is” from the last two phrases, respectively. In the exasperated tone of voice that forms the context of this quote, this omission of these words causes a brief pause in their places, which makes the sentence read like a set of rhetorical questions and curt answers: “The ambulance sirens? Constant. The sunshine? An insult.” This contributes in conveying the frustration felt by the author regarding the subject matter.

“They have systems. Systems of air. Of information. Of ideas.”

-Charles Yu, Systems

In this quote, the second sentence omits “They have…,” and the next two omit an even longer “They have systems…” This series of sentences gradually breaks down into the base content it is trying to get across, mirroring the effect of the pandemic and quarantine on people. With the absence of any distractions while staying home, and in a world threatened by a deadly virus, people reduced down to their base values to protect and nurture throughout the lockdown.

"... I was standing beside his bed and he was sitting up between the sheets, clad in his underwear, with a great portfolio in his hands."

-F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

In this example, the ellipsis omits an explanation of how the situation within the quote transpired. This leaves the readers to conclude on their own how and why the characters have ended up here and what their deeper relationship might be. Additionally, considering that this is a first person POV from the narrator, his reluctance to explain also gives the implication that something secretive likely happened.

“When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken . . . his left arm was somewhat shorter than his right . . . he couldn't have cared less, so long as he could pass and punt."
-Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

In this context, the ellipses allow for pauses to process the information previously presented, and even for a moment of grief and pity for Jem. This melancholy is cut short, however, but the concluding thought that Jem did not mind, emphasizing what he finds important in life.

". . ."

REFLECTION

There were several terms which could've fit the role of a rogue, but I immediately decided Ellipsis had to be the one due to the entire concept of being hidden and lurking in the shadows. As for their design, there's a design concept called the principle of closure I learned in Graphic Design in high school. It basically says that if you draw enough of a thing, the brain fills in the rest. I used this to dictate this design and just omitted parts of their design to let the mind fill in the rest as you would when reading an ellipsis in text. I also incorporated lots of circles/dots to allude to the . . . as well.

As for some design details I thought of but couldn't show here since this wasn't an animated format:

The spots they are disconnected act similarly to a lava lamp and those dots just float between the existing parts of the body
They are able to disappear (like how the Cheshire Cat is depicted as doing)
Their pupils are shared between the eyes, meaning if they were knocked over to one side, all those pupils would scramble and "fall" into one of the eyes and the other would momentarily be left without any