God I Just. Love Ruthlessness As A Character Trait So Much. Sexy Sexy Sexy

god I just. love ruthlessness as a character trait so much. sexy sexy sexy

Get to Know My OC Tag Game:

Thank you for tagging me @rickie-the-storyteller!

(Disclaimer: I may have to adapt some of the original questions to fit the context, as the story takes place in a medieval-esque fantasy setting, and will add some questions that I’d like my character to answer that may explain some other things about them. Also, I wasn’t comfortable enough - for some unexplained reason - to use 1st person words for the Interviewer - such as me or I - and so the Interviewer is in a generic 2nd person POV)

[The following character (and the ones that will follow in other posts like this) belongs to my Medieval Dark Fantasy WIP, The Last Wrath. The picture is just a face claim found on pinterest, as I haven’t had time to make character art for the entire cast of my book, and said picture belongs to its respectful owners.]

Let us begin!

A door opens, and 16, soon to be 17, year old Raelen Ashiren strides in. She bears a reckless smile on her face, and her steps are carefree and confident as she walks closer, grasping your hand in a firm hand shake. Her smile is a litle crooked, you notice, and just as wild as her heart. She is an unusual kid of pretty, messy long brown hair carelessly pushed away from her face in thin braids, and warm skin that bears a few small scars. Her clothes are loose and simple, designed for practicality while retaining that unmistakable burst of personality that permeates everything about her presence, a starry purple scarf giving her attire a dash of color. You can’t help but notice that while her clothes are simple and clearly worn by her frequent adventuring, they are not in a bad shape either. 

Her voice is fast and joyfully loud, but her words carry a strong sense of warmth and honesty. You can see clearly in her bright eyes every emotions that she is feeling, and like an open book they tell you a story of someone who is brave and wild, but at the same time full of joy... with a touch of something else you can’t quite place. She takes a seat in front of you, awaiting eagerly for the questions you may be inclined to ask.

1) Are you named after anyone?

Raelen: Yes, I am. Heh, I um, was named after my paternal grandmother, though her name was a bit different from mine. She was called Raellyn, and my parents adapted the name to Raelen for me, I guess it was so as to avoid confusion between the names... She was a great warrior, and the pride of House Eiriant during the years she lived - I think my Da wanted her legacy to live on somehow after I was born, even if just in her name, so ... here I am, Raelen. (Cue a laugh and little jazz hands as she finishes her answer)

2) When was the last time you cried? 

Raelen: Well, isn’t that a loaded question, (she chuckles awkwardly, bringing her hand up to fiddle with her necklace), one that I’d rather not answer...(she quietly adds, before begrudgingly sighing)... But I guess, if you really want to know, it was when my older brother Julyan was captured by a bunch of assassins... and I couldn’t do anything about it.  I’m still looking for him, and I don’t know if we’ll find him anytime soon. (her lip wobbles a bit as she looks up towards you) Can we move on to another um... topic now? 

Interviewer (you): Oh, my... um, I wasn’t expecting that, I’m so sorry... (you/the interviewer plaster their best smile on their face, trying to smooth things over) Of course, let’s move on!

Raelen: (her breathing sags a bit in relief and she smiles back at you) Thanks.

3) Do you have kids?

Raelen: What the hell? (She mutters awkardly in a laugh) Of course not, like, I’m barely not a child myself, and I don’t think I want another person to worry about in a world like mine, at least not in the foreseeable future and until I am an adult and have everything figured out. Even if I was not living on the run or there wasn’t a war between the realms about to happen, that would probably still be my answer. (She runs a hand through her hair, chuckling a bit and leaning forwards towards you, as if sharing a secret). With an adoptive brother like Azra flying around on a dragon, I’ve got my work cut out for me right now... (Suddenly she becomes pensive) I can’t imagine how Julyan handled it, like, caring for me and Azra when he was just a kid himself after our parents... you know. I don’t think I would have been able to do that so well even now... (After a pause she taps her hands on her knees, smiling once again.) Either way, circling back to your question, no, I don’t have kids nor plan to have them any time soon.

4) Do you use sarcasm?

Raelen: (smiling with a hint of laughter) Only every day! I’m trying to cut down a bit on it, that seems like a habit that is cut out to get me into more trouble than I already am, heh. But with the company I keep, I’m surprised I’m not more sarcastic or swearing like a sailor, because let me tell you, my friends can be either brilliant or the stupidest people I have ever met and there’s no in between. There are days where they are really testing my patience and I love them for it. (She laughs) I guess sarcasm runs in the family, but I try my best to be um ... politer.

5) What's the first thing you notice about people?

Raelen: Um, I guess I’m kind of good at telling when people are lying to me or have ill intentions. Everyone has a tell, though some may be harder to understand than others. I think it rather comes as a necessity when you live in Agrannor, but I’ve met some people that can prove that thought otherwise in a second (She pointedly stares at Vallerius). Also, personality wise, I am also quick to notice the little quirks and expressions, the small characterictics that tell us what they are really feeling even if their words won’t. But all of this only applies to when I am in a good or focused mood, because if I’m scared or angry the deal is totally off and I may or may not be really bad at those things I just said under those circumtances, heh.

6) What's your eye colour?

Raelen: Hazel green. At least, I think that’s what I think it is. Oh, and they only change color a small bit when I use my magic, which is something I don’t know what to make of. I’m still practicing, Vall’s teaching me more about magic, so I hope I can get those cool colorful eyes in the future, (she geeks out a bit) though I guess mine are already pretty sweet. 

7) Any special talents?

Raelen: I’m Mageborn, which means that I was born with magic in my blood, unlike a regular human. So I can cast spells and change things in the world around me with them. My family is pretty ancient, especially my Mom’s side of the family - House Ashiren, hence the surname - and we’ve been mages since before the Ancient War. (She twirls her necklace in her hands, thinking, and a small smile appears in her face) When I was a kid - after our parents disappeared and it was just me and Julyan - we didn’t have much other than our own company, so Julyan used to tell me all those tales about our ancestors, to make me feel better - powerful warriors and mages fighting to rid the kingdoms of the scourge of the Secret Court (Raelen raises her arms a bit, enthusiastically, like one would telling a heroic tale) - and I used to dream of becoming a hero, like they had been... So, as far as special talents can go, I think I have them - I can do magic, I am a mage after all, though I wish I could be better at it. I’ve been improving a lot recently, ever since Valleriusand I started practicing together!  Though I think I may never be as strong in the magical arts as Julyan is - I’ve always been more like my Da after all, Julyan’s far more like our Mom than he’d admit, and that includes being extremely talented with fire magic. Other than the magical side of my um, “talents”, I’m a ... good  swordfighter, I guess, and I’m kinda good with daggers. I can defend myself pretty well, but that’s about it. (She laughs heartedly) I can’t shoot an arrow to save my life though. Other than that, my real  passions lie on investigating forgotten things about old magic and adventuring! Does that count as a talent? I think it doesn’t, but does it count?

Interviewer (you): Uh... I don’t know, maybe?

Raelen: (smiling) Great! Because I’m a pretty good adventurer then, heh, though most people around me prefer to call me a troublemaker for some reason... (she says, a sarcastic lilt to her voice) I guess it does have a good ring to it, though adventurer sounds far more... heroic. I’m still workshopping that one, but adventurer sounds much cooler than troublemaker. 

8) Scary tales or happy endings?

Raelen: Uh, life in the continent is already one scary tale and a half on my opinion, I mean, you have wars in one hand, intrigue in another, a bunch of crazy corrupted sorcerers wanting to rewrite the word in blood and everything that twisted magic entails, such as the Shroud around the forests back home. So, if I have to choose which story I want to tell or hear around the fire, I definitely  would go with one that ends at least remotely happy. The heroic ones are my favorites, if you can’t already tell. I think that hope is a important skill to have in any situation, especially in dangerous ones, so a story that is inspiring to some extent or at the very least tells us something interesting, is definitely better than a terrifying one. But I maybe got a bit too caried away here (she chuckles)....

9) Where were you born?

Raelen: I was born in my family’s ancient estate near the Forests of Midtaren, during the Agrannorian Civil War. A while later, when I was around like maybe four or five, our parents went in a strange mission and never returned. Julyan and I had to move to the Kingdom of Kestrall  all by ourselves, where our godmother is High General and had made a promise to our father that she would protect us if the worst came to pass. The journey to get there however.. um, is something I’d rather forget and never talk about again...

10) What are your hobbies?

Raelen: Running in the forests around Kestrall, sparring, sneaking into the Dragon’s Spire with Gareth - he’s my best friend by the way (she smiles)- and seeing all the new dragons that the Riders are training, talking, annoying the guards, watching Julyan make runic weapons, stealing old books from the Royal Archives -

Interviewer (you): Woah, woah... Wait a second, that’s already a whole lot but... stealing?

Raelen: (Laughs sheepishly) Um, kinda...? Look, its not really stealing, its complicated... the Archives are open to the public, but I got banned from ever entering those halls again because I spoke against that shithead of the Captain of the Guard (She says the title mockingly), after he, um... hurt my brother (She looks clearly uncomfortable/scared at the memory, before she clasps her hands together). Anyways... so there’s that, and now I kind of had to sneak away the books and tomes that I want, though I can’t do it anymore because I’m currently living on the run across the continent. (She chuckles and lifts her eyebrows sarcastically). Listen, if it makes you feel better, Julyan and Azra told me not to sneak into the Archives... at least for the first 10 times. 

Interviewer (you): (clearly concerned, muttering to yourself) That’s so much worse though... (The Interviewer/You clear your throat)... Anyways, let us move forward...

11) Do you have any pets?

Raelen: I wouldn’t call Mystral that heh... She’s this dragon that we’ve got that like, is following us around ever since we uh - snuck her away from the Dragon Spire to escape a bunch of assassins and Azra crash landed us gloriously in the forest. (She giggles, then catches Azra staring daggers at her and answers by making a face at him). Gods, we’d better hope she didn’t hear us calling her a pet... because according to Vallerius’ translations of what she is thinking, she’s uh... (she then begins talking with a mock majestic voice) “The Tamer of Storms and the Scourge of the Earth, cower before me ye mortals” or something along those lines. (Raelen leans closer, whispering to you with a smirk)...But she does look and act like a cat, so I can’t really take her seriously and neither should you. She insists that she needs mittens for the winter, even though she generates enough heat to light up ten forges and has claws the size of a broadsword, and claims that its a disgrace that were not taking such “an important request” seriously in the middle of a war - though now that I think of it, that might just be Vallerius screwing us over with his shitty half-assed translations of Old Dragon Speech. (She narrows her eyes towards the long haired boy across the room, who pointed avoids her gaze).

12) What sports do you play/have played?

Raelen: Look, this isn’t really a sport, but I’ve sparred against some of the older Dragon Knights in a swordfigthing tourney of winter’s solstice Festival a few years ago, and did a pretty great job at it, I think. That is, before a stray spear knocked me on the helmet and left me unconscious for like, two hours. Teiva - that’s the General, our godmother - thought it was funny and seemed impressed, while Julyan nearly had a heart attack and the lecture that followed made me wish I was still asleep. But the food at the festival was good! So there’s that.

13) How tall are you?

Raelen: I don’t know exactly, but average height, maybe? Sometimes I think I am a bit taller than other kids my age, but that may be because Azra and Gareth are little ankle-biters, (she turns around as Azra prostests in the background, a smirk on her face as she sarcastically calls out). I think you’re proving my point, huh?

Interviewer (you): (The Interviewer/You smile as they start to bicker and nudge Raelen on the shoulder to catch her attention) This was one heck of a wild ride, Raelen! I hope you figure things out in your life again, and that you’ll find your brother soon. Thank you for coming to my interview!  

Raelen: This was a really fun experience! Thanks for having me, I really got to go though. Have like, an Empire to topple, a brother to save, a rebellion to help.. uh, anyways, a lot of things that I don’t want to burden you with... Bye! 

@lassiesandiego​ @writernopal​ @lyutenw​

I would say that the first thing coming from Agrannor would be, maybe, the magical beasts that lurk in the many forests of the continent, though they are often corrupted by dark or twisted magic. A confused rebel human or an elf may follow soon after, and that’s all well and good. But when the Ash Queen learns about said portal, she will be keen to make our magicless world her domain very soon and would be rather likely to bring along the young Emperor Aerich, with his highly trained and magically talented army in tow. That’s when things will start to get very complicated for us normal mortals from Earth.

@writernopal

You guys seemed to like the last time I did this, so let's try another!

Say a portal from the world of your WIP just opened up on Earth; what is coming out of there? An eldritch horror? A spaceship? That pesky familiar, who you know, has no business being outside? Maybe a friendly woodland creature or a cute little robot? Or something more dangerous, like a giant or an enraged orc! Share in the reblogs or comments! I'll start 💙

The first thing coming through from Oepus is a TON of seawater. Despite being an Earth-like planet, it is more water than anything else. Now, seawater sounds benign enough, except Oepus' waters are known as the domain of Satoyev, Lord of Krakens. Perhaps he himself would come through with his loyal subjects, sirens, medusas, and sea witches in tow. 🐙

Happy STS! What do you think you like the most about your villain/s in your story/ies?

Oh, this is a great one!

I have many villains in my main WIP - The Last Wrath, but also in my other smaller works in progress as well (such as Enchanted Illusions, or some others that I have yet to post), with varied roles and importance in the story, but I think that what I like the most about them is that, I try to make even the most terrible kind of person in the book have clear motives and backstory - not in a sense that it justifies their actions, absolutely not, but more as to showcase that they’re not just the typical mustache twirling evil guy archetype. They’re evil, cruel and conniving bastards, but I think I have managed (at least I hope so) to give them nuance - as in, they do the things they do, because they believe those things are right (in their twisted and sick world view). Some of them even see themselves as the heroes of their own story, others know they are cruel monsters and have embraced it, while some are just the kind of bastards that are too deep in their own self-righteousness to care, and others are deeply conflicted knowing that they have strayed from their original intentions but are too far gone to go back. But no matter what kind of villainy they enact, they believe in it due to their experiences, worldview, personality and beliefs, they see their path as the right one and are not afraid to destroy anything in the way of their goals because they see them as the ultimate choice. At least, I hope I am doing so correctly in my stories!

Thank you so much for the ask, @lassiesandiego!

CALL FOR BETA READERS

hello! do you like

an all queer cast of found family

traumatic backstories

cozy fantasy romance

devoted bodyguards

pretty men and mean women

fun magic, potions, and curses

love squares

then you'll love my upcoming novel, THE RED KING'S MYSTICAL SUITORS. I am making a call for beta readers now.

What is the book about?

It is a fantasy novel romcom. Here is the summary:

King Randall III has everything one could want. power, charm, beauty, and enough diplomatic wit to earn him the nickname 'Emperor of the Continent.' The one thing he's lacking is a husband.

When Randall's sister invites men far and wide to woo him, only three make the cut: a noble sorcerer, a royal alchemist, and a mysterious easterner who reveals nothing of himself other than a name. A fourth lingers in the shadows, dreaming of the chance he's been too afraid to take for four years.

Each of them is hiding a secret, including King Randall himself, who falls victim to a beastly curse when night falls. As pasts are revealed, relationships formed, one thing becomes clear: no one will leave the Red King's court the same they entered.

What kind of feedback are you looking for?

I have a short list of questions for beta readers to answer, which will be provided along with the book document.

if you're interested, instructions are below the cut, as well as content warnings. boosts appreciated.

content warnings for THE RED KING'S MYSTICAL SUITORS are mentions of kidnapping, enslavement, as well as blood, injury, and alcohol. the book is about 80k, or 270 pages.

email lilamarybooks@gmail.com if interested. Would prefer if readers completed the book and answered the questions after a week or so--fine if not, just the faster the better. i'm looking for about five people.

RED KING TAGLIST:

@transmasc-wizard @synthesizer-dyke @magic-is-something-we-create @tc-doherty @softbroiled-doomdesire @somealienquill @sagasofazeria @super-writer-gal @ren-c-leyn @crazy-like-us @ashen-crest @shrunkupthejams @themundanemudperson @sarahlizziewrites @faithfire @hungryslothwrites

GENERAL TAGLIST: @worldbuildng @muddshadow @nikkywrites @47crayons @directionoftime @myhusbandsasemni

Happy STS! If you were to design a deck of playing cards based on characters in your WIP, who would you assign to be the King? The Queen? The Jack? The Ace? And the Joker?

Happy Storyteller Saturday to you too!

This is an interesting question, one that I had to put quite some thought into in order to properly answer, honestly. Now that I think of it, I think I have some characters that would fit those roles quite nicely! (By the way, I did some - albeit rather superficial - research on the symbolic meanings of some of these cards and the opinions I found were varied, so I chose the meanings that best suited my characters of choice)

THE KING:

For the King card, I decided to take a more subversive approach rather than just outright choosing an actual ruler from my story. There are many kinds of King cards in a playing deck (king of hearts, king of spades, king of diamonds, and king of clubs) and each has its own "meanings" if you will. For this in particular, I choose King of Diamonds for my character Lord Nethen Fahris, a young man from the small nobility who is the rival and soon-to-be love interest of Princess Ellinnor Dallantes. It's a card usually associated with cunningness, secret knowledge, and shrewdness, as in someone who is good at finding advantages and navigating the situations they are in - but it is also considered an omen of protection by some, and I find that this is the perfect description for Nethen in The Last Wrath. Another character that I believe fits this card very well is surprisingly, a character with little to no noble blood, Julyan Ashiren - even though he is not actually a noble, he comes from a very ancient and powerful family of Mageborn, and is now their firstborn heir. There is also another reason for this choice, a secret about him that I cannot disclose as it is one of the main plot twists of the book, but one that makes him more than qualified for this card choice.

THE QUEEN:

For this card, the choice seemed kind of obvious, as one of my characters from the main cast is the rightful queen of a kingdom but had her birthright stolen from her (I am referring here to Princess Ellinor Dallantes). So here, I would say I choose Queen of Clubs for my young lost princess, Ellinor. Of course, I think the name of the card speaks for itself, as she is a queen in her own right and is determined to take back what was stolen from her, bringing justice to those who have wronged her family and her people. As a Queen card, it is usually associated with authority, intelligence, and being a fair but powerful leader. Ellinor is not afraid to face a war if it means setting herself and her family's subjects free from her uncle's corrupted rule, and is just as cunning as her rival-turned-lover can be. One other character that could fit the Queen card is Nadinne Ahmirah, a Lady whose family has ascended from anonymity to considerable wealth and have risen to courtiers in the local noble court of Vellamere as their exploits as seafaring merchants have more than granted them prestige and influence. She yearns to be like her ancestors, a tamer of the waves living freely as the tides dictate, but she has now duties and expectations to fulfill that keep her - at first - from achieving her dream goal. And last but still not least, the elusive and endlessly charming mercenary with a heart of steel Morwan Destrin, more than fits this role - not only she is, in all but name, almost a mercenary queen, but she is also a scorned noble (though I cannot yet disclose her true heritage).

THE JACK:

Also known as the Knave (rogue/scoundrel), the Jack card was a tricky one for sure. It's usually associated, as the monicker Knave might suggest, with a tricky or deceitful person. This is a perfect card for a few of my characters, to be precise. Raelen Ashiren is one of them, as she is quite the little rogue when it comes to standing up against unjust authorities and finding freedom in doing what is right, even if she has to be a little bit roguish or tricky to do so, and is currently wanted in several kingdoms after being wrongfully framed. Another interesting character I chose for this card was Emryc Thorne - one of Ellinor's best friends and a skilled thief who uses "street magician" tricks to confuse his opponents and make his heists successful), as he is a witty, highly intelligent, and extremely sarcastic young thief who is not afraid to use deceit to his advantage - in fact, he rather embraces it, as it is a key part of his entire "career" of choice. Emryc has earned quite a reputation as a scoundrel, for several different reasons. Luciya Anynth also fits quite well the role of the Jack card, as she is not only an outlaw to whom the value of life is freedom with no holds barred, but she is the lowborn daughter of a young man with a reputation for being quite the rogue. Last but not least, I chose Cassander Fynn as this card as well - a rebel spy, his entire occupation, as well as his life and that of hundreds of others, depends on his ability to deceive, lie and cheat his way into enemy ranks, though he maintains a strict code of honor even then.

THE ACE:

A card that is associated with the number one, it can be simultaneously the card with the highest or lowest value on a deck depending on the game. Some people associate this position with success, power, and quality, as well as good luck, though it can also be considered quite unstable. Due to certain historical events, it has also come to be considered a "Death Card" or bad luck. So, considering all of this, my characters of choice for the Ace would be Vallerius Zyndrosar, Zephyr Tellian, Bryn Seperi, and Tanwin Lyrandeth. All of said characters are complex but good-intentioned people, and are incredibly loyal to their friends, though often waves of bad luck keep them from achieving their full potential. Vallerius is an incredibly kind and smart young man who despises his magical affinity due to events in his past that made him the most wanted man by the Morosyn Empire, while he is really just a sweet kid trying to make it through the chaos of his life with only blind luck and improvisation to help. Zephyr is a smart and talented sorcerer, as well as a doting older brother, but has fallen prey to a terrible hatred curse that makes using his recently acquired magical talents very taxing and painful. Bryn is a young mercenary turned bitter by past injustices, someone who despises the continent and would rather watch it burn like it did to him in the past, but who, despite all of this, makes the decision to fight for a better future - not out of a sense of altruism or for the continent he hates, but for the people in his life that make it worth fighting for. Tanwin, once a sweet and naive young boy, was captured and turned into a soldier by an enemy warlord, and now is one of the deadliest people on the continent, often struggling between who he was turned into and the person he wishes he could be, being at the same time one of the best friends anyone could have - on a good day, that is.

THE JOKER:

A card that is often used as a wild card in games, it is one that can be extremely beneficial and harmful at the same time. Because of this, it is also often associated with chaos, intelligence, unpredictability, and wit. It is also often depicted in cards as the court Jester, a Halerquin, or a Clown. Characters that fit this card's archetype would be: Azra Moorsworth, Fabian Anynth, Ansell Kallik, and Yuna Thyren. Azra, Raelen and Julyan's adoptive brother and the (adoptive) son of their godmother, is more than meets the eye in many ways - especially when it comes to the real truth about his past and origins, something that not even he knows about. He has a joyfully playful personality and tends to use humor to lighten the mood while underneath it all there is a storm of emotions raging inside his head. Fabian "Anynth" used to be Luciya's closest friend and secretly her half-sibling (though she is not aware of it), but a shocking betrayal on his part broke their bond forever - even though, the truth about this act of treason is far from what she or their friends could have imagined. Ansell Kallik is the best archer on the continent, as well as Princess Ellinor's closest friend and confidant, but he is also a very dangerous person towards anyone who might stand to harm his friends. Also, his unpredictability shines through in combat, as his enemies can never see him coming before they already have an arrow to the chest. Yuna Thyren, another friend of Ellinor, though not nearly as close, and the second to newest member of the Princess' elite group of assassins, is one to keep her secrets under lock and key, along with her mysterious past - no one knows the truth about her or her personal mission but herself.

@writernopal