#Ui pov: firedrake

[merigreenleaf]

I haven’t been up to working on writing this week, so here’s a drawing I did of two of my dorks a few months ago that I forgot to share. I've slowly been getting back into drawing in an attempt to learn how to, although I’ve definitely been slacking off these past few months. A part of learning has involved drawing chibis of my characters because I’m all for adorable! The first one I finished is Firedrake and Sol, the pair of fire dorks. Sol managed to sweep Dray off their feet-- literally here-- mostly through silliness and kindness. Dray couldn't tell you exactly when this happened because theirs was a relationship slow to develop, but I don't think it takes any characters by surprise to learn that they're a couple. It's much more likely that everyone was placing bets on when Dray and Sol would finally admit it. (Hint: it takes three whole freaking books.) You can find out more about their relationship here with their moodboard. They're adorable and chaotic and I love them.

This drawing started in my sketchbook and then I moved it over to my tablet to finish and color it. I think this is the third drawing I did on my tablet and I'm really happy how it turned out! I didn't think I'd be into digital drawing because I tend to prefer everything on paper, including writing, but dang do layers make this so much easier than erasing. I started working on a trio one for Addy, Blythe, and Etri, and individual chibis, but I haven’t finished them yet. If I ever do, I’ll share those, too. :)

Tagging my series tag list. Let me know if you want on or off this list. :) 

@homesteadchronicles​ @ageekyreader @lynnafred @the-gay-hufflepuff @oceanwriter @desperatlytryingtowriteabook @muffindragon227 @theguildedtypewriter @toboldlywrite @wchwriter @dreameronthewind @shadow-maker @pen-for-sword @loopyhoopywrites @emptymanuscript @madmoonink @perringwrites @megan-cutler @elliot-orion @thatwriternamedvolk @indecentpause @writer-on-time @ravenpuffwriter @siarven @musicismymoirail @lady-redshield-writes @bluemartlet @reeseweston @worldbuildingwren @hiddswritingrefs @cay--scribbles @focusdumbass @paper-shield-and-wooden-sword @enasroterfaden @missrobinswritings @joshuaorrizonte @zofiehelen @kainablue @kalis-scribbles @inspirited-goddess

[merigreenleaf]

Unexpected Inspiration Character Backstory: Dray’s Charisma

"Don't think for a single second that you're on my level. You're just a spoiled little boy with an adequate tongue and nothing to lose. A mouth full of lies and a pocket full of blackmail doesn't mean you can play with the pros. Take my advice: give up, go home, and beg for forgiveness. Creators know you're good at copping out." -Dray to Feren, book 2 (Flashover)

"Charisma" has been the name of the game for Dray for the past decade. I talked about their early life before, but only glossed over their time spent in Galanvoth as a teenager. This was intentional. It's something Dray never talks about and it's something the other dorks don't discover until Plot takes them there and Dray's essentially thrown back into their old life. To recap, Dray was broken when their mother left them. Five years before this, their father had done essentially the same thing. Dray felt there was nothing left for them in Concordia, so they returned to Galanvoth. They thought this would be familiar, something that felt right. Dray didn't realize just how difficult and dangerous it would be to no longer have the status and protection of their family name. By the time the reality of the situation sunk in, the border with Concordia had closed. Dray was stuck.

Never one to give up easily, Dray found a job as a dancer and gradually made a name for themself on stage. Recognition of their talent was the validation Dray so desperately needed and they basked in this spotlight. There were parties and galas and people to meet. Dray-- always with the right tone of voice to get people talking-- quickly learned who was who, who knew who, and who did what. It was some of these whats that caught Dray's attention, particularly when those involved abusing or otherwise hurting the No-Names of the city. Dray had found a purpose: seeking vengeance on behalf of the people who had no voice. It wasn't a lawful purpose, but what had obeying rules and following tradition gotten them? Abandoned, heartbroken, destitute... now it was time for Dray to turn the tables.

(More under the cut!)

Overflowing with charisma, charm, and what they later realized was untrained mind-manipulation magic, they got people to talk. And talk. And talk some more. Then Dray struck. Forgery, arson, embezzlement, larceny... nothing was off the table for someone with the aptitude to pick up new skills quickly and who had nothing to lose. Dray never cared much about what they stole. The thrill was in taking down and humiliating the violators; the bulk of what they took they donated to charities under a witty name that not-so-subtly pointed to who it had been stolen from. Often money just happened to end up in the hands of the No-Names who needed it. 

It was inevitable that Dray made enemies. They were caught several times, but always under an assumed name or a stolen identity, and they never spent more than ten minutes in a jail cell. A silver tongue, a pretty face, and a keen mind kept Dray largely in the clear. As good as Dray was, though, they weren't infallible. Perhaps they got too cocky, maybe they’d burned out after years of doing this, possibly it was both. Whatever the cause, a mistake was made. By the time their door was busted open, they were already halfway across the city and auditioning with the Concordian carnival troupe they’d spotted a few days previously. It was time to go back to Concordia and put this part of their life behind them.

That is, until they find themself having to go back to their old stomping ground in order to investigate who is responsible for sabotaging Concordia. Dray still has the knowledge and skill, even some connections, to pick up where they left off. Their magic is trained, making it stronger and more reliable. They no longer have to do this alone-- but therein lies the danger. Dray now has everything to lose and a family they won’t risk. 

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I’m a week behind with sharing this board for @homesteadchronicles theme of "charisma", but it’s the perfect time to use what @ageekyreader and I have been calling the "Dray's a little shit" board! I’ve been making new boards and rewriting character bios/backstories, which was going smoothly until I ended up with two boards for Dray. They have two very different sides to their personality, two very different aesthetics, and I wasn’t sure which to use to redo their main bio board. Problem solved with this theme! ;)

Oh! And while I’ve been updating things, I just updated that post about Dray’s early life. One of the things that changed during my hiatus was Dray's backstory. So check it out if you want to know more about Dray as a kid and how they got from then to now, with this as the interlude in the middle.

[merigreenleaf]

Unexpected Inspiration Series Masterpost: About the Main Dorks

The Unexpected Inspiration series is lighthearted, lgbt+ high fantasy set in a contemporary world. If you're into magic, found family, and characters who like to cause mischief, I got you covered! The short stories are all available to read and you can learn more about the series here. You can meet the secondary characters here.

Under the read more is information about each of these main characters.

Name: Adair Cerulean    Age: 19 Gender/sexuality: male (trans), bisexual Birthplace: Concordia Occupation: cartographer Magic: Colorweaving (illusion worked via drawing) Traits: cheerful, sweet, affectionate Hobbies: Drawing, painting, cooking, eating

Adair is an arcane painter and cartographer whose illusion/illustration magic channels through art. (Magic is called "weaving" in these stories.) More than a little obsessed with food, particularly pies and desserts, Adair loves cooking almost as much as he loves drawing, spending time with his friends, and puns. Nothing can compare to his love of a groan-worthy joke! Just like a pie, he's sweet, a little flaky, and everyone's always happy to see him. Adair's a trans boy who wears his heart on his sleeve next to the paint stains that regularly splatter his clothes. He's the heart of a misfit group of carnival performers who consider him one of their own. (Character tag- UI POV: Adair / bio moodboard / backstory moodboard / Pinterest board) 

Name: Blythe Bladedancer    Age: 20 Gender/sexuality: female (cis), demiromantic Birthplace: Concordia Occupation: healer, carnival performer (blades), sentinel Magic: healing/telepathy Traits: stubborn, practical, workaholic Hobbies: weapon training, gardening, fiber arts (embroidery and crochet are her favorites), studying medicine

Blythe is a healer and knife/blade performer for a carnival troupe. She spent much of her life prior to this as a Protectorate, the elite group trained to guard art and artists. Along with Etri, she becomes one of Adair's sentinels. (This is a triad culture; sentinels are the bodyguards/spouses to arcane artists.) She's strong-willed, quick at making decisions, and just as quick to speak her mind. She has a soft spot for those in need and will defend and help anyone who looks like they might need it, even if they insist they don't. Blythe doesn't fear much of anything, except maybe people discovering what else her magic can do-- or one of her friends doing something stupidly dangerous. In her defense, this seems to happen every five minutes. (Character tag- UI POV: Blythe / bio moodboard  / backstory moodboard / Pinterest board)

Name: Firedrake (Dray)    Age: 21 Gender/sexuality: agender, demiromantic demisexual Birthplace: Galanvoth Occupation: carnival performer (dancer) Magic: Wordweaving (mind-manipulation) and fire Traits: sarcastic, cynical, melodramatic Hobbies: dancing, pranking people, reading

Dray is a carnival performer and dancer more than a little obsessed with props and fire. What was once simply their stage persona of a dragon has gradually taken over their daily appearance. Dray is agender, uses they/them pronouns, and doesn't care an iota about anyone's assumptions of gender. Their entire petite being is fueled by sarcasm, snark, and spite, and their moral compass has a habit of pointing a little off north. Dray tends to use their fire and mind-manipulation magics in retaliation against those who wronged them-- or who they feel deserved it in some way, even if no one else agrees. Under all the bravado is intense loyalty and someone who'd do absolutely anything for the people they love. It’s just that their love frequently involves vaguely-insulting nicknames and an insult contest or five. (Character tag- UI POV: Dray / bio moodboard / backstory moodboard 1 & 2 / Pinterest board)

Name: Etraunjei (Etri) Celeste    Age: 23 Gender/sexuality: male (cis), panromantic ace Birthplace: Montglace Occupation: carnival performer (knives and fire) Magic: shadow Traits: introvert, intelligent, protective Hobbies: astronomy, reading, learning as much as he can about as much as he can

Etri is a carnival performer specializing in knives, having previously spent several years working as a reverse-thief where he returned stolen art back to its creators. His magic involves shadows and darkness, allowing him to snuff out light/fire and turn himself nearly invisible-- something that helps both his thieving career and his social anxiety immensely. Etri is the epitome of the expression "cold hands, warm heart"– and not just because his magic leaves his skin noticeably chilly. While he's a reserved introvert with a fear of social situations, he's also kindhearted and intensely loyal to anyone who has gotten past his shy demeanor to earn his friendship. This loyalty and a fiercely protective streak leads him to become one of Adair's sentinels, alongside Blythe. He's the brains of the group and the one most likely to think through a plan. Unfortunately, he's also the one most likely to dive headfirst into the first sign of danger without telling anyone about it. He'd much rather risk himself than have someone else potentially get hurt. (Character tag- UI POV: Etri / bio moodboard / backstory moodboard / Pinterest board)

Name: Solei (Sol) Celeste    Age: 23 Gender/sexuality: male (cis), bisexual Birthplace: Montglace Occupation: carnival performer (fire) and inventor Magic: light Traits: goofy, optimistic, friendly Hobbies: tinkering with inventions and broken objects, playing with fire, chatting with everyone 

Sol is a fire performer with light/fire magic, but you can usually find him swimming through a dumpster or garbage heap. He's an inventor who uses scraps that no one else wants and the heat from his magic to create objects ranging from useful to "what the heck is this thing?" He always has ideas, although whether they'll work or backfire spectacularly is up in the air– which is frequently where they end up when they backfire. He's something of a genius ditz; he comes off as a vapid, musclebound goofball, but inside that thick head of his is a mind that's always five steps ahead. It's just that they're five steps well off the beaten path and his Sol-ish comments tend to leave people bewildered. As sunny as his chosen name, he's always friendly and eager to help others even when his goofy flavor of help isn't always appreciated. He's Etri's identical twin and they intentionally play off each other's sun/moon, light/dark theme. (Character tag- UI POV: Sol / bio moodboard / backstory moodboard / Pinterest board)

Name: Rosalie    Age: 32 Gender/sexuality: female (cis), lesbian Birthplace: Montglace Occupation: priestess Magic: shadow Traits: timid, compassionate, resourceful Hobbies: going to plays and concerts, teaching tricks to shadow elementals

Rosalie is technically a priestess, but she's spent years trying to find a way to tell her partner that she'd rather not be, thanks. Seven years ago she and another priestess were sent away from the Sanctuaries of Shadow and Light in order to complete a specific assignment. This quickly became a task neither women were interested in. In Rosalie's case, she grew to love life far away from her restrictive and dangerous home. She wants nothing more than to stay in Concordia and live a normal life-- until she's pulled outside of linear time with no way to get back. Then she just wants any kind of life. At least she still has her pet shadow, an elemental with dog-like intelligence, and the burgeoning friendship with a strange woman who may also be a traveler in time. (Character tag- UI POV: Rosalie / bio moodboard / backstory moodboard / Pinterest board)

Name: Camille    Age: 26 Gender/sexuality: female (cis), asexual Birthplace: Montglace Occupation: priestess Magic: light Traits: confident, ambitious, distrustful Hobbies: studying myths and researching history of magic (won’t admit it, but also enjoys going to plays and concerts with Rosalie)

Camille is a priestess who is great at summoning and controlling light elementals, not so great at listening. Like Rosalie, she has long since lost interest in the task assigned to them by their home temples. Unlike her colleague and closest friend, she is determined to someday go back. The messages they've received from their superiors have grown more and more contradicting and nonsensical over the years, which means something has clearly gone wrong back home. Not lacking in ambition or self-confidence, Camille is determined to prepare herself and Rosalie to take over as high priestesses of their respective Sanctuaries. Camille says it's because both are needed in order to change things, but in truth it's because she can't imagine life without Rosalie by her side. When Rosalie goes missing, Camille finds herself shaken and adrift for the first time in her life. (Character tag- UI POV: Camille / bio moodboard / backstory moodboard / Pinterest board)

Name: Willow    Age: 3 Gender: female Owner: Adair Birthplace: Concordia Occupation: chaser of light elementals Traits: curious, mischievous Hobbies: eating paintbrushes, stealing ribbons, locking Sol in the pantry  

Willow is the resident cat who sauntered into Blythe's home one day and never left. While technically Adair's cat, she claims ownership over his family to various degrees of agreement. She can frequently be found riding around on Adair's shoulders and nibbling his paint brushes, keeping mice out of Blythe's healing herbs and occasionally trying to eat her plants, snuggled up with Etri while he reads, and sleeping on a pile of Dray's costumes. However, the bulk of Willow's attention is saved for Sol. She's either his arch nemesis or best friend, but no one is sure which. Willow is highly curious and loves to climb into cabinets and pilfer anything shiny or ribbony. Her favorite game is swatting tiny light elementals. Consequently, this is the light elementals' least favorite game. (moodboard)

(Mobile-friendly) Unexpected Inspiration Series Tags & Links:

About the Series: Series & WIP Info / Short Stories / Moodboard Posts (Tag: unexpected inspiration aesthetic) / World Building Posts (Tag: about my world) / Series Tag: Unexpected Inspiration series

About the Characters: Main Character Info (you’re here!) / Secondary Character Info

Character Specific Tags: UI POV: Adair / UI POV: Blythe / UI POV: Dray / UI POV: Etri / UI POV: Sol / UI POV: Rosalie / UI POV: Camille /  UI POV: Sapphire / UI POV: Ametrine / UI POV: Skia / UI POV: Feren /  UI POV: All (Group/Multiple) / UI POV: Other (Non-Main Characters) / UI POV:Trio (Adair/Blythe/Etri OT3) / UI POV: Firelight (Dray/Sol)

[merigreenleaf]

Happy STS from your moral support dragon. How do your characters react in a confrontation? Which one is afraid of fighting, which one starts the fights they can’t win, and which one can win any fight wether the started it or not? Have a wonderful day!

Thanks for the ask! I haven't answered yours from last week yet because I wanted to write a drabble as the answer and haven't had the brains/spoons to do that yet. So I haven't forgotten about it. :)

Oh gosh, this is such a good question for them! Adair, Sol, and Etri HATE confrontation. Addy avoids it because rocking the boat is something you very much don't want to do after you were in a long-term, not healthy relationship. Sol gets scared really easily and hates it so much when people raise their voice at him, so he tends to cower or try to hide or change the subject. Etri avoids it at all cost because he's got social anxiety and doesn't do well with regular conversations, let alone one where he's on the spot.

Blythe and Dray, though? They LIVE for confrontation. They both tend to be bossy or at least want to get their thoughts on a subject across no matter what.

As for fighting, Adair's terrified of it, but he'll try to help in some way even if it's just to cause a distraction. He will face someone if they're threatening his friends even though he knows he'll never win a fight. He's small and a pacifist and tries desperately to talk out any situation so it doesn't come to a fight.

Sol is scared of fights, too, at least if it's something he's involved in. He'll generally hide or duck behind another character-- which doesn't really work because he's 6'6" of muscle. He *has* been known to break up fights he's uninvolved in, by like stepping between those fighting (because it's unlikely someone can really hurt someone as strong as he is) or if he has to, lifting one of the people up and out of the fight. He *hates* seeing people fight.

Etri would be afraid, but still step up. He's as tall as his twin, but not quite as strong, and tends to rely more on his shadow magic to avoid getting hit than his bulk. He would win because he'd tire the other person out by not being tangible enough to hit lol

HELL YEAH Blythe and Dray would jump into any fight they see. Blythe is almost as strong as Sol and has had extensive guard training. She could hold her own against pretty much anyone without much effort. And if it comes down to another approach, she can knock someone unconscious with her healing magic. Dray is tiny and wouldn't win a fight of pure strength, but they're fast, they're nimble, they have muscles from years and years of dancing, and they're really good at predicting someone else's actions. (OH MY GOSH this sentence just fixed a plot thing I've been stuck on with Dray!)

[merigreenleaf]

Happy STS!! How has your OC’s relationship with their parents (or lack there of) influenced their life? - reininginthefirewriting

Thanks for the ask! Ouch, this is a loaded question for the dorks so it’s going to get long. 

Adair’s the only one who has parents still in the picture. He gets along okay with them-- basically just the annoyance any 18/19 year old would have with parents he finds too traditional and dull. Add in the fact that he technically has 6 parents (three of his own, then his master’s family who he lived with for years), it’s mostly just minor griping because too many adults are around to give advice. He’s definitely become less and less traditional Artisan as he’s gotten older and that’s mostly the influence of his master who’s ... not eccentric, but definitely not traditional. 

(Fun fact: Addy spends a portion of book 1 annoyed because his parents don’t approve of Etri. I’m with his parents on this one. Not because Etri is bad, but Addy did get into a serious relationship very quickly with someone he hasn’t known long, who’s a few years older than him, who comes off at first as cold and distant and not caring about Adair because Etri has bad social anxiety and meets Addy’s parents at a party. Adair also just got out of a really unhealthy relationship, so yeah. I’d be concerned in his parents’ shoes, too!)

Blythe’s mom passed away when she was a baby and she was raised by her dad for most of her childhood. He was a great parent and definitely was a positive influence on her. He passed when she was 13, though, so not having him around and not having any other good parent figure after this probably influenced her just as much. It’s why she’s so independent and driven and also tends to keep herself apart from other people. She learned a long time ago that she can only rely on herself.

Etri and Sol never knew their parents because the part of their culture where they were raised has no concept of family. Ditto on Rosalie and Camille. They all turned out okay (if you can call “various levels of trauma” okay), but only because they got out of Montglace and had the other to give them a sense of family. It’s also why all 4 of them are intensely loyal-- when you don’t have many people you can trust, you’re going to be close to the ones you can.

Dray... ugh that’s even more loaded. Their parents loved them and they knew their parents loved them, so their childhood was pretty great-- but then Dray’s mom took them away from their home and left Dray with the impression that it was because their father didn’t want anything to do with them. Then their mom just... left when they were a teenager. So Dray has thought for so long that they weren’t good enough and this is definitely why they are the way they are. (Dray’s parents had reasons and Dray just never worked out what the reasons were mostly because they were too hurt in the first place to ask and the second time too angry to actually pay attention to the situation-- it wasn’t actually abandonment in either case, but Dray was like “well, clearly they hate me, the world hates me, I suck, everyone is just going to leave me, eff everybody so I’m just going to cause problems now.”) 

Ametrine had a similar situation to Dray only in his case he *was* actually abandoned by his parents for not being good enough. (He and Dray grew up in the same country and this is a Thing there.) Luckily he was smart enough to run away to Concordia and was fostered with Sapphire for a while (who was a good foster mom) before the dorks adopt him. But even with this love and acceptance, his past is something he’s going to always carry with him. He’s always going to fear that if he’s not good enough, people will decide they don’t like him or won’t want him anymore. It’s no wonder Dray is the first dork to get close to Ame-- they see so much of themself in him. 

[merigreenleaf]

Happy STS!! What is your OC’s earliest memory? -reininginthefirewriting

Thanks for the ask! :D Sorry for the delay! Slowly catching up with tumblr this week. :) Oh that's a good question that I've never thought of! Let's see... -I think Addy's would be like a character, like from a comic or a kids' book or a play. I'm pretty sure he found one really young that he thought was SO COOL and that's why he picked the name Adair. The character probably like, had magic that turned everything into cookies or something. (He’s trans, but figured it out at a really really young age because it’s a relatively common thing in his culture.)

-Blythe's would be something like a wooden sword she got as a kid. She absolutely would go around smacking bullies with it. Her dad would have had a tear in his eye, his little girl following in her parents' footsteps and protecting someone who needed protection. Which is true, but little Blythe also just liked smacking people with a heavy object. Not much has changed lol 

-Dray's would be sitting on their mom's lap in front of a roaring fire, listening to her talk about the strange places that she's visited and the strange people she used to know. Dray loved those stories and always wanted to meet these people.

-The twins have the same kind of memories, which isn't much. Mostly they’re of being ignored in the temple where they grew up. Sol's most impactful one would be the first time a light elemental hung out with him. Etri's would be finding a tiny spot to hide that no one else knew about. (The two grew up in the same place but had no idea they were brothers, or even what brothers were, so their paths didn't really overlap until Etri saw his reflection in a mirror years later and realized he looked exactly like one of the other boys.)

[merigreenleaf]

happy STS!! Thought i'd ask you a question today ;) What are the dorks biggest fears? how do they handle those fears on a day to day basis? how about when they are faced with them directly? Do they keep them secret, or are others aware? if so, how do they help? I hope you're doing well!!

I am so behind with answering asks from Saturday-- sorry about that! Okay, so biggest fears, good question!

Addy's is heights, definitely. He's terrified of being off the ground even a little. He's getting better with it though, but sometimes even the step stool he uses to reach Sol's workdesk is too high for him and the two of them have to work on the floor that day. At one point early in Book 1 he has to climb a lighthouse and does NOT do well. He faints and only gets down because Etri is there to carry him back to ground level. I'm assuming that as the series goes on, this fear starts to get less, largely because the other dorks help him with it and are patient with it when it's too much, like with Sol inventing on the floor that day, or Etri using his shadow magic to turn Addy into a shadow so that Addy can start to experience heights without a fear of falling.

Etri's is social situations. He hates talking to strangers, he hates anyone noticing him. (Plus: his magic can turn him into a shadow so he isn't seen. Minus: he's 6'6" in a culture where no one is taller than 5'10" so when he is visible, he really stands out.) He's getting better about the disappearing when scared thing and speaking up rather than letting Sol or one of the others be his voice. He's bravest when protecting or standing up for someone else. Then it kinda overrides the anxiety until the situation calms down and it catches up to him. Then he may or may not have a panic attack. The others know about this and help him out with it, making sure he feels comfortable and not minding if he has to leave a social situation early.

Dray's is abandonment. They're so afraid that if they open up and care about people, they'll get hurt because that person will leave or decide that Dray's not good enough (Dray actually has a lot of overlap here with Ametrine because they had similar experiences) or decide that Dray's past is Too Much and not want anything to do with them anymore. Dray... isn't good at handling this. They tend to leave before they can get left. I mean, they're getting better at it and now they stick around the other dorks, but they still have a flight response that they fight. They don't tend to tell anyone about this, but eventually the other dorks work it out and regularly reassure Dray that they're not leaving them.

Sol's is... well, everything, really. He's huge and muscular and as tall as his twin, but he gets so easily frightened! Loud voices and yelling scare him, shadow elementals scare him (so even Etri in shadow form is kinda iffy for a while), he gets scared that he won't understand what's going on and get in trouble for something. (Like stealing the wrong trash.) The dorks know this because it's pretty dang obvious, and they're all really protective over Sol and patient with him. For someone so sunny and optimistic he does have a lot of worries underneath it all.

Blythe, well, the woman's nearly fearless. I think her biggest is probably that something might happen to the dorks and she wouldn't be able to help/save/heal them. Honestly, I think she probably has this as a general fear because it's so built into her as a person that she's the healer, the medic, the protector, the sentinel-- the roles that she's filled her entire life. She has concerns and some worries, but I think this is probably the thing that scares her most. I think the dorks can probably guess that this is something she worries about, but she keeps it hidden under a huge helping of confidence. (Eventually she starts to see that the dorks can protect themselves, that they're all competent in their own ways, and that helps the fear.)

[merigreenleaf]

happy STS!!! say your OCs were given the chance to go back in time and change past actions. what would they do differently? ~crystallized-ink

Thanks for the ask @crystallized-ink! Sorry for the delay in answering it! Oh gosh, this is a question for Dray. I mean, the others would probably change things they did (like Addy would tell his past self not to date his ex-boyfriend), but Dray has a lifetime of really bad decisions that they wouldn't mind changing. The biggest is that they would have stayed in Concordia and not gone back to Galanvoth as a teenager. Dray didn't think this through at all, assumed their mom abandoned them like they thought their father did, and was like "eff this, I'm going to do my own thing and not trust anyone!" Why they thought running away to Galanvoth was a good idea instead of being adopted by one of their teachers (who they really liked), I'll never know. Dray knows now that they would have been happier and safer and not so messed up had they stayed.

[merigreenleaf]

Happy STS!!! Life has a weird way of working out sometimes, what is something that your OCs experienced that they thought would happen one way, but actually went the complete opposite? - reininginthefirewriting

Thanks for the ask @reininginthefirewriting! Slowly catching up this week. :) Oh gosh, this is a question for Dray. They always try to do something that will create an outcome they want and it always turns sideways. I'm pretty sure their magic gives them some amount of insight/control over the future in a very immediate way, so you'd think this would work in their favor, but nope lol. I haven't worked out exactly how this works yet, but even just with their regular mind-manipulation magic things never go right.

Like early in book 1, Dray separates the dorks because they want to keep Adair and Sol safe by sending them back to the capital city (which Dray theorizes will be safe-- and under other circumstances, would be) and going ahead with Blythe and Etri. Dray's first mistake is not realizing that Etri has magic-- they sent back Adair and Sol *because* they both have magic and going ahead could have potentially been dangerous. So Etri ends up hurt because he never revealed to Dray that he has magic, too. Then, to make it worse, Adair and Sol do end up in danger-- it's nothing serious, but Dray feels so bad about it. So that part of the plan failed, too.

Like, okay, mind-controlling the others wasn't exactly the most moral thing to do, but the idea should have worked. Dray's smart enough to plan ahead and their plans are always solid. It's just that the plans always go sideways even when they're more moral.

So that's Dray in a nutshell. Constantly doing the wrong thing for the right reasons and wondering why it always goes sideways.

[merigreenleaf]

Happy STS from writingamongthecoloredroses! How does your antagonist feel about your protagonist?

Thanks for the ask @writingamongthecoloredroses ! I don't have a lot of antagonists in the series-- mostly it tends to be events or the characters themselves that get in the way. But the most antagonistic character from the very beginning is the ex-boyfriend of one of my MCs (Adair might technically be the main-main character, but he's pretty equally balanced with Blythe and Dray). Feren is still in love with Addy, or at least *thinks* he's in love with Addy. It's more that he wants the status Addy could bring him, he misses the control he used to have over Addy, but in his own unhealthy way he does love him. 

Feren hates Blythe and Dray with the passion of a billion suns. He's crossed paths with Blythe before and he HATES that she doesn't remember him in the slightest while she's one of the people he's held a grudge against for years. (Basically he feels like she skipped ahead in studying to be a guard-- the same thing he was doing-- because she showed up and then graduated really quickly. He doesn't realize how much work she put into it then or that she'd put years into this long before he started, before she was forced to stop for a few years. Frankly, I don't think he'd care if he did know. He's one of those people who hate seeing anyone else succeed better than he does.) And she rubs him the wrong way because she sees through his crap from the get-go when she runs into him in book 1. He thinks she's bossy and a know-it-all, and basically the things about him that he won't admit to hating about himself, he projects onto her. And he's jealous as hell that Adair loves her when she's what Feren feels *he* should have been if he'd had the luck she had. He won't ever believe that it was hard work that got her where she is. So he has a vendetta against her in book 1 from the time they meet and he tries to blackmail her...

Which is prevented by Dray, mostly. Feren didn't see Dray coming AT ALL because he was so blinded by Blythe being the sentinel (guard/signif other to artists) to Adair that he didn't realize that Adair had other people who were just as dang close to him. He ends up as jealous of Dray as he is Blythe because Addy loves Dray so much (even if it's platonic). And picking Dray as a nemesis? Bad call, Feren. Blythe doesn't have time for that and ignored Feren's crap. Dray, on the other hand, is far far better at blackmail and illegal things than Feren could ever hope to be, plus Dray is petty as hell and won't drop a grudge. 

[merigreenleaf]

STS!! STS!! STS!! Okay, here we go, Dray has to buy a gift for each of the other dorks. (Adair's can't be food lol) What do they get everyone?

I've been mulling this question over for a week and I think I finally worked this out! I know Dray would buy them really crappy fake gifts, then be like sike, here's the real one, with the real one being freaking perfect. The gifts would probably go together, though!

A joke gift for Addy would be like, a really crappy, horribly color-clashing mug that says "world's best brother" on it. Can the gift be something consumable but not food? Because I can absolutely see Dray giving a large set of gourmet/fancy/hard to find teas that they picked out knowing that it's the kinds of flavors Addy would like most. That crappy mug would become Addy's favorite of his gazillion mugs because it makes him laugh. No matter how many times Dray tries to hide it from him, Addy's using it the next time the two of them are having one of their long convos over tea-- that is how the two of them hang out, after all. I know you said no food, but this is the most thoughtful thing I could think of Dray getting Addy. :-p

The joke gift for Etri would be a book by an author Dray knows Etri hates. The actual gift would be two tickets (great seating) to a play by a writer both of them really like because they tend to have the same tastes in books, stories, plays, etc. Or just as likely, it’s tickets to a play by a writer both of them really hate-- likely the same as that book-- so they can roast it together in the privacy of the box seating without anyone telling them to hush. Depends on if Dray thinks Etri needs something generally enjoyable or if he needs to be cheered up. Dray's *really* good at reading Etri's moods.

The joke gift for Blythe would be ear plugs. Dray gets that for her every time and she does use them because the others are so freaking loud all the time, how can she work/study with all this noise?? The actual gift would be equally useful, but much better-- seeds that she was having a hard time getting (Dray has connections and somehow tracked down someone with rare seeds), a whole new set of new bottles and jars for storing herbs and dried plants, or maybe the kind of notebook she likes best for writing down medical notes and logs (always just as her current one is getting low).

It would be different with Sol because Sol wouldn't understand a joke gift. Instead, Dray would have taken note during Sol's rambles and worked out what kind of tool he needs for his next project but doesn't already have. It would appear on Sol's workbench right as he's starting to gather parts for the new invention. Sol thinks it's magic at first until he realizes it's Dray doing it, then even after he works out that it's Dray, he still thinks it's magic because how else does Dray know exactly what he needs??

Basically Dray is observant and thoughtful (and there might be a hint of magic going on), much as they try to hide that fact, and frequently gives the others exactly the things that they need/would love even before the others realize that they need these things.

[merigreenleaf]

Happy STS :) Your OCs get to raid your closet! What do they end up wearing? ~loopyhoopywrites

Thanks for the ask! Aww man, I have such boring clothes, the only one happy with this would be Addy. (I mean, if we're ignoring size because the only two dorks who'd fit into my clothes are Dray and Addy.) Most of my clothes are old, comfy, gender-neutral things like baggy cargo shorts/pants and tshirts and button-down shirts, frequently getting a little threadbare and often with food or paint/ink stains. Addy could pick almost anything out of my drawers and probably assume it was something he owned anyway lol. He’d LOVE my sneakers with the rainbow shoelaces!

The rest of my clothes tend to be earth-toned, slightly dressier/girlier things, which Blythe would like if not for the fact that it's a lot of skirts. She'd love some of my tank tops, though, and all my green hair clips, and she’d absolutely rock my elf costumes. 

Dray would be interested in the skirts until finding out that I never wear red or warm colors. Dray going through my clothes would be the equivalent of all the times Dray gets stuck wearing Addy's clothes-- a decent fit, but a colossal disappointment lol

I don't wear nearly enough black for Etri so I doubt he'd find much. He'd probably like my silver jewelry and chainmaille bracelets, though. Sol would find even less because I don't wear white, yellow, or orange, but he'd gladly borrow my colorful plastic jewelry and he’d definitely steal my steampunk goggles.

[merigreenleaf]

Ok uhhhhh... who’s the most gullible and who’s the one to trick the most gullible? Also, what is everyone’s favorite animal

I started to answer this right after you asked, got stuck on the animals, then forgot to come back to this. Sorry about that! Most gullible is ... gosh, I don't know if it would be Adair or Sol. Sol's so darn oblivious all the time and Adair is incredibly trusting, so he'd probably believe most things he was told. So I’ll go with Adair. And it's definitely Dray doing the tricking. Dray is all about pranks and tricking people, so they're going to go after everyone, regardless of if the person is likely to fall for it or not. Dray doesn't actually trick Adair much, though. Dray would probably say it's because it would be too easy, but it's actually because Dray is fiercely protective over Adair and doesn't want to do anything remotely mean to him. Favorite animals? This is something I hadn't really thought about, weirdly enough, so let's see...

-Adair: Cats. Definitely cats. He has one cat now, but he's inevitably going to end up with a home full of them and any other stray animal he can find.

-Blythe: She'd absolutely answer with something cool, like a hawk, but in actuality it would be something small and fluffy. @elliot-orion suggested a bunny and I think that's spot on. (Also the headcanon of Blythe freezing at a pet store window and squealing because there’s a bunny, and Addy and Etri thinking it’s the cutest thing ever.)

-Etri: Owl, maybe? Etri is basically nocturnal and owls have that personification of wisdom, so he could get behind that as a favorite.

-Dray: Dragons. Nevermind that they're fictional, that's Dray's obsession. If Dray had to pick an actual animal, though, they'd probably say like a peacock or a hummingbird or something that’s beautiful.

-Sol: He's basically a golden retriever puppy anyway, so he'd probably go with that. Puppies and dogs of any kind. They're playful and friendly and can fetch things and now I'm getting a plot bunny where Sol starts bringing home pets like the way Adair does and like trains a squirrel to hand him screws and a dog to bring him his wrench.

-Rosalie: I was stuck on this one, too, because Rosalie is so new to the concept of favorite anythings. Then Elliot pointed out that Rosalie grew up in a cavern city and never really saw many animals until recently. So she’d see an animal and think that was her favorite and then see another and think “no, that’s my fav!” and so on. So all animals are her favorites.

[merigreenleaf]

1-3!

You suggested Firedrake, Piquant, and the new Muses, so I’ll use those. (Life went pear shaped so I haven’t introduced the rest of the Muses yet, but they’ll be getting moodboards at some point.)

What was the first element of your OC that you remember considering (name, appearance, backstory, etc.)? 

I’ll answer this for Dray. Dray’s been Firedrake since the very beginning of planning book 1 before this series was more than one book, so that may have come first. Their appearance changed a bunch since the beginning, but they kept their dragon scale arm tattoos. Their name influenced their appearance, though.

Did you design them with any other characters/OCs from their universe in mind? 

I’ll go with Piquant. I always knew he had a plant appearance going on, but it didn’t hit me until recently that it meant he was an imp. My imps all look like the plants that house their nests, so I’m not sure how I missed that lol. I have an imp as a secondary character in book one and Piquant matches him a little, in outlook and a little in appearance.

How did you choose their name?

This is a good question to answer in general for the Muses! Each are named after something to do with the kind of art magic they “granted” to the Concordians. These aren’t their real names, but the names they were given. Piquant is an aroma term to go with culinary. Scriven is writing. Pritchel is a type of punch used in forging, going along with metalworking. Stele is a stone slab engraved with an inscription or design and used as a monument to go with clay/stone magic. Chiaroscuro is light and shadow used in drawing. Tessera is a small material used in a mosaic, going along with glass magic. Andante is a musical tempo term. Mortise is a connecting point used in woodworking. Whorl is the disc on a drop spindle and Weft is a weaving loom term, and these two are textile magic.

[merigreenleaf]

Hey! Random question: do any of your characters have a favorite piece of clothing or other possession?

Yay! Thank you so much for the ask! I was thinking about this as I fell asleep last night as a good distraction, so it means so much that you sent it. :)

I'll go with my main dorks and they sure do!

Firedrake: Dray's the quickest to answer. They have a sleeveless, calf-length coat that they love. It's fire-safe so they wear it to perform, and the lack of sleeves show off their dragonscale sleeve tattoos. Plus it's their favorite shades of red and gold. Their other favorite possession is a stuffed dragon that their mother gave them when they were a kid. It was Dray's only friend for a while and Dray still keeps it nearby.

Adair: his favorite paintbrush is the focus for his magic, so he'd probably pick that one, but I'm also going to say the sling bag he always wears across his chest. I'm pretty sure the pockets in it are magic like a bag of holding (or at least larger than they should be) because he can fit so much stuff in it! (snacks, art supplies, more snacks...)

Blythe: She's pointing to her entire collection of knives, daggers, and swords lol. She has a curved fancy dagger that's probably her favorite, but I think, as much as she'd deny it, the sentinel knife passed down from her father is most important to her. It's a connection to him even though she never thought she wanted to be a sentinel, and now that she is Adair's, it means even more to her.

Etri: He's like Dray in that his favorite piece of clothing is a coat. His has embroidered moons as a trim and I'm pretty sure Blythe embroidered it for him so it's extra special for him.

Sol: His goggles. They protect his eyes while he's working on inventions and he wears them all the time, either over his eyes or resting on his head, because he thinks it makes him look dashing and attractive. (I think Blythe told him it did just so he'd remember to wear them when he was working lol)

Rosalie: She doesn’t own much, but it has to be one of her shawls. I think it’s dark purple or dark blue and soft and it was the first Concordian thing she owned. (Honestly, it might be the first thing that was truly hers.)

[merigreenleaf]

14-17!!

I’m still kinda on hiatus, but I need the distraction, so I’m catching up with some of these asks from last week. I’m going to go with my 9 most frequently written characters and generate a number to choose them.

14. If you had to narrow it down to 2 things that you MUST keep in mind while working with your OC, what would those things be? Rolled Piquant (info/moodboard). He’s a brand new character, so so far I’ve been keeping in mind that he doesn’t see the world the way a human character would. Everything is new and strange to him. The other thing is that he’s intelligent in thought, but he doesn’t know human language well yet, so he’s going to run into problems when he’s trying to vocalize his thoughts. (Bonus: I also have to keep in mind that he’s not good with faces and sees everything as black/white/grey, so he tends to rely on voice to remember who people are.)

15. What is something about your OC can make you laugh? I rolled Rosalie (info/moodboard). It’s gotta be how her pet shadow acts like a puppy and is always trying to help her even if it’s not actually helpful. I can see it bringing her little things that it thinks might make her happy, like how my cat left a pencil in my slipper the other day while I was asleep. I bet the shadow leaves her like books and shiny beads or pieces of fruit.

16. What is something about your OC can make you cry? Rolled Ametrine (info/moodboard). Oh gosh, the poor kid. He was abused before he ran away from home and he has a hard time opening up to people or trusting that they want him around.

17. Is there some element you regret adding to your OC or their story? Firedrake (info/moodboard) – there are a ton of things *Dray* regrets me adding that made their life difficult, but I don’t think I regret adding anything… No! Wait, in book 1 Dray gets hit with magic that makes it hard for them to speak until book 2 when they learn to adjust. This works well for Dray’s development, but it means I lose some of the wonderful snark that Dray normally has.