#anise baltien

[hobbitsetal]

Anise Baltien for 10 facts :D

My girlllll, I love her :’)

1. Only child; likes the idea of siblings, unless her in-laws are squabbling.

2. Lots of cousins, which were almost as good as siblings!

3. She learned art from a gallach who used illustrations to teach village kids to read and write.

4. She’s about a 2nd grade level in literacy, but her artwork could make her rich in a bigger city.

5. Literally all she wants in life is the whole wife and mother package

6. She dated several guys, but the moment she met Luka, she was Gone™️ and also Smitten™️.

7. She pretended she wasn’t crushing on him for two months because she wasn’t sure he liked her

8. She and Priya became friends while she was dating Luka, and they agreed they’d be friends even if Luka and Anise broke up

9. They didn’t break up

10. Can absolutely sing a baby to sleep. This will come in very handy in her near future.

[archiveofidentityconstellations]

due to emberslovesthearmadillo pointing out that Mute Incorrect Quotes must be an AU, I have aimed to rectify this. Please accept the new and improved

Mute Incorrect Quotes

Tiras: I feel a little judged.

Cahan, hand pressed against his newly bleeding throat:

Cahan: [about Priya]

Cahan:

Cahan:

Anise: Can I offer you anything? Cream, sugar, cyanide?

Tiras: What was the last one?

Anise: ...Sugar

Cahan, leaning against a wall:

Priya: Not really.

Cahan, standing up:

Luka: Is Cahan alright in there?

Egan: You know, he's so small, I think he fell into the toilet.

Priya: That’s a mean question, I’m not answering that! Egan: Come on, it’s just a question. If you had to punch someone in the squad, if you HAD to, who would you punch? Priya: I’m not answering that! We��re all friends, why would I punch anyone? Anise: …It would be Ifan, wouldn’t it? Priya: Yeah, but I don’t know why.

Rhys Mandel: I love the whole “good cop/bad cop” thing you two have going.

Cahan:

Baltiens: Rhys, we don’t kill people!

Rhys: I think you mean YOU don’t kill people.

Baltiens: No, no--

Rhys: Ooh, look at all these Bigshots over here, telling me who I can and can’t kill.

Myron: You took advice from your brother?

Cahan:

Rhys: Am I a good person? No. But do I try to be better every single day? Also no.

Egan: You don't trust my sister because, and here I quote "Any smile longer than a second and a half is a trickster's ruse"?

Rhys: I said it and I meant it!

Priya: There's six kids and three chairs, what do you do?

Cahan:

Tiras: Kill half the kids.

Rhys: The way I look at it, it's my parents who are irresponsible for trusting someone like me.

Cahan, texting Rhys: Answer your texts

Rhys, texting him back: Gimme a minute, I can’t find my phone

Cahan: Ok.

Cahan:

Cahan: You’re a terrible person. You know you’re killing me. You’re killing your brother

Shira: What are we going to do?

Egan: What are you worried about? You’re so small they probably won’t even see you.

Shira: Is this really the time to be making short jokes?

Egan: Shira, there’s never not a time because just like you, life is short.

“...”

-- Cahan Windlow

[hobbitsetal]

For the OC game--any OC of your choosing!

i’m gonna show a little love to my girl Anise :)

Full Name: Anise BaltienGender and Sexuality: female/straightPronouns: she/herEthnicity/Species: Litorian/humanBirthplace and Birthdate: Haedelst (parents’ home), May 13Guilty Pleasures: she really loves silly frilly impractical things like lace, makeup, dressing up...Phobias: she’s scared of the idea of freezing to deathWhat They Would Be Famous For: Anise is honestly the kind of person who will always live a quiet, small, happy life, but she could be famous for her singingWhat They Would Get Arrested For: she would murder for her family.OC You Ship Them With: Luka BaltienOC Most Likely To Murder Them: nobody hurts Anise, she is too sweetFavorite Movie/Book Genre: rom-coms all the wayLeast Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: dramatic miscommunication/refusal to communicateTalents and/or Powers: she can sing, paint, cook, and keep houseWhy Someone Might Love Them: she’s very sweet, soft-spoken, caring, and overall just has good vibesWhy Someone Might Hate Them: because of who she associates withHow They Change: learns to trust faeries a little more and give more graceWhy You Love Them: she’s just so nice :’) tbh she’s based partly on my older sister and sisters-in-law and they’re all domestic sweethearts with sassy streaks; i just really appreciate the women in my life!

[hobbitsetal]

odd numbers for anise

Their physical weak spots

Anise is a soft sweet woman who’s never fought for anything in her life.she’s also very ticklish. especially behind her knees.

Scars or painful spots

she’s probably got like little nicks on her hands from cooking accidents and maybe a scar on her shin from an accident as a little girl.

Guilty pleasures

pretty things in general, soft expensive cloth, Luka spoiling her

Their tickle spots

all of them

Humiliating memories

that one time Marlena Ravenach made her cry by talking about how deeply in love with her (Marlena) Luka Baltien was. the worst part was that Anise knew she was lying, but the idea was upsetting anyway.

Bad or petty habits

she’s got a talent for “forgetting” the mending till literally every other chore is done, until her conscience gets to her.will also chew the end of her braid.will also hum when she’s concentrating, to the distraction of everybody else

What gets them flustered

Luka flirting publicly with her

Dark secrets/’skeletons in the closet’

she’s not saying she found a way to bleach Marlena Ravenach’s hair, she’s just saying it pays to make friends with peddlars

Things they’ll never admit

idk, she won’t admit them honestly Anise is a pretty open and honest person. she’d never share a friend’s secret, though

What-ifs/Alternate Timelines

ooh, for Anise? maybe in another timeline, she’d have married some merchant and moved to a different town and lived a peaceful life as an ordinary citizen.maybe in another timeline, she would have met Luka and never fallen in love with him and broken his heart.maybe in another timeline she would’ve taken over her father’s store and become a very wealthy woman.

People who’ve influenced them greatlyi feel like she and her dad would be close, and her mother’s approach to parenting and housekeeping would influence her a lot. Luka also; the Baltien model of lively interaction among siblings is rather different from the childhood of an only daughter.

[hobbitsetal]

🖊️ Anise!

Anise Baltien is the most domestic possible of my OCs and I think I poured all of my homebody instincts into her.

One of my favorite things about writing her is working in little details of differences in family culture. For instance, in her family growing up, laundry and mending were considered women’s work, whereas in her husband’s family, it’s gender neutral.

She’s also a fun challenge because she’s an only child and I very much Am Not.

[hobbitsetal]

⭐ hit me up with some MUTE STORIES

Anise wasn’t planned to be sassy, she just turned out to be XD

Rhys Mandel’s entire arc was planned within about two chapters of when he first showed up, but there was a brief stretch when i wasn’t sure if i could pull off having him meet Tressa. I was profoundly satisfied when it did, in fact, work out.

the Baltiens overall fall into pretty traditional gender roles, but i try to drop hints that you don’t *have* to, this is just what works for their particular family. yes, the women keep house and do the bulk of the cooking and the men do the messy outdoor work, but they’re physically suited to it and Priya spends more time working as an herbalist than keeping house, and Luka is capable of mending his own clothes (he just doesn’t like to).

someday i may have to write some prequel one-shots just so we can have Cahan before he was mute.

oh, and i owe @emberslovesthearmadillo an AU with Mandel....haven’t forgotten, just been procrastinating. as one does.

[hobbitsetal]

I wish you’d write something fluffy from the Muteverse. Just. Anything soft

Litorian winters, Cahan decided, were almost as bad as slavery. The biting chill, the endless snow, the dreary months indoors...Compared with his native Realm in the sunny north, they left much to be desired.

At least he had good company for the cold months. Luka and Egan helped him refine his whittling techniques and took turns telling stories. Priya made ginger tea that drove the chill away and made his tongue tingle pleasantly. Anise shared her precious paints with him, and they decorated Samira’s toys in pretty colors together.

And they introduced him to snowball fights. Cahan had never imagined himself staying out willingly in the cold, but after he hit Egan square in the face, he was addicted. Battle strategies could be drawn in the snow, forts piled up, sorties organized. And at the end of the battles, when his lips were blue and his fingers couldn’t form any more balls, there was more tea and a clean, dry, too-big sweater to curl up by the fire in.

He loved the sweaters, even as they exasperated him. The colors and patterns were unique to the Baltiens, dyed and knitted by Baltien women, but the sleeves fell over his hands. Priya spent half of their designated kitchen night laughing mercilessly at him while he tried to keep the sleeves up long enough to wash the dishes.

But she didn’t only laugh. Some two weeks later, she presented him with a new sweater: one made in Baltien colors and Baltien pattern, and in Cahan’s size.

The winters left much to be desired, true. But Cahan couldn’t imagine anyone better to spend them with.

[hobbitsetal]

13, 14, 19, 25

13. What traits do you share with your original characters or what traits do you wish you shared with them?

Hmm...I think I share Priya’s desire to care for others’ physical needs--I will feed you, snuggle you, and offer you tea. I think I share Cahan’s sense of humor.

I wish I had Anise’s artistic skill, or Luka’s woodcarving ability, and I wish that I had more of Luka’s patience and Anise’s wisdom XD also could use Egan’s planning and problem-solving traits...

14. If you’ve written more than one story, what traits do your protagonists tend to share?

lol they’re all smart-alecs. I think multiple characters tend to have a strong desire for justice as well--intelligent justice, if that makes sense, justice that fits the situation and the people.

19. “For fans of ______!” What works would you say are similar to yours?

This is a mildly terrifying question because what if people don’t agree??? BUT @ofsaltandsmoke has said the politics remind her of the Queen’s Thief series, you and somebody else mentioned Little House on the Prairie vibes (given the Baltiens’ domestic life), and uhhh I can’t? think of anything else?

25. Do you start your novels with dialogue or description? Do you end your novels with dialogue or description?

Begin and end with description. I do use in media res--that is, we open in the middle of something--but I personally don’t love opening with someone speaking when we’ve no idea who that is.

As for ending, I have one (1) ending planned and it will be description.

[hobbitsetal]

12, 13 and 18?

12. Is there a trope you haven’t written yet but really want to?

arranged marriage!! after I finished “Mute,” my next project (Lord willing) is going to deal with an arranged marriage.

13. Is there a trope you wouldn’t write if it was the last trope on earth?

umm...probably stupid fight between best friends (*side-eyes the Frodo/Sam fight Peter Jackson made up for “return of the king”*)

18. What is a line/scene you’re really proud of? Give us the DVD commentary for that scene.

me: i can’t think of anything... me: *scrolls through Mute for five minutes* me: all of it

ahem. let’s go with this one!

~~~

“The boys went out of their way to be entertaining that morning. Luka told stories, everything from the tale of the First Maid to how islands came to be. Egan talked Priya into acting details out as Luka spoke, using the little figurines that Luka had carved. Priya could barely keep up with the story, she was laughing so hard at his silly facial expressions.

She knew how badly Lotaan had rattled her family when Luka helped Anise with the mending as he talked. He was good at mending—his stitches were almost as tiny as Anise’s—but he hated it with a passion. As soon as Priya had gotten good enough at mending to handle it for the family, Luka had used his then-new position as head of house to declare it her job. Anise hated it too, but she had been raised to consider it a woman’s job, and it had been three years before any of the Baltiens knew that she didn’t like it.”

~~~

I always enjoy writing the Baltiens just being domestic and cute together. This scene, coming after an emotional upset, was particularly fun to write because I was going for world-building, character-building, and something soft to give the characters and the readers a chance to breathe after the drama that preceded it.

I liked referring to the myths, especially since I referred to a constellation called the First Maid earlier and because I’ve actually written a myth for how islands came to be.

Luka and Egan’s antics are also a subtle way of caring for Priya and Anise, something stated more explicitly in the second paragraph. I really enjoy writing men caring, especially when that looks a little different from how I might write Priya or Anise showing affection, and the storytelling, the clowning, and the mending are their ways of meeting the ladies’ emotional needs and comforting them after the fuss of the day before.

Finally, I really enjoyed writing family differences and older brothers pulling rank to get out of chores. Anise being raised to consider mending a woman’s job, while her husband was raised to consider it everyone’s job, is the kind of thing that happens in families. (In mine, the men are supposed to take out the trash and pump gas--the gross jobs. In my husband’s...not so much. I have failed to persuade him that chivalry trumps egalitarianism.) And, y’know, older brothers being like “i hate this, you have to do it” is absolutely a thing...

[hobbitsetal]

10, 19, 22, and 6 for the OC ask!!

I TYPED THIS OUT AND THEN HIT THE WRONG BUTTON AND MY COMPUTER ATE IT heckkkkk let’s try this again.

10. Which of your OCs has all the sass? Who has all the class?

i spent a good ten minutes pondering the definition of sass, and i think it’s Rhys Windlow. the ever dainty, musical, artistic Anise Baltien is, of course, the queen of class!

19. Your OC’s favorite ongoing book series/show/etc. just got canceled! How do they react?

MUTE CORE, HERE WE GO: Luka would complain bitterly and then dive into fan forums until he found another show similar enough to the canceled one to make him happy. (here’s hoping it wasn’t “Almost Human,” because i have yet to find something to match that masterpiece...)  Anise would rewatch/reread her favorite scenes, draw fanart, and pester Luka endlessly with “remember when?” Egan would join a Facebook meme group. Priya would mourn until she found something else to love. Ifan would try to get another season/book funded by the fanbase, with a Kickstarter his dad contributes to. Cahan wouldn’t really say much about it.

22. How does your OC react to cheesy pick-up lines? Would they ever use one?

Luka would tell Egan they don’t work and try to talk him out of using them ever, but he would use them on Anise in private. Anise loves them, partly because Luka is suddenly imbued with 80% more Swagger and Flair when he hits on her. Egan swears by them, uses them regularly, and would propose on the spot if a girl used a pickup line on him. Priya thinks they’re fun and funny and a good way of signaling light interest. Ifan is terrible at them and therefore thinks they’re stupid. Cahan just keeps quiet thinks they’re funny but is also in too deep for something as casual as a pickup line. romantic sonnets or bust, yo.

6. How organized is your OC’s workspace?

Luka and Egan have a place for everything and keep their tools meticulously clean. Priya and Anise have a place for everything, but they also scatter literally everything they’re using or might use where they can grab it easily--read: everywhere. Cahan is an organized minimalist partly because of his military training. Ifan’s organization makes sense only to him and his workspace (and all space) could be described as “functional disaster zone.”

[hobbitsetal]

11, 12, 13, 14, and 17 (bc I’m greedy)

11. Is there any OC of yours you could describe as a “sunshine”? 

yessss, i love my sunshine babs!! Priya "let me soothe your sorrows with food and tea" Baltien, Valtimer "pls love me", Frances "don't hurt my children" Clancy...

12. Name an OC that isn’t yours but who you like a lot

OH RLY NOW. OKAY. *cracks knuckles* @ofsaltandsmoke's entire Graham family (especially Dominic "i will save everybody" and Theo "let him rest" Graham), @jayykesley's entire Assistants cast but mainly my boi Derick (she knows he's my fave), @tsfennec's Besra (i will screm eternally about my sturdy, courageous Christian monster hunter), @starwarmth‘s...heck, Star's everybody but those dummies Petar and Dora and that utter Stodge Mr. Batchalder (i love him so much, he is Not Prepared for what his family throws at him), we should very much talk about your boi Westley, @atlantic-riona KNOWS I LOVE FERHON and also the entire nin Roy family, toss in @tumblingtowardsaburningsun‘s s Aurelius, and we cannot leave out @emberslovesthearmadillo's complete dork Simon.in conclusion, pls share your stories with me, i will love them a lot.

13. Do you have any troublemaker OCs?

do you mean Rhys, Ifan, Lesa, Redmond, Rhys Mandel..? okay to be fair, Mandel's not really trouble, he just makes snarky comments.

14. Introduce an OC with a tragic backstory

i should definitely feel bad that i can, in fact, offer you options. do you mean the Windlow boys, Cahan and Rhys, who were both tortured as prisoners of war; AJ Redmond, who was manipulated by his mentor, has survivor's guilt, and went from the most celebrated healer of all history to the most reviled criminal in living memory; Lesa, formerly of the Swift clan, who was disowned by her father for "not doing enough" and now traipses around the continent after an infuriating man who owns her heart and doesn't seem to know it? i feel like i'm forgetting somebody, but let's stop there before i have to confront my troubling tendencies as a writer.

17. Any OC OTPs? 

do i have any OTPs. listen, if they're together or pining, i'm probably in love with their love. special mention goes to Luka and Anise Baltien, and Maxwell and Fran Clancy, because i am a sucker for happily married couples.thanks, darling :D

[hobbitsetal]

🖊 Priya!!!

Priya Baltien, my lil sunshine bab :’)

youngest of the three Baltien children, Priya and her brothers were orphaned when she was about fifteen due to a plague that swept through their valley. this inspired her career choice of herbalist, as young Priya felt that if she had known medicine to some degree, she could have helped the overworked local herbalist and possibly helped her parents.

a little part of Priya dreams of becoming such a great herbalist that future generations look up to and laud her contributions to science. the more sensible part of Priya is content to be a helpful, industrious member of society.

she wishes she could sing as well as Anise, she sometimes wishes her brothers would protect and baby her a little less, and she takes shameless advantage of the fact that her vivacious, sweet personality makes her a popular figure in the valley. if she’s not invited to an event, she’ll sweet-talk the host into inviting her. the FOMO is real with this one…

[archiveofidentityconstellations]

Mute Incorrect Quotes

Tiras: I feel a little judged.

Cahan, hand pressed against his newly bleeding throat: It's because I'm judging you.

Cahan: [about Priya] I DO NOT LOVE HER!!

Cahan: Except that I do.

Cahan: A lot.

Anise: Can I offer you anything? Cream, sugar, cyanide?

Tiras: What was the last one?

Anise: ...Sugar

Cahan, leaning against a wall: So, I heard you like bad boys.

Priya: Not really.

Cahan, standing up: Oh, thank goodness.

Luka: Is Cahan alright in there?

Egan: You know, he's so small, I think he fell into the toilet.

Priya: That’s a mean question, I’m not answering that! Egan: Come on, it’s just a question. If you had to punch someone in the squad, if you HAD to, who would you punch? Priya: I’m not answering that! We’re all friends, why would I punch anyone? Anise: …It would be Ifan, wouldn’t it? Priya: Yeah, but I don’t know why.

Rhys Mandel: I love the whole “good cop/bad cop” thing you two have going.

Cahan: It’s not really a thing, it’s more like I’m nice and Rhys is not.

Baltiens: Rhys, we don’t kill people!

Rhys: I think you mean YOU don’t kill people.

Baltiens: No, no--

Rhys: Ooh, look at all these Bigshots over here, telling me who I can and can’t kill.

Myron: You took advice from your brother?

Cahan: It’s called hitting rock bottom.

Rhys: Am I a good person? No. But do I try to be better every single day? Also no.

Egan: You don't trust my sister because, and here I quote "Any smile longer than a second and a half is a trickster's ruse"?

Rhys: I said it and I meant it!

Priya: There's six kids and three chairs, what do you do?

Cahan: Build three chairs

Tiras: Kill half the kids.

Rhys: The way I look at it, it's my parents who are irresponsible for trusting someone like me.

Cahan, texting Rhys: Answer your texts

Rhys, texting him back: Gimme a minute, I can’t find my phone

Cahan: Ok.

Cahan:

Cahan: You’re a terrible person. You know you’re killing me. You’re killing your brother

Shira: What are we going to do?

Egan: What are you worried about? You’re so small they probably won’t even see you.

Shira: Is this really the time to be making short jokes?

Egan: Shira, there’s never not a time because just like you, life is short.

“I don’t know. I know you told me but I have had a very long day, I am very small, and I have no money. So you can imagine the kind of stress I am under.”

-- Cahan Windlow

[hobbitsetal]

Luka and Anise!! because I love them :D

who’s the cuddler: i wanna say Anise, but literally all of their interactions in Mute are Luka touching her, so

who makes the bed: Anise; Luka’s out doing Farm Stuff

who wakes up first: these days, definitely Luka. Anise needs all the sleep she can get...

who has the weird taste in music: Luka, who has his accumulated musical library, Egan’s, Priya’s, and now his wife’s. it’s...an eclectic mix

who is more protective: definitely Luka. he takes his head of house responsibilities very seriously

who sings in the shower: Anise; she’s a songbird in general

who cries during movies: Anise, though Luka’s been known to sniffle through a few films. saving private ryan was particularly rough.

who spends the most while out shopping: Anise “Only Child” Baltien

who kisses more roughly: Luka. blame the beard

who is more dominate: Luka. he’s an oldest child, Anise is a sweet, accommodating soul

my rating of the ship from 1-10: these two?? this adorable power couple?? like 50/10

[hobbitsetal]

If you don't mind my asking, would you mind talking a little more about your writing projects (any of them)? They sound awesome, and I'm interested to hear more (but you don't have to if you don't want to)! Thanks!

ha! i’m gonna answer this publicly and then come scream at you in your messages ;)

a’ight, the alleged main project is a fantasy novel called “Mute.” it centers on a mute (eyyy) faery who’s a runaway slave. he meets a family from a neutral nation and works to overcome his mistrust of humans and their growing unease with the war that threatens to approach their tiny little valley.i’ve talked about these characters before: Cahan Windlow, Priya Baltien and her brothers Luka and Egan, and sister-in-law Anise.

the spin-off from Mute is the Trio stories, which follows a secondary character from Mute and his efforts to start an underground rebellion. there are three, centered mostly around character interactions and shenanigans.these complete and total brats are Ifan Kovar, Malachi Cabot, and Lesa. 

and the third project, the when-inspiration-hits project, is Redmond. it’s set a couple hundred years after Mute (all of my stories take place in the same universe, because Inventions) and follows an ex-healer who semi-accidentally starts a gang war.i don’t think i’ve talked much about AJ Redmond and Max Clancy, but i’ve been having immense fun for three chapters now...

[archiveofidentityconstellations]

Face cast for the mute universe characters~ 

Litorians

Luka Baltien: Hrithik Roshan

Egan Baltien: Rohul Kohli

Anise Baltien: Deepika Padukone

Priya Baltien: Parminder Nagra

Ifan Kovar: Shah Rukh Khan

Faeries

Cahan Windlow:

this gets a bit tricky because he's a mix of Domhnall Gleason and David Oakes and whoever

Rhys Windlow:

also tricky because he looks like his brother (and his face casts) and Seth Green and Jacob Collins-Levy

So do with that what you will ¯\_(ツ)_/¯