#oc: shai

[chrismerle]

Hello! Just stopping by with a question about writing XD Do you have any characters who's role grew bigger than you expected? Any surprising changes your characters went through during the writing process?

hmmmm

I suppose Shai probably counts

originally, Shai was my first Fallen London character, but at this point there are two very similar but nevertheless distinct versions of Shai. because they are still a Fallen London character and I still write FL fanfic with them and my friends' FL characters, but I'm also (very ... very ... slowly) writing an original story in which they're a key character (and borrowing my friends' characters because I genuinely can't conceive of what Shai would be like without Daniel or Ari in their life). that on its own probably counts as their role growing bigger, but even within the original story itself, their role has grown.

initially, Shai was supposed to be ... I guess sort of an Easter egg? in Threshold. the group of hapless normies was going to stick together, and Ivan would be the one shepherding them back to safety and back to their world (Ivan has also changed a lot, considering he started as a sort of generic grizzly Manly Manpain Sad Man medieval fantasy roleplay character I occasionally used on Gaia Online). Shai would just be one of the contacts Ivan used to help facilitate that, mostly there for my friends to point at and go 'I know that dumpster fire!' and it was ... hard to write? I knew I wanted to include Shai, but Shai refused to be a footnote. one of the most entertaining things about writing Shai is that they suck up all of the oxygen in any space they enter because no one can ask if they're okay if there's no air left to do so but that also makes writing them a bit of a bitch sometimes. they refused to stay contained by the relatively small role I'd designated for them.

so next I tried swapping Shai's and Ivan's positions, making Shai the shepherd of hapless ducklings and Ivan the contact who helped them out at one point, but that also didn't feel right. Shai's not heartless generally speaking, and they can be incredibly (sometimes detrimentally) loyal and generous ... to people who they've decided have earned it. outside of that group of people, they're generally a ruthlessly pragmatic shit stick who looks at life the way a child might look at an easily shakeable ant farm. they are not the sort of character who would just volunteer to help the normies out, regardless of how curious the situation was; helping would distract from satisfying their own curiosity. plus, Ivan is generally a Good Person, and would have simply volunteered to take over Shai's shepherd duties.

which is when the solution occurred to me: split the party.

as Threshold now stands, Shai first finds the party of hapless normies, and they deliver the group to Ivan to actually help them, so they can then prance off to investigate the circumstances of the normies even being there. but then shit happens and one member of the Normie Brigade gets left behind very early in the story (it's literally how the first chapter ends). Shai is loyal to Ivan, is aware that Ivan will beat himself up if he can't get Jayne back to the group, and is also aware that Ivan will have an enormously difficult time getting the rest of the group to safety, tracking Jayne down, and getting him back to the group. on top of that, they'd already given their word to the group that they would be safe in Ivan's custody, but suddenly Jayne was no longer in that safe custody, and Shai takes keeping their word very seriously at least if they meant it when they gave it. so Shai winds up babysitting Jayne throughout the story. Threshold's current format is that the POV switches each chapter, with one chapter being the larger group from Mercy's perspective and the next chapter being Jayne, Shai, and Shai's rotating cast of friends from Jayne's perspective.

and that probably answers the question! I don't think you actually asked for most of that info, but Shai is my tragic Mary Sue trashfire and I like talking about them.

[rawr-smooch]

~The Calm Before the Maelstrom~

[Alternate Title: "GRRRR GRR GAY FISH GRRR!!!"]

[secretdazedragon]

even more shay doodles

[trailerparkdad]

sibling duo but except not, more like maybe he raised her bc their mom abandoned them so he was forced into adulthood when he was supposed to be a stupid kid, just so she can be one :P

their eyes r my fav 🥺🥺 maybe u can tell the difference between their personalities here

[bearlytolerant]

she was meant for healing and not for killing so sometimes after battle, she struggles and he’s there to give her a pep talk

[the-lonelyshepherd]

tgey are very good friends <3

[shaibonbon]

Okay version 2 is finished-

From a simple sketch this slowly snowballed to me trying to add a bunch of my mutuals ocs into this

While doing this it came to mind I think I never actually celebrated or made anything thanking 150 followers (which I had hit months ago), so this can serve as that ❤️💜 ty y'all for support and love<3 and thanks for 150 followers

Oh yeah sorry if your oc didn't make the cut 😭 I will try marking everyone in the comments

[saphizzle]

My dragonborn lost their eye a few sessions ago and he’s so so fine and normal about it!!

[house-of-hamartia]

IMPASSE

"You lift my spirit, take me higher, make me fly Touch the moon up in the sky, when you are mine You lift me higher, take my spirit, make it fly Where all new wonders will appear.

Like the other day, I thought you won't be coming back I came to realize my lackluster dreams And among the schemes and all the tricks we try to play Only dreams will hold their sway and defy

And it feels like fear Like I'll disappear Gets so hard to steer, yet I go on Do we need debate When it seems too late Like I bleed but wait like nothing's wrong You lift my spirit, take me higher, make me fly Touch the moon up in the sky, when you are mine You lift me higher, take my spirit, make it fly Where all new wonders will appear, oh"

"LIFT" - Poets of the Fall

---------------------------------------------

OMG I AM DONE.

I AM FREAKING DONE.

Please, do allow me to share with you all this artwork of Shay and his pint-sized Grand Master, whom he cannot deny anything (sorry y'all, but I am living for the trop "scary ass man being as docile as a lamb with the woman he loves).

AM LIVING FOR THIS.

LIVING.

I can finally show the cheekier, more sensual side of Dorothea's personality, one completely unburdened by sufference of any kind, and AM THRIVING.

Gods, I need to draw more of these.

Now that I have started to draw Shay, AM LIVING.

I hope you will like this.

Perspective was a bitch, but I LOVED working on it.

--Nemo

[chrismerle]

15 Questions Game

Hey look, an actual writeblr thing, holy shit. Thanks for the tag, @emelkae. Shai will be answering these.

Rules: Answer these 15 questions as yourself or as an OC, then tag 15 mutuals. Except I don't know 15 other writeblrs at this point, so I'm just gonna say, if you see this and want to play, you can say I tagged you.

Are you named after anyone?

"Anything is possible, I suppose," they remark with a shrug, before they titter behind their claws. "I would imagine not, no, seeing as I named myself. Bit of a funny story behind it, actually." They don't offer any sort of elaboration on the funny story in question. They tap the ash off of the end of their cigarette holder and adjust their weight in their seat. "I think it rolls off the tongue, don't you? SHAY-care-us Ill-THAHN-yoo-ell."

When was the last time you cried?

They tip their head to the side slowly, like a bird inspecting a puzzle, their expression pleasantly neutral. They tap the cigarette holder against their lip in thought. "A week ago," they finally decide, with the air of someone plucking a date from thin air. "I was making onion soup."

Do you have kids?

There's a single bark of sharp, harsh laughter. No other answer seems to be forthcoming.

Do you use sarcasm?

They look to the left, and then the right, eyes wide and Bambi bright behind their goggles. "Who, me? I would never. It would be most improper."

What's the first thing you notice about people?

Their smile tilts, turning crooked and cheeky. "The questions they ask," they reply. "How many, and what kinds, or if they don't ask any at all."

What's your eye color?

They pause for a moment, eyes drifting up and to the side as they think. "I think they used to be hazel," they offer after a moment, with a half-hearted shrug. "But it's been a while, and I don't think about it much. Now, well." They tug their goggles down to hang around their neck. The left eye is blue. The right is lavender. Both are a clearly unnatural silver around the center. Most strangely of all, the veins of their eyes are not red, but a faintly metallic electric blue.

"Now it's more of a 'what color are you eyes?' 'Yes.' situation."

Scary movies or happy endings?

They wrinkle their nose for a second. "Everything in moderation."

Any special talents?

"A few, I would imagine." They carefully readjust their goggles, pulling them back up over their eyes and tightening the strap again. "Most people have at least one, after all."

Where were you born?

Their accent--an already prominent Irish lilt--gets deliberately more intense as they say, "Take a guess."

What are your hobbies?

"Cooking. Relearning how to play piano in fits and starts. Horseback riding. Sailing. Shooting. Among others."

Have you any pets?

"A horse. A dog. A few weasels, depending on the day." They pause, then, staring blankly into space, thinking far too deeply about what should be a fairly simple question. Finally, they add, "I'm not sure about the cats. They live with me, but they're also fully sentient, so calling them pets feels rude."

What sports do you play/have played?

"Horseback riding. Rock climbing. Riflery. Does cage fighting count?" They flex their claws and drum them against the arms of their seat. "Admittedly, I'm a very cheap fighter."

How tall are you?

"6'4", or just shy of two meters," they reply with a pleased, crooked smile that seems oddly proud of a detail they have no control over. "In my stockings, at any rate." They cross one ankle over the opposite knee, one four-inch heel clearly on display. "These are my favorite boots."

Favorite subject in school?

They take a drag from their cigarette, mostly to give them an excuse to think the answer over for a moment, before sighing the smoke slowly out their nose. "I was homeschooled," they offer carefully.

Dream job?

"I'm a cartographer," they say, with the easy, earnest joy of a child discussing going to space. "And an engineer, sometimes, but that's more of a 'needs must' situation. Sometimes Danny needs an engineer with a bit more tooth than his usual one." Their smile suggests it's a particularly cheesy joke--perhaps related to how abnormally serrated their smile is.

[vesper-roux]

Height Comparison Tag Game

Nicking this from @author-a-holmes [HERE]

Tagging: Anyone and everyone who sees this post and has OCs. If I can do it from an open tag, so can you. :) Let me see.

Link to the Height Comparison Website

How To Play: List the heights of your OCs, add any notes you'd like, and make a chart

I'm personally going to do multiple WIPs, limiting it to the MCs/some major characters. I also listed them from shortest to tallest in their respective WIPs.

It'll get long, so it's under the cut

Anthem

Willow: 5' / 152 cm. The shortest of the bunch and short by overall cultural standards. Where does it come from? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (It's because the only reason Will continues to live is because of vis life/energy stealing ability) Will doesn't care most of the time; ve's nimble and can stealth more easily because of it.

Asche: 5'7" / 170 cm. Given her ethnicity is coded to be Yamato Japanese and Thai, she's taller than average, but to most around her, she is average height. She's also got some Dutch in there (I know the spelling of her name is German; listen to the Dutch pronunciation of ash ['as'] for an explanation).

(Not a MC but still important) Sawyer: 5'9" / 175 cm. She does appreciate the qualities she has that she can use to command more respect from people. Her height is one of them, though she's not exactly tall. Again, like Asche, she is coded to be of Han Chinese (and English) descent, so by that metric, she is tall.

Rhys: 5'11" / 180 cm. He's pretty average in height, not really something he or anyone thinks about. He's perfect to be the guy you don't want people paying attention to... as long as you hide his owl-eyed baby face and get him to shut up.

(Not a MC but still important) Klaus: 6'2" / 188 cm. What better than to have a tall, strong built man for a warrior king? He's so well coifed, you'd think he had work done to his legs to make him fit his role this well (he didn't).

Galen: 6'7" / 200 cm. It's lucky Galen doesn't know who his parents are. He can keep it in his head his height is thanks to genetics because it sure wasn't from nutrition. He wasn't starving, he always found a way to keep himself fed, but there wasn't security.

Count the Valleys

While CtV isn't supposed to be historical fantasy, be set in the real world, and reflect history, I'm still using time period and ethnicity as basis for these characters.

Ashira: 5'2" / 157 cm. Average height for a Semitic woman of the Bronze Age. Ashira may be a lone wanderer in the desert, but she has many ways of taking care of herself, be it magical or practical. Mostly it's because she shapes herself into a wolf part of a pack.

Shai: 5'6" / 168 cm. Complete average height for an Egyptian/Semitic man of the Bronze Age. He's been taken care of since birth by priests for the belief he's a seer, so he's never been in want... until...

Anai: 5'8" / 173 cm. Above average height for a Nubian woman of the Bronze Age. She's a warrior, and though like a specialized sport sifting out less compatible body types, work does craft one into what they seek. She's carved out a life that suits her, and it shows.

Calix: 6'8" / 203 cm. Obviously the most realistic height of any ethnicity in any point of history, especially a Minoan! Calix is essentially Frankenstein's monster, being made from multiple people's bodies for the specific purpose to protect and serve royalty. Why wouldn't they make him and those like him huge when mural visual hierarchy uses size to depict things like power?

The Man in the Moon is a Stranger

Tricksy: 5'1" / 155 cm. This is their natural height. Trick is legally homeless and a paranoid shut-in who refuses to install any cybernetics into their body or technology that cannot be destroyed within a moment's notice in or around their hut. I haven't decided whether they're a minor or a young adult yet. Inspired by Ed from Cowboy Bebop.

Dove: 5'3" / 160 cm. It will forever annoy her that her little sister is taller than her, even if it's just by an inch. Or... was. Bugs' head is practically a helmet with bunny ears on it now, but she was finished growing by time she got that. Dove knows she can get an enhancement to change that, but that's not the point, dammit!

Bugs: 5'4" / 162.5 cm. Bugs doesn't have the smugness about being naturally taller than her older sister that Dove expects of her. She thinks it's funny if only because of Dove's obsession with coming across as intimidating, going so far as to install muscle enhancements, though Dove refuses to make herself taller.

Mojo: 5'7.7" / 172 cm. Mojo's all about being real with it. He's had cyber enhancements, but he's not going to change his height. He's ethnically Igbo, so he's average to his people.

Katsura: 5'9" / 175 cm. He's had many installments in his body but none so invasive as to change his height. Aside from Tricksy, he's the most natural one of the ensemble, shown in his name being his legal family name, not a code name.

L: 5'10" / 178 cm. While there's not much about L that is natural anymore, she didn't change her height because she's happy with it. Like with Katsura's name being his actual one, 'L' is a code name but is also her chosen name 🏳️‍⚧️

Cosmo: 6'2" / 188 cm. This is her natural height, and anyone who says otherwise doesn't know shit or is lying from their ass. She likes to work on a skill naturally first then get enhancements to make that skill even better.

Quill: 6'6" / 198 cm. This is not his natural height. He's had many cybernetic enhancements, and making his spine and legs more powerful and longer are some of them.

Untitled All-Female-Lead Shounen-type Story

Sen: 5'2" / 157 cm. Sen has never been the strongest physically or focused on strength, despite her devious and criminal lifestyle, so she's quite happy with her height.

Faye: 5'4" / 162 cm. If ever she feels bad about her height, she can shapeshift. It's not painless, and it requires some concentration to do keep it up, but she can do it. She doesn't do it much.

(Not MC but major character) Song: 5'5" / 165 cm. What full spellcaster is required to be tall?

Inzali: 5'6" / 167 cm. She's a bit taller than she thinks is fit for her profession, but she makes it work and wouldn't change it now that she knows how to work with it.

(Not MC but major character) Ardavast: 5'7" / 170 cm. Despite knowing how to make ends meet, living on the streets has taken a toll. Not much to his height, but it's there. He doesn't mind. People don't see him as a threat, and that's good for him.

Cirin: 6' / 182 cm. Well-fed, well-dressed, well-trained. Of course, she's above average height even for her family, but she loves it and takes it as yet another point of pride.

[demonoflight]

Some day, in the future, the Houzuki-Ida family.

[secretdazedragon]

Shay and his mother

[simatomica]

I need something more I'll pray to the Lord

[yumenoyousei]

I asked for a commission of my DC OC Shay from @jnephrite and look at my girl!! 😭 She so pretty I can't even😭😭😭 Always loved @jnephrite art so seeing Shay in hers is a blessing 🙏🏾

And since the fic is almost halfway through posting, I thought, might as well introduce Shay properly! EDIT: the fic, Awaking in Gotham, is now completed!

Full name: Shay Michelle Frank (♀) Occupation: Graphic Designer / YouTuber Height: 5'9"  Birthday: September 16th  ☀Virgo 🌙Aries ⬆Aquarius Proud African American/Haitian & Gothamite  Hobbies: Poetry, Arts, Rap/R&B music, help the Gotham North Community Center, Discover new artists (both musically and visual arts)

Shay was born and raised in Gotham, close to the infamous Crime Alley, by her maternal grandmother, Marie-Monique "Manmi Mo" Antoine, and with her 3 years older brother Zachary "Zee" Frank. Her mother died of childbirth (she had had complications with Zee which was why she was hospitalized when pregnant with Shay) so her whole family distrusted the American health system. This is why when her grandmother was diagnosed with cancer, they didn't go to the hospital and only went to the illegal clinic. (Also; money.) Her father is unknown. 

Ever since young, she went to the Gotham North Community Center, mostly run by the Black and Latinx communities of the Crime Alley neighbourhood. Her grandmother would teach the children about mostly Black literature but also all sorts of arts which is why Shay is such a creative person. That's also where she met Jason Todd for the first time when she was around 4-5.

Her brother very early on started to "run the streets" and started to hang out with bad crews, but always had his heart on his sleeves. He just couldn't find other ways to get money to make sure Shay had the right education/a chance away from crime.

Her grandma died when she was almost 17 and her brother died not even 4 weeks later (2 weeks after her 17th birthday) because of a dispute between gangs. (Allegedly) 

After her grandma and Zee died, she went to live in Metropolis with her second-degree cousin, Jennifer Antoine, until she graduated from university. Even when in Metropolis, she would go as much as she could back to Gotham to see her people/help the center.

She started a YouTube channel talking about Gotham's art and musical scene to change people's persepective of Gotham after too many people at Metropolis U "pitied" her for being a Gothamite. 

As soon as she was about to graduate, she applied to work at Wayne Entreprise back in Gotham. She got a job as a graphic designer and moved back to her city.

At the start of the fic, "Awaking in Gotham", she is 22 and has been working at WE for almost a year.

Read more about Shay (and her love story with Jason) on AO3! (Trying to update every week!)

Random notes about Shay:

As I wrote in the fic's notes, the first reason for creating Shay was: who the fuck would stay in Gotham that isn't a criminal and/or a vigilante??

So I created a black girl who loves her community and sees all it could be while being very conscious of what it is and its dangers. Then I went, hey! she'd be good with Jason while I was starting my Jason Todd Thirst so obv my fic turned into romance. lol

The name comes from Belgian rapper Shay, Montreal-based singer Shay Lia, and Haitian Montreal-based singer Shah Frank. As I was creating Shay I was obsessed with all three of them and the name Shay Frank wouldn't leave me.

Ngl, I gave a lot of me to Shay; like her Haitian roots and GAD but very quickly she went her own way and grew in this character I'm proud of. I'd like to say I also gave her my music taste but she is way more into hip-hop than me and she rejects most of my pop playlists (sadly).

Because Shay was based on me, all her entourage I created is based on people in my rl. lol

I also absolutely wanted her to be friends with Bernard because I absolutely love Bernard (and Bat SO who are civilians? Tim and Jason bonding over the fact their SO are the only civilians in the Batfam?! So many fun things to do!!)

Zee is also a character that I love, based on one of my favourite cousins, and I got lowkey mad at myself halfway through that he was dead. So I have an AU where he didn't die in my head lol 

I'd like to write a oneshot of it when I'm done with this fic.

Last fun fact about Shay that I wasn't able to put in fic yet: all the rogues annoy her (mostly because they cause mayhem that cancel events) but she madly respects Poison Ivy because of her convictions and: "is she wrong tho?" 

I have a lot of other small notes about Shay and the Shay-verse but I'll post the rest when the fic is completed!

EDIT 2024-10-04: I completely forgot to add the link to the post fic notes! So if you read Awaking in Gotham do check those other notes!

[rogdona]