Character Castle 2.0
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oh also MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3
Merry (late) Christmas!
Welcome to fantasy writers!
“That was really brave,” Ehud blurted to them “getting the last of us here I mean, you saved a bunch of us back there” Ehud said.
Gwendolyn looked up at him with a weak smile. She had felt obligated to help. But why? If it wasn’t for her, the monsters wouldn’t have gotten lose. But if she hadn’t broken it, one of the others might have. But they hadn’t. She had. It was her fault.
She didn’t think she was brave.
“I agree, it was quite courageous of you, Gwendolyn.” Liorah added.
Gwendolyn frowned. That wasn’t fair, she wouldn’t have made it without Liorah. And Liorah knew it. Was Liorah feeling guilty for suggesting to break the mirror? But she hadn’t broken the mirror. Gwendolyn had. She didn’t know why they where complementing her. Everyone else seemed to have gotten over the fact that she was the one who had nearly killed them. But Gwendolyn couldn’t seem to get over it herself.
“Ehud, could you try to see if Kiark is alright?” Liorah’s voice was soft and worried, “But please, be careful, he looks pretty badly hurt.”
Gwendolyn looked down.
“Ok,” Ehud said, then paused and gave her a look “I thought you were brave, Liorah!” he shouted, then scampered of.
Gwendolyn nearly laughed out loud. She turned and looked Liorah in the eye. “I wouldn’t have made it without you and Wylo and you where the first one who came and helped me. You didn’t break the mirror, I did. Don’t be to hard on yourself. Ehud is right, you where brave, so don’t deny it.” She stood up, “I’m going to see if I can help with anything. You can…you should stay here and rest.”
She slipped her arm back into her sling and walked over to Rosario. “What can I do?” She asked.
Beautiful things don't ask for attention
With Ehud gone Rosario couldn’t rely on his glow-in-the-dark pony for light anymore and that made her snicker to herself. What a sweet kid, even if she knew he really wasn’t a kid. In some ways people might even consider him wise, Rosario thought to herself and she wormed her hand through her pocket for an autonomic lighter she kept with her pack of cigarettes.
It had, like most of the advanced pocket technology, a light that came on when it was charging. Once, when she’d needed him to have something to do with his hands so he wouldn’t destroy something, she’d told him she wanted to make it work like a flashlight as well as a lighter. So, somehow, some two hours later Ehud had rewired the charging light to just activate automatically and sometimes at random times which was why she usually covered its cubic millimeter sensor until she needed it.
Thank the galaxies he hadn’t made it light up pink, instead it gave a pale diffused milkish glow. That would have to do. At least five maybe six members injured two or three more severely than the rest. They would all need sleep and a guard would have to be set. Even though Ehud wouldn’t notice for being so preoccupied with helping she could tell he was limping just a little with exhaustion and while his injuries weren’t bad all things considered they were particularly good either.
“What can I do?” A voice interrupted her thoughts and Rosario glanced back. It was that girl, the Princess Liorah who had the attitude. Her arm was in a sling and she looked fairly bloodied but Rosario was pretty sure she could still work.
“First go around and see who has any food or water; it will have to last among all of us until we can find better supplies down here. Next assess the wounded; the least injured will take second watch, I’ll be taking first watch as I’ve only sustained a couple bruises. Kiark will not be taking any watches tonight, his condition appears more critical than the rest, and the blind girl will not be required to take watch either. That will be all for now.” She said making eye contact in as respectful a way she would expect anyone to address her with. Then remembering what Ehud had pointed out about her lack of bedside manner she deliberately relaxed visibly and softened her tone somewhat.
“Thank you for offering your services also and thank you for your bravery.” Rosario smiled consciously “and you can pass that on to all the people here, you’ve all earned your lives today.”To be a light to the world you must shine in the darkness.
Liorah
“Okay,” Ehud said, then paused and gave me a stern, “I thought you were brave, Liorah!” He skittered off.
I flushed but noticed that he hadn’t used my title and couldn’t help smiling. It was much better than when people would try to flatter me by acting subserviently. That was annoying. Ehud saw me as a person, not as a princess. I would always fall short as a princess, so it was better if people ignored that side of me.
Gwendolyn caught my eye and I crossed my arms, trying to shield myself from more praise. It didn’t help.
“I wouldn’t have made it without you and Wylo and you were the first ones who came and helped me. You didn’t break the mirror, I did. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Ehud is right, you were brave, so don’t deny it.” My cheeks burned every shade of crimson and scarlet and I stared fixedly at the tears in my sleeves where the beast had clawed me.
Gwen stood,
“I’m going to see if I can help with anything. You can…you should stay here and rest.”
“I don’t see that I have a choice,” I mumbled. My leg hurt too badly to get up, so I wasn’t going anywhere.
I stared at Ehud as he gently tried to get a reaction out of Kiark. It wasn’t working and a shiver ran up my spine. What if he was– dead? I shook off the thought. There was nothing I could do about it.
I untied the leather thong that held my scattered braid together and unraveled my auburn hair. It puffed up in kinky waves, wrinkled by the braid. The ends barely brushed the ground as I sat. I ran my fingers through it, picking out the knots. Somehow, that simple task steadied me.
I felt like disappearing into the stone wall every time I thought of Ehud and Gwen’s praise. Anyone else would have done the same if they hadn’t been so preoccupied. I didn’t deserve the praise. In fact, anyone else probably would have done it better and wouldn’t have endangered the others by getting hurt. My mind flashed to Gavril. He could have gotten the others to safety within minutes. No, he wouldn’t have let them break the mirror in the first place.
I shifted, trying to get comfortable against the stone wall. I wished he were here. He would solve the problem within minutes.
I shook my head, letting my hair fall over my eyes. Well, he wasn’t and I would just have to make the best of it. I raked my hair back and braided it. The scratches on my arms had closed and would heal on their own. My leg was bad but not as serious as it might have been.
I caught snatches of conversation between Gwen and the other girl. Between the two of them, they could organize everyone. They didn’t need me. Nobody really did, so I could rest.
I rested against the stone, trying to get comfortable. Slowly, I relaxed. It would be alright.
__________
This character castle is so, so helpful! I discovered a really cool thing about Liorah!
I knew she hated it when people addressed her by her title, but I just figured out why. She sees herself as a failure as a princess (especially when she compares herself to her practically perfect older brother) and tries to separate herself from her role/title. I actually never knew that!
Without darkness, there is no light. If there was no nighttime, would the stars be as bright?
I really like how you’re writing Kiark! I can see how he’s trying and struggling. It’s really fun to read! I hope he gets better though…
Thank you! I’m glad I’m not completely boring you 😛 Part of the reason for all the monologue is me trying to figure him out. And yes, he does turn over a new leaf (which I am personally very happy about)!
Ok, your villain sounds AMAZING!!!! I’d love to hear about it, especially since I have a hard time with that sort of stuff and I love villains (well, certain villains). And yes, I also struggle with that! One thing you could do — which Andrew Peterson did in the Wingfeather Saga and I thought was quite interesting — is write a little “history” of your villain in little chapters snuck into the book. I don’t have any other ideas, but one thing you could do is this: ask the question in the General Writing Topic! You’ll be sure to get a ton of great answers from people who actually know what they’re talking about 😉
Poor Wylo! (Kind of, I actually like doing that too XD) And I love gray characters too! Until either I or one of my beta readers gets attached to them and I can’t give them an insanely dramatic a satisfying downfall. Then I need to redeem them… *Siiiggh*
Ha ha, yeah! And redeeming characters is what I love to do! Maybe you could give them that downfall, and then hint at their future redemption so you can have both.
Oooo! The False Prince sounds so cool (if its as good as your wonderfully vivid description is 😛 )! I’ll definitely check it out! Btw, I love going on and on about my favorite stuff until my family falls over, so I totally get it. 😀
I cannot count amount of times that Liorah would start arguing with another character while I was just going about my business. Those are the moments that I doubt my sanity XD It’s awesome though, because I get some lovely, sassy responses.
I will actually sometimes build a scene around a sassy response I once heard or came up with just so I can include it in the story, ha ha 😛
Goodness, I do that too! I can’t really imagine portraits though, I just know what they look like vaguely. When I start drawing them, I do figure out what they DON’T look like. I’d draw a nose and then think: “That’s isn’t her nose! Hers is….. not like that.” XD
YOU DO EXACTLY WHAT I DO!!! A kindred spirit!!!!
I love your quote BTW!
Thank you! 😀
Aw thanks! I figured that she had to have a soft side, and I felt I was following character stereotypes when Rilyn held grudges, so I made her more forgiving (Konyar actually holds grudges. I figured that out last night XD) And yeah.. we’ve had so many arguments, I decided we needed some softer conversations lol.
That is really interesting and adds a whole lot more depth! I love it!!! And thank you for the soft conversation, ha ha
Lol! Thank you for understanding!
Totally!
LOL XD Mine dragons shall cometh to their aid if need be! *unsheathes sword valiantly, foot planted on rock*
I just love the image that paints in my mind XD
LOOOVE your new quote!! So true!!! I know I’m being a hypocrite after not being able to tell you where mine came from… but if you can/want, what is it from? (Totally understand if you don’t want to )
And your totally not being hypocritical (its exactly what I’d do)! I wanted to put the character’s initials in, but there wasn’t room 🙁 Anyhow, the initials were W.R., and they stood for Wylo Reni 😉 😛 (trying to convey emotion here with limited emojis)
Hello! I’m so glad y’all could join SE! It’s a wonderful community 😀 I’m glad you two can start a third castle together; I’d join, but I don’t think I have the time right now. If you need any of the guidelines or such, just go to the first page of this topic. That’s where Rusted Knight posted them. 😉
@EVERYBODY
Sorry I was gone for a while! There were two main reasons:
1. I had a minor cold, which I can complain about.
2. Christmas, which I cannot complain about.
Anyhow, here I am! Merry Belated Christmas and Happy Non-belated New Year! I’ll try to get a post out soon 😉
I light the arrow, pull the bow,
Shoot that fire right through my soul.You asked Rose why Darth Vader was one of her most favorite Star Wars characters, but it was actually me who said it, ha ha ;). I think you just got confused what with all the block-quoting, XD Anyhow…. you gave me permission to get started (THANK YOU!!), so here goes nothing (if you drop down dead, I told you so :P):
1. Darth Vader is cool. He has super strength, he chokes people, he makes corny dad jokes, he has scary breathing, he hooks his fingers in his belt which is something I do myself with my pants, he is calm and menacing, he has magnets on the bottoms of his boots, he has mandalorian gloves, and he is almost the most powerful being in the galaxy.
2. I feel bad for him. He was taken from his mother when he was only 9, which means he was old enough to remember and feel the pain. However, that’s pretty much all I feel bad for about him. Obi-wan was “his father” and did a pretty good job at it for not even finishing his training; Ahsoka Vader should’ve understood of all people; and he seriously shouldn’t have been mad at the council. But then again, if the emperor was the one who made Anakin’s life possible, that gives him some lee-way.
3. He rose, then fell. During the Clone Wars, you saw how much he had matured from the brat he was in Attack of the Clones, and that made his downfall in RotS even sadder.
4. He has an amazing suit.
5. THE BIGGEST POINT: he was redeemed. I think Return of the Jedi might be my favorite movie bc of his fight with Luke (also, love the light-saber toss). In that movie you can really see him struggling and you also see how much Palpatine is ruling his life (he makes Vader’s suit uncomfortable on purpose: itchy and scratchy). And then, he finally gets to see Luke with his own eyes and you instantly know he’s back on the light side. I was sad Vader died the first time I saw the movie, but it wasn’t until I watched the prequels that I really felt sad. I love redeem stories.
6. You have to feel bad for a person whose only comfort is a bacta tank.
And there you have it! 😀 I really hope I didn’t just take advantage of you, lol 😛
I light the arrow, pull the bow,
Shoot that fire right through my soul.@wingiby-iggiby
That. Was awesome! Even tho I’m not crazy about StarWars that was fun to read!!! (and productive to think about character archs 🙂 )To be a light to the world you must shine in the darkness.
also thanks for catching my mistake! (I also mixed Gwen with Liorah too XD)
To be a light to the world you must shine in the darkness.
Thank you! I’m glad you liked my character rant, lol. And villains’ character arcs are some of the most interesting!
Ha ha, don’t worry about it! All the characters get confusing for everyone at some point, XD
Btw, I love Rosario’s little light thing! Ehud is only an idiot in some areas, ha ha. He’s actually very bright!
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WYLO
I lean against the wall and catch my breath, half in the world and half out. I see movement and hear conversations, but they are far off. I look down at my leg, and see that blood had soaked through my make-shift bandage and stained it an ugly brown, dry and cakey. I tear off another strip of my coat and tie it tight with a stiff knot. I hardly feel the pain. My calf is numb, and I’m sure that isn’t good, but at the moment it is. I just have to make my eyes focus again and my mind concentrate. It is the key to survival.
Gwen is helping Princess; Curly is conversing with Idiota and the blind-girl. The blind-girl. I slump forward and nearly fall flat on my face before catching a crevice in the wall with my fingers, and the sting in them of stopping my weight helps make me alert. I didn’t realize how much energy it took to fight for so short a time, even if it was just aiming and firing, aiming and firing. But with a little rest, I’ll be fine.
I keep a hand on the wall and walk in a stiff way to the blind-girl. I can see her dog is well again, and for that I am glad. That is one person healed; for when her dog is well, she is well. I hope they will make use of the rest of the medicine.
Suddenly, I see Idiota fly past me in a blur of pink and cry “woak!” as he nearly steps on Kiark’s arm. Catching his balance, he then leans in close to the Prince’s face and shines a strange, eerie light on him — a pink light. For a second, I wonder what makes it work, and the next, I’m hurrying over. That idiot will do more harm than good.
“Mr…..Prince Kiark?” I hear him say slowly and carefully, “sorry I laughed at you… I didn’t mean to, honest!”
He laughed at Kiark? He really was an idiot, and best out of the way. Perhaps it wasn’t his fault he was an idiot, though. For some people, they could have been born that way; or their past really affected them, and without help….somewhat like me.
I shake my head as if that will clear out all my thoughts and stand over Kiark and Idiota. The boy looks up at me with wide eyes, and I stare down at him with blank grey ones.
“Please leave,” I say sternly and quietly. I leave it at that, for even the most chicken-headed person on the planet would know what “leave” means. It just depends on whether or not they listen.
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Cathy, please excuse Wylo’s perception of Ehud! He is certainly not an idiot, but Wylo doesn’t understand yet.
I light the arrow, pull the bow,
Shoot that fire right through my soul.I just love the image that paints in my mind
haha, thanks. I suppose that’s part of my “job,” being a writer and all.
OH OHH!!! That’s so cool! *glances at Wylo, new respect for him welling up inside*
"I threw stones at the stars, but the whole sky fell."
“Please leave,” Mr Pipe Man bored stern look into Ehud that made him blink and wonder what he’d done wrong. Mr Pipe Man seemed to be Kiark’s personal guard on a level but Kiark hadn’t trusted him. He was scary, but so was Rosario when they first met. Obediently Ehud got up and stared at the man, trying to figure him out. But he just couldn’t so he did what came most naturally to him and bowled Mr Pipe Man over with a hug.
Cathy, please excuse Wylo’s perception of Ehud! He is certainly not an idiot, but Wylo doesn’t understand yet.
Ha ha. Yep Ehud’s an idiot. He’s one of those creatively stupid people when it comes to common sense but he’s really clever too sometimes XD.
To be a light to the world you must shine in the darkness.
*pokes head around the door*
@jasmine , do you have a character named Gwendolyn, too? 😀 I have a Gwendolyn in one of my WIPs 🙂
@wingiby-iggiby also, I couldn’t help but notice Star Wars being talked about. Vader isn’t my top favorite character, but he’s up there. I absolutely love Anakin, and I cried so much when Vader turned back to the light side aaaaaa. My top favorite is… dangit I hate choosing a favorite… Uhhhh… Well, I really like Padme. She’s epic. But Obi-Wan is also amazing. Buuuut then Anakin (not Vader, Anakin)… AAAAAAA *cough* Ahem. Anyways. Had to jump in here for a second 🙂Ok that’s all!
Oh, here, I brought cookies for everyone to apologize for the intrusion 😉 *hands cookies around*
*retreats back to Character Castle 1.0*
“Enough! Be quiet! I can’t hear myself think! I can’t hear my teeth chatter!"
do you have a character named Gwendolyn, too? I have a Gwendolyn in one of my WIPs
How funny! For some reason I just really like the name Gwendolyn. I’ve actually named multiple characters Gwen. Now I only have one character named Gwen. Also, I should probably already know this😛 but what does WIP stand for?
“First go around and see who has any food or water; it will have to last among all of us until we can find better supplies down here. Next assess the wounded; the least injured will take second watch, I’ll be taking first watch as I’ve only sustained a couple bruises. Kiark will not be taking any watches tonight, his condition appears more critical than the rest, and the blind girl will not be required to take watch either. That will be all for now.” Rosario said. Her voice softened,“Thank you for offering your services also and thank you for your bravery.” Rosario smiled “and you can pass that on to all the people here, you’ve all earned your lives today.”
Gwendolyn winced inwardly and turned to walk away. She walked over to Wylo, who was being attacked by Ehud with a hug. Gwendolyn smirked.
She looked down at Kiark and the smile disappeared from her lips. Tears pushed at her the backs of her eyes and once again the phrase “my fault” rang through her head. Kiark was unusually pale and lay still as death. The only thing that reassured her that he was still alive was the weak rise and fall of his chest.
She took a deep breath and turned to Wylo and Ehud. “Rosario sent me to collect any supplies that might be rationed out among the group.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say.
Beautiful things don't ask for attention
haha, thanks. I suppose that’s part of my “job,” being a writer and all.
Well, now you know you’re doing something right, lol
OH OHH!!! That’s so cool! *glances at Wylo, new respect for him welling up inside*
Ha ha! Thank you! I like coming up with quotes for each of my characters; something that defines what they believe and who they are. It’s really fun 😀
Ha ha. Yep Ehud’s an idiot. He’s one of those creatively stupid people when it comes to common sense but he’s really clever too sometimes XD.
What character would you describe him as? Like, what Myers-Briggs? I don’t think I’ve ever quite read or heard of a character like Ehud! 😀
Btw, I was totally NOT expecting him to HUG Wylo!!! I don’t know why I thought that was beyond Ehud, but yeah, I was totally surprised and I totally loved it!
First of all *chomps noisily on cookie, picking out chocolate chips separately and popping them in mouth* love the tag. Second, you are welcome to intrude at anytime, especially if you have cookies.
I have SUCH a hard time choosing favs too!!!! So, I have to put them in categories:
Fav Villain:
Darth Vader
Fav Jedi:
1. Obi-wan
2. Luke
3. Ahsoka Tano
Fav Female Lead:
1. Satine Kryze
2. Padme
Other:
1. Din Djarin
2. Grogu
There you go! I also like Anakin, and I think his Clone Wars version is the best. Go, Skyguy!
I light the arrow, pull the bow,
Shoot that fire right through my soul.What character would you describe him as? Like, what Myers-Briggs? I don’t think I’ve ever quite read or heard of a character like Ehud!
Ehud is an ENFP-t; my personality-type, also Lizzy’s in Pride and Prejudice (except she’s ENFP-a; a is assertive and t is turbulent. Also Lizzy from the book sometimes Lizzy from the movie is INTJ-t), Megamind’s and Rose from Shadow of the Bear. Ooh, can I guess your personality type; INFP-t?
But Ehud’s also ADHD and that sorta ramps up how he expresses his personality. Most people are social conditioned to suppress aspects of themselves, conditionally and wouldn’t dare just “do whatever they want”. But Ehud has no internal conflict of interest there; the part of the brain that acts as an emotional restrain on most people if keep from doing things that draw attention or are unorthodox or clearly understand potential consequences are severely impaired in people with ADHD. People with ADHD cannot tell time, so to say, like normal people; everything is NOW and fifteen minutes later is the same as fifteen years later (which is problematic with deadlines) which does not help connecting actions with consequences.
So while most ENFPs have the same interest and urges to do similar things that Ehud does, most people wouldn’t actually do that (which I’ve learned first-hand and it’s very awkward, almost as awkward as realizing that expressing a constant interest in everybody and everything everybody talks about while being extraverted and having no filter makes people think you’re flirting which STINKS!!!)
In addition his core motives greatly affect his personality. Because he always wants to help people and means well he’s the kind of person who could spit in somebody’s face and you’d still like him. The fact that everybody knows his motives leaves him completely free to do absolutely anything and that’s somebody about him that kinda like I think Jesus meant when he said “Unless you acquire the heart of a child you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” His lack of mixed motives makes him pretty unusual apart from his alright notably odd Myers-Briggs (ENFPs are notorious weirdos 🙂 ).
So on the whole he’s an ADHD ENFP who’s the perpetual inner child…aaaaand that was a very long-winded explanation XD.
Hahah I too did not expect Ehud to actually hug Wylo. It was awesome.To be a light to the world you must shine in the darkness.
Ok, your villain sounds AMAZING!!!! I’d love to hear about it, especially since I have a hard time with that sort of stuff and I love villains (well, certain villains).
Thanks for the advice! I took it and got some great answers! If you want to read more about Hakan, (my main villain), you can check out the topic, since I rambled on about him for quite some time. It’s called “Revealing villain motivations?” (It should still be in recent, I think?)
I can’t wait to see how Wylo reacts to being hugged! That’s going to be fun!
Hi Livi!
Thanks for the cookies!
Also, I should probably already know this but what does WIP stand for?
That’s totally fine, it’s one of those things nobody actually explains, which can get confusing XD. It stands for Work-in-progress, basically any project you’re working on.
I LOVE your explanation of Ehud! It suits him so well! It’s really cool that you write characters with ADHD and autism! I love reading about them, (when I can find them, they’re really rare in fiction, for some reason??) but I haven’t written any yet. Hmm, I should actually just get over myself and do the research. *mental gears start turning*
I do MBTI tests for my characters too! I’m kind of fascinated by the Myer-Briggs types. I have an ENFP-t in my story too! She’s the most adorable character and one of the favorites of all my beta readers. I think she’s amazing and I love writing her. XD
Liorah is an ESFP-t, in case you were wondering. 😉
Without darkness, there is no light. If there was no nighttime, would the stars be as bright?
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