#UI POV: Sapphire

[merigreenleaf]

Happy STS! What sorts of associations do you have for your characters? Do you associate them with any colors, elements, animals, aesthetics, etc.? Do tell!

Oh I love this ask! :D Colors are a big thing for me, so I'll go with that. I associate pretty much anything with a color and this has definitely always been a thing with my characters for as long as I've written things. I made a color grid thing for each of the dorks a while ago and never shared that so I'll add that in too!

Adair is blues-- the bright blue sky on a sunny day, bright happy teals and blue-greens, the blues of faded denim, and the dark blue of the ink he uses for his maps. I also associate violet with him because it's the color of his magic and light brown because of .... well, pie crust, mostly lol

Blythe is mostly earth tones-- all shades of greens for the plants that she loves and the browns of dirt and earth. I also associate red with her, like a deep autumn red of leaves, and black because it's the color that she wears for her performance costume and also for her sentinel uniform later. (This is only worn special occassions, she and Etri don't have to wear these all the time.)

Dray is all warm colors-- gold through orange through reds to red-violet. Fire colors, hot colors. Sol is similar, but lighter. His are the color of light as well as fire, so it's more like whites, bright yellows, gold, and oranges.

Etri is dark colors, black and grey for his goth aesthetic and shadow magic, but he's also dark blues and dark purples-- the color of the evening sky or ink. Sapphire is all shades of blue because it's her favorite color. Hers are more true blues than Adair's, which tend to lean more towards greens, and brighter than Etri's.

Ametrine is purples and yellows-- those are the two colors of an ametrine gemstone, which is where he gets his name, but also he just really loves pretty purples and bright yellows. Skia is mostly grey because he's grey (once Ametrine can see him, anyway), with some black for being a shadow elemental (ghosts are shadow elementals, but not all shadow elementals are ghosts). But also hot pink because that's absolutely his favorite color, and some pretty purple because it's Ametrine's favorite color and Skia loves Ametrine.

Camille's are mostly pale yellows and whites (to represent light magic), pale pinks because that's her favorite color, and some dark grey because she learns how to control shadow elementals as well as lights. Rosalie is another purple dork, but generally darker than Ametrine's. She's got a punk goth aesthetic and sense of fashion, so there's also blacks and dark greys. This also goes along with her having shadow magic.

[merigreenleaf]

Unexpected Inspiration Series Masterpost: About the Secondary 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 and about the main characters here.

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

Name: Ametrine Travellarri   Age: 12 Gender: nonbinary Birthplace: Galanvoth Occupation: kid Magic: none

Ametrine is a shy and quiet runaway from the neighboring country of Galanvoth. He rarely talks about his past, but from what the others have pieced together, his family replaced him. Galanvoth is a place where passing on a trade is more important than anything else, and it isn't uncommon for a firstborn to be demoted or kicked out of their family entirely if they're deemed not good enough. Ametrine was able to get away and made it to the safety of Concordia's capital city, where he was fostered with Sapphire and her carnival troupe. He meets Dray not long after this. Dray was also a runaway from Galanvoth and takes Ametrine under their wing, introducing him to their friends who immediately treat Ametrine as though he was part of their family. When he's asked if he wants to be adopted, he doesn't really understand why they would want him when his own parents didn't. He agrees without much hesitation, though, because the way he sees it, five people who love him unconditionally is a much better family than two traditional parents who didn't. For a while there's a fear in the back of his mind that he won't be good enough for them, but gradually this starts to fade. (Character tag- UI POV: Ametrine / moodboard  / Pinterest board)

Name: Skia (he has no idea what his name is, so Ametrine helped him pick this one)  Age: 14 (not that he remembers this) Gender: genderqueer Birthplace: ? (he has no clue) Occupation: haunting people Magic: he's a ghost, he does ghost things 

Skia is a mystery, even to himself. He's dead, that much is obvious, but he no longer has any memory of who he was as a human or how he could have died. He's been drifting aimlessly around both the real world and what Etri calls "the place of shadow" for an unknown amount of time, up until Camille summons him mostly by accident. She was aiming for a helpful shadow elemental who could possibly tell her where Rosalie went. What she gets is the ghost of a mischievous, cheeky teenager who she can't seem to banish. Fortunately for her, Skia soon grows bored with her company and decides to haunt Ametrine instead. Ametrine is frightened at first-- it's not every day that you discover a ghost followed you home. But when the fridge magnets and sloppily handwritten notes start to spell out an equal mix of kind words and stupid jokes that make him laugh, he realizes the ghost must be another kid who's also lonely. The longer Skia hangs around Ametrine, the more he's able to retain a memory. He’s never able to remember much about his past, but because of Ametrine, he’s able to gain a present and a future. I'd say you’d never see Ametrine without Skia, but no one can see Skia. (Character Tag- UI POV: Skia / Pinterest board)

Name: Feren Cole   Age: 19 Gender/sexuality: male (cis), bisexual Birthplace: Concordia Occupation: barista (when he can be bothered to show up) Magic: none 

Feren is a layabout who loves styling himself into a tragic victim. As one of the few unmagical Artisans, he has always felt like he deserved more than life gave him, despite having everything handed to him and multiple opportunities available at every turn. He was once Adair and Nina’s sentinel-intended, but the second things got slightly dangerous, he decided it was too difficult and he wasn't good enough for the role. He’s currently taking graduate classes on the history of magic, with no real career goal in mind. This was simply the easiest choice at the time and he has never had work to be good at scholarly pursuits. It's unfortunate, but also entirely on point for him, that he puts as much real effort into this as he does working at his girlfriend’s restaurant as a barista and delivery boy. It's a one in three chance he'll be bothered to show up on time and he lives there. If an easy road to recognition and leisure presents itself, he’s going to jump on it with no questions asked. He’s always seeking to improve his lot in life with the minimum amount of effort on his part. (Character Tag- UI POV: Feren / Moodboard / Pinterest board)

Name: Sapphire Age: never ask a lady her age (she looks to be in her early-mid 30s) Gender/sexuality: female (cis), panromantic greysexual Birthplace: Concordia Occupation: leader of a carnival troupe Magic: none (technically. She can see/sense magic, though)

Sapphire is Etri's former mentor and thieving partner, as well as one of his closest friends. She’s currently the leader of the carnival troupe in Silveridge, the capital city of Concordia, and coordinates the city's performers. This is about as effective as herding cats. When Sapphire isn't sorting out who's performing at which venue and breaking up arguments about costumes, she can be found in her other organizational role with the troupe. Many of the performers are also thieves who return stolen art back to the artists who created it. It's up to Sapphire to keep track of what each reverse-thief is doing so that they don't cross paths or get caught. Sapphire excels at this administrative role, being calm, competent, and experienced, while at the same time her strong desire to take care of the people she considers family makes them intensely loyal. Keeping her carnies safe always comes before anything else and there's nothing her troupe wouldn't do for her in return. (Character tag- UI POV: Sapphire / moodboard / Pinterest board)

Name: Talan Age: 3. It's complicated. Gender/sexuality: male (cis), demi/grey-romantic pan Birthplace: Montglace Occupation: errand boy Magic: none

Talan is equal parts cheerful and peculiar, with almost a lethal case of curiosity. He’s something of a magpie who collects various bits of everything in a personal quest to discover its purpose. He has a tenuous grasp on the concept of possessions and tends to think of anything that isn’t currently being worn or carried or nailed down as fair game. He’s Dray’s boyfriend, at least for a little while, and Dray’s malfunctioning moral compass hasn’t exactly been the best influence in Talan’s life. Relatively new to Concordia in particular and civilization in general, Talan struggles with things like laws, idioms, and telling people apart. He’s determined to learn these things, though, and wants more than anything to fit in and be helpful. (Moodboard / Pinterest board)

Name: Nina Pare   Age: 20 Gender/sexuality: female (cis), bi? hetero? (she’s only dated guys and I don’t know her well enough yet to guess which it is) Birthplace: Concordia Occupation: chef, cafe owner Magic: Savorweaving (culinary) 

Nina is a chef with culinary magic who owns her own cafe. As much of an honor as it was to have it passed to her when the previous owner retired, she'll be the first to admit that it probably wasn't the best time for it. This isn't to say that she's not a capable chef and businesswoman, more that Feren keeps messing things up for her and it would have been better if she'd had the chance to break up with him first. Every time she plans to do this, some disaster happens, and her personal life gets pushed to her back burner. She dreams of the day that she can take a break and travel, to gather new recipes and ideas, to visit the beaches she loves so much, to have five minutes to breathe. Someone give this poor, overworked woman a vacation. (Pinterest board)

Name: Wysta Larkspur    Age: 39 Gender/sexuality: female (trans), bisexual Birthplace: Concordia Occupation: healer Magic: healing/telepathy 

Wysta is the lead healer of Blythe, Etri, and Sol's carnival troupe. She was Blythe's first instructor in arcane healing and remained her mentor and friend after Blythe moved on to further study. Wysta is a former Protectorate and her shaved head is a sign of giving up the life of a guard. Specific braids designate status as a Protectorate and it’s a ritual to cut off the braid when you pick a different path in life. Usually a former Protectorate will let their hair grow back, but Wysta keeps her head shaved as a personal-- and practical, considering her profession-- style choice. While Wysta is efficient and sensible, contrasting with the flightier personalities of the carnies she calls family, she possesses both a great sense of humor and a friendly bedside manner. There are very few people Blythe admires and respects, so it says a lot that she holds Wysta in the highest regard and trusts her with information she doesn't give anyone else.

(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 / Secondary Character Info (you’re here!)

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]

Unexpected Inspiration Character Aesthetic: Sapphire

Blythe frowned at her, taking in the blue gloves, blue dress, blue hair, blue everything. Surely she’d remember someone who looked like that. Then it clicked. “Let me guess. You’re Sapphire.” The other woman brought her hand to her chest and let out a little gasp. “However did you know! I thought I was keeping that so well a secret.” -excerpt from the 2nd draft of Sentinel (Book 2)

Sapphire is an aerial performer and the leader of the carnival troupe in Silveridge, the capital city of Concordia. When she isn't sorting out who's performing at which venue and breaking up arguments about costumes, she can be found in her other organizational role with the troupe. Many of the city's performers are also thieves who return stolen art back to the artists who created it and it's up to Sapphire to keep track of what each reverse-thief is doing so that they don't cross paths or get caught. Sapphire excels at this administrative role, being calm, competent, and experienced, while at the same time her strong desire to take care of the people she considers family makes them intensely loyal to her. Keeping her carnies safe always comes before anything else and there's nothing her troupe wouldn't do for her in return.

She sounds straightforward enough, but once you get to know her a little better, things start to not add up. Like how she can pick up any prop or instrument and instruct a performer on how to use it. While this isn't uncommon for a troupe leader, she can also speak any language, converse about any subject that comes up, and seems to know every possible fact about her city. Speaking of Silveridge, it does seem a little strange that she wanders through the streets on a daily basis, touching specific edifices and objects when she thinks no one's looking. And that watch in the moodboard looks awfully similar to the one in Rosalie's time travel board. Could this be connected to Rosalie finding Sapphire waiting for her in every year she visits? Is there more to Sapphire’s penchant for wearing blue than just a fondness for the color? And just what secrets are Sapphire's loyal carnies keeping safe for her? This woman has mysteries stacked upon more mysteries if an outsider is perceptive enough to catch them.

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Sapphire is a secondary character in the Unexpected Inspiration series. She originally connects to the main characters because she's Etri's mentor and former thieving partner. Sapphire also appears in Rosalie's time-travel chapters where she gradually becomes her friend and eventual love interest. I didn’t want to give too much away about Sapphire because her mysteries are also kind of spoilers, but let me know if you have questions because I do love to ramble about potential spoilers lol. The theme @homesteadhorner is doing this week is “mystery” and this lined up perfectly for sharing Sapph’s board!

Tagging my story peoples. Let me know if you want added to this list when I share new moodboards and short stories and things like that. Also let me know if you want off the list. And please please tag me in writing things you share, too, so I don’t miss them. <3 @ageekyreader @lynnafred @the-gay-hufflepuff @desperatlytryingtowriteabook @muffindragon227 @oceanwriter @theguildedtypewriter @toboldlywrite @wchwriter @ghostsmooches @lady-redshield-writes @bluemartlet @reeseweston @dreameronthewind @forlornraven @pen-for-sword @shadow-maker @loopyhoopydrabbles @emptymanuscript @madmoonink @megan-cutler @perringwrites @thatwriternamedvolk @elliot-orion @writer-on-time @ravenpuffwriter @siarven @worldbuildingwren @hiddswritingrefs @missrobinswritings @writevevo @fannistwrites @cay--scribbles @focusdumbass @crartistic @paper-shield-and-wooden-sword @enasroterfaden @joshuaorrizonte @zofiehelen @kainablue

[merigreenleaf]

9-11!

Thanks for the asks! 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.

9.) Are they based off of you, in some way? Sapphire (info/moodboard) -- not intentionally, but I made people with her magic have sensitivity to light, sound, and smell, which is something that I deal with, too.

10.) If they have an LI, how much of their character is tailored to be compatible to that person? Etri (info/moodboard) -- ooo a good roll for this one because he's the love interest of two of my POV characters. That said, I didn't tailor him at all for this purpose because he wasn't originally supposed to be involved with Blythe and Adair at all lolol. He just ended up so compatible with them that by the end of the 1st draft the two were like "you're keeping him in this story and he's ours" and who was I to question their decision? ;)

11.) Did you know what the OC’s sexuality would be at the time of their creation? Ametrine (info/moodboard) -- actually, in his case, I think I did. I'm pretty sure that I've always known that he was aro/ace. Usually it takes me a bit to sort this out, but this was kind of built with his character because it was part of his backstory for why he ran away from home.