Character Profile #10: The Wagon Master
Meet my wagon master character!
Hello, friends, and welcome to my tenth Character Profile, a monthly feature in which you get to learn more about one of my characters. Spoiler alert: I have a LOT of characters. If you’d like to learn more about them, you can click here to read a short story snippet I wrote months ago.
Each character profile will consist of three parts:
the mood board — where you get a peek into their character as photos!
the interview — where the character is interviewed and you get to learn more about them.
the writing snippet featuring that character — where you get to see how I incorporate the character into a short scene!
See all of my Character Profiles here.
This character is also in my short story, Cecil’s Conundrum, which you can purchase here!
#1: The Mood Board
#2: The Interview
Introduce yourself!
Hi, I’m the Wagon Master! I’m the owner and lead driver of a wagon company that transports people all over Ribinskiff — and sometimes even other places on appointment.
Can you also describe yourself?
Yep! I have dark brown hair and a beard the same color, brown eyes, and tawny skin. Sometimes I even wear a hat!
Do you like your job?
I do! I enjoy helping people get to their destinations as quickly as possible. It’s fun meeting people from different places too.
Running a business sounds like hard work! What’s the biggest struggle when it comes to your business?
It’s keeping everything organized, especially the animals. I own eight horses and have three other employees who help me keep running smoothly. Making sure everyone is paid fairly and the animals get enough to eat while also having enough for my family is a struggle.
Who’s part of your family?
I have a wife, plus we have a child coming in the next few months! We also own a cat named Gillie.
What’s your favorite color?
I really like black.
What’s your favorite food?
Hmm…I think my favorite food would have to be rice. It’s filling, easy to make, and I can eat it fast, which is great when I’m on a time crunch. I don’t often get a full lunch break, which is why rice is so great for me.
Do you have a community of people? Who would you count as your biggest supporter?
I come from a city on the edge of Sailim, and for a long time I never felt like I fit in there. It was a hard decision, but I decided to relocate to Ribinskiff. That’s where I met my wife! She’s definitely been my biggest supporter ever since I met her.
One of my best friends is Luciana*, and she runs the best inn in Ribinskiff. I often take travelers to her inn for rest or recuperation, which helps her business. She and I have known each other for years and we’re practically best friends at this point.
What’s your weakness?
Deep relationships. Sometimes I can get too attached to someone I meet for five minutes and then never see them again. It’s how life works, but I’m really good at making friends I can’t really keep.
What’s your strength?
I love people, which makes me naturally open and willing to learn from the relationships I cultivate.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Nothing I can think of! Thank you so much, Addie!
#3: The Snippet
Liam* was ready for a break.
He had been running errands for his mother, who was busy taking care of his five other siblings. As the oldest, Liam knew that she was counting the days when Liam would find a job and finally move out of her house. But there weren’t many good opportunities in Port Weymuth. Liam couldn’t find one open position.
It was so frustrating.
For a second, he stopped at the front door to take a breath and calm his nerves before going into his often loud and busy house. He took a moment to savor the silence and felt his heart slow a few beats…
…right before the black cow he was holding let out a loud “MOOOOOOOOO” right in his ear.
Liam jumped, then sighed. “You can’t even give me a second, can you, girl?”
The cow mooed again and the wooden door swung open, squeaking on its hinges. One of Liam’ many younger sisters stood there, holding a toy duck. She assessed the situation silently, then grinned, exposing multiple gaps in her teeth that were slowly being filled in.
“MA, Liam IS HOME!” she yelled. “WITH A COW!”
“I thought the cow would do well in the shed,” Liam said quietly, but then his mother appeared and Liam repeated the sentence.
“The shed?” his mother said, putting her soapy hands on her hips. She eyed the cow with narrowed eyes. “Where’d you even get a cow?”
“Miss Fletcher said that they needed the money, and you’re always saying the girls don’t have enough milk,” Liam replied.
His mother’s face softened, and she nudged the girl still standing with her toy, watching the conversation. “Minnie, go and set the cow up in the shed.”
Once Minnie had taken the cow by the reins and led her around the house, his mother took Liam into the house. While well kept, toys were strewn all over the floor and Liam’s little brother was crying loudly in his crib. His mother gave a little shake of her head.
“I’ll go get Holden,” she said with a sigh. “There was a piece of mail on the table for you. Some sort of pamphlet from the royal family. Trash, if you ask me.”
Liam took a chair next to the kitchen table. Sitting next to a large sticky circular spot that looked like jam was the envelope. It was addressed to him.
He ripped open the envelope to see a large blue and yellow pamphlet. Across the front in white letters was a simple sentence: RIBINSKIFF IS BACK!
Underneath that in smaller letters, Come and add to the growing population!
The rest of the pamphlet was filled with facts and figures about how in the next few years, the population was expected to grow exponentially. Liam didn’t believe all of it, especially because there had been growing rumors that Ribinskiff had been under constant attacks.
But it was an opportunity: a place he could go to find out what he wanted to do and who he wanted to be. The more he thought about it, the more he liked it.
His mother returned from the small bedroom, holding Holden in her arms. “You’re looking at that, I see? Trash, I told you. Nothing good comes from those royals anymore.” She let out a huff. “Unless that paper has a magical answer on how to get you a job, I think we can throw it out.”
“I want to go,” Liam said.
“What?” his mother said slowly.
Liam took another second to repeat his point. “I want to go.”
*all names have been changed for character privacy*
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If you enjoyed this profile and would like to know more about these characters and my journey, click here! Thanks for reading, and keep on being kind! 💖
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