Character Profile #7: The Raven-Haired

Meet my raven-haired character!

Hello, friends, and welcome to my seventh 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 a few 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.

#1: The Mood Board

#2: The Interview

Introduce yourself!

Hi, I’m the Raven-Haired. I live in a small forest kingdom with my friends and family. I’m also engaged to the Elf.

Can you also describe yourself?

Sure! I’m 5 feet, 7 inches, and I have sandy skin, bright green eyes, and long black hair.

What’s your favorite food?

I love red grapes, which I don’t get to eat very often since they’re rare and expensive to import. I think having to wait for something you love is worth it, though!

Speaking of things you love, what are your three favorite possessions?

Well…obviously my first answer would be my fiancé, although I definitely don’t own him. I also really love my custom bow and arrows, which I’ve had for years. And finally I’d have to say the wind-up ballerina figurine my parents gave me for my seventh birthday. It’s very special to me.

Those are great answers! Do your parents live with you?

Unfortunately, no. I used with them to live in a little log cabin with them on the other side of the elven kingdom’s territory, but one day, they went out to get firewood and never came back. I lived in the cabin alone until it was accidentally burned to the ground, and then I lived in the forest until a group of elves found me sick in a cave. It’s not a happy story, but I’m in a much better position now!

I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m glad you’re doing better! Since your fiancé is a prince, that makes you a princess! How do you feel about that?

It’s very strange. My family was well-off, but we certainly weren’t rich. Marrying into royalty is a little overwhelming at times. I’I get to be a leader for the working-class elves who are in a similar place that I used to be.

What’s your favorite color?

Black. I love the inky darkness of night the best.

What’s your weakness?

I struggle with making small talk or conversing easily with people I don’t know very well. It’s hard for me because I’m so used to living alone! There’s also a lot of pressure from the elven community, especially with my fiancé’s dad, which makes me pretty nervous at times!

What’s your strength?

I’d say being honest and trying my best. If I’m having a hard time with something, I vocalize it. I also think I bring a new perspective to the table. Having lived in isolation for so long, I understand which needs are critical and what can wait.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I’ll be honest: I learned a lot about myself from this interview. Thanks, Addie!

#3: The Snippet

Thea* took a covered bowl down from the shelf above her, gently tracing the leaves carved into the cabinet. She took the towel off, revealing a ball of dough that had doubled in size since the last time she had checked on it.

She heard the kitchen door creak behind her and turned her head just enough to see a glimpse of familiar blond hair. Great.

“Thea!”

She ignored him, prodding the dough with one finger before she rolled up her sleeves and punched her whole fist into it.

“Thea, I need to talk to you,” Sander repeated, his voice sounding worried. “Clearly I did something wrong, but I won’t know what it is until you tell me.”

One of the other elves in the kitchen opened an oven, and hot air spread through the room. Thea could feel her anger building, but she gritted her teeth and tried to focus on the rising lump of dough. Someone snickered behind her, and the dam broke.

“Clearly?” Thea whirled around to see Sander, his wavy blond hair tucked behind his slightly pointed ears. “Do you know how hard it’s been for me here with these snobby elves? It’s clear they think I’m not one of them.”

She noticed a few elves in the kitchen looking at her and lowered her voice. “And then you told your father that we’re a couple? Would you like to explain yourself, because last time I checked, we’re not!”

She took a deep breath and let it out, trying to control her temper. It was so hard not to let it rage out of control.

Sander’s face blushed a tomato shade of red. “Thea, I thought--” He swallowed, reconsidering as Thea attacked the dough with such force the bowl almost cracked in half. “You know my mother was…”

“A human?” Thea kept punching the dough, feeling its sticky resistance against her knuckles. “Sander, you can just say it. It’s not like I can choose if I’m one or not.”

“I never said being a human was a bad thing,” Sander countered, his eyes flicking to her frantic punching. “How long are you going to be doing that, exactly?”

“As long as I feel like it,” Thea hissed, although she stopped hitting the dough to find a clean bread pan. “Listen, if we are a couple – not that I’m saying we are – we need to communicate better.”

“Okay…” Sander’s voice was careful. “How do you suppose we do that?”

“Maybe talk to me first before you share things with your father?”

The conversation with the king had been so awkward. Especially his face of shock when Sander had told him they were more than friends. Thea had her suspicions, but the two of them had been tiptoeing around the subject for months.

“Listen, I’m sorry!” Sander said as Thea placed the dough in the pan, turning briefly to see his stricken blue eyes. “I thought we talked about this. Moving on from being friends, seeing what it’s like, talking about our future?”

“Sander, I--” Her voice caught as she opened the oven door and put the pan in the oven, the heat making her face flush. “I…I don’t feel ready for that yet.”

“Then we’ll wait,” Sander said gently.

Thea sniffled, tears threatening to spill out of the corners of her eyes. “For the bread?”

Sander burst out laughing, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. “Sure, Thea. For the bread.”

*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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